The Logbook. September Issue.

THE LOGBOOK S E P T E M B E R

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Contents

Editors note...................................................................... 4 Hammer & NailsGroomed for Growth................ 6 ASKY partners with Sabre........................................ 8 The Glamping Show...................................................10 Glampinghub.com...................................................... 12 Outstanding Tent........................................................16 British Renewable Fuels...........................................21 Crown and Canopy.....................................................24 Little Oakhurst Luxury Glamping ........................26 wbe.travel.......................................................................29

By Mexico...................................................................... 32 Leather, naturally........................................................ 34 A + B HIDES GmbH & Co. KG.............................. 38

ATC Tannery Chemicals...........................................42 Casino Tanning Hides .............................................. 44 Duke & Sons Leather................................................ 46 T.50 – Rewriting the supercar rule book ........ 48 Aston Martin DB5 resumes production after 55 years............................................................... 53 Ten Ways Magna Is Reimagining the Future.. 56 ABAX: Telematics. UK.............................................. 60 TSSN Carriers.............................................................. 64 Exclusive Tents............................................................ 68 Looking to the Future with ESSMA.....................72 Assaia Apron AI............................................................75 Brussels Airport Consulting...................................78

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Editors note THE GOOD Countries are opening for travel and hospitality. Industry clusters like glamping, safari and boutique accommodations are making their way back to a standard of “new normal”. Hotels and hostels are slowly opening up and for the most part, the professionals in the industry are on board.

THE MOAN Hindsight is 2020, and when we’re looking back at how different countries handled the CoronaVirus outbreak we’ll surely have much to discuss.

However, while you’re fighting in the trenches you’re not in a position to see the entire battlefield. Tactical value is only revealed when the battle is over and actions are reviewed.

So, if you’re not a professional in the front lines, receiving daily updates, or a medical/scientific professional involved in fighting the virus then I would suggest you spend some time analysing all of the available facts and figures about this virus before you start spouting out your opinions about what “should be done.” But this just my opinion.

One thing that has been proved without doubt is that the majority of people are happy to do their bit to fight this virus. The extent of which, for us off the frontlines, involves wearing masks, not touching, washing hands and generally just being polite and conscientious. The remaining few, who think that their civil liberties, freedoms and “rights” are worth endangering the lives of other people; who think that “oh I can’t be bothered” is a big enough reason to not wear a mask… well. You’ll probably be remembered too.

THE STRUGGLE AHEAD There is no denying that we are not out of this yet. Whether it’s a second Lockdown we’re facing, or economic crashes, there is going to be a great deal of pain and struggle ahead. This is the biggest fight our generation has had to face… if ever there was a time to be a hero, this is it.

HOW TO BE A HERO? On this occasion, the best thing you can do, follow the guidelines, be kind and support the important causes close to your heart. This is the time where we have to help each other however we can.

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The Team Published by The Lost Executive Ltd Co-founder and Creative and Editorial Director Don Campbell Co-founder Jerome Smith Head Writer Donnie Rust Copy proofreader Daemon Sands Magazine Designer Louise Smith

Working with Glampinghub.com

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HAMMER & NAILS GROOMED FOR GROWTH “The success the Hammer & Nails leadership team has delivered with this and previous endeavors made it an extremely attractive opportunity,” said Kirzhner. “The more due diligence I did and the more I spoke with Aaron Meyers, the franchise’s President and COO, the more I knew this was the best fit for me. I was searching for a business opportunity to grow long-term and ultimately take me into retirement. Bringing Hammer & Nails, a place for men from all walks of life to escape life’s worries, will provide a welcomed getaway for men around the Beltway.”

Hammer & Nails Grooming Shop for Guys, a men’s grooming shop that provides haircuts, shaves and hand & foot care, in a welcoming, relaxed atmosphere, is pleased to announce it has awarded a multi-unit franchise deal to Ilona Kirzhner of Reston, Va. The mother of three boys immigrated to the United States from the FSU in 1977 and has an impressive history of career and educational wins.

In a first for the men’s grooming franchise, Kirzhner signed on to open 12 shops over the next five years throughout Washington DC and Northern Virginia (“NOVA”). The dozen Hammer & Nails shops will bring approximately 300 new jobs to the area.

Kirzhner pivoted her career to franchising when businesses across the country were impacted by the coronavirus pandemic in early 2020. She quickly found herself in a professional pause.

After some self-described soul searching, she began looking into entrepreneurship by way of franchising with the help of a career transition coach from The Entrepreneur Source. When the Hammer & Nails franchise was presented to her and she dug deeper into the brand, she saw strong leadership and loved the idea of a concept that helped men look, feel and be special in a safe and male-centric environment.

Throughout Kirzhner’s career leading up to Hammer & Nails, she has specialized in performance improvement, government contracting, enterprise transformation, data science, change management and change leadership. With a Master of Science degree from Harvard University and a Master of Business

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“Ilona is a motivated, self-made woman who we are proud to call a Hammer & Nails franchisee,” said Meyers. “This is a record franchise agreement for our brand, and we are eager to see how Ilona grows and develops the brand in NOVA and Washington DC. With her tenacity and keen instinct for business mixed with Hammer & Nails’ respected franchise operations and top-tier services, we are confident that the men’s grooming industry will prove successful in her region. When she starts opening her shops, there is no ceiling to her success.”

Administration from The College of William and Mary, on top of a Bachelor of Electrical Engineer from THE Ohio State University, Kirzhner will immediately become the most educated franchisee in the Hammer & Nails family.

Additionally, among several industry certifications, Kirzhner holds and has practiced as a Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt.

Kirzhner hopes to have her first location open by year’s end, and is currently looking at retail space in Loudon and Fairfax Counties. Once her first location is established, she anticipates opening at least two locations in 2021, and three locations each for the next three years.

With 12 new shops in the next five years, Hammer & Nails has a strong future in Washington DC and Virginia. For more information about the Hammer & Nails franchise opportunity, visit https:// hammerandnailsfranchise.com/.

The Hammer & Nails experience coming to Washington DC and Virginia is unlike any other.

The atmosphere is low-lit, with soft ambient lighting throughout the shop. Exterior windows are tinted for privacy and the interior is furnished with dark wood and steel, creating a relaxing vibe. Members are greeted by name, escorted to a luxurious oversized Bison leather chair, and handed a menu with complimentary beverages ranging from an ice-cold water to McAllen’s whiskey, all included in the cost of the service.

Shops have Direct TV, and every guest has a dedicated personal oversized device, remote and noise-cancelling BOSE headphones for entertainment during the visit.

ABOUT HAMMER & NAILS Hammer & Nails was founded in 2013 with the vision to provide hand and foot care, manicures and pedicures, haircuts and shaves to every type of male. After offering a franchise opportunity in 2015, the brand awarded licenses for more than 200 shops and is working to have 150 locations open and operating by 2025. To learn more about the brand, service offerings and locations, visit http://www.hammerandnailsgrooming.com/

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ASKY PARTNERS WITH SABRE Supporting growth across Africa West-African airline, ASKY, has signed a multiyear agreement with Sabre Corporation enabling the carrier to move forward with innovative, next-generation technologies that will facilitate further expansion. The agreement will allow ASKY to leverage the global travel technology leader’s passenger service system and its recentlylaunched Sabre Commercial Platform – the industry’s only intelligent retailing platform.

Through its leading travel marketplace, Sabre connects travel suppliers with buyers from around the globe. Sabre’s technology platform manages more than $260B worth of global travel spend annually. Headquartered in Southlake, Texas, USA, Sabre serves customers in more than 160 countries around the world. For more information visit www.sabre.com.

“Over the past ten years, ASKY has contributed to the growth and expansion of air transport in Africa, thereby promoting regional integration and enabling economic growth,” said Roshan Mendis, Chief Commercial Officer, Sabre Travel Solutions.

“Now, it has a similarly significant opportunity to contribute to the recovery of the African aviation industry from Covid-19. While the recovery of international travel to the continent is likely to be slow, regionally-focused airlines like ASKY are ideally positioned to tap into the future expected growth in domestic and regional travel.

Under the new agreement, ASKY will expand its shopping and payment capabilities, improve airport operations and offer a superior experience to travellers. The carrier will also make use of Sabre’s Revenue Optimiser, a real-time revenue management solution.

“Despite the ongoing challenges for global aviation, ASKY aims for continued growth, so investment in robust, innovative and future-focused technology is now even more crucial,” says ASKY CEO, Ahadu Simachew. “Our strategy centers around improving the travel experience for our passengers, and our partnership with Sabre will help us support this. As a robust regional carrier, we have a real opportunity to lead the recovery of African aviation post-Covid-19; having the right technology in place will help us craft a differentiated experience for our travelers, while optimizing our opportunities to grow revenue.”

“Technology has a key role to play in shaping the postCovid-19 travel experience.

More than ever, airlines will need flexible and intelligent systems that can help them make real-time decisions in response to numerous external factors – while also continuing to develop the passenger experience. Sabre’s intelligent technology will help ASKY deliver on its customerfocused strategy and position it for growth in this new world of travel.”

ASKY Airlines, headquartered in Lomé, Togo, commenced operation in 2010 and is one of the fastest-growing airlines on the continent – currently covering 22 destinations in 20 countries across West and Central Africa. A strategic partner of Ethiopian Airlines, ASKY was created by regional institutions, including the ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBID), West African Development Bank (BOAD) and ECOBANK Group.

Sabre Corporation is a leading software and technology company that powers the global travel industry, serving a wide range of travel companies including airlines, hoteliers, travel agencies and other suppliers. The company provides retailing, distribution and fulfilment solutions that help its customers operate more efficiently, drive revenue and offer personalised traveller experiences.

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THE GLAMPING SHOW In compliance with the guidelines given by the government, every precaution is being taken to keep exhibitors and guests safe. The Glamping Show team has taken advice from all available sources and are confident of staging a successful and enjoyable event. A full list of health and safety preparations, which is frequently updated in response to continued Government guidance, can be found on the Glamping Show website.

Preparations for the Glamping Show 2020 are well underway with the event due to take place at NAEC Stoneleigh between the 17th and 19th of September. The Glamping Show remains the only dedicated event in the glamping sector and provides vital information on all the new products and trends in the industry.

The exhibitor list continues to grow, drawing from among the best companies in the industry.

Discussing the cut-off date for exhibitors to sign up for the event, Karen Cooke, MD of The Glamping Show organisers: Swan Events, explains, “We do everything we can to ensure that the event is representative of the industry as a whole. We welcome any and all businesses that operate within the glamping sector. So, to any companies that want to sign up but fear they’ve missed the deadline, it’s never too late, give us a call.”

Cooke adds, “The show will have to look very different, but safety is the key concern and the correct protocols will have to be put in place. The important thing is, that we can get together again and have the chance to see and evaluate the latest products and services and reinforce the business relationships and friendships that have been so difficult during lockdown.”

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The most notable change to this year’s show is that it will operate as a physical event (The Glamping Show Visit), onsite at NAEC Stoneleigh 17th-19th September, and also online as a virtual event (The Glamping Show Virtual) 17th- 30th of September.

On top of this, glamping sites are a lot better suited to imposing the new rules required by the government when compared to other hospitality sectors due to the fact that sites are often designed in such a way to promote seclusion and privacy. This means that social distancing is a lot more achievable.

“The Glamping Show” Visit will take place at the NAEC, and due to government guidance will be held entirely outdoors. The event will include over 60 leading brands and companies who will demonstrate their latest products, Meet the Experts – free 20-minute face to face meetings with experts and consultants, and full access to the virtual event.

Looking forward, there are still many uncertainties about further lockdowns and restrictions, but the glamping sector is far better placed than many to deal with these concerns. The Glamping Show provides the ability to get up to date with what’s been happening in the world of glamping; from new products, to vital information on how to bounce back and thrive after lockdown.

“The Glamping Show Virtual” is for anyone who is not able to attend the live event, meaning they will still be able to participate and gain access to the valuable content and vital information that will help develop and expand their business. The online event will include the ability to browse more than 60 online and offline exhibitors, request information or a call back from exhibitors, access to online seminars including more than 40 speakers covering every aspect or running and growing a successful glamping business, and the Glamping Debate, an online panel debate, discussion and networking experience.

To find out more about The Glamping Show 2020 or to register for the event, visit the website at www.theglampingshow.com. To enquire about stand space call Dan Wiseman on 07958 030785 or email dan.w@swanevents.com.

Discussing these changes, Karen Cooke adds, “The changes we are making to the seminar programme and the addition of the online networking experience were initially implemented in response to the Coronavirus pandemic.

However, the more we get to grips with these new systems, the more we see that they are a great way to reach an even larger audience.”

2020 has been an incredibly challenging time for the hospitality industry which has been plagued with uncertainty and a lack of information.

Now that the industry is reopening, glamping site operators are finding themselves in a more fortunate position than others in the sector. With quarantine restrictions being placed on a number of countries seen in Britain as holiday hot spots, many are making the decision to opt for a staycation as opposed to a holiday abroad.

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GLAMPINGHUB.COM The journey from blog to leading industry website Listing everything from Mom and Pop enterprises to management company rentals, Glamping Hub is the world’s leading portal for unique outdoor accommodations across the globe.

Ruben explains that Glamping Hub started with David Troya from Sevilla Spain and himself, from Albuquerque New Mexico. Two friends who met in Spain years before.

With a reputation for offering one-of-a-kind accommodations and experiences and with over 30,000 accommodations in 120 countries, they are proving that there is a glamping site perfect for each and every traveller. As Co-Founder Ruben Martinez says, “It’s all about collecting memories, not things.”

While they both were obtaining MBAs, David at University of San Francisco and Ruben at Regis University in Colorado, David first heard the term glamping in one of his classes and knew this was something he wanted us to explore.

“After discussing the potential, we started putting together ideas and brought on another friend, and third Co-Founder, Talal Benjelloun,” he says, “Glamping Hub was built on the foundation of friendship, and some of the very first investors were close friends and family.”

BLOG SITE TO INDUSTRY MOVER For those bloggers with big dreams, it’s inspiring to know that Glamping Hub was founded in 2013, primarily as a blog. The following year it launched as a booking platform with 200 accommodations listed.

THE EARLY SITE In the early stages, Ruben explains that after they relaunched their blog into a booking platform, Glamping Hub was a listing service, where hosts would pay to have their glamping site listed.

Today what separates Glampinghub.com from other listing websites is that all represented accommodations must be unique in their offerings and structure, offer a-one-of-a-kind experience and hotel-quality comfort, as well as be located in the outdoors.

“Since then Glamping Hub has become fully transactional with a global focus,” Ruben says, “Working with growing markets in the industry that have great potential like Australia, New Zealand and Canada as well as others.”

“We work with hosts to curate and create handwritten listings that perfectly and accurately describe their site and offerings, and with guests to be able to have the experience of a lifetime at their desired glamping site,” Ruben says.

Right from the start relationships have been very important to Glamping Hub. Some of their hosts are very small business owners who have incredible pride for the businesses they have created. Pouring their hearts and souls and often their life savings into their properties, creating

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their businesses and getting them off the ground into a territory and industry that is still quite young and is not fully understood.

as a whole, travel and other peripherals. Reading the newspaper from front to back each night before bed is a ritual that he is committed to.

However, self-education aside, he admits that the biggest lessons often come from unexpected and painful sources.

The properties and their businesses are very personal to them, and for Glamping Hub it is very important to cultivate the relationships with these hosts and these small business owners because they are hopefully providing them with a stream of revenue that they may not otherwise receive.

“We really try to learn from past failures,” he says, “Things we thought were going to take off and do really well that did not. We also set up early indicators so that we go down a path that is really working. Sometimes pivoting away from the projects and ideas that are not working can be very painful and hard to do, but we strive to do a good job at keeping close to the data and understanding what is working. We make those tough decisions when we have to so we can focus on what comes next and part of what we did to future proof was to get in super early and be these early adapters.”

“This allows them to carry on their dream of having a successful business and site,” he says, “You cannot do this without having successful relationships, so it is very important for us to continue to build these relationships with the hosts on our site.”

