Business Focus Magazine - Issue 104

AMETEK LAND

IMPERIAL LOGISTICS

AUTOSTORE

MUVI CINEMAS

DAIRIBORD

FEATURE

BUSINESS

PROJECT MANAGERS

MARK BAILEY

m.bailey@ceomediagroup.com

ANDREW BOURKE a.bourke@ceomediagroup.com

DEAN BROWN d.brown@ceomediagroup.com

CHRIS CONWAY c.conway@ceomediagroup.com

DAVID GARNER d.garner@ceomediagroup.com

TIMOTHY GARWOOD t.garwood@ceomediagroup.com

DAVID HAYVIS d.hayvis@ceomediagroup.com

JOHN HOLLIMAN j.holliman@ceomediagroup.com

DECLAN JONES d.jones@ceomediagroup.com

HARRISON MITCHELL h.mitchell@ceomediagroup.com

ROBERT NAPIER SMITH r.smith@ceomediagroup.com

LIAM PYWELL l.pywell@ceomediagroup.com

JAKE REEMAN j.reeman@ceomediagroup.com

JAMIE SIVYER j.sivyer@ceomediagroup.com

DAVID TAVERNOR d.tavernor@ceomediagroup.com

HAYDEN TURNER h.turner@ceomediagroup.com

RASH UDDIN r.uddin@ceomediagroup.com

ALICE YOUNG a.young@ceomediagroup.com DESIGN

FOCUS ON MANUFACTURING

It is the time of year when children in many parts of the world are imagining workshops and factories churning away in the Arctic Circle, and so perhaps it is appropriate that this issue we are taking a closer look at the manufacturing industry.

It is not news to anyone that sustainability is at the top of the agenda, particularly with the COP27 conference taking place just last month. But while we hear everything about companies that manufacture photo voltaic panels or recyclable packaging, for the UN’s climate goals to be achieved every business sector needs to be involved.

In this issue, we profile businesses that are taking a somewhat surprising approach to sustainability. Whether it is Nynas and their crude oilderived products that do not have a carbon output, Aggregate Industries and their recycled concrete products, or Suzuki Garphyttan’s pivot from wires for the internal combustion industry into more sustainable industries, we have seen some ingenious, and surprising sustainability solutions. We ever learn how BURN Manufacturing is making wood-burning stoves that fight deforestation.

That is alongside profiles of manufacturing success stories including Monbat, Ametek Land, and KB Components.

Of course, the other thing we like to do around this time of year, with holidays looming, is to eat and eat a lot, so appropriately we have quite a few profiles that will whet your appetite this month. We learn the story behind Dairibord’s extensive range of processed

dairy products, while our profile of Rwanda Mountain Tea Ltd will leave you craving a decent cuppa. Our profile of AFGRI offers a fascinating insight into the IT backbone that gets food from farm to fork, while Eurofins Food Testing Ltd shows us how that food is guaranteed safe to eat.

But our lead story this month is even more star-studded with that, as we catch up with Muvi Cinemas, Saudi Arabia’s premier cinema chain. They tell us how they are not only making cinemas- but they are also making movies.

That is right, this issue we are not only offering the green future of manufacturing but dinner and a show as well.

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WE ALL KNOW THE IMPORTANCE OF ACHIEVING LOWER CARBON EMISSIONS, CLEANER ENERGY, AND A MORE CIRCULAR ECONOMY. BUT IN ACHIEVING THOSE GOALS, WE ARE SEEING HELP FROM UNEXPECTED SOURCES.

THE SURPRISING FACES OF GREEN MANUFACTURING

Crude oil, fossil fuel-powered cars, coal-burning stoves, cement. None of these is the product that jumps to mind when we are imagining our greener, more sustainable future. But building that greener, more sustainable future is going to mean transformation in every sector of business, even the ones that on the face of it do not immediately lend themselves to sustainable practices, which means those industries are innovating in ways they never have before.

Aprime example is Suzuki Garphyttan, who we profile in this issue, a wire manufacturer that for most of its history has provided parts to the automotive industry. But as the automotive sector undergoes electrification, the vehicles it makes need fewer springs, which in turn means there is less desire for Suzuki Garphyttan’s wire.

To continue to survive, the firm has begun to diversify into new applications and new industries.

“We’ve been working on creating a parallel sales and marketing organisation that only works on non-automotive projects, and Research and Development, broadening our competence into other areas,” says Ad Raatgeep, President and CEO of Suzuki Garphyttan.

As well as working in new sectors, Suzuki Garphyttan has been adapting the way it works, building up a green profile and leading the way for the other manufacturers. The company has a clear plan for the kind of investments it wants to make in support of an ambitious sustainability plan. The company already uses green electricity across its facilities. Where the Paris agreement orders businesses

to lower their CO2 by 7% per year, Suzuki Garphyttan’s target is 10% a year, last year achieving a 20% reduction in carbon output.

OILING THE WHEELS

If manufacturers in the traditional automotive sector are considered part of the problem, that goes double for businesses working with crude oil. This issue features an interview with Stein Ivar Bye, CEO and Chairman of Nynas, a Swedish company that produces speciality oils for a wide range of applications, including lubricants for windmills and transformers, oils in electrical installations and rubber oils for tyres.

But while none of these applications is inherently damaging to the environment, the very fact that Nynas works with crude oil means the firm has preconceptions to reckon with.

“We still produce products using crude oil as our feedstock, but unlike the majority of the refining industry, we don’t produce finished fuel products like petrol, diesel or aviation fuel, instead we transform our crude oil into long-lasting products for millions of applications,” Bye says.

The truth is that Nynas produces products which are never burned, and so never release CO2 into the atmosphere. Instead, heavy molecules are refined into high-performance, long-lasting speciality products.

“Independent of whether the future brings full electrification or a hybrid solution, you still need to pave the roads and the runways at airports, and you still need buildings with roofs,” Bye says. “We believe society needs our products even though we want a transformation of our energy sources.”

PAVING THE WAY

Concrete is also a product we do not typically associate with environmentally friendly business, but our profile of Aggregate Industries reveals this company is deeply committed to taking the concrete industry through a defining transition with its sustainability strategy.

The company plans to increase the volume of material it reclaims or recycles from 1.5 million tonnes to 3 million tonnes by 2025, which in turn will reduce the company’s waste-to-landfill to zero.

“BUILDING THAT GREENER, MORE SUSTAINABLE FUTURE IS GOING TO MEAN TRANSFORMATION IN EVERY SECTOR OF BUSINESS, EVEN THE ONES THAT ON THE FACE OF IT DO NOT IMMEDIATELY LEND THEMSELVES TO SUSTAINABLE PRACTICES.”

“I passionately believe that the reuse of recycled materials in products is the opportunity of our time,” says Kirstin McCarthy, the Director of Sustainability at Aggregate Industries. “This builds on major sustainable progress already made to date.”

Aggregate Industries has delivered the UK’s first carbon-neutral road scheme this year while investing over £13 million into an alternative fuels recycling plant that will reduce annual CO2 emissions by 30,000 tonnes. Notably, the company has also sold enough ECOPact low-carbon concrete to save over 142,000 tonnes of CO2.

The key for Aggregate Industries, as it is for all companies trying to have a green impact, is to not only drive solutions within the company’s operations but also provide its customers with new green solutions.

COOKING WITH WOOD

But all these companies are legacy businesses, sometimes over a century old, that is now changing and adapting their products and practices to suit a more sustainable age. It is quite a different situation to see a relatively new company, founded with sustainability in mind, but with wood or coal burning at the heart of its business model.

When we talk to Peter Scott for our profile of his company, BURN Manufacturing, he is absolutely clear about why he started the business.

“BURN exists to serve a mission, saving forests and saving lives,” he tells us.

BURN’s clean burning wood and coal stoves are designed to combat not just an environmental hazard, but a health one. As Scott tells us, 3-4 billion people, nearly half the population of the planet, cook on devices that are harmful to their health, leading to approximately half-a-million people dying from exposure to exposed cook stoves.

Scott has introduced a woodburning stove that is 53% energy efficient, as opposed to the 12% efficiency of an open fire. It not only cooks food better but burns less wood or coal to do so, resulting in less deforestation at 81% less air pollution.

With 52% of deforestation in Africa being due to fuel for wood and charcoal cooking, this product has a massive potential impact.

All these businesses are not what you might immediately expect when imagining a sustainable or environmentally friendly business, but many of them have used left field or surprising solutions and innovations to make sure that they will not only survive the green revolution but will be valuable contributors to it.

“I PASSIONATELY BELIEVE THAT THE REUSE OF RECYCLED MATERIALS IN PRODUCTS IS THE OPPORTUNITY OF OUR TIME.”

WE RETURN TO MUVI CINEMAS TO LEARN HOW THE KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA’S PREMIER CINEMA BRAND HAS BEEN GROWING ITS AUDIENCE AND ITS CONTENT OFFERING.

THE MAGIC OF CINEMA

PROJECT MANAGED BY: JOHN HOLLIMAN

It is just over a year since we talked with Muvi Cinemas, the first homegrown cinema brand in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. As a company, Muvi Cinema was faced with the prospect of practically building an entire industry from the ground up, as the brand was only possible when the laws not allowing cinemas to operate in the country were rolled back.

While the demand for cinema was immediately apparent, Muvi Cinemas soon faced the same challenge as cinemas around the world- the Covid-19 pandemic. However, even with the closure of cinemas Muvi was able to continue with its construction projects & has success-fully opened six more locations in the latter part of 2020.

MINDWARE, DELL AND MUVI: RE-STORING FAITH IN TECHNOLOGY

MINDWARE, A LEADING TECHNOLOGY DISTRIBUTOR IN MEA

With 90,000 sqft across 12 warehouses, 35,000 transactions per year, 45+ market leading vendors and 4,000+ channel partners, Mindware is identified as one of the leading distributors of top IT Technologies in MEA.

Mindware’s core strength is a fusion of the experienced team, the WMS integration and automation, the strategic partnerships, the excellence and timely delivery.

Mindware offers a wide range of services and products. The extensive variety of Dell technologies products offered by Mindware since they carry the complete Dell portfolio: from devices and their accessories to high end storage solutions allowed the start of a valuable partnership between Mindware, Dell Technologies and muvi Cinemas.

On the relationship between Mindware and its partners, Amin Harb, the Dell Business Unit Director at Mindware states “we at Mindware KSA -Aklaniatbelieve that a successful business requires good planning, Strong initiative and trust between all stakeholders.

multi-cloud data control and increased cyber resiliency at no cost to existing customers. These advancements are the latest examples of Dell storage software innovation following the introduction of Project Alpine, which will bring the enterprise capacity, performance and protection of Dell storage software to public clouds.” (Dell, 2022).

In addition to the variety of storage solutions that Dell offers, it also provides infrastructure solutions and services that support the latest additions in the AI world, thus it facilitates the life of all the digital assistants and several business applications.

As the emerging technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), Internet of Things (IoT) are rising, chatbots, blockchains, ERP, CRM, SCM and other business applications are undoubtfully evolving.

According to a study commissioned by Oracle, “84% of organizations today are using at least one emerging technology in production to enhance finance and/ or supply chain operations.”

MUVI

CINEMAS: AN INITIATIVE TAKING OVER THE KINGDOM

The relationship between muvi Cinemas and Dell Technologies, through Mindware, is a great example of benefiting from technology for the greater good: delivering the best experience to the audience.

The compute platform delivered by Dell Technologies is considered to be the new standard of high availability, stability and scalability that fits Muvi Cinema business demands and needs required by their customers.

According to Anas Shehab, muvi Cinemas Chief Information Officer “with Dell Technologies, the business interruption was close to zero; we touched the great value of our investment in Dell Technologies portfolio. And with the support of our experienced trained engineers we were able to handle such complex technology” and he added” we appreciate the fast delivery and sticking to deadline despite other vendors delay in delivering and fulfill. We were able to deliver the service to our customers on-time as planned and scheduled”.

We capitalize on our partners whether resellers or system integrators, our vendors, and clients.

The objective of our partnerships should be structured in a way that offers equal opportunity of profitability and adds values to the business of all parties (win-win).

Such an efficient partner-distributor relationship, can deliver a number of key benefits from quality increments and improve the total cost of ownership to new business innovations. In other words, our project with muvi Cinemas has all of the above.

We look forward to grow our businesses together and share more success stories with Dell technologies.”

DELL: THE NUMBER ONE IN STORAGE SOFTWARE INNOVATIONS

Dell Technologies offers a large line of storage solutions that fit any organization’s inquiry. “More than 500 software advancements across Dell PowerStore, PowerMax and PowerFlex deliver faster data insights, better

muvi Cinemas relies immensely on Dell Compute Technology as it requires minimum management supervision . In addition to that, the stability of their environment and their ability to maintain high performance with a great level of reliability, are the reasons muvi Cinemas is depending on Dell Technologies in the present and future projects. For example, there is a strategic collaboration with Dell to expand the localization of data inside KSA to abide with Saudi roadmap in localizing the data.

On the role of Mindware in being the mediator between Dell Technologies and muvi Cinemas, Anas stated:” Mindware played an amazing role in truly being a value added Distributor in bringing all the needed resources and engaging Dell global and local resources to put innovative solutions that cater to Muvi cinemas future plan and vision” and “The poof-of-concept unit which was provided by Mindware team has helped Muvi Cinema to test and discover the new technologies on a potentially close-to production environment.” Muvi Cinema appreciates the remarkable support provided by Dell to implement new ERP application across Muvi circuit. And it has a future plan to acquire more Dell Technologies in Data Protection and business continuity across all sites. And to orchestrate with all other technology vendors to facilitate the movement towards centralized architecture.

www.mindware.net

Amin Harb, Dell Business Unit Director at Mindware.

When we last spoke with Adon Quinn, the COO of Muvi Cinemas, the company boasted 109 screens. When we speak to Quinn again, he is now the CEO of the company, and the progress the firm has made is immediately apparent.

“The past year has been good. We’ve managed to almost double in size going from 109 screens to 205 screens across 21 locations and ten different cities,” Quinn says proudly. “That now sees us at number one exhibitor in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in terms of the number of screens, box office and admissions. We’ve opened our first ‘boutique’ concept

cinema, which will be one of a series of cinemas each with a different theme and have also opened the largest location in KSA with 25 screens at Boulevard Riyadh City.”

But while Muvi has been expanding its capacity to show films, and audiences are returning to cinemas in droves, there is still one more lingering after effect of the pandemic.

“We have seen with the right content the audience is willing to come back. We have had great success with Top Gun Maverick, now the biggest film released in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia crossing 1 million admissions, as well as Bahebak, the biggest Egyptian film ever released,” Quinn says. “But the challenge all global cinema

markets are facing is content. We’ve had some big films we were expecting in 2022 which have been pushed to next year mainly due to a backlog of postproduction and special effects. We are seeing this as a positive for 2023 and 2024, with great content to come but it’s an issue we’ve continued to face in the meantime.”

The first solution Muvi has turned to is to make that content themselves.

“I think the biggest achievement has been the launch of Muvi Studios, focused

on producing both Saudi and Egyptian content. We aim to release 15-to-20 films by 2024. Our first two films, one Saudi and one Egyptian, we anticipate releasing in December this year,” Quinn shares. “This year we see local language content making up 30% of the box office market share and with continued delays and reduction in releases out of Hollywood this is important for the market going forward.”

Muvi Studios is focusing on comedies, which have seen a lot of success in the Saudi market.

“We’re looking with the Saudi content to create nice local stories that relate to the local audience. Rather than just remaking other IP we want original content,” Quinn insists. “We have teams working on the development of new scripts to go into production. We will broaden our offering as we go, but as we start out, we’re driven by comedies.”

“I THINK THE BIGGEST ACHIEVEMENT HAS BEEN THE LAUNCH OF MUVI STUDIOS, FOCUSED ON PRODUCING BOTH SAUDI AND EGYPTIAN CONTENT.”

contact_salesEMEA@paloaltonetworks.com +966 800844 5418

Prince Mohammed Ibn Salman Road, Ar Rabi, Spring Towers, 3rd floor, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia www.paloaltonetworks.com

Prisma

PALO ALTO NETWORKS

Muvi cinemas is showcasing its latest blockbuster. The leading movie theater chain in Saudi Arabia has standardized on the Palo Alto Networks portfolio to prevent successful cyberattacks and promote movie theater expansion throughout the Kingdom. Business agility, response times, and operational efficiency are being transformed by automated, consistent security across networks, endpoints, and the cloud. While the trusted relationship is inspiring innovation and new service opportunities.

SAUDI ARABIA WELCOMES CINEMAS

Few anticipated the fast growth the Kingdom’s fledgling film industry would see when Saudi Arabia announced in 2018 that a 35-year ban on movie screening would be lifted. Muvi Cinemas was fast to take advantage of the change and capitalize on the reform, quickly expanding in just three years to become the country’s top cinema brand by screen count, and currently has 205 screens spread over 22 sites.

Muvi provides a digital-first, immersive cinematic experience, and the business’s cybersecurity practices reflect this approach. It is important to protect users, applications, and data everywhere in order to guarantee that movie-goers entire experience is safe from both known and unknown risks.

Muvi wanted to look for solutions. Which is where Palo Alto Networks entered the picture. From this initial engagement, a reliable partnership developed, leading muvi to take action to replace the current security stack and standardize on the Palo Alto Networks portfolio.

UNIFIED, SCALABLE, MODERN SECURITY

Challenged to re-imagine its security infrastructure, muvi identified five essential requirements:

• Provide unified, scalable, and modern security to support the expansion of the cinema brand.

• Implement comprehensive, intuitive, and automated network security.

• Secure endpoints with multi-layer threat protection.

• Protect mixed, multi-cloud environment with 360-degree visibility.

STANDARDIZED SECURITY FOR THE ‘SILVER SCREEN’

The Palo Alto Networks suite, which covers network, endpoint, and cloud security, is fully operational for muvi theaters. The portfolio intelligently protects the cinema brand from any attack and is unified, automated, and simple. ‘The Palo Alto Networks portfolio gives us everything we need to combat cybercrime in one best-in-class, integrated stack’ says Anas Shehab, Chief Information Officer, muvi cinemas.

The portfolio implementation was initiated by replacing the existing platform with Palo Alto Networks Cortex XDR. It enables muvi to automatically stop attempted attacks on the server estate by fusing cross-data detection and response with intelligent endpoint security. ‘Unlike before, we now have complete visibility into every type of known and unknown threat. We are confident about our security,’ says Anas. In order to identify attacks involving any host, anywhere in the environment, muvi has integrated a managed threat hunting service with Cortex XDR, which collects data from any source. ‘The Palo Alto Networks team evaluates the risk of any threat they identify and notify us if we need to take action,’ says Shehab. Additionally integrated with Cortex XDR is Cortex Xpanse, which creates a comprehensive, continuously updated inventory of muvi’s internet-facing assets. ‘It’s another layer of defense, which we use to discover and evaluate risks right across our cyber-attack surface.’

As a result of this established trust, muvi has also deployed ML-Powered Next Generation Firewalls (NGFW) in each cinema, centralizing control of all traffic in and out of the network. The Panorama management console provides a unified view of all ML-Powered NGFW activities, including the ability to see and deploy policies across the network. And an integrated suite of best-in-class CloudDelivered Security Services (CDSS) for consistent security across their entire network. These services include Advanced Threat Prevention, the industry’s only

intrusion prevention system (IPS) to stop known and unknown threats; WildFire, the largest malware analysis engine that offers 180x faster signature delivery; and DNS Security, the most comprehensive solution to prevent the latest and most sophisticated DNS-layer threats. ‘The integrated network security sees everything. Nothing gets through that shouldn’t. We have complete control over the network traffic in the cinemas,’ Anas explains.

For visibility and cloud security across its multi-cloud infrastructure, including Google Cloud, Amazon Web Services (AWS), and Microsoft Azure, muvi uses Prisma Cloud, a critical addition to the integrated portfolio. CSPM gives muvi visibility into the security and compliance status of each cloud environment as the multi-cloud architecture expands.

‘The Palo Alto Networks portfolio gives us everything we need in one best-inclass, integrated stack. We have complete visibility into every type of known and unknown threat. Xpanse gives another layer of defense to discover and evaluate risks across our cyber-attack surface. As our multi-cloud architecture grows, Prisma Cloud offers muvi cinemas complete visibility into the security posture, compliance, and protection of each cloud asset .’

Anas Shehab, Chief Information Officer, muvi cinemas.

UNRIVALED SCREEN EXPERIENCE FUELS EXPANSION

The benefits consist of:

• Supports the expansion of cinema and screens: Despite pandemic-related delays, muvi currently has 22 theaters operating, with dozens more scheduled to launch in the upcoming next few years. Palo Alto Networks plays a key role in this expansion by delivering the reliable, scalable, and resilient security needed to ensure a rewarding screen experience. This in turn encourages more people to visit muvi cinema theaters.

• Accelerates security response: The mean time to repair (MTTR), which was up to three days when using traditional security stacks and platforms, is now as short as two hours.

• Simplifies security: Security is made simpler by the portfolio’s automation of muvi’s end-to-end security operations, from alert management to threat hunting, which lowers the demand for highly skilled security analysts and shortens the time it takes to identify and address threats.

• Increases efficiency: Since the implementation of Palo Alto Networks portfolio, Muvi has saved at least two full-time equivalent (FTE) employees. The unified visibility, process automation, CSPM, reduced alert ‘noise’, and many other factors enable development and security teams to work faster and smarter on strategic IT tasks.

• Protects IoT assets: With IoT Security, muvi can discover, identify, segment, and secure previously unprotected assets including IP telephony, movie theater projection systems, digital billboards, and other internet of things (IoT) assets.

• Provides knowledge transfer: Palo Alto Networks is sharing its expertise and experience with the muvi team, by ensuring a thorough and professional knowledge transfer. For instance, through the resident Palo Alto Networks engineer, managed threat hunting, and different support services.

‘Network, endpoint, and cloud security solution are services we seek. And Palo Alto Networks brings it all together with connected, consistent technology, the most experienced people, and a proven roadmap. In security, the word ‘trust’ is often overused. Not here – we trust Palo Alto Networks implicitly.’ Anas Shehab, Chief Information Officer, muvi cinemas.

Visit our website online for additional details to see how other clients are working with Palo Alto Networks to safeguard their digital transformation.

www.paloaltonetworks.com

MORE THAN MOVIES

Everyone loves the movies, but as Muvi waits for the film industry around the world to catch up on its own backlog, the company is looking into more innovative uses for its screens.

“Certain periods of the year you would typically expect a few tentpole films, but they haven’t come out, so we’ve had to look at alternate content such as bringing some music events into the cinema,” Quinn says. “We have successfully hosted esports events, and our country hosts one of the strongest and most successful esports teams, Team Falcons, and we streamed their live event in the US. We will continue to look at utilising our screens as an events space not just a film space.”

Esports is a field that has matured over the last few years, but Muvi is offering a venue to spectate beyond watching it on your laptop at home.

“We have a direct link from the event organisers through satellite link and show it on the big screen. We’ve had other team members hosting and interacting with the crowd, and it’s a great atmosphere and just brings people together more than if they would be watching it online by themselves at home,” Quinn points out.

As well as esports, Muvi will soon branch out into regular sports, as it hosts the World Cup, showing all the matches live on the big screen. Muvi is also looking to build on its restaurant offering, quite literally providing dinner and a show.

“We continue to look at different organisers doing more food & beverage driven events. We have restaurants linked

to our locations where we’re looking at new experiences to launch next year, with experiential entertainment connected to the cinema experience,” Quinn says.

This is all very exciting, but there are still challenges to overcome.

“The global supply chain is something we continue to work around from a food & beverage and construction & development perspective,” Quinn tells us. “We overcome these challenges thanks to a lot of strong partnerships who we have longterm agreements with, and who continue to operate and expand in line with our plans.”

When we last spoke to Quinn, Muvi was practically building an entire industry from scratch in Saudi Arabia. Revisiting

KRIX LOUDSPEAKERS

Supplying international cinema multiplexes for over 40 years and featuring in over 4000 screens worldwide, Krix are world renowned for high-quality, high-performance speaker systems.

Decades of in-house research and design incorporating constant directivity horn technology have produced precision coverage and extremely uniform frequency response, allowing every seat in the cinema to experience improvements in clarity and definition.

Engineered and manufactured in Australia, Krix commercial cinema speakers provide a vast, immersive sound with optimum dispersion, vocal intelligibility, and responsive bass – ensuring every movie soundtrack is delivered with clarity, control and effortless power.

Krix are proud to be tier one partners of Muvi Cinemas. For the ultimate cinema experience, play it through Krix.

“Muvi Cinemas has chosen Krix loudspeakers to ensure that every guest receives the best possible audio experience. The quality, proven reliability and superior performance of Krix will keep our guests choosing Muvi as their cinema of choice for many years to come.” Mark Smith, Technical Director at Muvi Cinemas. www.krix.com

them today you can really see how that industry has been taking shape. Most recently, at CinemaCon, the largest and most important convention of movie theatre owners, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was recognised as the leading emerging cinema market in the world, while at the events Middle East equivalent Muvi Cinemas was awarded the title of Leading Exhibitor in 2021.

“We’ll continue with our focus across the ecosystem, strengthening our distribution JV with Front Row Arabia, with still more very exciting locations we have secured for the future,” Quinn says.

“We continue to look at what other entertainment options we can bring to the experience, making it an events space more than just a cinema space, with ambitions to expand and maintain that market leadership position.”

THE IT BEHIND AGRICULTURE

MANAGED BY: JOHN HOLLIMAN

AFGRI Group Holdings was founded in 1923. It started with 29 members as the “Oos-Transvaalse Landboukoöperasie” or “Eastern Transvaal Agricultural Cooperative”, handling maize for farmers. From this beginning the cooperative grew and diversified to become the company AFGRI- “Your partner is Agribusiness.” AFGRI operates in South Africa, West Australia, Zimbabwe, and Botswana across business units including “Retail and fuel”, “Grain management”, “Equipment (John Deere and Wacker Neuson)”, “Financial services”, “Lemang agricultural services”, “Milling” and “Animal Feeds”, as well as a logistics team that offers transport services to both AFGRI business units and its customers.

