Business Review Europe & Middle East - September 2014

bu sine s s reviewe urop e.e u

S e pte mbe r 2014

Q+A: WHO’S THE BOSS? Robin Jones of Unibeton

FINANCE Europe Must Look to Emerging Export Markets

MARKETING The Evolution of Corporate Social Responsibility

TOP 10 Transport Hubs in the Middle East

Dell powers Glasgow 2014

The 20th Commonwealth Games

CONTRIBUTORS

Dr. Dan Steinbock Dr. Dan Steinbock is an internationally recognised expert of the nascent multipolar world. In addition to advisory activities (DifferenceGroup), he is Research Director of International Business at India China and America Institute (USA) and Visiting Fellow at Shanghai Institutes for International Studies (China) and the EU Center (Singapore). He was born in Europe, resides in the US and spends much of his time in China and Asia. For more, see www.differencegroup.net

Anna-Lisa Mills Anna-Lisa Mills is currently Group Sustainability Manager at Innovation Group and has over 12 years’ experience working within the sustainability sector developing specialised training programs and advising companies on how to implement successful environmental programmes. Anna-Lisa has also published a number of guides to help explain key environmental regulations, standards and practices.

EDITOR’S COMMENT

All eyes on Glasgow L A S T M O N T H S A W T H E conclusion to the

Commonwealth Games, Scotland’s biggest ever sporting event and one which cost half a billion pounds to stage.

While the world was gripped by the world-class sport on offer, I went backstage with Dell to gauge the enormous scale and nature of the technology operation which helps to keep the Games running like clockwork.

Also featured this month is a piece by financial expert Dr Dan Steinbock on why Europe must look to the emerging BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) to ensure a sustainable exit from the financial crisis years.

Innovation Group explains which Corporate Social Responsibility has evolved from a nice thing to have into a business must, sharing some of its own examples of how paying serious attention to CSR can greatly benefit business.

Finally in the Middle East we look at 10 of the most important transport hubs connecting air, land and sea in the region, while Robin Jones of ready mix solution provider Unibeton is our Business Leader.

Thomas Wadlow Editor thomas.wadlow@wdmgroup.com 3

CONTENTS

Features

Finance

8

Why Europe must look to emerging export markets

TOP 10

Q&A: Who’s the Boss?

Transport Hubs in the Middle East

Robin Jones of Unibeton gives a more personal insight to one of the Middle East’s most innovative companies

32

22

The Evolution of Corporate Social Responsibility

Powering the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games with Dell

Marketing

16

Technology

40 5

CONTENTS

86 Hotels 100 JandannahResorts HP PPS Logistics EMEA

76

Amsterdam Airport Schiphol Cargo SMS Electronics

62

SKA International

Company Profiles We feature some the best EME companies that the region has to offer - look out for CISCO, page 50 SUPPLY CHAIN

MANUFACTURING

50 CISCO

122 SMS Electronics

62 SKA International 76 Amsterdam Airport Schiphol Cargo

RETAIL

162 Soprema UK

ENERGY 112 Boulting Group

152 Al Yousuf GreenTech 174 CEMEX

TECHNOLOGY 200 Mobily

MINING 242 Cleveland Potash

September 2014

Boulting Group

132 Unibeton Ready Mix 144 Association: EGBC

100 Jannah Hotels & Resorts

112

CONSTRUCTION

86 HP PPS Logistics EMEA

6

122

200

Mobily

242

Cleveland Potash

CISCO

50

152 144

174 CEMEX

Al Yousuf GreenTech

Emirates Green Building Council

162

132

Unibeton Ready Mix

Soprema UK

7

Q&A: WHO’S THE BOSS

UNIBETON INNOVATES GLOBAL CONSTRUCTION AMIDST RAPID INDUSTRY CHANGE

8

September 2014

Robin Jones of Unibeton gives a more personal insight to one of the Middle East’s most innovative companies as he unveils the strategies behind its recent successes W R I T T E N B Y: M A T T H E W S T A F F

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Q&A: WHO’S THE BOSS WITH MORE THAN 30 years’ experience as an international construction professional, Unibeton Ready Mix’s Director of Strategic Business Development and Marketing, Robin Jones is well aware of what it takes to stay ahead of the industry curve.

Now, having been with leading Middle East ready mix concrete company, Unibeton for more than five years, Jones outlines the philosophies and tactical decisions being made behind the scenes that have led business to becoming one of the most innovative sector players, not just in the region, but on a worldwide scale.

Business Review Europe & Middle East (BREME): What typical day-to-day activities does your role consist of?

Robin Jones (RJ): As part of Unibeton Central HQ Team, we assist as an “outsource team” for the country locations with strategic BD & Marketing activities to enhance their “in-house” source based teams. Performance and corporate governance monitoring are completed to make sure we have a homogenous balance throughout the company.

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September 2014

In addition, we assist with specific project procurement and strategic negotiations as required by the country.

BREME: How do you feel the company has progressed under your guidance and what achievements are you most proud of?

RJ: The UB objective of international growth was a bold and aggressive one since the recession in 2007 / 2008.

Spiral Tower - the largest single pour of concrete in the Gulf which was in excess of 20,000 m The owners had a clear vision of where the company needed to be positioned within the GCC region and with our core teams of diverse professionals we are now very well placed within the region in Saudi Arabia and Qatar along with our home base of the UAE. This has been a fast track expansion, but with our many local and international business partners and experienced track record we

were more than able to overcome the risks and progress to a state of success as we realise now.

BREME: What is your approach to the development of skills and personnel within both the Group, and the region as a whole via various CSR initiatives?

RJ: Over the years, Unibeton has been involved in many CSR activities. We are 11

Q&A: WHO’S THE BOSS

Computerised mixing – design, management and control

“Unibeton with its core business of producing RMC products believe we are at the forefront of the environmental awareness throughout our operational life cycle”

customers, employees, community and the ever increasing environmental awareness that is now apparent.

Unibeton, with its core business of producing RMC products, believes it is at the forefront of the environmental awareness throughout its operational life cycle, hence the international accolades which have been bestowed on us through the years.

continuously looking into new initiatives that fall within our CSR objectives for all of our operational locations and the specific market perceptions that are apparent at the time.

The group as a whole has an ongoing, diverse set of CSR activities that cover all aspects of our business units which encompasses our clients,

BREME: What roles do you have outside of Unibeton, within the industry? Eg. A member of any associations or consultancies?

RJ: Over my career I have been active within the “built environment” fields, within Project Management and Construction Associations, management of sporting and

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September 2014

U N I B E T O N I N N O V AT E S G L O B A L C O N S T R U C T I O N

leisure clubs and I have benefited greatly from long-term charity work, whereby a motto to keep in mind is “give something back”.

BREME: What are the specific trends and challenges that you are noticing within the industry at present?

RJ: Since the recessional influences to the entire construction industry, price of construction commodities has become prescriptive which can and has had a detrimental effect on quality of product and the allied services surrounding it.

However, Unibeton has, since its commencement in the early eighties, invested substantial time and cost in “innovative technologies” thus providing solutions to the field of ready mix concrete.

This has been of great advantage and an integral part of our continued success and more importantly our international growth. This has alerted our clients to not just sit back and decide on the cheapest price but even in the aftermath of the recession have continued to request a complete solution encompassing all facets of what a RMC supplier can provide.

BREME: How are you guiding Unibeton to adapt and react to these challenges and trends?

RJ: Unibeton has a very integrated ethos within its management and operational teams. This allows us to overcome the industry problems and differing market forces that challenge us.

We have seasoned professionals in all facets our business who understand the complexities of the RMC industry and more importantly adapt to the constant changes that occur.

We are a leader in “innovative technology” and this brings with it the need for a “learning curve strategy” to educate clients, consultants and contractors and public sector bodies alike of these technologies that will

Petrographic analysis

13

Q&A: WHO’S THE BOSS

Top far left: Project for Emirates Aluminium, UAE. Top middle: Palm Jumeirah Monorail, UAE for client, Nakheel. Far right: Al Bahar, ADIC Building, UAE. Bottom far left: Saadiyat Bridge, UAE. Bottom middle: Haram Mataaf Expansion Project, Makkah - KSA. Makkah is regarded as the holiest city in the religion of Islam and a pilgrimage to it, known as the Hajj is obligatory for all able Muslims

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September 2014

benefit the industry. With this initiative breeds integrity and commitment which in turn leads to long term relationships and strategic alliances for guaranteed ongoing workload.

BREME: How do you think the industry needs to change or improve in the future, and how do you anticipate these issues unfolding in the years to come?

RJ: As the concrete portion of any

construction project is a costly one, the industry needs to adapt and find ways to provide economic RMC solutions to their projects.

The challenges of environmental impacts are now becoming extremely important and regulations are tougher, so the industry needs to change with it.

Concrete manufacture was in the past viewed a dirty and dusty industry but nowadays it’s a necessity and in some instances a complex science.

This requires a high level of expertise of which Unibeton has many.

The industry requires new, innovative products and uses; projects requiring environmentally and carbon free concrete with ever increasing durability, workability and strength requirements. This will change the RMC industry into a creative mode to meet the challenges. Unibeton is already well established on this path, and will always be looking ahead.

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FINANCE

WHY EUROPE MUST LOOK TO EMERGING EXPORT MARKETS In a merciless international environment, successful exporters are moving toward the emerging world and the BRICS of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa W R I T T E N B Y: D R D A N S T E I N B O C K

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September 2014

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FINANCE IN THE PRE-CRISIS days of 2007, globalisation was often measured by stock markets and international trade. In October 2007, the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) closed at a record high of 14,165. While optimists saw it as a sign of the new “flat world,” it was not matched until March 2013.

More recently, the DJIA closed above 17,000 – 20 percent higher than in October 2007. But does international trade show similar gains?

The Baltic Dry Index (BDI) – a rough shorthand of commodity-driven international trade – peaked at 11,793 in May 2008. If markets truly reflect real economies, one would expect the BDI to hover above 14,100 today. Yet, the cold reality is that the benchmark is closer to 810.

The disconnect illustrates a massive gap between market expectations and real economy performance.

Subdued export-led growth When the global financial crisis swept the markets in fall 2008, export-led growth plunged.

The subsequent destruction of value spared neither cost-efficient Chinese manufacturing exporters in Guangdong and Indian IT outsourcing 18

September 2014

When the global financial crisis swept the markets in fall 2008, export-led growth plunged

service giants in Bangalore, nor Germany’s Mittelstand export engines or Japan’s mighty electronics giants.

As half a decade has passed from those days of bitter wine and dead roses, growth is strengthening in the United States, Europe is on a slow road to recovery and Shinzo Abe’s Japan has opted for a liquidity-driven gamble.

In advanced economies, export-led growth has prevailed, even if it is a lot

EUROPE MUST LOOK TO EMERGING EXPORT MARKETS

weaker than half a decade ago.

Last year, none of the core European economies were among the fastest growing European exporters. The latter comprised struggling small countries in Southern and Eastern Europe.

In Germany, growth is expected to remain relatively solid in the next year or two, thanks to strong domestic confidence. Setting aside downside scenarios, exporters are likely to benefit from the gradual bottoming out of Europe’s recession and the slow strengthening world economy. In 201415, growth could amount to about two percent.

At the same time, French growth will remain less than one percent.

With contracting investment, export competitiveness is threatened. Paris is hoping more easing at the European Central Bank (ECB) to cause euro depreciation, which would boost French firms’ export competitiveness.

In the absence of surprises, the UK will grow faster than even Germany in 2014-15. In turn, British exporters are leaning on America’s lingering growth and Europe’s lingering recovery.

However, the stronger-than-expected pound continues to constrain exports,

which will be compounded by the expected policy-rate normalization in 2015.

After Premier Matteo Renzi’s impressive election victory, Rome is pushing for more growth and less austerity at Brussels, while struggling to deliver at home.

After the contractions of 2012-13,

WORLD GDP GROWTH RATES 2009

World map showing real GDP growth rates for 2009. (Countries in brown were in recession.) > 10%

– 0 - 2%

8 - 10%

– 2 - 4%

6 - 8%

– 4 - 6%

4 - 6%

– 6 - 8%

2 - 4%

– 8 - 10%

0 - 2%

< – 10%

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FINANCE growth will remain 0-1 percent in the next two years. Strong euro is penalising Italian exports, which has suffered from lagging competitiveness and continued de-industrialisation.

Indeed, the current ratio of the euro to the US dollar reflects extraordinarily poorly on the relationship between the real economies. The latter, in turn, will prolong the stagnation in Europe while constraining export success in the Eurozone.

Toward emerging economies Last year, China and Germany, the world’s two leading exporters, had a bilateral trade volume of €140.4 billion.

China was Germany’s number three trade partner, ahead of the US. In early July, Chancellor Merkel brought to Beijing a huge business delegation to oversee the signing of contracts, including one with aircraft manufacturer EADS for 100 helicopters, worth €300 million.

Despite its extraordinary resilience in exports, Germany has few alternatives. Between 2015 and 2020, even its growth will decelerate from two percent to 1.3 percent.

After half a decade of contraction and stagnation, even the most resilient 20

September 2014

‘..emerging economies are likely to outpace advanced countries in terms of both export and GDP growth by a factor of two to three, in the future decades’ European exporters must cope with rising internal risks in Europe, particularly with ageing populations, slower growth and productivity.

Neither Europe nor the US or Japan have great long-term growth potential, but emerging powers do.

In the past few years, Brussels – first reluctantly and now more willingly – has moved to deepen economic relationships with China, Brazil, India, Russia, and South Africa.

Collectively, the five saw their share of world GDP rise from 15 to 26 percent between 1995 and 2012. It will exceed 30 percent by 2018. In trade their share has more than doubled from some 10 percent of world exports in 1995 to over 20 percent today.

In brief, the exports of the BRICS expanded more than six-fold between

E U R O P E M U S T L O O K T O E M E R G I N G E X P O R T HMEAARDKLEI N TS E

Foreign helicopter manufacturers are benefiting from the continuous growth of Chinaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s aviation market. Above left: Angela Merkel with the President of Brazil Dilma Rousseff at the G-20 meeting in 2012, Mexico. Above right: UK Prime Minister, David Cameron meets with Russiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s President Putin

2000 and 2012 but only three-fold for the world as a whole. According to the WTO projections, emerging economies are likely to outpace advanced countries in terms of both export and GDP growth by a factor of two to three, in the future decades.

Today, too many European countries

and companies that continue to have great export potential continue to trade with nations that enjoyed growth spurts three to four decades ago. It is time to augment existing trade partners with those in emerging economies.

Time is running out.

21

TECHNOLOGY

Powering the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games with Dell Years of planning, tireless staff and thousands of machines across dozens of sites helped ensure the smooth running of the 11-day congregation of the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s finest athletes W R I T T E N B Y: T O M W A D LO W 22

September 2014

23

TECHNOLOGY WHILE GLASGOW 2014 wowed audiences of more than two billion across the globe, behind the scenes a huge-scale technology operation unfolded that provided vital services to not only viewers but 4,500 athletes and more than 17,000 officials, staff and volunteers.

Building on previous involvement with the Delhi and Melbourne Games, Dell became Glasgow’s Official IT Hardware and Data Centre Supporter, one of a host of technology vendors active alongside the likes of Virgin Media, Cisco and Toshiba.

Several years of planning boiled down to 11 days of competition and a decommissioning process of just 24 hours across many of the 40 competitive and non-competitive sites.

Charged with ensuring a smooth IT operation is Brian Nourse, Chief Technology Officer for Glasgow 2014.

He said: “Technology underpins everything at the Commonwealth Games and we have multiple sites across Glasgow that require a fit-forpurpose technology solution.

“One of the biggest challenges is dealing with a variety of venues, some with existing infrastructure which we 24

September 2014

Brian Nourse overlooking the Sir Chr build on top of and some temporary structures without any.

“Dell’s role has been crucial in ensuring that we have a robust, flexible infrastructure in place that can guarantee everything runs flawlessly – both in the planning and staging of the Games, and during the 11 days of competition. It has been

ris Hoy Velodrome, one of 40 venues under his stewardship a very successful and constructive partnershipâ&#x20AC;?

Huge-scale Translated into machinery, Dellâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s contribution included an enormous 2,400 OptiPlex desktops and laptops, 2,300 monitors and 50 PowerEdge servers and EqualLogic and

PowerVault storage solutions across all 40 sites.

In total 123 terabytes of storage was provided, enough to hold more than 80 million photos.

Arguably the most important venue Dell supported was the Technology Operations Centre (TOC), responsible for the monitoring, operation 25

TECHNOLOGY

Staff were on hand 24 hours a day and management of all Games technology and services and based at Commonwealth House in the centre of Glasgow.

A range of laptops and desktops alongside a Dell-manned support desk helped the 140 permanent staff provide instant responses for spectators, athletes and organisers.

This included the real time provision 26

September 2014

of results, which was reliant on Dell equipment to gather and present statistics to huge audiences online, on TV and at venues themselves. Onsite journalists also made use of Dell technology to prepare and file stories.

Throughout the event, Scotlandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largest ever sporting spectacle, the TOC operated 24 hours a day split into two shifts and a night shift, ever

HEADLINE

present to swat any technical issues from any of the sites.

For the 6,772 athletes and officials using the Athletesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Village, Dell tablets allowed them to keep in touch with friends and family.

The Games also attracted well over 50,000 volunteer applications, with details of applicants being held securely on company servers.

Tim Griffin Tim Griffin, Vice President and Managing Director of Dell UK, commented: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Technology is often the unsung hero of the sporting world.

Nearly everything, from coverage of the events and ticketing, to how athletes perform and results are reported, requires a high level of 27

TECHNOLOGY technology support.

“The Commonwealth Games is a world-class sporting event that requires world-class technology support – something we have committed to and are very proud to have delivered.”

Sporting pedigree Dell can also boast success in the pool, on the track and in the velodrome thanks to its young athlete ambassadors.

Cyclist Elinor Barker, 19, picked up a bronze and silver medal for Wales, 22-year-old Lynsey Sharp won 800 metre silver, and 18-year-old swimmer Ollie Hynd took gold to become Paralympic, World, European, UK and Commonwealth swimming champion.

This year’s Games is part of Griffin’s objective to increase brand awareness of Dell and showcase its potential to support large-scale events in the world of sport.

“This has been a real journey for the company and our public perception,” he said. “One of the most common things customers have said about Dell in light of this summer has been ‘I didn’t know you did that’.”

Prior to the Commonwealth 28

September 2014

Technology Operations Centre 29

TECHNOLOGY

Athletes were able to borrow Dell tablets in the Athletes Village Games, the company’s main sporting commitments centred around Caterham’s F1 team. To offer trackside support, it developed a mobile data centre which collects and processes thousands of megabytes of data.

Off the track, the team’s high 30

September 2014

performance computing infrastructure drives the design of F1 cars through advanced technology such as computational fluid dynamics, which replicates wind tunnels to improve aerodynamics of the racing machines.

Regarding the future use of

POWERING GLASGOW 2014

A series of videos produced by ‘Attackships On Fire’ for Dell and the Commonwealth Games 2014

Brian Nourse, CIO Glasgow 2014, talks about game-time preparation with Dell technology technology for the Commonwealth Games, Nourse acknowledged the need to move towards solutions in the cloud sphere in order to maintain a continuous improvement for each event.

This and more will no doubt be

discussed in the analysing and evaluation phase of the technology operation which will be in motion once the dust has settled on what many have described as a standout Games.

Australia’s Gold Coast plays host in April 2018.

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MARKETING

THE EVOLUTION OF CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY 32

September 2014

After being coined more than 50 years ago the concept of CSR is a must-have for the business world, with the measures adopted by the Innovation Group demonstrating what companies can gain from taking it seriously W R I T T E N B Y: A N N A - L I S A M I L LS , G R O U P S U S T A I N A B I L I T Y M A N A G E R AT I N N O VATI O N G R O U P

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MARKETING CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY (CSR) has come a long way since the term was introduced back in the 1960s.

It is no longer about setting lofty and idealistic expectations, which compete with financial business goals.

The CSR program for the future-ready business works in harmony with these goals and is sustainable in all senses of the word; it ensures the future environment, customers, staff and profits of the company.

It is developed through careful consideration of the range of benefits that CSR can bring to a business, and it uses innovation and new technology to achieve a win-win-win for everyone involved.

Planet, people, profit By focusing on these three elements – often referred to as the ‘triple bottom line’ – innovative companies have made sure that a sustainability program is fully integrated into the business strategy, and is not an afterthought or a box-ticking exercise.

Business leaders across the company need to be committed to 34

September 2014

driving the program forward at every opportunity and this means they all need to understand the full spectrum of benefits it can bring.

At Innovation Group, a provider of insurance software solutions and business process outsourcing, the senior leadership team, including Chief Executive Andy Roberts, have

E-learning course in sustainability

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Business leaders need to be committed to driving the program forward at every opportunity and this means they all need to understand the full spectrum of benefits it can bringâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;

all completed an advanced, in-house, three hour e-learning course in sustainability, so that they can help spread the word throughout the company.

Todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s marketers understand the importance of differentiating products and services to stand out in a crowded marketplace.

