Norast Supply - The game has changed with digital procurement.

So what exactly is Norast Supply? First and foremost we are a ship supplier. However, our USP is that we are finally bringing the supply business into the digital era. Our e-commerce store enables ordering, payment and fulfilment all, uniquely, within the confines of our website. This removes the need for requests for quotes, checking of stock levels and many more unnecessary layers of communication. We offer a vast selection of quality products, ranging from provisions and consumables to safety equipment, PPE and commercial publications. We deliver to every major UK port, so at whichever port a vessel calls, we can be there to fulfil its procurement needs.

The biggest motivation for transforming the ship supply industry into a digital industry was the inordinate amount of processes that take place when done ‘the old fashioned way’. We cut out several processes through our e-commerce platform. Traditionally when ordering ship supplies, a ship owner or manager would send out a request for a quote to one or more ship suppliers. The ship suppliers would then come back to the ship owner or manager with their prices. Once the ship owner or ship manager had chosen which company to go with, they had to send that company a pro-forma invoice. The ship supplier then arranged to have the goods delivered and then sends their invoice to the ship owner. A laboured and time intensive process that we have succeeded in streamlining.

So how does it work?

You simply visit norastsupply.com and click ‘Shop Now’. You will then be prompted to enter your company details. This helps us verify that you are a bonafide purchaser.

Once your details have been verified, you will be sent a confirmation email. You are now able to log in. To do this, click ‘Shop Now’ and then the ‘Log In’ box near the top left of the page. Once logged in you are able to view our vast selection of ship stores, consumables, tools, and much more besides.

Why does it work?

We still get daily emails from ship managers with requests for quotes. Although we are more than happy to quote for them, once we explain the advantages of our digital procurement model they realise the upsides of Norast Supply.

When you think about it, as a ship manager the likelihood is that you will receive an urgent request from one of your vessels. Say, for example, they are in need of a SOLAS life raft. The vessel is unable to leave port without it and the port fees are increasing by the day. You would then set about the task of procuring a replacement life raft. Typically you would send out an urgent request for quote to a minimum of three ship suppliers in the area where the vessel is berthed. And then, you wait… and wait…

Eventually you may get a response; some will explain how the item isn’t stocked by them. Others may not have even bothered to respond. With Norast Supply you could have visited our website, searched for ‘life rafts’, and instantly seen if the item was stocked by us and what the price was.

When you compare purchasing this way, the time benefits become obvious. In the time it takes for you to write an email, you could have viewed the product you wanted, looked at the price, seen whether it was in stock and ordered it.

‘But’, I hear you cry. ‘The reason we send our multiple requests for quotes is to be able to procure products that represent the best value for money’. Correct but how much money have you lost whilst waiting for supply companies to quote you? During this time your vessel and crew are waiting in port, potentially adding thousands to that vessel’s costs. To reassure you even more, all the discounts we receive from our suppliers are passed straight on to you. All of our items prices are monitored daily to make sure we remain competitive and our customers are receiving the best value for money.

Once you have to decided to go ahead with your purchase you input the details of the delivery port and the time and date you wish the items to be delivered and we will deliver your order directly to your vessel using our own transport fleet.

You may have come across several other online ship suppliers, however, there is a big difference between them and Norast Supply. When you make a purchase from these other online ship suppliers you are not buying the products from them; you are essentially buying a consolidation service, they will have products delivered to them from several other ship suppliers and will then package it up and deliver it to you. Essentially middle men taking a slice of the profits. Norast Supply sources and stocks all of its own products. When you add the products on our website to the basket, you can have the confidence and assurance that they are coming directly from us. No one else. We are not middle men. We are Ship Suppliers.

Our Managing Director recently conducted a survey on LinkedIn, asking the question: What do you look for when purchasing from a new ship supplier?

Do you:

• Look for value for money above all else?

• Expect excellent service and communication as a priority?

• Need someone who is available wherever your vessel is berthed?

• Other (Please specify in the comments)

As you can see by the percentages above, the majority of consumers favour excellent service and communication as a priority. This is something that we have prioritised at Norast Supply. It is just one of many reasons why our business model of only selling the products that we stock and not those of another ship supplier helps us deliver this customer service. We don’t consolidate these items from different sources when you place an order; they are already in our warehouse waiting to be delivered to your vessel. This massively lowers the risk of missing items from orders, having items on backorder or not getting the correct product that you ordered.

As for communication, we let you know the process of your order every step of the way. Once an order is placed, you will receive a confirmation email. When your supplies leave our warehouse and are on route to your ship, you are notified. When they are delivered to your vessel, you are informed that your order has been successfully completed. Throughout all of this we are also in constant dialogue with your shipping agent. What’s more, we are available 24/7. You can call us on 0191 428 3325 for any queries you may have, or email us at info@norast.com.

We are available for all vessels that are berthed in ports around the UK. Your order will be delivered by us directly to your vessel using the most environmentally friendly vehicles that we have (EURO 6 as a minimum).

This, coupled with our excellent customer service record and the fact we offer purchasers a much more effective purchasing process that saves not only time but also money, means we are a very attractive proposition for any ship owner or management company. If you work in ship procurement, are a buyer/purchaser what are you waiting for?

Sign up now with your company details and be entitled to a £100 discount for all new customers (available on orders over £2000). Simply enter the code SUPPLY100 at checkout to receive this.

Welcome to the future of ship supply. Sign up now.