EME Outlook - issue 40

MARELLI | TRUMPF GROUP

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ANT YAPI GROUP Construction, development and people-centric operation

KAOLIN EAD The oldest operating mining firm in Bulgaria

Making

Machinery KR Pfiffner Group and its innovative, forward-thinking approach in manufacturing

Mark Fox, CEO at Roadchef, reveals how the company has responded to the reality of serving a nation in lockdown

DESIGNWILKES | BUKALAPAK

RENDEAVOUR | MOTUS AFRICA

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DIGISTICS Enabling South Africa’s world-class supply chains

GREEN RESOURCES Sustainable and peoplecentric forestry business

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BAR LOUIE | ELM COMPANIES

MARELLI | TRUMPF GROUP

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ANT YAPI GROUP

Gold Fields Australia

Construction, development and people-centric operation

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KEYTRONIC Offering a unique blend of high caliber design, engineering and manufacturing services

KAOLIN EAD The oldest operating mining firm in Bulgaria

Gold Fields Australia showcases the potential of employee, environment, and community-centric business, we spoke to Stuart Mathews, Executive Vice President: Australasia, to learn more

Manufacturing South Africa

A NEW FRONTIER

Making

We talk to PACCAR about the company’s progressive mission to place innovation, sustainability, and people-centric values at the forefront of business

Machinery

Johan Steyn, Managing Director at Aerosud, discusses his organisation’s position as the manufacturer of choice for some of the largest aerospace firms worldwide

KR Pfiffner Group and its innovative, forward-thinking approach in manufacturing

Mining Indaba Virtual 2021 In a celebration of the African mining sector, Mining Indaba returns for 2021 in a virtual format

Le Hoang Diep Thao tells the story of the rise of TNI King Coffee, a Vietnamese coffee brand and café franchise

Mark Fox, CEO at Roadchef, reveals how the company has responded to the reality of serving a nation in lockdown

Andrew Kimmel of AuraNexus, discusses how the organization is personalizing learning at scale across the United States

mining sector, Mining Indaba returns for 2021 in a virtual format Mining Indaba Virtual 2021 In a celebration of the African

Coffee, a Vietnamese coffee brand and café franchise Le Hoang Diep Thao tells the story of the rise of TNI King

responded to the reality of serving a nation in lockdown Mark Fox, CEO at Roadchef, reveals how the company has

is personalizing learning at scale across the United States Andrew Kimmel of AuraNexus, discusses how the organization

South Africa Manufacturing

Making

Tell us your story, Australia Fields andGold we’ll tell the world. centric forestry business Sustainable and people-

RESOURCES GREEN

mining firm in Bulgaria The oldest operating

world-class supply chains Enabling South Africa’s

and people-centric operation Construction, development

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people-centric values at the forefront of business mission to place innovation, sustainability, and We talk to PACCAR about the company’s progressive

Australasia, to learn more Stuart Mathews, Executive Vice President: community-centric business, we spoke to potential of employee, environment, and Gold Fields Australia showcases the

KAOLIN EAD

DIGISTICS

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FRONTIER A NEW

Machinery forward-thinking approach in manufacturing KR Pfiffner Group and its innovative,

of the largest aerospace firms worldwide organisation’s position as the manufacturer of choice for some Johan Steyn, Managing Director at Aerosud, discusses his

ANT YAPI GROUP

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manufacturing services caliber design, engineering and Offering a unique blend of high

KEYTRONIC

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Issue 02

Africa Outlook, APAC Outlook, EME Outlook and North America Outlook are digital and print publications aimed at boardroom and hands-on decision-makers, reaching an audience of more than 800,000 people around the world; spanning the full range of industrial sectors.

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WELCOME

Signs of Recovery

EDITORIAL Editor: Sean Galea-Pace sean.galea-pace@outlookpublishing.com Editor: Marcus Kääpä marcus.kappa@outlookpublishing.com Junior Editor: Phoebe Harper phoebe.harper@outlookpublishing.com

With the world slowly beginning to look a little

PRODUCTION Production Director: Stephen Giles steve.giles@outlookpublishing.com

more recognisable to the one we used to know,

Senior Designer: Devon Collins devon.collins@outlookpublishing.com

it is a pleasure to warmly welcome you to our 40th edition of Europe and Middle East Outlook

Junior Designer: Matt Loudwell matt.loudwell@outlookpublishing.com

magazine!

BUSINESS Managing Director: Ben Weaver ben.weaver@outlookpublishing.com

As always, inside these pages we have exclusive and comprehensive

Sales Director: Nick Norris nick.norris@outlookpublishing.com

reports with industry-leading and world-renowned companies that are

Operations Director: James Mitchell james.mitchell@outlookpublishing.com Commercial Director: Joshua Mann joshua.mann@outlookpublishing.com HEADS OF PROJECTS Callam Waller callam.waller@outlookpublishing.com Eddie Clinton eddie.clinton@outlookpublishing.com Thomas Arnold thomas.arnold@outlookpublishing.com TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR Vivek Valmiki vivek.valmiki@outlookpublishing.com SALES MANAGERS Donovan Smith donovan.smith@outlookpublishing.com Josh Hyland josh.hyland@outlookpublishing.com

leading from the front within their respective industries.

And manufacturing takes centre stage in our cover feature this month as Andreas Ewald, CEO of KR Pfiffner Group, discusses his organisation’s innovative approach that acts as its competitive advantage within Switzerland.

“Globally we have one of the highest drives towards innovation comparatively, and we have very good universities as well as industry research and development,” comments Ewald. “In Switzerland, we also have a long tradition in high quality workmanship and high-quality product delivery - I think that’s what makes our industry so strong.”

Elsewhere in the magazine, we spoke to Ant Yapi Group about its global place at the fore of the construction industry. Like so many sectors across

Ryan Gray ryan.gray@outlookpublishing.com

the world, construction was significantly impacted by the COVID-19

PROJECT MANAGERS

pandemic, however, with signs of recovery beginning to show, Murat

David Knott david.knott@outlookpublishing.com Matthew Taylor matthew.taylor@outlookpublishing.com Nicholas Kernan nicholas.kernan@outlookpublishing.com

Vural, Group CFO at Ant Yapi Group, remains optimistic. “There is a huge range of opportunities to develop and realise in the sector,” he says. “Recovering obviously has started giving a new impetus to the development of the construction market.”

ADMINISTRATION Finance Director: Suzanne Welsh suzanne.welsh@outlookpublishing.com Office Manager: Daniel George daniel.george@outlookpublishing.com CONTACT EME Outlook East Wing, Ground Floor, 69-75 Thorpe Road, Norwich, Norfolk, NR1 1UA, United Kingdom.

Sales: +44 (0) 1603 959 652 Editorial: +44 (0) 1603 959 657 SUBSCRIPTIONS Tel: +44 (0) 1603 959 657 sean.galea-pace@outlookpublishing.com www.emeoutlookmag.com Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/emeoutlook Follow us on Twitter: @eme_outlook

Also, be sure to check out our exclusive interview with Dr Wolf Harlfinger, CEO at Kaolin, as he discusses the state of mining in Bulgaria today.

“Kaolin is the oldest operating mining company in Bulgaria,” he explains.

“The pride in our tradition is a stimulus for corporate continuity. It is not the short-term success we are striving for, but the long-term and sustainable partnership with our clients and the community around us.”

And before you go, read our in-depth reports with Imprima Group, Marelli, 2getthere, Cornaglia, GM Architects, TRUMPF and more!

Enjoy the issue!

Sean Galea-Pace Editor, Outlook Publishing EME Outlook issue 40 | 3

CONTENTS

14

18 REGULARS

6 NEWS

TOPICAL FOCUS

Around Europe and the Middle East in seven stories

24 SUSTAINABILITY Lahti – Europe’s Green Capital of 2021

8 EXPERT EYE An insight into the true meaning of digital transformation

BUSINESS INSIGHT

12

12 TECHNOLOGY Swapcard

A closer look at Lahti, the Finnish city championing eco-innovation

126 THE FINAL WORD If you could offer one piece of advice for a young entrepreneur entering your industry, what would it be?

Change and digitalisation in the events industry

14 RETAIL Serving the UK’s Commute A leading UK roadside service area operator

18 MANUFACTURING A Home for the Future Streamlining solutions within home automation

24 4 | EME Outlook issue 40

68

EME OUTLOOK MAGAZINE

78

86

104 F E AT U R E S

28 SHOWCASING LEADING COMPANIES

MINING

Tell us your story and we’ll tell the world

78 Kaolin EAD Mining in Bulgaria

MANUFACTURING

The oldest operating mining firm in Bulgaria

30 KR Pfiffner Group Making Machinery

CONSTRUCTION

Precision and flexible manufacturing

42 Imprima Group Refashioning Textiles The company championing a new look for the textiles manufacturing industry

52 TRUMPF Cutting Edge Tech Adaptation and evolution in machinery manufacturing

60 Cornaglia An Italian Legacy Providing leading edge technological solutions for the automotive space

68 Marelli Automotive Innovation A global player innovating automotive manufacturing

86 Ant Yapi Global Construction

116

Construction, development and peoplecentric operation

100 GM Architects Creating Quality Design Specialising in the development of luxury hotels and resorts

104 Schüco Middle East Flexibility and Façades Innovative methods of operation in Middle Eastern construction

112 Chemie-Tech Maintaining Industry Facilitating the engineering, procurement and construction industries

AUTOMOTIVE

116 2getthere The Future of Mobility Delivering state-of-the-art automated transit applications

FOOD & DRINK

120 TNI King Coffee Building a Global Coffee Empire A story of growth, opportunity and empowerment

EME Outlook issue 40 | 5

NEWS Around Europe & the Middle East in seven stories…

H E A LT H C A R E

Polish Government to accelerate vaccination roll-out

H E A LT H C A R E

SWITZERLAND UNVEILS FREE COVID-19 TESTS SW ITZERLAND HAS introduced a $1 billion plan to provide free COVID-19 tests for its entire population as part of a drive to ease the country’s transition from coronavirus restrictions.

The Swiss government confirmed that under the proposals, each person will be given five self-test kits a month, as soon as reliable tests are available. All tests at pharmacies and testing centres will be free of charge.

In a bid to ensure more testing

is carried out, the government proposed to pay for the voluntary tests. It is thought that the expanded testing scheme will cost over $1 billion this year.

A final decision on the proposal is due on 12th March with the plan set to take effect from 15th March. “In order to specifically interrupt chains of infection, it must be possible to quickly identify who is carrying the virus,” the government said. “Testing is therefore a central component of pandemic control.”

MA B I O N , TH E Poland-based biotech firm, has signed a preliminary agreement to make Novavax’s COVID-19 vaccine with financial support from a state-run fund as the government strives to accelerate its vaccination programme.

European Union countries such as Poland have struggled to secure supplies of COVID-19 vaccines sourced

by Brussels, leading some to accelerate their own efforts.

State-run PFR will provide Mabion with $11 million in loans and equity so the company can double its production capacity in central Poland.

“The biggest challenge when it comes to the availability of vaccinations is the production capacity.

This is what all vaccine producers are struggling with and this is the cause of delays. This investment is a direct response to these problems,” PFR Chief Executive Pawel Borys told a conference.

H E A LT H C A R E

Denmark halt AstraZeneca vaccine roll-out D EN M A R K’S HEALTH authority has confirmed that it has stopped the use of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine following reports of the formation of blood clots in some of the people that have been vaccinated.

Denmark have suspended the shots for an initial two-week period after a 6 | EME Outlook issue 40

60-year-old woman, who was given an AstraZeneca shot from the same batch in Austria, died following a blood clot, according to Danish health authorities.

Speaking on Twitter, Magnus Heunicke, Health Minister, said: “It is currently not possible to conclude whether there is a link. We are acting early; it needs to be thoroughly investigated.”

Norway and Iceland have also stopped using AstraZeneca’s vaccine.

TRANSPORT

Saudi’s AlUla airport set for international flights T H E ROYAL Commission of AlUla (RCU) has confirmed the approval by the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) to begin receiving international flights at AlUla International Airport.

The green light comes after AlUla Airport carried out a significant expansion programme to become the

ECONOMY

fifth largest airport in the Kingdom.

International flights to and from the Gulf Kingdom are currently suspended as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and are anticipated to resume in the middle of May. The RCU confirmed that the expansion has tripled the airport’s capacity and can now receive 15 commercial flights at the same time.

Its capacity has increased from 100,000 passengers to 400,000 passengers annually.

E-COMMERCE

MENA online sales to rise to $50 billion by 2022 O NL INE SALES in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region is anticipated to reach over $50 billion by the end of 2022, a move which is boosted by a dramatic rise in e-commerce as a result of COVID-19.

The figure is up from the previously estimated figure of $26 billion, due to the impact of COVID-19 on the regional retail industry, according to DeVere Forster, Chief Operating Officer of

Dubai CommerCity, the region’s first dedicated e-commerce free zone.

Speaking at Images RetailME’s latest webinar, Forster commented: “I think it’s all because of a pandemic.

You can see the change in consumer behaviour and an increase in e-commerce demand. Online sales in the entire MENA region are now anticipated to reach $50 billion by the end of next year. That is almost double the revenue forecasted in 2013.

“Online spending is increasing quickly and as a result, we’re experiencing huge growth in demand.”

UK EXTENDS FURLOUGH SCHEME UNTIL END OF SEPTEMBER TH E U N I TE D Kingdom has extended its furlough scheme until the end of September.

In an announcement by Rishi Sunak, Chancellor of the Exchequer, it was confirmed that the scheme, which pays 80 percent of employees’ wages for the hours they cannot work in the pandemic, would help millions during the challenging months ahead.

