Jamaica’s Port Authority integrates billing with Oracle Cloud

The Port Authority of Jamaica is a department within the island’s Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation. Founded in 1972 to govern the regulation and development of Jamaica’s freight and maritime transportation, the port authority runs the agencies responsible for controlling the country’s largest docks and ports; it also manages special economic zone facilities in Kingston and Montego Bay and oversees port- and real estate-management services in those zones, generating more than 12,000 jobs.

To help manage this vast portfolio, the port authority began using Oracle E-Business Suite 20 years ago. But the organization wanted a system that was more efficient and allowed for the integration of purchasing modules, budgeting, and all other accounting functions. It found Oracle Fusion Cloud Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) the best solution for achieving such integration.

The Port Authority of Jamaica chose Oracle Fusion Cloud ERP because it allowed the authority to transition to the cloud, which gave employees access to data in real time and allowed them to avoid manual processes that previously were mandatory and time-consuming.

Oracle Cloud ERP also allowed the port authority to use the tools it already had on site, resulting in a faster transition than would have been possible with any other vendor and creating an efficient and effective enterprise solution that is expandable to meet the agency’s changing needs.

Another benefit was Oracle’s automatic cloud updates. “They flow seamlessly and do not require an IT technician to execute,” says Finance Director Elva Williams-Richards. “This is a great solution, because our own finance team can apply them.”

With Oracle Cloud ERP, the port authority successfully integrated its purchasing module with accounts payable, making it possible to track invoices and close purchase orders in real time. The system also generates reminders if any items are scheduled to be paid or to be closed.

In fact, the process of tracking accounts payable invoices, which used to take hours, takes only seconds with the new system—and because it is cloud-based, staff can access the system from anywhere, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Likewise, the solution can be used from cellphones, in real time. During the pandemic, for example, the Oracle system allowed for seamless transactions from home, helping the agency keep its operations efficient and up to date.

Oracle Cloud ERP is easy to integrate with tools such as Microsoft 365 applications, providing “endless” data analytics and dashboard capabilities, according to Williams-Richards. The resulting streamlined communication between the purchasing and accounts payable systems has improved communication between the two port authority departments. “They are now direct partners,” says Williams-Richards.