Building a Virtual Watch Tower Network Assisting Companies in Managing Disruptions in Global Supply Chains

Purpose and goal

The Virtual Watch Tower (VWT) project, cargo owner-driven port-centric, fills a gap in cross-industry collaboration to manage supply chain disruptions by piloting a digital middleware connecting VWTs of various parties in a system-of-systems to easily share, aggregate and compute data supporting actors, such as cargo owners and ports to build collective intelligence and collaborate globally at scale. The digitally powered networked solution will contribute to the overall digitalization of the maritime industry making supply chains more efficient.

Expected effects and result

The pilot aims at improving situational awareness along maritime corridors and collaborative behaviors and practices for better supply chain management. This will benefit the maritime industry through cost savings and delivery accuracy but also Swedish importers and exporters through competitive edge, higher customer satisfaction through less delays and costs. The VWT is deemed to be used beyond the duration of the project to serve an ever-growing VWT community.

Planned approach and implementation

The project builds on RISE relationships with leading Swedish shippers, and with Singapore as one of the world’s largest transport nodes through which Sweden’s cargoes pass. Under the leadership of RISE and A*Star/IHPC in Singapore the VWT concept will be prototyped in a real-life environment. The project engages various actors, sometimes the largest in their segment, in different and sometimes multiple roles to respond specifically to shippers’ needs. The innovative process will be driven by Living Lab meetings, user-centric workshops, and continuous knowledge sharing.