BFM Issue 76

Issue No.76

SPECIAL FEATURE: LIFE AFTER LOCKDOWN

GALIANO GOLD INC.

AS GOOD AS GOLD In an exclusive interview with Greg McCunn CEO we learn about Galiano’s investment in local communities and recent rebrand.

ALSO FEATURING: GARDNER AEROSPACE Working internationally while providing local, on the ground support.

NANDO’S

The popular PERi-PERi grilled chicken brand is evolving.

DELHI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT LIMITED Plans to transform passengers’ experience.

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

EDITOR’S NOTE

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

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

ACCOUNTS MIKE ASHER accounts@ceomediagroup.com

PRODUCTION KAMILA KAJTOCH production@ceomediagroup.com

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

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

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

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

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

FOCUS ON

ADAPTATION It’s hard to believe it’s been less than two months since we last put out an issue. When we last spoke to you, we were barely a week into lockdown measures in the UK, now most of us can barely remember what it is like to eat in a restaurant or go to the cinema.

Everyone we’ve spoken to for this issue has had their business changed one way or another by the pandemic, some of them having to find innovative ways to react to new challenges, while others are discovering new opportunities.

“A

lmost at the very beginning of this crisis, we spoke to Nando’s.

A restaurant business might seem like the very worst sector to be in at a time like this, but we learned a lot about how this company is adapting to delivery and take away, generating different strategies for different regulatory environments and health and safety conditions all around the world. Meanwhile, New Cold have taught us about the steps they’ve taken to maintain the cold chain for food and medicine under challenging conditions, while still making every effort to ensure their staff are kept safe. Karpowership also explains how their mobile, plug and play power stations are helping support healthcare infrastructure around the world.

We’ve also begun to look forward to the post-lockdown world, as restrictions are beginning to ease and curves in some places seem to have peaked, to ask what that might look like for businesses?

We have other success stories to talk about in this issue as well,

with Asanko Gold, now known as Galiano Gold, telling us the story of how their relatively small gold company has managed to punch well above its weight. Theta Goldmines offers us another success story from the gold mining sector.

Who knows what will happen between now and our next issue? But one thing that remains true is there is always opportunity if you look for it.

ON THE COVER Galiano Gold Inc. Go to page 16.

Issue No.76

SPECIAL FEATURE: LIFE AFTER LOCKDOWN

GALIANO GOLD INC.

AS GOOD AS GOLD In an exclusive interview with Greg McCunn CEO we learn about Galiano’s investment in local communities and recent rebrand.

ALSO FEATURING: GARDNER AEROSPACE Working internationally while providing local, on the ground support.

NANDO’S

The popular PERi-PERi grilled chicken brand is evolving.

DELHI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT LIMITED Plans to transform passengers’ experience.

3

IN THIS ISSUE

8

13

16

38

44

EVENT AI Africa Expo 2020 3 – 4 September 2020 Online Event The largest business-focused Artificial Intelligence, Robotic Process Automation and Data Science trade event in Africa.

8

NEWS COVID-19 Life after Lockdown

16

LEADING ARTICLE Galiano Gold Inc. As Good as Gold

AUTOMATION Universal Robots Return of the Robots

AVIATION, AEROSPACE & DEFENCE Delhi International Airport Limited A Destination Airport

60

Gardner Aerospace The World’s Local Operator

72

Hamad International Airport A New Era Takes Flight

80

44

Turks & Caicos Islands Airports Authority Transforming Turks & Caicos

COMMUNICATION & TECHNOLOGY 90

Pan African Towers Ready for 5G

96

SAP EMEA Can CX help you win a post-COVID-19 world?

ENERGY & UTILITIES 104

Karpowership A Flagship Operation

FMCG

4 | BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE

112

Honeywell Flour Mills A Self-Raising Business

120

KK Fine Foods The Family Recipe

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

ISSUE NO.76

128 134

146

152

160 164

HEALTHCARE, HOTEL & LEISURE

134

Immunodiagnostic Systems Holdings PLC Diagnostic Innovation Nando’s Peri-Prepared

MANUFACTURING Nolato Group Offering Solutions Sustainably

MINING Theta Gold Mines Buried Treasure

OIL & GAS Brooge Petroleum and Gas Investment Co The Story of a Vision Technip FMC Nigeria Bringing Innovation to Oil & Gas

146 168

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

Ghana Ports & Harbours Authority Keeping Ghana’s Cargo Moving

174

Suez Canal Container Terminal On the Highway to Everywhere

180

Tangier Med Port Complex Port of Call

184

190

SHIPPING, PORT AND MARINE

190

TRANSPORT & LOGISTICS NewCold Connecting the Cold Chain Noatum Logistics Logistics for Today & Tomorrow

BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE | 5

Find your way out of a complex operating model.

Let’s talk.

Operations Strategy | Digital | Cultural Engineering

Global io

- integrated operations experts.

globalio.com

EVENT OF THE MONTH

AI EXPO AFRICA 2020 WHERE: ONLINE EVENT WHEN: 3RD – 4TH SEPTEMBER, 2020

AI EXPO

AFRICA

2020 ABUJA 2020

“A

I Expo Africa, now entering its 3rd successful year, is the largest business focused Artificial Intelligence (AI), Robotic Process Automation (RPA) and Data Science trade event in Africa. Our 2020 online conference and expo will run on 3rd-4th September 2020 and builds upon the phenomenal success of the 2018 / 2019 events that were held in Cape Town, that cemented it as the largest business gathering of its kind, with over 1000+ registered delegates, decision makers, investors, buyers, suppliers, innovators, SMBs and global brands in the region all focusing on real world business applications you can deploy TODAY.

that broken down into 4 main themes: Innovation - New to market solutions, innovations, startup & investor centric success stories.

Case Studies - Real world applications and benefits of deployment in a B2B / B2C context.

Platforms & Panels - Latest developments from global, regional & local platform providers including panel discussions.

Technical Demonstrations Dedicated, deeper dive technical demonstrations of B2B / B2C solutions..

SPEAKING TRACKS & ONLINE PROGRAMME OVERVIEW The AI Expo Africa 2020 online speaking programme is split into 4 tracks. In total over 100+ speakers and panelists will take part in the programme

8 | BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE

www.aiexpoafrica.com

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

EVENT OF THE MONTH

3364

COMMUNITY MEMBERS

1027

DELEGATES

372

COMPANIES

106

SPEAKERS

55

SPONSORS

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE | 9

lead wıth the leader Today, Internet is in our pockets; our virtual and real worlds are coming together. LTE offers you great potential to deliver a superior mobile broadband experience to your customers, but the stakes are high. Success in LTE means getting to market quickly, with services that offer subscribers more than what they have today, as cost efficiently as possible. With 60 live commercial LTE networks on all continents and about 50% of all smartphone traffic on LTE running through our networks, we have what it takes to support you.

ericsson.com/unplug

RELIABLE GEO EXPLORATION – THE PREREQUISITE TO SECURE YOUR INVESTMENT No matter whether in real estate construction, tunnelling, bridge building, exploration and evaluation of raw material deposits of any kind, further development of your mining operations or unveiling geothermal potential, precise and reliable knowledge of the nature of the subsoil always plays a decisive role.

Just call DMT. We know the world and its ground like no one else and offer profound insights based on 282 years of practical experience and foresight.

The broad range of services, innovative techniques, flexibility and solution orientation – all from one source – supports you to make the best out of your project.

We call this Engineering Performance DMT-GROUP.COM

Headquaters DMT Group I Am Tüv 1 I 45307 Essen I Germany I Phone: +49 201 172 1867 I Mail: info@dmt-group.com

n Essen n Abu Dhabi n Bahrain n Berlin n Bochum n Brisbane n Calgary n Cape Town n Dortmund n Freiberg n Hamburg n Hanover n Herne n Istanbul n Jakarta n Johannesburg n Kolkata n Leipzig n Lima n Moscow n Nottingham n Nursultan n Vancouver n Waiblingen

TÜV NORD GROUP

COVID-19

WE ARE STILL A LONG WAY FROM THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC BEING OVER, EVEN IF IT DOESN’T BECOME A PERMANENT FIXTURE. BUT WHEN WE DO GO BACK TO WORK, WILL IT EVER BE THE SAME AGAIN?

LIFE AFTER LOCKDOWN Although the COVID-19 pandemic is still an extremely pressing and present concern for people and businesses around the world, whether we are over the peak or simply awaiting the second wave, the economy is now adapting to a new status quo, with precautions easing in many parts of the world leading to shops opens and international travel resuming.

“A

t the same time, offices are reopening to staff who have learned whole new ways of working during the lockdown, and as we discussed in our last issue, many of those lessons will be brought forward into the post-COVID-19 world.

So, what will your business, indeed, your life looks like after the lockdown?

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE | 13

COVID-19

NEW CHALLENGES The first and perhaps most dramatic shifts away from lockdown living are the gradual reopening of retail and travel businesses.

For instance, EasyJet has announced that within a month they will be resuming flights. But from the outset, it won’t simply be business as usual.

As Professor Loizos Heracleous, an aviation industry expert at Warwick Business School has pointed out, “Airlines will face a number of challenges as they resume flights. For example, if governments require them to observe social distancing rules on planes, that would mean middle seats are left empty.”

The news isn’t all bad, however.

“The good news for airlines is that they will benefit from lower oil prices and research is already underway that may enable equipment to sniff out coronavirus before passengers board,” Professor Heracleous adds. “Provided we find ways to control the virus, through testing, treatment or a vaccine, the industry should be back to pre-pandemic levels within two to three years. Aviation is too essential to wither. It is here to stay and the market system is resilient enough to ensure the industry thrives after this temporary setback.”

Meanwhile, the UK’s Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, has announced that non-essential retail will be opening its doors this month. While this is positive news for retail businesses, once again this new age of retail will look very different from its prelockdown counterpart.

“While the news that all nonessential retailers have been given the green light to reopen from 15th June is extremely

14 | BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE

positive, the high street shopping experience is likely to be a far cry from the one of just a few months ago as new guidelines are introduced to protect shoppers and workers,” says Mike Callender, executive chairman at retail technology company REPL Group. “This will see restrictions placed on the number of people allowed in stores and changing rooms closed wherever possible, resulting in the experiential element and social side of shopping in brick-and-mortar stores being lost. With many consumers seeing shopping as a hobby to enjoy with friends, adhering to the new guidelines will mean bricks-and-mortar retailers will struggle to offer consumers anything they can’t get online.”

For retailers, the priority will be ensuring consumer confidence is at its height, which will mean different things in the post-COVID age.

“Retailers will need to make consumers feel safe to shop in their stores and confident that they are adhering to cleanliness and hygiene standards,” Callender says.

“Some brands are likely to be intrinsically more trusted in this area than others, so retailers will be required to build consumer trust and demonstrate the measures they are taking to protect both their customers and employees.”

A NEW KIND OF OFFICE While safety precautions are likely to be the number one priority for those in the service industries, office-based workplaces are also likely to

COVID-19

see a transformation, even beyond the companies that are now utilising remote working far more.

“Business leaders will be reflecting on the lessons learnt from lockdown- one of which is the surprising ease with which workforces were able to transition to a fully remote style of working,” explains Andrew Johnson MD of meeting solutions firm PowWowNow “With the necessary technology, processes and policies now in place, businesses will be able to allow employees greater flexibility in the hours they work, and the location they work from.

This will be key in maintaining safety in the workplace as we continue to navigate the threat of coronavirus, especially for any individuals shielding.”

Alongside remote working comes the necessity of being flexible about employees’ hours, which in turn will mean many workers rethink how they fit their family life around their work. An unforeseen side effect of this could be a more level playing field in terms of gender.

Recent research from LSE has observed that in about 20% of couple households with dependent children in the UK, fathers are likely becoming the main providers of additional childcare because they are at home during the lockdown.

It’s a shift that may motivate the adoption of more flexible working solutions, with parental childcare roles becoming reversed in households where the mother works in a critical sector.

“While no one has a crystal ball to future gaze what the state of childcare will be after

the lockdown period, these last few months will have brought a fresh perspective,” says Maike Currie, investment director of Fidelity International. “Parents may well take another look at how they work and its effect on the family – the time spent commuting, long office hours and parents and children being metaphorical ships in the night during the week. There may also be no choice: recent events mean that several private nurseries are under threat, which could mean fewer places available.”

Currie argues that greater flexibility in the way we work going forward will open up avenues for men to take on more childcare and help enable women to hold on to their careers. This will help women to reclaim some of that earning potential that has been missed due to the role of primary carer: just by saving an extra £35 a month from their salary into their workplace pension, a woman could close the gender pension gap by the time they reach retirement age.

While there are opportunities for all businesses as lockdown loosens, however, the objective should be to find a new way to work going forward, not in getting back to “normal”.

As Johnson points out, “Ultimately, businesses will rightly be wary about rushing back to the ‘norm’ and shouldn’t overlook the business benefits of remote working, including enabling employees to better balance work and life commitments, and increases in productivity. Savvy business leaders will bring these lessons forward and benefit.”

BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE | 15

GALIANO GOLD INC.

WE LEARN HOW GALIANO HAS BUILT A PROUD REPUTATION BY INVESTING IN LOCAL COMMUNITIES, TRANSITIONED TO DELIVERING FREE CASH FLOW AND HEAR ABOUT THEIR RECENT REBRAND.

AS GOOD AS

GOLD PROJECT MANAGED BY: JAMES RICHARDSON

16 | BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

GALIANO GOLD INC.

Galiano Gold manages and operates the Asanko Gold Mine in Ghana, a 50/50 joint venture between themselves and Gold Fields. The mine has been in production since 2016 and is currently expected to produce between 225 and 245,000 ounces of gold this year.

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

“G

hana is a substantial gold mining country with over 2 million ounces a year produced in the country.

There are a number of large companies operating here so there is competition for talent,” explains Greg McCunn, CEO of the company. “By building a mining company that is focused on its social license to operate we are able to attract and

retain top talent across the organization.”

The mine completed construction in 2015, ahead of schedule and within budget, and poured first gold in January of 2016, and within three months had commenced commercial production.

In both 2018 and 2019, the mine had record gold production of 223,152 ounces and 251,044

BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE | 17

We are Rabotec

As a diversified Engineering and Construction Service Provider we are constantly searching for the best solution, optimum service, and even better product.

Our way of work, our relationships with clients and vendors, and our business triumphs are hinged on the values of Safety, Mutual Respect and commitment to excellent delivery.

Our Business Areas

Our business operations are organized in 3 business areas: Process and Generation Plants, Construction & Rehabilitation • Structural. Mechanical. Plate and Piping Installation (SMPP) • Electrical and instrumentation Installation • Operation and Maintenance Civils and Earthworks • Haul Road Construction and Rehabilitation • Tailing Dam Construction • Bulk Earthworks • Haulage • installation of Geosynthetic fabric Supply • Skilled Manpower • Equipment, Tools & Fleet Services • Material, Spares & Wares

Tel: +233 (0) 302 915 215 Email: info@rabotecgroup.com Website: www.rabotecgroup.com

... meeting your needs with perfection!

• We design, manufacture and install on-site oxygen generating equipment and oxygen cylinder-filling plant for mining, medical and industrial applications.

• Key focus areas within the sectors served include: Gold Mine CIL Applications, Hospitals, Clinics, EMS, Furnace Enrichment and Aquaculture.

• We utilize state-of-the-art molecular sieve for separating oxygen from air and a technology that has a carbon footprint < ½ that of conventional liquid oxygen plants.

• We educate, train and instruct the users of our equipment about the hazards associated with oxygen production, distribution and use - and in so doing, we promote safety in the workplace, saving lives whilst providing social upliftment.

Mining

Medical

…we are in the business of providing oxygen solutions at point of use …anywhere

Industry

FOXOLUTION first oxygen solution CAPE TOWN SOUTH AFRICA PHONE: (+27) (0) 83 296 2311 EMAIL: info@foxolution.co.za

www.foxolution.co.za

GALIANO GOLD INC.

ounces, respectively. In 2020, with a target of 225 and 245,000 ounces at AISC of $1,000-$1,100/oz the company remains focused on generating free cash flow.

With that level of success comes responsibility, and Galiano Gold has shown itself to hold a strong commitment to the very highest standards of health & safety, human rights, and environmental management, for its employees and its host communities.

BRINGING VALUE TO COMMUNITIES McCunn credits Galiano’s repeated success to the extra mile the company will go to

when contributing to local communities. Galiano Gold is deeply committed to being a good neighbour to its host communities. The Company boasts an experienced, allGhanaian Community Affairs department, based at the Asanko Gold Mine, who are dedicated to building and sustaining positive relationships with the local communities. Through this department, the Asanko Gold Mine focuses on improving sanitation, health, education, and community infrastructure.

All of these investments seek to provide benefits that will be sustainable beyond the life of the Mine’s operations and include contributions by local

Greg McCunn CEO, Galiano Gold

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

“THE THING THAT DIFFERENTIATES US IS OUR SOCIAL LICENSING, WE DISCOVERED THIS MINE. WE BUILT IT BACK IN 2014 TO 2016, AND WHEN YOU’RE A JUNIOR MINING COMPANY IN A WELL-KNOWN MINING JURISDICTION THERE’S A LOT OF EXPECTATION FROM LOCAL COMMUNITIES WHEN IT COMES TO CSR.” communities - generally in the form of communal labour - to engender shared responsibility and commitment to the investment.

“The thing that differentiates us is our social license,” McCunn says. “We discovered this mine. We built it back in 2014 to 2016, and when you’re a junior mining company in a well-known mining jurisdiction there’s a lot of expectation from local communities when it comes to corporate social responsibility. But with limited budgets compared to the larger companies in Ghana we are focused on carefully managing how we make our strategic investments. We contribute directly to community improvement programs and growing local businesses.

In addition, to leverage our investments we enter into partnerships so when we contribute our portion, we are able to leverage up to ten times the value of the investment. It’s something we’re proud of. On

BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE | 21

GALIANO GOLD INC.

“WE CONTRIBUTE DIRECTLY TO COMMUNITY IMPROVEMENT PROGRAMS AND GROWING LOCAL BUSINESSES. IT’S SOMETHING WE’RE PROUD OF.” top of the financial aspect of these partnerships, our partners also bring expertise in those areas that we are investing in. Some of our partnership programs include literacy training, access to capital to support the expansion of local businesses and improving health services.”

This level of involvement is also reflected in the company’s environmental stewardship, with the Company showing real dedication to minimising environmental impacts associated with their operations.

The Asanko Gold Mine complies with all Ghanaian legislation and regulations and appropriate international standards.

The responsibility for this environmental stewardship rests with the very highest levels of the company, and their Environmental Management Plans have been designed to ensure continuous improvement in the management of resources while creating environmental awareness among the Company‘s employees and contractors through training.

There are also numerous monitoring programs which are reviewed on a regular basis and adjusted according to changing needs and best practice.

The standards that Galiano

22 | BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE

draws on to guide their environmental management and monitoring includes IFC Performance Standards, Ghanaian Environmental Protection Agency, World Bank Environment, Health, and Safety Guidelines, World Health Organization Guidelines for Drinking-water Quality, and International Cyanide Management Code.

Following the standards assures that not only has Galiano achieved great things but that they can be proud of their achievements.

MINING COMPANY OF THE YEAR Indeed, although Galiano is a relatively small gold company compared to some of the

corporations in the field, they’re able to punch above their weight, winning Ghana’s Mining Company of the Year Award for the second year in a row in 2019.

The Mining Company of the Year Award is awarded every year to the mining company that has achieved the highest aggregate results in the five categories of Occupational Health and Safety, Financial Performance, Corporate Social Investment, Local Content, Environmental Management and Innovation.

“We are elated that for the second year in a row Asanko Gold Ghana Ltd has won such a prestigious award from the Ghana Chamber of Mines against very intense competition,” said

GALIANO GOLD INC.

McCunn of the award. “As a relatively young mine within Ghana, this award recognizes the commitment that our team continues to demonstrate through its leadership in innovation in the workplace and ensuring we operate in a safe, socially and environmentally responsible manner.”

“I am incredibly proud of our team for receiving these awards,” added Fred Attakumah, Executive Vice-President and Managing Director of Asanko Gold Ghana Ltd. “This is the highest recognition in Ghana for a mining company in the areas of health & safety, social and environmental responsibility and innovation and shows the tireless efforts and dedication of the entire Asanko Gold Ghana Ltd team. We will continue to seek further innovative ways of excelling in health and safety performance, respect for the environment and relations with our community partners.”

FROM THE GROUND UP That Galiano has achieved so much is all the more impressive given how recently work began on the mine. Putting a new mine into production, getting it started up and running properly is no small task.

“It was initially a $300 million construction project, and we continued to invest in capital projects over the first three years of operations to get the mine to where it is today, where it’s generating substantial cash flow,” McCunn tells us. “The biggest challenge in the start-up of the mine was reducing the variability of

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE | 23

WHO IS BLOJ?

BLOJ is a locally owned, Ghanaian Incorporated company. Which offers Engineering Construction, Construction Project Management and Mining Services.

BLOJ is dedicated to organizations or Individuals seeking construction and mining services. We work with various companies specalising in Mining, Power distribution, oil and pipelines. As well as public works agencies, municipalities, and commercial/ residential real estate developers. Our area of expertise includes but not limited to civil building technology, structural engineering and mining.

We are committed to providing the best possible construction expertise & service to ensure cost effective and successful projects. We work closely with our clients to accurately interpret their objectives and bring them to the desired reality through construction solutions.

We communicate throughout the project process to keep clients informed of progress and to ensure that our project keeps on schedule and within budget.

OUR VISION

To set the unique industry standard through safety, quality projects and client satisfaction, guided by our core values we will constantly strive to implement the critical initiatives required to achieve the vision.

OUR MISSION

We aim to be a world class engineering Construction Company providing efficient affordable, sustainable, cost effective services of highest level of quality.

OUR VALUES

We believe in maintaining the highest standard of professionalism, integrity, creativity, positive attitude, delivery that meets and surpass expectations while offering prompt and lasting solutions that stand the test of time.

WHAT WE DO • HAULAGE OF ORE & WASTE MATERIAL • BULK EARTHWORKS • ROAD CONSTRUCTION • HAUL ROAD CONSTRUCTION • CIVIL WORKS • STEEL STRUCTURE WORKS • CONSTRUCTION OF DAMS • BUILDING CONSTRUCTION WORKS (REAL ESTATE & RESETTELMENT) • INSTALLATION OF GABION BASKET • TAILINGS RECLAMATION WORKS • SUPPLIES OF GOODS • LABOUR HIRE BLOJ COMPANY LIMITED P.O.BOX SN 884 -SANTASE, KUMASI, GHANA Telephone: +233(0)244759342 / +233(0)240864722 Email: bjbloj@yahoo.com / blojprojectmanager@yahoo.com

www.blojco.com.gh

COMPANY PROFILE

As a Mining and Civil Engineering contractor, PW Mining International has the capability to deliver on any scale of mining project. This capability covers all contract mining and civil engineering earthworks and related infrastructure on greenfield mine sites, and also on mine site extensions or developments.

Open Pit Operations

We have a continual history of operations in Africa going back over 40 years.

We have executed prestigious mining sector projects in Ghana, Sierra Leone, Mali, Burkina Faso and Tanzania. We are prepared to examine any mining or civil engineering opportunity in the African mining industry. You are welcome to contact us if you have potential project opportunities, or feel that we might be of service to you.

Mission and Vision

Our mission is to deliver top class value and service to our clients by providing value for money pricing, quality workmanship which is safely executed, and ontime completion of our contracts. We are committed to building solid, integrity based client relationships, through dedicated attention and above average performance. Our vision is to be the best mining and civil engineering company in Africa whom our clients look forward to partnering with on a repeat basis.

We will be known for integrity, excellence, quality, growth, and employee satisfaction.

Services Open Cast Mining Operations:

· Site Clearance · Topsoil stripping · Overburden removal · Drill & Blast · Load & Haul · Crusher Feed · New pits and cutbacks to existing pits Mine Site Development Works:

· Access Roads · Site Clearance · Topsoil Strip Bulk Earthworks for Plant Sites · Mine Site Roads · Haul Roads · Tailings Storage Facility construction (Initial Construction & subsequent Raise projects)

PW MINING INTERNATIONAL LTD 10 Abidjan Avenue, East Legon PO Box CT2475 Cantonments Accra

Social Media: Facebook: PWMining Twitter: PW_Mining LinkedIn: pw-mining-international-ltd

Telephone: +233 302 518112-6 Email: pwm@pwmil.com

www.pwmil.com

GALIANO GOLD INC.

“CONSISTENT PRODUCTION HAS BEEN THE MAIN FOCUS FOR THE LAST THREE YEARS. NOW WE’RE REALLY INTO THE SECOND PHASE OF OPTIMISATION, WHICH IS IMPROVING OUR MARGINS BY DRIVING DOWN OUR COSTS.”

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

the operations and achieving consistency. Over the last year, we’ve really found our stride and exceeded our production guidance in 2019.”

Galiano Gold is guided by the vision to build a sustainable business capable of long-term value creation for its stakeholders through the organic growth of their production, exploration and the disciplined deployment of financial resources. Through Galiano’s collaboration with Gold Fields, their jointly owned gold mine has established itself as a large scale, multi-pit asset which Galiano is successfully operating.

Maintaining that consistency means carefully balancing and managing Galiano’s available resources to ensure no downtime.

“Fundamentally, we’ve got six open pits. We mine at any given time from three of them.

It’s about building adaptability and flexibility into the business, maintaining operations through the inevitable challenges,” McCunn explains. “Consistent production has been the main focus for the last three years.

Now we’re really into the second phase of optimisation, which is improving our margins by driving down our costs.”

The outlook at Galiano is bright, as McCunn pointed out during the release of their latest Mineral Reserve Estimate, saying “The updated Mineral Reserve Estimate for the Asanko Gold Mine is in-line with the development plan that we announced in August last year which targeted 8-10 years of mine life at a production rate

BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE | 27

“2020 AND 2021 ARE BOTH EXPECTED TO BE GOOD YEARS FOR THE MINE WITH PROJECTED STRONG FREE CASH FLOW. USING THIS UPDATED LIFE OF MINE PLAN AS A BASELINE, WE ARE LAUNCHING A MAJOR COST REDUCTION INITIATIVE AT THE AGM AND INCREASING FOCUS ON EXPLORATION ON OUR PROSPECTIVE 21,000-HECTARE LAND PACKAGE.

GALIANO GOLD INC.

of 225,000 to 250,000 ounces per year,” said Greg McCunn, Chief Executive Officer. “2020 and 2021 are both expected to be good years for the mine with projected strong free cash flow. Using this updated life of mine plan as a baseline, we are launching a major cost reduction initiative at the AGM and increasing focus on exploration on our prospective 21,000-hectare land package.

When we look at our 50% share of the Asanko Gold Mine cashflow at today’s gold price, we estimate that we continue to trade at a discount to our net asset value. As a result, we are continuing with our share buyback program.

BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE | 29

Engineering Environmental Geosciences

adding value. delivering results

Geotechnical

Materials Testing

Environmental

Knight Piésold Ghana Limited was Incorporated in 1996 and since that time has provided specialist Engineering, Environmental and Materials Testing services to the Mining sector within Ghana and neighboring West Africa countries.

The Knight Piésold group, of which Knight Piésold Ghana is part, is an international company of consulting Engineers and Environmental scientists providing services to public and private sector clients in the Water, Power, Mining and Environmental fields.

We work closely with our clients, understanding unique project characteristics within the context of today’s global business environment. With a commitment to quality, safety and technical excellence, Knight Piésold specializes in creating customized solutions at every stage of a project life cycle, while delivering sustainable, bottom-line results. We have led numerous award-winning projects to completion and have fostered many long-term client relationships that hold strong today.

OUR EXPERTISE Engineering: Civil Engineering; Geotechnical Engineering; Water Resources Engineering; Structural Engineering.

Environmental: Baseline Studies; Water Quality Studies; Environmental Management Plans and Monitoring; Environmental and Social Impact Studies; Closure and Reclamation; Environmental Auditing; Water Quality Studies; Social Studies and Community Engagement.

Geosciences: Hydrology; Hydrogeology; Geochemistry Management and Testing: Construction Supervision and QA/QC; Soils and Materials Testing; Geographic Information System; Data Management; Project Management.

CONTACT DETAILS Knight Piésold Ghana Ltd. House No.20 2nd Close Airport Residential Area P.O Box C4122 Cantonments Accra

Tel: +233 30 702 1155 +233 244 343 116 Email: accra@knightpiesold.com anketiah@knightpiesold.com

www.knightpiesold.com

Proudly drilling for Asanko Gold!

Jual Group Jual Group Limited is a group of companies with headquarters in Accra, Ghana and was incorporated in 2001. Since its incorporation, Jual Group has been working with KSB group in west african region.

KSB (Klein Schanzlin Becker) Group is a German Company and a world leading manufacturer of pumps and valves. Our control Panels products are developed in Partnership with supplier who offer best manufactured electrical components such as ABB etc.

What We Do

Brands We Represent

We provide you all types of LV , MV control and supply, Install and Service of pumps, Valves and related system for industrial and residential application and also studying, designing and building electrical control panel boards and automation systems. We aim to satisfy your needs by maintaining studied procedures and inspections to ensure that every details is projected in our work. Kindly find below some of the products we supply & manufacture.

Excellence and innovation built into every design.

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

www.jualgroup.com

APATOR POWOGAZ

Vergnet Hydro Groupe Odial Solutions Odial Solutions Group

sales@jualgroup.com

Amandla Pumps (Pty)Ltd. Where customer needs translate to solutions

+ 233 (0) 543 088 669

Branches : Accra |Takoradi | Tarkwa | Obuasi | Liberia | Sierra Leone

BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE | 31

GALIANO GOLD INC.

As of the end of March, we had purchased and cancelled 3.5 million shares, returning approximately $3.0 million to Galiano Shareholders.”

Through all of this, Galiano Gold is guided by its vision to be a gold producer that creates a sustainable business that is capable of longterm value creation for all stakeholders. It’s a vision the company will achieve through providing a safe and healthy working environment for their employees, developing and implementing the organisational capability required to achieve and sustain their business and growth objectives, and making responsible, competitive and efficient use of all their assets.

Galiano will foster cooperation and participation with all stakeholders to achieve these shared goals, with a particular emphasis on the environment and local communities.

ORGANISATIONAL CAPABILITY

“OUR BUSINESS IS BUILT ON THREE PILLARS, THEY ARE MINERAL RESOURCES, INFRASTRUCTURE, AND PEOPLE, SYSTEMS & PROCESSES. THE THIRD PILLAR IS PERHAPS THE MOST IMPORTANT AS WITHOUT PEOPLE, SYSTEMS AND PROCESSES EVEN THE BEST MINES & PROCESSING FACILITIES WILL FAIL TO BE SUCCESSFUL.” 32 | BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE

Galiano Gold has made a real success of itself by managing the infrastructure and resources available to the business, but there is one more element that is absolutely essential to their continued prosperity - people. ”Our business is built on three pillars,” McCunn says.

“They are mineral resources, infrastructure, and people, systems and processes. The third pillar is perhaps the most important as without people, systems and processes even the best mines and processing facilities will fail to be successful.”