Rika Myburg, CIO officer for AFGRI Group Holdings, heads up the IT team that supports all these business sectors.

“As a centralised AFGRI IT team, we support the seven core AFGRI commercial business units, as well as the internal corporate teams,” she tells us. “Although IT offers some commercial services to external clients, it makes up only a small portion of the total IT service offering.”

The IT team consists of over 50 permanent staff members, including a diverse IT skillset with various thirdparty suppliers, such as Datacentrix, that support the team in delivering a service to

183 business sites, including a couple of 24-hour production plants.

“The diversified AFGRI business units each have unique systems needs with specialist applications that handle the core operational requirements. The finances are consolidated in the relevant ERP. Apart from a couple of OT servers at the plants, all other hosting is done in the cloud,” Myburg says. “However, the IT team is privileged to have a dedicated Innovation team that elicits and experiments with technologies to discover and execute real, commercially viable solutions that can transform our business.”

Many of these solutions are delivered through AFGRI’s single digital solution.

Indeed, in many ways, AFGRI’s IT team forms an integral part of the Group’s IT strategy, with the full support of the Group EXCO.

“The IT team has the perseverance to adapt and change, staying abreast of new technology and improving the environment on an ongoing basis,” Myburg says. “It has managed this despite lots of changes in leadership, business needs and industry trends.”

CHANGING MANAGEMENT

IT is a fast-moving sector, and AFGRI is no stranger to change, which means that staying flexible is essential, but Myburg also believes the IT team need to act as technology leaders within the Group.

“We are all aware that every organization has fast adopters that will invite or drive change and introducing change to them is like a fresh breeze,” says Myburg. “Unfortunately, these fast adopters are in the minority and change needs to be introduced on all layers of the organisation.”

IT MANAGEMENT IS NOT THE FIRST THING YOU CONSIDER WHEN LOOKING AT THE AGRICULTURAL SECTOR, BUT AFGRI GROUP HOLDINGS DEMONSTRATES HOW IT CAN BE THE BACKBONE OF THE COMPANY.

PROJECT

Rika Myburg, CIO, AFGRI Group Holdings.

DATACENTRIX

Datacentrix is a leading hybrid IT systems integrator and managed services provider that leverages leading technologies to deliver business objectives to corporate and public sector organisations in Africa and the Middle East.

The company partners with its customers for the long-term, equipping them with insight into digital transformation and helping to align their ICT initiatives with their business strategy. We support our clients in achieving competitiveness and resiliency throughout their digital journey, while guiding their response to the ever-changing business landscape.

OFFERING

Datacentrix offers deep technical expertise across a mature offering, providing proven execution capability that is endorsed by the world’s foremost technology partners, whether on-premises, hosted or in the cloud. These solutions are supported by the group’s quality operations, established processes, ethical practices and consistent service delivery. Together with our expert teams, we help customers map the technology solutions that will support data-driven, application-powered, hyper-connected business solutions that offer the right business outcomes and excellent user experiences.

TOPMOST CERTIFICATIONS

Datacentrix is proud to operate in the top tiers of its technology partner programmes and has achieved some of the industry’s top certifications, including Quality, Environmental and Health and Safety; PECB Management System; ISO; Private Security Industry Regulatory Authority (PSiRA); Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS); as well as various CIDB certifications.

FOOTPRINT

With a strong African footprint across 35 countries and presence in the Middle East, the company is equipped to support global companies across industry sectors.

EMPOWERMENT

Datacentrix is a Level One (AAA) B-BBEE Contributor, with 135% procurement recognition. www.datacentrix.co.za

Fortunately, the AFGRI EXCO fully embraces the value that technology can bring to the Group. However, it can still be a challenge to persuade people to adopt new methods and technology.

“Resistance to change happens on every user level, and even within the IT team it sometimes requires a lot of effort to get users to adopt best practices,” Myburg admits. “I even battle with one of my managers to fully embrace the collaboration capability on Microsoft Teams. If IT does not adopt, how can we expect the rest of the organisation to adopt?”

DIVERSIFIED AFGRI BUSINESS UNITS EACH

participation, measurement of participation and outcomes, and exposure to surrounding stakeholders, as well as the involvement of affected stakeholders, ownership, communication with precision timing and content, and finally, training.

The key to building a successful IT shop is solid relationships between the IT, EXCO and business teams to keep the IT suppliers aligned at all times.

“Solid relationships, built on trust, can go a whole mile further than anything else, but it requires consistent engagement with the client, listening to understand their needs, involving them in decision-making and delivering on all promises,” says Myburg.

This is an ongoing and evolving process, and so the company has adopted a change management framework from Discon Specialists. That framework calls for visible executive commitment and

Over the last six years, AFGRI’s IT team has been through multiple leaders and operating models, which has taken a toll on the team, and required a special intervention to create belonging, stability, and trust within the team.

“The base of this intervention is founded in the IT people strategy, which proofed to be a critical success factor during my career, in building successful IT teams,” Myburg tells us.

Myburg is clear that this will take effort and time to resolve and build capacity to a point where the Group embraces change.

THE COST OF PROGRESS

Undergoing a number of changes in leadership and strategy takes its toll in other ways as well.

“The continuous change in operating models resulted in IT

costs getting out of control and the business started embracing Shadow IT as IT was too busy adopting internally to a new model,” explains Myburg. “IT is expensive and, in an industry where IT expenses are less than 1.1% (Grovation, 2021) of the annual turnover, one needs to find innovative ideas to manage and control IT costs in a challenging business environment.”

For example, AFGRI needs to provide network capability with full failover at 183 sites, most of them in remote areas with limited infrastructure.

“Firstly, we need to understand our costs and how they compare with the rest of the industry. Hence the team is constantly busy refining our IT cost model to improve our understanding of the IT costs and optimise where necessary,” Myburg tells us. “Continuous improvement through consolidation, rationalisation and optimisation is an ongoing exercise to eliminate duplication and waste in the environment to reduce costs. We will also review all contracts and services and adjust where possible.”

“THE

HAVE UNIQUE SYSTEMS NEEDS WITH SPECIALIST APPLICATIONS THAT HANDLE THE CORE OPERATIONAL REQUIREMENTS.”

“THE

As Myburg rightly points out, for the Group’s IT strategy to succeed the team needs to understand and unite behind its strategy while managing costs. But fundamentally, the challenges they face always come down to technology.

“In the past, our operational technology has always belonged to the business, they purchased and managed it endto-end,” Myburg explains.

However, where IT has not been engaged to advise on architecturally fit devices and understand their impact on the network, challenges can arise.

“We have many unknowns in the environment, and we have to find workable and affordable solutions that will not negatively impact the business operations,” says Myburg. “This is a new journey for us, and I know it is not unique. We learn from businesses, suppliers and other customers that are in a similar position to find a workable solution.”

AFGRI’s IT team is approaching this challenge by obtaining the mandate to govern the

management of its OT devices, discovering which devices are on the network to understand the extent of the problem, and continuing with a daily discovery process. From there the team will be able to find a suitable and affordable network solution and build responsibility (RACI) charts to understand the roles and responsibilities between IT and the business role players. Finally, Myburg will be promoting continuous education for both IT and business role players alongside ongoing monitoring and continuous improvements.

It is a comprehensive effort that will involve AFGRI’s entire IT team.

“We have a very specific IT people strategy that drives IT talent management from a holistic perspective and involves every single person in the team,” Myburg tells us. “For now, the IT team plans to expand and mature our IT architecture and business process engineering practices, as well as establish an enterprise project management office.”

BREAKING NEW GROUND

PROJECT MANAGED BY: DEAN BROWN

Çelebi Aviation Holding is dedicated to providing excellent groundhandling services alongside a rich portfolio of ancillary products. Ever since the company stepped into the aviation sector by establishing Celebi Ground Handling in 1958, Celebi Aviation has stood out as one of the most successful examples of integrated services in the civil aviation industry, offering Ramp, Passenger, Cargo Handling, Warehouse Management, Bridge Operations, Trucking, General Aviation, Airport Lounge Management and Premium Services.

Today the firm operates in five countries across three continents, employing over 10,000 people over more than 40 stations, but it has no plans to stop there. Celebi Aviation wants to expand its geographic coverage into still more developing markets, providing yet more employment opportunities while meeting the needs of its customers & partners.

TENON FM & CELEBI: OPTIMIZING AIRPORT OPERATIONS & GROUND HANDLING IN THE RIGHT MANNER

Tenon FM is a leading Integrated Facility Management & Security Services provider with revenues in excess of USD 220 million & operations spread across India, UK & Singapore. Tenon works closely with more than 1500 global customers, helping them manage & maintain the best possible work environment with a rich portfolio of IFM solutions deployed across 350 million sq. ft. of space.

Tenon FM has a long-term partnership with CELEBI in supporting the delivery of ground handling, cargo operations & mechanical engineering services at various CELEBI India locations. Tenon FM has a diverse & wide experience in managing operations at India’s busiest cargo & passenger terminal- Delhi’s India Gandhi International Airport, in addition to the management of other domestic cargo terminals in India. This makes Tenon FM an undisputed player in providing cargo management & airport operations services, thus also proving the USP of “Services That Fit”

Founded in 1995, Tenon group has emerged as a powerful Indian MNC having an employee strength of 80,000+ strong professionals with expertise in Facility Management, Security Management & Remote Surveillance operations. Delivering tech-enabled FM process, Tenon FM has been using technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, IoT & Machine Learning to thus improve operational efficiencies & reduce overhead costs thus aligning to the need for man-tech facility management solutions.

To know more about us, you can visit us at www.tenonfm-india.com or write to us at info@tenon-fm.com

Complete GSE Solution.

New Delhi, India info@gsesupport.in www.gsesupport.in

It is a truly global company that understands the requirements of the markets it operates in, customising its services to suit the needs of the ecosystem it is part of and providing excellent efficiencies to airlines.

Celebi Aviation’s brand has grown in terms of both geographic footprint and reputation among airlines, particularly those without the resources to provide their ground crews and handlers.

In 2019, when we spoke with Murali Ramachandran, the CEO of Celebi Aviation, he told us, “Most airlines do not want to set up shop for one or two flight operations, so they look for companies like Çelebi who bring in service capabilities. We then discuss with the airline and customise our services to provide exactly what they need, whether it is passenger services, more enhanced or technical services, airside services or documentation services, etc. We do a lot of customising for specific locations. We create these packages for airlines and at the terminal level they can have different service standards.”

GUIDING VALUES

Celebi Aviation is committed to delivering these standards through its mission to be a global solution partner who creates value for its stakeholders by thoroughly understanding the needs of airport users and ensuring consistent service quality, achieving its vision of becoming the most admired and recognised global service provider among customers and employees alike.

The challenge, and Celebi Aviation’s primary purpose, is to translate that strategic intent into practical applications which deliver continuous service and standardised processes,

increasing customer satisfaction in line with Celebi Aviation’s Total Quality Management principles. Throughout Celebi Aviation’s operations, the firm’s main objective is it achieve sustainable service improvement and highlevel customer experience management.

Celebi Aviation is a team whose focus is on quality and customer satisfaction, adapting to the latest innovations in the sector and adding value to its services wherever there is an opportunity. The company is leading a dedication to the highest quality of service, which will be delivered to its customers with a sense of warmth, individual motivation, satisfaction, and company spirit.

This is also codified in Celebi’s “Quality and Customercentric” corporate culture, which focuses on serving a unique, standardised, total quality management approach around the world, improving the customer experience by using the latest technologies for singularisation, simplification and consolidation.

It is an approach that is customer-focused, with total employee involvement, a process-centred and integrated management system with a strategic and systematic approach to continual improvement and fact-based decision-making.

SAFETY FIRST

But while quality is pursued in every aspect of Celebi Aviation’s business, its number one priority has always been safety. Throughout the company and its priorities, the safety of the company’s employees and the environment come first. This is why Çelebi Aviation continuously works to develop, implement, and improve on its processes to achieve the highest level of safety performance, surpassing standards nationally and internationally.

This philosophy is present at every level of the company, with all stages of management being held responsible for achieving the highest safety performance. Celebi Aviation provides appropriate workforce, equipment, and financing

resources to all its managers, allowing them to support safety practices, promote effective safety reporting and communication, and support safety management. Celebi Aviation actively manages safety within the company-wide framework of fair culture.

That culture consists of clearly defined safety-related obligations and responsibilities for all of the employees. The company’s target is “zero accidents,” based on the voluntary participation of all Celebi Aviation’s employees.

Periodic risk evaluation and mitigation activities are part of the routine, and all of Celebi Aviation’s employees are trained in the skills and knowledge necessary to implement the company’s safety strategies and processes.

Employees are encouraged to report incidents, accidents, and especially near-miss reports, and they are rewarded for preventing potential accidents.

ENTERING TANZANIA

With this proud record behind it, it is no surprise that Celebi Aviation’s prospects continue to expand, with the company recently announcing that its subsidiary, Celebi Tanzania Airport Services Limited, has signed a new agreement with flydubai to provide ground handling services in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania.

Celebi is bringing more than 60 years of experience in the sector to the table, in carrying its global standards to the firm’s newest station at Dar Es Salaam. From the start, it will

provide high-quality ground handling services to Celebi’s new airline partner.

Celebi Tanzania Managing Director, Ferda Yakar claimed that “Flydubai is one of the most reliable and valuable partners across our network since many years. It is our pleasure to extend this partnership also in Tanzania. We are excitingly waiting for the first day of the operation with my experienced team and our equipment in place. We are looking forward to a successful collaboration.”

Indeed, flydubai operates daily flights to Dar Es Salaam

and intends to increase the frequency of those flights still further in future. Celebi Aviation’s strong motivation to invest and continue to develop its capabilities in every aspect of its work.

Looking forward, Celebi Aviation is focusing on planned growth in developing markets as it has continued to do even during the COVID period. From its starting point in Dar es Salaam, Celebi’s leadership is confident that it will continue to expand into other rapidly emerging aviation markets in Africa.

AS THE SECOND BUSIEST AIRPORT IN BRITISH COLUMBIA, KELOWNA INTERNATIONAL IS A GATEWAY FOR VISITORS LOOKING TO EXPLORE WESTERN CANADA’S NATURE PARADISE.

FOUR SEASON DESTINATION

PROJECT MANAGED BY: RASH UDDIN

Kelowna International Airport (YLW), Canada’s 10th busiest airport, is situated near Okanagan Lake, an area offering great opportunities for boating, swimming, and fishing, with nearby mountains attracting hikers, skiers, and outdoor enthusiasts of all types. A number of golf courses and three major ski hills are within an hour’s drive.

The Okanagan region is one of the most beautiful places on earth,” says Airport Director Sam Samaddar. “It is a true four-season destination: Kelowna is a mountainous valley environment, with great temperatures in the summertime, under a very dry climate, excellent ski conditions in winter, as well as some of the best wineries in British Columbia. We can offer a lot of what people are looking for, whether it is winter, summer or autumn. That is quite unique.”

ONE OF ITS KIND

The status of the airport is another unique feature. Kelowna International Airport is the largest municipally owned and

operated airport in Canada. Its official history took off in 1946, when Kelowna residents voted in favour of purchasing the 320acre Dickson Ranch, recognising that establishing an airport was a necessary step for the local economy. YLW remains in the ownership of the City of Kelowna and is self-funded through user fees and charges.

“Many airports were initially developed as military airports, or were run by federal institutions, such as Transport Canada,” notes Mr Samaddar. “Kelowna International was never a military base. And it was never really operated directly by Transport Canada. It was an airport that was set up by the community and continues to be owned by the community.”

Sam Samaddar, Airport Director, Kelowna International Airport.

He explains that over the years, the airport developed in line with increasing traffic. During the 1980s and early 1990s, more than $10 million was invested in upgrading the terminal building, runway, and airline operating facilities. Increasing passenger and cargo volumes spawned growth in the airport’s commercial sector, and Kelowna became one of the fastest-growing airports in North America, becoming the second busiest in British Columbia.

In 2019, the airport offered more than 60 daily nonstop commercial flights with nine airlines, with passenger numbers reaching over 2 million, and traffic is now slowly returning to pre-pandemic levels, says Mr Samaddar.

EXPANSION IN LINE WITH SUSTAINABILITY

In 2022, the year of the airport’s 75th anniversary, YLW is undergoing a significant revamp. “Within our ten-year capital plan, which is over $270 million of investment, the air terminal building is going to be expanded. We plan to invest over $70 million in creating 8,000 square metres of additional space,” says Mr Samaddar.

The expansion will be done fully in line with sustainability principles, he affirms, making use of local resources. The construction will use British Columbia lumber, replacing steel and concrete, showcasing how this natural, local material can be used in complex projects.

Environmental protection is an integral part of the airport’s development strategy, Mr Samaddar affirms. “We created an environmental management plan in the 1990s and did our first CO2 baseline study in 1997. Our goal is to be carbon-

neutral in 2030. Reducing our environmental footprint is the core focus of our stakeholders, especially given what this region is all about.”

“This natural beauty is something that we need to continue to preserve, whether it’s agriculture, businesses, or tourism, and as a gateway to this region, we need to make sure that we do our part.”

In 2018, YLW became carbonaccredited through Airports Council International (ACI) and its Carbon Accreditation programme. As part of the ongoing programme, in June 2022 YLW received Level 2 Carbon Accreditation from ACI, gaining recognition for its efforts to measure and reduce its carbon emissions. The airport is now working on a plan to further reduce energy consumption, moving towards carbon neutrality.

RESPONSIBLE EMPLOYER

Mr Samaddar affirms that the one thing that has not changed over the seven decades of the airport’s operations is the importance of the Okanagan community for its further development.

“We have created an airport Advisory Committee, consisting of political, business and First Nations leaders, representing our catchment area of about 650,000 people. The local community is thus involved in the strategic decisions made for the airports. Similarly, if there are specific events organised by local communities, we will support those events.”

Social responsibility is closely linked with looking after its own employees – the airport is now building a childcare facility on its premises, as only the second airport in Canada to provide this service. “We want to bring more women into aviation,

providing the support needed to achieve a sound life-work balance. Promoting diversity should also ease the labour force challenges that all sectors all over the world are facing.”

CENTRE FOR EXCELLENCE

He acknowledges that the airport is now looking at ways to best support further development, combining its own funds and private sector investment. With enhanced and expanded premises, Kelowna International will soon boast another impressive addition –a new, state-of-the-art aviation exhibition hall and conference centre, a Centre for Excellence built by KF Aerospace, the longest privately held aerospace company in Canada.

The 60,000-square-foot building is designed in the shape of an aircraft, with a fuselage and wings, and features “madein BC” wood products and expertise. The museum will trace the history of aviation in the Okanagan and will feature three aircraft; a Convair CV-580, a Douglas DC-3 and a Hawker Tempest MKII; and the Centre will promote the aviation industry locally and nationally.

“The new Centre for Excellence is an opportunity to attract the next generation into aviation. It is the legacy of Barry LaPointe, the founder of KF Aerospace but also a legacy of the 75th anniversary of the airport. YLW keeps on growing and we look forward to serving the Okanagan for the next 75 years and beyond!”

With the summer that has just passed, the urgency of the fight against climate change has never been clearer. When we speak to Kirstin McCarthy, the Director of Sustainability at Aggregate Industries, she makes it clear what a priority this is for the construction materials firm.

As the world faces the climate change challenge, we feel incredibly passionate about playing our part,” she insists. “This is seen in our progressive sustainability strategy, as we seek to not only rapidly advance the decarbonisation of our own operations but play a leading role in supporting the wider UK construction industry on its own path to net zero.”

Aggregate Industries’ passion for sustainability is underscored by the company’s vast capabilities.

WHERE SUSTAINABILITY MEETS PERFORMANCE

Bitumen is and will continue to be, in years to come, the best option in building roads. That’s why, as a global leader in the industry for more than 100 years, Shell is committed to reducing the environmental impact of our bitumen by lowering its carbon footprint and increasing circularity.

From materials, to transport, plant operations and on-site construction, Shell offers decarbonisation solutions across the full construction value chain.

To see how we’re contributing to a more sustainable future for the UK, visit shell.com / business-customers /construction-and-road

The company boasts over 200 sites and employs around 3,700 people. From these sites, Aggregate Industries produces and supplies a wide range of construction materials including aggregates, asphalt, readymixed concrete, cement, and precast concrete products.

Aggregate Industries is also known for producing, importing, and supplying construction materials and carrying out national road surfacing and contracting solutions.

“From the Shard to HS2 and everything in between, we have a vast experience of supporting some of the most prestigious builds in UK history,” McCarthy points out. “We’re also a proud member of Holcim, the world’s leading global building materials and solutions company, meaning we can provide global capabilities at a localised, UK level.”

The firm is an industry world leader, with a brand recognised widely even outside the construction industry. McCarthy plans to use that recognition to help transform the sector with an incredibly progressive and bold approach to sustainability.

“Amid a growing sense of urgency around the climate change challenge, the reality is that there is still a huge job to do for the construction industry in terms of advancing environmental priorities and building greener,” she says, frankly. “The sector accounts for nearly 40% of global energy and process-related emissions and will play a crucial role in delivering the Government’s net zero ambitions by 2050.”

“THE FIRM IS AN INDUSTRY WORLD LEADER, WITH A BRAND RECOGNISED WIDELY EVEN OUTSIDE THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY.”

A PASSION FOR SUSTAINABILITY

Aggregate Industries is deeply committed to enabling this industry-defining transition. Earlier this year, the company launched a sustainability strategy which set out its vision to become the UK leader in innovative and sustainable building solutions. This strategy includes increasing the volume of material it reclaims or recycles from 1.5 million tonnes to 3 million tonnes by 2025, reducing the company’s waste to landfill zero.

“I passionately believe that the reuse of recycled materials in products is the opportunity of our time,” McCarthy says. “This builds on major sustainable progress already made to date.”

Over the last 12 months alone, Aggregate Industries has delivered the UK’s first carbon-neutral road scheme, invested over £13 million in an alternative fuels recycling plant to reduce annual CO2 emissions by 30,000 tonnes, and sold enough ECOPact low carbon concrete to save over 142,000 tonnes of CO2.

All of this is part of a two-fold approach to sustainability- driving solutions within Aggregate Industries’ own operations while providing green solutions to the industry.

THE BUSINESS CASE

Keeping sustainability at the top of the agenda has been even more of a challenge lately, as the last few years have proven an unprecedented time not just for Aggregate Industries and the construction industry, but the entire world.

“Through the tenacity of our people and sheer hard work, we have been able to continue to lead with confidence and reinforce our position as a market leader even amid a shifting playing field,” McCarthy says.

Of course, finding the right people has been a problem not just for the construction industry, but practically every industry, post-Covid. Skilled drivers, in particular, are now hard to find in the UK. Rather than changing Aggregate Industries’ priorities, however, this has offered more sustainable solutions.

“We recently called for the industry to follow our lead by pivoting to Non-Tipping Trucks (NTT) - which can deliver up to 40% more materials compared to standard hauls –to help counter the problem,” McCarthy says. “Better still - NTTs offer a much lower carbon footprint – by moving just 10% more products via NTTs we can save in excess of 100,000 kg CO2 every year. It’s a real win-win.”

Ultimately, McCarthy believes that building the business case for sustainability itself is her most constant challenge.

“Even though it may be everywhere, the reality is there is still a lack of awareness amongst the construction industry about the latest green solutions available and, more importantly, how they could benefit business,” McCarthy tells us.

“For some, we find there is often a false narrative around the lower performance of lowcarbon options. Others may struggle to see how profitability could go hand in hand with sustainability. We hope to address this by breaking the mould in everything we do to inspire, educate, and excite the industry about what really can be possible in sustainability.”

The solutions include the switch to “warm mix” asphalt across all of the Aggregate Industries’ asphalt production, as opposed to the more traditional, but highly energyintensive, “hot mix” asphalt. This enables significant carbon reductions, reduced project costs and enhanced life expectancy – all while ensuring the same high quality and performance of hot mix.

“This is one of a handful of examples of how new ways of thinking and a bit of ingenuity can help make sustainability happen,” McCarthy insists.

PUSHING BOUNDARIES

Once again, McCarthy is quick to hand the credit for this success to Aggregate Industries’ talented staff.

“With a strong team spirit and a supportive, inclusive company culture centred on making a difference, we are incredibly proud of our team who can be counted on to add value and

truly care about what they do,” McCarthy says.

“Alongside this sits our progressive, reliable and collaborative approach.”

It is an approach that allows McCarthy to continue to push the boundaries in sustainable solutions and practices, all while delivering at pace and scale, through the framework of closeknit, collaborative partnerships built on a mutual understanding and a shared commitment to sustainability.

“Our immediate priority is delivering on our bold sustainability goals as we continue to develop progressive products and processes that can help construction businesses to drastically improve their green credentials and efficiencies, as well as to become a more sustainable business,” McCarthy says.

“To achieve this, we will focus on innovation and working with our customers to make our low carbon products mainstream.”

These efforts take place alongside a big focus on establishing digital companies such as Simply Paving, and services such as the LOOP order tracking service. But that, McCarthy insists, is just the start.

She tells us, “This is just part of the story, and we have many more initiatives and innovations in the pipeline to come as we continue in our commitment to being a sustainable frontrunner as the race to net zero gains speed.”

RIWAL, A LEADING SPECIALIST IN THE RENTAL & SALES OF ACCESS EQUIPMENT, SUPPORTS ITS GROWING CUSTOMER BASE WITH AN ALL-AROUND FIRST-CLASS HIRE SERVICE - THE RIWAL WAY.

