Land, Sea & Air Issue 159 August 2018

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Land,Sea Air

Incorporating Shipping & Marine

The magazine for transport and logistics

Top

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August 2018 • issue 159 www.landseaairmagazine.cm

How fleet management and telematics systems can address the complicated logistics requirements of inland terminals

News

MRO

Why it is crucial to minimise downtime in the repair of key marine components and equipment

l JJ Churchill signs significant contract with Rolls-Royce Civil Aerospace l Nexans Subsea Operations undertakes shipbuilding contract with Ulstein Verft l cargo-partner begins construction of Slovenian iLogistics Centre in Ljubljana

Transportation

Transit apps are changing the way people navigate around cities and transit operators need to take action

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LS A contents Chairman Andrew Schofield Managing Director Joe Woolsgrove Editor Libbie Hammond libbie@schofieldpublishing.co.uk Assistant Editor Will Daynes Staff Writer Vladi Nikolov Production Manager Fleur Daniels Art Editor/Design David Howard

Features 2 News

Land

Announcements and developments from the logistics, materials handling, maritime and aviation markets

20 London Stock Exchange Group

4 Materials handling

26 UKWSL

Ten practical solutions for overcoming the most common issues facing inland terminals, including height restrictions and noise levels

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22 Metcalfe Farms (Haulage) Ltd

30 Global Shipping & Logistics (GSL) 34 International Forwarding Ltd

Advertising Design Fiona Jolliffe Production dhoward@schofieldpublishing.co.uk studio@schofieldpublishing.co.uk Advertisement Administrator Tracy Chynoweth studio@schofieldpublishing.co.uk

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Operations Director Philip Monument

Sea

Editorial Researchers Ben Richell Jo-Ann Jeffery Jeff Goldenberg Ian Shaw David Tavernor Advertising Sales Mark Cawston Tim Eakins Darren Jolliffe Dave King Rob Wagner Theresa McDonald Web Sales Tim Eakins teakins@schofieldpublishing.co.uk Subscriptions ikidd@schofieldpublishing.co.uk

36 Bastø Fosen AS 7 MRO It is crucial for the shipping industry to minimise downtime for repairs, and selective plating methods offer many benefits over traditional approaches

10 Transportation

40 Breadbox Shipping Lines 42 Ferguson Marine 46 Rauma Marine Constructions

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The opportunities for transit operators in adopting a mobile-first mentality are endless, but action must be taken sooner not later

12 Fleet management Follow us at:

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Analytics can play a big role in fleet management to improve driver safety and make journeys more efficient – improving overall performance

14 SMM Exhibition Returning to Hamburg in September, the SMM exhibition and conference is regarded as the world’s most important trade fair for the maritime industry

www.landseaairmagazine.com

16 Safety at sea

©2018 Schofield Publishing Ltd

Telemedicine at sea – the right solution can pay for itself quickly and has the potential to save lives, money and time

Please note: The opinions expressed by contributors and advertisers within this publication do not necessarily coincide with those of the editor and publisher. Every reasonable effort is made to ensure that the information published is accurate, and correct at time of writing, but no legal responsibility for loss occasioned by the use of such information can be accepted by the publisher. All rights reserved. The contents of the magazine are strictly copyright, the property of Schofield Publishing, and may not be copied, stored in a retrieval system, or reproduced without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Air

50 Flybmi

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18 WesCom Signal and Rescue WesCom Signal and Rescue’s Indian distributor AS Moloobhoy continues to fight against the circulation of dangerous counterfeit life-saving pyrotechnics

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Slovenian expansion As a part of its strategic investments into strengthening its worldwide warehousing capacities, international transport and infologistics provider cargo-partner will begin the construction of a new logistics centre in Ljubljana, Slovenia within 2018. The new iLogistics Center will contain over 20,000 pallet slots on more than 25,000m² of storage space and will also include a 6000m² small parts and single pick area, 5000m² of cross dock and block storage space and 4000m² of office space. cargo-partner’s Managing Director in Slovenia, Viktor Kastelic, states: “Our new iLogistics Center reflects the growing demand and our commitment to the Slovenian market. We are also happy to expand our team from 100 to 130 employees and we look forward to welcoming fresh talent, knowledge and skills at our modern and attractive new office.”

Other recent logistics investments by cargopartner include the timber-based iLogistics Center at the company’s headquarters in Fischamend, Austria, with a total area of over 12,200 m², as well as the iLogistics Center in Sofia, Bulgaria, with 16,500 m² of storage space, both of which took up operations in spring 2018.

Keep the Midlands moving Nottingham-based civil and electrical engineering firm McCann is playing a key part in the upgrade of a major Midlands route through the implementation of essential works as part of the M1 junction 23a to 25 smart motorway scheme. Speaking about the project, Operations Director Carl Lancaster said: “As a key subcontractor, we bring a wealth of smart motorway experience to this project something which was recognised by Costain when we tendered for the work.”

As part of the project, McCann is responsible for the installation of street lighting and communication systems as well as any associated civils work. This includes 500 lighting columns, 100,000 metres of lighting cable, 12,000 metres of lighting duct infrastructure, 40,000 metres of communication cable and 230 communication cabinets. McCann is also installing relevant technology to 27 new gantries as well as 13 existings gantries which span the width of the motorway along the 7.5 mile stretch.

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Major contract win

Andrew Churchill

At the Farnborough International Airshow on 18 July 2018, aerospace engineering firm JJ Churchill announced that it has signed a further contract exceeding £70m with RollsRoyce Civil Aerospace. This agreement is for the supply to Rolls-Royce of turbine blades on a ten-year programme and in continuation of their existing relationship.

Andrew Churchill, Executive Chairman of JJ Churchill, said: “To continue our activity with Rolls-Royce, a giant in the global aerospace industry, is a fantastic endorsement of the high-quality precision engineering work we deliver, day in day out.

“The whole JJ Churchill team is looking forward to further building our relationship with this strategic organisation, continuing to supply precision machined blades.”

Over the past year, JJ Churchill has made significant operational improvements and continues to invest heavily in its equipment and people. An example of this is its reducing fixture tooling costs by 5%, with an additional 50% reduction in the number of machining operations per part number, largely due to the introduction of Blue Photon technology.

Alongside this, JJ Churchill has also reduced the time to prepare fixtures by 70% within its coordinate-measuring machine (CMM) quality inspection process, reducing the associated costs by 50% via 3D printing.

Best-in-class vessels Jan De Nul has launched the 3500 m³ Trailing Suction Hopper Dredger Diogo Cão, at the Keppel Nantong shipyard in China, a subsidiary of Keppel Offshore & Marine. This green vessel is the second of three 3500 m³ hoppers to be launched, equipped with an exhaust gas treatment system filtering out and virtually eliminating many pollutants from the exhaust gases. In total, Jan De Nul Group ordered six such ultralow emission Trailing Suction Hopper Dredgers, called Ultra-Low Emission Vessels, five of which are being built at Keppel: three small 3500 m³, two medium-sized 6000 m³ and a larger vessel at 18,000 m³.

“We are delighted to be leading the way in compliance with the most stringent global emission limits with the world’s first EU Stage V dredgers, which will be highly fuel-efficient, reliable, versatile and productive,” says Robby De Backer, New Building Director at Jan De Nul Group. “Their use will enable dredging projects to be completed with the lowest levels of emissions to date.

“As the new dredgers will frequently operate in estuaries, rivers and coastal areas near urban areas, we decided to limit the NOx emissions to a level 30% below the actual IMO Tier III requirements, and to reduce other potentially harmful contaminants that are currently not regulated by IMO,” he added.

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LS A news Time-saving compliance Sparks Transport, one of the largest privatelyowned transport companies in the South West has greatly improved compliance control since switching over to TruTac’s fleet management software.

With 150 HGVs delivering to every corner of the UK and Ireland, keeping tabs on each vehicle and driver has brought many challenges to Sparks - particularly as the regulations governing commercial transport have become ever more stringent.

Now, using TruTac’ s TruAnalysis software, Sparks can get things done quickly and accurately, which not only keeps it compliant but allows it to concentrate on efficiently running the day-to-day operation.

As an example, using TruAnalysis, Sparks can instantly detect driver infringements and immediately take action. “It’s virtually instant,” confirms Director Jon Sparks. “This means we have the info’ at our fingertips and can satisfy any DVSA checks at a moment’s notice with complete confidence.” He added: “It’s only been around 8 months but no question, the investment has paid for itself already.”

Group expansion

The Maritime Group (International) Ltd of London, UK, has expanded its global services with two new direct subsidiary companies; The Maritime Group (Defence) Ltd and The Maritime Group (Security & Compliance) Ltd). Both new businesses are based in Liverpool, UK, together with G&W Maritime Ltd, from where they will serve clients in the United Kingdom, Europe and worldwide.

Captain Malcolm W Parrott, Executive Vice President of The Maritime Group (International), said: “The launch of these new companies allows us to focus our considerable expertise in defence, security and compliance.

“It means we will be able to help greater numbers of clients protect and grow their businesses wherever they are. This especially applies to compliance and the looming Brexit when the United Kingdom leaves the EU.”

New vessel order

Maiden flight for BelugaXL

AIRBUS 2018 - photo by A. Tchaikovski / master films The first Airbus BelugaXL took off on 19th July from Blagnac in Toulouse, France, for its maiden flight over south-western France. The aircraft is the first of five BelugaXL to enter into service later in 2019 and to gradually replace the BelugaST transporters.

The crew in the cockpit on board this flight comprised: Captain Christophe Cail, Co-Pilot Bernardo Saez-Benito Hernandez and TestFlight Engineer Jean Michel Pin. Meanwhile, monitoring the aircraft systems and performance in real-time at the flight-test-engineer’s (FTE) station were Laurent Lapierre and Philippe Foucault.

Launched in November 2014, the BelugaXL was designed to address the transport and ramp-up capacity requirements for Airbus beyond 2019. The new oversize air transporters are based on the A330-200 Freighter, with a large re-use of existing components and equipment.

Nexans Subsea Operations has undertaken a shipbuilding contract with Ulstein Verft for the construction of a large, DP3 cable laying vessel. The vessel will be outfitted for power cable laying, including bundle laying, cable jointing and repair and cable system protection and trenching. The ST-297 CLV is designed by Skipsteknisk, Ålesund.

The vessel is developed for operations in rough weather and has high manoeuvrability and station keeping capabilities. Ulstein Verft will construct the vessel and prepare for the topside equipment.

“We are experienced in constructing large and complex vessels and we look forward to commencing the work on the cable laying vessel for Nexans,” said Kristian Sætre, managing director at Ulstein Verft, with CEO Gunvor Ulstein, Ulstein Group, adding: “We are very pleased that Nexans, a solid and important player, chooses Ulstein to construct their new flag ship. We have a strong organisation with long experience in delivering advanced vessels. The contract was won in tough, international competition. We look forward to a constructive and fruitful co-operation with Nexans in the years to come.”

The advanced cable laying vessel has a turntable with a large cable capacity of 10,000 tonnes, and the fibre optic basket holds 450 tonnes. The vessel is 31 m wide, 149.9 m long, with a deadweight of 17,000 tonnes, and she can accommodate 90 people.

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H11XM-ECD8 Empty Container Handler with 3 stage tilt back mast

Top ten To support efficient intralogistics processes in ports and terminals, Hyster Europe reveals practical solutions for overcoming ten of the most common issues facing inland terminals

Handling equipment manufacturer Hyster has recently developed a new solution involving a ‘hinged’ elevating cabin for the Hyster® RS46 ReachStacker which provides enhanced second rail visibility. This helps to boost efficiency, maintain timetables and make operations more productive with a lower cost for each container movement.

2. Moving empty container handlers in height

restricted areas

1. Handling containers on the second rail “For inland terminals receiving and distributing containers on the rail network, picking from the second rail can be challenging when there is a high cube container on a railcar in the first rail position,” explains Mark Nailer, Industry Manager for Hyster Europe. “However, by giving direct visibility of second rail containers and swap bodies we can help to reduce damage and provide greater efficiency.”

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Bridges or low hanging areas are commonly found in inland terminals and these can restrict the movement of an Empty Container Handler where a typical mast height is more than ten metres.

“We know that it is necessary for inland terminals to have the flexibility to move empty container handlers through restricted height areas,” says Mark. “With a closed height of just 5.4m we have developed a new 3-stage, tilt back mast option for the Hyster® Empty Container Handler that provides this flexibility and is still capable of lifting containers up to 18.8m.”

Materials handling

Hyster ReachStacker with elevating cab

3. High noise levels from container

engagements

5. Difficult access for repair, inspection

and cleaning

While container handling truck engines are quieter than ever before, one of the loudest actions in a container yard is the spreader landing on the empty container.

“With many inland terminals near to residential areas, high noise levels can result in reduced operating hours so as not to cause a disturbance,” says Mark. “With reduced hours, productivity and efficiency can be seriously impacted.”

Hyster Europe has recently introduced a soft-landing system to lower the sound emissions enabling many of its customers to negotiate longer working hours. By controlling the speed of the spreader landing the sound of container engagement can be minimised, further supported by additional wear pads at container contact points.

