Gearbulk is an international shipping company with Norwegian roots. It delivers transportation and logistics services across industries through its various businesses, areas of engagement and joint ventures.

An organization with an international structure and employees around the globe requires an IT infrastructure with stable operations. At Gearbulk, there was a recognition that the administration of software applications and user support should be handled externally to free up resources within the company. The challenge for Gearbulk was that their previous IT services provider proved to be too small and lacked the resources to address the task:

"It was sometimes extremely difficult to get in touch with our partner, and it simply took too long from the time we made a request until the problem was resolved," says Stian Maarten Van Dam Lie, Head of Accounting and Controlling at Gearbulk.

A large, dependable partner ensures a foundation for growth

The prolonged response time was not just an annoyance but also became a bottleneck, hamering Gearbulk's productivity. After investigating the market and consulting with contacts and suppliers worldwide, Gearbulk chose Cepheo as its new partner responsible for the operation of their Dynamics 365 Finance and Supply Chain Management solutions through a Cepheo Managed Services agreement. The agreement ensures the availability of resources at Cepheo that are dedicated to operations and management.

"We chose Cepheo to have a solid partner with a broad portfolio of services. We were, and are, aware that our needs will change over time, so it is crucial to have a partner with the size and scope to keep up," explains Stian Maarten Van Dam Lie.

Among the benefits that Gearbulk and Stian Maarten Van Dam Lie experience with Cepheo is a dedicated Service Delivery Manager who leads joint meetings and drives the process.

"The Service Delivery Manager ensures a high level of continuity and stability, thanks to the weekly dialogue meetings. We have been very satisfied with the thorough follow-up around, and documentation of, agreements and plans. This has been crucial for us. Having a partner with high availability and structured communication has been essential," says Stian Maarten Van Dam Lie.

With Cepheo's assistance, Gearbulk has been able to expedite processes and improve results.

"We have a close collaboration with the Service Delivery Manager regarding what we plan to do in relation to projects and the changes that need to be made in the system. So, we simply make better use of time and encounter fewer challenges."