Business Focus Magazine issue 80

Issue No.80

SPECIAL FEATURE: THE NEW DIGITAL ECOSYSTEM

CMC NETWORKS

BRIDGING CONTINENTS Exclusive interview with CEO Marisa Trisolino on smart technologies & the importance of connectivity.

ALSO FEATURING: ALPHAMIN RESOURCES Bridging rapidly developing technology and the remote jungles of the DRC.

9MOBILE

Rebranding and making innovation a part of everyday life.

STRATEGIC HOUSING GROUP

Introducing student housing to new markets.

T H E

M A G A Z I N E

W I T H

I N S I G H T

FEATURE YOUR BUSINESS CONTACT SALES & MARKETING DIRECTOR TREVOR GRETSINGER t.gretsinger@ceomediagroup.com

EDITOR’S NOTE

PROJECT MANAGERS ANDREW BOURKE a.bourke@ceomediagroup.com DAVID GARNER d.garner@ceomediagroup.com TIMOTHY GARWOOD t.garwood@ceomediagroup.com JOHN HOLLIMAN j.holliman@ceomediagroup.com MALVERN KANDEMWA m.kandemwa@ceomediagroup.com GLEN NEWTON g.newton@ceomediagroup.com GARY SMITH g.smith@ceomediagroup.com NEIL STOWE n.stowe@ceomediagroup.com DAVID TAVERNOR d.tavernor@ceomediagroup.com ETHAN THOMPSON e.thompson@ceomediagroup.com JAMIE WAITE j.waite@ceomediagroup.com

DESIGN SCOTT ANDREWS design@ceomediagroup.com SARAH GREEN artwork@ceomediagroup.com

ACCOUNTS MIKE ASHER accounts@ceomediagroup.com

PRODUCTION KAMILA KAJTOCH production@ceomediagroup.com

EDITORIAL CHRIS FARNELL cfarnell@ceomediagroup.com JIM HUNTER editor@ceomediagroup.com

SALES & MARKETING DIRECTOR TREVOR GRETSINGER t.gretsinger@ceomediagroup.com

SUBSCRIPTIONS, PRESS RELEASES AND GENERAL ENQUIRIES: info@ceomediagroup.com

The content of this magazine is copyright of CEO Media Group.

Redistribution or reproduction of any content is prohibited. © Copyright 2020 CEO Media Group.

FOCUS ON

COMMUNICATION Communication is at the heart of any business, and we couldn’t have seen that lesson demonstrated more starkly than over the last year. Whether it’s been through Zoom calls, Teams meetings or Slack rooms, we’ve all been trying to recreate the buzz of working and communicating side-by-side with colleagues and partners. Even without the pressures of the pandemic, our attitude towards offices and workspaces is changing, with flexible and remote working becoming more and more common.

These changes are often for the better and create many opportunities, but as this evolution occurs, we are going to need new tools to make it work.

T

hat is why this issue we have been looking at the telecommunications sector, looking at the role communications companies will play in preparing the ground for 5G and profiling a number of key companies taking part in the communications revolution.

Within these pages, you will find interviews with leaders from 9Mobile, Broadband Infraco, SILENT Aire, Icomera and CMC Network, providing insights on how the sector is developing around the world.

Our article on D & D London also has some interesting things to say about how our relationships with offices and workspaces are changing, as well as the challenges facing the restaurant sector during the pandemic. We will hear how new communications tools are being put into action, with a fascinating interview with Elliot Street of Inovus Medical about his innovations in the field of surgical simulators and remote training.

The lead article this issue isn’t just about telecommunications infrastructure, but the ecosystem that will have to develop

between different products and applications, and we see a great example of what that might look like in our profile of Cobot Lift, and how they interacting with the UR+ ecosystem.

And all of that is on top of our usual mix of profiles and interviews covering the agricultural, shipping, mining, and construction sectors and beyond. To call back to a vintage telecommunications company slogan, it’s good to talk.

ON THE COVER

CMC NETWORKS Go to page 42.

Issue No.80

SPECIAL FEATURE: THE NEW DIGITAL ECOSYSTEM

CMC NETWORKS

BRIDGING CONTINENTS Exclusive interview with CEO Marisa Trisolino on smart technologies & the importance of connectivity.

ALSO FEATURING: ALPHAMIN RESOURCES Bridging rapidly developing technology and the remote jungles of the DRC.

9MOBILE

Rebranding and making innovation a part of everyday life.

STRATEGIC HOUSING GROUP

Introducing student housing to new markets.

3

IN THIS ISSUE

8

13

16

24

30

34 42

EVENT

Future Oil & Gas Goes Virtual 1st - 2nd December 2020 Online Event Future Oil & Gas Conference & Exhibition

13

NEWS

Telecommunications The New Digital Ecosystem

16

LEADING ARTICLE

9Mobile Nigeria’s Telecom Company

AGRICULTURE & FARMING

The Okomu Oil Palm Company In the Palm of Their Hands

AUTOMATION

Cobot Lift Giving You a Lift

COMMUNICATION & TECHNOLOGY Broadband Infraco Connecting the Nation CMC Network Bridging Continents

42

48

Icomera Connected in Transit

54

Silent Aire The Foundations of Cloud Computing

62

Elliott Group A Seismic Shift

70

Miro Forestry Sustainable Timber Business

76

Strategic Housing Group Pioneers in Student Housing

84 88

4 | BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE

CONSTRUCTION

ENERGY & UTILITIES

Diffuse Energy The Wind at Their Backs Ikeja Electric Empowering Nigeria

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

ISSUE NO.80

116

92

Toronto Group Cooking with Charcoal

96

Trade Links & Services Bringing Experience to Bear

104

110

152

FINANCE & CONSULTING

Iemas Financial Services Thriving Through Cooperation

FMCG

142

Nigerian Bottling Company The 24/7 Beverage Company

MINING

Alphamin Resources Mining Hope

152

MC Mining The Makhado Opportunity

D&D Preparing for the Restaurant Renaissance

160

Orion Minerals Copper-Bottomed Prospects

120

Inovus Medical A Slick Operation

168

Roscan Gold Corporation Golden Prospects

124

Nova Signal Managing Health

172

Tietto Minerals Unlocking Côte d’Ivoire’s Gold

128

Toy Triangle The Wonder of Toys

116

132 136

HEALTHCARE, HOTEL & LEISURE

176

MANUFACTURING

182

Ham Let Global Innovation Silicon Line Great Optics

188 194

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110

SHIPPING, PORT & MARINE

British Virgin Islands Ports Authority Rejuvenating the British Virgin Islands Shipyard Dehoop Silver Origin Story

TRANSPORT & LOGISTICS

DSM Corridor Group Building East Africa’s Trading Network Tristar A Business for Purpose

BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE | 5

Find your way out of a complex operating model.

Let’s talk.

Operations Strategy | Digital | Cultural Engineering

Global io

- integrated operations experts.

globalio.com

EVENT OF THE MONTH

EXPLORING DIGITALISATION, DISRUPTION & INNOVATION IN THE UPSTREAM INDUSTRY.

FUTURE OIL & GAS GOES VIRTUAL EVENT: FUTURE OIL & GAS CONFERENCE & EXHIBITION WHERE: ONLINE / WHEN: 1ST - 2ND DEC 2020

F

uture Oil & Gas conference and exhibition explores how digitalisation, disruption and innovation is shaping the upstream oil and gas industry. The event will analyse key challenges and opportunities facing the industry with focus on IoT, AI, machine learning, blockchain, energy transition, data analytics, cyber security and many other aspects of digital transformation.

8 | BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE

At Future Oil & Gas you will meet operators, oil service companies, energy institutes and associations, drilling companies, exploration and production companies, integration solution providers, academics and technology innovators.

www.futureoilgas.com

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

EVENT OF THE MONTH

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BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE | 9

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TELECOMMUNICATIONS

AS THE WAY WE DO BUSINESS IS CHANGING, OUR TECHNOLOGY AND INFRASTRUCTURE NEED TO KEEP UP.

THE NEW DIGITAL ECOSYSTEM The writer William Gibson once said, “The future is already here — it’s just not very evenly distributed.” At a time where it seems everywhere you look, the conversation is about 5G, 4IR, IoT, the question of how and where these will be distributed is more important than ever. Communications service providers such as wireless network operators, incumbent telecommunications companies, cable network businesses and internet service providers will play a critical infrastructure role in supporting the new ecosystem of technologies and the businesses that rely on them.

T

his has proven especially true in 2020, as new pressures and needs have emphasised that digital is no longer an optional add-on for homes or businesses.

“More of the global population now works from home, educates children at home, games and entertains and even interacts

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

with doctors at home. This changes the definition of the home and CSPs can mobilise to adapt to these changes to play a critical role in supporting consumers, businesses and governments in the Future Home,” Jefferson Wang, Global 5G Offering Co-Lead and Managing Director for Accenture.

BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE | 13

TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Jefferson Wang, in collaboration with Boris Maurer, has written how business and the home will interact in the age of 5G in their book, The Future Home in the 5G Era: Next Generation Strategies and Business Models for HyperConnected Living, emphasising the role communications service providers will have to play in providing a backbone for the new wave of technologies and innovations.

As we’ve seen in this issue, the COVID-19 pandemic has already had a huge effect on the role of telecommunications in the business sector.

“It’s not often in the midst of a global pandemic a business hires a new CEO remotely,” says Alan Sinfield, CEO of communications firm 9Mobile. “I took my position at the beginning of June, so my first two months were spent managing the company remotely. Luckily, it’s a communications company so we were able to manage that! It’s quite funny having such in-depth discussions and team working sessions with such a large portion of the business and having never met in-person. It was a novel experience for me.”

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Of course, the pandemic has also interfered with the roll-out of 5G networks in many locations, and large-scale connectivity to 5G wireless networks remains a number of years away. But as adoption levels increase, we can expect to see businesses and consumer lifestyles assisted in all kinds of new and unanticipated ways by the intelligent digital technologies that 5G will facilitate. The way these technologies will interact will form a new high-quality digital ecosystem.

THE NETWORK ON THE MOVE

While 5G is going to transform the home, the workplace, and the lines between the two, for 5G’s innovations to be effective they will have to be available everywhere. At the vanguard of this process will be companies like Icomera, who are building a technology platform that delivers fast, reliable wireless Internet connections to the public transport sector. If we’re

entering a time when work is going to be a hybrid of fromhome and in-office, making the most of the time between the two is going to be crucial.

“That’s central, because as passengers are on their journey, they need to have productive time, and we provide that to them,” says Dale Weaver, COO for Icomera in North America.

As with technology roll-outs elsewhere, the pandemic has had its impact on Icomera, but as people return to work, the infrastructure they provide is already revealing itself to be invaluable.

“While people are doing social distancing and staying at home, ridership has been significantly down,” Weaver says. “But we’re working to help transport operators restore passenger confidence, either by working with new technologies or using existing digital passenger information channels – such as Wi-Fi portals - to promote onboard safety measures, and improving passenger access to

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

TELECOMMUNICATIONS

real-time information, like live timetables or current passenger loads on the next bus and train.”

The future of telecommunications is going to be built on this increasingly seamless integration.

“The trend toward integrating home, work, care, play and other needs into a new digital lifestyle under one roof is making the demand for the Future Home greater than ever; as is the need to safeguard its construction and dwellers,” said Boris Maurer, Managing Director at Accenture and Wang’s co-author. “The broad ecosystem that must come together to reinvent, shape and design products and services for the Future Home must also deliver, manage and store these solutions in a trustworthy way.

All partners must put cloud, data privacy and security at the centre of their strategies.”

HUMAN REQUIREMENTS

This means more than taking a Zoom or Teams meeting instead

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of meeting up in person, or having your company’s assets stored “in the Cloud”. As people have been working remotely, technology has had to make innovative use of digital assets to maintain relationships and knowledge-transfer in ways we take for granted during inperson interactions.

Inovus Medical has shown us a great example of this with the ways their surgical training tools allow doctors working remotely to be mentored while training.

“It’s an incredibly powerful online learning platform that in the days of COVID has been shown to be invaluable, allowing surgeons to receive or give the training completely remotely and completely connected almost as if they were operating together in the theatre,” says Elliot Street, CEO of Inovus Medical.

As these new digital ecosystems evolve, it is going to become essential for communication service providers to take on a leadership

role in orchestrating the shape of these new networks. There are several key steps CSPs can take to remain agile and competitive as they do this.

Staff will need to be trained in the radically new skills necessary to operate effectively in this new service world. Rapid product development must be adopted so that CSPs can keep pace with the growing and multiplying demands.

Technology platforms will need to be agile, ready to scale rapidly and accommodate the ecosystem from a wide array of partners. But at the centre of it, communication service providers will have to keep the human needs of their users in mind.

“THE FUTURE OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS IS GOING TO BE BUILT ON THIS INCREASINGLY SEAMLESS INTEGRATION.”

BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE | 15

Alan Sinfield, 9mobile’s CEO.

9MOBILE

WE LEARN HOW 9MOBILE’S REBRANDING DEMONSTRATES ITS NIGERIAN ROOTS AND ITS COMMITMENT TO MAKING INNOVATION A PART OF EVERYDAY LIFE.

NIGERIA’S TELECOM COMPANY PROJECT MANAGED BY: ANDREW BOURKE

The number nine has a special significance in Nigeria. In texts or instant messaging, the figure “9”, or “9ja” is often used as a shorthand to signify Nigeria itself. So when Emerging Markets Telecommunication Services Ltd was looking to rebrand itself following a change in ownership, it seemed appropriate to make 9 part of the name.

“I

t’s deliberately done to resonate with the Nigerian people, showing that it’s a Nigerian brand, 100% owned by Nigerians,” says Alan Sinfield, 9mobile’s CEO. 9mobile is in many ways a new brand to the market. Its new identity stems from when it was acquired by its current shareholders at the end of 2018, after the exit of the original start-up company. Of course, the aftermath of a change of ownership is a busy time for any

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

company, but in 9mobile’s case, the issue was exacerbated by the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic- just as they were set to recruit a new CEO. “It’s not often in the midst of a global pandemic a business hires a new CEO remotely,” Sinfield says. “I took my position at the beginning of June, so my first two months were spent managing the company remotely. Luckily, it’s a communications company so we were able to manage that!

It’s quite funny having such indepth discussions and team working sessions with such a large portion of the business and having never met in-person.

It was a novel experience for me. Finally getting to shake someone’s hand once I’d arrived in Nigeria - that was unusual.”

Alan is a seasoned telecoms expert with extensive international and operational

experience in the wireless telecom, fintech, and banking sectors spanning over 30 years, making him a perfect match for 9mobile.

“9mobile is an innovative company, seen as a challenger in the market with a good reputation as a data provider,” Sinfield tells us. “We take pride in setting ourselves apart through customer service and quality.”

Of course, while 9mobile is undergoing big changes, it also has to spread the word of those changes to its stakeholders.

“As a telecom company we face the challenge of getting across the message that things have changed,” Sinfield says. “We actively engage with our stakeholders so that they understand the new management, the new owners and that many things are now changing for the positive.”

BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE | 17

9MOBILE Sparkle is a leading global service provider offering full range of IP, Data, Cloud, Data Center, Mobile Data and Voice solutions designed to meet the fast changing needs of Internet Service Providers, OTTs, Media & Content Players, Application Service Providers, Fixed and Mobile Operators as well as Multinational Corporations. Thanks to a state-of-the-art global backbone of over 540,000 kms of fiber and through an extensive worldwide commercial presence distributed over 34 countries, Sparkle ranks #10 for voice traffic and #7 for IP globally. Through a rich portfolio of services, a cutting edge network based on the latest technologies, a globally distributed sales force and advanced customer care capabilities, Sparkle is able to fulfil its mission of providing customers with top performing and tailored solutions worldwide.

In Africa Sparkle is continuing in investing in the expansion of its African backbone with the opening of a new Point of Presence (PoP) in Lagos, Nigeria. Located at Medallion, the largest carrier-neutral data center in the Country, the Lagos PoP is fully interconnected with Sparkle’s global Tier-1 IP transit service Seabone (AS6762) and allows best-in-class performances and resiliency to local and international OTT’s, ISPs and Digital Providers.

Thanks to its redundant architecture and its cutting-edge technological partnerships, it dramatically improves Internet customer experience to support the uptake of Social Media, eCommerce, Online Music, Games and Videos in the Country.

DDoS mitigation service - which grants Seabone customers the option to protect their network from DDoS attacks – and the Virtual NAP solution - that allows customers easy access to the main Internet Exchange Points - complete Sparkle’s portfolio of services offered via the Lagos PoP. The PoP in Nigeria extends Sparkle’s IP backbone in the region and consolidates the company’s positioning as leading provider and first Tier-1 backbone in Africa.

Enriched by its cultural variety and diversity, Sparkle is always committed to excellent relationships with all its stakeholders and operates with constant attention to maintain a safe environment where Partners, Customers, Suppliers and Employees can live and work better.

Sparkle. The world’s communication platform.

Find out more about Sparkle at: tisparkle.com Discover our global assets at: www.tisparkle.com/our-assets/global-backbone

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FROM BLUE SKY TO DOWN-TO-EARTH

A lot of businesses talk about innovation, and the word is often accompanied by a string of vaguely defined buzz words, but for Sinfield, it’s critical that “innovation” always has a practical application.

“That stems from the digital revolution that is happening internationally, but I guess what we try to do is not talk in terms that don’t make sense.

We talk about things that are relevant to people,” Sinfield explains. “Digitalisation is a rather hackneyed term these days so what we try to do is make our brand and the types of innovation we bring relevant to people’s lives by giving it real value, demystifying the technology in ways that are meaningful to people. These include elements such as payment solutions, short-term microfinancing around loans, things that provide value to people’s lives. Nigeria is a market like any other with different segments that have different needs.”

“WE POSITION OURSELVES SO THAT WE’RE SEEN AS A SUPPORTIVE BRAND TO THE NIGERIAN MARKET. WE JUST LAUNCHED A PROMOTION SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED TO GIVE THE ECONOMY A BOOST AND IN PARTICULAR NIGERIAN PEOPLE A BOOST FOLLOWING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC. Beyond support through their products and services, 9mobile also attempts to go the extra mile.

BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE | 19

9MOBILE

Together to build a fully connected society in Nigeria.

Huawei is one of the advanced ICT products and solutions provider in Nigeria.

Huawei worked with 9Mobile deployed 2G and 3G sites since 2013, supported 9Mobile to increase LTE coverage presence in Nigeria across 19 key cities since 2016.Huawei build local NOC center and supported 9Mobile to achieve and exceed NCC monthly KPI target requirement. Huawei Provided 9Mobile with excellent network assurance during COVID-19 pandemic with capacity management solution sustaining data traffic growth with guaranteed QoE. Huawei always helping customer expand their technical capabilities and we’re continuing to explore new ways to join customer’s value chain going forward.

Huawei has trained 2,0000 telecommunications engineers,17000 Nigerian youths and students, 1,435 Federal Government civil servants, 1,000 girls, over 100 ICT academy instructors, sponsored over 40 students on ICT study trips to China and donated telecommunication equipment for hands-on ICT training worth millions of US Dollars to school and ICT educational institutions across Nigeria. www.huawei.com “We position ourselves so that we’re seen as a supportive brand to the Nigerian market.

We just launched a promotion specifically designed to give the economy a boost and in particular Nigerian people a boost following the COVID-19 pandemic.

Over the last three months, we’ve made a millionaire every day- in naira that is, but that’s still big money,” Sinfield tells us. “We’ve given two smartphones away every hour, 4,300 smartphones, and we’re doing a one-off super prize to create a 10 million naira-aire. We know COVID’s had an impact and we’re trying to respond to that.”

This has included a partnership with an international health organisation to do online screening and health check-ups for free to all 9mobile customers.

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9MOBILE

“There’s no charge to access that service. It’s not just relevant, but of use in their everyday lives,” Sinfield says.

A CRITICAL SERVICE

Other challenges facing any telecom company in Nigeria include those around the provision of infrastructure and services.

“We have a lot of fibre outages because the government is investing in road construction and some contractors cut through fibre, taking down parts of our network,” Sinfield admits.

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“The national grid here is also challenging and we’re reliant on diesel generators and other forms of back-up supply. We as an industry rely on a number of service providers giving us stable power which they often do not do very well.”

This can be a problem when customers, seeing their connection go down, place the blame with 9mobile rather than other entities interfering with the service.

“We speak with the regulator and various government bodies to make sure they understand the impact of what’s happening,” Sinfield says. “We’re fortunate that the

BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE | 21

9MOBILE

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9MOBILE

“I CAME TO NIGERIA WITH AN OPEN MIND BUT THE MOST INTERESTING THING FOR ME WAS THAT THE MOST IMPRESSIVE THING ABOUT NIGERIA IS THE PEOPLE HERE. THE PEOPLE ARE PHENOMENAL, WELL EDUCATED, COMMITTED AND PASSIONATE ABOUT WHAT THEY DO.”

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Minister of Communications and Digital Economy understands that telecom infrastructure is critical national infrastructure and needs to be protected.

Work has been done by him to designate us as Critical National Infrastructure, giving us more tools in our arsenal to deal with crises.”

As well as improving the service they provide, 9mobile has big plans for growth.

“We’re currently the fourth largest mobile operator in the market with 13 million customers,” Sinfield says. “It’s a large market, 200 million people, not fully penetrated by any means with only circa 45% mobile broadband data penetration. So there’s a lot of room for growth and we intend to capitalise on that to deliver

innovation and value to our customers.”

Talking to Sinfield it’s clear he also believes Nigeria is fertile ground for the tech industry.

“People come with preconceptions about Nigeriamyths in many cases,” Sinfield says. “I came to Nigeria with an open mind but the most interesting thing for me was that the most impressive thing about Nigeria is the people here.

The people are phenomenal, well educated, committed and passionate about what they do. The market here has been incredibly robust with fintech and tech start-ups. Like anywhere there’s room for improvement, but we’re looking to the future and we are very focused on how we invest in our incredible people.”

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OKOMU OIL PALM COMPANY PLC

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OKOMU OIL PALM COMPANY PLC

OKOMU OIL PALM COMPANY PLC FACES A NUMBER OF CHALLENGES, FROM INFRASTRUCTURE TO CORONAVIRUS, BUT THROUGH COLLABORATION, HOPES TO OVERCOME THEM.

IN THE PALM OF THEIR HANDS PROJECT MANAGED BY: JOHN HOLLIMAN

The company started in 1976 as a government plantation. In 1990 the company was made a PLC through an IPO, going on to become a public listed company on the Nigerian Stock Exchange. “We’re the largest producer of crude palm oil in Nigeria, with 15,000 shareholders including a number of local individuals and institutions, Nigerian, as well as international investors,” says Graham Hefer, Managing Director of Okomu Oil Palm Company.

T

he company has three separate plantations totalling 33,112 hectares, of which nearly 20,000 hectares are palm and 7,500 hectares are planted under the rubber. The remainder is under high conservation value forests and non-biological assets. The Company is also an agro-processing company, not just a plantation company.

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“We have the largest oil mill in Africa, rated at 70 tons/hour at peak, and a rubber factory delivering 2.5 tons/hour of dry rubber. We’re also erecting two more oil mills to cope with the increased yields, adding 60 more tons/hour to our oil mills in the next two years,” Hefer says.

“The company is not doing too badly. First-half earnings were positive despite the prevalence of Covid-19. Our crude palm oil (CPO) is all sold locally and all of our rubber internationally.

We currently produce 48,000 tons of CPO/annum and this is set to double in the next three or four years. With rubber, we export 8,000 tons/annum and envisage getting to 10,000 tons/ annum in the next few years.”

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OKOMU OIL PALM COMPANY PLC

“Currently we’re the only large volume seller of CPO locally.

We’re also proud of our three ISO certifications, 9001:2015, which is for management of quality; 14001:2015 for environmental management and 45001:2018 managing occupational health and safety.

We’re also certified by the Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO).”

Graham Hefer, Managing Director of Okomu Oil Palm Company

A VALUABLE PART OF THE COMMUNITY

“Okomu employs about 2,000 people permanently and at least another 2,000 semipermanently, while indirectly providing jobs for another 5,000,” Hefer says.

This is one of the reasons why Okomu plays such a vital role in Nigeria’s economy.

“If we ceased to exist I think it would create a major vacuum within the State we reside in,” Hefer says.“Being one of two large oil palm companies residing in Edo State it would be a major blow to the economy because it’s a very agrarian reliant State and the knock-on effect would be devastating.

Apart from employment, we work with 1,000 local suppliers and contractors who offer us goods and services, and those would also be negatively impacted if our company were to close down.

Beyond their role as an employer, Okomu Oil Palm Company Plc is also constantly working to support the communities they work within.

“In terms of the social aspect, we do lots of developmental projects with our neighbouring communities,” Hefer says. “We help with clinics, boreholes, schools, grading earth roads, bursaries, and the like. We spend around N150 million/annum working with communities and parastatals on their CSR projects.”

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“IF WE WERE TO CEASE TO EXIST, I THINK IT WOULD CREATE A MAJOR VACUUM WITHIN THE STATE WE RESIDE IN.” HOLDING UP INFRASTRUCTURE

“Congested ports, lack of foreign exchange, a paucity of adequately skilled employees’ ambiguities in outdated laws all lead to difficulties in doing business, confusion and the potential for corruption. Lack of infrastructure such as power and poor roads add to our woes,” Hefer admits. “These limitations negatively impact potential investments and make the ease of doing business, difficult. But we’ve been around for 40 years so it can be done!”

But, how can it be done?

That’s where Okomu’s knack for building relationships and collaboration comes into play.

“Well, firstly we talk with government and other interested and affected parties; form associations of likeminded people,” Hefer says.“The Plantation Owners’Forum of Nigeria (POFON)is a group of agri-businesses who work with the government to minimise difficulties companies face on the ground. The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), another association, works together with private enterprise and government to make business easier in Nigeria.

Of course, the biggest challenge facing most businesses right now is the COVID-19 pandemic, and tragically Hefer knows first-hand how serious an issue that is.

“Unfortunately, through COVID-19 we have sadly lost

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OKOMU OIL PALM COMPANY PLC

28 | BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE

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OKOMU OIL PALM COMPANY PLC

two of our employees,” he says.

“Its serious business and we’ve taken steps to minimise COVID19’s influence, including handwashing areas and face masks to minimise infections.

Fortunately, the safety precautions put in place seem to be paying off to a large extent.

“We haven’t had as many cases as we might have, only fourteen testing positive in the past few months, and all being asymptomatic,” Hefer says, “whilst COVID-19 has negatively affected us with lockdowns and higher costs, it’s worth it to make sure our people are, first and foremost, safe, even if it has an effect on our results.”

GROWING VERTICALLY

“CLIMATE CHANGE IS ALSO A BIG ISSUE FOR US SINCE WE ARE RELIANT ON RAINFALL AND SOIL FOR OUR FUTURE SUSTAINABILITY.” BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

Looking beyond the pandemic, Okomu has big plans for the future. But that doesn’t mean blind expansion- the company is looking at how to minimize its impact on the environment.

Hefer says, “We’re going for vertical rather than horizontal expansion in future by using higher-yielding plants, rather than indiscriminately expanding horizontally and developing more land.

The best would probably be to do both vertical and horizontal expansion, but at all times remain cognizant that we are big users of soil and water.

That is why climate change is also a big issue for us since we are reliant on rainfall and soil for our future sustainability.”

“In terms of vertical and horizontal expansion of the company, we are also starting to integrate smallholder farmers into our expansion plans by providing them with training, seedlings and the like and offering them the ability to sell their product to us as a guaranteed off-taker of their product, thereby expanding our volumes and also assisting smallholders to develop as well.”

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COBOT LIFT

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COBOT LIFT

WE LEARN HOW COBOT LIFT IS OFFERING A VALUABLE TOOL TO THE UR+ ECOSYSTEM.

GIVING YOU A LIFT PROJECT MANAGED BY: DAVID TAVERNOR Here at Business Focus Magazine, we like Cobots. These collaborative robots, designed

by Universal Robots, combine automated machinery and human creativity to create tools that are safer and more adaptable than traditional fully automated tools. One of the Universal Robots’ master strokes, however, was opening up their platform through the UR+ ecosystem to allow other manufacturers to develop tools for the Cobot system.

T

Henrik Elm Gullov, CEO and Co-founder of Cobot Lift ApS.

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oday there are more than 200 UR+ products, and Cobot Lift has demonstrated just how invaluable some of these tools can be.

“Last year in the summer we were approved to become UR+ partners and that has been quite a long journey for us,” says Cobot Lift’s CEO, Henrik Gulløv.

“We were founded two and a half years ago when we did our first installation in Denmark. A company came to my partner and said ‘We like to palletize sacks but we don´t have space for more industrial robots but

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COBOT LIFT

still we want this process to be fully automatic.’ They have a lot of vacuum tube lifters that staff use as lift assists, manually guiding the movement and picking up product. Vacuum tube lifts are very powerful and can lift heavy loads, but they are manual. Facilities have been using these lift assists for years. So the idea was to combine a vacuum tube lifter that would do all the carrying with a Cobot that would guide the movement. The intelligence of a collaborative robot with the power of a vacuum tube lifter.

That’s what Cobot Lift is about, combining those two things.”

VACUUM POWER

Immediately it’s possible to see how a tool like this could have endless applications.

“We can successfully and safely lift 45 kilos, and it is difficult for people to understand how we can do that without endangering people, and how the robot will not be overloaded in this situation,” Gulløv says.

The advantages of Cobot Lift model are its power, but also its flexibility.

“The first selling point is it’s powerful in the way that it can boost a robot from lifting 10kg to 45kg. The second selling point is it’s intelligent, using collaborative robot functionality, making it a collaborative robot solution,” Gulløv says. “The third point is flexibility. Because we’re using that vacuum pump it enables us to grip a lot of different things. Traditionally you would need specialised grippers to lift different things but because we are using vacuum, we can lift a lot of different items. Think about parcels sent through DHL. We’ve done projects with the Belgian postal service picking up a lot of different parcels.

Combining this with AI ensures

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we can pick the product in the right place every time.

The Cobot Lift system has also been found to have unique advantages in industrial spaces throughout the COVID-19 crisis.