Differentiation based on a responsible outlook and an innovative and efficient response to the changing 35

MARKETING

Innovation Group holds regular CSR workshops global climate is much more desirable than just price differentiation.

Without increased volumes, price differentiation is unsustainable and will starve a business of future investment.

Investing in the future Shareholders appreciate that by building a global infrastructure to accurately calculate and report carbon emissions it is an investment in the future.

Working with the Carbon Fix Foundation, who built the bespoke, online tool Smart Carbon™, Innovation Group is able to implement and track plans to reduce these 36

September 2014

‘The carbon reduction plan is estimated to have saved the company around 857.27 tonnes of CO2 equivalent in the first year of its implementation (FY2013)’ emissions, which is great news for the environment, but also helps to achieve cost savings through a reduction in energy requirements.

The carbon reduction plan

T H E E V O L U T I O N O F C O R P O R AT E S O C I A L R E S P O N S I B I L I T Y

is estimated to have saved the company around 857.27 tonnes of CO2 equivalent in the first year of its implementation (FY2013). By becoming less reliant on limited sources of energy, a business is insuring themselves against future shortages and price rises.

Helping others to do business Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not only customers who want to do business with a responsible partner, but suppliers too. By using Smart

Carbonâ&#x201E;˘ to assess the supply chain of one division, Innovation Group is helping other businesses to calculate and reduce their carbon footprint too.

The Group has invited suppliers of one division to attend a roadshow and complete an e-learning course to raise awareness of the importance of sustainability in corporate planning.

There are plans to extend this to other parts of the business.

All of this helps the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s suppliers promote efficiencies across

37

MARKETING

the entire value chain, leading to savings at key points in the process.

These savings can then in turn be passed on to customers.

Preparing for what lies ahead Operating within the global insurance sector, Innovation Group knows that the industry is set to be impacted by climate change.

For its clients, climate change is increasing the number of insurance 38

September 2014

claims (caused by natural disasters), meaning they need to be more aware and more prepared for these climate events than ever before.

By demonstrating that they understand these issues, and are putting in place solutions to reduce their impact, suppliers, customers, and customersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; customers can feel confident in doing business with companies ready for the future.

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;For its clients, climate change is increasing the number of insurance claims, meaning they need to be more aware and more prepared for these climate events than ever beforeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; 39

TOP 10

TOP10 Transport Hubs

in the Middle East The region boasts an impressive array of existing and upcoming connecting gateways, providing vital domestic and international links by air, sea and rail track W R I T T E N B Y: T O M W A D LO W

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TOP 10

Abu Dhabi International Airport

10

Abu Dhabi International Airport (UAE)

Abu Dhabi International Airport, the principal asset of Abu Dhabi Airports, is one of the fastest growing airport hubs in the world, currently serving more than 96 destinations in 56 countries.

In the next couple of years passenger numbers are expected to hit 20 million, prompting the development of the Midfield Terminal Complex.

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September 2014

09

Port of Fujairah (UAE)

Operational since 1983, this is the only multi-purpose port on the Eastern seaboard of the United Arab Emirates. The port offers comprehensive facilities for a wide range of requirements such as general and bulk cargo including oil, acting as an important link between the UAE and the Indian subcontinent and eastern Africa.

TRANSPORT HUBS IN THE MIDDLE EAST

Riyadh Railway Station

08

Kuwait International Airport (Kuwait)

Located on the coast at Farwaniyah, 15.5 kilometers south of Kuwait City, Kuwait International Airport is the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leading transport node, a vital connection given the lack of wide-reaching rail links. A new $3 billion terminal is under construction, attracting huge interest from international developers and able to handle 13 million passengers annually (from 2017) with scope to increase this to 25 million.

07

Riyadh Railway Station (Saudi Arabia)

The Saudi capitalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rail station is an important terminus, acting as the starting point for train travel to Dammam in the Eastern Province, one of the most economically active regions in the country. King Abdullah has extravagant plans to build a new metro station in Riyadh, which will feature goldplated walls.

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TOP 10

Abu Dhabi Metro

06

Port of Duqm (Oman)

With its deep draft, lengthy quay walls, and expansive basin, the Port of Duqm on the southeastern seaboard of Oman has the trappings of a world-class, multipurpose commercial gateway.

And as the principal anchor of a huge Special Economic Zone envisioned at Duqm, it also has the potential to develop into one of the Middle Eastâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largest ports over the long term.

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September 2014

05

Abu Dhabi Metro (UAE)

Though not a reality, this proposed scheme is a vital part of Abu Dhabiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Economic Vision 2030.

The Department of Transport plans one 18 kilometre line, five kilometres of which will be underground, to run through the centre of the main Abu Dhabi island, serving the central business district and major attractions. A light railway is also among the proposals.

TRANSPORT HUBS IN THE MIDDLE EAST

Dubai International Airport

04

Jeddah Islamic Port (Saudi Arabia)

Serving the holy cities of Mecca and Medina, Jeddah Islamic Port lies on the Red Sea and accounts for around 60 percent of the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s imported sea freight handling. It has grown from 10 berths in 1976 to around 60 today, and can accommodate the shipping industryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largest commercial vessels.

03

Dubai International Airport (UAE)

One of the busiest airports in the world in terms of international passengers, Dubai International is operated by the Dubai Airports Company and is the home base of international airlines Emirates, FlyDubai and Emirates SkyCargo. Its three terminals can accommodate 80 million passengers annually and employs nearly 60,000 staff.

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TRANSPORT HUBS IN THE MIDDLE EAST

02

Khalifa Port (UAE)

The seafaring gateway into Abu Dhabi. Located in Taweelah, midway between Dubai and Abu Dhabi, the deep water Khalifa Port is the first semi-automated container port in the region, having been constructed on a

reclaimed island. Currently, the port serves 17 shipping lines, offers direct services and direct connections to more than 40 international destinations as well as transhipment at the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s main hubs.

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TOP 10

01

Hamad International Airport (Qatar)

This exciting new airport opened in April this year, taking the place of Doha International.

Home to five-star airline Qatar Airways, this architecturally stunning, supremely efficient and truly welcoming airport is a genuine gateway to the world, serving over 360,000 flights and 30 million passengers every year. Five planes either land or take off from all corners of the world every three minutes.

It is the first airport to be designed specifically for the use of the A380, with its maintenance hangar the largest in the world and able to house 13 aircrafts at any one time.

Designed to deal with growing volumes of traffic seen at its predecessor, planning took place in 2003 and construction began in 2005. The airport (terminal and runway) has been built five kilometres east of the older Doha international airport and is spread 48

September 2014

Inside Hamad International Airport

over an area of 9,000 acres.

Plans are in place for the hub to handle 50 million passengers annually, and this could even rise to nearer 100 million. It is expected to deal with two million tonnes of cargo also, making it a vital logistical base as well as a connector of people to places.

NAME OF TOP 10 ARTICLE

Qatar aircraft

Control tower 49

Cisco Infrastructure Excellence Brings Market Leadership The Global Service Supply Chain division sees technological agility and the expected boom in the Internet of Things as key components to its ongoing world-class services Written by: Sam Jermy Produced by: Craig Daniels

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CISCO

“Cisco’s strategy is to be number one or extremely close to number one in every market we participate, while growing to at least 40 percent market share in each segment” – Marco van Duijnhoven, Director of Global Repair Operations

Cisco relies on more than 600 suppliers worldwide to manufacture, test, ship, and recycle products

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he Global Service Supply Chain (GSSC) division of Cisco is hoping to capitalise on the potential $19 trillion value of the Internet of Everything (IoE) revolution after succesfully growing its global installed base to more than $400 billion.

This growth in the Cisco installed base of networking equipment such as switching, routing, servers and storage facilities nearly doubled over the past five years and has been supported by ongoing investments in people, processes and technology; something which the company believes is foundational to its evolution.

Going back as early as the Dot.com era of the 1990s, Cisco realised the importance of supply visibility, global demand and process automation and was busy introducing technologically agile tools to stay ahead of the industry curve.

The company, which is headquartered in San Jose, California and has 380 global sites doing business in over 165 countries, now sits on the cusp of another digital revolution as it plans to utilise its market expertise to its advantage and gain a share of the $19 trillion expected to be generated from IoE. For Cisco GSSC, part of CiscoServices, it is much more than getting replacements parts to the right place at the right time. The team has a wideranging mission spanning inventory management and distribution, demand planning, service entitlement, fulfillment, vendor management, configuration, lifecycle support, and logistics,

S U P P LY C H A I N

through to acquisition integration and compliance.

Marco van Duijnhoven, Director of Global Repair Operations within Cisco’s service supply chain, said: “Cisco’s strategy is to be number one or extremely close to number one in every market we participate, while growing to at least 40 percent market share in each segment.

“We’re in a transformational era where we’re beginning to see people, process, data, and things come alive as part of the Internet of Everything; a growing network of everyday things like cars, refrigerators or street lamps that use a web connection to communicate with each other and the people around them.

“This transformational era is creating new connections, turning information into action, and creating a huge financial opportunity.”

With over 1,100 depots worldwide, Cisco’s service supply chain provides hardware replacement in 128 countries and delivers 840,000 parts annually, so naturally there is an acute focus on supply chain

SUSTAINABILITY Cisco is committed to sustainable and responsible business practices with regard to ethics, labour, health and safety, diversity, and the environment.

Sustainability represents as much as eight percent of the total score on our business scorecard for suppliers

Cisco Systems headquartered in San Jose

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What if you could…

• Improve your profit • Reduce your overall return rates • Have complete visibility to your products at all times

....with Celestica, you can.

Celestica delivers customized end-to-end solutions, from Joint Design and Manufacturing through After-Market Services. Our services can reduce costs and improve product quality, helping you deliver an enhanced customer experience.

Let’s talk about how we can work together.

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CISCO

S U P P LY C H A I N

transformation to support the customer experience and expected business outcomes from the Internet of Everything.

This supply chain transformation includes investments in web services, analytics, data modelling, virtualisation and decision support to provide a pathway from reactive to proactive and predictive capabilities; from real-time monitoring of end-to-end business processes, automatic detection and management of deviations from plan, to real-time reporting and analysis of operational metrics and trends.

With over 1,100 depots worldwide, Ciscoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s service supply chain

Internet of Everything Cisco is the only company with market share leadership across all its industry segments, and its diverse product portfolio from

SUPPLIER PROFILE

provides hardware replacement in 128 countries and delivers 840,000 parts annually

CELESTICA

Knowledge. Expertise. Focus. Celestica provides end-to-end solutions, from Joint Design and Manufacturing through After-Market Services.

We service customers in the enterprise computing, communications, industrial, healthcare, smart energy, aerospace and defense sectors.

Our global Centers of Excellence are designed to support specific market segments, which allows us to stay ahead of the curve and develop the most optimal market-centric solutions for our customers.

Our knowledgeable team understands your industry and can help you gain competitive advantage.

Website: www.celestica.com

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KEEPING YOUR YOUR BUSINESS BUSINESS inCONTROL inCONTROL KEEPING

inControl, Jabil’s Intelligent Control Tower, is a holistic, integrated commercial solution inControl, Jabil’s Intelligent Control Tower, is a holistic, integrated commercial solution powered by data-driven analytics that uncovers hidden costs and pain points by providing powered by data-driven analytics that uncovers hidden costs and pain points by providing customers with actionable metrics, competitive benchmarking and risk management and customers with actionable metrics, competitive benchmarking and risk management and mitigation strategies in a progressive graphical user interface. mitigation strategies in a progressive graphical user interface.

inControl helps inControl helps customers manage customers manage a wide variety of a wide variety of unpredictable risk unpredictable risk factors while factors while proactively proactively optimizing their optimizing their business both business both financially and financially and operationally. operationally.

Holistic Solution Solution Holistic Supply Chain Chain Expertise Expertise && Supply ProprietaryTools Tools Proprietary IntegratedAnalytics Analytics && Integrated Benchmarking Benchmarking Cross-Industry Cross-Industry Experience Experience Proven Results Results && Proven

Globally Globally partnering with partnering with only financially only financially sound suppliers, sound suppliers, major and minor, major and minor, Jabil is able to Jabil is able to insulate customers insulate customers from supply chain from supply chain disruptions and disruptions and maintain business maintain business continuity during continuity during times of high risk. times of high risk. www.jabil.com www.jabil.com

CISCO

S U P P LY C H A I N

collaboration, data centre and the cloud, to security and unified computing, has seen it grow nearly four-fold since 2005.

Its growth strategy is aligned to several technology transitions that are combining to enable IoE. This includes the Internet of Things (the networked connection of physical objects), increased mobility, the emergence of cloud computing, and the growing importance of big data.

The Internet of Everything is expected to have five to 10 times the impact of the original Internet and it is expected to create $14.4 trillion for the private sector, while $4.6 trillion of the overall $19 trillion value will come from the public sector.

There are five main drivers of the IoE value at stake: Asset utilisation reduces selling,

“The substantial opportunity customers stand to gain through the Internet of Everything cannot be fully realised without Cisco technology”

SUPPLIER PROFILE

JABIL

Jabil’s unique combination of global expertise, ingenuity, analytics and financial performance has contributed to the success of the world’s most well known brands.

We help companies design, build and take their products to market quickly, affordably and efficiently. But more than that, Jabil helps customers intelligently design their supply chains to be agile, economical and effective even in uncertain times.

Website: www.jabil.com

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www.teleplan.com

Making your customers smile is our primary goal...

Trusted partner of the worlds’ leading electronic brands

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A proud Cisco partner for over 10 years

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We have serviced over 2.5 million networking devices globally

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We work with all 4 Cisco divisions to develop innovative solutions at multiple Teleplan sites Winner of Cisco’s Excellence in Reverse Logistics Supplier Award in 2007, 2009, 2011 and 2013…

JABIL AFTERMARKET SERVICES ARE MERGING INTO IQOR Think of it as a superhighway of support services to get you where you need to go.

The combination of Jabil Aftermarket Services with iQor creates the first global company to provide strategic solutions that span the consumer value chain, from customer care and repair solutions to services parts logistics network maintenance and infrastructure repair.

Our award-winning technology, logistics and analytics platforms enable us to measure, monitor, and analyze brand interactions, improve business processes, and find operational efficiencies that lead to superior outcomes for our partners across the customer and product lifecycles. www.iQor.com

CISCO

S U P P LY C H A I N

general, and administrative expenses and cost of goods sold by improving business process execution and capital efficiency; Employee productivity creates labour efficiencies that result in increased productivity; Supply chain and logistics efficiency eliminates waste and improves process efficiencies; Improved customer experience occurs as customer lifetime value is increased and market share grows by adding more customers. Lastly, innovation increases the return on R&D investments, reduces time to market, and creates additional revenue streams from new business models and opportunities.

“The substantial opportunity customers stand to gain through the Internet of Everything cannot be fully realised without Cisco technology,” the company stated.

As part of its supply chain transformation, Cisco has introduced a platform for real-time ‘Sense and Respond’ capabilities

Infrastructure and Investments Within Cisco’s service supply chain, business agility is directly linked to systems flexibility.

Service levels change as new service offerings are introduced and new products may require delivery options that cannot be serviced with a static systems footprint.

Specifically within the Service Supply Chain, two years ago Cisco created a vision for a proactive organisation; one that could build and provide services faster than ever before. In collaboration with Capgemini and Pegasystems, it is crafting solutions to accelerate time to capability to address ever-changing market

Repair and refurbishment reduces product cost, extends product utilization and minimizes the amount of waste in our landfills

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C I S C O G L O B A L S U P P LY C H A I N

Automated test lines running multiple test stations

“Achieving our vision to become a proactive service supply chain is well underway; at the Pegaworld 2014 conference in June, we won the Business Impact Award for our work in the Service Supply Chain domain” – Marco van Duijnhoven

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September 2014

forces and has adopted Pega as a platform for real-time ‘Sense and Respond’ capabilities for Global Service Supply Chain operations.

“As our business grows, we cannot incrementally increase our operations costs. So as a business, we rely heavily on our systems and partners to meet our delivery service level agreements,” van Duijnhoven said.

“Achieving our vision to become a proactive service supply chain is well underway; at the Pegaworld 2014 conference in June, we won the Business Impact Award for our work in the Service Supply Chain domain.”

By 2020, there will be approximately 50 billion objects connected to the internet, generating a tremendous amount of data. It is also projected that in this year alone the number of mobileconnected devices will exceed the number of people on earth.

CISCO

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Subsequently, this means speed, agility and flexibility are all needed to spearhead both the adoption and support of new technologies, such as cloud, to enable fast access to IT and new applications.

Company Information INDUSTRY

Supply Chain

Competitive advantage Year after year, Cisco has focused on disrupting the technology market to deliver intelligent networks and technology architectures built on integrated products, services, and software platforms.

The company’s innovation began with the first multi-protocol router in 1984. By 1993, it had $714 million in revenue and had hit a milestone of shipping 100,000 routers. Most recently, Cisco engineers introduced the Network Convergence System—or Cisco NCS ; it provides the performance and intelligence needed to cope with increasing mobility and cloud computing, as well as the broad capabilities to manage the Internet of Everything.

Van Duijnhoven concluded: “As the market continues to change, we’ll continue to see around corners. We’ll also continue to put our customers first, making adjustments where needed. In the 2013 financial year, the corporation spent $5.9 billion, making it one of the top research and development spenders in the world.

“At the end of the day, it’s about solving our customers’ problems and helping them succeed.”

HEADQUARTERS

CA, USA FOUNDED

1984 EMPLOYEES

75,049 REVENUE

Q4FY14 $12.4 billion PRODUCTS/ SERVICES

Networking Equipment

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SKA International Group

continues to raise the business profile of the toughest environments Written by: Tom Wadlow Produced by: Craig Daniels

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S K A I N T E R N AT I O N A L G R O U P

Despite press coverage depicting the likes of Iraq and Somalia as notorious hotbeds of instability, the company is proving that commercial potential in such places can be extracted by offering vital fuel supply and logistics operations where many would turn and run

727 Freighter

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S

KA International Group is an expert in doing big business in difficult places, underlined by its $80-100 million investment in a stateof-the-art fuel storage facility 20km upstream from the Iraqi coast, testament to more than 10 yearsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; experience of operating in the war-stricken country.

Having excelled in supplying and transporting fuel and equipment during the major US occupation years, the Dubai-based company, with more than 700 employees and turnover in excess of $500 million, is increasingly looking to oil and gas opportunities in Iraq and other countries across the Middle East and Africa with challenging circumstances.

SKA has significant ongoing investments in Somalia and Uganda, and is raising the profile of the Ras Al Khaimah International Airport in the UAE with a 10 year agreement, where it has built and operates an Aviation Fuel Storage Facility.

SKAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s capabilities include a wide range of fuel supply chain management services, aviation services, ground logistics, life support, facility

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SKA Bedford Trucks in Mogadishu

construction, and security services.

Working as a good corporate citizen, and helping to develop business, people and communities while supporting charitable initiatives, lies at the heart of what CEO and President, and 100 percent owner Mike Douglas is vying to achieve.

“Despite the negative coverage of the countries we are in there is huge potential for development,” he said. “We are already changing that negative impression and a big part of what we do is give back to the communities we do business in.

“The company can continue to grow significantly in the next three to five years.”

Key Personnel

Mike Douglas CEO and President

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Providing Turn-key Rental Power Providing Turn-key Rental Power SolutionsTurn-key to the OilRental & GasPower Industry Providing Providing to Turn-key Power Solutions the Oil Rental & Gas Industry Solutions to to the the Oil Oil & & Gas Gas Industry Industry Solutions Whether you need temporary power for the operation of oilfields, the construction of platforms, early temporary production,power planned maintenance loadtest of main power Whether you need for or theemergency operation of oilfields, theor construction of systems, Aggreko has the solution. platforms, early production, planned maintenance of main Whether you need temporary power or foremergency the operation of oilfields,or theloadtest construction ofpower systems, Aggreko has the solution.

Whether you need temporary power foremergency the operation of oilfields, or theloadtest construction of We offer full project planning, installation and commissioning, and 24/7 service maintenance. platforms, early production, planned or maintenance of main power platforms, early production, planned or emergency maintenance loadtest of main power systems, Aggreko has the solution.

We offer full project planning, installation and commissioning, andor24/7 service maintenance.

Aggreko, Power Specialists systems, Aggreko has the solution. in Oil & Gas We offer full project planning, installation and commissioning, and 24/7 service maintenance.

