A new online UK-based ship supplier is looking to shake up the slow-to-digitalise shortsea and coastal trades' vessel stores purchasing habits.
Jarrow-based Norast Supply is a purely online operation that claims that, unlike other web-based ship suppliers, it is not a marketplace but sources all the products it sells.
"You don’t come to our website to then complete the purchase with another company; the products you see are sourced, stocked and delivered by us," chief executive Andy Eyre said.
Norast, which went live this year, said it has the capacity to deliver to every major port in the UK.
Eyre, who comes from a manufacturing background and has e-commerce experience but also studied with the Chartered Institute of Shipbrokers said ordering, payment and fulfilment can all be done within the confines of Norast's free-to-use website.
Eyre told TradeWinds that the site does not yet stock tens of thousands of products but is happy to get in items that ship operators ask for. It covers basic vessel supplies such as safety gear, charts, workwear, cabin electronics, food, drink and other consumables.
Eyre looked at the leisure market but said most chandlery stores are now online unlike those for commercial ship operators in the shortsea and coastal trades.
And, unlike large shipping companies that tend to have online procurement systems in place, Eyre said smaller operators still often use a traditional process of sending out requests for quotes.
Finding and ordering products with Norast would probably be quicker than sending out emails for quotes, he added.
"No-one is doing exactly what we do," Eyre said. "If an owner has a problem with an order, they can contact us direct and we will be there to rectify it, and we won't pass it on to an outside company, because it's all from us.
He said Norast will focus on the UK market for the next couple of years, but longer term may look to expand into other markets, such as Rotterdam or Singapore.
Online purchasing has grown since the dotcom boom in 2000, but most major suppliers operate more like marketplaces, and still admit it can be hard to change operators' traditional buying procedures.