Workshops for container inspection, maintenance and repair are commonplace in an inland terminal application. However, getting suitable access to the container in the right position to administer these tasks can be challenging.

Container workshops now have the option to conduct repairs and maintenance easily and efficiently by using a heavy-duty Hyster® lift truck with a special container rotator attachment. This means that even a 40ft container can be moved into positions that make driving it into the workshop easier. By rotating the container lengthwise, it can be moved into a workshop even if there is not a wide doorway. The container rotator attachment can also simplify repairs by making containers accessible to standing repair engineers from many angles.

4. Poor double reefer handling efficiency Until now, handling reefers with the refrigeration unit on the same side has caused an offset load. This means that the Empty Container Handler operator must frequently double handle containers with the units at opposite ends or handle each reefer on its own.

“To meet customer requirements, an important new Hyster® product for inland terminals has been developed to enable double handling capabilities for 40ft reefers with the refrigeration units on the same side,” explains Mark.

The new Hyster® H11XM-ECD8 also has a capacity of up to 11-tonnes offering flexibility and productivity advantages, supporting terminals in reducing the cost per container moved.

6. Switching between cargo types efficiently Inland terminals don’t just handle containers, quite often stevedoring operations are also taking place.

“Having handling equipment with a front-end attachment that can be easily changed makes sense to avoid doubling up on trucks that otherwise will remain idle for long periods,” says Mark, explaining that a Hyster® ReachStacker with the Multi Tool-Changer option allows operators to simply and conveniently switch from handling containers to cargo trailers, and on to metal coils with a C-hook.

For other bulky loads from a river or canal quayside, operators may need to switch from handling paper reels, to timber, to metal loads and so on. www.landseaairmagazine.com - 5

Materials handling H25XM9 with rotating frontspreader

“The updated Hyster® H8-16XM lift trucks are designed to give exactly this flexibility,” says Mark. “There are quick disconnect hydraulic couplings to switch between clamps, forks and other attachments, with optimal visibility for the driver to the forks and load. For bulky loads prone to damage such as paper reels, the return to set tilt feature puts the reel down flat, reducing edge damage.”

7. Stuffing or unloading containers with

heavy, awkward loads The most convenient and efficient way to transport heavy or awkward loads out of a container is usually with a counterbalance lift truck. However, this often proves challenging in port-side intralogistics applications due to the restricted height of the container.

To help overcome this, lower cabin height options are now available for Hyster® lift trucks handling loads up to 9-tonnes providing good visibility of a load and the operating area.

Optional cameras and lighting can also be used further assist with quick and accurate operation inside containers or lorries.

8. Transfer time to the warehouse or on

to transport Speed and efficiency is time critical in port-side intralogistics operations, particularly where cross-docking involves unloading and loading curtain trailers. A 3-3.5T lift truck from the reliable Hyster® Fortens® range is ideal for these inland terminal activities.

Palletised goods can also be transferred more quickly by using multi pallet handler attachments. This method can save considerable time and reduce the number of trucks and

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drivers needed in certain applications. For example, most beverage loads are palletised at about 1 tonne and often multi pallet handlers (handling two, four or six pallets) can be used.

9. Tight cross-docking turnaround times A key factor for efficiency in inland logistics operations is keeping lorries on the road. Cross-docking operations help facilitate rapid turnaround but can present challenges for drivers working against the clock. Fast, efficient operations are essential.

Ideally suited to unloading a lorry at a warehouse dock, the Hyster® RP2.0-2.5N Rider Pallet Truck can also be fitted with double length forks to help reduce cycle times. Rather than using a stand-on platform truck, for comfortable, efficient operation, the operator can sit or lean at the push of a button.

Likewise, a platform pallet truck, such as the Hyster® P2.0S, can optimise vehicle loading and unloading operations. A compact chassis is key for manoeuvrability in busy loading bays, while speed control, the steering system and increased turning ratio of the tiller arm support efficient pallet transportation rates over short or long distances.

10. Effective asset management “Inland terminals are often complex, multi-faceted operations with large fleets to manage,” says Mark. “To control costs and improve efficiency in inland terminals, fleet management and telematics systems can be used to great effect.”

For example, with the Hyster Tracker system it is possible to increase driver accountability, reduce impact damage and downtime and better manage under or over utilised assets.l www.hyster.eu.

MRO

Bringing protection on

board

Derek Vanek looks into how the marine industry can decrease costs, and reduce downtime using selective plating methods as an alternative to disassembling components for repair

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ay in, day out, marine equipment and the marine industry as a whole is subject to extreme conditions including, salt water, high temperatures, wear, corrosion and fatigue. The problem which comes with these conditions, is the length of downtime needed to repair key marine components and equipment.

Every second a vessel spends in the shipyard is one where it’s not creating value or safeguarding national security. In the USA alone, investment in shipbuilding has grown steadily, with gross output in 2013 topping $28 billion. With these figures, it’s crucial to minimise downtime.

Typical component problems and issues can include; fretting or wear on bearings fits and flanges due to continuous vibration, extensive wear on bearing cap faces and saddle areas, corrosion on various components such as compressed air valves and parts exposed to sea water, steam cuts on high pressure turbine

castings, worn Babbitt coatings on bearing shells, as well as out of tolerance or mis-machined shafts, housings and bearings.

Traditional plating You may ask yourself why is an alternative plating method needed if the traditional method of tank plating is safe and still creates proven results?

Every second of downtime counts, as costs can mount up very quickly. The use of this traditional method can hinder the process and increase downtime further due to: - The need to disassemble components - The time it takes to transport from shipyard to plating facility - The reinstallation ahead of re-entering service Tank plating involves the use of large tanks of preparatory and plating solutions and often requires extensive masking. www.landseaairmagazine.com - 7

Mro

The procedure is not portable, meaning the overall process, by nature, is rigid and not suited to components which need plating particularly fast.

Making protection portable Selective plating is a well-established and reliable process which has already been written into shipbuilding specifications. It is a portable method of electroplating localised areas of metal surfaces for OEM components, permanent repairs and salvaging worn or mis-machined parts; providing a fast, efficient and targeted solution to corrosion, wear, galling, solderability and brazing. It is carried out by skilled technicians to repair or maintain critical parts.

The main benefit is portability. Only four elements are required; a power pack, plating tools, plating solutions and a trained operator.

Unlike tank plating, selective plating can be performed in situ - the part or component does not need to be removed and transported to an external site. It can be brought into the shipyard, aboard vessels, or anywhere it’s needed to enhance or repair components, by any team member – certified technicians and engineers can take on the role after training, while the portable equipment facilitates machine shops at the point of repair.

The process not only exceeds the fundamental requirements of shipbuilding manufacturing, and repair and maintenance processes, it also provides a full circle of benefits, including quality, durability, cost saving, portability and time saving.

Take the SIFCO Process® - the leading method of selective electroplating founded by SIFCO ASC. Carrying approvals from the American Bureau of Shipping, Mil-STD 2197(SH) and NAVSEA, the

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process uses significantly smaller volumes of plating solution than tank plating, using only the required material. There may be no need for disassembly or transportation, and minimal masking and post-machining; just a quick process that extends maintenance intervals and service life.

What’s more, through the ASTM C633-79 Standard Test Method for Adhesion or Cohesive Strength of Flame Sprayed Coatings, the SIFCO Process® also established that the cohesive strength of the deposit exceeds that of the bonding cement. For example, the minimum tensile strength value established (at the point of cement failure during testing) for Nickel High Speed is 22,803 kPa (11,200psi) on a SAE 4130 steel base material. Additional qualitative tests, as described in AMS-QQ-N-290 were also conducted in which the plated areas were subjected to high stresses and strains. These results also showed excellent adhesion.

Protection in port Remanufacturing is an alternative option to replacing or reengineering equipment, and is worth considering in the marine industry with bigger components which can be especially costly.

Sitting at the heart of the remanufacturing decision is the used part that is at the end of its service life. According to a study on ‘Remanufacturing Inspection Models’ by a PhD student at Exeter University, UK (www.remanufacturing.org.uk/pdf/story/1p298.pdf) there are four main strategies applied in the decision-making process for remanufacturing, each of which comes down to value and type of component. It states: “If cores [end of service life components] are relatively cheap, disposal is an effective way of

increasing the reliability of the population as a whole. If cores are expensive they must be processed almost regardless of cost. In the case of low value cores there is often a new alternative that can be purchased in its place.”

Remanufacturing of a component should be assessed on a case-by-case basis. Different processes, like selective plating, might be used in the remanufacturing process than were used in manufacturing the original equipment or part. Due to the high cost of marine equipment combined with the lead time required to purchase new equipment, remanufacturing with selective plating should always remain an option.

programmable logic controller, operators can review data captured through the human-machine interface to determine if the operation was completed correctly. If any errors do occur, or quality standards are not met, operators can review the data and trace the error to its source and assign the appropriate corrective action, preventing the errors from being repeated – effectively improving traceability and repeatability within the process. Additionally, automation reduces the ergonomic risk to the operator, and also increases the available capacity by allowing skilled operators to focus on the core business processes.

Better on board Mechanising and fully automating the process When a ship is in port, multiple repairs may be needed. Depending on the application, selective plating can be mechanised or fully-automated. Mechanising the process minimises the direct contact the operator has with the tooling and chemicals by using a computer programme to control the rectifier performing all of the pre-treatment and plating steps, providing consistent control of the process. While fully-automating the process removes the operator and the variability- from the entire operation.

The main benefit of customised, fully-automated systems is that they require minimal need for operator intervention. Various pumps, flow systems, and cleaning agents, work together to change, catch, and circulate solution; while a robotic arm holds, oscillates, and changes the anodes needed throughout an entire plating operation.

By automating the selective plating process using a

Naval forces of the US, UK and Japan have all adopted the SIFCO Process® to keep their vessels moving. Now, however, more commercial shipyards are opening up to selective plating for minimising downtime, getting vessels back out there – and keeping them protected, when and where it’s needed most. l Derek Vanek is technical manager at SIFCO ASC, a company that provides practical, cost-effective selective brush plating solutions to improve part performance and reduce manufacturing costs through corrosion protection, increased wear resistance, increased hardness, improved conductivity, anti-galling or slip. SIFCO ASC surface enhancement technologies and brush plating services have been utilised for over 50 years on both OEM components and on parts requiring refurbishment in the aerospace, oil and gas, general industry and power generation sectors. www.sifcoasc.com

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Streamline your

journey Robert Sprogis takes a look at the ability to transform travel from the palm of your hand

W

hen it comes to transport, it wasn’t long ago that people were at the mercy of paper schedules. Delays and cancellations were only discovered when commuters arrived at a station. But, due to the proliferation of mobile technology, and the surge of transit apps, the scene is far different as the way commuters move around cities has been radically transformed.

According to a Deloitte report released in 2017, 85 per cent of 16-75 year olds now own or have access to a smartphone, meaning that more and more commuters now have access to a wide range of transit services, right in the palm of their hands. From the comfort of their home, or even on the move, commuters have the opportunity to reach for their phone and easily know when the next train or bus is arriving.

The popularity of transit apps such as Citymapper, Uber, and Trainline have transformed the way people navigate around cities. But maturing smartphone technology is not only limited to timetable scheduling, it has also changed how commuters pay for their journey. The launch of Transport for London’s app has enabled commuters to digitally top-up their Oyster Cards without the need to queue at ticket desks. The boom in NFC has been another positive step towards streamlining commuter’s journeys as people can simply tap their smartphones on NFC-enabled gates to enter and exit stations.

While the appetite of apps has helped renovate the travelling experience for commuters, transit operators and agencies have had to adapt to the shift towards mobile in order to maximise

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the benefits for commuters. Big data, adopting a mobile-first mindset and looking at the future evolution of mobile technology are such considerations.

More data, more opportunities Increased connectivity through smartphone usage, along with the rising adoption of IoT devices is creating vast treasure troves of data that is improving traveller experiences. In 2017 alone, humanity generated more data than in the previous 5000 years of our existence. That data can be harnessed, analysed and applied to improve operations and efficiency of travel, whether its understanding peak periods of commute, identifying any regular disruption to services, or even using apps to help manage fleets – all communicated in real-time. For example, if a commuter takes

transportation

help people with disabilities to travel safely using public transport, while also enabling transit operators to improve the travelling experience for them. By capitalising on Bluetooth technology, transit agencies can use apps to send information directly to a traveller’s mobile, notifying them on where the closest wheelchair gate or wheelchair accessible bathroom is from their current location. Combining this technology with 3D mapping of stations and augmented reality technology will help people navigate their journeys all via a mobile app.

Enter MaaS

the 8am train into Liverpool Station everyday but, for whatever reason that train is delayed, the system could proactively inform them and provide transit guidance with alternate routing.

But transit operators must be smart when it comes to data.

While mobile is giant leap forward in the future of travel, they must adopt a mindset on par with this. Generating vast volumes of data is one thing, but actually taking the time to analyse relevant data sets and applying it to travelling experiences will be essential in ensuring mobile and apps have a place within the travel market.

Luckily for transit operators, advances in machine learning and AI are helping them to quickly funnel through masses of data, to discover the most relevant and interesting insights, faster than previously imagined. As more people and devices connect to the internet, the faster the pace of innovation for transportation solutions.