“If you look at our solution, it’s very small and can work in very cramped spaced and if you compare to an industrial robot that can fill up to five times more space than we do. So we’re saying you don’t need to build a new factory to automate,” Gulløv says. “That means we enable social distancing. A lot of these installations could be where there are vacuum lifters already installed where people are working. We’re going from

manually operated vacuum tube lifters to automated ones because robots don’t get corona.”

GROWTH IN A TIME OF COVID

Talking to Gulløv it’s clear he has grand ambitions for the company, but he’s having to realise those conditions under unusual constraints.

“First, how do we effectively grow our business in this corona-restrained world?” he asks. “We’re not able to travel so we now do live demonstrations remotely. We have almost a tv studio in our assembly hall. It can become a strength for us in that we don’t have a large

Stationary Cobot Lift

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COBOT LIFT

Cobot Lift Employees

organisation, we just have that video studio instead. Last week I was demonstrating to Chile and then to the Middle East. So we can grow, we can do business with good virtual support.”

While Cobot Lift has achieved a lot by spreading the word through remote and virtual demonstrations, Gulløv is still keen to build the kind of relationships that can only be achieved through physical presence.

“The second challenge is right now we’re operating out of Denmark and don’t have an international physical presence.

We have a virtual one but we’re looking at how can we grow our organisation effectively, especially into the US market where there’s a great deal of demand,” Gulløv says. “Half of our web traffic is from the US, so how to do capitalise on that?”

A key part of that strategy is going to be building a global network of distributors.

“We’re also finding the UR distributors with the ability to

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distribute and integrate our parts, because our distribution network now covers 20 countries and we want to grow that and continue to grow while finding distributors that can grow with us,” Gulløv explains.

A very important strategic step on this journey is the recent announcement that TAWI, a branch of PIAB, and Cobot Lift have entered into a global partnership agreement enabling the patented Cobot Lift to be sold through TAWIs global dealer network as well.

A NEW GENERATION

As well as developing new tools and new partnerships, Cobot Lift is also investing in a new generation of engineers to continue to the company’s work.

“We are using a lot of young people. People are coming and working with us through internship and so on to gain the knowledge and it’s been helpful during the COVID-19 crisis to see how young people are

working virtually,” Gulløv says.

“We get people with these skills using the Odense Robotics Network.”

With this new generation of talent, Cobot Lift has plans for a great deal of future growth.

“The goal is we want to grow past 15 million euros revenue in four years,” Gulløv says. “It’s only two months ago we were three individuals, now we are twelve.

We’re looking at exponential growth with a global presence through our distributor network with our own offices opening up around the world. A traditional accelerated growth company in the robotic space.”

“TRADITIONALLY YOU’D NEED SPECIALISED GRIPPERS TO LIFT DIFFERENT THINGS BUT BECAUSE WE’RE USING VACUUM, WE CAN LIFT A LOT OF DIFFERENT ITEMS.” BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE | 33

Andrew Matseke CEO, Broadband Infraco SOC.

BROADBAND INFRACO SOC

SOUTH AFRICAN BROADBAND INFRACO SOC STRIVES TO ENHANCE CONNECTIVITY WITHIN THE COUNTRY AS WELL AS SOUTH AFRICA’S CONNECTION WITH ITS NEIGHBOURS.

CONNECTING THE NATION PROJECT MANAGED BY: JAMES RICHARDSON

Broadband Infraco (BBI) was incorporated in 2007 as a state-owned enterprise with a mandate to expand the availability and affordability of access to electronic communications in South Africa, and became commercially operational in 2010, just after the FIFA World Cup.

G

iven its form and size, the company’s role is specific - Broadband Infraco derives its distinctiveness from its founding mandate, which includes improving competition in the wholesale connectivity market; and addressing the challenges of connectivity in underdeveloped and underserviced areas that were historically neglected in terms of infrastructure.

“The company’s investments in infrastructure in the last decade have been driven by the need to fulfil this mandate,” said CEO Andrew Matseke.

“This is a role we take on with pride, which is evident in how we have implemented projects of national importance whose aim is to provide universal access to rural and underserviced communities.

This includes SA Connect, the government’s project derived from the National Development Plan (NDP), which aims to deliver widespread broadband

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access to 100% of the country’s population by 2030.”

In addition to its key mandate, BBI is the provider of wholesale international capacity to institutions like the CSIR for purposes of national research; and also acts as a wholesale provider of connectivity to Mobile Network Operators (MNO) and Internet Service Providers (ISPs), enabling access to wholesale products at competitive pricing. This is especially important in ensuring that mobile operators deploy connectivity cost-effectively to reach the masses of South Africa.

The company also fulfils an important role in the SADC region - it provides connectivity to all of South Africa’s neighbours which enables them, especially the landlocked countries, to connect to the Internet Exchange at the Teraco Data Centre in Johannesburg; and from there to the undersea cables that link the region to the rest of the world.

TURNING CHALLENGES INTO OPPORTUNITIES

Mr Matseke pointed out that with its headcount of 150, BBI is a relatively small player, able to offer customised solutions and focus on specific customers who prefer a more intimate relationship with their service provider. This is a certain competitive advantage but comes at a cost.

Coming to a highly competitive market with strong, established players was not easy, and the government’s non-achievement of the plans to implement the investment originally committed did not help. Undercapitalisation has been another challenge operating in a market where fibre and basic connectivity have become commodities with pricing on a downward spiral has affected the revenue base. Last but not least, unlike its counterparts in the private sector, Broadband Infraco has legislative and regulatory requirements that make some decisions take longer to finalise.

Rather than making the company unstable, the challenges pushed BBI to be creative in finding ways to differentiate itself from

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SENTECH AN ENABLER

OF 4IR TECHNOLOGIES

SENTECH, the broadcasting signal distributor has branched out into IoT and broadband solutions to help bridge the digital divide, especially in the rural and/or underserviced communities.

SENTECH Connect is a broadband service solution for the Education, Health and Local Government focusing on rural communities, where broadband connectivity access is neither available nor affordable. SENTECH Connect is fast, reliable broadband connectivity.

SENTECH also brings you the IoT solution that can be used in many applications ranging from asset monitoring and management, agriculture, water and energy management, and enables smart cities, smart municipalities, and smart villages.

• Asset monitoring and management: Attach IoT sensors to your assets and service items and start receiving automatic notifications, reminders and alerts based on the collected data.

• Agriculture: Today’s farmers are herding the power of IoT to streamline their operations. As the use of freerange livestock becomes widely adopted, connected technology can track animals as they graze in open

Learn more about our product/service offerings, get in touch: Tel: +27 (0)11 471 4400/+27 (0)86 073 6832 WhatsApp: 072 196 8368 Email: communication@sentech.co.za / support@sentech.co.za Website: www.sentech.co.za

pastures. Smart sensors can also be placed in irrigation systems to reduce water consumption, creating just the right moisture level in soil for a given crop. It’s even being used to watch over factors such as humidity and temperature in composting. Additionally, farmers can keep tabs on their equipment, mapping out where each item is, tracking its performance, and carrying out predictive maintenance. Outside of traditional farms, wine producers are using IoT devices to understand grapevine health and sugar levels in grapes.

• Water and energy management: Enhance the efficiency of water systems such as water collectors, treatment plants, distribution mains and wastewater recycling centers. Using SENTECH IoT and data solutions for companies can assist in keeping important measurements such as water pressure, temperature, flow, etc.

Through its IoT platform, SENTECH delivered live streaming services for events, such as GovTech, East London ICT Summit amongst others.

As a state-owned entity, SENTECH is leading in 4IR technology developments providing universal services for all.

SENTECH SENTECH is a South African state-owned company and leading provider of electronic communications network services to the country’s broadcasting and communications industry. SENTECH derives its mandate from legislation, particularly the SENTECH Act and the Electronic Communications’ Act (ECA). In 1992, SENTECH was corporatised as a wholly owned subsidiary of the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC).

In 1996, SENTECH Act, No. 63 of 1996 was amended, converting SENTECH into a separate public entity responsible for providing broadcasting signal distribution services as a common carrier to licensed television (TV) and radio broadcasters.

Our ownership of the largest infrastructure in the country for terrestrial signal distribution for both TV and radio enables us to offer wholesale services on an equitable, non-discriminatory and non-exclusive basis (i.e. as a common carrier).

We provide broadcast transmission services to all public broadcaster’s (SABC) radio and television stations, commercial radio and TV stations and over 150 Community Radio Stations countrywide daily. Our 180 sites enable us to provide connectivity and infra¬structure services to the retail, Telcos and Public sectors.

As holder of Individual Electronic Communications Network Services (I-ECNS) and an Individual Electronic Communications Services (I-ECS) we can provide international voice-based telecommunications and multimedia services. Our mandate it to deliver on.

The Company has expanded its footprint to clients in sub-Saharan Africa to provide broadcasting signal distributions and managed services such as Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) solutions, Digital Radio (DAB+), training and consultancy services.

SENTECH offers a wide range of services designed to meet the needs of broadcast and telecoms operators across the continent.

In March 2020, SENTECH successfully deployed two 5G test sites at the STP (Sender Technology Park) and the Nasrec disaster recovery site and developed a true Free-toAir (FTA) streaming service.

SENTECH has in November 2019 launched a new product offering “SENTECH Connect”.

It provides high speed broadband access, always-on internet connection for government facilities in underserviced and or rural areas in Education, Health and Local Government. The Network also enables data, voice, video and other multimedia applications for business use.

Our products offering namely Content and Multimedia, Managed Infrastructure and Connectivity services, enables us to keep our customers connected all the time anywhere through innovative solutions.

TRANSFORMATION SENTECH supports underprivileged communities, mainly in the field of education and health through its corporate social investment (CSI) Schools Connectivity Programme.

Fifty-two schools have been connected to date. The company has also established and funded a programme to provide extra Maths and Science classes to 300 learners from Grade 10 to 12.

Enterprise and supplier development also form part of SENTECH’s transformation and development mandate. Through its ESD initiatives, the company stimulates the growth of small and medium enterprises, creates jobs and provides critical ICT intensive skills for the economy. So far, SENTECH has incubated 20 SMMEs, of which 18 are potential suppliers and two are existing suppliers. SENTECH has also partnered and collaborated with three universities the University of Pretoria, University of Witwatersrand and University of Cape Town to sponsor research and bursaries for undergraduate and postgraduate students in the electrical engineering field.

The company also runs internships through the MICT SETA to assist graduates coming into the working world. They have employed 62% of the 220 students that have been part of this programme over the last 10 years. www.sentech.co.za

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BROADBAND INFRACO SOC

the others. “Operating in a commodity market, we have managed to be entrepreneurial in our product offerings, introducing other ancillary products to supplement the revenue fall,” noted Mr Matseke.

“The acquisition of market share and the solid growth of the company are reflective of the strength of our people, a strong and resilient ‘can-do’ culture and a sound business model. Although a state-owned entity, we have always been funded by our own operations, which speaks volumes of the ‘capability’ of our people.”

These achievements would not have been possible without committed and dedicated staff.

Broadband Infraco has a core complement of employees who have the ICT skills that are required in the sector and when recruiting a new workforce, the focus is on acquiring skills that enhance what the company already has.

“THE ACQUISITION OF MARKET SHARE AND THE SOLID GROWTH OF THE COMPANY ARE REFLECTIVE OF THE STRENGTH OF OUR PEOPLE, A STRONG AND RESILIENT ‘CAN-DO’ CULTURE, AND A SOUND BUSINESS MODEL.” “We are a young company in terms of demographics with an average age of 34, operating within a dynamic organisation almost like an entrepreneurial company, with close interaction between different levels of management and employees.

That works well even in times of difficulties, such as now during the Covid-19 pandemic,” Mr Matseke acknowledged, adding that due to the good skills foundation built over the years,

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BROADBAND INFRACO SOC

the company has not been impacted by skills shortages.

“Our employees have a good understanding of the need to provide universal access and are aware of the importance of what BBI stands for in South Africa. We value our people and provide them with appropriate training and opportunities to contribute to matters of national interest – making input into key policy matters around ICT, country development, SADC development, BRICS development.

These keep employees motivated as the role played by them is that of serving the national duty.”

“OUR EMPLOYEES HAVE A GOOD UNDERSTANDING OF THE NEED TO PROVIDE UNIVERSAL ACCESS AND ARE AWARE OF THE IMPORTANCE OF WHAT BBI STANDS FOR IN SOUTH AFRICA. 38 | BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE

IN A NEW SHAPE

Building on its progressive development over the ten years of its operation, Broadband Infraco’s role is going to change in the months to come, revealed Mr Matseke.

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OS HOLDINGS

TM

Founded in 2012 we are a South African black woman owned company with extensive experience in providing technology solutions large enterprises and government institutions.

We have succeeded in implementing projects that are compliance extensive from Public Finance Management Act (PFMA) to Municipal Finance Management Act (MFMA) respectively. We automate supply chain processes from requisitions, contract management up to a level of Central Supplier Database (CSD) integration.

ISERVE FOR GOVERNMENT. Iserve is a Budget and Performance Reporting software application for municipalities and other state-owned entities focusing on national development planning service delivery.

The module incorporates key processes and procedures such as strategy formulation, integrated development planning (IDP), prioritisation, project planning down to department level budgeting capabilities. The budget is informed by the strategic integrated development plan (IDP) and budget capturing occurs across all the mSCOA segments which are available. And it hosts the mandatory mSCOA versions for every municipal fiscal. The Iserve is intended a browser accessed interface that is underpinned by a SQL database which integrates seamlessly with the ERP. We aspire to be the leader of technology is Africa, we have a footprint in both South Africa and Zambia.

We’re a team of licensed professionals made up of accountants, business analysts, project managers and developers. Because we’re accountants, we understand our client’s financial objectives and deploy accountants to implement and provide training on relevant systems.

We follow an Agile approach to managing projects, innovating along the journey and encourage customer collaboration throughout the process. www.osholdings.co.za

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Kunene Makopo Risk Solutions KMRS was founded in 2006 to participate in all spheres of Insurance and Risk Management.

KMRS has a unique footing in the market due to its multiple licenses in Short Term, Long Term insurance & Medical Aid. 1.

• • • • • • • • •

Short-term insurance Commercial lines Personal lines Public liability Professional indemnity Taxi insurance Legal and tax cover Performance guarantee Film Insurance Film Completion Bonds

3. Re-Insurance

2. Long-term Insurance • Group funeral schemes • Personal funeral benefit • Life cover/bond cover • Retirement planning • Education policies • Buy and sell agreements • Key man cover • Credit life insurance • Group life cover 4. Product development

We have developed relationships with specialized underwriters and insurance houses, allowing us to develop client-focused products from scratch.

KUNENE MAKOPO RISK SOLUTIONS, Johannesburg T | +27 (0) 11 900 1346 F | +27 (0) 86 514 2212 E: info@kunenemakopo.com www.kunenemakopo.com

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BROADBAND INFRACO SOC

“Under the governmental plan, within the next 12 to 24 months Broadband Infraco is going to be merged with Sentech, a distributor of broadcasting signal in South Africa, to create a State Digital Infrastructure Company. We are already in the mode of planning for that future company which will be the foundation of the digital infrastructure that South Africa will need to be able to participate meaningfully in the 4th industrial revolution.”

The BBI/Sentech merger is seen as a positive move for both the public sector and for customers, enabling efficiencies in how to engage the market as well as an end-to-end product offering to the customer. It is also expected to optimise government assets and remove bureaucracies.

The second priority for the future, as highlighted by Mr

40 | BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE

Matseke, is to have a full IP network that will cover the whole country including the underserviced areas that are part of the scope of the SA Connect project.

“In implementing SA Connect the company has developed the relationships with small internet service providers operating in rural areas who have become a very important growth market for us. This has been a positive step as we have managed to empower a number of SMMEs (Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises) which we have seen develop and sustain themselves over time.”

Full completion of SA Connect is another major task in which BBI will be actively participating.

Challenging as the future may seem, the company has demonstrated that it is in sound shape to achieve its objectives.

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BROADBAND INFRACO SOC

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CMC NETWORKS

WITH ITS SMART TECHNOLOGIES, CMC NETWORKS MAKES SURE THAT PEOPLE AND THEIR COMPANIES REMAIN WELL CONNECTED, WHATEVER THE CHALLENGE.

BRIDGING CONTINENTS PROJECT MANAGED BY: JAMIE WAITE

With close to a thirty-year track record, CMC Networks is a global telecommunication carrier that operates the largest pan-African network, serving 51 out of 54 countries in Africa as well as an extensive network in the Middle East and Western Asia that extend into other regions via partner programmes. The company is majority-owned by The Carlyle Group, which is one of the world’s largest and most diversified alternative asset management firms with over $200B of assets under management.

T

he company provides a broad portfolio of network solutions and enables its customers to extend their Ethernet, MPLS or Internet capabilities seamlessly across the region. With its unique ability to provide connectivity and services in frequently complex geographic locations, CMC is showcasing and delivering the highest level of reliability and latency standards.

“CMC Networks is unique,” says CEO Marisa Trisolino.

“We are known for our ‘can-do attitude’ and we continuously push the boundaries to stay ahead of the curve in developing innovative ways to support our customer requirements, using a business model that reflects the generally volatile African environment and its challenges.

42 | BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE

Because CMC understands Africa, we drive a partnership approach with our customers, putting their needs first.”

PAN-AFRICAN PLATFORM

With its C-RAN™ Rapid Adaptive Network, the company has secured a unique position in the market. Powered by 128 Technology, C-RAN™ is a solution that not only automates and drives the company’s internal Digital Transformation but provides a platform for its customers to deploy and service chain their SDx capabilities across Africa and beyond.

“Our SDN (Software Defined Networks) technology ensures an application-aware core infrastructure which is compliant with PCI, FIPS, GDPR, POPI, HIPAA and other global

standards,” says Ms Trisolino.

“No other provider can offer a Pan-African SDN platform which offers this level of compliance.”

Where traditional SD-WAN has delivered incremental benefits on legacy infrastructure, C-RAN™ is a disruptive solution.

It’s 100% software-based, tunnel free, utilizing Session Smart Technology and Secure Vector Routing and by being servicecentric at the core, it delivers the application visibility, control and security needed to bridge the gap between our customers’ business needs and network requirements.

CMC strips out the cost and complexity, as the software runs on its customer’s choice of computer platforms or white-box CPE and can be virtualized and hosted in private clouds and public clouds including AWS, Azure, or Google.

“C-RAN™ is complemented by our Remote Access, software-defined perimeter (SD-P) solution for customers to migrate large-scale Working From Home (WFH) or Work From Anywhere (WFA) deployments during the unique situation Covid-19 has forced us into. Our mobile connectivity product

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Marisa Trisolino, CEO, CMC Networks.

AUTOMATE THE PROVISIONING OF YOUR NETWORK SERVICES

Datavision’s Service Conductor™ SD-WAN and uCPE programmable network solution is SASE-compliant, ready to use, economical for WorkFrom-Home programs, proven in production, and set up for operations and end-customers for Self-Service.

See the full article in this issue to learn more.

CONTACT US TODAY

+1 908-566-3547 | info@datavision-inc.com

www.datavision-inc.com

Network Transformation through agile innovation Global Digital Transformation (GDX) was started in 2018 to address business challenges in an evolving Industry 4.0 economy.

Our mission is to accelerate business growth through network transformation by automating service delivery and integrating programmable,cloud-centric networks with existing operations, we put tools in place to help combat rising operating costs while increasing the ability to scale and realise revenues quickly.

Redvine Networks is a provider of next generation network and security solutions, combining pan-African cloud presence with consultancy and managed services.

We pride ourselves on pushing the boundaries of what is possible in the ICT sector and shifting control back to our customers.

The services we offer:

• Digital Customer Operations • Network Transformation • Product Strategy & Development • SD-WAN

+27 10 141 VINE (8463) +27 10 141 8500

• SASE Tel: +27 (0)10 492 6560 Email: info@gdxnetwork.com

44 | BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE

1 Wedgewood Link Bryanston, Sandton Johannesburg, 2191

info@redvine.io

www.gdxnetwork.com

www.redvine.io

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DATAVISION SD-WAN has matured to the point where there are widespread deployments among branch offices and Cloud Infrastructure to help organizations provide application aware routing to optimize performance and reduce operational costs. Among the deployment issues that have arisen are security, service provisioning and activation, integration into existing systems, management and orchestration of underlay networks, and costs of end-point hardware and software.

Datavision’s Service ConductorTM was developed to address these concerns. With a renewed emphasis on remote work programs, as well as the existing secure branch office need, Service ConductorTM is an orchestration and automation system to help you deploy SD-WAN, and other VNF’s along with underlying infrastructure, more quickly, efficiently and securely.

Service ConductorTM is “SASE-compliant”, ready to use, proven in production, and set up for operations and end-customers for Self-Service, Service ConductorTM can help.

Service ConductorTM consists of a self-service User Portal, System orchestrator for end-end service provisioning, ZTP configuration management engine, with “SASE-compliant” routing and security architecture. Virtual Network Functions (VNF’s) reside on an x86-based white box platform for low-cost hardware deployment. Service ConductorTM can also be extended to orchestrate the underlay network as well.

ABOUT DATAVISION Datavision brings their formidable expertise at leveraging innovative commercial solutions, accelerating customer access to service automation. The company has extensive experience across a multitude of orchestration platforms, with a long history of network engineering and software development experience in the SDN/NFV space. Datavision helps our clients through the automation and virtualization journey with a complete approach, examining current processes, and how to optimize for automation. Our solutions help our clients to lower their operational costs and increase their agility while reducing their time to revenue.

CMC NETWORKS

called C-RAD, CMC’s Rapid Active Deployment, falls under the C-RAN™ umbrella, allowing for rapid mobile connectivity,” Ms Trisolino explains.

Another unique feature of CMC is that the company has mastered the art of navigating the complexity and sheer size of the African continent. With its large geography come very long WAN links, which can impact the performance and reliability of the connectivity especially outside of metro or main cities. CMC has handled the challenge, using a novel approach.

“Together with 128 Technology, we developed a unique solution that does not

For more information, contact us at: www.datavision-inc.com

CMC Ops Golf Day, from left: Marisa Trisolino - CEO, William De Meillon - Sales Director Africa, Hugo Fourie – Supply Chain Manager, Munya Ngai – Global Operations Engineer.

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BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE | 45

CMC NETWORKS

Network Operations Team, CMC Networks.

use any tunnels, resulting in bandwidth saving of 30-40% when compared to other SDWAN products. As a result, we improved the reliability and quality of choppy internet links, resulting in CMC addressing the challenges of the MEA market with lower costs and better quality. The technology we deployed in our network, together with the wide coverage of CMC’s network, is unmatchable in terms of quality, price, and speed of deployment,” affirms the CEO.

DRIVEN BY TALENT

She further pointed out that the company is proud of the excellent calibre of its key asset, the human resources. She has had an admirable career with a long list of major achievements.

Before coming to CMC in 2018, she had several roles during her 21-year upward trajectory at

46 | BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE

AT&T, her only employer since her undergraduate degree in Rome. She was selected as part of the 2019 Top Twenty woman to watch in Tech, nominated

by Capacity Media, and was shortlisted for the Best CEO at Capacity’s Global Carrier Awards in October 2019. In May 2020, Ms Trisolino was selected

by Capacity Media’s Power 100, as one of the most influential women and men in the Telecom industry.

“The key point for me personally is to lead by example,” she says, answering the question of how to make the best of the workforce. “Integrity and respect are high on my list of what drives a healthy work environment. At CMC Networks we have an open-door policy, and we move as one team.

Customer focus is the common denominator. We invest in our teams to upskill them and

ensure they are well equipped to serve the marketplace. There is no doubt in my mind that CMC has the best workforce – they make it happen every day!”

She acknowledges that the company has done more than well during the Covid-19 pandemic, and will continue to remain agile during the coming months, having developed more new features and solutions during the lockdown.

“INTEGRITY AND RESPECT ARE HIGH ON MY LIST OF WHAT DRIVES A HEALTHY WORK ENVIRONMENT. AT CMC NETWORKS WE HAVE AN OPEN-DOOR POLICY, AND WE MOVE AS ONE TEAM.” BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

CMC NETWORKS

“We have a lot planned and CMC’s CTO Geoff Dornan keeps our network strongly positioned. The most imminent plan, which is in roll-out phase, is a brand-new feature further enhancing the CMC C-RAN™ solution - called STEP (Services and Topology Exchange Protocol), a game-changer in the SDN world.”

“Utilizing artificial intelligence capabilities STEP will learn the network topology, the services attached to the network and work out the optimal path to connect users, departments or branches to those services, whether it be hyper-scale cloud delivery or providing a low latency route for VoIP traffic, the added benefits for any customer using C-RAN™ enables enterprises to spin new locations for existing services up and down based on loads, to add new services, and to remove or modify existing

services. This reduces time to market and helps them to grow elastically. Our dynamic and self-optimizing network will enable customers to get the network to do what their business needs,” Ms Trisolino affirms.

Looking forward, CMC Networks is demonstrating that it is indeed uniquely positioned to embrace the fast-growing data demand in Africa and the Middle East, and is ready to seize the growth opportunities in providing services that fully match customers’ needs.

CMC Exhibition stand at Capacity Europe 2019.

CMC Networks, Executive Committee Members (Left to right).

Charles Kuppusamy - VP Global Network Operations, Susan Lewis - VP HR, Geoff Dornan - CTO, Andrew Wilson - CFO, Craig Lowe - COO.

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ICOMERA

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ICOMERA

ICOMERA KEEPS PEOPLE CONNECTED ON THE GO.

CONNECTED IN TRANSIT PROJECT MANAGED BY: JAMIE WAITE

Icomera is a leading provider of wireless Internet connectivity for the public transport industry, serving millions of Wi-Fi users and tens of thousands of vehicles every day.

F

ounded in Sweden in 1999, the company created its US subsidiary in 2014 and moved its North American HQ to Bethesda, Maryland last year. Today it is a wholly-owned subsidiary of ENGIE Solutions, a leading multinational energy and mobility group aiming to reinvent living environments for a more virtuous and sustainable world.

The key advantage Icomera has, however, has always been its people.

“I think with any company the unique selling point is its people.

We’ve got excellent employees,” Dale Weaver, Icomera’s COO for North America says. “We’re a very innovative company, but that requires industry-leading

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technology experts who can provide cost-effective solutions with the value that solve our customers’ issues and continue to be used for years to come.

We have 20 years of experience in this industry and, as part of ENGIE, we’ve also got the scale.

We can touch any place, any time, any part of the world.”

The technology platform that Icomera provides delivers the fastest, most reliable wireless Internet connection available to and from a public transport vehicle.

“That’s central, because as passengers are on their journey, they need to have productive time, and we provide that to them,” Weaver says.

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The innovation that powers these solutions, Weaver believes, is down to the special cross-cultural nature of Icomera.

“We’re headquartered in Sweden which is a very innovative and high-tech engineering-type environment,” he says. “The team is constantly looking at what exists today and where we can take it. Our teammates in Sweden are constantly innovating.”

“WE’RE HEADQUARTERED IN SWEDEN WHICH IS A VERY INNOVATIVE AND HIGH-TECH ENGINEERING-TYPE ENVIRONMENT.” CULTURAL TRANSIT

This melding of cultures has not always been easy for Icomera.

“One of the biggest challenges we faced was in 2014 when we made the transition from the reseller model to a businessto-business managed services model in North America” Weaver admits. “We had to assess where the organisation was and adjust to deliver the quality of service that American transportation operators expect to receive.

“In America, business is very risk-averse, people want results and they want them now, while in other cultures it’s often more conservative and businesses may have a bit more patience.”

But ultimately, Weaver is adamant that the mix of cultures within the company is a proud source of strength.

“It’s something we embrace and that’s what makes us unique. Our differences can be harnessed across the globe as we went to all existing clients and actively listened to their

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concerns and perceived pain points of doing business with Icomera”.

This process has two major benefits for customers and staff.

“It showed the clients we heard them and, by implementing the strategy, we also instilled confidence in our employees’ ability to meet our client needs.

By walking the talk we’ve increased credibility among our clients who now recognise our values of being open, honest and transparent,” Weaver points out. “In many ways, they look at us as extended teammates, just down the hallway. It is a trust that we don’t take lightly as a valued partner”

Partnerships are clearly an important aspect of Icomera, and it’s clear talking to Weaver that their work is supported by a strong network of partnerships.

“We had to build an ecosystem of partners to support us outside of our core business,” he says. “We’re an OEM and with our infrastructure, we’re also a managed service integrator. So having strong partnerships with businesses outside of our core is important, be it a media content provider for onboard infotainment, a 3rd party technology provider that we integrated as part of our solution, or a new installation partner.”

Dale Weaver, Icomera’s COO for North America

Icomera has embraced its cross-cultural nature as a proud source of strength.

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ICOMERA

Icomera is a leading provider of wireless Internet connectivity for the public transport industry.

CONNECTING PEOPLE

That value of collaboration can also be seen in how Icomera interacts with its own people.

“With our staff, with any organisation, we established a culture with people by driving ownership and taking pride in our work,” Weaver says. “If we’re looking for new positions we promote from within the company, developing the employees and showing them they can have career growth within the company. If we can’t fill the position internally, we ask our staff if they have someone they can recommend.

We have trust in our employees making those recommendations but it’s also their personal brand on the line there, it’s someone you brought into the business so there is accountability and ownership.”

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Self-improvement is also a key value for the company, and even before they hire a new candidate Icomera is talking to them about how they can develop.

“When we evaluate candidates, we have a talent development and assessment process which we do with each candidate. Many candidates we talk to say ‘I didn’t know I had these blind spots’ so we invest very early on in the process,” Weaver says. “If someone becomes part of the family we will sit down and go through our analysis with them, documenting where we want them to develop and continue to improve.”

At the same time, Icomera’s employees are rewarded with an extensive benefits package, another product of the trans-

cultural nature of the business.

As Weaver explains, “It’s a very generous vacation, medical and 401k package, and I think that comes from the cultural difference, the vacations and offerings you see are more in line with what you would expect from a European company.”