A HUMAN COMPANY Glamping Hub is very much a human company, offering 24 hour 7 days a week support, so that when someone needs to contact them, they are provided with human interaction and assistance.

It is very important to Ruben and his co-founders that every individual with their own needs can come to them and have those needs met and supported.

A CULTURE OF LEARNING Ruben reveals that he keeps up to date by trying to read as much as possible. Consuming information on business, the glamping and hospitality industry

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2020

Even though they defied expectations by entering the glamping market super early and reaching their current position as a market leading voice of the industry, Ruben still believes they’ve scarcely scratched the surface.

Even with their global presence, Ruben says that they feel very excited about the potential of other global markets. They now have a fully functioning Spanish website, so are very excited about working with additional regions, languages and markets.

CHALLENGES SOCIALS

One of the main challenges Ruben reveals, is wearing all the hats. When you do not have a team of people that specialize in all of the departments, you really need to do everything all at once. In that challenge comes the challenge of staying focused on what matters and what is important.

Leveraging the strength of social media is something Ruben credits much of their success with. Creating and curating compelling content is an absolute priority, as it’s their objective to deliver what their audience loves to see and where they would like to stay. He says that being able to

“It is easy to get distracted and turn your attention to something else when something looks like it’s going well,” he says, “It becomes dangerous to focus on too many things at once.”

To overcome these sorts of negative mindsets, they have a very strong mentor network and are fortunate to work with extremely talented individuals. Thanks to this Ruben believes that as a business they’re are smart enough to know that they do not know everything, and that it is extremely beneficial to bring on those incredibly intelligent and smart individuals to help them overcome these big challenges.

“Because at the end of the day we cannot overcome these challenges on our own and need the help of our team to do so,” he says.

BUSINESS PHILOSOPHY You can’t be afraid to make waves or take a risk, Ruben says. For businesses to be successful in the long haul you cannot be doing what everybody else is doing. You have to reinvent, you have to innovate, you have to try new things, and more importantly, you have to fail.

“One of our business philosophies is having a high level of comfort with failure,” he says, “Not continuous failure but taking a risk and trying something new and if it fails being able to understand why and then move forward in the right direction, quickly.”

For long term business strategy if you are not innovating and taking risks or not hiring the right set of people and taking the time to set them up on the right course, then your strategy will fail.

Your business strategy has to be built on those principles.

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provide their audience and guests with real life glamping sites that are both bucket-list-worthy and attainable contributes to their core principles of being a human company and providing their guests with the best of the best.

“By engaging in different collaborations and partnerships we are also able to connect with our audience on a deeper level and further add to our community,” he says.

With a highly active presence on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and Twitter, they partner with a number of incredible brands and influencers to expand their audience and attain new potential customers and glampers. Whether they are there to learn more about the industry or to book accommodations, their digital platforms are crucial and necessary in order to give their guests an idea of who they are and what they offer.

THE SECRET TO SUCCESS In one of the first phone calls Ruben had with David about embarking on this journey, he said ‘Well hey, even if this fails, at least we get to talk to each other every day.’

Ruben remembers this and says, that Glamping Hub is truly a business built off of friendship. www.glampinghub.com

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OUTSTANDING TENT

just business as usual. Product development, innovation, team development and expanding our boundaries is very much what we do, and it is built into the company’s DNA.”

When Outstanding Tent set about their journey in 2014, they did so with a carefully laid out plan of action. Their business, which is based in the Netherlands, has not only kept up with the industry’s development but has kept one step ahead of it, and achieving this has been down to a key principal and philosophy of action over reaction. During 2019 their business has enjoyed a year of growth, expansion and new developments and 2020 is looking to offer more of the same and then some.

THE YEAR PAST

Leaving one year and entering another we spoke again with Robin Van Kooten, co-founder of Outstanding Tent and all round glamping champion.

From a number of prominent developments in the last year, one of the key aspects that identified 2019 was the development of a new interior style for their tents. As we have covered previously, Outstanding Tent offers a full kitted out tent solution for their clients and after five years it was decided that it was time to offer a new and updated interior style.

“We’ve made a lot of progress this year along our growth plan,” Robin says, “But really it’s 16

Chic”. This has since become a base style for their tents. Glamping equals luxury, and the question was how to translate the comfort of a sofa back home into the glamping arena. Now, the Glamping Chic range gives guests the sense they are staying at a stylish luxury hotel, combined with the camping feeling of glamping.

“There were a number of reasons why we did this,” Robin explains, “Firstly, after five years we wanted to offer our clients, both new and old, different stylish options for their sites. Secondly, a lot of our competitors were using the same materials as we were, and it was no longer really a USP for us. This made us think of developing something completely different because you always need to have a good unique selling point. Something that immediately identifies you.”

The business has worked hard on this new line throughout the year. The intention was to give luxury camping a whole new dimension. Anyone, site owner or guest, can appreciate the allure of combining a wonderfully designed bathroom, a luxury kitchen with all the mod-cons to prepare a delicious meal and the ambience of being surrounded by a canvas tent.

GLAMPING CHIC To ensure the best results were achieved, they enlisted the skills of an interior architect and stylist firm who guided them through the process of developing what Robin refers to as “Glamping

“The Glamping Chic line offers two styles to suit all tastes,” Robin reveals, “Stockholm and Paris.

Stockholm equals Scandinavian beauty and is characterized by its minimalist, often white details while Paris lives up to its name and bustles with full-on activity that’s absolutely chic and stylish.”

In 2019 the Glamping Chic line was very well received at the eight exhibitions they attended across six countries. It demonstrated the appetite of the industry and those working in it for innovative ideas and products that offer high material and aesthetic standards and great style.

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“The glamping industry relies on innovation and creative ideas to drive it forward and it doesn’t seem about to slow down,” he says.

ideas, or the best tents made of the newest materials. This is the beauty of the industry, as it develops its scope grows. However, as a business that prides itself on its market awareness and long term vision, Outstanding Tent have seen the drive for more complete, comprehensive packages to serve an industry that has outgrown its cottage and kitchen-tent roots.

INDUSTRY AWARENESS AND COMPANY GROWTH Robin explains that when glamping was younger and not as developed it was enough to just have an idea and offer an accommodation that was different to the standard. Now everything is moving in the direction of offering a complete and entirely unique experience. The stakes are higher than ever.

“Because of the growing number of local and international distributors that we have,” he says, “It has meant that we’re able to gather local knowledge from the frontlines and can continuously optimize our assortment and service.”

“Early in the industry, if you had a kitchen in a tent, it was considered new and innovative and glamping but as the industry has matured the expectations have changed,” he says, “Now it has to be massively different and have that wow factor.

A completely new experience that is planned and executed on all fronts. I can see this as being the movement that will define glamping in 2020.”

And, as they continue to both deepen their existing markets and enter into new ones, they have expanded their operations and moved into new premises to accommodate the expected workload of the new year.

NEW WAREHOUSE FOR WORLD DOMINATION

He concedes that the industry is still wide and diverse enough, with enough categories and sub categories, to have a place for all sorts of sites and not everyone is looking to make use of the newest

One of their strengths is that they deliver from their own stock and this allows them to stay flexible and deliver quickly to clients. Their new

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“Glamping,” he says, “Is worldwide now and we saw the potential right at the start and did not want to grow a little per year, we wanted to tap it.

Nobody really knows what the full potential of the industry is because new markets are developing every year and current markets are moving too.

Guests may think that glamping is about relaxing and leisure, but supplying glamping is the complete opposite. You have to keep running!”

move into the new warehouse has resulted in both a better work environment for the logistic team and an easier job of keeping up with the growing orders.

The new building offers more warehouse and office space as they grow in terms of people heading up individual departments, such as logistics and administration, buying and planning as well as recruitment and basic management. Moving to a larger base of operations is an important step for any business and Robin explains that they didn’t get to this position by allowing the industry to determine their role. They made the decision.

Even a small slice of such a vibrant market place would sustain their plans for ongoing growth and expansion for years to come, but their journey to world domination in this sector may already be underway. Supplying their clients through their distribution channels and increasing their share of these sectors while keeping current clients and partner relationships strong and polished is always the immediate priority… however…

“So far we’ve sold tents in forty nine countries,” Robin says, “There are still over a hundred to go.”

“We had an ambitious growth plan from the start,” he says, “And that allowed us the confidence to take risks along the road we wanted to follow.

We are always moving and preparing for new growth and investing in advance. It wasn’t that we were short of space at the old site, but we see and expect new growth in the new year and preemptively need to be ready to meet it.”

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BRITISH RENEWABLE FUELS Keeping the home fires going it is one that happens entirely within Britain.

First, the timber is purchased from UK forests and delivered to their yard. Depending on the size of the timber the wood is then cut and split into 8-10 inch slats before being placed in a kiln and dried for a period of 7-10 days. At this stage they test the moisture content with an aim to get it down to a reasonable level of 12-14% moisture.

The slats are then put through the shredding process where the wood is broken down into particles of 10mm sizes. It is also during this stage where the pulped wood can dry further.

From here the pulp is transferred to the briquette presses where it is hydraulically pressed into either long or round briquettes. These are then bagged and stacked on a pallet.

British businesses are being called upon to do their part to lighten the UK’s carbon footprint and bring the country to a new era of sustainability.

To effectively achieve this goal, these businesses are scrutinising the operations and philosophies of their supply chain. This has provided the perfect opportunity for new businesses with a real understanding of the requirements, to establish themselves and make a real change for the better.

Founded in 2017 by managing director Paul Gibbon, British Renewable Fuels is a proudly British supplier of wooden based fire fuels to the UK market. Producing a range which includes kiln dried logs, briquettes, eco logs and natural firelighters as well as a range of renewable energy focussed consultancy services, the business plays an important role in keeping this fuel as green as possible.

HOW DO THEY DO IT? Far from being just chopped wood, the process of manufacturing briquettes and eco logs is one of patience and care and for British Renewable Fuels

British Renewable Fuels works with a staff contingent of seven employees and are responsible for managing the process at all the key points. As a small business their production capacity is around 7-10 metric tons a day which accounts for roughly 1% of the country’s overall output.

“Quality counts for a great deal,” he says, “Like good timber, businesses should be given enough time to mature properly.”

Once the various products are packaged and prepared, be them briquettes, eco logs or fire starters they are palletised and shipped out to the various customers and retailers via outsourced fleet.

THE APPROACHING CHANGE Expected to come into force in February 2021, the upcoming government legislation will put restrictions on burning house coal or wet wood in stoves, open flames and wood burners. This stands to affect over two and a half million people in the UK who use such fuels either for warmth during the winter or as an important part of their business.

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“Mistral Energy is another business component of mine through which I consult on renewable energy projects around the UK,” he says, “We’ve built over sixty three wind turbines in Scotland, created biomass generators and consulted on local businesses on how they can increase their own sustainability.”

Paul goes on to explain that being a small business they are incredibly flexible with meeting their customer’s needs. This relationship building has allowed Paul the opportunity to help their clients drastically change their carbon footprint. Not only by using the most sustainable wooden fuel created under the best conditions but also to become sustainable with their energy.

According to Paul, wood with a moisture factor of over twenty percent creates more contamination and smoke. This includes logs sold in DIY stores, garden centres and outside petrol-stations or wood stored outside instead of in a shed.

“Many farms may have the land available to erect a wind turbine or the roof space on a barn or farmhouse for solar panels,” he says, “This gives them a great opportunity to make themselves entirely sustainable and self-efficient.”

Wood-consuming stoves and coal fires are the biggest wellspring of the fine particulate issue (PM2.5), these are little particles of air contamination which can find their way into the body’s lungs and blood. Twenty eight times smaller than the width of human hair they can aggravate or even cause asthma, strokes, lung cancer and coronary illness.

RENEWABLE RECEPTION Paul has been involved with some very interesting renewable endeavours, including megawatt projects in East Anglia in England and micro generation projects. He has noticed that there is a marked difference in reception to renewable energy depending on where you go in the UK.

As indicated by the UK government figures, the burning of these types of wet logs is responsible for 38% of the complete PM2.5 contamination in the UK which is more than street transport and industry joined!

So, in line with their goals to lower the country’s carbon footprint the government has started cinching down on this harmful producer of air contamination. This, however, puts a number of people and business owners in a difficult position.

“Wood is still a major source of heat for the British public,” Paul explains, “As well as playing an important role in many businesses ranging from restaurants, leather tanning and metal working, to boutique hospitality such as camping and glamping.

These restrictions could impact them all.”

RENEWABLE ENERGY IN BRITAIN With a prominent background in renewable industry and a very clear view of the sector’s landscape, Paul began British Renewable Fuels to provide the products that businesses would need.

Additionally, he also offers consultancy services to help them make the best of what renewable energy has to offer.

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“Scotland’s natural stance for renewable projects is to accept and not reject. So they are very advanced in things like wind farms, on and offshore,” he says, “But in England these same projects are met with scepticism and an initial refusal. Renewable energy and sustainability are keywords at the moment, but you can see the real dedication in how governments act.”

Fortunately, people and businesses are free and able to make use of the renewable energy resources themselves. And, standing in their corner, British Renewable Fuels has already proved that even during crisis like Covid 19, they are up for the challenge and keeping their customers supplied.

“We did not slow down production during Lockdown,” he explains, “Our yard is large enough that there is roughly five metres if not more between each of our staff. This was fortunate because during spring and summer time we process and stockpile so that we have the supply for the winter months where the requirement often doubles. Also, during the Lockdown period a lot of our clients still required their fuel for their home heating or their small businesses.”

Boutique hospitality, like glamping, relies on offering all the benefits of camping while matching these with the luxuries of a hotel room. What says camping more than an open fire?

And, Post Lockdown, the glamping industry has seen a massive worldwide thrust as these destinations also offer privacy and so social distancing is easily achieved. The industry is set to continue to grow with more sites opening up but irrespective of whether the glamping sites consists of dozens of tents, domes and wigwams or just a single tipi, they are all going to be subject to the new law regarding what sort of wood is burnt.

“Industries need to take these changes seriously,” Paul says, “And understand that laws like this open more doors than they close. Glamping site owners may not be aware of what their land is capable of producing in terms of sustainable, economic energy which is very trendy in hospitality and travel at the moment.”

2020/2021

WHAT DOES RENEWABLE MEAN TO YOUR INDUSTRY? As mentioned earlier, fire still plays a crucial role in many businesses. As an example, in hospitality, glamping continues to grow not only in popularity but diversity and there is definite need for more economic and sustainable means of fuelling fires.

in the outdoors that the majority of sites offer firepits, wood burners, barbecues and wood fired hottubs as part of their packages.

Paul reveals that he aims to reach an output level of 5000 tons this coming winter. Once this has been achieved, they will know that they can aim for 10,000 tons next year. This will mean a doubling of staff and production to meet and exceed this target.

“We have an important role to play, so we are building our business one briquette at a time,” he says.

Open fires, for cooking, for warmth and ambiance are such a quintessential part of camping and being

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REVIEW

CROWN AND CANOPY

Ten years old this year, Crown and Canopy has been a one-stop shop for glamping newbies and established sites alike. Founded by Edward Busby and Bill and Rebecca Goddard, all who have managed and run their own glamping sites in the past, they offer an inside perspective to the industry. Additionally, making sure that as consultants they practise what they preach, they are working on their own developments alongside those of their clients. Well respected names in the industry this trio will also be exhibiting at the annual Glamping Show this year.

sector, there has been plenty to learn from this moving forward.

“I think the hospitality sector in particular will need to become more dynamic in its ideas and offerings,” he says, “Innovation is the only reaction that will ensure survival in times like this.”

Of course, the glamping, and staycation industry were already benefitting from emerging trends.

These include things like convenience travel, a growing consciousness around flying, the Brexit Effect, and now what is being labelled the Corona Effect. Uncertainty about international travel always benefits staycations and local exploration.

2020 has proved to be an interesting year so far, but as Edward Busby explains, the upsets of this year have allowed them to put plans into motion that will make 2021 spectacular. With more to be revealed closer to the time, this is an example of how, irrespective of what is taking place today, you still have to have a direction on where you want to be tomorrow.