RISING TO NEW HEIGHTS

PROJECT MANAGED BY: DAVID HAYVIS

Riwal Holding Group B.V., operating through its subsidiaries, leads the way in the rental and sale of aerial work platforms, telehandlers and forklift trucks. The Riwal rental fleet includes scissor lifts, telehandlers, articulating boom lifts, telescopic boom lifts and spider lifts from leading manufacturers such as JLG, Genie, Skyjack, Haulotte, Manitou and more. The company also acts as a dealer for leading equipment manufacturers, performs third-party maintenance for its clients and has IPAF training facilities in most countries.

Riwal, with its 1400 employees and the current fleet of over 20,000 units, is not a newcomer to the access equipment market – the business started in the late 1960s as the Netherlandsbased division of British crane rental firm Richards & Wallington. Almost two decades later the firm added aerial work platforms to its portfolio under the name Riwal, an abbreviation of Richards & Wallington.

Following its growth in the Netherlands, the company ventured beyond the domestic market in the early 2000s. Since then, Riwal has grown into an international operator, with a presence in 15 countries across Europe, the Middle East

as well as India and Kazakhstan. In most of these countries, the company is one of the top three players in the sector.

THE RIWAL WAY

Riwal has consciously chosen to specialise in one very specific area – ‘powered access equipment’. This tight specialisation, making for an exceptional customer experience, is one of the group’s competitive advantages.

“The customer-centric approach is supported by our unique model reflecting the company culture called the ‘Riwal Way’,” explains the group’s CEO Pedro Torres, who has been leading the group’s efforts towards higher efficiency

TVH - KEEPS YOU GOING.

TVH started as a small company in 1969, founded by two friends: Paul Thermote and Paul Vanhalst. More than 50 years later, TVH has become a parts specialist in the field of spare parts for material handling, industrial vehicles, construction and agricultural equipment, with more than 5000 employees worldwide.

With a database of over 46 000 000 item numbers, of which more than 930 000 different references are in stock, we supply to customers in 180 countries. TVH is committed to delivering all products and services to keep equipment running smoothly. You can always count on our technically skilled employees who offer you expert support in 55 languages, and we guarantee you 95% same-day shipments.

Our headquarters are located in Waregem, Belgium. Furthermore, there is a regional main office located in Kansas (US) serving the American market.

Via our webshop MyTotalSource, you can buy your spare parts and accessories online. For every reference, you can immediately see the price, lead time, stock, pictures and technical features.

In addition to our own brands such as TotalSource®, CAM attachments®, Energic Plus® and GemOne®, TVH also partners with a variety of top-quality brands.

In need of electronic components and services? We’ve got you covered thanks to our electronics department in Belgium (the largest service centre for electronic components for all types of electric vehicles in Europe) and subsidiary Flight Systems Industrial Products (US market).

In addition, TVH University offers practice-oriented technical training courses that ensure you can offer your customers the best service possible.

WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT US? WE OFFER PARTS FOR:

MATERIAL HANDLING EQUIPMENT

Whether goods are coming in or going out, your material handling equipment has to be up to the task.

• TVH is your one-stop shop for forklifts and maintenance. We are committed to being the world’s leading source of quality forklift replacement parts, accessories and technology.

• Are you in need of cost-effective parts and accessories for your warehouse equipment? Whether you manage a few pallet stackers or an entire fleet of reach trucks and order pickers, our aftermarket parts allow you to keep costs low and keep your warehouse equipment operating at peak productivity.

CONSTRUCTION EQUIPMENT

Small earth-moving equipment, mobile elevating work platforms and telehandlers in optimal condition result in uninterrupted digging, crushing, lifting ... Searching for the right parts to keep construction equipment in top condition? Look no further. We have what you need.

AGRICULTURAL EQUIPMENT

Harvesting equipment, tractors, telehandlers ... Every machine is subject to wear and tear. You can count on us for the parts and accessories that make maintenance a lasting success. Whatever the season or application: we keep your agricultural machinery up and running.

INDUSTRIAL EQUIPMENT

From container handling and tail lift parts, to ground support equipment, personnel & burden, and cleaning equipment, TVH got you covered.

WORKSHOP & WAREHOUSE SUPPLIES

Think hand pallet trucks, tools and consumables.

THE MANY BENEFITS OF TVH

• One-stop shop: more than 46 000 000 known references and over 930 000 different stock items

• Webshop & online support

• Customer support in 55 languages

and increased international presence over the last three years. An experienced senior professional in the international rental industry, Mr Torres joined Riwal as Regional Director for Southern Europe in 2012 and was later promoted to COO before becoming CEO in 2019.

He explains that the process of transformation is aimed at improving work methods, fully reflecting customers’ requirements and expectations.

“We took all processes apart, analysed them carefully and put them back together in a consistent manner in all countries.”

• Technically skilled employees

• Customers in more than 180 countries www.tvh.com

“In each country and each subsidiary, we appointed champions to share the group’s best practices, improve daily operations and follow processes through the Riwal Way, ensuring consistency based on common measures and performance improvement targets. The benefits have been remarkable. This uniform approach allows us to have the best practices implemented in all countries, creating maximum efficiency and customer focus.”

Pedro Torres, CEO, Riwal.

“The Riwal Way has truly become part of the company DNA – it has improved communication between the teams across the countries, enabled sharing of the best practice, and helped improve processes through the entire group,” says Mr Torres.

DIGITAL RECOGNITION

The Riwal Way is not the only system that has significantly contributed to improving the group’s internal and external performance. Mr Torres explains that Riwal has invested heavily in digitisation and has recently introduced an ERP system that should further promote customer relations and provide better solutions.

“Right now, we are completing the rollout of a single ERP system in all 15 countries. This has proven to be a massive benefit for the group, as we now have all the information related to both business performance and external market conditions covered under a single system.”

“This common ERP system and a high degree of automation are the basis for our Digital Strategy. We aim to digitise all processes, thus creating efficiency and customer value. A typical example is our My Riwal customer portal and app. This smart and easy-to-use tool makes customer interaction very efficient and effective and creates huge benefits for our clients.”

The use of My Riwal is growing rapidly among the company’s customers. The tool provides support throughout the rental process and allows for digital interactions (ordering, invoicing, machine tracking, documentation, project support, etc.). Also, machine data is presented, showing CO2 footprint, usage, fuel consumption etc. “We actively liaise with our clients to make sure that we keep developing My Riwal in line with evolving customer demands.”

“The most recent tool we offer is BIM (Business Information Modelling), to simulate projects with a unique 4D tool. This

enables optimal use of AWPs both during construction as well as during the maintenance lifespan of a building. Such tools can save huge costs for our customers.”

These digital efforts have brought the company international recognition – in 2021, Riwal was named the winner of the Digital Development Award at the 2021 International Awards for Powered Access (IAPA) for its full range of digital developments – My Riwal, BIM, Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality Training. And it has not stopped at that; the company is now working on an e-commerce solution to further enhance its customers’ experience, says Mr Torres.

SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS

Needless to say, Riwal’s current improvement efforts go hand in hand with its sustainability principles, aligned with the United Nations’ sustainability goals and the creation of a 2030 sustainability roadmap.

BRAVI PLATFORMS

Partnering with the Riwal Group since 2013, BRAVI PLATFORMS is an Italian company specialized in manufacturing and selling ultra-compact high-quality low-level access equipment successfully distributed in over 50 countries worldwide. One of the top selling products of the BRAVI range is the unique aerial vertical mast lift LEONARDO HD. Available in a dual Indoor/Outdoor version, weighing only 560 kg the LEONARDO HD lift is conceived to be the perfect fit to a wide and diversified range of applications in the low-level segment. Thanks to the perfect combo between ultra-compact footprint, 87mm ground clearance, spacious platform with dual extendable decks and superior robustness, LEONARDO HD is extremely performing especially in all those projects where spaces are often too congested to allow the use of scissors, but at the same time too dispersive to rely on non-powered solutions. A high degree of customizability combined with a careful selection of top-quality components, make the LEONARDO HD an unparalleled solution in the low-level access scenario. BRAVI’s vision and mission is developing and providing operators with pioneering and innovative low-level access solutions able to fit multiple sectors, contexts, and needs while ensuring the highest possible levels of efficiency, safety and comfort.

attractive performance

Be impressed by the Magni passion and know-how. The elegant lines of the iconic RTH range give life to machines with strength and style. These attractive machines incorporate cutting-edge technology, and incredible performance, to elevate the concept of the rotating telehandler to new heights.

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“Sustainability has been defined as one of the pillars of future growth. We have rolled out a programme in all countries to follow the UN sustainability goals. These include, for example, focus on staff health and wellbeing, improving the employee knowledge base, improving energy use and efficiency, and supporting employee diversity.”

“We offer unique electric solutions for a variety of electric machine types, whilst providing alternative fuel for our diesel machines, such as GTL or HVO biofuel,” continues Mr Torres, adding that in 2022 Riwal reached the Silver Level within the EcoVadis rating, and is aiming to reach the Platinum Level by 2025 across all subsidiaries. Again, the group’s efforts in the sustainability arena have not gone unnoticed –working in line with its Lifting Sustainability strategy, Riwal was declared the Winner of the Sustainability Award during the IAPA summit in 2022, certifying

its position as a sustainable leader in the international rental business.

INVESTING IN GROWTH

Despite current market uncertainties, further investment to grow the fleet as well as to improve market share is definitely in the pipeline, affirms Mr Torres, moving the company further up to the top of the sector in selected countries.

“We are not planning to enter new countries at the moment, but to focus on boosting the position where we are today as there is a clear potential for specialists like ourselves in several European countries.”

“Outside Europe, all eyes are on our subsidiary Manlift India, where growth over the next decade is expected to be massive. Manlift is a leader in the Indian access equipment rental sector and our recently introduced digital systems, which enable very strong business control of countries with different cultures, are set to further boost Riwal’s position.”

WE REVISIT EUROFINS FOOD TESTING UK TO DISCOVER HOW THE FIRM IS RESPONDING TO NEW CHALLENGES AND NEW OPPORTUNITIES.

TESTING TIMES

MANAGED BY: JOHN HOLLIMAN

Eurofins operates labs and centres of excellence across a global network, providing testing solutions for customers across the food and water, forensics, agri-science, and pharmaceutical sectors. When we last spoke with Mark Carnaghan, Managing Director of Eurofins Food Testing UK, the company was undergoing a period of tremendous growth but was also still navigating the fallout of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Last year we saw a rush in new product development activity leading to a surge in rapid turn-around nutritional testing following the opening up of the UK post-COVID,” Carnaghan says. “This has stabilised significantly as we enter a more normal rhythm of testing work with customers.”

However, as the industry is recovering from these challenges, new ones are already appearing.

“The food industry will remain strong with no imminent risk of further lockdowns however there is already a transition taking place as consumers look for cheaper solutions for their food consumption needs. In the face of this and other cost pressures on commodities, it’s as important as ever that the correct testing is done on products to satisfy due diligence

and food safety requirements,” Carnaghan tells us. “Businesses are increasingly judged on their ability to keep the public safe when they are consuming the products that they produce and sell. We, therefore, have to remain agile so we can provide the testing people need when they need it, whether that be for allergens, authenticity, or microbiology analysis.”

Carnaghan is realistic about the challenges facing the industry, but also the opportunities that exist alongside them.

“It’s quite a challenging market in the sense that there are a lot of competitors out there, but there is also a lot of opportunity for development and growth and sharing your USP to encourage people to want to work with you,” Carnaghan says.

Allergen testing based on the principle of the enzyme immunosorbent assay (ELISA), testing for 12 allergens including sesame, soya and gluten, with approximately 150-200 allergens tests are performed daily.

PROJECT

Last year when we talked with Carnaghan he told us Eurofins was establishing a new strategy built around three core pillars.

“We launched that strategy at the end of November last year, and it was well received by the whole team,” he tells us.

The first of these three core pillars is “Risk Partnership”, providing advice, data insight and consultancy support to underpin due diligence programmes. Then there is the pillar for “Turnaround Times”, regarding our efforts to achieve the best possible turnaround for lab results, and “Customer Service and Experience”, which will create best practices in how we interact with our partners.

“Through that new strategy and focus, we’ve won significant business within the seafood cluster of businesses in Grimsby as one example,” says Carnaghan. “Our reliability in service, local touchpoints and new case management tool for handling queries has rebuilt trust in the region and seen us more than double our turnover there. Cost optimisation in food manufacturing makes testing more important than ever.”

FOUNDATIONS OF FUTURE GROWTH

“We are building the foundations for future growth,” Carnaghan says of the company’s development strategy. “When we last talked, we were just moving into the Heathrow lab. That move is fully complete and has been really successful.”

Eurofins has also made two new acquisitions that best fit its capabilities and operations. The first business is Altair, based in Southwest Wales. It is a microbiology company that has given Eurofins the full reach across the mainland UK that it did not have before.

“That’s what our hub and spoke model is all about,” Carnaghan says. “We now have complete coverage with our regional lab network delivering

Our Analyst uses a pipette to transfer the final food sample extract from the pesticide multi residue method to a vial ready for instrument analysis.

on local insight and support, fast turnaround times and easy access to our main chemistry centre of excellence at Wolverhampton.”

Similarly, Eurofins has made an acquisition in Northern Ireland with a business called BioSearch, completing the company’s reach and access to new and current customers on the island of Ireland.

However, he is the first to admit that Eurofins is doing this in a challenging environment during unprecedented times.

“The costs of consumables, fuel for our network of refrigerated vans and utility costs at our laboratories have all gone up by unprecedented amounts,” Carnaghan acknowledges.

ROLLING WITH THE CHANGES

Eurofins has generated a number of responses to these circumstances, ranging from the innovative to the pragmatic.

“We have done our best to shield these from our customers but inevitably we are having to

pass elements of these on,” Carnaghan says. “However, we’re also pleased to be investing as well. Our first two electric vehicles joined our logistics fleet in April in the first step in our commitment to become fully electric by 2026. The team have really engaged with the initiative, and we are using data analytics to inform the next stages of our roll-out plan.”

It is a positive step, but also only the first in an ambitious process. The firm has a fleet of 61 vehicles with some collection routes exceeding 200 miles in one day and one over 400.

As well as costs, recruitment remains an ongoing effort to hire the best for Eurofins, as it does for many companies, but it is also one Carnaghan has a strategy in place for.

“Before the really big spike in inflation we decided to implement a pay and progression model for our staff,” he tells us. “Particularly for entry-level roles, we have seen quite a high turnover as people naturally focus on base pay. To combat this, we now have a situation whereby we can better recognise employees’ experience and additional skills by creating additional tiers of pay. We have a rolling training programme and conduct assessments every six months against set criteria to reward people as soon as they are eligible. Whilst the initiative is in its early days, we are hopeful that it will allow us to keep our workers for longer.”

A NEW DIRECTION

When we talk with Carnaghan it is clear that Eurofins has achieved a lot since we last looked at the company, but he is most excited when talking about what the company is working on for the future.

“We work with the University of Lincoln on regional food sector support activities, including collaboration on a deep dive to understand how we can assist the seafood industry in Northeast Lincolnshire through the UK Food Valley pilot (seafood sector) project”, Carnaghan says. “This has led to us engaging on various initiatives with the University through the UK Government’s Community Renewal Fund (CRF), including the provision of business-focused training in food quality, nutrition and compliance.”

Carnaghan believes the role of data will also be increasingly important in Eurofins’ future.

“I can see a future in threeto-five years where the industry has fully embraced data-driven solutions and transactional testing, while still needed, is only the starting point of what we should be offering,” he predicts. “We have a huge amount of data that could be highlighting the sectoral trends

and emerging risks of the future for our customer base.”

The company is also looking beyond core manufacturers and retailers at new potential clients, such as in the aquaculture and dairy industries. This is where Eurofins Food Testing UK benefits from being part of an international group.

“We have experts in Norway where they have a very strong relationship with aquaculture, and in Denmark with dairy farming. We can access and learn from that experience,” Carnaghan reflects.

With an extended period of a potential recession on the horizon, all clients are going to be looking at testing programmes to see if they need to be spending as much as they are.

“We want to target that spending, to offer the best value for money but also the best food safety standards for the end users, the people who eat the food,” Carnaghan says.

Mark Carnaghan, Managing Director of Eurofins Food Testing UK.

WITH 80,000 HECTARES OF LAND, BORD NA MÓNA IS INVESTING €2BN IN RENEWABLES TO SUPPORT 21ST-CENTURY LOW CARBON GENERATION FIT FOR 21ST-CENTURY DEMAND.

GREEN ENERGY INNOVATION & SUSTAINABILITY

PROJECT MANAGED BY: CHRIS CONWAY

Bord na Móna is on track to become the primary supplier of renewable electricity in Ireland. For most of the last century the company supplied indigenous fossil fuels to the energy sector, enhancing security of supply. A little over a decade ago the company decided to diversify its business model by adding two new divisions, including their renewable energy division, and is now recognised as one of the leading renewable energy companies in Ireland.

Bord na Móna is focused on an ambitious plan to help Ireland achieve net zero emissions by 2050. This involves the elimination of the use of ‘Móna,’ the Gaelic word for peat, from their fuel mix, breaking a near 80-year association with an indigenous fossil fuel that has served Ireland well.

EXPANDING AND RENEWING

Bord na Móna’s key asset is its land bank, previously used to mine milled peat. John Reilly, Head of Renewable Energy, refers to the land bank as “One of our greatest strategic assets because it provides us with the opportunity to deliver renewable energy assets on a significant scale. Some of the largest onshore windfarms

anywhere in Europe currently sit on our turf, with a typical installed capacity of 100MW. We have a number of sites under development which will have circa 300MW of wind and solar power co-located with storage technologies.”

This provides Bord na Móna with the ability to produce dispatchable zero carbon electricity, using a combination of renewable generation at scale, with flexible technologies and storage as back-up.

John Reilly is clear about the serious challenges that have accompanied the transition of the company into a renewable energy leader. “I have been with the company for 15 years now

John Reilly, Head of Renewable Energy, Bord na Móna.

A Shared History

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and I have witnessed some very significant changes in that period. Some of the steps we have had to take as we transitioned away from a fossil fuel, which was at our core for so long, were difficult. That business was a very significant employer regionally and closing the door on fossils was very difficult indeed, given the impact that decision had on employment levels. However, it was absolutely the right thing to do, ensuring as it did, the survival of the company as it shifts to cleaner, more sustainable forms of energy.” Bord na Móna’s precursor was the Turf Development Board, established in 1934 and the company has employed thousands of people across the midlands of Ireland during its near 100 years in operation. However, the transition away from peat has seen approximately 500 people leaving the organisation as the transition picked up pace in recent years. The good news is that employment numbers are now rising again, with the focus on climate solutions.

We’re building sustainability into how we work.

The energy transition sees Bord na Móna involved in the delivery of energy infrastructure, such as onshore wind, energy networks and power plants. The public’s acceptance of infrastructure is not always a given, so the planning process can be protracted and difficult. John Reilly refers to the importance of public engagement regarding the energy transition and the twin challenge of climate and energy security. Explaining the need to deliver energy infrastructure is paramount. ‘It can be an enormous challenge for us, but I like to think we’re constantly improving our approach to this important issue.”

“OUR STRATEGY IS TO BE CLOSE TO OUR CUSTOMERS,”

Bord na Móna directly employs 1,600 staff, with the business firmly back on a growth trajectory interest from apprentices and graduates seeking employment with the company is strong. Diversity and inclusion are key to a vibrant workforce and there are 25 different nationalities represented in the organisation today. Bord na Móna’s increasing online presence and the use of social media in its recruitment drives is proving successful.

John Reilly reflects “Careers in the renewable energy sector are extremely popular, with sustainability high on employees’ agendas. Working in

the sector gives a real sense of making a difference. But we are now competing for talent on a global scale in the sector, with hybrid working providing people with more choice in terms of how and where they work. Investing in our people is a key element of the strategy to attract and retain talent”

“Looking forward, we will expand our renewable energy business as we remove peat, a carbon-intensive fossil fuel, completely from our energy mix by 2023. Our growth trajectory will see our portfolio dominated by technologies such as offshore and onshore wind,

solar and biomass resulting in more than 90% of the energy we generate coming from renewables by 2025. We are beginning to focus on how we squeeze the last 10% of fossil fuels out of our business.” The intention is to ensure only gas, the cleanest fossil fuel, is used in the back-up flexible capacity which supports deployment of intermittent renewables.

Bord na Móna will then focus on decarbonising the gas which represents a massive challenge, but one the company is up for. Options such as biomethane/biogas and green hydrogen are being actively

considered. Green hydrogen will be produced using excess renewable electricity generated from its portfolio and decarbonising the gas used will ensure an abundant supply of clean, affordable, and reliable energy.

As the demand for green electricity grows, so will its portfolio, with an installed capacity of 3GW targeted by 2035. A recently announced partnership with Ocean Winds to develop off-shore wind capacity in Irish waters is central to that ambition. This expansion in capacity will see Bord na Móna invest over €2bn in new renewable assets and at the core of this strategy is the development of green energy parks on its landbank, where renewable generation can be co-located with 21st century

demand. Ireland is currently home to some of the biggest tech companies in the world, with many of the major players in the ICT sector globally having their European Head Quarters in Ireland. The company is keen to support the continued growth of the sector by helping to meet its energy needs in a secure, affordable, and sustainable manner. By evolving their energy park concept, they will guarantee customers a secure supply of carbon-free electricity. John Reilly “As we expand our renewable portfolio Bord na Móna hopes to have some of the biggest companies in the world securing their green energy supply from us. This is a key ambition for the business as we aim to make a difference and a positive contribution to the energy transition.”

“AS

Change is in the air

Bord na Móna is committed to green energy for the people of Ireland. We’re proud to help power a sustainable energy future for Irish communities through our renewable energy assets, including solar, wind, battery, and biomass. Surprised? Now you know we’re more than móna.

DAIRIBORD HAS BEEN SERVING THE ZIMBABWEAN DAIRY, BEVERAGES AND FOOD MARKET FOR 70 YEARS, AND IS ADAPTING TO A CHANGING MARKET ENVIRONMENT.

MORE THAN JUST MILK

PROJECT MANAGED BY: HAYDEN TURNER

Dairibord was originally a state enterprise founded in 1952, before becoming commercialised in 1994, and finally privatised and listed on the Zimbabwe Stock exchange on 15 September 1997. By this point, the company had already built itself a proud reputation, with a market footprint that encompassed sterilised, cultured and long-life milk, as well as products across the food business, including ice creams and yoghurt.

The company’s portfolio today plays host to a range of flagship brands including Chimombe and Steri milks, Lacto cultured milk, Yummy yoghurts, Dairibord Ice Creams, RabRoy condiments, and Lyons Peanut Butter. It also offers a selection of beverages, mainly non-alcoholic, noncarbonated and ready-to-drink dairy products, with key brands such as Cascade, Pfuko, Fun n Fresh, Quench and Aqualite Water.

The company manages four factories spread across the country, including a plant in the far east that specialises in long-life sterilised milk. In the capital city of Harare, Dairibord has two plants. One is focused on producing liquid milks, beverages, yoghurt and ice creams, while the other factory produces the popular Cascade brand as well as mayonnaise, tomato sauce and peanut

butter. On the periphery of the capital city in Chitungwiza, is the fourth factory which serves as the hub for the company’s fermented non- alcoholic beverage, Pfuko, and the Quench cordial.

“Dairibord’s presence is wide and deep in the market of Zimbabwe and the region beyond,” said Mercy Ndoro, Group Chief Executive of Dairibord. “We are exporting products into Zambia, Mozambique, Botswana, and making in-roads into South Africa.”

Ndoro puts the company’s success down to two key pillars - its human capital, and its highly recognised brands.

“We pride ourselves in producing durable and enduring brands, long-life brands with a very strong presence in the market,” Ndoro says. “We offer good quality and consistency in product and supply.”

Mercy Ndoro, Group Chief Executive, Dairibord.

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FILMATIC

Dairibord Zimbabwe is an innovative company, developing many Food & Beverage products during the last number of years and making a success of them all. Filmatic supplied packaging equipment to Dairibord since 1993 when we first commissioned a 12-head Rotary filler for milk packaging in plastic bottles with a screw cap. Now almost 30 years later we are still the trusted supplier for reliable bottle filling lines for Dairibord in Zimbabwe. Filmatic was involved in supplying production lines for maheu, mineral water, sterimilk, dairy blends and yoghurt. The business relationship has grown from strength to strength over the years with a high emphasis on after-sales support and trust. Filmatic has installed multiple production lines at Dairbord and has a presence in all the Dairbord factories.

We wish Mr Anthony Mandiwanza a happy and long retirement and Ms Mercy Ndoro best of luck in her new role as Group Chief Executive. Mr Mandiwanza is a visionary leader and a man of high integrity and will surely be missed. We would like to assure Ms Mercy Ndoro and the new leadership of Filmatic’s continued commitment in supplying only the best equipment and services.

We are very proud to be associated with many of the leading bottling companies in Zimbabwe and especially with Dairibord. May we continue to grow our businesses to the benefit of ALL. www.filmatic.com

THE HUMAN FACTOR

While the quality of the product is an essential ingredient to any business, Ndoro is the first to point out that Dairibord is a business that runs on people.

“Skills are a very important issue,” she insists. “We are broadening and deepening our skills base to ensure we have the best possible team. We have a strong research and development team, a department responsible for looking at our current products and into the future. We have a very strong team in the production area, and we continuously develop training programs at different levels of the organisation.”

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To maintain a strong skills base, it is also essential that human capital is continually renewed, and Dairibord is frequently recruiting from local universities and technical colleges, while occasionally hiring specialised skills from outside the country. The firm builds on that talent within the company as well.

“We have a vibrant manpower development program, developing skills through training programs via various partnerships,” Ndoro says. “At the Harare Institute of Technology, we assist in the development of specific training programs for people

“WE PRIDE OURSELVES IN PRODUCING DURABLE AND ENDURING BRANDS, LONG-LIFE BRANDS WITH A VERY STRONG PRESENCE IN THE MARKET.”

in production and engineering. We also conduct training programs for junior and middle management positions, with a master’s program for senior executives.”

