ERMA FIRST, the maritime-focused environmental engineering group, has announced the acquisition of a controlling interest in METIS Cyberspace Technology with the overall aim to accelerate the development of green digital solutions.
METIS’s cloud-based virtual personal assistants provide in-time information, diagnosis and prediction to company personnel through a conversational user interface focused on the requirements of shipping companies. METIS’ expertise is seen as complimentary, offering an extensive added value to those of ERMA FIRST, a spin-off from the Environmental Protection Engineering S.A. (EPE).
“We are extremely excited to be joining forces with METIS. We have been admirers of the company since its inception,” said managing director of ERMA FIRST Konstantinos Stampedakis. “Our vision for METIS is to allow its team to continue doing what it does so well and to strengthen the company’s ability to provide solutions for smarter, safer, greener and more efficient solutions for the maritime industry. We also expect that the addition of METIS’s expertise will further enhance ERMA FIRST’s existing after-sales capabilities, enabling us to serve ERMA FIRST BWTS FIT client vessels in real time.
“Together, we will produce new products and services, extending the coverage of the ship’s operation towards a more sustainable future. METIS already offers a unique product but has unlimited capabilities that go well beyond performance monitoring.”
CEO of METIS, Mike Konstantinidis, commented: “We are delighted to receive the endorsement of ERMA FIRST and become a valuable member of the company. Shipping is on the brink of a new era and, as exciting possibilities arise, we now have a stronger base to explore them together.
“ERMA FIRST has established its name worldwide for quality, innovation and service and METIS can only be strengthened by their network, longstanding focus on green solutions for shipping and their overall commitment to the maritime industry.”
Source: Digital Ship