It is thought that around 600,000 more self-employed people will be eligible for government help as access to grants is widened.

AUTOMOTIVE

VOLKSWAGEN ACCELERATES ELECTRIC SHIFT VO L KSWAG E N I S the latest automaker to move towards battery-powered models.

The Germany-based firm has confirmed it is targeting electric vehicles to consist of the majority of European sales for its core brand by 2030.

Fully electric vehicles are anticipated to account for over 70 percent of its total European vehicle sales by 2030, in comparison with a previous target of 35 percent, the world’s secondlargest carmaker said as it unveiled its ‘Accelerate’ strategy.

Ralf Brandstaetter, CEO of Volkswagen, commented: “With Accelerate, we are increasing the speed on our path to a digital future.

EME Outlook issue 40 | 7

EXPERT EYE

From technology to benefits Digital transformation is an oft-touted phrase, but what does it mean in practice?

Tom Samuel, Chief Executive of Harmonic, shares his thoughts Written by: Tom Samuel, Chief Executive of Harmonic

I

t was back in the late 1990s that organisations first started talking about the need for ‘digital transformation’. Google the phrase today, and you’ll get over 500 million results! But what exactly is digital transformation? And how can you maximise its potential?

At Harmonic, we deliver digital transformation programmes for diverse organisations in the public and private sector – including defence and the Cabinet Office – in the UK and further afield. We also work closely with leading-edge technology providers and channel partners to help them bring innovation to the marketplace, giving us an unusually wide-ranging perspective on the 8 | EME Outlook issue 40

challenges and benefits of digital transformation.

What is digital transformation?

Digital transformation is a phrase used to describe any change programme that involves integrating digital technology across a business to improve efficiency and collaboration.

If digital transformation is to succeed, it needs to be accompanied by fundamental changes in ways of working, generating a cultural shift that challenges the status quo. People – both customers and employees – are at the heart of digital transformation.

Programmes rarely succeed if they originate from the IT department: digital transformation needs to be

supported from the boardroom downwards and involve the whole business.

Harmonic has developed a methodology for digital transformation that enables us to help our clients define and govern their programme, plan for change, deliver activities, realise the benefits and make sure change sticks. Whatever the context, taking a similarly systematic approach will help to ensure the long-term success of digital transformation: 1. Decide which business levers you want to shift, and identify your priorities.

2. Refine the business case and develop an agile transformation plan which starts small then scales.

3. Complete the activities needed to deliver the new digital capabilities.

4. Manage the transition from old to new ways of working.

5. Embed new capabilities that realise the benefits stated in the business case.

Setting up for success If you’re planning a digital transformation programme, your first focus may be the technology itself. In order to select the right partners for the technical aspects of transformation, you obviously need a thorough understanding of the technology options available.

However, more importantly, you need to consider what business benefits you want to achieve. Why are you going down this route? How are you going to achieve the transformational change?

It is all too easy to choose a system without fully thinking through the implications.

Consider the impact on people of every aspect of your change programme. It is important to remember that digital transformation is about business benefits, and that

these are delivered by people. As well as taking your team on the journey with you, think carefully about whether you need to communicate with customers. To retain people’s trust, make sure you actively address any issues of data security and privacy.

Constant flexibility is essential. Be prepared to adjust business processes so that your teams, end users and customers can make the best possible use of the new technology. User experience and input will provide a valuable feedback loop to enhance the programme and break down barriers and siloes within the business. Agile development will help you to achieve this – if governance is fixed in old ways and is not fit for purpose, you will fail.

Make sure you consider the data you want your digital transformation programme to deliver and how you are going to use it to achieve better and faster decision-making. You can only create a strong data architecture if you have thought your goals through in advance.

As this suggests, digital transformation is an evolution; not a revolution. Think of it as a neverending journey that will change the way your business operates and your people think.

The business benefits Like any change programme, digital transformation can be challenging.

However, when planned and delivered well, we have seen it result in immense business benefits in four key areas: • Customer experience. Customers’ expectations are increasing exponentially and, as we all become more tech-savvy, maximising digital technology is enabling businesses to stay ahead of the customer service curve.

• Data-driven insights. By bringing together high-quality information from better sources, digital transformation is helping businesses to make better, faster, data-driven decisions.

• Collaboration. Digital transformation tends to go hand in hand with the introduction of more coherent business processes and common ways of working. This is increasing collaboration across organisations and helping to break down traditional barriers and siloes.

• Innovation. Being part of digital change encourages people to take a fresh look at other aspects of their job. As a result, businesses often find that new, more efficient ways of working are unlocked alongside digital transformation.

In summary, digital transformation is about so much more than the integration of digital technology. It involves fundamental changes to ways of working and has a profound impact on colleagues, customers and organisational culture. As this suggests, it is often a complex, challenging undertaking. However, get it right and the rewards can be far-reaching in terms of your organisation’s ability to survive and thrive in our volatile, uncertain world.

ABOUT THE EXPERT Tom Samuel, Chief Executive of Harmonic Ltd. Tom Samuel founded Harmonic in 2003, after a successful career working in the defence systems industry. Since then, as Harmonic’s Chief Executive, he has led the management consultancy as it oversees enterprise-wide transformation for some of the UK’s largest, most successful businesses.

Tom is passionate about forming close, long-term relationships with clients in order to drive profitable, sustainable growth. He has a particular interest in the future impact of digital transformation across both public and private sector organisations.

EME Outlook issue 40 | 9

Outlook Creative Services Complementing the production of EME Outlook, APAC Outlook, Africa Outlook and North America Outlook magazines, Outlook Publishing’s awardwinning in-house team is now utilising these same specialist production skills to offer a full and bespoke range of editorial, design and marketing services via its new Outlook Creative Services division.

For more information on how we can work with you in providing a plethora of completely flexible and customisable production services, please visit: www.outlookpublishing.com/creative-services

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Marcus Kääpä +44 (0) 1603 959 660 marcus.kaapa@outlookpublishing.com

SWAPCARD

T

SWAPCARD

he negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic have been felt in almost every industry across the globe.

On top of sectors such as travel and tourism, the events industry stands out as one that had been ground to a halt during the majority of 2020, and one that has had to substantially adapt in light of the virus and its consequential effects.

Enter Swapcard, the company revolutionising the event industry in Europe and beyond. Swapcard is a Parisian-based AI-powered event and matchmaking platform that runs in-person, virtual and hybrid events. The start-up helps organise and improve the interaction between

12 | EME Outlook issue 40

The events industry has changed over the past year, we look at Swapcard and its provision of a digital interaction platform for virtual and hybrid events Writer: Marcus Kääpä attendees and exhibitors during events. It provides a platform that encourages, aids, and promotes digital networking between attendees as well as those leading such events.

With digital events having led the industry for the past year and into the present, we spoke with Baptiste Boulard, CEO of Swapcard, about the future of the events industry.

EME Outlook: Firstly Baptiste, tell us a little about yourself. How did you come to work alongside Swapcard?

Baptiste Boulard (BB): I was previously a lawyer working for the UK firm Allen & Overy as, originally, I aimed to work in the oil and gas industry. I was handed a business card by an industry member and told to reach out to them, however, as they had left their company to work for a subsidiary, all of their contact details on the card were out of date. Instead, we decided to exchange a piece of paper with our various digital details on them.

I realised that we needed a digital contact management solution, and the initial idea of Swapcard was born from the simple notion of the need

TECHNOLOGY EME Outlook: Is this the end of physical events?

to “swap digital business cards”. We needed to be connected through a platform and required an expanded network of digital connections with various industry members. And where do people network and exchange details? It is of course during events.

Swapcard met the need for people to network digitally during events, and by 2007, Swapcard had developed into its first iteration of a digital business card networking platform.

EME Outlook: Who benefits from virtual events?

BB: During the start of the pandemic event organisers initially put up with a lot of problems during the transition to digital evolution in the sector, however now virtual events bring with it many opportunities and benefits.

Virtual conferencing becomes much easier as we are able to host many more attendees due to no longer needing travel and all those associated costs and logistical plans.

You’re removing all the associated issues regarding attending an event, such as catering, accommodation, on-site space and seating, and transport, at the same time as increasing your attendee volume substantially.

This goes hand-in-hand with the accessibility benefits for those attendees. With Swapcard, logistical restrictions are no longer an issue, with any individual from any part of the world being able to join a call or conference and become part of a digital event, to reach out privately and network with other industry members or join group calls regarding a singular topic.

On top of this, the introduction of widespread hybrid events has allowed event organisers to benefit in the long term. The ability to have on-site attendees for face-to-face interaction as well as using Swapcard’s online connection services allows individuals from around the globe to attend who would not be able to otherwise. You can interact with the brands on show,

“IMAGINE A PLATFORM THAT OFFERS ALL THE TECH YOU NEED - REGISTRATION, ENGAGEMENT, MATCHMAKING, COMMUNITY, AND MORE. A PLATFORM THAT WORKS FOR ALL YOUR EVENT FORMATS - VIRTUAL, HYBRID AND IN-PERSON. A PLATFORM THAT HELPS YOU TO BUILD A NEVER-ENDING COMMUNITY” and you can network with people that form the community audience. It has been a huge benefit for the attendees.

Traditionally, lots of people could miss a lot of content at physical events and miss a lot of networking opportunities because so much going on and their time is limited. But with virtual events everything is safe online in the cloud and you can have access to all this content even after the event, and so what we can see is that people are creating an on-demand access library made of collective events content for those who need it.

It is benefitting many people evenly, however there are still issues. Some people will argue that, of course, they have lost a lot of revenue from a lack of hosting physical events, and that they had to fire a lot of people relating to traditional event planning.

BB: People spend increasingly more time online, and they want to be more and more efficient. The trends of maximising digitalisation as well as expenditure cost cutting and the many practical reasons behind virtual events have pushed digital and hybrid events to the front of the industry.

So, people will really question attending physical events for many reasons, such as virus safety, and the time and financial costs of physically attending.

However, as Aristotle said, “Man is by nature a social animal”, and we actively like to interact and do face-to-face meetings, especially when we want to promote ourselves.

Certain products or services are also very hard to promote online, and many people simply enjoy the event functions that take place across the various industries. This mixture of socialising, direct promotion, and enjoyment means that physical events will never die, but we simply have more means by which to experience events.

EME Outlook: Are we witnessing the birth of a new profession - Virtual Event Planner?

BB: Businesses have realised that they have a higher budget to spend on events now that they can reduce the costs of physical events by utilising digital platforms as well as being able to increase the number of attendees.

Since digital events have come to the fore, digital and hybrid event planning has now become a more important role for companies across the board.

Some companies organise monthly virtual events to keep their audience engaged, and so the Virtual Event Planner has very much become a more prominent profession.

www.swapcard.com EME Outlook issue 40 | 13

ROADCHEF

R

SERVING THE UK’S COMMUTE

oadchef stands as one of the UK’s most renowned roadside service area operators, welcoming more than 52 million customers every year.

The organisation is active in 30 different locations on the motorway and major trunk roads across the length and breadth of the country.

Roadchef strives to provide its visitors with an array of on-the-go and dine-in options as well as offering a range of popular UK brands, such as McDonald’s, Costa, LEON, WH Smith, SPAR, Chozen Noodle and Days Inn, among many more.

Mark Fox is the CEO at Roadchef.

Having worked in the retail and hospitality industry for more than 30 years, Fox stepped into his leadership position at Roadchef in 2018. Today, his role encompasses a mixture of strategy and commercial decision-making.

In our exclusive Q&A, we speak with Fox and discover the impact of COVID-19 on his business, the 14 | EME Outlook issue 40

As one of Britain’s leading roadside service area operators, we speak with Mark Fox, CEO at Roadchef, to uncover how the company has responded to the reality of serving a nation in lockdown Writer: Sean Galea-Pace company’s sustainability initiatives and find out what sets Roadchef apart from its competitors.

EME Outlook: What is your take on the industry in general at the moment? How challenging has it been?

Mark Fox (MF): It’s been an incredibly tough time for the hospitality industry in the UK over the past year, and indeed across the whole EME region. While motorways have remained open for essential travel, we have continued to provide a safe space for travellers to stop and

take a break. However, this hasn’t been without its challenges. During the pandemic, we kept a selection of outlets open and – most importantly – provided a COVID-secure place for essential road users to rest during their long journeys. Now that we have the UK government’s roadmap out of lockdown, we look forward to playing a key part in the nation’s recovery. We fully expect more people to be staycationing this summer, with motorway traffic increasing particularly to the south west, and we will be ready to delight our visitors with our multitude of offers and provide all road users with a safe place to de-stress on their long-awaited summer journeys.

EME Outlook: What, for you, differentiates Roadchef from other companies operating within the same industries as yourselves?

MF: For me, it’s our values: caring, uncomplicated and positively obsessive.

These are at the heart of everything

RETAIL we do and manifest themselves in our high operating standards and the warmth of the service you receive from our employees.

Over the years, Roadchef has been a pioneer in terms of bringing new brands to the motorway network.

For example, we were McDonald’s first (and only) corporate partner in the UK, and the first to bring LEON’s healthy fast-food concept to motorists. We pride ourselves on delivering the best choice and convenience to our customers, and our passion for working with exciting new brands will never cease.

Each year, we also hold our internal Heroes of the Year awards, which demonstrate the lengths that our staff go to ensure customers have a positive experience at our sites.

Over the two years that I have been at Roadchef, I have heard some incredible stories and it’s our people that really help set us apart.