WORKING THROUGH COVID-19

Of course, all of these partnerships and values have been put to the test this year by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“When the pandemic really hit, I’d just returned to the States from our global management meeting in Sweden. It was early March and we said ‘This is coming, we need to take appropriate action’,” Weaver remembers. “We looked after the health of our employees first, executing our business

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ICOMERA

“WITH OUR STAFF, WITH ANY ORGANISATION, WE ESTABLISH A CULTURE WITH PEOPLE

BY DRIVING OWNERSHIP AND TAKING PRIDE IN OUR WORK.” continuity programme for social distancing, working from home, scheduling when people came into the office to be in the lab environments to perform tasks that they would not be able to do at home. From day 1 we’ve had protocols in place in the office to ensure that we are abiding by the latest health guidelines that we receive from health authorities.”

Lockdowns have obviously hit the public transport sector hard.

“While people are doing social distancing and staying at home, ridership has been significantly down,” Weaver says. “But we’re working to help transport operators restore passenger confidence, either by working with new technologies or using

existing digital passenger information channels – such as Wi-Fi portals - to promote onboard safety measures, and improving passenger access to real-time information, like live timetables or current passenger loads on the next bus and train.”

And again, it is Icomera’s ability to build and maintain relationships that have proved key during this period.

“We’re thankful to all the clients doing business with us during this crisis,” Weaver says.

“During times like these you see the character of an organisation and I think we’ve seen that with Icomera - our existing clients have really come to know who we are and they like what they see.”

The company’s key advantage has always been its people.

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SILENT-AIRE

FOR 26 YEARS SILENT-AIR HAS BEEN DESIGNING, ENGINEERING AND MANUFACTURING HYPERSCALE COOLING AND MODULAR DATA CENTRE SOLUTIONS.

THE FOUNDATIONS OF CLOUD COMPUTING PROJECT MANAGED BY: ETHAN THOMPSON

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SILENT-AIRE

Silent-Aire is a company driven by technology in its quest to design, engineer, and manufacture hyperscale cooling and modular data centre solutions for a wide range of industries and clients. The company is a pioneer in the field, with their work encompassing CRAC, CRAHU & AHUs deployed at most of the largest hyperscale facilities built since cloud computing first emerged on the scene in 2004. Its custom data centre solutions for cloud service providers are the benchmark for innovation, energy efficiency, volume manufacturing and the complexity of rapid regional deployments which define hyperscale infrastructure.

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T

he company has also built itself a reputation as a world leader in the design, engineering, manufacturing and service of modular data centres, with a portfolio that includes Micro, Enterprise and Campus solutions which can solve the most challenging issues facing data centre infrastructure around the world. Silent-Aire’s MDC Vault is run by industry veterans widely experienced in engineered mechanical and electrical solutions and can

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“Customer relationships are based on the continuous exchange of information, innovation, and respect.”

For over forty years, Comefri has produced fans which are internationally recognized for their quality and construction. The parent company of the group, Comefri S.p.A., was founded in 1972 in northeastern Italy, a region long known for its high-quality craftsmanship.

Our steady growth has allowed the opening of production operations in Germany, U.S.A., China, and Turkey, becoming one of the few fan manufacturers, if not the only one, with production and product development on three continents.

Comefri fans are highly efficient designs, with low noise and vibration, featuring the shortest lead times in the marketplace. The HVAC series offer a wide selection of standard plenum and housed fan designs, available in forward-curved, backward-curved and airfoil designs, as well as complete custom fabrications.

Besides its HVAC products, Comefri offers a complete line of industrial fans, including standard high pressure blowers, heavyduty custom-engineered mechanical draft fans, and our newest line of high volume axials with rugged extruded aluminum blades.

Fans play a crucial role in a number of industrial applications that require specific operating points to maintain optimal conditions.

These are often large-scale or demanding processes with extreme working and ambient temperatures, such as heat exchange, dust/

fume extraction, and material conveyance. Comefri serves all major industry sectors, providing tailored solutions for HVAC, energy, transportation, oil and gas, marine, automotive, power generation, and other mission-critical applications.

Comefri’s customers benefit from a wide range of accessories and options, including specialty materials such as stainless steel construction or hot-dip galvanized coatings, custom safety guards, spark-resistant construction with severe duty or explosion-proof motors, water-tight electrical connections, and much more.

Comefri is certified to ISO 9001-2015 and 14001-2015 and ISO 45001-2018 standards. Our products are built according to ATEX, AMCA, ABS and DNV standards and we strive to meet or exceed compliance with worldwide low carbon footprint energy-saving directives. Our AMCA-accredited laboratories (one in the U.S.A. and one in Italy) allow customers to further optimize the performance of their products, and to test out new, clean ideas.

Our customer relationships are based on innovation, respect and the continuous exchange of information. As a global team, our group is equipped with the assets and experience customers expect from a world-class organization. Comefri prides itself in being at the forefront of its field and invests in what’s to come. Every day more people get to know us in the world market, and thanks to the hard work of our dedicated and knowledgeable team members, we are prepared to discuss those opportunities and meet new challenges.

Visit us online and let’s see what we can build together: www.comefri.com - www.comefriusa.com - www.comefrichina.com - www.comefri.com.tr

SUPERIOR COOLING, EVOLUTIONARY TECHNOLOGY Proudly based in Texas, Portacool has always called the small East Texas town of Center home.

In less than 30 years, Portacool, LLC has emerged as the global leader in evaporative cooling technologies. The company boasts two brands – Portacool® portable evaporative coolers and Kuul® evaporative media.

Six years after the company was founded, supply chain issues were plaguing the fledgling business relative to rigid evaporative media. After weeks of discussion, it was decided the company would try producing their own brand of evaporative media. Through months of trial and error, a product they were proud of was produced. By 1998 the company began putting their own evaporative media into Portacool evaporative coolers as well as successfully growing the business foothold in the agriculture industry.

As a result, Portacool added more evaporative media production lines – a second and rapidly thereafter, the third and fourth lines. During peak seasons – early spring and summer – the evaporative media lines ran 24 hours a day, seven days a week and still could not keep up with the sharp increase in demand.

In 2016, KÜÜL Pads underwent a rebrand and became today’s Kuul evaporative media. In addition to a new flashy logo, the company also began focusing on innovative research and development. This has led to the expansion of several series of products, all specifically engineered, designed and manufactured with different industries in mind. For example, the Kuul Vitality™ series is developed for the agriculture industry and designed with the strongest, longest-lasting materials on the market. The Kuul Control™ series is engineered to provide the lowest pressure drop and highest efficiency for the gas turbine and HVAC industries.

Kuul Comfort™ evaporative media is made exclusively to meet the rigorous performance requirements of Portacool portable evaporative coolers. Kuul Evolution FirePro™, a UL900 rated product, is one of the few inorganic products on the market designed for the data center industry Kuul Evolution FirePro™ that powers today’s demand for data processing, internet and cloud connectivity. However, the evaporative media technological advancements within Kuul evaporative media do not stop there. The future of Kuul evaporative media is bright with many projects currently in development. New research is being conducted each day to determine how evaporative media can be more widely used in the world in which we live.

All Kuul evaporative media is made with 100 percent USA-sourced materials. While the majority of Kuul evaporative media is proudly made in the USA, as the company has grown, global expansion has been necessary to best serve customers. In 2014, Portacool added an evaporative media manufacturing facility in Malaysia to exclusively serve the South East Asian markets with the same high-quality evaporative media with which the brand has become associated. Live Customer Service support is based in Center, Texas, United States and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

With a strong network of domestic and global distributors, Portacool, LLC continues to expand its worldwide market horizons while producing outstanding sales revenues from both brands – all from the setting of Center, Texas.

EXPERIENCE THE KUUL EFFECT WWW.THEKUULEFFECT.COM WWW.LINKEDIN.COM/COMPANY/PORT-A-COOL-LLC

COMPLETE line is a system comprising of technologically leading and coordinated hardware and software products, consulting services and system solutions that help you optimize your processes in control cabinet manufacturing. Engineering, purchasing, installation and operation become significantly easier for you.

Convenient control cabinet wiring and field cabling

Intelligent network technology with security

The quality of electrical contacts are essential for the reliability of a complete system.

Phoenix Contact offers a wide range of high-quality network switches and cyber security products.

POWER for superior system availability Use uninterruptible power supplies to supply your loads – even without mains power.

www.phoenixcontact.ca

offer a fully integrated, turnkey solution that is manufactured at any of Silent-Aire’s 13 global, ETL/UI certified facilities.

As well as designing and building these projects, Silent-Aire offers top of the line field services teams who factory trained and certified in deploying, servicing and maintaining Silent-Aire solutions for the hyperscale data centre industry. The company boasts regional service centres throughout North America and Europe, supporting customers across the lifecycle of SilentAire’s products. This isn’t a short-term commitment either.

There are data centre facilities that have operated SilentAire products for 15 years and continue to be supported by the company.

THE SILENT-AIRE STORY

Silent-Aire’s roots go back beyond the dawn of the cloud computing age, however. At its roots, Silent-Aire was a company that manufactured

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and engineered bespoke HVAC solutions for hospitals, schools and recreational complexes, gradually growing into serving larger industrial HVAC deployments for the energy and mining sectors.

Brothers Dan and Lindsey Leckelt took over the company from their parents in the year 2000 after graduating from the University of Alberta with Civil and Mechanical Engineering degrees. At first, the company continued its path of organic growth, eventually acquiring a new manufacturing facility in Edmonton. This acquisition would prove to be the catalyst that launched Silent-Aire into the data centre mission-critical HVAC business.

Fast forward twelve years and Silent-Aire had built its second 100,000 square foot manufacturing facility in Edmonton, including four assembly lines and new office space for the business’s engineering and operations.

Two years after that a third

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SILENT-AIRE

facility was built for additional capacity and redundancy in Phoenix, Arizona, mirroring the Edmonton facility. 2017 saw Silent-Aire arrive in Europe with the acquisition of Dublin-based firm RMI Engineering. Last year the company celebrated in 25th anniversary.

“OUR EMPLOYEES UNDERSTAND WHAT WE DESIGN, ENGINEER AND BUILD IS A CRITICAL PART OF THE INFRASTRUCTURE OF THE DIGITAL ECONOMY THAT GOVERNS DAILY LIFE.”

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For the last decade SilentAire has been growing through the business it has received from data centre customers that need mission-critical infrastructure for an everexpanding hyper-scale cloud.

To deliver this, the company has relentlessly focused on its operations, quality and safety, including the certifications for ISO 9001, quality, ISO 14001, environment, and OHSAS 18001, safety.

As Dan Leckelt as said, “Our employees understand what we design, engineer and build is a critical part of the infrastructure of the digital economy that governs daily life.”

CONTINUED EXPANSION

This year Silent-Aire’s journey has continued with the addition of a 105,000 square foot facility in Nisku, Alberta, alongside another 40,000 square foot facility in Edmonton. The new facility in Nisku is expected to create over 200 new skilled trade jobs, on top of the 200 new skill trade positions that will be created in the Edmonton area.

“The Nisku facility is a key part of our plans to grow our capacity and team,” Dan Leckelt said of the expansion.

This facility will provide office space for over 30 personnel as well as space for manufacturing teams will be operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week “Delivering data centre technologies and solutions to the world’s largest cloud service providers is complex and challenging,” stated Lindsey Leckelt when the facility was announced. “We recognise that expanding our infrastructure and capacity is vital to meeting our client’s most aggressive delivery schedules.

The Edmonton region has some of the highest quality skilled

trades in the world and we are proud to create over 200 new careers at Silent-Aire.”

As with all of SilentAire’s facilities, safety and environmental concerns are of paramount importance to the company’s co-CEOs. “Safety, quality, environmental sustainability and business continuity are part of our corporate culture, and having modern manufacturing facilities is integral to ensuring we can maintain global standards and processes. We strongly believe that if you want to be a leader in the data centre technology business, having consistent global standards at all facilities is critical,” Dan Leckelt said of the facility.

Nisku is the perfect location for this new facility, with the Canadian hamlet transforming into a growing business and industrial hub covering 2,044 hectares. Over 6,000 workers and 400 businesses have made the hamlet their home, and Silent-Aire’s facility is situated right next to the new 1 million square foot Amazon fulfilment centre.

Only five minutes from the Edmonton International Airport and 15 minutes from Edmonton’s downtown core, the facility is perfectly placed for manufacturing and distribution.

“Silent-Aires expansion and new facility are a great example of the huge potential for growth in Nisku and the entire region.

As a global leader in data centre technology, Silent-Aire is a critical employer in a diverse, fast-growing industry and showcases the bright future in store for our community” said Brad Rutherford, the Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta for Leduc-Beaumont.

At the same time as this expansion in Edmonton SilentAire’s also expanding its

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SILENT-AIRE

“THE NISKU FACILITY IS A KEY PART OF OUR PLANS TO GROW OUR CAPACITY AND TEAM.” workforce around the world, with its team doubling to 2,100 people over the last couple of years.

The company now enjoys over 750,000 square feet of manufacturing capacity across its twelve facilities around the world, with plans already in place to grow infrastructure and create even more opportunities for current and future employees.

As Lindsey Leckelt has pointed out, “The expansion of our global engineering and manufacturing teams are the backbone of our Corporate Mission to ‘Deliver Innovative Solutions’.

These growth initiatives demonstrate our commitment to our clients and the entire Silent-Aire team.”

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ELLIOTT GROUP

WE TALK TO THE ELLIOTT GROUP ABOUT THE GROWING ROLE OF OFF-SITE CONSTRUCTION SOLUTIONS AND HOW PERCEPTIONS OF THE SECTOR ARE CHANGING.

A SEISMIC SHIFT PROJECT MANAGED BY: DAVID GARNER

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ELLIOTT GROUP

The Elliott Group was established in 1963 and is part of the Modulaire Group, a business which specialises in the provision of off-site manufactured space solutions for both temporary and permanent use.

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“I

t’s a mature business and one which has developed over many years as the market has changed in its opinions and attitudes towards off-site construction,” explains Phil Pavey, Director of Elliott. “The side of the business I work for provides building regulation compliant accommodation, both temporary and permanent,

across many sectors. We specialise in retail and education however our solutions can be applied to a wide range of end-users. The Group also encompasses Elliott Hire which holds many thousands of assets that are rented across various markets to provide space solutions where customers have a temporary need.

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MODULAR MOVEMENTS LTD PROVIDING SPECIALIST LOGISTICS AND SUPPORTING THE ELLIOTT GROUP. We are a specialist logistics company providing transportation to the modular construction industry. Our management team draw on 45 years’ experience in the transportation of abnormal loads.

Operating one of the largest specialist fleets in the industry, with almost 300 bespoke vehicles including trailers, flats, single and extending low loaders, wafer decks and hiabs.

Working in partnership with the Elliot Group, our extensive knowledge and specialized fleet ensure that their units are safely maneuvered from factory to site.

Additional services include project management, site & route surveys, applications for road closures and removal of street furniture, storage, pilot vehicles & appointed persons for lifting operations.

Contact: 01482 635440 enquiries@modularmovements.com

www.modularmovements.com Modular Movements LTD, Brickyard Lane, Melton, North Ferriby, HU14 3HD

Are proud to work with Elliott to deliver specialist concrete flooring solutions nationwide

www.Trentcs.com Bankside Patterson is a specialist in the manufacture and supply of steel framing to the holiday home and modular building sectors.

We proudly supply & support Elliott Group with bespoke steel frames for various modular building projects.

Bankside Patterson Ltd - Part of AL-KO Vehicle Technology Group Catwick Lane, Brandesburton, Driffield East Yorkshire Y025 BRW T: +44 (0) 1964 545454 E: sales@bankside-patterson.co.uk

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www.bankside-patterson.co.uk

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AQC Ltd is a specialist mechanical and electrical building services provider in the educational, hospital and modular construction environments.

Our services cover all aspects of design, project management, installation, commissioning, operating and maintenance.

With in-house BIM technology we provide flexible and bespoke systems to meet all client requirements in line with current building and safety regulations.

We are pleased to share continued success working alongside the Elliott Group.

Air Quality Control Ltd. 585 Oldham Road I Rochdale I OL16 4SU T: 0161 688 6880 I E: info@aqc-ltd.co.uk Registered Office: St George’s House 215-219 Chester Road I Manchester I MlS 4JE Company Registration No. 3028728

The business has been built on a strategy of longterm innovation and continual change.

“We have adapted to where we believe the market must, and will, go. We have elevated and developed our products and solutions offering and we are not alone in that. As an industry, we are slowly changing Client’s opinions of what off-site manufacturing can deliver” Pavey tells us. “I think many people held perceptions in the past that off-site was cold, damp accommodation which leaked and was only there for temporary use. Some Clients still hold this mindset however that of the masses is changing as modern methods of construction, MMC, come to the fore.”

“WE HAVE ADAPTED TO WHERE WE BELIEVE THE MARKET MUST, AND WILL, GO. WE HAVE ELEVATED AND DEVELOPED OUR PRODUCTS AND SOLUTIONS OFFERING AND WE ARE NOT ALONE IN THAT.”

10 years in partnership with Elliott HVAC Services in over 1000 new-build restaurants

Kitchen Ventilation + Canopies + HVAC Controls + Air-Conditioning + Fire Resisting Ductwork + Commissioning + Maintenance

®

caswell.uk.com • caswellfrd.com 01706 227935 • enquiries@caswell.uk.com

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Often innovation can be a very closed and secretive affair as businesses compete to deliver the latest solutions, however, this is not the case with Elliott, as Zoe Powell, Elliott’s Director for Business Development & Work Winning points out.

“Collaboration has been essential. We are a company that shares our ideas and concepts with competitors and have been very open with our IP. This is shared with the wider off-site industry

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ELLIOTT GROUP

as the scale and pace of the market grows rapidly. From the Modernise or Die Farmer report to the presumption in favour of off-site stated in the Autumn Budget of 2017, through the current pandemic and the government kick-starting the economy, we’re gearing up for capacity, capability and quality.”

This is a strategy that can be seen clearly in Elliott’s work within the education sector and the Innovate UK funded Seismic Project, where Elliott has worked with businesses that traditionally might be considered direct competitors in developing a standardised frame solution.

“The Seismic Project has been supported by Government Funding to drive sustainable standardised solutions for use

Zoe Powell, Elliott Group’s Director for Business Development & Work Winning.

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Phil Pavey, Director of Elliott Group.

across all Public Sectors and to contribute to net-zero targets by 2050,” Powell tells us. “The project is a catalyst to develop net-zero building solutions and is needed in order to deliver the construction volume and output that the country requires to deliver its estate.”

Pavey adds “The latest framework we are working on represents the seventh generation in modular solutions.

If you take it right back to the first framework, the challenge was to come up with a componentised solution that maximises off-site construction. Elliott, with our wider partners and consultants, has elevated and developed that componentised scheme.”

This has meant leaving a lot of the old assumptions of the construction industry behind, with traditional materials being abandoned in favour of focussing our solutions on material choices and designs that are better suited to an offsite manufacturing process.

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ELLIOTT GROUP

“We have calculated the Pre Manufactured Value of our solution and are targeting over 80% of the build being completed in the factory,” Powell says. “This will be enhanced further with the inclusion of pre-assembled panels and the use of innovative materials and technology”.

CHANGING PERCEPTIONS

Whilst Elliott is doing some impressive and innovative work, it also has to combat some old assumptions about what off-site construction really is.

“Client perception is changing however it is taking far longer than I could have imagined,” Powell admits. “I migrated from Tier 1 contracting into the modular world five years ago as I felt that this was the exciting time where offsite was about to take off however it has taken all this time to be considered a serious competitor and option to traditional build. Managing the perception of our Clients is something the Business Development Team focuses on.

Finding the correct price point has also been a challenge.

Just because a product is made in a factory it does not necessarily mean that it will be cheaper. Off-site construction brings additional benefits such as certainty of programme and quality however these benefits do come at a cost.

Once a pipeline of significant volume over a longer time period becomes visible to the off-site providers as a mass, only then through investment in our factories, our people, product standardisation, our supply chain and sustainability, will we drive the cost benefits and realise the value that MMC brings.”

Pavey also acknowledges that perceptions are changing.

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“The Department for Education (DfE) are leading the way in driving MMC,” he insists. “This is being recognised in other departments such as Health and Defence and who are being encouraged to consider the benefits of a componentised solution. The importance of visibility of pipeline is key. The great thing about the DfE’s current MMC Framework is that the pipeline is £3 billion value and this enables us to invest as Zoe suggests. This will drive the efficiency savings people are looking for as opposed to reacting to individual bespoke schemes.

Aside from the off-site aboveground construction solution, Elliott offers, they also provide a full turnkey service effectively operating as a Tier 1 Main Contractor.

“For our Design and Build projects, we do everything ourselves. In terms of derisking the project, we provide a full service from inhouse design, manufacture, installation, handover and into maintenance,” Powell says.

“We have our own internal resource to do this, nothing is outsourced. Everything we do is in our gift to deliver for the

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ELLIOTT GROUP

Client and I think Clients are starting to understand that.”

It is an approach Clients appreciate, including some big names.

“We are proud of our relationship with McDonald’s and have built over 130 restaurants for them,” Pavey says. “We continually innovate with McDonald’s. They’re good at it, know what they want and we have just recently launched the next generation of buildings with them.”

The outlook is bright for Elliott when we speak to them, although like all businesses the company has faced challenges this year. Fortunately, they were able to respond rapidly to the COVID-19 crisis.

“Early in the pandemic, we created a business continuity team which met daily to monitor everything across the business in terms of people, issues we were having etc. We immediately moved all our office staff to work from home and our IT team did a fantastic job in

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mobilising that,” Pavey says. “It has been very successful and we have now introduced agile working policies which afford people the opportunity to work from home in the long term.”

Looking forward Elliott is investing in its manufacturing facility to deliver further efficiencies.

“We are strong in education and retail. As MMC develops, we want to be at the forefront and driving this solution into many other sectors through successes like the Seismic product,” Pavey says.

This investment encompasses people, as well as buildings and equipment.

“We’re investing in the factory, product development and people because we can’t do this without them,” Powell says. “We’re recruiting highquality people to help deliver.”

Pavey agrees, “While a lot of companies are cutting their workforce, we’ve identified almost 30 new positions as part of that investment process.”

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MIRO FORESTRY COMPANY

MIRO FORESTRY AND TIMBER PRODUCTS IS A VERTICALLY INTEGRATED, SUSTAINABLE FORESTRY & TIMBER PRODUCTS BUSINESS CENTRED IN WEST AFRICA.

SUSTAINABLE TIMBER BUSINESS PROJECT MANAGED BY: ANDREW BOURKE The company operates forestry plantations with over 30,000 hectares of land and is next year to commission its first plywood production factory. Since commencing the planting of timber crops in 2010, Miro Forestry has come a long way. Today, the company is focused on fast-growing, high-yield plantation timber for the production of plywood, utility poles, edge glue boards, and energy biomass for both local and international market, aiming to be a leading low-cost producer and supplier of sustainable timber operating to high management, social & environmental standards.

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he company’s strategy is to convert lowyielding grassland and degraded forest into sustainable plantations growing the highest-yielding timber crops suitable for the land areas under the company’s management. The limited longterm investment into Africa and other regions has resulted in modest competition for land suitable for long-rotation crops and a limited supply of sustainable timber.

The company currently has over 30,000 hectares of plantation forestry land in Ghana and Sierra Leone, West Africa, secured on longterm lease agreements, and is currently in the latter stages of securing further land adjoining the company’s current plantations to bring each plantation up to about 20,000 hectares.

Andrew Collins, one of the company’s founders and its CEO says: “Tropical climates in emerging markets have high biological growth rates, ensuring that trees grow and reach maturity quickly, as well as low land and operating costs - this means that countries in West Africa such

as Ghana and Sierra Leone can be extremely competitive and profitable for the production of sustainable timber.”

Over the next five years the volume of timber annually reaching maturity on the company’s plantations will increase, thus allowing for increased solid wood product production. As a result. the company’s revenues are expected to continue to grow in parallel with such wood-flows.

“Plywood production will come on stream soon, with the expectation of selling the products largely to the local market, but also the export markets,” said Mr Collins, adding that at the moment the company exports the veneer layers to several countries in Asia.

Wood veneer is the principal component part in the manufacture of plywood, forming the layers of wood that are glued together to create a finished plywood panel. Over the last two years Miro has established and operated a veneer factory, peeling logs harvested from the company’s plantation (principally eucalyptus and gmelina species most suitable for veneer and hence plywood).

Having designed, built and commissioned this factory Miro

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B S Engineering Machinery Pvt. Ltd. (Well-known as BS) is one of the Pioneer Companies to indigenously start manufacturing of Plywood Machines in India in the year 1953. Since six decades the company has been providing service to the Plywood industry with their Technologically advanced and Energy Efficient Plywood Machines. The Company also supply Face Veneer (Thin Veneer) Plants, based on Hardwood species. Our R&D team continuously develops the equipment to render higher capacity output and to deliver better quality product. With a Rich experience of installing several Plywood Plants over the years, the Company is well equipped to supply Turnkey projects including Civil, Mechanical & Electrical Engineering Designing for the Full Plant from Concept to Commissioning.

In several countries the Company has already installed many Plants of sizes ranging from 30CBM/Day to 150CBM/Day within committed time and budget. Our Turnkey project services includes: • Plant Sizing & Prepare list of Equipment • Design of Equipment • Plant Layout & Site Plan • Electrical System Design, Supply, Installation & Commissioning • Heating Fluid Pipeline Design, Supply and Installation, • Provide Civil Engineering design & assist Civil Contractor • Supply of the complete steel Building • Plant & Machineries Supply, Installation & Commissioning • Technology Transfer • Manpower training For MIRO FORESTRY LIMITED, we have designed a state of the Art Veneer & Plywood Mill based on Plantation Timber for their upcoming plywood plant of about 110CBM / Day production capacity in Ghana. The Plant is suitable to Produce different kinds of Commercial Plywood & Laminated Plywood. We wish them all success in their Venture.

B S Engineering Machinery Pvt. Ltd. Kolkata, India Tel: +91 92305 66933 / +91 98310 20199 Email: info@bsengg.com www.bsengg.com

MIRO FORESTRY COMPANY

then increased production to a triple-shift operation (22 hours per day) proving its ability to consistently produce to standard.

Mathlo Imports & Exports (Pty) Ltd, Established in 2016 in South Africa.

Imports & Exports We strive to establish a lasting customer relationship by sourcing and finding the best quality products according to your needs.

Communication and feedback are key.

Combined/mixed cargo consignments.

Managing a smooth export process.

Our Products Procurement involves the process of selecting vendors, establishing payment terms, strategic vetting, negotiation of contracts & purchasing of goods.

About Us Most of our clients are based in Ghana, Africa. We currently focused but not limited to Agricultural and Forestry Companies.

Tel: +27 83 276 2167 / Fax-to-Mail: +27 86 624 8327 Email address: info@mathloimportsandexports.com www.mathloimportsandexports.com

EXPORT PROCUREMENT 20 years of Agro-Industrial supply and logistics throughout Africa

+27 (0)11 447 3398 /+27 (0)83 642 6833 info@timberbay.co.za www.timberbayservices.com JOHANNESBURG

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SOUTH AFRICA

“TROPICAL CLIMATES IN EMERGING MARKETS HAVE HIGH BIOLOGICAL GROWTH RATES, ENSURING THAT TREES GROW AND REACH MATURITY QUICKLY, AS WELL AS LOW LAND & OPERATING COSTS” SUSTAINABLE GROWTH

As a plantation forestry company, Miro is a significant net absorber of atmospheric carbon, developing new plantations on degraded and bare areas of land. The company mixes commercial plantation forestry with the protection and regeneration of indigenous tree species and the promotion of bio-diversity and environmentally sustainable land-use management.

Miro Forestry aims to conform to high environmental, ethical, financial and social standards, and to maintain international forestry certification on all its plantations. “We are very much focused on delivering not only economic benefits but also social and environmental benefits.

The fact that our plantations are Forest Stewardship Council™ (FSC™) certified, meaning that we voluntarily comply with this international high standard of responsible forest management, is really important to us,” said Mr Collins.

“Supporting the development of local communities is part of our philosophy. Miro Forestry’s community development strategy includes education, access to clean water and

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MIRO FORESTRY COMPANY

alternative livelihood programs.

Our mission for community development is to help communities help themselves.”

He explained that in the last few years, the company has increased its focus on agricultural projects, food security and commercial smallholder forestry. “We have embarked on a smallholder programme where we support local growers. They can get seedlings from us, and are provided with guidance and assistance to grow them at their own farms. They can then sell the mature trees to us for a predetermined price. This initiative

we hope will significantly support re-forestation and we target results as good as those achieved with similar projects in Vietnam and India.”

NEW DIRECTION

Having successfully planted and developed the plantation for over 10 years, Miro is building its industrial capacities as its forests will soon produce a strong and steady flow of wood to be converted into higher value-added products such as plywood and poles. In 2020, the company continues to be in investment mode - the veneer production facility is currently

being expanded and its Ghana plywood factory is being constructed for commissioning in 2021, with a view to being replicated at a later stage in Sierra Leone and potentially elsewhere thereafter.

“Whilst maintaining the quality of our plantations, we are now focused on rapidly developing our timber processing operations to develop into a vertically integrated, profitable, timber products company, with a major focus on plywood for the local, regional and export markets. Plywood will be our core product,” said Mr Collins.

“We have certain new members on our Board of Directors, an international team of experienced professionals, that have come to help drive the transformation of the company from what we were - mainly

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MIRO FORESTRY COMPANY

a plantation forest business - to having wood processing capability, and we expect a big ramp-up in terms of our industrial operations.”

Coupled with the company’s high management standards, the Directors believe the company is extremely well positioned to continue delivering good returns to shareholders. “Over

the next five years, we need to scale the operation up and would be looking at some point at selling a ready-made business to a plywood or similar trade group. Sustainable economic return, while promoting the development of local communities, will remain our key goals,” concluded Mr Collins.

“SUPPORTING THE DEVELOPMENT OF LOCAL COMMUNITIES IS PART OF OUR STRATEGY. OUR MISSION FOR COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT IS TO HELP COMMUNITIES HELP THEMSELVES.”