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PO Box 16875, Dubai, UAE Aggreko, Power in Oil Aggreko Middle EastSpecialists Ltd. T: +9714 808 6100 F: +9714 883 1825 Aggreko, Power Specialists in Oil PO Box 16875, Dubai, UAE Aggreko Middle East Ltd. T: +9714 808 6100 F: +9714 883 1825 UAE PO Abu BoxDhabi, 16875, UAEDubai, UAE Aggreko MiddleDubai, East Ltd. +971 (0)4 8086100 +971 (0)2 5549494 T: +9714 808 6100 F: +9714 883 1825 PO Box 16875, Dubai, UAEDammam, Dubai, UAE Abu Dhabi, UAE Kuwait City, Kuwait KSA +971 (0)4 +971 (0)2 5549494 T: +9714 808 6100 F: +9714 883 1825 +966 8086100 (0)13 8580301 +965 23983648

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Sharjah, UAE +971 (0)6 5345999 Sharjah, UAEKSA Jeddah, +971+966 (0)6 5345999 (0)12 2727640 Dubai, UAEKSA Sharjah, KSA UAE Abu Dhabi, Jeddah, Kuwait City,UAE Kuwait Dammam, +971 (0)4 8086100 +971 (0)6 5345999 +971 (0)2 5549494 +966 (0)13 +966 (0)12UAE 2727640 +965 23983648 Dubai, UAE8580301 Sharjah, Abu Dhabi, UAE Aggreko operates from Dammam, over 190 locations throughout the world.

Jeddah, Kuwait City, Kuwait KSA +971 (0)4 8086100 +971 (0)6KSA 5345999 +971 (0)2 5549494 For the location nearest you, please go to: www.aggreko.com/contact +966 (0)13 8580301 +966 (0)12 2727640 +965 23983648 Jeddah, KSA Kuwait City, Kuwait KSAthroughout the Aggreko operates from overDammam, 190 locations world. +966 (0)13 8580301 +966 (0)12 2727640 +965 23983648 For the location nearest you, please go to: www.aggreko.com/contact Aggreko operates from over 190 locations throughout the world.

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06/02/2 06/02/2014

S K A I N T E R N AT I O N A L

SUPPLIER PROFILE

AGGREKO

Since its foundation over 50 years ago, Aggreko has grown to become the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leading provider of rental power and temperature control solutions. With over 5,700 employees operating from over 194 locations, Aggreko provides 24/7 availability and service support. Aggreko offers the highest levels of performance and customer service and is truly a global force in temporary power generation.

Aggreko in the Middle East Since opening its first regional office in Sharjah in 1991, Aggreko today offers round-the-clock service support and equipment availability in the Middle East through a network of twelve locations in eight countries; UAE, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Iraq.

Practical Solutions More than products, Aggreko has significant experience in providing power generators, electrical testing and temperature control services, offering total power and cooling solutions.

Its equipment allows the flexibility of creative and novel solutions to suit customer needs - solutions that work not just on paper, but in practice.

This means offering 24-hour back-up 365 days a year and making full use of a global network of depots to ensure that the equipment is on-site in the shortest possible time. The considerable success of Aggreko is due not only to the services provided, but the way in which those services are provided. The accomplishments are a result of the application of vision and creativity to customers and giving them ideas and solutions that improves their performance â&#x20AC;&#x201C; every time. By working with Aggreko, our customers can focus on their core activities, secure in the knowledge their power supply is in the hands of an expert organisation.

Website: me.aggreko.com

2014 12:55 12:55

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Offloading cargo

80,000 Planned number of tonnes of fuel storage available at the Port of Khor Al Zubair 68

Khor Al Zubair Iraq represents arguably the greatest challenges but also the greatest amount of activity for SKA, which operates under nine companies across six Middle Eastern and African countries.

Its current flagship investment lies at the Port of Khor Al Zubair, the first privately-owned fuel storage facility in Iraq, with a 20,000 tonne capacity, set to rise to 80,000 once phases two and three are completed.

The expansion, which will take total spend to upwards of $80 million, will allow SKA to deliver more fuel to power vital industries in the future. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We have encountered some significant challenges but we are very active, supplying fuel

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The company’s aim is to handle third party imported products

and importing refined products, and keeping power stations operational in what is a very difficult time,” Douglas added.

“The expansion will give us more capacity and will allow us to bring in bigger vessels which have lower freight premiums. Our plan is not only to handle our own fuel through the terminal but to handle third party imported products also.”

SKA also has a testing lab at the site where Intertek conducts international fuel certifications, giving peace of mind to customers in the knowledge that their fuel is of the highest standard, something which has been problematic in Iraq in the past.

“The expansion will give us more capacity and will allow us to bring in bigger vessels which have lower freight premiums” – Mike Douglas

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“11 years in Iraq has given us the experience to manage our way through a lot of the problems” – Mike Douglas

Investing in Iraq This project is representative of a shift towards focusing on the oil and gas markets in the country following a number of huge and varied projects based around the US military.

SKA handled most of the logistics freight for the US government in a six-year contract and carried out an enormous 180,000-hectare crop spraying scheme in 2006; this while being the key fuel supply chain operator.

It now has a fleet of 500 trucks in Iraq moving all kinds of fuel and equipment, and is working with global oil and gas companies including BP and Lukoil. The company’s local knowledge and

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S U P P LY C H A I N

Trucks moving fuel

experience is central to its success.

“Security is a major issue in a lot of our regions,” Douglas said. “But 11 years in Iraq has given us the experience to manage our way through a lot of the problems. We have a thorough security plan in place and an extensive evacuation procedure should the need ever arise.

“Our experience and knowledge of what happens on the ground is our greatest asset – we can foresee issues before they come to us.”

The resoluteness of SKA has played an important part in convincing businesses to invest in Iraq, and Douglas, himself having served in the armed forces, is an active figure at the Iraq British Business Council. This body works tirelessly to bring in investment to the country and SKA is a founding member.

500 Number of trucks in Iraq moving all kinds of fuel and equipment

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ENGINEER.PROCURE.CONSTRUCT.MANAGE

EPC SERVICES

ENGINEERING & CONSTRUCTION SOLUTIONS FOR STORAGE INDUSTRY

Chemie-Tech is a professional Industrial solutions provider, offering high quality Engineering, Procurement Construction & Project Management services to Oil & Gas, Petrochemical & Process, Power & Water Industries.

The sphere of activity is focused in providing expertise and turnkey solutions to clients throughout Middle East, Australasia, Africa and North America.

With Global Operations and technical expertise to respond to the complex challenges of the Bulk Liquid Storage Tank Terminal/Depots Installation, Offsite, Utilities, Pipeline, Process Plants (Refinery & Petrochemical), Topside Facilities, Fuel Ethanol Plants, Bio Diesel Plants or Used Oil Recycling Plants, Chemie-Tech delivers Quality Projects.

PO Box 29781, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates Tel +971.6.5530776 Fax +971.6.5538466 bd@chemietech.com www.chemietech.com

Chemie-Tech

S K A I N T E R N AT I O N A L G R O U P

S U P P LY C H A I N

Ras Al Khaimah Closer to its Dubai headquarters, the company is working to improve the commercial profile of Ras Al Khaimah International Airport.

A $10 million aviation fuel storage facility, recently commissioned, is the first step in attracting both cargo and passenger carriers to the airport. Douglas believes the incentive of a competitive fuel and handling package will draw in investment where before it may not have been attractive.

“As the UAE rapidly expands there is a lot of congestion at Dubai International, but currently at Ras Al Khaimah there is a very low level of activity,” he said. “We are injecting some fresh ideas and the large amount of hotel developments going on also shows the tourism potential.”

Somalia, Uganda and beyond Aviation is also a crucial part of SKA’s work in Africa, not least in Uganda and Somalia, arguably the most unstable nation on the continent.

Here SKA has several contracts with the United Nations (UN) mainly based around life support and fuel supply, and continues to provide supply chain services to Mogadishu airport having given it a new lease of life between 2010 and 2013.

SKA has operated helicopters as well as its own fixed-wing aircrafts and truck fleet in Somalia, with a significant focus now being turned towards oil and gas operations.

Douglas added: “We have been on the ground

SKA has operated helicopters as well as its own fixed-wing aircrafts and truck fleet in Somalia

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S K A I N T E R N AT I O N A L

The company invests significantly in training

“We pride ourselves on having local staff and taking good care of them, giving opportunities they otherwise wouldn’t have” – Mike Douglas

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for coming up four years and have developed a unique capability in terms of being able to do business.

“There is a big opportunity here for oil and gas and a lot of mineral resources which are yet to be explored. We are long-term investors, here for the long haul.”

In Uganda, the company is set to begin building a 20,000-tonne fuel storage facility just outside Kampala, with operations looking to commence in 2015. The site is strategically placed on the rail and road networks from Mombasa, facilitating increased import of refined goods.

SKA is also about to retain its air operating certificate, an important step on continuing work

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here and for other UN projects in the likes of the DRC, South Sudan and Central African Republic.

Building up communities An ultimate end for Douglas is to revitalise the societies in which the company works, with a big part of this revolving around employing and developing local people in the business. SKA employs more than 700 people, a mixture of former armed forces personnel, commerciallyfocused personnel, as well as local nationals.

“We pride ourselves on having local staff and taking good care of them, giving opportunities they otherwise wouldn’t have,” Douglas added.

“We invest a lot in training and sending people abroad to become qualified – I want a loyal group to take us forward.”

The company also invests heavily in the charitable sector, for example in Iraq where it supports many events run by the Amar International Charitable Foundation.

By continuing to improve its own offering, SKA International Group can keep on driving commercial growth in the world’s most challenging environments where help is needed the most, ultimately uplifting the lives of communities that have endured years of hardship.

Douglas concluded: “Despite the negative media headlines there is a huge amount of opportunity in African and Middle Eastern countries. The message I want to give is that we are here to stay.”

Company Information INDUSTRY

Supply Chain & Energy HEADQUARTERS

Dubai, UAE FOUNDED

2003 EMPLOYEES

700+ REVENUE

Not Disclosed PRODUCTS/ SERVICES

Logistics

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Amsterdam Schiphol air cargo stealing a march on European rivals Written by: Sam Jermy Produced by: Craig Daniels

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AMSTERDAM AIRPORT SCHIPHOL CARGO

Traditionally the airport has been the third largest cargo airport on the continent, but the Netherlandsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; unique logistical benefits are being utilised to make it a standout performer

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September 2014

T

he cargo division of Amsterdam Schiphol airport is enjoying a return to consistent solid growth whilst simultaneously driving multi-million euro investment in transforming its operational processes.

This year up until the end of June it was 8.8 percent up in volume overall from the same period last year, which is double the percentage growth of all the other major airports in Europe.

Clearly the combination of strategies it is implementing is now paying off. In terms of growth, by nature air cargo is a volatile industry and Schiphol is no different in this respect; in May it was 14 percent up, then June was 8.0 percent up, so there can be some monthly disparity.

Enno Osinga, Senior VP Cargo at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;On the whole I am

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very confident we are seeing good overall growth. We started picking up last August then in November and December it was double-digit growth largely thanks to the Playstation 4 and Xbox One launches leading up to Christmas. We have been solid in our growth figures for quite a while now though.â&#x20AC;?

Traditionally, there has been much more volume coming into Europe from China than there is going the other way. But in the past 18 months, Schiphol has been almost perfectly balanced in terms of inbound and outbound traffic.

This is partly because, as a result of having significant operations at Schiphol, (often including airside access), leading global freight forwarders have started pulling their cargo out of the rest of Europe and consolidating it at Amsterdam. Then

20+ Percentage of business coming from E-shipments

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X P E R IE N C E 1 0 Y E A R SAIRE CARGO MARKET O N G LO B A L

Russia +7 495 7862613 Germany +49 6963 8097 100

The Netherlands +31 20 654 9030 USA +1 773 800 2361

China +86 21 52080011 Japan +81 3 5777 4025

AMSTERDAM AIRPORT SCHIPHOL CARGO it gets sent out to destination markets like Asia.

Strategic epicentre Schiphol is the third largest cargo airport in Europe after Frankfurt and Paris and its origins go back nearly 100 years. More recently it has focused on providing a full logistic hub facility to European industries. As a result, many multinational groups have their European distribution centres in the region.

Logistics has always been part of the Netherlands’ core competences: the largest number of specialist airfreight trucking companies are actually based in the country and there has been significant road infrastructure investment branching out towards the rest of Europe too.

Schiphol is very close to the seaports of Rotterdam and Amsterdam, the first and fifth largest ports in Europe. This again strengthens the Netherlands’ position as a strategic gateway, and supports Osinga’s belief that creating a national logistics hub helps grow cargo business.

It is a logistics-minded country; geographically everything stands very close together so a major manufacturing company can bring in its goods both by sea or air and deliver them into the same distribution centre.

94 Number of years the Airport has been in operation

An airport is the most critical part of the supply chain

Digital connectivity revolution Schiphol Cargo is now working very closely with numerous organisations to build a new total logistics information platform w w w. s c h i p h o l . n l

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AMSTERDAM AIRPORT SCHIPHOL CARGO

‘Schiphol Cargo is now working very closely with numerous organisations to build a new total logistics information platform that will hold all the data from all the goods that enter and leave the Netherlands’

The cargo area of the airport is well signposted 82

September 2014

that will hold all the data from all the goods that enter and leave the Netherlands whether they travel by sea, truck or air.

Osinga said: “That is very complex and will take a long time before it is fully completed.

But imagine if you’re a customer and you use all these modalities to bring goods to the Netherlands, how incredibly strong it is if

S U P P LY C H A I N

Key Personnel

Enno Osinga Senior Vice President Cargo

you’re able to manage all those different traffic streams through one single digital database.

“It’s a vast job; we have been working on it for 18 months and will still be working on it for many more months to perfect it.

“This process to fully digitise our cargo operations has been running for five or six years and we are talking a major investment

In addition to his cargo role at Schiphol, Mr Osinga is also an advisor to the Board of Management of the Schiphol Group.

Mr Osinga is a nonexecutive board member of Cargonaut (the community system of the Dutch air cargo community), a board member of Air Cargo Netherlands (the Dutch Air Cargo Association), Vice President of TIACA and a member of the Executive Board of DINALOG (the Dutch Institute for Advanced Logistics).

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AMSTERDAM AIRPORT SCHIPHOL CARGO

Schiphol cargo continually looks to improve processing procedures

“This process to fully digitise our cargo operations has been running for five or six years and we are talking multi-million euro investment” – Enno Osinga

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September 2014

in resources. Over 20 percent of shipments are completely E-shipments. By the end of 2015 we hope to be at 100 percent to really enhance and streamline the whole process.”

The cargo division at Amsterdam states it is continually creating and maintaining ‘relevant and valuable connections’ geographically in order to build an impressive business network.

Two big advantages are that it can work in parallel with stakeholders like the airlines, trucking and handling companies plus customs rather than having to wait for the next person to fall in, and eliminating paper will be an obvious benefit to the digital revolution.

Osinga added: “An airport is the most

S U P P LY C H A I N

critical part of the supply chain. Once in the belly of an aircraft or put into a truck... itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fine. It is the bit in between that is crucial where things have a chance of going wrong- and that is all at the airport.â&#x20AC;?

Schiphol offered forwarders the opportunity to have their own facilities with direct air side access. This means when air cargo comes in, forwarders have it in their own hands within two hours of arrival of the aircraft, rather than the more common wait of up to nine hours.

Company Information INDUSTRY

Air cargo HEADQUARTERS

Amsterdam Airport FOUNDED

(Airport) 1920

Marketplace matters Osinga is involved in managing Air Cargo Netherlands, which is a branch organisation of everybody involved in air cargo in the nation.

Organisation wise, Schiphol Cargo continually looks for process and procedure improvement in a collaborative sense rather than taking an isolated, fragmented approach.

Over the years, it has won a lot of awards, specifically as a cargo airport, and that has been driven by innovation. When IATA started with its E-Freight project, Schiphol acted as a catalyst. As a result of which, it was very much the benchmark airport.

Amsterdam Airport also has a highly developed, multi-lingual workforce with substantial experience in all modalities who are in essence internationally-minded. All its current and future focus is on international trade and fully integrated logistics.

EMPLOYEES

8 REVENUE

Undisclosed PRODUCTS/ SERVICES

Air cargo services

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HP PPS Logistics EMEA Departing from tradition The tech giantâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Personal and Printing Systems (PPS) arm is opening up key gateways across the region as it shifts to direct shipping in a bid to serve customers as efficiently as possible and drive innovation in the supply chain Written by: Tom Wadlow Produced by: Craig Daniels

Tunnel in between two free trade zones in Chongqing, China, developed for HP 87

HP PPS LOGISTICS EMEA

The Piraeus Container Terminal (PCT)

H Containers at Piraeus

88 September 2014

P PPS Logistics is transforming the high tech supply chain by specialising in direct shipping to customers via regional gateways and by utilising all forms of transport and intermodal exchanges.

Encapsulating this move and showcasing many of the advancements being made is the newly established hub at Piraeus on the west coast of Greece, where HP is the first high tech company to harbour its enormous potential as a logistical base.

Also helping to streamline ever-complex processes across the region as a whole is

S U P P LY C H A I N

technology, with the logistics team and their distribution partners benefiting from HP’s expertise in real time and cloud solutions along with transport management systems.

Not only are these moves economically sound and driving down all-important turnaround times, they are also helping to develop a sustainable logistics operation, a key mantra behind the work of the HP PPS Logistics unit.

Ultimately, by continuing to offer operational excellence and further expand its network, its ambition is to provide a competitive distribution advantage to the

“Showcasing many of the advancements being made is the newly established hub at Piraeus on the west coast of Greece” – Bert de Winter, Director

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TNT, Taurusavenue 111, 2132 LS Hoofddorp, the Netherlands

www.tnt.com

HP PPS LOGISTICS EMEA wider company, adding further enticement to use HP beyond its product excellence.

Departing from tradition Charged with ensuring that tens of millions of PPS products in the EMEA region, namely desktops, notebooks and printers, reach the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s three main groups of customers each year - retailers, distributors/wholesalers, and large corporate accounts - is Director of HP PPS Logistics EMEA, Bert de Winter.

Key to fulfilling this duty in the most effective way possible is a move to direct shipping and cutting turnaround times, which also frees up cash flow as fewer unsold products remain in storage. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are building more direct, smaller shipping

SUPPLIER PROFILE

S U P P LY C H A I N

Key Personnel

Bert de Winter Director

TNT

Worldwide Courier Delivery Service We will make sure that your documents, parcels and freight are delivered safely through our door to door integrated air and road networks. Our international operations are focused on the key areas of world trade in Europe, Asia, North America and South America. We also have strong domestic networks in Australia and all major European countries including the United Kingdom.

Website: www.tnt.com

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45 FT PALLETWIDE CONTAINERS AND MORE The 45ft concept is the intermodal transport system of the future/

45ft containers, such as the standard dry unit and various types

45ft means transporting more with fewer movements, all

of reefers; the diesel-electric and the all-electric (as pictured) with

handled with the same infrastructure as used for 40ft containers.

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bulk unit (also 20/30/45ft) and the VuCaFrame, especially

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designed for transporting cars. The specification of our 45ft pallet-

and delivery of containers within the 45ft concept. UNIT45 offers

wide container can be modified to meet differing needs. So let the

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HP PPS LOGISTICS EMEA lanes, for example from Asia to Dubai, and Russia into Western Europe,” de Winter said. “In most areas we have a dual delivery of air and ocean freight so we can be flexible with customers.

“We can build to order so we no longer have to second guess what the customer needs.”

The need for direct as opposed to traditional routing came around the turn of the century.

HP’s Regional Director for EMEA Logistics Ronald Kleijwegt explained: “Since around 2000 a lot of manufacturing has moved from the US and Western Europe to Asia and parts of Europe further east.”

“We needed to move to direct routing and use alternative gateways reducing volumes moving via Rotterdam and Hamburg, which remain important nonetheless.”

SUPPLIER PROFILE

S U P P LY C H A I N

Piraeus port

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UNIT45 focuses in Europe specifically on the development, construction, financing and delivery of the 45ft container, according to the wishes of the customer. The 45ft container concept is the most efficient solution to the logistical problems of the future modality and falls entirely within the European legislation. Central high innovation and the use of high quality materials, focusing on the practical applicability of the concept 45ft. The Rotterdam-based company as “Intermodal Innovator’de undisputed market leader in this segment.

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HP PPS LOGISTICS EMEA Piraeus The continually developing and exciting logistics hub at Piraeus encapsulates HP’s strategy to open up gateways, become more efficient and explore new transportation options.

The company is a forerunner in this respect, being the first tech business to exploit the Greek port’s huge potential, with massive expansion in activity planned for this base.

“We started using Piraeus at the end of last year and are looking to ramp up the volume going through there in the next few months, from 20 containers per month to 300,” de Winter said.

“It is a more attractive solution in terms of turnaround time, especially when serving the Mediterranean countries where it is far easier to sail here than into the more traditional western European ports.”

The port has seen enormous investments from China in recent times, part of a process which has witnessed a logistical Eurasia region gather momentum as Asia moves west and Europe further east.

Kleijwegt added: “Economically, people have talked about Greece negatively but our experience has been very positive when working with the government and Chinese firm COSCO.” “These days Piraeus is one of the most sophisticated ports in the world and we use it for the Balkans, Central and Western Europe and significant parts of Africa.”

“With Russia, the traditional route was always

S U P P LY C H A I N

Since around

2000 Manufacturing has moved from the US and Western Europe to Asia and parts of Europe further east

HP’s main office in Ostrava, Czech Republic

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HP PPS LOGISTICS EMEA

HP Logistics can increase fill rates by about

30% which means fewer trucks on the roads

The rail side loading area at the PCT port

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via Rotterdam or Hamburg into St. Petersburg but now because of Piraeus we have a coastal service into the Black Sea and straight to Moscow, cutting turnaround time by seven to eight days.”

