Maersk to set sail with 200 techies in digitisation drive

Shipping firm to hire engineers to work on AI and data analytics

File photo of loading of containers into a Maersk Line ship at Visakha Container Terminal Private Ltd, a BOT operator at Visakhapatnam Port. Ransomware cyberattack has crippled sofware and IT infrastructure of the world's leading container shiping firm. Photo: K.R. Deepak

A.P. Moller-Maersk said it is planning to hire more than 200 engineers at its new Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru to help the world’s biggest container shipping company in its digital transformation.

The Copenhagen-based firm, which reported a revenue of $35.5 billion in 2016, said these engineers would work on technologies such artificial intelligence (AI) and big data analytics to mine hidden insights, drive automation and improve customer experience.

“We will invest in world-class talent around data and digital engineering and automation. We are aggressively hiring for those roles,” said Navneet Kapoor, head of the Global Service Centres, A.P. Moller–Maersk, in an interview. “Initially we are looking for experienced engineers. Later we will go to the (college) campuses,” said Mr. Kapoor, who joined Maersk in April from Target India, where he was the president and managing director. The firm said the additional hiring would add to Maersk Global Service Centre’s strength of 12,000 employees across its sites in Manila, Philippines; Chengdu, China; and Chennai, Mumbai, and Pune in India.

Operational efficiency

Though the shipping industry has been late to adopt digitisation, Maersk, which owns more than 600 vessels and operates in 130 countries, is taking the lead in this area. It uses technologies such as big data analytics and artificial intelligence to improve operational efficiency.

This includes ‘predictive maintenance’, where sensors monitor the health of the ship and the goods inside the containers and send alerts. These technologies also help reduce the consumption of fuel as well as find sales lead at the right time.

“It not only serves our customers better, we also have a massive impact on sustainability within the company,” said Mr. Kapoor.

He said the firm is also taking significant measures to beef up its information security. In June, the company said it suffered a huge cyberattack on its information technology systems, triggering a big operational slowdown.“Cybersecurity is very important for us and we are investing significantly in that area,” said Mr. Kapoor.