This has created a great situation for the glamping industry that has been continuously growing over the years. UK is one of the main glamping countries in the world providing a great opportunity to people to travel locally. The glamping industry has the opportunity to offer this level of accommodation and experience in isolation and in the great outdoors setting it apart from hotels, bed and breakfasts, restaurants, pubs and most other hospitality businesses in the UK.

LOCKDOWN Edward says that while Lockdown has been an incredible stress test for all businesses in the

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FORWARD THINKING

shape and inform the design of luxury outdoor accommodation across the region ensuring it is done in a sensitive, low impact manor that is in keeping with the forest brand and aesthetics.

Crown and Canopy spent Lockdown pushing through planning applications on behalf of their clients to make sure things were ready to launch in 2021. Mostly, these have been treehouse and cabin projects spread over The Marches Counties, North Wales Coast, North West Scotland, The Lake District, Yorkshire and many more.

Finally, they are slightly behind schedule but will be launching the 3rd edition of The Essential Glamping Business Manual in September this year. This book is packed with all a glamping entrepreneur needs to know when setting up a glamping business.

In addition to this, there has been a more global interest in their consultancy and planning services for some large outdoor hotel projects in the middle east and Europe and they expect to work on more developments overseas like these as time goes on. The sector is set to expand further due to the growing interest from various sister industries wanting to take advantage of this new appetite for outdoor-based accommodation.

GLAMPING SHOW Crown and Canopy attend the Glamping Show every year. The show is great for meeting new clients and more importantly, networking. Edward explains that it has always been rewarding and they have made and met some great contacts and working partners at this show over the years.

Edward also reveals that in the past few months they have been in discussions with a new consultancy firm starting up in Portugal and one which Crown and Canopy will be partnering with to take on larger European projects along with the opportunity to tackle larger developments further afield.

“These relationships have enabled Crown and Canopy to continue to grow and expand,” he says, “And the show is also great for opening communication lines between potential partnerships.”

Things didn’t slow down during Lockdown, if anything Crown and Canopy’s workload increased, and the demand sped up. While this may seem to fly in the face of what was a trend for major hospitality businesses to simply shut down their operations, it was actually quite prolific in glamping where many sites saw this period as an opportunity to refurbish and put their plans into action. The consultancy side of Crown and Canopy as well as their work in architectural and interior design has been very busy and this is a strong reflection of glamping which- post Lockdown has seen sites booked out for the remainder of the year going well into 2021.

“Unlike many hospitality types, like hotels for example, glamping is based around isolation, privacy and space,” Edward reveals, “Making it ideal for people seeking a holiday and comfort that still follows all the established guidance and rules.”

BOOKS Well regarded publishers in the field of glamping (see last feature), Crown and Canopy have been commissioned to write a new outdoor accommodation development guide for the National Forest. This is a great opportunity to

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REVIEW

LITTLE OAKHURST LUXURY GLAMPING is situated on a working farm and guests are close enough to the action to get some very interesting sights.

Joanne explains that after twenty-one years of working in a classroom it took some time to get used to a much slower and more conscientious pace of life. Even if she still finds herself running after animals.

“Did you know that glamping and farming often clash,” she observes, “Cow muck seems to get everywhere and not to mention that cows are an untidy lot! However, our constant chaos seemed to be what the glampers enjoyed seeing the most while sitting in their deckchairs watching us bring the cows in at milking time.”

Situated on a working farm, Little Oakhurst Luxury Glamping founder Joanne Collinge set up her site to offer guests an entirely different pace of life. Attracting visitors from a range of different professional fields and backgrounds, the glamping site provides fresh air by the lungful and a lot to see and do. Especially for those who enjoy wearing wellington boots!

This soon became one of the main attractions and now they like to show glampers their farm. An experience which she describes as being “Muck and all”. Here guests can see what day-to-day life is like for Joanne and Andy. Including watching them milk the cows and feed the calves, or giving them a stick and then trudging across the fields to get the cows in.

Joanne explains that she left teaching in 2018 after 21 years of working in a classroom after she decided to help her husband Andy on the farm.

She convinced him to give her two acres of land that he considered to be of little value to his cows and her idea for a glamping site was born.

The farm’s inner workings are fascinating, and Joanne explains that many guests feel like they are back at school. Most people enjoy the chance to be close to animals but only a few get the chance to see how intelligent and personable cows are.

Farmer Andy, as Joanne calls him, is also a great communicator and is as entertaining as he is educational.

Little Oakhurst opened in June 2019 with the aim of providing a luxury holiday where people could just turn up without packing in the kitchen sink.

A plug-and-play approach to relaxing and kicking back. Based on what Joanne would consider to be her perfect break, she’s ensured that the yurts have everything that’s needed for a good trip.

“Guests love his mannerisms,” she says, “And the fact he always has a tale to tell or a relatable story to get a laugh.”

STAYING ON A WORKING FARM One thing that was already available in abundance was the atmosphere of the place. Little Oakhurst

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ACCOMMODATION On site there are two yurts that sleep four people each. In each yurt there is one double bed and two single futons. There is an outdoor kitchen, firepit, luxury shepherd hut bathroom facilities and one which has a roll top bath. There is also a shepherd’s hut that sleep two.

Wood fired hot tubs and all of the units have panoramic views across the Ribble Valley and Pendle Hill, which is famous for its witches and brings an epic sense of history to the location.

THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND Wellies/gumboots are needed as this is a real working farm. With real cows. They are also on the famous Tolkiens walk, a very popular circular walk with a pub halfway around so bring some walking boots.

PRICE/NIGHT: Yurts £130, Shepherds hut £150it gets cheaper the longer you stay.

COMPANY ADDRESS: Overhacking Farm TELEPHONE: 07908614736 EMAIL: overhackingfarm@googlemail.com

STAFFING

WEBSITE: www.littleoakhurst.com

Joanne explains that they have recently taken on their first employee. Lucy, their daughter, who helps every day with the changeovers, the running of the business as well as the maintaining of their high standard of cleanliness and sterilization. They also have Nana (Andy’s mum) spearheading the cakes and scones making department, which are a great treat for glampers.

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Faster, Further, For Less 28

WBE.TRAVEL Technology supporting the travel industry Like building a house, a business cannot grow and outperform its competition without the best tools.

A European business, wbe.travel have created an invaluable centralised client management and sales platform for businesses and individuals working in the travel and tour industry.

Helping these companies control and record their bookings, purchases and client movements, centralising all of the elements that go into running a business to a central point, allowing these travel companies to grow faster and more reliably in a scalable fashion.

Based out of Bucharest in Romania and dealing with a global travel market place of small to medium sized enterprises, wbe.travel celebrated its tenth anniversary in 2019, and has spent the last ten years keeping themselves and their clients ahead of the competition when it comes to the travel booking market place.

Scalability is very important when developing a platform that can support a business, especially when it’s in such a colourful industry as travel and tourism. It must grow with the business while at the same time providing useful and irreplaceable tools to make our clients lives and businesses more efficient and stronger.

Showing no signs of slowing, wbe.travel has implemented more than 100 systems all over the world and has helped travel companies distribute their travel inventory with state of the art technology. wbe.travel’s off the shelf software products cover a full range of processes from production, contracting, mid-office management to API distribution. Fully available both in English and in Arabic, the booking engines were design to cater for Arabic travellers as well as English speaking ones.

NEWEST DEVELOPMENTS 2020 Earlier this year saw a rush of developments at wbe.travel. Firstly, they finished the Room Type Mapping implementation process with their selected partner GIATA. wbe.travel chose to add GIATA’s Room Type Mapping to its portfolio of products to help its clients, the travel companies, better organize the inventory displayed on the search results page, in the booking engine. The newest solution matches and groups inconsistent travel information and data from multiple travel suppliers, making it possible for the travel companies to present bookable products in an easy to understand and consistent language.

THE TEAM Founded by George Dumitru and Cristian Isbasoiu the business has been a pioneer in many areas not only including travel and tour, but also in how they approach office and employee management.

Preferring a relaxed and innovative environment where creativity is rewarded, and people have a flexible working environment that is very target orientated.

The Room Mapping tool has proven to be one of the keys for higher value sales. By adopting the

CONSTANT INNOVATION As modern technology develops, so too do the ideas and motivations of those working behind the scenes. wbe.travel provides a user-friendly platform for destination management companies, travel management companies and businessto-customer travel agency sites dealing with booking hotels, flights and other travel services.

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COOPERATION

newest Room Mapping solution, travel businesses can visibly maximize a user’s sales performance.

GIATA RTM has been proven to deliver to its clients a 7.1 % increase in conversions, more than 20% growth in margins and an additional 24% of the overall booking revenue.

wbe.travel has, for ten years, developed a strong client base that rely heavily on them for the running of their businesses. They are the platform on which thousands of people earn their income, so all partners need to be at an equally reliable standard. With multiple awarded clients in this portfolio, wbe.travel have over 45,000 travel agents registered on the system.

Secondly, during January they began working with Travelfusion, a leader of the Low-cost carrier airline aggregation and developed an XMP API connection to offer direct access for their clients to the content from more than 330 Low-cost carriers and scheduled airlines.

FAST AND ACCURATE RESULTS Time is crucial. Whether it is the final traveller or your travel agent that browses in your system to search for the ideal room, the response time should be instantaneous. This vital element is driven by your technology provider and subsequently by API connectivity, content and so on.

Another plus that wbe.travel brings to the table, with the new connection to Travelfusion, is that it offers the possibility for the travel agents or the traveller to book ancillary services like extra luggage, priority boarding, different check-in options and special extras like sports or musical equipment conveniently and above all, reliably.

wbe.travel offers one of the fastest response times in the market, even when browsing through dozens of API travel suppliers. In turn, their system has demonstrated an increase in an ability to offer visitors and clients faster search results in a clear and organized manner, even with large data volumes.

LEADING BY EXAMPLE With over one hundred and fifty integrations with suppliers of travel products ranging from hotels to flights and third party services such as payment gateways and accounting systems, wbe.travel maintains its position as a leader by continuous innovation.

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This drive for improvement and development is enhanced and balanced by partnering with leading names in travel and hospitality. These include the likes of Agoda, Booking.com, Priceline, Expedia, HotelBeds, Amadeus, Sabre and the abovementioned Travelfusion.

As explained by Fritz Oberhummer, the EPS director of account management platforms in EMEA and LATAM, “The only limitation is internal resources,” he says, “We usually say that businesses need to have partnered with us for at least twelve months and have, geographically and product-wise, a balance across the globe.”

As a matter of fact, they are only one of the few software houses to provide this number of payment gateway integrations into one userfriendly system. This variety of options creates an ease of transaction between users and their clients which goes a long way in encouraging strong, long term relationships and a healthier cashflow.

During Expedia’s conference at Travel Technology Europe last year in 2019, wbe.travel were announced as certified partners.

Choose wisely.

COMPANY ADDRESS: 18-18A Vulturilor Street, 1st floor, District 3, Bucharest, Romania

EPS CERTIFIED In an effort to deploy faster services and forge strong business relationships that will benefit their clients long term, wbe.travel has entered into a Certified Technology Partner Programme with Expedia Partner Solutions (EPS). Not open to just anyone, for a business to be included in the programme they first had to be up to speed with Expedia’s latest API technology “Rapid”. And, be able to demonstrate a high standard of customer service and a capacity for further growth.

EMAIL: sales@wbe.travel

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REVIEW

BY MEXICO Beautifully crafted, original keepsakes and travel-treasures

STAFF

Inspired by a passion for travel and collecting mementos from various countries, Regina and Santiago Lichi founded By Mexico in 2017. After seeing what was on offer in other countries, they saw a niche opportunity for high quality keepsakes and memorabilia that travellers to Mexico would cherish.

Thanks to a very receptive audience and customer base from the beginning from both the national market and abroad their brand has been continuously growing. They currently employ a team of 12 people and are looking to continue to grow into the new year.

With Regina’s background in marketing, advertising and promotion and Santiago’s experience as a business administrator this husband and wife team were set to redefine how tourists and travellers to Mexico remember their trips and define their adventures.

PRODUCTS With a strong online presence that makes full use of Amazon MX and Amazon USA, By Mexico also enjoys two hundred points of sale in Mexico as well as some small distributors abroad. Products range from 40 pesos to 480 pesos and in August and September 2020 they are opening their own stores beginning in Tulum.

QUALITY, QUALITY, QUALITY Being that Mexico possesses a wide ranging and diverse history, bolstered by a rich culture and heritage, both Regina and Santiago were surprised at how the quality of souvenirs in other countries was so much higher than what existed here.

Travellers to a country remember their adventures by the trinkets and small treasures that they take back to their homes after their trips. With this in mind, the depth and flavor of Mexico was not being properly taken advantage of with quality and avant-garde products that matched the demands of a generation that appreciates quality and seeks sustainability, design and functionality.

At least half of the products are created in Mexico, with some item creation needing to be outsourced to maintain the highest standard and best sustainability. Preferring novel materials and printing techniques and sustainable and socially sustainable approaches that can help have a positive impact on vulnerable groups.

“This allows us to support fair trade projects,” Regina says, “As well as have an interesting story to tell about our suppliers. Customers are always interested in knowing where a product comes from because it adds to their own travel story.”

By Mexico was a natural and beneficial answer to this.

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BUILDING SUCCESS Regina and Santiago believe that the best way to grow is by creating strategic commercial alliances where open communication is valued. This has worked very well with their suppliers who have become a fundamental part of their project and growth. To maintain integrity and customer relationships, they monitor comments on social media very closely and keep receptive to the feedback.

“Only by listening to customers can you improve your product,” she says, “Social media is very useful for this because it gives a quick and easy place for us to get feedback and highlight areas where we can develop and grow.”

NEW PROJECTS Regina explains that by 2021 they are planning to launch the Axolotl line, an endemic salamander species in Mexico City also known as the “walking fish” that is in danger of extinction. This line aims to help raise awareness of this animal which is not only native to Mexico but also one of the cutest of its genus.

EMAIL: atencionaclientes@bymexico.com.mx WEBSITE: www.bymexico.com.mx COMPANY ADDRESS: Providencia 1248-A, CDMX, México TELEPHONE: 5554352825

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LEATHER, NATURALLY.

creators, and consumers about its beauty, quality and versatility as well as ensuring the highest standards of traceability and accountability.

Leather is one of man’s earliest and most useful discoveries. Our ancestors used leather to protect themselves from the elements. Primitive man hunted wild animals for food, then made clothing, footwear and crude tents from the hides. Like then, hides used today are a by-product. Animals are raised for the meat, dairy and wool industries, not for their hides. Roughly half of all leather produced today is used to make shoes, and about 25% for clothing. Upholstery demands only around 15% of the total product.

PROPERTIES OF LEATHER Leather can be made to absorb water, resist water or be completely waterproof. Most leathers manufactured for the shoe, bag, upholstery and leather goods industries offer a degree of water resistance that enables the leather to get wet yet, after drying, retain the properties of elasticity and shape. Many leathers for leather goods are treated to avoid marks from water spotting in light rain.

Thanks to a unique arrangement of complex natural fibres that can be combined with the chemical and physical processes that leather workers have perfected over the course of several thousand years, leather stands as one of mankind’s greatest substances.

Waterproofing can be made for specific applications, particularly for outdoor shoes and boots that allow for walking several hours in the rain without getting wet feet. Most waterproof leathers are made from cattle hides.

Leather Naturally is an industry members association that focuses on education and the promotion of leather. At all times promoting the use of globally-manufactured sustainable leather they seek to inspire and inform designers,

Cow leather can have a great variation of thicknesses because they can be split in layers.

When split thin, leathers can be used for garment, gloves and leather goods. Medium thickness

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of the shoe drier and more comfortable, with a lower moisture level. Waterproof leathers that are engineered to maintain breathability while providing protection from wet conditions will provide an outstanding combined performance.

There are many variations to the colour, texture, feel, smell, surface resistance and handle of leather that makes this product extremely unique and valuable. Leathers can be as natural as observed in pure vegetable leather or as refined with outstanding performance as an automotive seat. Leather is fashionable in all colours while maintaining outstanding technical performance.

leathers, on the other hand, are more widely used for upholstery, automotive parts, shoes, bags and leather goods, whereas thick leathers are used for footwear soles and crafts.

