Since March 2020 the SAMBESI software from REMEC has facilitated the planning, performance and documentation of maintenance for all staff at Icy Strait Point in Alaska. Thanks to the simple control by means of a tablet, it can be used by anyone, with no need to have IT skills as a requirement. This has made it possible to replace the existing and outdated systems with SAMBESI.

The first step is easy

Discussions between Icy Strait Point and REMEC began at the start of 2020. Implementation of the software then began as early as the spring.

“The procurement was child’s play. The only real difficulty was the 10-hour time difference between Alaska and Switzerland, but the team from REMEC was very accommodating in this respect,” says Icy Strait Point Manager Joe Puliafico.

However, SAMBESI was fully utilised only in 2021, owing to Covid. Before this, the various modules had to be constructed and set up. Yet REMEC took on a lot of the work here and integrated the data from the gondolas and ZipRider into the software with the aid of handbooks.

Implementation, use and application

At present, the maintenance software is used for five installations, two gondolas, the ZipRider, the adventure park and the 2-MW power generators from CAT. In 2020 use was restricted solely to the power generators and the gondolas under construction. The following year, operation was also possible only to a limited extent, owing to Covid. It was finally possible to make full use of the software in 2022, and in the coming year it will be used for all five installations.

Making processes easier

At present, SAMBESI is used at Icy Strait Point for all daily, weekly, monthly, biannual and annual (pre)operational checks as well as maintenance work. These are performed as well as followed up and reviewed with the software.

Check lists of almost 200 items are processed, and records are kept of the complete stock of spare parts and accessories. This can also make it much easier to keep track of the stock and the materials used. Furthermore, all operating details are logged, such as operating hours, application purpose and weather conditions. In addition, thanks to the software, the data and know-how cannot get lost.

Each location has its own tablet, on which SAMBESI is installed, and the staff can therefore simply log in, perform all the checks and enter the required information electronically. As the software is fully automated, reminders are also sent when other planned maintenance work is due. Plus, all handbooks and instructions are integrated for performance of the specified tasks.

The planning, performance and documentation of installation maintenance can therefore be managed digitally. Thanks to this digital logging by the SAMBESI software, all unnecessary paperwork in the cruise port of Icy Strait Point has been confined to history.