Fortunately, Ghana is as rich in skilled human resources as it is in mineral ones. The country is a well-known mining jurisdiction with a long history of gold production which has led to the growth of a highly trained workforce. Ghana is

Africa’s largest gold producer and the world’s eighth-largest and is appealing to international countries because Ghana is a stable and functioning democracy.

“There have been big mining companies operating here for over 100 years. It means we’re not required to source ex-pats to any great extent. We have approximately 2,600 employees including contractors, 99% of whom are Ghanaian. On a local scale, about 50% of the workforce are people who live within commuting distance to the mine,” McCunn points out. “There’s a good labour pool of skilled engineers and metallurgists. One of the things that attract people is how we approach social licence, and also paying attention to how we do business and our values and vision.”

A NEW BRAND FOR A NEW ERA Today Galiano is about to embark on a whole new phase for the company, building on what they have while transforming into something new.

“We’ve got two main focuses over the next two years. The mine has a ten-year mine life on paper, so the two objectives we have are first and foremost improving our margins and driving down costs. In an industry where you can’t control the price of your product, you need to control costs. Secondly, we want to add value for the company and our stakeholders through exploration,” says McCunn. “We have got a wonderful land package on one of the main gold belts in Ghana, and it’s largely unexplored.

Due to the challenges of raising money and building a mine, there hasn’t been capacity within the company for exploration, so 2020 will be the first year we really focus on our

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

GALIANO GOLD INC.

exploration efforts. I think we’re going to be mining gold here for a lot longer than ten years.”

Ventures into exploration are only the beginning, however.

The entire company has just completed a rebrand from Asanko Gold to Galiano Gold following shareholder approval on April 30, 2020.

“The rationale behind the name change is that we are focused on creating a new entity, a company that is building a sustainable business to create value over the long term,” McCunn says proudly. “In conjunction with changing the name, we have been refreshing our Board” One of the most pivotal of these new appointments announced the day we speak with McCunn, is Paul N. Wright who was appointed to the board

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

“ONE OF THE THINGS THAT ATTRACT PEOPLE IS HOW WE APPROACH SOCIAL LICENCE, AND ALSO PAYING ATTENTION TO HOW WE DO BUSINESS AND OUR VALUES AND VISION.” and following the Company’s annual general meeting of shareholders on April 30, 2020, was appointed Chair of the Board of Directors.

“After a thorough search process that began last year, we are very pleased that Paul has agreed to join our board and to take on the role of non-executive Chairman following the AGM,” says Gordon Fretwell, former Chair of Galiano’s Nominating and Governance Committee.

“I’m looking forward to having

Paul lead the board as we enter into an exciting time for the Company,” adds McCunn.

“Paul’s extensive business and leadership experience will be extremely valuable for Galiano Gold as we seek to build a sustainable business capable of long-term value creation for our stakeholders.”

McCunn is right about the levels of experience and expertise Wright brings to the role. Wright served as Chief Executive Officer of Eldorado

BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE | 33

Ensure that your employees are fine with Acacia Health Insurance.

ACACIA HEALTH INSURANCE Acacia Health Insurance is a Private Commercial Health Insurance Scheme established in 2012. It is currently ranked the number one health benefits provider in Ghana and continue to win various accolades including – Health Insurance Provider of the year 2019 (Ghana Pharma Awards), Innovative Health Insurance Provider of the Year 2019 (West Africa Healthcare Excellence Awards), Best Employee Health Insurance Scheme Provider 2019 (Health Environment Safety & Security Awards) Customer Care/Service Award (Ghana Insurance Awards) and a member of the Ghana Club 100 (GIPC).

It currently provides cover for over 27,995 lives drawn from over 183 corporate firms in various industries – from food and beverage, Oil and Gas, the financial sector and beyond. Acacia works with over 600 service providers across the country.

A 6-member board of Directors chaired by Mr Peter Osei Duah, a seasoned insurer and a certified actuarist governs the company. Dr. Dan V. Armooh, a Public Health Physician with training in Management, health financing and health economics is its Chief Executive Officer.

Acacia offers 3 main products. Its premium-based health benefit offerings, comes in four different packages - Unicare Plan, Premiercare Plan, Supercare Plan and Supercare Plus plans. Each package is designed to cater for a specific category of business and level of employee. These options cover hospital consultations, surgeries, dental care, prescribed drugs and optical care among others.

Acacia also offers Third Party Administered packages and International health insurance cover.

At Acacia, we always place value on those you value! www.ahighana.com

34 | BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE

Registered and incorporated in 2007, Builders Guard Limited, is reputed for offering quality products and services at competitive cost to the mining and construction sector. The company is affiliated to THE KOBIN GROUP, an investment holding firm with business interests in construction, logistics and advisory services.

We support and service the requirements of our clients both large and small within the West African region. Our procurement and supply chain solution makes available a wide range of products essential to the mining and construction industry. These products are sourced from proven original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and established replacement part suppliers.

Our products: • Drilling consumables • Pipe and fittings • Pumps • Pump spares • Fasteners

• Seals • Conveyor belt • Ground Control Products • Valves • Filters

and general mining and processing consumables.

Ghana Office: P.O. Box GP 2040, Accra, Ghana Tel: +233 (0) 244 415497 Email: sales@buildersguard.com Burkina Faso Office: 01 BP 1812 Ouagadougou 01, Burkina Faso Tel: +226 64491067 Email: sales@buildersguard.com

www.buildersguard.com

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

NAFHAS CATERING SERVICES Camp Management & Hospitality

Porter’s Hand Limited Building Construction & Civil Engineering We are also specialized in the Construction of Explosive Magazine and all mine site construction works.

NAFHAS was established in January 2011. A wholly owned Ghanaian company, NAFHAS has since been engaged by major mining companies and their major contractors.

NAFHAS provides catering and camp management services to Asanko Gold Mine and AngloGold Ashanti (AGA) Obuasi Mine.

NAFHAS was the sole catering company during the construction of Asanko Gold Mine.

We provide: Catering / Hospitality services: daily meals, packed lunches, Banquet and conference meals, Housekeeping Services and Environmental Services (inc. Landscaping, Waste Management, Pest Control) Contact: +233 50058 7776 info@nafhascatering.com / nafhas@ymail.com

www.nafhascatering.com

K.A’S LIVE COMPANY LIMITED At K.A Live Company Limted we strive to continue to be an effective general contractor working in an ethical and balanced manner to earn the privilege of being the contractor of choice.

...Built to last Porter’s Hand Limited (Phd) is a leading building construction and civil engineering company located in Tarkwa. With over ten years’ experience in Civil Engineering, Building Construction, Haulage and Earthworks, Welding and Fabrication, Steel Works, etc., Phd Limited has served a number of mining companies both within and beyond the Western Region of Ghana. At Phd Limited, our greatest priority is providing clients with quality and timely service delivery.

Porter’s Hand Limited, Market Circle, Tarkwa, Ghana Phone: +233-209-871-021 / +233-243-515-358 Email: portershand@gmail.com

www.portershand.com

SGS Laboratory Services in Tarkwa relocated to its new world-class Geochemical Laboratory, situated on the Bankyim Ahwitieso road just outside Tarkwa in the Western Region of Ghana.

This ISO17025 accredited commercial facility is completely equipped with “State of the Art Technology” to provide a major boost to the mining & mineral industry in the West African region.

Services we offer: • Civil & Earth works • • General Building works • • Road & terrace construction, inc. maintenance • • Haulage • • Dust suppression • • Drill pads and access preparation • • Bore hole drilling & mechanization • • General electrical works • Hiring & supply • Contact: +233 (0)244 712 848 E-mail: kalive27company@yahoo.com Address: P.O. BOX 672 FNT, Kumasi, Ghana P.O. BOX 93, Bibiani, Ghana

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

SGS LABORATORY SERVICES GHANA P.O. Box 38, Bankyim-Ahwetieso Road, Ahwetieso, Tarkwa, Western Region, Ghana m: +233 (0) 24 432 3405 Head Office Cocoshe Building, Block B, 4th Floor, Street No. B28a, Agostinho Neto Close, Airport Residential Area, Accra, Ghana t: +233 302 77 39 94 / 95 f: +233 302 77 90 75 www.sgs-ghana.com

BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE | 35

GALIANO GOLD INC.

Gold Corporation from October 1999 to April 2017. After joining Eldorado Gold in 1996 as Vice President, Mining, he moved on to become Senior Vice President Operations in October 1997. In these roles, Wright led the company through a period of intense activity through which was created a leading international gold company. Exploration discovery and acquisitions during this period enabled Eldorado to successfully develop and operate mines on three continents, creating a wellvalued and respected company.

He is a graduate of the University of Newcastle Upon Tyne and brings over 40 years of international experience in the development of open and underground mines to his role.

He is also a member of the Canadian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, the Institute of

36 | BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE

Materials, Minerals and Mining, and is a Chartered Engineer (UK).

And Wright is inheriting a company that is undergoing some revolutionary changes that go far beyond a simple rebranding exercise while its performance has been extremely strong. Over the first quarter of 2020 Asanko Gold Mine’s highlights included a record quarterly gold production of 66,333 ounces at all-in sustaining cost1 (“AISC”) of $805/oz, as well as gold sales of 67,820 ounces at an average realized price of $1,542/oz, generating gold sales proceeds of $104.6 million. The Asanko Gold Mine enjoyed strong cash flow generation with operating cash flow of $37.0 million and free cash flow of $27.0 million.

These are trends that had continued through the 2019 financial year, with the Asanko Gold Mine generating record

“WE HAVE GOT A WONDERFUL LAND PACKAGE ON ONE OF THE MAIN GOLD BELTS IN GHANA, AND IT’S LARGELY UNEXPLORED. 2020 WILL BE THE FIRST YEAR WE REALLY FOCUS ON OUR EXPLORATION EFFORTS. I THINK WE’RE GOING TO BE MINING GOLD HERE FOR A LOT LONGER THAN TEN YEARS.”

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

GALIANO GOLD INC.

proceeds of $342.4 million generated from gold sales of 248,862 ounces at an average realized price of $1,376 per ounce, and producing record quantities of 251,044 ounces exceeded their original upper end of guidance of 225,000 245,000 ounces. The Asanko Gold Mine generated operating cash flow of $120.4 million and free cash flow of $44.0 million, and on December 31, 2019, the JV had cash of $43.8 million, $9.1 million in gold receivables and $2.8 million in the ore.

“2019 was a transitional year for the Asanko Gold Mine as it shifted focus from investing in significant capital projects to generating positive free cash flow and began distributing capital to the JV partners,” said McCunn of the release of the Company’s Q4 and full-year results. “The mine achieved record production of 251,044 ounces, exceeding our guidance expectations for the year, while costs were slightly higher than expected as a result of a higher-than-expected reliance on lower grade stockpile feed during Q4. Importantly, the development plan for the life of mine was agreed by the JV partners in August and the updated Mineral Resource and Reserve estimates are expected to be issued by the end of Q1.

Looking to the year ahead, the Asanko Gold Mine is expecting 2020 to be very similar to 2019, targeting 225,000 to 245,000 ounces of gold production at AISC of $1,000 to $1,100/oz.

We also expect to continue to focus on exploration with a $10 million exploration program for the year. Our priority targets are located close to existing infrastructure.”

In 2020 Galiano plans to source ore primarily from Cut 2 at Nkran, and Esaase, while the development of the Akwasiso pit

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

is also expected to recommence and contribute approximately 30% of the planned ore tonnes for the year. The AGM will augment these ore sources where necessary with run-ofmine stockpile material. The development capital is forecast at $24 million, primarily for the Tetrem village relocation.

In addition, $10 million is budgeted for exploration, mainly around the highly prospective Tontokrom – Miradani – Fromenda mineralised trend.

Exploration is an area that Galiano is very keen to provide a renewed focus on, with plans

to make the most of their considerable land resources.

The business holds the largest land package on the highly prospective and underexplored Asankrangwa Belt, and the Galiano exploration team are very excited about the prospects of delineating a third significant ore body to complement Nkran and Esaase. Galiano plans to channel this increased focus on exploration with the aim of unlocking the potential within this 21,000-hectare land package.

Galiano Gold, has a gold standard future ahead of it.

BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE | 37

UNIVERSAL ROBOTS

IT’S BEEN A YEAR SINCE WE LAST SPOKE WITH UNIVERSAL ROBOTS, AND IN THAT TIME THEIR ROBOTS HAVE CONTINUED TO EVOLVE.

RETURN OF THE ROBOTS PROJECT MANAGED BY: DAVID TAVERNOR

Universal Robots manufacture cobots, cost-effective, flexible, safe and user-friendly collaborative robots that work closely with people in production environments, making automation easier for everything from SMEs to larger corporations.

We were impressed by what they were doing last time, but the company has come a long way since then.

38 | BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

UNIVERSAL ROBOTS

“W

e’ve increased our range,” says Mark Gray, the UK Sales Manager for Universal Robots.

“We now have a 16-kilogram payload robot which opens up new sectors for our products.”

Appropriately, for a company that builds “cobots”, Universal Robots has also embarked on an exciting new collaboration.

“We also have close links with MiR, the Mobile Industrial Robotics company, owned by the same company like us, Teradyne,” Gray says. “We’ve just announced a joint facility in Denmark together. We have got a few companies in the UK using

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

a MiR robot with a Universal Robot on the back of it. So that’s been a big development for us.

That seamless collaboration gives us the ability to work closely together.”

A GROWING ECOSYSTEM One of the exciting projects Universal Robots was engaged in the last time we spoke with them was their “ecosystem” which allowed independent developers to offer new tools and attachments for Universal Robots’ products.

“The ecosystem has increased. Last time we talked there were 30 end effectors,

now there are 90 and over 20 vision systems and more things coming out every month,” Gray tells us. “The ecosystem has evolved more in the last 12 months than ever before.

All the end effectors are split into different groups, two and three-finger grippers are one, dispensing effectors for gluing, polishing, welding another. And there are process end effectors and vision systems including 3D vision systems.”

BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE | 39

in partnership with

BOOST YOUR PAYLOAD WITH THE STATIONARY COBOT LIFT The Stationary Cobot Lift is like an exoskeleton for Cobots mounted on the floor. It boosts the Cobot payload from 10 to 30 kg.

QUICK AND FLEXIBLE AUTOMATION WITH THE MOBILE COBOT LIFT Integrates the robot, controller, teach pendant, vacuum tube lift & pump and crane as a single mobile unit for maximum flexibility and quick installation.

COLLABORATIVE ROBOT LIFT APPLICATIONS Cobot Lift are bringing safe and flexible automation for 10-30kg payloads to manufacturers of all sizes with Pick & Place or palletizing tasks. Our collaborative hybrid enables you to fully automate lifting processes, ensuring reliable production and greater productivity.

PICK & PLACE Automating repetitive Pick & Place tasks from 10-30kg with the Cobot Lift.

PALLETIZING Automate your palletizing and ensure your pallets are always correctly counted and packed.

Cobot Lift ApS | Industrivej 6 | 4200 Slagelse | Denmark +45 30 72 14 60 | info@cobotlift.com

www.cobotlift.com

MURRPLASTIK SYSTEMTECHNIK GMBH

THE FLEXIBLE HOLDER SYSTEM FOR COBOTS

SA UNIVER

L APPLIC

ATION

S & TYPE U RERS T C A F U MAN FERENT TIO FOR DIF N C E RA F O R MA R E P E PRIC NO. 1 IN N OTECTIO ABLE PR C T C E F PE R HOLD S EC U RE

www.mp.de

40 | BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE

Murrplastik Systemtechnik GmbH is one of the pioneers and world’s leading system suppliers in the fields of professional cable management and hightech products made of plastic. According to the motto “Everything from one source” Murrplastik develops, produces and distributes worldwide highquality products and system solutions such as energy chains, cable protection, cable routing, labelling and energy supply. For example, the sophisticated components of the cable protection conduits and cable fitting systems offer safety, support and protection in particular. The product range includes a compatible selection of different fittings and connectors, distributors, protectors and holders as well as robotic equipment systems (e.g. recirculation systems) for every standard conduit size. Universally applicable fastening systems for all common robots can be combined with individual designs and give the robots the freedom of movement they need for high working speeds and precise repeat accuracy. Specially modified materials and special conduit geometries guarantee a long service life.

The company is characterised by high technical innovations, quality and delivery capability. It sets high standards in terms of economy, durability and robustness as well as easy assembly and maintenance. In-house test laboratories guarantee the highest quality. The focus of their extensive and constantly growing product range is on user benefits and system concepts.

For many decades, “Made by Murrplastik” has proven itself in difficult dayto-day operations, from manufacturing plants in the automotive industry, mechanical and plant engineering, control cabinet and tool construction, robotics & automation, crane conveyor systems as well as railway engineering.

www.murrplastik.de

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

UNIVERSAL ROBOTS

“WHENEVER WE IMPLEMENT AUTOMATION THAT HAS TO GO THROUGH BUDGET APPROVAL AND BE FINANCED AND THAT MEANS EXPLAINING TECHNICAL THINGS TO NONTECHNICAL PEOPLE. UNTIL YOU CAN SHOW THE BENEFIT IN AN EXCEL SPREADSHEET, THEY DON’T UNDERSTAND IT.”

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

As well as giving customers more options, the ecosystem also serves to demystify the process for them.

“So if you make plastic trim for cars and you want a robot you can bolt onto a desk to put screws in, you can now click on a screwdriver on our website and create a little 3D movie of what that looks like,” Gray explains.

“By working with these partners, it de-risks buying a robot and screwdriver and seeing if they can communicate.”

ROBOTS ON THE PAYROLL However, while Universal Robots’ products have rapidly multiplying applications, there are still barriers to customers looking to introduce cobots to their workplace.

“Whenever we implement automation that has to go through budget approval and be financed and that means explaining technical things to non-technical people,” Gray says. “Until you can show the benefit in an Excel spreadsheet, they don’t understand it.”

Of course, tasks that automation are typically applied to aren’t optional, they’re essential. It’s just that the usual solution doesn’t involve such a large upfront expense.

“If you ask for £20,000 for a piece of equipment, there’d be sharp intakes of breath, but they won’t think anything of paying two people to load up a van,” Gray points out.

“There is still human labour doing that, one person for one

BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE | 41

UNIVERSAL ROBOTS

“PEOPLE STILL THINK ABOUT ROBOTS AS BEING GOOD FOR ONE TASK, BUT THESE CAN BE REDEPLOYED AND RETOOLED REALLY QUICKLY.” shift will cost you a minimum of £30,000 a year once you’ve provided toilets, car parking, and minimum wage. If you’re producing biscuits on three shifts that’s £90,000 a year.”

This is where Universal Robots global leasing partner, DLL comes in.

“Our global leasing partner DLL will lease our products over a number of years like you would a company car,” Gray explains. “It means smaller companies who find it difficult to raise capital can use a monthly operational budget to pay for the robot over three years if they’ve maintained the cashflow. But there are also tax advantages as well and bigger companies are getting involved.

It means people can implement our tools a lot quicker. Leasing means not putting down more money than you would spend to hire a temp.”

new software, but the important thing is the equipment around it, making it flexible so it can be moved around the factory.

People still think about robots as being good for one task, but these can be redeployed and retooled really quickly. So, you see people in UR+ with rapid tool changing, where you can swap the end effector by unclipping something and plugging in an effector. You’re using it as a tool rather than a fixed piece of equipment.”

Universal Robots’ relationship with MiR is only going to build on that by giving Universal Robots’ products mobile capabilities.

“It means you can send robots to stock locations and bring them onto the production line or send robots into environments you don’t want to send people into,” Gray explains. “For instance, in the biopharma sector, we’re sending robots into clean rooms. There are companies just starting to do it now and it’s great we’re occupying the same

space as MiR so we’re able to work on these collaborations.

We’re very close. Our CEO and the CEO of MiR, Thomas Visti, are good friends.”

ON THE ROAD Of course, as well as improving the products and making them more accessible to SMEs, it’s also essential to get the word out.

“We’re at our first cobot roadshow of the year right now.

It’s something we tried for the first time last year,” Gray says.

“Most robot companies go to the NEC for one or two shows a year and stand with their products on a platform waiting for people to come and look at them. We don’t do that. We do a couple of shows, but we also take the robots on tour go to different cities all over the UK and show people what they can do. We give them a chance to programme them. It gives people a chance to see our products up close and in person in their own back yard.”

ALWAYS ON THE MOVE The ecosystem and the leasing options combined are getting cobots into new places, doing new things, but Universal Robots isn’t ready to stop there.

“I would say Universal Robots is a company will never stand still. We’re always looking for the next revolution, but to be in front we realise a robot is a tool or a platform and the enablement of everything around that,” Gray says. “A robot is fine at doing multiple tasks and we’re always adding

42 | BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

UNIVERSAL ROBOTS

Universal Robots’ President Jürgen von Hollen

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE | 43

DELHI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT LIMITED

WE LEARN HOW DELHI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT LIMITED PLANS FOR INDIRA GANDHI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT WILL TRANSFORM PASSENGERS’ EXPERIENCE.

A DESTINATION

AIRPORT

PROJECT MANAGED BY: GLEN NEWTON

Delhi International Airport Limited or DIAL is it is often known, has been mandated to operate and manage the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA). The company began as a joint venture between GMR Group, which owns 54% of the business, Airports Authority of India, who own 26%, and Fraport AG and Eraman Malaysia who own 10% of the company each. The consortium is led by GMR while Fraport AG serves as the airport operator and Eraman Malaysia functions as the consortium’s retail advisor. Together these companies have united around a belief in “creating passenger delight every time they fly”, a goal that is reflected in every facet of the airport.

“B

ut perhaps the jewel in DIAL’s crown is the Delhi Aerocity, a “Safe, Smart and Sustainable Commercial District” being developed at the heart of the airport. The district provides highly connected and interactive urban areas for the socio-economic growth of the airport community.

An international team of designers has collaborated to plan Aerocity, which is already proving to be the pride of the city with its worldclass commercial zone, welldeveloped infrastructure, multimodal transit connectivity and mixed-use of space, including an array of international brand

44 | BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE

hotels, retail spaces and Grade A offices.

The first phase of this projected, the Hospitality District, is already hosting over 15 hotels, three Grade A offices and retail spaces with well laid out public amenities. Aerocity’s next phase will see a number of well-curated and planned zones, each having its unique character, public spaces, and world-class security as well as seamless connectivity with both the Airport Express Metro and the City Metro line.

The zone’s pedestrianfriendly streetscape, recreational amenities and ample public spaces are one of Delhi

QUESS IFMS Quess Integrated Facility Management Services has catered to the needs of 900+ sites encompassing over 258 million plus sq. ft. of facility space across several sectors and industries.

As India’s premier integrated facilities management provider, we have a dedicated team of 50,000+ employees, pan-India operations with 110 offices in 34 cities. Our affiliation with the Worldwide Cleaning Industry Association, ISSA, and processes that conform to ISO 9001:2008, 14001:2004, 18001:2007, 22000:2005, HACCP and OHSAS only adds credibility to our commitment to excellence. Quess has recently been certified by Great Place to Work®.

Quess IFMS offers a gamut of FM services including a specialized management group that focuses on healthcare, education, banking and financial sectors.

Clients prefer to work with a single partner who can take care of all their facilities need and Quess IFMS fits the bill perfectly. Over the years, Quess IFMS has mastered various methodologies to deliver the best solutions to its customers. Our strict adherence to FM procedures are backed by sound financials, experienced leadership, tech intervention, and high rates of business retention that help us position ourselves as a leader in the industry.

clients across sectors with our unique value proposition – an Integrated Solutions Provider, incorporating services in-house. Customers are looking at more integrated FM offerings with the aid of technology, bringing in more transparency and efficiency.

When it comes to technology inclusion, we are rapidly adapting digital technology across our service offerings, like IoT solutions, robotics, payroll & compliance management, paperless onboarding, feedback tool, asset tracking & management, and supervisory tools. We continue to embrace technology to achieve scale, cost leadership and help colleagues spend more time in the market. Some of our digitization initiatives include Q-desk and Inner-I which mainly focus on saving the paper in turn nature.

We tackled our most critical and challenging aspect by turning digital. Through this application, we reduced the onboarding cycle time to 15 minutes from 3 hours. We can now store all documents digitally, which is critical from a statutory compliance and employee benefit standpoint. Our major milestones include being a leading integrated FM player in the country, providing 1.50 lac meals per day through 40 kitchens across India, and 15,000 hospital beds over 250 million sq. ft.

We are a technology-laden and connected digital organization with a multifaceted engagement layer across verticals such as healthcare, education, and retail. Our focus lies in delivering value in the intersection of People, Process, Premises, Technology and Knowledge, powered by our management capabilities and paired with our superior facility management services. We strongly believe in empowering businesses to focus on their key functionality, while we handle all the non-core critical activities for smooth functioning.

Though, technology offers a lot of promise to the sector, we believe that it is the human experience that would never get old. There have been various instances where our employees have proven that the human touch never goes out of style. With our set of services and technology, we are redefining ourselves every day, but it is our workforce that makes our company human.

In the FM sector, we are making our presence felt by engaging with various

www.quesscorp.com

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE | 47

DELHI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT LIMITED

Aerocity’s high points.

Landscape elements, street furniture and graphic signage come together to provides an integrated design experience that is present throughout the entire airport landside.

But DIAL isn’t stopping there and the next phase of Aerocity will set benchmarks for city developments and sustainability.

GMR SQUARE Last year GMR unveiled the planed for their “GMR Square”, a first of its kind concept for any airport in India. The “Square” is designed to promote experiential living through work, play, and fitness, with worldclass cuisine and entertainment options. The square offers easy access to the Aerocity’s commercial hubs as well as a lush, green environment developed amidst lawns and landscaping on the way to Terminal 3 of Delhi Airport.

48 | BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

DELHI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT LIMITED

The unique walk from Aerocity’s Airport Metro Express station to all the major offices and hotels in Aerocity’s Hospitality District takes you across an experiential walkway that connects all the buildings but also treats pedestrians to a well-designed public space that promotes an active lifestyle and enables access to open spaces, shaded areas for casual breakouts and a host of other amenities. It is helping to establish Aerocity as a vibrant tourist gateway while supporting economic development and conserving resources.

GMR Square was unveiled last January by Shri Rajiv Nayan Choubey, Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation in

“TODAY, ‘GMR SQUARE OFFERS A VERY UNIQUE EXPERIENCE TO ALL THE INDIANS WHICH IS AT PAR WITH ANY FAMOUS LOCATION OVERSEAS.” BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE | 49

PULLMAN NEW DELHI AEROCITY REDEFINE LUXURY AND CHIC WITH PULLMAN NEW DELHI AEROCITY Pullman New Delhi Aerocity, the only Pullman Hotel in India is the new luxury chic destination for entrepreneurs, corporates, leisure travellers and residents in the city. From innovative gastronomy at its eclectic dining outlets to MICE offerings at the hotel, the upscale hotel is a destination for all. Also, with a philosophy of ‘Our world is your playground’ a concept by Pullman Hotels & Resorts - the brand aims to promote Art and Experiences on a large scale and in an innovative manner.

On placing a compass while being at the hotel, one would find that business hubs of Delhi and Gurgaon are at a radius of few kms and adjacent to Indira Gandhi International Airport. The 5 Star hotel offers 270 rooms, 6 restaurants & bars, Spa and salon, and an outdoor swimming pool.

The meeting spaces support a vibrant space that appeals to the five senses and creates an environment that fosters creativity, productivity and personal fulfillment. Moreover, the elegant and contemporary design of 1,191 sq. m. of pillar less Peacock Ballroom is inspired by the Indian peacock - vibrant, stately and majestic. Club by Pullman, another spectacular offering by the upscale hotel is a perfect blend of luxury & comfort with distinctive amenities, specially designed keeping in mind the requirement of today’s traveller. Spread over 36 square metres, the Club room is a unique space overlooking the runway on the top floor and comes along with exclusive access to the bespoke Club lounge and its benefits.

The upscale hotel offers global cuisine from around the world with frequently organizing sumptuous international food festivals by inviting chefs from Accor Hotels worldwide. The 5 star hotel offers an assortment of dining options with every restaurant having a distinct identity. Pluck, the Signature Buffet restaurant having an in house farm of 5,000 sq.ft, serves Regional Indian, Middle Eastern, Mediterranean and Hawker Style Asian Cuisine. Pluck offers the freshest, safest ingredients in a seasonal menu that is locally focused and globally artistic. The restaurant has introduced a revamped lunch and dinner buffet menu presenting 15 different islands which include Grandma’s Kitchen, Chaat Counter, Pickle Wall, Noodle Soup Bar and International Dessert Counter and much more.

Further, another signature dining outlet at the hotel, Honk is a melting pot of flavours with an indoor and alfresco seating offering Asian inspired street food cuisine. Honk has recently introduced Honk Dimsum lunches which have endless servings of 22 varieties of Dimsums. Guests can also relish varieties of soups, Meal in a Bowl, and homemade gelato exclusively available every day. Originating in tea houses, dim sums are best complemented with tea. Delight your palate with premium Asian teas and beverages like Shochu, Sake and Umeshu.

Pullman stands strongly as a premium brand of the Accor group and believes in bringing together all the interesting elements of the key brand pillars that create a unique hospitality experience for those in Delhi & NCR.

www.pullmandelhiaerocity.com

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE | 51

DELHI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT LIMITED

India in an event attended by key government officials, the senior leadership of GMR Group and key stakeholders of Delhi Airport.

Aman Kapoor, CEO of Airport Land Development (ALD) for the GMR Group, said at the event, “GMR Aerocity’s Hospitality District caters to global business and leisure travellers.

We offer corporate workplace, luxurious hotels, exclusive retail chains set amongst a well-curated public realm. The Aerocity is no more just a Hotel district but has now crafted its own unique identity. Recent events like Oktoberfest, India Mobile Congress, National Skill Competition, India Craft Week and Cirque De Soliel attracted an excellent response. Today, ‘GMR Square offers a very unique experience to all the Indians which is at par with any famous location overseas.”

“CREATING PASSENGER DELIGHT EVERY TIME THEY FLY, A GOAL THAT IS REFLECTED IN EVERY FACET OF THE AIRPORT.” OPENING THE PRIVATE WING As well as offering a great array of amenities, DIAL is also looking to grow their offering by commencing private jet terminal operations from this year. The consortium has already granted concessions to companies to build the terminal and other facilities which are expected to be ready by January 2020.

52 | BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

DELHI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT LIMITED

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE | 53

E M P OWERIN G T H E A IRPO RT O F T OM ORRO W

Maximizing safety and efficiency within the new air travel environment Enabling a seamless, contactless journey from curbside to boarding is more than just a safer way to travel. It is also more efficient for airports. Collins Aerospace is committed to providing airports with the technologies they need to operate at maximum efficiency. We are proud to support Delhi International Airport in its vision of Passenger Delight – working together to create the airport of tomorrow.