One of the main reasons why leather is comfortable on the human skin is because of its strong thermal insulation capabilities. Heat insulation is a measure of the rate at which heat passes through a material. And because leather contains a large volume of air (which is a poor conductor of heat), the heat travels incredibly slowly through the material.

The softness of a leather is usually associated with its thickness. The thinner the leather, the softer it will be. But there are other variables that make leather softer, particularly the type of tannage: generally speaking, chrome tanned will be softer; aldehyde type tanning less soft and vegetable tanned leather firmer.

BREATHABILITY The amount of fatty materials added also influences the softness; the higher the amount of fatty material added to the leather, the greater the softness. Process variations allow us to get a wide range of softness, from a leather glove to a footwear sole from the same raw material.

This is one of leather’s unique properties, allowing the leather to absorb the moisture and with time release it into the environment. For shoes, this property creates outstanding comfort that is not replicated by any other material. Perspiration is drawn from the foot into the leather and then evaporates from the outer surface of the shoe.

Leather can hold large quantities of moisture without feeling damp, so the foot stays dry and comfortable without the chill of fast evaporation or puddling of cooling perspiration. So, your feet don’t sweat in natural leather shoes and boots the way they tend to do when wearing synthetic and rubber footwear.

MALLEABILITY Another factor that makes leather such a favourable material is because of its ability to be moulded into a new shape. It can be made to either stiffen or can be made to be flexible and will retain its new shape as required. This is very important in footwear, since both feet are rarely exactly the same size and shape. With a little wear they soon adapt to fit perfectly.

A SELF REGULATING INDUSTRY

Often called ‘breathability’, this characteristic allows moisture and air to permeate through the leather. This property is particularly important for shoes’ comfort; as the foot sweats it can produce large amounts of moisture that move through the leather to the outside, keeping the inside

One of the key roles of Leather Naturally is to educate people about the industry, inform and consult its members regarding best practises within the industry and to ensure that the industry is based on facts and figures.

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of comprehensive research or just down to poor writing, Leather Naturally always endeavours to make sure that they are corrected. This is after all part and parcel of changing people’s opinions of an industry.

And this is not unique to this sector either. Every sector of any size has as many opponents as it has advocates, but when inaccuracies are published or made public, the businesses within the sector need their association representatives to stand up and make sure that accuracies and facts are valued.

While the leather industry is certainly not without its faults; it does play an important role in a circular economy which enables other industries to achieve their results of sustainability. The first step of the leather cycle, which is where companies like A + B HIDES comes into it, is to collect hides from the bovine meat and dairy industries. These hides are then collected, sorted and prepared for the remainder of the journey from hide to product.

Part of the dilemma faced by these businesses is that leather is already a very sustainable product, as a material it outlasts the alternatives and thus means less need for replacing and it is completely biodegradable. It uses a by-product of other industries that would otherwise go to waste and frankly it is very beautiful.

Further to this, the industry is working very hard to be as accountable as possible with today’s leather being able to be traced back to the farm. This has allowed the industry to blacklist farms that mistreat the animals staying there.

Technology is always being developed to further enhance the analytical evidence on hand to ensure that the industry is as efficient and sustainable as possible.

Properly made and sourced leather is a truly sustainable material. Hides and skins are mostly a by-product that is dependent on the meat and dairy industry. Transformation into leather is the best use for those hides. The leather industry is creating a product that is both natural and long lasting - leather is unique in its ability to combine beauty, comfort and practicality.

LEATHER PRODUCTS

Given the extensive range of raw materials with different properties, and the many processes developed over time leather making is highly versatile and leather manufacturers can produce qualities with widely varied properties and looks.

BASING A TRADE ON FACTS The facts of the industry are readily available but despite this Leather Naturally finds themselves often correcting the media when it comes to the leather industry. While this is certainly not their primary function, it is something that they do not allow to slip by unchecked.

THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY OF LEATHER Modern leather manufacturing recycles over 270 million cow hides each year. These are a by-product of the food industry and without the ability of the leather industry to transform them into leather, over 7 million tonnes would go to landfill with huge environmental and biological impact. Leather makes a sustainable contribution to a society that needs to consume less, reuse more and a recycle everything.

Some businesses will set themselves up as “opponents” to leather, pushing their products as leather alternatives that are supposedly better.

However, and this is an increasing issue, they don’t actually look at the facts but only run with the bias figures. Instead of looking at what the leather industry as a whole is doing to reduce the usage of chemicals, reduce their carbon footprint and only work with farms that treat their animals well, these businesses will showcase the very farms that the leather industry is blacklisting.

REPAIRABLE The journey towards sustainability starts with products that can be repaired for longevity of use.

Leather needs very little in the way of life-time

Whether these inaccuracies are down to a lack

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maintenance and it easy to do at home, it does not draw heavily on resources for laundering and drying for example and we increasingly see the revival of artisan skills/offering repair services for treasured leather goods.

RECYCLABLE Leather trimmings from the manufacturing process can be repurposed as stuffing, (into boxing punch bags for example) or combined with other materials to make composite products such as leatherboard, which is used for insoles and heel inserts in footwear.

makes the supplest of jackets or the firmest of walking boots.

Leather at end of life can be ground down to use in this way too. At the very end of its life leather will biodegrade, depending on type in between 10 & 50 years. We see leather trims being creatively incorporated into wall coverings, plus more and more companies are recycling the leather component from footwear and leathergoods into something new. Read the Peterson & Stoop article.

Leather has a ‘breathability’ that more easily allows body temperature to be regulated, it will naturally absorb and hold moisture away from the skin until it can evaporate to the outside.

It will also mould to the wearer - whether it’s a glove, a shoe, leather jacket or wallet that’s been carried in a back pocket for years, leather conforms to its wearer for a very individual comfort and fit.

VERSATILE The skills of the leather makers take the same basic raw material and turn it into a many different ‘fabrics’ with different qualities and benefits.

Leather can be engineered to be durable enough for furniture yet soft enough for comfort footwear.

It will make the finest dress gloves or protective, abrasion resistant motorcycling gloves. Leather

BEAUTIFUL Leather has a natural beauty that, unlike many materials, improves with age. Although every hide or skin is different, leather manufacturers work to bring out its best qualities, whether that’s a completely aniline or ‘naked’ appearance to one that is expertly finished to combine durability and easy care. https://leathernaturally.org

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A + B HIDES GmbH & Co. KG The incredible leather journey starts here

An

Group Company

categorising and sorting fresh hides is rooted deeply in their origins.

The rich smell of leather distinguishes luxury travel in cars and airplanes. Matching leather shoes and a leather belt can turn a shabby suit into a chic statement. Leather wallets usually outlast the money in them, and leather jackets are often passed down through the generations. The use of leather in our lives predates written history and while most of us take it for granted, every item of leather you possess is the end result of a journey.

Maximilian Engelke, sales manager at A + B HIDES has been in the industry for his entire professional career and has an inside perspective on the business and the importance of its place in the industry.

As he explains, the company was founded in 2006 when Marc Aengenheyster (procurator), Toni Baltes (CEO) and his brother Karl-Josef Baltes (senior advisor), brought their family businesses together to form the current entity: A + B HIDES. It was a bold move that combined over 100 years’ worth of experience and brought a sophisticated and up to date methodology to this ageless sector.

Bovine leather, produced from cattle hides, is the most valuable by-product of today’s meat and dairy industry. Following the age-old ethical responsibility of not letting any part of the animal go to waste, the hides used to be collected from slaughterhouses and butchers. They were then sorted, trimmed and conserved and delivered to tanneries to continue their journey of becoming leather.

“The company has quite a legacy behind it,” Maximilian explains, “the founding fathers Franz Aengenheyster and Toni Baltes (senior), began collecting hides from local German slaughterhouses and butchers just after the Second World War.”

Over time, each step of the leather working process has become a craft of its own and we were fortunate enough to speak with A + B HIDES in Germany, a company where the process of

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For international customers overseas or those that cannot align their production with the availability of fresh material, A+B HIDES has a custom-built salting procedure that conserves the hides, thus enabling long distance transport and safe storage without compromising quality.

The two founders would collect the hides each morning with their cars and take them back to their premises. Here they would categorise, conserve and then deliver them on to the businesses that formed the next stage. Over time the industry saw the centralisation of slaughterhouses and a decline in butchers thanks to a rise in supermarkets. To keep up with this development, the businesses changed from collecting hides in cars to collecting them in trucks with 20,000 – 30,000 hides being collected every week!

In addition to that, wetblue hides, a semi-finished pre-tanned good completes their product portfolio.

STAFF Maximilian’s background is in frontline sales in the leather trade and thus complements procurator Carsten Cleven, who is Head of Sales at A + B HIDES. Together they expand the company’s global presence, through international representation at trade fairs and often directly through visits at the customers’ premises. It is an industry that runs on experience and knowhow and this is prevalent from front line sales all the way to the workshop floor.

A SUSTAINABLE ECONOMY “A + B HIDES employs over one hundred people and we are really the first stage in the creation of leather,” Maximilian explains, “There is a diverse demand for leather and the leather that is used for automotive seats and airplanes is not the same that is used for belts, shoes and wallets. Our position in the supply chain is right at the start preparing them for a streamlined production within the tannery.”

“Our industry niche is quite specific and basic skills are learnt on the job,” he says, “Despite demanding conditions that result from manual labour with animal hides and skins all year around, most of our employees have been with us for a long time.”

Fresh, raw hides are collected from slaughterhouses and classified as to bull, cow or calf because the hides produced have different characteristics depending on age, sex and breed.

After sorting they are put into a cooling system to halt the decomposing process. They are then weighed, trimmed and inspected to see if there are any visible defects on the hair or flesh.

These specific details are all taken into account to manufacture a uniform product that ensures a continuous quality standard in later stages of production.

“The preparation of cattle hides for the industrial leather production is our main product,” Maximilian says, “This in itself is a science that needs to be learnt on the job.”

NEW DEVELOPMENTS One of the main developments that A+B HIDES are excited about, is their involvement in the traceability of leather hides and the finished leather pieces in general. This is a crucial element in the on-going industry focus to be as sustainable and forward thinking as possible.

“It is the responsibility of all businesses within the leather trade to take accountability for where our products come from. Be them raw-products like ours, or finished products from one of our clients,” Maximilian says, “By being able to trace the hide all the way back to the birth of the animal, we

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ESSENTIAL INFORMATION.

are able to establish where it was raised, fed and slaughtered.”

A+B HIDES are part of the OSI Group, the premier global supplier of custom value-added food products. OSI Group covers a whole range of meat and poultry based food solutions, including burgers, nuggets, chicken wings and many others. A+B HIDES works closely with OSI’s own slaughterhouses and their partners in the meat industry as well as other reputable suppliers.

For many customers in the automotive and shoe segment this traceability is becoming increasingly important, as it makes the product leather more transparent.

HOW TO ACHIEVE THIS

“Over the last years we developed a specialised laser for this purpose,” Maximilian says, “At the slaughterhouse the ear tag code of the animal is attached to the hide before we pick it up.

Once it is with us and hung the ear tag code is scanned and lasered onto the hide.”

Additionally, this year, A + B HIDES completed their LWG trading certification. The Leather Working Group is an international not-for-profit membership organisation for stakeholders across the leather supply chain that places sustainable business practices and environmental compliance as their core values.

WEBSITE: www.aplusb-hides.de

Similar to a branding, the laser code remains visible on the hide throughout all stages of the leather production, ensuring full traceability.

Of course, this is only now being implemented. If it wasn’t for coronavirus the system would have been live and broadcasted to their customers since March 2020. But due to Lockdown it went live in July and has answered the request from many manufacturers who are relying on the accountability and traceability that these developments provide.

This is a small but essential part in an overall campaign that the leather industry are instigating throughout their supply chain. As one of the pioneers into this move A + B HIDES are effectively setting a standard that others in their industry niche are going to have to try and keep up with.

“You can’t hide from progress,” he concludes.

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You are running out of time to see the world

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ATC TANNERY CHEMICALS Founded in 1973, ATC is the French leader in speciality leather chemicals and one of the few companies in the world to offer a full range of services and products covering the formulating, manufacturing and selling of items used in the industry from beamhouse to finishing.

When the business began almost five decades ago, the goal then was the same as it is today: The provision of high quality products to the industry. As such their manufacturing and supply of high quality leather chemicals to market is at an excellent standard and at a superb price.

All backed up by superb technical and industry knowledge and commercial support.

Today the business is run by Jean-Baptiste and Pierre-Antoine Gualino, and as the second generation leading the business, they have applied heaps of ambition and enthusiasm to the role.

Safeguarding the company’s future and ensuring that the next chapter of the ATC’s history is a promising one.

Continuous investment back into research and development, supporting the research teams and their technicians is part of making them the strongest in the leather industry and capable of continually improving quality and boosting production capacities.

ATC may be over half a century old, but they have retained the dynamic versatility that has kept them growing. Pioneering many industry developments, ATC has earned recognition and respect all over the world. Relying on the energy and values that the firm’s directors have instilled in the business since its inception: a culture of entrepreneurship, a passion for manufacturing, an ambition to grow through investment, and innovation led by their primary objective to create value for customers and staff.

Present in over 45 countries they share their outstanding wealth of experience to meet the needs of their partner tanners and to hold the entire industry to the highest standards of practise and quality. http://www.atc.fr/

THE ART OF LEATHER MAKING Leather is a fine material that their company strives to make even more beautiful by developing ever more environmentally friendly chemicals and processes. The experience gathered for all their years producing speciality chemicals and technological concepts to provide their partner tanners with the means to meet the important challenges of innovation and environmental regulations are invaluable.

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CASINO TANNING HIDES The use of animal skins predates the Stone Age, presumably as tarpaulins, protective clothing or for the manufacture of belts, harnesses, bags and containers. Animal skins were dried, fats were incorporated into the leather to make them softer and waterproof and they were possibly smoked to preserve the result. But this type of preservation was not real tanning.

In olden times, tanning was considered to be an ‘odoriferous’ trade. Tanning by ancient methods was indeed extremely foul- smelling and hence most tanneries were situated in the outskirts of towns. The use of urine and animal faeces combined with the smell of decaying flesh due to the absence of conservation options was what made ancient tanneries so odoriferous and the profession of tanner unpopular.

operative Meat Company Ltd abattoir allows prompt processing which can mean technically better quality leathers for customers. Under a patented system, hides are identified individually enabling tracking of the origin and movement of every hide through slaughter and on to their final destination.

Proper tanning is the most important step in leather production. It is just one part in the entire process of manufacturing leather. Tanning is the method of preserving animal skin, with or without hair, using tannins. These are acidic chemical compounds that stabilise the fibre structure of the skin and prevent it from decaying, decomposing and oxidising. A tannery is where these skins and hides are processed, and the profession is called tanner. The tanning process involves many stages where the skins have to be treated first and, once tanned, depending on the application and specific customer requests, the leather is dyed, ironed, sanded or oiled.

PROCESS Upon arrival at the tannery all hides are fleshed and loaded into one of 24 tanning drums based on weight range and source. Each step of each drum’s process is carefully controlled and recorded to ensure that the final product will consistently meet the exacting requirements of CHTs global customers.

After tanning, hides are graded to strict criteria by trained and experienced assessors. Casino Hide Tanners grading structure has been designed carefully to provide consistent and accurate results, allowing for flexibility in order to meet a customer’s specific need.

CASINO HIDE TANNERS Established 45 years ago, Casino Hide Tanners (CHT) was one of the first tanneries in Australia dedicated to the tanning of cattle hides for export and it’s recent modernised additions to the tannery have made it one of the larger installations in Australia, with the capacity to convert over 900,000 cattle hides each year.

Utilizing a state-of-the-art splitting operation CHT can also split hides to the customer’s predetermined requirements. Modern computer systems, coupled with CHTs unique identification numbering, allows the opportunity for CHT to provide its customers with full data and complete traceability of their wet-blue hides, grains and drop-splits.

Located in the Northern Rivers of NSW Casino Hide Tanners is devoted to processing cattle hides from green through to wet blue leather.