Delivering on tracks Another major development at Piraeus which HP played a prominent part in is the establishment of a rail link all the way to the Czech Republic, home to a major HP desktop assembly facility.

“The rail track has been extended to the northern infrastructure in Greece and we are expecting the first containers imminently, taking us beyond the 300 a month we projected,” Kleijwegt said.

Rail is becoming an increasingly important mode of transport for HP PPS Logistics EMEA, reflected by the success of the China-Germany line since late 2011.

Kleijwegt added: “We began with 1011 pilot trains and since then we have run about 80 from China into Duisburg, each carrying about 40-50 containers.

“HP has taken the lead here and other multinationals are following us. We are always looking for opportunities and will be looking to get trains into other European destinations.”

Continuing the shift to sustainable and intermodal methods, the company has also moved a lot of operations from air to ocean freight in the past five to seven years and is looking to work with the most innovative logistics partners.

S U P P LY C H A I N

“Our preference is to work with creative providers who think in the same spirit as we do,” Kleijwegt said. “We are dealing pretty much with the top 10 logistics companies in the world simply because of our magnitude and these big providers are also some of the most innovative.”

A client’s consignment being prepared prior to dispatch

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HP PPS LOGISTICS EMEA

To improve HP PPS Logistics’ existing practice for sustainability, they introduced a new Transport Management System across Europe which will improve fill rates in containers

98 September 2014

to sustainable practice seen right through the PPS Logistics operation. Technology is another area in which processes can be streamlined and made greener.

“We are just introducing a new Transport Management System across Europe which will improve fill rates in trucks,” de Winter said.

“We can increase fill rates by about 30 percent which means fewer trucks on the roads.”

Kleijwegt also pointed towards the use of biofuels on carriers and solar panels on some of HP’s distribution centres as other sustainable initiatives, as well as incorporating the company’s expertise in IT and cloud solutions.

“We are motivating our suppliers to go

S U P P LY C H A I N

into this environment and become more efficient,” he added. “We want to have real time visibility all the time and are looking for paperless solutions in the logistics chain.”

Company Information INDUSTRY

Tackling complexity In becoming more efficient, direct and sustainable, the supply chain is presented with challenges which demand an inventive workforce on top of the advanced technology and methods of transport.

HP set up its Supply Chain Academy one and a half years ago, bringing benefits to the 60 workers involved in PPS EMEA Logistics operations.

“Our people are given a business challenge that we need to solve in say six months, something which we are yet to solve ourselves,” de Winter said. “This helps them to further deploy their talent and expose them to senior management in the company and deal with very complex operational issues.”

With the right people on board, HP’s PPS Logistics team looks set to serve its customers in innovative and efficient ways while adopting increasingly sustainable practices.

Kleijwegt also hinted at the exciting times which lie ahead in the region, particularly in subSaharan Africa where the company is looking to build on its existing presence and emulate the infrastructural success it has seen in Piraeus.

“It is only a matter of time before we see development there,” he concluded.

Supply chain, Technology HEADQUARTERS

3000 Hanover Street, Palo Alto, CA, USA FOUNDED

January 1, 1939 EMPLOYEES

317,500 worldwide REVENUE

$112 billion PRODUCTS/ SERVICES

Distribution of Personal and Printing Systems to the EMEA region

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Niche Values and Technologies Give Jannah the Edge in Middle Eastern Hospitality Written by: Matthew Staff Produced by: Craig Daniels

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JANNAH HOTELS & RESORTS

View from the terrace

The young hotel and resort business may be new to the industry but is already competing with the sector elite through a set of innovative philosophies and features

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J

annah Hotels & Resorts opened its first hotel in Abu Dhabi in September 2013, marking the beginning of what Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Nehme Darwiche believes will be a hospitality legacy in the Middle East.

With investments into three more hotels in the immediate pipeline, onlookers could be forgiven for taking Jannah to be another stereotypical hotel chain looking to compete in a saturated franchised sector, but the CEO is keen to emphasise that this particular brand is like nothing Abu Dhabi has seen before. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I come from a long line of entrepreneurs and my motto is to think small,â&#x20AC;? Darwiche said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;My ability to concentrate on one project

R E TA I L

“We are not looking at just making millions of dollars, we are looking at making a legacy when it comes to hospitality” – Nehme Darwiche, CEO, Jannah Hotels & Resorts

and make it successful is what has given me a good reputation and the difference between Jannah and everyone else is I have no shareholders to answer to.

“We are not looking at just making millions of dollars, we are looking at making a legacy when it comes to hospitality.”

Jannah values A literal translation of Heaven, Jannah was planned over a number of years by Darwiche and associate founders, leading to the formulation of four ‘circles’, or values, on which to build an idyllic organisation.

The first of which, Al Mizan, consists w w w. j a n n a h . a e

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JANNAH HOTELS & RESORTS

Jannah Hotels are of the highest quality and very well equipped

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September 2014

around balance and creating equal influence and benefits for the owner, the guests and the employees within the business.

The second value transpired from Darwiche’s experiences in less hospitable conditions, as he explained: “I’ve met a lot of noble veterans who lived in the desert and they barely had any food to eat for themselves, but when a guest came through, they would always put all the food they had in front of them and let them eat by themselves.

“They did not want the guest to be shy about how much they ate and the lesson is to treat your guest better than you would treat yourself.”

Generosity and ‘Noble Veteran Hospitality’, otherwise known as Al Daif, leads into the third circle, Al Safir, which encourages each employee to adopt the beliefs of the company and become social ambassadors in their own right.

Known as ambassadors, rather than employees, this philosophy engrained in each person helps to fulfil the mission of being a first class company, hiring first class talent, serving first class guests.

“The fourth circle is the most important to us and is called Al Ihsan, and it simply means to do good,” Darwiche continued. “If you do good in this world, you will be rewarded only by good, so we make sure we are eco-friendly and help wherever we can in the local communities.

“We don’t look for any coverage in the things we do though. It’s not a reward

Eastern Mangroves Suites, Terrace

to ourselves, it is all about giving.”

Technological growth Coinciding with these conceptual, but very functional philosophies exists equally significant strategies in terms of the physical makeups of the company’s hotels and resorts.

A large portion of this commitment to uniqueness and innovation stems from technology, which begins for the guest in the hotel room and continues through to the websites and marketing obligations of the company’s ambassadors.

“We are building something called the intelligent room, which works on voice command and will complement our butler service, which is known as Karim Service,” Darwiche

“The hotel industry is behind retailers and news agencies in using social media and I don’t understand why because it is a great thing and the best way for a business like us to grow” – Nehme Darwiche

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We are glad we opted for IDS Next Hotel ERP.” Mr. Nehme Darwiche, CEO, Jannah Hotels & Resorts

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R E TA I L

said. “Our intelligent room will imitate human intelligence from the moment a guest walks into the room and at any time the guest needs something after that, responding to requests with pre-programmed, intelligent answers.”

Adding to the futuristic vibe within the rooms is a concerted emphasis placed on internet provision, veering away from the traditional and outdated entertainment outlets familiar in most hotels.

This aligns with one of Jannah’s, and Darwiche’s, key areas of focus, social media.

“The hotel industry is behind retailers and news agencies in using social media and I don’t understand why because it is a great thing and the best way for a business like us to grow.

“One thing I learned from the desert tribes that drives me every day is their instinct for survival. When you are a young company you go head-to-head with a big company on different projects and I’ve found that the instinct of survival that exists in every single member

Eastern Mangroves Suites

Key Personnel

Nehme Darwiche Chief Executive Officer Gym Boutique Born into a family of entrepreneurs, Nehme Imad Darwiche hails from Beirut, Lebanon.

Having fully developed a strong entrepreneurial spirit from an early age, Nehme has learned that knowledge and insight is not always found in conventional ways. Apart from his PHD at Campbell State University and formal qualification from Cornell University, Nehme always seeks new and updated market and business information by tapping into unconventional and non-traditional information streams as well.

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JANNAH HOTELS & RESORTS

Boutique gymnasium

“The people I invite to join our company are the people who want to create and generate new ideas” – Nehme Darwiche

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of our company is what makes us win time after time. The key to this is technology.”

Attracting talent To ensure the ongoing success of Jannah’s portfolio – namely Eastern Mangroves Suites by Jannah, Jannah Place Dubai Marina and Al Seef Resort by Andalus – the company is eager to ensure that it stays true to the ethos which has provided the platform for its early development.

R E TA I L

Making the experience a home-from-home for guests is a key facet of this, ensuring that not only all amenities, entertainment and provisions are within 400 metres of the living quarters, but that the resort goes the extra mile through features such as filling guestsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; cars with petrol for them. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We attract guests who are looking for the kinds of intelligent solutions we provide but also for the daily duties like washing dishes or shopping being taken care of so they w w w. j a n n a h . a e

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Living Room

Bathroom

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September 2014

can spend their time out of work with the people they love,” Darwiche explained.

To maintain the same level of service on a consistent basis, Jannah also ensures that any business partnerships are formulated on the basis of shared values rather than finances, and, most importantly, the ambassadors hired to work for the company are the most talented available.

“I’m only 29 and I’m the CEO so experience in the hospitality industry isn’t important, but talent is,” Darwiche concluded. “Sometimes, the people we find have nothing to do with

R E TA I L

Company Information INDUSTRY

Hospitality HEADQUARTERS

Abu Dhabi FOUNDED

2013 EMPLOYEES

40 REVENUE

Undisclosed

hotels but they come here and prove their value because they are very talented in marketing or IT or research & development, as the case may be.

“The people I invite to join our company are the people who want to create and generate new ideas but feel they will need to come to work for Jannah to make them a reality, and by 2017 I want to be the employer of choice for that reason.

“Our growth strategy is derived from nature and from the olive tree. We want to be in business for centuries and today we are choosing our roots carefully and wisely.”

PRODUCTS/ SERVICES

Hotel & leisure services

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Boulting

reaps benefits of an excellent reputation Written by: Sam Jermy Produced by: James Pepper

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Founded as an electrical installation company, the group has branched into engineering services, project and solutions in recent years seeing real strength in its water and utilities sector

B

oulting Group is enhancing its position in the water and utilities market. Having been successful in delivering projects in excess of ÂŁ20 million in other market sectors, it is now engaging in major seven-figure projects, including a ÂŁ2.5 million energy efficiency and asset upgrade improvement with Thames Water.

This pump station, built in 1923 is an ongoing project, due for completion in 2015. It will provide a return on investment (ROI) in less than five years, and will provide efficient and reliable performance for many more years.

Boulting carried out the review, consultancy, front end engineering and design and is delivering a full Engineering, Procurement and Construction project. Whilst there is a hard edge in terms of achieving optimum performance, there is also a desire to maintain the original character of the pump station.

Boulting House

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ENERGY

Annual Apprentice Intake Induction at Boulting House

This has provided a comprehensive portfolio of engineering delivery options and solutions but it is something that has spread and in recent years business has grown through looking at pump and system optimisation for the water industry.

Brian Conway, Director at Boulting Group, said: “It’s really an energy-efficiency initiative some of the water companies have picked up on in recent times. If you had looked at it about 10 years ago the cost of electrical energy supply was about 2.5p per kilowatt hour and now it’s 10p per kilowatt hour, and even though we were able to get the same amount of energy savings, the ROI on the projects took a lot longer back then. In many cases, due to

Boulting Site Maintenance

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B O U LT I N G G R O U P

ENERGY

the extended ROI, projects were shelved.

“Now these companies are able to see a much more rapid return on their investment, and we have seen an increase in business through natural osmosis as a result.”

In general, pump systems are responsible for 70 percent of a water company’s electrical bill. In the UK it is estimated the energy used by pump systems would be worth somewhere in the region of £1 billion.

Much of the company growth since the 1990s has come through expansion of its engineering skillset and transferring its expertise in to other markets. Its manufacturing of automated motor control centres and specialist process control software, together with mechanical fabrication and refurbishment now account for 50 percent of the business. The remainder of the business is focused on delivering engineering projects or site-based maintenance.

Energy efficiency Water companies are beginning to consider a different approach in terms of energy efficiency.

Where they would have typically gone out to ‘Tier One’ contractors to do the consultancy, provide the analysis, develop the specification and so on, they now bypass this and ask Boulting to do everything.

This is far more time and cost-efficient for the client, and it streamlines the whole process, reducing the time from front-end consultancy to

“A lot of what we do is improvement to the existing infrastructure, improve how it operates, the design, replace it with more efficient equipment, and modify the process control and software” – Brian Conway, Director at Boulting Group

Pump Impeller removed for redesign and efficiency improvement

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Pipeline construction project

commissioning of a project by about 50 percent.

Conway said: “Where we have been successful in energy-efficiency services, we want to really develop that right across the UK. We have three UK water companies we work with at the moment and would like to extend that further.

“It’s a massive market and there is a lot of improvements that can be made. A lot of what we do is improvement to the existing infrastructure, improve how it operates, the design, replace it with more efficient equipment, and modify the process control and software.

“So we would look at all the different Tanker jetty

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ENERGY

aspects of the system and we’d also look at how they manage their electricity tariffs as well, so the equipment would run at the lowest electrical consumption and cost.”

Typically, Boulting can get between 10 and 30 percent energy-efficiency improvement.

Other six-figure projects can achieve ROI within three years, and in some cases, on smaller projects up to £30K, less than three months.

Some of them are straightforward, where the group simply trains operators to enhance standard operating procedures. What has made the programme more effective is the enthusiasm of the client and management and commercial infrastructure to enable efficient delivery of the programme.

The company also works closely with the Environment Agency, providing independent advice to help reduce energy consumption of existing assets often without incurring any capital cost, and significantly improving asset standardisation and efficiency throughout the northwest of England. It has provided assistance in the strategic development, both technical and commercial, which included upgrading assets and maximising interchangeability.

‘The company also works closely with the Environment Agency, providing independent advice to help reduce energy consumption of existing assets often without incurring any capital cost’

Group-wide evolution At the time of the management buyout in 1994 when Boulting had been under the ownership of East Midlands Electricity, electrical contracting equated to 80 percent of the business and it w w w. b o u l t i n g . c o . u k

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Commissioning a Design and Build 60MW MPHW District Heating Pump System

“In terms of growth, we foster relationships with existing clients and 60 percent of our business is actually repeat business” – Brian Conway

Refurbishment of a 90 year old pump station

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employed 140 people with £8 million turnover.

The water sector was less than five percent of its portfolio 20 years ago. Now in the present day, the water and utilities industry is responsible for more than 30 percent, its second largest market, and very close to top market sector of the business.

The company has historically been based around the Warrington and Cheshire area,

B O U LT I N G G R O U P

ENERGY

but whilst that has been the centre, it now has nine satellite offices around England with one in Grangemouth, Scotland.

Boulting works out of its Bristol facility to support any of the work it does in Wales.

Health and Safety standards are also important to the group. The company’s Reportable Injury Frequency Rate (RIFR) is between 0.0 and 0.2 and the industry average is between 4.0 and 6.0. It has been awarded the RoSPA (Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents) ‘Order of Distinction’ and has received the ‘Gold Medal Award’ for the last 19 consecutive years.

Well recognised training schemes have seen 26 apprentices and 14 graduates join the company, and some work towards being chartered engineers through the company’s training.

“Those who don’t want to go through management, would still be considered as equally valuable contributors to the business, and not everyone’s a manager.” said Conway.

“In terms of growth, we foster relationships with existing clients and 60 percent of our business is actually repeat business. If they grow, we grow.”

Exports now amount to 10 percent of Boulting business and that has developed considerably over the past decade. The continued evolution of the firm is demonstrated when it conducts complete design and build of process plants for major international blue chips, mainly in Africa.

“It’s a great company. It cares for its employees, and it cares for its clients.” concluded Conway.

Company Information INDUSTRY

Energy HEADQUARTERS

Warrington, England, UK FOUNDED

1918 EMPLOYEES

850 REVENUE

£93 million (£60 million order book) PRODUCTS/ SERVICES

Engineering solutions

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SMS Electronics

Looks to Innovate its Way to Another Queenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Award Written by: Tom Wadlow Produced by: Rosie Rowe

123

SMS ELECTRONICS

After winning the Award for Export in 2012, the pioneering company is now spearheading solutions in fields from GPS and smart metering to HD video conferencing and medical device sterilisation

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MS Electronics continues to diversify and develop solutions across a range of sectors and, having won the coveted Queen’s Award for Export in 2012, is targeting the Award for Innovation.

Among its exciting ongoing projects are x-ray sterilisation for medical equipment, human GPS tracking systems, smart metering for utilities companies and high-definition video conferencing.

These innovations showcase the company’s diversification from telecoms since 2002 when its management team created SMS after buying from Siemens the world class manufacturing facility in Beeston, Nottingham, in the UK. Managing Director Mark Goldby, having worked at predecessor Siemens for 13 years, has been part of the journey from the very beginning.

“Our impressive technical pedigree runs back through several decades and our predecessor companies; the likes of GPT, GEC and Plessey were all here,” he said.

“These were fantastically innovative companies and we brought our skills and technical knowledge through those organisations to become SMS Electronics in 2002. It has been a very interesting journey in terms of acquiring new skills, new equipment and new processes.”

SMS, also named as the fastest-growing exporter in 2011, now operates across medical, utilities, military, sciences, security and industrial sectors, offering a full range of services including

M A N U FA C T U R I N G

Customised test equipment

procurement, board assembly, test, product integration, asset management and end of life support.

Game changing In the medical arena, the company is developing a low-energy x-ray sterilisation machine for vital equipment needed on the frontline of service delivery, providing an alternative to using high volume plants in select parts of the UK by allowing manufacturers to sterilise themselves on-site.

SMS is leading the consortium working on the project, which has received backing from the

30-35 Number of jobs created by new Technology Strategy Board backed projects

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Technology Strategy Board (TSB) and will see a further 30-35 jobs created when the product becomes commercial following the 18-month evaluation and prototype programme.

“We are putting flexibility and agility into the supply model that medical device manufacturers currently use,” Goldby added. “If you look at some of the areas around the world that really struggle with sterilisation issues, whether it’s dirty water or dirty implements, there is huge demand.

“There are also thoughts of being able to develop a more portable unit or something that could be trailer based and driven into an area; this is one to watch.”

Diversifying SMS Electronics’ repertoire expands into many other areas. For instance, it is selling thousands of human GPS tracking devices into care homes and police forces around the world, helping to keep them informed on where people of interest are at any given time.

It is a second generation, sleeker model, building on the older solution which comprised a bulky tag that could only be connected to a local base like a cordless house phone.

In the utilities sector, the company is deploying smart metres for providers to use on their own networks, as homeowners do with their own energy and water consumption.

“The information is collected by various nodes at strategic points in the network and is collated by

Key Personnel

Mark Goldby Managing Director

Graham Shaw Operations Director

Andrew Maddock Supply Chain Director

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SMS ELECTRONICS

Dedicated repair facility

“The market has matured somewhat now and is in an interesting state of transition, especially with the explosion of cloudbased services” 128

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a central database, which monitors and presents the data in a recognisable way,” Goldby said.

“These companies have a lot of regulation and targets to meet so it is vital their networks, some of which are very old, are monitored constantly to get the best out of them.”

Another area of rapid growth over the past five years, with the advent of high-speed broadband, is high-definition video conferencing and SMS has manufactured the global market-leading

M A N U FA C T U R I N G

product over this same timeframe.

Goldby added: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Low bandwith and high pixilation used to be the norm so this brought a new level of user engagement. The market has matured somewhat now and is in an interesting state of transition, especially with the explosion of cloud-based services. â&#x20AC;&#x153;There are new players and technologies coming forward all the time so it will be a challenge for this product to stay ahead.â&#x20AC;?

Repair of fine pitch components

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Chassis manufacture of highly complex circuitry

Recovery and renewal of customer’s assets

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Emerging Electronics Staying ahead is what SMS’s biannual Emerging Electronics event, held for the second time earlier this year, is all about.

Bringing together suppliers, partners and customers, it gives industry experts a flavour of what tomorrow potentially holds, while also giving SMS the chance to showcase its facilities at Beeston. After being fully subscribed and receiving very encouraging feedback again, it is in the diary for 2016.

Goldby is equally passionate about being a part of his hometown Nottingham’s recent surge in business, especially in the clean and green tech fields, underlined by the company’s commitment to invest £1 million in upgrading its site in return

M A N U FA C T U R I N G

for extending its lease by 10 years.

“We have a great geographical location within the UK and the Midlands,” Goldby said. “There is an international airport, freight terminal, great rail and road links which are being improved as we speak. There are also many large infrastructure projects going on in the East Midlands – Nottingham is a great place to do business.”

Company Information INDUSTRY

Manufacturing HEADQUARTERS

Nottingham, UK

Rise of the apprentice Developing a flexible culture and incorporating every employee into the SMS journey lies at the heart of future plans, and could ultimately help see the ambition of winning a Queen’s Award for Innovation realised.