EME Outlook: Obviously COVID-19 meant that people weren’t travelling around as much, how challenging has the pandemic been? What has your response been like? I understand you’ve managed to remain open to support key workers?

MF: Like many companies in the leisure sector, we have been impacted during lockdown. We were fortunate enough to experience an uplift over the summer of 2020 with the strength of UK staycations, and we hope to see this again in 2021.

Throughout the pandemic, teams at all Roadchef locations worked around the clock to ensure essential workers had a vital place to rest and recharge themselves regardless of the restrictions in force at the time. We have proudly supported HGV drivers by doubling the free parking period to four hours, significantly reducing the 24-hour HGV parking charge and delighting them with free coffees.

We are now looking forward to welcoming all customers back

safely – when it is legal to do so – with social distancing markings, one-way systems, contact surface cleaning procedures and shield guards introduced to protect customers and employees across our sites. This includes 1.2 miles of chains for walkways and 600 customer umbrellas if outdoor queuing is necessary on rainy days.

Of course, the safety of our colleagues is also paramount, and we’re protecting our teams with enhanced safety procedures and investment in PPE, including over 40,000 face masks and 900 visors. We also implemented a COVID-19 hardship loan – allowing team members who need it to apply for a loan up to the value of two weeks’ pay as well as offering the Wagestream service enabling employees to access earned wages ahead of payday if they need to.

EME Outlook: Are there any past projects that you’re particularly proud of which you’d like to highlight in the article?

MF: As a business, one of our top priorities is to offer the UK’s travelling public a wide variety of retail and dining options; it would be our dream to create a motorway service area that mirrored the diversity of the high

street, and last year we came one step closer to this. We were delighted to partner with online gift specialist Prezzybox, a 20-year-old UK based business, to open its first bricks and mortar store at Strensham, bringing convenient, exciting gifting options to the motorway network.

2020 also saw the launch of our own range of ‘Garden Square Deli’ sandwiches and snacks. Combining the fresh ingredients of an English garden with the vibrancy of a New York deli, the brand delivers bold flavours and generous portions, all prepared fresh on site daily.

Finally, our partnership with LEON Restaurants in 2018 to bring healthy, fresh, on-the-go food options to the motorway was a particularly proud moment for the business. We have since opened six LEON outlets across our sites, including two new one’s last year.

EME Outlook: Projects aside, are there any other things you’re working on that you’d like to pay special mention to? What have these meant?

MF: Roadchef is proud to support Cancer Research UK – since 2018 we have raised over £2.8 million to help the charity continue with its lifesaving

Mark Fox, CEO at Roadchef

EME Outlook issue 40 | 15

ROADCHEF and life changing work for patients and families. Earlier this year, Cancer Research UK kindly named us ‘Corporate Fundraising Team of the Year’ as part of its Flame of Hope annual awards ceremony which celebrates volunteers and fundraisers across the UK. The charity also selected Mike Jackson, our Director of Supply Chain Management and Head of Charity, as ‘Corporate Charity Champion of the Year 2020’, for his outstanding fundraising achievements. Incredibly, he has raised over £230,000 for the cause – another example of the amazing people we have within our business.

EME Outlook: Can you talk to us about any sustainability initiatives?

MF: We take our responsibilities towards reducing our impact on the environment very seriously, and we’re delighted to have made real progress in recent years.

Last year we launched our ‘Talking Rubbish’ campaign, implementing a host of eco-friendly measures including a ground-breaking closed loop PET recycling solution. We also use 100 percent renewable energy, including energy produced from our own solar panels.

Earlier this year we were proud to announce that Roadchef officially became a zero to landfill company. We made carbon savings equivalent to approximately 250,000 miles driven by an average car in 2019-2020.

We also make it simple for our customers to recycle at Roadchef, and I believe this has helped us achieved our zero to landfill status. Working with key partners, our work to look after the environment will continue well into the future. Roadchef was the first company in the UK to introduce reverse vending machines for coffee cups, as well as plastic bottles in 2019, alongside Coca Cola and Costa Coffee.

In addition, mixed recycling is processed in an on-site compactor before being turned into energy at a waste recycling plant. These various activities are supported in partnership with operators including UKWSL, Unisan and Creed Foodservice.

We’re looking forward to making even bigger strides in the years ahead, through water and energy efficiencies, electrification of our vehicle fleet and continuing to leverage technical innovation to reduce our impact on the planet.

Norton Canes Roadchef, UK EME Outlook: In terms of talent management, can you talk to us about the importance of recruiting and retaining the right employees?

Stafford Southbound Roadchef, UK

16 | EME Outlook issue 40

MF: We’re incredibly proud of our people-focused approach and our outstanding employee retention record. In 2020, thanks to the outstanding work of all our colleagues, we were once again able to achieve the Investors in People Gold accreditation for the support and development of the team, making us one of fewer than 100 companies in the UK hospitality industry to have achieved this accolade.

In fact, last year, we also achieved a silver award for Best Employee

RETAIL “IN ORDER TO PROVIDE THE BEST EXPERIENCE POSSIBLE FOR CUSTOMERS, WE’VE SPENT TIME UNDERSTANDING WHERE WE’VE BENEFITTED FROM DOING THINGS DIFFERENTLY OVER THE LAST YEAR DUE TO COVID”

Support Strategy During a Crisis in the Engage Awards 2020, as well as being shortlisted for awards including Progression Programme of the Year in the UK Social Mobility Awards and Best Alignment of Benefits to Business Strategy in the Employer Benefits Awards. Over 60 percent of vacancies are filled with internal candidates and, unsurprisingly, our employee turnover is amongst the lowest in the hospitality industry.

EME Outlook: Looking ahead, what are your key priorities for the coming year?

MF: The reopening of travel and leisure will be a key period for us as a

business. We are very excited about reconnecting with the public as the restrictions ease and we look forward to sharing all the great facilities our sites have to offer once again and helping to enhance everyone’s enjoyment of the return of our freedom to travel and socialise.

In order to provide the best experience possible for customers, we’ve spent time understanding where we’ve benefitted from doing things differently over the last year due to COVID. We’re in the process of implementing transformational polices as well strengthening our team bench and operational practices in readiness for a strong summer

trading period. We’re working closely with our brand partners, in particular McDonald’s, Costa, and LEON to evolve our customer offer and experience execution.

Additionally, we recently launched our carbon zero commitment to help tackle the climate challenge, so we’ll be ensuring that our practices and facilities reflect this promise in the year ahead.

EME Outlook issue 40 | 17

NICE

A HOME FOR THE FUTURE Italian manufacturer Nice is at the forefront of Home Automation.

Morris Carr, General Manager of Nice’s Northern Europe operations, discusses the company’s reputation as an innovator in the field and the potential of smart homes to create a world without barriers Writer: Phoebe Harper | Project Manager: Matthew Taylor

18 | EME Outlook issue 40

N

ow more than ever, as lockdowns persist worldwide, our worlds have become defined by the parameters of our own four walls.

We put a lot of work into our homes, but what about a home that works for us? The future calls for a home that works to create the comfortable domesticity that we deserve – somewhere free from the toils of the workplace, equipped to enshrine your comfort and safeguard your security.

Increasingly, it is becoming

apparent that the modern home, is an automated one. Since the 1990s, the home automation market and the development of smart homes has flourished, as we seek to take control over our own comfort with the touch of our fingertips.

More and more homes are connecting to the ’Internet of Things’, as an increasing range of devices offer internet connection and a level of autonomy that enables them to communicate, gather information and take commands from their user, either

MANUFACTURING

through voice control or the touch of a button.

For the homemaker looking for harmonious solutions, Nice are the whole package, offering a range of automated solutions both in and outside the home that are easily controlled from the palm of your hand.

The Italian multinational reference company was founded in 1993 - when an automatic gate was the height of automated home technologies - and has since grown significantly.

Now offering an impressive roster of

products within the home automation and smart home sector, over the years Nice has strengthened its position in the industry.

Specialising in home automation, home security and the ‘Smart Home’ sector, Nice offers integrated and connected solutions of unparalleled variety for the automation of gates, garages, solar shading systems, parking systems, wireless alarm systems and home security, for residential, commercial, and industrial properties.

“The focal point which declares

Nice’s authority in the industry is the extent of the product range,” comments Morris Carr, the General Manager of Nice Northern Europe.

For Carr, it is their sheer range of products, offering complete integration to create a true smart home solution, that distinguishes Nice from other competitors within this ever-developing field.

“I joined Nice almost seven years ago and began as an Export Area Manager based in Nice HQ in Italy managing the direct distribution EME Outlook issue 40 | 19

NICE

Morris Carr, General Manager networks and key accounts in central, eastern and northern Europe.”

Tasked with developing business cases to identify areas for potential growth within the company, Carr recognised the opportunity presented by expanding the brand further into north European markets.

NICE: THE VISION BEHIND THE MISSION “Nice’s vision ‘a world without barriers’ and the mission ‘simplify everyday movements’, put the people and their wonder at the centre of the equation, managing automation with maximum control, safety, and customisation.”

20 | EME Outlook issue 40

“I was then offered the opportunity of heading the project to create a Nice subsidiary for northern Europe - I naturally jumped at the chance, so I am subsequently acting as General Manager for Nice Northern Europe since June 2019. “ With nearly 30 years of longevity in the sector, Nice became one of the few companies worldwide to offer a complete range of integrated automation systems for residential, commercial and industrial buildings.

Carr goes on to comment, “thanks to the variety of models available, capable of responding to any preference, and the integrability between each other and with third party products through the most widely used communication protocols, with Nice it’s possible to create a complete and easy to use smart automation system for your home.”

The company’s scope is wide, not just in the products that they manufacture, but also in their

geographical remit.

“Nice distributes its products in more than 100 countries, with 24 subsidiaries located on all five continents.

The company has 14 production plants and 13 R&D centres with a workforce of 2,300 people, helping to spread the Made in Italy concept around the world,” Carr explains.

Although primarily a technological manufacturer, Nice never loses sight of the people behind the products, and it is this consumer-centric approach that universalises their appeal.

“Nice focuses on people, enabling them to simplify their daily lives with automation solutions that offer maximum control, safety and versatility - thanks to functional and emotionally designed products,” Carr informs us.

Indeed, it is this emphasis on design that continues to set Nice apart. Their products showcase sleek, minimal aesthetics, thereby offering elegant design solutions that are quintessentially, Nice.

MANUFACTURING “Nice’s high-quality solutions skilfully combine technology, design, innovation, digital connectivity and ease of use,” Carr surmises.

By seamlessly blending functionality, style, and comfort, combining the three guiding tenets of harmonious design, Nice recognises the importance of making automation attractive and therefore more appealing to consumers. This is perfectly evidenced by their portable transmitters, such as the ergonomic ‘Era Inti’, designed to fit snugly in your pocket and palm.

In their dedicated pursuit of a ‘smarter home’, Nice has rightfully earnt a reputation as an innovator within the industry.

“The manufacturing industry represents value creation: it is a pragmatic sector where you have to bring a concrete solution to your customers’ needs.

The industry is facing new challenges and those who do not

embrace these with resilience and innovation will not be able to fully embrace the opportunities that lie behind every change,” Carr concludes.

“By investing heavily into the latest manufacturing technologies, Nice can continue to bring new, exciting products to the market and remain the most innovative manufacturer in the sector as a result,” he adds.

Nice embraces technological developments and endeavours to pioneer innovation to remain a worthwhile competitor in the field.

R&D is crucial and a worthwhile investment that serves to streamline production.

“The digital transformation and other ongoing innovations make production leaner, with better control over each process, and resulting in higher quality products with less stock being held and faster delivery times.

This goes hand in hand with the Nice approach of looking for ways which

don’t exist (yet) to find solutions to industrialise the products, which start as unresolved problems for customers, followed by a solution dreamt up by our R&D department to making the final product available on a global level in the shortest possible time.”

“With more than 200 people distributed in 13 R&D centres spread around the world, Nice works hard to gain the best innovation. Every day, in fact, Nice carries out rigorous and accurate tests in its state-of-the-art in-house laboratories and testing centres to ensure the highest quality and safety standards of its products.”

A common downfall in home automation can be a lack of integrability within an intelligent home– for instance between a variety of models and third-party products that may struggle to connect.

“An intelligent home is a place where devices communicate with each other. It means people can easily

Nice headquarters, Italy EME Outlook issue 40 | 21

NICE

SMART HOME TECHNOLOGY EMBRACING Z-WAVE™ “The Z-Wave™ protocol is an interoperable, wireless, RF-based communication technology designed specifically for control, monitoring and status reading applications in residential and commercial environments.

Widely tested and deployed worldwide, Z-Wave™ is one of the leaders in wireless control, bringing affordable, reliable and easy-to-use “smart” products to many millions of people in every aspect of their daily lives.”

control their appliances, lighting, roller blinds, temperature, alarm, surveillance or watering system at a touch of a button, gesture or with a word.”

This is where Nice excels, particularly with regards to their Smart Home division. This is largely thanks to the recent development of the Z-Wave® communication protocol feature – the height of connectivity.

Currently, Nice’s Smart Home division is mainly represented by FIBARO, a Polish brand acquired by Nice in 2018, which produces one of the most advanced wireless smart home systems in the world.

“Full integration of all components of the FIBARO System and its modularity give users full control and the freedom to create the best solutions for their necessities. Moreover, the integration with the main communication protocols gives the customer

the possibility to choose and combine products of different brands and constantly explore the endless possibilities of smart home solutions, with imagination as the only limit.”

Nice follows two guiding principles – simplicity and safety.

Now, sustainability has become an additional worthy concern.