Being located on the same site as Northern Co-

CHT is dedicated to close cooperation and longterm partnerships with their customer base and

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Casino Hide Tanners grading structure has been carefully designed to provide consistent and accurate hides which can be product specific for their potential end use, yet still allow for flexibility in order to meet a customer’s specific needs.

Utilising a state-of-the-art splitting operation CHT then also split hides and, when requested side hides to customer’s pre-determined requirements.

suppliers. Gold medal accredited by the Leather Working Group, CHT prides itself on continuous improvement and is committed to Quality and Safety, focusing on environmental sustainability and Waste management.

PARTNERSHIPS The Northern Co-operative Meat Company Ltd operates a tannery as part of its integrated processing service. Casino Hide Tanners is devoted to processing the Co-operative’s hides from green through to wet blue leather, as well as productions from other selected producers within the area.

Every drum load of hides is tested in an accredited laboratory for its various physical and chemical properties, ensuring that the high standards of its customers can be met and maintained.

On completion of the production process and confirmation that all the physical properties are correct, hides are packed and labelled ready for shipment throughout the world. Modern computer systems, coupled with CHTs unique identification numbering, allows the opportunity for CHT to provide its customers with full data and complete traceability of their wet-blue hides, grains and drop-splits.

ENVIRONMENTAL BEST PRACTISES As a member of such associations as Leather Naturally and the Leather Working Group, CHT has maintained gold level status as part of audited accreditation under the group.

Located on the same site as the abattoir all hides are received immediately after slaughter and put directly into production. Rapid receipt and prompt processing can mean technically better quality leathers for customers. Under a patented system, each hide is uniquely and individually identified. This enables the tracking of the origin and movement of every hide, from farm of origin through slaughter and on to their final destination.

CHT prides itself on its environmental management practices.

COMPANY ADDRESS: Casino Hide Tanners, 10615 Summerland Way, CASINO NSW 2470 Australia TELEPHONE: +61 (02) 6662 2444 FAX: +61 (02) 6662 3391

All hides are fleshed on arrival at the tannery, with weights prior to and after fleshing being carefully recorded. Using 24 tanning drums, hides are then loaded for de-hairing and eventual tanning.

EMAIL: cht@cassino.com.au

After tanning, hides are graded to strict criteria under exacting conditions, by trained and experienced assessors.

Damages to the grain of the hide caused by branding, insects, parasites and scratches are identified and used to determine the final allocation into one of eight quality categories.

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REVIEW

DUKE & SONS LEATHER

To truly appreciate the art of craftmanship is to see where the value of leather making comes from.

Often, the finest leather products are still made by hand, using the same machinery that has been used since the early twenties. Quality leather products created by genuine craftsmen like Duke and Sons will last a lifetime.

Jan den Hartogh, owner of Duke & Sons says, “As a designer who has been used to work the whole day behind a screen, I realized I was missing something important in my life and that was the opportunity to do something with my hands.”

He goes on to reveal that he is a fan of the amazing atmosphere of heritage goods and brands and loves the fact that many of these companies still make the same quality goods and stick to their origins. Inspired by a real craftsman, he decided to learn the skills himself, getting really involved and allowing himself to learn by doing. Through this he managed to teach himself the art of making high quality leather goods. Working mostly with natural ‘vegitan’ leather, he has developed his own colouring method which gives his products a great vintage look and feel. https://www.dukeandsonsleather.com/blogs/ maker-stories/handstitching-pricking-iron-chisellooking-for-the-perfect-stitch

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www.assaia.com

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Article on page

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T.50 – REWRITING THE SUPERCAR RULE BOOK

forward at an unrelenting pace. Murray’s design for T.50 was the 50th in a prestigious line of race and road cars he’s penned over his illustrious 50year career – both reasons combining to name the car T.50.

Gordon Murray Automotive has unveiled its T.50 supercar in full for the first time, showing the finished exterior and interior design and confirming its ground-breaking technical specifications. The T.50 has been engineered to be the purest, lightest, most driver-centric supercar ever.

The most dominant characteristics of the T.50 exterior design are its purity and balance, free from the wings, skirts and vents that adorn most modern-day supercars. The clean surfaces are enabled by the most advanced and effective aerodynamics ever seen on a road car, resulting in deliberately simple, beautiful lines and a timeless appearance.

Improving on his acclaimed McLaren F1 “in every conceivable way”, Professor Gordon Murray CBE is leading the team that will begin building customer versions of the 986kg supercar in January 2022. Justifying its £2.36m (before taxes) price tag, the T.50 promises to deliver an unsurpassed driving experience. It is powered by a 100% bespoke 3.9-litre, 663PS V12 engine that revs to a record-breaking 12,100rpm, and features the most advanced and effective aerodynamics ever seen on a road car – aided by a 400mm rear-mounted fan.

The purity of the silhouette is broken dramatically when the pair of dihedral doors rise up and forwards, coming to rest high above the passenger cabin. Inside, the driver-centric approach is plain to see – from the central, jet fighter-like driving position, to the aerospace-grade primary and secondary controls arranged in an ‘ergonomic bubble’ around the driver.

The global premiere is the first time the clean lines of the exterior and the driver-focused interior have been seen. From his first ballpoint sketches, to every engineering and design detail, Murray has led the Gordon Murray Automotive team and briefed and overseen suppliers to drive the project

Quality of materials, the utmost precision, and simplicity of visuals define the whole car, but nowhere is this more evident than inside the

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cockpit. British suppliers are responsible for every major component throughout the interior, as well as every facet of the car’s exquisitely-engineered underpinnings – an attribute insisted upon by Murray who was determined the T.50 would be a true British sports car.

At the heart of T.50 ethos is the ultimate, sensoryrich driving experience, which all starts with the central driving position. The ‘jet-fighter’ style seating position affords an unhindered view out of the cabin, offering the type of pure driving experience usually associated with a single-seater race car layout.

From the record-breaking V12 engine, and best lightweight transmission, to the worldfirst aerodynamic package and the feather-light titanium throttle pedal, every element is 100% bespoke and crafted by a British company that leads in its field. Murray pushed each supplier to their limits to deliver ingenuity, the highest quality and of course new levels of lightness.

Murray insists that the engine contributes to at least 50% of a great driving experience. With this in mind, Murray set out to create the greatest ever V12. The bespoke Cosworth GMA unit hits the mark as the world’s highest revving, fastest responding, most power dense, and lightest roadgoing V12. In terms of aural enjoyment, the T.50 raucous 12,100rpm redline will certainly deliver on wow-factor. The car also features Direct Path Induction Sound – a system pioneered on the McLaren F1 and refined on the T.50 to channel the sound of the throttle-induced induction growl into the cabin.

With a vision that the car, and every element of its componentry, would be considered ‘engineering art’, Murray set out to create a vehicle that surpassed all others, fostering new levels of pride and connection among owners. Every T.50 customer has the opportunity to meet Murray to discuss their car and personalise it inside and out.

Part of this process includes a seat, steering wheel and pedals ‘fitting’ session – personalised to every owner – that will ensure the T.50 is ergonomically perfect and individualised for each discerning customer.

A cold-air ram induction intake sits immediately above the driver’s head, and carefully crafted carbon fibre panels in the roof act as a loudspeaker, amplifying engine sound within the cabin. The system is actuated by throttle angle and not revs, meaning the T.50 is quiet and refined on part throttle, growing louder as the throttle opens.

Murray: “Just 100 customers will share my vision, a car created to improve on the F1 formula in every conceivable way. With 30 years of technological and systems advancement, now, the time is right to design the greatest analogue driver’s car. I believe no other company could deliver what we will bring to market in 2022, producing this British supercar will be my proudest moment.”

Inside the cabin, all of the T.50’s ergonomicallyplaced analogue controls are beautifully weighted.

From communicative steering, which delivers pinpoint accuracy, to the weighting of the sixspeed manual transmission and titanium throttle pedal, the engineering focus has always been on driving perfection.

The T.50 mission – Driving perfection Murray: “From the first touch of the titanium throttle pedal to the V12 screaming at 12,100rpm, the driver experience will surpass any supercar ever built. No other road car can deliver the package of power, instant responsiveness and driver feedback in such a direct and focused way while remaining comfortable, refined and usable every day.”

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with the active rear spoilers and interactive diffusers, the fan helps to increase downforce by 50% (in Braking Mode 100% more downforce is generated); reduce drag by 12.5%; add around 50PS to the car’s output, in combination with ramair induction; and cut braking distance by 10m from 150mph.

During testing, the manual H-pattern gearchange motion and weighting was honed meticulously.

Signed-off personally by Murray, the T.50 provides ‘the ultimate gearchange’ – a tactile short throw with a narrow cross gate for smooth, crisp, satisfying gearchanges.

The T.50’s kerb weight of 986kg makes it the lightest supercar of the modern era, lower than the average supercar weight by almost a third.

Thanks to the focus on lightweighting, the car offers unparalleled levels of agility, responsiveness and driver focus. The T.50 is a car that is created to be ‘alive’ at normal road speeds, not only when the revs climb past 10,000rpm. It will entertain and engage on low-speed daily trips, as well as when driving on the open road just for the thrill of it.

Sitting prominently at the rear of the car, the fan is just one example of ‘engineering art’ on the T.50.

Another, about which Murray feels passionately, is the engine. Murray detests carbon or plastic engine covers so, upon raising the twin gullwing openings that span the rear half of the car, the Cosworth GMA V12 engine sits proudly on display with its cam covers, primary exhaust manifolds and inlet trumpets all taking centre stage.

It is Murray’s pride in perfection that has shaped every facet of the T.50. Calling the exterior styling “a return to beauty” the clean lines and visual balance seek to deliver a timeless design that will help the T.50 age gracefully, a fresh and lasting celebration of motoring engineering – the ultimate analogue supercar.

With minimal interference from driver aids the driving experience is left to shine – importantly, ESP and traction control, can be disabled entirely.

The technologies that do influence performance – for example, the six aero modes enabled through active and interactive fan-assisted aerodynamics – enhance rather than numb the drive experience.

The 400mm rear-mounted fan expands the car’s performance capabilities significantly versus an ordinary ground-effect supercar. In partnership

Commenting on the journey so far, Murray said: “For the past 18 months, the T.50 team has lived and breathed the ethos of the car, accomplishing

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grade carbon fibre • Carbon tub monocoque provides exceptional stiffness and torsional rigidity • Carbon fibre body panels ensure lightness – total body including monocoque weighs less than 150kg • Monocoque construction and F1-style ‘passenger safety cell’ provides exceptional occupant safety protection • Glazing is 28% thinner than typical glass delivering valuable weight saving

everything we set out to achieve and more. I couldn’t be happier with the car and the team – they’re by far the best I’ve ever worked with.”

T.50 supercar – key details Focal point for every T.50 decision: The driver T.50 is the most driver-centric supercar ever made. From the driver’s position right in the middle of the car, to the placement of controls, the sound of the engine, and the responsiveness of the throttle.

AERODYNAMICS

OVERVIEW

• The most advanced aerodynamics of any road car • Unique 400mm ground-effect fan combines with active underbody aerodynamics and two dynamic rear spoilers to aid performance and help deliver an unrivalled driving experience • Six aero modes enable driver to optimise dynamic and outright performance o Auto / High downforce / Streamline / Braking / Test / V-Max Boost ∞∞ Streamline Mode – creates a ‘virtual longtail’ ∞∞ V-Max Boost Mode and ram induction raise T.50 output to 700PS

• T.50 breaks from performance-car convention, weighing significantly less than any other current supercar and delivering an unrivalled driving experience • Gordon Murray Automotive is not chasing power or top speed figures • Its engine is designed to deliver optimum performance, not to hit prescribed power, speed or acceleration target • It has the most advanced and effective aerodynamics of any road car • Non-committee-based vision and control enables purity of decision making • Purity of design – no unsightly flaps / vents / wings • Daily usability – comfort for three passengers with good luggage space, day-to-day refinement and practicality

DESIGN • Design combines purity and drama • No unsightly vents, ducts, or flaps due to intelligent aerodynamic design • Striking dihedral doors deliver drama alongside practicality for easy access • Engineering art features throughout the car

KEY POINTS – DETAIL • From January 2022, 100 exclusive customer cars will be built at Gordon Murray Automotive’s production site in the UK • Price: £2.36m (before taxes) • As the 50th distinct design by Professor Gordon Murray, CBE, the T.50 also celebrates Murray’s 50-year long career • A true British supercar o All engineering, design and styling is by Gordon Murray Design o Powertrain, body, and chassis will all be made in the UK o All major components are UK-sourced

ENGINE • 100% bespoke 3.9-litre V12 Cosworth GMA engine o Power: 663PS @ 11,500rpm o Torque: 467Nm @ 9,000rpm (71% of max torque available from 2,500rpm) • The highest-revving naturally-aspirated road car engine ever (12,100rpm) • Most-responsive naturally-aspirated engine ever (28,400 revs per second pick-up) • The most power-dense naturally-aspirated engine ever (166PS-per-litre) • The lightest road-going V12 ever = 178kg

CHASSIS AND BODY • Chassis and body constructed from high-

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• The best V12 sound ever • Engine fully on show beneath gullwingopening ‘viewing gallery’

• Brembo calipers and carbon ceramic discs for ultimate stopping power and braking feel

INTERIOR

TRANSMISSION

• Jet fighter-style central driving position ensures optimal visibility, balance and a totally-immersive driving experience • Driver-centric controls • Well-appointed, comfortable, refined • Premium audio sound system – 10 speakers, 700W (nominal) • Android Auto / Apple CarPlay with Bluetooth phone connectivity

• Xtrac manual H-pattern six-speed transmission • Five close ratios, geared for acceleration, with a longer sixth ratio for cruising • Casing engineered from aluminium, cast at just 2.4mm thickness • Lightweight gearbox weighs just 80.5kg

VEHICLE DYNAMICS AND LIGHTWEIGHTING

EVERYDAY USABILITY AND ANALOGUE FEATURES

• Total vehicle weight just 986kg – Almost a third lighter than a typical supercar (approx.

1,436kg). Dry weight 957kg • Weight-to-power = 150.77kg per 100PS (typical supercar = 210kg per 100PS) • Power-to-weight = 672PS/tonne (or >700PS/ tonne with V-Max Boost Mode and ram induction) • Forged aluminium double wishbone suspension, with forged aluminium uprights • Simple rack and pinion steering setup engineered for driving purity with low-speed power assistance (LSPA) • Semi-structural engine and transmission saves weight while retaining refinement • Lightweight bearing carriers and hubs with one locking nut reduce un-sprung mass

• Comfortable seating for three adults • Easy ingress and egress • Class-leading, usable luggage space – up to 288 litres • Refined cabin environment • 120mm front and 140mm rear ride heights for practical everyday use • Incredibly compact footprint – comparable to a Porsche Boxster • Analogue rev counter and minimal controls / no column stalks or touchscreens • No turbos, no hybrid – just an exquisitely engineered V12 engine • ‘GT mode’ engine map for improved day to day drivability

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ASTON MARTIN DB5 RESUMES PRODUCTION AFTER 55 YEARS

under way there on a strictly limited number of new DB5 models. Created in association with the producers of the James Bond films, EON Productions, and featuring a broad suite of working gadgets first seen on screen in the 1964 film, the Aston Martin DB5 Goldfinger Continuation cars are history in the making.

Aston Martin DB5 production resumes after 55 years as build work begins on DB5 Goldfinger Continuation cars at Aston Martin Works. Dubbed ‘the most famous car in the world’ and renowned as being among the most desirable and soughtafter classic Aston Martin models, the DB5 has become a byword for timeless style and sports car desirability. Fewer than 900 saloon examples were built by the brand between 1963 and 1965, with by far the most famous of the original owners being the world’s best-known secret agent – James Bond – who first drove the car that is today inextricably linked with him in the 1964 film, Goldfinger.

The latest in Aston Martin’s phenomenally successful Continuation car programme which began in 2017 with the DB4 GT Continuation the new DB5 models represent among the most valuable new cars yet brought to market by the British luxury brand. Each DB5 Goldfinger continuation car is priced at £2.75m, plus taxes.