Its 150 full time staff are trained and re-trained through the company’s in-house training centre, with 8-10 new apprentices being lined up for the coming year. In its fourth year, the apprenticeship scheme is a long term asset developer, and the future lifeblood of the company.

Goldby concluded: “The quality of individuals applying is outstanding, and is coinciding with the majority of UK universities maximising their tuition fees.

“We are having to compete with the likes of Rolls Royce, Bombardier and Toyota in the East Midlands region to attract the best, but if you can get some good talent and give them a clear vision of what they can expect from the company and what we expect from them, then you can develop some real assets.”

FOUNDED

2002 EMPLOYEES

150+ REVENUE

£30 million PRODUCTS/ SERVICES

Electronics assembly

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Unibeton Ready Mix

Ground-breaking Innovations Drive Unibeton to International Dominance Written by: Matthew Staff Produced by: Richard Durrant

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UNIBETON READY MIX

The MiddleEast based construction giant has established a reputation as a trailblazer in the sector for more than 20 years, and is still thriving off the back of its most recent, significant industry firsts

U

nibeton Ready Mix continues to build on its already leading supply of ready mix solutions in the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) through the ongoing flexibility to adapt not only its extensive offering to the market, but also the footprint of the market it operates within.

Now proud to be able to share its unrivalled knowledge and technologies within the sector on a global scale, the company’s ongoing R&D efforts are coinciding with more stringent industry regulations in the Middle-East to ensure that it will attain even more significant projects moving forward; including key infrastructural works in Saudi Arabia, Oman, India and Kuwait, as well as playing a pivotal role in preparing for the 2020 World Expo in the UAE and the 2022 football World Cup in Qatar.

Unibeton pinpoints the key facets behind its success to be delivering clients’ requirements, enhancing operational and capital efficiencies, expanding through product innovation and investing in its people, all of which have combined to make the Al Fara’a Group-owned company the one to watch in international construction over the coming years.

World-leading innovation Epitomising the extent of innovation engrained into the Unibeton ethos, the company has either unveiled or is well on its way to unleashing some of its most significant achievements to date, in the form of its ISM rheological probe system,

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Palm

formerly, and cementless concrete in the near future.

International Development Marketing Director, Robin Jones explained: “Our ISM probe system is essentially a workability test, similar to replacing a dipstick with a petrol gauge in a car. It has the ability to measure rheological properties, slump, temperature and volume of concrete inside the drum of the ready mix truck as a QAQC live automatic monitoring system.

“It’s an industry first and is already going down a storm around the world, via our consultancy guys, in countries like Germany, Singapore and Japan.”

Innovations such as the ISM probe are a testament to the company’s R&D efforts which have also been responsible for bringing about the

2022 The stadiums for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar will be built with the company’s products

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UNIBETON READY MIX

CONSTRUCTION

ability to produce 75 MPa cementless concrete.

Once this ground-breaking innovation etches its way into the consciousness of the construction community, Jones is confident that it will not only enforce Unibeton’s position at the top of the industry, but will also signify a pivotal progression on a global industry level.

“We believe we will be the first company to get and to deliver and to make cementless concrete,” he said. “We can make it now at over 75MPa but the only problem is acceptance.

“It is new science so presentations and education is required, but it will come sooner or later. R&D is rife with this and all of our concrete is geared towards being environmentally friendly.”

Award-winning sustainability Keeping ahead of the industry curve in the eco stakes has never been more vital than it is now, with new legislation coming in to ensure that buildings are reaching sustainability and carbon rating targets.

All of which will play into Unibeton’s hands however, building upon a market differentiator that it already has in abundance and has even won awards for, including from the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association (NRMCA).

“We are the only company in the world to have been awarded the NRMCA gold award for the sustainability of a specific concrete plant like we did for our plant in Qatar last year,” Jones explained. “No-one else has that and it’s gone

Key Personnel

Robin Jones International Development Marketing Director Robin has extensive strategic experience in international business development and is experienced in taking the lead for major international clients.

In this position he predominantly acts as the Unibeton team leader in new market development and is representative for all aspects of initial new ventures. This involves major research into potential international locations and sustainable markets.

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Sheikh Zayedbridge

“One of the proactive things we did is analyse the market itself in the UAE... looking into places like Saudi Arabia and Qatar” – Jean-Francois Dufour

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down well wherever we mention it. It’s a huge coup for us and gives us mega brownie points in sustainability.”

Operating primarily in areas of complex infrastructure and high-rise buildings, Unibeton Readymix prides itself not only on these new sustainable products, but also through implementing them on scales previously untried.

“We’re talking about over 400 metres in height in terms of high-rise pumping, where we’ve pumped in 80MPa concrete in single stage.

They’re the type of high caliber, challenging jobs that we’re taking,” explained UAE General Manager, Jean-Francois Dufour.

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“Our past track record and international standing gives us the advantage both in the UAE and internationally.” www.unibetonrm.com contactus@unibetonrm.com

Global flexibility Reaching the peak of business in 2008 and 2009, the years immediately following presented much more of a challenge as a result of a general industry slowdown, but this brought out the best in Unibeton’s proactive, flexible philosophy as it was forced to find profit elsewhere.

“One of the proactive things we did is analyse the market itself in the UAE and took the opportunity to start expanding elsewhere, looking Abu Dhabi Plot 20, street 12 Sector 39, Mussafah PO Box 110353, Abu Dhabi, UAE Tel : +971 2 551 15 00 Fax : +971 2 551 19 29 Dubai Jebel Ali Industrial Area 3, PO Box 38197, Dubai, UAE Tel : +971 4 880 26 00 Fax : +971 4 880 22 99 Al Ain Plot 6, Street 9 Al Khrair, Mezyad PO Box 15915, Al Ain, UAE Tel : +971 3 782 54 74 Fax : +971 3 782 56 30

Kingdom of Saudi Arabia King Fahad Road AL JUMAIAH Center, Riyadh, KSA P. O. Box 60499 Postal Code 11454 Tel : +966 1 456 50 08 Mob : +966 50 443 90 34 Fax : +966 1 210 25 23

email: contactus@unibetonrm.com

www.unibetonrm.com

Unibeton truck at the batch plant

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The batch plant

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into places like Saudi Arabia and Qatar,” Dufour said. “We are very good at assessing the market and we go where the economy is better, and now, anywhere that there is a need for business and we can be profitable and sustainable, we can take the opportunity to go there.”

“We, as a business, decided that we will go anywhere in the world,” Jones continued. “We’ve had excellent relationships and alliances with globally renowned companies, so when they came into Dubai, we were able to leverage these excellent relationships to get more business.”

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Unibeton’s menu of services allows the company to not only offer the concrete, but to essentially take over the complete supply for a client, and as long as the margins, profitability and volumes are beneficial, this service can be carried out anywhere around the world as a result of the business’s flexibility.

Combined with this is the company’s comprehensive portfolio of completed projects and projects in the pipeline, including the New Doha Port on behalf of China Harbour Engineering Construction in Qatar, The King Abdullah Financial City in Riyadh for Saudi Binladin Group and future involvement with the 2022 World Cup, showcasing its carbon free concrete to help meet sustainability objectives.

Business structure To align itself with the continuous improvement occurring within the organisation, the business structure that Unibeton adopts becomes increasingly prevalent.

A full management team set up in each operating country allows for complete autonomy in each case, scaling up to a central team which dictates the overriding strategy; incorporating governance over such issues as technology, environmental decisions and the supply chain, as Dufour explained: “The supply chain is also run centrally in terms of procuring high quality raw materials in each country of operation, allowing us to deliver high-end quality concrete and be

Key Personnel

Jean-Francois Dufour UAE General Manager Jean is a graduate civil engineer with a master’s degree in civil engineering from Laval University, Canada and has been practicing as a Civil Engineer in the field of concrete since 1995.

His leadership skills and knowledge of concrete are reflected in past management successes. Jean’s business and technical attributes and his broad contact network have allowed him to create and further develop new business opportunities for the company.

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Ferrari-World-Abu-Dhabi

competitive in our markets.

“Here in the UAE for example, we have the autonomy and the greatest quality of aggregates and cement around, and this is largely down to the relationships we have kept with the same suppliers over a number of years.”

This leverage of strong, mutually beneficial partnerships has played a vital role in Unibeton’s geographical growth, being able to develop immediate, strong supplier relationships in a country where it previously had no presence.

Cma Tower Ksa

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Industry leaders Looking forward, Unibeton has every reason to be optimistic about its prospects, starting from a market-leading position and with innovations

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in place to suggest it will remain there for the foreseeable future.

Expansion of operations in Qatar and Saudi Arabia, alongside the sustainable growth within Oman are clear strategic objectives, but consolidation in its current areas remains the primary goal: maintaining the company’s adaptability to expand where the market place is most profitable.

Ultimately, over the next five years, Unibeton aims to build upon its already unparalleled reputation in areas of innovations, environmental issues, sustainability, recycling and the holy grail of cementless concrete.

“These innovations will take Unibeton to the next level and the market will have to adapt to it, putting us in a really good position,” Dufour concluded. “As the most professional people in the industry, we hope in time that the performance criteria will increase to a point where only a handful of companies will be able to meet it, and Unibeton will be one of them.

“Here in the UAE, for instance, we produced 110MPa concrete for structural elements of a high-rise tower in Dubai Marina, meeting Dubai’s new seismic design criteria to withstand earthquake tremors up to 5.9 on the Richter scale.

“This is something that we hope to see more and more of in the future, which will raise the bar for concrete suppliers to meet new structural design challenges, and Unibeton will always be part of that.”

Company Information INDUSTRY

Construction HEADQUARTERS

Abu Dhabi, UAE FOUNDED

1988 EMPLOYEES

2,500 REVENUE

$500 million PRODUCTS/ SERVICES

Readymix solutions

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Emirates Gre Council is at th in driving a cultu environment su

Written by: EmiratesGBC Produced by: Ric

een Building he forefront ure of built ustainability

chard Durrant

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EMIRATES GREEN BUILDING COUNCIL

“The strong participation of regional green innovators and the strong impact of their ideas is a true testament of the tremendous strides that EmiratesGBC has made in a short span of eight years” – Saeed Al Abbar, Chairman

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E

stablished in 2006 as an independent forum aimed at conserving the environment by strengthening and promoting green building practices, Emirates Green Building Council (EmiratesGBC) has today evolved as the voice of the green building movement in the UAE. It has rallied together stakeholders across the building industry supply chain for a cause that also reflects the government vision.

“The various activities undertaken by EmiratesGBC complement the ‘green economy for sustainable development’ vision announced

by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai,” said Chairman, Saeed Al Abbar. “We are at the forefront in fostering dialogue and tangible action to promote sustainable built environments.”

The success of EmiratesGBC’s activities was evident at the recent Emirates Green Building Council Awards (EGBC 2014), held in June.

Presenting a unique perspective of the advances made by the country in promoting sustainable building practices, the event underlined the increasing focus on localised innovation, whereby green building materials and products are increasingly being introduced and developed within the country.

“The strong participation of regional green innovators and the strong impact of their ideas is a true testament of the tremendous strides that EmiratesGBC has made in a short span of eight

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years,” explained Mr Al Abbar.

Today, with nearly 200 corporate and individual members from the building industry, EmiratesGBC’s mandate is clear: create awareness, promote dialogue and initiate action in built environment sustainability, given the fact that the construction sector and buildings contribute significantly to greenhouse gas emissions and climate change.

The Focus Days, training sessions, workshops and networking events organised thus promote awareness on green building standards through a multidisciplinary approach that covers the use of building materials, the importance of green building regulations and energy management measures.

“We are at the forefront in fostering dialogue and tangible action to promote sustainable built environments” – Saeed Al Abbar

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EMIRATES GREEN BUILDING COUNCIL (EMIRATESGBC)

Itaque consed quam a sp ero et modite volu 2014 Green Abor eptiaBuilding del mostof the Year Award Winners â&#x20AC;&#x201C; The Change Initiative (Dubai)

EGBC team photo from Annual Awards 2014

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Meanwhile, the UAE was also making significant strides in its commitment to promoting sustainable development, with Abu Dhabi and Dubai Municipal authorities outlining their guidelines for green buildings, and the UAE achieving tremendous thought leadership globally with the establishment of Masdar City, and by housing the headquarters of the International Renewable Energy Agency.

All this has further energised EmiratesGBC’s role as “an advisor, a facilitator and a subject thought-leader”.

Setting an example, EmiratesGBC also moved to a new ‘green’ corporate office, and launched the EGBC Awards to honour outstanding work in the area of built environment sustainability.

Another significant initiative by EmiratesGBC is its focus on promoting the retrofitting of existing buildings, an area that can make a significant impact on sustainable development.

The Council continues to focus on partnering with governmental and non-governmental authorities as well as academic institutions to influence the implementation of sustainable built environments across the whole supply chain.

The Council also serves as the link between the international green building movement and the local industry.

It also facilitates a variety of formal education opportunities as well as being at the vanguard in promoting green building financing by encouraging the different stakeholders to support

Key Personnel

Saeed Al Abbar Chairman of EBGC As well as his professional role as Director of AESG, Saeed is currently the Chairman of the Emirates Green Building Council and is the Vice Chairman of the World Green Building Council MENA Network. In this role, Saeed actively works in promoting the advancement of sustainable building in the UAE and MENA region by working with industry, academia and government departments to develop collaborative solutions to some of the regions greatest challenges.

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EMIRATES GREEN BUILDING COUNCIL

2014 EGBC Awards winners

“We have been able to bring together different stakeholders across the supply chain, inspiring them to take tangible action to promote green building practices” – Saeed Al Abbar

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sustainable projects.

“We have been able to bring together different stakeholders across the supply chain, inspiring them to take tangible action to promote green building practices,” said Mr Al Abbar. “We serve as a platform for dialogue across the region by promoting the World GBC Middle East & North Africa Network – a co-operation between the regional GBCs.” The positive impact of the Council’s activities are clearly felt today as building industry stakeholders are more open to implementing green building practices – not as an afterthought – but right from planning and design stage. Steps are being taken to incorporate ‘green design’

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Association Information A S S O C I AT I O N TYPE

Independent forum L O C AT I O N

Dubai FOUNDED

2006 KE Y P E OP LE :

Saeed Al Abbar, Chairman

principles right from site selection and planning to design, development, the materials used and operational stage.

“One of the key challenges before us in the initial days was to strengthen awareness among building owners and developers on the long-term value of sustainable projects,” concluded Mr Al Abbar. “It has taken time but I believe that through the work of the EmiratesGBC, the majority of the industry now sees the significant value in building green.

“We can now confidently say that the UAE is leading by example in the field of sustainable buildings.”

NO. OF M E M BE RS

200

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Al Yousuf GreenTech

Sets the Standard for Regional Energy Transition The Middle Eastern-based Al Yousuf Group has been a key player across numerous industry sectors for more than 60 years and is now leveraging that expertise to align with new eco regulations Written by: Matthew Staff Produced by: Richard Durrant

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AL YOUSUF GREENTECH

“We test every single product we receive from our partners ourselves before launching to the market” – Mohamed Al Rashed, General Manager, Al Yousuf GreenTech

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A

l Yousuf GreenTech (AGT) is optimising its motto, ‘Energy Saving Without Compromise’ to become a pivotal cog in the overall transition towards heightened efficiencies in the Middle East.

With numerous regulations already in place or on the horizon, the need for all manufacturers and suppliers to adapt their offering is well documented, but this has set the scene for a battle to produce the most refined and forward-thinking offering to that end; a battle which the Al Yousuf Group subsidiary is more than rising to.

General Manager, Mohamed Rashed Al Rashed said: “There’s a huge transition happening within the UAE with regards to the change of lighting within all facilities, streets, governmental departments and the private sector, to become more

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efficient by using less energy. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The President of Al Yousuf Group, Eqbal Al Yousuf had the foresight to see the change coming and created a vision for the GreenTech division which he formed six years ago in anticipation of the regulations.â&#x20AC;?

The global recession at the time of inception meant that initial movements were slow, but with the market now ready to embrace the concepts on offer from AGT, the company has spent the past year aggressively expanding its influence in line with the introduced regulations.

Setting the standards AGT now consists of a tech department which covers aspects such as installation, technical evaluation, aftersales and estimation, a sales department spread across two offices in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, and a newly formed lighting

Abu Dhabi September 26th, 2012.

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Energy efficient LED lighting

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design department to ensure the internal expertise within the group is not going to waste.

“The Emirates Standardisation and Metrology Authority (ESMA) have started placing standards and regulations for everything,” Al Rashed explained. “Air conditioners, for example, are now rated on a five-star system depending on how efficient they are, and the same applies for lighting from July with a switch towards LED lighting and energy saving lamps.

“This is where we are most focusing at AGT and we plan to include other appliances under the regulations too, but only with a five-star rating.”

AGT’s advantage in the sector largely stems from the world-renowned businesses it has partnered with over the years, many of which have encountered similar regulation changes in Europe already.

“The work involved does not just come down to us but also requires us going back to the partners and manufacturers as well,” Al Rashed added.

Meeting global demands The current set of services being offered by AGT all revolve around the common, global target of energy saving and sustainability, so the push into the green market has been focused into three key areas; lighting, climate control and solar applications.

Solar lamppost

“The current set of services being offered by AGT all revolve around the common, global target of energy saving and sustainability” – Mohamed Al Rashed

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AGT test every single product before launching to the market

LED comprises the major part of the company’s lighting developments, driving the adoption of reduced prices and improved quality of the light emitting diode.

Revenue from LED lamp sales are projected to rise to $8.7 billion by 2021, contributing to the 50-70 percent energy savings that come from using the more modern lighting technology.

“In the coming years, LED prices are expected to fall to a point where savings from electricity consumption will provide a short payback period that will encourage consumer adoption en masse, according to a recent report by Navigant Research,”

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Al Rashed explained. “This shift will be most dramatic in the share of lamps sold for retrofit projects, where older lighting is often replaced specifically to improve efficiency.

“Although Navigant Research forecasts that only five percent of lamps sold to retrofit projects worldwide in 2013 will be LEDbased, that share is expected to grow to 40 percent by 2017 and 63 percent by 2021.”

Technological Innovation Lighting is currently responsible for 19 percent of global electricity use and around six percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, making AGT’s commitment to the global trend all the more vital in the Middle East. However, in everything AGT does, the testing prior to market release is stringent and specific to the necessary environment in regional conditions.

“We test every single product we receive from our partners ourselves before launching to the market.” Al Rashed said. “Our testing facility is in our own corporate offices where we carry out live, actual scenarios.

“In the future we may introduce a laboratory or specific testing facility, but I think the method we are using right now is a more realistic approach and is working very well for us.”

Technological innovation is another area where AGT is especially thriving at present, epitomised by its work in harnessing solar power.

Boulevard Tower, Lighting Control project

“LED is also evolving towards OLED which will be an entirely new experience to what people are used to at the moment, so we need to make sure we are setting the standards in this evolution” – Mohamed Al Rashed

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AL YOUSUF GREENTECH

Organic light-emitting diode (OLED)

Al Rashed added: “There is a lot of evolution going on across the board and solar power is now really reliable and being utilised in a proper way.

“LED is also evolving towards OLED which will be an entirely new experience to what people are used to at the moment, so we need to make sure we are setting the standards in this evolution.”

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Market leader AGT not only sells its aforementioned energy

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saving products & solutions, but provides an entire service from design through to technical support, installation, aftersales and return on investment calculations.

To make sure that its offering reaches as many clients as possible though, the company has also established a green loan scheme to enable businesses to afford the transition immediately, via a customised loan.

“There is no excuse now for anyone not to opt for going green and to start energy saving. However, to help raise awareness even more, we have been participating in a lot of exhibitions and have recently designed a green stand which will be situated in malls across Dubai to educate and make people aware of the benefits that products like LED lighting can have on their businesses, compared to conventional lighting,” Rashed explained.

Integral partnerships such as the one shared with Verbatim, alongside a hugely beneficial relationship with German company, Theben AG regarding light & climate controls and automation will ensure AGT has state-ofthe-art products to exhibit to the masses over the coming months as the regulations continue to take hold, giving the company every reason to be positive about the future.

“If we look three years from now, our goal is not only to be successful in the market here in the UAE but to be a leader in energy saving solutions across the Middle East region.”

Company Information INDUSTRY

Energy usage HEADQUARTERS

Dubai, UAE FOUNDED

2008 (Al Yousuf Group – 1952) EMPLOYEES

16 (Al Yousuf Group – 3000) REVENUE

Not disclosed PRODUCTS/ SERVICES

Energy saving lighting

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Soprema UK reinforces its reputation with high-profile projects The company has established itself as an industry-leader in the UK on the strength of a diverse, high performance range of roofing and waterproofing products, expert workforce and commitment to quality Written by: Joel Levy and Produced by: Richard Durrant

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I

Victoria Station Shaft Pal 2

nternational waterproofing specialist Soprema is winning large-scale work in the UK on the strength of a diverse range of products, knowledgeable workforce and commitment to quality.