The future of apps In much the same way that transit operators can leverage the power of AI and machine learning in helping understand data, it will also see wider application within transit apps. This will help apps become smarter and more personalised, understanding a traveller’s usual routes, anticipating issues that may affect a journey, and proactively serving up solutions based on that individual’s preferences and behaviours. AI-driven chatbots within a mobile app could also help guide travellers and answer routine questions and common queries, reducing the strain on transit staff and speeding up the pathway to resolution for commuters.

One of the most exciting prospects for mobile apps is its ability to

Although transit apps provide travellers with an increased number of options to help them get from point A to point B, the need for multiple passes or apps to access travel makes the situation more complex.

This is where Mobility as a Service (MaaS) can help. The concept of MaaS involves the combination of public and private transportation services within a given regional environment to provide better, faster, more interconnected and holistic personal transportation process that can benefit cities, communities and transit agencies.

Ultimately, MaaS gives consumers the freedom to travel the way they desire, by removing friction and offering choice in facilitating end-to-end journeys. MaaS encourages travellers to pursue other forms of transportation than the private car, presenting a costconscious transportation alternative. Commuters use a single account through an app for all travel transactions and information – be it public transit, cycling or Uber – which gives them easy access to journey-planning information and guarantees fare transparency.

The opportunities for transit operators in adopting a mobile-first mentality are endless, but action must be taken sooner rather than later. The industry has changed rapidly in just a few years and will continue to innovate with advances in mobile technology and acceptance of apps with help streamline journeys. l Robert Sprogis is Global Director, Mobile, at Cubic Transportation Systems. Cubic Corporation designs, integrates and operates systems, products and services focused in the transportation, defence training and secure communications markets. Cubic Transportation Systems is a leading integrator of payment and information technology and services to create intelligent travel solutions for transportation authorities and operators. www.cubic.com/solutions/transportation www.landseaairmagazine.com - 11

Improved

performance I Driving compliance through analytics. By Sonia Sedler

n an industry where accidents occur all too frequently, improving safety and reducing incident rates is a goal for most fleet managers. Not only do accidents put the driver at risk, they also compromise the assets being transported, delay operations and can result in a loss of revenue. The single biggest factor contributing to road freight accidents is a lack of compliance to driving standards. It is not surprising, therefore, that increasingly organisations are looking to gain greater insights into driver behaviours and improve performance.

Monitoring compliance, however, is incredibly difficult to do when a vehicle fleet is moving on a 24/7 basis, across remote and varied terrains, and operating in several countries around the world.

Organisations need to adopt technology that can track vehicles and respond to intelligence in real-time, has multi-geographical

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and multi-lingual application, and is able to identify trends so that companies know which aspects of non-compliance they need to focus the most energy on. This is where analytics comes into force capable of capturing, assessing and reporting on data.

Journey tracking

In order to monitor compliance, 100 per cent of the journey being undertaken needs to be tracked in real time and the data made almost instantly accessible to agents, enabling them to engage with the driver and intervene if necessary via integrated telephony. Large companies transporting assets via road across the globe should look to implement one centralised journey management system, so they can get sight of their fleet anywhere in the world, and possess a single view of overall journey performance.

Fleet management

condition before they get behind the wheel. Failure to pass this should be flagged on the system and the journey prevented from taking place at that time.

As well as observation, intervention tools should sit alongside real-time tracking. For example, integrated telephony with each vehicle could enable one-to-one personal contact between the driver and an operating agent. This means that emergency assistance can be provided if, for example, the journey deviates from the planned route, or if the data analytics detects that they might be at risk of an accident due to poor driving behaviours.

This telecom solution can also collect data on the level of driver alertness. This could either be by asking the driver to report to the journey management centre every two hours, for example, or by checking in with them at regular intervals. Their reaction time could be monitored throughout the journey – if it gets slower and it becomes clear they are not as alert as they were at the start, the operating agents can intervene in real-time and schedule a break.

Reviewing the data

In-vehicle monitoring systems are able to capture information about the trip and feed back to a central platform, taking into account factors such as direction of travel, speed and distance covered, as well as whether the driver is following scheduled break points for the correct amount of time. Through this monitoring system, fleet managers can track driver adherence to health and safety guidelines.

Observation and intervention A journey management service that incorporates sophisticated observation tools into asset tracking can provide organisations with in-depth behavioural and data analysis. Moreover, it can make sense of the data for them, by placing it into a simple driver scoring mechanism that enables them to see at a glance how compliant an individual driver is.

These observation tools can track driving behaviours that may increase risk and identify trends, providing deeper analysis than just looking at whether drivers broke the speed limit or had the required amount of breaks. Do drivers tend to speed when they are in a certain environment? Do they approach corners too quickly, but still within the speed limit? Do drivers of larger, heavier vehicles apply the brakes too late?

The data collected on the driver should also extend to levels of alertness, with a fatigue management functionality incorporated into the system. A pre-drive test should be conducted to ensure that drivers are well rested and in proper physical and mental

Data analytics offers organisations much broader, deeper insights into their business and how their drivers operate. A journey management solution that can report a unified and reliable dataset back to field and executive management dashboards makes the findings actionable.

It enables fleet managers to review the data across multiple dimensions: what was compliance like on this type of terrain/in this country/between these hours of the day? They can then formulate corrective action plans if they identify particular trends, or certain cohorts of drivers who repeatedly commit the same errors.

At Sutherland, we recently implemented a journey management system, powered by analytics, for an organisation whose employees drive more than 150 million work miles a year across 80 countries.

After one year of implementing tracking, observation and intervention tools, there had been no fatal accidents, the accident rate per million miles of monitored trips had been reduced by 12 – 15 per cent, and there was 100 per cent compliance on quality, health and safety metrics. Cost per trip had also been reduced by up to 20 per cent, as fewer incidents resulted in increased operational efficiency.

Analytics can play in big role in fleet management to improve driver safety and make journeys more efficient. Through real-time journey trackers, analytics can monitor compliance, collect data on driver behaviours, assess levels of fatigue, and even intervene to reduce risk. It can also present senior managers with detail at both a micro and macro level, allowing them to channel resources where they’re needed. This is the technology to embrace in order to improve performance and overcome the biggest challenge in road freight. l Sonia Sedler is the Managing Director, Europe, at Sutherland Global Services, a process transformation organisation working with organisations in various sectors worldwide, from travel, transportation and logistics, to finance and banking, insurance, and retail.

Sutherland works with some of the world’s largest airlines, logistics companies and fuel distributors, providing end-to-end solutions to help save costs, improve safety, increase efficiency and revenue, and enhance the customer experience. www.sutherlandglobal.com www.landseaairmagazine.com - 13

Trends for

SMMart

shipping

SMM 2018 is calling shipping experts under its sails, as the leading international maritime trade fair returns to showcase the crème de la crème of industry innovations

H

eld as a bi-annual event, SMM is widely treated as the world’s most important trade fair for the maritime industry. Two years have quickly elapsed since the previous edition of the fair and it is almost time for Hamburg to welcome the leading names in shipping again, from September 4th to September 7th.

Germany’s second largest city maintains a strong maritime tradition as a busy hub of trade, ship financing and industry, making it the perfect host for the display of the latest innovations across the maritime industry.

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4 - 7 September 2018 The Hamburg Messe und Congress

This year’s event comes on the back of the highly successful 2016 edition of SMM, which gathered more than 2200 exhibitors and roughly 50,000 visitors throughout its four days. Surveyed after the exhibition, 93 per cent of all exhibitors reported that they have considered SMM 2016 as commercial success for their company, while 97 per cent of all visitors expressed that they were either considering or were certain to attend the fair in 2018.

Marking a rare occasion when all the maritime industry leaders can congregate in one place, it is no wonder that SMM is viewed as the ideal place to gather insights, engage in networking, cement business deals, and contribute to debates with the thought leaders in the sector.

Even though this year’s fair will officially open on September 4th, the second Maritime Future Summit will be held as a prelude to the exhibition on the day before. The conference will centre on the latest trends and developments in automation, digitalisation, and data management, with major players and decision-makers

SMM 2018

discussing the latest themes and visions in shipping and shipbuilding. The opening of the summit will take place at 11:00 with the introduction of the discussion’s moderator, Prof Dr Volker Bertram from the World Maritime University, and a keynote speech from Hubert Hoffman, CIO & CDO of MSC Germany.

Two discussion panels will then follow, featuring speakers from a number of research institutes and successful companies, who will discuss topics covering the ever-deeper involvement of digital technology in shipping.

The first day of SMM 2018 will be highlighted by the TradeWinds Shipowners Forum that will gather innovative players from Germany and overseas who will exchange ideas of how to manage and succeed. The delegates will also hear the outlook on markets and the global economy from influential speakers. During the forum’s first session, key figures from the new generation of Germany’s shipping leaders will share their experience of how they are shaping their companies to be globally competitive, while the second session will see global pacesetters discuss how they are turning to their advantage the major challenges of erratic trade growth, digitalisation, and increasing investor and public scrutiny, among other issues.

The Global Maritime Environmental Congress (gmec) will be the major conference of the second day of the exhibition. With alternative energy sources and green technologies being identified as a significant part of maritime industry’s future, the gmec will bring together experts from around the world to launch discussions divided into three panels entitled as follows: Preparing for Ballast Water Treatment; Dealing With the Environmental Challenges of the Future; and, The Passenger Shipping Industry as an Environmental Pioneer. At the beginning of the congress, a keynote speech will be delivered by Tian-Bing Huang, the Acting Deputy Director for Protective Measures in the Marine Environment Division of the IMO. Deep sea mining and arctic infrastructure developments will be the main subject of discussion at the Offshore Dialogue that is scheduled for September 6th. Focus will be placed on clean shipping, responsible exploration, and marine research, as speakers from renowned organisations such as Rolls-Royce Marine AS, Jacobs University Bremen, and the IMO, will make their thoughts public. The two panels will be moderated by Dr Walter L. Kuehnlein, Chairman of the German Association for Marine Technology, and Anu Fredrikson, Director of Arctic Economic Council Secretariat Norway, respectively.

Starting on the same day, but continuing into the final day of SMM, will be the MS&D – the international conference on maritime security and defence. The key topics that will be covered include the security of international seaways and maritime infrastructure, the deployment of naval forces in international crisis operations, digital security under the threat of cyberattack, as well as new trends in naval technology and green technology. Discussion Panel I will focus on maritime security and will feature academics from universities in Germany and Norway. Panel II is dedicated to maritime defence and will be led by four speakers on September 6th and another two on the next day, who will debate littoral operations, harbour protection, and cyber security, while Panel III will round off the conference with discussion on emerging naval technologies and their potential impact on the sector.

The third edition of the Maritime Career Market will take place on the final day of SMM 2018 and will once again provide companies

and visitors with an exclusive platform for job hunting, careers, and professional development. The event gives companies access to potential employees, while presenting job applicants and people looking at their career options with invaluable insights into different career opportunities in the maritime industry.

For companies who would like to exhibit at SMM 2018, there is an option to register online via the event’s website (https://www. smm-hamburg.com/en/exhibitors/registration/online-registration/).

Alternatively, they can go through the application process the old-fashioned way, by completing and returning by fax or post their application form. The process of allocating the exhibitors in the halls starts directly after the application deadline. Once a suitable space is found, the organisers offer it to the exhibitor in question who can either accept or decline it. If accepted, a confirmation receipt is then sent out along with log-in details for SMM’s Online Service Center.

Visitors to SMM 2018 are recommended to book their tickets online. A season ticket booked in advance is priced at 47 euros, whereas admission on the day costs 55 euros. Similarly, a two-day ticket and a one-day-ticket can be purchased online for 39 euros and 30 euros, respectively, and for 46 euros and 35 euros onsite.

One-day tickets for students are priced 15 euros. To help visitors find what they are looking for, the SMM Theme Routes will guide them to specific exhibitor highlights. These include the Digital Route, Green Route, Security Route, Job Route, and the new Cruise & Ferry Route.

SMM 2018 is an unmissable event for anyone who wants to be up-to-date with the latest developments in the maritime industry, and the world’s number one trade fair in the sector will be ready to greet visitors and exhibitors alike, yet again. v https://www.smm-hamburg.com/en/ Opening hours: September 4th – September 6th (Tuesday – Thursday): 9:30 – 18:00 September 7th (Friday) – 9:30 – 16:00 www.landseaairmagazine.com - 15

Is there a doctor in the

house?

Roland Archdall and Glen Taylor discuss the use of telemedicine at sea

E

very year, one in five ships is forced to divert from their course by a medical emergency. These diversions come at a substantial cost. However, it is estimated as many as 20 per cent of these could be avoided by deploying telemedicine aboard ships. In addition to the obvious benefits for crew health and safety, it can deliver real positive financial implications too.

Telemedicine, simply put, is the remote diagnosis and treatment of patients by means of telecommunications technology. It is designed to facilitate the remote delivery of healthcare to populations that are ‘geographically disadvantaged and medically underserved’, and seafarers working aboard commercial ships certainly fit these criteria.