Now, 55 years after the last new DB5 rolled elegantly off the production line at Aston Martin’s then global manufacturing base in Newport Pagnell, Buckinghamshire, work is once again

The meticulous DB5 Goldfinger Continuation construction process – which takes around 4,500 hours per car – is being undertaken at

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Aston Martin’s globally renowned Heritage Division headquarters in Newport Pagnell, Buckinghamshire. Now the largest, best equipped and most knowledgeable Aston Martin restoration centre in the world, the invaluable and highly specialist skills nurtured at Aston Martin Works are perfectly suited to the brand’s celebrated Continuation projects.

• Simulated twin front machine guns • Bullet resistant rear shield • Battering rams front and rear • Simulated tyre slasher • Removable passenger seat roof panel (optional equipment)

INTERIOR:

Each of the 25 new cars is being built to the highest possible quality using a blend of Sir David Brown-era old world craftsmanship, with the sympathetic application of modern engineering advancements and performance enhancements, alongside the integration of cutting-edge gadgets developed in association with Chris Corbould OBE, the special effects supervisor who has worked on more than a dozen Bond films.

• Simulated radar screen tracker map • Telephone in driver’s door • Gear knob actuator button • Armrest and centre console-mounted switchgear • Under-seat hidden weapons/storage tray • Remote control for gadget activation All the new cars are meticulously detailed authentic reproductions of the DB5 seen on screen, with some sympathetic modifications and enhancements to ensure the highest levels of build quality and reliability. All the DB5 Goldfinger Continuation cars are being built to one exterior colour specification – Silver Birch paint – just like the original.

The list of Bond-inspired gadgets includes the following features, all familiar to viewers of the classic 1964 big screen hit.

EXTERIOR: • Rear smoke screen delivery system • Rear simulated oil slick delivery system • Revolving number plates front and rear (triple plates)

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the building of these cars, which will go on to form part of Aston Martin’s history, is something I’m sure all of us will be telling our grandkids about!”

The cars feature original DB5 styled aluminium exterior body panels wrapped elegantly around an authentic DB5 mild steel chassis structure.

Under the bonnet there’s a 4.0-litre naturally aspirated inline six-cylinder engine with a six-plug head, three SU carburettors and oil cooler, that’s capable of generating in the order of 290 bhp. This is mated to a five-speed ZF manual transmission in the rear-wheel drive DB5, which also features a mechanical limited slip differential.

Paul Spires, President of Aston Martin Works where the original DB5 was built and the new cars are also being created, said: “We are making, perhaps, some of the most desirable ‘toys’ ever built for 25 very lucky buyers worldwide.

“Creating the DB5 Goldfinger Continuation cars and working with EON Productions and special effects supervisor, Chris Corbould, is something truly unique and a real career highlight for everyone involved here at Aston Martin Works.”

Servo-assisted hydraulic Girling-type steel disc brakes, rack and pinion steering – which does not feature assistance – and a suspension setup comprising coil over spring and damper units with anti-roll bar at the front, and a live axle rear suspension with radius arms and Watt’s linkage, complete the dynamic package.

Heritage Programme Manager Clive Wilson is one of those most closely involved in the process of bringing the new DB5 Goldfinger Continuation car into production. He said: “Seeing the first customer car move painstakingly through the intricate production process we have created really is quite a thrill.

First deliveries of the DB5 Goldfinger Continuation to customers will commence in the second half of 2020.

“Obviously we have not, as a business, made a new DB5 for more than 50 years, so to be involved in

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TEN WAYS MAGNA IS REIMAGINING THE FUTURE

Magna’s company of entrepreneurs and openfor-business mentality are helping to drive change in nearly every part of a vehicle, from seating to lighting to powertrain.

As a technology company backed by more than 60 years of experience in the global auto industry, Magna is at the forefront of a dramatic transformation in mobility.

“Magna’s mission is to make the impossible possible by solving some of the auto industry’s most complex problems,” said Swamy Kotagiri, Magna chief technology officer.

It is fascinating to imagine what the future will bring with the growth of electrified, autonomous and smart mobility. To better envision the coming shift in the way we move people and goods, Magna has compiled a list of the company’s top ten innovations that are a force for change. They are:

48-VOLT ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS With its focus toward vehicle electrification, Magna is offering an array of modular and scalable electrified powertrain products designed to help automakers meet increasingly stringent tailpipe emissions regulations around the world. These modular and scalable products include both 48volt (mild hybrid) and high voltage (full / plug-in

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hybrids and electric vehicles) variants.

Magna’s ever-expanding portfolio of electrified products begins with a family of modular and scalable high voltage electric propulsion systems, where the company has been awarded a production contract for a high voltage secondary axle for an electric vehicle to be produced in China for VW.

ICON scans its surroundings 50 times faster than it takes a human to blink. It will be used in the near term in autonomous emergency braking – and on self-driving cars in the new era of mobility.

Magna is also focused on electrified transmission systems and is now industrializing an innovative solution for BMW that packages a modular and scalable 48-volt traction motor inside a DCT automatic transmission. This innovative new product allows automakers to offer a mild hybrid option within the same engine compartment for their front wheel drive vehicles, thus reducing CO2 emissions and increasing functionality.

RECONFIGURABLE SEATS

ADAS FEATURES Today, more than 100 vehicle models on the road have Magna ADAS features as Magna continues to deliver new autonomous features including 3D Surround View systems, Advanced trailering features and Autonomous Valet, which meet the growing demand from automakers seeking to integrate automated driving technologies into their vehicles. With Magna’s lidar solution with Innoviz coming to market with BMW, the company is also close to production of its ICON radar.

Military-grade ICON radar system is a new generation of solid-state automotive radar that moves a step closer towards an autonomous future. Industry-first ICON radar is about seeing the things you can’t see and giving drivers and the car plenty of time to react by scanning the environment and creating a high-definition, fourdimensional view.

Whether it’s cameras, lidar or radar, with Magna’s expertise, the company can also seamlessly integrate these ADAS features in vehicle exteriors without sacrificing design.

Magna’s seating experts are designing flexible vehicle interiors that can be reconfigured with the touch of a smartphone screen.

The company’s reconfigurable seating solution is designed to dramatically reshape the vehicle cabin based on actual usage. This solution is in response to the rapid growth in car-sharing and ridesharing and builds on Magna’s reputation for such innovations as the Stow ‘n Go seats in the Chrysler minivans.

From a base configuration in a three-row vehicle, the innovative seats transform in a seamlessly choreographed dance into three modes: Cargo Space, Road Trip and Mobile Meeting. Two of the modes could be ready to enter production as early as 2022.

FLEXIBLE LIGHTING Magna is sparking the revolution in automotive lighting through a joint venture with Rohinni, an Idaho startup that has come up with ways to create “endless possibilities” with light that go far beyond conventional LEDs or light-emitting diodes.

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When paired with Magna’s worldclass electronics manufacturing expertise, the combination is expected to produce modern lighting magic.

By using thin-film micro and mini LEDs – as thin as a piece of paper – Magna Rohinni Automotive provides highperformance, flexible lighting that opens up new possibilities for design and product differentiation.

HAPTIC TECHNOLOGY

COMPOSITE SPACE FRAME

Haptic technology, which relies on motion and the sense of touch inside and outside of the car, is rapidly being adopted by the auto industry as a way to give drivers a more intuitive experience.

Increasingly stringent vehicle emissions requirements demand that manufacturers find new materials and innovative applications to dramatically reduce mass and weight.

To continue developing these advanced technologies for the automotive market, Magna acquired Haptronik, further investing in advanced motion-control software and adding to Magna’s leadership in mechatronics products. In addition, this technology is part of the company’s building block approach to their SmartAccess power door platform.

Magna’s composite space frame is 10 percent lighter than conventional steel and can be used on liftgate and side door modules, as well as windshield headers.

An affordable solution for automakers, the composite space frame debuted on the 2020 Toyota Supra.

VIRTUAL AND AUGMENTED REALITY

COMPLETE VEHICLE MANUFACTURING Magna is the only automotive supplier that also engineers and assembles complete vehicles – and automakers including Daimler, BMW and Jaguar contract the company to do so.

Magna is the first contract manufacturer to produce an electric vehicle with the Jaguar I-PACE, and the company produces multiple vehicles with different powertrains (BHEVs, EVs and traditional powertrains) from one plant, with two different powertrains in one shared production line for the I-PACE and Jaguar E-PACE. Through a joint venture, Magna is now also the first contract manufacturer for electric vehicles in China, the leading market for e-mobility.

Magna is using augmented reality technology to make navigation systems more intuitive and accurate with its bi-focal Augmented Reality Camera. The first-to-market Magna technology for General Motors in North America and Daimler in Europe enhances what the driver sees by providing an actual image of the road ahead with information superimposed onto the image. But that’s not the only way Magna is bringing new technology to real product development.

At Magna’s Virtual Reality Center in Graz, Austria, engineers wearing VR goggles are revolutionizing the way cars are designed, developed and manufactured. And virtual-reality headsets are helping the team at Magna’s Dortec Industries boost efficiency and productivity.

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FACTORY OF THE FUTURE

relationships with universities around the globe, including MIT and Cambridge University, to connect with the best and brightest minds in the business.

For Magna, innovating is not isolated to just product. The company innovates in how it manufactures as well. With the advancements in machine learning and artificial intelligence, Magna is able to bring more smart factory concepts into their operations.

Magna experts are mentoring students from the MIT Driverless team to develop self-driving racecars for the new Formula Student Driverless competition. And the company is exploring the potential for new technology with MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, the center for autonomous and robotics development.

A key part of the equation in these high-tech facilities will be humans – or what some are calling the “Industry 4.0 workforce.” The goal is to improve flexibility and efficiency between humans and machines, as the two work in harmony.

These advanced manufacturing plants may feature advanced robotic systems, drones that fly above assembly lines to check inventory and maintenance needs, and predictive analytics that will be used to schedule repairs.

This combination of strategic partnerships, world-class manufacturing, process innovation and a product portfolio bursting with innovative technology is enabling Magna to reimagine the vehicle experience and be prepared for the profound changes in the automotive industry.

PARTNERSHIPS In addition to product innovations, Magna is partnering with startup companies to help speed up the commercialization of new mobility solutions.

Devolving self-driving technologies with Lyft, integrating self-driving systems with Waymo, and retrofitting and scaling up May Mobility’s unique fleet of autonomous shuttles are just a few examples.

In addition to working with startups on new technology, Magna also is building closer working

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ABAX: TELEMATICS. UK How to really look after your customers

Founded in Norway in 2003, ABAX has since opened offices across Europe and the UK and is now present in seven different countries. With products and services reaching clear across the globe, their technology is an essential tool for today’s data-driven vehicle fleet industry.

While originally focussed on GPS, over the years they have evolved and expanded into a solutions provider for asset tracking. Generating data on the real-time position and activity of assets and helping clients find ways to make this data work for them.

We spoke with Craig Allan, who is based in the UK and is in charge of the all-important and somewhat polymathic field of strategic partnerships. Craig explains that his role is all about the creation and ongoing development of business eco-systems and interestingly his background has not been in telematics.

“As one of the leaders in the industry ABAX know everything there is to know about this technology,” he explains, “So they really don’t need new

experts on that, instead they are always on the lookout for fresh skills and fresh ideas that may come from professionals from different industries.”

THE IMPORTANCE OF ADDING VALUE Craig’s role, essentially, is creating the network of relationships upon which the whole can be greater than the sum of the parts. Uniting businesses together to work for the benefit of the customers and in doing so adding significant value to this overall, multi-way relationship.

This is one of the reasons that he attributes to ABAX continuing to be busy throughout the Lockdown period. According to him, this is due to the company always striving to create value rather than just sell a product. He says that same added value becomes part of the customer’s value chain and an essential component to their success.

“Like a keystone in a roman arch within a grand cathedral, we serve a fundamental purpose beyond just providing items and products,” he says.

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Accessing this data conveniently is one of ABAX’s key products. A user can login to the system and from a single point see all aspects of their vehicles:trips, travel time, location, driving behaviour and more. It is a self-install system to keep up-to-date with one of the most essential components of business: your assets.

THE VALUE Accurate data is more important for businesses than ever. When it comes to broad challenges like climate change, fleet reliant businesses have been tasked with lowering their carbon emissions.

Clearly, knowing fuel usage and the driving habits of drivers provides a perfect chance to make real meaningful improvements. And when it comes to combating more specific challenges such as preventing the spread of airborne viruses, being able to map and trace the route of a vehicle allows them to monitor and stop contagions.

Obviously, the Holy Grail of any business is to be considered irreplaceable by your customers. So how have ABAX been able to create this situation?

It is easy to give lip service to the importance of adding value to a business’ products and services.

But the proof is in the pudding. Ongoing research, planning and development are the differentiating factors between those businesses that say they do and those that genuinely commit.

“Some businesses may look at their products and services and ask, ‘How can we develop this?’. They then concentrate on what their product is and see what improvements can be made,” Craig says, “However, adding value isn’t about bolting on extra things to what you already have. Adding real value requires identifying the major problems that your customers are facing. To understand the details of their industry and business even better than they do. What are they trying to achieve? What are their biggest goals? What is standing in their way?”

Once you have this information, he says, you then know what your product or service needs to do to help their business grow. And, this approach is ongoing; a continuous process of research, updating and learning that never ends. During the global crisis of Covid-19 and the resultant Lockdown, ABAX’s operations hardly slowed.

With some furloughs, and the majority of staff being easily able to work remotely, their range of value-added services were a perfect fit for their customers during this period.

Craig has seen this in action in in Larvik, in Norway where ABAX’s technology was directly used to trace the Corona Virus. This has allowed the municipality to create safety zones around nursing

homes and keep track of who is moving in and out them. It has also meant that telematics can be installed on critical equipment inside the car and monitored on a digital map. All of which has helped in bringing Norway out of Lockdown and reaching the new normal faster.

“With people not being able to go outside or travel, the use of delivery vehicles and fleets increased dramatically,” he says, “From Amazon, Deliveroo, to medical services to essential worker transport and even public transport all of these sectors use fleets and there was an unprecedented need for vehicle tracking and data.”

Particularly with insurance provider Zego entering into their thriving eco-system. All vehicles require insurance by law, but the traditional means of insurance is to pigeon-hole businesses and vehicle owners into certain categories, and charge rates according by category. This may have been the most reasonable approach at the turn of the

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century, but today it is possible to know with absolute accuracy the exact amount of time a vehicle is moving on the road. So, with this kind of data, why are traditional insurers keeping clients paying for their insurance when the vehicle is not on the road?

Examples of this would be GDPR or post Brexit changes.

“We are always getting ready to release new training,” he says, “Also, individuals can request to take on more modules to increase their expertise in certain areas and for their own learning and development. Everyone has a login so you can easily see what sort of courses are available.”

Zego chose ABAX out of a pool of 164 telematics companies that they could have worked with.

And, once this selection was made, it took only 78 working days to go from decision to implementation. By combining the most accurate vehicle usage data with the most appropriate insurance policies they are now able to offer the chance for fleet customers to pay a rate appropriate to their usage and driving style.

Unsurprisingly, ABAX values data regarding their staff’s development and their happiness. Wherever possible promotions happen from within and there is a strong Scandinavian influence seen in the work-life balance. Surveys are conducted as well as the use of the airport style red-buttongreen-button displays to measure the employee happiness and monthly PFUS (personal follow ups) are conducted. With 80% of the staff being fully happy and engaged Craig says that it makes good business sense to look after your staff because they are the ones looking after your customers.

“Now,” Craig says, “A customer can not only monitor the exact data of their vans, trucks or cars, be them part of a fleet or not. But they can also have insurance cover which reflects their usage and how their drivers drive. In times of crisis like what we’ve found ourselves in, this is what customers want the most. Control.”

RELATIONSHIP. THE REAL VALUE. Even more than some, Craig knows the value of relationships. His entire career has developed around being able to forge new relationships with people and strengthen those already in place. No matter what the industry or the size of a business, in order to create a strong eco-system, it’s all about building trust. He explains that this is why Zego chose to work with them over the 164 telematics providers that they looked at.