Dairibord is not developing talent blindly, however. The company has made inclusivity a priority, particularly in terms of gender.

“When you look at our executive committee, 40% are women,” Ndoro says. “That is a deliberate development program for mainstreaming the gender issue.”

Indeed, Ndoro herself as a woman, is at the helm of the company, having taken over from Anthony Mandiwanza on 1 October 2022.

But at every level of the business, employees feel they are invested in the company through the firm’s equity participation scheme. Employees of Dairibord own 20% of the company through the Dairibord Employee Share Ownership Trust, to align shareholder and employee interests.

This is what has made Dairibord a household name. As Ndoro points out, “We’re proud to say that at every breakfast you must meet Dairibord!”

KEEPING THE MILK FLOWING

While Dairibord has a strong skills base to draw on, it has been facing other challenges, particularly in terms of supply chain issues. In recent years, the company has had to import both raw and packaging materials and milk powders, as milk demand has been exceeding supply.

“The first challenge is a shortage of milk,” Ndoro says. “At the peak of milk production in this country, we used to produce 260 million litres per annum. That has dropped to 80 million litres, with demand at 130 million litres. That gap is covered by powdered milk imports by various processors into Zimbabwe. Recently, the challenge has been

exacerbated by the problems in Europe in terms of the cost of imports and their turnaround time. This has severely affected us.”

It is a serious challenge, but one that Zimbabwe is already rising to take on. Across the country, milk production has grown by 18% this year. Meanwhile, Ndoro is employing new tactics to keep its interim supply chain going.

“We mitigate against the cost of importing polymers and powdered milk by generating as much foreign currency in our portfolios as possible, to let us procure those materials in adequate volumes,” she says.

“WE’RE PROUD TO SAY THAT AT EVERY BREAKFAST YOU MUST MEET DAIRIBORD!”

Ndoro sees a bright future for the company. Dairibord has a strong footprint in the market, a robust supply chain, and a partnership program with largerscale commercial providers to ensure it can continue to meet demand.

“Beverages make up 60% of our business. We are particularly excited about some of our beverages brands,” Ndoro says. “Pfuko and Cascade are making huge inroads in the country and the region. Across South Africa,

Zambia, Mozambique, and Botswana, our products are in demand.”

The company has positioned itself to tap new opportunities as they arise, investing in equipment to boost capacity on the processing and the packaging side. The foods and beverages portfolios of the business are both seeing investment and new equipment, with forecasts of between 20 and 30% volume growth across Dairibord’s product range.

“A repertoire of economic measures have been deployed to arrest the challenges we’re facing and we’re beginning to feel some semblance of stability,” Ndoro says. “We’re excited that we have plans to grow our brands, initially through penetration and then later looking at physical presence in some identified markets.”

“BEVERAGES MAKE UP 60% OF OUR BUSINESS. WE ARE PARTICULARLY EXCITED ABOUT SOME OF OUR BEVERAGE BRANDS.”

BREWING SUCCESS

PROJECT

MANAGED BY: JOHN HOLLIMAN

The famous Mombasa Tea Auction, run by the East Africa Tea Trade Association, is the biggest in the world, based in Kenya, the world’s biggest exporter of tea. Every tea company in Africa sends its produce there. And yet it is Rwanda Mountain Tea that will typically sell the highest or second-highest volume of tea there.

In general, Rwanda has a high quality of tea compared to other tea factories in the region, thanks to our high altitude,” says Michael Muhumuza, Marketing Manager of Rwanda Mountain Tea. “We are known as the country of a thousand hills. Most of our tea factories are between 1,500 and 2,000 feet above sea level.”

The company’s slogan is “Where quality makes a difference,” and it is not hard to see the difference it has made. When Muhumuza joined the company 11 years ago, 97% of Rwanda Mountain Tea’s produce was going to auction.

CONSISTENTLY HIGH-QUALITY

Today the company’s biggest buyers are from the UK. It is in many ways a preferable business model. At auction even if the tea is high quality, an auction can sometimes lead to a low price.

“With private direct sales, you can talk to customers directly, send samples, then have a direct discussion about how much the tea is worth,” Muhumuza points out. “We usually get a bit higher than the auction and can put the price up if we are facing challenges such as low volumes.”

One of Rwanda Mountain Tea’s biggest customers in the UK is Taylors of Harrogate, the firm behind the Yorkshire Tea brand, both at auction and directly.

“As time went by and they saw our quality was consistent, they started to buy more and more,” Muhumuza says. “We have started selling contracts to guarantee the buyer 50 tons a month.”

Of course, maintaining that level of quality is a challenge, and there is no room for error.

“Our biggest challenge is maintaining that quality,” Muhumuza tells us. “In the tea industry, we have found most

WE LEARN HOW RWANDA IS PROVING TO BE THE PREMIER SOURCE OF QUALITY TEA LEAVES.

of the buyers of tea go by the reputation of the tea. If your quality falls the buyers will immediately say the quality has been downgraded and stop buying it and it takes a very long time to build that back up. I work in marketing and sales; our selling point is our quality so that is very important.”

To maintain the level of quality that has informed Rwanda Mountain Tea’s reputation, you need to start at the beginning.

“With tea, the most important thing is the beginning. There is a whole process going from plucking to delivering the plucked leaves to the factory, but the plucking is the most important part,” Muhumuza insists. “To maintain quality, we have to pluck well, and to pluck well there are standards they have to meet.”

This means ensuring pluckers are well incentivised and trained, while building schools, clinics, and daycare centres to support their communities. Plucking is done early in the day, and then leaves are transported to the factory and processed, all within the space of 18 to 24 hours.

“We have to make sure they pluck properly and transport the leaves properly. If the road is bad and they are in a tractor shaking a bit to crush the leaves, drying up the water in them and making the leaves dry,” Muhumuza warns us. “Once the whole process is complete, the tea is put in sacks, those sacks are put in containers, which go to Kigali once they leave the factory. There we prepare the documentation needed to process it. That is where we

come in. We will get the truck, do the paperwork, and give it back to the driver.”

Leaves are not just transported in bulk, however. At every stage of the tea supply chain, the most important question, naturally, is one of taste.

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A MATTER OF TASTE

“We use samples for everything. No tea is ever bought without the buyer tasting the tea. Even in the office, we have samples everywhere,” Muhumuza says.

“We keep them for reference and have tasters at the factory and in Kigali. I have done a bit of tasting myself, but I am no match for our real specialists.”

Before Rwanda’s tea industry was privatised in 2005, the company did not have an abundance of experts in tea tasting. Building up that talent pool has taken investment.

“We bring people in to train from Kenya, which has been in tea for 100 years and is the biggest exporter in the world,” Muhumuza says. “That is how we trained people in the factories originally, but now they have done that for so long that we have our experts going to train people in different places. We send them to Mombasa to taste different teas, just in general to get an idea of what the difference in taste is. Most of our tasters are young people, with the highestscoring guys from universities

“OUR BIGGEST CHALLENGE IS MAINTAINING THAT QUALITY. IN THE TEA INDUSTRY, WE HAVE FOUND MOST OF THE BUYERS OF TEA GO BY THE REPUTATION OF THE TEA.”

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here in Rwanda. We bring them in and train them when they finish school.”

GROWING PROSPECTS

Talent is not the only area where Rwanda Mountain Tea is growing. The firm manages eight tea factories across Rwanda, and over the last ten years, the company has seen a great deal of growth.

“When I started, we managed five factories, three of them ours and two of them shared with an Indian company, Jay Shree Tea,” Muhumuza tells us. “We have built two more factories from scratch and acquired an eighth this year in August.”

Rwanda has had tea factories since the 1950s and 60s, but until recently the industry was nationalised. In 2005 the government decided to privatise the tea sector, selling

tea factories to shareholders and private companies.

“In 2020 we completely bought out the two tea companies we owned with Jay Shree Tea, so now we own all of our tea factories, even though we manage them,” Muhumuza explains.

As the company has expanded, so has demand, and the market has fundamentally changed as Rwanda has become a global contender in the tea industry.

“We have expanded quite a bit, and like I said, in terms of buying tea factories in Rwanda that is not a possibility anymore. People have seen the high quality of the tea Rwanda produces and the money they make. Nobody is looking to sell,” Muhumuza points out. “I would say now the only thing left is building, which we have done. We have built two factories from scratch, and if we

want to continue to expand, I think the government would have to allow us to build more.”

At the same time, Rwanda Mountain Tea sees potential outside Rwanda’s borders.

“We have investigated buying tea factories in other countries. Kenya knows the value of tea, they will not be selling, but we have had an interest in West Africa,” Muhumuza says. “The quality is not as good, and the factories are outdated. We will need to buy new machines and build a new factory.”

But with the knowledge Rwanda has grown at home, Rwanda Mountain Tea is ready to export its success.

“Talk to anyone about tea in Rwanda they will think quality,” Muhumuza says. “We’re in a good space, we need to maximise in terms of production.”

UK-based Beds & Bars is a growing chain of hospitality venues that has survived the challenging circumstances of the past two years and is ready to flourish again with record-breaking results. The recipe for success? Motivated and committed staff, providing an exceptional experience for customers, says company CEO Keith Knowles, OBE.

At the core of what we do are the four cornerstones of the experience we strive to deliver – one that is Safe, Secure, Fun and Value for Money. When we get this right, the beds fill the bars and the bars fill the beds.”

The business has grown from running a few pubs to a major operator of low-cost accommodation facilities. Keith himself joined the original

business of three London pubs owned by his father at the age of 17. Keith then diversified and expanded the hostel business with a focus on backpacker travellers – and that’s when Beds and Bars was born. Over the last two decades, the original model of 50-beds above a pub has evolved into a concept that involves bespoke buildings with more than 500 beds.

Keith Knowles OBE, CEO, Beds & Bars.

STRESS FREE IT

At Proximitum

of us are now working,

The group today operates 23 backpacker hostels with a number of franchises across Europe, spanning 10 cities and 8 countries with over 800 employees. As a result, Beds & Bars has been featured in the Sunday Times Top 100 fastestgrowing companies in the UK. In 2017, Keith was awarded an OBE recognising his services to the community and charity.

THE HUMAN TOUCH

Keith firmly believes that it has been a strong focus on people that has enabled the company to survive the pandemic lockdowns, and 2022 has demonstrated even more the value of having a motivated group of people delivering the brand and the product.

“We are very open about the business’s performance and share that information with our people so that they can track the performance of the group as a whole as well as of their unit and that’s very motivational.”

“People are not buying alcohol, they’re not buying a bed for the night. They’re buying an experience so we set up our business to deliver those experiences. We seek to enhance, develop and enrich our team and our customers alike. We never lose sight of the important people in our lives.”

He points out that the company has introduced programmes to engage and develop its workforce, including ‘Employee of the Month, Quarter and Year ‘ with cash rewards, a ‘Buddy Scheme’ and ‘Rising Stars’ for future leaders. A number of specific, unique training programmes have been developed to evaluate individuals’ skills, strengths and weaknesses to put them in the right place to develop and grow. Beds & Bars also organises regular incentives and trips

away and provides free mental health support, counselling and care.

THE RISING STARS

Beds & Bars encourages staff to take responsibility and grow within the group. A good example, but just one of many, is the Group Director of Sales and Marketing, Sophie Herbert. 11 years ago, she started as an intern in the Paris venue, and now runs a team from head office, which is, in fact, not called ‘Head Office’ but ‘Central Support’ – a self-explanatory term, again showcasing the company’s attitude to its staff.

“If you’re willing to work hard, learn, go the extra mile, there are opportunities for everyone in the hospitality sector to grow with the business, and grow enormously. I’ve got three people on my board that started work in a junior capacity. I like that. We really do invest in our people’s development. Externally, we’ve succeeded in being awarded back-to-back Platinum Investors in People three times: no other hospitality company has achieved that.”

Sophie Herbert highlights another important aspect of Beds & Bars – its staff are actively involved in the development of the business. “We listen to our people and take their views seriously, and assess how these could be implemented within our training strategy, our work-life balance strategy, and also our business improvement strategy. We do not just listen, we try to put our employees’ ideas into practice.”

She explains that ideas that come up frequently relate to sustainability. “We’ve always been mindful of sustainability but we know we can definitely be better. We have now set up a sustainability board that meets every month, and defined a plan

to roll out certain new practices, all of which are instant moneysavers, but also support sustainability goals such as reducing our waste, water and energy consumption.”

THE RIGHT PRODUCT

Looking back, Keith can rightfully feel proud. “We started as a family business with three pubs and now we have 23 different units providing 1.2 million bed-nights with an average occupancy over 90%. We’ve built and developed a solid brand – when we opened in Vienna recently, the brand delivered 92% occupancy within six weeks of opening.”

When asked about the future, he says: “We can expand within the areas where we currently are, but we also see new

opportunities across Europe – in Madrid, Lisbon, Porto or Rome. We can play the long game. We’re not corporately owned. We’re a family business, we can maintain a pace that we’re comfortable with.”

He affirms that the company is also constantly re-assessing the product and the brand, thinking about innovations and improvements, and does not shy away from looking for inspiration, energy and thoughts within its own workforce.

“We have the foundation stones that everybody knows - Safe, Secure, Fun and Value. We have an absolute belief in what we do. Employing people with the right attitude, the right soul and staying true to our values, will move the business forward.”

US-BASED LIST LABS HAS PARTNERED WITH KOREAN GENOME & COMPANY TO CREATE A GLOBAL MICROBIOME RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT, AND MANUFACTURING POWERHOUSE.

FOR A HEALTHIER WORLD

PROJECT MANAGED

Living inside every person are trillions of microorganisms — bacteria, viruses, fungi, and other life forms collectively known as the microbiome. Novel therapeutics using living microorganisms known as live biotherapeutic products, also known as LBP, derived from the microbiome, are being developed to prevent, treat, or cure a disease or condition, such as neurodegenerative, psychiatric, and gut disorders, infertility, infections, and cancer.

Arecognised expert in this field is Californiabased List Biological Laboratories Inc. (List Labs), a microbiome contract development and manufacturing organisation (CDMO) with a proven track record over several decades. Last year, List Labs was acquired by Genome & Company, a South Korean developer of innovative drugs and novel target immune checkpoint inhibitors. The acquisition significantly expands Genome & Company’s competence.

List Labs, together with its recently established sister company List Biotherapeutics, will provide an end-to-end development and manufacturing solution for all stages of clinical trials and commercialization for microbiome-derived live biotherapeutic products. This evolution has been supported by a major investment in a brand-new 130,000-squarefoot contract manufacturing

BY: RASH UDDIN

organisation (CMO) facility in the Fishers Life Science and Innovation Park in Indiana.

“Our objective with the investment for this new facility is to manufacture live biotherapeutic products for Phase 3 clinical trials and for commercial use,” said Jonathan Yongwan Jo, President of List Biotherapeutics. “With that investment, we aim to become the market leader and premier CMO to bring LBPs to market, leveraging List Lab’s 40-plus years of experience and expertise in the industry.”

SERVING THE GLOBAL RESEARCH COMMUNITY

Founded in California in 1978 by Linda Shoer, List Labs supports biotechnology companies in the microbiome space through process development and cGMP manufacturing of live biotherapeutics for early-stage clinical trials. List Labs is also well known for its high-quality reagentgrade products and offers a

Jonathan Yongwan Jo, President and CEO of List Biotherapeutics.

Delivering success at the speed of science

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DPS - COLLABORATIVE DESIGN PARTNERS

DPS Group is proud to serve as the design partner with the new venture, List Bio, as they continue to push the frontiers of drug development and manufacturing. Their products will impact various illnesses utilizing live biotherapeutics derived from the microbiome.

DPS led List Bio through programming and facility design for their new 130,000 sq.-ft. manufacturing, lab, and office building located in The Fishers Science & Innovation Park in Fishers, Indiana. Programming was done virtually with List Bio’s international stakeholders, and key conversations with global process equipment vendors were led by DPS, as obtaining the equipment can take up to two years due to market demand.

In this climate, it’s critical now more than ever to work with a trusted EPCMV partner who can focus on minimizing costs, exceeding project schedule expectations, and building strong relationships to quickly and effectively work through construction challenges such as material availability, changing market demands, and labor shortages.

“Communication is always a challenge to project success. Success to the design firm is an operational facility, but to our clients, it may be employee safety, or the first impression of the company culture as their employees pull into the parking lot. Without a clear vision, open dialogue, and trust, we cannot become a highperforming team” says Sandra Bachamp, DPS Group’s Director of Engineering in their Kansas City office. “List Bio challenges our team continuously to think outside our normal deliverables and focus on adding value. We are leveraging our learnings from big pharma facility design to minimize risk without overbuilding

and reducing complexity. Sometimes this means pushing back where compromise is not an option, but often it means digging a little deeper and taking the path less travelled.”

As a full-service design firm, DPS provided integrated architecture, mechanical, electrical, instrumentation and controls, and process engineering services on the project. DPS partnered with local civil/site, core and shell architects, and structural engineers. DPS understands the criticality of meeting cGMP requirements to ensure patient safety while balancing facility costs for a start-up company.

“DPS facilitated a collaborative process that effectively guided our team through the phases of project development to design our first manufacturing facility. They actively listened to our team, and their in-house expertise and market knowledge were vital to the success of our project,” said Jongmin Paek, Chief Manufacturing Officer of List Biotherapeutics Inc.

DPS is a full-service engineering, procurement, construction management, validation (EPCMV), and consulting firm committed to serving the life sciences. DPS applies its extensive process engineering expertise built over 47 years, as well as significant Lean construction experience to assist its clients. What sets the firm apart are the partnerships it builds with clients through a fundamental understanding of their businesses and its own agility, flexibility, original thinking and high-caliber people.

DPS has grown substantially in recent years and now employs more than 2,850 people in 18 offices. For more information, visit www.dpsgroupglobal.com

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catalogue of over 100 bacterial reagent products including toxins, peptides, antibodies, and lipopolysaccharides, used in medical research and vaccine development throughout the world.

Stacy Burns-Guydish, President List Labs, describes how the company developed from a one-woman business to its prominent position today: “Harnessing bacteria’s potential for a healthier world has been the purpose of the company from the very beginning, and describes not only our history but our future too.”

She explains that Linda Shoer, the company founder, manufactured the first product, cholera toxin, and then grew the business with a commitment to developing high-quality bacterial products and toxins that served a scientific need. Due to the company’s botulinum toxin expertise, List Labs assisted several commercial manufacturers, including the largest, with the development and manufacturing process for botulinum neurotoxin for aesthetic and therapeutic use.

The history of working on botulinum toxin had an unexpected benefit as well:

as List Labs employees are vaccinated against the botulinum toxin, they produce antibodies which circulate in their plasma. These can be used to create a therapeutic called BabyBIG® for infants with botulism. As there are so few people vaccinated against this toxin, this puts List Labs personnel in a rare position to donate a priceless gift. “Since licensure of BabyBIG® in 2003, over 2100 infant botulism patients have been treated. “Many of our employees are active donors and we support them in their time commitment to this worthy cause,” says Stacy.

The manufacture of botulinum toxin drug product gave the company its first experience with GMP manufacturing, and ultimately, List Labs began producing its own GMP Lipopolysaccharide – a product which is the only source of GMP LPS for clinical trials. Realising that List Labs’ extensive experience with a variety of bacterial organisms could be applied to the microbiome space, the company became one of the first to manufacture a live biotherapeutic product that went into clinical trials.

Observation of anaerobic growth on an agar plate in the internal HEPA filtered anaerobic chamber for preparation of master cell banks.

Operators prepare List Labs’ new 500L single use reactor for cultivation of a live biotherapeutic product.

THE PERFECT SYNERGY

“With List Lab’s CDMO focused on live biotherapeutics, we expanded our production capacity with a 500L single-use reactor to support clients through Phase 2 clinical trials. However, our aspiration was to provide an end-to-end solution for our clients through Phase 3 and commercial manufacturing. We saw that there was an opportunity as there was not a lot of availability for latestage clinical manufacturing for live biotherapeutics,” says Stacy.

This synergy was found with Genome & Company. At the end of December 2021, Genome & Company bought a majority share in List Labs and invested in the expansion via the establishment of a new provisional sister company, List Biotherapeutics.

The planned investment of more than $125M in a new manufacturing facility, laboratory, and office space in the city of Fishers, Indiana, set to be commissioned by the end of 2024, will make the company one of a kind. The facility will have four process trains each with 2000L volume capacity, where List Biotherapeutics will manufacture live biotherapeutic products, and other microbiomederived products for late-stage clinical trials.

Preparation of 10L fermenter for scale up development of a live biotherapeutic product.

BIOENGINEERING AG - TURNING PLANTS INTO ASSETS

HOW CAN YOU RECOGNIZE ENGINEERING EXCELLENCE?

In the case of Bioengineering AG, it’s quite simple: wherever in the world the characteristic blue shines between gleaming stainless steel, people start to rave. ‘Of course, we build the most beautiful plants in the world,’ says Bioengineering CEO Marc Bachmann. ‘This reflects our love for every last detail and our passion in all project phases, from planning to implementation.’

Headquartered in the heart of Europe, near Zurich (Switzerland), Bioengineering AG is known as one of the pioneers in producing plant systems in the pharmaceutical, chemical, and food industries. With the two production facilities covering a total area of more than 21’000 ft2 and the subsidiaries in China, India, Korea, Europe and the USA, Bioengineering AG has evolved into a wellestablished global company, specialized in bioreactor and fermentation systems for cell cultivation and microbial systems.

The global experience in engineering, design, and production of bioreactors, fermenters, media tanks, CIP units and the respective piping systems build a strong foundation.

‘As system supplier, we can be a real gamechanger for our customers,’ highlights Bachmann.

This is particularly evident in our collaboration with international start-ups, for example in the food sector. With innovative process engineering, excellent automation and unrivaled project management, Bioengineering AG is a reliable partner for successfully implementing innovative ideas - while protecting highly sensitive IP.

‘Every plant from Bioengineering AG is a valuable asset,’ says CEO Bachmann. ‘With our expertise, we are able to offer our customers multi-layered support to make the most efficient use of these corporate assets.’ The interplay of experience and innovative spirit enables individualized solutions.

‘We are shaped by 50 years of constant change. We have learned to listen carefully and develop far-sighted solutions together that pay off for everyone,’ says Bachmann.

This approach also convinced Trevor Douthat, Procurement Specialist of the global DPS Group. For the brand-new facility of List Biotherapeutics, Inc. (List Bio) in Fishers, Indiana (USA), he selected Bioengineering AG as an evaluated supplier. Ramping up projects like this from scratch, perfectly illustrate the managed process behind the term ‚customized plant system‘. Following a presentation of project scope and timeline for a new production fermenter equipment (while matching the expected lead time), Bioengineering AG entered into a process of compelling meetings, both technical and strategic discussions, and requirement clarifications with its industry partners DPS group and List Biotherapeutics, Inc.

‘It is crucial for us to closely involve our clients in project implementation,’ says CEO Bachmann. Continued optimization of the requirements profile as well as a shared understanding of functionality is part of continuous risk minimization.

‘Our customers have trusted us for decades because we focus on the three most important topics: Quality, budget and time,’ says Bachmann.

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Jonathan says: “We are wrapping up the basis of design, and also working on the engineering infrastructure to prepare for the construction.”

He explains that Fishers, Indiana is conveniently located in the vicinity of big pharma companies such as Eli Lilly, as well as CDMO companies such as Catalent. Another advantage is the proximity of universities such as Purdue University that may provide the required talent, in line with the company’s plans to eventually recruit over 200 people.

GROWING TO SERVE

“Microbiome-derived therapeutics is a burgeoning new field that began with the use of donorderived faecal microbial transplantation followed by the use of single live bacteria or a consortium of bacteria as a live biotherapeutic product. Companies are also now specifically targeting the proteins that elicit the therapeutic effect,” says Stacy. “List Labs has a wealth of experience purifying native bacterial proteins throughout its history so we are poised for this transition in the space too.”

“WE AIM TO BECOME THE MARKET LEADER AND PREMIER CMO TO BRING LBPS TO MARKET, LEVERAGING LIST LAB’S 40-PLUS YEARS OF EXPERIENCE AND EXPERTISE IN THE INDUSTRY.”

List Labs President, Stacy Burns-Guydish, in a meeting with staff.

Speaking about the future under the parent company, Stacy affirms that List Labs will continue to support the design of the Fishers facility in Indiana, as well as the expansion of its own workforce and capacity at the Campbell, California facility. “We are excited about increasing our Phase 1 and 2 capacities to 500L, making upgrades to our QC laboratories, and bringing innovative process and analytical equipment that will enhance our unique capabilities in the live biotherapeutic space.”

On behalf of List Bio, Jonathan describes a wider vision. “Obviously, right now, my attention is mostly focused on building the new facility in Indiana, but we are planning to grow further, both organically and by acquisition. We have a bigger dream – we want to become a global microbiome CDMO. In the future, we will expand further, possibly overseas, so that we can achieve that dream.”

Preparation of four 1L bioreactors for fermentation process development.

Cultivation of a live biotherapeutic product organism in the 150L total volume stainless steel vessel.

Medland Hospital is a private health facility in Lusaka, Zambia designed to serve as a healthcare hub for the entire region. “We provide specialised medical services not offered by the private sector in the region, mainly cardiovascular surgery, but also advanced orthopaedic surgery and surgical oncology,” says the hospital’s CEO, Dr Mohamed El Sahili. “We primarily serve the landlocked countries in the region, of which Zambia is a hub.”

The hospital was established in 2014 but became operational and open to the public in August 2019. The

hospital had been open only a few months before it faced a trial-by-fire in the form of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Covid-19 was announced as a pandemic in February 2020, six to seven months after our official opening,” Dr El Sahili recalls. “During the pandemic, we played a major role not only in assisting and tending to patients but also in addressing issues related to screening, vaccination and setting up guidelines that helped on a continent level.”