Learn more at collinsaerospace.com/airports

© 2020 Collins Aerospace

COLLINS ARINC A I R P O R T S O LU T I O N S • Airport operations solutions • Baggage systems • Biometric solutions • Cybersecurity • Passenger processing • Self-service • Systems integration

COLLINS AEROSPACE 1. WHAT IS THE EXTENT OF THE SOLUTIONS AND THEIR BENEFITS, COLLINS AEROSPACE HAVE PROVIDED AT DELHI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT? Collins Aerospace proposed a suite of solutions aligned with DIAL’s vision of “Fast Travel.” The airport solutions implemented included ARINC vMUSE™ common use passenger processing system, ARINC SelfServTM kiosks for self-service check-in, ARINC VeriPaxTM passenger reconciliation system, ARINC BagLinkTM for baggage messaging, a baggage reconciliation system (BRS) and a local departure control system (LDCS). Beyond the premises of the airport, Collins also installed India’s first remote check-in solution at Delhi Metro’s Shivaji Stadium and New Delhi stations. This reinforced DIAL’S position as a leading, world-class airport that leverages innovative solutions to simplify and transform the passenger experience.

3. HOW ADAPTABLE ARE YOUR PRODUCTS FOR OTHER AIRPORTS? Collins Aerospace offers customized, integrated and intelligent solutions for airports of all sizes, from passenger processing and facilitation, baggage management to airport operations. Our self-service solutions help create a safe and seamless travel experience for passengers. These solutions improve airport operational efficiency and enhance the passenger experience.

Complementing our self service product offering is our integrated biometric solution, ARINC SelfPassTM, which will help create a contactless airport journey using the customer’s facial biometrics as identification and boarding pass.

Contactless journeys through the airport will be key in creating confidence for passengers to travel once again.

4. ARE YOU CURRENTLY WORKING ON ANY NEW PRODUCTS?

2. WHAT WAS THE INITIAL BRIEF OR STRATEGY GIVEN TO COLLINS AEROSPACE BY DIAL? DIAL was experiencing rapid growth in domestic air traffic that was putting a strain on the airport’s resources and was in search of a solution that supported its “Fast Travel” vision without compromising on the passenger experience.

Working closely with DIAL, Collins Aerospace customized a solution that enabled the airport to reduce congestion and waiting times, and maximize return on investments through initiatives such as the consolidation of IT core rooms for both Terminals 1D and 3 which increased the area available for commercial use. This also marked the beginning of a strategic partnership between DIAL and Collins Aerospace, as both companies worked towards a common goal.

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

Collins Aerospace works closely with industry experts and airports around the world to develop solutions that conform to industry standards of safety, efficiency and security. Our SelfPassTM biometric-based identity management solution integrated with health screening technology (such as thermal cameras) will provide airports with touchless journeys with the added level of health screening of passengers. This technology can be integrated at various touchpoints and is uniquely scalable and hardware independent. ARINC cMUSETM leverages cloud technology to provide airports with fast, reliable and secure common-use passenger processing.

www.collinsaerospace.com/airports

BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE | 55

India’s FIRST and LARGEST façade access India’s India’s FIRST FIRST and and LARGEST LARGEST façade façade access access solution solution and maintenance company. solution and andmaintenance maintenance company. company.

Over the past 27 years, the CleanIndia Group has built Over the 2727years, CleanIndia Group has thepast past years,the the CleanIndia Group hasbuilt built aOver legacy of excellence.

With over 4500 completed a alegacy of excellence.

With over 4500 completed legacy of excellence.

With over 4500 completed system installations through Cradle Runways (India) system installations through Cradle Runways (India) system through Pvt. Ltd.installations and over 400 active Cradle clients Runways in 17 cities(India) with Pvt. Ltd. and over 400 active clients in 17 cities with Pvt. Ltd. and over 400 active clients in 17 cities with Technoclean (India) Pvt. Ltd., we are the largest façade Technoclean (India) Pvt. Ltd., we are the largest façade Technoclean (India) Pvt. Ltd., we are the largest façade cleaning and maintenance service provider in India. cleaning cleaningand andmaintenance maintenanceservice serviceprovider providerininIndia.

India.

Our clients span a wide range of industries; from ururclients a wide range ofofindustries; from OO clientsspan span industries; from International Hotela wide Chainsrange to Global IT Leaders, International Hotel Chains to Global IT Leaders, International Hotel Chains to Global IT Leaders, Financial Institutions to Business and Commerce Hubs.

Financial FinancialInstitutions InstitutionstotoBusiness Businessand andCommerce CommerceHubs.

Hubs.

One of our specialities has always been Airports. From neneofof our has always Airports.

From ODelhi ourspecialities specialities has alwaysbeen been Airports.TrivanFrom O (T3), Mumbai (T2), Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Delhi (T3), Mumbai (T2), Hyderabad, Bengaluru, TrivanDelhi (T3), MumbaiAgartala (T2), Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Trivandrum, Chennai, and Dehradhun among drum, Chennai, Agartala and Dehradhun among drum, Chennai, Agartala and Dehradhun among others, we ensure that our airports are looking as good others, we ensure that our airports are looking as others, we ensure that our airports are looking as good as new, giving their best impression to both firstgood time asas new, giving their best impression to both first time giving their best impression to both first time andnew, regular visitors. and regular and regularvisitors. visitors.

We are proud to have a long association with the We proud to have aa long association with the We are are proudas towe have long withDelhi the GMR Group have beenassociation servicing the GMR Group as we have been servicing the Delhi GMR Group as we have been servicing the Delhi International Airport and Hyderabad International International Airport and Hyderabad International International Airport andDelhi Hyderabad International Airport since 2004.

In fact, International Airport Airport since 2004.

In fact, Delhi International Airport Airport since 2004.

In fact, Delhi International Airport Limited T3 is India’s largest façade access systems Limited T3 isis India’s largest façade access systems Limited T3 India’s largest façade access systems contract and our system has been running effectively contract and our contract and oursystem systemhas has been been running running effectively effectively for the last decade. for the last decade. for the last decade.

Our focus has always been excellence, performance has always been performance Oand Our urfocus focus has always been excellence, excellence, performance safety with a commitment to deliver nothing and safety with a commitment to deliver and the safety a commitment deliver nothing but bestwith for our clients. Get intotouch withnothing us for but the best for our clients.

Get in touch with us but the best for our clients.

Get in touch with us for for economical, customised solutions to complex access economical, customised solutions to complex access economical, customised solutions to complex problems. problems. problems.

Head Office – Mumbai Head Office ––Mumbai 217, Services Industries, Near Shivaji Park HeadHind Office Mumbai 217, Services Industries, Near Shivaji Seaface, (West), Mumbai 400 028 Park 217,Hind HindDadar Services Industries, Near Shivaji Park Tel: +91 Dadar 22 49101111 email: info@cleanindia.net Seaface, (West), 400 Seaface, Dadar (West),Mumbai Mumbai 400 028 028 www.cleanindiagroup.com Tel: Tel:+91 +9122 2249101111 49101111 email: email:info@cleanindia.net info@cleanindia.net www.cleanindiagroup.com www.cleanindiagroup.com

DELHI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT LIMITED

“AS WELL AS OFFERING A GREAT ARRAY OF AMENITIES, DIAL IS ALSO LOOKING TO GROW THEIR OFFERING BY COMMENCING PRIVATE JET TERMINAL OPERATIONS FROM THIS YEAR.” BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

DIAL has been fast progressing with the development of new general aviation facilities comprising aircraft parking stands, hangar and a Fixed Based Operator (FBO) terminal facility. By November last year, the construction of aircraft parking stands for the facility was nearing completion, ready to be commissioned post the necessary approvals by early 2020. These FBO facilities

BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE | 57

DELHI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT LIMITED

aide in the expansion of general aviation services at busy airports across the world as by providing a designated terminal for users of private jets and charter flights. This is only part of a widespread phase of expansion at IGIA however, which is expected to enable the airport to handle 100 million passengers a year within the next three years.

These plans will cost an estimated Rs 9,800-crore and will include an enhanced air-

58 | BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE

side capacity to handle around 140 million passengers. It will also see IGIA become India’s only four runway airport.

Today the project is undergoing Phase 3A of the plans, originally expected to be completed by June 2022, although this may be delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic. This phase of the project will see the new air-side infrastructure, such as dual elevated eastern cross taxiways, constructed.

The plan also foresees the

integration of Terminal 1 to bring it to a 40 million passenger handling capacity with an integrated terminal fitted with a number of passengerfriendly facilities, including facial recognition system and aerobridges. DIAL has also conducted feasibility studies into the design and installation of an “automated people mover” at the airport complex. This is a facility that can be found at many large international airport complexes to make it easier for

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

DELHI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT LIMITED

passengers to catch connecting flights from different terminals.

This is just one of several types of short-distance travel solution system, such as driverless monorail that could be installed at IGIA. While it remains to be seen how these plans will be affected by the pandemic, one thing remains sure, when the world opens up once again, IGIA will be the gateway to India and the world that travellers are looking for.

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE | 59

GARDNER AEROSPACE

GARDNER AEROSPACE’S UNIQUE STRUCTURE ALLOWS IT TO WORK INTERNATIONALLY WHILE PROVIDING CUSTOMERS EVERYWHERE WITH LOCAL, ON THE GROUND SUPPORT.

THE WORLD’S LOCAL OPERATOR PROJECT MANAGED BY: DAVID GARNER

60 | BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

GARDNER AEROSPACE

Gardner Aerospace is a 2,000 people strong manufacturer of detailed parts for the aerospace markets. With 14 factories in five countries delivering parts that range from a quarter of an inch to 20 plus meters, the company has made a name for itself based on flexibility, adaptability, and reliability.

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

“85

% of everything we sell ends up in an Airbus aircraft.

We’re a parts business so our core is operational execution and finding a cost point that is mutually agreeable to us and our customer to sustain long term business relationships,”

BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE | 61

Materials Services Aerospace

Benefits of a strong partnership As the main supplier for Gardner Aerospace we co-ordinate the delivery of raw materials and develop value added services from numerous locations across Europe, India and China. We at thyssenkrupp Aerospace are committed to supporting Gardner’s current and future business development. With our global footprint we are able to provide exceptional services to Gardner in-country, at any location.

What can customers rely on when working with thyssenkrupp Aerospace? high level of engagement to support customers’ growth in all countries around the globe specific market knowledge and project management expertise innovative system solutions to create individual services just in time-delivery of every article tailored services for inventory, warehousing and supply chain management

thyssenkrupp Aerospace UK 76-80 Banksfield Pl, Walton Summit Centre, Bamber Bridge Preston PR5 8AD, UK T: +44 1772 648000 www.thyssenkrupp-aerospace.com

THYSSENKRUPP AEROSPACE thyssenkrupp Aerospace is the world’s leading Materials As A Service provider and supports its global aerospace customer base with supply chain management in the Americas, Europe, North Africa and Asia Pacific.

Our strong local presence with 44 locations in 22 countries around the globe allows us to closely integrate with our customers’ supply chain of subcontractors and raw materials producers.

Due to our materials and logistics expertise we have an in-depth understanding of the industry and deliver customized global solutions around our customers’ needs.

It’s not only what we do but how we do it that makes us special Price, delivery and quality continue to be the most important requirements of aerospace customers. The development of new aircraft and the consistent competitive pressure to provide lowest cost and the highest quality in the shortest timescales, mean that these requirements have to be achieved in an increasingly complex environment. The introduction of new aircrafts continues to drive the need for a wider range of materials and specifications. The application of ‘lean’ manufacturing principles demands that these materials are supplied on a just-in-time basis and often in a processed form. thyssenkrupp Aerospace is dedicated to meeting these needs. Whether our customers have an immediate one-off requirement for a single piece of metal, or need to negotiate a long-term agreement covering multiple materials and processes, we are ready to respond on a localised basis or as part of a global arrangement.

We recognize that different customers have different manufacturing strategies and need different services to optimize or reduce production costs.

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

As a global enterprise we are part of the worldwide thyssenkrupp network. Our global presence is a key advantage in cooperating with us. Our strong local presence allows us to cooperate closely with our customers and their subcontractors, while gaining an in-depth appreciation of their specific needs. Based on our global presence, we offer an unmatched logistics infrastructure to support customers and operations around the world. It helps us to provide truly responsive local services, ranging from raw material management to finished parts kitting.

Quality Management at the highest level Achieving 100 % right first time quality is at the heart of every level of service we provide. Our business processes are embodied in our Quality Management System.

The system defines the training required for each of our employees to deliver the standard our customers expect. It ensures that we maintain full lot traceability of every item we supply from original manufacture through to the customer’s shop floor.

All of our locations have been approved to EN/AS 9100 and/or EN/AS 9120 standards approved by the world’s leading aerospace companies.

We are also involved in a number of environmental initiatives and are in the process of fulfilling the requirements of ISO 14001 at all of our sites.

Our employees are well trained to meet our clients’ quality expectations, ensuring full lot traceability of every item we supply.

www.thyssenkrupp-aerospace.com

BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE | 63

GARDNER AEROSPACE

“WE CAN OPERATE IN MULTIPLE TERRITORIES AS A LOCAL OPERATOR. WE ARE BRITISH IN BRITAIN, FRENCH IN FRANCE AND CHINESE IN CHINA.” explains the company’s CEO, Dominic Cartwright.

“They come to us because we have a broad capability of manufacturing processes in a broad number of locations. Our operating philosophy is to keep everything in-house. We don’t outsource which reduces costs and lead times so that we can offer competitive prices.”

Their real secret, however, is as much down to where they operate as how they operate.

“We can operate in multiple territories as a local operator.

We are British in Britain, French in France and Chinese in China,” Cartwright tells us. “We can build trust because we are present in those regions, building long term relationships, and we can move work around our organisation to be as commercially attractive as possible. The trust we build enables us to move work to Poland and India to give long term price benefits in the UK, while our capacity in the UK is used to build trust with the next customer.”

GLOBAL CHALLENGES While Gardner Aerospace has positioned itself to operate anywhere, some challenges affect businesses everywhere.

“There is a number of macroeconomic issues at the moment. I have had two meetings already today about the Corvid-19 virus, global trade issues between China, the US, Europe. These affect us because we are buying material from the US, adding value

64 | BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE

to it in Europe and selling it to Europe in dollar denominations,” Cartwright admits.

“But we are in a good position in aviation because, despite current issues, aerospace and air travel continues to grow, and has grown over many decades at a rate of approximately 4%, doubling every 15 years.”

As an aerospace company, Gardner is well-positioned to deal with turbulence, but Cartwright’s approach is about more than simply weathering the latest crisis.

“The question is, how do we make sure we stay ahead of the curve of competition from a cost manufacture position mitigated against left-field challenges?” he says. “We must be continually innovating with customers to offer commercial arrangements that will put us at the top of the list. When it comes to macroeconomics, we need to make sure we are aligned within the company and with our partners. We have the capability in Europe, Asia and hopefully soon in the UK. It is the only way we can mitigate against trade tariffs, and have very good banking relationships.”

Meanwhile, Gardner Aerospace is always looking for ways to improve its products and the way it works. Aerospace is an industry with a particularly long turnaround time between drawing board and saleable product, but Gardner is finding ways to deal with that.

Dominic Cartwright CEO, Gardner Aerospace

“WE WANT TO BE A GREAT PLACE TO WORK, OFFERING FULFILLING JOBS THAT ARE WELL REWARDED IN TERMS OF PAY AND OPPORTUNITIES TO MOVE AROUND THE WORLD. “Another acquisition gave us capabilities from an engineering as well as manufacturing point of view. That business isn’t just supporting aerospace, but automotive, Autosport, and even medical work,” Cartwright says.

“The innovation cycles in those sectors are much shorter so we can insert ideas much faster. If we find something we can use in aerospace, we can make that aerospace insertion from an existing product. We intend to

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

GARDNER AEROSPACE

continue this emphasis on other sectors over the next five or ten years just so we can learn faster. We will continue to look for acquisition opportunities as well as organic growth.”

KEEPING TALENT Of course, wherever Gardner Aerospace is operating, they need a skilled dedicated workforce.

“Finding talent is always a challenge. We pride ourselves

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE | 65

INDUSTRY EXCELLENCE DELIVERED A company dedicated to the supply of metals for the aerospace and defence industries

T: +44 (0) 1246 263300 E: sales@gouldalloys.co.uk W: www.gouldalloys.co.uk Gould Alloys is one of the fastest-growing specialist metals stockholders in the UK, serving the ferrous and non-ferrous metals requirements of leading-edge aerospace and defence industries.

The range of materials stocked includes: Alloy Steels, Stainless Steel, Aluminium, Nickel Alloys, Titanium and Phosphor Bronze.

Gould’s purpose-built facility has a dedicated machine shop equipped with CNC lathes, milling machines and turning centres.

State of the art processing capabilities include: cutting to weight or length, processing which includes radiused, chamfered, turned and bored/hollowed, sawing (bar and plate), waterjet cutting and material marking.

Gould Alloys is a founding business of Aero Metals Alliance, an organisation dedicated to meeting the demands of a global aerospace manufacturing industry.

Members of Aero Metals Alliance

GOULD ALLOYS GOULD ALLOYS IS PROUD TO BE A SUPPLIER OF METALS TO GARDNER AEROSPACE A STRATEGIC LONG TERM AGREEMENT BETWEEN BOTH ORGANISATIONS SEES A PURCHASE AND SUPPLY PARTNERSHIP THAT COVERS A BROAD RANGE OF METALLIC RAW MATERIALS FOR MULTIPLE AIRCRAFT PROGRAMMES FOR A NUMBER OF GARDNER’S GLOBAL CUSTOMERS. GARDNER AEROSPACE DEMANDS A SUPPLY PARTNER WITH GLOBAL SUPPLY AND PROCESSING CAPABILITY TO SUPPORT ITS OWN EXPANSION PROGRAMME, AND GOULD ALLOYS IS RECOGNISED AS SUCH A PARTNER. GOULD ALLOYS HAS MADE, AND CONTINUES TO MAKE, SIGNIFICANT INVESTMENTS IN SUPPORT OF THE STRATEGIC RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE TWO COMPANIES. THIS IS DEMONSTRATED BY THE RECENT OPENING OF AS9120 ACCREDITED FACILITIES IN BOTH INDIA AND POLAND, PROVIDING GARDNER INCOUNTRY SUPPLY IN EACH RESPECTIVE COUNTRY.

THE CAPABILITY FOR THE DIFFERENT BUSINESSES WITHIN AMA TO DRAW ON THE EXPERTISE OF EACH OTHER IS HIGHLY BENEFICIAL TO CUSTOMERS SUCH AS GARDNER AEROSPACE. IN ADDITION TO A WIDERANGING UNDERSTANDING OF THE METALS BUSINESS, AMONGST ITS EMPLOYEES AMA HAS SPECIALISTS IN A NUMBER OF AREAS. THIS INCLUDES MATERIALS SCIENTISTS WHO CAN OFFER TECHNICAL ADVICE AND IN-DEPTH KNOWLEDGE ON THE CLASSIFICATION OF THE DIFFERENT METALS, OFFERING INVALUABLE SUPPORT REGARDING A PARTICULAR MATERIAL OR TREATMENT THAT COULD BETTER SUIT A GIVEN APPLICATION. THIS KNOWLEDGE ALSO EXTENDS INTO THE REQUIREMENTS OF SPECIFIC MARKETS AND CUSTOMERS, FOR EXAMPLE THE DIFFERENT BRITISH, AMERICAN AND GERMAN SPECIFICATIONS, ALONG WITH CUSTOMER-SPECIFIC GRADES SUCH AS MSRR (ROLLS ROYCE) AND ABS/AIMS(AIRBUS/GKN) PLUS MANY OTHERS. A COLLABORATIVE APPROACH HELPS TO OVERCOME SUCH REGIONAL AND CUSTOMER-SPECIFIC CHALLENGES, WITH AMA EFFECTIVELY EXTENDING THE PRODUCT PORTFOLIO THAT EACH BUSINESS CAN OFFER TO ITS CUSTOMERS, PARTICULARLY CONTRACT CUSTOMERS SUCH AS GARDNER AEROSPACE.

GOULD ALLOYS IS ONE OF THE FASTEST-GROWING SPECIALIST METALS STOCKHOLDERS IN THE COUNTRY, SERVING THE FERROUS AND NON-FERROUS METALS REQUIREMENTS OF LEADING-EDGE AEROSPACE AND DEFENCE INDUSTRIES. THE RANGE OF MATERIALS STOCKED INCLUDES: ALLOY STEELS, STAINLESS STEEL, ALUMINIUM, NICKEL ALLOYS, TITANIUM AND PHOSPHOR BRONZE.

AMA PROVIDES A STRUCTURE THROUGH WHICH THE COMPANIES REMAIN INDEPENDENT, BUT LIAISE AND COOPERATE ON A REGULAR BASIS, PROVIDING BESPOKE SUPPLY CHAIN SOLUTIONS TO ITS CUSTOMER BASE, WHEREVER THEY ARE IN THE WORLD.

GOULD’S PURPOSE-BUILT FACILITY NEAR CHESTERFIELD HAS A DEDICATED MACHINE SHOP EQUIPPED WITH CNC LATHES, MILLING MACHINES AND TURNING CENTRES.

“AEROSPACE MANUFACTURERS ARE SEARCHING FOR THE ULTIMATE PEACE OF MIND IN MATERIALS SUPPLY. MATERIAL STOCKHOLDING, FIRST STAGE MACHINING AND SUPPLY CONTRACTS DESIGNED AROUND OUR CUSTOMERS’ NEEDS ENABLE GOULD ALLOYS TO OFFER THE COMPLETE PACKAGE, AND OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GARDNER AEROSPACE IS A PRIME EXAMPLE OF HOW THIS WORKS. WE HOLD STOCK OF OUR CUSTOMERS’ MATERIAL, PROCESSED TO THE CORRECT STAGE, IN BESPOKE AREAS OF OUR BESPOKE WAREHOUSE, THUS ENSURING CONFIDENCE IN MATERIAL AVAILABILITY AND SUPPLY, EVEN ON A JUST-IN-TIME OR DLF BASIS. THIS ENABLES CUSTOMERS TO FREE UP STORAGE AND PROCESSING SPACE TO CONCENTRATE AND DEVELOP CORE ACTIVITIES TO GROW THEIR OWN BUSINESS.”

STATE OF THE ART PROCESSING CAPABILITIES INCLUDE CUTTING TO WEIGHT OR LENGTH, PROCESSING WHICH INCLUDES RADIUSED, CHAMFERED, TURNED AND BORED/HOLLOWED, SAWING (BAR AND PLATE), WATERJET CUTTING AND MATERIAL MARKING. IN ADDITION, GOULD ALLOYS IS A FOUNDING BUSINESS OF AERO METALS ALLIANCE (AMA), AN ORGANISATION DEDICATED TO MEETING THE NEEDS OF THE GLOBAL AEROSPACE INDUSTRY FROM FIVE OF THE WORLD’S LEADING SUPPLIERS OF METALS: GOULD ALLOYS, PROGRESSIVE ALLOY STEELS UNLIMITED (PASU), SERVICE CENTRES AERO (SCA), SUNSHINE METALS AND WILSONS METALS. IN THE MARKETS IN WHICH THEY OPERATE, THE COMPANIES HAVE ESTABLISHED THEIR OWN REPUTATIONS FOR INDUSTRY EXPERIENCE, KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERTISE. WHEN THAT IS BROUGHT TOGETHER THROUGH AMA, THE BENEFITS TO THOSE OPERATING WITHIN AEROSPACE MANUFACTURING ARE CONSIDERABLE.

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

JANE BRADSHAW, MANAGING DIRECTOR AT GOULD ALLOYS COMMENTS:

THE GLOBAL CAPABILITY OF AMA COUPLED WITH THE LOCAL EXPERTISE EMBODIED WITHIN GOULD ALLOYS ENABLES GARDNER AEROSPACE TO ACCESS A WIDE STOCK PORTFOLIO AND PROCESSING CAPABILITY ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD, WHILST SUPPORTED BY A DEDICATED PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND CONTRACT TEAM.

WWW.GOULDALLOYS.COM

BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE | 67

GARDNER AEROSPACE

“WE ARE DOING A LOT AROUND QUALITY MANAGEMENT. THERE ARE TOOLS IN THE AUTOMOTIVE SECTOR THAT ARE INCREASINGLY FINDING APPLICATIONS IN AEROSPACE AND WE HAVE ENGAGED IN FAR-REACHING CAMPAIGNS WITHIN OUR ORGANISATION TO TRAIN PEOPLE IN USING THOSE TOOLS AND TECHNIQUES, MINIMISING ANY WASTE. SO, WE ARE INVESTING IN QUALITY TRAINING AND IMPLEMENTATION PLANS.” 68 | BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE

on our labour turnover numbers, bearing in mind some of the regions we work in those numbers are higher and there is often full employment,” Cartwright says. “We want to be a great place to work, offering fulfilling jobs that are well rewarded in terms of pay and opportunities to move around the world.”

For Cartwright, recruitment is not just a question of filling positions but also ensuring there is a constant flow of new talent into the company.

“We make sure a continual pipeline of new talent is fed from schools, universities, colleges, programmes, right across the world to attract people and make sure they see us as a good place to work,”

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

ENGINEERING ADVICE THAT DELIVERS OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE Thousands of engineering professionals are saving time and money with our support. You can do the same.

Workholding Process Analysis

Toolholding and Tooling Selection

Tool Path Optimisation

Lean on MSC to supply your metalworking and MRO products. Our free engineering support will create greater confidence in your manufacturing process, delivering the best results possible.

Because performance is important to you, our engineering team take an end-to-end view of your entire production process, starting with analysing your current manufacturing processes through to workholding, toolholding, tooling selection and tool path optimisation.

Unlike other suppliers, we are not brand biased. We will find you the right tool for the job every time.

Just like you, we strive for perfection and never compromise. Whatever your manufacturing challenge, we work alongside you and your engineers to develop solutions to continually improve performance.

Try MSC and discover the major benefits of our engineering expertise and uncover the savings hidden in your production processes.

GARDNER AEROSPACE

he says. “The question then becomes how do we keep them and nurture them? How do we make sure we protect our workforce during ups and downs? We try our best to keep the people we’ve got invested in the company.”

As well as keeping and looking after their people, Gardner Aerospace gives them opportunities to learn.

“We are doing a lot around quality management,” Cartwright says. “There are tools in the automotive sector that are increasingly finding applications in aerospace and we have engaged in farreaching campaigns within our organisation to train people in using those tools and techniques, minimising any waste. So, we are investing in quality training and implementation plans.”

Meanwhile, Gardner Aerospace is looking towards the future, working to offer more local services, globally.

“We have plans to grow the business through a new facility in China and a new facility in India to gain market access,” Cartwright says. “We are local to local customers, and we are always looking at how we can make ourselves even more Polish in Poland, British in Britain, Chinese in China etc, and build local supply networks around our manufacturing locations.”

70 | BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE

“WE HAVE PLANS TO GROW THE BUSINESS THROUGH A NEW FACILITY IN CHINA AND A NEW FACILITY IN INDIA TO GAIN MARKET ACCESS. WE ARE LOCAL TO LOCAL CUSTOMERS, AND WE ARE ALWAYS LOOKING AT HOW WE CAN MAKE OURSELVES EVEN MORE POLISH IN POLAND, BRITISH IN BRITAIN, CHINESE IN CHINA ETC, & BUILD LOCAL SUPPLY NETWORKS AROUND OUR MANUFACTURING LOCATIONS.” BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

GARDNER AEROSPACE

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE | 71

HAMAD INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

AS THEY SERVE MORE PASSENGERS THAN EVER BEFORE, HAMAD INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT IS TRANSFORMING TO MEET DEMAND.

A NEW ERA TAKES FLIGHT

PROJECT MANAGED BY: GARY SMITH

In 2019 Qatar’s Hamad International Airport (HIA) served 38.79 million passengers, the most passengers to pass through the airport since it began operations in 2014. Even since 2018, the airport record 12.44% year-on-year growth in terms of passenger numbers.

72 | BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

HAMAD INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

“A

s well as serving more customers, Hamad is also taking them to more places. In 2019 the airport added eight new passenger destinations to its global network, including Davao in the Philippines, Rabat in Morocco, Izmir in Turkey, Gaborone in Botswana, Langkawi in Malaysia, Mogadishu in Somalia, Lisbon in Portugal and Malta.

That’s as well as the three new cargo destinations the airport now serves, Istanbul in Turkey, New York in the US and Almaty in Kazakhstan. Hamad International Airport is also seeing more flights, with fifteen of their airlines, including Kuwait Airways, Salam Air, Philippine Airlines, Oman Air and Air India Express, increasing their weekly flight services from the airport, and two new airline partners, Air India and Tarco Aviation, joining the airport. 232,917 aircraft movements were handled by Hamad International Airport in

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

2019, an increase of 5.57% on the previous year.

In short 2019 was a year of incredible growth for the airport, as their Chief Operating Officer, Badr Mohammed Al Meer, has pointed out, “2019 has been a spectacular year for HIA, having broken our record for the most number of passengers ever served since commencing our operations. It was also an exciting year for the airport as the gateway to some of the world’s biggest sporting events, including the IAAF World Athletics Championships Doha 2019 and the FIFA Club World Cup Qatar 2019, which were successfully hosted by the State of Qatar.”

In the face of this level of growth, Hamad International Airport has acknowledged that it is essential to expand to meet rising demand. This is why they have announced a multiphased airport expansion plan to build the airport’s operational capacity in preparation for the 2022 Qatar World Cup.

BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE | 73

ALJABER ENGINEERING (JEC) From a modest beginning in 1995, the emergence of AlJaber Engineering (JEC) evolved through a journey that has taken just over two decades of planning, hard work, and dedication. This commitment has made AlJaber Engineering a recognized brand for the successful delivery of numerous prestigious projects in the State of Qatar.

Being a leading Qatari general contractor, AlJaber Engineering continuously strives to deliver construction works of complex projects with excellence. JEC’s track record has proven that regardless of all challenges, all works are delivered with high-quality standards.

With diversified, yet distinguished construction capabilities in the Qatari market, JEC has successfully completed several prestigious large-scale projects and continues to actively participate independently and in a joint venture with international partners.

The commitment AlJaber Engineering dedicated to executing projects with the highest quality, on schedule, and within the budget, while adhering to excellent standards of health, safety, and environmental, positioned JEC to be recognized as an icon in the construction community in Qatar. In line with the growing demands to build Qatar’s new developments and infrastructure, JEC has increased its resources by recruiting new staff with international expertise and invested heavily to upgrade its fleet of equipment in preparation to participate in upcoming diverse projects.

While executing complex and high-profile landmark buildings, AlJaber Engineering has successfully completed various industrial projects on design and build basis including complete civil and MEP works.

AlJaber Engineering acknowledges and rewards the strengths and work delivered by its employees. The organization is run by a professional, dynamic workforce of more than 11,500 multinational employees and 3,500 subcontractors’ personnel. JEC has a fully integrated team at the headquarters, project sites, PMV facilities and workshops comprising of numerous departments that work together efficiently to ensure a smooth flow of operation, thus delivering optimum services to all clients and partners.

The Qatar Company for Airports Operation and Management (MATAR), awarded AlJaber Engineering the Remote Transfer Baggage Facility contract, as a part of the Hamad International Airport Expansion.

AlJaber Engineering’s contract includes building the facility, which will be equipped with the best-in-class high capacity tote-based individual carrier system (TOTE/ICS) that provides fast, safe, and flexible baggage handling from check-in to discharge with 100% accurate track and trace of the baggage at every stage of the handling process.

www.jec.qa

Fribel has been a leader in the industry of seamless and precast Epoxy Terrazzo, supported by a global operation with offices in the Middle East, Europe, the UK and the USA.

