Case Study
Accounting Information System for Shipping Companies
TRANS-Account Introduction Case Study Interview
TRANS-Account enables us to quickly
extract data we want and perform
timely sales analysis
Mr. TSUYOSHI OKURA, General Manager, HR
& Administration Department
Nissan Motor Car Carrier Co., Ltd.
Nissan Motor Car Carrier Co., Ltd., established in
1965, is engaged in sea transportation mainly of
finished cars. Operating worldwide as a
comprehensive logistics service provider, it has bases
in Japan, the U.S. and Europe. It introduced
TRANS-Account in April 2012. What changes does
GM Tsuyoshi Okura feel through the introduction of
this new system?
A large share in the market for accounting software
within Shipping Industry was important
information for making the decision
-- First, what prompted you to review the
accounting software you were using?
Mr. Okura: To tell the truth, the direct trigger was that
the maintenance period of the accounting software we
were using then was about to expire. In addition, no
further services were going to be provided because of
the software company's policy, we were forced to
replace it with a new accounting software product. The
maintenance period was expiring in April 2012 and so
we desperately needed to establish a business
environment to make new accounting software up and
running without trouble by that time. After
wide-ranging examination, we finally decided to
introduce TRANS-Account.
-- Why did you choose TRANS-Account?
Mr. Okura: In this new introduction, we made
comprehensive examination, posing questions to be
answered such as "whether it meets the accounting
rules unique to the shipping industry," "whether it
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covers all the functions that the software currently
operated has," "whether it can be used stably,"
"whether it can be really up and running from April
2012," "How well does the system scale in the
future?," and "Is the potential vendor's support system
satisfactory?" TRANS-Account's specialization in the
shipping industry and its large market share in the
industry were important factors in decision making.
Although we had two major features in the previous
system such as "Port Agent Management" function and
"Voyage Revenue and Expense" function developed,
we basically managed to make as least customization
as possible.
A comparative study between features of old software
and those of new software in the course of introducing
packaged software is called "fit and gap analysis." AIS
did a good job for us during this almost one year,
starting with this fit and gap analysis up to
programming, operational test, and starting operation.
Additionally, as for the support after introduction, AIS
established support system for us by assigning a
dedicated staff within its support center playing a role
as a consultation desk. We receive reports on such
support on a monthly basis now.
AIS CO., LTD.
TRANS-Account enables to digitize any report that
it outputs, which makes secondary processing of
such data easier
-- What's the greatest merit you think after actually
using the software?
Mr. Okura: There are many merits. Among them, the
greatest merit is that TRANS-Account enables to
digitize any report that it outputs, which makes
secondary processing of such data easier -- The feature
is a material difference from the existing system.
Previously, it was impossible to extract certain data
immediately when necessary. Suppose you wanted to
know profit and loss by ship, you had to output
relevant data set from the accounting software in a
PDF file, and then an accountant picked up data and
computed with a calculator and/or spreadsheet
software.
In TRANS-Account, however, with management items
already established, you can take out necessary data
easily such as profit and loss by ship or by route, or
expenses incurred at each port. Extraction by currency
type is also possible. Compatible with very popular
spreadsheet software, it performs calculation and
processing operation smoothly.
Accounting work has become more productive and
creative
-- What has changed by the quicker accessibility to
necessary data?
Mr. Okura: First of all, it is very useful in financial
statements audit. For example, when a question such as
"Why did the cost of this part increase compared with
the last year?" arises, our accountant has to do a search
each time.
TRANS-Account, however, has the data in its system
and we can take necessary data out of it right away.
Now we don't need to have the certified public
accountants wait for a long time in audits till we finish
preparing for requested material. Responding to
financial statements audit previously required
engagement of all the staff in our accounting
department, but now, with TRANS-Account, two staff
members are enough.
As for details, TRANS-Account has a "drill-down"
function, which is one of our accountant's favorites.
Starting with the highest-level number in a trial
balance, the function lets you find general ledgers and
slips as you double-click on numbers. You don't need
to search for slips to know which slips make up certain
figures -- all you have to do is click. Moreover, as I
said earlier, it has made sales analysis easier -- analysis
of which route made more money, or where the costs
increased, and what's the factor of it – and so on.
Now that we have every data in the system, the work
efficiency has been improved greatly thanks to that
human errors do not happen. Frank opinion from those
who work at the job site is that they can spend more
time in performing sales analysis, not number
crunching with a calculator. It's very commendable that
TRANS-Account has enabled our accountants to work
more productively and creatively, not just chase
figures.
Overall Picture of Nissan Motor Car Carrier Accounting System
Ship/VOY
Master
Ship Operation System
Journal Entry
interface
Ship/VOY
Master
A/R
Bank
A/P
G/L
Voyage
Revenue and
Expense
4F Ochanomizu Union. Bldg,
2-1-20, Kandasurugadai,
Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
Port Agent
Management
Budget
Managemen
t
AIS CO., LTD.
Tokyo Head Office, Kobe Office,
Singapore Branch
EXCEL
Budget File
(Accounting information system)
TEL: 03-5283-5515
FAX: 03-5283-5516
HP: http://www.a-i-s.co.jp
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