STAFF Great ideas and technology doesn’t just pop into existence. It has to be created, nurtured and grown by passionate people who believe they’re working for something important. With this in mind it’s no surprise that ABAX considers its staff to be their most valuable asset.

The company head office is in Norway and 350 staff work across the multiple international offices with thirty of these working in the UK. Each country has its own laws and regulations to follow which makes each office unique, but all of the staff are trained within the same ethos that has made ABAX the company it is.

The ABAX School is a learning portal that all staff must progress through. This helps get them on the same page, highlights what makes them unique in the industry and making sure that they understand the essential focusses of the business. Craig reveals that there are two main stages, global learning and then country learning.

Training lasts for around six weeks for new employees and is a combination of classroom and field based activities and programmes. Further to this, modules are released throughout the year to keep up with legislation changes and developments.

“We came out as a top provider because we were open and honest and wanted to forge a relationship based on that trust,” he says, “We asked questions and established exactly what it was that they wanted to achieve. Others were able to provide solutions, but we were interested in what the long term goal was and how we could help them reach it.”

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“All of the required information can come out of the telematic systems,” Craig says, “Auditors need to be able to sign it off so it has to be formatted correctly and calculated in the same way each year to accurately demonstrate a reduction in carbon emissions.”

He adds that they were all over this long before customers were even affected by it, highlighting the trigger points for each client and putting themselves in the position to produce that data and enabling auditors to sign off on it.

The issue was that many clients didn’t know that it was going to affect them.

Building relationships with likeminded businesses is everything. And the two companies matched on their ability to think, be agile and their approach to business. Zego’s head office is in London and is similar to the ABAX headquarters in Norway.

Including slides in the offices, branded T-shirts and active staff that are engaged, creative and excited.

“And if clients don’t know it’s a problem, they don’t ask for the solution,” he says, “It’s our job to highlight these things on their roadmap and show them where they are going and what to expect.

This is looking after them, this is value adding.

Identify the problem, explain it and give them a credible solution that can be actioned.”

2021 Discussing future plans is a big ask for ABAX. The company owns their entire value chain, including hardware and software and there is an entire contingent of tech guys whose job it is to analyse industry trends as they relate to clients and establish the direction of new developments.

They ask the question of what is coming next and then the business puts together what products will actually sell.

“It doesn’t matter what product or innovation you invent if nobody buys it,” Craig says, “And for a person to pay for something they must need it. The solution has to be useful.”

This could include physical things like dashcams or the ability to combine timesheet and vehicle data.

It could also include services such as conducting the research on legislation that could affect the industry and digest it for their customers.

For example, the aforementioned current and upcoming legislation on energy carbon. Businesses need to report energy usage of all vehicles and machines. Up until now managers only had to report their kilowatt hours for a building. Now they are faced with having to do a similar thing with vehicles.

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TSSN CARRIERS People Orientated Construction

BUSINESS

“Now we handle turnkey projects, with solutions for design, architecture, feasibility studies, civil engineering and actual construction as an integrated value chain,” he explains, “We have also diversified into property development.”

TSSN Carriers was founded in 2008 by businessman and entrepreneur Themba Dukes Nyathi. After earning a BA in Law from Wits University, and an MBA from Business School Netherlands in Europe, he was instrumental in the growth of MTN South Africa, one of the largest communications companies in Africa, where he worked for seventeen years as a senior Executive before building his own business.

CLIENTS

Specializing in services involved in the realm of civil, electrical engineering including plant hire, general building and manufacturing, water infrastructure provision and the consultation of engineering projects, TSSN Carriers has established itself as a reliable all-in-one solution provider to the industry.

Their main clients are primarily from rural social infrastructure projects that cater for the poor. As these include vital projects such as the building of schools, roads, water projects and social housing, it includes working and liaising with many rural and urban industrialised communities, unions and highly politicized groups.

“Over the last fourteen years since I founded the business,” Themba says, “We have been commissioned by and completed work for both the private and the public sector.”

He goes on to mention that despite the range of business services that his business offers today, that it all began with him working as a specialist general builder in the early 2000s and has grown organically from there.

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“Communication is the number one priority,” Themba explains, “All relationships and ideas begin from there and it is the best way to handle people.”

not just money. We also take over failed community projects and fully fund them from our balance sheet.”

RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT

STAFF With over 840 members directly and indirectly employed through subcontracted contracts Themba’s company provides a much needed source of employment and work for many communities.

Enabling his staff to gain important skills through accredited competencies in bricklaying, roofing, paving, electrical services, project management, plastering and more.

According to Themba, working with the right people with the right skill sets and experience has helped the company expand greatly. With this growth has come the ability to offer more in the way of services as well as being able to take on increasingly challenging projects.

“In 2008 our order book was under R20 million a year, today in 2019 alone our order book has grown substantially, exceeding R840 million,” he says, “And much of this can be attributed to our focus being on quality and sustainable growth and

Themba explains that one of his philosophies is to be very particular with hiring and will only hire self -motivated goal orientated individuals. Choosing not to hire those traditional employees who see the company as just an opportunity to draw a salary, he prefers those who have the same perspective as he.

“Our key staff on projects must be self-made business people who consider TSSN as a training ground for their own future businesses,” he says, “With a strong entrepreneurial mindset and a determination to succeed and complete targets.”

He goes on to add, “I see it as a sign of a strong company that highly trained and professional staff members choose to stay rather than set up themselves.”

INNOVATION A big believer in ABT, Alternative Building Technologies, Themba is an ambassador for innovation and change in his industry and has spent much time convincing and guiding his customers to use the latest cutting edge technologies and methodologies.

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“Our processes are automated and supported by the latest data processing technologies such as CCS,” he says, “And our approach follows the same commitment.”

This has resulted in a number of community hurdles that had to be carefully handled, but even so there was still political interference from community structures, continuous striking over allocation of houses and political pressure from upon high.

He goes on to explain that in Cape Town they are building social housing flats using ABT and that this project doesn’t involve any bricks. The flats are environmentally friendly, using moulds and a special patented mixture instead of bricks and mortar. In winter the units absorb heat efficiently and in summer it is discharged evenly, offering all the standards of a brick house but with limited environmental impact.

“It was a frustrating time,” Themba recalls, “However it was understandable as we had to demolish a shack and build a house in its place and this causes a lot of inconvenience and concern for the community. The other contractors had left them in such a state that there were times when the community seemed to be actively against the project.”

COMMUNITY FOCUSSED Themba recalls one of the projects that TSSN were involved in that he considers to be a triumph for the business.

The project consisted of demolishing an informal settlement at Empumelweni, Witbank Mpumalanga and designing, planning and constructing over three thousand formal dignified houses to accommodate over twenty thousand people who could not have otherwise afforded such accommodation.

This was not a straight forward process, as he explains, “The community had unfortunately been taken advantage of by other contractors,” he says, “They had not delivered and this poor service and failure to complete the project had left them hopeless and without any trust.”

With dogged determination however, the project was completed, and the community finally had a neighbourhood they could be proud of. The overall quality of life of the residence improved and TSSN were acknowledged by the community. It took three years to complete and it won them one of the Contractor of The Year status by the Mpumalanga government.

FUTUREPROOFING Themba has been in the industry for long enough to know the importance of taking on diverse challenges such as the Empumelweni project, and the importance of keeping up with the latest technologies, techniques and developments in the industry. In fact, he reveals that he likes to expose himself to as many varied techniques from as many different sources as possible.

“I keep abreast of all the construction benchmarks and travel the world to see the latest construction and engineering trends,” he reveals, “I find that different countries manage challenges and problems in different ways.

This reminds me to keep an open mind and to explore different solutions whenever my business comes up against one.”

INDUSTRY HURDLES AND SOLUTIONS Exceeding a client’s expectations is a target that Themba drives his business to aim for. Not only because the only way to stand out against the competition is to be better in all aspects than them, but also because clients deserve to be happily surprised.

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To create a company that can consistently do this is not a simple thing, Themba reveals that one of the biggest challenges facing the industry at the moment is a lack of skills not only in the hands-on building industry but in financial analysts, project managers, process and civil engineers and specialist technicians.

“South Africa suffers from a skills exodus,” he admits, “Graduates leave school and head abroad for better opportunities, but the issue is endemic of the schooling and educational system and not just because people think the grass is greener overseas.”

Themba’s response is to provide vocational, experiential learnerships and graduate programs that allow them to train up new staff members while they work and earn. Allowing the business to tap into the rich resource of those who learn better on the job. A man with his eye always on the future for his business, community and country, Themba believes that the educational system in South Africa could do with a revamp.

“I think the system needs to change to focus on real skills that are required by industries like they do in Japan and East Asia,” he says, “These areas are seeing economic growth on an exponential factor

while our more traditional educational systems today produce irrelevant skills, creating a gap between what is needed and what is known which graduates have to jump across.”

2020 The new year is going to be an exciting one for TSSN Carriers with a number of promising projects in the Western Cape and Kwa Zulu Natal.

These include building one of the biggest education facilities in deep rural KZN Pongola through private public partnerships. For the first time the black rural villagers will have an educational facility complete with swimming pools, tennis courts, laboratories, computer centres etc. The facility will also service the whole community and provide a high standard of education for everyone.

“By doing our part to build up the communities we set the platform for them to do great things in the future,” he says.

COMPANY ADDRESS: 222 Rivonia Rd, Sandton TELEPHONE: 0027 (0) 83 222 7412 EMAIL: info@tssn.co.za WEBSITE: www.tssncarriers.co.za

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EXCLUSIVE TENTS The only place to be is in the thick of it Irrespective of whether a destination is a glamping site, a hotel or a resort, innovation in hospitality is often reliant on the pioneering spirit of the suppliers. It is a cycle of challenge and solution.

This dance of supplier and customer is the engine that produces the marvellous and out-of-thisworld destinations that enthrals, and delights travellers like us.

Not only one of the leading suppliers of safari tents globally, but also one of the most trusted, Exclusive Tents are often found wherever there is a new idea or a “never done before” project. With Founder Paul Zway often standing right in the middle of it in his khaki shorts.

Paul, who is a self -confessed weather junky, explains that he always has a satellite weather window open on his computer to keep aware of what is taking place. So, he was aware of the weather that Cambodia was having at the time but not the severity of what was taking place on the ground. In fact, it wasn’t until the next day that he received a message from Valentin telling that he and his family were safe.

Featured several times already by The Logbook, Paul has always enjoyed being in the thick of it, whether it was his seventeen years working as an anti-poacher in deepest Africa or his twenty odd years producing the most incredible tented projects. He is in every way an all-or-nothing kind of guy and this counts for a great deal for his customers and clients, or as he would refer to them, his friends.

“The lodge had survived inclement weather for years without any problems,” Paul reveals, “But this was an out of the ordinary flood and when it struck early in the morning Valentin’s wife and kids and some staff were on the lodge.”

4 RIVERS 4 Rivers is a floating lodge resort in Cambodia, that Paul and his team have worked with for roughly ten years. Being the first floating lodge and floating glamping site in the world, 4 Rivers is owned by Valentin Pawlik who built the lodge from scratch. Valentin has worked hand in hand with Paul to create a resort that stands as a testament to ambition, pioneering and friendships.

It was a matter of life and death and it was the local villagers who got into their boats and braved the water to go and help rescue the people off the lodge. Then they had to abandon the lodge until the waters had died down.

“Valentin literally had to watch the business he had built largely with his own hands get swept away down a river,” Paul relates.

“It is a two way street,” Paul admits, “That is how friendships work, Valentin and I have worked together for over a decade and I learn as much from him as he does from me.”

Once the waters had died down, they then had to track down the lodge and luckily it had been caught on the bank further down the river and had not been dragged out to the ocean, but it was completely wrecked.

Customer relations is easy when things are going well, but a relationship’s strength is tested the most when things go wrong. This was the case just over a year ago when 4 Rivers Floating Lodge was struck by one of the area’s worst floods in recent history.

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repair work had to be done for the tents and the furniture inside. What followed was a process of engineering genius as Valentin manufactured his own replacement parts for the steel frames and recruited a sail maker who came in to do the best stitching repair work ever seen, or not seen as it were.

“We supplied them with various replacement tent parts and the smaller component parts such as eyelets, punches and zippers,” Paul says, “We stayed in regular contact offering advice where it was needed and generally just making sure that things were going the way he wanted.”

“To his credit,” Paul says, “Despite seeing the wreckage he didn’t think for a second of giving up.”

During this period, Paul also took to task to make sure that people knew that Four Rivers Floating Lodge was reopening. Sharing this story of triumph and doing his bit to help market and encourage the regrowth.

Instead, he called Paul and they began making plans. For those who know the pair this sort of “get busy” attitude is a characteristic that they share.

Paul told him to assess the damage first and to let him know what Exclusive Tents could do to help.

THE RESULT 4 Rivers Floating Lodge is now opened again and benefits from all the hard lessons learnt. 4 Rivers is now much stronger, safer and ready for guests to enjoy the tranquillity that this experiential destination offers. Valentin has developed and manufactured the new floating lodge which is now tethered to the island where the water has

THE ADVANTAGE OF REBUILDING According to Paul, Valentin has been an absolute inspiration during the period of rebuilding. Despite the insurance money and compensation that he was due not being received and having to pull themselves back to their feet with next to no budget, he took complete control of the lodge’s rebuilding and set himself the task of applying all the lessons that this tragedy had taught him.

“As Four Rivers was one of the first floating lodges, Valentin didn’t have anyone to turn to for advice on repairing nor could afford to pay any professional consultants,” Paul explains, “He started off having to be a one-person expert out of necessity and found himself having to do the same thing over again.”

They salvaged what they could and fortunately had some new tents in storage that they could erect. The original platforms had done the job very well but some were seriously damaged but with lessons learned, Valentin came up with a floating concrete concept which would be way more stable a platform. He designed them and then made the new platforms which have made a huge difference and created more versatility to the floating concept. A great amount of the

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THE FLOATING LODGE CONCEPT

less velocity. Also, he used to run power from the island through the river, that has changed and been redesigned to be more practical. He has also evolved his platforms from hollow vessels to floating concrete platforms and he has figured out how to do it on his own.

In locations with sensitive eco systems, such as jungle islands the floating lodge concept allows the creation of a hospitality destination that doesn’t leave any footprint. This has always been something that Paul has favoured, his tents after all offer permanent structures that can be easily moved and re-erected somewhere else.

Now, easily one of the most experienced and skilled engineers in the realm of floating lodges, Paul has brought in Valentin as a consultant for a project in the Maldives where a floating lodge concept has been put forward.

The idea of a lodge floating on a concrete platform, anchored to the floor of a river bed or the protected ocean floor also produces many other benefits than just bringing the guest closer to nature in a unique environment. For islands it means that the island can remain practically untouched, opening up more opportunity for engaging and educational tours on the land itself.

Also, a floating lodge with an anchor would create natural shade and becomes a haven for marine life and if the lodge wanted to expand it could do so without damaging or disrupting this ecological benefit.

“You cannot put a price on the experience he has in this field,” Paul says, “On all sides of it.”

He adds, “What Valentin has told me about this experience has been a learning curve. I’ve learnt enough about it to talk about the floating lodge concept which many people are getting excited about.”

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According to Paul, it creates a far more dramatic connection with your environment.

“Let’s say that you create an opening in the platform, you close that up with glass, then you set the tent up over that and you get a direct view into the ocean,” he says.

Another example of the greatest advantage for ROI, would be, if you have a small island with maximum space for ten tents. By using a floating lodge system, assuming that it works with the coastline and the currents, you can double the capacity on a floating lodge, so instead of getting a return on ten tents you can get forty etc.

Paul explains that to pull off such projects, like the one that is planned in the Maldives, it takes knowing which suppliers to rely on to handle the logistics.

“In French Polynesia and the Maldives, you get these concepts on stilts because it offers guests a different feeling, however it is still a hotel, just on stilts,” Paul says, “But experientially a floating lodge is different to everything else out there. You could even do it on lakes, shallow coastal locations and of course rivers.”

As an example, the question of dealing with waste material is an obvious one that keeps bobbing to the surface.

“You have to consider these things at the planning stages,” he says, “And I already work with a manufacturer in the UK who specialises in containerised sanitation and we’ve been speaking about how he could integrate his system into a floating platform.”

