In recent years, the metals CTRM debate has shifted away from “spreadsheet vs CTRM” as most organisations, even if they are not already using the technology, understand at least some of the benefits of efficient, process-automating commodity management technology.
[...]
In both personal and business environments, cloud computing is already everywhere. If you have watched Netflix, asked Siri a question or played music on an Amazon Alexa device, you have taken advantage of the speed and flexibility of cloud computing. The cloud offers businesses many benefits compared to traditional, on premise IT solutions, including scalability, business continuity and more flexible access. Yet despite these (and other) benefits, not all CTRM providers offer a cloud solution.
[...]
Reporting, reconciliations and audit can be among some of the most stressful and time-consuming tasks for those working in the metals supply chain; particularly when things have gone wrong and the numbers simply will not reconcile.
[...]
Earlier this month, Gen10 representatives joined a record number of energy trading and operations experts at ETOT 2019, Europe’s leading operations and technology summit. The key takeaway from both Gen10 CEO Richard Williamson’s panel and the summit in general, was that collaboration and standardisation are crucial for industry progress.
[...]
In concentrates trading (and indeed, trading for any commodity that includes quality premiums and discounts), managing assays and translating these into accounting and audit procedures are often some of the most difficult manual processes. Whilst this represents a challenge, it also means that these are the areas of opportunity where businesses could make some of the greatest operational improvements.
[...]
The concept of identifying and delivering cumulative marginal gains as a winning strategy in sport was popularised by the Sky Cycling Team, under the management of Sir Dave Brailsford. The exceptional and sustained success of both Sky in the Tour de France / Grand Tours and Team GB Cycling in recent Olympics was built upon delivering small marginal gains in every aspect of a cyclist’s performance and the equipment used to deliver it. It is the sum of these marginal gains that provides the winning edge rather than any single “silver bullet” improvement in one factor.
[...]
In the fast-moving world of metals and concentrates trading, faster operations turn-around time translates into a higher stock turnover and ultimately greater profitability. Whilst many commodity businesses are investing in the technology to make marginal gains in each trade, operations processes are often hampered by inefficient, offline processes that require a lot of manual effort and repeated re-typing of information.
[...]
With the complexity of the oil industry and the myriad software systems which underpin it, software upgrades, integrations and replacements have traditionally been characterised as a painful, slow and expensive process and it is no wonder that it has been avoided or postponed if at all possible.
[...]
A modern commodity management system not only helps ensure each trade is correct and the associated instructions are accurate. It also distributes data across the company so that everyone has real-time access to the latest information and knows when it’s time for their area of responsibility and expertise to step in.
[...]
The art of commodity trading requires both skill and expertise to manage a wide range of exposures and then adapt to changing market conditions whilst employing an overall strategy for success. Position visibility is a crucial ingredient in this success. Each additional piece of information available to you in the moment provides additional optionality, and it is this optionality that allows you to innovate and succeed. At Gen10, we help you visualise positions like never before so that you can be creative and innovative in your trading.
[...]