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INFLUENCE OF LIGHT ON PREMATURE BABIES

Most people find it difficult to sleep in the presence of bright light. Formerly however, despite this, the most vulnerable patients, the premature babies in neonatal intensive care units, were often exposed to continuous bright light. Even as late as the 1980s, a light intensity of 600 to 1,000 lux was generally accepted,1 which is equivalent to the harsh lighting in a TV studio.

stronger lighting during the day as compared to nighttime, which is not taken into account with continuous dim lighting practices.

Moreover, a study of mice showed that light in the uterus promoted foetal eye development.9 The explanation for this finding is that the visual pigment melanopsin is already created before birth. Experiments presented by a research team surrounding Richard Lang from the Cincinnati Children‘s Hospital Medical Center found that in the darkness of the uterus the pigment can ”recognise” whether it is bright ”outside”. If no light signals reach the uterus, this can lead to impaired vision or blindness.

In addition, there is another completely different aspect to continuous dim lighting that has to be taken into consideration: the effect of the light on hospital staff and the parents. A certain minimum level of light makes it easier for the staff to carry out their work. It is also sometimes necessary – for instance when detecting neonatal jaundice – to reliably measure the baby‘s skin colour, which makes it essential to have light of sufficient intensity and colour. As for the parents, there are explicit indications that not only the stress, but also the artificial light, can lead to sleep disorders among family members if they spend nights in the neonatal unit.10 Similarly, there may be detrimental effects on the staff’s sleeping patterns.

A COMPLEX TOPIC

PROTECTION FROM INTENSE LIGHT

Nowadays, people are aware that premature babies need a light environment that promotes their development and understand that intense light should be avoided. This applies not only to babies born before the 32nd week of gestation, who are especially at risk because their pupillary light reflex has not yet developed, but to all premature babies. Several studies have shown that a supportive light environment reduces the level of cortisol, extends sleep duration, stimulates the release of growth hormones, and encourages the early development of a circadian rhythm2, 3 . Continuous bright lighting is therefore detrimental to premature babies. But what is the alternative? Three different approaches are found in common practice: first, a cyclical light exposure regimen, usually with a nighttime phase and daytime phase of 12 hours each; second, dimmed lighting so the light is turned down whenever the premature baby is asleep; and third, a continuously dimly lit environment.

CYCLICAL LIGHT EXPOSURE IS ESPECIALLY BENEFICIAL

• Several studies have shown that cyclical light exposure imitating the circadian sleep-wake rhythm is the most beneficial and can even shorten the length of stay in the hospital. Amongst other things, it has positive effects on systems including vital parameters and hormone regulation. Additional reasons:

• Guyer et. al.4 reported that premature babies exposed to cyclical lighting had longer nighttime sleep periods than those exposed to dimmed light.

• Borniger et al. found in animal experiments that even low lighting of 5 lux at nighttime resulted in increased anxiety-like behaviour and delayed growth.5

• Exposure to cyclical light also significantly reduces crying and agitation in very small premature babies (30.6 ± 0.95 weeks), while simultaneously showing faster weight gain and greater daytime activity for these babies (in comparison to those exposed to dimmed light).6

• Furthermore, in any case, a neonate‘s eyes are not yet fully developed, but the eyes of premature babies are even more so underdeveloped. A baby cannot even open its eyes until about the 26th week of pregnancy. Following this time, the type and intensity of visual stimuli affect the development of visual acuity, colour vision, growth of the eyeball and retina development.7

DIMMED LIGHTING AS AN ALTERNATIVE METHOD?

Morag and Ohlsson reported that continuous dim light clearly had similar disadvantages to continuous bright light8: the underlying idea – that it is also dark in the uterus – does indeed appear obvious to start with. Nevertheless, a foetus also experiences a rhythm due to increased activity, higher noise levels and also

All these indications suggest unequivocal benefits from exposure to cyclical light. Accordingly, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has issued clear recommendations for introducing cyclical light in neonatal intensive care units. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists also recommends this type of light practice. Furthermore, the light source should be infinitely adjustable within the range of 10 to 600 lux and the area for each patient should be equipped with spotlights for individualised lighting. However, it is not always easy to implement the recommendations in day-to-day clinical practice. Amongst other challenges, it is not very easy to estimate how much light the premature babies are actually exposed to. A large number of aspects have to be taken into consideration.

For example, the direction of a light source plays a major role – it should never be shining directly into the baby‘s face. It is also relevant whether the device being used is open or closed. Even the thickness of the device’s walls has an influence because it determines how the light is refracted.

Another consideration is the device cover which restricts the influence of the light from above far more than it restricts light from above far more than it restricts light from the side. However, if no cover protection is provided, the light will affect the premature baby‘s eyes less when it is lying on its side than when it is on its back.7

In other words, if the premature baby is lying in a darkened room in an incubator with a cover, the best position for the baby is on its back. If the incubator does not have a cover, the best position for the baby is on its side.

And finally, not all covers are the same. The thicker and darker the cover, the better it is at reducing the amount of light. Then there are sleep masks which reduce the amount of light considerably better than covers do.

All these aspects show that determining the lighting conditions for premature babies is more complex than it appears at first. However, at the same time, it is very important for the development of these tiny patients that this topic be tackled in order to give them the best possible start in life.

AN AGILE APPROACH

Medland Hospital was well equipped for the outbreak, with a 72-bed capacity, excluding its ancillary services.

“Our vision focused on healthcare in terms of accessibility, affordability and agility,” El Sahili tells us.

Agility is a new addition to the company’s vision, included following the events of the pandemic to build on its readiness for changing circumstances.

“If you look at our success stories- we had the highest capacity in intensive care beds in a private facility in the region,” El Sahili tells us. “But as we were hit by many infection waves in a row, we began implementing a hybrid approach. This means the patient does not go to ICU, the ICU comes to the patient. It meant our capacity went from eight ICU beds to 18 ICU beds.”

El Sahili’s outlook is that equipment is easy to buy- the essential ingredient is a team of colleagues that work hand-inhand and understand the vision and mission of the facility.

“It requires a management team that knows how to plan, how to be responsible, whether emergency preparedness was planned or not,” El Sahili insists. “At a time of crisis, the leadership has to be agile and to think outside the box. It also needs an environment that believes in a collegiate mindset, not a competitive mindset.”

Medland Hospital prioritises proper channels of communication, not only with the public sector but also with its colleagues in the private sector, including lab institutions, insurance companies, and treatment centres.

Dr Mohamed El Sahili, CEO, Medland Hospital.

But while Medland Hospital has come to appreciate the importance of agility in response to the pandemic, it is not fair to say it was unprepared when the pandemic first hit.

“Prior to the opening, we had put in place an emergency preparedness plan. We didn’t expect a pandemic, but even before the announcement of the pandemic we had already decided to go into our emergency action plan where we immediately secured a proper supply chain to overcome any disruption,” El Sahili says. “We immediately allocated the marketing budget and other unnecessary budgets in times of crisis to the supply chain budget. We started looking into enrolling our staff in e-learning programmes. We followed the course of the crisis to see what the best course of action was and introduced strong, robust PCR training for our lab technicians.”

LESSONS LEARNED

Medland also established an outreach programme aimed at increasing screening and vaccination capacity, while reorganising its facilities to halt the spread of infection while continuing to serve other patients.

“We kept a clear divide between the green and red zone, with a yellow zone in between to keep providing those services that are

“AT A TIME OF CRISIS, THE LEADERSHIP HAS TO BE AGILE AND TO THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX. IT ALSO NEEDS AN ENVIRONMENT THAT BELIEVES IN A COLLEGIATE MINDSET, NOT A COMPETITIVE MINDSET.”

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not available anywhere else,” El Sahili points out. “We wanted to keep doing cardio surgeries and hip replacements for people who are not Covid positive.”

Covid was undeniably a crisis, it has impacted Medland financially, and during the worst parts of the pandemic, nobody knew when it might end. But throughout the experience, El Sahili focused on what could be learned from the disaster.

“We looked at it from the perspective, what can we take out of this?” he says. “Before Covid, we thought telemedicine would be a difficult task, but we implemented that. We have been diagnosing people from home and this approach has succeeded, and we are looking at different telehealth and telemedicine methods.”

El Sahili also points to the trust that has been built in Medland Hospital as a new facility throughout the pandemic, not just from Zambia but neighbouring countries as well.

“When people were trapped in a country or region and unable to access healthcare outside of that region, they couldn’t just fly out, they had to rely on existing facilities,” El Sahili says. “This has facilitated and accelerated the relationship and trust between ourselves, our patients and our communities.”

EMPOWERING PARTNERS

This is why during Covid, Medland Hospital has gone into partnership with private insurance companies to create the “Medland Scheme” to take care of patients. People are still enrolling in it today. It is another example of the atmosphere of cooperation that Medland Hospital fosters.

“We believe our role is not only providing medical services and attending to patients. It goes beyond that, beyond consultancy,” El Sahili says. “We are a strong and aggressive advocate for redesigning and rethinking healthcare post-Covid-19. We are implementing a redesign studio, where we are working with other colleagues from different sectors to see how we can empower healthcare in the future.”

For El Sahili, the future of healthcare means a completely different outlook.

“I believe what we have done for decades, or even centuries, is really ‘sick care’,” he says. “It is time to start doing healthcarefrom mental health to preventative health, to real healthcare access. That is why we introduced agility as a core value. Covid-19 has pushed us into looking at what a

healthcare facility’s role really is. We are not working on a patientcentred approach but a peoplecentred approach.”

This means a new level of preparedness that takes into account not just crises and pandemics, but issues related to food security, population volumes, supply chain disruption and economic crises. It is a holistic approach that was key to Medland Hospital achieving a 100% vaccination rate during the pandemic.

“We were the first private facility to reach a 100% vaccination rate. Not because we are a hospital but because we understood from day one the challenge is not accessing vaccination but addressing the concerns of people around vaccines,” El Sahili says. “It was our role to meet them one by one and address their concerns. The issue was not educational, it was being willing to answer questions when they came.”

This outlook also drives many improvements and expansions the hospital has in the pipeline.

“In the very near future, we’re launching our redesigned lab. We are looking into expanding our portfolio of medical services. We are partnering with other sectors through outreach programmes. We are looking at AI solutions for telemedicine, creating a hub in the village and surrounding villages,” El Sahili says. “They will have access to energy, pharmaceutical products, and are indirectly promoting other businesses that may use our existing remote clinic.”

“WE UNDERSTOOD FROM DAY ONE THE CHALLENGE IS NOT ACCESSING VACCINATION BUT ADDRESSING THE CONCERNS OF PEOPLE AROUND VACCINES.”

SCIENTIFIC LABORATORY SUPPLIES PLAYS A PRIME ROLE IN MAKING SURE LABORATORIES PERFORM TO THE BEST OF THEIR ABILITY, USING THE RIGHT EQUIPMENT AND TOOLS.

SUPPORTING TOMORROW’S SCIENCE

UK-based Scientific Laboratory Supplies (SLS), established in 1991, has grown to become the UK’s largest independent supplier of laboratory equipment, chemicals, and consumables, providing precisely what laboratories need, exactly when they need it. From pipettes and Petri dishes to the latest in laboratory instrumentation and equipping the whole laboratory, the company prides itself on the quality of products and the service it provides.

As part of France-based Dominique Dutscher Group, SLS is headquartered in Nottingham and employs some 250 people who work across its locations in the UK and Ireland. The company also serves several international territories, specifically in east Africa, where it also has a physical presence.

“We are the UK’s leading independent supplier of laboratory products, serving a variety of markets from the research sector and academia to manufacturing and government facilities. Wherever there’s a laboratory, we have the kind of products to meet that specific customer’s needs,” says Managing Director Ian Roulstone.

He explains that SLS has its own portfolio of products, but is primarily a brand-led company, working closely with leading international industry brands; the company’s offering includes more than half a million different products from the simplest tubes to very technical items which require a lot of customer support.

“A lot of our clients demand certain brands or products that they’re keen to use because they fit into their standard procedures. We have the ability to supply the right products at the right time, both for those preferring marketleading brands and those who are not brand-focused but require good-quality products at reasonable prices.”

PROJECT MANAGED BY: ALICE YOUNG

The RightCycle™ Programme has diverted over 1,600 metric tons of waste globally since 2011. That’s equivalent to the weight of 400 African elephants!

Start your sustainability journey today by recycling Kimtech™ nitrile gloves and apparel. Visit www.kimtech.eu/rightcycle to learn more.

RECYCLE YOUR USED PPE THROUGH THE RIGHTCYCLE™ PROGRAMME

If you use nitrile gloves or single-use apparel items, you can divert them from landfill and give them new life through The RightCycle™ Programme.

This groundbreaking service was launched by Kimberly-Clark Professional™ in 2011. It is the first manufacturer-led programme to turn previously hard-to-recycle items into new consumer goods. In the decade-plus since its inception, the programme has helped divert more than 1,600 metric tons of waste globally from landfills and there are currently more than 900 customers in the programme. How it works

Until The RightCycle™ Programme was launched, there was no large-scale solution for recycling used PPE. As long as the PPE is non-hazardous after use, it can be recycled through the programme. The items are shipped to recycling facilities where they are sorted and processed into plastic pellets and then molded into flowerpots, patio furniture, plastic shelving and other products.

The RightCycle™ Programme is easy to implement and will provide you with ongoing reports and metrics on your waste diversion efforts. Every year, programme participants who divert significant amounts of solid waste from landfills are recognised with the Chelsea Santucci Greenovation Awards. Programme details

The RightCycle™ Programme is currently available in the U.K., Ireland, Germany, France, Belgium, Austria and Spain and is open to all companies that use or want to use Kimtech™ branded apparel items and nitrile gloves in non-hazardous applications.

For more information on The RightCycle™ Programme, visit www.kimtech.eu/rightcycle

PERSONAL TOUCH

He points out that the business has been growing rapidly over the last few years and demand continues to increase. This, of course, is not without its challenges – specifically in terms of getting the right people to support the growth, but Mr Roulstone insists that the company has been very proactive in getting the talent it needs, as well as in retaining them, which is perhaps even more important.

“We work really, really hard on employee engagement, to make sure that people are happy working for us, and we seem to be doing well. Each year, we run an employee satisfaction survey, and the results have been most encouraging, well in excess of eight out of 10, which is great to see in a really crowded, turbulent market.”

The people element is also a factor that differentiates the company from its big, processdriven competitors.

“We provide a very personalised service: for customers that require something a little bit different, or a more personal touch, or to have personal relationships that they can rely on. That’s where we score incredibly highly, and that’s where we are differentiated from the large companies that tend to operate in a more automated manner.”

ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY AT THE CORE

As for any company these days, environmental protection has become an integral part and the absolute core of everything SLS does, be it having more sustainable products or offsetting its own carbon footprint, says Mr Roulstone. From its supply chain to its in-house practices, the company aims to be the most

Ian Roulstone, Managing Director, Scientific Laboratory Supplies.

sustainable and environmentally friendly distributor to the laboratory market.

“We have a continuous commitment to offering sustainable products that offer the highest levels of build quality and performance, the longest lifespan and the lowest running costs. Through our dedicated sustainability team, we continuously review our range whilst ensuring our own practices meet the highest environmental standards.”

He points out that the products that are now being developed are themselves increasingly environmentally friendly, with an increasing number being biodegradable or recyclable as well as less energy demanding. Internally, the company has adopted

numerous environmental measures including the installation of solar panels, implementation of a paperless warehouse management system, introduction of waste and energy management schemes, using green gas for its vehicles, and others.

Mr Roulstone says that in 2022, SLS will have planted 2.500 trees offsetting activities with a carbon footprint. “We have committed to carbon net zero by 2045. Because of the business we are in, we can’t afford to not be at the forefront of sustainable practice. Our customers are demanding really high sustainability initiatives and standards of performance and we are also working closely with them to help them achieve their own sustainability targets.”

Dallas Campbell entertains the audience for his key note speech at the SLS Show.

EXPANDED GROUP

SLS’s business success is built on growth, both organic and developmental, he further affirms. Earlier this year, the company enhanced its competence by acquiring Gem Scientific, a laboratory equipment distributor whose portfolio includes hygiene testing devices and consumables for the food and beverage industry; and Northern Balance, a provider of weighing solutions focusing on calibration, servicing, and maintenance.

“Acquisition of these two companies will enable SLS to serve more customers with a broader range of products and first-class service. This was an important milestone for the SLS Group, a milestone that has set us on a course of growing our business way beyond what we could have ever hoped to do organically.”

“They signal the start of a long-term growth period for SLS, which plans further acquisitions and recruitment to broaden its portfolio into a wider geographical area, including the UK, Ireland, east Africa and beyond, and add more value for its customers,” says Mr Roulstone.

The company will be wellplaced to accommodate that growth, as it will soon move into a brand-new, purposebuilt facility expected to be completed in late 2023.

“That’s really exciting for me as well as the team based here in Nottingham. After 15 years in the company and 2 years in my current role, it is really rewarding to see the company moving forward so successfully - the result of a great team that has the energy and the enthusiasm to make it happen,” he concludes.

“WE

WE LEARN HOW A FOCUSED STRATEGY IS HELPING AMETEK LAND REVOLUTIONISE ITS INDUSTRY SECTOR.

LAY OF THE LAND

PROJECT MANAGED BY: LIAM PYWELL

In the town of Dronfield, just outside Sheffield, lies the headquarters of Land Instruments International, now known as Ametek Land. The company has been based here for 75 years.

We were born out of the Sheffield steel industry, which was booming then, and is still booming, but now it’s moving in a different direction,” says David Primhak, Director of Sales and Product Management at Land. “We originally manufactured thermocouples but now produce many different types of pyrometers and temperature measurement devices. Over the last 75 years, our specialism has evolved into a non-contact temperature measurement. We measure the energy being emitted by an object to understand its temperature using tools such as thermal imagers & line scanners.”

Over the years Ametek Land has also developed a combustion efficiency product line with their products serving steel, hydrocarbon processing, glass manufacturing and power generation, but these are just some of the markets the company operates in. Land is present wherever there are high temperatures or gas to measure, all around the world.

“As well as our headquarters in Dronfield we have service centres in Pittsburgh, Dubai, Bangalore, Shanghai, Osaka and throughout Europe,” Primhak says.

That said, Primhak is clearly proud that Land is a locally based business.

“We are in total about 150 people, with two-thirds of us based in Dronfield,” he says. “We are proud to employ a lot of local people. Everyone in Dronfield knows who Land are, even if they might not know what we do because it’s a niche technology.”

A UNIQUE CULTURE

As well as being a local business, Land has traditionally been a family business, owned by the Land family. That was until 2006 when the company was bought out by Ametek, an American corporation specialising in differentiated electronic instruments and electromechanical devices.

“Their strategy was an acquisition, but not according to a standard blueprint,” Primhak

David Primhak, Director of Sales and Product Management at Ametek Land.

LENSES WINDOWS PRISMS MIRRORS FILTERS

Global Optics (UK) Ltd., supplies custom manufactured precision optical components for the use in the UV, visible and infrared spectrum.

UK BASED GLOBAL OPTICS (UK) LTD.

PRECISION OPTICAL COMPONENTS FOR UV, VISIBLE & INFRARED APPLICATIONS

UK based Global Optics (UK) Ltd., established in 1995 specialising in the supply of custom manufactured precision optical components for the use in the UV, Visible and Infrared spectrum.

The basic product range consists of optically coated and uncoated Lenses, Windows, Prisms, Mirrors and Filters all produced to each customers own particular specifications from small quantities to many thousands of pieces for large volume production.

Serving many different industries working in the UV, Visible and Infrared, ranging from medical, analytical, environmental, defence, robotic, underwater, gas, sensors, scanners and security to name a few.

All components are fully inspected and tested using our extensive range of metrology instrumentation.

Global Optics (UK) Ltd., have two Perkin Elmer Spectrophotometers for measuring optical transmission, Interferometer for measuring flatness, Trioptics prism master for measuring wedge angles, Trioptics Spherometer for measuring radii, Precitec CHRocidile 2 DPS duel-channel sensor instrument for enabling non-contact thickness measurements, and for non-contact dimensional measurements

Global Optics (UK) Ltd also has the Keyence IM6000 and the Keyence IM8000.

The inspection and test equipment allows Global Optics (UK) Ltd to qualify all optical components before despatch. Each batch is recorded and allocated a batch number so that the company complies with its ISO 9001:2015 quality management system, enabling full traceability.

The product lines range are nonspecific and cover a large varied range of shapes and sizes in the form of Aspheric Lenses, Cylindrical Lenses, Spherical Lenses, Mirrors, Beamsplitters, Prisms, Windows, Domes and Filters.

01202 767476

info@globalopticsuk.com www.globalopticsuk.com

tells us. “They let us run the business while maintaining our own culture and the ethos, and that has been the key to our success.”

Of course, when undergoing a transition like this it is always a challenge for a company to preserve its culture.

“The first few years are hard work for any company that goes through that acquisition process, and it is a credit to Ametek, but it makes a real difference having a leadership team engaged in running the company themselves rather than asking corporate what they want,” Primhak tells us. “We are very empowered. We go away and develop the strategy and the budgets and instil that strategy into our teams. That kind of ownership allows us to maintain our identity, and we have got a lot of people who have been here for 30 or 40 years.”

An essential part of that culture is communication, which Primhak maintains through a quarterly brief to honestly discuss the company’s progress, its strategy and how it is evolving.

DEVELOPING TALENT AND TECHNOLOGY

It also works hard to attract and develop new talent, particularly through collaboration with research partners.

“We’ve got very close ties with local academia, including Sheffield University, Sheffield Hallam, local schools and colleges where our leading technical minds go and enthuse local kids with our technology,” Primhak says.

Every year Ametek Land takes in eight-to-ten industrial placement students, and sometimes sponsors PhDs in interesting areas of research where the company cannot develop the technology itself. The company is also enthusiastic about promoting talent internally.

“We like bringing people through the organisation rather than trying to pinch talent from outside. I started as a design engineer back in 2005,” Primhak says. “I’ve moved up through the organisation, and we’ve got many other people who came here straight from School or University who have been promoted with Land.”

Ametek Land is also a corporate sponsor of Glass Futures, a not-for-profit that looks at how glass can become sustainable in the future and how to drive down energy usage. Investing in talent in this way is absolutely essential for Ametek’s work.

“We are a technology measurement company,” Primhak says. “We employ very smart people, with bestin-class capabilities in the physics world. We can make difficult measurements, but we also have a long tradition and history of designing products that operate in heavy industrial environments. It’s all very well creating equipment that can measure accurately, but the question is, can it do that for hours at a time in a glass factory or steel mill?”

Ametek Land can do that so well that sometimes it becomes a victim of its own success.

“WE EMPLOY VERY SMART PEOPLE, WITH BEST-INCLASS CAPABILITIES IN THE PHYSICS WORLD.”

VISIT US!

LEADING HEAT TECHNOLOGY

LABORATORY & INDUSTRIAL OVENS & FURNACES TO 3000 ºC

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CARBOLITE GERO

CARBOLITE GERO has over 84 years’ experience in thermal engineering and the brand is synonymous with high-quality, leading heat technology in the design and manufacture of laboratory and industrial ovens and furnaces ranging from 30°C to 3000°C with a focus on vacuum and special atmosphere technology.

The Company has two manufacturing and sales sites. One is based in Derbyshire, United Kingdom, where CARBOLITE GERO manufactures laboratory and industrial ovens and furnaces up to 1800°C; the second facility is located in Neuhausen, Germany, manufacturing high-temperature furnaces to 3000°C.

In addition to the wide range of standard products, CARBOLITE GERO is an expert in the development of customized equipment for complex heat treatment processes. Solving customers’ individual application requirements has for example enhanced CARBOLITE GERO’s standing in aerospace, engineering, materials science, medical, bioscience and contract testing laboratories around the World.

Not only can CARBOLITE GERO supply products with Standards-compliant furnaces and ovens [eg, Nadcap heat treatment processes (AMS2750F)], but they can also provide full traceability certification for control, measurement, recording and data acquisition devices, issued by an independent UKAS accredited laboratory.

CARBOLITE GERO is a part of the Verder Scientific division of the Verder Group. The Division has around 750 employees worldwide, generating a turnover of €150 million who work with passion and expertise to develop and manufacture products as well as provide services for state-of-the-art scientific applications.

Our best wishes to Ametek Land as they continue to provide outstanding solutions to their global customer base.

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“We have technology out there that is sometimes 30 years old and is still in operation. Of course, that can be a frustration to our sales team sometimes when they’re trying to sell a new one!” Primhak admits. “We design for survivability.”

To convince customers to buy the next product, Ametek Land needs to offer them something.

“We add value by helping our customers improve energy efficiency. Everyone wants cars to be lighter to reduce fuel and run more effectively with batteries,” Primhak says. “They need thinner, stronger, less energy-intensive steel, which means much tighter temperature controls. So, they’re looking to get an edge, and as our products become more accurate that case becomes more compelling.

Everyone wants to increase yield and enhance quality.”

75 YEARS OF EXPERTISE

Ametek Land is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year, and the company has grown and evolved a lot in that time, always through strong customer relations and a great internal culture. But talking with Primhak, he believes the key lesson the company has learned recently is “Focus”.

“This was brought to life during the Covid pandemic,” he says. “Like every company, we tend to be distracted by the next shiny thing. So, we have learnt to prioritise, focusing on only one, two or three big things to get much better results, rather than trying to do ten things at once.”

The pandemic really showed the results this approach can yield.

“We were being asked by customers to produce a fever screening system. It is basically a thermal imager used to monitor skin temperatures to prevent potential covid cases entering offices or critical infrastructure,” Primhak recalls. “We said drop everything else, this is what we focus on.”

Ametek Land developed an imaging system with facial recognition, taking it from concept to launch in four weeks.

“For a business like us, our timescales of development tend to be measured in months or years, so to do that in four weeks was amazing,” Primhak tells us.

The company is already focussing on new challenges.