Generally, commercial maritime working environments can be a ‘dead zone’ in terms of access to healthcare facilities for off-shore personnel, and telemedicine uptake so far has been limited.

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However, there is an increasing expectation of duty of care for maritime employers. According to the amended Labour Organisation Maritime Labour Convention (ILO/MLC) and International Maritime Organization Standards for Training, Certification and Watchkeeping (IMO/STCW) 2006 convention, the shipping community are required to “provide seafarers with medical care as nearly as possible equivalent to the care they would receive ashore” and to “ensure by a prearranged system that medical advice by radio or satellite communication to ships at sea is available at any hour of the day or night”.

Better telemedicine makes commercial sense Presently, these ‘prearranged systems’ for remote medical assistance between vessels and the shore tend to consist of someone on board calling a hospital and giving readings from onboard equipment via telephone or radio. They are heavily reliant on the self-reporting of symptoms, giving limited ability to interact

safety at sea

with the underlying vital signs data that would help in making an objective assessment. This lags significantly behind other industries where remote medical assistance may be required in inaccessible or extreme locations, such as the military and the aviation industry, where more advanced telemedicine systems are more commonplace.

When telemedicine technology first appeared in the 1960s in response to the needs of organisations like NASA, it allowed for symptoms and vital signs to be relayed to a medical professional on the ground via telephone, radio, or video. Now, the technology has evolved and high-tech monitoring and communications systems mean that alongside video, vital signs data can also be objectively reported in real-time to healthcare professionals on-shore, giving them as much information as they would have if they were on-board with the patient. This allows them to make better treatment decisions remotely, often meaning the crewmember can be treated on board with no need for a medical evacuation (medevac).

According to a study published in International Maritime Health, there are both financial and soft benefits to telemedicine at sea which together make a strong business case for shipping companies.

Focusing their study on three typical vessels - dry transport vessels, liquid transport vessels and offshore support vessels, the researchers calculated the comparative costs of adopting telemedicine services with the cost of having to divert a ship from its intended course to carry out a medevac.

They estimated that the average annual cost of diversions due to medical emergencies, taking into account the price of additional fuel, helicopter evacuation costs, crew replacement and additional working days and on-shore costs, is €163,750 per ship. This adds up to an astonishing €760 million annual cost for the whole industry.

Given that the cost of installing telemedicine equipment and training staff to use it was estimated at €11,821 per ship per year (with additional subscription costs for access to telemedical access services/ on-shore medical teams), the researchers concluded that the return on investment per vessel from investing in equipment and training would, statistically, pay for itself in under a year.

Further less tangible indirect savings and benefits that can be factored in include reduced insurance premiums and being perceived as a better-quality employer, leading to improved crew quality and retention rates.

The three ‘E’s of telemedicine Key to ensuring telemedicine delivers the maximum possible benefits are the three ‘E’s: equipment, expertise and education.

Equipment A prerequisite here is the data transmission and sharing capability to provide a remote expert with real-time access to the same vital-signs information they would have if stood in front of the patient. Doctors on-shore are less likely to err on the side of caution when deciding when an evacuation or redirection is necessary when not relying on the subjective report of a crew member via radio, or the self-reporting of symptoms. The complexity and functionality of the equipment required will be dictated by the level of medical training of the ship’s crew; whilst some equipment is intended to be used by

medical professionals, other equipment is designed to ‘guide’ an on-board crew member, through user prompts and instructions from a remote expert.

Expertise Telemedicine is only effective if crews have access to an infrastructure which allows them to connect quickly to specialist doctors who can offer effective assistance in an emergency.

This usually comes from a subscription to a telemedical access service, which may be either public or private.

Education The crew on board must be confident when dealing with medical situations. This means that not only will crew members need to be shown how to use the equipment properly, they also need to know what to expect and how to work together with the medical team on-shore.

Modern telemedicine has the power to save money, lives and time at sea. The technical elements are fully in place for the shipping industry to embrace this potential. l

Roland Archdall and Glen Taylor work at Remote Diagnostic Technologies (RDT) – a Philips Company. RDT specialises in the design, manufacture and worldwide distribution of medical devices for remote monitoring and resuscitation. With a proven 20-year track record in remote medicine, RDT offers solutions for non-medical users in shipping and aviation and for medical experts in prehospital and critical care environments. www.rdtltd.com Sources used for this article available from the editor. www.landseaairmagazine.com - 17

Image courtesy of Survitec

Be

prepared

Chris Feibusch, Director of Global Marketing and Communications for WesCom Signal and Rescue, discusses the importance of safety and training at sea

W

esCom Signal and Rescue has been the leading supplier of marine distress signals for over 100 years. During this time, there have been many advances in technology and an increased demand for better quality training and resources within the industry. In response to this, the company continues to research and develop the world’s leading marine distress signals and has recently introduced a new era of dedicated training assets.

Now more than ever before, it is essential that comprehensive training is provided for all employees on-board, covering all eventualities that could occur at sea. This ensures that everyone knows what they should be doing, what equipment they have access to and most importantly, how to use the safety equipment should it be required. This is as important as having the correct safety equipment on-board, because without training, safety equipment is potentially of no use.

Good quality safety equipment can only ever be as good as the person using it. A ship can be fitted with the world’s leading brands of pyrotechnics, electronics and communication equipment, but if the crew don’t know how to use it or what each product does, then it becomes redundant. Therefore, the safety training provided needs to be of the highest standard and as comprehensive as possible, giving crew the tools they need to be able to use the equipment effectively and safely in the event of an emergency.

WesCom Signal and Rescue recognises the importance and value of training and wellbeing on-board a commercial vessel at sea. Safety is of paramount importance at all times, and it fully

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supports the noticeable increase in the number of training courses being offered, the production of training materials and assets, and the training facilities available around the world. This is a positive step forward, as ship owners and operators understand the real value of their staff and how their competence, experience and wellbeing contributes to the overall effectiveness and profitability of a ship.

Over the years, WesCom Signal and Rescue has developed and delivered hundreds of thousands of life-saving products to distributors and commercial vessels all around the world, as well as designing a range of bespoke training programmes for its trusted partners to ensure safety on-board. The brand continues to offer advanced training and support, and enhance already-established training facilities. It has provided more than 1000 dummy products and guidance materials for over 120 training establishments in the last 12 months alone.

The safety brand has also worked closely with Survitec Viscom to develop a series of training animations for its branded SOLAS and non SOLAS products. The animations are used to assist maritime training establishments in classroom training situations by offering an alternative information source, as well as being used through the increasingly popular method of web-based courses. They can also be included within ships’ digital training manuals on-board and offer a highly effective method of teaching compared to traditional pictorial training manuals.

The animations are being trialled with the RNLI, and can be accessed by its 6000+ volunteer crews as part of their initial and

WESCOM signal and rescue

ongoing training. The benefits of using animations for training means that money is saved for the charity and it removes the need for live firing – which ensures a much safer environment, without compromising the efficiency of the training whether delivered in the classroom or online. The training animations are available at no cost either to view online or download via the Pains Wessex or Comet websites.

Charity organisations within the industry, such as the Sailors’ Society, are actively campaigning to educate ship operators, owners and influential industry personnel to understand what life on-board a ship is like and what training, re-training and support is needed.

The wellbeing of seafarers is of vital importance and it is a shared responsibility to ensure they have the understanding, skills and tools required to be fully prepared at sea, as well as the space to talk confidently about any worries they may have.

These organisations have identified a trend in the higher levels of safety and wellbeing support provided, the better overall health of their staff, as well as their productivity, efficiency and happiness onboard, which ultimately leads to a smoother running of the vessel and improved profit margins overall – which is good for everyone.

Technology is improving all the time and at WesCom Signal and Rescue, the development of electronic alternatives is being closely monitored through its membership of industry bodies. However,

despite these technological advances, currently nothing can take the place of marine pyrotechnics as there isn’t a single system or device that replaces the specific function or is as universally recognised as a signal of distress as marine distress flares, making them vital safety equipment on-board vessels all over the world.

Recognised for its exceptional training offering, WesCom Signal and Rescue has been shortlisted for this year’s prestigious, Best Crew Safety Development Programme Award, in the 2018 Safety at Sea Awards, which will be awarded on Thursday 18 October 2018 in London. v WesCom Signal and Rescue is the world’s leading supplier of marine distress signals, under the brand names: Pains Wessex, Comet, Oroquieta and Aurora, with a strong, established global network of more than 150 specialist distributors around the world. The quality, technological superiority and innovative design of its products combined with worldwide approvals and manufacturing to ISO 9001 standard ensures the brands are still market-leaders today. The brand is trusted by the world’s navies, lifeboat and rescue services, merchant fleets and airlines, as well as by fishing vessels and leisure craft.

For further information about WesCom Signal and Rescue, please visit: www.wescomsignal.com.

WesCom Signal and Rescue is the world’s leading marine distress signal manufacturer and is fully committed to ensuring the safety of lives at sea. It is the world’s leading supplier of marine distress signals, under the brand names: Pains Wessex, Comet, Oroquieta and Aurora. The quality, technological superiority and innovative design of its products combined with worldwide approvals and manufacturing to ISO 9001 standard ensures the brands are still market-leaders today.

For more information about WesCom Signal and Rescue, please visit: www.wescomsignal.com For more information about AS Moloobhoy, please visit: www.asmoloobhoy.com.

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Companies to learn from

For a fifth year in a row, the London Stock Exchange Group acknowledged the 1000 UK companies that have outgrown their respective sectors and set a positive example for their peers

& FOODAG E BEVER

ENGINEERIN G CON

STRUCTION

T

he latest edition of London Stock Exchange Group’s ‘1000 Companies to Inspire Britain’ list marked a jubilee of a kind for the initiative, as it was for a fifth straight year that the Group recognised some of the fastest growing and most dynamic small and medium-sized enterprises in the UK. Engaging the financial technology company DueDil to identify and audit all participating companies against key financial performance indicators and sector benchmarks, the LSEG published its 2018 report in May. In order for a company to be considered for inclusion on the list, it must be active and registered in the UK. Businesses that have a parent incorporated in a foreign country are excluded, except for specific tax shelters. Companies that have been incorporated within the past three years are also excluded, and independent company or consolidated group revenues must be between £6 million and £250 million, if they are to be eligible.

To measure each company’s performance, DueDil calculates the average annual turnover growth over a three-year period, with calculations weighted to favour latest-year growth. It is noteworthy that any business with more than 20 per cent

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deterioration in net assets over the three-year period is ineligible to enter. Having compiled its list, DueDil then separates the eligible companies into their Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) groupings. Within each SIC sector, the companies are ranked by their individual growth rates, and those that have most outperformed their sector averages are singled out as the excelling businesses across the UK. In his foreword to this year’s report, Mr. Nikhal Rathi, CEO of London Stock Exchange PLC, presented some of its key findings: “The service sector contributes 80 per cent of UK GDP, but our research paints an encouraging picture of diversity among the country’s fastest growing SMEs. The top five industries represented account for 40 per cent of the list, and the biggest industry by far is Engineering & Construction, followed by Information Technology,” Mr. Rathi explained. Indeed, 132 companies operating in the Engineering & Construction field were acclaimed for their achievements over a three-year period, while 72 IT businesses received the coveted praise from the reputable LSEG. The Food & Beverage, Financial services, and Building & Landscape industries were each represented by 65

1000 companies to inspire britain

DINNG BUIL SCAPI G LAND

FINANCI AL S

ERVICES

companies, while 63 organisations trading in Retail earned a spot on the report.

Analysing the figures of this year’s list, Mr. Rathi dispelled, to a degree, the common belief that London and the South East are the traditional engines of British economic growth, stating that more than 60 per cent of the businesses listed are located outside that region. “Companies in the North West and the West Midlands also see the highest growth, with turnover increasing by more than two and three times the national average, respectively. This is against a strong national average of 71 per cent of turnover growth – similar to the 2016 figure and up from 50 per cent the year before.”

Further dissecting the demographics of the companies present on the report, Mr. Rathi pointed out that Edinburgh is one of the top ten cities for average turnover growth at

83 per cent, while Northern Ireland had its number of companies doubled on last year. “In Wales, innovative clinical healthcare providers operating across a multitude of cuttingedge health disciplines make up 15 per cent of the companies featured – three times the national average,” the CEO added.

With Brexit inevitably reshaping the business reality in the UK, Mr. Rathi continued his foreword discussing some of the issues that need to be addressed, making sure, however, that he broaches a number of subjects that have pre-dated Brexit that also need increased focus, in order for British companies to fulfil their potential.

“Brexit has highlighted many issues – from frictionless access to markets and movement of skilled labour to reducing trade barriers through appropriate and co-operative standards of international regulation – which businesses, together with UK and EU Governments, are working on, in order to ensure the continued economic well-being of all citizens. There have been some issues from earlier on, however, including ensuring dynamic SMEs can realise their potential and scale-up into the global leaders of tomorrow.”

According to Mr. Rathi, meeting this goal is linked to the presence of a healthy growth finance market that works for all companies and investors. “The vast majority of SME finance comes in the form of debt, which may not always be the right financing vehicle for start-ups that need to invest permanent capital in growing their business instead of servicing a loan every month.

