Advertising Feature
Drive Value Up You can’t control the price of oil, but a new technology helps cut the waste in crew flights and site accommodations
INNOVATION HAS FOUND A HOME
Bringing flights and accommodations under one roof, Gemstone cuts waste and creates tangible savings – at a time companies need it most.
at Gemstone Logistics Inc. Founded by Tom McHale in 2007, Gemstone provides air transportation management and support for large-scale resource and construction projects, as well as housing a business travel agency that is accredited by the International Air Transport Association and the Association of Canadian Travel Agencies. However, it is Gemstone’s proprietary software system – CIRYS – that puts the company a cut above its competitors. “CIRYS allows travel coordinators to book camp rooms and charter flights in a one-stop-shop fashion,” explains Ross Purdie, vice-president, corporate development and finance at Gemstone. The system is the innovation in efficiency that the industry has been looking for. “Without CIRYS, making these reservations usually involves two separate processes for major projects. Some companies are still using spreadsheets and faxes,” Purdie says. “A travel coordinator using CIRYS can book staff members onto flights and into camp rooms for many months in a matter of seconds.” Purdie says a key benefit of CIRYS is access to real-time reporting on both flights and camp sites, which makes it easier for project owners to manage costs. A recent Gemstone case study showcased the system to one major oil company, which rolled out CIRYS to all of its subcontractors. The results were impressive. The oil company was able to access detailed and timely reports on late cancellations and noshows on its charter flights, which gave it the ability to seek recompense directly from contractors. In addition, CIRYS reduced the oil company’s commercial travel costs by more
than $3 million a month using CIRYS, by booking contractors on its charter flights along popular commercial routes. The move increased the company’s charter use by one third, ensuring these flights became even more cost effective. And contractors benefitted in human resource efficiencies. Using the revolutionary GroupBook function offered by CIRYS, a travel coordinator was able to reduce the time it takes to fill a Boeing 737 aircraft from more than three hours to 30 seconds. Gemstone recently acquired Orissa Software Inc., an Edmonton-based company behind the market-leading camp management software, CampWare. The acquisition allows CIRYS to drive more value on major projects. “Within the industry we know that there is an incredible wastage of camp rooms,” Purdie explains. “Workers at the end of their rotation might, for example, leave their camp room without checking out, meaning the room will show as unavailable to incoming staff.” CIRYS ameliorates this situation, automatically checking the workers out of their camp room as soon as they’ve checked in for the flight home. Bringing flights and accommodations under one roof, Gemstone Logistics dramatically cuts out overlap and waste, allowing projects to benefit from tangible savings – at the time they need it most. While Gemstone is a young, small company that’s responsive to clients, its founder, president and CEO Tom McHale, has been in the business for more than 30 years. “He understands the workforce logistics challenges the clients face,” Purdie says. Gemstone also has a great relationship with stakeholders, including oil, gas and mining companies, airlines, ground transportation providers and, most importantly, contractors. “They’re the people using the software to get workers to the site,” Purdie continues. “Our clients and users appreciate that we have a local, intimate knowledge of how the industry works.”
Gemstone Logistics Inc.
34 - 171 Broadway Blvd. Sherwood Park, AB T8H 2A8
780-400-2370 • WWW.GEMSTONELOGISTICS.COM