HMM Has Increased IT Experts by Over 100 in the Last 5 Years

One in Ten Land-Based Workers
Accelerating Leap to Smart Global Shipping

[Asia Economy Reporter Dongwoo Lee] HMM is making strides to become a global smart shipping company by recruiting over 100 IT experts in the past five years.

According to industry sources on the 6th, as of last month, HMM's IT personnel totaled 111, accounting for 11.1% of all land-based employees, or roughly one out of every ten employees.

Over the recent five years (from 2017 to February 2021), the total number of IT personnel recruited reached 103, representing 92.7% of the entire workforce during this period. Specifically, 7 were hired in 2017, 27 in 2018, and the largest number, 49 IT professionals, were recruited in 2019. This was followed by 18 in the previous year and 2 more added up to this month.

The industry analyzes that HMM's recent strengthening of IT personnel is due to the adoption of blockchain technology for maritime transport information management, centered around global shipping companies.

In the shipping industry, blockchain plays a role beyond simple cargo transport; it oversees the entire logistics and transportation process. This connects regional partners worldwide and large networks to share transactions in real time and maximize navigation efficiency. It enables shipping companies worldwide to access highly reliable real-time maritime transport data.

In fact, AP Moller-Maersk, the world's largest shipping company based in Denmark, established a blockchain joint venture with IBM in 2018 and developed the logistics platform ‘TradeLens’ based on it. This digitalizes the container business and enhances the efficiency of supply chain management (SCM).

Especially with the impact of COVID-19 strengthening non-face-to-face transactions in the shipping industry, digitalization and platform construction have emerged as core competitive advantages for shipping companies.

HMM also launched the ‘Compass’ service, a next-generation shipping logistics system developed in-house last November, enabling integrated management of shipping operations information such as vessel navigation, contracts, reservations, and transportation, as well as personnel and administration.

To expand the usability of Compass, HMM is steadily strengthening experts in the middleware field. Middleware is a technology that connects different hardware types, protocols, and communication environments in a distributed computing environment.

An HMM official stated, "We are continuously increasing IT professionals in the industry to leap forward as a global smart shipping company," adding, "We will develop a global logistics network based on blockchain technology."