O

ur company has been supplying products and installing Epoxy Terrazzo floors, stairs and architectural elements of the highest quality for over 25 years.

Thanks to large commissions and projects installed worldwide, including airports, hospitals, hotels, shopping centers, convention centers, educational institutions and universities, train stations, and even palaces and villas, the company’s experience exceeds any average terrazzo operation. In addition to outstanding mechanics with years of experience in precast and in situ installations, Fribel has advanced support personnel with deep knowledge in various aspects of construction, including architects, surveyors, quality

FRIBEL GULF BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

assurance, quality control and logistics staff. All Fribel staff members have been exposed to the highest standards of the industry, and are led by a strong international management team.

We bring experience and reliability in our material procurement by working only with the leaders of our industry.

An active member of the National Terrazzo and Mosaic Association (NTMA), Fribel is also a proud member of the US Green Building Council. Thanks to state-of-theart research and development demonstrating the possibility of recycling content, has become a relevant product in the LEED construction program.

5F Office 503 Arian Tower Omar Al Mukhtar St. Musherib Doha, Qatar, PO Box 200362 Tel: +974 4017 4013 Email: info@fribel.com

www.fribel.com

BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE | 75

UNICHEM

Specialised in Airfield and Road Marking, Construction Chemicals Finishing Work

United Chemical Comapny Ltd.

UNICHEM was established in 2006, in Doha – Qatar, for the purpose of providing construction chemical materials and finishing work for different projects in the region (ISO certified).

Construction Chemicals & Finishing Work Notable projects include the supply and execution of construction chemicals at QICPO Housing Project and The GOLF HOSUSING PROJECT. Finishing work of vinyl tiles and carpeting was executed at Al Huda Tower Project and the supply and apply of construction chemicals, vinyl tiles and carpeting at Al Khalifa Stadium and Museum.

Airfield Marking In 2010, UNICHEM began its Airfield Marking work by supplying and applying special imported material. To date UNICHEM has executed over 319,000m2 of Airfield Marking at Hamad International Airport for several clients including Synohidro & Gamuda, MidMac,TVA and Sixco.

Email: ashahin@unichemgulf.com Tel: (+974) 55433563 / (+962) 795755547

www.unichemgulf.com

SPREADING THEIR WINGS This expansion will take place in two major stages. First, there will be Phase A, during which construction work will be carried out to connect concourses D and E through a central concourse, increasing the airport’s annual passenger handling capacity to the point where it will be able to handle over 53 million passengers by 2022.

Phase B, which will be completed after 2022, will involve extending concourses D and E to boost the airport’s annual passenger handling capacity to over 60 million.

These extensions will be carried out alongside projects to construct a 10,000 square metre indoor tropical garden, a 268 square metre water feature, 11,720 square metres of landscaped retail and food court, and 9,000 square metres of Al Mourjan lounge.

This project includes the installation of self-check-in and

76 | BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

HAMAD INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

self-bag-drop kiosks as well as the recent introduction of ten automated security gates to the airport’s pre-immigration area, allowing passengers to scan their own boarding cards and proceed to immigration.

A COLLABORATIVE PROJECT Of course, a project of this scale is not something that can be carried out alone, and Matar, the company managing and operating Hamad International Airport has already awarded five contracts to new partners who will assist with the expansion.

A range of companies and joint ventures have been brought in to make the new vision of Hamad International Airport a reality. Last October a joint venture of Urbacon Trading & Contracting, Bahadir Construction and Tedeschia Construction Enterprises (UBT) was awarded the contract for the airport’s Western Taxiway & Stand Development Works, with work commencing in the fourth quarter of last year. These companies will increase the airport’s capacity with 39 extra aircraft stands.

Meanwhile, the joint venture made up of Midmac Contracting, TAV Tepe Akfen Investment Construction and Taisei Corporation (MTT) are collaborating to expand the airport’s passenger terminal, central concourse building and the early work on the expansion which began last November.

MTT is set to construct a 140,000 square metre terminal building as well as a new transfer area which will reduce connection

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE | 77

HAMAD INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

times and improve passengers’ experience.

Another major part of the planned expansion is the airport’s remote transfer baggage facility (RTBF) handling systems and building projects, which were split into two different packages which are being handled by the Al Jaber Engineering Company and Beumer Doha, who are contracted for to supply and install the baggage handling system at the RTBF.

THE NEXT PHASE At the end of last year, Hamad International Airport went into more detail about the extensive plans they have for the second phase of this project. These include a multilevel terminal facility covering over 85,000 square metres with its three levels and three mezzanine levels bringing the total floor space of the facility to roughly 323,000 square metres.

Beyond the sheer size of the development, the terminal building will also be graded with four stars by the Global Sustainability Assessment System (GSAS) as well as a LEED Silver certificate.

The airport’s 11,720 square metres landscaped retail, food and beverage space will feature integrated art and greenery among its retail and dining areas, using trees and plants from sustainable forests.

This area will feature internal environmental conditions that are carefully monitored and controlled to suit the trees, with the help of a column-free, 85-metre grid shell roof made of performance glass that will control the light entering the airport.

Above this space, the luxurious Al Mourjan will overlook the tropical garden, while passengers will also be able to enjoy amenities including gymnasiums, additional spas, business centres, restaurants and more.

All of this goes towards not only expanding the capacity of Hamad International Airport but also its offering, creating a modern, pleasant experience for passengers.

As Al Meer says, “Our expansion has been designed to seamlessly integrate with the existing terminal, allowing smooth passenger flow and improving the overall passenger experience by minimising travel distances for connections and providing clarity and intuitive wayfinding.”

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE | 79

TURKS & CAICOS ISLANDS AIRPORTS AUTHORITY

WE LEARN HOW THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS AIRPORT AUTHORITY TOOK THE ORGANISATION THROUGH AN ASTONISHING TURNAROUND, AND ULTIMATELY DISCOVER THE STORY IS ALL ABOUT PEOPLE.

TRANSFORMING TURKS & CAICOS PROJECT MANAGED BY: GARY SMITH

80 | BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

TURKS & CAICOS ISLANDS AIRPORTS AUTHORITY

“S

The Turks and Caicos Islands Airports Authority is responsible for the design, construction, management, and operation of six airports in the Turks and Caicos Islands, five of which are fully operational. Their main airport is the Providenciales International, where the majority of the islands’ international travel originates from and travels through and busy days are pretty much every day of the week, but each of the other airports on the islands performs its own role.

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

outh Caicos also has an international airport with regulatory restriction, Grand Turk also has an International airport, but with few international flights,” explains John Smith, the Authority’s CEO. “Salt Cay aerodrome just completed a full rehabilitation.

It’s not an international airport but is still key for economic growth, and because of its sea locked location, medical emergencies can only be catered to by air; sometimes the ocean is not favourable for boat traffic. We have airports on Middle Caicos that’s not operational, and North Caicos where we have suspended the certificate but maintained it to facilitate medical emergency operations.”

BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE | 81

As a home grown Canadian multinational firm, we are fast paced, dynamic and constantly looking to meet the needs of tomorrow.

WSP’s team of leading professionals help our partners in the aviation industry succeed through local delivery.

Big, bold, ambitious thinking that inspires and influences.

wsp.com Buildings / Energy, Resources & Industry / Environment / Geomatics / Infrastructure / Transportation

WSP WSP’s Aviation Division has undertaken more than 5,000 projects in 400 different airports across 40 countries. Our extensive portfolio provides expertise in planning, advisory, regulatory, civil design, terminal building design, project management, asset management, ORAT, technologies to improve passenger experience, increasing commercial revenue, and environmental services. We have more than 300 employees with aviation project experience, including four licensed pilots, providing a unique insight into the industry’s operational aspects.

Our experience encompasses all aspects of airfield development, including runways, taxiways, aprons, and runway safety areas. For landside infrastructure, we have expertise in surface access, utilities, ramps, and boarding areas. With our experience, airport owners have the assurance of state-of-the-art design that will meet or exceed expectations.

International airports need to be efficient to stay competitive by identifying priorities, assessing costs, and delivering projects on time and budget while running operations smoothly.

Our business model focuses on our commitment to national markets, including the Caribbean islands, while recognizing the needs of surrounding communities. WSP has completed many projects for the Turks and Caicos Islands Airports Authority (TCIAA) in Providenciales, South Caicos and Salt Cay to assess and evaluate, design, and manage cost-effective rehabilitation of the infrastructure of these airports.

Island construction projects are complex in their unique set of limitations such as supply management and staff mobilization. The gathering and transportation of materials and supplies rely on shipping from overseas, and most contracting staff must be relocated from the mainland during the project construction phase due to limited island-based skilled workers.

PROVIDENCIALES INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT WSP completed the detailed planning, design and project management for the airport’s expansion and redevelopment. Airside engineering and design services

included the extension of the runway, reconstruction and expansion of an existing apron, a new connecting taxiway, the construction of security fencing perimeter, and replacement of airfield electrical systems.

SOUTH CAICOS AIRPORT WSP was responsible for assessing and evaluating the existing airside infrastructure and buildings (terminal, fire hall, and ATC tower). The airside scope included design, tendering and construction services related to the rehabilitation of airside pavements, runway graded area improvements, improving the maximum runway end safety areas, and the security/wildlife fencing perimeter.

SALT CAY AIRPORT We provided the provision of professional engineering and onsite inspection services to assess and evaluate the existing airside infrastructure, and propose, design, and manage a cost-effective rehabilitation of the airside facilities, under international design standards and best practices. The airside improvements project entails the reconstruction of a 799 m by 18 m code 1 runway, a taxiway and the main apron and new airfield lighting.

ABOUT WSP WSP is one of the world’s leading professional services consulting firms with 49,500 experts including engineers, technicians, scientists, architects, planners, surveyors and environmental specialists. We serve clients in Transportation & Infrastructure, Property & Buildings, Environment, Power & Energy, and Resources and Industry sector by designing and providing strategic advice on sustainable solutions, engineering projects that will help societies grow for lifetimes to come.

www.wsp.com

HEALTH CARE FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY! Clinic Services: Home & Hotel Visits Prenatal Care Job / School / Taxi / Work Permit Medicals Acute & Chronic Diseases Minor Outpatient Procedures Pharmarcy Services: Over-the-Counter Medications Prescription Medications BP & Diabetic Supplies and more!

NHIP accepted Clinic Hours: M - F: 8am - 5pm / Sat 9am - 1pm Pharmacy Hours: M - F: 8am - 7pm / Sat & Sun: 9am to 5pm P: (649) 946-4357 Down Town next to Smart Supermarket

(Family Medical Center, Butterfield Sq, Providenciales) @carolinamedical

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE | 83

TURKS & CAICOS ISLANDS AIRPORTS AUTHORITY

The airport authority is responsible for air traffic control, security, fire services, and all other airport operations, differentiating it from airport authorities in other locations where airport authorities aren’t responsible for air traffic control or security. However, it is also unique in terms of the huge turnaround the organisation has undergone over the last decade.

provided the funds that enabled the improvement of the facility with the extension of the runway. We successfully placed a moratorium on increases in fees, working closely with financial institutions to manage interest rate cost.”

It was an effort not just to make the island’s airports more profitable, but also more selfsufficient.

THE BIG TURNAROUND “In 2007 the Airports Authority was losing in the order $3.5 million a year,” Smith recalls. “We restructured the organisation, recovering it from where it was and rebuilding it. Nine years later we were generating revenues in the order of $37 million. Within ten years we did a $40 million turnaround, but importantly it was done with engagement and development of local people. We offered training and assisted staff in their development.”

Taking the Turks and Caicos Islands Airports Authority and transforming it from an organisation that was losing millions to one turning a profit of tens of millions was not a task that could be done alone. Close collaboration was required with Turks and Caicos Islands Hotel Association, Tourist Board and Government.

“When we introduced the new routes, new airline incentive scheme to attract additional airlines, we also collaborated with the Hotel Association on introducing additional rooms to accommodate people. Their assistance with the marketing of the destination, offered a much broader marketing platform than that of the airline when combined with that of the Tourist Board” Smith recalls. “the resultant increase in passenger numbers/revenue

84 | BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE

“We were able to do more things inhouse; the training of our air traffic controllers, for instance,” Smith points out.

“Instead of having to send one or two individuals offshore for training we were bringing the training to the individuals and having it onshore allowing more people to be trained.”

It is this, the human capital development that the airports’ authority is most proud of, that Smith cites as the organisation’s biggest achievement.

“We look beyond the financial side, the ‘miracle’ turnaround and take more pride in the development of our local human resources. I’m proud of the engagement of predominantly local individuals to be able to do that,” Smith says. “That, in my opinion, makes it more sustainable. The position we are in at the moment, it’s a nice place to be. We are in a position where we can say we are better off than we were,

“I LOOK BEYOND THE FINANCIAL SIDE, THE ‘MIRACLE’ TURNAROUND AND TAKE MORE PRIDE IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF OUR LOCAL HUMAN RESOURCES.”

Paving the way for a Brighter Future!

Specializing in all of your earthworks, grading & paving needs: •

Mass Excavation

•

Chip Seal

•

Hot Mix Asphalt

•

Concrete Works

•

Sand / Slurry Seal

•

Grading

•

Thermoplastic Line Markings

C 5-6 Caribbean Place Leeward Highway Providenciales Turks & Caicos Islands Email: infohcl@herzog.com Telephone: (649) 941-8007

HERZOG CARIBBEAN LTD Headquartered in the Turks & Caicos Islands, Herzog Caribbean Limited (HCL) is a privately owned construction and project management company operating in the Caribbean.

Since beginning operations in 2004, our construction teams have completed over $195 million in infrastructure projects and has proven experience delivering logistically complex airfield and road projects throughout the Turks & Caicos Islands and the Caribbean.

Hard work, integrity and safety are the backbone of HCL. No project is too challenging or unique, too big or small.

Our mission, accomplished through our team of energetic, aggressive engineers and managers, is building it safely, on time and within budget.

We take pride in our extensive array of the latest building and finishing materials from world-renowned suppliers; from nails and screws, to lumber and tools, paints and furnishings, and a whole lot more, with our high commitment to excellent service and quality goods. We continue to innovate and transform, providing convenient shopping and excellent services: Design Center, Paint/Color Center, Special Order, Drive Thru Depot, Tile Showroom, Product Installation and Repair & Equipment Rental.

Building Materials Ltd. Do It Center Providenciales P.O. BOX 559, Leeward Highway Providenciales Turks and Caicos Islands, BWI (649) 946-4131 / (649) 941-3513

www.doitcenterprovo.com

www.herzog.com

86 | BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

© 2020 Brilliant Studios.

Experience Our Sister Islands Turks and Caicos is the ideal luxury destination.

Each Sister Island is a destination unto its own.

Enjoy our pristine turquoise waters and white sand beaches. While experiencing our luxurious accommodations and treating yourself to local delicacies.

Considered the World’s best kept secret, the Turks and Caicos Islands are an easy escape – with an ease of connectivity from Miami, New York, Toronto or London.

Regent House, Ventura Drive, Grace Bay, Providenciales, Turks & Caicos Islands Email: info@turksandcaicostourism.com Tel: (649) 946-4970 Toll Free: (800) 241-0824

turksandcaicostourism.com

TURKS & CAICOS ISLANDS TOURISM BOARD “The 40 islands and cays of the Turks & Caicos Islands are where you can relax and unwind on some of the very best beaches in the world, surrounded by some of nature’s most beautiful creations. The Turks & Caicos Islands boast spectacular vistas, unique marine life and home to the third largest coral reef system in the world.

From the ancient caves once occupied by the Taino Indians, immense blue hole and flamingo filled lagoons of Middle Caicos to the multi-award winning beaches of Providenciales (Provo), the Turks & Caicos offer serenity, seclusion and exquisite beauty. Wall dive in Grand Turk, or watch as the majestic humpback whale glides through the waters of Grand Turk and Salt Cay. In Providenciales, walk the 12 miles of world class Grace Bay beach, where in some locations, the only footsteps in the sand is yours . Then there’s our smallest sleepy island of Salt Cay with its throw back beauty, the eco-tourism isles of North and Middle Caicos, or the fishing capital of South Caicos. Whether you choose one island, or island-hop around them all, the Turks & Caicos are sure to beguile you.

There are more than enough activities in the Turks & Caicos available to keep the most adventurous traveller occupied or those seeking a relaxing escape. The Islands truly are a world class luxury destination, your paradise awaits.”

www.turksandcaicostourism.com

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE | 87

TURKS & CAICOS ISLANDS AIRPORTS AUTHORITY

noting that there remain lots to be done, to achieve our ultimate goal. Our Fire Services Manager and Training Manager are fully qualified international aerodrome fire training instructors.”

Today finding and recruiting the right people remains a challenge, but it’s one that the organisation is well

88 | BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE

equipped to overcome.

“When we find individuals with the basic requirements we invest considerably in their training. Our Executive team members are encouraged to attend at least two continuous professional development initiatives in every 12 months,” Smith says. “That allows them to get an understanding of what’s

happening in the industry and let them network better and it keeps them motivated and developing.”

NEW CHALLENGES While the organisation has seen an astonishing improvement in its fortunes and has built the foundations for generations of local talent, the Turks and Caicos

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

TURKS & CAICOS ISLANDS AIRPORTS AUTHORITY

Islands Airports Authority still faces challenges, particularly with regards to regulations and procurement.

“The main challenge is the procurement process which has changed and makes it challenging at times to respond to matters as one needs to in an efficient, effective and timely manner,” Smith admits.

“In aviation, we often find some equipment that is made by one manufacturer, and that is the only person you can go to because they will have a reasonable supply and you can only get equipment or supplies from them. Notwithstanding this, you need to first obtain approval to procure it through a single source. In addition to this, the rules state that all assets must go to tender. From a financial point of view, most items are assets.

It conflicts with the criteria set by relevant regulatory and other bodies that say you need a degree of autonomy to be effective, efficient and maintain compliance.

This continues to be a challenge; however, we have to and are

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

working in the framework to see how we can work more effectively and efficiently.”

“You try as much as possible to be as proactive as you can but in this industry, if something unforeseen breaks you have to react, but you have to first write to someone else to react and that delays things,” Smith says. “So as much as we can we try to put agreements in place but even they are managed by someone else. We try to work with the system as much as possible to satisfy the requirements we need in the industry.”

This is becoming all the more important, as the organisation is about to undergo its next big transformation.

“At the moment we’re moving out of our entrepreneurial phase.

We’ve grown to a point where our next focus is putting more structure in place, performing a comprehensive on review of our salary/compensation structure, working with independent consultants to assist us in that and form the basis of what we need to do to go forward,” says Smith.

BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE | 89

WE LEARN ABOUT A YOUNG COMPANY THAT IS GETTING READY TO TRANSFORM NIGERIA IN TIME FOR THE NEXT COMMUNICATIONS REVOLUTION.

READY FOR 5G PROJECT MANAGED BY: JOHN HOLLIMAN

PAN AFRICAN TOWERS

Pan African Towers is a telecommunications infrastructure and wireless service facilitator that made their debut on the African continent in 2017. From their initial business operations in Nigeria, the company has grown to the point where they now operate nearly a thousand towers across every city in Nigeria as well as 300 towers in Ghana.

“O

ur major focus area is Nigeria where we are the fastest growing tower company in the country.

We have grown significantly this year and are poised to continue growing,” explains Wole Abu, Pan African Towers’ CEO. “We have also made inroads into Ghana, although they are not operationally live yet. We have got several projects that will start there at some point this year.”

Part of the reason the company has managed to grow so quickly in Nigeria is that they are a truly homegrown company that understand the needs of the market deeply.

“Our key differentiator is that we offer our services within Nigeria in the local currency,” Abu says. “This is a huge advantage for customers who typically require foreign exchange currency to make deals with our competition. Because our revenues are always in local currency it makes it convenient for them to pay us and is good for our value proposition. It also means they can pay us quickly without the additional burden of sourcing for foreign exchange to pay for services.”

Wole Abu Pan African Towers’ CEO

BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE | 91

PAN AFRICAN TOWERS

Infrastructure and Engineering Services LTD

Telecoms & ICT Oil & Gas Power GT&I Services

• Civil Engineering • Turnkey Site Build • Managed Services • Fibre Optics Deployment • RAN & MW Deployment • Project Management • Material Supply.

17A Furo Ezimora Street, Off Mobolaji Johnson Road, Lekki Phase 1, Lagos, Nigeria Office Phone 234-1-2954442 Email ng.info@primeinfra.net www.primeinfra-africa.com/nigeria/

PRIME INFRASTRUCTURE & ENGINEERING SERVICES LTD AT PRIME, DELIVERING QUALITY TECHNICAL SUPPORT TO PROJECTS IS OUR GOAL POISED as a foremost infrastructure, engineering and managed services provider in Africa, offering qualitative services that guarantee customer satisfaction always through efficient service provision using the right strategy and technology, Prime Infrastructure & Engineering Services Limited (PRIME), no doubt, is set to be a major player in the telecoms value chain — Tower Companies (TOWERCOs), Mobile Network Operators (MNOs), Infrastructure Companies (INFRACOS) and Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs).

As a multi-purpose and diversified engineering firm of seasoned engineers with particular emphasis on Architectural Designs, Civil Construction, Structural Construction, Power Engineering Services (Embedded Power, Rural Electrification, Street Lighting, Solar Power Solutions etc.), PRIME is ranked amongst top service providers in designated service areas with all our major clients cutting across telecommunications, oil & gas and general industries.

million and group annual turnover in excess of $40 million, operating in more than six countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, PRIME’s competitive advantage lies in its high quality control standards and project management competency which ensures that projects are delivered on time, at high quality in conformity with ISO 9001-2015 and within budget.

“The scope of our services range from project identification to project conceptualization through pre-feasibility, feasibility studies, market research, resources survey, planning, detailed design, construction and contract preparation, construction supervision and project management amongst others,” said Lawrence Onyema, Managing Director of the company.

He added, ‘We study, design and develop expert opinions on issues within the scope of our area of specialization and train our clients’ personnel on technical matters as part of our services.”

Other clients who benefit from our services include; Webb Fontaine (A key support company for the Nigeria Customs Service- Public sector), Sterling Bank, Heritage Bank, Watch Tower Society and Exxonmobil.

The company’s new division, PRIME Power Division (PPD) specializes in the construction and installation of transmission and distribution lines and substations whilst servicing the Distribution value chain of the power sector through supply, installation and maintenance of smart meters as a Meters Asset Provider (MAPS) duly certified by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission. “PRIME Power will replicate the company’s excellent engineering feats from the telecoms/ infrastructure services industry in the power sector through our strategic alliances with our foreign partners, to provide state of the art power solutions to the Telecomms Industry, Manufacturing, Industrials, as well as back-up power supply solutions for gated communities and alternative (green) energy solutions for various sectors of the Nigerian economy,” he added

As a member of a multi-national company with enterprise value in excess of $100

www.primeinfra-africa.com

The company has since its incorporation in 2006 in Nigeria, carved a niche for itself in the Nigerian telecoms value chain with its strategic alliances with world-class engineering and service companies/Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMS) that provide technical support to its projects, ensuring optimal service delivery to partners and diverse clientele which include TOWERCOs such as IHS, ATC and PAT; MNOs such as Airtel, Glo Mobile and Etisalat; as well as OEMs like Huawei, Alcatel & ZTE.

92 | BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

PAN AFRICAN TOWERS

As well as having the homefield advantage, Pan African Towers also benefits from last mover advantage, being a young company at the cutting edge of their field, by avoiding the pitfalls of their predecessors.

“We are brand new. We have the advantage that our solutions for power shortages, which are a huge problem in Nigeria, are very modern,” Abu explains.

“We have the latest solutions that let us roll out sites faster than our competition at more affordable prices and better quality. So as well as financial benefits we offer technological benefits.”

CAPITAL GAINS But while Pan African Towers brings a lot to the table and has experienced enviable growth, a new company in the telecommunications sector has many challenges to overcome.

“As a new company we have certain challenges with regards to access to capital because we are indigenous, so raising capital has been a challenge,” Abu says. “However we have found ways around

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

that with local infrastructure fund providers, and thanks to our performance in the past we have attracted the attention of international private equity companies interested in taking a stake.”

The company’s next job is to build on that interest, and turn their first few admirable successes into a reputation you can bank on.

“In terms of attracting capital, it is about timing and track record. When we started, it was tough because we were an unknown entity, but through our growth trajectory, we were recognised as the Emerging Tower Company of the Year and attracted a number of people who wanted to invest,” Abu points out. “Because of that we have surmounted that issue and have been able to attract long-term funding and also potential equity injection into the business.”

From there Pan African Towers have an aggressive growth plan to reach every part of Africa and deploy up to 35,000 towers within the next five years. By doing this, Pan African Towers

“WE HAVE THE LATEST SOLUTIONS THAT LET US ROLL OUT SITES FASTER THAN OUR COMPETITION AT MORE AFFORDABLE PRICES AND BETTER QUALITY.” hopes to bridge the broadband coverage gap in Africa and accelerate Africa’s strong appetite for next-generation mobile broadband growth and internet penetration.

“We are poised for growth in Nigeria and ready to make forays into other attractive markets in the subcontinent,” Abu says.

As well as gaining the confidence of investors, Pan African Towers also needs to negotiate its regulatory environment.

“We have to deal with the plethora of regulations and statutory organisations. It is part of the terrain, but it can increase our costs to deliver infrastructure within the country,” Abu admits.

Fortunately, the regulators appreciate the important role companies like Pan African Towers have to play in Nigeria’s future.

“On the issue of regulation, we actively engage the key regulators to make them see the impact of certain policies on investment,” Abu says. ”There are positive gains there because the government is keen to show that the environment in Nigeria is friendly for business, so in discussions happening at the level of the minister, and the NCC we have seen they are becoming more welcoming, and supportive to telecommunications, which the

BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE | 93

PAN AFRICAN TOWERS

digital economy is built upon.

We try and work together as a team in collaboration with other companies. We have industry working groups that present position papers to the regulators and the government, setting policy.”

THE NEXT GENERATION Of course, the telecommunications infrastructure relies on another level of infrastructure altogether.

“We face the operational challenge of providing this service in areas with a poor grid or no grid at all, so we need offgrid solutions. We must always be on top of power access,” points out Abu. “For power, the key issue is the productivity of diesel engines at the heart of the power generation metric and the availability of diesel.

To mitigate that what we have done is to identify companies that have good battery and solar panel technology to change our energy source from diesel

94 | BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE

to solar. Going forward we are going to have more of our sites totally hooked up to the solar system. That is our mitigation for power. It is more reliable, it is silent and is environmentally friendly, in line with our long-term goals of reducing emissions and not adding to climate change problems.”

This is becoming an increasingly important issue, as Nigeria, and Africa as a whole is changing.

“Pan African Towers will develop along two lines.

Technology is tending towards 5G, so we have grown to deploy the support for that.

From the market reading, there is an increase in activity in that area so there is a lot of work to be done there and we are positioning for that,” Abu says.

“In rural areas, there is huge potential for rural coverage. A lot of leading MNOs in Africa are looking for rural solutions for this huge countryside. In 5G, we are also going to evolve

to the level where our fibre and towers are connected, positioning ourselves to give incentives to our customers in terms of capacity, resilience and transmission. Within Nigeria and in other African markets that are beginning to open up there is a huge potential for Pan African Towers to enter emerging markets.”

The task Nigeria is facing is an enormous one, and Pan African Towers is on the front-line.

“30,000 additional towers will be required in Nigeria for coverage, there is no single company that can offer that huge coverage, so we see ourselves as essential for national development and democratising access,” Abu says. “The future for Pan African Towers is bright.”

A cross section of PAT staff at a company strategy session. On the left is the CTO, Sumanta Kumar Ray & right, CCO, Karo Akaba

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

PAN AFRICAN TOWERS

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE | 95

EXPERIENCE MANAGEMENT

THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC HAS FUNDAMENTALLY CHANGED HOW WE VIEW CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE, TEACHING LESSONS THAT BUSINESSES CAN TAKE INTO THE POST-LOCKDOWN WORLD.

HOW CX CAN HELP YOU WIN A

POST-COVID-19 WORLD PROJECT MANAGED BY: MALVERN KANDEMWA

“O

Each time we as consumers interact with a brand, it leaves an impression. The sum of all these impressions is what we today call customer experience or CX. The rise of technology has led to a new-age consumer – one who is informed, picky and imbued with the power of social media at their fingertips.

As a result of this pandemic, there has been an explosion in the number of consumers that are interacting with businesses online and many businesses are having to think really hard about how they now shape these consumers’ CX, considering the harsh reality of the present day.

Rudeon Snell, Senior Director of Customer Advisory and Industries for SAP

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

ne of the biggest CX challenges posed by the lockdowns across the globe, is how brands now need to reinvent their customer engagement models, in the age of Covid-19,” explains Rudeon Snell, the Senior Director of Customer Advisory and Industries for SAP. “A key aspect of this ‘redefinition’ is the rapid acceleration towards digital experiences.

Essentially, businesses are having to reimagine CX, to serve customers while they shelter.”

Snell has real insight on the importance of CX in a postCOVID world. His company, SAP, is known as a global leader in enterprise software, as well as a market leader in digital technologies. As the world’s largest enterprise cloud company, SAP has over 200 million cloud users, with over 437,000 customers in more than 180 countries ranging from small companies to global organizations. 78% of

the world’s food and 82% of the world’s medical devices are distributed through SAP customers, while over 78% of all business transactions around the globe come into contact with SAP software.

It’s impossible to manage that level of transactional volume, without a real appreciation for the importance of the customer experience, as a strategic enabler to business success.

Customer service has always been a vital cog in the Experience Management wheel. Now more than ever, the importance of customer service has been highlighted. As Snell points out, the COVID-19 pandemic has thrust customer service directly into the spotlight. The lockdown has created a situation where the most important business stakeholders are human beings, who are now craving comfort, security and a sense of connection, on top of suddenly needing an entirely new customer experience. Industries

BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE | 97

EXPERIENCE MANAGEMENT

such as airlines, hospitality, sports, entertainment and events are dealing with waves of cancellations, refunds and credit requests, in addition to a lack of physical customer presence. At the same time, delivery services are dealing with a surge in demand, as people adapt to a new normal. Call centres around the world are flooded with an overflow of customer service requests. Agents are working overtime, often in new remote environments, leading to immense challenges for customer service teams, arguably, at a time when it has never mattered more.

INTERPERSONAL SOLUTIONS FOR A DIGITAL AGE This isn’t a problem that can be solved, by just introducing a swishy new website design or new call centre scripts. If there’s one thing the lockdown has taught us, it’s that CX, like so much else, is ultimately about human connections, even in the digital world.