“The biggest thing going on from a macro point of view is decarbonisation. We’re moving into a new era and if we don’t move quickly enough the consequences for the world will be dire,” Primhak insists. “But with that transition new industries are emerging. The

electric vehicle market is growing at an extraordinary rate, and manufacturers are looking for better materials and how to improve their production techniques. The hydrogen economy will also play a major part in the future and we provide instruments for monitoring the furnaces used to make hydrogen.

There is a whole multi-factor challenge going on in the world and we’re working with partners and industry specialists to see how we can help with that journey.”

Ametek Land is well positioned to help its customers digitalise and make people safer, introducing tools that will allow people to remotely monitor and control processes in dangerous environments where before they would potentially be putting an operator in danger.

“That’s a big part of the future for us with thermal imaging, helping people automate and perform remote operations and monitoring,” Primhak says.

Peter Scott , CEO, BURN Manufacturing.

WE TALK TO A COMPANY THAT IS APPROACHING ENVIRONMENTAL CHALLENGES FROM A WHOLE NEW ANGLE.

SOMETHING COOKING

PROJECT MANAGED

Peter Scott has been fighting deforestation his whole life.

At the age of 20 he was fighting deforestation in the Congo, and from there has been finding ways to reduce deforestation across Africa.

Since 1997 he has been doing this through a business that designs, manufactures, and distributes the world’s best wood, charcoal, electric and LPG clean cooking stoves.

“We are the largest vertically integrated biomass cookstove company in the world, distributing 250,000 units a month in Africa and around the world,” Scott tells us, in his current position as CEO of BURN. “We do all our own manufacturing locally here in Kenya.”

BURN’s headquarters, designers, and manufacturing facilities are all based in Kenya, setting the business apart from rival brands that don’t do their design or outsource their manufacturing to places like China. For that reason, the company has been growing rapidly. By next year Scott

expects production to double to half-a-million units a month, with a million units as its monthly target by the end of next year.

“We are Africa’s only modern manufacturer of clean cookstoves,” says Scott. “Our products are being continuously improved. We have built a strong brand and customer loyalty. We are also able to produce it at a lower cost than our Chinese counterparts, while achieving the highest quality, and selling at the lowest price, with great customer service.”

SAVING THE WORLD WITH A STOVE

The very first thing Scott says to us when we talk to him is, “BURN exists to serve a mission, saving forests and saving lives.”

It seems reasonable to ask how BURN can do that by designing and selling cooking stoves.

“Most of the world doesn’t have access to clean cooking,” Scott explains. “3-4 billion people cook on a device that is harmful to their health. In sub–Saharan Africa alone, approximately half a million people die from exposure

BY: DECLAN JONES

to exposed cookstoves. Until now, no one has addressed this challenge successfully.”

BURN’s wood stove is 53% efficient, whereas a normal open fire is only ~12% efficient. As you can imagine, an open fire loses most of its energy into the environment. BURN’s wood cook stove is the most efficient in the world, which not only means food is cooked better, but that far less wood is burned to do it. Its stoves can save anywhere from 60% to 85% of the energy, burning fewer trees and consuming fewer forests. It also reduces air pollution by 81%.

“There is a health benefit, an environmental benefit, and a monetary benefit,” Scott tells us. “Studies have shown we save people $150 a year in reduced fuel costs while reducing carbon emissions by anywhere from two to six tonnes per year.”

52% of all deforestation in Africa is driven by fuel, wood, and charcoal cooking, so it has a massive impact from a deforestation perspective. The charcoal market is worth $22 billion, so providing more fuelefficient stoves can save $10 to $12 billion a year.

A LOCAL EFFORT

It is a big challenge, that requires rapid growth, and rapid growth requires people. Today, BURN Manufacturing has 1,700 staff. As the company launches new factories across the continent, it will need to staff those factories.

“Next year we’ll have 10,000 employees, so managing that is a challenge,” Scott says.

“We have a recruiting team, with a great Chief Talent and Happiness Officer who works on recruiting, acquisition and retention.”

Of course, it helps that BURN is a great place to work. The company strives for quality of life for the people it works with.

“Generally speaking, our people stay with us for years, because we treat them very well,” Scott points out.

All of BURN’s Research and Development from software, to hardware, to firmware, and manufacturing is all done in Kenya, alongside its

manufacturing operations. Kenya has its industry, but to have quality control to global specifications or modern ERP systems installed is a tenyear process. However, Scott believes it has all been worth it.

“Our COO ran factories all over the world from Eastern Europe to South America and he says the best workers he’s ever found are in Kenya,” he tells us. “Our energy is 80% renewable, so it’s a great place to manufacture. We’re not the only manufacturers but we’re doing it to world-class standards which is unique.”

As well as being a local team, it is a diverse one.

“Roughly 50% of our team is women, which is unique for our industry. It was a commitment we made when we started,” Scott says. “The first round of candidates brought to us were all men, and we just sent the person organising that back and said ‘bring us 50% women’. Manufacturing is more of a male industry, but we strive to have a diverse team, a mix of local and international, cross-pollination between designers, engineers and finance people.”

Even during the pandemic, when many companies had to lay staff off, BURN worked to hold onto them.

“We just agreed to eat rice and beans until Covid was over,” Scott jokes “As it turned out, we actually grew during Covid, but our commitment to our people separates us from the rest of the industry, alongside the fact that we are doing this in Kenya.”

BURN Manufacturing has a large Kenyan staff, with operations in ten countries in Africa, carrying out modern manufacturing.

“It really is unique. Most manufacturing is done offshore, so we take a lot of pride that we do this and help to change the way people view development

in Africa,” Scott insists. “The goal is not just to make a bunch of stoves; it’s transforming the fabric of the universe at all levels.”

As the company grows, so do its challenges, but Scott is optimistic. The company is in the process of launching three new factories across West Africa and India, while also expanding its Chinese operation.

“The goal is to provide a cooking option for everyone on the continent. That is 1.1 billion people now, and will be 2.6 billion by 2050, who use a cook stove whether it is wood, charcoal, or electric,” Scott explains. “I’ve been doing this for 25 years and finally feel we’re starting to get traction with tens of millions of stoves.”

Stefan Andersson, CEO, KB Components.

KB

COMPONENTS

IS NOT A TYPICAL INJECTION MOULDING SPECIALIST

– CAPITALISING ON ITS COMPLEX PART PRODUCTION CAPABILITY AND ITS GLOBAL PRESENCE, THE COMPANY IS SET TO MAKE THE MOST OF MARKET DEVELOPMENTS.

MOULDED FOR FUTURE DEMAND

PROJECT MANAGED BY: JAKE REEMAN

Sweden-based KB Components is one of the leading suppliers of technically advanced plastic components in Scandinavia. The company differs from most of its competitors by having a focused approach to injection-moulding technologies, including material technology and design optimization of both the part and the process.

The company has a mastery of most techniques and materials within the polymer segment and also performs component assembly. KB Components’ state-of-theart manufacturing and logistics systems are highly regarded by a wide client base primarily from the automotive industry but also from the medical and other sectors.

Headquartered in Örkelljunga in southern Sweden, KB Components operates two plants in its native country as well as production facilities in Lithuania, Mexico, China, Slovakia and, most recently, Canada.

RESTRUCTURED TO GROW

Established in 1947, the company this year celebrates its 75th anniversary and as such is one of the oldest businesses operating in this sector – a rather unusual achievement given that the plastics industry is relatively young, notes company CEO Stefan Andersson.

He explains that for the first five decades, the business grew organically in Sweden, and –following a process of profound restructuring – ventured onto a globalisation path 14 years ago, to support their customers, primarily from the automotive industry, in their new locations.

Mr Andersson himself has been with the company on this expansion journey from its very beginning. He came on board in 2009 when the company, via a rights issue, became part of the BrA Invest Group, a family business owned by Mr Andersson and his two brothers, and following the takeover, initiated the business turnaround.

“We started a process of profound restructuring, followed by a relocation of some of the production to lowcost Lithuania. Over the past decade, we have also invested heavily in automation. Today, our Swedish plants are probably some of the most automated sites in the industry.”

The company has been increasingly successful on a global level, but Mr Andersson points out that going from a local, family-owned Swedish company servicing mainly the local market to a global player with a global platform in just 10 years is the greatest achievement of all.

UNIQUE CAPABILITY

He explains that while injection moulding is no longer a hightech industry, KB Components

enjoys two key advantages. The first is its global presence, enabling it to support leading customers directly, wherever its plants may be located.

The second aspect is the ability to produce complex components. “We pride ourselves on building difficult parts. And when I say difficult parts, I mean working in difficult materials, with difficult geometries. Those two combined really require special skills. So if a customer cannot find a technical solution with a competitor, they typically come to us and we fix their problem.”

The company also offers complete solutions for the production and assembly of products consisting of several parts. Most of the time, this is integrated with the injection moulding operation, using

the most modern robotic technologies in order to create a cost-efficient production setup.

RIDING THE WAVE

KB Components is one of the companies that have not been severely affected by the global pandemic and the current market disruptions, thanks to their global operation and the fact that the company is a B2B supplier, so consumer confidence has (so far) only had a limited impact.

“Of course, the situation in Europe is a challenge, and we do need to reflect the increased energy price content of the product, particularly in eastern Europe. But our business remains stable and growing, partly because the uncertainties of the European market are offset by our operations elsewhere, but mostly because of the continuing trend in the automotive industry to replace metal with plastic.”

“Every generation of a new vehicle contains about 20% more plastics than the previous one, and we are well placed to utilise this trend: we are at the forefront, we have our laboratory, we have a vastly experienced team of engineering and production specialists that can lay the best possible foundation for finding smart solutions at competitive cost levels.’

Excellence is not achieved only in production. The company follows the most stringent regulations for environmental protection and work safety. Solar panels and energy-saving measures have been introduced, and in line with customers’ demands seeking circularity, KB’s teams are actively looking for new materials that will meet their sustainability requirements.

CLEAR SKIES AHEAD

Mr Andersson explains that in line with market trends, the company has defined an ambitious growth strategy. Last year KB Components acquired Lakeside Plastics in Canada which will add several customers within the electric vehicle segment and will strengthen the group’s position in North America, the company’s fastest-growing region.

“Our customer, a competitor to Tesla, is ramping up production in the United States, so we can be part of their growth journey, and continue our already strong momentum in North America for quite some years to come,” says Mr Andersson.

But opportunities exist elsewhere as well. “Generally speaking, there is a huge backlog

with all automotive customers due to the Covid-19 downturn, so even if the market slows down as expected, there will still be a considerable demand for our products to address that backlog in all our markets.”

He acknowledges that the company is investing heavily in its growth, with an annual investment level of about €10 million, a sum which is going to be increased to support new contracts.

“We are set to grow both organically and by acquisition –the plan is to acquire one new company per year. We have achieved this over the past few years and plan to continue to do so. The most recent one added was Lakeside in 2021, so there are exciting developments ahead.”

BULGARIA-HEADQUARTERED MONBAT, THE LARGEST

BATTERY PRODUCER

IN EASTERN EUROPE, IS MOVING FORWARD IN LINE WITH POST-PANDEMIC MARKET DEVELOPMENTS.

POWERED FOR THE FUTURE

BY: JAMIE SIVYER

Currently, the fourth largest producer of lead-acid batteries in Europe and a leader in the Balkans, Monbat Group operates in two main business segments – the production of lead-acid batteries and the recycling of lead-containing materials.

With its presence in over 70 countries on 5 continents, and in over 20 different industries and application sectors, Monbat is not only one of the strongest business groups in Bulgaria but is also a truly global player.

The company was established more than 60 years ago as a state-owned enterprise, then privatised in 1998 by Prista Oil Group and the Bobokov brothers. Since then, the business has grown more than tenfold. In 2006, Monbat undertook an IPO, giving the company public status and also

helping to raise capital to grow and diversify the lead recycling operations in Romania and Serbia. In 2022, the ownership structure changed as a result of a management buyout, with six top group managers acquiring 20.78% of Monbat’s capital from the previous minority shareowners.

STRONG POSITION

Monbat CEO Viktor Spiriev explains that the group enjoys a leading position as a result of several factors: “First, our operations in the lead-acid battery and lead recycling segments are based on a complete, vertically integrated model through the welldiversified geographical reach of the division’s four recycling production plants, which fully hedges the production requirements of the most important raw material (lead) in battery production.

The second driver, he says, is its utmost flexibility and customer-centric approach: clients may not only buy Monbat batteries but can also utilise the company’s production and technology base for their own brands/private labels and specific product needs.

“We are one of the few lead battery producers to hold a licence for the development of bipolar industrial batteries and actively working on bringing them into serial production. This technology has the potential to compete successfully with the lithium-ion solutions in terms of product effectiveness, plus improved cost structure, as less lead is used, and therefore a reduced environmental footprint.”

“And last but not least, we try and, most of the time, succeed in hiring, training and developing the best talent in each respective sphere of

PROJECT MANAGED

Viktor Spiriev, CEO, Monbat.

expertise,” he affirms. “To sum up, Monbat Group operates as a well-synchronized system, holistically integrated to a high degree in the horizontal and vertical processes.”

He further affirms that sustainability is a concept well embedded in the company’s operations. “We are aiming to achieve 100% recyclability of the weight of our products. Currently, the industry rate is 95%, with Europe’s scrap volume recyclable at 99%. Right now, we are working on a project to recycle the used separator in scrap batteries; this will increase the weight ratio to 98%. I cannot think of another industry which has such a circular and sustainable environmental footprint.”

REFLECTING MARKET DEVELOPMENT

Mr Spiriev acknowledges that while the company was, like everybody else, affected by the global pandemic, Monbat’s position is firm enough to withstand the unpredictability of the volatile market, marked by sky-rocketing energy prices and the war in Ukraine.

“The current developments in Europe have highlighted the need for a more independent energy supply, coming primarily from renewable sources. It is expected that grid-connected energy storage systems by 2030 will need to be increased more than 15 times. In this regard, all technologies that can help store electricity must be used to achieve the expected scale.”

“The advantage of batteries is their versatility and ability to serve both small and large projects. The existing technologies are varied, with the most widely advocated at the moment being those based on lead-acid batteries and

lithium-ion batteries. While the latter have some undisputed performance advantages, they also have considerable drawbacks, such as high initial cost and the absence of an economically viable technology for their recycling.”

“Lead-acid batteries, on the other hand, are cheaper, more environmentally friendly and fully support the circular economy as they are almost 100% recyclable. It would be logical to assume at this point in time that a synthesis of the two is the way forward – hybrid systems combining both.”

He explains that in terms of business strategy, Monbat plans to rely on conventional lead-acid batteries initially to cover existing demand and at the same time to work on improving technological processes through bipolar batteries, as well as improving the characteristics of traditional industrial batteries.

CLEAR DIRECTION

The company is clear about its future development, both in terms of its portfolio enhancement and also strengthening its geographical footprint. This year, Monbat acquired a controlling stake in the second largest battery producer in Tunisia –Nour Batteries, paving the way for further expansion in the north and west Africa as well as the Middle East, and significantly increasing capacity in the starter battery segment.

“Recent challenges in Europe will only accelerate the development of Nour as a production base in Tunisia which can serve not only as an entry point into markets where electrification is gaining pace at a relatively slower rate but also where energy and labour costs are hedged against European tendencies,” says Mr

Spiriev, adding that Monbat will continue its strategic journey of providing state-of-the-art power and energy solutions based on the well-established and costeffective and circular-friendly lead-acid technology.

“Globally, we will aim at becoming the first mass-scale producer of lead-acid bipolar industrial batteries – a very innovative and cost-effective manufacturing process and technology relying on the wellestablished eco-system of the lead-acid industry – and at the

same time try to research and develop hybrid battery energy storage systems (BESS).”

Researching technologically new recycling solutions and targeting 100% recyclability of used lead-acid batteries will both be in focus, as will investigating opportunities in the EV sector. “We will approach the growing lithium-ion battery EV sector by participating as a minority partner in sizeable European projects,” says Mr Spiriev, summarising the Group’s strategic priorities for the future.

“WE ARE ONE OF THE FEW LEAD BATTERY PRODUCERS TO HOLD A LICENCE FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF BIPOLAR INDUSTRIAL BATTERIES AND ACTIVELY WORKING ON BRINGING THEM INTO SERIAL PRODUCTION.”

MANAGED BY: DAVID HAYVIS

PROJECT

Nynas is a Swedish company that produces specialty oils for a wide range of applications, including lubricants for windmills, transformers, oils in electrical installations and also rubber oils that give tyres the ideal balance between hardness and softness. It also derives products such as bitumen for paving roads, airports, pedestrian areas, and bike paths, as well as roof insulation and protection from water penetration. By 2028 the company will have reached its first 100 years of existence, having built a century-long reputation for products tailor-made to customer needs.

That’s why we have longlasting relationships with suppliers and customers that have stayed with us for many, many years,” says Stein Ivar Bye, CEO and Chairman of Nynas.

Despite, or perhaps because of its century-long history, Nynas is a company that is always ready to adapt to changing circumstances. The macroeconomic environment has been volatile with new sanctions on Venezuela and

Stein Ivar Bye, CEO & Chairman of Nynas.

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Russia. Nynas has responded by restructuring the business to adapt to the new reality.

“We are taking steps to recentre our supply to our core markets closer to our manufacturing base,” Bye says. “Our supplies and sales will be concentrated on Europe, not exclusively, but our activity in some of the very distant markets will be more limited. We are becoming more efficient, redesigning the organisation and our value chain footprint aligned with the new strategy.”

This new focus on Europe is accompanied by an investment in product innovation and, in particular, sustainability and the life cycle of Nynas’s product portfolio. Nynas has been adding capabilities in the energy efficiency, circular economy and renewable components sections of its portfolio while maintaining its core capabilities.

“We work very closely with customers, tailoring our products for specific customer needs,” Bye tells us. “Those needs are not static. Customer needs evolve all

the time, so we have resources in research and development to work closely with our customers, developing new products and blending recipes as our customer needs evolve.”

CUSTOMERS, TAILORING OUR PRODUCTS FOR SPECIFIC CUSTOMER NEEDS,”

SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTS

Nynas’s new development in sustainability has also helped promote the brand.

“Being advanced in sustainability and product innovation means customers want to be associated with us,” Bye points out.

Having a reputation for sustainable practices is particularly important for a company that works with crude oil, which can be subject to unfortunate preconceptions.

“Being knowledgeable in the industry you can take it for granted, but to many outside of the sector it is not obvious that we are very different from traditional fuel refineries,” Bye explains. “We still produce products using crude oil as our feedstock, but unlike the majority of the refining industry, we do not produce finished fuel products like petrol, diesel, or aviation fuel, instead we transform our crude oil into longlasting products for millions of applications.

In Europe, Nynas is highly unique in that sense. I do not think any other company in Europe has the same business model.”

In fact, the products Nynas produces do not end up as a source of combustion

“WE WORK VERY CLOSELY WITH

that makes CO2 emissions. With the speciality to refine heavy molecules into highperformance, long-lasting specialty products, the carbon molecules Nynas produces stay in the product and are not released into the atmosphere.

“Even in that respect it’s a highly sustainable business model without a negative impact,” Bye explains. “Independent of whether the future brings full electrification or a hybrid solution, you still need to pave the roads and the runways at airports, and you still need buildings with roofs. We believe society needs our products even though we want a transformation of our energy sources.”

At the same time, Nynas is working to increase its flexibility with regard to the feedstock to make the business less exposed to changes and an unpredictable marketplace as has been experienced recently as a consequence of the invasion of Ukraine.

“We used to produce our products based on crude which was predominantly sourced from Venezuela. When sanctions toward Venezuela were introduced, we identified new raw materials. Then we adapted our selection of raw materials following the sanctions against Russia. The Nynas organisation has demonstrated its creativity and resilience and, we found new raw materials yet another time,” Bye says. “We are looking at how we can adapt and reduce our exposure to unpredictable energy sources as well. We are also looking at our supply chain and how we can integrate digitalisation to minimise costs across our value chain while securing supply. We need materials with very specific characteristics and qualities.”

SUSTAINING TALENT

Placing sustainability at the forefront of Nynas’s business approach makes it an appealing proposition for customers, but it is also vital for attracting the current generation of talent on the market.

“In the employment market, sustainability is something many people are looking for in an employer,” Bye tells us. “That commitment to sustainability is a factor, it makes a difference for those that have multiple options. So, we ensure that aspect of the business is visible and attractive.”

Those who join Nynas tend to stay with the company, which has many employees with lifelong careers, but Bye is keenly aware that the latest generation of talent has different priorities.

“The new generation and future business model will be different, so we are adapting and becoming an even more attractive employer for future generations,” he explains. “A lifelong career is not something everyone necessarily wants, but experience has shown us many find it attractive to stay with Nynas. It is a diverse employment organisation with many nationalities and competencies including talent in engineering, research and development, and finance as well as sales and marketing. We have a wide range of competencies and try to offer people internal development and chances to learn new things. We need to find solutions to accommodate the different kinds of lifestyles for individuals that fit with their quality of life.”

Adjusting to the needs of the new workforce is only one way that Nynas is looking to stay an attractive employer for the future.

“The plan going forward is to make sure that we concentrate on our core and tributary markets through manufacturing facilities and a strong value chain where we know we can deliver effectively and competitively to our customers,” Bye says. “We are focusing on those key markets rather than trying to be in every single market around the world. As a consequence of that, we are looking at how to streamline our organisation and develop in the space of digitalisation. We will pivot into a stronger if possibly smaller footprint to reach a more relevant and more profitable place.”

Sustainability remains a core part of that vision, and Bye believes the future will depend on Nynas’s ability to continue to strengthen its sustainability agenda and educate the public about the important roles of its products in everyday life.

“We don’t release any CO2 from our products, and we sustainably fuel the circular economy,” Bye emphasises. “We want to make sure we are still relevant after our first 100 years.”

SUZUKI GARPHYTTAN SPECIALISES IN WIRES USED IN THE AUTOMOTIVE SECTOR, BUT AS THE TECHNOLOGY IS CHANGING, SO IS THE COMPANY.

HIGH WIRE ACT

Suzuki Garphyttan’s story goes back to 1906 when it started up as a manufacturer of wire. The company grew, entering more and more markets, eventually moving into the automotive industry, where the company started to specialise.

Suzuki Garphyttan became experts in providing wire for springs for valves and transmission. From there the company remained one of the main suppliers to the automotive industry for over a century. Until recently, 85% of its business came from manufacturing wire to make springs for the automotive industry. At one point the company even began making the springs itself.

PROJECT MANAGED BY: DAVID HAYVIS

We were making springs for manufacturers such as Volvo, but it was small-scale work, so we decided to leave that to our customers,” explains Ad Raatgeep, President & CEO of Suzuki Garphyttan today. However, the company has continued to grow in other directions. 25 years ago, the company established itself in the US, then 16 years ago the company opened new plants in China and in 2016 it established a new facility in Mexico. Meanwhile, in 2014 the firm acquired another company, KTS Wire Ltd.

“Our strategy is to be close to our customers,” Raatgeep tells us. “Most of our European customers have also established themselves in those countries.”

But Raatgeep’s job is not just to expand the company into new geographical sectors. He needs to target new markets- and he is on a deadline.

“Since four or five years ago, when I came in, my task was to diversify the company,” Raatgeep says. “With the electrification of the automotive sector, the need for springs will slow down. Electric vehicles don’t have the same number of springs, so

we’re working hard to diversify into other areas and other applications in other industries. Our business is currently 70% orientated towards combustion engines, but our target is to have 50% in automotive and 50% in other areas within the next five years. It is a tough challenge, but we are on the way.”

A CENTURY-OLD REPUTATION

As the company is moving into new industry sectors, it takes with it over a hundred years of high regard in the market.

“We have been in the business a long time, with an excellent reputation,” says Raatgeep. “Just the fact that we have local production close to our customers is a huge advantage over competition with one factory and long lead times to serve the global market.”

Regardless of the industry it serves, this means Suzuki Garphyttan can supply its customers in two or three weeks. Where its competitors are often on the other side of the world and need either a lot of stock or long lead times to serve their customers, Suzuki Garphyttan is always close to where it needs to be.

“It’s not always easy to predict what volumes you need,” Raatgeep points out. “Besides that, we have a lot of technical knowledge. We have our own R&D centre and we’re owned by a large steel company.”

NEW FRONTIERS

Of course, after spending a century focusing heavily on making parts for cars, old habits die hard.

“As soon as a question on automotive pops up everyone focused on that,” Raatgeep says. “We’ve been working on creating a parallel sales and marketing organisation that only works on non-automotive projects, and Research and Development, broadening our competence into other areas.”

In entering these markets, the company benefits from being financially strong, while building important new relationships and bringing in talent with new competencies. It all adds up to a long-term plan for the company’s future.

“The company has a fiveyear plan with clear ambitions,” explains Raatgeep. “We have a clear plan for the kind of investments we need, and we have an ambitious sustainability plan. In the future, it will be more important to have some kind of green profile. We don’t want to be followers. We want to lead that journey into the future.”

This is why Suzuki Garphyttan uses green electricity at its facilities. The Paris agreement orders businesses to lower their CO2 by 7% per year. Suzuki Garphyttan’s target is 10% a year, but last year it shrank its carbon output by 20%.

“On one side we are identifying our capabilities, and with those capabilities, we are looking at where we can use them,” Raatgeep tells us. “On

Ad Raatgeep, President and CEO of Suzuki Garphyttan.

the other side, we have new people in the organisation, looking at those industries and saying what do we need.”

What Suzuki Garphyttan already has is the best competencies in the world in how to make wire, and it is ready to test those capabilities.

“We are looking into how to be more cost-effective, and how to improve our processes. We are investigating automation and AI,” Raatgeep says. “Design competence is something we’re investing in to develop our processes. At the same time, we are working on protecting our own IP rather than depending on suppliers.”

The firm is investing in marketing and sales expertise across different kinds of industries, including the energy sector, food industry, etc.

“We are acquiring people with contacts in the industry so we can open doors and show what we can do,” Raatgeep says.