“Overreliance on debt means too many entrepreneurs are scaling back their ambitions, rather than scaling up their businesses,” he went on, citing stats provided by the Bank of England, according to which a third of UK SMEs see themselves as having made too little investment across the range of funding options open to them. “More than a fifth of these businesses either ran into onerous collateral requirements or were unable to obtain funding for the duration they required, and these are all barriers unique to the debt market.”

LSE’s CEO maintained that equity growth finance is taxed several times over from capital gains tax to dividend tax, to stamp duty, and gave a positive example of equity investment being more fiscally viable and, therefore, prevalent in the economy of the USA, which results in the fact that 60 per cent of the world’s most valuable companies originate from America, while less than 15 per cent come from Europe – a considerable decline from 30 per cent a decade ago.

“Last year, the UK created a record number of start-ups and some studies estimate that just one per cent increase in the number of high-growth companies would drive an additional 238,000 jobs,” Mr. Rathi said, going on to praise the Government’s acute recognition when setting out its Industrial Strategy that more needs to be done to support innovative businesses to scale-up. “An economy that truly works for everyone should see capital flow bottom up to risk takers and entrepreneurs who create the jobs for tomorrow. We fully supported the Patient Capital Review and the £2.5 billion British Business Bank fund will ensure billions of extra pounds of vital investment flows into our dynamic SMEs,” he concluded. v https://www.lseg.com/resources/1000-companies-inspire/2018report-1000-companies-uk www.landseaairmagazine.com - 21

In it for the

long haul

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PC3000 base 70T5. 40m wide.

Cumnock, Ayshire to Southampton

W

hen Frank Metcalfe established Washfold Farm in Leyburn, North Yorkshire, in 1940 he did so with a dairy herd of 20 cows. Today Frank’s grandsons, David, Brian and Philip Metcalfe, along with their father John and mother Thora, oversee 1300 pedigree Holstein cows and 1100 sheep on their 3200-acre farm. Beyond their traditional farming background, the trio have also established accompanying business interests in the form of a commercial and automotive repair business, agricultural contracting and haulage operations, which it handles through the company Metcalfe Farms (Haulage) Ltd. “It was in 2005 that we purchased what was our first wagon, and two years later we established Metcalfe Farms (Haulage) Ltd,” begins co-owner Brian Metcalfe. “At the time, farming incomes were coming under pressure and due to the sheer size of our activities we took the decision to establish a new business that we were interested in, which happened to be haulage. From there, things grew fairly rapidly to the point where the company is now larger than the original farming business.”

Offering tailored heavy haulage solutions, Metcalfe Farms (Haulage) Ltd is one of the fastest growing companies of its kind in Europe. Priding itself on every aspect of its heavy haulage solutions, from its planning and logistics services, to its knowledgeable,

Profile: Metcalfe Farms (Haulage) Ltd

skilled drivers and its meticulously maintained vehicles, the company is able offer a complete project management package, including site-to-site service, to anywhere in the world, and is accredited to ISO9001, ISO14001, ISO27001 and OHSAS18001 standards.

“We consider ourselves to be specialists when it comes to handling and transporting large haulage loads, being able to support plant and machinery of various sizes and weights,” adds co-owner David Metcalfe.

Using a combination of semi-loaders, dolly systems, narrow, inter or beam trailers, its vehicles can carry almost any load, while the company’s project management teams ensure that all the correct permits and routes are in place to guarantee equipment is delivered on time and to budget.

“I definitely think it is the quality of service that we deliver that has helped us to get to where we are today,” David continues. “We have established a structure that allows us to respond quickly and professionally to our customers’ needs, wherever they may be based, while the size of our fleet, which consists of some 90 trucks and 130 trailers at present, means that we can handle projects and volumes, both small and large, in a timely, efficient manner.”

As Brian goes on to explain, aspects of the Metcalfe’s background in farming have proved beneficial to the growth of the haulage business. “I think it is true to say

‘‘

We have also recently made the most expensive purchase in the company’s history, acquiring a brand-new trailer valued at approximately £500,000, which we expect to take delivery of in September 2018. We know that as the size of our customer’s machines and plant continue to increase, so too must our own equipment and resources

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Washfold Farm in Leyburn, North Yorkshire

that farmers, as a whole, tend to retain a good reputation for being people that stick to their word and do tasks to the best of their ability, and it is family values like these that we have incorporated into Metcalfe Farms (Haulage) Ltd. We have also made the conscious decision to avoid having lots of tiers of management here, so a customer can actually pick up the phone today and speak to one of the owners if they wish, and this direct, personable service is something they greatly value.�

Additionally, there are positive synergies to be gained from the close link between not only Metcalfe Farms (Haulage) Ltd and the farming operation itself, but also through the activities of its repair business Truck Technics, a dedicated service centre for commercial and automotive repairs, fabrications, painting, spraying and associated tasks. Having strong links between these different entities further aids the company in its ability to be recognised as a one-stop-shop for the transportation needs of its customers.

With the extremely warm, dry weather experienced throughout the second quarter of 2018 in the UK and Europe helping to drive new and existing work throughout the continent, Metcalfe Farms (Haulage) Ltd finds itself amidst a period of high demand for its services, and this has required investment in its fleet of vehicles. “We are currently in the process of increasing our

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Profile: Metcalfe Farms (Haulage) Ltd

‘‘

Such is our level of flexibility we are confident in our ability to scale our operations to meet market conditions and our customers’ needs accordingly

number of trucks up to the 100 mark, and beyond, over the coming months, and we have also begun receiving the first of 20 new specialist trailers that will be coming into service over the next six months,” Brian states.

“We have also recently made the most expensive purchase in the company’s history, acquiring a brand-new trailer valued at approximately £500,000, which we expect to take delivery of in September 2018,” Brian says. “We know that as the size of our customer’s machines and plant continue to increase, so too must our own equipment and resources. That is why this marks a very significant investment for Metcalfe Farms (Haulage) Ltd and one that represents our commitment to taking the business another step forward.” This investment comes at a time when the company is also looking to incorporate the latest Euro 6 engines, what with more and more of its customers becoming conscious of the environmental impact of their activities.

Pushing the business forward is certainly the message that Brian helps to deliver when asked about what the future holds for Metcalfe Farms (Haulage) Ltd. “Our philosophy, if you like, is that we don’t set ourselves specific targets, rather we look to maximise opportunities as they arise. Such is our level of flexibility we are confident in our ability to scale our operations to meet market conditions and our customers’ needs accordingly. This, together with our proven track record for delivering quality service, means that whatever the future holds we are well placed to capitalise on the opportunities presented to us.” l

Metcalfe Farms (Haulage) Ltd www.metcalfefarms.com • Delivering tailored haulage solutions • A fleet of 90+ trucks and 130+ trailers • Record £500,000 investment in a brand new trailer

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Engaging waste

solutions

I

n truly idealistic fashion, the formation of UK Waste Solutions Ltd (UKWSL) was driven by its founders’ inspirational belief that they can introduce new ways to solve old challenges in the British waste management industry. Chris Giscombe and Garry Johnson started the business in December 2003, on the back of the extensive experience they had garnered in the years leading up to that moment, centring on the development of customer excellence, which, over time, would become a key driver of success for UKWSL. As we wanted to learn more about the reasons behind the company’s substantial growth in the past five years, which saw it increase its annual turnover from £8 million to £30 million, we got in touch with UKWSL’s Managing Director,

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Max Kanda, who happily took us through the business’ history, core values, working methods, and recent developments.

“It took us just two years to land our first major national waste management contract with TUI and as the business grew rapidly in the first years of its existence, we moved into larger purpose-built offices in Newark in 2008,” Max begins. “Then, 2010 turned out to be another milestone year for the company, with us being awarded the national waste management contract by Network Rail for all waste streams across its vast estate of operational and maintenance sites. In the same year, we also delivered one of the first ‘Zero Waste to Landfill’ projects for the improvements works on the A46 link between Newark and Widmerpool.”

Profile: UKWSL

Managing Director, Max Kanda and Operations Director, Rachel Jordan Max Kanda (right) receiving the ‘1000 Companies to Inspire Britain’ award

Finishing its first decade of operation on a high, UKWSL launched its internally developed enterprise software system ‘The Hub’ in 2014, for all areas of the business. In more recent times, the company won a national waste management contract for brewery and pub operator Marston’s, also becoming one of the selected few companies to be named a ‘Gold Member of the Supply Chain Sustainability School’ in 2016.

“Last year, UKWSL became one of the founder members of the Waste Management Brokers Association (WMBA) and was also recognised as the second-fastest growing company in the waste management industry.Then, in April 2018, we acquired 707 Ltd, a move that substantially extended our customer base,” Max reports.

UKWSL’s diverse customer portfolio includes businesses of various sizes – from local shop owners to large corporations, and Max insists that delivering the same high level of service, regardless of the size of the client, is one of the leading principles of UKWSL’s philosophy. He cites the company’s in-depth knowledge of the waste

management industry as a major advantage that helps it tackle the different challenges it faces. “We are well-versed in tailoring solutions for numerous sectors, but there are several particular fields within which we excel, including hospitality, retail,

manufacturing, distribution, transport, healthcare, facility management, and utilities.”

A combination of factors has come into play to accommodate the nearly fourfold increase in annual turnover the business has enjoyed in the

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UKWSL Board of Directors

last five years. “Some of these key drivers include development of brand awareness, flexibility of our business model, favourable market conditions, technology-led innovation, and, of course, engaging account management solutions that deliver visible results,” explains UKWSL’s Operations Director, Rachel Jordan. “At UKWSL, we are proud to call ourselves a broker, because we are confident that when this type of service is provided in the right way, it benefits everyone involved. Our sense of pride originates from our ability to optimise and add tangible value to the services received by our clients.”

Earlier in 2018, the organisation was recognised as one of the ‘1000 Companies to Inspire Britain’ by the London Stock Exchange Group, which, to Max, is evidence that UKWSL is on the right path.

“We have worked extremely hard throughout the business to streamline our processes and procedures and build compelling cases on why customers should choose to work with us. Our achievement is down to the dedication of all of our staff, the focus on talent development through training, and the mentoring programmes we have set up,” he maintains.

Cartwrights Waste Disposal Cartwrights Waste Disposal has specialised in the delivery of Integrated Waste Management Solutions and Skip Hire for over 35 years.

We support clients across the whole of Shropshire and its surrounding borders, ranging from blue chip multinationals to SMEs, in their aim to dispose of waste in an environmentally safe and controlled manner.

With one of the most competent waste recovery and recycling plants in the area, we are able to offer tangible environmental and commercial benefits to our customers.

From the smallest waste disposal requirement to complete site clearances, our commitment is to our customers and our planet, and we continue to maximise our waste recycling and reuse efficiencies, where possible, turning waste into a resource and striving for complete diversion away from landfill.

At Cartwrights, because we are passionate about the work that we do, we are happy to announce that since 2013 we have been a Zero 2 Landfill company – meaning all waste is 100 per cent recycled.

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Profile: UKWSL UKWSL offices

As a result of the proactive internal development going on at UKWSL, a ‘different kind of corporate culture’ has been introduced – one of openness, collaboration, transparency, and fun. Max is a staunch supporter of placing the workforce and the customers at the forefront of everything the company does, which, he believes, is an essential prerequisite for the creation of a happy and productive environment. “We aim to employ people who fit our culture and reflect our values. We share our strategy and priorities with everyone throughout the business, via monthly business update meetings, delivered by our Directors.

“Talent management and development is another vital part of our culture,” Max continues.

“Our ‘People’ department is actively developing

forward-thinking programmes, such as ‘Future Leaders’ at both foundation and advanced levels, and we have even achieved an ‘Investors in People’ status for our work in the area. Efficient communication with customers and suppliers alike is also a key priority for us. We have recently launched an ‘Insights programme’ that allows closer interaction through surveys, face-to-face meetings, and telephone conversations, so that we can gather factual information, in relation to our performance, and then act upon it,” he explains.

Elaborating on this previous point, Rachel goes on to describe the process of designing solutions for clients and creating straightforward communication processes while projects are underway. “Engagement starts with devising

business plans to understand customer needs. By having a clear strategy, we can direct our attention to the right areas, to maximise the impact of change. For example, when looking at how to maximise landfill diversion of general waste, our account management team will work closely with our supply chain team to select service partners that accurately meet the needs of our clients.

In a similar vein, when we look at other waste streams, we will visit customer sites to map waste generation and waste flow.This enables us to identify areas of improvement and recommend both technical and cultural changes required to create new solutions.

“It is key to mention that change cannot be successful if our customers and their employees do not understand what is required, why it is required, and what the eventual benefit will be,” Rachel claims. “Communication in various forms is essential to the success of any project.Through regular review meetings with stakeholders, we monitor the successful implementation of a project to a point where the cultural changes become fully integrated and a normality in the client’s practices.”

The next 24 months for UKWSL promise to be incredibly dynamic, as the company finds itself en route to unprecedented changes. “We are determined to take decisive action on the challenges we face and take the necessary steps to energise our operation,” Max reveals. “Three key priorities highlight our 2018-2020 strategy: first, we aim to deliver innovative and competitive solutions for all customers; second, we want to protect and strengthen the balance sheet; and third, we are eager to demonstrate trust and transparency in dealings with all stakeholders.