“By developing solutions that optimise daylight and heat management in buildings, as well as offering photovoltaic powered automation systems, Nice recognises the value of sustainability,” Carr informs us.

“Some of the initiatives put in place on this topic concerned greenery implementation inside the Gate & Door production plant in Nice HQ, equipping company cars with reduced CO2 emissions (hybrid or full-electric), and replacement of polystyrene in favour of cardboard in finished product packaging.”

“WE DEVELOPED A VERY ROBUST AND QUALITY SUPPLY CHAIN, FOUNDED ON SOME LONG-TIME TRUSTED PARTNERS AND SOME SELECTED NEW VENDORS THAT INCREASE OUR FLEXIBILITY. THIS FLEXIBILITY PROVED KEY ONCE AGAIN IN 2020, WHEN WE WERE ABLE TO ADJUST OUR CAPACITY TO THE INITIAL SLOW DOWN AND SUDDEN RE-START OF THE ACTIVITY ACROSS ALL MAJOR MARKETS, IN RELATION TO THE WELL-KNOWN GLOBAL SANITARY CRISIS” - EDOARDO MALFÈ, VICE PRESIDENT OPERATIONS OF NICE

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MANUFACTURING

Nice, Northern Europe office

SUSTAINABLE SOLUTIONS “Care for the environment is one of the key aspects that guides Nice in what it does. Through research into environmentally friendly materials, development of instruments operating on solar-energy, and solutions that simplify the control of light and heat, Nice aims to improve our quality of life in a way that is sustainable, thus caring for our planet.”

Sustainable initiatives are applied company-wide, pertaining to both the workspace itself and the products.

“One of the biggest adventures of the sustainability path regards the Environmental Product Declaration (EPD® certification) recently obtained, about the life cycle of some of our emblematic products. Nice has formally defined the stages of the life cycle of electric motors in its Product Category Rules (PCR) document. The PCR will be used as a guideline for the EPD® certification of all the products that fall within the electric motor category. Not only by companies that produce automated devices for screens, gates and garage doors, but

also companies that operate in other sectors, such as automotive.”

A key component to the company’s success, supplier relations are central to all avenues of expansion that Nice pursues.

At just 28 years young, Nice are yet to solidly define their remit and the borders of their scope remain fluid.

Adjustments continue to be made to the company’s structure, particularly where it concerns their relatively recent expansion into Northern Europe.

“We have been working to establish a new structure, consolidating existing sales in the region and creating new procedures, a new team and dedicated Sales and Marketing strategies to best serve the requirements in the local market. We now have a complete team for the Nordics, with localised stock for fast deliveries, technical support for preand post-sales and a dedicated local sales team to ensure we can offer not only the best product selection, but also the best support for our customers.”

By prioritising intuitive designs and offering smart, simple solutions in a complicated world, Nice embodies the future of intelligent living.

Tel: +46 40 545725 northerneurope@niceforyou.com www.niceforyou.com

EME Outlook issue 40 | 23

TOPICAL FOCUS

LAHTI

EUROPE’S GREEN CAPITAL OF 2021 Announced as the European Commission’s Green Capital of 2021, we take a closer look at Lahti, the Finnish city championing eco-innovation, low-carbon lifestyles and a circular economy Writer: Phoebe Harper

F

ound within supposedly the happiest nation in the world and just an hour’s drive from the capital of Helsinki, the Finnish city of Lahti is relatively unknown.

2021 is the year that is set to change, as the city’s reputation as a stalwart of environmental action has secured Lahti a prestigious title that will likely prove a boon to both tourism and interest in the city.

The European Green Capital Award was launched in 2008 to 24 | EME Outlook issue 40

reward cities that demonstrate an admirable commitment to sustainable development and environmental improvement. In true COVID style, the Finnish city was announced as the winner of the esteemed award in an online ceremony on the 15th of January, virtually attended by the President of the Republic of Finland, Mr Sauli Niinistö, and EU Commissioner for the Environment, Oceans and Fisheries Mr Virginijus Sinkevičius.

WHERE IS LAHTI? In a country renowned for its spectacular natural landscapes, swatches of forest and crystal clean waters, Lahti does benefit from a natural geographical advantage. The city’s name translates literally as the ‘bay’, referring to its scenic position on the edge of Finnish Lakeland.

Although it may be known as the ‘Chicago of Finland’, the city’s compact size works in favour of its environmental goals. As Finland’s ninth-largest city, Lahti has a modest population of just 120,000 inhabitants.

It is hardly a monstrous metropolis, which would no doubt impede its environmental strides. Previously a traditional industrial town, it has reinvented itself as a green city.

SUSTAINABILITY year, and a cheque for €350,000 that will be used to implement changes as part of the ‘Green Capital Project’.

WHAT MAKES A SUSTAINABLE CITY?

It is the 12th city to receive the award, in good company alongside previous winners including Lisbon, Copenhagen, and Bristol. The award is recognition from Brussels that acknowledges cities with impressive environmental records. With the title comes the responsibility of acting as Europe’s green ambassador for the

Within the framework of Europe’s target to become carbon neutral by 2050 - and Finland’s aim to make the nation net-zero by 2035 - Lahti is strides ahead. The small city is on track to achieve this goal in just four years’ time.

Through examining some of the initiatives that Lahti enforces, we see how the city practices a wholistic vision of sustainability that is championed on every level, whether through affecting behavioural change or implementing sustainable production. The small changes practiced within private households are regarded just as importantly as major initiatives launched at industry level.

Businesses have long employed the city’s geographical location to their advantage, incorporating natural resources wherever possible. The city’s proximity to the pristine waters of Lake Vesijarvi is advantageous in the provision of local produce, rich with the fish that are served in local restaurants. This water is also the lifeblood of the Hartwell brewery and other smaller distilleries within the city’s vicinity.

In the winter months, the surrounding slopes and pine forests of the Salpausselka ridge become a haven for winter sports, so much so that Lahti will propose a worldfirst urban ski-sharing scheme as it continues to pioneer carbon neutral means of transport.

On a residential scale, up to 99 percent of household waste is recycled, and both households and local businesses benefit from advanced waste separation practices.

‘Environmental grandparents’ have become a societal phenomenon, whereby elderly inhabitants

teach young children about the environment, fostering a healthy respect and admiration from an early age.

In an age where practically everyone has a smartphone in their pocket, the CitiCAP app has been enormously popular in Lahti and other Finnish cities. Tackling the significant problem posed by mobility emissions in an urban environment, the app is designed to reward citizens for using environmentally friendly means of transport. Allocating individuals a personal CO2 emission budget for the week, the app tracks your means of transport and then rewards you with virtual euros if you have fallen below budget. This currency can be redeemed with tickets to the swimming pool, a bus ride or a puncture repair kit for your bike, alongside much more. The project, launched with EU funding, is significant in allowing residents to track their individual carbon footprint in real time and has proved to be an effective motivator.

Turning to the city’s businesses, across a myriad of sectors and industries, companies are operating with sustainable practices strictly entrenched into their operations.

Within hospitality, certain establishments are assigned a ‘Green Key’ to denote their environmental commitments, such as Solo Sokos Hotel Lahden Seurahuone, which hosts some of the city’s most influential visitors.

Within the manufacturing sector, Lahti has become a centre for cleantech businesses, employing EME Outlook issue 40 | 25

TOPICAL FOCUS approximately 5,000 people. The Kujala waste centre is central in producing raw material for asphalt that has been made from bitumen roof material that has been collected from across the country.

In terms of construction, a net-zero building developing centre is set to be launched, dedicated to the research of net-zero building codes and developing pilot programmes.

With regards to energy, in 2019 Lahti invested in a new bio plant to begin operation producing 100 percent renewable energy. Burning certified biomass, consisting mainly of wood chips and by-products from the foresting industry, the Kymijärvi III

LAHTI AFTER THE GREEN CAPITAL 2021 YEAR • New city bike system introduced in summer 2021 • Investments on accessible nature paths near the main hospital • Electric buses in Lahti public transportation • Long-term scientific research on health effects of nature • UNESCO Global Geopark application for Salpausselkä • Establishment of the Net Zero Carbon Building Development Centre • Enhancement of sustainable food services and catering for schools by the major lunch provider Päijät-Hämeen Ateriapalvelut: increasing vegan and vegetarian meals, as well as working towards less food waste • Dozens of citizen and company-driven Green Capital projects

26 | EME Outlook issue 40

SUSTAINABILITY plant supplies the majority of the city’s residents with electricity and district heating.

In 2017, Lahti introduced a regional roadmap towards achieving a circular economy in Finland – the first of its kind. This continues to be at the core of city innovation as part of Lahti’s ‘Green Capital 2021’ project, thereby creating new and more sustainable business opportunities.

THEMES OF THE LAHTI REGION CIRCULAR ECONOMY ROADMAP: • Closed loops of technical streams to create added value • Working towards sustainable business from the bio circular economy • Becoming self-sufficient in energy by improving sustainable transport and finding energy solutions • Shared economy generating new consumption models and business opportunities • Piloting and demonstrating innovative circular economy solutions

This comes as part of the EU’s ‘Circular Economy Action Plan’ which pioneers the transition away from the traditional linear model. This fosters sustainable economic growth through initiatives centred around the life cycle of products - from design and manufacturing to consumption, repair, reuse, recycling, and bringing resources back into the economy.

A good example of this is seen with the members of the PäijätHäme Grain Cluster – a selection of food and drink companies that employ approximately 3,000 people

“ON EUROPE’S JOURNEY TO CARBON NEUTRALITY, LAHTI HAS BECOME A MODEL WORTHY OF IMITATION” in the Lahti area, charged with the production of foodstuffs such as bread and beer. Here, the combined benefits of green innovations and the circular economy are obvious. Finnish energy company St1 has joined forces with the beverage company Hartwall to create the bioethanol plant, Etanolix. Using food waste from the brewery and other grain industries, the plant produces bio-based fuels for vehicles. Meanwhile Fazer, a giant in Finland’s food and drink industry has begun to produce sweetener, xylitol, from oat hulls, previously a by-product.

What is evidenced by Lahti is the potential for technology to drive sustainability, championing environmental change on a commonplace level and revolutionising those micro daily actions that are so often disregarded as having little difference in the face of climate change. On Europe’s journey to carbon neutrality, Lahti has become a model worthy of imitation.

EME Outlook issue 40 | 27

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MARELLI | TRUMPF GROUP KR PFIFFNER GROUP

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ANT YAPI GROUP Construction, development and people-centric operation

KAOLIN EAD

Revolutionising the manufacturing industry, we spoke to Andreas Ewald, CEO of Swiss firm KR Pfiffner Group, about the company’s innovative and forward-thinking place within the sector

The oldest operating mining firm in Bulgaria

rtunity

MANUFACTURING

Making Machinery

Issue 40

Writer: Marcus Kääpä | Project Manager: Matthew Taylor

M

achinery manufacturing is a key element of industry function in Europe and beyond.

Turning to Switzerland and its progressive manufacturing industry, we see that incorporating and utilising the latest technologies and knowhow in the field pushes the country to the fore of such a sphere.

“Switzerland is still an excellent place to work in the manufacturing industry,” begins Andreas Ewald, CEO of KR Pfiffner Group.

AT A GLANCE: KR PFIFFNER GROUP HISTORY 1970 Karl Richard Pfiffner incorporates K.R. Pfiffner AG in Zurich 1976 Development of the Hydromat - Rotary Transfer Machines 1977 Delivery of the 1st Hydromat - Rotary Transfer Machine 1989 Foundation of K.R. Pfiffner GmbH (Germany) 2005 Delivery of the 2‘000th Hydromat - Rotary Transfer Machine

Making

2007 Market introduction of the product lines RT / AT

Machinery

2013 Market introduction of the product line PT 2014 Establishment of Pfiffner Japan Co., Ltd., Japan

PRECISION AND FLEXIBLE MANUFACTURING

2015 10th June Pfiffner Group joins the international FFG Group 2018 Foundation of Business Unit Multispindle and Witzig & Frank Offenburg joins to K.R. Pfiffner GmbH Zimmern o.R

KR Pfiffner Group and its innovative, forward-thinking approach in manufacturing

2 | EME Outlook issue 40

EME Outlook issue 40 | 3

Mark Fox, CEO at Roadchef, reveals how the company has responded to the reality of serving a nation in lockdown

www.emeoutlookmag.com/work-with-us

KR PFIFFNER GROUP

30 | EME Outlook issue 40

MANUFACTURING

Making Machinery Revolutionising the manufacturing industry, we spoke to Andreas Ewald, CEO of Swiss firm KR Pfiffner Group, about the company’s innovative and forward-thinking place within the sector Writer: Marcus Kääpä | Project Manager: Matthew Taylor

M

achinery manufacturing is a key element of industry function in Europe and beyond.

Turning to Switzerland and its progressive manufacturing industry, we see that incorporating and utilising the latest technologies and knowhow in the field pushes the country to the fore of such a sphere.

“Switzerland is an excellent place to work in the manufacturing industry,” begins Andreas Ewald, CEO of KR Pfiffner Group.

AT A GLANCE: KR PFIFFNER GROUP HISTORY 1970 Karl Richard Pfiffner incorporates K.R. Pfiffner AG in Zurich 1976 Development of the Hydromat - Rotary Transfer Machines 1977 Delivery of the 1st Hydromat - Rotary Transfer Machine 1989 Foundation of K.R. Pfiffner GmbH (Germany) 2005 Delivery of the 2,000th Hydromat - Rotary Transfer Machine 2007 Market introduction of the product lines RT / AT 2013 Market introduction of the product line PT 2014 Establishment of Pfiffner Japan Co., Ltd., Japan 2015 10th June Pfiffner Group joins the international FFG Group 2018 Foundation of Business Unit Multispindle and Witzig & Frank Offenburg joins to K.R. Pfiffner GmbH Zimmern o.R

EME Outlook issue 40 | 31

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Added value through maximum precision As a competent manufacturing partner, we are a leading manufacturer of highly sophisticated mechanical key parts and assemblies in medium-sized series.