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STRATEGIC HOUSING GROUP

STRATEGIC HOUSING GROUP IS INTRODUCING STUDENT HOUSING TO NEW MARKETS, INNOVATING ALONG THE WAY.

PIONEERS IN STUDENT HOUSING PROJECT MANAGED BY: GLEN NEWTON

Strategic Housing Group is headquartered in Dubai and its main focus is to source, develop, and operate student housing properties in the Middle East, Asia and Africa.

T

he advantage, and the challenge, that they have is that until recently many of these markets simply did not have designated student accommodation.

“We are one of the pioneers of student accommodation. We’re one of the only companies developing and operating purpose-built fully-integrated student accommodation in our region,” says Vikram Rao, CEO of Strategic Housing Group.

“We’re following standards without compromising on lifestyle, health, or safety. We’re heavily focused on providing a fun but safe environment, and we’re the leaders in this space.”

The Myriad is the branded operator and wholly-owned subsidiary of Strategic Housing Group.

“Our properties are not simply student accommodations but are formed to function as student living communities, providing an attuned lifestyle to its residents.

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They are all developed following our tailor-made brand and development guidelines, which contain safety, health and comfort standards,” Rao says.

“These include higher firerated standards for equipment, emergency and disease control protocols, as well as numerous facilities and services for residents, starting from recreation to sports amongst many others. Ever since the events team have been working together, we are constantly coming up with new initiatives and ideas allowing students to interact with us, foster and grow their talents and let loose from the rigours of university life.”

The challenge, of course, is that with no precedent to look to, Strategic Housing Group’s properties exist in something of a regulatory no man’s land.

“I think some of the biggest challenges are the lack of precedents for student accommodation in our regions.

STRATEGIC HOUSING GROUP

The Myriad Dubai Studio Room (single occupancy)

The Myriad Dubai Kitchen Lounge (shared cooking facility)

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ALCATEL-LUCENT ENTERPRISE - DELIVERING THE CUSTOMISED TECHNOLOGY EXPERIENCES ENTERPRISES NEED TO MAKE EVERYTHING CONNECT Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise offers digital-age networking, communications and cloud solutions tailored to ensure customers’ success, with flexible business models: in the cloud, on premises, and hybrid. These solutions have built-in security and are designed to limit their environmental impact.

Over 100 years of innovation have made Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise a trusted advisor to more than 830,000 customers in 100 countries around the world. The privately-owned company with headquarters in France has over 2900 direct business partners worldwide, achieving an effective global reach with a local focus.

From Rainbow™, Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise’s open architecture cloud-based collaboration platform, to the limitless possibilities of AI in the future – the company’s technologies help businesses to make better, more personal connections – inside and out, as well as enable faster growth and greater agility across every sector. Healthcare, Hospitality, Education, Transportation, and Government are just a few of the markets where Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise delivers added value to enterprises.

Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise offers tailored solutions for each company to achieve their unique business goals - from small businesses right up to global corporations. The company’s values of speed and agility, customer centricity and reliability reflect their identity over the last 100 years and who they aspire to be for the next 100.

THE MYRIAD SELECTS ALCATEL-LUCENT ENTERPRISE FOR STATE-OF-THE-ART STUDENT ACCOMMODATION PROJECTS IN DUBAI AND MUSCAT The Myriad accommodations embody a world class student lifestyle and represents a fresh living experience that is based on in-depth research and analysis of today’s local and global students’ expectations. The young residents are likely to spend more time on the internet, be it for research, homework, social media, streaming videos or gaming. Hence it was imperative for The Myriad to select the advanced technology to match.

The Myriad Dubai and The Myriad Muscat have deployed a cloud-based converged wired-wireless LAN solution from Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise, each comprising over 70 LAN switches and 1900 wireless access points. In addition, The Myriad Dubai has also implemented an Alcatel-Lucent

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Enterprise Unified Communications solution. LAN & WAN Technologies was the implementation partner for The Myriad Dubai, and Telephony Communication Technologies for The Myriad Muscat.

The Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise products that have bolstered The Myriad’s infrastructure include: - OmniSwitch® 6900 Stackable LAN Switches - OmniSwitch® 6560 Stackable LAN Switches - OmniVista® 2500 Network Management System - OmniAccess® Stellar AP1201, AP1201H and AP1251 WLAN Access Points - OmniPCX® Enterprise Communication Server - 8008 Deskphones Cloud Edition SIP A unified network (wired and wireless LAN) offers reliable and secure access whenever and wherever needed, in the students’ rooms or on the move with smart devices. Unique IoT containment technology allows secure, automatic connection of authorised devices, users and applications.

The controller-less Wi-Fi architecture enables better performance, high availability and scalability across The Myriad’s premises, while reducing complexity and lowering the total cost of ownership (TCO). In addition, the in-room access points provide four ethernet ports that reduce the amount of cabling required.

“At The Myriad, we recognise the importance of embracing new technologies to remain competitive. It was crucial to have a solid network foundation and ubiquitous Wi-Fi to offer the very best for our young residents. In addition to their proven technologies that met our needs, we appreciate Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise’s level of engagement throughout the project in all phases, working as a true partner”, explains Haseeb Malik, General Manager - Technologies, Strategic Housing Group.

“We aligned with The Myriad’s expectations and provided a simplified, efficient and secure communications and network infrastructure intended to enhance the experience for students and young professionals. The company can also build on the highly scalable infrastructure to meet future needs”, said Rui Silva, Distribution Manager, Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise. www.al-enterprise.com

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CORPORATE & TURNKEY DÉCOR SOLUTIONS TAILORED TO YOUR PROJECT NEEDS

RESIDENTIAL PROJECTS

For more details contact Email: corporate.sales@lalsgroup.com 6Telephone: | BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE +971 4 8215500

HOTELS

OFFICES

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STRATEGIC HOUSING GROUP

In some cases, it makes it difficult to get permits as there is no such category as student accommodation in the permitting authorities,” Rao explains. “If you go to the UK or US you can just look at the Student Housing regulations there. That’s not possible in our markets.”

In regulatory terms, what this means is Strategic Housing Group needs to work with the authorities to create this category of property.

“We overcome it by explaining how things are done in other places and working alongside authorities to say these are the standards used in the UK, US, Australia, in places where such facilities have been built for several decades,” Rao tells us.

“It’s time-consuming but we’re getting good at working with authorities.”

Vikram Rao, CEO of Strategic Housing Group

HOMES R US - DELIVERING OUTSTANDING DÉCOR SOLUTIONS TO BUSINESSES ACROSS THE MIDDLE EAST At Homes r Us, we are dedicated to transforming spaces through superior design and quality.

With over a decade of experience in providing tailormade solutions to real estate companies, hotels, offices and restaurants, we have a wealth of knowledge and expertise to cater all your corporate décor needs.

Homes r Us has a wide network across the region and maintains high standards of customer service values. Our specialised Corporate & Turnkey Projects Team is here to support your business and work with you to create looks custom-made to your project’s requirements.

With our strong commitment to quality, we have built a solid reputation in the industry. Our products are handpicked from around the world with a keen eye on finish, style and design.

We source high-quality materials from global markets. For example, our wood comes from the Far East, where quality and style are combined with the price advantage, which benefits our corporate customers. Each item is specially crafted and made to last, keeping the Middle Eastern climate in mind.

The first Homes r Us store was set up at the Madinat Zayed Centre in Abu Dhabi in 2003. It brought forth the promise of a more enjoyable and stimulating décor experience through innovative products and progressive ideas. Today, the brand is redefining lifestyles across the UAE, Oman, Qatar and Bahrain through 23 stores spread over a massive half a million sq. ft. of retail space. These efforts have been recognised with several accolades. Homes r Us has been honoured with the prestigious Superbrands title eight consecutive times, which is a testament to how far the brand has reached and continues to surge in the market.

Believing in the core principles of customer care, Homes r Us follows the highest of ethics and offers unmatched service during and post purchase. Our professional sales and distributions team is always on hand to offer advice and assistance. The efficient aftersales service of Homes r Us ensures that our corporate customers continue to remain satisfied and achieve long-term value.

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The professionally trained delivery team makes sure that the products are safely delivered and assembled at the right location and all product packaging is removed from the premises.

Homes r Us is a venture of the Lals Group, a conglomerate that has, for over three decades, been part of the everyday life of shoppers in the GCC. Today, the Lals Group has evolved into a dynamic and versatile entity that touches the lives of people in multiple ways. The Group has a dominant presence across the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman and KSA. With this rich legacy and diverse knowledge, Homes r Us offers its corporate customers a market oriented, forward thinking strategic approach by combining quality products with in-house customisation to create a solution that not only meets but exceeds their unique business needs.

Homes r Us undertakes both small and bulk projects, and specialises in corporate offers to cater the needs of different companies. Our contracts and wholesale divisions are well-equipped and capable of handling requirements in any volume desired. We ensure adherence to strict deadlines for all your shipments (depending upon the conditions).

Some of our successfully executed projects include below: • Damac Properties • Azizi Developments • Deyaar Properties • Gulf Medical University • ADNOC • ACC • Fogo de Chão staff accommodation (Silicon Oasis) • The Myriad Dubai • Corniche Hospital, Abu Dhabi staff accommodation student living community • Sofitel Hotel staff accommodation With a passion to deliver, Homes r Us continues to go above and beyond to provide an industry leading corporate service throughout the Middle East.

www.homesrus.ae

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The Myriad Dubai The Myriacade (gaming arcade)

WHERE QUALITY MEETS VALUE

The other challenge is a more traditional hurdle for providers of student accommodation to overcome, how to remain affordable without compromising on quality or health & safety.

“Student housing is a difficult industry because, as you can imagine, the bottom line is a delicate balance,” Rao admits.

“On the one hand, we are bound with our commitment to the students’ quality of life and on the other hand to their budget.”

Strategic Housing has addressed these challenges by streamlining costs and stringently increasing operational efficiencies to optimise the amount of staff necessary to run a facility of the scale of The Myriad Dubai. They have also used advanced technology and materials to achieve Strategic Housing’s sustainability targets, including multiple types of occupancy sensors, the combination of energy-efficient glazing and AAC blocks, solar panels, and water-conserving

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“OUR PROPERTIES ARE NOT SIMPLY A STUDENT ACCOMMODATION, BUT ARE FORMED TO FUNCTION AS STUDENT LIVING COMMUNITIES, PROVIDING AN ATTUNED LIFESTYLE TO ITS RESIDENTS.” showerheads, among others.

“Another benefit to our specific operation is that the student housing industry is an emerging market in the UAE, giving us the opportunity to leverage economies of scale, given the 2,250 beds capacity,” Rao points out. “Since we have developed a first of a kind student living community in the close vicinity of all the major universities in Dubai, we are able to take advantage of the large number of students that search for relevant housing along with offering them events and facilities that smaller operators would not be able to match. As a summary, when we evaluate the rates offered, we highlight all these additional benefits with a very affordable end price.”

But Strategic Housing is more than bricks and mortar- it is people who keep the business running, and when it comes to Strategic Housing’s staff, Rao’s standards are as high as in every other aspect of the business.

“One of the first things we decided on when developing our DNA and Corporate Identity is what it means to be a The Myriad team member,” he says. “We understand that the backbone of any healthy organisation is staff loyalty and motivation. As such we make sure to treat all our staff with respect and kindness. We expect a lot from every member of the team and foster a strong collaborative bond between all our employees.”

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STRATEGIC HOUSING GROUP

The Myriad Dubai MyBistro (canteen)

Team members are carefully selected from a diverse pool of international applicants with various backgrounds from all relevant fields, including hospitality, student accommodation providers from the main educational hubs such as the UK and entertainment and economics sector.

“In doing this we have a culturally diverse workforce of thoroughly vetted candidates that pass several interviews and tests,” Rao says.

BIGGER AND BETTER

Of course, a challenge that has hit students and property companies around the world is the COVID-19 pandemic, which has been a game-changer for Strategic Housing on a number of levels.

“COVID-19 resulted in a slew of challenges from construction deadlines being pushed back, difficulties in sourcing equipment, ensuring the safety and well-being of our staff, and preparing our first property in Dubai

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for residents to arrive,” Rao says. “Fortunately, our project managers carefully planned the project development schedules to ensure that any setbacks will not affect the opening dates of the property since the project was announced in 2018. Thankfully we were able to meet all of our deadlines and have successfully opened our doors in September 2020.”

As the first complex student living community in the UAE, providing the highest quality, Rao takes Strategic Housing’s responsibilities here very seriously.

“In response to the pandemic we have reviewed our operations across our entire business, setting leading standards in the ways we operate,” he tells us.

Despite these challenges, Rao’s view of the future is on that is

always getting bigger, and better.

“Our student housing development in Muscat is approximately 25% larger than the Dubai property and is currently in its completion stage of construction with 2,700 beds,” he says. “The student residence blocks sit on top of a two-story retail and services centre with landscaped podiums and an outdoor cinema.”

Strategic Housing is also launching multiple projects in Saudi Arabia including the design of a large student community in Riyadh. And beyond that?

Rao tells us, “We have plans to expand throughout Asia and Africa, as there is a large gap in the market, and we benefit from being pioneers in the student housing field in collaboration with our joint venture partner, Asset Living, US’s largest student housing operator.”

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DIFFUSE ENERGY

THE WIND AT THEIR BACKS WE LEARN HOW A SMALL WIND TURBINE IS GOING TO HAVE A BIG IMPACT.

PROJECT MANAGED BY: MALVERN KANDEMWA

Diffuse Energy makes small wind turbines, but they have big goals.

“Our vision is to remove diesel generation from small power generation,” says CTO and co-founder James Bradley. Small and micro-businesses often use small generators powered by solar, batteries or diesel to generate their own power. Diffuse Energy’s goal is to get wind into that mix, and in the process remove diesel from that equation.

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“E

ssentially we have made the world’s most efficient small wind turbine,” Bradley says. “Small wind turbines have been problematic in the past but we’re bringing them to small market groups where they’re really taking off, especially in places in Australia, which is a big country without many people and lots of remote power needs.”

Running poles and wires to those locations doesn’t necessarily make sense because of the cost of maintaining them over such huge distances.

What’s more, this year has seen Australia suffer problems with masts burning down, and of course, telecommunications are relied on in a country with such a widespread population, and without power infrastructure, there is no telecommunications infrastructure.

“Energy resilience of telecommunications is important,” Bradley says. “They need

remote power and are typically on top of a hill and certainly in Australia, these places are quite remote so getting diesel to them is costly.”

This is where Diffuse Energy’s turbines come on, portable wind turbines that are far more efficient than any other turbine on the market.

“The electrical system is easy to integrate into existing telecommunication systems.

They fairly unanimously use a negative 48v system, which is unique to telecommunication, so we made sure we can plug into those systems and avoid integration problems,” Bradley tells us. “We had to make our own electrical system to do that.”

These technical challenges are part and parcel of Diffuse’s work. “There’s going to be ongoing technical challenges, so there’s often little things challenging from a technical perspective,” Bradley admits.

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DIFFUSE ENERGY

AUSTRALIAN INNOVATION

Fortunately, Diffuse’s small team has an abundance of technical expertise to draw on.

“I guess we’re unique.

The three of us are from the University of Newcastle. We’ve got a mechanical engineer and two PhD engineers, so from a technical perspective we’re lucky,” Bradley says. We’ve a deep knowledge of the subject we’re playing with, we’re well placed to see developments as they occur in mini generator technology. We’ve got deep expertise in solving these problems. We’ve also got good help locally from an electronics perspective.”

Diffuse’s team is made up of its three founding members, a part-time advisor and three investors.

“ESSENTIALLY WE HAVE MADE THE WORLD’S MOST EFFICIENT SMALL WIND TURBINE. SMALL WIND TURBINES HAVE BEEN PROBLEMATIC IN THE PAST BUT WE’RE BRINGING THEM TO SMALL MARKET GROUPS WHERE THEY’RE REALLY TAKING OFF, ESPECIALLY IN PLACES IN AUSTRALIA, WHICH IS A BIG COUNTRY WITHOUT MANY PEOPLE AND LOTS OF REMOTE POWER NEEDS.”

ROTADYNE FROM SMART IDEAS TO SOUGHT AFTER PRODUCTS

Rotadyne specialises in designing, developing, and manufacturing custom plastic products.

We have the capability to take projects from concept through to manufacturing, assembly and distribution.

02 9623 88 77 info@Rotadyne.com.au

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www.Rotadyne.com.au

“The three of us were working at the university. Josh was doing his PhD and it was my job as the practical engineer to help researchers build their stuff and test it,” Bradley recalls.

“So I got involved in making the first prototypes and Sam was part of the wind energy group completing his PhD so when he finished his PhD he worked out he was onto a good thing and we came across a scheme to help researchers commercialise research.”

As Bradley points out, innovation is in no short supply in Australia, but they sometimes have trouble turning those ideas into commercial successes.

“It’s been understood in Australia for a while that we’re good at doing research and terrible at doing things with it!” he jokes. “So this scheme was to help us change the mindset of Australian researchers to think a bit commercially. That rolled into another programme they ran, in which they take ten teams from Australia each year and went from there to form a company and have a crack at it in 2018.”

Diffuse Energy believes strongly in supporting Australian business, and this can be seen in their actions as well as their words.

“We try to use as much local manufacturing as possible,” Bradley says. For example one of our components is rotor-moulded plastic and the company that makes it are very proud that they’re making a part for a super-efficient wind turbine. We’re getting local Australian companies who traditionally make fairly basic parts making components for high technology and they’re chuffed to be involved. More broadly we’ve got a supply chain we’re using to give businesses another source of revenue out of the norm for them.”

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DIFFUSE ENERGY

COMMUNICATING OVER COVID

Of course, one challenge no scheme could have prepared Diffuse for was the coronavirus pandemic.

“Like all start-ups, I think at the moment we’re facing uncertainty,” Bradley admits.

“Here in Australia, the needle’s moving pretty rapidly as far as what’s allowed in terms of travel, and a lot of customers aren’t actively looking for new projects.

Everyone’s keen on the product, but they’re struggling to launch new projects. The biggest effect is there were early supply chain issues, but everyone seems to have got into a groove now.”

The biggest problem, Badley tells us, is communication: “The bigger problem here in Australia is the ability to travel and go and see people, and at the moment the best we can do is do things remotely through phone and Skype. But it’s been pretty challenging communicating with people.

When you’ve got a product it’s easier to show people the actual product in person, especially with uncertainty in the market because we need people to go and do things and install things and the workforce is constricted at the moment with people struggling to start new projects.”

It’s a new challenge, and it requires new solutions, but fortunately, that’s precisely what Diffuse Energy was created to find.

“We’re just pushing as much as we can and it just doing changing the way we do things and looking at what’s working and what’s not working trying to understand what we can do differently,” Bradley explains.

“There’s no rule book for dealing with this kind of stuff and so time frames just keep pushing and pushing and talking to as many people as possible.”

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“ENERGY RESILIENCE OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS IS IMPORTANT. THEY NEED REMOTE POWER AND ARE TYPICALLY ON TOP OF A HILL AND CERTAINLY IN AUSTRALIA, THESE PLACES ARE QUITE REMOTE SO GETTING DIESEL TO THEM IS COSTLY.”

Looking beyond COVID, Bradley has seen strong demand for Diffuse’s products but believes the way forward may involve a shift in the company’s business model.

“If all goes well from a COVID perspective we’ve lots of people who are keen. We’ve found a huge need for turnkey solutions for remote energy, so further down the track we’ll move to being a solution provider rather than just leasing out the turbines,” he points out.

“We can extend that to energy in general, not just wind energy.

People are used to buying energy as a service from the grid and there’s no reason not to expand that.”

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IKEJA ELECTRIC

WE LEARN HOW IKEJA ELECTRIC IS USING THE LATEST TECHNOLOGIES TO BRING POWER TO NIGERIA WHILE BALANCING THEIR OWN BOOKS.

EMPOWERING

NIGERIA PROJECT MANAGED BY: JAMIE WAITE Ikeja Electric is the biggest distribution company in Nigeria, taking 15% of what is generated from the grid. It has grown consistently over the last few years since it was privatised in 2013.

Today Ikeja Electric has over 700,000 customers and a mission to elicit a passion for service excellence and new thinking on how to empower lives and businesses across Ikeja Electric’s network. That network consists of six business units, 16 transmission substations, 160 33/11 kV transformers, 1,257 33/0.415 kV transformers and a massive 15,960 11/0.415 kV Transformers.

S

ince the handover of the defunct Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) to NEDC/ KEPCO Consortium under the Nigerian government’s privatisation scheme, Ikeja Electric’s primary objective has been to reduce the business’s losses, an objective they’re already making great headway with.

“I started working here five years ago and we’ve seen a really good loss reduction trajectory moving from 49% to 27% yesterday,” says Folake Soetan, CEO of Ikeja Electric.

“The reason it’s at 27% is because of the COVID-19 pandemic. We were already at 21% before the pandemic, so that’s something we’re really proud of. We are driving and pushing that transformation using technology. It’s a company I’m proud to be a part of.”

TECHNOLOGICAL LEVERAGE

Folake Soetan, CEO, Ikeja Electric.

Photo: © Dear Media

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Ikeja Electric isn’t just relying on a single technological innovation to drive the company’s growth and loss reduction, as Soetan explains, they are leveraging a range of tools.

“There are different things we’re looking to do,” she says.

“If you think of any country in the developed world, any growing company, data is critical to any business. What we try to do is leverage our data to try and improve our business processes to deliver our brand promise.

Technology plays a big role in our ability to develop and use the insights we’re getting from our data. I can’t overemphasise the role technology plays.”

It’s an approach that’s already yielded positive results, and Soetan talks us through a list of the company’s achievements.

“Some things we’ve done I’m very proud of,” Soetan says.

“Billing for example. For the longest time, a lot of the meters were still post-paying but we’re moving into a pre-paid methodology. We’re introducing electronic billing which we’re proud of. It improves efficiency and customer access to their data and gets them their bills on time. At the same time, it means you don’t need someone to physically deliver the bill.

Another thing I’m very happy about is a lot of people in Nigeria have a mobile phone

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and just recently we launched the WhatsApp Chatbot which allows people to have access to us. This is one of the many communication channels we have. We were the first to use the mobile application to obtain people’s meter readings and the first to deploy the AMI, or Advanced Meter Infrastructure, capturing valuable information in terms of our customer profile to lets us optimise distribution to our customers.”

A lot of these technological applications are about creating open, direct and accessible communication channels between Ikeja Electric and its customers.

“We use a very instrumental service reflective tariff that provides a bill which is transparent in its measurement of the services we provide to

Foga-Samuel Ltd is a company borne out of the vision and drive of our founder and CEO, Mr Chukwudum Aladum to play his part in aiding the Nigerian Power Industry to deliver constant and uninterrupted power supply to Nigerians. We build and supply high quality Electrical materials, we utilize the brains of the best engineers around in the construction and commissioning of overhead lines, installation of distribution panels and we always employ modern and innovative techniques in carrying out all our engagements while taking into account the impact we leave on the environment. Our word is our bond.

Head Office: 2 Dumdum Close, Okokomaiko, Lagos Branch Office: D188 Alaba Int’l Market, Ojo Lagos.

Email: fogasamuel2016@gmail.com Tel: +234 803 3204 791, +234 902 0185 556 fogasamuel.com.ng

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our customers,” Soetan says.

“Customers can use channels like email or the ethernet on people’s phone as well as self-service channels we’ve introduced.”

However, the electricity distributor is also utilising applications that will allow for greater energy security while improving the overall electricity infrastructure.

“The very first challenge is that you need to be able to account for your energy,” Soetan says. “We need to know that electricity is delivered to the customer and where our losses are. That’s a major challenge. Once you can follow the energy from end-to-end you have a good chance of building a viable business. So that was a major challenge for us.”

To address this challenge Ikeja Electric put into place a unique strategy that would allow for exactly the kind of end-to-end monitoring they would need.

“The strategy we adopted was to approach it in reverse order.

We ensured we had deployed

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IKEJA ELECTRIC

advanced metering infrastructure at the trading points where the energy comes from the grid to the customers,” Soetan tells us.

“We were tracking the feed from a transformer connected to a feeder. So instead of focusing on the consumer we focused on metering these points, feeders and transformers, and used advanced metering infrastructure to give us an idea of how we can account for our energy and how we can reduce losses. It’s much easier because your known what you’re getting end-to-end and have analytics to determine where your highest losses are. If you don’t know where they are, you can’t tackle them. That was a major achievement.”

A DESTINATION FOR INNOVATION

The technological investments have gone a long way to helping Ikeja Electric achieve its goals, but Soetan is the first to admit there’s more work to do.

“In line with our mid-term goals, we desire to improve the quality of electricity the customers are getting today. driving a topnotch customer experience with the required capabilities and competencies,” she says.

Beyond these immediate goals, however, Soetan has a longer-term vision for Ikeja Electric as the natural home for innovation in Nigeria.

“We have the capacity to replicate this across the network to sustain our business, growing a strong environment for skills within the organisation. I see us as a destination for young innovators thriving on technology. They will be creating landmarks and blueprints for others to follow as we have always done,” she tells us. “My wish is to oversee that organisation, delivering 24hour supply across the network and ultimately achieve a healthy balance sheet.”

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TORONTO GROUP

WE TALK TO THE SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE’S PREMIER CHARCOAL PRODUCER.

COOKING WITH CHARCOAL

PROJECT MANAGED BY: NEIL STOWE

Toronto Group is a charcoal manufacturing company based in the Western Cape. The Group will be producing charcoal from invasive species, and will also be introducing by-products to market in the form of biochar and activated carbon.

“I

n South Africa, we import the bulk of our activated carbon and that’s a market we should be able to play in,” says Philip Mulungo, Toronto Group’s CEO. “Our charcoal will be 100% exported, we’re currently having offtake in the UK and Belgium. We’re looking into Scandinavian countries as well.

The charcoal is used for the restaurant market, barbecues and industry.”

The business was funded by the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) and the Department of Trade Industry and Competition (through the Black Industrialist Scheme) to the value of about R150,000,000.00 and the land on which the plant is being built was financed through the Landbank.

“The business was also assisted by the Western Cape Government through its agencies to ensure that we’re able to achieve our business objectives, and the Swartland

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Local Municipality played a crucial role and continues to do so,” Mulungo tells us.

CLEANER CHARCOAL

The Toronto Group will be running the biggest industrial charcoal plant in the Southern Hemisphere, producing at least 10,000 tonnes of charcoal per annum from 100% invasive species. The fact that Toronto only uses invasive species is just part of the company’s environmentally responsible approach, which can also be seen in the fastidious attention to detail the company pays to its supply chain and processes.

Mulungo explains, “We have FSC chain of custody controlled wood certification, where at every step from our biomass source until the end-user is tracked, so anyone can come and verify anything through the chain of custody

Philip Mulungo, Toronto Group’s CEO.

TORONTO GROUP

monitoring we’ve put in place.”

While Toronto Group is playing a groundbreaking role in the South African charcoal industry, it also faces challenges, particularly when it comes to sourcing raw materials and transporting its goods.

“One of the critical challenges that we have is around the distance from wood source to plant because we can only work with feedstock within a certain radius,” Mulungo says. “That means we have to think out of the box, and we’re already starting to think forward about how we can mitigate that risk.

Another challenge with the export market is that charcoal that has not gone through proper cooling and curing processes can spontaneously ignite, resulting in the shipping companies having more

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stringent controls which makes it expensive to transport. We need to work around that with treatment and cooling and other processes, ensuring they are followed to prevent spontaneous combustion.”

As well as dealing with its own challenges, the Toronto Group is also working hard to tackle some of the problems South Africa as a whole faces, through its hiring and labour practices.

“South Africa as a country is an unequal society, so what we’re looking to do is make entry to work with us as open as it can be. We train our team to be able to render the services we require,” Mulungo says. “In as far as staff retention is concerned, we have several initiatives. One I’m excited about is a scheme where employees have a level of ownership in the business

with certain requirements and agreements with the company, allowing them to reap the rewards, alongside other incentives to ensure employees take ownership and become our eyes and ears.”

This approach goes beyond Toronto’s employees, extending into how the company engages with surrounding communities.

“We make sure the communities we work in benefit from our CSR initiatives to, for example, support local schools,” Mulungo says. “The level of poverty here is something we want to combat by making sure the communities have access to education and healthcare.”

BUILT THROUGH PARTNERSHIPS

This attitude of going the extra mile can be also be seen in Toronto Group’s relationships with its suppliers.

“There are instances where we work with smaller companies, which we part-pay in advance for their services, to make sure they’re able to render services at the level we require,” Mulungo says. “Thus we’re able to empower them and assist in their enterprise development.”

These collaborations are mutually beneficial, and Mulungo is keen to reveal the role that Toronto Group’s valued partners have had in helping build the business.

“Isipani Construction has been identified as our preferred construction company. In early September they began with the construction of the charcoal project,” Mulungo says.

Of course, it is essential for Toronto Group that their partners adhere to the strict standard the company holds itself to.

“All tendering companies were informed that they must be BBBEE compliant, as well as

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TORONTO GROUP

Boardroom meeting (left to right): Operations Manager - Marcus Mlungu, COO - Anthony Williams, CEO - Philip Mulungo, CFO - Dean Mayer.

ensuring they have the proper health monitoring processes to ensure there’s safety as far as COVID is concerned.,” Mulungo says.

Another valued partner has been Toronto Group’s EPCM partner.

“Lesedi Nuclear Services have ensured everything is done according to our high standards, providing savings on our costs while also ensuring quality,” Mulungo points out.

“They came in to ensure our procurement is up to standard

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and as efficient as possible, with acceptable costs.”

For Mulungo, these partnerships are about knowing where Toronto Group’s limitations lie, and not being afraid to bring in expertise where necessary.

“I say to people do what you’re good at. I’m a good entrepreneur but I needed to bring in expertise I don’t have, so we brought them to take care of that,” he says.

Mulungo is confident that Toronto Group’s work is entering

an exciting stage, allowing it to give back yet more to the community.

“We’re in the process of realising the second phase of the Toronto Group’s development, a second plant which we want to go live in the next 24 months in the Eastern Cape. There’s a process to go through with land zoning, environmental impact assessment and other regulatory requirements to develop that business,” Mulungo says.

