Its day 3 in Cyprus and we had to wake up bright and early to get to our first site visit to Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement’s (BSM) Training Centre. From the outside, the training center looked like any other building, but from the moment we walked into the building, we were all amazed. The inside of the center was spacious and was decorated with a ship theme and designed very well. We headed into a classroom/meeting room to learn more about the company and what exactly the training center does. It was here I learned that the British had used the building as a military base, which is why the exterior of the training center looked colonial-like. Next we learned more statistics about BSM’s training center. The training center mainly focuses on training individuals for the marine/seafarer life in all jobs like chefs, engineers, crew members, captains, etc). This includes emergency situations (like fire emergencies, needing to evacuate a vessel, and ensuring that no life is lost), learning how to follow the guidelines, and ensuring that everyone is well trained for their job. BSM makes sure that all individuals that earn their certification deliver the highest quality and follow the requirements of the IMO requirements. These requirements ensure the safety of the crew, the cargo/passengers, and the vessel. One interesting fact that I learned was that chefs do not use fuel/gas in their cooking on vessels because it would become a hazard so they use electric appliances to cook. After the presentation was done, we got to tour the building and see the Marina. We saw a bunch of simulations that the trainees use to learn and practice on and it was so interesting and fun to look at. The entire site visit was so fascinating and engaging.

Next, we went to Columbia Shipmanagement (CSM). When we walked into the complex, we were greeted with a beautiful indoor mini river that was surrounded by greenery. We then went to a meeting room and learned more about CSM and what services they have to offer. Overall, they are basically a consulting/service group that delivers the highest quality of services in all sectors. They work in ship management, maritime services and logistics, leisure and cruise services, technology, finance, and commercial. They are very client driven and value the quality of work and service that they deliver and they abide by their core values and iCARE philosophy which they say “focuses on recognising the absolute importance of growing a strong Company culture with which its employees, crew and clients can readily and willingly identify and adopt”. Next, we saw how CSM tracks their ships throughout the world and makes sure that they are on course, maintain speed and inform vessels of any needed information that could be necessary for them to know. The entire thing was so interesting to see and learn about.

After a lunch break at the Marina, we headed over to Medochemie. There we learned more about the supply chain and how Medochemie utilizes the supply chain to make and deliver their products. Medochemie does strategic planning, tactical planning, and operational planning. They start with business and budget planning, then move on to sales and operations planning and then operational planning like master scheduling, material planning, detailed scheduling, capacity planning and order releasing. After everything is done, they execute and control their materials and stock. We learned about two types of supply chains that they use, responsive and efficient and how that words in hand with forecast demand and what consumers want. After the presentation, we got to see their warehouse. We had to wear these robes because the warehouse floor was a clean area and had to remain clean. We learned how they get their materials and store them with a machine that they created themselves and how the supply chain was very important to them because medications have expiration dates.

Overall, all of the companies that we visited today were so fun and informative and I cannot wait for the next visits! To end the day, I went to the convenience store and got myself and very yummy ice cream, especially after a hot and long day.