“When we take a step back, we have to first acknowledge that all relationships have an emotional component to them — that holds true for the relationship between people and brands,” Snell says. “A brand’s relationship with its customers is built over time, nourished by experiences along many touchpoints, both digital and physical. As SAP, the burning questions we are asking during this time are not grounded in ‘How can we expand market share?’ or even, ‘How do we boost top-line revenue to counteract the economic devastation?’ We are laserfocused on answering the most pressing question, which is ‘How

98 | BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

The Promise of SAP® C/4HANA One cloud platform

for the Intelligent Enterprise to deliver customer-centric processes and better outcomes

Unified customer profile

to manage consent, privacy, security and compliance

Unified customer data

across front office and back office for AI - or ML- assisted, individualized experiences at scale

Open, modular, and extensible microservices-based architecture for the continuous delivery of new business services and extensions

Unified front office

to orchestrate customer journeys and create better customer outcomes

Download the full guide on Your Path to SAP C/4HANA

SAP has a new superpower, Qualtrics Experience Management.

Download the whitepaper - Qualtrics Customer Experience Management

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE | 99

EXPERIENCE MANAGEMENT

do we support our customers right now in a meaningful, empathetic, human-centric and relevant manner?’”

It is not only customers that require support from businesses, but also their employees. Theodore Roosevelt once remarked that “Nobody cares how much you know until they know how much you care.” By the same token, Snell argues that it’s only after you’ve shown your employees how much you care that you earn the right to ask them what they need in order to be as productive as possible.

“Consistently checking on the well-being of your employees during this time, is simply the right thing to do. With Qualtrics’s Remote Pulse, any business is able to keep daily tabs on how their employees are doing. And during these unprecedented times, we have made it free to use for a period of time, so that all organizations can leverage this benefit,” Snell says. “In addition to this, supply chains across the globe are being disrupted at scale. As SAP, we have also taken the decision to open access to Ariba Discovery for a certain time. By connecting buyers and suppliers amidst global supply chain disruption, any buyer will be able to post immediate sourcing needs and any of the four million suppliers on Ariba Network will be able to respond.”

A ROADMAP TO CX In times as uncertain as the ones we are currently living through, what customers crave more than anything else is clarity, authenticity and informed advice.

SAP Customer Experience offers a comprehensive selection of solutions, that can provide customers with just that.

This includes a suite of industry-leading cloud solutions

100 | BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE

“CONSISTENTLY CHECKING ON THE WELLBEING OF EMPLOYEES IS THE RIGHT THING TO DO. WITH QUALTRICS’S REMOTE PULSE, ANY BUSINESS IS ABLE TO KEEP DAILY TABS ON HOW THEIR EMPLOYEES ARE DOING.” under the SAP Intelligent Enterprise umbrella to help businesses innovate, integrate silos and attain the agility they need to respond to rapidly changing times. As Snell points out, the global economy is becoming much more of an “Experience Economy” and as a result of this shift, it is more important now than ever, that customers receive the experience they expect.

“Experience gaps” occur when

a brand fails to meet customer expectations at any point along the customer journey. It’s where relationships between a provider and a customer so frequently break down.

Companies believe they are delivering what is promised, but if you ask the customer, they will tell a different story altogether. Failure to close experience gaps have a direct effect on a company’s stock performance, with market leaders nearly tripling the market performance of those who fall behind in this arena.

Of course, one essential differentiator in the Experience Economy is time to market.

Personalised experiences need to be delivered consistently, yet innovatively, to ever tighter deadlines. Enter SAP Customer Experience solutions. Their CX solution portfolio allows users to implement solutions quickly and conveniently, bringing together customer data, experiential data and operational data.

This data convolution is then

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

EXPERIENCE MANAGEMENT

augmented by the power of intelligent technologies such as artificial intelligence, advanced analytics and machine learning, all with the express purpose of delivering engaging and trusted experiences in, the moments that matter most to customers.

Today, customer expectations are higher than ever and even during the global lockdowns, businesses that can offer continuous, real-time, engagement across multiple digital channels, are the ones able to best weather the storm.

The scale and magnitude of the challenge are enormous, but with the capabilities offered

by SAP Customer Experience solutions, businesses are wellpositioned to overcome the challenges posed. As Snell points out, “It’s not just about selling a single product or service, it’s about instigating the rapid pace of innovation needed to differentiate your brand and drive value in the Experience Economy, in a holistic manner.”

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

That’s the ambition behind SAP’s Customer Experience solution portfolio. It blends market-leading, cloud-native solutions for sentiment, sales, service, marketing, e-commerce, and customer data management to empower businesses to take their customers on unique, personalised journeys that build trust and brand loyalty long term. It amounts to a more loyal and engaged customer base enjoying increased efficiencies, lower costs and less risk.

EMPATHY, BUILT-IN By analysing the behaviour of customers and their transactions SAP can draw insight about what, where, or when a customer does or is likely to do something, but SAP readily acknowledges this is not the whole picture. Data alone cannot answer the ‘Why?’ questions.

Understanding the Experience Economy is something that can feel counter-intuitive to a lot of businesses. If you run a business, you are likely the sort of person who naturally thinks in terms of the economic value of a product, the quality of the product, what distinguishes your product from its competitors.

But the conversation about the Experience Economy was naturally tailored to meet the demand of the digitally native millennial generation, who have become the largest purchasing group. A far smaller proportion of this generation own homes than previous generations, and while older generations might have poured their disposable income into building up a large record collection, millennials are more likely to simply subscribe to an on-demand service like Spotify. They are more likely to interact with, and express themselves, online, and have birthed phenomena like “FOMO” (fear of missing out) as the status

symbol becomes not what you have, but what you’ve been up to. In short, what they value and pay for most, is experiences.

The reality is that over the last three months, this description has grown to include customers even outside the millennial demographic. Under lockdown conditions, most people are interacting with brands digitally.

No matter how much you own, the things you are probably missing the most are experiences, sitting in a restaurant, ordering a drink at a bar, seeing a film in the cinema, taking a flight or a cruise overseas.

And embedded in all of those experiences, is the feeling of wanting to be around people who can share in those experiences with you or sharing those experiences with your family and friends in a digital world. This means businesses that can recognise and interact with customers on a personal experiential level, have a much stronger value proposition, than those who do not.

SAP’s recent acquisition of Qualtrics, which we have written about before, now allows for businesses to embed the opinion and voice of the customer throughout their business processes, infusing the customer’s journey with empathy and engaging with them on a much deeper level. With Qualtrics, businesses are able to tap into the experience ocean of their consumers and shape individually crafted, sentiment infused journeys, for those consumers.

LEARNING THE LESSONS OF LOCKDOWN The lockdown will not last forever, but Snell emphasises that the lessons businesses have learned from the lockdown must be taken to heart, long after this pandemic has ended.

“The criticality of Experience

BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE | 101

EXPERIENCE MANAGEMENT

Management (EX) cannot be emphasised more. Experience Management is the only sustainable competitive advantage,” he insists. “If you look at the experience portion of the Consumer Price Index (CPI) over the long term, you can see how experience offerings break away from the pack, with consumers paying more for experiences and experience spending making up a bigger portion of spending, now than before. It is clear that if you aren’t competing on experience, you are missing boat!”

Snell highlights a recent study

by Bain that showed how most companies are disconnected from the experiences they provide, with 80% of CEOs believing they are providing a great customer experience, but only 8% of their customers agreeing with that assessment. Snell believes the Covid-19 pandemic has only amplified this experience gap exponentially.

“As SAP, one of our core beliefs is that we owe it to our customers to help them serve their customers in unique and differentiated ways.

Ensuring that we empower our customers to cohesively optimize their customer, employee, product and brand experiences, helps them drive sustainable competitive advantage,” he tells us. “That’s how SAP helps its customers compete and win in the Experience Economy!”

When businesses finally start to rebuild once the pandemic is over, CX will still be an essential competitive capability.

Companies will need to relearn the shifting needs of their customers as they emerge from their shelters and tentatively engage in the economy.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has caused virtually everyone to reconsider their needs and wants, in addition to how they interact with brands. Companies will

102 | BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE

“COMPANIES CAN’T BEGIN TO BUILD CX PROGRAMS WITHOUT UNDERSTANDING THAT THEIR CONSUMERS ARE ALL RIDING OUT THE SAME STORM IN DIFFERENT BOATS.”

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

EXPERIENCE MANAGEMENT

need to respond by focusing on listening to their consumers from a place of empathy and with a bias toward how they can be most helpful to their customers during this time,” Snell says. “Listening and building with empathy, will let organizations provide products, services and most importantly, experiences, that genuinely serve customers’ needs and generate goodwill, without coming across as tone-deaf or uncaring. Tying their efforts to relevance is also a crucial element when wanting to drive successful CX programs.”

In a crisis like this, companies are faced with shifting priorities and evolving needs, both from customers and employees. Timing is a crucial element to success under these circumstances.

Digitally savvy consumers will not take kindly to outdated, tonedeaf and irrelevant CX efforts and employees who feel their employers don’t care about their well-being, will simply not be as productive as they can be.

“A focus on getting your timing right in landing your experience management programs shows customers you respect their reality, which is more relevant than ever during this emotionally charged time,” Snell points out. “Companies can’t begin to build CX programs, without understanding that their consumers are all riding out the same storm in different boats.

That shows a level of empathy that consumers gravitate towards.

Finding ways to cope during this crisis is a task that looks different for everyone, so connecting on a hyper-personal level is more important than ever.”

The COVID-19 pandemic has shattered many of the longheld assumptions about what customers need and how they need it, but Snell reminds us that this is a time when CX can thrive because, at the core, it’s about connecting with individuals.

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE | 103

KARPOWERSHIP

WE LEARN ABOUT KARPOWERSHIP’S UNIQUE FLEET OF FLOATING POWER PLANTS.

A FLAGSHIP OPERATION PROJECT MANAGED BY: JOHN HOLLIMAN

104 | BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

KARPOWERSHIP

Karpowership is a global energy company which has been operating across Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and the Caribbean since 2010.

“We are the world’s only designer, builder, owner, and operator of a Powership fleet. These Powerships are self-contained, grid-sized floating power plants ranging from 36 MW to 470 MW,” says Patrick O’Driscoll, Sales Director of Commercial Operations for the firm. “Today we have a fleet in excess of 4,100 MW, with 25 Powerships contracted and operational. They’re all on-location serving state-owned power utilities in a number of countries.”

“R

ecently the company entered the liquified natural gas (LNG) to Power market via its owned and operated floating storage regasification units (FSRUs), which it operates side-by-side with its Powership fleet.

“Our innovative floating storage and regasification units are designed to operate alongside the Powerships,” O’Driscoll says. “We are a

Patrick O’Driscoll Sales Director of Commercial Operations

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE | 105

INNOVATIVE POWER TECHNOLOGIES, INTELLIGENT ENGINEERING 4A Elektrik is an Engineering and System Integration company, specialized on HV and MV power protection, control, automation, SCADA and telecommunication systems, successfully completing various type of projects around the world.

Leveraging over 25 years of industry experience in house, we are creating a difference by bringing alternative perspectives to traditional practices and pioneering its industry by using new technologies for challenging applications.

4A Elektrik has its own manufacturing facility to have the highest quality level, that is beyond complying the certified ISO9001:2015, ISO14001:2015 and OHSAS18001:2007 standards.

We are proud to work as the engineering partner of Karpowership for more than a decade on Offshore substation protection, control, SCADA and telecommunication systems as well as Onshore grid connection of the Powerships.

4A Elektrik Elektronik Teknoloji San A.Ş.

Tel: Fax:

+90 216 3663828 +90 216 3663829

www.4aelektrik.com.tr

Address: Postal Address: Phone: Email: Website:

39 Ring Road East, Nyaniba - Accra, Ghana P. O. Box CT 8450, Cantonments - Accra +233 30 278 1325 / +233 50 127 8921 / +233 50 127 8924 info@eyeconltd.com / m.hamidi@eyeconltd.com www.eyeconltd.com

EYE-CON is a construction company based in Ghana specialising in civil and marine work. It was founded in 2012 and acquired Class 1 certification from the Ministry of Works and Housing and Class A1 B1 certification from the ministry of Roads and Highways. Over the years, EYE-CON took on a portfolio of projects ranging from residential civil work to road and interchange projects to marine work and sea defense expanding the team to 200 workforce in 2020.

Timely delivery, high quality standards, secure project management and innovation are the core values we work by. Over the years, EYE-CON has acquired a range of machinery and equipment ensuring safe and fast construction processes be it on land or at sea. We take pride in our team of office executives, on site workers, project managers, finishing experts as well as local and off-shore architects. At EYE-CON we prioritize the safety of our working teams and site visitors by abiding to the international safety measures on site.

More than ever, we are striving to push sustainable development in Ghana, proposing to our clients green solutions from design to execution resulting in a better environment and savings in future maintenance costs. We are looking forward to expand our projects in different development areas and taking part in the growth of Ghana as a whole.

forward-focused business, so that’s why we took the decision to invest in the entire value chain. Right now, nobody else has a fleet of Powerships aligned with FSRUs in the LNG to Power market. Going forward we plan for LNG to be the primary fuel source for Powerships. It is cleaner than other liquid fuels.

As the world diversifies itself from coal and crude oil, LNG is growing in popularity.

PLUG AND PLAY Karpowership is unique, offering a global game-changing solution that is cleaner and greener, immediately available at an affordable cost.

What makes the Karpowership offering so appealing is their “plug and play” solution to power infrastructure.

“Our Powerships are ready – built and available for quick deployment,” O’Driscoll points out. “We’ve proven that we can deploy a Powership faster than it takes to build a land-based

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE | 107

KARPOWERSHIP

powerplant with the equivalent megawatt capacity over many occasions”.

Powerships also offer valuable ingredients into the mix of countries looking to shift over to renewable energy sources.

“Renewables have an important role to play in the energy market but can have limitations when it comes to

108 | BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE

“OUR POWERSHIPS ARE READY – BUILT & AVAILABLE FOR QUICK DEPLOYMENT. WE’VE PROVEN THAT WE CAN DEPLOY A POWERSHIP FASTER THAN IT TAKES TO BUILD A LAND-BASED POWERPLANT WITH THE EQUIVALENT MEGAWATT CAPACITY OVER MANY OCCASIONS.” BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

KARPOWERSHIP

large-scale needs. This is because the availability of energy sources like wind and solar often fluctuate depending on the season. Powerships are a natural partner to renewable energy solutions. As I have mentioned, Powerships can operate on Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) which produces far fewer CO2 emissions than diesel generators or coal-burning power plants. It is odourless, non-toxic and non-corrosive, and never leaves a residue to dispose of. “When the sun sets the thermal power generation in Powerships can respond by increasing its output,” says O’Driscoll.

“Because we’re using reciprocating engines of manageable size, even with our 470 MW power plant, we can turn it off in a way you can’t with a gas turbine.

We can tread a straight line in terms of efficiency and really micromanage the load.”

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

“WHEN THE SUN SETS THE THERMAL POWER GENERATION IN POWERSHIPS CAN RESPOND

BY INCREASING ITS OUTPUT.” SETTING SAIL FOR OPPORTUNITY The approach Karpowership takes can be useful in a wide range of situations, but at this time O’Driscoll is particularly excited about the opportunities present in South Africa.

It is well known that South Africa faces acute power challenges. The COVID-19 crisis has caused additional strain on all economies and getting stable electricity will be a key part of reigniting their economy after lockdown.”

Karpowership has already reached out to the South African government as part of its recent request for information (RFI).

Karpowership South Africa put forward our solution confirming it is immediate, costeffective and will mitigate the risk of load shedding since the Powerships can be operational within two months.

“For us, South Africa is a market we can address quickly and effectively. We’re engaged with a government risk mitigation programme, so we are in dialogue with the country,” O’Driscoll says.

O’Driscoll has a clear

BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE | 109

KARPOWERSHIP

understanding of the market and the drivers within. He believes it is essential to be in touch with your customers and understand their expectations, follow the market and sector trends especially given the unique and pioneering concept of Powerships.

“We commit capital in advance of any project”, he says. “It’s an unprecedented approach to the market. We make large capital investments, before we sign the contracts with utilities, into our equipment - and that’s driven by our understanding of the market.”

Karpowership has expanded across the world over the last decade and has a strong footprint and vision for.

“Ghana is our West African base for the region including Senegal, The Gambia, GuineaBissau, Guinea, and Sierra Leone,” O’Driscoll says. “We also have multiple projects

110 | BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE

across Indonesia, giving us a hub to reach out across Asia and the Pacific that was followed by securing a project in Mozambique serving the horn of Africa. We are headquartered out of Istanbul giving us a strategic advantage for the Middle Eastern region. This gave us the footprint to secure projects and manage them regionally.”

O’Driscoll expects to see many more opportunities in the future, but it is not just about expanding the business. He discussed the essential role the Powerships play in increasing access to power worldwide.

“I’ve been in the business and power sector for a long time. Many of us take for granted the ability to switch on the lights, charge our phones, refrigerate food and essential medication he says. “A lot of the countries we work in are developing nations. During the

COVID pandemic, hospitals and telecommunications have to be kept operational with a continuous supply of electricity.

If I take Guinea Bissau in West Africa as an example, we are the sole provider of power in that country. When they plug in their laptops and their life support machines, that electricity is derived from our Powership.

We aim to be more than just an electricity provider; we want to be a partner to each country where we operate.”

“WE AIM TO BE MORE THAN JUST AN ELECTRICITY PROVIDER; WE WANT TO BE A PARTNER TO EACH COUNTRY WHERE WE OPERATE.”

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

KARPOWERSHIP

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE | 111

HONEYWELL FLOUR MILLS

WE LEARN HOW HONEYWELL FLOUR MILLS WENT FROM THE SMALLEST MILL IN THE COUNTRY TO ONE OF ITS MOST COMPETITIVE.

A SELF-RAISING

BUSINESS PROJECT MANAGED BY: TREVOR GRETSINGER

Honeywell Flour Mills PLC is a major flour milling company in Nigeria and was initially registered as Gateway Honeywell Flour Mills Limited in 1985.

However, in June 1995, a change in the company’s ownership structure led to a change of name to Honeywell Flour Mills Limited.

“T

he company started as the small company with a very small capacity,” explains Lanre Jaiyeola, the managing director of the firm.

“At that time there were about 15 or so flour mills in Nigeria, today there are just four flour mills thanks to acquisitions and consolidation. Honeywell started out as the smallest flour mill running different projects and developments to grow the company.”

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE | 113

AMEROPA A FAMILY BUSINESS WITH WORLDWIDE REACH

By Ismaël Tlili We all depend on grains in our daily lives, be it simply as a source of calories, as animal feed or as a source of green energy. Across the world’s varied climatic regions, farmers are often naturally limited in the ability to produce sufficiently big harvests, making their region food deficient. Our supply chain links surplus producers with deficit consumers in a constant effort to distribute grains where they are most needed. We are actively contributing to food security by specializing in supply chain management so that your neighbourhood food store can ultimately stock its shelves.

Founded in 1948 by a family of Swiss entrepreneurs, Ameropa is a major player in agricultural commodities worldwide. The company is active in all aspects of the supply chain from the field to the final consumer. It has assiduously engaged in production – supported by auxiliary assets such as silos, warehouses and port facilities - origination and in trading, annually selling more than twelve million tons of fertilizers and the equivalent amount of grains.

Our business started in Binningen, near the City of Basel in Switzerland and developed regional offices all over the globe during almost a century. The Lausanne office implements the grain strategy of the group and covers the five continents, purchasing and selling wheat, corn, barley and soybeans amongst others – see full list below. In the last twenty years, our grain hub has expanded and strengthened its market coverage in Africa and the Middle East, especially for products such as high-quality milling wheat. We are today the proud suppliers of many significant flour mills and have acquired participation in elevators to foster our activity.

Trust and transparency are the core values in our relationships with our counterparties. Our strong business ties with our suppliers, customers

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

and partners rely on our countless efforts to satisfy their needs and our involvement is unconditional. A fully dedicated team of traders remains constantly available to our customers and are always ready to jump in a plane if the situation requires to meet face to face.

We deal with most our counterparties on a daily basis which appears to be undeniably beneficial to their organizations. In a perpetually evolving environment, our customers are fully aware that they can count on us to provide them with bespoke market advice (when, where and how to buy depending on the required quality and market condition), pricing strategy, quality control, logistics, flexibility and financing. To concretize our deals, our dedicated Backoffice team is constantly executing, following and monitoring our operations, as they are the kingpin of our business.

Being a first-class company, we comply with the legal provisions and official standards of the countries where we operate. Moreover, we behave day by day with genuine fairness, integrity and social responsibility – see Ameropa Foundation. While we accept and welcome the relentless challenges and changes generated by a fast-moving world, we believe that we can maintain our high standards in order to offer our counterparties the highest level of security.

Our strategy will remain focused on physical trading and in order to further support our activities we will keep on investing in related assets. We truly believe that a careful and judicious diversification into fixed assets will strengthen our business model, which has proven to be highly profitable and crisis resistant. As a general strategic approach, Ameropa emphasizes longterm, sustainable business over short-term quick profit motives which is to the benefit of both us and our loyal counterparties.

www.ameropa.com

BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE | 115

CHUAN SOONLY FOODS Chuan Soonly Foods has been a reliable and competent partner creating new ideas for Instant Noodle manufacturing since 1986 till now. Quality Control and Quality Assurance is a top priority to customers. The development of new Flavors is one of the most important activities of our flavourists. We develop natural and non-natural flavors for your application to meet the requirement of a food Industry manufacturer.

Mr. Pai Hsi Yu invented world class instant noodle seasoning and snack food seasoning products plus technical and marketing supports for more than thirty years of experiences.

He have also set up the Instant Noodle Factory, countries like USA, Russia, China, Dubai, Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia and Nigeria.

Chuan Soonly Foods are also certified by Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore and HACCP Certified in Singapore and HALAL Certified in Malaysia.

CHUAN SOONLY FOODS PTE. LTD. SINGAPORE Blk T No. 203B Pandan Loop Pandan Light Industrial Park Singapore 128393

Tel No. +65 - 67795756 & +65- 67780934 Fax No. +65-67794475 Email Address : csfflv@singnet.com.sg

116 | BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE

CHUAN SOONLY FOODS (M) SDN. BHD. - MALAYSIA

No.11 Jalan Maju 2, Taman Perindustrian Cemerlang, 81800 Ulu Tiram, Johor Darul Takzim

Tel : 07-8630801 Fax : 07-8630800

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

HONEYWELL FLOUR MILLS

BEYOND THE BLEND

Lanre Jaiyeola Managing Director Honeywell Flour Mills

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

From the very beginning, Honeywell distinguished itself through quality.

“In those days there were concerns around quality of flour brand, so bakers always blended flour brands. Honeywell offers one brand, and within three months of commencement, the capacity was fully realised,” Jaiyeola says. “The first thing Nigerian bakers want is the comfort around the name of the flour brand, so our major unique selling point is that we have a brand and are consistent in quality and consistently reliable. Bakers don’t want any surprises that will affect the quality of their bread output and Honeywell offers that comfort.”

It’s as true today as it was then, and product quality and

quality consistency remain key competitive advantages for Honeywell.

“The quality of our brands sets them apart. We always leverage the quality of equipment used in manufacturing its products and well-trained technical personnel,” Jaiyeola says. “We pride ourselves that our people are perhaps the most trained in the industry.”

Honeywell is also a highly recognised name, offering a strong corporate and products brand for consumers and the baking trade alike. For example, Honeywell Flour has higher and stronger equity than most of its peers, with 92% of the respondents to a survey conducted being aware of the Honeywell Flour brand. As well as being recognised for quality, they are also known for the calibre of staff the company has.

“We have staff who are well trained and know exactly what the customer wants,” Jaiyeola says. “We recognise there’s a knowledge gap in the baking institution in Nigeria.”

That skills gap isn’t just about potential recruits to the company- but also potential customers, as Jaiyeola points out, “Mostly among independent bakers, the sole proprietors so to speak. So Honeywell set up a training school to train Nigerian bakers in the science and art of baking.”

Since 2006, Honeywell has run the HFMP Baking School to enhance the baking knowledge of bakers through formal and informal training at their baking school and baking seminars around the country to expose people in the industry to more efficient baking methods and skills that will improve their business overall.

Honeywell’s staff do not lack for knowledge.

BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE | 117

“Our technical field officers are always available to provide support and on spot training on best product handling methodology to users, “Jaiyeola says. “Honeywell goes the extra mile to train our employees locally and overseas. We don’t train our people for training sake. Following each training, we conduct an impact evaluation to ensure learning takes place that will benefit both the individual and the business.”

THE BACKBONE OF AN INDUSTRY While nobody could deny that Honeywell has the knowledge and the reputation to provide quality products to the Nigerian marketplace, they also face challenges.

118 | BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE

“The biggest challenge the company is facing today is a dearth of critical infrastructures such as electricity, urban roads, railways and efficient port facilities,” Jaiyeola admits.

“Access to the seaport where our factory is located has remained challenged for many years, with a more disturbing turn in the past year. The succour currently being provided by Government should offer some improvement in due course. Similarly, the cost of products delivery around the country has suffered about 75% increase over the same period last year due to the state of the roads, damages to delivery trucks and high turnaround time.”

Meanwhile, the lack of reliable grid power also increases the cost of doing business. Power is the second-highest cost driver

“HONEYWELL GOES THE EXTRA MILE TO TRAIN OUR EMPLOYEES LOCALLY AND OVERSEAS.” in Honeywell’s cost of sales following direct raw materials.

Fortunately, Honeywell is investing in responses to these challenges.

“To address the challenge of access to Apapa, we have had to recruit a significant number of transporters (to provide options) to evacuate products from the Apapa factory, “Jaiyeola says. “We also operate satellite warehouses in different regions of the country where customers can pick products

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

HONEYWELL FLOUR MILLS

from, hence saving them the hassle of coming to Apapa to pick products. This comes to us at a huge cost but enables us to hold our market share. We now use barges to transport trucks from one end of town where traffic is not as chaotic.”

Honeywell’s power production has also been outsourced to an IPP; Uraga Power Solutions Limited which now has full responsibility to provide uninterrupted power for their operations, albeit at a higher cost when compared to power from the national grid.

However, Honeywell’s investments go beyond simply strengthening their infrastructure.

“We have invested significantly in organic growth in the last five years,” Jaiyeola says. “Particularly the pasta factory at our Foods and Agroallied Complex in Sagamu, Ogun State. This additional capacity increased our pasta production capacity by 165%.

The expansion provides us with the opportunity to satisfy the increasing demand for pasta and create a portfolio of products that address most of the different segments of the pasta market.”

Research and development are also crucial parts of Honeywell’s strategy going forward, with a particular emphasis on the use of locally available raw material for food production.

“We are now at a point where we have a pipeline of products that will be launched. One is currently in development,” Jaiyeola says.

“We have invested in technology with the upgrade of our Enterprise Resource Planning System (ERP) to take advantage of the opportunities it presents in terms of growth, efficiency and cost savings. We have also

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

invested in route to market capabilities to ensure our products get to our customers on time and in full.”

Going forward, Honeywell intends to continue to innovate and renovate their products so that they meet and exceed consumers’ expectations, increase their market share across all categories, and expand beyond the wheatbased products that currently make up their product portfolio.

“In the future, the board and management have a lot of strategic initiatives around the

growth of the company. Today the turnover of the business is below 100 billion nairas, that is about 200 million dollars. So, the ambition of the business is to cross the 100-billion-naira turnover mark and for this reason,” Jaiyeola says. “The ambition in years to come is to turn this around such that business-to-consumer trade will make up a larger percentage of our turnover than business-tobusiness, so we focus on our capabilities in distribution so that we’re able to position the business.”

BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE | 119

KK FINE FOODS

WE LEARN HOW KK FINE FOODS HAS GONE FROM ONE WOMAN’S KITCHEN TO A PURPOSE-BUILT FACTORY, WITHOUT LOSING THAT HOME-COOKED CHARM.

THE FAMILY RECIPE PROJECT MANAGED BY: DAVID GARNER

“The business was started by Leyla, my mother, who began the business in our kitchen. It’s a lovely story that reflects the focus we have on quality and the energy and passion we have,” explains Samir Edwards, the Managing Director of the company. “When you’ve got someone like Leyla, who’s an incredibly passionate person, it affects the entire outlook of the business.

She built the business the hard way in her own kitchen, learning and making mistakes as she went, and it was very much home-cooked food. For us, our real focus as we grow has been to not deviate from that. We strive to create home-cooked style food, and even if it’s from a bigger factory, it’s made by people who have that same amount of passion for the quality of the dishes we produce.”

“T

he company has evolved over the years, leaving behind the kitchen where they began to move into various sites. “Originally we moved to a small unit that grew very organically, taking the nextdoor unit and the next door, and around the early 2000s we moved to a new site that was basically a field and built our first purpose-built factory,”

120 | BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE

Edwards says. “That was really on the back of working with the pub groups and restaurant chains, and it was about delivering a good quality composition. Our USP was about home-cooked food and back in the 80s, the foodservice market was really developing.

There wasn’t the same level of choice and innovation and we evolved with the restaurant

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

ee se t o h c g in ly p p su ly d ou r P

s d o o F e n i KK F

Wishing KK Fine Foods every success with future business developments Please contact: Andy Stone | Account Manager | +447768 497 852 | andrew.stone@dalefarm.co.uk | dalefarm.co.uk

122 | BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

MAJOR INTERNATIONAL DELIVERING AMAZING WITH MAJOR We ‘naturally’ strive to ensure we stay a proud supplier & partner of the KK Fine Foods supply chain. We adhere to the exceptional standards that KK Fine Foods customers demand. Not only in providing our premium stocks and authentic bases but also making sure that consumer trends are followed and tracked. With our product portfolio this enables KK to be market leaders.

At Major we supply the very best in natural stocks, authentic pastes, vegan/ vegetarian stocks and halal stocks. We are proud to supply British stocks made in the UK using the tastiest cuts of Red Tractor Approved Beef, steamed and roasted for optimum flavour and blended with specially selected natural ingredients. All prepared in the heart of the UK at our AA BRCS approved plant.

As part of the Givaudan family we are able to support KK Fine Foods in every area of expertise within the food manufacturing arena.

Our pioneering flavour expertise will enable us to facilitate KK Fine Foods in consumer preferences, such as plant-based protein, well being, farm to table, salt and sugar reduction & flavour and consumer vision. Our industry renowned chefs council ensures that we help our customers to stay at the forefront of market trends and pioneering ingredients.

We are immensely proud to help and support KK Fine Foods to achieve excellence, expertise and innovation to your menu. Together we craft memorable experiences that bring moments of delights to our consumers.

For more info how we can benefit your company, contact us at: Major International Major House, Higham Business Park, Bury Close Higham Ferrers, Northants NN10 8HQ Tel: 01933 356012 Email: higham_ferrers.info@givaudan.com

www.majorint.com

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE | 123

KK FINE FOODS

and pub scene, offering a good quality proposition, and on the back of that we’ve grown with those clients today.”

It’s a path of growth and evolution that KK Fine Foods is continuing today.

“It’s about continuing to challenge ourselves in terms of what we can manufacture. We don’t say no, we ask ourselves ‘What can our factory do for us?’” Edwards says. “We’ve implemented processes into the factory that give the products we make that quality that we strive to achieve.”

MANAGEMENT AND INSPIRATION But however far the company has come, Edwards is adamant that the company will not lose that unique, small family business feeling that it has had since the company began.

“It’s all people-focused. With the best will in the world with a nice shiny kit in the best factory it’s still the people who are the guardians of the quality of the product,” Edwards insists.