He adds, “We can produce charcoal in a clean manner, especially for industrial consumers, and they can use Toronto as a partner in their carbon emissions reduction strategy and to generate carbon credits. We can be a partner of choice.”

“OUR NEW DISCOVERIES AT KANDIOLE AND ELSEWHERE HAVE FURTHER ENHANCED OUR BELIEF IN A HIGHLY PROMISING DEVELOPMENT.” BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE | 95

TRADE LINKS & SERVICES

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TRADE LINKS & SERVICES

TRADE LINKS & SERVICES HAS A GREAT DEAL OF KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE, WHICH IT IS USING TO OVERCOME NEW CHALLENGES.

BRINGING EXPERIENCE TO BEAR PROJECT MANAGED BY: MALVERN KANDEMWA

Trade Links & Services (TLS) came into inception in 1980 as the trading arm of Civilco. It was founded by Mr Ali Mirza, a serial entrepreneur, who found solutions and challenged the usuals since 1977. Like all of Mirza’s business ventures, TLS was developed to solve a problem, in this case as an electrical equipment stockiest and distributor. Mr Ali Mirza’s goal was to build a company that would be the largest stockiest and distributor in Oman. Over the last three decades, TLS built an impressive track record in construction, business, trading, and building solutions while stocking and delivering world-class technologies that meet the growing demands of the energy and industrial sectors. Today, TLS has a strong presence in local as well as international markets and valuable base of customers, and key partnerships with manufacturers.

W

Magdy Abu Farag, CEO of TLS.

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e started to take the lead in communicating with suppliers and vendors building their relationship in the local market, and established joint ventures with Civilco to take local contracts, and TLS emerged as a complimentary startup to vertically integrate within the group. We also started to take business from power and distribution contractors as a trading partner,” says Magdy

Abu Farag, CEO of TLS. He also quotes that “We have three business units, one business unit Power and Transmission PT&D Projects up to 400KV, second is a Trading sector, the third is the Building solutions.”

In fact, TLS achieved experience in construction by completing 300 projects, operating 15 million manhours in the past 32 years, and generating US $ 370 million in revenue. In trading, TLS generated a billion dollars in revenue from 264 products and 80,000 line items. Likewise, building solutions offers six expertise to 200 customers and has billed US $ 10 million till date.

WORKING FROM EXPERIENCE

Magdy Abu Farag is the Chief Executive Officer of Trade Links & Services (TLS).

Magdy brings his own wealth of expertise and experience to the role. Graduated Electrical Engineering B.Sc. Professional

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MIND THE VALUE Cable solutions with state-of-the-art materials, design, processing and testing technologies.

www.omancables.com

T: +968 2444 3100 | F: +968 2444 6096 | E: omancables@omancables.com

NINGBO HAIMEI TRADING CO., LTD.

Ningbo Haimei Trading Co., Ltd. locates at the important foreign trade port in ChinaNingbo, which is a port city and owns the second largest good deep-water harbor of China. Enjoying very convenient sea, land and air transportation condition that enables us to supply customer timely delivery.

Since its establishment and growing rapidly, the company has successfully introduced products into various countries and areas. The company has 4 business sections respectively electrics, sanitary ware, castings & water meter. The electric department mainly supply composite insulators, porcelain insulators, glass insulators, power line fittings, The sanitary ware department supply faucet, shower head, shower set, bathroom fittings and automatic sensor faucet. We also supply various kind of valves and water meters. Our aim is to satisfy customers with flexible, reliable terms, high quality products & competitive prices as a professional supplier. Adhere to marketoriented, based on the product quality, sincere service and high responsibility for all customers would make us be your reliable partner in China.

Address: One Culture Plaza, No.1349 Liyuan North Rd, Ningbo 315000, China Phone: 86-574-27711842 / 27711846 Email: info@haimeitrading.com; peng.shifeng@haimeitrading.com

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Certified, PMI, MBA. Experience of international business development, strategic planning, leadership, change management and transformation. He is actively participating in business process improvement, communication, and transformation with different roles. He took on roles of increasing responsibility in the construction of Oil & Gas, Power Generation, Transmission PT&D, Industrial Sectors, Manufacturing, Steel, and Mining EPC’s projects. He has enabled products and teams in critical investment projects, accelerating growth and return on investment under commercial divisions, and progressing into executive leadership. He has 30 years’ of rich experience between well-known Groups of companies, Schneider Electric, Saudi Cables, Hidada, Energya, Danieli, Larsen & Toubro, and Danway. He is working for years as a business leader covering GCC and MENA. His wide experience, an excellent source of network, and a new perceptive are that he brings to bear with TLS. “We come from Civilco, one of the oldest companies in Oman. We are committed and have built trust with our teams, suppliers, and our clients,” Magdy says. “We’re working with Oman Electricity and Transmission Company, Mazoon Electricity Company, Majan Electricity Company, Tanweer and Dhofar Power Company in, Power, T&D, with a longstanding history and the relationships dating from the early 1980s.”

We have a strong business relationship with local and international manufacturers and representing many of them, to name a few, Oman Cable Industry, Siemens, Schneider Electric, ABB, General Electric, Hyundai, Toshiba, Hyosung, Voltamp, Legrand,

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TRADE LINKS & SERVICES

“OUR WORK ENVIRONMENT MAKES PEOPLE FEEL INCLUDED, WE CELEBRATE DIVERSITY. OUR TEAM BELONGS TO TEN COUNTRIES AND SPEAKS 15 DIFFERENT LANGUAGES.”

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Balfour Beatty and many more.

In addition to completing hundreds of one-of-a-kind projects, we led advances that challenged and changed the Oman energy sector and industry forever.

This, combined with the quality of the products and services the business provides and the strong relationships they have with suppliers and vendors, is the foundation of TLS’s unique selling point. Magdy heads the company from Muscat, Oman.

Indeed, at TLS, the experience is a watchword.

“We’re a Trusted and leading supplier for our industry segment and area,” Magdy points out.

TLS approach is that the key is to learn safe, fast, and move forward. This is a philosophy that is put into action through a four-step process.

Step one is “Product & Service Differentiation”. This means bringing innovative products and integrated solutions that would exceed market expectations and reflect TLS’s core values as a one-stop solution for all stakeholders.

Step two is “Distribution Differentiation”. TLS provides manufacturers/principals local market coverage, offering customers availability, access to experts, and expertise while easing ordering and payment procedures. TLS is dedicated to bringing in the technical knowhow as its team uses the same products the company sells in its own projects.

Step three is “Relationship Differentiation”. “We developed the business through our focus on a narrow niche by serving the energy sector,”

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Magdy says. “We provide and demonstrate competence, courtesy, credibility, reliability, and responsiveness. We are accountable for executing day-to-day client-facing communication, we are the link between the product/ manufacturer and our customer.”

Step four, Magdy tells us, is “Price Differentiation.” TLS belief is competing on price requires recognition that every customer needs a different price.

“Our in-depth understanding of customers has allowed us to maximize the potential revenue by offering each customer a differentiated bid at a different price,” Magdy explains. “We ensure a steady stream of diverse ideas, and one of our goals is rapidly to deliver mature innovation, integrated and seamless products and solutions to projects and fulfil our commitment to customers.”

EMPLOYING THE BEST

To achieve these goals Trade Links & Services needs the best people, a cause the company prioritises.

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“We look for employees who understand what our service entails and enjoy it,” Magdy tells us. “Our work environment makes people feel included, we celebrate diversity. Our team belongs to ten countries and speaks 15 different languages.”

You can often tell that a company is moving in the right direction when you see a long tenure among its employees, and TLS certainly enjoys low attrition.

Part of the reason for this is that TLS puts the employee in situations where they are more likely to show their true selves to truly understand how they think and respond, allowing the company to better invest in them and help them develop.

“We manage our staff with trust, we cultivate a sense of ownership throughout our team,” Magdy says. “For feedback, we encourage and motivate managers to regularly communicate with the team and provide a response to all concerns, making them feel connected. There is no micromanagement. We allow our staff plenty of space to

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TRADE LINKS & SERVICES

deliver following our company’s direction.”

As with TLS’s strong client and supplier relationships, communication is key in the business’s interactions with its staff, as Magdy explains, “We ask them what they want, what’s most important to them, we sit down with them and find out what they think adds value to their role.

Being transparent, we have an open communication channel that allows employees to reach the top management and the management to be directly involved with the last level to communicate strategy and direction.”

NEARING OPPORTUNITIES

While the company has a long and established history, it isn’t afraid to move into new markets, as Magdy explains.

“Our business is construction, building solutions, as well as trading and we, ’re trying to diversify, pivoting by experience,” he says.

This is why the company has entered the maintenance sector for asset management.

“We’re looking at maintenance from a point of view that we know the customer, we know what needs to be maintained and most of the assets are 20 years old so that maintenance is necessary,” Magdy tells us.

“There’s not much competition in that area, so we can find real opportunities here.”

Magdy tells us facilities management will be a narrow niche opportunity, but one that’s growing at an estimated 10% CAGR due to the increase in infrastructure projects, and PPP projects. As Magdy has said, the market is a young one, with only eight major competitors in the region, mostly joint ventures with international companies.

TLS is aiming to achieve 35% market penetration by 2025, with an estimated US$300 to $350 million.

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“With the technological landscape shifting towards predictive maintenance, it will fit right into our strategy of developing a narrow niche,” Magdy says.

Renewable energy also offers substantial opportunities, not just for TLS, but Oman as a whole.

“Renewables also offer the additional diversity we’re looking for, especially in the Gulf areas. We started to think about renewable energy as a new area for the business, bringing in all the right people and starting to build relationships with the suppliers and vendors forward and now we’re focusing on the entire market from design, construction even storage for renewable,” Magdy adds. “We were subcontractors for the first and only wind farm in Oman, and now we’re focussing for more and more solar.”

By 2030 Oman has plans to be generating 20 to 30 gigawatts of renewable energy.

TLS has set itself the goal of developing 10% of that energy share, generating between 3 and 4 gigawatts by 2025.

There are three major projects under development, the most recent one being the 500MW Ibri II Solar Independent Power Project (IPP) for a consortium led by Saudi Arabia-based ACWA Power. Manah Solar is also being tendered.

OVERCOMING CHALLENGES

Apart from all the opportunities, TLS has also faced challenges in its journey.

During the recent management transfer, the company had to undergo great efforts to ensure continuity while improving, investing, and sustaining the business. This meant tackling the challenge headon in a still ongoing capability transformation.

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“We took a fresh look at our business and decided on a new vision and mission,” Magdy says.

“Our organization has a new purpose and we are committed to embracing the future. We restructured and empowered teams instead of using up-to-down decision making, delegating more power to middle management, in order to take action, and the management provides central guidance and coordination.”

The new strategy prioritised on diversification and exploration rather than exploitation for sustainable growth and necessitated digitalising processes and procedures.

Of course, the biggest challenge for any business this year is still the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Corona is a new situation for everyone. Managing the transformation was very challenging to everyone but once we faced this lockdown there was no normalcy travel ban, projects were effected, unavailability of material, almost 100 people from our workforce got affected and declared positive cases,” Magdy says.

Meeting this challenge meant hard work, collaboration, and even sacrifice.

“We have to continue and sustain our progress, whatever is required. We were dividing staff and manpower between two shifts, making space between people, bringing in additional mobilisation to maintain social distance,” Magdy recalls. “Due to extra costs, it looked like we would be forced to cut some people, but decided as a company not to terminate anyone instead to review our salaries, deducting 10 to 20% salary from everyone so the company could survive while still maintaining our workforce. This is helping us maintain the projects around

us because while corona is a reality we still have projects in hand, orders to deliver and services already committed to.”

The next question is how to do that in constraints of time and social distance?

“OUR ORGANIZATION HAS A NEW PURPOSE, & WE ARE COMMITTED TO EMBRACING THE FUTURE.” BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

TRADE LINKS & SERVICES

“We are trying to keep people aware and keep transparency by stating the situation as we face it, leading teams where we have to go, and we’re being transparent to our subordinates,” Magdy says.

“We’re leading the people to remain calm and face the crisis in a proper manner.”

LOOKING FORWARD

While TLS’s first priority, for now, is survival, Magdy is positively thinking about the future of the company, and Oman as a whole.

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“A GOOD REASON WE ARE ABLE TO SUSTAIN OURSELVES IS DIVERSITY HELPING US MAINTAIN CASHFLOW. WE ARE ABLE TO MANAGE IT AND PAY ALL OUR DUES ON TIME.”

“A good reason we are able to sustain ourselves is diversity helping us maintain cashflow.

We are able to manage it and pay all our dues on time,” he says. “The question is how Oman will grow? There are still economic concerns in general, the Gulf, as its relying on the oil and we need non-oil products to rely on in the age of renewable energy. This is challenging.

How we are able to survive in these conditions? That’s a big challenge over the next five years as a company.”

One of the next frontiers TLS is looking to conquer is the digital one, with the Group undergoing an IT infrastructure and digital transformation. The company has built its ERP system on the new Oracle Platform, a cloudbased solution for seamless functionality across Sales, Finance, Procurement, Supply Chain and more to create a unified customer experience.

“Our computational resources are robust and fast, with less risk and provides ease and continuance in our operation,” Magdy says. “Adapting to a digital transformation in these conditions has proven monetary value in saving cost, avoiding data loss, and providing dynamic reporting.”

This is just one of the major achievements TLS has lined up for 2020, however. This year the company received a “Grade: Excellent” certificate from the Tender Board, its Manah 400KV Grid Station Project, and Mabelah South 132 KV Project both OETC awarded and the company has achieved USD75 million in revenue for the year 2020 and 2021from the contracting sectors only.

These are all amazing achievements, but Trade Links & Services is looking to build on these for the future.

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IEMAS FINANCIAL SERVICES

WE LEARN HOW IEMAS FINANCIAL SERVICES HAS BECOME AN ESSENTIAL INSTITUTION FOR ITS MEMBERS DURING THIS TROUBLED YEAR.

THRIVING THROUGH

COOPERATION PROJECT MANAGED BY: MALVERN KANDEMWA

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IEMAS FINANCIAL SERVICES

Iemas Financial Services first opened its doors in 1937 as a financial services organisation, growing steadily with each passing year to become the largest financial services co-operative in South Africa.

Today the group employs over 500 people and execute a strategy aimed at establishing and maintaining an organisational culture of high performance, innovation and continuous improvement, in support of sustainable growth.

I

emas’ healthy work environment is maintained through ongoing people and leadership development support, diversity integration and employee wellness programmes. As a co-operative, the group is driven by the unique philosophy of putting people and their wellness, at the heart of its business.

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Nexia SAB&T Nexia SAB&T is a trail blazing black-owned, JSE accredited, audit and business advisory firm dedicated to stimulating economic growth through the services it offers its clients as well as being a training institute for young graduates.

Our teams consists of people with skills and experience suited to take on the challenges facing our clients.

An unwavering commitment to service quality, has enabled us to expand our client portfolio to include multi-nationals and government entities, as well as offering world-class: internal audit, consulting, cyber-forensics and automation & digitisation services. A new area of growth identified is our LEGAL service line, offering advice and analysis of POPIA, to review businesses compliance.

Gender empowerment and corporate social responsibility are key areas in which we are already making a difference and through our @Herstory campaign, we are continuing to motivate young women to aspire in achieving their own greatness. Our Corporate Social Responsibility focus saw Nexia SAB&T launch the SAB&T Foundation this year, which focusses on the upliftment of our communities through our CSI initiatives and highlights the plights of the silent masses. We have fundraised and created awareness campaigns, and were well positioned when Covid 19 struck, to aid the most vulnerable in our communities.

With Nexia SAB&T’s CEO, Bashier Adam, serving on the Board of Directors and Chairman of the EMEA Region of Nexia International, our locally based firm in South Africa, is now expanding its reach and coordinating the Business Development of emerging markets in Africa and the Middle East.

Ready access to a dedicated director on every engagement, demonstrates our guiding principle of being “Closer to you, from the ground up.” www.nexia-sabt.co.za

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Of course, these are all very nice-sounding words, but 2020 has really put those principles to the test. The world has had to cope with the outbreak of COVID-19, while climate change is already affecting many lives.

Iemas Financial Services’ Group CEO, Banie van Vollenhoven, has been keen to rise to the challenge.

According to the International Co-operative Alliance,” Cooperatives are peoplecentred enterprises owned, controlled and run by and for their members to realise their common economic, social, and cultural needs and aspirations’,” he says. “In other words, our customers become members of our organisation by taking up financial products and services, and share in our annual profit, benefiting them financially and contributing towards the upliftment of the communities in which we work and live.” This year we assisted many members with various initiatives to help them during the pandemic and lock-down period, with deferred payment arrangements, assistance with credit life claims and debt restructuring – to name a few.”

In the battle against climate change, this means helping the company shift towards a greener future.

“IEMAS HAS COMMITTED TO CONTRIBUTE TO A GREENER SOCIETY BY MAKING A POSITIVE SOCIAL & ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT IN THE COMMUNITIES WE OPERATE IN THROUGH VARIOUS CSR PROJECTS.” BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

IEMAS FINANCIAL SERVICES

“We are moving towards a ‘greener’ future in that many of our product offerings and processes are going to become digital, many of our employees work from home and we encourage our members to use our digital platforms to move away from using paper-based processes,” van Vollenhoven says. “Iemas has committed to contribute to a greener society by making a positive social and environmental impact in the communities we operate in through various CSR projects.”

Banie van Vollenhoven, CEO, Iemas Group.

STAYING IN THE GREEN

Financial services might not be the first industry you think of when it comes to challenging climate change, but van Vollenhoven insists this is an essential front.

Iemas offers free financial wellness workshops and life file training at all the employers whom the cooperative have agreements with.

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“Most financial institutions relooked at their operations and have invested in green and open plan buildings as well as moved away from paper-based processes,” he says. “Secure digital platforms and applications contribute massively to a greener future and in addition, most organisations have introduced dynamic working (working remotely) - reducing travel and carbon emissions.”

However, the foundation of Iemas’ business model is collaborative, and van Vollenhoven points out that there are many things individuals can do to contribute.

“Small changes in the way we work and live can have a big impact in the long run – it can even save you money. Start by using a material shopping bag every time you shop, be electricity wise and work from

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home (if you can) rather than going to work,” van Vollenhoven says. “Not just from a safety perspective but also to reduce your carbon footprint.”

DIGITAL SUPPORT

It’s clear talking to van Vollenhoven that he believes digital solutions will be a big part of solving the problems posed by a virus-based pandemic and climate change, and Iemas’ subsidiaries are working hard to leverage these tools to also improve customer experience.

Iemas Insurance Brokers (IIB), an authorised financial service provider (FSP 47563), is at the forefront of converting to trusted digital solutions.

IIB’s Managing Director, Piet Wolmarans understands the importance of going digital and how these solutions can support consumers on their financial wellness journey.

Last year Iemas IIB began offering life, disability and funeral cover digitally.

As Wolmarans tells us, “Before the outbreak of COVID-19, we saw a need for convenient and affordable digital solutions.

That’s why we partnered with InsureTech company, Simply.”

The solution Iemas Insurance Brokers now offers gives individuals and businesses life, disability and funeral cover for themselves, employees and domestic workers in a matter of minutes.

“What is more is there are no medicals, which makes it safe and convenient,” Wolmarans says. “Life cover and related products are not ‘nice to haves’ anymore – the market responded to this realisation and as such, we have seen a significant increase in uptake.”

Tools like these are Iemas’ response to a rapidly changing insurance industry. Indeed, a rapidly changing world.

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Iemas Insurance Brokers is at the forefront of converting to trusted digital solutions.

“MOST CONSUMERS’ FINANCIAL SITUATION HAS CHANGED DRASTICALLY OVER THE LAST FEW MONTHS.”

“Most consumers’ financial situation has changed drastically over the last few months. We have seen an increase in the demand for car and household insurance payment relief breaks,” Wolmarans points out.

“However, we have similarly seen an increase in the need for life, funeral and disability cover. This is not surprising as consumers understand the seriousness of planning for the future in light of the lifethreatening pandemic, COVID-

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IEMAS FINANCIAL SERVICES

“SO, TAKE THE TIME TO SPEAK TO YOUR INSURANCE BROKER ABOUT OPTIONS AVAILABLE TO YOU AS SOME LEVEL OF COVER IS MUCH BETTER THAN NO COVER. ESPECIALLY DURING HIGH-RISK TIMES, SUCH AS THESE, BEING INSURED WILL NOT ONLY GIVE YOU PEACE OF MIND BUT WILL ALSO PROVIDE YOU WITH MUCH NEEDED FINANCIAL SUPPORT WHEN THE UNEXPECTED HAPPENS.” 19. The Financial industry had to adapt to these changes by offering payment relief break options and affordable digital insurance solutions.” . When the world becomes unpredictable, people need to protect themselves from uncertainty; which is what the insurance industry is all about “If you do not have insurance, you will be financially worse off as your assets (like your car and home) are now at risk as well

as your family. Certainly life, funeral and disability cover are a must,” says Wolmarans. “So, take the time to speak to your insurance broker about options available to you as some level of cover is much better than no cover. Especially during high-risk times, such as these, being insured will not only give you peace of mind but will also provide you with much needed financial support when the unexpected happens.”

Iemas offers a wide range of affordable and trusted financial solutions including vehicle finance.

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Matthieu Seguin, Managing Director, Nigerian Bottling Comapny.

NIGERIAN BOTTLING COMPANY

WE LEARN HOW THE NIGERIAN BOTTLING COMPANY IS FINDING ITS WAY INTO EVERY CORNER OF EVERYDAY NIGERIAN LIFE.

THE 24/7 BEVERAGE COMPANY PROJECT MANAGED BY: TREVOR GRETSINGER This year Nigeria celebrates its 60th anniversary as an independent country, so in some ways it’s quite surreal for the Nigerian Bottling Company to be looking forward to celebrating its 70th anniversary next year. The company was founded in 1951 as a subsidiary of the A.G. Leventis Group with a franchise to bottle and sell products of The Coca‑Cola Company in Nigeria. Fast forward 69 years and the Group is present in 28 countries, serving over 600 million people with close to 200 brands in the market.

“W

e have come a long way with a strong heritage,” acknowledges the bottling company’s Managing Director, Matthieu Seguin. “We operate all across Nigeria, we have eight manufacturing plants from Lagos to Borno to Port Harcourt.

We have 52 Commercial Territories, strong coverage of Nigeria. Our variety of brands range from Coca Cola, to Five Alive, Eva Water, Monster, and Predator Gold. We also distribute Premium Spirits, this is a relatively new addition. Our brand portfolio and offerings are all in line with our ‘24/7’ strategy.”

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Email: enquiries@cobilgroupng.com www.cobilgroup.com

The right goods, to the right client, at the right time.

Cobil Nigeria Limited is a Nigeria-based transportation and haulage services company with a nationwide reach. We haveve worked with NBC for over 7 years where we maintain a fleet of 205 trucks at an average of 90% availability. We believe strongly in efficiency and professionalism, and work continuously to improve ourselves in order to achieve this at the highest standard.

The thinking behind our “24/7” beverage partner strategy is simple. For every occasion, and at every point in the day, the Nigerian Bottling Company wants to have a beverage in its portfolio for its consumers to enjoy.

“Our goal is to be there for all occasions during the day – when having a meal with a drink, in the morning when you refresh with a Five Alive drink, or in the evening when you need to keep your energy up and you grab a can of Monster. In the past, we were really a Coke and Sprite company but over the years we’ve added Five Alive, a couple of years ago we entered the Premium Spirits market which in Nigeria is what some people drink as they unwind in the evening,” Seguin explains.

“We are looking at coffee, which is something we want to explore as a direction because the Coca-Cola company has bought Costa Coffee. We’ve launched that already in nine markets.

It’s a very niche market and we

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want to explore that also in our market. We can cater to almost any segment of population here, which is important when you’ve 200 million people with all kinds of incomes and backgrounds.”

A JOURNEY OF TRANSFORMATION

While the Nigerian Bottling Company’s loyalty to and passion for its home country hasn’t changed, the business has been undergoing some big changes, with more to come.

“We’ve been on a journey of transformation over the last decade. I was here in the Nigeria business for five years from 2011 to 2016, then I left for four years and came back.

In the last ten years alone, we invested over a billion euros into the business operations, new manufacturing lines and even logistics capabilities,” Seguin says. “It’s impressive how much we’ve accelerated our growth in the last two or three years and we’re committed to continuing this investment. This year we

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NIGERIAN BOTTLING COMPANY

“FOR US IN NIGERIA, WE REALISED THAT TACKLING THESE SOCIAL CONCERNS ON OUR OWN IS NOT ENOUGH TO MAKE THE LEVEL OF IMPACT WE SEEK, SO WE HAVE FORMED A COALITION WITH COMPANIES SUCH AS CADBURY, IBM, NESTLE, NIGERIAN BREWERIES TO MENTION A FEW, TO SEE HOW CAN WE JOIN FORCES AND REALLY MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN YOUTH DEVELOPMENT. “

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launched a brand-new canning line, the only one in Nigeria.

That’s a huge commitment to investing in Nigeria.”

Even though working in Nigeria comes with some challenges, Seguin is confident the company can overcome them. He says, “The economy in Nigeria can be very difficult, things aren’t going the way we want, with cost increases driven by sugar and scarcity of other inputs.

It’s not an easy environment,

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it can be quite draining from a pure profitability perspective, but we’re committed to this market, to working with the government and our partner the Coca Cola company. I would humbly request more government support through consistent and business friendly policies, especially fiscal and monetary policies.”

For Seguin, these challenges aren’t an obstacle to fulfilling the Nigerian Bottling Company’s Vision, they are part of it.

“It’s all about embracing the challenges and being clear on our vision. We’ve developed a very clear vision to be the 24/7 beverage partner in Nigeria with a clear focus on certain areas.

How do we leverage our portfolio? How do we win with our customer?

How can we drive competitiveness and investment?” he asks.

“We want to double the business between now and 2025, invest in our people and talent to sustain those goals. The direction is very clear, how we get there is that we need to be nimble and agile.

We’ve brought the whole organisation together in 2020 to improve our ability to react to crises like COVID-19. There is no better way to achieve our goals than to involve people.”

A NIGERIAN COMPANY

Despite working with probably the most globally recognizable brand on the planet, this connection to Nigeria and its people goes deeper than marketing.

“Our commitment to the community is an

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extension of how we treat our own people. In Nigeria you can’t do business if you aren’t linked to the community,” Seguin tells us. “For example, in line with our commitment towards supporting our communities on water projects, last year, we successfully enabled the delivery of safe water to over a million people in Kano State.

Doing good is essential for doing business.”

“OUR GREATEST ASSET IS OUR PEOPLE. THAT’S USUALLY WHAT CEOS SAY BUT IN OUR WORK IT’S VITAL.” These efforts have gone beyond the Nigerian Bottling Company’s own business, into collaborative efforts with other companies and agencies.

“For us in Nigeria, we realised that tackling these social concerns on our own is not enough to make the level of impact we seek, so we have formed a coalition with companies such as Cadbury, IBM, Nestle, Nigerian Breweries to mention a few, to see how can we join forces and really make a difference in youth development. Again, we want to do something about plastic waste, and we’re pleased to have been elected to the board of Food and Beverage Recycling Alliance earlier this year. We are committed to deploying innovative PET collection and recycling solutions in Nigeria to keep the environment clean and create jobs while doing so,” Seguin says.

The Nigerian Bottling Company’s connection to the country can be found at every level, from the supply chain to recruitment.

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NIGERIAN BOTTLING COMPANY

“WE WANT TO DOUBLE THE BUSINESS BETWEEN NOW AND 2025, INVEST IN OUR PEOPLE AND TALENT TO SUSTAIN THOSE GOALS. THE DIRECTION IS VERY CLEAR, HOW WE GET THERE IS WHERE WE NEED TO BE NIMBLE AND AGILE.”

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“Deliberately, 90% of what we use in our operations is from local supply, which was not the case even a few years back,” Seguin says. “If we include the whole supply chain, we provide 15 million people employment in Nigeria.”

THE GREATEST ASSET

The biggest resource we have to offer, however, isn’t a sparkling soft drink.

“Our greatest asset is our people. That’s usually what CEOs say but in our work it’s vital,” says Seguin proudly.

Of course, the last six months have proven this point more than ever.

“At the height of the Covid-19 pandemic in Nigeria, the frontliners in our business, people in sales or operations, those on the lines in all of our eight plants around the country went out every single day despite several challenges, to ensure that we were able to continue serving and hydrating the people of Nigeria. Of course, they took the necessary precautions and were provided with the relevant protective equipment” Seguin says. “They really are the biggest asset we have. We haven’t stopped operations for a single day and I say that

with great pride in our team, in particular for front liners and those along the supply chain.

Six months ago, we wouldn’t have dreamed about being able to do this but our people have demonstrated an incredible degree of agility - the team has been agile and creative and our digital business has really grown as well. In addition, our people demonstrated a strong commitment to our communities during the lockdown, by donating generously and volunteered to provide food for the vulnerable in our communities.”

It’s also of paramount importance to Seguin that this team reflect the makeup of Nigeria as a whole.

“Diversity is very important in Nigeria and in the Nigerian Bottling Company we’re committed to this agenda and want to drive it even further within our workforce,” Seguin says. “90% of our customers are women, but in our workforce, in sales and supply chain this isn’t currently reflected. We’re very committed to accelerating female talent in particular. We consider the development of women across the board to be important because it’s good for business. This is something very important for us.”

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D&D LONDON

IT’S BEEN AN EVENTFUL YEAR IN THE HOSPITALITY SECTOR SINCE WE LAST TALKED WITH D&D.

PREPARING FOR THE RESTAURANT RENAISSANCE PROJECT MANAGED BY: DAVID TAVERNOR

D&D is one of Britain’s leading high-end restaurant groups, with over 40 restaurants, a hotel, a turnover of £150 million last year and over 2,000 staff. Their business is built on a platform of unique, individual venues, with every restaurant, hotel and café on their books boasting its own personality.

