B I S H O P S
Driving Diversification Bishops remains committed to propelling progress in the Pacific Islands via industrial enablement as a one-stop shop operator Writer: Jonathan Dyble | Project Manager: Donovan Smith
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he Pacific Islands are renowned as one of the world’s most dispersed, diverse regions. Home to a multitude of archipelago countries, comprising over 25,000 islands that span an area equivalent to around 15 percent of the earth’s surface, it’s a territory famed for exploration and adventure. This reputation is unlikely to change any time soon, owed to the geographic formation and unique cultural personalities of many of these outcrops that define such characteristics. However, in more recent times, some of the Pacific Islands’ more preeminent nations have equally begun to industrialise and modernise. Take Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands, for instance. Both traditionally agricultural economies, the pair have increasingly begun to leverage their natural resource bases in recent decades, be it the oil and gas industry in the former or the minerals industry through gold mining in the latter – a shift that Bishops has capitalised on since its formation in 1972.
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“In PNG in particular, with both major projects and smaller projects muted to commence in the coming years, the economic conditions will continue to improve dramatically,” Len Pianta (pictured above), the company’s General Manager, reveals. A quick glance at the World Bank’s national economic outlook shows that such predictions ring true, the organisation forecasting real GDP growth in PNG to reach five percent during 2019, primarily driven by increased production in the extractives sector. “With these projects will come a mini boom during the construction stages, followed by added economic value once they’re fully operational,” Pianta adds, citing optimism for Bishops’ role to play in facilitating the success of such developments as the largest industrial tools supplier in PNG and indeed the Solomon Islands.
Expansion and extension
Having spoken with Pianta in August 2018, the GM was previously quick to highlight that the firm’s emphasis on holding partnerships in the highest esteem were crucial to its operations.
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