At the same time, the firm is investing in Research and

Development. It is vital that the springs that operate in a car last a lifetime- the car depends on it. But cars are not the only industry where that is the case.

“We are looking at other industries where corrosion, high temperatures and wear are becoming more important,” says Raatgeep. “We need Research and Development people with that kind of competence. When it comes to steel knowledge, we have one of the biggest steel companies behind us. With that knowledge, we can help customers use other materials.”

The goal is to find industries and applications where the company can make a difference, whether it is through a technical advantage, a service advantage or in some cases a price advantage.

“We don’t want to supply commodities everyone produces. We want to focus on smaller niches, with special requirements, or quantity products where we can be the number one in the world,” Raatgeep says.

But he insists that technology is only part of the equation, people are the essential element.

“We are creating an organisation where people feel free to speak out, and our employees know where we’re going, why we’re going there and how we’re going to do it,” Raatgeep insists.

The goal is to create a company for the next generation.

“Our target is to make sure this company will be there for the future, so the next generation can take over a company they can be proud of,” Raatgeep says. “It’s pretty ambitious. I’ve told my employees, my mission is to make my staff interesting for other companies. We want our staff to be the people other companies are trying to head hunt.”

WE CATCH UP WITH THE KAMOA-KAKULA PROJECT AS IT ENTERS AN EXCITING NEW PHASE OF DEVELOPMENT.

THE THIRD PHASE

PROJECT MANAGED BY: JOHN HOLLIMAN

We have been following the Kamoa-Kakula Copper Project since we first profiled the operation back in 2020. The ambitious project is a joint venture between Ivanhoe Mines, Zijin Mining Group, Crystal River Global Limited and the Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The Kamoa-Kakula Copper Project has been independently ranked as the largest undeveloped, highgrade copper discovery in the world by international mining consultant Wood Mackenzie.

The resource features a very large, near-surface, flat-lying stratiform copper deposit with adjacent prospective exploration areas within the Central African Copperbelt, 25 kilometres west of the town of Kolwezi and 270 kilometres west of the provincial capital of Lubumbashi.

Ivanhoe Mines first announced positive findings of an independent pre-feasibility study in February 2019, leading the way for an updated, expanded preliminary economic assessment (PEA) for the overall development plan of the Kamoa and Kakula copper discoveries.

These studies built on the outstanding results of Kamoa-Kakula’s previous PEA announced in November 2017,

while the pre-feasibility study has advanced the detailed design and engineering of the earlier study, confirming the project’s viability of the project. The new re-scoped and expanded PEA shows the potential for the project to be developed to an even larger scale with an even greater production capacity.

The construction of the Kakula Mine has been making excellent progress, as the first of several planned mining areas at the Kamoa-Kakula project, with the production of copper concentrate at the mine beginning in the third quarter of last year.

In the third quarter of 2019, the basic engineering and procurement for the project were completed, and the processing plant’s capacity was expanded from 3.0 Mtpa to 3.8 Mtpa, which in turn meant that 2020 saw the underground mining crews expand from 11 to 14.

This ensured there were sufficient mining operations ongoing to continue to feed the expanded plant, creating preproduction stockpiles of approx. 1.5 million tonnes of high-grade ore and an additional 700,000 tonnes of material that grades approx. 1% to 3% copper. With greater stockpiles of ore, the processing plant has continued to ramp up operations, reaching a steadystate throughput of 3.8 Mtpa.

Meanwhile, 2020 has seen an independent definitive feasibility study of the Kakula Mine, alongside an updated preliminary economic assessment of the 18 Mtpa expanded production scenario for the currently discovered areas covered by the joint-venture licence area. The entire project has come a long way and stands as a testament to what can be done with the right effort and resources. But the next step will take the project even further.

RETHINK THE MACHINE NOT THE MINE

When we spoke with Mark Farren, then-CEO of the KamoaKakula Copper Project last year, he pointed out that the project was that rarest of things, a mining project ahead of schedule.

“This is one of the few such projects that’s actually hitting its planned ramp out. Milestones are being met,” Farren told us proudly. “It’s a big project globally, so in general keeping things on track is never easy, but we’ve done that. It’s going well.”

It was an outcome that was the result of hard work, and strong leadership throughout the project.

“It’s tricky to manage it but we’ve got a strong project execution capability built in. We’ve got an excellent leadership which has made a big difference,” Farren said. “We work around the clock, and I think that’s probably the key. The leadership and the people in the workforce work hard. That has helped us through.”

THE THIRD PHASE

Kamoa-Kakula copper mining complex’s third phase of expansion will grow still further its annual copper production, reaching volumes of about 600,000 tonnes by the fourth quarter of 2024. When it achieves these figures, the Kamoa-Kakula Project will become the world’s third-largest copper mining complex.

This phase of the project will see the establishment of two new underground mines, Kamoa One and Kamoa Two, neighboured by a new 5-million-tonne-per-year concentrator plant. Rising activity at these sites will be mirrored by an initial decline in development at Kakula West.

If everything goes according to plan, it has been predicted that copper production from the first two phases of Kamoa-Kakula will exceed 450,000 tonnes per year by the second quarter of 2023, eventually growing to a peak annual production of more than 800,000 tonnes. These growing production levels will be accompanied by what the company dictates will be one of the largest single-line copper flash smelters in the world and the largest in Africa. This directto-blister flash smelter will have a nameplate capacity of 500,000 tonnes per year, producing approximately 99%-pure blister copper. This smelter, when it reaches operational status, will allow the Kamoa-Kakula Project to receive by-product revenue through the recovery and sale of sulphuric acid.

“HUMANITY WILL LIKELY REQUIRE AS MUCH COPPER IN THE NEXT 22 YEARS ALONE AS IT DID THROUGH THIS POINT IN ITS HISTORY.”

Congo has a strong demand for sulphuric acid, which is used to recover copper from oxide ores. The smelter will allow a home-grown source to replace the significant volumes of sulphur currently imported by the country.

But first and foremost, the Kamoa-Kakula Project has been established to produce copper, and that copper is more needed now than ever.

“We are at an inflection point for the copper industry … one where we must determine how to meet growing demand, even as discovering and building new mines becomes ever more challenging,” said the company’s Co-Chairman, Robert Friedland.

“Humanity will likely require as much copper in the next 22 years alone as it did through this point in its history – approximately 700 million metric tonnes – just to maintain 3% GDP growth. This does not even account for rising demand related to global investment to combat climate change through aggressive electrification.”

In providing resources that will prove essential for the ongoing energy transition, the KamoaKakula complex will make use of sustainable electricity itself, through its partnership with Inga II, a hydropower plant that will provide the project with power throughout Phase Three and its future expansions. Observers are optimistic about the outcomes of Phase Three.

“The company now envisions a meaningfully larger Phase 3 expansion (incremental 5.0 million tonnes per annum throughput vs. 3.8 MT pa previously), increasing the total throughput level at the operation to 14.2Mtpa by the end of 2024,” Scotiabank analyst Orest Wowkodaw has written. “Overall, although we await further details, we view the update as a modest positive for IVN shares given the larger planned Phase Three expansion.”

SILVER BULLET MINES CORP OWNS SOME HISTORIC SILVER MINING SITES. BUT IT TURNS OUT THOSE SITES CONTAIN MORE THAN JUST SILVER.

NUMBER ONE WITH A BULLET

PROJECT MANAGED BY: CHRIS CONWAY

The Buckeye Mine Project is a major investment, with somewhere in the region of $10 million of funding being directed into the project over the last decade. It is also a project in which Silver Bullet Mines Corporation has a personal stake, with each of its directors investing £1.5 million into the mining project, which covers 4,900 acres of land with 232 BLM claims and three more leased and patented claims.

There are five historical silver mines at the site, with multiple shafts, and a potential copper porphyry with the potential to become a largetonnage, low-cost operation. That is alongside four copper and gold zones, and 500 ounces of silver produced in a 2018 test program.

These mines are the source of the moniker “silver bullets” for the legendary players in the Buckeyes American football team, and the McMorris Mine in particular has produced approximately 500,000 ounces at 250 oz/ton in direct shipping ore until 1893. But the mines and veins in the area were never fully exploited or even explored, and Silver Bullet Mines Corporation is ready to realise that potential.

Silver Bullets are even now commissioning a 125 MTPD, state-of-the-art pilot plant, and has successfully produced silver and copper at its wholly owned 125 metric ton per day mill near Globe, Arizona.

Ten years of investment in the site are finally starting to pay off, as Silver Bullet Mines Corp recently released the results of an assay at the site, which included 2,363.8 oz/t of silver.

The testing, carried out by Silver Bullet Mining’s assaying team in association with Ron Murphy, the company’s Vice President of Mining, served to further confirm the efficiency with which the high-grade ore from the Buckeye Mine could be processed.

Together, they revealed spectacular results beyond even the expectations of Silver Bullets’ management.

“We designed the assay lab and the mill with the high-grade material from the Buckeye in mind, in the belief they would work together to produce saleable high-grade material,” said A. John Carter, Silver Bullet Mining’s CEO. “That belief is why we built a complete processing facility in under 10 months, for less than $3,000,000. These

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assay results go a long way to justifying that belief and the building of the mill. Our field team has been incredible.”

PROCESSING POWER

At the same time as these processes are underway, Silver Bullet Mines Corp has started to process higher-grade ore at its mills, signing its first contract to deliver silver doré bars.

“These are major milestones in the Company’s growth,” said Carter. “In less than a year after starting construction of our mill, we are processing the highergrade material extracted from our Buckeye Silver Mine and we have signed our first contract to deliver silver out of that mine. This is outstanding work from everyone on the team.”

The bars were poured at the mill site near Globe, Arizona, from a mixture of lower and higher-grade ores mined at the Buckeye site. The mill’s first order was a sample run of 50 kilograms of doré silver sold to a confidential buyer that has already shown interest in buying all the available silver product produced at the mill which is not already committed elsewhere.

Meanwhile, Silver Bullet Mines Corp has taken consultation from a third-party engineering firm with recommendations that will allow the company to increase its efficiencies at the mill.

SILVER GOING ON PLATINUM

As if that is not enough, Silver Bullet Mines Corp has announced findings of significant levels of palladium, platinum, rhodium, osmium, and gold in its concentrate following a second round of assaying results, and the company is currently seeking financing to exploit these resources.

This mineral discovery has even come as a surprise to Silver Bullet itself, and none of these minerals were factored into the company’s own internal financial projections.

The material that was tested came from a newly exposed section of the Buckeye mine. At a time when Palladium is trading at roughly $2,100 per ounce and gold is trading at roughly $1,650 per ounce, these discoveries could make a huge difference to the project, and the company.

The discovery of gold and palladium was made when Silver Bullet Mines Corp was processing approximately 60 tons of Buckeye Mine materials at its mills. When the company was pouring proper silver doré bars to satisfy its outstanding sample run order, it encountered challenges.

“IN LESS THAN A YEAR AFTER STARTING CONSTRUCTION OF OUR MILL, WE ARE PROCESSING THE HIGHER-GRADE MATERIAL EXTRACTED FROM OUR BUCKEYE SILVER MINE AND WE HAVE SIGNED OUR FIRST CONTRACT TO DELIVER SILVER OUT OF THAT MINE.”

The identify the source of those challenges, samples from its concentrates were sent to the third-party lab, Lone Pine Analytical, where they were revealed to have elevated levels of palladium and gold. Silver Bullets has responded by undertaking referee sampling with another third-party, ISOaccredited lab.

“Those are astonishing results for the gold and palladium,” said Carter. “To the best of our knowledge the only significant producer of palladium in the United States of America is Sibanye-Stillwater in Montana, so this is a possible gamechanger, not just for SBMI but for mining in Arizona. We have heard anecdotal evidence of PtPd production as a by-product of porphyry mining in the Globe area and have seen data from a local prospective Pt-Pd property,

but we are still investigating what our results mean and we are considering what SBMI’s next steps will be.”

FINANCING DISCOVERY

Silver Bullet Mines Corp will be carrying out non-brokered financing of its units to allow it to not only achieve its original silver targets but also mine these additional minerals. Each of the units it seeks to finance will be priced at 20 cents, comprising of one common share, with a full 30-cent warrant with a 24-month term, and each of those warrants will be exercisable into a common share (the “Financing”).

In this way, Silver Bullet Mines Corp aims to raise $600,000 of financing by issuing three million of these units, unlocking even more potential at the Buckeye site.

PAKISTAN’S ENERGY FUTURE

AS THE GLOBAL ENERGY MARKET TRANSFORMS, CNERGYICO IS FORMING A VITAL PART OF THAT TRANSFORMATION IN PAKISTAN.

PROJECT MANAGED BY: DEAN BROWN

Cnergyico began as a small oil refining company almost two decades ago, founded by Parvez Abbasi, and his son, the company’s current CEO Amir Abbassciy. From the outset, Cnergyico’s mission was to meet Pakistan’s growing energy needs and reduce its reliance on foreign fuels.

Back then, the company ran a modest facility that could process up to 18,000 barrels of crude oil each day,” explains Amir Abbassciy, CEO - Cnergyico.

Over time the company ramped up production capabilities, raising its capacity to 36,000 barrels per day. Cnergyico’s upward trajectory was such that it successfully commissioned Pakistan’s largest refinery in 2015, which was installed near the existing one. With an impressive capacity of 120,000 barrels a day, it placed Cnergyico firmly

at the forefront of the Pakistani oil industry. Today, Cnergyico is one of the nation’s leading energy companies, owning and operating the largest oil refining complex with a nameplate capacity of up to 156,000 barrels of crude oil per day. The company also owns a growing network of over 450 retail stations, strategically located throughout Pakistan in all major cities, towns, and highways.

Cnergyico is a uniquely placed company in Pakistan’s energy sector. It is the only truly vertically integrated oil refining company.

At the heart of Cnergyico’s operations lies an oil refining complex that can process more crude oil than any other plant in the country—roughly 37% of Pakistan’s entire oil refining capacity. Its coastal position brings other advantages as well.

Because Cnergyico’s oil refining complex is situated in a coastal area, it was able to deploy the Single Point Mooring (SPM) – the first of its kind in the country. That allowed the company to procure crude oil directly from suppliers to feed its refineries. The SPM is capable of handling even some of the biggest oil vessels, called the VLCCs (Very Large Crude Carriers), that can’t berth at other local ports.

Cnergyico occupies a crucial point in the fuel market, selling fuels directly to commuters through its network of retail outlets while also supplying fuel to other energy companies and businesses.

Cnergyico is the only oil refiner in Pakistan that can procure crude oil directly to its facilities, refine it, and then sell petroleum products, all by using its own assets. This vertical integration has led to more efficient and cost-effective operations and allowed Cnergyico to capture economies of scale, synergies, and attractive margins.

A DYNAMIC MARKET

With this comes great responsibility, as the market enters a challenging period.

The global energy market is a very dynamic space in which numerous factors, including consumer trends, environmental effects, economic boom and bust cycles, geopolitical events such as the ongoing conflict between Russia & Ukraine, and technological advancements drive major shifts. Additionally, the energy sector in Pakistan comes with its own unique set of challenges.

Energy companies in Pakistan not only have to keep pace with technological and scientific breakthroughs but must alter their strategies and products to align with rapidly changing realities.

“I BELIEVE CNERGYICO’S ABILITY TO QUICKLY ADAPT TO NEW AND CHANGING ENVIRONMENTS HAS BEEN ONE OF ITS BIGGEST, IF NOT THE BIGGEST, DRIVERS TO SUCCESS.”

“I believe Cnergyico’s ability to quickly adapt to new and changing environments has been one of its essential drivers to success,” Amir Abbassciy points out. “Innovation has always played a central part in our strategic thinking.”

The company’s innovative approach to solving complex problems was evident from the deployment of the SPM.

The petroleum industry in Pakistan has been facing the chronic problem of congestion at the country’s ports. Pakistan’s domestic ports have often been overrun by vessels, leading to congestion, which in turn delays product deliveries, disrupting the industry’s supply chain. To circumvent the challenge of congestion at Pakistan’s ports, Cnergyico came up with a novel and cost-effective way to deploy an SPM. In this way, Cnergyico solved one of the biggest problems that energy companies face in Pakistan and was able to maintain a robust supply chain throughout the year.

As well as addressing supply chain issues, Cnergyico is also paving the way for a much larger transition across the global energy market – the dawn of the low-carbon age. As the company moves into the future, it seeks to strengthen its core oil refining and marketing businesses. Cnergyico aims to ramp up the production of more environmentally friendly fuels – primarily petrol and diesel – while cutting down the production of furnace oil. At the same time, the company is looking towards diversification as well. It will bolster its petrochemical production capabilities and explore other avenues across the energy vertical while reducing its carbon emissions.

A GREENER FUTURE

The global energy industry is undergoing a metamorphosis. There has been a boom in electric vehicle sales which are now playing a greater role than ever before in the automobile industry. EV adoption will likely continue in the coming years and decades, including in emerging markets like Pakistan. Meanwhile, traditional vehicles have become more efficient in terms of fuel consumption.

The world has already seen the impact that fuel-efficient cars and EVs are making on petrol and diesel demand. At the same time, the LNG market has witnessed tremendous growth, with cleaner burning fuel displacing furnace oil and diesel in many territories. Individuals, businesses, and governments around the world have become more environmentally conscious than ever before, which is certainly a big step in the right direction. All of this has been impacting fuel demand and subsequently the oil refiners, who are responsible for producing most of these fuels. The industry is now facing extraordinary challenges. Although crude oil and petroleum products will continue to play a big role in the world in the foreseeable future, their growth could slow down. This is why Cnergyico is taking a pragmatic approach by working on a transformational plan and has rebranded to signify how big a shift this is going to be. Cnergyico seeks to improve the quality of its products, in terms of their impact on the environment. It is in the process of upgrading and modernizing its oil refining complex by installing 19 state-of-the-art plants and equipment. The project – called Upgrade-I – will considerably enhance its oil refining capabilities, making Cnergyico a modern deep-conversion refinery. This will enable Cnergyico to significantly cut down the sulphur content from its fuel production. On top of this, Cnergyico will also increase its oil refining capacity to 200,000 barrels per day.

In doing so, the company will get closer to its goal of reducing Pakistan’s reliance on imported fuels.

This is important, because at the same time as the energy transition is taking place, energy demand continues to grow, along with demand for petrochemical products.

As the income levels around the world rise, especially in emerging markets, people will consume more and more consumer goods which could be the main factor that will push the petrochemical demand higher. For this reason, Cnergyico has laid the groundwork to ramp up its petrochemical production and capitalize on this positive trend. It is, however, also looking at avenues beyond fuel production space as part of its diversification strategy.

As well as meeting that demand, Cnergyico is keen to give back to Pakistan, and CSR projects have been an integral part of its operations since the company’s inception. Recently the company has developed solar-powered RO plants in the villages near its refining complex in Balochistan to provide clean drinking water to thousands of people.

Cnergyico has been fostering the region by bringing investment and employment opportunities to the people of the local communities for both skilled and unskilled labour.

Cnergyico has also gotten behind some of Pakistan’s largest afforestation campaigns to cut down carbon emissions. Meanwhile, its strict observation of environmental rules and regulations has led to its SPM and offshore pipeline becoming home to a growing coral reef.

This underwater structure is an exceptional phenomenon and houses an extremely diverse group of marine species, which is highlighted proudly by the oil refiner.

Cnergyico is proving to be a rare phenomenon itself.

“WE WILL RAMP UP PRODUCTION OF MORE ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY FUELS”

GATEWAY TO PARADISE

Karpaz Gate Marina is described as an exclusive sanctuary for sailors and visitors by land and sea, offering high standards of services for both the yachting community and tourists seeking superb leisure facilities in a Mediterranean marine environment, away from the “madding crowds”.

The project to develop the first modern yacht marina in North Cyprus and open an internationally embargoed country to the yachting industry was first initiated in 2002. Owned by an international British-based investment group, Karpaz Gate Marina opened in 2011 after the project management team successfully campaigned to lift army zone limitations covering Cyprus’s northern shores to

enable non-military international vessels to cruise in the region for the first time since 1974.

Managing Director Liza Singer has been involved in the pioneering project from the very beginning. She says: “I had the honour of initiating this project and company on behalf of a great visionary, who passed away 11 years ago, and I have continued to develop and manage it ever since.”

Sea-Alliance Group has been part of the international yachting industry since 2008. It is a well-established, professional multiservice business, with international experience in every aspect of sales & purchase, construction, chartering, maintenance, and development worldwide.

The Sea-Alliance Group is an international maritime business headquartered in Gibraltar, with offices and representatives throughout the Mediterranean.

The group operates a wide range of global services for yacht owners, charter companies, marina owners and shipyards.

The Sea-Alliance Group offers exceptional experience and comprehensive capabilities to meet, or exceed, customer expectations. In addition to yacht brokerage and charter, the group provides project management of new builds, yacht management and marina management.

With an impressive network of specialist service providers throughout the world, our customers are able to benefit from our expertise, wherever they are cruising. The same high standards are assured, regardless of location.

Sea-Alliance Group is a full corporate member of the MYBA – The Worldwide Mediterranean Yachting Association. MYBA promotes the highest standards of professionalism and ethics in the global yachting industry.

In addition, Sea-Alliance Group is a proud member of BMF (British Marine Federation), & of TYHA (The yachting harbor association). www.sea-alliance.com

CHARTER

YACHTS FOR SALE BUYING A YACHT

MARINA MANAGEMENT YACHT MANAGEMENT

Large enough to deliver & small enough to care

RISING TO THE CHALLENGE

An Israeli-born and raised, Liza is a lawyer and accountant (CPA) with an MBA in Finance, with 18 years’ experience in private equity and investments. Apart from her business in Cyprus, she is a board member of several other companies in Israel, including the Israeli Port of Haifa, which is being privatised this year, a listed investment company focused on infrastructures, a credit card company, and an Ag-tech company.

“I was privileged to establish a company and operation in a foreign country with special political and social circumstances. This was a new experience for me, as I had never done anything like this before,” she recalls. “I was given the responsibility for all aspects – financial, legal, team building, team training, marketing, service, and building a relationship with all the stakeholders.”

The team started from zero, practically placing a new site on the map. “As the area had been closed to private yachts since 1974, there was no supporting ecosystem. We needed to educate the local market, develop supporting industries, from taxi drivers to tour guides to technical expertise and chandleries. And, of course, train and develop the local staff – in English and service skills.

We have also established an on-site school to provide RYA courses for external clients as well as for our marina team.”

“We designed, developed and now fully operate the whole resort as one, aiming to keep a consistent approach to all operations from the marine to the hotel and spa – same theme, same high standard of service and one unified team,’ says Ms Singer.

Looking back, she affirms that it has been a great challenge to work in a multicultural, diverse environment, as a foreign investor, introducing a new sector of tourism to this part of the island. Having the pleasure of seeing the successful outcome of all the efforts is extremely rewarding and is not taken lightly, she says.

And the outcome is truly impressive – an official Port of Entry to the country with

Liza Singer, Managing Director, Karpaz Gate Marina.

customs and passport checks completed on-site for arriving sailors, award-winning Karpaz Gate Marina now caters for the needs of super yachts and yachts, providing a full-service home port with investment and attention to attractive berthing packages, technical and leisure services, and on-site hotel accommodation, spa, Beach Club and restaurant facilities that will please any visitor.

AT ONE WITH NATURE

The very location of Karpaz Gate Marina makes the resort unique. “For those wishing to enjoy the beauty of nature and to escape the busy tourist routes, this is the ideal destination,” affirms Liza Singer, explaining that the Karpaz ‘panhandle’ in northeast Cyprus is home to some of the most beautiful beaches and coastline in the Mediterranean, but is not yet discovered and remains completely unspoilt, full of bays, coves and attractive anchorages, with a vast national park spreading towards the land.

She affirms that the project itself is a real architectural beauty, built as one concise resort, one that includes a marina. An eco-friendly approach has been prioritised within the infrastructure and operation and focus has been given to local sourcing – the premises include a nursery and a greenhouse to cater for the kitchen requirements; fish, meat and dairy products are supplied from local fishermen and farmers.

“We have created our own micro cosmos, using and supporting the development of the local economy, blending with the local community, working with them, learning with them, providing opportunities for their children. This was the idea from the very beginning. 90% of our staff are locals or Cyprusborn, providing a strong core of employees who see this unique site, in a remote location as their haven and home. This also makes the guests instantly feel the welcoming family-oriented atmosphere.”

The company not only fully supports its staff and their well-being but is also involved in encouraging educational and leisure activities for the community, specifically supporting the local youth. “We believe education is the most important tool for influencing society, and sport is a marvellous tool for the children to understand and practice discipline, build self-esteem and teamwork, hence for more than 10 years we also support the local volleyball teams of all age groups.”

WINDS OF CHANGE

Speaking about the future, she insists that Karpaz Gate has all the natural assets, physical capabilities, & economic benefits to be a very competitive solution in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Karpaz Gate has already collected The Yacht Harbour Association’s prestigious Marina of the Year Award in 2017 and was a runner-up in 2018, 2019, 2021 and 2022. “We are now aiming at TYHA’s Clean Marina accreditation and Platinum Marina status, the highest level of the Gold Anchor scheme. When this

is achieved, I believe we will be the first boutique non-city marina with this recognition.

“We also wish to develop a residence as part of our resort, to allow people to enjoy this lifestyle for a longer period of time, and not just as a short vacation or on their boat, similar to what we see in other marina developments all over the world. This can also, with the correct product, attract the younger generation, who travels constantly, and can work from anywhere – to enjoy the nautical lifestyle.”

Concluding, Liza Singer outlines a loftier objective. “We wish to see Cyprus as a whole enjoying and sharing its natural coastline resource in the most beneficial way – to do that, all parties need to join forces and allow circumnavigation around the island. We support this initiative via the ‘Winds of Change’ project, together with its founder, a Cypriot Olympic skier, IOC Young Leader, sailor and medical doctor, Ms Sophia Papamichalopoulos, supported by the Olympic Committee. Sailing should serve the same purpose as any other sport can serve - the promotion of peace and communication between communities.”