W

14 Hills, London.

hen we spoke to D&D last year business was booming and they were full of exciting plans for the future, but the year since then has brought some unexpected challenges.

Most notably, the COVID-19 pandemic which has hit the restaurants and hospitality sectors particularly hard.

“It’s a situation that’s evolving every day. It’s not over and it’s happening in different phases,” says D&D co-founder Des Gunewardena.

D&D London, with its Central London focus, has been particularly vulnerable to the effects of the pandemic.

“Overall we’ve been affected more than most restaurant and pub groups. One issue is we’ve got a big Central London focus.

80% of our UK business is in London and that’s mostly central London. Since lockdown, I have

worked increasingly from home and a lot of people are doing that,” Gunewardena admits.

“Everyone knows London has had a massive drop in footfall, so our reliance on Central London has been a weakness. We also do a lot of corporate events.

Our corporate business, plus weddings and birthday parties, exclusive hires, make up about 20% of our UK business and that’s just gone to zero.”

However, Gunewardena is far from pessimistic, believing that the very qualities that are making things hard for D&D now will ultimately prove to be its redemption.

“Those are two big weaknesses which will also mean we’ll have a stronger bounce back than most restaurant groups,” he points out. “We’ve done okay. We’ve reopened all our restaurants in the UK apart from one venue,

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Experience Excellence

“We’re immensely proud to have won the award for the sixth year running. A huge amount of passion and hard work goes into delivering our company ethos of providing the best possible service and product range at all times. Thanks to everyone who voted, the endorsement of our customers means a great deal.”

Skylon, London.

are busy in the evening and at lunchtimes, during the morning and afternoon they are mainly empty spaces. So D&D proposed renting that space out for meetings in the morning and afternoons when there is demand from office workers. It is a business model that feels particularly prescient when the entire nature and continued existence of “offices” seem to be up for debate.

“That is absolutely now where the world is. There is a new normal for offices without any shadow of a doubt,” Gunewardena tells us. “There are going to be fewer offices

Darren Labbett Managing Director, Woods Foodservice

www.woodsfoodservice.co.uk

which we’re reconfiguring. We reopened Alcazar in Paris in September, but we may be going into another lockdown there soon. In New York the situation there is that restaurants have only been allowed to open indoor space until the beginning of October. And now the rule still is you can only open at 25% capacity. You can’t make any money at 25% capacity, so we’re reopening when the maximum capacity goes up to 50% at the end of the month.

We’ve survived thanks to our shareholders and banks, and due to government support with reduced VAT and the furlough scheme for our staff. The Eat Out to Help Out campaign in August where the government covered a £10 discount on all meals was a big success.”

THE CHANGING FACE OF WORK

During our last conversation with D&D, one of their most exciting projects was a concept called “Workroom”. The idea was that while restaurants

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occupied. I don’t think they’re going to disappear. There will be a combination of working from home and meeting each other and clients, but you don’t have to do that in an office. So I think that’s what we’ll see. It’s bad news for office owners, not entirely bad news for restaurants. There’ll be fewer people in Central London but when they are there they will want to meet people, and why have an expensive office in Mayfair, if you can just meet in restaurants? Why would you have an office if people can work from home, and just need a meeting space?”

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While the changing situation offers opportunities, Gunewardena is critical of the way the government has handled some aspects of the pandemic.

“It hasn’t been helpful of the government to make announcements like ‘Go to work’ almost immediately followed by ‘Don’t go to work’,” he says. “They’ve done some good things, but it’s been a shocker watching them pull the levers to reduce infections, they’re a bit all over the place.”

In particular, Gunewardena argues the focus on the hospitality industry as a source of COVID infections has been ill-advised, with little grounding in the evidence.

“Most of the infections are in universities, schools, care homes, not pubs and restaurants, and they’re using extremely flaky evidence that’s laughable, on the basis of which they’re locking down pubs and restaurants again,” he says.

While D&D itself is in a secure position, they are very aware of the impact government mishandling could have on the sector as a whole.

As David Loewi, Gunewardena’s co-founder points out, “The rent moratorium is a major issue. There are going to be a lot of casualties in the restaurant sector if the government don’t do something about it. I’m chairman of the Restaurant Association, and people want advice on what to do because it’s going to come and bite them. They’ve got March rent, September rent and by December it will be nine months of rent due to pay. So there is massive concern out there. Other countries have done something tangible about it, but in the UK it’s still only conversations going on and the problem won’t just go away.”

INVESTING IN THE FUTURE

While the challenges facing the sector are real, both Loewi and Gunewardena are adamant that they are not insurmountable. A testament to that is the fact the company has just opened a new restaurant.

“COVID isn’t going to last forever. It’ll evolve or disappear, and restaurants are long term decisions.

Our first week’s trading has proved us completely right.

Of course, it’s more difficult to open a restaurant with COVID restrictions,” Gunewardena says. “But when the world is full of misery and you open something new it’s a bit of positive news and that tends to capture people’s imaginations.”

Loewi adds, “It’s a time of stress but also a great time of opportunity. We’ve streamlined the way we work, used COVID as a time to analyse what we do, where we are, and how we do it, so we will come out of this a leaner, fitter organisation. When looking for new properties and sites we’ve always had a lot of offers, but now more than ever.

This crisis isn’t going to last forever and we’ll come out the other side in good shape.”

“We just negotiated our landlord deals, reduced our costs and opened to be viable at lower levels of revenue. We have got an excellent reputation with landlords and that counts for a lot, meaning we get plum opportunities especially in the UK and the US,” Gunewardena points out. “The plan is for the company to use this period to secure some great sites for new restaurants which we will work on and hopefully launch, post-COVID, post-vaccine.

You’re going to see companies like us, and others who’ve also remained strong emerging as bigger and much more profitable companies this time next year.”

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INOVUS MEDICAL

A SLICK OPERATION INOVUS MEDICAL’S MISSION IS TO TRANSFORM SURGICAL SIMULATORS.

PROJECT MANAGED BY: NEIL STOWE

Inovus Medical specialises in designing and manufacturing healthcare simulators, with a specific sub-focus on surgical simulation and minimally invasive surgical simulation, to teach surgeons how to do keyhole surgery on areas of the body such as the abdomen or the womb. It is the brainchild of two entrepreneurs who started the company straight out of university.

“W

e started the company because we knew these simulators existed but we needed to change how they were delivered on three counts which became our three core values,” says Dr Elliot Street, co-founder and CEO of the company.

THREE CORE VALUES

These three core values are Affordability, Accessibility and Functionality.

“When it comes to Affordability, existing simulators were really expensive and often surgeons needed to buy a new simulator themselves personally, which wasn’t possible with existing technology,” Street tells us. “We wanted to democratise access, which leads us into Accessibility.

Existing technologies were often isolated, for use in simulation sectors of hospitals.

That meant it was difficult to jump on these things between

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cases or to warm up, so we created take-home systems and systems that could be used in a clinical setting.”

Finally, to improve Functionality Street and his co-founder, Jordan Van Flute, asked how these technologies delivered training and if it was the best and most realistic training these systems could provide.

“The answer was no, because they’re primarily used in virtual reality, which is fine for macroscopic things but very hard to simulate microscopic feedback, how tissue should feel when you dissect it and things like that,” Street says. “So, we used augmented reality with real feel-soft tissues, and then built a digital environment around those to make them realistic and immersive.”

Dr Elliot Street CEO (left), Jordan Van Flute CTO (right), founders of Inovus Medical.

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INOVUS MEDICAL

Bozzini Hysteroscopy Simulator

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Those three core values drive everything Inovus does around new product development. But it is a tall order for a company to set itself the goal of being cheaper and better than existing products.

“To do that we took the hard road and realised we’d have to be a vertically integrated entity,” Street recalls. “We started as two students with no money, making this in our bedrooms and garages. We have grown organically into a vertically integrated entity controlling every element of the product journey.”

Inovus does all its prototyping in-house and manufactures everything in-house as well.

“That’s how we can produce things at such a high quality because we’re not relying on third-party manufacturers so we can pass those savings to customers in the NHS and

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overseas markets,” Street says.

“We use production-level 3D printing for prototyping but also manufacturing to create a costsaving in manufacturing without compromising on quality. That gives us the ability to offer good quality kit while democratising some great technology.”

This is supported by highlevel service provision, supporting the technology once in the customers’ hands through Inovus’s direct commercial team. The company has a commercial presence in the UK with plans to grow their team across North America and Europe over the coming years.

Beyond those three concepts, Inovus has also been working hard at developing a new simulation platform called LapAR which is focussed on “connected surgical training”, a

tool that has become invaluable during the COVID age.

“It’s an incredibly powerful online learning platform that in the days of COVID has been shown to be invaluable, allowing surgeons to receive or give the training completely remotely and completely connected almost as if they were operating together in the theatre,” Street says. “What we’re trying to do is add to the traditional ‘in person’ learning experience for surgical training, not remove it. Right now a lot of training isn’t adequate because people can’t do that kind of training in person, but we allow really important personal connections between trainers and teachers.”

FROM THE GROUND UP

While Inovus is doing valuable work today, building the company to where it is now was a huge project.

“Because we’re vertically integrated in the short term it’s obviously been a big challenge because you have to be very strategic about which parts of the company you grow at which time,” Street admits. “It can be a chicken and egg situation deciding what side of the business to develop next. That’s certainly been a challenge we continue to face but it’s a nice problem to have and we know it’s the right call for our users in the long term.”

Building a reputation has also been a challenge, especially where Inovus’s offering can appear to be too good to be true.

“Having started from a standing start in a sector that demands high levels of credibility, there is a challenge in cutting through against established entities and explaining to people just because we’re charging less doesn’t mean the technology is worse, that it’s actually much better,” Street says.

“The equivalent is the shift from

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INOVUS MEDICAL

mainframe to personal computers.

It helps that other sectors have gone through it but it’s a challenge we continue to face.”

One challenge the company has never had to struggle with is recruiting talent, thanks to the mix of skills Street and Van Flute bring to the table.

“We’re lucky in our founding and management team, myself and my co-founder, Jordan, have opposite skill sets,” Street says. “We’re not missing a key knowledge base or understanding at management level so we can identify talent and bring it into the company rather than relying on a recruiter or someone to tell us someone has the skills. We have a great system that allows us to objectively and subjectively measure candidates coming through the door. You’d be amazed where people pop up. We’re based in St Helens and the homegrown talent that crops up there never ceases to amaze me, electrical engineers working in Maplins, people we’ve come across by conversation with existing team members.”

PIVOTING TO COVID

Working within a very specific niche of the medical sector, Inovus has of course been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, but it has also adapted to provide much-

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LapAR™ Laparoscopic take home box trainer.

“WE STARTED AS TWO STUDENTS WITH NO MONEY, MAKING THIS IN OUR BEDROOMS AND GARAGES.” needed support to the NHS during this crisis.

“Our core business had a bit of setback because the focus was on PPE and ventilators,” Street admits. “We were lucky that we had the technology that helped solve problems COVID caused in our particular area, so once we had rebounded out of the initial shock phase, we asked what we could do about this issue and we found we were in a position to help.”

Just as being vertically integrated helped Inovus create high quality, low-cost simulation equipment, those same qualities would prove invaluable here.

“Because we’re a vertically integrated entity with those skills we can help directly with COVID through the ventilator challenges as a supplier of precision parts and help manufacturers of other

elements across a range of PPE and other technologies,” Street tells us. “It was great to support that supply chain letting us keep our own people in work and actually increased the number of jobs we could offer at a time when many were struggling to find or offer employment.”

Moving forward, Street is excited for Inovus to spread its wings still further, entering international markets on a larger scale.

Talking about the future Street says, “Our manufacturing operation can sustain, drive and cope with a great deal of demand, we’ve successfully built our commercial team in the UK and our major driver in the future is to replicate that success in overseas markets in North America, primarily the US, the single biggest simulator market on the planet.”

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NOVASIGNAL

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NOVASIGNAL

BY COMBINING ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, ROBOTICS AND AUTOMATED CEREBRAL ULTRASOUND, NOVASIGNAL IS REVOLUTIONIZING HOW REAL-TIME BLOOD FLOW DATA ARE UTILISED FOR BRAIN HEALTH.

MANAGING HEALTH PROJECT MANAGED BY: ANDREW BOURKE

California-based NovaSignal was founded by Dr Robert Hamilton in 2013 with the mission of providing greater access to the critical data needed by physicians to improve the lives of their patients. Now, in times of a global pandemic, this mission has gained unexpected urgency.

N

ovaSignal is a medical robotics and data company specialising in assessing cerebral blood flow.

In 2019 the company launched its ground-breaking solution, the FDA-cleared NovaGuide™ Intelligent Ultrasound, the only fully automated, robotically assisted ultrasound system for brain health assessment.

NovaSignal’s technology integrates non-invasive ultrasound, robotics, and artificial intelligence to empower physicians with critical information about cerebral blood flow to make clinical decisions and improve patient outcomes.

UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT

The company is ready to embrace increasing demand under the management of Ms Diane Bryant, a new CEO appointed in early 2020. Ms Bryant is a global technology leader with more than three decades of executive leadership in the global semiconductor industry, enterprise IT solution development and deployment,

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and cloud computing services.

She served as the Chief Operating Officer of Google Cloud, prior to which she spent over 30 years at Intel, the last five years as Group President of Intel’s Data Center Group.

For her professional achievements, Ms Bryant was named among Fortune’s 50 Most Powerful Women in Business in 2015 and 2016. Business Insider ranked Ms Bryant number 6 among the Most Powerful Female Engineers in 2018, and in 2020, Becker’s Healthcare named Diane one of 7 “mover and shaker” leaders affecting health IT. Ms Bryant is the holder of four U.S. patents in mobile computing.

Answering the obvious question of why move from a rapidly growing world of technology into the medical field, Ms Bryant said: “I wanted to get involved in something bigger than financial success.

I was fortunate to get to know the founder of the company and was mesmerised by the technology and what it could do.”

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“The combination of technology and healthcare is truly magical, and this is where we can make a real impact. Through the application of technology, we have the opportunity to transform brain health care management. By applying machine learning, the NovaGuide enables physicians to quickly recognize and diagnose critical brain conditions to tremendously improve patient care.”

GROUND-BREAKING DISCOVERY

Ms Bryant affirmed that the company’s vision is to change brain health care management, and end diseases of the brain and diseases that present themselves in the brain, such as stroke, dementia, Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s. But

Neurologist Dr. Alexandra Reynolds (right) showing members of the care team in the COVID-19 unit how to use the NovaGuide.

ALLJACK is a middle-size of OEM based in Taiwan featuring CNC precision turning and milling techniques for components in a wide range of industries in the US and worldwide. We provide one-stop solutions to projects from prototype to production stage.

At ALLJACK we use German-made high precision 5-axis CNC machines by DMG MORI and that allows small parts as small as 0.004” to be built with great accuracy.

And we have a strong supplier chain that we offer comprehensive integration services that goes with proper quality plans to assure best qualities.

We are running this company with the aim of helping customers to turn their concepts into realities.

We believe that the relationship that we share with our customers is what matters most. We look forward to working with you to develop long-termed partnership.

Let’s build something together!

Address: No. 71, Wuquan 7th Rd Wugu Dist., New Taipei City Taiwan Email: alljack@alljack.com Phone: +886-2-2990-0555 www.alljack.com

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NovaSignal’s robotic device offers more far-reaching benefits - monitoring blood flow in the brain is becoming crucial in the treatment of patients with Covid-19, as a recent groundbreaking study demonstrated.

In April, as it became evident that patients with Covid-19 may emerge from ventilation with impaired speech, immobility, loss of memory, and in some cases not surviving at all, the company was requested by several renowned medical institutions to use the NovaGuide to continuously monitor the blood flow of patients with Covid-19. The NovaGuide has the advantage of conducting automated patient assessments, decreasing the amount of direct patient contact and allowing medical staff to maintain strict infectious disease protocols.

“Critical care teams at Mount Sinai Health System used our system to monitor the cerebral blood flow of 18 mechanically ventilated patients with severe

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NOVASIGNAL

Covid-19 symptoms.

While monitoring these critically ill patients with the NovaGuide, physicians discovered an excess of pulmonary shunting, a physical dysfunction whereby deoxygenated blood bypasses the normal circulatory system resulting in lower levels of oxygen in the blood and contributing to respiratory distress in patients. This was an important discovery as it became evident that, as a result of shunting, ventilation is not necessarily an effective protocol and may be actually causing more damage,” Ms Bryant noted.

NovaSignal’s autonomous robotic device may have thus uncovered a possible breakthrough in the treatment of patients infected with Covid-19.

Not surprisingly, the discovery has raised considerable interest and following the publication, other hospitals immediately reached out to conduct further studies with a larger number of patients.

RAISING AWARENESS

Ms Bryant acknowledged that the company now numbers over 80 people and with its unique offering is finding no barriers to growth. “We are one of a kind and the key to success is simply awareness. It is now about

getting the solution in the hands of professionals. Once the pulmonologist, cardiologist or neurologists become aware of our product, there is no limit to our growth. Our solution is also very affordable, so the price is not a limiting factor. Neither is capacity, as we have expanded our facility during March and April and can run 24/7.”

“We are aiming to make a brain health check-up a routine procedure in general practitioners’ offices, and our robotic device a standard piece of equipment just like a stethoscope. I find it shocking that in our annual physical exams our general practitioner informs us of the health of our heart and lungs, but provides no insight into the health of our brain, an organ of equal importance. We are striving to make brain blood flow the fifth vital sign.”

NovaSignal now has 135 systems in hospitals in the US and Europe and as Ms Bryant explained, expects the number of its robotic systems deployed around the world to increase fourfold by the end of the year. “We are aiming to achieve business profitability in 2021-2022. We expect to IPO within about a year of that, have a multibilliondollar market cap, and move into an exciting and fun future.”

Diane Bryant, Chairman & CEO of NovaSignal.

NovaGuide™ Intelligent Ultrasound is used to gain insights into a broad array of illnesses, including monitoring patients with COVID-19.

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TOY TRIANGLE

TOY TRIANGLE PROVIDES BOTH FUN AND EDUCATIONAL DEVELOPMENT.

THE WONDER

OF TOYS PROJECT MANAGED BY: DAVID TAVERNOR

Toy Triangle is a leading toy company, distributing and developing toy brands that reflect global trends and provide beneficial play features for over 30 years across the MENA region.

“T

oy Triangle pursues a strategy of continuous development. We have just added 2 major brands to our already strong portfolio which includes many leading global brands,” said CEO Sabri Alkathiri. “And just recently, we have invested and launched an entirely new category of developmental toys for children with unique or special intellectual needs.”

“Understanding our market needs and demand, we leverage opportunities to serve our consumers with the right product at the right time. Our core mission is bringing smiles to children and joy to parents, whoever and wherever they are in the Middle East and North Africa region,” he affirmed.

With its choice of brands the company carefully makes sure that the toys it imports and distributes promote the use of children’s intuition to build their characters, trigger their imagination and creativity and learn through the play experience.

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Mr Alkathiri emphasised that the company’s marketleading position reflects its strong background in the toy industry, a wide sales and distribution network and special partnerships with all stakeholders – suppliers and retail partners, as well as customers.

“It’s all about communication.

We have great suppliers who listen to us and understand our requirements and translate those into fine products that are appreciated by our customers.

Feedback is very important, and we are in constant communication with families as well as retailers.”

THE JOY OF MOVEMENT

As a result of social media, children in the region are well aware of recent trends and Toy Triangle makes sure that it has the right range at the right time across the many product categories. It is not only about popular toys and games. Parents increasingly demand products that encourage children to

keep moving, as it is movement - not sitting with iPads - that is beneficial for their well-being.

Toy Triangle is well-positioned to satisfy this demand within its Outdoors and Sports toys category.

And then there is one special group of children that has been growing all over the world children with special needs, be it autism or ADHD. “At school and home, these kids find it difficult to sit and focus, so we have included developmental toys to help teachers and parents to manage that challenge, with the prime objective of adding value to family life,” reflected Mr Alkathiri.

It is for these children that the company has just launched a special brand of educational toys to help address developmental issues. “The response has been amazing. These kids need some support within their caring families and by offering the right type of developmental toys we are helping their parents also, and contributing to happier family life.”

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TOY TRIANGLE

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TOY TRIANGLE

Sabri Alkathiri, CEO, Toy Triangle.

CHANGING THE GAME IN LOCKDOWN

As with most companies across all sectors, Toy Triangle has had to embrace the significant changes brought about by the pandemic. With stores closed and children sitting at home, the company had to quickly adapt its modus operandi.

“During the lockdown, certain toy categories saw a significant increase in sales as children stayed at home.

We had to quickly ensure product availability across all platforms and increase our digital presence and online communication to make our toys accessible throughout the region. This has worked very well and we have also successfully launched many new must-have toys during this period,” noted Mr Alkathiri, adding that the pandemic

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made it clear that although brick and mortar shops will certainly remain important, it is e-commerce that is the future of the sector.

The lockdown has pushed the company to look internally.

So while the standard go-tomarket strategy was disrupted, Toy Triangle managed to create new opportunities with new

channels and partners, and reallocate resources to ensure the business ran smoothly.

“We remained fully available and provided tailor-made solutions to help our partners continue their business. We also converted challenges into opportunities and defined new ideas which we are incorporating into our plans for

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TOY TRIANGLE

2021 and beyond. The ultimate outcome has been strengthened e-commerce relationships, an enhanced corporate culture and brands positioned for growth and success,” said Mr Alkathiri.

“WE BELIEVE THAT STRONG VALUESBASED PARTNERSHIPS, COLLABORATION, INCREASING EFFICIENCIES & ECONOMIES OF SCALE ARE KEY TO SURVIVING THIS PERIOD.” NEW FRONTIERS

As a result of this internal analysis, the company will be re-sizing and re-strategizing the business for sustained growth and vitality and has defined exciting plans that will be rolled out in several phases across the years to come.

“We will also accelerate and foster the right kind of corporate culture in preparation for the future. As the leading toy distributor, we want to work even more closely with all our partners and bring many more smiles to children and joy to parents. Our goal is to lead the industry in the years to come and integrate advanced technologies and data analytics into our business, in order to improve our levels of service and our offering to consumers,” Mr Alkathiri affirmed.

Over the next year or so, Toy Triangle plans to further enhance its operations in Dubai, UAE, to lead the Middle East regional growth. As a partner with Expo Dubai for toy merchandise, the company is launching a range of toys to

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coincide with the events and activities in Dubai.

Summarising the business outlook, Mr Alkathiri said: “Our markets, like the rest of the world, have witnessed disruptions on a global scale like never before. We are crossing new frontiers each day as we face challenges that many of us have not

experienced before. We believe that strong values-based partnerships, collaboration, increasing efficiencies and economies of scale are the key to surviving this period. We are ready to professionally partner with anyone who shares our values. Together, we want to lead, support, and grow our toy industry in the Middle East.”

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HAM-LET GROUP

HAM-LET IS A GLOBAL MANUFACTURER AND PROVIDER OF INNOVATIVE AND COMPETITIVE PRODUCTS AND APPLICATIONS, DEFINED BY RELIABILITY, HIGH-QUALITY AND CONSISTENT PERFORMANCE.

GLOBAL INNOVATION PROJECT MANAGED BY: GLEN NEWTON

2020 marks for Ham-Let 70 years of excellence, designing, developing, producing and marketing of fluid system components for the high purity and process industries.

“H

am-Let is an innovating industrial company that offers its customers a broad range of instrumentation and delivery solutions with advanced control,” explains Amir Widmann, CEO of HamLet. “It was founded in 1950 in Israel by survivors of the Second World War as a small workshop. 70 years later HamLet is a global company with 8 manufacturing facilities and 12 regional sales and support centers, employing over 1,000 employees and being traded on the Tel-Aviv stock exchange.”

Ham-Let’s starting point has always been “What does the customer need?”. By establishing a close collaboration with its customers, Ham-Let global team can identify any special requirements and match them to Ham-Let’s extensive range of instrumentation valves & fittings.

“The high-level quality of our products is a winning selling point. We are not only investing in improving design and functionality of our products,

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we are also developing a variety of unique IoT technologies and solutions to deliver to our customers,” Widmann points out.

Ham-Let R&D, engineering and marketing teams are competent to create custommade new products for the semiconductor, food, transportation, biotechnology, petrochemical, pulp & paper and natural gas.

As a global company, Ham-Let is not only manufacturing high quality and innovative products, Ham-Let is able to supply them to customers just where they are needed - a capability that is more important now than ever.

Widmann tells us, “Ham-Let’s global operational structure is very efficient especially now when COVID-19 restrictions are limiting global travel and transportation. We are capable to serve our customers locally in almost every part of the globe, providing both technical support and manufacturing, without depending on longdistance supply chains.”

70 YEARS OF REINVENTION

2020 is a special milestone for Ham-Let, marking 70 years since the foundation of the company.

“To mark this special event, we were planning globalscale celebrations with a big party for all employees.

Unfortunately, due to COVID-19 pandemic, we have to postpone it for 2021,” Widmann says.

“In the meantime, we are preparing updated marketing materials that reflect Ham-Let achievements in 70 years, and honouring our employees with special corporate gifts.”

Of course, 70 years of business doesn’t mean 70 years of doing business the same way - Ham-Let has thrived by always being ready to adapt.

“We need to reinvent ourselves every year, in terms of how we build management, recruit people, make sure all of our acquired companies and subsidiaries are being served well and managed well,” Widmann explains. “The fundamental of Ham-Let growth has always been a solid threeyear strategy, which is discussed and built not only by Ham-Let

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HAM-LET GROUP

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HAM-LET GROUP

executives, but also by a broader layer of middle management, which is always a part of this process and is fully engaged in executing our strategy globally.

We are investing in advanced IT platforms to enable our global teams change the way they interact with each other and our customers and do business going forward. In addition, we have launched special processes in the company to enhance operational and service excellence - all of these technologies are in play while we follow up on our strategy and execution.”

For Widmann, a strategy is only as strong as one’s ability to carry it out. He insists, “I’m a strong believer in strategy and execution, not just putting a vision together but focusing on making it a reality.”

This vision is built on a foundation of innovation and global development.

“We have established a unique global IoT development platform: we have a R&D and engineering teams here in Israel, and we also have IoT developers in Singapore,” Widmann tells us. “Regardless its size, Ham-Let has a strong position in the industrial eco system thanks to its technology incubator, Let-Lab, which is the only industrial 4.0 innovation lab in Israel. By collaboration with leading companies and having a direct access to Israeli start-ups, Let-lab is working to accelerate new technologies for the company and support its further growth. From a market perspective, Ham-Let is serving the most booming industries (semi-conductor industry, clean

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134 | BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE

power, solar energy, LNG), and I think that with such capabilities we have a lot of potential for growth.”

Company’s growth potential is also stimulated by the strategy of identifying the markets and territories with the highest growth opportunities.

“We’re looking at growing markets. In the last 5 years we expanded into new territories: we acquired a factory in China with 12,000 square metre manufacturing facility, because we believe that choosing China as a strategic territory requires local manufacturing,” Widmann recounts. “We opened a new factory in Thailand, because of its strategic location in Asia that enables us to satisfy an increasing demand from Asian customers in the semiconductor industry. We also acquired a company in Korea to assure direct access to the LNG carriers building companies.

And we have factories in Europe (UK, Holland, Norway).”

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HAM-LET GROUP

BUILDING TOGETHER

Of course, to make this global vision a reality, we need the right people to execute it – human capital has always been important for Ham-Let. “Human capital is a huge priority for a global company that employs 1,100 people. It’s part of our strategy to attract talent,” Widmann says. “We invest great deal in recruiting and retaining the professionals we employ: through academic training programs with for each employee and monthly webinars, we have established advanced training platform for our people to grow within the company.”

In 2020, Ham-Let, as all global companies, had to react to the COVID-19 outbreak and its impact on the company’s business.

Fortunately, the international nature of the

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“HUMAN RESOURCES ARE A HUGE PRIORITY FOR A COMPANY THAT EMPLOYS 1,100 PEOPLE GLOBALLY.” company has allowed HamLet teams to react and adapt quickly.

“As a global company, we faced the COVID-19 pandemic spreading from China to the rest of the world,” Widmann says. “We were and still are evaluating daily the situation in each country and adjusting our working instructions in line with official guidance from local authorities. As a result, other than a Chinese factory being closed for only a few days, Ham-let global manufacturing operations were not affected: employees not involved in direct manufacturing are requested to work from home, but overall

Ham-Let continues to maintain its normal business activities without any major disruptions.

Looking beyond COVID, Widmann foresees exciting times for the company due to grow a great deal.

“In the last four or five years we’ve doubled the company and there’s potential in our current markets to further grow it to become a bigger one with stronger research and development, and greater capacity larger capabilities to serve its customers,” he explains. “This is the future, to grow the company and be an excellent supplier to our customers.”

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SILICON LINE

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SILICON LINE

GREAT OPTICS

WE LEARN HOW SILICON LINE IS CHANGING THE FACE OF OPTICAL CABLE.

PROJECT MANAGED BY: TREVOR GRETSINGER

Silicon Line began in 2007 as a company offering third-party design services, but would very quickly learn that the tech sector is a fast-moving one.

“I

n 2008 we got our first direct customer, and our first product which we could sell, an IC driving an optical link between a display and keyboard clamshell mobile phone,” recalls Ruud Van Der Linden, Silicon Line’s CEO. “The customer wanted to come out with a phone in the shape of a clamshell at the time, but it never made it to market as Apple came out with a new kind of candy bar-shaped phone.”

Moving on from that Silicon Line built itself a foundation of expertise into making very low power, low-cost optical links using 3D-printing technology.

“That became the basis of our portfolio, low power optical links for consumer applications,” Van Der Linden says.

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Silicon Line immediately ran into challenges, however.

“We came to a situation where we wanted to sell the interconnects but the suppliers were still making optical modules for high-end customers so even if you sell them at lowcost they were still making 200 or 300 dollar module that aren’t suitable for your TV,” Van Der Linden says.

The next development was going to be the game-changer however.

“So four years ago we decided to go more vertical in our business. We decided to make the modules ourselves. We started to develop a very costcompetitive module for optical cable with the performance of a very high-end cable. It’s a simple miniature plug and play module where you cut the fibres, put them in and it works.