Guided by our mission, we are your competent partner who strives for a win / win situation and additional customer benefits through: • Support with the value analysis of parts and components • The joint definition of requirements and test characteristics • Carrying out demanding quality checks • The reduction in incoming goods inspections generated by the customer The company is certified according to ISO 9001: 2015 and is a member of the Swissmechanic Association.

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KR PFIFFNER GROUP “Globally we have one of the highest drives towards innovation comparatively, and we have very good universities as well as industry research and development. In addition, we also have a long tradition in high quality workmanship and highquality product delivery - I think that’s what makes our industry so strong.”

Ewald has always been interested in machinery and engineering. Starting from an apprenticeship in electronics and mechanics 40 years ago, he then proceeded to indulge his interests in technology through studying electrical engineering - an aspect of his life that set him on the path into the production and manufacturing industry later down the line, and as a result, to Pfiffner.

Celebrating 50 years in the industry as of 2020, Pfiffner stands as a leading provider of rotary transfer machines for the mass production of mechanical precision parts.

“We have a diversified portfolio of machines. Over the course of 50 years, we have developed a very broad modular set of machine frames, modules and process technologies that we can combine for a very wide range of applications,” Ewald tells us.

On top of its headquarters located in Switzerland, the company is present in Germany, China and Japan, and able to deliver and maintain machines internationally. Pfiffner provides the best solutions in the production of high-volume work pieces. A rotary transfer machine is able to process work pieces on different stations simultaneously, and the systems provide efficient, precise, flexible and productive results for the company and customers.

“If we look at the broad machine tool industry, the distinction between us and the standard is really our purpose: we provide customised production solutions,” Ewald elaborates.

AT A GLANCE: COMPANY VALUES CUSTOMERS AND SUPPLIERS Innovation and honesty are at the centre of KR Pfiffner Group’s company focus and fulfilling promises to its customers is the cornerstone to its success. These values set it above and apart from its industry competition and promote positive relationships with both customers and suppliers.

EMPLOYEE-CENTRIC Through exemplary leadership and in-house cooperation Pfiffner promotes teamworking and brilliant performance across the business.

Merging cooperation with open honesty, Pfiffner welcomes the prospect of employee learning and development, as well as listening to individual needs and implementing them as best possible.

• Pfiffner works success-oriented for a sustainable development of the company • Swiss quality from solution development to delivery • Sustainable and fair partnerships with customers and suppliers • Our brands – Pfiffner and Witzig & Frank • Excellent global customer service

34 | EME Outlook issue 40

“We deliver a turnkey solution that’s our business. We take pride in our Swiss machinery tools mastering extremely complex tasks where very high precision is required. Our principal aim is to achieve the lowest possible cost per part.”

Pfiffner’s manufacturing quality in the industry sets itself above the rest in the nation, and it is a key player within the European sphere.

Innovative developments such as Pfiffner’s RT 100-12 CNC (RT), the flexible rotary transfer centre, showcase exactly why.

In contrast to previous transfer models, the RT provides a rotary axis for the work piece to the manufacture process. In the current industry, flexibility is both an advantage and necessity. Ewald comments on the development.

“It offers greater flexibility and coaxial precision and I think that’s a current challenging demand for many in the industry. A large amount of our customers are in the automotive industry where you require very high volumes of high precision parts,” he tells us.

“They are asking for higher flexibility to quickly repurpose those machines. Typically, a simple machine would just do one part one or two parts for 10, 15 or 20 years: The RT machine provides a high degree of flexibility to run a broader variety of parts or reconfigure the machine frequently to match variations in demand.”

MANUFACTURING

Hydromat® HC Product Line EPICplus. For rotation-symmetrical workpieces up to a maximum clamping diameter of 52 mm and up to a maximum total length of 170 mm

This necessity for innovative manufacturing flexibility can be seen through Pfiffner’s work alongside certain industry clients.

“We work with a lock production company that requires a product variation of more than 200 parts.

Of course, it is all lock bodies, but they come in all kinds of different sizes and shapes,” Ewald explains.

The RT machine is more compact than previous models and has a revolver head that features up to eight tools, each of which boast swift switch-over times when in operation.

With regards to the flexibility in demand, Ewald is confident that the RT delivers an answer to the challenges at present.

“The RT machine can be digitally connected to an ERP system,” he elaborates.

EME Outlook issue 40 | 35

KR PFIFFNER GROUP

Murrelektronik About Us Murrelektronik is a global leader in the development, manufacture and distribution of automation solutions.

Our products can be divided into four core lines: Power Supplies and Control, Interfaces, Cables/ Connectors and IO Systems.

“WE HAVE KNOWN FOR YEARS THAT WE CAN LOOK AT DATA THROUGH REMOTE ACCESS, BUT THROUGH THIS WE CAN ALSO ACTIVELY RECONFIGURE OR UPDATE THE MACHINES AS WELL” “Of course, you have to preconfigure every single part, define its measurements on the CNC programme, and then once it’s all set up the machinery configures automatically so you can request, for example, 1,000 pieces of product variation a, the 200 of variation B without even stopping the machine.

All the operator has to do is to scan a product code and enter the required amount of parts. The machine changes all the tools automatically on the fly for maximised efficiency during mass production.

“This is also thanks to a new control from Bosch, called the Bosch MTX is the heart of the CNC it can drive up to 99 CNC axes fully simultaneously.

A typical machine will have around thirty to sixty CNC axis, so this really shows the complexity we are dealing with.”

Beyond manufacturing machinery, Pfiffner has also developed its means of operations. As shown by the global 36 | EME Outlook issue 40

impact of the COVID-19 pandemic during last year, digital means of work and living have been both efficient and necessary. Pfiffner has been no different.

“Something we are pushing right now is remote service,” Ewald elaborates.

“We have known for years that we can look at data through remote access, but through this we can also actively reconfigure or update the machines as well. We can fix a fair amount of programming problems remotely, and we also provide a service web support in which a technician at the customers site will wear glasses with a camera to show the help line engineer real-time data.”

This allows Pfiffner employees to witness, contribute to, and aid the technicians’ work, as well as granting industry customers a remote and high-efficient digital means of service – an easy link to resolve technical problems.

Our high-quality, innovative products and focus on market requirements sets us apart from the crowd. Our customer-oriented approach ensures or tailored solutions make your applications better.

Global Organization = Local Service With more than 3,000 employees in 50 countries, it’s easy for us to “stay connected” to you, our customer. We speak your language, understand your needs and are able to provide the right solutions in the right time.

50

Countries with Murrelektronik partners

24

Murrelektronik offices

05

Production facilities

04

Global logistics centres

www.murrelektronik.com

Customer reference

Pfiffner AG is a leading global manufacturer of high-volume rotary transfer machines.

Precision and flexibility balanced with productivity, have made the company an important partner for innovative industries.

Annual Sales: 64.8 Mio. €

Employees: 260

Member: FFG Fair Friend Group

What were Pfiffner’s goals for a decentralized machine concept?

Pfiffner is a pioneer in the use of decentralized installation technology. For over 20 years they have benefitted from its advantages including: ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■

Flexibility and scalability regardless of machine size and design Easy changeover to new workpieces with minimal setup times Shorter assembly times More economical solutions Increased machine availability Simplified assemblies with increased reliability Easy integration of handling device

Pfiffner thoughts on Murrelektronik’s decentralized machine concept: ■ ■

■ ■ ■

We can respond to customer needs without having to make changes to the control cabinet.

Having consistent, cost effective solutions that meet all of the application requirements gives our electrical engineering team planning security while saving valuable development time.

We appreciate how Murrelektronik worked with us to come up with the best and most flexible solution.

End-to-end scalable system solutions, which save time from planning to installation.

Detailed system diagnostics help installers and operators locate faults quickly and easily keeping machine availability high.

www.murrelektronik.com

Products used: MASi68, Cube67

KR PFIFFNER GROUP

Schlenker Spannwerkzeuge

Collets for rotary transfer machines Since its foundation in 1952 by Hans Schlenker, the Schlenker Spannwerkzeuge company has specialized entirely in the manufacturing of high-quality clamping tools.

The individuality and flexibility of Schlenker Spannwerkzeuge products has almost no limits, so the company can respond to a wide range of customer requests. 100% vertical range of manufacture guarantees e a consistently high quality and ensures the highest precision of the collets.

AT A GLANCE: COMPANY LOCATIONS • Pfiffner Utzenstorf, Switzerland • Pfiffner Offenburg, Witzig & Frank, Germany • Pfiffner Zimmern, Germany • Pfiffner Japan Co., Ltd.

38 | EME Outlook issue 40

For Pfiffner, success in the realm of manufacturing comes down to the people involved.

Tied closely to business partnerships, mutual trust held between the company and external bodies brings the highest quality products, efficiently produced, to each and every one of the firm’s customers and clients.

“We rely on these long-lasting partnerships,” Ewald assures us.

“Pfiffner works with Murrelektonik as our key supplier of network electronics and industry strength cabling. With such business partners we have a long-lasting relationship - they know a great deal about our machines and requirements that make it easier to adapt the technology to implement developments.”

And alongside this, Pfiffner’s employees make the company what it is.

“Pfiffner has very hard-working and loyal employees that are excellent highly qualified personnel, which is

The individual processing steps of a collets such as turning, milling, hardening, eroding, grinding and the final processing of these takes place in the Black Forest region in Germany.

The company’s main products include collets, guide bushes, rotating inserts and bar feed collets for all common lathes, loading magazines and rotary transfer machines.

Schlenker provides you with draw-in collets for rotary transfer machines with threaded or quick change version. The thread is screwed into the corresponding counterpart on the machine side, whereas the quick change version is merely turned into the collet sleeve and locks itself automatically.

The draw-in collets can also be supplied with a saw burr cut. The burr from sawing should not touch the clamping surface, as it can negatively affect the shape and position tolerances of the component.

There are also no limits set for the manufacturing of three-dimensional clamping contours or clamping surfaces with steps.

Convince yourself of the Schlenker quality products for rotary transfer machines.

We look forward to get in touch with you.

www.schlenker-spannwerkzeuge.de

SPANNZANGEN FÜR RUNDTAKTMASCHINEN Abgestimmt auf Ihre Werkstücke, in höchster Präzision

www.schlenker-spannwerkzeuge.de

KR PFIFFNER GROUP

MANUFACTURING

KLOPFER

Hirth-Gearing Power chucks Special clamping devices Series and special cylinders Special welding devices

ALBERT KLOPFER DE – 71272 Renningen

GMBH

s a l e s @ k l o p f e r - t o o l i n g.d e another very important ingredient to a successful company,” Ewald explains.

“Our universities, technical schools, and engineering schools produce very highly qualified individuals.

But the foundation of it is our Swiss tradition of the apprenticeship where young people learn a profession and workmanship step by step. Our in-house culture of open exchange allows our employees to learn from any mistakes made, maximising our learning and proficiency in problem-solving.”

Additionally, education plays an important role in Pfiffner’s operation as a company. Not only does the prospect of employment with Pfiffner drive aspiring technicians, engineers and others towards gaining higher qualifications, but the company actively encourages additional experience and learning from within.

“We have our own in-house apprentice programme,” Ewald tells

us proudly.

“Currently of our 250 staff we have 30 apprentices. These apprenticeships last three or four years during which the apprentices learn and gain experience directly on the job in the company, with plenty of them continuing employment with us after the course is over.

“Pfiffner contributes to the national industry by helping also to support this apprenticeship model and bring the latest talent to the field. We rely on these qualified people to help us achieve this highest quality standards that we can achieve.”

the widescale rollout of COVID-19 vaccines over Europe, Pfiffner sets its sights on the east, including aiming to introduce its advanced RT machine in Korea and China.

“We will increase our presence in Asia which is where the market grows the most,” Ewald tells us.

“It’s also where we expect to have the best market development in the coming years, given the current environment, with our major project focus being China. We are in the middle of increasing our footprint there by hiring more people to move this forward.”

2021 AND BEYOND With the latest technologies in the automotive sector moving towards electrical and autonomous vehicles, Pfiffner is turning to new applications within the manufacture of battery parts and projects for the autonomous driving sector.

On top of this, while 2021 sees

KR PFIFFNER GROUP Tel: +41 (0)32 666 35 35 ​info@pfiffner.com www.pfiffner.com

EME Outlook issue 40 | 41

IMPRIMA GROUP

Refashioning Textiles Seamlessly weaving together tradition, imagination and innovation, Imprima has become a global player in the textiles manufacturing market. A company as unique as their custom designs, CEO Federico Benevolo discusses the prospect of a sustainable future Writer: Phoebe Harper Project Manager: Matthew Taylor Style, fashion and design are in our DNA,” opens Federico Benevolo, CEO at the Imprima Group.

Imprima is a global holding company dedicated to quality textile finishing and printing. Headquartered in Milan, it is unsurprising that such a company is based in the fashion capital of the world, at the very apex of Italy’s industrial triangle.

