This article was featured in the official IMPA publication - Supply Chain and Sustainability Magazine, Issue 5 2024
The landscape of marine catering is changing. Traditionally, it’s been a matter of compromising quality for budgets, availability, and volatile supply chains. Tech, and Sea Steward in particular, are about to change that.
There’s no shortage of tech-related success stories throughout the maritime supply chain. AI-driven platforms have given transparency, visibility, and clarity where there was none. They’ve empowered data-driven forecasting, decision-making, and risk management, giving buyers a heads-up on current and projected needs.
Despite that, few use cases have been applied to marine catering. With much already accomplished in the sector, it’s surprising that marine catering hasn’t embraced digital transformation to the extent the rest of the industry has.
It’s a significant opportunity—catering is, after all, heavily impacted by supply fluctuations. By integrating data, advanced tools, and AI, the problems that plague catering for ships can be better managed, delivering quality effectively and efficiently. In that respect, SeaSteward’s app is a major turning point.
Sea Steward’s app is specifically designed for ship owners, operators, and caterers who face the challenges of managing budgets, quality, and supply chain inefficiencies in marine catering. While the concept of digitising operations may seem simple, the app represents a critical step toward centralising and streamlining the entire catering process, from procurement to delivery. It’s a digital transition that has the potential to bring greater transparency, reduce inefficiencies, and ultimately help caterers get more value from their limited budgets.
It's also a move toward modernisation that Sea Steward co-founder Barry Samms sees as vital for the industry’s survival. “I think the approach to catering needs to change. We need to address operational bottlenecks, provide a way for ship owners, managers, and operators to monitor quality standards in real-time, while also offering tools for better inventory and supplier management.
“This shift modernises operations and improves response times, allowing suppliers to be more agile in meeting client needs without inflating costs. In a sector where traditional methods no longer suffice, digital tools represent a pathway to rejuvenate both operations and customer satisfaction.”
The app goes some way to doing that, offering the industry a platform from which to optimise its approach to catering. Samms adds that feedback from the first partnership has been very positive, to the extent he is confident it will make a real difference for the owners, managers, and caterers who will use it when it launches in December.
“We think that this can change the way catering is done for the better,” he says. “It’s built off the back of a lot of experience, a lot of understanding, and an awareness of what owners and managers need to do. It’s a tool we’re really proud of and really excited by.”
Leveraging Tech to Raise Standards
The use of digital tools goes beyond streamlining logistics; it opens the door to integrating higher standards for quality and sustainability. Technological advancements—such as improved supply chain transparency, digital inventory management, and real-time cost monitoring—could enable suppliers to incorporate organic and sustainably sourced ingredients.
Currently, budget limitations prevent many caterers from offering such options, despite demand. Technological solutions, like data-driven procurement or AI-assisted forecasting, could also support smarter sourcing decisions, which would allow for better quality without substantial price increases.
With these advances, suppliers might find that digital solutions allow them to track and allocate costs more effectively, potentially creating room for better ingredients and compliance with sustainability initiatives. “It would not only meet rising customer expectations but align with broader industry goals of improving environmental stewardship and reducing waste in food supply chains,” says Samms.
A Sustainable Future for Ship Catering
To truly unlock the potential of digital transformation, however, the ship catering industry may need to rethink its pricing structures and re-evaluate its traditional cost-driven model, as Samms explains.
“Rather than compromising on quality, a forward-looking strategy might involve a multi-stakeholder approach where both clients and suppliers collaborate to build a more sustainable pricing model. Such a model would allow suppliers to invest in higher standards without undercutting their profitability.”
With new tools like the app and other digital technologies, suppliers can offer transparency that demonstrates the added value of quality ingredients and efficient service management. By rethinking cost structures and embracing digital solutions, the industry could find a viable path toward sustainable, high-quality ship catering.
Balancing Cost, Quality, and Innovation in Ship Catering
The journey of ship catering over the past three decades underscores the challenges of prioritising cost over quality. There’s little doubt the industry has struggled to meet evolving expectations for quality within stagnant budgets.
Digital transformation, however, offers some hope. With the introduction of apps and data-driven tools, suppliers now have the potential to manage operations more effectively, allowing them to balance cost constraints with quality standards more successfully.
In a world where customer expectations for both quality and sustainability continue to grow, the ship catering industry has an opportunity to leverage digital innovation to navigate these demands more effectively.
By embracing technology, rethinking traditional cost models, and fostering collaborative pricing structures, ship catering can transform to meet the needs of modern consumers while sustaining quality and profitability. The road ahead is not without challenges, but with the right tools and strategic mindset, a balance between cost, quality, and innovation is within reach.