Even better, it is easily scalable for very high volume needed in the High Volume Consumer business”

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SILICON LINE

“WE STARTED TO DEVELOP A VERY COSTCOMPETITIVE MODULE FOR OPTICAL CABLE WITH THE PERFORMANCE OF A VERY HIGH-END CABLE. IT’S A SIMPLE MINIATURE PLUG AND PLAY MODULE WHERE YOU CUT THE FIBRES, PUT THEM IN & IT WORKS.”

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Van Der Linden is speaking to us from Belgium where Silicon Line’s factory is making the core components of this module.

The module will allow Silicon Line to reach cost levels where modules that used to be 40, 50 or 60 dollars are now closer to four, five or six dollars.

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SILICON LINE

“Those are much lower cost levels where you can afford to put us in consumer tech,” Van Der Linden points out. “Speeds went up in communication, speeds which you normally have in data centres and we’ve found solutions to use that in consumer applications.”

PUNCHING ABOVE THEIR WEIGHT

Their unique selling points go beyond simple price competitiveness, however.

“You find it, for example, in home security, or for the use of optical links for the night vision on a helmet. But they use our interconnects where they want very low power, such as endoscopes for medical applications, because despite having this consumer interconnect we have the technology to serialize and deserialize the signal,” Van Der Linden explains. “It lets us e.g. use one fibre instead of ten, reducing the number of lines.”

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Silicon Line’s optical modules aren’t just low power and low cost but have by far the smallest footprint, a factor smaller than any traditional optical links letting it link to even the smallest connectors.

However, this is no time for the company to rest on its laurels.

“The biggest challenge is how fast the sector is developing,” Van Der Linden tells us. “The new games consoles coming out such as the X-Box X and Playstation 5, they have for the first time very high-end signal outputs like HDMI2.1 a 48Gbps link. So the biggest challenge is the execution and ramp-up. We’re working with big Japanese and Korean customers in gaming and TV sectors, and we are a relatively small company still. Then, of course, you work with those big companies, some of whom have a quality team bigger than my whole company, and you need to work with them on the quality

and go through this process with them.”

Despite being a relatively small company, Silicon Line is having to leverage their collective expertise with some big corporate names.

“Luckily, I have an experienced management team with backgrounds in big companies.

Myself, I spent 20 years in Philips in a senior position, so I know those processes,” Van Der Linden points out. “But as a small company when you’re starting these processes it’s always a challenge.”

“SPEEDS WENT UP IN COMMUNICATION, SPEEDS WHICH YOU NORMALLY HAVE IN DATA CENTRES AND WE’VE FOUND SOLUTIONS TO USE THAT IN CONSUMER APPLICATIONS.”

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SILICON LINE

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SILICON LINE

The most recent challenge Silicon Line has faced, of course, is the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Wuhan was closed in January and our customers were also in lockdown,” Van Der Linden remembers. “Now they’re slowly ramping back up.

In the last six months, we had some impact on our customers, especially with end customers in the US and Asia because nobody was buying and that had a snowball effect. We don’t know how long this will go on for. We expected a peak, but now we’re expecting a long U but hopefully not an L. Then companies like our customers need to do qualification, and people are working from home and you can’t do that from home.

We’re not the only one having that challenge, we haven’t lost business but we’re taking a much longer time to achieve our goals because of COVID-19.”

“I THINK WE HAVE EVERYTHING IN PLACE TO ACHIEVE VERY SIGNIFICANT GROWTH IN YEARS TO COME.THEN WE’RE GOING TO WORK MAYBE ON AN IPO OR M&A.” Beyond COVID-19, Silicon Line is already making big plans for the future.

“Well, I think we have everything in place to achieve very significant growth in years to come,” Van Der Linden reflects. “Then we’re going to work maybe on an IPO or M&A. We produce in Belgium for a good reason. We can secure our manufacturing here.

We’ve got economy of scale, and we’re a company with very high-tech technology.”

These elements combined, at a time when Silicon Line’s solutions are more essential than ever, paint a bright picture of the future for the company.

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ALPHAMIN RESOURCES

ALPHAMIN RESOURCES IS A MAINSTAY BRIDGING THE WORLD OF RAPIDLY DEVELOPING TECHNOLOGY AND THE REMOTE TERRITORY IN DRC’S NORTH KIVU JUNGLES.

KEYSTONE OF THE TH 4 INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION PROJECT MANAGED BY: MALVERN KANDEMWA

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ALPHAMIN RESOURCES

Alphamin has built, commissioned, and for over a year has been producing tin from its Mpama North mine at Bisie in North Kivu DRC. Alphamin’s operation is a pinprick in the vast jungles of North Kivu DRC, however, its comparative size belies the gigantic role it has and continues to play in the two extreme poles of the rapidly developing fourth industrial revolution and renewable energy sectors, and the dramatic improvement in the livelihoods of its host communities in North Kivu DRC.

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“A

lphamin represented the most important source for tin, the glue that enables the 4th Industrial Revolution,” says Maritz Smith, Alphamin CEO. “Its location presented certain challenges, which having been successfully met, positions the company as a pillar of strength in North Kivu, DRC whilst becoming a mainstay supplier of tin to the world .”

While the mine presented a challenge, the growing demand for tin made the effort to overcome those challenges worth it.

“Tin has been mined and used by mankind for millennia. It is a metal that seldom occurs in deposits with a grade sufficient to support a mining operation.

Yet tin plays a vital role in the world’s current economic activities, whilst proving to have a vast array of pivotable future uses in new technologies particularly renewable energies,” Boris Kamstra, Alphamin Executive Director tells us. “This demand, which promises only to increase, is in stark contrast to the rapidly depleting current mines, and few new mines.”

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ALPHAMIN RESOURCES

COVID-19 has placed further pressure on a smooth, predictable volume of mined tin for its end users. The pandemic has induced shutdowns reducing the supply of new material available to the market, whilst at the same time delaying the progress of new operations.

In this environment, Alphamin is a new pillar of reliable predictability for the industry’s end users.

“Despite the challenges posed

by COVID-19, Alphamin has consistently met and in instances surpassed its market guidance,” Smith says proudly. “This is just

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the beginning, as the company has announced plans to increase production, reduce the cost of tin produced and increase the resources to support and increase the current life of mine for Bisie and other prospects on Alphamin’s license area.”

“BISIE’S INDICATIVE GRADES WOULD BE WORTH THE EFFORT, AND THE TEAM’S INGENUITY WOULD SURPASS ALL OBSTACLES IN THE WAY OF DEVELOPING THE MINE.”

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ALPHAMIN RESOURCES

Alphamin secured a license covering an area known as Bisie.

Located in remote equatorial rain forests of the Walikale Territory of North Kivu DRC. Logistics and associated infrastructure initially presented a challenge. However, the Alphamin team with the backing of its shareholders recognised the potential and believed solutions would be found to those challenges.

“Bisie’s indicative grades would be worth the effort, and the team’s ingenuity would surpass all obstacles in the way of developing the mine,” Kamstra says. “The world’s tin mines currently have an average head feed grade of 0.8% tin, Alphamin in comparison has a head feed grade of 4.1% tin.

This translates roughly into the rest of the world having 8kg of

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Mining & Africa Logistics

Nucleus Mining & Africa Logistics is a projects and supply chain company focussed on planning, implementing and controlling the efficient, effective flow and storage of goods, services and related information from point of origin to point of consumption.

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NUCLEUS MINING & AFRICA LOGISTICS ROAD, OCEAN, RAIL AND AIR FREIGHT Nucleus Mining & Africa Logistics offers tailor- made multi modal logistics solutions starting from greenfield and exploration, through to project and construction and into operational phase. The company has built close relationships with airlines, shipping lines and rail operators.

Warehousing and Cross Docking Strategically situated for easy access, Nucleus Mining & Africa Logistics offers cross docking and warehousing services throughout Africa. Facilities include large parking areas for trucks, overnight facilities for drivers, 24-hour surveillance security, road vehicle weighbridges, loading ramps and the handling of bulk, breakbulk and outof-gauge cargo containers. In addition, bonded storage can be arranged and crating and palletising is done on site.

AIR CHARTERS With access to remote air strips and extensive experience on the ground, Nucleus Mining and Africa Logistics’ provides cost-effective air charter solutions and services such as flight and landing permits, loading and packing advice, ground transportation, expediting of customs documentation and certification and packaging of dangerous goods.

Nucleus Mining & Africa Logistics are members of the Global Cross Trades Network and have owner-managed offices and joint partnerships across Africa, Europe, the Middle East, Asia and North America. www.nucleusml.co.za

ALPHAMIN RESOURCES

tin available per tonne of ore mined versus Alphamin having 41kgs available. That is 5.13 times as much, or 412.5% more tin available pre-processing for Alphamin than the global average.”

Alphamin believed that these grades would be more than sufficient to deal with the additional costs of establishing and operating this remote mine.

This belief has been verified with Alphamin consistently ranked in the lowest cost quartile of tin mines globally.

“THE EFFICIENCY OF THE PROCESSING PLANT WILL BE IMPROVED WITH THE ADDITION OF A FINE TIN RECOVERY CIRCUIT. THIS HAS THE POTENTIAL TO RAISE ALPHAMIN’S TIN PRODUCTION TO 12,000 TONNES PER ANNUM AT A NEGLIGIBLE COST.” These high in situ grades and process friendly mineralisation allowed Alphamin to design and construct an efficiently sized operation comprising an underground mine with a concentrating plant to produce 11,000 tonnes of tin in concentrate per annum.

Alphamin announced in July this year that it will be initiating Resource Extension Drilling at its Mpama South prospect. This is less than one kilometre away from its current processing facility. Between 2012 and 2013 Alphamin drilled 19 holes to determine the extent and nature of mineralisation at Mpama South.

This programme intersected two distinct mineralised zones, an upper zone showing welldeveloped lead, zinc and silver

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ALPHAMIN RESOURCES

mineralization, and a lower zone rich in tin and copper. A deep-level drilling program is being initiated to further target additional resources for the current mining operation.

Whilst Mpama North and South are targets for drilling later in 2020 and 2021, Alphamin has several additional targets along the Bisie Ridge where geochemistry and geophysics have returned signatures resembling those of Mpama North.

“The efficiency of the processing plant will be improved with the addition of a fine tin recovery circuit,” Smith explains. “This has the potential to raise Alphamin’s

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tin production to 12,000 tonnes per annum at a negligible cost.”

THE FUTURE IS TIN

“Tin’s current primary use is in electronic solder, the glue that holds the technology world together. All components are secured to their respective circuit boards with tin,” Kamstra says.

Kamstra is right. Not only is tin is in every mobile phone, computer, and television screen, it’s also seeing growing use in motor vehicles, both Electronic Vehicles(EV) and internal combustion engines. Estimates are that by 2040 half of all passenger vehicles will be EV. According to the International Tin Association, the metal

will increasingly contribute to modern, clean technologies including lithium-ion batteries for autonomous and EVs.

“THE BISIE PROJECT IN THE DRC IS AN EXCELLENT EXAMPLE OF HOW TO GO ABOUT MINING IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES AND BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS WITH ALL STAKEHOLDERS,” BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

ALPHAMIN RESOURCES

THE COMPANY’S DRIVE TO FIND ADDITIONAL ORE BODIES AT BISIE, MEANS THAT ITS HOSTS OF WALIKALE, SHAREHOLDERS AND USERS OF TIN WILL BENEFIT FROM ALPHAMIN’S OPERATIONS WELL INTO THE FUTURE.”

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“Battery researchers are developing solid-state batteries utilising ceramic electrolytes (versus liquid) for improved safety and performance,” Kamstra points outs. “Silicon is a potentially attractive anode material due to its high potential capacity and abundance in nature. Recent research has shown that adding tin to the silicon-based anode enhances its performance, creating the potential for tin to be a major contributor to the next generation of lithium batteries.”

Tin is increasingly being incorporated into solar panels, replacing scarce and increasingly expensive rare earth elements. Bloomberg estimates that 12TW increase in generating capacity will be required by 2050, with close to 80% of this coming from renewable energy sources. In solar energy alone close to 500g of tin is

required for 1MW of solar power.

Tin’s importance to the world economy was recently highlighted when the USA declared tin a critical strategic metal. According to a 2018 U.S. Geological Survey tin has not been produced in the United States since 1993.

Alphamin’s Bisie tin mine in the DRC is well-positioned to take advantage of the world’s growing demand for “clean” minerals.

“The Bisie project in the DRC is an excellent example of how to go about mining in developing countries and building relationships with all stakeholders,” Kamstra says.

“Moreover, the company’s drive to find additional ore bodies at Bisie, means that its hosts of Walikale, shareholders and users of tin will benefit from Alphamin’s operations well into the future”, concludes Smith.

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Brenda Berlin, MC Mining’s CEO.

MC MINING

WE LEARN ABOUT THE COMPANY BEHIND SOUTH AFRICA’S ONLY HARD COKING COAL PROJECT.

THE MAKHADO OPPORTUNITY PROJECT MANAGED BY: NEIL STOWE MC Mining is a company whose primary focus is developing the only hard coking coal deposit in South Africa, the Makhado Project.

“I

t’s very valuable, very long life, and fully permitted.

We’ve been raising finances and can effectively start. The detailed engineering is 90% done and we can go as soon as we’ve got the funding,” explains Brenda Berlin, MC Mining’s CEO. “Technically it is a very easy project, an open cast mine with an existing wash plant that we just need to refurbish and enhance to produce the final product. Existing and tested infrastructure exists to get the final product to end markets.

That’s the value story. But it is absolutely informed by the last of the fundraising we need to do.”

While the Makhado Project is MC Mining’s flagship operation, it’s far from its only one.

“We’ve also a small operating mine in Newcastle Natal in South Africa. It’s a nice little operation and it’s good to have an operating asset in our mix, but that’s not we’re about,” Berlin tells us. “In addition. We’ve got

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blue sky coal deposits in areas near the Makhado Project going into the future. To be honest given how long it takes things to happen and the fact that the Makhado Project has a 46-year life-of-mine – we have enough to keep us going for a long time before we need to turn those on.”

UNIQUE OPPORTUNITIES, UNIQUE CHALLENGES

However, the Makhado Project represents a unique opportunity in South Africa.

“There’s no other hard coking coal in South Africa, nonwhatsoever. It’s all imported, so there’s a significant benefit to South Africa,” Berlin points out. “Our cost of delivering hard coking coal to the local steel market is much lower than our competitors who are mainly based in Australia, so that’s a significant advantage. Another advantage the Australians don’t have is that our cost is lowered considerably because thermal coal is produced as a by-product, reducing our costs for hard coking coal. It’s a very large project in a region really desperate for economic development.”

The project is well-positioned to avoid many of the usual

challenges mining companies face in South Africa.

“For example community support for mining projects is essential, and we have community support in spades,” Berlin says happily. “Those communities are shareholders in the project, we’ve worked with them for a long time, and they are getting benefits and are hugely supportive. We also have a lot of support in government circles, thanks to our job creation and downstream benefits.”

The key obstacle, Berlin explains, has simply been attaining the final piece of funding needed to launch the project once and for all.

“In the first instance South Africa is not necessarily a prime investment destination if you have a global choice, and people are choosy right now about where their dollars go,” she admits. “Anti-coal sentiment is noisier and even though we emphasise we produce clean coal a lot of people say they don’t have any interest in coal no matter what coal it is.”

Counter-intuitively, the fact that Makhado doesn’t need much more funding to get going has also been an issue.

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ENPROTEC ENPROTEC is a proudly South African company that continues to be an industry leader with more than ten years experience in the field of mineral beneficiation and dewatering solutions.

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MC MINING

“We’re not looking for a lot of money, which means most of the big investors aren’t interested,” Berlin says. “So we’ve had to come back home and look for local sources of funding with a lot of support from the government and local communities.

There’s nontraditional local funding that can fill the gaps.”

Of course, the other inevitable challenge everyone has faced this year has been the COVID-19 pandemic. While Makhado hasn’t had enough on-site activity for this to be a real issue, it has affected the business in other ways.

“The issue is that with the best will in the world while fundraising is one, two and three on my to-do list, the remote working during the pandemic means it has gone a bit slower than it otherwise would have and it’s taken us longer to arrange the funding than I would have liked,” Berlin says.

“But we’re getting there now.”

Meanwhile, MC Mining’s operating facilities have also had to adapt.

“We had to put our operating mine into care and maintenance for a month then restarted at 50% capacity,” Berlin says. “We’re now back to full capacity, with screening, social distancing, and obviously sending people home with any sign of COVID. We had 19 positive cases, but no deaths, so it has been disruptive and we have experienced absenteeism out of fear with a lot of communication needed to allay those fears. We’ve been relatively unscathed.”

MINING TALENT

One of the ways the Makhado Project is proving a boon for the local communities is not just in the creation of jobs, but in helping people attain the skills to do those jobs.

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MC MINING

“COMMUNITY SUPPORT FOR MINING PROJECTS IS ESSENTIAL, AND WE HAVE COMMUNITY SUPPORT IN SPADES. THOSE COMMUNITIES ARE SHAREHOLDERS IN THE PROJECT, WE’VE WORKED WITH THEM FOR A LONG TIME, AND THEY ARE GETTING BENEFITS AND ARE HUGELY SUPPORTIVE. WE ALSO HAVE A LOT OF SUPPORT IN GOVERNMENT CIRCLES, THANKS TO OUR JOB CREATION AND DOWNSTREAM BENEFITS.” “We established the Makhado Centre of Learning in 2016 with the first intake of trainees in 2017 and we have spent a lot of time and effort in training programmes,” Berlin says. “We’ve also compiled a database of all the suppliers that exist in the area and companies that can produce goods in the area. It’s the only database that exists of local skills and entrepreneurs.”

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These standards for local talent aren’t limited to MC Mining however, they expect the same standards across their supply chain.

“It’s been a part of our agreement with contractors that we appoint for establishing the mine, transportation and processing. We’re strict on their procurement and employment policies. All unskilled labour has to be sourced from the area. In addition, preference for semiskilled and skilled jobs has to be given first to the communities, then the local district and then the Limpopo province on skills matching basis. Close involvement of communities in terms of shareholding, training, jobs and procurement opportunities is the only way to work in the long term.”

Once the necessary funding is finally secured, it’s clear Berlin is excited for the long & prosperous future ahead for Makhado.

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MC MINING

“The Makhado Project is what we’re about and what we’ve done is split it into two phases, a small phase one in terms of capital footprint and life-ofmine, that enables us to retest all the infrastructure,” she says.

“It’s very quick, nine months, then it’s done and it generates pretty strong cashflows and returns to facilitate the bigger phase two. We’re doing it in a measured way rather than biting off more than we can chew. I want to get phase one at a nice steady state before we launch phase two.”

“THERE’S NO OTHER HARD COKING COAL IN SOUTH AFRICA, NON-WHATSOEVER. IT’S ALL IMPORTED, SO THERE’S A SIGNIFICANT BENEFIT TO SOUTH AFRICA.”

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MC MINING

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ORION MINERALS LTD

ORION MINERAL’S PRIESKA COPPER-ZINC PROJECT IN SOUTH AFRICA’S NORTHERN CAPE IS SHOVEL-READY.

COPPER-BOTTOMED

PROSPECTS PROJECT MANAGED BY: NEIL STOWE Orion Minerals is a globally diversified metal explorer and developer which is on track to become a new generation base metals producer through the development of its flagship Prieska Copper-Zinc Project in South Africa’s Areachap geological terrane, Northern Cape.

T

he company came to South Africa in 2015, and since 2017 has intensified its focus on the region - a strategy that has paid off said CEO Errol Smart.

“We have come a long way in a short space of time. In less than five years we have been able to locate, acquire, drill out, complete a high-quality Bankable Feasibility Study and fully permit a world-class modern mine, to international best practice standards. We now have a fully licenced project - one of the few projects in the world of this scale that is actually shovel ready, ready to go into construction.”

“The achievement has been particularly pleasing as South Africa has the reputation of a difficult market, with very long regulatory processes.

However, we have found the Northern Cape a very user-

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friendly operating environment, we have been welcomed as investors and have contributed significantly to community development here. Despite its reputation, we can work well in South Africa - we knew that we were coming into a very different physical operating environment so we have adjusted the business strategy accordingly. The results have been outstanding.”

The project has already seen over R450 million in foreign direct investment until now, and is at a stage to bring in further investment of over R5.4 billion over the next three years, as the mine is projected to deliver more than R40 billion in mineral exports over an initial twelveyear life.

“This is a clear demonstration of the potential of junior mining and exploration and the significant financial benefits that it can mobilise,” noted Mr Smart.

Mr Smart highlighted the fact that the company now has an updated Bankable Feasibility Study (BFS) which delivers numerous improvements on the previously completed study, including a 43% increase in undiscounted free cash flows to AUD1.6 billion.

“Those are very sound numbers and we are ready to go, after receiving the final mining rights in August. Now we have all of the permits and approvals for the annual production of 22,000 tonnes of copper and 70,000 tonnes of zinc over an initial 12-year mine life which it is hoped can be extended to 20 years with further exploration. Prieska has become one of the few shovelready copper projects of scale in the world.”

FOCUS ON COMMUNITY

Mr Smart pointed out that the achievement would not be possible without the support of local, regional as well as national governments and a friendly host environment in particular. Orion considers its relationships with local communities to be equally as important as the technical and commercial needs of the organisation.

“We have a clear focus on how to use our mine and the operation to the benefit of the community around us - that is the basis we have been operating on. We have talked to local communities on a regular basis from the start, organised meetings and provided regular

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Errol Smart, CEO, Orion Minerals.

PCDS is a specialised mining and mineral resource consultancy service provider.

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ORION MINERALS LTD

information to people from the surrounding towns and villages to understand the core of the project and its value to the communities in the long term, to understand that it brings financial wellbeing to the region. And I think we have succeeded, we have never had any negative reaction to the project in the four years that we have been operating here.”

The updated BFS has enhanced the project’s environmental, social, and governance outcomes.

Sustainable development goals have been planned at the forefront increasing the use of renewable energy and reducing the carbon footprint. Water conservation and recycling in the dry and arid conditions at the project are now maximised.

The business plan provides a clear roadmap for progressive 4IR adoption, which should deliver high productivity and personal well-being gains to our workforce.

Mr Start affirmed that the focus on efficiency, safety and renewable energy has been strong. “In five years from now, we expect to employ electric vehicles which means reduced fumes, noise as well as temperatures. Renewals and advanced technologies allow for a completely different mining environment - from day one we have started to create an absolutely modern mine that is safe, healthy and userfriendly.”

MINING POTENTIAL

Summarising the progress during the past five intensive years in South Africa, he reflected that the experience has been very interesting and most rewarding. “We have established a lot of strong relationships with stakeholders, making sure

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ORION MINERALS LTD

that they facilitate an efficient business engagement for this strategically important flagship project for South Africa. We are demonstrating what you can do in this country.”

“We have been happy with the development of our business in South Africa. The country has its challenges but it is no worse than a lot of other countries. I have to reinforce once again that we have experienced a welcoming and friendly environment.”

In concluding, Mr Smart reflected on the promising potential of the Northern Cape, a traditional but forgotten producer

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of copper, which is expected to see a revival in years to come.

“The Northern Cape produced 2.5 million tonnes of copper in the previous century. Because of the history, politics and changing regulations they almost gave up on copper mining in the province although it is extremely promising from the geological perspective.

We see the potential for the Northern Cape to be a producer of 720,000 tonnes of copper a year. I think there is going to be a lot of development of mining in the years to come and we are proud to have basically opened the door to that development.”

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ORION MINERALS LTD

“WE NOW HAVE A FULLY LICENCED PROJECT - ONE OF THE FEW PROJECTS IN THE WORLD OF THIS SCALE THAT IS ACTUALLY SHOVEL READY, READY TO GO INTO CONSTRUCTION.”

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ROSCAN GOLD CORPORATION

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BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

ROSCAN GOLD CORPORATION

ROSCAN GOLD CORPORATION, THE CANADIAN COMPANY FOCUSED ON EXPLORATION & ACQUISITION OF NEAR-TERM PRODUCTION GOLD ASSETS IN WEST AFRICA, IS READY TO PROVE ITS WORTH.

GOLDEN PROSPECTS PROJECT MANAGED BY: TIM GARWOOD

Roscan Gold Corporation is a Canada-based public company listed on the TSX Venture Exchange, engaged in the exploration & development of gold properties in West Africa

R

oscan’s initial prospecting gold exploration project is the Kandiole Project located in West Mali next to B2Gold’s Fekola Mine. The company currently holds several option agreements to acquire a 100% interest in six contiguous gold prospective permits covering 288.8 square kilometres in the prolific gold prospective Birimian rocks of west Mali.

“Roscan continues to strategically expand its drilling programme and to test its current key 10 targets in West Mali, the most productive greenstone gold belts on the continent,” says Mr. Nana Sangmuah, Roscan’s President and CEO. “We are actively working to make discoveries to increase the profile as an initial step to adding value and we will ultimately be thinking of how to leverage that, once gold deposits have been discovered.”

PROMISING DISCOVERIES

During the summer, the company made a major gold discovery at Kandiole North

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with over 1,500m strike length, and reported positive diamond drill results from an additional 10 holes totalling 1,855 metres at its Mankouke South drill hole. Drill hole DDMan-20-41 intersected a high-grade interval in fresh rock of 14 metres at 1.79 g/t gold. Initial drilling at the Kandiole prospect provided strong impetus for testing near-surface and deep mineralization over the next few months.

Nana Sangmuah says: “These first high-grade gold results in fresh rock are very encouraging and point to a deeper feed source for the mineralization at Southern Mankouke. While it is still early days, this often is a trademark of larger deposits in a district.”

In September, the company also reported positive preliminary test results for its Mankouke South Target, and, in early October, Roscan announced that recent exploration results have outlined a newly discovered mineralized trend, which contains the Kandiole North discovery.

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ROSCAN GOLD CORPORATION

This new major mineralized trend lies parallel to the Major Mankouke trend.

Kandiole North, which is the first of potentially many gold-bearing mineralization zones within this new trend, extends for an estimated 1,500m to date, and has returned high grades very close to surface.

“Our new discoveries at Kandiole and elsewhere have further enhanced our belief in a highly promising development.

We have been very aggressive on the exploration front, drilling through the rainy season, and are slightly ahead of our peers who are just mobilising after the rains. We should see a very active period going forward and we hope to be able to show the results to the market in the coming weeks.”

Management and Field Staff Termite Mound Sampling.

SYNERGY OF STRENGTHS

Roscan is unique in many ways.

The cash-rich junior exploration company boasts admirable real estate with ideal location between several mines, the best place to have for new resources, affirms Mr. Sangmuah.

“There are about 8 mines within an 80 km radius of us which makes us able to leverage on infrastructure to leapfrog into production ourselves. And it gets more exciting as some of the assets around us may be seeing declining production profiles, meaning that we will become a very highly soughtafter business, potentially providing an avenue to an exit strategy.”

The other factor which makes the company very competitive is its pool of management, consisting of international experts with many years of mining experience. This includes Sir Samuel Jonah who with his experience and expertise in company transformations and in the mining sector globally,

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especially in West Africa, is expected to be a tremendous asset to the company.

But Roscan also has a solid team on the ground, says Mr. Sangmuah. “We have about 150 local workforce on site, supported by some 4 expats, bringing in necessary talent as needed. Skills are not something we lack. We are very lucky to have assembled a strong, robust team of Malian expertise. This is how a project should be developed in these jurisdictions, empowering stakeholders

to take part in the process.

We put a strong emphasis on local talent and they have proven themselves very well.”

Social responsibility is an integral part of the project, and as the company is extremely confident that the assets will eventually become mines, cooperation with the local communities will become even more important. Fruitful relationships built on respect and support are a key aspect of future development, and Roscan has demonstrated that it

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ROSCAN GOLD CORPORATION

is something the company takes very seriously.

Mr. Sangmuah explains that the company has supported the local community from the beginning, with that support being especially appreciated during the Covid-19 pandemic.

As a result of stringent protocols applied by both employees and contractors, the company itself has luckily had no virus encounters so far within the project.

EXPANSION AHEAD

Even the recent political upheavals in Mali have not affected the exploration programme – the company continues drilling as normal.

“We have explained to our partners that what happened

was a peaceful transfer of power, and we continue to unlock value from the entire property. No operational days have been lost due to the political situation in the country and we are comfortably on target to achieve our 45,000 m drill programme target for 2020,” claims Mr. Sangmuah.

Going forward, it is not only exploration but also expansion that is on Roscan’s agenda.

The company recently acquired Komet Mali SARL and the adjoining Dabia South Project, and completed drilling of two targets with promising results.

Mr. Sangmuah is confident that there are still many opportunities for expansion, and having the expertise of Sir Samual Jonah in the team,

the company is in an excellent position to make the most of them.

“18 months from now should be the time when not only will we have made discoveries at some of our priority targets but we should also be able to put numbers around them to showcase the economic potential. I truly believe that we will be in a unique position.”

“These days, the issue in our industry is production profiles and economic performance over the longer term. New resources will have to be searched for and we will be in a position to show some excellent potential on the ground. Most importantly, we also wouldn’t be shy of taking advantage of the developments to build a bigger company.”

Field Staff on site in Mali.

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TIETTO MINERALS

ON ITS 10TH ANNIVERSARY, TIETTO MINERALS IS WELL ON TRACK TO IMPLEMENTING ITS GOLD STRATEGY IN WEST AFRICA.

UNLOCKING CÔTE D’IVOIRE’S GOLD PROJECT MANAGED BY: TIM GARWOOD The gold explorer and developer Tietto is focused on fast-tracking the development of its Abujar Gold Project in Côte d’Ivoire. Positioned in a stable, vastly under-explored mining jurisdiction in one of Africa’s most well-developed nations with outstanding infrastructure, it is located close to good regional and local infrastructure to facilitate exploration and development, being only 15km from the nearest tarred road and grid power.

L

ocated approximately 30 km from the major regional city of Daloa in centralwestern Côte D’Ivoire, Abujar is comprised of three contiguous tenements with a total land area of 1,114 km2, of which less than 10% has been explored; this provides significant potential for the resource to grow.