The strategy takes us back to basics, trying to concentrate on our core activities within the waste management sector.

“Waste management is no longer about providing a good level of service and controlling costs for our customers. Instead, the expectations are that we act as a solutions provider, who is able to source the best possible solutions for all material types. We will work hard to find homes for material that can be treated to create new or recycled products. Finally, we will continue to work with our supply chain partners in delivering innovative and closed loop solutions,” he concludes. l

UKWSL www.ukwsl.co.uk • Turnover growth from £8 million to £30 million in five years • Included in the ‘1000 Companies to Inspire Britain’ report • ‘Investors in People’ recipient

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Driven to

succeed

B

eginning its freight operations in 1975 under the name Global Shipping, third party logistics company Global Shipping & Logistics (GSL) soon established itself as a trend setter in the freight market as a result of the efficient and swift services it provided to its clients within the UAE. Evolving into an integrated logistics provider in 2005, the company’s agile and flexible business philosophy, coupled with over 30 years of experience in the local market, allowed it to adapt to rapid regional development and keep pace with the UAE’s dramatic growth.

“Our tagline, ‘Driven by You’, represents our commitment to our clients and our drive towards achieving supply chain excellence, and this ethos has helped GSL to become the benchmark for high standards in the field of logistics,” begins GSL’s Chief Operating Officer, Frank Courtney. “Today, GSL has

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a workforce of over 700 employees, and a total of 2.8 million square feet of combined warehousing space in our Dubai Investment Park (DIP) and Dubai Industrial City (DIC) locations, offering 160,000 pallet positions in both frozen and temperature controlled options. This capacity makes us a complete one-stop-shop logistics solution provider, with the skills, knowledge, experience and processes necessary to service any client from our target industries.”

Indeed, GSL has become a reliable and valued logistics partner/supplier to over 100 global and local brands and businesses that operate in the UAE, and in the wider MENA region. “To outsource one’s logistics function is a crucial business decision and one that needs careful consideration,” Frank states.

“Our clients trust GSL to supply the best flexible service they need now and going forward. It is also not simply about delivering

the best service, in the sense that we also take on the responsibility of helping these clients operate their supply chain cost effectively and efficiently.”

GSL’s client portfolio is made up of brands and businesses that are spread across FMCG, frozen foods, pharmaceutical, veterinary, retail and e-commerce business verticals.

These clients can either use the company’s services for end-to-end logistics and supply chain management, or individual/mixed services, such as documentation clearing, freight-forwarding, transport, distribution services, cold-storage, cold-chain integrity management, temperature controlled warehousing, co-packing, and other value added services.

“The UAE is a consumption market with very little manufacturing or production taking place. Therefore, feeding into this consumer marketplace requires aggregators who can

Profile: Global Shipping & Logistics (GSL)

Left: Frank Courtney, Chief Operating Officer

source and deliver the right products that match the consumer’s seasonal demands,” Frank continues. “Given the harsh weather and the UAE’s strategic location globally, distributors of consumer goods need to ensure they are able to profitably meet their customer’s requirements while remaining competitive. Logistics plays a very important part in this profitability, and third party logistics companies like GSL play a pivotal role in this process.

“However, logistical challenges for different products vary depending on seasonality and annual consumption patterns. This makes

it important for companies like ourselves to be able to offer the flexibility needed to customise world class supply chain, warehousing, distribution and other services into bespoke logistical offerings that ensure product integrity throughout the supply chain.

This must be achieved while ensuring that the product remains a profitable proposition to the retailers and an affordable commodity for consumers.”

A key strength for GSL is that its warehouses were the first third party logistics custom-bonded warehouses outside of any freezone in the UAE. This allowed its

clients to efficiently manage their cash flows, while taking advantage of the hassle-free operations made possible by GSL’s custombonded warehouses, to offer competitively priced products to customers on the mainland. Further solidifying its position is its combination of a fantastic team, industryleading facilities, systems, processes and operations, which are recognised to industry best practice standards that include ISO9001, 14001, 22000, OHS18001, HACCP and BRC. “Take our state-of-the-art temperature controlled warehouses for example, which have been integral to our ability to deliver service excellence,” Frank explains. “The harsh environment that we operate in means that products are susceptible to damage and require temperature controls throughout the supply chain. Our temperature controlled and cold storage warehouses ensure we

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Profile: Global Shipping & Logistics (GSL)

take the utmost care of our client’s products whilst they are in our custody. It also gives said clients the pricing advantages that global peak-planned procurement can offer, as well as the swiftness needed to turn around stocks into market capturing offers and promotions throughout the year.”

Over the years, GSL has made a habit of being first to market with new initiatives and services, and it has recently announced another first. “We are pleased to reveal that GSL has been given permission by the Ministry of Health to operate the first onshore, third party pharmaceutical warehouse facility in the UAE,” Frank adds. “At the same time, GSL continues to stay ahead of the competition by focusing on the latest cuttingedge technologies, one example being the successful implementation of our Pick-toSight augmented reality technology within our operations. Ensuring a quick turn around with 99.5 per cent or higher accuracy figures is key to sustainably fulfilling orders for all of our clients, and through the introduction of augmented reality enabled glasses into our picking and packaging services we have been able to not only maintain our high accuracy levels, but also make improvements to our turnaround times.”

What began as a third-party logistics provider specialising in consumer goods and frozen foods has since grown into a company with a healthy presence in new segments such as pharma-logistics, veterinary logistics and e-commerce. This pattern of growth does not stop here either, with GSL planning to increase its distribution services to its clients in 2019.

“Understanding our clients and being driven by their needs is the simplest way to ensure that we remain their partner of choice for all things logistics and supply chain”, Frank concludes. “Through embracing the changes facing the industry and adapting appropriate technology to provide innovative solutions, we believe that we can provide the advantage our clients need to thrive in their respective markets. This mind-set has worked for us in the past, and we are geared up to pursue the same approach in the years and decades to come.” l

Global Shipping & Logistics (GSL) www.gsldubai.com • Founded in 1975 as Global Shipping • 2.8 million square feet of combined warehousing • Over 100 local and global clients

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25-09-17 09:32

The new Volvo 13.6m curtain side trailer

Pride in

I

performance

n 2019, International Forwarding Ltd will reach its 30th birthday. In that time, it has developed a full range of freight and logistics services to support its clients, thus becoming one of the UK’s most reliable and trusted independent freight forwarders. “The company was founded in

Rob Pike, Managing Director

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1989 by two of its present-day directors, who together possessed a wide-ranging degree of experience when it came to freight forwarding and European road freight,” begins Andy Grubb, International Forwarding Ltd’s Sales Director.

“Both individuals had previously worked for multi-national forwarders and their aim was to establish a forwarding and logistics business to specifically serve the needs of exporters and importers throughout the Midlands,” Andy adds. “It was then, in 1998, that the decision was taken for the company to operate its own transport fleet to enable it to exercise better door-to-door control over UK domestic collections and deliveries.”

Today this fleet consists of 20 vehicles, ranging from 32t tractor units, 18 and 7.5t tautliner rigids to 35cwt light pick-up trucks.

The company’s distinctive livery has come to be well known throughout the industry, and it has achieved bronze membership of the Freight Operators Recognition Scheme (FORS). Furthermore, a proportion of its drivers have ADR training for hazardous goods and their vehicles are appropriately equipped for dangerous cargoes.

In the UK, the West and East Midlands represents the ‘home territory’ of the company, but expansion of its own transport fleet, together with its membership of the Palletways network, is enabling International Forwarding Ltd to provide an effective level of service further afield. In the case of its membership of Palletways, the company was delighted to once again be awarded Platinum member status in 2018. “This award is only given to network members who demonstrate excellent and consistent performance in all aspect of pallet collection and delivery,” Andy says. “Palletways is the market leader in pallet network information technology innovation and this helps to drive us to extend related benefits to all aspects of our day-to-day operations.”

Platinum membership of Palletways also gives the company access to more than 400 depots across Europe. “European groupage services have always been a mainstay of our forwarding activity and currently we have active new developments in our Swiss and French operations, alongside our frequent services to and from Austria, the Benelux, Spain, Germany and Italy,” Andy explains. “As

Profile: International Forwarding Ltd The new DAF4 26 tonne curtainsider

same time, we will continue to make every effort to mitigate the effects of the HGV driver shortage that the industry currently faces, and to exercise tight cost controls to offset the impact of rising fuel and labour costs.”

With almost three decades of success under its belt, thoughts unsurprisingly turn to what the next decade will hold for the business. “It is the policy of the board, led by Managing Director Rob Pike, to expand and develop International Forwarding Ltd as a standalone Midlands-based freight forwarder and UK pallet distributor, offering the highest standard of service to our customers,” Andy concludes. “We will do this while also further enhancing our reputation in the market as being one of the best independent operators in our field.” l

well as these operations, we also have air and sea freight departments, operate our own customs clearance office at the Port of Dover, and in 2010 we were awarded Authorised Economic Operator accreditation

by H M Revenue and Customs. Further services offered by International Forwarding Ltd include warehousing, and pick and pack operations, and the totality of these services is designed to provide a one-stop-shop to customers, matching the offering of global companies with the added advantage of a bespoke personal support service.”

International Forwarding Ltd’s directors remain actively involved in the day-to-day management and operation of the company, and have spearheaded an ongoing policy of investment across the business. This has included putting extensive capital into its fleet, its environmental efforts and into new technology. “We take very seriously our responsibility to demonstrate to our customers that we are well aware that the freight transport industry has a leading role to play in the introduction of green technology to combat the effects of climate change, which is why we have invested over £120,000 into greener transport and logistics solutions,” Andy continues. “In the meantime, we are also working on introducing a range of information technology based services to provide post Brexit forwarding and logistics solutions, while also adding new destinations to our range of European services and planning to significantly expand our warehouse offering in 2019.”

Brexit developments will undoubtedly have an effect in one form or another on International Forwarding Ltd and its customers in the months to come, something

that the company is preparing itself well for.

“We will continue to keep a close eye on Brexit developments to ensure that whatever does occur we are in the best position possible to minimise supply chain disruption to both importers and exporters,” Andy states. “At the

International Forwarding Ltd www.internationalforwarding.co.uk • 30th birthday in 2019 • Fleet of 20 different vehicles • Platinum members of Palletways

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All

aboard

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Profile: Bastø Fosen AS

M

uch has changed since we last featured Norwegian ferry operator Bastø Fosen within the pages of Land, Sea & Air back in 2012. In that year the company, a wholly owned subsidiary of Torghatten ASA that was founded in 1995 and operates the ferry route between the towns of Moss and Horten, saw 1.7 million vehicles and 3.4 million passengers travel with it, making it the country’s busiest inland ferry link. In the time since we last shone a spotlight on the business it has also seen Øyvind Lund appointed as Managing Director, a role that he took on in August 2014.

“In the year that I came into the business The Norwegian Public Roads Administration was also in the process of setting out the tender process for the contract to operate the Moss-Horten route for the ten new years from January 2017,” Øyvind explains.

“Therefore, much of our focus during my first few months in the role was on putting us into a position to secure this contract, and at the end of 2014, Bastø Fosen was confirmed as the winning bid for that tenyear contract.”

A key requirement of this new contract was the specification that the operator would need to have no fewer than six available ferries available, and that each should be able to accommodate a minimum of 200 vehicles (PBU). The company already had three such vessels in operation, Bastø I and Bastø II which were built in 1996, and each have a capacity of 200 vehicles and 550 passengers, and Bastø III which has a capacity of 212 vehicles and 540 passengers, and was built in 2005.

“Having won the new contract for the Moss-Horten route, we then set about entering into a partnership with the Cemre

Shipyard and Sefine Shipyard in Turkey for the construction of three new vessels,” Øyvind states. “Over the course of the next two years, extensive work was carried out to complete the Bastø IV, V and VI which has capacity for 201 vehicles and 600 passengers. These new vessels are all singledeck ferries, which allows for more efficient load and unload times, and gives us greater capacity to accommodate larger trailers and other units.”

In the first year of the new ten-year contract for the Moss-Horten line taking effect, the company saw an increase in usage with 1.8 million vehicles and 3.6 million passengers. In July 2017, the company also experienced a record month in terms of usage with 220,000 cars using its services during the peak summer season.

“2017 was certainly a positive year for us with our new ferries, which are operating

www.landseaairmagazine.com - 37

19 hours a day all year round, handling approximately 73 per cent of all departures and receiving extremely good feedback from our passengers, and this pattern has continued into 2018,” Øyvind continues.

When designing and building Bastø Fosen’s new ferries much consideration was taken to meet the strict environmental standards held by Norway, and indeed Europe as a whole. “For our new build vessels, we incorporated the use of a new engine design made by GE in the United States, which has helped us to deliver considerable emission reductions, including a reduction in NOx emissions of approximately 80 per cent,” Øyvind details.

“We also took this one step further by having new GE engines built into our older ferries.”