CUBE

PIONEERS

PROJECT

MANAGED BY: DAVID TAVERNOR

AutoStore, founded in 1996, is a warehouse-robot technology company that invented and continues to pioneer cube storage automation that is changing the world of warehousing. The core of the system is a perfect combination of hardware and software – the key enabler, that the company developed over many years.

The automated storage and retrieval system harnesses the power of warehouse robots for 24/7 order fulfilment within a cubic layout so dense it can actually quadruple storage capacity. And the beauty of the system is that is built around 5 standard components: bins, grid, robots, ports, controller.

AutoStore does not require a greenfield project or a new facility. It can be fitted completely or partially, as it suits the customers, as a new solution or complementing the existing warehousing system to as large or small extent as needed.

Karl Johan Lier, Chief Executive Officer, and President, who was at the birth of the company,

describes how it all began: “In the 1990s, I was the CFO of Hatteland Group, one of the major electronic distributors in the Nordic countries. We were growing very fast, and we needed to expand the warehouse. Our technical director came up with an idea to make better use of space – to store things like a Rubik’s cube, with no air in between.”

That became the birth of cube storage automation and AutoStore. After 6 years, the company had the first prototype in operation, and went commercial with the product in 2004, with the first installation in 2005. Mr Lier explains that AutoStore went international in 2009, in the middle of the financial crisis, but that did not hinder its success. Since 2010, AutoStore has grown by 50% each year.

Karl Johan Lier, CEO & President, AutoStore.

FIVES - SMART AUTOMATION SOLUTIONS

AUTOSTORE EMPOWERED BY FIVES

Fives is a leading provider and integrator of cutting-edge material handling and smart automation solutions.

Fives’ intralogistics Business Unit draws on the expertise of 12 companies based in Europe, Asia, and North America and 1,800 passionate and skilled people, committed to boosting the performance of its customers around the world.

Fives brings together advanced technologies, proprietary software, and aftermarket services, serving a wide variety of industries: e-commerce, parcel, food & beverage, 3PL, retail & distribution, fashion, and various industrial sectors.

Our success is based on the deep understanding of our customers’ logistics processes and objectives. For over 60 years, we have been developing innovative products and technologies, some of which have become market standards.

At Fives, we believe that micro-fulfillment is the new horizon of intralogistics, which is why we are increasingly investing in these innovative solutions and have partnered with key players, such as AutoStore.

Major industry leaders worldwide trust us to automate their processes with high-speed conveying, sortation and case picking solutions. With the complementary technologies of Autostore, we have broadened our applications to piece picking and improved our position in omnichannel automation, while giving AutoStore the extra boost needed to tackle the French, Spanish and Italian markets where we demonstrate leading positions.

Recently, the collaboration with AutoStore has allowed us to offer one of our customers in Italy, a leader in the lighting sector, an inimitable solution to improve his productivity and save space, reducing the number of his warehouses from two to one.

Dedicated to the success of our customers and to industrial performance, we continue today to innovate to improve their competitiveness, operators’ working conditions and environmental protection.

www.fivesgroup.com

Warehouse automation solutions

With over 50 years’ experience in warehouse automation, Reesink Logistic Solutions provides tailor-made solutions based on the newest technologies, like AutoStore, AMR, software, pick-robots, pallet cranes and many more. Our services range from consultancy and planning to operational use.

We have delivered over 100 AutoStore systems in the past decade and pioneered the Rent-a-Robot program, enabling customers to rent additional AutoStore robots, in order to cover their peak-seasons. Next level warehousing.

Reesink

www.reesinkls.com

In 2021, the company took an IPO to the Norwegian stock exchange, and today, with more than 950 systems and 40,000 robots installed across 45 countries, AutoStore is poised to continue its aggressive global expansion.

LEAN AND SCALABLE

The recipe for success? Karl Johan Lier says: “The focus on R&D from the very beginning was strong. We saw clearly that we had a different product from everybody else, a product that saves space, time, energy and cost.”

He explains that to deliver this product to the world, the company devised a unique and lean business model where all sales go through a carefully built network of system integrators called partners. “We don’t have a direct commercial relationship with the end customers – we provide our partners with access to our standard modules, which they then design and integrate to become a fully working solution for individual customers.”

AutoStore’s partner network has a global reach and allows the company to scale very efficiently in all markets and geographies, as and when needed.

Carlos Fernandez, AutoStore’s Chief Product Officer, adds another important factor that has driven growth: “We decided very early on that we would offer a standard product to avoid complex customisations driving costs high and lead times long. That allows the integrators to create different solutions for their customers, without us having to modify the technology to meet different specifications.”

“The advantage of standardising the technology is high quality and reliability. I believe this aspect, together with the go-to-market model, has been key for scaling the business internationally, for us as well as for our partners.”

WAREHOUSING INSTEAD OF AIRHOUSING

Carlos further points out that one of the key values of AutoStore is that it was designed from a robot’s point of view, allowing for super-dense storage. “You don’t require all these aisles that manual operation or other technologies need, and that is why it resembles the Rubik’s Cube so much. The software behind the robots and the grid maximise the throughput all the time.”

AutoStore has been deployed by prime customers such as Siemens, Puma, and others; a telling example of how the system can save time and money is a warehouse consolidation accomplished for Texas Instrument. The company had several warehouses distributed

around the Asia Pacific region with 500 million units of stock, which they wished to consolidate into a single warehouse.

By installing AutoStore, the company was able to achieve four times the same inventory capacity under one system only, with a return on investment of under a year.

Carlos Fernandez highlights another advantage of AutoStore – it provides the ability to limit investment to current needs. “You don’t need to make a huge CAPEX investment. The system can be scaled very rapidly because it is so modular – just five standard building blocks that can be put together to create any solution suited for the day.”

As such, AutoStore significantly impacts the customer’s footprint and promotes sustainability, affirms Karl Johan Lier: “Reducing the storage footprint saves energy in its own right but on top of that, 10 robots use more or less the same power as a vacuum cleaner. As they are battery-

driven, there is no need to extend the power requirements at your facility. You do not need any lighting as they can work in complete darkness”.

“We are taking ESG very seriously, taking many actions and initiatives in our development so that our system helps our customers to meet their ESG targets.”

A STRONG PLATFORM FOR THE FUTURE

Karl Johan Lier points out that at the moment, AutoStore’s biggest competitor remains the manual handler. “This market is underpenetrated, with only about 15% being partially or fully automated. We believe that during the next three decades, the drive towards automation will be substantial, opening a lot of potential.”

“However, we understand that the only way to stay ahead of the competition is by investing in the technology and its further enhancement,” he acknowledges, noting that

out of the company’s 800 employees, 200 work in product development. The focus is not only on improving the technology but also on expanding into new verticals and applications for different environments.

Speaking about the company’s current position in today’s volatile and uncertain times, he affirms that AutoStore’s lean business model has proven resilient – in the second quarter of 2022, AutoStore continued to grow strongly with revenues up over 90% year-on-year.

“We are in a strong position to leverage global megatrends in the e-commerce and automation industries. Rapid market expansion, changing consumer demand, the emergence of MicroFulfilment Centres, and a general need for more sustainable and efficient solutions constitute a strong platform for accelerating our growth.”

WE LEARN HOW BOUGHEY DISTRIBUTION IS BRINGING SUSTAINABILITY TO THE BACKBONE OF THE FOOD SUPPLY CHAIN.

GREENING YOUR EATS

MANAGED BY: DAVID GARNER

Boughey Distribution was originally founded to support the farming industry. In the 58 years since then, the company has evolved into the grocery ambient consolidation sector. But as it has grown, the firm has also stayed true to its roots.

We have a loyal, longserving workforce, some with 10, 20, and sometimes over 30 years’ experience,” says Angela Carus, Boughey’s Managing Director. “We are a very local business, with 90% of our colleagues living in the local area. It is a real Cheshire-based business.”

Warehousing and transport distribution are Boughey’s core businesses, where it serves 200 customers through daily deliveries to all major retailers going right across the UK averaging 8000 pallets per

“Our deliveries range in scale from a full trailer to a single pallet or case,” Carus says. “We fulfil small orders through our e-fulfilment centre and on our customers’ behalf we manage internet orders going to businesses or home addresses. We have a co-packing operation

where we take two different products and case-mix them to produce a new product, adding labels or different packaging for various solutions. We are also members of the Palletline, a distribution network in the UK.”

Across its locations in Wardle and Crewe, Boughey Distribution boasts 1.1 million square feet of warehouse. The firm achieved £62 million in turnover last year and has a projected £67 million this year. It can do this because of the unique capabilities it provides its customers with.

“We have a number of large customers but also serve smaller customers such as Tony’s Chocolonely, a luxurious chocolate company set up to eliminate slavery in the chocolate industry,” Carus points out. “They are one of our customers, but they are not Nestle or Mars, they are a specialist chocolate bar, so they sell into retailers but not by the truckload into Tesco or Sainsbury’s. They will order

PROJECT

Angela Carus, Managing Director, Boughey Distribution.

England, North Wales, and Lancashire.

Founded in 1985, Thomas Hardie Commercials Ltd has grown considerably, by providing market-leading levels of customer service and support networks. The company operates 6 franchised Volvo Truck and Bus dealer points that offer a full range of services. These facilities are complemented by a wholly owned division in Chorley, Thomas Hardie Vehicle Solutions (THVS), providing vehicle painting, fitting of hydraulic kits and/or other specialised aftermarket equipment, and all-makes refurbishment service for trucks and trailers.

Volvo Trucks are now able to offer a complete heavy-duty range of electric drivelines. Volvo Trucks' drive towards electrification marks a major step forward on the road to fossil-free transport, and we’re pleased to be a part of their sustainable journey as this year we delivered the UK's first electric tipper truck to enter operation in the North West!

Follow us: www.thomas-hardie.co.uk

monumental for all at Thomas Hardie Commercials Ltd.

Boughey Distribution’s new fleet of Volvo vehicles.

in case or pallet quantity to the various retailers. How do customers efficiently get into those retailers without producing loads of carbon? We consolidate their order with those of other customers’ orders, going in by the truckload. Not many businesses in our industry offer that level of consolidation.”

SHRINKING YOUR FOOD’S FOOTPRINT

In offering this service, Boughey Distribution is confronted by the dilemma at the heart of the 21stcentury food supply chain.

“Driving vehicles up and down the country with trailers on their back produces carbon,” Carus tells us. “We are in the food industry, so those deliveries need to be made. It is a required service. But how can we do our jobs and work towards our plans for net zero in 2040?”

The company is seeking solutions through many avenues. It is using alternative fuels and, where possible, electric vehicles. Boughey Distribution’s fleet uses the best equipment available on the market, giving out the least emissions it can with current technology.

“We have the best kit on the road our fleet is all Euro 6 compliant. Our first electric vehicle is on order for the end of December,” Carus says. “We deliver across the whole of the UK. Currently, the infrastructure for electric vehicles is not suitable in the UK for trucks. So, we are staying regional with that until the truck manufacturers can offer a longer range, which they are working towards.”

That is only part of a wider strategy that includes switching its fleet of shunt vehicles over to running on hydrogenated vegetable oils, bringing about a 90% reduction in carbon emissions.

“We’re working with our customer base to roll that out across the rest of the fleet but it’s 40p a litre more expensive than diesel and with the current supply chain cost crisis of course customers are reluctant to pay this,” Carus points out. “If the price can get to a reasonable position our customers will support that.”

Boughey has also transitioned to using 100% LED lighting across its estates, as well as

“WE HAVE THE BEST KIT ON THE ROAD OUR FLEET IS ALL EURO 6 COMPLIANT. OUR FIRST ELECTRIC VEHICLE IS ON ORDER FOR THE END OF DECEMBER.”

increasing natural lighting in its facilities and trialling solar panels. Even the milk is now delivered in glass bottles that can be cleaned and reused to cut down on plastic.

“It is a little more expensive but a bold statement to make when we go through 100s of pints of milk a week,” Carus says.

A REWARDING CULTURE

While sustainability is one challenge Boughey Distribution is working to overcome, it is not the only one. Like many companies, the firm has found acquiring and retaining labour to be a challenge postpandemic, and post-Brexit.

“We are very lucky to have a loyal workforce, but we are working on our culture to keep our team engaged so that they

Boughey Distribution’s 237,734 sq ft warehouse, Crewe, UK.

Boughey Distribution’s Crewe warehouse which opened in 2020.

choose to keep working with us,” Carus assures us. “We have a whole programme of works in place. Pay is important, even more so now, but it is not necessarily enough to keep people in your business, so we engage in upskilling to get people to the next level. We look at our culture, investing in facilities, toilets, and welfare facilities, including things such as free Wi-Fi and pool tables in the rest areas.”

Sometimes these rewards can be a little unorthodox, such as this summer when workers faced record-high temperatures.

“On the hottest day of the year, just to say thank you for coming into work, we brought in an ice cream van giving away free ice cream,” Carus tells us. Although she also ponders,

“With 730 employees that van gave out 3,000 ice creams so not sure how that happened!”

But alongside one-off treats like this, Boughey Distribution also looks at even the minor parts of the workers’ experience, such as ensuring their uniform and boots are made well to be comfortable, durable, and made from sustainable materials.

“When we offer a new starter the role, two weeks before they start, they get a welcome card delivered to their home address with pictures of all the directors, hand signed, welcoming them to our team,” Carus tells us. “The feedback we have had is that it is something so simple, but it makes people feel special. We don’t really get mail anymore, do we? So, it’s a pleasant surprise and helps people feel engaged before joining us.”

The onboarding process also includes training in a classroom environment, and importantly, as Carus herself knows from experience, a site map.

“The site in Wardle is 48 acres with 15 warehouses. It’s an industrial estate but we own the whole lot. So, we have a map for new starters to know where the toilets and rest areas are, how to get on and off-site,” she says. “I experienced that myself, it’s a maze when you first get there.”

Right now, Boughey Distribution is navigating its way towards a bright future for the company, putting together a fiveyear plan with the help of outside consultation to “stress test” their thinking.

“We’re all eager to grow, we are all optimistic about the future, so we have brought in an external company to help take us on the journey,” Carus says. “We feel very proud and lucky to have such a solid company. But with the new business pipeline we have got, we do not have enough space, so in 12 to 18 months we need to open another site to support our continued growth. Within our longer-term five-year strategy, we will be considering acquiring similar type businesses or opening new sites around the UK after 58 years of being regionally based. In reality, it could take 10-15 years to become fully national, but we are already taking the first steps.”

“WE’RE ALL EAGER TO GROW, WE ARE ALL OPTIMISTIC ABOUT THE FUTURE, SO WE HAVE BROUGHT IN AN EXTERNAL COMPANY TO HELP TAKE US ON THE JOURNEY.”

AT

A TIME WHEN THE SUPPLY CHAIN IS HEADLINE NEWS, IMPERIAL IS DEMONSTRATING THE ADVANTAGES OF OUTSOURCING LOGISTICS.

PROVING GROUNDS

PROJECT MANAGED

BY: JOHN HOLLIMAN

Imperial Logistics (Imperial), a DP World Company, is a thirdparty logistics service provider largely focused on Africa, although with some operations in Europe. Its offering includes services ranging from transportation, warehousing and delivery to management of supply chains, including more extended services where Imperial can take ownership of the product, buying it from their principals and selling it into Imperial’s sales channels in consumer goods and healthcare.

We are the most comprehensive service provider in Africa for logistics and market access services,” explains Cobus Rossouw, Executive Vice President for Digital & IT at Imperial. “Nobody else in our market does that as comprehensively in so many markets in Africa. Some competitors do parts of that in some countries, but we provide the entire end-to-end service.”

Of course, with such a broad array of services, comes a broad array of challenges in keeping clients happy. As a logistics service provider, Imperial is at the behest of its clients and principals, and Rossouw takes that responsibility very seriously.

“We have scale and expertise, but we have to meet and exceed the service requirements of our clients and principals, getting products to the right place, at the right time,” he insists.

As far as Rossouw is concerned, in every contract Imperial has to prove itself anew.

“Clients and principals will always believe it is something they could have done themselves, so you need to meet and exceed their expectations at a competitive price,” Rossouw points out. “They often don’t appreciate the complexity. That is the generic challenge of being a logistics service provider, particularly with end-to-end services.”

To meet that challenge, Imperial is utilising the latest technologies.

“Some of our best solutions come through the role of digital and information technology. We are measuring performance to know how well we are doing,” Rossouw says. “If you don’t measure, you only get the call when you haven’t delivered. If you’re good at planning

Cobus Rossouw, Executive Vice President for Digital & IT at Imperial.

Digitizing

Accredited by Gartner

VODACOM BUSINESS

VODACOM AND IMPERIAL TRANSFORMING TRANSPORT AND LOGISTICS THROUGH TECHNOLOGY

Effectively managing the diverse IT requirements of a retail and logistics organisation can be a challenge, considering they often have thousands of employees, several operations in different countries, and multiple vendors and suppliers. This was a challenge that faced Imperial, one of South Africa’s largest multinational groups in the logistics and vehicles sectors. Looking to centralise their business technology with a single trusted provider, Imperial turned to Vodacom Business for their IT transformation journey.

“Our partnership with Imperial began in 2009, when the company was looking for a single IT services provider that could manage their datacentre, disaster recovery, and high-end hosting requirements while supporting their centralisation strategy,” explains Vanessa Schonborn, Executive Head of Transport and Logistics at Vodacom. “We understood Imperial’s challenges in the transport and logistics sector. Therefore, we could tailor our offering to simplify and consolidate the company’s IT processes, making operations more efficient and less complex.”

SUPPORTING AN IT TRANSFORMATION JOURNEY

The initial solutions included hosting Imperial’s IT infrastructure in Vodacom’s accredited datacentre estate, and providing high-capacity connectivity, superior security, and a centralised point of contact across Imperial’s locations. Importantly, Vodacom Business delivered network stability and excellent service levels to ensure business continuity and increase opportunities for further IT transformation.

Imperial has realised cost savings thanks to the greater efficiencies that the scalable Vodacom Business solutions have delivered. The company now has greater visibility of and insight into their operations within a centralised IT environment, enabling them to dedicate resources to their core business rather than investing in IT as a capital expense.

FROM IT SERVICES PROVIDER TO TECHNOLOGY PARTNER

As Imperial continues to grow, develop, and digitise, Vodacom Business has kept pace with the company’s modernisation demands through its own evolvement into an innovative technology solutions provider. More recent IT solutions adopted by Imperial include cloud backup and storage, a dedicated hosting environment for their SAP HANA application, and a high-speed SD-WAN network offering robust, always-on connectivity between Imperial and its subsidiaries.

“For over a decade, Vodacom has provided more than just IT and communications services to Imperial; we’ve become their trusted strategic business partner,” adds Schonborn. “In learning about each other’s processes, and sharing our experiences, we have been able to create mutually beneficial solutions to meet the ever-evolving business needs of today.”

CONNECTING FOR A BETTER A FUTURE

Like other industries, the future of transportation and logistics is set to become increasingly digital. This offers greater opportunities for collaboration between Imperial and Vodacom Business to develop new ways of doing business, using the Internet of Things, blockchain technology, and artificial intelligence, for example, in a global market.

“What remains key to the sustainable relationship between Vodacom Business and Imperial is that we are organisations led by a similar purpose – to connect people and improve lives through access to our services,” concludes Schonborn “Looking ahead, we hope to leverage our shared capabilities to create a connected ecosystem and establish strong partnerships, such as in financial and health services, that can help build a better future for all of our customers.” www.vodacombusiness.co.za

IMPERIAL

and measuring performance, understanding activities, and monitoring them, you have a fighting chance. You can say this is what I have done on 100 days, and if it hasn’t happened on one day that isn’t necessarily cause for alarm.”

The tools allow Imperial to leverage its scale and expertise to show how it allows the service provider to do the work better than clients and principals could do in-house. This is something the company does for clients and principals, including large multinational corporations that want to focus on building their brands or manufacturing products rather than developing in-house logistics capabilities.

“It’s about specialising in what you do and doing it well,” Rossouw says.

ATTRACTING TALENT TO THE CAUSE

Of course, to build those capabilities, first and foremost Imperial needs talented employees. Historically, logistics is a field that has been without glamour.

“The challenge with what we do is that if it works, nobody notices,” Rossouw admits.

Analytics, delivered.

CANVAS INTELLIGENCE

Canvas Intelligence, an organisation at the forefront of analytics consulting headquartered in Johannesburg, has provided Business Intelligence solutions to Imperial Logistics for a number of years and is proud to be one of their key strategic partners. In 2020, Canvas Intelligence undertook one of our biggest projects to date with them, which included the consolidation of all ERP and additional business systems’ data, across their 42 companies, during which we developed consolidated analytical models for finance, commercial, sales, stock and procurement. As a partner, we are extremely proud of the fact that with our technology and solutions, we helped Imperial Logistics win first place in the ‘Supply Chain Digital Transformation’ category of the Africa Supply Chain Excellence Awards (ASCEA) 2022.

Some of the ways we have helped revolutionize Imperial Logistics’ operations include providing them with the ability to predict their annual revenue, gain insights with consolidated views on sales and stock by business unit, and frictionless drill down to transactional detail across the various units.

“Our digital transformation is key to delivering on Imperial’s strategy, which is why we value our partnerships with industry experts like Canvas Intelligence, who significantly bolster our ‘fail forward’ approach to this transformation.” – Cobus Rossouw, Executive Vice President: Digital and Information Technology, Imperial Learn more about how our services can give you the power to visualise your data and unlock its potential: www.canvasintelligence.com

For nearly a decade Canvas Intelligence has provided granular Business Intelligence solutions to organisations, allowing them to visualise their data and transform enterprise performance through real-time decision-making.

We pioneer inventive and effective solutions whilst disrupting deployment time and cost, enabling any size business to modernise to the latest BI platform.

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• improved asset productivity

• optimised operations

• reduced waste.

BSC’s proven approach uses client data as input, and applies analytics with practical technologies. Talk to us today to begin the journey towards productivity gains for your business.

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Proudly supporting Imperial’s journey towards:

However, for better or worse, over the last few years, logistics has been at the top of the headlines.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has meant many people recognise that supply chain and logistics make the world happen,” Rossouw tells us. “There’s a higher appreciation from our clients, principals and the societies in which we operate regarding the importance of these sciences. It’s opened up the boardroom discussion of what we bring to the table and elevated the profession.”

At the same time, as the sector is gaining more recognition, it is also changing. The roles of digitisation and informational technology are making fundamental changes to the field of logistics, and the skills required to make it work.

“I’ve always been in the supply chain but I’m now much more focused on digital technology,” Rossouw says. “It is very exciting and makes it

more possible to deliver on our commitment to getting the right product to the right place at the right time and cost.”

The shift in how the industry is practised is also changing the people the industry is looking to recruit, and the skills that they need.

“I think in logistics and broader supply chain management as a recognised field, we are bringing in younger people studying to be logisticians or supply chain engineers. It’s a great field for data science and there is an increasing pipeline of talent available from universities.”

The field offers potential recruits far more than big data, however.

“We are offering solutions to get medicines to patients, products to consumers, and industrial products to factories,” Rossouw points out. “If we position ourselves as a sexy industry with problems to solve, applying machine learning, artificial intelligence and data technology, that will be exciting for people.”

But while there are a lot of exciting new tech applications in the sector, traditional skills are still needed.

“There are people who have been with us for a long time and those skills are important to retain,” Rossouw reminds us. “We have taught people who end up managing warehousing and transportation, combining that with new skill sets that drive optimisation. The best way to attract people across both spectrums is if they believe in the cause.”

A Changing Industry

As well as attracting and nurturing talent within the company, Imperial is also collaborating with other partners to achieve the best results.

“Imperial is a large organisation within the 3PL world, but there is a lot of work we don’t do ourselves and part of the magic is you need many partners,” Rossouw says. “Some of them are small companies with capacities you can use, like trucking operators with five, to

ten, to 50 trucks. But we also work closely with tech service providers, working actively with big players and small players, making technology available and working with specialists.”

One such collaboration is an interesting partnership with Accenture in Africa which is contributing to developing solutions for clients outside of Imperial’s usual wheelhouse.

“Being good at logistics means you can’t provide everything yourself. You also have to be good at working with other people- sometimes even your competitors if it brings out the best results for the client,” Rossouw tells us.

With rapidly evolving technology and a new focus on the sector as a whole, it is an exciting time within the logistics sector, and the industry as a whole is transforming. It is a transformation Rossouw is excited about.

“We’re seeing a major trend of consolidation in the logistics industry between the big players. There’s more of a market in offering an end-toend service than a fragmented industry with many small players,” Rossouw points out. “The market for more integrated players that can offer various services is growing. This consolidation is happening for classical 3PLs, and there’s so much more we can do to drive improvement.”

“WE’RE SEEING A MAJOR TREND OF CONSOLIDATION IN THE LOGISTICS INDUSTRY BETWEEN THE BIG PLAYERS.”

“WE

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Transitioning out of crisis

28 February - 2 March 2023

Hybrid conference

Convened by the Energy Institute’s sector experts, International Energy Week 2023 is the global conference focused on transitioning out of the geopolitical and environmental crises facing energy.

Over three days of high-profile keynotes, panel discussions, and networking – in person in London and online – the week attracts more than 1,000 delegates from around the globe and is the essential annual fixture for those leading on corporate strategy, business development, and technological innovation, those wanting to retain a competitive edge, and anyone seeking insight into the great challenges facing humanity.

Speakers include:

• Bernard Looney CEng FREng FEI, CEO, bp

Speakers include:

• Prof. Jim Skea CBE FEI, Imperial College London | IPCC Working Group

• Dr Pratima Rangarajan, CEO, OGCI Climate Investments

• Lindsay McQuade, Director of Energy, EMEA, AWS, Amazon

• Grete Tveit, SVP Low Carbon Solutions, Equinor