“So a lot of what we’ve done has been focused on that. It’s been an interesting experience for myself because I’ve seen it grow since I was a kid, and what I’ve seen is the evolution of how we manage people and inspire them to want to achieve within the business.”

An important part of that mix of management and inspiration is passing on the standards that are at the core of KK Fine Foods’ philosophy.

“It’s a focus on all areas of the business. It is people understanding what a good job is. You have to make people aware of what the quality parameters are, so they understand what they’re trying to achieve,” Edwards says. “When you have that, it’s inspiring watching your team strive for the best.”

124 | BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE

This is more than simply setting out the criteria for the products KK manufactures. It means ensuring that KK’s people are constantly looking for ways to improve.

“We’re big believers in internal development, promoting from within. We give people the opportunities internally, and we have a strong training budget.

We’re dedicated to taking our staff with us on that journey as we grow,” Edwards points out.

“We have a lot of staff here who started with Leyla! We also have people who started with us aged 16 years old and are now in senior management positions. So that’s a good indication of how people can develop. It’s that spark that comes from people knowing that if they put in the work they can get the rewards of being in a lively business that wants to strive for success.”

Drawing in new talent, and ensuring that the talent that is already inside the company feels like part of the family, is the day to day work of KK Fine Foods.

“My question is how to make KK Fine Foods the number one employer in this area?

How do you keep people with you?” Edwards asks. “That’s about communication, what the business is trying to achieve.

“IT’S ABOUT CONTINUING TO CHALLENGE OURSELVES IN TERMS OF WHAT WE CAN MANUFACTURE. WE DON’T SAY NO, WE ASK OURSELVES ‘WHAT CAN OUR FACTORY DO FOR US?’ WE’VE IMPLEMENTED PROCESSES INTO THE FACTORY THAT GIVE THE PRODUCTS WE MAKE THAT QUALITY THAT WE STRIVE TO ACHIEVE.” BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

Samir Edwards, Managing Director & Leyla Edwards Owner & CEO

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE | 125

Ravenscroft & Thackeray Fine Foods

Quality & Service a Tradition since 1989

Supplier of chilled, frozen and ambient foods.

We supply a wide range of cheeses, creams and butters to KK Fine Foods.

Simon Ravenscroft Managing Director

T: 01745 818900 M: 07775 672888 E: simon.ravenscroft@rtff.co.uk Cranswick House Colomendy Industrial Estate Denbigh Denbighshire LL16 5TA

126 | BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

KK FINE FOODS

“IT’S A FOCUS ON ALL AREAS OF THE BUSINESS. IT IS PEOPLE UNDERSTANDING WHAT A GOOD JOB IS. YOU HAVE TO MAKE PEOPLE AWARE OF WHAT THE QUALITY PARAMETERS ARE, SO THEY UNDERSTAND WHAT THEY’RE TRYING TO ACHIEVE. WHEN YOU HAVE THAT, IT’S INSPIRING WATCHING YOUR TEAM STRIVE FOR THE BEST.”

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

It’s about them linking that in with their part of the business and their development plan.

So people who want to achieve and aspire can see that they can do that within the business.

How do you create a community within your business? You do that through a whole raft of ways across different areas of the business. We have a social committee, who off their own back arrange activities such as a trip to the longest zip wire in North Wales, driving the charity fundraising for Giddo’s Gift. They’re putting something back into the local community through a charity that the staff chose themselves. We run regular coffee shop mornings where staff can come and bring up anything they want to be discussed. So everyone in our team, no matter what level in the business they are at, is heard. We don’t want to treat people like numbers and we have a very flat structure.

Looking forward, Edwards is determined that KK Fine Foods will continue to grow, while still maintaining the DNA of a small business that started out of someone’s kitchen.

“The evolution of KK Fine Foods is very much about keeping the core elements of what made this business attractive,” Edwards says.

“That is all about the approach to innovation, to how we deliver innovation in a factory environment while making sure we don’t lose the flexibility that is so important. Getting that balance between automation and the flexibility people can give you. Our focus is on repeat business with customers that we’ve had for many, many years. We build a partnership with our clients, we grow with them, they will grow with us and we’ll evolve together.”

BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE | 127

IMMUNODIAGNOSTIC SYSTEMS HOLDINGS PLC

WE LEARN WHAT MAKES IMMUNODIAGNOSTIC SYSTEMS HOLDINGS PLC A LEADING IN-VITRO DIAGNOSTIC SOLUTION PROVIDER, AND WHY NEWCASTLE IS AN INTRINSIC PART OF THAT.

DIAGNOSTIC INNOVATION PROJECT MANAGED BY: DAVID TAVERNOR

128 | BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

IMMUNODIAGNOSTIC SYSTEMS HOLDINGS PLC

Immunodiagnostic Systems Holdings PLC, or IDS, develops, manufactures and markets innovative immunoassays and automated immunoanalyser technologies that provide improved diagnostic outcomes for patients. Founded in 1977, the company trades on the Alternative Investment Market of the London Stock Exchange as a global company headquartered in the UK.

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

“T

heir roughly 300 employees are working around the world, developing and manufacturing products in Europe for sale and distribution through regional offices in Europe, the USA and Brazil and a network of distributors working on IDS’ behalf to serve their customers throughout the rest of the world.

BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE | 129

The Technogenetics mission is to contribute every day to medical and scientific progress by developing cutting-edge solutions and products.

We offer:

• Tests in Chemiluminescence (CLIA) for Infectious Diseases • Tests in Chemiluminescence (CLIA) for Autoimmune Diseases Technogenetics applies the 98&79/CE Directive (CE mark) for IVD and the international standards ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 13485:2016. These certificates ensure high quality standards and efficiency.

www.technogenetics.it

TECHNOGENETICS: A STEP FORWARD IN DIAGNOSTICS Technogenetics is an innovative company working in the immunodiagnostics and molecular genetics fields.

Since December 2015 has been part of the Shanghai Kehua Bio-Engineering co., a company listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange, a leading manufacturer of in vitro diagnostic kits in China.

Technogenetics acts as a reference point in the medical and scientific community, developing and providing efficient, effective, environmentally friendly diagnostic solutions and products to improve prevention, diagnosis and treatment of various diseases.

Over the years, Technogenetics, thanks to its high and specific know-how in the IVD field, has boosted the research activities and manufacturing capabilities.

Technogenetics’ laboratories study solutions and innovative products, ensuring high-quality standards, competence and professionalism by taking advantage of the experience gained over the years.

SETTING THE HIGHEST STANDARDS SINCE 1987

An independent, award winning international freight forwarder. � Contact us � info@casperlogistics.com +44 (0)1912 140888

casperlogistics.com

130 | BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE

Since its inception, Technogenetics has developed and produced reagents for the determination of antibodies related to many infectious diseases and Autoimmune diseases. These product lines, constantly updated, run on a highly automated random access system, optimizing the laboratory’s diagnostic process without compromising quality, reproducibility of results and management of resources and processing times.

The R&D department is the main driver for innovative and valued products and employs over 30 researchers.

In 2018 Technogenetics and IDS finalized an agreement over Autoimmune and Infections diseases automated assays developed for IDS-iSYS Multi-Discipline System.

This agreement gives IDS the right to sell these kits, under the IDS brand on a worldwide basis.

Technogenetics s.r.l. | Via della Filanda 26 | 26900 | Lodi| Italia

www.technogenetics.it

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

IMMUNODIAGNOSTIC SYSTEMS HOLDINGS PLC

GEORDIE KNOW-HOW “25% of the company is based in Newcastle, the rest is in mainland Europe. We have a manufacturing site in Italy and France,” explains Jaap Stuut, IDS’s CEO. “What we do in Newcastle is part of the production and administration.

Traditionally we were here in Newcastle ever since we were founded here in the 70s.”

Indeed, Newcastle has a proud history in the pharmaceutical sector, making it the ideal home for a business like IDS. “We’re here part for the city’s history, and because if you are in this type of business, the employees who are developing, manufacturing, shipping and selling the products are experienced and live in this area,” Stuut says. “We’re working in a niche market.

It’s not something you can do saying ‘I’ve been in electronics Jaap Stuut CEO, IDS

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

manufacturing and now I’m going into diagnostics’ because you need people experienced in the right areas. At the same time, the companies we have acquired are all still in the same sites. We didn’t put them all in one big moveable box.”

That wealth of experience is what puts IDS three steps ahead of the competition, as Stuut points out, “What is unique is we have an experience base, but we also have a unique niche market area where we have a reputation for quality.”

Of course, that does not mean that competition isn’t there, particularly from larger corporations.

“There are a lot of big players in this sector. We’re 300 people while our competitors have 60 to 100,000 people, but we’ve got unique assets which distinguish us from the main players in the field,” Stuut says.

“WE’RE 300 PEOPLE WHILE OUR COMPETITORS HAVE 60 TO 100,000 PEOPLE, BUT WE’VE GOT UNIQUE ASSETS WHICH DISTINGUISH US FROM THE MAIN PLAYERS IN THE FIELD.” “We’ve got people who are experienced in the field, not just in the endocrinology but also in the autoimmune sectors.”

THREE STEPS AHEAD Of course, the flip side of that is IDS will not maintain its market position if they stay still, and therefore the company has remained constantly on the move.

“The biggest challenge for this company is that if you are in a niche you constantly have to innovate, because if that niche is successful other companies will want a part of that cake,” Stuut says. “So, you must constantly be the front runner.

Your innovation must be good and constant and instructive.”

Keeping moving with the necessary speed and innovation is made more challenging with the regulatory hurdles IDS’ work can face.

“You must also not forget in a market like this you must have sizeable growth because investments are huge in this business. You have an enormous number of rules and submissions to get products registered through the notified bodies, so you have to make

BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE | 131

IMMUNODIAGNOSTIC SYSTEMS HOLDINGS PLC

sure the organisation can handle it,” Stuut explains.

To make sure their investments are the right ones, IDS draws on a network of expert and informed opinions to guide their decisions.

“We have certain specialists but we’re also very close to our customers and opinion leaders who are happy to give us advice,” Stuut says. “When the market gives us advice, we jump on it.”

IDS also benefits from a pipeline of products that they have been continuously developing, as consistency is as important as innovation.

“You have to put your resources into it,” Stuut says.

“Even if you have an innovative product you’re not there yet.

You have to produce constant quality.”

132 | BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE

THE WEIGHT OF RESPONSIBILITY Stuut explains that he manages the company through three major factors- people, processes and key performance indicators. The most important of these is people.

“You need the right person in the right spot. You either attract experienced people or find people who will come in from university, especially in Newcastle, or from technical schools and you train them up,” Stuut says.

The key quality Stuut looks for in all his staff is a certain degree of flexibility and adaptability.

“We have people who come to us applying for one role, but we ask them to apply for at least two roles so that we can do career planning,” Stuut says.

“You need a couple of years’

“WE HAVE PEOPLE WHO STAY IN THE COMPANY BECAUSE IT’S NOT JUST ABOUT PAYMENTS, IT’S ALSO ABOUT THE BENEFITS AND THE WORK ITSELF.” investment in each recruit. We have HR training programmes and our recruitment is very selective due to the limited amount of people with this particular knowledge.”

One thing that draws talent, and more importantly, keeps it within the company is the sense of responsibility IDS staff get from their work.

“We have people who stay in the company because it’s not

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

IMMUNODIAGNOSTIC SYSTEMS HOLDINGS PLC

just about payments, it’s also about the benefits and the work itself,” says Stuut. “A lot of our people have big responsibilities within the company. If you have a 60,000 strong company each person will only have ownership of one little task. Here you have more tasks, which means it is more challenging, but also people have real responsibility and our employees like that.

The engagement among our staff is high. We have a longtime service award and if you look to our we have a number of people with a long history here so we’re doing something right.”

As well as a long history, IDS also has a bright future ahead of it.

“We’re focusing our energy and effort on three areas,” Stuut says. “Endocrinology, autoimmunity and allergy. In these three areas, we want to be at the forefront of automated solutions for customers. That’s where we are gearing our efforts and investments towards.”

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE | 133

NANDO’S

WE LEARN HOW THE POPULAR PERI-PERI GRILLED CHICKEN BRAND IS EVOLVING, AND HOW THAT HAS PREPARED THEM FOR THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC.

PERIPREPARED PROJECT MANAGED BY: JOHN HOLLIMAN

The story of Nando’s begins with the African Bird’s Eye Chilli, also known as “Peri-Peri”, discovered by Mozambicans and adopted by Portuguese explorers. This Peri-Peri flavour inspired Fernando Duarte to invite his friend Robbie Brozin to a Portuguese eatery in the heart of Rosettenville, South Africa in 1987. Together, they set themselves the goal of bringing this flavour to the world. Chilli, also known as “Peri-Peri”, discovered by Mozambicans and adopted

by Portuguese explorers. This Peri-Peri flavour inspired Fernando Duarte to invite his friend Robbie Brozin to a Portuguese eatery in the heart of Rosettenville, South Africa in 1987. Together, they set themselves the goal of bringing this flavour to the world.

Trudi van Niekerk, Chief Executive Officer of Nando’s Licensed Markets & India.

GLASS DECORATIONS Glass Decorations, an independent South African based company, have been passionately supplying sizzling, vibrant and luxurious packaging for the past 21 years.

Decorating of glass containers is an exceptionally specialised, yet, eco-friendly and exciting packaging environment. The company is always on the forefront and offer all the hot decorating, colour coating, and foiling processes available internationally to spice up your packaging.

Through continuous global research, innovation and Sourcing of sophisticated automated equipment, Glass Decorations retain a creative edge in this market and are able to deliver trendsetting and creative techniques.

Focussed on delivering to our clients a product of high quality and integrity, we maintain two formal International Standards; Quality (ISO 9001) and Food Safety Management System (FSSC 22000).

Providing our clients with additional services such as repacks, product boxing and tagging, as well as sleeve and PSL application – adds some extra hot and comprehensive packaging solutions under one roof.

A most advantages benefit of utilising glass and our Heavy Metal Free decorating inks, is the low impact to our environment, which Glass Decorations does not consider mildly.

With the environment as our key focus point, Glass Decorations had the privilege of partnering with Nando’s in creating 100% recyclable and re-usable, decorated bottles for their Peri-Peri sauces and condiments for restaurant use.

A professional, experienced and wildly passionate team is available at Glass Decorations to assist and develop any possible packaging innovation for local use or export. No matter how niche or bold your order quantity, Glass Decorations have the capacity and flexibility to accommodate regardless.

www.glassdecorations.co.za

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

Your partner in potatoes

Proud supplier to Nando’s in the MEA region

BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE | 137

We are the preferred importers, packers and blenders of top-quality spices for the red meat and allied industries.

We offer: · Spices

· Equipment & Blades

· Casings

· Steam Pasteurization

· Packaging

· New Product Development

Proud supplier to Nando’s for over 20 years!

Richmark Chickens is a proud supplier of quality frozen chicken products to Nando’s in Botswana.

Richmark Chicken, a broiler growing and processing operation in the Tuli Block near the Moletemane Village, was started in the 70’s by the Kirby family and places around 55,000 birds per week with a market share of around 10%.

The holding company, Amigear Ventures (Pty) Ltd, is always on the lookout for opportunities to further integrate into the poultry production value chain through acquisition or joint ventures to contribute towards making Botswana selfsufficient in poultry production.

Tel: +267 3160500 Fax: +267 3160504

notwanepoultry.co.bw

138 | BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE

Richmark Chicken PO Box 417 EAJ Gaborone Botswana

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

NANDO’S

“W

e’re a flame-grilled peri-peri chicken brand, with Portuguese heritage but also a flavour coming from Mozambican heritage, and we have restaurants trading in 21 different countries,” says Trudi van Niekerk, Chief Executive Officer of Nando’s Licensed Markets & India.

Nando’s first restaurant was successful enough that soon the founders opened a second, in Savoy, Johannesburg, swiftly followed by another. Brozin and Duarte’s business strategy operated through a “flying by the seat of their pants” philosophy, taking risks, always aware they could fail at any moment.

But even then, the company’s founders always believed

“WE’VE LARGELY BEEN TRENDSETTERS OVER THE YEARS IN TERMS OF THE FAST-CASUAL DINING BUSINESS MODEL. A LOT OF BRANDS HAVE COME INTO THE MARKET SINCE THEN BUT WE’RE STILL ONE OF THE LEADERS.” BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

Nando’s would be about more than profit. Their slogan in the early days was “have fun and then make money” but always in the right way, giving people opportunities and making a positive impact on their lives. It’s a guiding philosophy present in the company today.

“The flame-grilled peri-peri component is our big selling point,” says van Niekerk. “But we also have a light-hearted and humorous irreverent tone that appeals to people. We’ve largely been trendsetters over the years in terms of the fastcasual dining business model. A

lot of brands have come into the market since then but we’re still one of the leaders.”

PERI-PERI PEOPLE Throughout its history, Nando’s has been helped along by one key asset.

“Across the Nando’s world we value people as our key asset, with a number of development programmes in place,” van Niekerk says. “We promote internal recruitment wherever possible and our people can go a long way in the business, based on the number of internal development programs we

BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE | 139

NANDO’S

provide. In the IMEA region, for example, if someone reaches a glass ceiling in their own market, we share those skills with other markets. Plenty of people have been successful in transferring to other positions through the Nando’s network.”

This can be seen in Nando’s Harambee programme, which recruits young unemployed South Africans, offering them training and development to get them ready to enter the workplace. Since 2012, more than 3,000 Harambee graduates have been given jobs at Nando’s. Nando’s is working on similar programmes in other parts of the world using its South African model as inspiration.

Nando’s staff are encouraged to take part in a little friendly competition.

“One of our favourite initiatives is the International Grillers Challenge.

Each

140 | BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE

Nando’s country runs national competitions to select their best grilling teams, and the two or three top grillers go to the international grillers challenge,” van Niekerk explains. “The winner gets a lot of recognition, both in-market and abroad. For many grillers, this is the first time they get a passport and travel internationally for the first time. Many times they’ve never been on an aeroplane or stayed in a hotel. It is not all about grilling however; they get to experience key tourist activities prior to the multiday main grilling event. This event also allows our grillers from a range of cultures and backgrounds to meet and build new friendships.”

DELIVERING CHANGE While Nando’s hit upon a winning recipe straight out the gate, that doesn’t mean the

“ACROSS THE NANDO’S WORLD WE VALUE PEOPLE AS OUR KEY ASSET, WITH A NUMBER OF DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMMES IN PLACE. WE PROMOTE INTERNAL RECRUITMENT WHEREVER POSSIBLE AND OUR PEOPLE CAN GO A LONG WAY IN THE BUSINESS, BASED ON THE NUMBER OF INTERNAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS WE PROVIDE.”

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

NANDO’S

company hasn’t been changing and evolving to keep up with shifts in the global marketplace.

“One challenge that’s facing a lot of restaurants is the growth of the delivery channel,” van Niekerk admits. “If you forge an understanding of your brand as a fast-casual dining player, how can you capitalise on this new opportunity? What do you do with your current real estate when over time you may need smaller sized restaurants? So we’re looking at how we can adapt our business model to capitalise on new opportunities.

A number of restaurant businesses are jumping on the delivery bandwagon as a means to seek additional growth, but many of them are ignoring the technicalities of how you can successfully tap into this new opportunity without compromising on service or quality. It is also critical to managing your margins carefully. Delivery may bring in sales, but at a much lower margin. How do you manage the service mix in a manner that doesn’t end up destroying your overall business model? It’s a big challenge but also a big opportunity.”

Nando’s is a business particularly well-equipped to face this challenge, as their way of doing business is as diverse as their list of locations.

“Across the world, we’ve had a couple of different business models. Traditionally, in markets such as South Africa, we’ve had higher off-premise sales rather than dine-in business, while in the UK it’s traditionally been more dine-in,” van Niekerk points out. “We’re taking the learnings from markets who have been playing in the off-premise space for a longer period, and looking to apply these over different geographies.

We also consider packaging more

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE | 141

Creating Better Together

TM

For more information, please visit:

www.griffithfoods.com www.crownnational.co.za Servicing the QSR industry in Sub-Saharan Africa - we have a product offering that includes culinary inspired custom-made sauces and marinades, coating systems, bakery and dough dry blends, protein seasonings as well as snack & side-dish seasonings and portion packs. Having a culinary mindset based on substantiated market insights, fuels our creativity and innovation process.

We believe in Creating Better Together™ with our customers.

If you are not a customer of ours and you are in the QSR, restaurant or food processing industry, don’t hesitate to contact us - we look forward to hearing from you.

Rohan du Toit, General Manager rohan.dutoit@griffithcrown.co.za Tel: +27 (0)10 271 1637 Building 23, Thornhill Office Park, 94 Bekker Rd, Midrand, 1686 SA

142 | BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

GRIFFITH CROWN FOODS A SHARED PASSION FOR SUSTAINABLE SOURCING & DEVELOPMENT Today, Griffith Crown Foods (GCF) is proudly continuing and growing the robust 33year relationship between Crown Food Group and Nando’s that started right from the beginning when they opened their first store.

Griffith Crown Foods (PTY) Ltd, established October 2017, is a global food ingredients supplier with a proudly South African footprint, a result of the dynamic partnership between Griffith Foods™ and the Crown Food Group (a division of Bidcorp Food Africa).

Having a global footprint, Griffith Foods’ Purpose rings true to what they want to accomplish - to ‘Blend Care and Creativity to Nourish the World’. At GCF we provide another avenue to live that Purpose.

Just like Nando’s Peri-Peri Farming Initiative where they create shared value for small farmers in Africa who farm their unique African Bird’s Eye Chillies, GCF share the same passion for sustainable sourcing and development. Griffith Food’s Sustainably Sourced (GSS) program creates societal value while generating business benefit through farmlevel integration in sourcing spices and herbs like the Chili Pepper programs in India and Mexico, to name a few.

When you view the relationship between Nando’s and GCF as not just transactional, but when there’s a great synergy in like-mindedness about what really matters, it creates an opportunity to scale positive impact.

Rohan du Toit, General Manager Email: rohan.dutoit@griffithcrown.co.za / Tel: +27 (0)10 271 1637 Address: Building 23, Thornhill Office Park, 94 Bekker Road, Midrand, 1686 For more information, please visit:

www.griffithfoods.com www.crownnational.co.za

SIGNIFY SOFTWARE

KEMKLEAN

Signify Software is proud to be associated with Nando’s. PERi-PERi is the heart and soul of Nando’s. They are also well-known for their “hot” advertising campaigns. This unique business ethos transcends to the way they approach employee development. We are proud that our solutions play a big role in the way Nando’s employees are being upskilled.

Signify Software is a South African software development and implementation company that has developed a modular Talent Management Solution since 1999. Our clients range from small training academies that use our software to offer learning solutions to their clients, to large organisations across multiple industry sectors that use our software to attract, develop, manage and retain their workforce.

Like Nando’s, many of our clients use the Signify Learning Management System (LMS) to: • Manage a blended learning approach • Make employees aware of policies and procedures • Enable employees to develop themselves at their own pace through the Signify eLearning solution and shelf-content • Manage compliance and regulatory training as prescribed by their respective regulatory bodies • Provide product-related training and assessments • Most of all, make learning fun through gamification Our Signify LMS is integrated to other modules in our Talent Management Solution.

These modules include: • Job Profiling • Performance Management • 360o Evaluation • Career and Succession Planning • Compliance Reporting (EE Reports, SETA Reports, etc.)

• Mobile learning apps (Android and iOS) We provide world-class, value-for-money solutions and services to the benefit of our clients!

www.signify.co.za

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

HYGIENE SOLUTIONS

Kemklean at the forefront of combating COVID-19 in Africa Partnering with Nandos since 2014 MICROBIOLOGICAL ANALYSIS 3rd Party Micro Assessments via SANAS Accredited Laboratory Swab Protocols

PEACE OF MIND

ISO 9001:2015 manufactured products, SABS food approved products, CGC approval, SAAFOST custodianship + Proudly South African

PREFERENTIAL PROCUREMENT

BBBEE owned accredited company

OPERATIONS MANUALS

A working document detailing all aspects of our business, approvals + registrations

10

9

All relevant required data pertaining to our products

2

On Site Dilution Test Kits Quarterly Titration Tests - Laboratory Verification

3

WHAT OUR SOLUTIONS CAN DO FOR YOU

KEMKLEAN 4

8

MSDS + TECHNICAL SPEC SHEETS

DILUTION VERIFICATION

1

HYGIENE SOLUTIONS

7

5

6

CLEANING SCHEDULES

HACCP aligned cleaning schedules specific to your needs

COLOUR CODED PACKAGING

Easy Identification Easy Stacking + Storage

BUDGET VARIANCE REPORTING SYSTEMS Regular consultant visits

MONTHLY HYGIENE AUDIT CHECKS As part of the pre-requisite program for HACCP accreditation

BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE | 143

NANDO’S

carefully, as food is travelling more to consumers rather than being eaten in a restaurant.

We’re constantly looking to improve the customer’s overall experience regardless of where they eat our famous food. This includes introducing more technology to improve the customer’s dine-in and delivery experience, whilst also assisting with labour scheduling and driver productivity management.”

Of course, recent events have shown that enabling delivery and curb-side sales is a prescient move for any restaurant business.

“Many of our markets have had to shut down their dinein business as a result of the lockdown requirements in relation to the COVID-19 outbreak.”

Facing the coronavirus pandemic is a serious issue for all businesses, and from the outset, Nando’s priority has been the safety of their staff and customers.

“We work very closely with our international franchise partners.

Our key priority is to keep our people and customers safe.

The minute COVID-19 began

144 | BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

NANDO’S

to spread to more countries, we introduced an enhanced cleaning protocol for our staff, or ‘Nandocas’, our suppliers and our customers,” Van Niekerk tells us. “We’ve been through a number of different phases across markets. In some, where we were required to shut dine-in, we up weighted our off-premise channels quickly, adding third-party aggregators, or delivering ourselves.

We are also activating curb-side collection in a number of markets so that our customers are still able to collect food from our restaurants in as easy a way as possible.”

But this pandemic won’t last forever, and when it lifts, Nando’s will be ready.

“I think Nando’s in the future will always be one of the best fast-casual dining restaurants to visit. The brand has been built up in people’s hearts and minds for 33 years now,” Van Niekerk says. “The opportunity for us is to make ourselves available for people with different needs through delivery, whilst giving them as good an experience as if they were dining in our restaurants.”

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE | 145

NOLATO GROUP

WE LEARN HOW A LONG-TERM PERSPECTIVE AND A BROAD, IN-DEPTH KNOWLEDGE BASE HAVE MADE THE NOLATO GROUP WHAT IT IS TODAY.

OFFERING SOLUTIONS SUSTAINABLY PROJECT MANAGED BY: DAVID TAVERNOR

The Nolato Group are a solutions provider that launches global products, supporting their customers with development and production for the global market. The company is organised into three different business areas, Medical Solutions, Industrial Solutions and Integrated Solutions. While Nolato works in each of these areas separately, however, there is also a great deal of cross-pollination between sectors.

“T

he overall work we’re doing is similar across those three areas, support and he overall work we’re doing is similar across those three areas, support and development in engineering skills,” explains Christer Wahlquist, the Nolato Group’s CEO. “A lot of what we do is based on polymer materials, but we also use other materials and electronics.”

Nolato has built a name for itself not only on the broad foundation of knowledge it can draw from but also through the extra mile they’re willing to go to understand their customers’ needs.

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

“I would say our unique selling point is we’re extremely committed and focus a lot of energy into understanding our customers, their market and needs, and we can get influences from different markets into our customers’ development,” Wahlquist points out. “We can get the best practice from all the market segments we are present in, importing special skills from different aspects to our solutions.”

While those who know their work will swear by them, Wahlquist points out the biggest challenge the company faces can simply be getting

BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE | 147

Since 1991 Gavic Construction Corporation has been providing innovative design/build, general construction and construction management services to commercial and industrial clients throughout Minneapolis/St. Paul and western Wisconsin.

We’re a full service construction company, our services include: • Design/Build

• Design Services

• Feasibility Studies

• Cost Analysis

• Site Selection Assistance

• Value Engineering

• Construction Management • General Construction Services • Interior Improvements Gavic Construction Corporation understands customer satisfaction begins with the customer. We are dedicated to providing efficient, timely and cost effective service to our clients and our honesty and integrity sets us apart from the competition.

Gavic Construction Corporation has served a wide variety of clients, both large and small from commercial facilities to industrial buildings. Our commitment to quality, dependability in meeting and exceeding project goals, and our ability to adapt to the changing needs of our clients is what makes Gavic Construction a leader in project management and construction.

901 Fourth Street | Suite 135, Hudson, Wisconsin 54016, USA E: paul@gavicconstruction.com T: +1 715-386-7450

148 | BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE

www.gavicconstruction.com

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

NOLATO GROUP

Christer Wahlquist CEO, Nolato Group

“I WOULD SAY OUR UNIQUE SELLING POINT IS WE’RE EXTREMELY COMMITTED AND FOCUS A LOT OF ENERGY INTO UNDERSTANDING OUR CUSTOMERS, THEIR MARKET AND NEEDS, AND WE CAN GET INFLUENCES FROM DIFFERENT MARKETS INTO OUR CUSTOMERS’ DEVELOPMENT.” BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

their foot in through the door.

“I would say our largest challenge is to get the first assignment from the new customer, to get the first development to a new customer and bring it all the way to production so they can understand how our solutions work compared to the competition,” Wahlquist says. “After we get the first assignment it’s easier to win the second.”

TAKING THE LONG VIEW Getting that first assignment isn’t simply a question of knocking on doors, a great deal of research and communication goes into ensuring Nolato is the right firm for the job.

“I would say it’s a long process,” Wahlquist says. “We have a list of future customers and there’s a lot of work done in order to make sure they understand our proposal indepth on their aside and our side to get the feel for what we deliver. Then, of course,

we always have a long-term approach. We look at our customers as partners and our customer relationships are very important to us.”

This long-term perspective can also be seen in the way Nolato has prioritised sustainability and has done so since long before it was a preferred buzz word for businesses.

“We have had a very longterm approach to sustainability.

We’re part of the UN Global Compact, setting targets for improvement in our own work and progressing in a good way on all measured targets, with a strong sustainability report every year,” Wahlquist tells us. “The next step we’re taking is working with our customers’ products and suggesting improvements from an environmental perspective.

We’ll be suggesting new materials, routes to reusability, that’s our target for improving customers’ products in a sustainable way.”

BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE | 149

NOLATO GROUP

“YOU HAVE TO LOOK AT THE LONGER-TERM SUSTAINABLE APPROACH AND IN THE LAST FEW YEARS WE’RE SEEING THAT HAS BECOME INCREASINGLY VALUED

BY INVESTORS AND CUSTOMERS.” It’s an approach that goes all the way back to the roots of Nolato.

“It’s always been a priority since the foundation of the company. By managing a company you have obligations,” Wahlquist insists. “You have to look at the longer-term sustainable approach and in the last few years, we’re seeing that has become increasingly valued by investors and customers.

We’re in a good position because we have addressed these issues for a very long time, and now we’re seeing the benefits of that from the business side.”

GROWING OPPORTUNITIES All of this would not be possible without the expert, dedicated staff that keep Nolato running.

Talking to Wahlquist it’s clear that it is a point of pride for Nolato’s staff to not only understand their own area of expertise but to also have a holistic understanding of everything the company does.