Milan itself has been defined by the prominence and commercial success of its fashion industry since the early 1980s, as seen in the city’s illustrious ‘Golden Block’, boasting salons of the world’s most renowned fashion designers. You could say that textiles are woven into the industrial fabric of this city, but Imprima casts its net far wider than Italy alone. Their fabrics

42 | EME Outlook issue 40

and textiles span the entire globe under the aegis of the Imprima Group.

The Imprima Group was formed in 2016, thanks to investments from Wise Equity SGR. As such, it is still a relatively young enterprise.

“Imprima is young at heart but at the same time full of expertise,” Benevolo comments.

In spite of this, the company has already established its reputation as a global player within just a few years.

“Imprima is a global leader in textile printing and garment making. In our imprinting there is all the commitment of an international player in textile printing, together with the strong will to be first for quality and service,” he elaborates.

With regards to Imprima’s extensive reach, the company can be found directly in the Italian, German, Brazilian, Chinese, American and Moroccan markets. Indirectly, Imprima has a worldwide presence through their partners and trade network in North Africa, Asia, and Central and South America.

Indeed, it was Benevolo’s international working background and understanding of this global mentality that secured his position at Imprima, after 25 years working in both European and American companies within sales and marketing roles.

MANUFACTURING

EME Outlook issue 40 | 43

IMPRIMA GROUP “My personal experience matured in Italian family companies and in multi-brand situations but is also characterized by a consistent international experience.

“In terms of key competencies above the marketing capabilities, I developed skills to manage start-up and turnaround situations, re-defining the strategies both in sales and operations,” he explains.

ISOCARBO ISOCARBO was founded in 1923, almost one hundred years ago: the long-established expertise achieved through the years has allowed Isocarbo an ongoing and innovative raise, standing today as a leading inks, dyes and auxiliaries manufacturer focused on the highest demanding sectors such as Textile Market.

THE IMPRIMA FIVE KBC FASHION – a German textiles company with a history of over 270 years. KBC is one of the best-known textile printing companies in Europe, represented in 16 countries worldwide.

GUARISCO FABRICS – an Italian textile converter founded by Marco Guarisco, coming from a long family tradition in the textile industry. Guarisco specialises in youthful designs for the fast fashion market.

B-BLOSSOM - a textile converter from Como, founded in 2011 by Massimiliano Conti and Maria Moreira. Showcasing surprising and unforeseen patterns, original themes, and drawings that tell stories and emotions.

SET – created in Rome in 1975, SET is a promoter of quality fast fashion for women’s clothing.

PREMIER FABRICS INC. E CITY PRINTS LLC. - respectively founded in 1997 and in 2009, are two prominent players of the US fashion system, specialised in women’s apparel. An added value that allows them to stand out with exclusive and iconic products.

44 | EME Outlook issue 40

Federico Benevolo, Group CEO The company’s infancy is deceptive since it is reinforced with the combined years of experience and esteemed heritage of its partners.

“The Group is an exclusive combination of brands with years and years of history in the textile culture,” as Benevolo confirms.

In Benevolo’s opinion, it is this combined experience derived from Imprima’s string of successful acquisitions that is to thank for the company’s prestigious reputation, established within a relatively short time scale.

“One after the other, each new acquisition has added new skills, quality, glamour, creativity and service. That’s how, in just a few years, Imprima has become a prominent brand in the market.”

Consolidating these five companies within the group allows Imprima a variety that is matched by the diversity of its clientele, catering to an eclectic range of styles with their custom-printed products. Crucially, this also affords the opportunity to span different markets within European retail.

“Among the major textiles European companies, the Group acts successfully both in the “Collection” and “Fast Fashion” areas, with refined

The successful relaunch project undertaken in 2013, driven by its President & CEO, Harutiun Manoukian, allowed Isocarbo to make an important change in its market strategy by introducing into the established dyes and auxiliary product line, a new manufacturing division for digital inks printing technology. Through an international BTB business model, opening a Chinese Branch, Isocarbo has been constantly able to grow reaching, in 2019, a turnover of almost 24 million euros with 58 employees fully dedicated to innovative and more sustainable products combined with efficient 360° Services all over the world. In the 10.000 sqm Headquarter, located in Como’s Province, the main Italian textile industry district, all products are efficiently developed and manufactured thanks to the most advanced and recent technologies.

Isocarbo offers to its customers a complete portfolio. ISONIK® waterbased digital inks: Reactive, Sublimation, Disperse, Pigments and Acid coming soon; KEMIK® dyes, auxiliaries for dyeing and traditional printing: Disperse, Reactive, Acid, Acid pre-met, Cationic and Direct dyes.

Combined with them the last born: SANIK® focused on disinfectants and sanitizers, expression of constant flexibility and versatility of Isocarbo’s Team.

Improved performance of Kemik Discolor disperse dyes, Isonik ST-K Sublimation inks and Isonik RT-K reactive inks enabled to establish the firm and successful partnership with Imprima, one of the best growing European Textile Industries.

IMPRIMA GROUP

IMPRIMA KEY FIGURES

560

EMPLOYEES WORLDWIDE

25

NATIONALITIES AS PART OF THE GROUP

7

PRODUCTION PLANTS ACROSS THE WORLD

+200K

PATTERNS IN THEIR ARCHIVES

46 | EME Outlook issue 40

printed fabrics and finished trendy garments,” Benevolo explains.

Currently, “the Group is rapidly enhancing the classic product range (fabrics) with garments, in order to provide turn-key or tailor-made solutions shaped on the client needs and personality.”

Fittingly, Imprima works with an unparalleled variety of fabrics, synthetic and natural, including cotton, lycra, polyester, silk, and viscose, thereby accommodating a range of customer budgets.

“Imprima makes every client feel unique and at the centre of attention with a pool of brands, each with its own history, peculiarities and team of designers and salesmen. Thanks to them the Group is a unique and eclectic reality, capable of answering to every project and commercial needs,” observes Benevolo.

In terms of their manufacturing processes, Imprima strikes a fine

balance between tradition and innovation, respecting the heritage of certain techniques, such as traditional rotary press printing, whilst adapting to modern innovations based on entirely digital processes.

“What makes us really up to date is our continuous research in technologies and process innovation,” quips Benevolo.

Essential for any modern contender on the modern marketplace, this is mainly evidenced by the incorporation of digital printing and the significant investments that the company have made in this area.

“We offer only the best technologies, both traditional and digital for all types of fabrics, as well as a high specialty in active and beach wear technical fabrics printing.”

Digital printing is a fundamental necessity to ensure continued success for the company. Indeed, Imprima recently invested €20 million across

We design a sustainable textile.

We add value to fabrics for daily life.

It’s hard to imagine living in a world without textile: our modern life is symbolically wrapped up in yarns of different fabrics. Our story in the textile world tells of 100 years of research, investments and evolutions.

We are committed for being agents of change, reducing consumption of non-renewable raw materials by investing in low impact, up-cycled or recyclable materials, thus designing de novo, a new generation of products that suit our changing world and its future – that means beauty and sustainability.

Innovative solutions for better life. textile.lamberti.com

IMPRIMA GROUP

its two Italian production plants in state-of-the-art digital printing technology.

As manufacturers continue to be shaped by the technological developments of Industry 4.0, Imprima looks to advanced, leading edge technological solutions, entailing significant digital developments that contribute to streamlined, agile production systems.

SUSTAINABILITY PRINTED IN MIND Our vision is part of our nature: we have always cared for sustainability. But today, we want to do more: our ambition is to become a world textile company with zero impact.

48 | EME Outlook issue 40

“FUTURE INNOVATION IS MAINLY ORIENTED TOWARDS INCREASING THE USE OF RECYCLED AND/OR GREEN TISSUES, ACCOMPANIED BY GREATER ATTENTION TO THE USE OF NATURAL DERIVATIVES AND LOW WATER-CONSUMPTION TECHNOLOGIES” Interconnectivity is implemented through the Internet of Things (IoT), establishing an interlinked, wholistic approach to manufacturing, driving growth and leveraging instant data to further improve processes. This is in aid of establishing lean production – a means of manufacturing designed to eliminate waste without compromising on quality, whilst furthering workplace efficiency. This refers to waste in the widest sense, including raw material but also factors such as time and the optimised use of equipment.

“In the near future a system will lead the company structure,

founded on IoT and lean methods, to increasingly use 4.0 Industry future logics and therefore widen the offer of fabrics, printing types, processes and customised services, to give the client an active and leading role in the production process,” Benevolo explains.

Lean production champions the shortest possible product cycle time through continuous improvements.

Ultimately, the many benefits and improvements established by implementing this systematic approach results in higher profitability for the company.

MANUFACTURING

Since 1963 we have been serving our customers with rigor and professionalism

EcoBlue certification The innovative exhaust gas control technology called SCR.

Logistics

Safety

We have invested a lot of resources in the efficient management of orders and related response times, which in our opinion must combine speed and precision.

Enter the products page to view the updated list of our products with their downloadable safety data sheets.

WWW.FRATELLIBONAFEDE.COM

“Future innovation is mainly oriented towards increasing the use of recycled and/or green tissues, accompanied by greater attention to the use of natural derivatives and low water-consumption technologies,” comments Benevolo.

This elucidates the synergy that can exist between technology and sustainability; the two working in a complimentary fashion to further the company’s goals and ethical commitments, as high-tech solutions continue to be developed.

The textiles industry worldwide has come under scrutiny in recent years for its environmental impact, largely due to the enormous water consumption that necessitates textile production and the water pollution that can result from textile treatment and dyeing.

Imprima acknowledges this matter of contention and as such, ensures that sustainability is entrenched into

the company’s operations wherever possible, doing what it can to clean up the sector by outlining future action.

“For sure our key word is sustainability and, in order to achieve it as quickly as possible, we act along two macro directions with selected activities in order to become the best in class,” Benevolo explains.

A company that understands the importance of taking action today to safeguard tomorrow, Benevolo outlines the concrete action that Imprima will take to mitigate environmental impact.

“In detail, we will normalise our entire Quality System by combining current textile certification with the ISO standards (9000, 14000, 50000 and SA 8000) in the entire production process and regularise the energy, gas and water monitoring system.

“Imprima will also invest in the construction of photovoltaic plants, for the recovery of the energy

collected and for cogeneration that will operate together with the already existing biological purification plants and chemical treatments for processing water.

“Last but not least, we believe that the other lever to speed up this path is to invest in our values, implementing a dedicated programme where sustainability is a pillar,” Benevolo informs us.

By implementing company-wide systematic changes, Imprima has given itself the ambitious goal of becoming a ‘zero impact worldwide textile company’.

“All this will be driven to guide our staff towards the zero-impact horizon, to which we can all daily contribute even with small actions,” he concludes.

For Benevolo, there is no undermining the seismic impact of the pandemic for textiles manufacturers.

A relative newcomer to the Imprima EME Outlook issue 40 | 49

IMPRIMA GROUP

Group, Benevolo had barely been with the company for a year when the pandemic came to fruition and turned the industry on its head.

“Because of the pandemic situation, I haven’t been able to know a lot of clients,” he tells us.

Indeed, this contributes to the “highly challenging” context that shapes the industry today, as the aftermath of the pandemic promises an uncertain future.

“I feel I can say that this market, one of the oldest, is deeply changing due to COVID-19 and this phenomenon will have a structural impact on the current logic, from the final customer habits to the entire supply chain,” he observes.

50 | EME Outlook issue 40

“We are facing an unstable transition characterised by the ability to know how to anticipate and manage the future growing needs of the final customer,” he comments, underscoring the unpredictable nature of ever-shifting consumer trends.

In terms of how the pandemic will affect supply chain operations, Benevolo believes that driving innovation will be essential to ensure that their partners remain competitive.

“These trends will directly impact our current partners, who have to be able to provide increasingly competitive responses by innovating themselves.

MANUFACTURING

Imprima proves that not all textiles manufacturers are cut from the same cloth and confirms its status as a mark above the rest

“The final effect is and will be a higher request to the suppliers of more performing processes and productions achievable and, in my personal opinion, this is achievable only through a lean culture and the introduction of the IoT,” he claims.

This upheaval of supplier relations may provide ample opportunity, since this is an area that Benevolo identifies as somewhere the company can “dramatically improve its strength.”

“We are re-thinking our approach thanks to new managers fully dedicated to the whole supply chain process. The actual suppliers become more and more crucial and vital for our performance and therefore we have to invest in a closer relationship

with our partners through a mutual winning solution,” Benevolo surmises.

Moving forward, Imprima will be focussing its efforts on entering the ‘athleisure’ market’, reinforcing operations in China and localising production in the United States.

Alongside this, they will be developing their garment-maker proposal to further increase international coverage.

A strategic plan defined by three key pillars outlines the company’s actions for the future.

“The first pillar is the world’s sales development for both fabrics and garment, counting on a broader and deeper meaning of “customer service”.

“The second pillar concerns a rethinking of the production process in terms of sustainable innovation, of process standardisation and production sites focus through the introduction of SAP (Systems Applications and Products) on national and international level on key flows of the company.

Lastly, the corporate and departments reorganisation within the Group, with centralisation of joint activities and greater focus of business brands, with great care to the professional growth of key resources,” he explains.

Benevolo’s closing sentiment resounds with optimism and faith in Imprima’s vision.

“Ours is more than a mission. It’s the desire of founding our work on imagination and creativity. We wish to be the benchmark partner in the global market, able to offer creative, innovative, sustainable solutions and textile products.”

With its ambitious goals, admirable social responsibility, and commitment to innovation, Imprima proves that not all textiles manufacturers are cut from the same cloth and confirms its status as a mark above the rest.

IMPRIMA GROUP Tel. +39 031 687 6400 info@imprima.group www.imprima.group

EME Outlook issue 40 | 51

TRUMPF GROUP

Cutting Edge Tech

Machinery manufacturing is a critical sector.