Having been specified on many high profile, extensive roofing and waterproofing projects such as IKEA, Sainsbury’s, and tunnel waterproofing for the Channel Tunnel rail link, Dublin Port Tunnel and Ramsgate Tunnel, the company has an impressive back-catalogue to complement its major ongoing projects including Crossrail and the London Underground station upgrades.

Soprema UK not only offers bituminous, cold applied liquid, synthetic and hot melt waterproofing systems to the roofing industry but also manufactures high performance waterproofing solutions for civil engineering projects, drinking water storage, swimming pools and surfacing applications.

The Soprema Group operates in 90 countries, has seven Research and Development

‘Soprema is winning large-scale work in the UK on the strength of a diverse range of products, knowledgeable workforce and commitment to quality’ 164

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S U P P LY C H A I N

centres focused on sustainable development and 18 training centres, ensuring it is at the forefront of industry innovation.

It employs 5,200 people, has 34 manufacturing plants, 60 operating subsidiaries, including Italian single-ply manufacturer FLAG SpA, and some 4,500 distributors.

The Group was founded in 1908 by Charles Geisen, inventor of the Mammoth Membrane which paved the way for modern waterproofing membranes, and remains a family affair, with his grandson Pierre Etienne

Soprema Research and Innovation Centre Strasbourg

The “Cut & Cover” portals at the Hindhead Tunnel w w w. s o p r e m a . c o . u k

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Palatinol® 10-P Add long life to your products

Palatinol® 10-P – The perfect match to ensure extraordinary durability for your products. The versatile plasticizer with anti-aging properties has two core benefits: excellent weathering and low fogging properties are complemented by an outstanding processing performance. BASF recommends Palatinol® 10-P for all outdoor applications, automotive interior and cable formulations, where low volatility, high UV stability and low odor are required.

More information: www.plasticizers.basf.com

SOPREMA UK

S U P P LY C H A I N

Bindschedler currently Group Chairman.

Soprema has since established itself as a world-leader in the development and manufacture of waterproofing membranes, and maintains strong relationships with all project stakeholders including, architects, main contractors and specialist waterproofing contractors. Soprema owes its worldwide success to proactive research and development, its unique approach to waterproofing solutions and commitment to inventiveness.

“We continue to promote new and bold ideas, for the varied and ever changing demands of the construction industry, enabling us to offer roofing and waterproofing solutions for all construction projects, no matter the size or complexity,” said the company.

SUPPLIER PROFILE

Production line

BASF SE

BASF is the world’s leading chemical company: The Chemical Company. Its portfolio ranges from chemicals, plastics, performance products and crop protection products to oil and gas. We combine economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility. Through science and innovation, we enable our customers in nearly every industry to meet the current and future needs of society. Our products and solutions contribute to conserving resources, ensuring nutrition and improving quality of life. We have summed up this contribution in our corporate purpose: We create chemistry for a sustainable future. BASF had sales of about €74 billion in 2013 and over 112,000 employees as of the end of the year. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchanges in Frankfurt (BAS), London (BFA) and Zurich (AN). Further information on BASF is available on the Internet at www.basf.com.

Website: www.plasticizers.basf.com

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‘We continue to promote new and bold ideas, for the varied and ever changing demands of the construction industry, enabling us to offer roofing and waterproofing solutions for all construction projects, no matter the size or complexity’ Soprema is a

Sustainability Soprema’s R&D policy, which strongly promotes sustainable development, is focused on limiting its environmental impact, with the use of renewable resources in its production processes and in its factories, while fully integrating health and safety into its innovation policy. Soprema has always considered the safety of people, installations and buildings the highest priority and therefore continues to develop new sustainable waterproofing systems to meet the demands of today’s market.

In 1997 the company was awarded ISO 14001 certification, a sign of its commitment to continual improvement in terms of environmental management.

Where possible, Soprema uses sustainable natural resources or recycled materials.

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Roofing This combined expertise and responsible approach has gained the company many key roofing and waterproofing projects. Soprema is

a key part of the IKEA supply chain, where it has waterproofed nine UK stores for the Swedish retailer, both new and refurbishment projects.

Other retail projects include the 16,000 sqm Sainsburyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s distribution centre in Charlton, an ongoing Palace Foods distribution warehouse in Dublin and the IBM headquarters refurbishment in Greenford, both 14,000 sqm.

Soprema is a key part of the IKEA supply chain

A commitment to solidarity Soprema is continually securing a growing number of high-profile public and private sector supply chain agreements across the UK. This is w w w. s o p r e m a . c o . u k

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Specialist Geotextile Solution Providers

Cha Technologies Group, a global manufacturer of technical textiles whose European operation, Cosmotec are engaged in the production of specialist geotextiles related to Civil Engineering Works and Construction related applications www.nonwovengeotextiles.co.uk Email: Peter.Matthias@ctgplc.com Tel: +44 (0)161 242 7987

SOPREMA UK

S U P P LY C H A I N

achieved through its commitment to providing high quality, excellent value and durable roofing, waterproofing and surfacing products for long-lasting constructions. Soprema strives to offer excellent service and technical support to continue development of the business.

Tunnelling Using the synthetic products manufactured in FLAG SpA (Soprema Group’s Italian Headquarters and manufacturing plant near Milan) the company also has an impressive record in tunnel waterproofing in the UK. In the recent years it provided waterproofing systems to the cut and cover portals at the Hindhead

Shaft Pal 2 wall

‘Soprema strives to offer excellent service and technical support to continue development of the business’

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Soprema technicians working on site at the Stepney Green Caverns

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tunnel in Surrey and the shotcrete lining sections of the new Tyne tunnel near Newcastle.

Soprema UK is also active in many current tunnelling projects in London in light of the substantial infrastructure investments, including Europeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largest infrastructure project Crossrail and various Underground station upgrades. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We have supplied waterproofing for the stepfree access at Green Park station and are working on Crossrail Projects: C300 Fisher Street shaft, C305 Stepney Green Caverns, C310 Thames Tunnel Cross Passages, C360 Mile End shaft and C510 Whitechapel Station. We are also working towards C510 Liverpool Street station

S U P P LY C H A I N

and C435 Farringdon station,” the company said.

Unique Expertise In order to meet the specific requirements of civil engineering projects, Soprema has created the Civilrock range, which offers products designed to support the demands of projects such as tunnels, bridges, car parks, underground and basements structures, basins, dams, lakes ponds and tanks.

Civilrock covers all of the activities connected to these structures, which were previously covered by the group’s different brands: SOPREMA, FLAG and ALSAN. This has given Soprema the chance to offer a more complete range which better matches the requirements of clients, project managers and contractors.

Experience and reliability The company’s obvious success has been built on both the knowledge and experience of its staff and the resultant faith and confidence its customers have in the reliability of its products. It is a positive reputation many years in the making.

Soprema achieves its ambitions in accordance with the historical values that have enabled the company to gain the confidence of its customers from the start.

These ethical values are recognised and supported by all employees, creating a positive and committed company culture.

Company Information INDUSTRY

Waterproofing HEADQUARTERS

Essex, UK FOUNDED

1908 (Group) EMPLOYEES

26 (UK) PRODUCTS/ SERVICES

The development and manufacture of waterproofing membranes

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Builds On its Core Strengths to ensure it Delivers to all Stakeholders Written by: Sheree Hanna Produced by: Glen White

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CEMEX celebrates ‘helping to build a greater Britain’

One of the biggest building material suppliers in the UK has a clear strategy for its future growth and sustainable development which is simply to be the BEST

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uilding materials’ company CEMEX has a vision to become the best for all of its stakeholders and has a strategy in place aimed at delivering just that.

In the UK CEMEX supplies concrete, cement and aggregates, as well as asphalt, building products and mortar. Its Paving Solutions business specialises in constructing roads using both asphalt and cementitious materials.

The business generates £775 million in annual sales, employs a total of 3,000 people in the UK and is part of the global group CEMEX which is headquartered in Mexico. CEMEX gained its foothold in the UK when it acquired RMC in 2005.

Lex Russell is Vice-President of Aggregates

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and Asphalt in the UK responsible for 1,040 employees serving in the region of 2,000 customers and currently producing some 20 million tonnes of aggregates and 2 million tones of asphalt a year.

The recent economic crisis and continuing tough economic climate has had an impact on the UK business with the decline in the construction industry meaning less demand for CEMEX products. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Times have been very hard for us. In 2007 we were selling 26 million tonnes of aggregates, but that dropped by around 30 percent; but now we are starting to climb back up with current sales of 20 million tonnes,â&#x20AC;? explained Russell.

Lex Russell is VicePresident of Aggregates and Asphalt in the UK

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30% Amount estimated it is currently undervaluing its products

A question of costs CEMEX is also striving to reduce operating costs in order to improve its returns. In a bid to counteract the economic conditions CEMEX has placed a strong focus on continuous improvement and its quest of becoming the most efficient aggregates operator in the industry, but estimates it is currently undervaluing its products by 30 percent in the market.

Russell said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;The last couple of years we have been concentrating on reducing our costs, but it is getting to the point where we need to increase our selling price in order to recover our costs and be able to invest in the future. We are committed to giving our customers the best quality products with the best customer service. We strive to create value for our customers. But this can

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FINNING SECURE HISTORIC INTEGRATED CONTRACT WITH CEMEX

F

inning the UK and Ireland Caterpillar® dealer has combined with CEMEX to form the UK’s first integrated equipment management contract at its Dove Holes limestone quarry in Buxton. The eight year,

£11m agreement sees Finning and CEMEX working together with Caterpillar and Cat Finance to deliver a whole site solution, incorporating the latest equipment, technology and quarry management expertise.

This new approach is designed to deliver long-term, shareholder value from the biggest CEMEX quarry site in the UK. CEMEX VP, Lex Russell believes the model is a first- not just for CEMEX but the industry as a whole, stating: “It breaks a traditional mould and allows us to move the business forward with a clear competitive edge.

“By undertaking a true partnership with Finning and Cat Finance; two businesses that we have worked with for many years, we were able to realise existing asset value, whilst developing a highly productive mobile fleet Proven Analytical Solution The Finning Managed Solutions team carried out 18 months worth of extensive analysis of the Dove Holes operation. By combining the latest Caterpillar technology with the on-the-ground experience of the CEMEX site team, Finning were able to develop a managed solution that would deliver key improvements to the site.

These included £1.4m of fuel savings, a 15% increase in production and a

10% reduction in machine operating hours, in addition to practical changes to the layout of the site. A key part of the delivery of these improvements is the ongoing performance management and optimisation of new and used equipment onsite, which will see the overall fleet reduced in size by 6%.

Additional Fleet Support In addition to the main deal, Finning also provided four Cat 775D’s from its own

fms@finning.co.uk

fleet, which were on site six months before the seven new Cat 775G’s arrived. Mick Knight, Business Development Manager for Finning Managed Solutions: “It was important throughout the whole process that CEMEX were able to maintain productivity levels and that the site was fully supported. With the new fleet recently delivered to site, the work really starts now, as we will be providing a fully managed solution for all of the equipment onsite.”

Using the latest communications technology, fitted to new and existing equipment, the whole fleet will be monitored by Finsight engineers. This team will liaise with onsite engineers to manage the preventative maintenance and repair programme of all Cat and competitor machinery, ensuring contractual uptime targets and efficiency gains are achieved.

www.finning.co.uk/fms

In addition to equipment health, the Finsight team provides CEMEX with daily reports on productivity levels and machine performance, including cycle times, payloads, fuel usage and operator performance. This will ensure the CEMEX team onsite will be running one of the UK’s most fuel efficient and productive quarry operations.

No Stone Unturned Neil Farmer, Aggregates Director added: “With this project we wanted to really push the boundaries of site efficiency and performance, with a fresh set of eyes analysing the overall operation and not just the equipment. We have left no stone unturned in this process and by committing to a long-term contract with Finning, we are able to challenge them to enhance performance throughout the contract period.

Energy & Cost Saving Solutions

H

ayley Group Plc are a key supplier to the Cemex Group, looking after their MRO, Inventory Management and energy cost saving solutions.

One of the biggest challenges facing businesses today is remaining competitive when energy and other costs are rising. Investment in Drivetrain related improvements offer one of the most effective solutions to this problem with fast returns. Hayley offer the complete Drivetrain with products being offered separately or as a complete integrated turnkey solution bespoke for its customer’s applications.

Gearboxes & Electric Motors

Hayley are unique in stocking the Siemens FZG industrial gearbox range in various sizes, which can be built on a 2-day lead-time. These products are stocked at its 25,000 sq. ft. engineering facility, which also offers the refurbishment and repair of any type and size of industrial gearboxes. Completing the Drivetrain Hayley can provide advice and support on a range of Variable Speed Drive applications including energy savings and optimising process control.

We also stock both IE2 and IE3 Electric Motors up to 315kw with off the shelf availability, as well as Geared Motors up to 37kw input power, again, available to be built to meet customer requirements on very short lead times.

Pumps & Dewatering

One of the issues in all quarries is keeping them dry. Pumps are therefore a major part of this process. There are several methods being used, most of which are very expensive and inefficient to run.

Hayley Group has brought new pump technology into the industry to drastically reduce cost and save energy.

This has also enabled Cemex to adopt a Best Practice for pump replacement through its RMC sites. The objective was to provide a standardisation, more efficient alternative to the pumps being used. Hayley also stock the pumps so they can offer either a same day or next day replacement service anywhere in the UK.

Smartvend®

Another concern that faces many customers is the amount of inventory carried in order to lessen downtime as well as 24/7 access to health and safety products for their workforce. Hayley Group Plc have identified a solution that can reduce the inventory, transaction costs, downtime costs and the supply of health and safety products.

This solution is the introduction of Smartvend®, a simple, affordable, industrial vending machine programme that provides a lean, controlled flow of products to the point of use. This technology enables customers to monitor and track usage of product, allowing a reduction in inventory and the ability to manage assets and access health and safety products 24/7.

The machines are Internet appliances and do not need expensive and complicated software installed, this means they are easy to install and maintain, both done by trained Hayley staff. Customers who have taken onboard the Smartvend® solution have enjoyed benefits such as reduced consumption by 25% or more, immediate product availability, asset control and automated ordering.

This has added to the success of Hayley Group Plc in increasing its offer to Cemex and the marketplace through inventory management solutions.

For more information please contact your local Hayley branch

0121 504 4292

marketing@hayley-group.co.uk

www.hayley-group.co.uk

CEMEX

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only be achieved by investment in reserves and modern production plant and equipment for the future.”

To this end, the award-winning company has launched initiatives aimed at improving standards in just about everything it does. It has five major stakeholder groups where the company is primarily focused, namely: families, customers, employees, communities and shareholders.

Best for families Families, referring to CEMEX’s workforce, is a particular area of pride for the company. “Being the best for families is about health and safety and the wellbeing of our people and ensuring everyone goes home safely each night,” Russell said. “Work related incidents are without a doubt

SUPPLIER PROFILE

“The award recognised our strong performance in health and safety including the initiatives we have launched and the culture we have established in the business” – Lex Russell, Vice-President of Aggregates and Asphalt in the UK

HAYLEY GROUP PLC

Industry: MRO Solutions Provider Services: Provider of engineering and maintenance products.

Total inventory management and energy efficiency solutions, offering best practice.

Management: Lee Willitts and Bernie Noakes Website: www.hayley-group.co.uk

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If it can go by rail we will find the way.

For more information please contact: Tel | 01302 575338 Email | sales.rail.uk@dbschenker.com

www.rail.dbschenker.co.uk

CEMEX

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preventable; our aim is to achieve zero lost time to injuries and we are confident that this can be achieved.”

Probably the highlight of last year was winning the MPA Health & Safety Award, the John Crabbe Memorial trophy for outstanding excellence in health and safety.

“It was a very proud moment for me when our Country President, Jesus Gonzalez, went forward to accept this trophy on behalf of CEMEX UK,” said Russell.

“We have won many awards in the past, but I think this award recognised the progress that we have made and our strong performance in health and safety including the initiatives we have launched and the culture we have established in the business.”

SUPPLIER PROFILE

Current holders of the John Crabbe Memorial trophy, the industry’s most prestigious health and safety award

DB SCHENKER RAIL LTD

DB Schenker Rail (UK) Ltd is an established major provider of a range of rail services in Britain. We are backed with commitment to expand, enhance and grow our services.

For commitment and good quality, welcome to DB Schenker.

Website: www.rail.dbschenker.co.uk

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SOUTH EAST ARC WELDING COMPANY LIMITED

Providing mechanical engineering solutions for a diverse range of clients and industries.

We offer a partnership approach to all our customers, working in collaboration to gain an understanding of the needs of their business and providing the best possible service and workmanship to meet the exacting standards we aim to achieve for all our clients. www.southeastarc.com enquiries@southeastarc.co.uk +44 (0) 1474 355245

CEMEX

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Each year the company runs its own health and safety workshops which every employee is encouraged to attend, along with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), competitors, customers and contractors. The most recent campaign was the most comprehensive training programme undertaken so far, with a focus on educating employees to take responsibility not only for themselves but for colleagues, contractors and visitors and also not walking past and ignoring unsafe practices or potential hazards, but acting on them.

Russell said: “The programme consisted of 17 day-sessions and involved theatre-style presentations with actors imitating unsafe practices within the workplace, starting with a situation as the attendees walked in to the event.

SUPPLIER PROFILE

“The programme consisted of 17 day-sessions and involved theatrestyle presentations with actors imitating unsafe practices within the workplace, starting with a situation as the attendees walked in to the event” – Lex Russell

SOUTH EAST ARC WELDING

Our facilities include two fabricating workshops and one fitting & turning workshop. There is ample storage space in our yard which, together with our offices, covers a total of more than three-quaters-ofan-acre. Both fabricating workshops are fully equipped and operate independently. Each comprises: 10 Ton Overhead Crane • 3m Guillotine • 250 Ton Brake Press • Set of Rolls • Asquith 4’-6” Radial Drill • Band Saw • Welding and Cutting equipment • Air Cooled Plasma Cutting Machine • (capable of cutting stainless steel, aluminium, and hardfaced materials of up to 25mm thick).

Website: www.southeastarc.com

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CEMEX

Exchanging Places held with London

It provided a great starting point and made for really strong interactive sessions.”

Metropolitan police to educate cyclists about the dangers around large vehicles

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Comprehensive network CEMEX operates a comprehensive national supply network to ensure that quality materials and services are available to customers locally, and maintains a significant logistics fleet of aggregate tippers, cement tankers and concrete mixers.

Safety on the roads is a big issue and one that is taken very seriously by the company, in particular making sure its drivers are aware of vulnerable road users such as cyclists.

Russell said: “We have been doing a lot of work to make our own vehicles safer by fitting additional safety features such as mirrors,

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Cyclist in the cab of a Cemex vehicle learning about what the driver can see

proximity sensors and cameras, as well as working alongside the police and cycling groups to educate cyclists about the potential dangers around large vehicles.”

Best for customers The aggregates business supplies all the major construction companies and many smaller businesses throughout the UK, and Russell is keen to point out that after health and safety it is the firm’s number one priority.

He said: “Customer service has gone through a transformation as it is something we are all very passionate about improving. The customer service promise issued to all our customers underpins our aims. Firstly it says that ‘if we can’t deal with your enquiry immediately, then we will

Cemex UK leads the sector in cyclist safety

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CEMEX

24 The customer service team responds to any enquiry within 24 hours

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get back to you within 24 hours latest.’ This is not just about responsiveness, it’s about the manner in which we respond and understanding our customers’ requirements.

“One hundred percent of our products meet or exceed relevant quality standards: we continually invest in developing our services and solutions to deliver optimum performance. If our quality checks highlight any deviations we will contact our customers in advance.

“We always aim to deliver within the agreed timeframe – and if there is a problem we will call you. We realise how important on-time deliveries are to our customers, we set ourselves high targets but when issues occur then timely communication is key.

“One hundred percent of issues or complaints will be dealt with within 24 hours. Of course, nobody wants problems but when they occur we try to resolve them swiftly, accurately and comprehensively.”

The company measures its customer service performance weekly and it is discussed at all levels in the business.

“If you can’t measure it you can’t manage it,” said Russell. “Every Monday the UK management team meet with our Country President to discuss how we have performed in the previous week and what we need to do to improve going forward.”

To ensure customer service is part of CEMEX DNA, there are some 200 advocates

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I NEVER MADE A SPLASH WITH THE SWIMMING TEAM… I always got the butterflies.

Fortunately I’m never out of my depth when it comes to dealing with your enquiries.

At CEMEX we understand that your needs are different, can change, and the unexpected can happen. It’s our job to be responsive and flexible, making sure that everything runs smoothly and that no one’s left floundering.

We’ll do everything we can, and at a stroke, to keep Britain building.

It’s what we do, day-in day-out.

It’s our passion.

Team CEMEX. First for customer service. www.cemex.co.uk

HELPING TO BUILD A GREATER BRITAIN

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Providing HV/LV Electrical Power Engineering Solutions nationwide, supplying to the Rail, Manufacturing, Utilities and Petrochemical industries.