Then, if you want to move the lodge you can tow the entire hotel to a new area.

Paul goes on to point out that water is not an asset that has been used for building and there is always a distance between guest and water. This concept narrows that gap more than ever before.

Paul goes on to explain that his supplier’s system produces grey water from waste which is clean enough to be purified into potable drinking water.

This is useful if the lodge is on a remote island away from a natural water source. Or if necessary, it can be released safely back into the ocean.

“We are going to see more of this, the concept is picking up,” Paul says, “And it is only fair to say that Valentin is very much the pioneer responsible.”

Exclusive Tents International Ltd WEBSITE: www.exclusivetents.com

THE ROI FOR INVESTORS

TELEPHONE: 1-520-261-4634

Whether you’re a hospitality investor or just a traveller, the concept of a floating lodge and the obvious benefits in today’s ecoengineering conscious environment should get you very excited. For those seeking a calculable ROI there are other important things to consider.

Firstly, staying in a tent is sexy. You’re protected from the elements but in direct contact with nature so whatever is in the environment, be it grass lands or trees, or water, you’re going to feel involved in all of it. Put that on water and you have another element that enhances that feeling. You get all the sounds, sensations and movement.

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LOOKING TO THE FUTURE WITH ESSMA Article by Gavin Harper

The European Stadium & Safety Management Association (ESSMA) was founded in 1996 by former PSG President Lionel Dreksler. Since 2008, John Beattie (Stadium and Facilities Director at Arsenal FC) has been President of the Association.

In 2011, ESSMA created its new Executive Committee and Advisory Committee with respected members from various European top clubs and federations.

THE IMPACT OF COVID-19 The (temporary) lockdown across all Europe competitions has disrupted the industry. Even though, most competitions are gradually restarting again, the long-term consequences cannot be underestimated. According to ESSMA research the short-term challenges linked to matchday operations are focussed on selection of personnel that can attend, testing procedures & protection for staff and modified safety protocols.

ESSMA offers a platform to stadium professionals where they can share, learn and discuss topics related to ESSMA’s areas of expertise: Development & Construction, Operations & Ticketing, Sustainability & SMART, Safety & Security, Fan Experience & Hospitality and Pitch Management.

In 2021, they will celebrate their 25th anniversary and hopefully kick-off the festivities during the annual ESSMA Summit, which should take place next January at Allianz Stadium. TLE Business recently caught up with ESSMA Managing Director, Cyril De Greve, to find out more about what they do.

Clubs should also take a look into improving the circulation/crowd management, sharing information towards their supporters and perhaps even thinking about decreasing the overall stadium capacity.

From ESSMA’s perspective, the most significant impact has been the cancellation of their annual Safety & Security Workshop in Marseille, as well as monthly visits to members across Europe.

To overcome this period without physical knowledge sharing opportunities, they launched a webinar series mid-March to stay connected with members. Later this month, they also plan to launch their fifth ESSMA Webinar where Borussia Mönchengladbach will share their experiences on organising matches behind closed doors. Topics of the previous webinars include:

ESSMA work closely with over 350 European clubs, stadiums, leagues and federation on the further development of the industry. With this strong European network, they discuss industryrelated topics, reach common insights and organise networking events to share knowledge and best practices.

Several European rugby organisations including IRFU and LNR (Ligue Nationale de Rugby – France) and its members (Aviva Stadium, Stade Toulousain, Connacht Rugby, etc.) are part of the ESSMA Community. Furthermore, FC Barcelona, Arsenal FC, PSG, AFC Ajax, FC Bayern München and other top clubs are long-standing ESSMA Members.

• Tackling COVID-19 at Juventus • Building the best fan zone with insights from SL Benfica and Brøndby IF

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• Turning your matchday staff into club ambassadors at Milwaukee Bucks • The impact of hospitality segmentation on the development projects of Everton FC and Liverpool FC

high-pressure cleaning, contactless access and self-testing kits.

In Europe several competitions are re-starting their season behind closed doors. As fans are not allowed yet, clubs are looking for creative solutions to get in touch with their fans and to still get them involved during matches. For example, Aarhus GF developed a virtual grandstand so fans can join the game via a livestream. While Borussia Mönchengladbach installed doppelgangers of its fans across the stadium.

THE CHANGING INDUSTRY It’s a challenging time for sports venues worldwide. Research amongst ESSMA members shows that 57% believe the stadium capacity will be reduced while 35% believe the stadium capacity will become more flexible. Furthermore, out of the participating clubs, 92% of them believe that the willingness of fans to attend matches will decrease.

At ESSMA, they are trying to gathering insights across Europe and are trying to support their members on how to deal with the current COVID-19 crisis. Recently, ESSMA launched a preliminary report on the impact of COVID-19 on sponsorship alternatives and enhancing the (virtual) matchday experience.

“To run a stadium in an profitable way, a vaccine seems indispensable. Even when social distancing is reduced to one meter, it will be below the lower limit to efficiently run a business,” said Declan O’Brien, Operations & Events Manager at the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) and longstanding ESSMA Executive Committee Member – However, research conducted by ESSMA also showed that there will be a faster breakthrough of several technologies such as thermal CCTV,

THE THREE MAIN CHALLENGES Even though every stadium has its own unique challenges and taking the cultural differences between countries into account, according to ESSMA’s research there are three main challenges.

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First of all, expanding the stay of fans inside the stadium is a key challenge. Not only from a commercial point of view, where having people longer inside the stadium will make them spend more, but also to decrease the waiting lines at entry points and concession stands. And of course, stadium design plays a major role in this.

events before, their primary reason not to attend is the fear of violence. It is ESSMA’s mission to entice these people into stadiums by organising safety and security below the surface, while also providing them with a fantastic experience they will never forget.

ESSMA recognises that when stadiums offer a convenient space with entertainment, people come earlier.

EVOLVING THE FAN EXPERIENCE Given the current COVID-19 pandemic, the stadium industry is experiencing new and difficult challenges linked to social distancing and playing matches behind closed doors, or with a limited capacity.

At the old White Hart Lane, Tottenham Hotspur FC had the worst score in terms of fan arrivals, in the newly-built stadium, opened just over a year ago, they are topping the list. Secondly, the importance of experiences cannot be underestimated. Giving people a qualitative offer, both towards hospitality guests and the general public. Apart from the quality, the range of offers seems to increase as well. An interesting evolution is that the price range is expanding as well, as the cheapest ticket options became cheaper and the premium products became even more expensive.

This all helps to provide a more segmented and personalised offer.

In terms of the evolution of the matchday experience, Cyril believes technology will become an increasingly important aspect in the upcoming years.

In particular reference to 5G technology, which is bringing a new approach towards the matchday experience.

In the USA, 5G is already quitespread in the NFL competitions, while in Europe, there are only a few clubs including FC Bayern MĂźnchen, VfL Wolfsburg and FC Barcelona who have already implemented the technology.

Lastly, with the terror threat, the priority of safety and security is understandable and stadiums should look for ways to close the gap between safety and matchday experience. Looking at research on people who never attended stadium

www.essma.eu

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ASSAIA APRON AI AI. A Complete Overview More efficient and safer air travel through use of computer vision/artificial intelligence

With demand for air travel expected to double before 2040, there has never been a greater need for Artificially Intelligent technology to support human teams in-charge of airport efficiency, safety and innovation. And, with so many areas in the industry that could benefit from this support, airports are now asking which innovative businesses are bringing the most inspiring and intelligent products to the table.

understand what is really happening within airports in real-time. Providing accurate and clear data that can speed up decision making processes and limit risk.

The core product, The Apron AI, ingests video streams (preferably from existing cameras) and turns this video data into structured data. This is typically timestamped about turnaround events (e.g. bridge connected, catering on stand, pushback truck connected…). Furthermore, the AI can be trained to recognize any events of interest that are visible on the available video streams.

One company that is creating waves in the air travel industry is Assaia, who’s product Apron AI has had notable success and rave reviews from some of the busiest airports. We spoke with Chief Customer Officer Christiaan Hen, who shared his perspective on how they are changing the future of air travel.

It is a system that learns and offers a predictive analysis which assists airlines and airports with managing their operations. Currently there are a number of airports which are being prepared for a full roll out, while 20-30 pilot programmes are being trialled across the globe. The aim of these pilot programmes is to demonstrate to potential customers the capabilities and value that the product can provide.

“Innovation can hold a different meaning depending on what you are looking to improve,” Christiaan explains, “At Assaia, we ambitiously demonstrate innovation by using AI to deliver real-time situational awareness that eliminates ambiguity between airports, airlines and handlers.”

THE TEAM

APRON AI

The relatively young and rapidly expanding team started on their product roughly a year and a half ago after identifying the need in the industry for more insightful data. They introduced their AI

As specialists in the aviation industry, Assaia provides reliable software solutions that create insight into ongoing turnarounds to help

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computer vision technology and the company has been on a non-stop flight and soaring to new heights ever since.

slowing down. Being proactive and able to keep up with the demand and meeting the needs of airlines and airports is both a challenge and juggling act.

While they have been faced with many different opportunities to use their technology for various sectors, their focus is exclusively on being the full solution provider within the aviation industry.

Additionally, the challenge of ambiguity is the operational enemy for almost any industry, especially for air travel which relies on precision data to make minute-by-minute decisions. Assaia is one of the very few solutions that aims to break the cycle by positioning all three entities of wins, losses and improvement opportunities on equal ground and in real-time.

Geographically the team is sprawled out, but this doesn’t stop them from being close knit and staying in contact with each other multiple times a day. This has helped foster a real spirit of reliability, an essential skill required when working on such large-scale projects remotely as a team.

AI IN ACTION Rather than just selling a product, Christiaan and his team spend time working intimately with their clients to help fully understand their needs.

Once they have identified the areas that require support, technological solutions are presented to help them solve the issue at hand.

INNOVATIVE POWER There are many motivating factors when it comes to creating new technologies and solutions, but for Assaia’s Apron AI, innovation is the driving force behind their product.

Christiaan reveals that clients who are getting on board with the technology include the likes of British Airways, Swissport and Finavia just to name a few. This list is set to grow soon as more airports get a taste for how AI technologies can vastly improve their operational capacities.

And it doesn’t end at the creation process; according to Christiaan, innovation is part of the Assaia culture and is an attitude that the company is built on. Being one of the first to offer a unique technology that is still new to airports is something to be excited about and it is this pioneering spirit that helps the team push the boundaries within the industry.

“Recently,” he says, “Our collaboration with the Cincinnati Northern Kentucky International Airport gave us the opportunity to demonstrate the value of our technologies in a bustling airport environment. The project involved a trial of the Apron AI software which spanned over three months, allowing adequate time for testing different innovations and tech.”

CHALLENGES Like every business there is a fair share of challenges to contend with and the air travel industry is constantly growing with no sign of

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strategy that provided advantages and clear returns on investment across their portfolio of services.”

The industry is fastpaced and competitive and constantly involves being a step ahead of the game. With that in mind, Brian admits he is enjoying the distinct and marketable advantage he currently has over competing airports.

“Leveraging the Apron AI technology,” he says, “Has allowed us to demonstrate to airline partners that our service level commitments are among the best. This will be a pivotal milestone for the team as we will be able to share real-life examples of how the AI technology is assisting the air travel industry, and to witness the benefits in action.”

The team worked closely with Cincinnati Northern Kentucky International Airport’s Chief of Innovation Brian Cobb, to try and resolve some of the challenges the airport faced. This involved looking at how the technology could alleviate some of these pressures and one of the major challenges was a common theme experienced by many other airports. The limited insight into the real-time turnaround of an aircraft.

As proof of how the technology is solving some of the industry’s biggest challenges, there is also the aim to develop further use of machine learning based predictions for aircraft statuses instead of the current human generated estimates. This represents a progressive step for the air travel industry.

Brian explains that as he is now responsible for CVG Airport’s brand commitments to efficiency and airline performance, he needs as much accurate data as possible.

“Assaia gives me the immediate advantage of monitoring and reporting all phases of ground movement in and around each aircraft,” he says, “It is a complete overview.”

WHAT LIES AHEAD? As 2020 inches closer, Christiaan assures us that the only plan Assaia has, is to expand their technology and continue to be an influential innovator within their industry.

Great innovations are found through creating advantages like this which allow for valuable data to be collected and analysed efficiently. This in turn assists the airport management and their airlines and handlers to improve their operational effectiveness and safety.

”Artificial Intelligent programmes may seem like tomorrow’s technology, but we are harnessing it today,” he says, “By working together with airports we will find new areas where our solutions can be used, and new ways to innovate Together, we are helping shape the future of air travel.”

ADVANTAGES “Assaia’s Artificial Intelligence capacity is intriguing,” Brian says, “Our industry must always close gaps in the map of the customer’s travel journey, so we must futureproof ourselves beyond merely trendy solutions. After working with Assaia through a short and straightforward pilot test of the product line we quickly envisioned a long-term

If you want to see for yourself how the Apron AI product works, check out the online demo at www.assaia.com/tmc WEBSITE: www.assaia.com

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BRUSSELS AIRPORT CONSULTING Improving Stadium Experiences Article by Gavin Harper

they have to increase their maturity in terms of safety and security.

Brussels Airport Consulting launched last year with the aim of improving customer experiences at venues. With expertise in the airport sector, their initial target was there, but they are also looking at public venues, hospitals and stadiums.

“They asked us to do an independent evaluation of where they were to define the elements that have to be put in place, even to come to a minimum standard.

TLE Business caught up with Maxime Prouvost, Marketing and Sales Manager, and General Manager Bart Seuntjens, to find out more. “We aim to providing services to the airport sector, but also other industries, such as stadiums, public venues, and hospitals,” Maxime explained.

“That was what we did in the in the first phase, and then in the first half of 2020, we have developed with them their security plan.

Whether that is through helping with customer flow, improving the fan experience at a stadium or increasing security measures through the installation of new technology, Brussels Airport Consulting aims to help businesses, whether they are international airports, or top-class sports teams, look to the future.

“We also created a tool by which they are now much more efficient in staffing stewards, and they understand what costs are implied by staffing different kinds of stewards.”

Bart explained: “We have five core competencies - airport operations, security, safety, customer experience and cargo.

Brussels Airport Consulting also looked flow management at the nearly-13,000 seater stadium. “We applied the DIM-ICE methodology, the DIM stands for Design Information and Management.

So, when you when you try to evaluate the safety and security at that stadium, you just look into these three elements in terms of the infrastructure of the stadium.

“Some of them are really focused on airport because of the background of the company.

But most of the capabilities we have could be translated to other industries such as safety, security, and that’s why we have recently become a partner of ESSMA.” One of their projects has been at Royal Antwerp FC, as the ambitious club looks to ensure its Bosuilstadion home is fit for purpose should they earn a spot in one of European football’s major tournaments.

“Information is really related to the communication, like signs and speakers; and management is related to all different kinds of management in the stadium.”

Bart said: “They had specific requests to evaluate, initially, their security level.

“They are very ambitious and would like to play on the European level, so, looking at their development over the last five years, it is clear that

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“After the terrorist attacks Brussels Airport was confronted with on the 22 March 2016, you quickly saw the restart of the airport.

Bart explained that ICE is related to ingress, circulation and egress - ensuring fans flow efficiently around the stadium before, during and after the match.

“This is a different situation, but it does mean, I think, that we are credible to also support other organisations with the restart. “That is maybe one of the opportunities that are currently there.

And as the business attempts to stabilise following the disruption caused by COVID-19 all over the world, Bart admitted it has been a period of reevaluating. He knows that innovation may be key going forward.

When asked about their desire to grow the business further still, the duo are completely aligned. Maxime emphasised the ambition of Brussels Airport Consulting: “we have a vision and an ambition to be a global consulting firm.

“It drives us also to be innovative, to look into maybe other ways of generating business,” he said, while adding they have had to make alterations to their original plans because of the impact of COVID-19.

“We are in the start-up phase, and our current focus is on Europe, including the UK.”

Bart does, though, believe experience of overcoming difficult situations previously will stand them in good stead.

EMAIL: maxime.prouvost@avertim.be

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