# Operations platform for a port support base

> How an offshore support base replaced paper and spreadsheets with one platform for permits to work, gatehouse control, maintenance and non-conformities.

Source: https://boosting.tech/en/case-studies/port-operations/
The client is not named. We describe the sector, the problem and what was built.

**Case summary:** A port support base tracked permits to work, contractor access, maintenance and non-conformities on paper and in separate spreadsheets. We built a web platform, installable on phones, that brings those processes together, with profiles per department and integration with the warehouse system. It has been evolving continuously since 2019.

- Sector: Port support base and offshore logistics
- Users: In-house staff, contractors, gatehouse and the base's clients
- Platform: Web system installable on phones (PWA)
- Technology: Ruby on Rails, Hotwire, MySQL, SQL Server (integration)
- Evolving since: 2019

## What the system does

- Permit to work with checklists and revalidation
- Gatehouse, badges and safety briefing
- Training and regulatory standards
- Non-conformities and action plans
- Work orders and asset maintenance
- Overtime with an approval flow
- Management of change
- Dashboards connected to the WMS

## What was the problem?

The base served vessels and oil and gas companies with dozens of processes running at once, and each department tracked its own in its own way. The permit to work was a paper form that travelled around the base collecting signatures. The gatehouse logged contractors in a spreadsheet. The quality department received non-conformities by email.

Nobody could answer simple questions quickly. Who is inside the base right now? Which permits are open? Is this contractor's training up to date?

## What was built?

A single platform, accessed through the browser and installed on phones as an app. It started with the safety processes and gained modules as the operation asked for them. The database now has more than 160 tables, and every module uses the same registry of people, companies and locations.

The permit to work became a digital flow. The requester picks the nature of the activity, the system shows the matching checklist, participants sign, and the permit goes through revalidation each period. Audits are recorded in the same place.

## How does it work day to day?

A contractor arriving at the base has already completed the safety briefing on their phone and shows a QR code at the gatehouse. The guard checks on screen whether the company is cleared and whether mandatory training is valid. If something has expired, the system shows why.

A non-conformity opened in the field goes to the person responsible for the area, who records the cause and the action plan. Overtime requests go through approvers defined per department and respect configured limits. Dashboards read warehouse data straight from the SQL Server database and show the warehouse operation without retyping.

## What changed in the operation?

Answers that used to take calls to three departments are now on one screen. The permit to work no longer depends on paper moving around, and revalidation is recorded with date and owner. The gatehouse clears or blocks based on current data.

The system also went through a full security review, in which we mapped route by route what each profile can do and fixed actions the screen hid but the server accepted. That work is part of our [support service](/en/services/support-and-modernization/).

If your operation looks similar, see the [industrial access control](/en/case-studies/industrial-access-control/) case and the [custom web systems](/en/services/custom-web-systems/) service.

## Frequently asked questions about systems for port operations

### Can we start with just the permit to work?

Yes, and that is how this project grew. Starting with one critical process puts the system into use early and shows which registries the next modules will reuse.

### Does the system replace the WMS or the ERP?

No. It covers the field processes the WMS and ERP do not handle and reads their data when needed, through integration.

### Do contractors have access too?

Yes. Each contractor company has access limited to its own workers, documents and requests.