ISS Ltd are a HV/LV Power Engineering company operating nationwide, undertaking Turnkey Electrical Distribution Projects and Site Service activities, including installation, commissioning, pre-commissioning, final commissioning, HV/LV switching, maintenance, repairs, refurbishment of HV/LV AC & DC Switchgear, Power transformers, SCADA systems, control panels, HV/LV cabling and associated ancillary equipment. We manufacture low and high voltage switchgear, protection cubicles, LV generator changeover panels, marshalling cabinets and bespoke protection and control equipment.

www.iss-services.co.uk Tel: 0161 344 1117

Industrial Switchgear Services Ltd

HDPE Ltiti Rtititixtitititititititititititititititititititititititi

Ltiti Rtititixtitititititititititititititititititititititititi Aptitititititi 5, Mtitigti titi Gtititijti 3061-905 Atiรงti Ctitimbtiti Ptititiugtiti tititi.ftiptitictititi.pti

tititititi Ftibtitis

tititititi Ftibtitis

CEMEX

CONSTRUCTION

taken from all different levels of the business who meet regularly to identify ways of making improvements, implementing them and ensuring they are passed on to every employee.

“Everyone in the company serves a ‘customer’; they may be internal colleagues but we should all offer the same standard of high customer service,” Russell explained.

Best for employees CEMEX employs a wide variety of skills including electrical and mechanical engineers, geologists, quarry managers, commercial sales specialists and drivers.

Many of those loyal workers have been with the company for years, but that in itself has posed something of a challenge for the company where the average age of an employee is now 48 years old, which is reflective of the industry as a whole.

‘CEMEX employs a wide variety of skills including electrical and mechanical engineers, geologists, quarry managers, commercial sales specialists and drivers’

Cemex is working with the RSPB to increase the biodiversity on its sites

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CEMEX

Cecil Roberts and Callum McPhilips 2014 Leaders in Development with Jesus Gonzalez, CEMEX UK Country President

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“It is great that we have that kind of loyalty and engagement however we do need to attract younger people into CEMEX as well as developing the talents of our younger colleagues,” said Russell.

The recently introduced Leaders in Development programme seeks out talent from within and puts candidates through a year’s training which enables them to experience all areas of the business, after which they are offered a position within the company.”

CEMEX had an impressive 18,000 training interventions last year, amounting to an average of six training sessions per employee. The

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Gravesend training

company aims to train and develop all staff, with Operational Managers and Supervisors taught the principles of continuous improvement.

Every commercial employee experiences the CEMEX Commercial Academy, fostering industry knowledge and a desire to always build on success.

“It is important that we have sales people who understand the true value of our products and can effectively communicate this to our customers.

All of our operators are trained to a level of competence and we are about to commence our weighbridge development program,” said Russell.

‘The Leaders in Development programme seeks out talent from within and puts candidates through a year’s training... to experience all areas of the business’

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Recording an Early Neolithic house. Cemex has spent ÂŁ10m on archaelogical digs at its Kingsmead Quarry resulting in finds of national significance

CEMEX

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Visitor Centre, Attenborough Nature Reserve

Being the best for communities With some 56 quarries located around the UK, CEMEX plays a leading role in working closely with the communities and environments that it operates in.

“We do a lot of excellent quarry restorations; when we have finished operating quarries the finished site is restored to a better environment than when we started,” said Russell.

The company has created many bio-diverse environments including a nature reserve in Nottinghamshire which has been endorsed by broadcaster and naturalist David Attenborough and won many awards.

CEMEX Rugeley Quarry was the first ever winner of the Natural England Biodiversity Award for its restoration and creation of 80 hectares of wildlife habitat at the site The Company’s ‘Lend a Hand’ Project also

David Attenborough, English broadcaster and naturalist

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Cemex UK’s largest quarry, Dove Holes in Derbyshire

£10m Amount spent on archaeology unearthing important historical artefacts at one of its quarries 198

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encourages employees to roll up their sleeves and get involved with their own communities in myriad charitable projects.

Senior management have also recently been involved in cleaning up in the community of Ferriby that was devasted by flood damage.

Prior to this they visited a children’s hospice and carried out building and maintenance work All these valuable experiences not only positively support the local communities, but provide a good team building experience for staff.

Best for shareholders Last, but by no means least of the stakeholders, is the shareholders, who Russell says deserve to reap the benefits of their patience. “The truth is that we do not give them an acceptable return on

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their investment,” he said.

“The UK aggregates industry is essential to the economy and our way of life. Our products are what builds roads, houses, schools and hospitals and are essential in the construction of generating facilities for energy and management of water. We need to have a sustainable aggregates industry to safeguard this valuable resource for future generations.”

CEMEX spends millions of pounds on all manner of things such as £10m on archaeology unearthing important historical artefacts and £150,000 on protecting a newt colony. Planning fees alone were £1.5million last year just to maintain their current reserves. The cost of restoration is frightening on an annual basis.

Russell explained CEMEX’s strategy to become more profitable: “We have analysed every one of our quarries in the UK and we know where our prices need to be to achieve our full cost recovery,” he said. “We have a price roadmap in place setting out where we need to be and how we will get there.

“The geology of the UK dictates that not all areas or quarries are the same, but generally we are under valuing our product by around 30 percent. I have been in this industry for nearly 30 years and I feel responsible, but I am fully committed in the coming years to supporting our customers, ensuring their competitiveness, and ultimately achieving prices which will allow us to sustain and grow our business.”

Company Information INDUSTRY

Construction HEADQUARTERS

United Kingdom FOUNDED

1906 EMPLOYEES

3,000 (UK) REVENUE

£775 million sales PRODUCTS/ SERVICES

Aggregates, Cement, Concrete, Mortar products, Asphalt, Landscaping products, Rail products, Masonry products, Admixtures

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Mobily

Moves to Take Pole Position in Mobile and ICT Market Written by: Sheree Hanna Produced by: Kiron Chavda

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One of the Middle East’s biggest success stories continues to unfold as this telecommunications giant transforms itself into an allencompassing technology solutions provider

Al Faisaliah Hotel in Riyadh was the prestigious venue for the launch of the MCPP

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s Mobily enters its tenth year of operating, Saudi Arabia’s second largest provider of mobile phone services has witnessed phenomenal growth which shows no sign of abating as it gears up to be a major player in ICT solutions and take over as market leader.

This year the company has earmarked SAR5 billion for infrastructure investment which includes upgrading high-speed networks, information security and data services.

This also features major ‘smart cities’ projects such as King Abdullah Economic City and Yanbu Industrial City, while taking advantage of the Saudi demographics, a population of 27 million and an average age of 22 that can’t get enough of its hi-tech services.

It has also become the first in the Middle East and Africa to launch its own Cloud Partnership Program as it moves to take advantage of the burgeoning opportunities to provide ICT solutions to businesses.

This award-winning company, which has a list of firsts almost as long as its fibre cable network, has thrived on innovation and putting its customers first by meeting their demands with the very best solutions it can muster.

It now serves in excess of 22 million subscribers and saw those figures increase fourfold over a six-year period between 2007 and 2013.

From the moment of its conception, the company based in Riyadh, which employs 3,600 people, has enjoyed year-on-year growth,

TECHNOLOGY

The company serves in excess of 22 million subscribers

boasts a SAR25.1billion ($6.7Bn) revenue for 2013 financial year and has stormed the market with an aggressive expansion policy.

On a mission Today, it holds 40 percent of the market share and according to Taher AlDabbagh, Executive General Manager for Alliances and Partnership Development, will continue to strive to fulfil its vision.

“We are expanding from our core telco

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SUPPLIER PROFILE

ALMAKTABAH

AlMaktaba is one of the pioneers in Saudi Market for office supplies, office automation, stationary, furniture, office design, and related office/school consumables.

The company is making a major foray into the ICT industry by offering both hardware/software products and solutions from major ICT players such as CISCO, HP, Lenovo and telecom providers such as Mobily.

(SME) of Saudi Arabia.

The major ICT hardware side AlMaktaba offer includes PC, laptops, printer and servers on the hardware side following a multi-vendor approach.

Office furniture – chairs, tables, executivesuites; workstations, receptions; etc.

On the ICT solutions, AlMaktaba has partnered with Mobily to drive both telecom services and IT solutions such as reselling the datacenter managed services, active partner and collaborator with Mobily for Cloud solutions especially for the medium and small business segment

On the software solutions side the company is in talks with companies like Kronos of USA for Workforce Management Systems and Empathy of Japan to provide seamless Point of Sale (POS) solutions.

We Offer A’amalee EZ access to all that is needed for:

Office Supplies – stationary, consumables and printing services CT Hardware – PC, Laptops, servers, printers, inks & toners ICT Solutions – Email App, Workforce Management System, Cloud solutions, Managed service

Website: www.almaktaba.com.sa

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Taher AlDabbagh

business into providing ICT solutions. Not every Telco does this, but we are doing so and we are doing it big time,” he said.

“We are focusing on cloud services and today we are a strong provider of both public and private cloud. This is a big area and one that is relatively new for Saudi Arabia.

“We have basically created the market around it by having the right alliances and vision to provide such services, which has required huge investments. We have taken a risk but now we are seeing it pay dividends as the market is adapting and learning.”

In June, Mobily launched a Cloud Partnership Program aimed at encouraging local entrepreneurs to develop and market their own business application in collaboration with Mobily.

The Mobily Cloud Partnership Program (MCPP)

“We are focusing on cloud services and today we are a strong provider of both public and private cloud.

This is a big area and one that is relatively new for Saudi Arabia” – Taher AlDabbagh, Executive General Manager for Alliances and Partnership Development

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BUSINESSINNOVATION Innovating the Business

INNOVATING THE BUSINESS Business Innovation is a limited liability corporation headquarters in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Our core services encompass Mobility and cloud offerings, Business and systems Integration Covering; ERP/ GRP, SIS, CRM, BI, Web Technologies, ECM, IT Strategy, Operations and Maintenance Services; all supported by best of breed resources with best international work standards experiences and ethics.

www.bi-ict.com

SUPPLIER PROFILE

BUSINESS INNOVATION BUSINESSINNOVATION Innovating the Business

Business Innovation is a limited liability corporation headquarters in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Our core services encompass Mobility and cloud offerings , Business and systems Integration Covering; ERP/GRP, SIS, CRM, BI, Web Technologies, ECM, IT Strategy, Operations and Maintenance Services; all supported by best of breed resources with best international work standards experiences and ethics, in addition to a solid Project Management Methodology called Business Innovation First Methodology (BIFM), that is amalgamation of best practices and our vast and long local and global experience in program and project management.

More importantly, our selective partners which are top tier service providers, allow us to have the perfect fit solutions for our clients. Through our resources, methodologies, partners and local knowledge and know how, we deliver state of the art solutions that meet our client’s business needs.

With genuinely local and global experience of our partners and our local leadership we believe that we can draw on best practice, the best talent and deliver the most cost effective service to our clients.

Our Values •

Innovation in all aspects

•

Discipline as way of life

•

Developing the society

•

Quality

Website: www.bi-ict.com

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M O B I LY will act as a framework for collaboration between Mobily and its partners offering a wide range of benefits, training, certification and rewards.

It will give partners the opportunity to provide trusted and certified cloud computing services and to be associated with the Mobily commercial brand thus strengthening their position in the Saudi Market.

The program is already attracting many leading solution providers and at the launch Mobily had already signed up 14 partners.

It is also a timely move by the company given that research by Gartner shows 60 percent of banks worldwide will process the majority of their transactions in the cloud by 2016 and by 2017, 40 percent of utilities with smart metering will use cloud-based big data.

To support the MCPP Program Mobily also launched the first Cloud and software as a service Market Place platform in the region to open up its portfolio of Cloud, Networking and Mobility Services.

It will allow its new ecosystem partners to develop and deliver their own customised applications and solutions with differentiated value to each customer segment.

Participating Partners will have access through this new platform to gain visibility into certain Mobily systems, processes and tools and innovate with Mobily to deliver customised,

60% Percentage of banks worldwide processing transactions using cloud by 2016

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Mobily and Cisco sign Joint Marketing and Sales Agreement

“Tier 4 is a very special to achieve and to be the first outside the USA to have IBM’s specific configuration is another major milestone for us” – Taher AlDabbagh

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finished solutions to business customers.

One such key partner is the Intel Corporation with whom it signed an agreement in February at the Mobile World Congress 2014 in Barcelona.

Mobily has become the first major cloud services provider in the Middle East and Turkey to be powered by Intel cloud technology.

The global processors manufacturer has listed the company on its official internet site as a certified, secure and highly qualified provider of cloud computing services and placed it within an elite group of major international companies providing this service.

TECHNOLOGY

Certified Data Centres Mobily is also working with other major international IT companies such as SAP, Oracle, IBM, Virtustream, Cisco and Microsoft and has spent hundreds of millions of riyal in building new data centres across Saudi Arabia to transform its ICT dream into a reality.

The data centres now number 38 covering 65,000 square metres with a total operating capacity of 162,500 kW. A further 18 are planned over the next three to five years.

One of the data centres, the Melgha 2 in Riyadh, has scored a first on two counts. It has been classified and obtained a fourth degree or Tier IV by the UPTIME institute, one of the top global institutions specialised in the evaluation of data

38 The current number of operational data centres

Mobily Data Centre

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SUPPLIER PROFILE

SBM SAUDI BUSINESS MACHINES We provide our customers with the efficient solution by levering our offering of public cloud, private cloud or a Hybrid cloud.

Our cloud services range include business-driven service level agreements that can cover both the IT and delivery to your end-user over our first class global network.

Since our inception, Saudi Business machines have strived to provide best of breed computing technology to Saudi Arabian commercial and public sector.

SBM has delivered positive returns on investments for our clients since 1947 and we are more focused than ever to provide the most customer centric, innovative and high quality services.

We continually seek to lower our customer’s operational costs while provident highest level of availability, reliability and security. Our cloud computing infrastructure coupled with virtualization, migration and support provides you with an unbeatable and unique quality of service kingdom.

SBM’s cloud offering free you from making complex IT decisions and staggering recurring cost structures and allow you to focus on your business success.

The key to any successful implementation is making an early start. We at SBM ensure our client’s involvement in strategy phase and assist our public and commercial customers in developing the smartest and most cost effective cloud strategies as well as building virtualization and automation solutions.

Through software, hardware and managed service solutions, we at SBM are dedicated to automate and bring to our customers’ businesses to a new dawn of 21st-century productivity through our vast offerings and range of cloud services.

Here at SBM our customers are the center of our business and their trust and confidence is our passion.

Our expertise is unrivaled and gives our customers the advantage of having over 1000 skilled and minds working collectively to solve all their technology needs. Our bespoke service offering provides you with the 24x7 peace of mind and lets you focus on your business’s success.

From being the first company to gain ISO9002 certification, to becoming the most sought after holistic technology resource; we have defined the highest standards of quality and efficiency for our clients and we seek to carry our proud traditions further and provide world class cloud infrastructure and services tailored for your every technology need.

Website: www.sbm.sa

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Forging strong

40%

partnerships

centres in the world. It also operates the largest Security Operations Management centre in the world outside the USA to serve the business sector in accordance with IBM global standards.

AlDabbagh said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Tier 4 is a very special achievement and to be the first outside the USA to have IBMâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s specific configuration is another major milestone for us.â&#x20AC;?

Forging strong partnerships with both the international players and local providers has Mobily perfectly placed to take advantage of the many opportunities in the market.

The market share Mobily occupies in the telecoms industry

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Saudi Arabia | Egypt | Lebanon | Jordan

In this information age where complex issues and challenges of integrating and managing various new and legacy products and customized applications is a key pain point; there is never a better reason to team-up with BTC Networks to ensure that all your requirements are met.

Integrated Smart Solutions Turnkey Telecom Service Packages Low Current Solutions Converged Network Solutions & Applications Wireless Solutions Systems Engineering Network Design & Planning Project Management Operations & Maintenance Distribution Channels Tel. +966 2 6918787 | Fax +966 2 6918525 | E-mail info@btc.com.sa

SUPPLIER PROFILE

BTC NETWORKS

Baud Telecom Company, widely known as â&#x20AC;&#x153;BTC Networksâ&#x20AC;? is a recognized leader in providing technology solutions within Saudi Arabiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s market and Middle East.

BTC Networks headquartered in Jeddah since its establishment in 1975 and expanded across the region with branches in Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq.

networking and e-business solutions. The company is constantly evolving and is now positioned as trusted System Integrator in the Kingdom as well as to the region. BTC has always been abreast of latest technology innovations, its sales, engineers, and technicians are continually trained and maintain professional certifications With its leadership in providing innovative solutions BTC Networks from industry leaders. is delivering communication and Our service portfolio ranges from information technologies, smart Smart Integrated Solutions to solutions, telecom infrastructure Turnkey Telecom Projects. Today, and system integration services.

BTC is considered among its A combination of activities customers and partners as one involving residential, enterprise, of the leading telecom solution corporate and government providers for its commitment, customers has been addressed planning, resources, meeting across different departments deadlines and skilled personals. with highly talented team.

BTC has been awarded ISO 90012008 certification for its reputation BTC has adopted the transition for integrity, quality of service, from voice applications into the and excellence in management. futuristic world of converged communications, IP Solutions,

Website: www.btc.com.sa

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TECHNOLOGY

Pairing priorities “We strive to move up in the value chain of what we are offering,” explained AlDabbagh. “We do partnerships with companies such as WhatsApp and provide packages for the consumer.

“We are delivering Firewall and security packages with IBM to the corporate customers and at every step of the way we are looking at what the core offering is to make sure it is meeting the right needs and at the right price.

“We then look to further develop that by considering what else the customer might need, so we look to strike a partnership with a company that can add value and synergy with what we are imparting as a telco to ensure we are providing a comprehensive package to our customers.”

Mobily offers comprehensive packages to customers

“On the retail front, it owns or franchises more than 300 outlets and has somewhere between 3,000 and 4,000 resellers” – Taher AlDabbagh

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Hardware and Software, Engineered to Work Together Oracle is eliminating complexity by engineering hardware and software to work togetherâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;in the cloud and in the data center. Servers, storage, database, middleware and applications: each layer comprises best-of-breed products, and is designed, optimized, and engineered to work together.

Integrated, industry-specific solutions address complex business processes for a wide range of industries. When IT complexity is removed, enterprises can focus on business innovation.

For customers needing modular solutions, Oracleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s open architecture and multiple operating-system options also give customers unmatched benefits from best-of-breed products in every layer of the stack, allowing them to build the most optimized infrastructure for their enterprise.

Oracle has 390,000 customers in more than 145 countries

Saudi Arabia +966 1 2739246 www.oracle.com/me/index.html

SUPPLIER PROFILE

ORACLE More than two-thirds of companies rank innovation as the No. 1 factor in competitiveness. And yet, the biggest chunk of IT spending goes toward keeping the lights on.

Mobile, social, and cloud are redefining how business gets done. Immediate access to the latest technologies is essential for you to innovate and thrive. Oracle has invested nearly 7 years and billions of dollars in engineering and strategic acquisitions to provide you with the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most comprehensive portfolio of enterprise-grade cloud services.

Oracle delivers a full suite of enterprise applications as subscription based software-asa-service, so customers can avoid the data and business process fragmentation that results from using multiple, siloed clouds. No other vendor offers the breadth of application functionality across human capital management, talent management, sales and marketing, customer experience, and enterprise resource planning.

Social networks have dramatically changed the way people interact, play, and shop online. They are also changing the way people work,

transforming how employees interact with each other, customers, and partners. Oracle Cloud application services are enriched with modern social capabilities, including social marketing, social engagement and monitoring, and social networking for purposeful collaboration.

Oracle Cloud also provides embedded business intelligence and ubiquitous access through mobile devices such as the iPad and iPhone. It also offers developers a simpler way to develop and deploy cross-device mobile applications.

With multiple deployment options, customers can choose to use Oracle Cloud services at Oracle data centers or built their own private Cloud using Oracle Cloud solutions. Which give the customers the flexibility to decide where to deploy their Cloud services.

With the most enterprise-grade applications, the most complete platform, and the most modern socially enabled technology and applications, Oracle is the comprehensive cloud provider your company needs. Find out how Oracle can tailor cloud computing to the way you need to do business today.

Website: www.oracle.com/us/ corporate/story/index.html

M O B I LY

TECHNOLOGY

Mobily’s corporate business is divided between government entities and large enterprises.

It currently provides services to a number of Saudi government departments including the Ministry of Labour and the Ministry of Interior.

It has also secured business with many of Saudi’s leading banks and financial institutions such as the Saudi Commercial National Bank and big corporates such as the Saudi Aramco, the nation’s national petroleum and natural gas company, and diversified manufacturing company SABIC. But just how did it all start for this forwardthinking telco? Mobily was first established in 2004 by Etisalat, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) based telecom conglomerate, and is the official brand name of Etihad Etisalat.

Licensed to thrill It officially launched on May 25, 2005 after being awarded a 25-year telecommunication mobile license complemented by the purchase of a 3G license. The telco then quickly became the first Saudi company to get an operation licence for third generation services (3G), 4G and LTE services, and beyond.