“We have very high retention levels overall. We value our people, treat them equally and have a decentralised organisation to rapidly get to

150 | BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

NOLATO GROUP

a position where people can make decisions and be part of the process of guiding the company,” Wahlquist says.

“They come to understand every aspect of the company and that attracts a lot of people.

People like being able to have a career journey and not just be a specialist in one specific field but have a role in running a company.”

It means that in recruitment terms, Nolato’s reputation precedes it.

“We’re attracting people through word of mouth from the people working for us already.

That spreads and we’ve found that’s the best way of hiring people,” says Wahlquist.

As well as growing the business’s reservoir of talent through recruitment, Nolato is also working to build up their resources through acquisitions.

“We have had a period of time where we’ve expanded and invested money across a lot of facilities and seen good development of the company in growth and earnings. We will continue that journey with organic growth and expand into new geographical areas. We’ve just expanded into the US for example,” Wahlquist explains.

“Parallel to that we have got a long-term target of acquiring companies to strengthen our portfolio.”

Just as with their process to approaching clients, Nolato considers acquisition to be a long-term process, with every variable accounted for.

“Over the years we have added a company approximately every second year to strengthen our overall offering to the market,” Wahlquist says. “This approach is long term; we identify good competitors and work with them and understand them in-depth and when they’re ready to divest we’re the preferred buyer.”

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE | 151

THETA GOLD MINES

THETA GOLD MINES ARE RETURNING TO A HISTORIC GOLDFIELD TO USE MODERN TECHNOLOGY & TECHNIQUES TO GET NEW WEALTH FROM AN OLD RESOURCE.

BURIED TREASURE PROJECT MANAGED BY: GLEN NEWTON

In South Africa’s Eastern Goldfields, where the country’s gold mining industry first began nearly 130 years ago, a giant goldfield is reawakening. Theta Gold Mines Limited, who owns 74% of the East Transvaal Goldfield, are beginning to bring back open pit mining to this large and historic underground mining goldfield. Theta Gold Mines has returned to this monumental site because of the opportunities provided by its unique geological properties.

152 | BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE

“W

e’re ramping up exploration,” says Bill Guy, the Chairman of Theta Gold Mines. “The geology of South Africa is some of the best in the world. Our site at The Transvaal Gold System sits geological on the eastern side of Bushveld Complex the largest igneous intrusion on earth. We are developing our goldfield, the new mill will be delivered on-site in March, it’s all been very productive.

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

info@omisolutions.co.za

Our Story, Our Journey

OMI Solutions (Pty) Ltd is an environmental consultancy founded by a Mining and Environmental expert in 2018.

In less than 2 years the team grew to over 80 employees, inclusive of business partners and 63 unskilled labour.

“In October 2018, the odds were against us. All we could do was to look up and to let God be our ”wings”, and with his plan we started this journey. The goal was to give back.” -Robyn Mellett In 2019 we were a 100% female team. In 2020, despite Covid-19, our team has grown, expanding our scope of services. A special thank-you goes to: Faith, Gerardo, Annike, Anika, Clive, Lindiwe, Annechris, Freedom, Dudu, Esther, Duncan and all the support received from our clients, family and friends.

Powerful solutions, Gentle delivery.

https://omisolutions.co.za/

Our Services

Our departments offer “Fit for Purpose Solutions” for:

• Corporate Strategy • Legal Compliance Management • Water Treatment & Management • License Application Management • Stakeholder Management • Social and Labour Plan Management • Rehabilitation & Closure Management • Energy & Waste Management • Charity Work, Environmental Awareness & Voluntary work for NGO’s

OMI Solutions (Pty) Ltd

Our Accomplishments

In year one we secured 20 plus clients, we illustrated a book dedicated to the WCS team in Afghanistan supported by the GEF-UNDP and the idea for a “Wings sanctuary” was born.

In 2020 we started our first Apiary (a bee farm), with the dream to provide job opportunities for the disabled, and assisted in developing an animated video for the 2020 World Bee Day celebration for the President of the Apimondia Regional Commission for Africa.

We also started a scholarship program where we pay the tuition fees for 60 college students.

Our Vision

As a company, with the appointment of experienced experts and associates, we grow from strength to strength. Our Focus is on “Unique Fit for Purpose Solutions” for our clients, but our Purpose is in making a difference and giving back.

Ingenuity in solving tomorrows mining and processing challenges today

GROUP UNITED

MINING

SERVICES

United Mining Services (UMS) Group, incorporating the internationally recognised METS (Mining Engineering Technical Services) and SHAFT SINKERS brands, is a leader in the mining and minerals processing sectors.

Between them METS and SHAFT SINKERS have a library of technical knowledge and experience spanning 6 decades and through this are able to solve virtually any mining, minerals processing and underground construction challenges.

1

2

3

4

DESIGN AND ENGINEERING SERVICES

SPECIALISED CONSULTING SERVICES

CONTRACTING SERVICES

SPECIALIST SHAFT SERVICES

Visit our website for more information about our products and services centralised call center Tel +27 (0)11 445 4300

E-mail info@umsint.com Web www.umsint.com

Part of the UMS Group

UNITED MINING SERVICES GROUP VALUE DRIVEN SOLUTIONS TO THE MINING & MINERAL PROCESSING MARKETS United Mining Services (UMS) Group, incorporating the internationally recognised METS and Shaft Sinkers brands, is a leader in the mining and minerals processing sectors.

METS and Shaft Sinkers are 60-year old brands and have collectively undertaken over 250 contracts around the world and have pioneered many industry innovations that have become industry standards. The Company’s Shaft Sinkers Division has over the years developed an enviable reputation as one of the few ultra-deep level sinking specialist companies globally. The Company routinely sinks shafts in excess of 1500 meters and has sunk shafts in excess of 3000 meters. To date the company has sunk 170 000 meters of vertical shafts and 35 000 meters of incline and decline shafts through all types of ground conditions.

The UMS Group prides itself on its ingenuity in solving mining and mineral processing challenges. With our 60-year library of knowledge we have the capabilities to build new mines and processing plants, from concept through to commissioning and operation, under one roof. This has the advantage for clients that they deal with a single source for the design, costing and scheduling from an actual contractor who then executes the designs, allowing for seamless integration between the project phases, giving greater cost and schedule accuracy and ultimately reducing risk for the client.

“WE’RE RAMPING UP EXPLORATION. THE GEOLOGY OF SOUTH AFRICA IS SOME OF THE BEST IN THE WORLD. OUR SITE AT THE TRANSVAAL GOLD SYSTEM SITS GEOLOGICAL ON THE EASTERN SIDE OF BUSHVELD COMPLEX THE LARGEST IGNEOUS INTRUSION ON EARTH.”

For more information on our services visit our website at: www.umsint.com or e-mail: info@umsint.com

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE | 155

THETA GOLD MINES

The Environmental Impact Assessment has gone in, we’re building up the team, we have employees and progressing towards production!”

A HISTORIC SITE It’s extremely rare to find vertical and horizontal reef systems such as this. The system Theta is looking to produce from is either two different gold systems or one giant one, and either way the potential is exciting. A geologically similar gold deposit is hard to find anywhere in the world. The geometry of the reefs means that nearly every square inch of the terrain has exploration potential.

This area has also been home to a number of gold deposits discovered between 1840 and 1870. South Africa’s first gold rush took place in 1873 when payable gold was discovered on the farm Geelhoutboom near

“WE’RE VERY PROACTIVE IN MARKETING. WE’RE INCREASING OUR SOCIAL MEDIA PRESENCE, REACHING OUT TO POTENTIAL SHAREHOLDERS. THE US, IN PARTICULAR, HAS BEEN RESPONSIVE TO THE GOLD STORY IN SOUTH AFRICA.” 156 | BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

THETA GOLD MINES

the town of Sabie approximately 35 km from Pilgrims Rest. The region has been considered so rich in resources and easy targets for mining that the early miners would simply abandon sites that became difficult, moving to other areas still confident they would strike it lucky.

Now, with the benefit of modern mining techniques and high-powered machinery, as well as accurate later surveying, resource modelling and modern processing technology, we are seeing that over a century later mining companies are able to explore and develop these old prospects and mines to discover new riches.

Theta Gold Mines is approaching these sites armed not only with the knowledge that they possess well-defined, low-risk exploration targets, but also an existing carbon in leach treatment plant dating

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE | 157

THETA GOLD MINES

back to the 1980s. Theta has plans to refurbish and add new components to this plant, expanding it to enable rapid ramp-up of production across the whole project.

While the company’s past focus has been on underground mining, their latest strategy is to delineate high-grade open cut resources, which have a lower risk profile, because they are faster to develop than underground deposits and need less capital.

Theta Gold Mines already has three resource upgrades and the Theta Project Feasibility Study to show for their efforts.

That feasibility study has shown the mine has strong economic potential, with enough resources to sustain open-cut mining. Theta has developed an exploration model to use across the 43 historic mines under their management.

Theta’s cycle of development and exploration is one that has never been applied to the East Transvaal Goldfield, and Guy is excited by the potential results, especially at a time when new

“OUR COSTS FOR DISCOVERING OUNCES IS CHEAP. YOU’RE NOT JUST TALKING ABOUT RESOURCE OUNCES, WE’RE TALKING INDICATED OUNCE THAT CAN BE CONVERTED TO A PROBABLE RESERVE OUNCE. WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE COST TO DISCOVER GOLD AROUND THE WORLD, THEN YOU GET A REAL SENSE OF THE COST OF THE THETA RESOURCE.” 158 | BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE

gold production stories are thin on the ground.

“There’s not a huge number of new production stories out there,” Guy points out. “But we’ve got a unique investment proposition. We will be drilling down for 12 dollars an ounce (US), (discoverer cost per gold ounce as an indicated resource).

If you look at the stats around the Pacific Rim, they’re closer to 83 dollars as an ounce.”

“Our costs for discovering ounces is cheap. You’re not just talking about resource ounces, we’re talking indicated ounce that can be converted to a probable reserve ounce,” Guy points out. “When you look at the cost to discover gold around the world, then you get

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

THETA GOLD MINES

“SOUTH AFRICA HAS EVERYTHING REQUIRED FOR BUILDING A MINE SITE. ALL THE CONSTRUCTION EQUIPMENT, QUALIFIED PEOPLE, IT’S BEEN RELATIVELY EASY, TO BE HONEST. EVERYTHING YOU CAN WANT OR NEED IS HERE.”

a real sense of the cost of the Theta resource.”

FUNDING DISCOVERY While the costs of exploration and extraction are low, Theta Gold Mines still faces some challenges in terms of seeking the financial backing they will need to make the most of these exceptional resources.

“We’re pushing pretty hard. Finding funding for the exploration and development of the Starter Open-pit project will be a big challenge, but London is being supportive.

Finances may be an issue in the future but we’re in a good position,” Guy says. “When you look around the world, the gold space is going to be a pretty big

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

space over the next couple of years.”

To build on that, and ensure they have the financial backing they need, Theta Gold Mines is telling their story far and wide.

“We’re very proactive in marketing. We’re increasing our social media presence, reaching out to potential shareholders,” Guy says. “The US, in particular, has been responsive to the gold story in South Africa.”

An important part of that story is that gold is far from the only valuable resource South Africa has to offer. It boasts a wealth of talent and resources that any mining operation would love to have at their disposal.

“South Africa has everything required for building a mine site,”

Guy says. “All the construction equipment, qualified people, it’s been relatively easy, to be honest. Everything you can want or need is here.”

Indeed, Guy is confident enough that this will be a success that he is already looking to see which projects might follow it.

“We’re looking at a fiveyear programme to expand production,” he says. “We’re now starting to focus on a longer-term vision with a pipeline of projects which we’re starting. Once we get this off the ground, we’ve money and income to develop these underground projects as well.”

BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE | 159

Mr Housam El Emri, Founder of BPGIC

BROOGE PETROLEUM AND GAS INVESTMENT CO

WE LEARN HOW MR HOUSAM EL EMRI’S VISION HAS HELPED SHAPE BROOGE PETROLEUM AND GAS INVESTMENT CO.

THE STORY OF

A VISION PROJECT MANAGED BY: GLEN NEWTON

TBrooge Petroleum and Gas Investment Co (BPGIC) was founded with the vision to operate some of the most technologically advanced bulk liquid storage facilities in the world, ensuring that all their customers, from oil majors to small energy traders, would suffer minimal loss in time, money and end product volume and quality.

“B

ut that vision began in the mind of Mr Housam El Emri when in 2010 he and his collaborators realised the strategic importance of a growing Port – the Port of Fujairah. This emerging oil storage hub in the Middle East had seen rapidly increased activity in recent years with its strategic location outside the Strait of Hormuz and an increasing preference for companies to avoid sending their vessels through the Strait of Hormuz due to geopolitical risks and higher transportation costs due to increased insurance costs as well as congestion and queuing times at ports inside the Arabian Gulf. 35 per cent of the world’s seaborne oil passes through the Strait of Hormuz, and with the Port of Fujairah’s geographic position outside the Strait, it was in the perfect

place to offer an alternative.

With more than 8.8 million cubic meters of independent storage capacity, this facility could allow vessels transporting oil and oil products to bypass the Strait and avoid incurring additional costs and delays.

The port enjoyed a favourable business environment, situated within one of the UAE’s “free zones” where private ownership is permitted. The port was also near the Habshan-Fujairah pipeline, which had seen an increased focus as the government of Abu Dhabi had publicly stated its intention to ensure that approximately 75 per cent of the crude oil designated for export in Abu Dhabi goes through the pipeline and to Fujairah.

“We realized how important and strategic developing a presence in Fujairah is and we went to work,” says Mr Housam.

“While developing our vision we realized our only way into such a competitive landscape

BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE | 161

BROOGE PETROLEUM AND GAS INVESTMENT CO

was to be unique and different and build a strong name for ourselves.”

Even then, Mr Housam knew that a strong vision along would not be enough, and he and his team went on to spend months and years conducting market, financial and technical studies.

They attended conferences, meeting with traders and terminal developers, building a comprehensive understanding of their offerings, challenges, pain points and “ideal terminal setup”.

“We left no stone unturned trying to come up with a stateof-the-art facility that would set a high bar for competitors,” Mr Housam remembers. “We realised with our offering and upon successfully completing the first phase of our project, the company would develop a strong standing name across

162 | BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE

the globe. From the beginning, we wanted to be global.”

BRINGING THE VISION TO LIFE This first phase involved narrowing the company’s vision to building an oil storage business that differentiated itself from competitors by providing its customers with fast order processing times, excellent customer service, fully automated and high accuracy blending services and low oil losses. After several years of planning and design, BPGIC finalised plans for Phase I during the First Quarter of 2015. BPGIC signed an EPC agreement for Phase I and commenced work in accordance with the Phase I EPC Agreement. Audex completed Phase I works on November 19, 2017, and between 2014 and 2017 BPGIC incurred a total cost of USD 170 million in

“IT’S A VISION INFORMED

BY A LIFETIME OF LEADERSHIP ACROSS A RANGE OF BUSINESS SECTORS.” connection with its construction.

“This was done carefully to mitigate risk and test the technical features of our facility in Phase I while keeping in mind our intention to develop Phase II,” says Mr Housam. “This meant a lot of the infrastructure was in place when we decided to build Phase II in 2018.”

The realization of this project has been a life-changing experience for Mr Housam, and he’s keen to share the lessons he took from the process.

“I learned that even if your vision is strong and clear a visionary also has to be inspirational and motivational, and be the leader people want to follow, rather than the boss they have to obey,” Mr Housam tells us.

It’s a vision informed by a lifetime of leadership across a range of business sectors.

“Prior to BPGIC, I have been heavily involved in establishing or managing companies across different sectors including Oil Gas, Securities, Real estate and retail,” Mr Housam recounts.

“Throughout the years, I realized that the way to success is commitment, dedication, and most importantly being different.

As competition increases and market share gets smaller, business owners and executives must realize that survival and profitability are linked to being different and having a clear long-term vision that is cascaded down to every member on the team. My work experience allowed me to learn a lot about the importance of shared governance in an organization, setting

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

BROOGE PETROLEUM AND GAS INVESTMENT CO

goals and KPI’s, monitoring those regularly and finding solutions for every problem.”

THE FOUNDATIONS OF LEADERSHIP Mr Housam breaks down his leadership style into three key components. The first is “This is where we are going”.

“Give everyone a belief that you are taking them to a better future. You have to show what is going to be different and better as a result of your vision,” Mr Housam insists. “This does not have to be about changing the world. It can be something simple, like increasing customer satisfaction; getting it right the first time, every time; reducing time to market.”

The next ingredient is “This is how we will get there”.

“Leaders offer more than hope: they offer clarity and certainty,” points out Mr Housam.

“This is especially important in

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

times of crisis and uncertainty.

If you look uncertain, doubt and panic will ripple through your team. Show what happens next: find some simple first steps. Complexity can come later in the detailed plan.”

Finally, Mr Housam says the vision needs to be brought down to a personal level, “This is what it means for you”.

“Show how each person will be affected by the vision and what they can do to make it happen. Make each team member feel that they have an important part to play in success. This part of the vision is the most motivational, and the hardest work. You have to customise your vision for each team member.”

Ultimately, Mr Housam can simplify the ingredients of his success even further.

He tells us, “Hard work, commitment and believing in yourself.”

BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE | 163

TECHNIP FMC NIGERIA

TECHNIP FMC IS LEADING THE WORLD IN SUBSEA, ONSHORE, OFFSHORE AND SURFACE TECHNOLOGIES, WE SEE HOW THEY DO IT.

BRINGING INNOVATION TO OIL & GAS PROJECT MANAGED BY: TREVOR GRETSINGER

Technip FMC is transforming their clients’ project economics through a range of proprietary technology and production systems, integrated expertise and comprehensive solutions.

The company is uniquely positioned to deliver greater efficiency throughout a project’s lifecycle, from concept to delivery and beyond.

164 | BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE

“W

ith a combination of innovative technologies & improved efficiencies, Technip can unlock new possibilities for businesses looking to develop oil and gas resources.

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

TECHNIP FMC NIGERIA

THE TECHNIP VISION Technip’s 37,000 employees are driven by their commitment to clients and a company culture that prizes purposeful innovation and the ability to challenge the status quo of their industry, thinking outside the box to achieve the best results.

Their ultimate goal is to enhance the performance of the energy industry the world over. This is something Technip has set out to achieve by bringing together the scope, know-how and determination of those people.

But you can’t achieve new results simply by repeating what has gone before, and Technip is establishing new ways of working to provide its clients with improved and sustainable results. The company has also

challenged itself alongside the practices of the industry, reinventing its technology and approach to projects while innovating end-to-end to create greater efficiency.

Technip’s approach means collaborating in smart, meaningful ways, that bring together the teams and talent that will yield the greatest results.

Technip’s practices and technologies are integrated so that systems are simplified and processes are streamlined, accelerating the path to production and beyond. Technip thinks ahead and seizes opportunities for its clients but also makes sure to act openly and responsibly, demonstrating the company’s competence and inspiring trust at every step of its work.

Innovation and Engineering, our Pulse Our Vision: To become premier engineering services provider for manufacturing & technology development.

Our Mission: To provide quality engineering products and services to energy and industrial sectors in Africa.

What we do: • Complete Machining & Manufacturing • Fabrication • OCTG Sales • Lifting Engineering Solutions • Training and Manpower Development • Rental Services • Steel Stockist T&GIL is a 100% owned Nigerian company.

DUN & BRADSTREET D-U-N-S:64-952-5171 || TRAC NUMBER 4-14-071-0476-26 Our Locations: LAGOS (Head Office) T: +234 (0)1 270 2669 E:tgrace@thompsonandgrace.com PORT HARCOURT (Workshop, Warehouse & Fabrication Yard) E: octgsales@thompsonandgrace.com Tel: +234 (0)818 000 4000 EKET Tel: +234 (0)803 830 8010

166 | BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE

“WHEN THE INDUSTRY GIVES TECHNIP A CHALLENGE, THE COMPANY RISES TO IT, & MANY OF ITS MOST GROUND-BREAKING TECHNOLOGIES HAVE GONE ON TO BECOME INDUSTRY STANDARD.” A GLOBAL LEADER IN NIGERIA In oil and gas projects, technologies, systems, and services Technip is leading the way for the rest of the industry, providing its clients with deep expertise across subsea, onshore/offshore and surface projects. You can’t lead by following the herd, and Technip’s people believe in innovation and smart design, working seamlessly to introduce everything from individual products and services to fully integrated solutions through a single interface.

We can see this approach in action by looking at the establishment and growth of Technip’s Nigerian operations.

For over two decades Technip has been operating in Nigeria, powered not only by their strong sense of innovation but also a strong local presence and the company’s deep relationships with local suppliers.

Nigeria has seen Technip execute phenomenal projects marked by ground-breaking achievements at every step of their progress. The company’s hard work and dedication have delivered results to meet tough requirements with outstanding safety and quality performance.

By working closely with local vendors wherever possible, as well as training and developing local people in engineering and management

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

TECHNIP FMC NIGERIA

mitigating risk.

Innovation is what lets Technip’s technologies power projects through the seemingly impossible to support industry jobs. Innovation lets Technip transform project economics through highly integrated business models and services.

And in the future, innovation will continue to define a new way forward for the company and the industry as a whole.

SHIPS OF THE LINE

skills and disciplines, Technip is also helping to develop local Nigerian content, a goal the synergises neatly with the company’s corporate and social responsibility work.

Technip’s CSR commitment encompasses activities working with local communities, as well as building a partnership with the Offshore Training Institute, University of Port Harcourt, Rivers State for the delivery of an MSc in Subsea Engineering.

By working positively and providing opportunities Technip is adding value to the Nigerian oil and gas industry in the way only a global leader in oil and gas projects can, pushing the limits of technology to bring today’s most ambitious infrastructure projects to the country.

FROM INNOVATION TO INDUSTRY STANDARD Technip can carry out this work thanks to the way it designs, develops, integrates and markets a huge variety of technologies to complement and expand its offerings. The business’s culture has always

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

been built around innovation, and through the years Technip has built a reputation for itself as a maverick, challenging convention and received wisdom to create solutions where they didn’t exist before, opening up new frontiers for the oil and gas industry as they go.

The oil and gas industry was one that has a deep-seated respect for competence and industry knowledge, but that does not mean sticking to established tools and methods.

Clients come to Technip because it is a company that drives innovation forward, taking the entire industry with it.

When the industry gives Technip a challenge, the company rises to it, and many of its most ground-breaking technologies have gone on to become industry standard.

Its people have consistently been the early adopters of the digital revolution, and its own digital transformation has turned Technip into a company that is proactive, not reactive, delivering higher levels of productivity while effectively

This commitment to innovation can also be seen in Technip’s fleet of state-of-the-art vessels that allow for the complete control of, and support for, all kinds of subsea project and field activities. These vessels’ capabilities include executing subsea pipelay, diving and construction activities, and the ability to connect assets like Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs), construction and diving equipment, as well as mobile lay systems.

The ships are managed from an excellent fleet management centre with the resources and expertise to carry out safe, reliable and cost-effective operations, once again leading the industry in delivering global operations.

Technip isn’t only about “the new thing” however, and all its vessels are maintained in prime working condition with a team of experts continually ensuring the fleet is fit-for-purpose by conducting major overhaul, dry docks, upgrades and conversions to support subsea projects. The fleet is purposebuilt and has a strong track record of executing subsea pipelay, diving and construction activities, demonstrating that just because something is state of the art doesn’t also mean it’s extremely reliable. A description which defines Technip to a T.

BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE | 167

GHANA PORTS & HARBOURS AUTHORITY

WE LEARN HOW GHANA PORTS & HARBOURS AUTHORITY IS BUILDING A TRADE HUB FOR THE REGION.

KEEPING GHANA’S CARGO MOVING PROJECT MANAGED BY: NEIL STOWE

The Ghana Ports & Harbours Authority was established by the PNDC in 1986 to plan, build, manage and maintain the seaports of Ghana. The organisation manages Ghana’s two main commercial seaports, one in Tema and the other in Takoradi, as well as commercial fishing harbours and dry docks. The Authority is also currently looking into the construction of a new port in Keta, where feasibility studies are being carried out.

“T

he Port of Tema, the largest port in Ghana, is situated on the eastern coast of the country. The port covers over 3.9 million square metres of land and receives an average of over 1,511 vessel calls a year from container vessels, general cargo vessels, tankers, Ro-Ro and cruise vessels among many others.

Positioned within the industrial city of Tema, only 30 kilometres from Ghana’s capital city, the port and its environs serve not only incoming and outgoing ships but also provide a stage for the work of inland clearance depots, warehouses, transport and haulage

companies, freight forwarders, and factories. This diverse range of stakeholders allows the port to thrive alongside the Ghanaian economy and neighbouring countries.

Meanwhile, Ghana’s secondlargest port is the Port of Takoradi, which has been in operation since 1928. The port’s strategic location 225 kilometres to the west of Ghana’s capital makes it a cost-effective route to and from Europe, America and Asia. This port serves Ghana’s northern hinterland and the international trade of the three Sahelian landlocked economies of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger.

BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE | 169

The name BAJ is simply the constant reminder of the hard work of all the workers under the careful and skillful management of Mr Joseph K. Biney, Ato Quagraine and Fred Bart-Simpson and derives its name BAJ from the acronym Bart, Ato & Joe. BAJ is a Ghanaian own company which has consistently maintained the highest standards in operations and services.

BAJ through its worldwide partners, have controlled freights from clients’ door step to various destinations across the globe and also offer a one stop shop for all freight and logistics needs.

In doing so, BAJ has incontrovertibly proved that indigenous Ghanaian Logistics solutions can deliver the highest international quality on a consistent basis, a fact confirmed by our continued patronage by some of the most renowned international companies operating in the country.

Registered in 2007, the company has been in existence for over 10 years with series of awards to show its solid work and dedication to the industry.

Logistics Services • Haulage • Radioactive & Explosive Transporters • Lifting Services, Cross-Border Haulage • Heavy Lift Project Cargo • Yard and Warehouse Rentals • Shuttle Services • Moving and Relocation Services Ship Agency and Husbandry Services • Husbandry Services • Anchorage services • Immigration services • Crew change Services • Chartering of vessels • Supply of lube oil • Chandelling • Meets-and-Greets Services (handling of passengers).

• Supply of Safety Health and Safety equipment.

• Pick-up and delivery of ships spares • Movement of export cargo to the port for onward carriage by the ships Customs Brokerage Services • Clearing formal entries • Clearing live entries • Facilitating temporary import bonds • Coordinating duty drawbacks • Preparing export declarations International Freight Forwarding Services • Full-container-load (FCL) • Less-than-container-load (LCL) • Dry or liquid bulk shipments • Full or partial vessel charters inc. refrigerated service or on-board cranes to handle heavy shipments to smaller ports • Physical cargo and paper-consolidation programs to importers and exporters who purchase from multiple vendors

Head Office: 1st Floor Dennis House Plot 15 Harbour Road P.O. Box CO 2673 Tema, Ghana

www.bajfreight.com

Airport Office: Atlantic Towers Plot No 16,Ground Floor Airport City Accra, Ghana.

Takoradi Office: #13 G.K Ntow Street South Chapel Hill P.O. Box TD1451 Takoradi, Ghana

Logistics Base: No 6 Silo Industrial Area Apremdo Takoradi Ghana

we cannot wait to serve you fast, safe, simple .... the BAJ way!

GHANA PORTS & HARBOURS AUTHORITY

Port of Takoradi, Ghana

Last year it handled 38% of Ghana’s seaborne traffic, 75% of Ghana’s seaborne exports and 17% of Ghana’s seaborne imports., including manganese, bauxite, clinker, wheat, bulk and bagged cocoa, quicklime, containerised cargo, and equipment for the mining and oil/gas industry.

Together these ports account for 85% of Ghana’s trade, facilitating shipping routes and vessel calls to and from all continents through both direct and transhipment services. She noted that Cargo traffic for 2019 was over 27 million tonnes.

“In terms of the location of our ports, we’re centrally-located and it renders an advantage for shipping lines and agents,” explains Esther Gyebi-Donkor, General Manager for Marketing and Corporate Affairs of the Authority. “We have 50 shipping lines and agents with vessel traffic from various continents to and from the Ghanaian ports. We also have various cargo handling infrastructure

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

including the private dedicated container terminals with a capacity of 3.5 million TEU’s.”

The ports’ success is about more than positioning however, with Ghana Ports investing heavily in technology and innovation to ensure they offer efficient, cost-effective service.

“We’ve invested in a lot of technological infrastructures which is helping our operations.

For example, Terminal Operating Systems and other automated systems to facilitate paperless clearance,” Gyebi-Donkor says.

“We have also done a lot in the area of business innovation. We are streamlining our business and have implemented systems in recent times for seamless operations to run efficiently in the port. We’re still fine-tuning that and reducing the costs of doing business in our ports.”

MEETING EVERYONE’S NEEDS Managing Ghana’s ports is about more than technology and infrastructure, it’s also about understanding and meeting the

Michael Achagwe Luguje Director General GPHA

“WE’VE INVESTED IN A LOT OF TECHNOLOGICAL INFRASTRUCTURES WHICH IS HELPING OUR OPERATIONS.” BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE | 171

GHANA PORTS & HARBOURS AUTHORITY

Tema Fishing Harbour

needs of the various groups that use it.

“We have a lot of engagement and collaboration with our core stakeholders, which aids in solving issues before there are problems. The cooperation and collaboration we have is a major advantage,” GyebiDonkor points out. “Sometimes stakeholders have conflicting policies that may inhibit trade.

This becomes a challenge when, while the ports themselves are evolving to meet the needs of a modern trade environment the legislative environment they operate in may still have some catching up to do.

“The laws which govern how we run the ports were established in 1956 and since then the Government has not actually reviewed it, which is challenging, as the industry and environment we are operating in is changing, but the law is the same,” Gyebi-Donkor says.

Talking to Donkor it’s clear she believes the only way to negotiate these challenges is through strong communication and collaboration between the port’s stakeholders.

We are currently renewing our laws to bring in regulations that will help streamline and ensure cohesive operations

172 | BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

GHANA PORTS & HARBOURS AUTHORITY

“WE HAVE A LOT OF ENGAGEMENT AND COLLABORATION WITH OUR CORE STAKEHOLDERS, WHICH AIDS IN SOLVING ISSUES BEFORE THERE ARE PROBLEMS.” when it comes to licenses and concessions. We are continuously working with the Port Community to share ideas and manage the perspectives and roles of all these institutions.”

WEST AFRICA’S LOGISTICS HUB

four berths for the container terminal. We’re also working towards another Ghanaian privately run container terminal in the Takoradi Port. We hope to finish that one this year too. At the same time, we’re looking forward to the upgrade of the railways to improve our supporting infrastructure.”

Given what the ports have achieved so far, we have every reason to believe they will make this vision a reality.

GPHA Corporate Managment Team

“There’s so much positive competition now with transhipment and transit. Our vision is to be the leading trading and logistics hub in West Africa, so this is important to us,” Gyebi-Donkor insists.

“We’re working on a lot of improvements to give us the leverage to achieve this goal in the very near future.