Abujar’s current resource stands at 45.5 Mt @ 1.5 g/t Au for 2.15 Moz of contained gold. Since October 2019 the company’s diamond drill rigs have delivered more than 61,000 metres of drilling, with

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some of the gold sector’s lowest costs. Tietto has five companyowned drill rigs at the Abujar project site, with four rigs drilling day and night as well as one rig as a back-up.

FAST PROGRESS

Established in 2010 by Dr CaiGen Wang, the current Managing Director and an internationally recognised mining expert, Tietto Minerals was ASX-listed in 2017, with an IPO in 2018, pursuing a clear strategy of business transformation from explorer to gold producer.

TIETTO MINERALS

The speedy development of the company reflects Dr Wang’s extensive experience in his long career as a mining engineer and mine manager in Australia and China. His recent professional experience includes being Managing Director for an ASXlisted junior mineral resources company, as well as senior technical and management roles in various mining houses. He has worked on a variety of mineral commodities including coal, gold, base metals and oil sands. Dr Wang is a fellow of the AusIMM. He acknowledged that In July 2020 the company reached a significant milestone when it was ready to apply for a mining licence at its 2.15-million-ounce gold project covering 120 square kilometres, continuing its speedy progress towards a proposed mine development.

“Tietto’s rapid progress in undertaking the work programmes required for the approval of a mining licence at our flagship Abujar gold project propels the company into a new chapter as a future gold producer in West Africa. We expect significant milestones to be achieved in the coming months which will ultimately result in the granting of a mining licence and environment permit,” he said.

He affirmed that while making rapid progress, the health and safety of the employees is a top priority, and the safety culture is enhanced through effective two-way communication and accountability, as well as through continuous development of employees’ knowledge of safety best practices. From the beginning, Tietto has

ENVITECH-CI, THE CONSULTING FIRM THAT WANTS TO BE THE GATEKEEPER OF THE FUTURE Since its founder dreamed of an ecologically and socially responsible Africa, ENVITECH-CI built its mission on contributing to make CSR an essential driver of African economies. To achieve this, the cabinet set its motto in the form of two commitments. The first one is to always accommodate the interests of its clients with the ecological and societal requirements.

Quoting Mr. BAMBA Tahi Henri, Founder and CEO of ENVITECH-CI: “To us, any mission is always an opportunity to contribute to the safeguarding of a healthy environment, both ecologically and societally. Elsewhere, it is an excellent opportunity to promote equity and make it flourish in society. And at last, it grants us the privilege of looking forward to watching over the future in a world where performance needs can quickly turn into disasters.” To achieve this, the cabinet has always made it its duty to offer its clients a quality service by providing them with the best human and mate-rial resources.

ENVITECH-CI’s business partners also appreciate an end-to-end assistance: public administration, banks, potentially impacted communities, or even the client’s staff for training and or sensitization.

The second commitment of ENVITECH-CI is to extend its action through the training of freshly graduated youngsters. Thus, the cabinet offers the opportunity to hundreds among young people, freshly graduated, to train for practice during internships or to obtain their first job.

To summarize, we can say that this philosophy bears fruit since today, ENVITECH-CI has become a reference firm in the field of environment, industrial and natural resources safety.

Abidjan-Côte d’Ivoire. Tel: +225 21 35 06 99

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www.envitechci.net

fostered close relationships with local communities. The company is also working to reduce its footprint through the conservation and protection of biodiversity, aiming to achieve internationally recognised environmental standards.

Earlier this year, the company engaged key environmental specialists, including RPMGlobal, to advance work on baseline environmental, social and governance (ESG) studies.

In addition to RPMGlobal, Tietto has also engaged Côte d’Ivoirebased Envitech to conduct the baseline fieldwork necessary for the compilation of the environmental and social impact assessment (ESIA) required to obtain environmental approval.

“The appointment of these key ESG consultants is part of our strategy to advance work on the project studies needed for the granting of a mining licence and ultimately the development of a mining operation at Abujar,” explained Dr Wang.

“TIETTO’S RAPID PROGRESS IN UNDERTAKING THE WORK PROGRAMMES REQUIRED FOR THE APPROVAL OF A MINING LICENCE AT OUR FLAGSHIP ABUJAR GOLD PROJECT PROPELS THE COMPANY INTO A NEW CHAPTER AS A FUTURE GOLD PRODUCER IN WEST AFRICA.” FROM EXPLORER TO PRODUCER

Tietto is well-funded to complete its milestones during 2020-21, which include a pre-feasibility study (PFS) for Abujar, expected to be released in the first

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TIETTO MINERALS

“I AM VERY PROUD OF WHAT THE TIETTO TEAM HAS BEEN ABLE TO DELIVER, DRIVING RAPID RESOURCE GROWTH FROM A LARGE HIGH-GRADE GOLD DEPOSIT AND DOING SO AT AN EXTREMELY LOW DELIVERY COST.” quarter of 2021. Last month (August 2020) Tietto Minerals announced it had raised $62.5 million to move the Abujar Gold Project forward; this funding will be used to continue to deliver growth in resources through exploration drilling.

Binding commitments for underwritten and non-underwritten placement have been received.

“Abujar is a highly promising project with its pre-feasibility study now under way. We are

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drilling using our own fleet of rigs, achieving some of the lowest exploration costs in the sector and therefore offering a highly attractive opportunity to investors. I believe we generate more value than other exploration and mining companies,” said Mr Wang.

“I am very proud of what the Tietto team has been able to deliver, driving rapid resource growth from a large high-grade gold deposit and doing so at

an extremely low delivery cost.

I expect Tietto will continue to deliver strong performance in the months ahead.”

Mineral resource drilling at Abujar over the next 12 months will cover about 45,000 metres as well as exploration drilling of 25,000 metres across multiple targets. Mr Wang reflected that given the developments, the company is set to change its business model to transform into a gold producer within the next 12 to 18 months. “Our plans for the second half of next year are to start operating a modern gold mine.”

Given that Tietto listed on the ASX only three years ago, Mr Wang can be very pleased with the company’s achievements to date and has every reason to believe that his plans for next year will materialise.

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BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS PORTS AUTHORITY

THE BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS PORTS AUTHORITY MANAGES ALL THE PORTS ACROSS THE ISLANDS, AND IS CURRENTLY REFURBISHING ALL OF THEIR FACILITIES READY FOR A NEW DECADE.

REJUVENATING THE BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS PROJECT MANAGED BY: GARY SMITH

The BVIPA was established in 1990, established as the British Virgin Islands Port Authority as a separate entity owned by the government for the British Virgin Islands. This new Authority would replace its predecessor, the Ports and Marine Services Department of the Government, bringing a new approach to the management of the gateways to and between the British Virgin Islands.

“W

e began operations in January 1991,” says Oleanvine Maynard, Deputy Managing Director of the Port Authority. “This year we celebrate our 30th anniversary and unveil some new and exciting

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projects. We’ve come a long way since the days of the Ports and Marine Services Department.

We manage 7 ports, including cargo, ferry and cruise facilities.

We manage all the official ports in the British Virgin Islands.”

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BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS PORTS AUTHORITY

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BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS PORTS AUTHORITY

Of course, lots of countries have port authorities, but typically those authorities are responsible for a single landmass.

The British Virgin Islands Port Authority is responsible for managing not only the gateways in and out of the Islands but between them as well.

“It can be very demanding, but management is the key aspect of that,” Maynard says.

“We have persons managing the outer ports while we administrate from the main islands of Tortola and supervise.

But we all work under the same management structure.”

A TIME OF RESTORATION

At the moment the management structure is dedicated towards one huge project, the restoration of all of the British Virgin Islands’ ports.

“At present, we have ports on six islands, including the main facilities on Tortola,” says Dean Fahie, Operations Director for the Port Authority. “In revitalising and restructuring our port

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services and processes, the main cargo port at Port Purcell will undergo an expansion to accommodate containerised cargo, more vessels and larger cargo ships. Stevedoring is another service we plan on implementing based on our investment in new equipment.”

The restoration project also includes the provision of support in 2021 with exciting new development channels for Port Purcell.

“WE’VE BEEN WORKING ON THE PORT EXPANSION ON THE MAIN CARGO PORT TO ACCOMMODATE MORE VESSELS AND LARGER CARGO SHIPS. WE WILL HAVE ADDITIONAL SPACE FOR CONTAINERISED CARGO.”

“We’re utilising the space with a given focus on safety and better service. This is done in such a way that we no longer need an end-to-end dock to receive the cargo in addition to holding more containers for the redevelopment,” Fahie says.

“For Road Town Ferry Jetty, we have a rehabilitation plan which will allow for easier boarding of passengers and provide additional physical support of vessels by widening the structure.

Special plans involve a focus on aesthetics and the boardwalk.”

The Port Authority is planning a full rebuild of the western end of the main island of Tortola. This facility was significantly damaged from the 2017 hurricanes and funding has been secured through the development bank and the development agency.

“There’s been a big expression of interest, with 18 firms having expressed interest in the project,” Fahie points out.

SUPPORTING THE ISLANDS

Buildings are only part of the BVIPA’s operations however, they are nothing without the Port Authority’s people.

“We support the community through the creation of jobs, using local contractors and suppliers to provide better passenger movement experiences helping local clients while also enhancing the visitor experience,” Maynard says. “Our ports are the point of entry for the British Virgin Islands, our first business impression to the territory, so we’re providing a good tourism offering. Expansion of the ports areas with facilitation and distribution for clients and shippers is vital for the overall wellbeing of the islands.”

The restoration project has also involved introducing new technologies and systems,

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BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS PORTS AUTHORITY

which have become particularly useful in the age of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We are putting in place programmes to allow work to be done from home. We implemented a system of local bulletins, a berthing request system and a dockage that can be used remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic,” Fahie says.

“We are using the BVI NOW app which was developed in the Territory and is free to download on Apple and Google store. This technology allows businesses including the BVI Ports to deliver real time messages to guests and clients and is packed with local tips and information. We are also supporting our staff who’s job function can allow them to work remotely.”

Like everyone, BVIPA has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, and as the authority controlling a travel gateway, their work was essential.

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“We have needed to remain open during COVID, to allow essential supplies, to let resources come into the territory. Also, our staff were very essential in terms of ensuring the supply chain continues,” Fahie says. “This is all while following due guidance from the WHO. We are complying with all available guidance. We created a Port Pandemic plan with the support of our local health agency and our stakeholders. Around our Port facilities you will find hand washing and hand sanitizing stations, Covid-19 signage and the implementation of other safety measures to help us protect our ports of entry and by extension our community.”

Indeed, between the restoration project and the COVID-19 pandemic, the essential role BVIPA plays both for the Virgin Islands and region has never been clearer.

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BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS PORTS AUTHORITY

“THE BVI PORTS AUTHORITY KEEP THE BVI MOVING.” “We launched a new campaign call ‘The BVI Ports Keeps the BVI Moving” says Maynard to help the community understand the important role that our Port plays in keeping the supply chain moving. “We’re restructuring the port to make sure all projects and plans are being realised, setting it to achieve our new goals. We’ve refocused our marketing efforts and recently launched a new brand identity.

Communication with our stakeholders is paramount in this

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Covid-19 era and as such we’ve enhanced our social media presence and will soon launch a refreshed and easy to navigate website. We’re launching a new logo for the BVIPA port authority and by our 30th anniversary we’ll be launching all of this with our new designs.”

“There are a number of activities planned for the future.

We are moving from strong to stronger, even through pandemics and crises,” Fahie says. “We are looking at development

opportunities for our staff as we pivot our business during this Covid era. One of the biggest projects is the office established in Miami, which allows for greater communication opportunities with our clients that are abroad.”

“There’s a lot of exciting things on the horizon for the authority,” Maynard agrees. “COVID-19 was obviously disruptive but we won’t let that deter us. We will not forget it’s our employees who are very important in this process of moving forward.”

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SHIPYARD DE HOOP

WE LEARN ABOUT THE EXEMPLARY STANDARDS OF SHIPYARD DE HOOP, AS DEMONSTRATED IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF THEIR LATEST CRUISE SHIP.

SILVER ORIGIN STORY PROJECT MANAGED BY: NEIL STOWE

Shipyard De Hoop has been in service since 1889. Over the last 130 years, it has grown and developed into one of the most established shipyards of the world-famous Dutch shipbuilding industry. De Hoop has risen to this position thanks to its relentless focus on designing, engineering and building custom vessels for the seagoing and inland markets with De Hoop’s characteristic down-to-earth approach. This approach is guided by the shipyard’s CEO and sole owner, Patrick Janssens, who plays a hands-on role in the shipyard’s day-to-day management through his additional role as one of the company’s board of three directors.

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D

e Hoop’s involvement doesn’t end when a ship reaches the water, however. Shipyard De Hoop’s goal is to offer the complete package of products and services, supporting ship owners throughout the lifetime of their vessel. This means providing customer finance, design studies, turnkey shipbuilding, designing & building interiors and ship repair, maintenance & conversions.

However, shipbuilding is the heart of what De Hoop does, and it carries out this work at its two state-of-the-art shipbuilding facilities. One of these facilities is De Hoop Lobith, based in the Dutch province of Gelderland.

This is also where you will find the design, planning and engineering offices alongside De Hoop’s Head Office. The other facility, De Hoop Foxhol, is in the province of Groningen.

Eekels is a technical specialist for Marine & Offshore applications (drives, automation), as well as an innovative co-producer of shipping concepts and an independent electrical system integrator. Eekels is both a product partner and a one-stop shop with a full range of services including panel building. More than a century of know-how and experience, almost 600 qualified staff and worldwide partners & service.

For further information, please contact: Mr. Jan Hoegee Director M&O division J.Hoegee@eekels.com

www.eekels.com This is a smaller shipyard the company acquired in 2007.

What both sites have in common is the in-house tools, facilities and core disciplines necessary to build a complete vessel, supported by an outfitting quay in the Rotterdam harbour area.

“ACROSS THESE FACILITIES, DE HOOP’S STAFF ARE COMMITTED TO THE COMPANY’S CUSTOMERORIENTED ETHIC.” VALUES TO SAIL BY

Across these facilities, De Hoop’s staff are committed to the company’s customeroriented ethic. That ethic places top priority on quality, creativity, innovation and flexibility towards the client. De Hoop’s shipyards embrace the latest technology and are constantly looking for new facilities to invest in, ways to evolve their

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SHIPYARD DE HOOP

services, and how to expand their expertise. No two De Hoop ships are exactly alike, but they are all built according to a goal-based approach that always delivers on time.

But just as a ship can’t sail without its crew, Shipyard De Hoop knows that its most essential facility is the experienced team it has in place. This team has been carefully assembled over a period of years, creating a wealth of experience from across the shipbuilding industry from tradespeople to support staff to managers and the board of directors themselves.

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Even now the shipbuilders are looking to grow and update their skills base by recruiting more qualified craftspeople.

Its shipyards are both in the process of expanding, not just through the recruitment of experienced staff, but also by bringing young people into the fold who want to learn the trades of ship construction, preparing a new generation for the future.

De Hoop has even invested in opening its own technical college where it trains future production employees.

SHIP SHAPE

To really get a feel for the De Hoop ethos, however, you need to take a closer look at their work. It just so happens that Shipyard De Hoop recently delivered the cruise vessel

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SHIPYARD DE HOOP

“Silver Origin”, the company’s second expedition cruise vessel over the last two years.

The ship was launched on the 30th of December 2019 following the completion of a series of successful sea trials.

The expedition cruise vessel’s innovative design and build are tailored to provide high-end luxury cruising in the Galápagos area for Silversea Cruises. De Hoop’s management is highly confident that their work has paid off after a decade of participating in smaller seagoing cruise vessel projects, including associated design development and investment in knowledge.

Janssens has said that this was the ideal basis for entering the growing market for expedition cruise vessels, and De Hoop’s designers were fully prepared to take on the challenge of a Galápagos Islands Cruise ship.

However, De Hoop has also been keen to use this project as a showcase for the entire Dutch shipbuilding industry,

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“ON TOP OF SAFETY, THE SILVER ORIGIN COMPLIES WITH GALÁPAGOS NATIONAL PARK DIRECTORATE REGULATIONS, INCLUDING SPECIFIC ENVIRONMENTALLY LOW-IMPACT FEATURES.”

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SHIPYARD DE HOOP

pointing out the many Dutch suppliers and subcontractors on De Hoop’s client approved “makers’ list”.

The Silver Origin’s design and construction were based around five pillars of quality. The first of these, “Sustainability” can be seen in the fact that Silver Origin has the lowest possible carbon footprint with state-of-the-art technology, a dynamic positioning system that protects the delicate seabed and an advanced propulsion system. The second pillar, “Destination onboard”, makes it clear that the cruise ship isn’t just transportation, it’s a holiday destination in its own right, while “Expedition experience” showcases Shipyard De Hoop’s knowledge of expedition cruises, alongside the “Authentic local culture” pillar that is reflected in Silver Origin’s design, and of course, “Comfort and service”.

Looked at from a more technical perspective, Silver Origin has been constructed according to the very latest probabilistic

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damage stability regulations, complying with the relevant Rules and Regulations for 2020 and beyond. This is as well as the client’s own request to comply with two-compartment damage stability regulation. On top of safety, the Silver Origin complies with Galápagos National Park Directorate Regulations, including specific environmentally lowimpact features.

Silver Origin is expected to spend much of its life stationary in bays or near islands, so a great deal of thought has gone into the ship’s design and selection of equipment to allow the ship to perform efficiently under dynamic positioning. This is combined with zero-speed stabiliser system to let the ship choose a heading that minimises the roll and heave motions on the vessel, significantly

improving passenger comfortno more seasickness!

Meanwhile, Silver Origin’s advanced propulsion system, the hull configuration and its (or her if you’re a traditionalist) specially developed diesel engine arrangement guarantee an average 25% reduction in hull resistance, 15% reduction in fuel consumption and equivalently fewer exhaust emissions.

The Silver Origin is a true exemplar of the best that De Hoop has to offer, but they’re not stopping here. Shipyard De Hoop has projects lined up to keep it busy for the next one to three years, with another seven projects currently in progress and research and development progressing into the design of autonomous ships. We can’t wait to see where they set sail to next.

“THE SILVER ORIGIN IS A TRUE EXEMPLAR OF THE BEST THAT DE HOOP HAS TO OFFER, BUT THEY’RE NOT STOPPING HERE. “ BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE | 187

DSM CORRIDOR GROUP

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DSM CORRIDOR GROUP

OPERATING FROM THE PORT OF DAR ES SALAAM, THE COMPANY HAS GROWN INTO ONE OF THE KEY CARGO HANDLERS IN THE REGION.

BUILDING EAST AFRICA’S TRADING NETWORK PROJECT MANAGED BY: TREVOR GRETSINGER Starting with the discharge of its first vessel in the port of Dar es Salaam in April 2004, DSM Corridor Group (DCG) today is a major cargo handler specialised in fertilisers, cereals, bulk sulphur, sugar, coal, clinker and valuable minerals such as copper and cobalt. The port of Dar es Salaam being a trade gateway to East Africa, the company plays a key role in supporting the industrialisation of the region and thus improving the lives of local communities.

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“T

he company’s initial focus was to handle fertilisers in a more efficient manner. To this end, a stateof-the-art, humidity-controlled and conveyor-driven dry bulk terminal was commissioned in 2011. The port has the capacity to handle 25,000 m3 of bulk cargo per month, and is the only purpose-built bulk terminal in Sub-Saharan Africa,” CEO Jesper Sorenson describes a key milestone in the company’s development. “This was a particular turning point for the economy of Tanzania and the neighbouring countries, as Dar es Salaam Port is the gateway for about 95% of Tanzania’s trade, and also provides vital access to Tanzania’s six landlocked neighbours: Malawi, Zambia, Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda, and Eastern DRC.” “This innovative move was a game-changer in the fertiliser industry in this region. As a result, the discharge rate of a fertiliser vessel increased significantly, reducing the

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Merzario Tanzania Ltd (MTL) is a full service transport company based in Tanzania. MTL has been operating in Africa for more than 25 years servicing the transport industry.

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DSM CORRIDOR GROUP

laytime of the vessel by more than 50%. We have basically revolutionised bulk cargo handling at Dar es Salaam,” explained Mr Sorenson, who himself first came to Tanzania as a consultant and logistics management specialist before being appointed to the CEO role with DCG.

Jesper Sorenson, CEO of DCG.

EFFICIENT CARGO HANDLING SOLUTIONS

Expanded port facilities allowed the company to subsequently diversify into handling metals coming from the inland mines for export in large volumes, followed later on by other types of cargo such as coffee, sugar, timber and others.

DCG today has 3 terminals, all committed to UNGC (United Nations Global Compact) principles. In addition to the Dar es Salaam bulk terminal, the company also opened a 4,500 m2 metal terminal in the immediate vicinity of the port of Dar es Salaam, with an annual capacity of 360,000 metric tonnes.

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DSM CORRIDOR GROUP

The third facility is at Kisarawe which is 36 km southwest of Dar es Salaam, where the company has a 100,000 m2 terminal consisting of a 4000 m2 warehouse, custom offices, truck weighbridge and staff facilities. The terminal is located right next to the TAZARA railway which earmarks it as a strategically important facility for handling cargoes transported by rail.

Mr Sorenson affirms that human resources are key for the company’s development

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and DCG is an advocate of a culture of teamwork, considering its staff its most important asset. Programmes have been introduced to ensure employees’ support and career development, and an opendoor policy is in place making sure there are no barriers for staffs to communicate openly at all levels.

Pushing forward, the company is keen to progress in line with environmental and social responsibility. DCG holds ISO 9001:2015 (quality

management) as well as ISO 14001:2015 (environmental management) and is now being certified for 45001:2018 (occupational safety).

AIMING HIGH

It is clear that the company is looking at its growth within the context of the whole region.

In 2018, DCG expanded into Zambia via a Build-LeaseTransfer (BLT) contract signed with TAZARA on a PublicPrivate Partnership basis for the next 25 years. “This means in

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DSM CORRIDOR GROUP

“OUR ULTIMATE GOAL IS TO PROMOTE INTERCONNECTIVITY BETWEEN TERMINALS AND ESTABLISH A COMPLETE DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM TO SUPPORT EAST AFRICA’S INDUSTRIALISATION AND THUS ENHANCE THE COUNTRIES’ ECONOMIES.”

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practice that DCG’s successful cargo handling methods have been replicated and applied in Kapiri Mposhi dry port, a logistics hub for cargoes imported and exported via the port of Dar es Salaam as the dry port and seaport are directly connected by the TAZARA railway,” explains Mr Sorenson.

“Rail transport is traditionally a more reliable, secure and efficient way of transferring cargoes across hinterlands and our ultimate purpose in opting for rail is to significantly reduce logistics costs, which are traditionally high in this part of the world.”

After two years of working with the government, DCG has recently achieved yet another important milestone, becoming the only designated area to handle bulk sulphur in Dar es Salaam, a commodity highly in demand for the mining sector. “This has been a massive achievement which has significantly improved our position. The copper belt is currently being supplied from Richards Bay in South Africa and Beira in Mozambique.

With a large volume demand for sulphur to the copper belt, DCG will now be in a position to offer an attractive alternative to traders using the port of DSM as the import hub.”

This would be a very important step and one that could be difficult to achieve in isolation.

DCG is, therefore, open to collaborating with other players to make the whole logistics system more efficient, despite the fact that collaborative efforts are not common in this part of the world. “There are a lot of companies in this field of business in East Africa and working together would generate great improvements,” Mr Sorensen reflects.

Concluding, he affirms that the company is aiming high. “We strive to increase cargo volumes through the port of Dar es Salaam while reducing the cost of logistics. Our ultimate goal is to promote interconnectivity between terminals and establish a complete distribution system to support East Africa’s industrialisation and thus enhance the countries’ economies.”

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TRISTAR GROUP

Chemical Terminal in UAE.

WE REVISIT TRISTAR TO FIND OUT ABOUT THEIR LATEST PROJECTS AND THEIR COMMITMENT TO SUPPORTING THE COMMUNITIES THEY OPERATE IN.

A BUSINESS FOR PURPOSE PROJECT MANAGED BY: GLEN NEWTON

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TRISTAR GROUP

Tristar offers fully integrated energy logistics solutions to blue-chip companies ranging from international and national oil majors and NGOs.

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“F

rom humble beginnings, we have grown into a fully integrated downstream energy logistics company,” says Eugene Mayne, CEO of Tristar.

“We own the largest fuel facility in the Pacific island of Guam; our fuel business is strong. In parts of Africa we supply fuel for peacekeeping missions under challenging conditions.

We are fortunate to have a unique business model with no direct competition which has helped us become the partner of choice for most national and international oil majors.”

It’s been an eventful year since we last spoke with them, but the company is still going strong.

“2019 was a good year. We have long-term relationships with our customers, primarily oil majors. We grow organically with our customers, expanding existing contracts and securing new customers on longterm contracts.” says Mayne.

“Because of our strong relationships, Tristar is a partner of choice for most oil majors.

Whenever there’s an energy logistics opportunity, we are

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As a responsive and nimble partner, we specialize in design, fabrication and erection of steel storage tanks, pressure vessels, pipe works and heavy industrial plants for 20 years.

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TRISTAR GROUP

Mayne tells us. “It’s nearing completion and will be ready by December, then will be there for us for the next 25 years. We’re very proud of it because it’s the first of its kind that we’ve done, it’s an additional business expertise that has now been imported into the group for future projects of a similar nature in Iraq and other parts of the world. So, this is a good launching pad for us.”

SUSTAINING SUSTAINABILITY

offered the first right of refusal.

We’re growing in our core markets and beyond. Today, we’re looking at an opportunity in India which is a new market for us.”

Tristar has renewed a number of contracts on the maritime logistics front, while also commencing work on an expansion project in the UAE and completing a major breakthrough project in Africa this year.

The company is expanding the storage capacity of its chemical terminal at the Jebel Ali Free Zone (JAFZA) in the UAE. “Tristar’s business is built around customers. We acquired this facility from one of our customers, Shell. They used to own and operate the facility but two years ago they divested themselves of it and we were invited to make a bid to own and operate the facility. So, we bought the chemical terminal from Shell and leased it back to them,” Mayne explains.

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“THE BUSINESS IS BUILT AROUND OUR CUSTOMERS.” Of course, buying a facility that can only serve one customer doesn’t make much business sense, and so the next step was to expand it.

“It’s not just buying or selling an asset but thinking about the lifetime value of the asset,” Mayne explains. “To look at how we leveraged it, the only way you can leverage storage is by increasing capacity from 5,000 cubic metres to 25,000 cubic metres. 75% of the facility is now completely ready for us next year.”

Tristar is also playing a key role in modernising the Entebbe International Airport in Uganda.

“We have a long-term concession with the Ugandan Civil Aviation to build a facility to modernise the Entebbe airport,”

Tristar’s commitment to sustainability has not changed, despite the pandemic.

“Since our inception in 1998 we made the decision to be a responsible business, and what that means, is paying a lot of attention to the health and safety our employees and the community at large,” Mayne says. “We have built a strong culture of road safety, and we have won the RoSPA Gold Award in the UK eleven times.

We have not had a single fatality in the last ten years and an enviable road transport safety record. We’re also committed to supporting the Paris agreement for zero emissions by 2050, and as part of that we’re exploring all options through various initiatives which includes maximising the use of renewable energy across group operations.”

This is reflected in the company’s latest investments in their operations, namely, ships built in line with the latest carbon reduction environmental technology. Tristar has recently taken delivery of four of the six IMO2 25K chemical carrier vessels it ordered from Hyundai Mipo Dockyard, South Korea’s premier shipbuilder. The new

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Eugene Mayne, CEO of Tristar.

vessels feature Tier III engines which will reduce emissions and operate in an eco-friendly manner.

“We are also currently exploring a revolutionary project with one of our anchor customers to design and build wind-propelled ships,” Mayne tells us proudly. “We are also looking at hybrid wave which will be carbon negative in terms of greenhouse gas emissions.

Sustainability is an integral part of our business.”

While Tristar is a successful, profit-making business, the bottom line has never been, well, the bottom line.

“Our priority isn’t making money alone. We want to be a

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business for purpose as well… we’re taking care of the health and wellbeing of our employees and the communities where we operate by promoting opportunities for people to advance their own lives,” Mayne says. “We see the challenges that people have to overcome to live peacefully and we believe that it’s important to extend a hand and help them in whatever way we can, for example, clean drinking water and education for their children.”

“We established a Computer Lab at the Gabat School in Juba, South Sudan in 2018, making it the first primary school in the country to offer computer classes. For us that’s sustainability, protecting

the environment and helping communities by playing a role in the advancement of people’s lives.”

Of course, the one thing that’s been affecting everyone’s lives this year has been COVID-19.

“I don’t think anyone hasn’t been impacted in one way or another, but as a business firstly I’d like to say the health and wellbeing of our employees is our first priority,” Mayne insists.

“IT’S BEEN AN INTERESTING EXPERIENCE FOR US. IT’S MADE US STRONGER.” BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

TRISTAR GROUP

“WE ARE VERY BULLISH ABOUT THE FUTURE. WE WILL LOOK DEFINITELY AT GROWING ORGANICALLY BUT WE’RE MAKING KEY ACQUISITIONS AND ALREADY HAVE AN INTEGRATED BUSINESS MODEL.”

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“We make sure everyone is safe and educated on protective measures and the use of PPE. We also extended testing for all, making sure those who tested positive were taken care of very well until they recovered.”

On the business side, Tristar was fortunate to have a diverse, resilient model that made it resistant to challenges and crises in individual sectors or regions.

In fact, Mayne expects to see growth for the company in 2020. “It’s been an interesting experience for us. It’s made us stronger,” he tells us.

Looking forward, Mayne only had more optimism. “We are very bullish about the future,” he says. “We will definitely look at growing organically but we’re also making key acquisitions and already have an integrated business model. We want a balanced revenue stream where no one sector becomes overly weighted. At the moment, we operate in 21 countries and we’re looking to expand our footprint, expanding with our existing customers while also looking for new opportunities and acquisitions.”

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International exhibition and conference on valve and flow control technologies