“I was lucky enough to be part of the team who started out in those early days,” said AlDabbagh.

“We knew that the market wanted agility and the customer wanted a good experience so we focused on delivering that at all the touch points, be it the retail outlets, the distribution

“we look to strike a partnership with a company that can add value and synergy with what we are imparting as a telco to ensure we are providing a comprehensive package to our customers” – Taher AlDabbagh

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SSSIT is a leading system integrator that provides IT solution and consultative services to the government, banks and enterprises, SSSIT provides you with innovative solutions, uncompromising quality and client services that is unparalleled in our industry.

www.sssit.net

info@sssit.net

Innovation. Quality. Service.

M O B I LY

TECHNOLOGY

centre or be it the partner or in customer care. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We came with a very strong customer-centric approach and in a very short space of time had sold one million lines and quickly tapped the market to reach our 40 percent share.â&#x20AC;?

Delivering first class customer experience is a huge priority and Mobily takes a fourpronged approach to ensure they get it right, the main elements of which are: empowerment, communication, personalisation and making sure the customers get a wow factor.

Mobily sign cooperation deal

Acquisition made In March 2008, Mobily was granted approval by the Communication and Information Technology Commission (CITC) to acquire Bayanat al-Oula, a licensed Data Service

SUPPLIER PROFILE

SSSIT

SSSIT is ranked today among the top System Integrators today in the Middle East region. Since 2003, SSSIT has been focused on e-Services and building Applications thriving for the position of the preferred Government modernization partner with high focus on e-Services through BPM, ECM, Custom Development and Enterprise Applications Integration. Having the top professionals in these areas onboard the team, SSSIT is specifically proud of the unique team and competencies bank onboard.

Website: www.sssit.net

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www.edaratgroup.com info@edaratgroup.com

Get Backup-Independent, Managed Recovery of Critical Systems Edarat Group Disaster Recovery as a Service (DRaaS) allows full replication from virtual or physical environments to our regionally deployed cloud infrastructure, guaranteeing business critical application availability.

Our Disaster Recovery Service with the 4-hour SLA option replicates your critical systems from your data center to the ironclad cloud in real time as virtual machines (VMs). The VMs are always on, receiving replicated data over the wire.

Companies can now rely on our expertise to plan, test, and execute their recovery processes into a virtualized environment hosted in Mobily state of the art datacenters, using EVault速 replication tool with end-toend encryption to ensure your data remains private, satisfying regulatory compliance requirements.

Build the right DR solution using Edarat Group market leading technology and balance your risks, objectives and cost targets.

Call us now for a Disaster Recovery as a Service free assessment: +966 11 205 78 37/38

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Provider for a price of SAR1.5 billion.

Then in November 2008 it also acquired absolute majority stakes in Zajil, the leading Saudi IPS (Internet Service Provider).

Mobily also owns a vast majority share in the Saudi National Fibre Network (SNFN) composed of 12,800km of structured fibre cable, panned into seven fully protected rings covering 35 Saudi cities.

It also has access to 60 major hub sites for telecommunications prime points of presence, and complimented with 20 intermetropolis fibre loops in major Saudi cities.

On the retail front, it owns or franchises more than 300 outlets and has somewhere between 3,000 and 4,000 resellers.

Customers are provided with roaming

Mobily products

SUPPLIER PROFILE

EDARAT GROUP

Industry: Technology Consultants Services: System Design and Integration, Project Management, Testing and Commissioning, Maintenance and Support in Data center facility Management: Mr. Erick Baduy Tel: +966 11 205 78 37 / +966 11 205 78 38 Fax: +966 11 205 78 07 Email: info@edaratgroup.com Website: www.edaratgroup.com

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THE

CLOSING THE DE CLOUD

Š 2013 SAP AG. SAP and the SAP logo are trademarks and registered trademarks of SAP AG in Germany and several other countries.

In the c sales team Learn more

EAL

cloud built for business, you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to force your m to use the tools that get the job done. about SAPÂŽCloud for Sales at sap.com/mena/cloud

RUN BETTER.

M O B I LY

Khalid Omar Al Kaf, Mobily CEO and Managing Director

services on all continents where there is a GSM operator through 420 interconnections and agreements, as well as allowing customers to call anyone on the face of the earth.

Scoring firsts Launched in May 2007, Mobily is one of the few operators in the globe which offers an unlimited mobile broadband data bundle.

“We provide a vast range of mobile and data services and that provide different offerings, different value propositions, different segmentations for brands to meet the needs of our growing customer numbers,” said AlDabbagh. Innovation is Mobily’s middle name and consequently it has delivered a plethora of technologies which have

SUPPLIER PROFILE

SAP

SAP Middle East and North Africa (MENA) is recognized as one of the fastest growing markets for SAP globally and is a key investment area for the company. Since established in late 2007 SAP MENA expanded operations and now has 10 offices across the region.

Today, the company has more than 1100+ customers and continues to build capacity across the eco system with more than 1400+ qualified SAP consultants and 146 business partners to support the MENA market in 16 countries across the region.

Website: www.sap.com

TECHNOLOGY

scored a myriad of firsts for the kingdom.

Here are a few examples: Mobily was the first company in the world to launch an iBG Star, which measures blood sugar through an Apple Store application; it devised a new method to connect subscribersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; IDs in Twitter with the customer service system CRM. Mobily launched the innovative I-Statement service eradicating the need for paper-billing; the company provided High-Speed connectivity via fibre optics to eight Saudi universities in different regions and it created a new channel to serve customers through SMS, raising the level of customer satisfaction and experience.

Mobily also owns a majority share in the

Inspirational leader The list goes on, but suffice to say Mobily is not

Saudi National Fibre Network (SNFN)

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First Gulf Company for Supplies & Contracting Ltd is a Saudi Company, occupying a distinct position with a unique portfolio of specialized projects in both public and private sectors.

FGC Portfolio • Turnkey Communication systems and solutions • TV/RADIO Broadcast systems • Microwave/Wireless transmission Engineering and services • Satellite Uplink and TVRO Data center Solutions

• • • • •

Security Systems , Equipment and Solutions Information Technology , E-business Consultation and Professional services Operations and Managed services Digital Archiving Total Solutions Transmission – Inside/outside Plant services

www.fgcltd.com P.O.Box 25560, Riyadh 11476, Saudi Arabia Tel: +966 1 219 0888 Fax: +966 1 219 1888 info@fgcltd.com

M O B I LY

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a company that rests on its laurels. Its success over the past nine years has been down to a clear and distinct strategy which has been delivered not only by those at the very top of the company but by all its committed and loyal employees.

AlDabbagh said: “I think in general the success of any organisation is first of all having the right vision and the right leader.

Definitely our Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, Khalid Omar Al Kaf, is a distinguished character who has won hundreds of different prizes in the Telco market.

“We select talented and committed people and motivate them by providing them with the opportunity to grow and develop their own talents.

Having everyone wanting to make a difference is one of the key contributors to our success.”

SUPPLIER PROFILE

Mobily was the first company in the world to launch an iBG Star, which measures blood sugar through an Apple Store application

FIRST GULF COMPANY

FGC is a Saudi Company operating in both Broadcast Solutions & Projects, and General Contracting Maintaining high-quality workmanship, FGC has set new standards for the industry, building landmark structures and delivering major industrial turn-key projects.

Acting with uncompromising integrity and professionalism, FGC employs a team of well qualified engineers and technicians who have rich exposure in their respective fields in big projects execution.

Website: www.fgcltd.com

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TECHNOLOGY

Khalid Omar Al Kaf is a computer science graduate who studied at both Boston University and George Washington University in the US, and became the chief executive in July 2005 just over a year after he started with the company as a project manager.

He started his professional career in 1986 with Etisalat (Emirates Telecommunications Corporation) working closely with Alcatel and Fujitsu on software development.

He has played a definitive role in building the state-of-the-art, 3G mobile network in UAE and is now focused on moving the company forward in line with its ICT aspirations.

Talent spotting Mobily offers a wide range of training

SUPPLIER PROFILE

ANISE ARABIA

Industry: IT Services Services: Airport Services • Digital Signage • Digital Signature Cloud Computing • Big Data CRM • Loyalty Program Mobile Learning • Fleet Management Management: Eng. Husam Alshawi Tel: + 966 920000402 / + 966 (11) 4024999 Fax: + 966 (11) 4034999 Email: info@anisearabia.com Website: www.anisearabia.com

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Providing defined qualified business solutions ICT Systems was established as system integrator, turnkey strategic business and IT solutions provider. We are engaged in many fields such as ERP, Business Continuity, e-Government, e-Learning, Networking, Security Solutions.

Successfully in 2014 Mobily and ICT established a partnership model where we signed an agreement to work together in E-School profile over the cloud infrastructure, where we have earned solid reputation for effective and cost efficient solutions. This business requires extensive knowledge of regulations, standards, and technologies that influence this business. www.ictsystems.com.sa

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TECHNOLOGY

programmes to nurture its talent including its Brighter Future scheme which allows individuals to study for MBAs while they are working, facilitating time for studies and exams while contributing 50 percent of the costs.

Further investments are made in executives who are encouraged to engage with courses in schools and universities across the globe.

AlDabbagh explained that his own opportunities included attending courses at the London School of Business and both Harvard and Stanford universities in the USA. There are also specific programmes aimed at graduates such as the new Mobily Elite scheme which aims to attract 50 of the brightest young Saudi talents to work within the company.

The programme aims to draw national young talents with outstanding capabilities through competency-based selection methods.

Furthermore there is encouragement for every single employee to come up with ideas which if successful, are once a year rewarded by having their winning idea implemented.

50% Mobily allows individuals to study for MBAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s while they work, contributing 50 percent of the costs

Caring nature The company is also committed to making the right impact with wider stakeholders such as the community it serves and the environment it operates in.

It pays particular attention to education and healthcare and has implemented a wide-range of initiatives and programmes w w w. m o b i l y. c o m . s a

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Khalid Omar Al Kaf, Mobily’s CEO, discusses the company’s core values

“What once seemed remarkable is now routine, yet I believe we are only at the early stages of a transformation that will eclipse everything we have seen so far” - Khalid Omar Al Kaf, CEO and Managing Director

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aimed at giving back to the community.

Ongoing programmes include a project to teach Saudi females smartphone programming and maintenance, which was launched in cooperation with the National Institute for Women’s Training and aims to train 1,000 women over the next three years.

There is continued support for the Disabled Children Association in Riyadh which included the first exhibition of inventions serving people with special needs.

It has also offered financial support for the Zamzam society by contributing the medical and healthcare costs of more than 820 people.

TECHNOLOGY

Company Information INDUSTRY

Telecommunications and ICT solutions HEADQUARTERS

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia FOUNDED

2005 EMPLOYEES

3,600 Mobily Headquarters REVENUE

In the company’s 2013 annual report, Managing Director Khalid Omar Al Kaf summed up what he believes will be the future for Mobily. He said: “The pace of change is relentless. What once seemed remarkable is now routine, yet I believe we are only at the early stages of a transformation that will eclipse everything we have seen so far.

“From merely providing mobile telecom services, at one time the ultimate in new technology, the future of our industry now lies in cloud computing, information security, IT solutions, and a new wave of high-speed data networks. And as always, Mobily is leading the way.”

SAR25.1billion PRODUCTS/ SERVICES

Mobile phone services, telecommunications, ICT Solutions, information security, high-speed netowrks

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Cleveland Potash remain at forefront of the mining industry Pioneering work with an extremely rare mineral and sustained investment in resources have seen the UK-based company thrive Written by: Sam Jermy Produced by: James Pepper

Photo credit [link]: Michael Jagger

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Pioneering work with an extremely rare mineral and sustained investment in resources have seen the UK-based company thrive

Boulby mine

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leveland Potash, the world’s first commercial producers of the rare evaporate mineral, polyhalite, is currently undergoing a £250 million investment in a revamping its facilities, which has created new jobs.

The 80-acre Boulby mine, in North Yorkshire, England, is currently two year’s into a five-year project which will include the upgrade of existing underground machinery fleet such as larger continuous miners, drills, bolters, conveyors and shuttle cars.

A proportion of the investment will go towards strengthening mine infrastructure to support the polyhalite extraction. It is reopening old roadways

MINING

Main plant

and widening out existing roadways as well as commissioning, building and augmentation of underground bunkers.

The firm, which is a subsidiary of Israel Chemicals (ICL), has undertook numerous improvement works at the surface too; everything from the ÂŁ16m rock shaft head tower renewal to improve hoisting and capacity potential to 5.3 million tonnes, to logistical improvements at its Tees Port facility. Significant investment is also planned to improve the efficiency of the surface potash process plant.

Phil Baines, Managing Director and General Manager of Cleveland Potash, said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are very

Arches at Boulby

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AMCO is a specialist contractor providing sustainable, multi-disciplinary solutions to the Infrastructure, Environmental and Energy sectors.

Within Infrastructure we operate in the specialist areas of mining services and moving structures, such as lock gates and swing bridges. Our Environmental business is focused upon flood defence. In the Energy sector our clients include all the major utilities such as E.ON, SSE and Magnox; for whom we create and maintain assets in nuclear, coal, gas, hydro and wind. With over 1,000 in-house staff we deliver nationally but are organised regionally.

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much improving all facets of the company and the site. Part of our plan was to specifically increase the workforce underground.

“This facilitates four potash mining teams to work at any one time and independently deploy salt mining crews to push out the strategic roadways.

“We’ve actually completed that employment programme now and it has grown the workforce by about 120 over the past 18 months, bringing our underground workforce to more than700, with nearly 1,200 employees in total.”

The company’s under-

World leaders A significant development of Cleveland Potash is the polyhalite seam, which sits beneath the potash. The North York Moors coastline is home

SUPPLIER PROFILE

ground workforce has increased to more than 700, with an overall total of just under 1,200

AMCO

Amalgamated Construction (AMCO) provides a diverse range of specialist construction and engineering services. We create and maintain assets for both public and private sector customers in the specialist sectors of rail and engineering.

AMCO has evolved through a combination of structured acquisition and organic growth into a ‘contractor of choice’. Our business relationships are based on trust, mutual respect, best value, whole life costs and continuous improvement.

Website: www.amco-construction.co.uk

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C L E V E L A N D P O TA S H

Saltmine

“With any emerging, new product you have to prove that this new product is just as effective, safe and is generally okay compared to more established brands” – Phil Baines, Managing Director & General Manager

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to a previously unheard amount of polyhalite deposit, and is something which makes the organisation unique. It is the only one in the entire world mining the rare material used as a speciality fertilizers.

Part of the five-year plan is to ramp up the annual polyhalite production tonnage to 600,000 by 2017.

Borehole information on the mine dates as far back as the 1930’s. Planning permission was granted in a joint venture between Chartered Consolidated and ICI Chemicals which started shaft sinking in 1969.

The first potash were hoisted in 1973, fullproduction came about in 1975 but it was not until recently that polyhalite started to be extracted commercially.

Baines said: “We put two drifts down from the current salt horizon within the mine, in the central area, about three years ago now.

“There’s millions of tonnes of it and at this stage, its looks relatively stable and strong, and we have proved you can machine cut it and support the infrastructure very well.

“The compressive strength can be up to 150mpa compared 30mpa for the potash so it is significantly stronger but we have been working on it for two years now, and the mine has stood as firm as an office.

“We also have a third mineral called carnallite so we have multiple options that take different processes which gives us much more flexibility

MINING

Key Personnel Ronnie Shushan Chairman Phil Baines General Manager and Managing Director Steven Degen Director Rainer Marx Director

Aerial view of the mining operation at Boulby

Howard Clark Sales & Marketing Director

with our business plan.â&#x20AC;?

The potassium chloride chemical, known as muriate of potash (MoP), is a product that typically contains 60 percent potash and is the most widely used form. This fertiliser aids in the formulation of vegetative matter and root production so international markets are quite comfortable as a result as this.

Polyhalite on the other hand, is a more complex equation as there is no previous market or trading values to go by.

Baines said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;With any emerging new product you have to prove that this new product is just as w w w. c l e v e l a n d p o t a s h . c o . u k

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connecting cleveland potash to service and product SUPPORT As well as supplying Cleveland Potash with world class electrical products and systems, Ampcontrol understands the value of lifecycle support in ensuring optimised performance and safe reliable operations of all underground equipment.

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C L E V E L A N D P O TA S H

MINING

effective, safe and is generally okay compared to more established brands.

“So it’s just the same with this polyhalite, we have the potential to mine it and up the tonnage and slowly we have got to develop the market.

“It’s not going to be straightforward and it is a different product as although it is a fertiliser, polyhalite has got different constituents and has different uses so it is going to be steady and a waiting game.

“Over the last seven to 10 years, we have done agronomic trials with the polyhalite and it’s fair to say that every single pot test and trial it has not shown any detriment to any crop.”

Polyhalite contains magnesium and calcium sulphate too and lighter, lumpier soil is where it has optimum effectiveness. It has excellent

Down in the mine

Face cleaned up ready for drilling - Polyhalite

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We have the experience, knowledge, expertise and capability to deliver turnkey cost effective solutions for a multitude of applications.

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MINING

potential as an organic fertiliser, as well as a sulphate, which could work to Cleveland Potash’s benefit as UK and European soil tends to be sulphur deficient.

The firm’s main product is 2-4mm granular potash made from a compaction process, and fertilizers are very much the core product. It can also mine anything between 500,000 and one million tonnes of rock salt, helping to de-ice UK and US roads in winter time.

Company development New technology and equipment such as the flexible conveyor train, which helps to mine a much greater tonnage, enables Cleveland Potash to achieve improved efficiency.

The underground diesel fleet is 150 vehicles strong and there is an onsite diesel vehicle

1 Million tonnes of rock salt can be mined by the company

Underground vehicle

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C L E V E L A N D P O TA S H

Clearing up face ready for drilling

The company has invested in new equipment

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Month 2014

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workshop. Once it goes underground, nothing comes to the surface for services.

In co-ordination with parent company ICL, Cleveland Potash has garnered major international clients such as GrowHow, Yara International and Roullier Groupe and sells to clients as far away as Brazil. It does not ordinarily sell to Asia because its sister mine Iber Potash does this.

When Baines joined the organisation a decade ago it was on the back of the closure of the Selby coalfield and he soon capitilised on the skillset readily available.

He said: “Some were doing schooling on their own and doing degrees in engineering. It was evident to me there were people who had been here 30 years who were really good, practical guys.

“I really set about trying to formalise this. I’m now President of the Midland Institute of Mining Engineers and through this, I promote best practice and strive to develop people.

“Over the last seven to 10 years, we have done agronomic trials with the polyhalite and it’s fair to say that every single pot test and trial it has not shown any detriment to any crop.”

“The (Polyhalite) compressive strength can be up to 150mpa compared 30mpa for the potash so it is significantly stronger…but the mine has stood as firm as an office” – Phil Baines

Operations Inside Boulby mine

– Phil Baines w w w. c l e v e l a n d p o t a s h . c o . u k

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Engineered to Increase Productivity Deep underground, in mines around the world, our machines are hard at work. Joy Globalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s proven solutions for performance, reliability and direct service are a few of the reasons why our customers achieve record-setting production and efficiency that reach beyond their expectations.

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“Through the Institute and HM Inspectorate of Mines, we looked at competence and leadership in particular.

In the past five years staff have been sponsored to go to Camborne School of Mines to do Msc in Mining Engineering, and various staff such as geologists, surveyors, mechanical and electrical engineers have been supported to broaden their knowledge by undertaking postgraduate study.

Every workman has the NEBOSH working safely qualification and has a minimum two training days a year, and the avenue to go from workman to supervisor and middle-management

“A massive strategic advantage from a logistics sense is being just 30 kilometres away from the deepwater Tees Port in Middlesbrough” – Phil Baines

Staff have been sponsored to go to Camborne School of Mines to do Msc in Mining Engineering

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all the way up to the upper echelons of Cleveland Potash is quite fluid.

Most people live within a 20 mile radius and many businesses on its vendors list are firms from within Cleveland. It donates funds to local football, rugby and cricket clubs, as well as the RNLI and Air Ambulance charitiesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; illustrating how ingrained Cleveland Potash is in the local community.

Loading facilities at Tees dock

258 September 2014

Looking forward Every company has its business and operational challenges and for Cleveland Potash it is going to be its cost per tonne, as it is a big mine with extensive facilities and expensive running costs.

MINING

Company Information INDUSTRY

Mining HEADQUARTERS

Cleveland, UK FOUNDED

Planning permission granted in 1968 EMPLOYEES

1,200 REVENUE

World commodity, global prices affects it too of course but Baines has faith in its business plan.

He added: “A massive strategic advantage from a logistics sense is being just 30 kilometres away from the deep-water Port in Middlesbrough, as it can load anything from 1,100 tonne to 65,000 tonne Panamax vessels at Tees dock. It makes us accessible to a wide range of clients.

“Going forward Cleveland Potash will be developing the market for polyhalite, maintaining the level of potash production and looking into carnallite more. Further exploration and maintaining its reserve base is of paramount importance.”

£162 million (2012) PRODUCTS/ SERVICES

Potash fertilizers for agriculture

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