The new ferries were also created with an entirely new hull shape, one that has contributed to a reduction in fuel consumption of between 25 per cent and 30 per cent per trip, a figure that is all the more impressive considering these new ferries are larger in size. “The environmental demands on new vessels is something that

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Profile: Bastø Fosen AS

will only continue to grow in importance, and we know that the requirements when the next ten-year contract rolls around for 2027 will be different to those of today,” Øyvind adds. “It is for this reason that we have designed our new vessels to accommodate efficient rebuilds in the event of needing to incorporate battery technology or any other future technical developments.”

In developing technology for the future

figure of 98 per cent, which equates to the cancellation or delay of between 600 and 700 departures that year. In comparison, for the first seven months of 2018 we achieved a figure of 99.9 per cent, which means that out of some 20,000 departures in that time we had to cancel as few as 20, so this is a massive improvement,” Øyvind enthuses.

Core concerns such as the comfort, safety and security of the company’s passengers

of ferries, Bastø Fosen has entered into collaboration with Kongsberg Maritime to create a system for automating the crossing between Moss and Horten, and for moving ferries to and from the quay. The system, which is due for testing by autumn 2018, is designed to increase safety and improve the passenger experience, and further reduce fuel consumption. Work between the two companies has focused on integrating a system that supports navigators with improved situational awareness and decision making, while automating arrival and departure movements based on factors such as traffic volumes and weather conditions. In the longer term, the companies also plan to explore solutions for automatic interaction between vessels, with the idea being that this technology will allow Bastø Fosen’s vessels to ‘learn’ from each other.

The customer experience naturally has to be heart of everything that a company like Bastø Fosen does, and in striving to deliver a more streamlined, comfortable and efficient service the company initiated its AutoPASS chip payment solution in January 2017.

“AutoPASS was created to create a seamless system that allows for passengers to embark our ferries in their cars with the minimum amount of effort required,” Øyvind says. The system charges passengers correctly based

and crew will of course always be at the forefront of its activities, as will objectives such as making further improvements to

reliability, fuel consumption and logistics.

However, as Øyvind goes on to conclude, his thoughts also regularly turn to the longerterm future of Bastø Fosen and of the Moss-Horten route. “We are hugely proud of the progress that we have made in the last few years, however we know that for all that we have achieved there will be much more improvement needed when 2027 and the next ten-year operating contract rolls around. For that reason, we will continue to work towards achieving continuous improvements that will ensure the future success of Bastø Fosen and the long-term happiness of the thousands of passengers that use our services.” l

Bastø Fosen AS www.basto-fosen.no

• Operators of the Moss-Horten ferry route • 3.6 million passengers in 2017 • A 99.9 per cent reliability rate to date in 2018

on the size of their vehicles.

The introduction of the three new ferries has also played a massive part in improving the regularity of Bastø Fosen’s ferry services. “In 2014, we recorded a reliability

www.landseaairmagazine.com - 39

Thinking outside the

I

t was 25 years ago, in 1993, that Joris J. Bakker began what would become a successful career in shipping, joining the company Seatrade Reefer Chartering in Antwerp having studied ‘Maritime Management’ in Rotterdam. During seven years with Seatrade, Joris held various positions including Vessel Operator, Line Manager and Trade Manager, before leaving in 2000 to become one of the founding partners of the GoReefers Group of companies. Then, one year later, he would go on to establish West Africa Logistics, a company specialising in liner services to West Africa, which would go on to be renamed as Breadbox Shipping Lines (BSL), where he remains Managing Director to this day.

A dynamic shipping company, BSL considers itself to be a ‘West Africa specialist’

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box

when it comes to providing creative and alternative shipping options to its clients.

These options include a variety of liner, parcel and chartering services dedicated to West Africa’s trade lanes. “BSL is a company unlike other operators to West Africa, making its own unique contribution to the continued growth of trade in this important geographic region,” Joris explains. “What makes us different is our ability to offer such a diverse mix of services, from a specialised reefer vessel offering dedicated to the potato and onion exports that come from the Netherlands, to MPP services from Europe and South Africa that ship sensitive project cargoes for the mining, and oil & gas industries.”

Headquartered in the Netherlands, BSL has a dedicated network of agents and representatives in Europe as well as along

the West African coast. In addition to its reefer and MPP services, the latter of which is performed by state-of-the-art, modern heavy-life/multi-purpose vessels with lifting capacity up to 500 metric tonnes, BSL also offers a timber and logs service, with regular sailings from Ivory Coast and Ghana to Senegal, Mauritania and other destinations, and a dedicated ‘Chartering Desk’ to handle all of the company’s chartering-in activities.

Meanwhile, the company’s Inter-Africa service also means that it operates up to six MPP coastal vessels and barges, ranging from 2000 DWT to 8000 DWT. These vessels, which are all suitably geared, low drafted and partly equipped with tween decks, help to support local Inter-Africa coastal and river trade.

Throughout its history, the company has successfully forged and maintained close

Profile: Breadbox Shipping Lines

up to the company stems from the rising number of large civil projects being put into construction across the region. These projects range from new airports and the extension of deep sea ports, to energy installations and large bridges being built across transportation networks. “Through our Dubai-based subsidiary, B&I Marine Projects, we are able to offer our services as marine equipment providers to some of these major undertakings, and to date we have had success in doing so to some of the key bridge building construction companies active in Senegal and The Gambia,” Joris reveals.

Africa’s potential as an emerging source of growth and prosperity has been well documented in recent years, and it is that

relationships with its clients, including many of the larger players active on the continent.

For Joris, however, there is no special secret to achieving this. “We are very focused on our activities and this requires us to establish close, long-term relationships with our clients, and adapt ourselves to their requirements where needed. We are what I suppose you could describe as a typical ‘niche player’ in the market, in that we are very hands-on, loyal and we go out of our way to provide a quality service. We have always felt that this approach pays off over time, and it has proven to be the case.”

In November 2017, BSL took another step along the path towards further growth with the launch of a new bi-monthly parcel service into South Africa, a move that Joris reveals was actually on the cards for some time. “We have been keen for a number of years to become active in South Africa, however the opportunity never seemed to present itself. This changed in November, when we were presented with the chance to establish a presence in the country, and we quickly moved to appoint a commercial representative there. This appointment means that we are now well positioned to offer a similar MPP service to West Africa as that which we perform from Europe.

Establishing a presence here goes a big step towards completing our service package that is needed to become a real African specialist in our field.”

Another exciting area of growth opening

potential that has Joris confident for what the future holds for BSL. “As long as we stay focused on our goals and ambitions, we are confident that conditions will be such that we can continue to push forward the success we have experienced to date into 2019, and ultimately beyond into the next decade,” he concludes. l

Breadbox Shipping Lines www.breadbox-shipping.com • Providing creative liner, parcel and chartering services • Specialists in serving the West Africa region • Have opened up new services into South Africa

“Shipping should be straightforward and personal again”

Breadbox_132x90_portraitnw1.indd 1

Breadbox Shipping Lines B.V. Schiedam, Rotterdam The Netherlands Phone +31 10 4776473 www.breadbox-shipping.com

www.landseaairmagazine.com - 41 23-01-17 14:31

Fuelling

change S

hipbuilding has been intrinsically linked with the River Clyde for centuries, and since 1903 Ferguson Marine has been an integral part of this industry. At the turn of the 20th century it was brothers Peter, Daniel, Louis and Robert Ferguson who choose to leave their own family shipyard and move to the Newark yard in Port Glasgow, a historic location in itself which can trace its shipbuilding roots back to the launch of the ‘Jessie’ in 1790, to form what was first known as Ferguson Shipbuilders.

Since 1903, Ferguson Marine has been responsible for the building and launching of no less than 362 vessels, however it is in the last four years that the company has undergone what could be argued to be

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its most significant transformation under the stewardship of present owners Clyde Blowers Capital.

“Clyde Blowers acquired the business with a plan and vision of investing the capital required to turn it around,” explains Ferguson Marine’s Chief Naval Architect, Chris Dunn. “Taking a business with only seven remaining employees, it would go on to invest over £25 million, transforming the shipyard and turning what was an aging facility into a state-of-the-art marine engineering complex. As a result of that investment, faith and support, the workforce has subsequently grown to some 380 men and women, who represent the key ingredient to our success, carrying with them skills and talents often passed down

Profile: Ferguson Marine

Ferguson Marine, one of the world’s most advanced shipyards now proudly graces the Port Glasgow waterfront

through the generations, a can-do attitude and a real desire to succeed.”

Over the past few years, Ferguson Marine has come to be recognised for having pushed the boundaries of innovation, particularly when it comes to the development of green propulsion technologies. Ferguson Marine was the company responsible for delivering the world’s first diesel-electric hybrid vessels in 2012, the third of which, the MV Catriona was successfully launched in 2015. That same year, the company was awarded a multi-million-pound contract to build two LNG fuelled passenger ferries, the first to be designed and constructed in the UK. The first of these, the MV Glen Sannox successfully launched in November 2017.

“At the same time that we have been working to further the development of green propulsion technologies, we have also been successful in expanding our portfolio of capabilities within the company and expanding our offering,” Chris continues.

“This means that we remain able to look at all sorts of opportunities to build different vessels, whether they be passenger ferries, oil and gas support vessels, crew transfer vessels for the offshore wind industry, tugs or fishing boats, all of which continue to be buoyant sectors for us.

“We are regularly contacted by clients in the offshore wind sector regarding the next generation of hybrid crew transfer vessels and we have international customers turning to us for innovative concepts such

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Ferguson Marine’s module hall, built to allow the construction of tiered vessel blocks under cover

Premier Welding Ltd

Premier Welding Ltd is a leading supplier of welding equipment, consumables, associated spares and accessories, providing services throughout the UK and now worldwide.

We have built an enviable reputation with over 45 years’ experience, and are a proud supplier to Ferguson marine and BAE Systems to name a few.

We strive to provide industry leading products at highly competitive prices. We have a vast technical knowledge and provide a full backup service on all the products we sell. Premier Welding’s engineers are some of the best in the industry and are approved by Kemppi, Hypertherm, Miller and Binzel.

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as hybrid patrol vessels. We have also made positive inroads into the Royal Navy’s Type 31e frigate project, where we are part of two of the three consortiums tasked with

secure further investment and support for our long-term business plans.”

Understanding the need to differentiate itself from both UK and international

undertaking work, and this represents a fantastic opportunity for the company to

competitors, the company has made a concerted effort to embrace the concept

Profile: Ferguson Marine

HySEAS III concept vessel

of innovation throughout its operations, and as Chris states this has come at quite an opportune time. “There are currently a lot of forces positively aligning behind us, including the environmental lobby and internal industry pressure to modernise the global fleet ahead of the big fuel emission targets coming into effect in 2020.

In light of this there is more and more noise amongst vessel owners about how things can be done cleaner, better and more efficiently, and the moves that we have made recently are putting us at the heart of these discussions.”

The next stage of development to be identified involves the use of hydrogen as a fuel source. In July 2018, the company set about working with its project partners to install a small hydrogen injection system on board an existing vessel, a task that it hopes to have completed within the next year. In addition, Ferguson Marine is leading

“While the use of hydrogen may not be the final solution, as it were, it does stand out as being an absolutely critical stepping stone as we move to cutting the cord with fossil fuels,” Chris enthuses.

“There will of course be a number of challenges that we face along the way, but we have the ambition and belief necessary to take this on in order to show off why hydrogen is such an important development within our industry. That is something that makes me very proud to be a part of.

“We have a clear desire to be leading the revolution when it comes to moving away from fossil fuels and in helping to introduce viable, provable alternatives that will be of benefit for ourselves, our workforce, the country and indeed the planet in the long term. Meanwhile, from a commercial perspective, our activities will help to create a strong niche market for us to bring in

HySEAS III, a major European funded project that aims to deliver the world’s first zero emission seagoing passenger ferry powered entirely by hydrogen developed from renewable sources.

new customers and set us apart from our competitors, while at the same time we can continue to push the boundaries of our industry in order to influence change for the better.” l

Ferguson Marine

www.fergusonmarine.com • A history dating back to 1903 • Launched the world’s first diesel-electric hybrid seagoing ferries • Working towards the world’s first hydrogen fuelled seagoing ferry

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A shipbuilding

revival T

he coastal town of Rauma in Finland has long been associated with its maritime industry.

Shipbuilding traditions in the western town, whose wooden centre is a UNESCO heritage site, stretch back to the 16th century, with the 19th century regarded as the golden age for the industry.

At the time, Rauma would have the largest fleet of sailing ships in Finland, totalling 57 vessels. One of the proud representatives of the area’s strong roots in shipbuilding is Rauma Marine Constructions – a company founded in 2014, following the public acquisition of the shipyard area by the

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local authorities, as it became clear that the previous owner was closing down its operations due to economic reasons.

“We were a group of enthusiasts, who, supported by local investors and the City of Rauma, saw an opportunity to bring the facility back to life,” Håkan Enlund, Rauma Marine Constructions’ Executive Vice President, Sales and Marketing, begins.

“It is key to mention that the municipal authorities had a very clear vision of the shipyard’s capabilities, hence their decision to buy all the assets from the former owner.

We commenced operation officially on July 1st.”