By the end of this year, I want to see the new private dedicated container terminal in Tema Port completed, then we would have

Port of Tema, Ghana

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE | 173

SUEZ CANAL CONTAINER TERMINAL

ON ONE OF THE BUSIEST SHIPPING LANES IN THE WORLD, SCCT IS A DATA-DRIVEN MASTERCLASS IN ADAPTING AND INNOVATING TO MEET THE CHALLENGES OF A CHANGING WORLD.

ON THE HIGHWAY TO EVERYWHERE PROJECT MANAGED BY: JAY HURSEY

Strategically located at the mouth of the famous Suez Canal, the Suez Canal Container Terminal offers zero deviation from one of the busiest shipping lanes on the planet, with a unique level of access to key markets in the South & East Mediterranean and Egypt.

“W

e’re located on the east side of the canal facing both the canal and the Mediterranean Sea,” explains the company’s CEO, Lars Vang Christensen. “It’s a fantastic location. World trade is passing by every day.”

Following the completion of a recent dredging project, the terminal has a draft of 17.5 metres, while the facility as a whole boasts 18 superpost Panamax cranes, six of which have a lifting height above quay of 52.5 MT with max spreader outreach going beyond 24+ rows. Ensuring the ability to handle the largest containerships in the industry.

By Q3 2021, six more cranes will be heightened, ensuring the terminal has the capability to serve two mega vessels simultaneously.

174 | BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE

“We’re a strategic HUB terminal within the Maersk network. We connect various locations in the Mediterranean to the East-West trade lane, while also meeting the needs of exporters and importers of Egypt,” Christensen points out.

“Our goal is to be the ‘best in class’ transhipment terminal operator and also a key gateway terminal for Egypt. We’re a diversified business.”

A STORIED HISTORY As an international cargo HUB that’s been operating for most of this century so far, the Suez Canal Container Terminal is no stranger to political, economic and other global and local disruptions to the way they do business, having weathered the 2008 credit crunch and the fallout from the Arab Spring.

Panma Jack Tours in Egypt Company operates in the tourism sector, Class A of internal and external tourism, and owns a fleet of cars, it is part of the SCCT company in the Suez Canal and is headed by Professor Khaled Moussa

Contact us: Address: 51 Ahmed Oraby St, El Mohandeseen, Giza Tel: +202 3304 4360 Fax: +202 3344 8268 Email: info@panmajacktours-eg.com

“At the beginning of 2020, the terminal is booming, and we are still doing well as we enter Q2 this year, despite the uncertainties created by COVID-19. Back in 2012 to 2014, we had the Arab Spring.

This was around the same time when rising cost led to shipping lines consolidating and forming alliances. The global trade, as we knew it, was undergoing a significant change. Locally the Salem Bridge – main connector for cargo movement across Suez Canal closed and hence SCCT lost our connectivity to the main industrial areas located near Cairo, the capital city of Egypt. At the same time, the Government of Egypt decided to announce a new Decree that increased cost of doing business,” Christensen recalls.

INMAR was established by high experienced management & staff with a target to be one of the leading Export, Logistics, International Maritime Transport and Terminal services providers in Egypt. Throughout this period; we have accumulated a wealth of experience in the Logistics and Maritime Transport field. We worked steadily to achieve and attain our goal until we reached the target & become one of the leading Logistics and Maritime transport companies in Egypt.

In Egypt, INMAR has a very complete service network. We mainly act as an agent for transporting import & export cargo by sea, air, sea-air & inland, inbound and outbound through all ports in Egypt. Using a world-wide network of quality approved partners, we are able to offer competitive rates for the movement of freight to any destination by air, sea and road.

INMAR has been working with SCCT since 2010 as a main services provider, providing Lashing/unlashing, X-stuffing, equipment operators services and logistics solutions.

Freepor, Office No. 301, Port Said, Egypt.

128 Elbanafseg, New Cairo, Egypt. sameh.sayed@inmar-eg.com logistics@inmar-eg.com +20 100 518 8376 +20 106 443 9921

176 | BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE

www.inmar-eg.com

SHIPPING & LOGISTICS SOLUTIONS

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

SUEZ CANAL CONTAINER TERMINAL

“AT THE BEGINNING OF 2020, THE TERMINAL IS BOOMING, AND WE ARE STILL DOING WELL AS WE ENTER Q2 THIS YEAR, DESPITE THE UNCERTAINTIES CREATED BY COVID-19”

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

“After an all-time annual volume high in 2014, our business slowed down. In November 2019, Government of Egypt’s mega infrastructure investment – the Suez tunnel inaugurated at Port Said, 3rd July tunnel. This along with general sustainable improvement in infrastructure once again connected SCCT to the markets in Egypt. We now have a free flow of cargo going to and from the Delta and Industrial areas near Cairo.”

The 3rd July or Port Said tunnel runs under the Suez Canal just a few miles south of Port Said. The opening of this tunnel followed the opening of the Ismailia tunnel and the 30th June Axis road, a 10-lane highway with dedicated lanes for trucks, earlier in the year.

The new East-West approaches

provided by these infrastructure improvements offer rapid access to and from SCCT. A full container can complete security checks, including passing through one of ten dedicated X-Ray scanners and be across the Port Said tunnel in 40 minutes, 20 minutes for empty containers. It is a new investment by the Government of Egypt that is enhancing the facility, the East Port and its hinterlands value proposition and if managed smoothly it is likely to trigger increased container volume to the facility and increased investments in the economic zone located at Port Said East.

SCCT has successfully been able to negotiate the economic and political challenges it has faced in the past, through close

BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE | 177

SUEZ CANAL CONTAINER TERMINAL

cooperation with Government of Egypt, the SCZone and other important stakeholders, aided by open and transparent communication.

“The tunnels opened end of last year, and our value offering to Egypt export and import customers has improved a lot.

Over the last four years, our productivity and efficiency have been improving consistently year-on-year and now combined with enhanced connectivity, we are once again able to deliver profits to our shareholders.”

“During the Arab Spring the lack of connectivity was a challenge to overcome and at the same time, there were new laws passed that increased cost for a shipping line to call SCCT and thereby impacted our competitiveness in the South and East Mediterranean region,” Christensen tells us.

“Dealing with that often takes

178 | BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE

time as you’re working with many stakeholders within the government and its authorities.

It’s a long process and we spend a lot of time with the government building trust, sharing information and visions.”

MEETING TODAY’S CHALLENGES However, there is a new challenge on the horizon.

“The virus is a challenge,” Christensen admits.

“The current slowdown in world trade will be felt in Egypt. The port is a critical infrastructure for the country, the Government needs to provide all possible support to keep the port operational 24 x 7 during these times and ensure Egypt’s supply chain continues to run as seamlessly as possible.”

Combatting that challenge, for SCCT, means learning the lessons from previous

“THE PORT AREA IS A FANTASTIC LOCATION AND WE’VE KNOWN THAT FOR HUNDREDS OF YEARS.” challenges they have faced, and having a full understanding of SCCT’s roles and responsibilities during this global crisis.

SCCT stands committed to their people and the community at Port Said. Apart from taking extensive measures to ensure a safe and sanitized workplace for employees, SCCT also bought and donated two-ventilator equipment to a hospital at Port Said, supporting the community in their battle with COVID-19.

“We offer 3,000 job

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

SUEZ CANAL CONTAINER TERMINAL

“OUR STAFF TYPICALLY COME FROM THE DELTA, OR CAIRO OR EVEN FROM ALEXANDRIA, WE’RE AMONGST THE BIGGEST EMPLOYERS WITH 3,000 DIRECT AND INDIRECT JOB OPPORTUNITIES. THE LARGE NUMBER OF FAMILIES HELPED BY THE JOBS CREATED IS IMPRESSIVE.” BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

opportunities. We’re one of the biggest employers in our region,” Christensen says.

“Adaptability is the key. Adapt fast to change You need to have a core plan in place and always seek to tailor your costbase to the new reality and always be ready for yet another turnaround of the company. If your people and your business model can adapt to the world around you you’re doing well.”

Once again, Christensen believes even more collaboration will be essential in overcoming the crisis.

“Stakeholder management and our closeness with our partners are much appreciated,” Christensen says. “We treasure our relationships, specifically with the Government and the Authorities, and will continue to work to being

close to our customers”.

Suez Canal Container Terminal already has plans in place for the future, and while the pandemic may temporary slowdown the world trade, it will not stop them. New equipment investments have been authorised and orders placed with suppliers to increase terminals capability and service to customers.

Of course, SCCT has always been about more than the machinery, the container terminal runs on people.

“Our staff typically come from the Delta, or Cairo or even from Alexandria,” Christensen observes.

“We’re amongst the biggest employers with 3,000 direct and indirect job opportunities. The large number of families helped by the jobs created is impressive.”

BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE | 179

TANGIER MED PORT COMPLEX

WE LEARN HOW THE TANGIER MED PORT COMPLEX WAS FOUNDED AND GREW INTO AN ESSENTIAL PART OF MOROCCO’S TRANSPORT INFRASTRUCTURE.

PORT OF CALL

180 | BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

TANGIER MED PORT COMPLEX

PROJECT MANAGED BY: NEIL STOWE Tanger Med is a global logistics gateway located on the Strait of Gibraltar and connected to more than 180 ports worldwide. Tanger Med has an annual handling capacity of 9 million containers, exports of 1 million new vehicles, and the transit of 7 million passengers and 700,000 trucks.

Tanger Med constitutes an industrial Hub for more than 1000 companies representing a yearly export turnover in excess of 8.8 billion USD in various sectors such as automotive, aeronautics, logistics, textile and trade.

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

“T

he goal of the Tangier Med Port Complex is to develop an effective port platform integrated with transshipment activities, import/ export and value-added logistics operations.

“Tanger Med Port Complex has been running since July 2007,” explains Port Authority Director Rachid Houari. “We’ve

BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE | 181

AFRICA’S GATEWAY TO THE WORLD

EUROGATE Tanger is an affiliate of EUROGATE, one of Europe’s largest container terminal logistics network. Represents one of the main Transshipment hub in the Med area and the natural door to Morocco, offering the highest level of services to Shipping Lines.

AFRICA’S GATEWAY TO THE WORLD EUROGATE Tanger S.A Address: Ksar Al Majaz,Oued R’mel Route Fnideq. BP218, Tangier, Morocco Tel: +212 5 39 37 82 19 Fax: +212 5 39 33 82 77

www.eurogate-tanger.com

12 years’ experience and an internal staff of 400 people.”

Tanger Med Port Complex is made of two complementary facilities, the three ports and the surrounding logistical zone.

The first of these is the Tanger Med 1, a port that includes two container terminals, a railway terminal, a hydrocarbons terminal, a bulk terminal, and a vehicle terminal.

Meanwhile, Tanger Med 2, includes two container terminals. The Tanger Med RoroPassengers Port is connected to the access zones and border inspections alongside the eight berths for boarding passengers and trucks.

The adjacent dedicated Logistics Zone has a capacity of 200 Ha including the last generation of warehouses and offices for rent. Tanger Med also has its own Port Centre that offers 30.000 square metres of offices, banks, Hotel, food court, and multi-service spaces. Every part of the facility is connected to the rail, train, bus and

182 | BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE

maritime infrastructure.

“Tanger Med offers a unique value proposition for international investors both in logistics and industry thanks to the unique position on the strait of Gibraltar, the quality of the infrastructure and the access to target markets,” Houari explains.

“We are business orientated, and we’re orientated towards making life easy for clients and being a facilitator more than anything else.”

That facilitation is going well.

“We have just boosted the signal for the logistical zone inside the port,” says Houari. “In the last three years, we’ve reached 300,000 square metres of Land and 120.000 m² of warehouses, attracting large brand names like DHL, Adidas, Nippon Express, Decathlon, GEFCO, Emirates and about 30 others.”

BUILDING THE PORT “The main challenges we’ve had in past 15 years have included four years work to build the first port, which involved a number

“THE TANGIER CITY THAT WAS THE FIFTH-LARGEST ECONOMICAL CITY OF MOROCCO IN 2005, AND SINCE THE OPENING OF THE PORT COMPLEX AND INDUSTRY, NOW IT’S THE SECOND-LARGEST.” of technical challenges but was achieved well within four years,” says Houari.

Building the port itself was only a part of the challenge, however. It was also essential to find partners who could work with the Port Authority.

“We had three years of challenges to find all the main Concessions. The mainliners and terminal operators have recognized the uniqueness of Tanger Med and have invested in this platform including Maersk APM, CMA-CGM, Eurogate,” Houari points out.

Some of the port’s operations are ensured under concession contracts by world-renowned operators. Tanger Med thus includes within its ranks the world’s top shipowners (MAERSK, Hapag -Lloyd, CMA CGM, MSC, ARKAS) as well as Terminal leaders such as APM TERMINALS, EUROGATE, and Horizon Terminals.

“We closed 2019 with 65 million tons handled, across all our activities together,” Houari says. “We are the first port in Africa as we handled in 2019 nearly 5 million TEU. We are the first port with that level of capacity on the Mediterranean Sea. We have developed the

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

TANGIER MED PORT COMPLEX

car export and import and handled half a million lbs in 2019, 80% of which is export.

We have also seen the transit of almost 3 million passengers.

And finally, over 350,000 trucks and lorries have crossed from Tangier Morocco to Spain, driving then all the way up to major capitals in Europe with all local Moroccan cargo.”

The effect on Tangier itself has also been enormous.

“The Tangier City that was the fifth-largest economical city of Morocco in the year 2005, and since the opening of the Port Complex and industry, now it’s the second-largest,” Houari says simply. “It’s grown a lot since the port came here, so things have moved up thanks to the Tanger Med Zone.

Tanger Med is the first out of ten commercial ports in Morocco. More than 50% of the Moroccan import-export

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

economy goes through Tanger Med, especially industrial and agribusiness products.

SPREADING THE WORD To keep that growth trend on track, Tanger Med Port Complex has gone on the road to spread the word about what they can offer.

“Big operators wanted to have extra capacity in the Mediterranean Sea and Tanger was an excellent location, on the strait of Gibraltar,” says Houari. “What is important to know is if that the experience is satisfactory and if they will ask for extensions on their contracts, which they all did. Maersk APM is investing 900 million euros in Tanger Med 2” Of course, to offer operators the best levels of experience and service the Port needs to have a great team on its side, and one of the bi-products of

Tanger Med expansion has been an explosion in jobs.

“The Port Complex has developed over 1,000 HA, and Tanger Med industrial Zones is operational overs 2,000 hectares, with 1,000 companies and 80,000 jobs created,” Houari says. “We’re lucky that in Morocco we have many universities to find the skills that investors need. We also have technical schools and training centres with the right skills for diverse industries” Looking forward, Houari is excited to see how the port will progress.

“We went from 0 to 5 million containers in 12 years,” he says. “We’re in an excellent geographical position, with a good team of operators and shipowners who like to come to this port. We’re looking to the future with optimism because the sector has grown up a lot.”

BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE | 183

WE LEARN HOW NEWCOLD IS BRINGING AUTOMATION AND INNOVATION TO THE COLD CHAIN AT A TIME WHEN IT IS MORE ESSENTIAL THAN EVER.

CONNECTING THE

COLD CHAIN PROJECT MANAGED BY: MALVERN KANDEMWA

NEWCOLD

NewCold is a technology innovation and cold storage logistics provider established in 2012, and while it’s still relatively new, it has already proven itself to be a disruptive force in the cold storage markets of Europe, the US and Australia.

“O

ur model is a fairly simple one. We develop highly automated cold storage units which mean we can do it in a very efficient and environmentally-friendly manner with 50% less energy consumption than you would normally have in a traditional warehouse,” says Abhy Maharaj,

Global Chief Commercial Officer & Chief Operating Officer for NewCold. “Our business has been built on the back of that and progressive multi-nationals who have partnered with us along the way. Our facilities provide a service to our customers in the most efficient and technologically advanced manner available.”

NewCold’s work isn’t just focused on technology, or even logistics, rather on offering excellent quality service and solutions to our customers.

This business is not just about storage, it’s about people.

“As a business, our operations are 24/7. We have long-term partnerships and unique cold chain integrity. The cold chain is important for customers with perishable food products so we offer a high level of integrity and trust in our systems and operating model,” Maharaj says.

“We’re service-focused, our performance is market-leading and we tend to bring large scale cold storage warehouses to new markets. We have the largest cold storage facility in a number of our markets and this has allowed customers to consolidate into a single warehouse and realise savings in transportation and storage costs while also lowering their environmental footprint.

COLD FRONTIERS Abhy Maharaj Global Chief Commercial Officer & Chief Operating Officer NewCold

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

That level of service is particularly essential when NewCold is entering new markets, particularly when some customers can have reticence around automation of their cold chain.

BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE | 185

COLD AS ICE A fast-growing specialized construction company, B-Built has extensive experience in building large-scale cold store warehouses in Western Europe. Acquired knowledge that we continuously and successfully apply in the building of new logistics facilities.

LEARN MORE

+31-(0)164-271660

Automated Trailer/Container (Un)loading in < 3 minutes

Fully Automatic (un)loading

Reduced Operational Costs

Improved Work Flow

Improved Work Safety

from standard systems to customized solutions geared to your industry and calculated to meet your logistic requirements

www.ancrasystems.com info@ancrasystems.com

186 | BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE

30

YEARS of Experience

| +31(0)880 247 111

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

NEWCOLD

BRAM HAGE, CEO & FOUNDER OF NEWCOLD, IS A STRONG SUPPORTER OF EMBRACING THE LATEST INDUSTRY TRENDS AND INSTILLING THEM INTO NEWCOLD’S FOUR PILLARS: INNOVATION, TRUST, AGILITY AND AUTOMATION. DELIVERING THE BEST SOLUTIONS FOR NEWCOLD’S CUSTOMERS, MAKING USE OF HIGH-END TECHNOLOGY AND LETTING HIS EXPERIENCED, PROFESSIONAL TEAM EXCEL, THAT’S WHAT MOTIVATES BRAM.

NEWCOLD

“Getting customers accustomed to high automation can be a challenge,” Maharaj admits.

“We typically find a sense of ‘We’re not quite ready for this’ but as we take them through the journey, they get a lot more comfortable, it’s very much a partnership.”

In order to bring customers on board, NewCold has refined their processes so that there is as little disruption to customers’ ongoing processes as possible.

“Typically, the main barrier we face is customers are worried that they would have to make substantial changes to their business model. So a lot of our work is just education,” Maharaj says. “Most producers in our markets deliver the product to multiple supermarket retailers with a high degree of standardisation, so we work closely to ensure their journey to automation builds on existing processes and disciplines with some refinements. We have our own internal design and engineering team, we also run our own software systems, we do the interfaces and provide specialised automation expertise to our customers. It’s as much a supply chain project as it is an IT project, so we help new customers identify areas to focus on such as master-data and processes to standardise.

In terms of pricing, automation benefits allow for significant savings that can be reinvested by customers in growing their brands or in product innovation.

We always build bottom-up commercial models and look at what pricing best suits our customers. We don’t look at where the market is necessarily and what others are charging.

It has to be sustainable for us and be a meaningful benefit for our customers – a win, win approach.”

Building these foundation

188 | BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE

relationships is essential for NewCold, as the company is keen to expand into new markets, but never does so hastily.

“Typically when we enter and establish a new market it takes time. We’re always developing a new facility from scratch so we partner closely with key players we’ve used before,” Maharaj explains. “In construction for example, if we have worked with someone in France, we’ll use them in Poland and Germany as well. When we enter a market it’s a new development and there’s risk around that. We look at a market where there is an opportunity, where there is a requirement for additional cold storage capacity or a number of small players in the market. If there’s an opportunity we find an anchor customer to base our operations around.

Then we find other customers to help build on that. We don’t just build a facility and hope for the best - it’s built around longterm customer partnerships and leading-edge innovation. Once we’ve identified an anchor customer it’s about finding the right land, location and partners to build the automated facility.”

Indeed, NewCold treasures its relationships with partners around the world as among its most valuable resources.

“We have valuable partners across different areas in construction, development and automation,” Maharaj says.

“We have internal capabilities as well but those relationships are important in terms of our success and we put a great amount of value in working together with them as a team.

That extends to our customers as well. There are also the deep relationships we have with a select few customers, that is an important differentiator for us. We’ll never have thousands of customers. We have a small number who we work closely with to manage their cold chain.”

A TESTING TIME The importance of a wellconstructed cold chain is becoming clearer than ever due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Just like all organisations we have had to adapt to new ways of working but cold storage is an essential service. Our staff have had to work in that

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

NEWCOLD

environment where there is panic buying and countries are seeing substantial increases in workload with our customers seeing dramatic changes in their dynamics,” Maharaj says. “So food service-related volumes have been temporarily impacted but that’s been offset by greater volumes through supermarkets. For example, French fries you’d probably buy as a takeout are now being bought from supermarkets as people stay at home. It’s about making sure we adapt quickly and are flexible while looking after our staff. Our warehouses are quite full because of a degree of stock build-up on production lines. Perishable product is still coming in and needs to be processed and put somewhere, so all businesses are being impacted in very different ways. We’re busy and we’re seeing changing dynamics of increased storage activity which has accelerated the need for a number of our big developments being worked on with our global customers.”

Beyond the current crisis, however, Maharaj is optimistic about the future.

“Growth has been in the order of 20 to 30% over the past five years. NewCold is already the fifth-largest company in the sector and keeps growing at a significant rate. The result of that is we’re building the business to cope with that growth level, to ensure we can support that,” he says. “We’re in a critical industry and there’s a heavy requirement for new development that you see in the pipeline. From a future development, we’re very busy looking at new opportunities across Europe, the US, and Australia but we’re also looking at markets in the Middle East, China and South-East Asia that we’ve not even touched yet.”

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

“WE DON’T JUST BUILD A FACILITY AND HOPE FOR THE BEST - IT’S BUILT AROUND LONG-TERM CUSTOMER PARTNERSHIPS AND LEADING-EDGE INNOVATION”

BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE | 189

NOATUM LOGISTICS

PRESENT IN 28 COUNTRIES, NOATUM LOGISTICS IS A LEADING SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGER, PROVIDING INTERNATIONAL TRANSPORT, PROJECT SHIPMENTS, LOGISTICS AND CUSTOMS BROKERAGE.

LOGISTICS FOR TODAY & TOMORROW PROJECT MANAGED BY: NEIL STOWE

Noatum Logistics is positioned in the Top 50 freight forwarders worldwide and is part of Noatum Maritime, a leading maritime, logistics and port services company, present in 28 countries, with over 2,600 specialised professionals.

190 | BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

NOATUM LOGISTICS

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE | 191

MITEK MEZZANINE SYSTEMS MEZZANINE EXPERTISE SECURES SAVINGS A third-party logistics provider had the sense to involve mezzanine floor supplier, MiTek Mezzanine Systems, early in its project for a new distribution facility – a decision that paid dividends.

“It’s rare for us to get a call so early in the process,” explains Nathan Miller, Key Account Manager for Mitek Mezzanine Systems, “which is a shame because there is so much expertise that we can bring to the table. In this case, the client – Noatum Logistics – brought us in for early discussions with the developer in order to help tailor its new warehouse.”

Consequently, the project for the facility at London Medway Commercial Park – a 115-acre serviced site marketed by global property group, Goodman – benefited from both design enhancements and cost savings. “We were able to provide insight into the construction from a mezzanine point of view, which helped determine the layout of the final build,” continues Miller. “Normally we are asked to tender for the mezzanine floor very late in a project, when the building shell and internal design are already finalised. At that stage, we often find that some elements cannot be designed in the most cost-effective way – or, in some cases, are not even technically feasible – resulting in expensive alterations and project delays.”

Future-proof Early involvement also meant that MiTek Mezzanine Systems was able to arrange for Noatum to visit an existing customer’s site to help visualise the end product. “Along with a visit to our Research and Development Centre, this proved invaluable for Noatum’s executives,” says Miller, “as it enabled them to experience the various options available in a real-life scenario rather than merely on paper.” The visits also stimulated further discussion on Noatum’s business ambitions, which led to understanding of possible future mezzanine adaptations. This helped Noatum to make decisions that would otherwise not have been considered until much later on, when they may have been restricted by the building design, thereby future-proofing its project. Miller says, “Future-proofing is an integral part of our process. When we offer a solution, we’re not just thinking about the completion of the

192 | BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE

project but about how it will stand up in six months’ or three years’ time. That involves understanding a customer’s business – getting under its skin and thinking about future growth and opportunities.”

Special expertise Although a mezzanine floor may appear to be a simple steel construction, the fact is that warehouse, retail and office mezzanine projects are significantly more complicated than they used to be. “Automation and IT play an increasing role in many industries nowadays,” says Miller, “and these technologies often bring special requirements for mezzanines in terms of maximising strength, minimising vibration and electrostatic resistance.” While independent structural engineers can provide universal expertise, they lack the specialist mezzanine knowledge, warns Miller. “We know how we install a floor system,” he says, “and how it interacts with other structures and processes happening alongside it. External engineers cannot always provide long-term insight into how your mezzanine will be used over its lifetime.” The area where a mezzanine supplier can add value is not limited to the floor system itself, however. MiTek Mezzanine Systems has over 30 years’ experience, with over 10,000 mezzanine floors delivered worldwide. “This means that we have amassed vast expertise,” says Nathan Miller, “not only in mezzanine design and installation but also in project management, building regulation, fire protection and all the associated services.”

Global supplier MiTek Mezzanine Systems is a global supplier of customengineered mezzanine floors, with the capacity to handle large and complex projects. www.mitek-mezzanine.com Nathan Miller Key Account Manager MiTek Mezzanine Systems

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

NOATUM LOGISTICS

“T

he Noatum Logistics name is a relatively new one in the UK, introduced last year when the Spanish company acquired the awardwinning retail supply chain specialist MIQ Logistics, who count French Connection, Phase 8 and GANT among their supply chain clients.

Prior to their acquisition and rebranding as Noatum Logistics UK, MIQ Logistics had been established in the UK since 1996, Operating out of six retail logistics centres with 150 dedicated personnel delivering the award-winning, performance-driven solutions.

This had enabled them to transform supply chains and drive business growth of some of the UK’s most exciting and ambitious retail brands.

The business’ new owners wasted no time in demonstrating their commitment to the UK, with a £multi-million investment in a new 150,000 sq. ft distribution facility at London Medway, to develop a state-of-the-art retail and eCommerce centre in 2020.

“When I look at our UK business, our unique selling point is our ability to provide our customers with a total endto-end solution,” Steve Hicks, Steve Hicks Contract Logistics Director North Europe

Contract Logistics Director North Europe, explains. “We can deal with vendors locally, to keep orders on-track and manage the pick-up from their suppliers in all the countries where they operate. We manage the flow of inbound materials, consolidating product when possible and look for other ways to reduce their transportation.”

Noatum Logistics manages the entire inbound, border clearance and receipt processes into its warehouses in the UK. “We provide this service to all our retailer, wholesaler and outlet centre clients and also serve the growing market in e-commerce,” Hicks says.

“We manage some of our customers’ customer service as well. We provide a one-stop logistics shop, from the point of manufacture to the point of sale.”

In everything they do, the Noatum Logistics team prioritises the maintenance of long-term relationships, building trust and confidence, so that their customers know they have a partner they can rely on.

A GLOBAL OPERATION Noatum Logistics now boasts presences in South Korea, China, Philippines, Hong

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

Kong, Japan, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Taiwan, Vietnam, United Kingdom, Holland, Portugal, Spain, Turkey, Algeria, Morocco, United States, Mexico, Argentina, Colombia, Chile and Peru. Their innovative character allows them to offer specific, integrated, complex and added value responses for their clients’ supply chains.

However, being a global operator means facing a global array of challenges.

“In a global marketplace culture plays a part in every region and every country,” Hicks explains. “Different areas have different local priorities and objectives and making sense of those different perspectives and aspirations is probably the biggest challenge we face.”

“MIQ’s merger with Noatum Logistics has been particularly successful because we weren’t operating in the same countries so there was no duplication, just a simple and immediate geographic expansion.”

“That doesn’t mean the process isn’t also a lot of work, but that work is more than outweighed by the benefits of the merger.”

“There’s a lot to do, even

BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE | 193

NOATUM LOGISTICS

down to changing the names on everything, but it’s been a pain-free process that allowed us to develop a longer-term strategy and vision and look at investment in the UK business over a longer period,” Hicks says. “Previously we were always focused on the short term because of investment challenges.”

TAKING CARE OF TALENT Noatum Logistics is kept running by a global team of over 1,700 professionals, all with great experience in the sector. The company’s motto, “Excellence in Logistics Services” is one the staff take to heart, and it is put into practice every day through the high-quality services they offer their customers. But finding the people who can do that can be a real challenge.

194 | BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE

“Most companies in logistics, particularly in the UK are finding this difficult, partly due to Brexit related issues,” Hicks admits.

“Some European countries are offering tax incentives for people not to come to the UK and stay within their own countries.

It can be challenging these days finding good quality labour. The UK market pre-COVID-19 was at almost full employment.”

In such a competitive labour market, Hicks appreciates how essential it is to take care of and appreciate the talent Noatum Logistics has on board.

“It’s all about providing them with the right environment. A lot of our staff are warehouse operatives who are typically paid minimum wage. We always pay above the minimum wage to attract and retain staff and experience,” he says. “We

“WE MANAGE SOME OF OUR CUSTOMERS’ CUSTOMER SERVICE AS WELL. WE PROVIDE A ONE-STOP LOGISTICS SHOP, FROM THE POINT OF MANUFACTURE TO THE POINT OF SALE.”

BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

NOATUM LOGISTICS

“WE’RE LOOKING AT SOLUTIONS THAT ARE SEMI-AUTOMATED. SOMETIMES AUTOMATION IS A VERY RIGID PROCESS. WE’VE GOT FLEXIBILITY IN OUR SOLUTIONS SO WE CAN ADAPT AND CHANGE AS OUR CUSTOMERS DO.” BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

provide the right environment for our staff and give them the knowledge that they are valued and wanted.”

At the same time, Noatum Logistics is also looking into automated and semi-automated solutions to handle the workload at its new eCommerce logistics facility, which will be capable of processing 600 orders an hour, or 200,000 pcs a week, equivalent to over 5 million parcels in a year.

“We’re looking at solutions that are semi-automated,” Hicks says. “Sometimes automation is a very rigid process. We’ve got flexibility in our solutions so we can adapt and change as our customers do.”

Adapting and changing are the keywords now, particularly

with the seismic shifts currently seen in the retail sector.

“We’ve seen the shift from bricks and mortar retail stores towards e-commerce and that will just accelerate faster now with the current Covid-19 pandemic,” Hicks says. “Certainly, when we talk to our customers, they see that as the vision for the next five years. We are seeing a decline in investment in high streets and retail shops, and they are looking to increase their sales and revenue through e-commerce. So, for us, this project was more about having the opportunity to provide a platform for e-commerce, and to embrace new technology about helping us with our labour challenges.”

BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE | 195

A FULL SPECTRUM

OF BOTTOM OF THE BARREL TECHNOLOGIES

a joint venture between Chevron and McDermott

CLG has more experience than any other licensor providing leading technologies, expertise, and innovative solutions for profitable residue upgrading projects. To get the performance and flexibility needed to keep pace with changing market dynamics, start by visiting www.chevronlummus.com.

A Chevron and McDermott Joint Venture