We spoke to TRUMPF Group about the necessity of adaptation in the industry and the company’s position at the forefront of laser-cut machine parts provision Writer: Marcus Kääpä | Project Manager: Matthew Taylor

52 | EME Outlook issue 40

MANUFACTURING

M

achinery manufacturing is at the forefront of advanced industry production, particularly within Europe and the Middle East.

Even in the face of the challenges posed by COVID-19, and the underlaying economic grind that has resulted from it, persistent adaptation has led the industry forward. This is especially present within Middle

and Northern Europe, where the latest technological solutions and maximised usage of online tools and services have revolutionised the way manufacturing businesses operate.

Exemplifying this adaptation is TRUMPF Group. TRUMPF is one of the world’s leading companies in machine tools, laser technology and electronics for industrial applications. It is a family-owned machinery manufacturing

company that specialises in laser cutting technologies based in Germany, with many subsidiaries across regions such as the Nordic countries.

“Our main focus is laser technology applications for manufacturing for OEM Business, or integrated in our own machines tools, and other machine tools for sheet metal manufacturing,” begins Reinhold Gross, Managing Director of Sales and Services at TRUMPF. EME Outlook issue 40 | 53

TRUMPF GROUP “With automation and logistic solutions, programming and production planning, and execution software we offer comprehensive sheet metal factories plus we offer all services needed to run and improve these installations on our customers site.”

INDUSTRY 4.0 AND PROJECTS One factor that sets TRUMPF above and apart from its industry competition is its ability to stay ahead, and remain ahead, of upcoming trends in business practices and operation.

“Industry 4.0 is not coming as a revolution, but as an evolution,” Gross elaborates.

“There is no lightning-fast change, but it is instead an unstoppable

development, which is unforgiveable to those that cannot adapt. There is a global increase in competition, there is a global shortage in skilled labour for sheet metal manufacturing and this leads to a higher productivity of the systems and to a continued further increase of the whole manufacturing processes.

“This evolution is a major driving force behind digitalisation in the industry. To improve processes the first thing that is needed is transparency, which means, sensors, software and connectivity. Having the transparency, we want to tweak the system towards higher performance.

Then we need life-data, localisation, interaction with the Management Execution System, interaction with

EME OUTLOOK: Can you both tell us about your career pasts, and why each of you became interested in the manufacturing industry?

REINHOLD GROSS, MD Sales and Services: I started at TRUMPF in 1995 in our punching tools division, moved through various functions in the headquarters in Ditzingen, spent four years in Detroit in our Laser Division, and after a period in our Medical Division in Eastern Germany, I started the services business at TRUMPF, which I implemented and developed for about five years. For the last nine years I have been responsible for our market activities, Product Management, and for our digital business as a Managing Director of TRUMPF Machine Tools. The manufacturing industry, especially the sheet metal business, is a very interesting market to me, with lots of very entrepreneurial spirited medium sized companies. The technology still leaves headroom for further development.

ANSSI JANSON, MD TRUMPF Maskin AB: I started with laser materials processing in 1999 at a research institute in Finland. After working seven years with multiple novel laser processes, I had to decide whether to carry on my doctor’s thesis or switch to the industry and run a recently acquired laser integrator company. I chose the latter and never regretted the decision. As a laser integrator we solved our customers manufacturing problems with customised laser workstations, but as we grew, we were acquired by a larger automation company. There, I was in charge of global sales and later the responsibilities of the Customer Care Business Unit were added to my duties. Since I was bitten by the laser bug in 1999, I have been fascinated by the endless manufacturing possibilities that lasers can provide. After working for a few years in top management positions outside the laser industry, I joined TRUMPF in 2019 to run the subsidiary in Scandinavia.

InspecVision HALF page edit Based Exerum in unt Northern et reperehento Ireland, blandi InspecVision odit incimendam havevolupta sold their temolla inspection ccuption consequi systems inctate all overmquiae. the world.

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With the Equodit quamusanimi, quas quaeces addition of OptiScan 3Deos thesum system tiistia spiscip ietusanis sequi offers unparalleled non contact ut et milluptae nis autem excepero te inspection capacity. parchil imet lis inti rem re pa dipsant.

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Measurement Ventinctam ent officium aut and data can be analysed off-line velenitasin que et modiand odita the machineetcan benum supported volenim inctotas updated remotely.sum, sim esti soloris sequi torporum, od min re natur Demo now autas installed at rae lis systems eossitiusare dolupit porit Trumpf’s newblandionsed smart factory, located ipit ea corio quatem at their headquarters Ditzingen, faccabo.

Asite laciuminquist unt, unt Germany well as their smart factory a cum ea as vere, venimil mi, volutem in Chicago.

As aeribeari new Trumpf partner, faccus eriorep ut hariam, InspecVision are excited tocon introduce eturibusae volori berrovit, their solutions to helpaccatio. manufacturers pratem vereriaerum Equi simplify their inspection process qui while consecaerum eumquis nonecto reducing cost and wastage. della dolecuptatem que la dolore est, adit aut maximusdae il ilitem nobis et quia quiandissit, sam voluptaque ne simagnam isto quassitatur?

www.inspecvision.com www.websiteaddress.com

54 | EME Outlook issue 40

2D & 3D Measurement Systems Speed, accuracy & reliability Inspection & Reverse Engineering for sheet metal parts

For more information or an online demo: sales@inspecvision.com • www.inspecvision.com

TRUMPF GROUP

“We have been quite successful in the Nordics to take into use the latest TRUMPF digital service tools and predicative monitoring analyses. It has been really exciting as the customers have been willing to try and take into use the latest tools that TRUMPF has been developing for Industry 4.0. E.g. Condition and Data based Monitoring solutions and the other Digital Service offerings.

“As the distances are quite long, especially in Sweden and some locations in Norway, the remote service tools have provided us an excellent opportunity to provide support to the customer immediately when they have contacted us and the customer doesn’t have to wait for the technician to arrive on site and analyse the problem.”

- Anssi Janson, Managing Director of TRUMPF Maskin AB.

56 | EME Outlook issue 40

“TRUMPF MASKIN AB IS A SUBSIDIARY OF TRUMPF TAKING CARE OF SALES, INSTALLATIONS AND AFTERSALES OF TRUMPF PRODUCTS IN SWEDEN, NORWAY AND DENMARK” – ANSSI JANSON, MANAGING DIRECTOR OF TRUMPF MASKIN AB the machines and automation components, digital service connection, predictive analyses and eventually artificial intelligence.”

This digitalisation is key to answering the demand of a widening customer base by utilising the latest online means of communication and operation in the industry. This goes hand-in-hand with the high level of existing digital integration in the lives and workplaces of people in the regions – a factor that streamlines the relationship between manufacturing employees and their companies.

This movement towards implementing the most advanced technologies is embodied by TRUMPF’s latest projects: three

smart factories. These are based in Chicago (US), Ditzingen (Germany), and Taicang (China), each representing the future of the manufacturing industry, with the first Nordic-based smart factory coming within 2021. TRUMPF has also begun to work alongside customers on projects, widening its scope of company offerings for prospective collaborations.

PEOPLE-CENTRIC BUSINESS TRUMPF’s nature as a family-owned company adds to its business focus regarding the quality of product and service for its customers spanning multiple industries. Having been a market and technology leader in the

MANUFACTURING

ENVIRONMENTAL PROMOTION As a longstanding established company, TRUMPF sees it as part of its corporate responsibility to handle resources carefully and to avoid negative impact on the environment as much as possible. TRUMPF is pursuing the goal for its production to be completely CO2 neutral worldwide by the end of 2020. To achieve this goal, it is focusing on the following: ENERGY EFFICIENCY By 2020/21, over €6 million have been spent in reducing power input at the TRUMPF production sites. Its certified energy management system ensures that it is continually optimising its processes.

LOW CO2 ENERGY SUPPLY TRUMPF is changing its energy supply so that it will obtain all of its electricity from renewable energies. As well as changing their energy supply contracts, it will be investing more in producing its own energy.

OFFSETTING UNAVOIDABLE EMISSIONS Emissions such as those from the combustion of fuels, heating oil, and natural gas. In the medium term, TRUMPF wants to significantly reduce offsetting through certificates, for example by taking part directly in sustainability projects.

sector for almost a century the firm has a great reputation for reliability, providing its customers with the highest level of professionalism in machinery manufacturing, as well as arguably the best competitive position in the market for business partnerships.

With approximately 14,000 employees across 70 locations internationally, TRUMPF understands the value of increasingly peoplecentric operations having weathered the COVID-19 storm throughout last year and into the present.

As with many industries across the board, business supply chain partners form an essential part of company operations, especially for larger automated and integrated systems.

TRUMPF prides itself in offering a long history of trust between itself, its customers, and its business partners, both old and new.

“As in other industries, the wide range of the physical and digital offerings cannot be supplied by a single organisation anymore.

The complexity would just be overwhelming,” Gross elaborates.

“For the sake of simplicity for our customers we try to be their single contact for everything they need to build the bases for their success.

But for us the integration of partners in our portfolio and our delivery processes is playing a crucial role in our strategy.

“As we can see in other industries too, digitalisation is also leading to a more collaborative interaction along the supply chain. I personally regret that there is still a strong isolation of the European competitors in the machine tools business. In the car industry we see much more cooperation in certain technological fields.”

This history of trust is one of TRUMPF’s many core company values, among the equally as important high level of ethical standards, both socially and environmentally.

EME Outlook issue 40 | 57

TRUMPF GROUP

MANUFACTURING

“OUR FOCUS IN THE NORDICS IS CUSTOMER CARE DURING THE LIFETIME OF THE MACHINE WHERE THE DIGITAL SERVICES WITH INDUSTRY 4.0 SOLUTIONS PLAY A MAJOR ROLE” – ANSSI JANSON, MANAGING DIRECTOR OF TRUMPF MASKIN AB “A lot of the official programmes are run by the “Berthold Leibinger Foundation” with topics like the ‘Berthold Leibinger Innovation Prize’, a world-wide open competition for Laser Innovation Projects in the shape of a “small Nobel prize”. On top of this, the TRUMPF buildings have for years already very high ecological standards with further improvements scheduled,” Gross adds.

“The highest impact we have with

our products, as we can reduce consumption of resources like steel, gas, electricity for our customers significantly by even offering them the connected savings.”

Continuing through 2021 and into the new decade, TRUMPF aims to continue its high level of customer and supplier support in all areas, including the evolutionary path of Industry 4.0.

“All topics are directly connected to it, like our Smart Factory Consulting

team, MES integration team, Software and Automation offerings, and like our Intralogistics and Digital Service offerings, will be further significantly increased,” Gross assures us.

“And through the further growth of our customers we clearly plan on further growth of the company in the coming year, not just based on an improving economic environment, but also on the gain of market share.”

www.trumpf.com

EME Outlook issue 40 | 59

CORNAGLIA GROUP

An Italian

Legacy Amidst significant investment, family-owned manufacturing company Cornaglia is seeking expansion and growth at scale Writer: Sean Galea-Pace | Project Manager: Matthew Taylor

C

ornaglia is steeped in family history and heritage.

Today, the organisation develops leading edge technological solutions for the automotive world and is regarded as one of the most influential Italian components companies, supplying the most prestigious clients on the European market.

The firm initially began operations in the sheet metal pressing industry.

In the years that followed, output expanded significantly and Cornaglia now consists of four large divisions: Sheet Metal Components Division, Plastic Components Division, Exhaust System Division, and Filter Division.

Pier Antonio Cornaglia is the Sales and Marketing Director at the organisation. His great grandfather founded the company, his grandfather built it, and his father and uncle created the modern day Cornaglia.

“The company has always been a

60 | EME Outlook issue 40

Pier Antonio Cornaglia, Sales and Marketing Director

part of our family,” he says. “And my own journey is interesting. I started on the shop floor and I worked with shift leaders and I went through every department of the company, from admin to quality to buyer to commercial and so on. I then had an opportunity to become the Director General at our Torino plant before stepping into my current role as the Group Sales and Marketing Director.”

Despite enjoying such a rich family history, the company has realised the importance of tweaking that culture and has recently implemented a new management structure which has led to a new Managing Director, Stefano Cassis.

Under Cassis’s leadership, Cornaglia has recently appointed a Supply Chain and Purchasing Manager for the first time in the company’s history. It’s a move which Pier Antonio admits has been vital.

MANUFACTURING

EME Outlook issue 40 | 61

CORNAGLIA GROUP

Microfound Microfound is a leading supplier of investment casting in industrial sector, with a manufacturing plant in Italy and an Asian sourcing network.

With professionalism, quality and services the company casts small and large series of complex components in steel and special alloys, from few grams to 25 kg.

The production flexibility and the wide range of services make Microfound a reliable partner, able to follow and develop every phase of the project together with the customer: cast engineering, prototyping, surface treatments and finishes, precision machining and controls.

T +39 0522 246611 E mfound@microfound.it www.microfound.it

Umberto, Roberta, Pier Mario Cornaglia

“Previously, my father and uncle always managed it themselves,” he says. “However, Mr. Cassis drew our attention to the need of a dedicated person to fill that role because ultimately, our most important partners are our suppliers. We go through them with raw material and it has become an essential part of our operations over the past two years.”

Pier Antonio is well aware of

CORNAGLIA’S BUSINESS UNITS - Metal - Plastic - Exhaust Cor-Tubi - Filtration Cor-Filters - Research and Development

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what sets his company apart from competitors.

“We have a very different portfolio from our competitors,” he explains.