Profile: Rauma Marine Constructions

‘‘

Håkan Enlund, Rauma Marine Constructions’ Executive Vice President, Sales and Marketing

Håkan remembers that the company was helped to a head start early on by signing a contract with Finland’s icebreaker operator Arctia. “We were awarded a threeyear maintenance contract for two ships, which was where we really started from.

Simultaneously, we would engage with smaller refurbishment projects, which kept us busy throughout 2015. In the following year, we won our first newbuilding vessel contract – a 158-metre car and passenger ferry for Danish shipping company, Molslinjen, and this ship is now due for delivery, currently going through the last interior fit-out and commissioning.”

Worth over 68 million euros, the sizable contract saw Rauma build the ferry according to the specifications of the Køge (Sjælland) – Rønne (Bornholm) route it is going to operate on. The ship’s passenger capacity is over 700 people and it will also be able to accommodate around 90 freight trailers. “It has been a very suitable project for us, as it allowed us to demonstrate the vast knowledge we have accumulated in naval architecture, regarding the layout and the system design on board. It is a fairly straightforward ship with clear environmentally-friendly requirements, as well as demands regarding its speed

It is the location where a vessel was built and the people who built it that stays in the customer’s mind, and we feel an obligation of a kind to continue developing our yard and match the historical standards it has set over the years

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and operability, which we were able to address,” Håkan comments. “The logistics co-ordination proved to be the challenging aspect of the project. We had to take care not only of the efficient processing of the materials, but also manage the flow of information and make sure that every employee is in the right place dealing with the right equipment during the implementation of the programme.”

Whilst still building the impressive ferry for Molslinjen, Rauma had taken on another significant project, which involved the refurbishment and modernisation of research vessel Aranda, owned by the Finnish Environmental Institute. “It took us more than six months to complete the works on Aranda, but the ship is now ready to recommence its service. It was quite a remarkable operation for us, because we had to lengthen the vessel by six metres and then put in some state-of-the-art technology needed for Aranda’s research capabilities,” Håkan discusses. He adds that Rauma is presently engaged with delivering maintenance service to the multipurpose icebreakers MSV Fennica and Nordica, as well as providing steel structures to Meyer in Turku.

It was through building car and passenger ferries that Rauma became a well-known name in the Scandinavian region, but the company’s skills in the

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Profile: Rauma Marine Constructions

construction of icebreakers and special vessels have also been highly regarded by its clients. Furthermore, the Finnish Navy has had all of its combat vessels constructed in Rauma since 1986, and Håkan is happy to reveal that the company has been commissioned to work on the Navy’s next major programme.

He demonstrates a strong sense of local pride, highlighting the origin of the ships as a mark of quality recognised by ship owners and operators. “I remember that when we renewed operations at the shipyard here, we had a number of phone calls from owners who had a vessel built in Rauma, who told us: ‘We hope you will continue to build car and passenger ferries in Rauma, because we have one in our fleet and that is the best ship we have,’ and these statements made us extremely happy. It is the location where a vessel was built and the people who built it that stays in the customer’s mind, and we feel an obligation of a kind to continue developing our yard and match the historical standards it has set over the years,” Håkan enthuses.

“The town has built the reputation of a shipbuilding leader and we want to reclaim this position with our new company. The car and passenger ferry market is certainly experiencing a need, which we are aiming to serve. We have been targeting this segment and have had some phenomenal responses so far. It is definitely a good sign that our sales department is facing an incredible workload at the moment. They are hardly getting any vacation,” he chuckles, opening up about Rauma’s long-term aspirations.

“We are also seeing an increase in demand for the construction of new icebreakers. The Baltic Sea with the Gulf of Bothnia, situated between Finland’s west coast and Sweden’s east coast, are the only region in the world where every harbour freezes every year. To us, it is obvious that the icebreaker fleets in Finland and Sweden are coming of age. The Finnish government has already committed itself to launch a renewal programme and modernise its own fleet, which is another encouraging industry development for our business,” Håkan sums up. l

Rauma Marine Constructions https://rmcfinland.fi • Constructs car and passenger ferries, icebreakers, and special vessels • Has just built a new 158-metre RoPax ferry • Employs 400 direct and indirect employees

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Relaxed

flights

I Chief Commercial Officer, Jochen Schnadt

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f the name Flybmi does not ring any bells just yet, we should hasten to clarify that this is the new trading name of BMI Regional – one of the most prominent regional airlines in Britain. The company rebranded in early July to reflect the wider European proposition it has been developing for the last three years. “We have focused on serving major business hubs, such as Munich, Frankfurt, and Brussels, and to a lesser extent Paris, as well as connecting a lot of the secondary and tertiary regions of Europe, and it has become a sort of a niche for us, hence the slight rebranding,” Chief Commercial Officer, Jochen Schnadt states.

“It is an interesting time, because there is a lot of uncertainty in Europe around Brexit,

but because we focus primarily on business travel, that has not changed anything for us. We can even say that the situation has probably driven more activity, as people are preparing for life after Brexit, so there is a lot of travel to and fro,” Jochen comments. “The whole work-life balance is also changing and we see how secondary cities are becoming more attractive, as they are cheaper to live in and sometimes offer a better quality of life. There is an increase in demand for flights to more secondary cities and we are keen to address this trend.”

Flybmi has seen a 50 per cent increase in passenger traffic over the last two years and the number of travellers carried in 2018 is projected to circulate around the 650,000

Profile: FLYBMI

Copthorne Hotel London Gatwick

mark. Running a fleet of 19 Embraer ERJ jets that cover almost 600 flights per week, the airline concentrates on providing comfortable and hassle-free journeys to its passengers. “Most of the jets are 49seaters, but we also have some 37-seaters.

What is nice about them, is that they do

not have middle seats, which makes them more pleasant and comfortable for people travelling on their own for business. “Moreover, because of the size of the aircraft, you do not need to bring trolley bags, which have now become such a headache when you try to put them in the

The Copthorne Hotel London Gatwick has been working with BMI for the last few years in helping to provide accommodation for their Pilots during simulator training, offering the perfect balance between luxury and home comforts. The Hotel is perfectly located close to a number of simulator training facilities in the local area. Once a charming 16th-century farmhouse, Copthorne Hotel London Gatwick is now one of the most highly regarded four-star hotels in West Sussex. While being a mere five-minute drive from London Gatwick Airport, it feels a world away being set in over 80 acres of tranquil woodland.

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overhead bins. Instead, we ask you to just leave your luggage at the doorstep and only bring your briefcase or laptop on board, and once you land, you can get your trolley bag right at the steps of the aircraft. It is a convenience proposition we deliver to our customers,” Jochen explains.

“Given the business model we apply, we are focused on developing what I would call a ‘traditional offering’. This means that your hand baggage is free, your hold baggage is free, and your seat assignment is free. We also provide meals and snacks on board that are included in the fare. We do not offer the à la carte pricing options everybody else seems to be doing these days, because we understand, especially with business travellers in mind, that we should create a hassle-free experience, which takes away the stress from the customers.”

Facilitating and enhancing customer experience is where Flybmi is directing its finances at the moment, as the airline continues to improve its offering. The company has just recently launched its new website, alongside a new booking engine.

“Only two weeks after the website went live, we have seen some tangible increase in web traffic, as well as a spike of people who are booking directly with us,” Jochen claims. He delineates his intentions to perfect Flybmi’s customer experience. “We will be looking at how we can make the overall experience more convenient, especially for connecting

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Profile: flybmi

passengers who need to get from A via B, to C. Convenience becomes more critical as we become more digitally savvy. We aim not to overburden passengers with lots of different options and unclear messages, but instead make our offering simple, straightforward, and transparent. We are confident that this approach will elicit a very positive consumer reaction.”

One recent example of Flybmi’s commitment to raise the value of its proposition is its partnership with German car hire company Sixt that began at the start of 2018. It enables passengers to pre-book Sixt’s chauffeur service called My Driver on Flybmi’s website when flying on most Flybmi routes, so they can be picked up directly from the arrivals terminal. “This is the kind of business relationships we are looking to establish that will help us offer a truly door-to-door experience to our customers,” Jochen maintains.

“Our focus at the moment is on determining the right path to follow in the post-Brexit world, but once this is done, we will then see more developments that will drive the business forward, including the potential addition of larger aircraft to our fleet,” he discusses Flybmi’s future business objectives. “We have an interest in a number of markets, mainly in Western, Northern, and Central Europe, which may not be as big as the capitals, but we still want to connect them with each other, and with some of the major hubs, too. In the meantime, we will continue to reinforce our customer experience to get to the point where flying with Flybmi becomes synonymous with seamless and convenient travel,” he concludes. l

Flybmi https://www.flybmi.com • Only domestic airline with a pure jet fleet • 50 per cent increase in passenger traffic in the last two years • Serves and connects major business hubs and secondary European cities

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Profile: skyport

Bermuda’s

new jewel

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T

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he L.F. Wade International Airport is the only airport serving the British overseas territory of Bermuda in the North Atlantic Ocean. Previously known simply as Bermuda International Airport, it was renamed in 2007 to honour L. Frederick Wade – the late leader of the country’s Progressive Labour Party. Whilst there is still only one terminal in operation, handling more than 800,000 passengers per year, a second terminal is currently being built under the guidance of Skyport, which was granted a 30-year concession to manage and operate the airport in 2017.

Owned by the Canadian infrastructure development company, Aecon Concessions, Skyport has been tasked with transforming Bermuda’s airport infrastructure and services, in a joint effort alongside the Government and the tourism sector to make the country

financing of the project, which includes a $285 million fixed coupon US private placement, and nearly $70 million of shareholder equity that will be contributed in the latter part of the construction. The L.F. Wade International Airport is being developed to the highest international aviation standards. To modernise Bermuda’s airport experience, retail and dining options will be improved, spaces will be made more accessible and new flight routes will be introduced together with partner airlines.

The new terminal has been designed in a way that will see it display a distinctly Bermudian style with references to classic Bermudian architecture, such as sloping roof angles and triangles. The walls will be styled to represent coral reefs, as part of a marine theme – another repetitive motif around the terminal. To enhance the natural feel to the building, the facility will also include lush landscaping

an even more attractive and accessible destination. Aecon has taken care of the

using indigenous flora compatible with Bermuda’s environment and

Profile: SKYPORT Hamilton,capital city of Bermuda

sustainable water features, thus creating an invigorating outdoor experience for travellers to enjoy on an expansive patio.

In the fashion of a true state-of-the-art facility, the terminal will feature covered passenger boarding bridges, as well as new and modern lounges. There will be improved concessions, restaurants, and duty-free offerings for passengers to enjoy. At the same time, pre-clearance for US departures will remain and security screening and immigration will be streamlined and modernised for a more efficient check-in and arrivals. Six new jet bridges, six immigration e-gates, and 17 automated kiosks are being added, while work is also being undertaken on the improvement of airside operations, including optimised runway lighting and new aircraft fuelling facilities. The terminal is being built with sustainability in mind to minimise environmental impact and maximise efficiencies. Being located further inland, it will be more resistant to hurricanes and will be built at a higher elevation than the existing one, spanning over 277,000 square feet.

More than 9500 square feet will be dedicated to retail space, split between the airside and landside of the terminal, and the first stage of the process to find store and concession operators for ten retail units has begun. There will be four specialty retail units on the ground floor landside of the terminal, one in the check-in area, and three in the arrivals’ location. On the airside of the arrivals’ area, also on the ground floor, there will

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Profile: SKYPORT

be a 1220 square foot duty-free retail unit.

The remaining five units will be airside on the first floor, for passengers who have already passed through the security screening area.

Undoubtedly, the Bermuda Airport Development Project is one of the most important the nation has seen. The sheer size of the programme opens up a host of opportunities for economic growth and prosperity for the local community. Along with creating new jobs, Skyport is trying to use Bermudian contractors wherever possible, so that the better part of the $285 million investment can feed back into the local economy.

Such is the case of Bermuda Elevator Systems – the country’s largest installer and service provider for escalators and elevators, which was awarded a major contract by Aecon in September 2017 to install the elevators and escalators in the new terminal building. Reiterating the environmental-friendliness of the project, afterhours shutdown controls will be implemented to ensure that the

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Airport’s second terminal is going as planned, and the expectations are that it will be fully operational by 2020.

As connections to new destinations worldwide are being brought in to the airport, one can presume there will be a considerable increase in the number of tourists willing to bathe in the azure waters of Bermuda and explore the exoticism of the archipelago. Their Bermudian adventure promises to start right from the moment their plane lands at the newly-built terminal, whose interior, inspired by the local culture, will get them in the right mood to delve into a once-in-alifetime experience. l

Skyport https://bermudaairport.com escalators only run when needed, minimising energy consumption. Before Bermuda Elevator Systems won the contract, four other major contracts had been awarded to Bermudian companies in June and further eight local contractors

had been appointed to carry out other work at the construction site.

With foundation works already finished and aboveground works scheduled to be completed by the end of 2018, the development of L.F. Wade International

• Building the second terminal at the L.F. Wade International Airport (Bermuda) • $285 million development project • Often uses Bermudian contractors to boost local economy

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