“We’ve taken every opportunity that has come our way and operate with a very flexible approach that can easily adapt to any circumstance.”

Despite significant global disruption as a result of COVID-19, Pier Antonio is quick to point out that Cornaglia mitigated the financial impact due to his family’s long-lasting management style.

“We were deeply impacted in terms of turnover but due to our strength in terms of financial numbers, we have kept investing,” he explains.

“My family has never taken any dividends out of the company.

Everything the company has earned has always been reinvested back into the organisation or set aside for bad times. That is traditionally an old management style but has really helped us during difficult times.

Labium Srl Labium was formed in 2016, with the aim to create a company capable of designing and manufacturing coldpressed parts made of sheet metal, steel and aluminium.

Special attention will be paid to the design and production of printed items called heat shields, designed to protect sensitive areas inside machinery from high temperatures.

The company is located in Bruino (Turin, Italy), it aims to follow the costumer from the beginning of the project, studying in co-design, the best solutions to meet the required characteristics and trying to optimise the cost for the equipment and production.

Marco Brondino E: direzione@labiumsrl.com www.labiumsrl.com

MANUFACTURING

Via Avogadro 30/32/34 10090, Bruino (TO) Tel: +39 011 2421351

ENGINEERING SOLUTIONS FOR THERMAL AND ACOUSTIC INSULATION • SINGLE / DOUBLE LAYER IN STEEL ( 1.4301 - 1.4828 - 1.4541 ) • SINGLE / DOUBLE LAYER IN ALUMINIUM (AW 1050 - AW 6016 - AW5754) • THE CREATION OF INTEGRAL INSULATION FOR PIPES, PRIMARILY FOR THE INDUSTRIAL FIELD.

EME Outlook issue 40 | 63

CORNAGLIA GROUP “Luckily, we were allowed to continue working despite a substantial reduction in orders.”

And Cornaglia is showing no signs of slowing down. The organisation has recently acquired a new complete stamping line and increased its production capacity not only in quantitative terms but also and

above all, its quality terms. In fact, the new plant, which will be based in Poland, will provide performance of absolute excellence which enables the production of complex parts, while also ensuring the maximum efficiency during stamping and line setup operations. The investment is set to cost around €20 million in total.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF CORNAGLIA In 1916, Cornaglia was born under the name of Officine Metallurgiche Giletta when 39-year-old Giuseppe Cornaglia from Fossano, who had moved to Turin 10 years previously, became a member. The firm dealt with sheet metal processing and trading, while its factory was located in Corso Regina Margherita.

In 1921, a serious fire destroyed the factory in Corso Regina Margherita and production moved to Corso Racconigi. During the 1920s and 1930s, Giuseppe Cornaglia’s role within the company became increasingly prominent. In 1937, he took over the company and introduced his son Pier Antonio, who was 16 at the time, into the organisation.

In the 1960s, the economic boom arrived. Consumption and well-being grew, in tandem with Cornaglia. The following year, the Beinasco plant was built, while Cortubi was created in 1967. The new brand of exhaust systems for cars and trucks reflected the company’s need for diversification, which in this decade also meant a dive into the foreign market.

The 1970s saw a new generation of Cornaglia rise to the fore. Eng. Pier Mario and his brother Umberto provided different managerial styles and approaches and were both central in the growth of the family business.

As a result of the car crisis in the 1980s, Cornaglia realised the importance of diversifying. At the same time, Cornaglia also entered the after market area with a complete line of export-orientated car clutches. The first initiative took place in 1982, with the creations of Cortubi Sud. In 1986, the roof of the Cortubi plant collapsed as a result of significant snowfall. Luckily, the collapse happened during a shift change and resulted in no casualties.

With hard work on the part of the family and employees, production didn’t stop and just a month later a new warehouse was built.

In 2001, the rationalisation plan for the plants, with the creation of the plastics division. The three molding systems are concentrated in the Villarbasse factory, rotational, blow molding and injection molding. At the end of the 1990s and early 2000s, the first foreign units of the group were built.

Today, the company continues to grow through investments and its partnerships in various countries across the world and is seen as one of the most renowned Italian components companies.

64 | EME Outlook issue 40

MANUFACTURING

COR-FILTER FILTRATION BU has a complementary role to the other factories in the Group. The Research Centre designs products according to specific customer needs, patent. In this market sector, Cornaglia works on the design of components that anticipate three or four years the construction of the vehicle for which they are planned EME Outlook issue 40 | 65

CORNAGLIA GROUP Investments are a key component of Cornaglia’s strategy. Indeed, the firm invests between €7-10 million in new equipment every year. Pier Antonio believes that the launch of the Poland plant, despite a COVID year, will provide a springboard for success.

“It’s been our biggest investment of all time as a company,” he affirms.

“But our previous plant was much too small and we believe it will massively benefit us in the long-term.”

“These launches have meant that Cornaglia is still believing in itself

BU / PLASTIC. This recently developed technology, of which Cornaglia is among the European leaders, has allowed the replacement of rubber parts inside engine compartments with substantial savings in terms of costs and weight

66 | EME Outlook issue 40

and its development. Research and development centres are central to what we do. We’ve also opened two new centres, one in 2018 and one in 2020, which are based in India and Turkey. This allows us to get competencies in those countries and have reductions in costs within those countries.”

The company is continuously striving to reduce its environmental impact connected to its activities and the risks to the health and safety of its workers. With sustainability firmly at the forefront of Cornaglia’s thoughts,

the organisation is developing and applying an integrated environment and safety management system for all companies, in compliance with regulation standards.

Cornaglia owns five photovoltaic plants, managed by PVUG, installed on the roofs of as many industrial plants for a total of approximately 3.7 megawatts (MW) of installed power.

These plants produce about four million kilowatts (kWh) annually of clean energy avoiding the emission of 1,600 tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere every year.

MANUFACTURING

EXHAUST COR-TUBI. This busines unit is divided in specialised smaller units/departments to increase efficiency and cut down costs and time. Some of these specialise in pipe manufacture, (cut, drilling, bending and deformation of pipes in normal and inox steel, 40 to 150 mm diam.) and are assigned to the assembly of internal components such as mufflers through to sertissage and robotised welding In order to reduce energy consumption and waste, interventions were carried out on machines, and automatic standby has been installed which is activated after a predetermined period of inactivity.

“We value sustainability and are always searching for ways to do more,” says Pier Antonio. “We have solar panel installation in all our plants, we use in-house treatment for the wastewater and have implemented new LED panels. We don’t waste or scrap any materials either.”

With 2021 well underway, Pier Antonio is optimistic about what the future could hold over the next couple of years.

“This year has already started really well in terms of orders and our forecast is almost too good to be true,” he explains.

“I hope this will continue for the rest of the year, but it is also important to remember that most of our products are in the startup phases. Over the next two or three years, I believe we will be very solid. We’ve began to expand

in Brazil and India which allows us to be robust in the market and we’re in a good position to push forward.

“We know there’s an opportunity and we’re ready to take it.”

Tel. 011/3491311 commerciale.lamiera@cornaglia.com www.cornaglia.com

EME Outlook issue 40 | 67

MARELLI

Automotive Innovation The name MARELLI equates to manufacturing excellence. We speak with Antonio Ferrara, CEO of MARELLI’s Ride Dynamics about pioneering innovation and sustainability within a leading global independent automotive components supplier Writer: Phoebe Harper | Project Manager: Matthew Taylor

MANUFACTURING I believe that we are living in an amazing time for the automotive industry, with a lot of changes that have just started or are starting,” states Antonio Ferrara, CEO of MARELLI’s Ride Dynamics Business Unit.

It is a promising opening statement, and one that truly encapsulates the dynamism of the global automotive manufacturing industry.

Ferrara’s illustrious early career means that he is well-placed at MARELLI. Securing his first job at Alfa Romeo with a degree in Mechanical Engineering before moving on to Fiat’s Mirafiori plant, it is a working background peppered with some of the most iconic names in Italian automotive manufacturing.

“Since the beginning of my career, I’ve always worked in the manufacturing field,” Ferrara explains.

“I then moved to operational roles, starting from Supervisor to Operation Manager, ranging from Powertrain shops to body welding and final assembly operation.

“In March 2014, I joined Magneti Marelli (the company’s previous incarnation) as CEO of Suspension Systems Business Unit and Magneti Marelli Chief Manufacturing Officer. In early 2019, the Suspension Systems Business Unit was merged with the Shock Absorbers Business Unit, becoming the new Ride Dynamics Business Line and I was appointed CEO of this new unit,” he tells us.

Now a major global supplier in the Tier 1 marketplace, MARELLI’s scope is vast, with 60,000 employees worldwide and a recorded revenue of €13.6 billion in 2019.

“MARELLI is one of the world’s leading global independent suppliers to the automotive sector, with 170 locations across Asia, the Americas, Europe, and Africa.”

Ferrara himself manages 16 production sites in Italy, Poland, Morocco, US, Mexico, Brazil, China and India, plus seven product development sites on top of that.

EME Outlook issue 40 | 69

MORE THAN 120 YEARS OF TRADITION We produce metal parts for manufactures of automotive and home appliances sector.

The potential of Italmetal, supported by the experience of Girardini Group, allows to manufacture parts of the highest technological level.

Italmetal Sp. zo.o. - ul. Zachodnia 22, 55-220 Jelcz-Laskowice, PL tel +48 713819800 | centrala@italmetal.com | www.italmetal.com

MARELLI INNOVATORS OF THE INDUSTRY In recent years, the automotive industry has been carried on a ceaseless tide of innovation defined by two major developments – namely Autonomous Vehicles (AV) and Electric Vehicles (EV).

“It’s needless to underline how the Autonomous Vehicle or EV are changing the way cars are built,” quips Ferrara.

As a Tier 1 supplier, MARELLI must adapt to these trends, driving constant innovation.

“The formation of MARELLI as a “new, experienced” player in the Tier 1 marketplace creates a range of opportunities to supply innovative solutions for future mobility by combining the expertise of its different business units,” comments Ferrara.

THE MARELLI MISSION “Our mission is to transform the future of mobility through working with customers and partners to create a safer, greener, better connected world.”

Antonio Ferrara

72 | EME Outlook issue 40

As such, this has become firmly embedded into the company’s innovation strategy.

“Our innovation strategy is based on our goal of helping our customers meet the changing needs of future mobility and is centred around CASE - Connected, Autonomous, Shared, Electric – trends,” Ferrara elaborates.

In order to meet the growing demand for these models, automotive suppliers are faced with the challenge of implementing complex manufacturing technology whilst keeping production costs low. This necessitates technological investments to streamline the developments of an electrified powertrain.

“The electronic architecture of a car is much more complex than 10 years ago and will become more and more sophisticated for the vehicles at Level 3 or 4 of Autonomous Driving,” comments Ferrara. Levels 3 and 4 are the next stage of development for AV manufacturers, on the path towards the goal of ‘Level 5’, i.e., full automation requiring zero human input.

“The manufacturing processes must be adapted to the new complexity, to keep on guaranteeing the highest level of quality for every single component. The challenges are, and will be, several and different on all the fields and for sure there are exciting times ahead in the coming years,” Ferrara surmises.

MARELLI endeavours to keep astride of these developments whilst adhering to the company’s leading value of delivering manufacturing excellence.

“MARELLI’s technology approach is particularly focused on electric powertrain, advanced connectivity, cutting-edge lighting and competitive ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems) solutions and advanced interiors.”

As the business unit responsible for developing, manufacturing

and distributing shock absorbers, suspension systems and related components for light commercial and passenger vehicles, Ride Dynamics operates through 15 production sites worldwide - EMEA (6), NAFTA (2), LATAM (3) and APAC (4), and has approximately 4,700 employees.

With an impressive roster of customers, including Stellantis, BMW and Volkswagen, adapting to and keeping astride of the latest technological advancements within the field is essential. Focussing this approach specifically through the lens of his unit’s recent investments, Ferrara goes on to comment “At Marelli Ride Dynamics Business Unit we believe that Product Innovation and Process Innovation must walk together, to catch new opportunity in the market at the same time of improving our competitiveness.

“This is the reason why we have invested in the “hybrid laser welding” technology, that is able to reach incredible welding speed (reducing the manufacturing cycle time) and allowing higher precision in our subframes and cradles because of its reduced thermal distortion versus traditional MIG welding,” he explains.

Another concrete example of innovation in practice within Ride Dynamics is their forthcoming partnership with ‘Clear Motion’, a project that is particularly exciting for Ferrara.

“Marelli Ryde Dynamics is developing with the partner ‘Clear Motion’ a full active suspension system, that represents a disruptive innovation in comfort controlling devices. This system is capable of completely cancelling any road bumps, limiting at the same time the roll and pitch to an unseen level. Some car makers are claiming they can provide in their higher end models some ‘active suspension feature’ but all of these systems actually only work for slow movements (until

T

he ltalmetal company with its headquarters in Jelcz-Laskowice specializes in the production of a wide range of elements made of sheets and strips in the field of embossing, punching and bending on presses. The list of the company’s clients includes such giants as Whirlpool, Electrolux, Marelli and Vorwerk. Italmetal is a family company whose constant feature is continuous development, implemented through investments in the production process, machinery and employees.

The Italmetal company started its operations in 2004 located in the Wałbrzych Special Economic Zone.

It was based on the experience in the automotive sector and in-depth knowledge of the home appliances market, which was brought to Jelcz by the founder of Italmetal, Attilio Girardini. This marriage of know-how from two sectors, supported by the constant will to develop, still provides solid ground in gaining new customers, producing products of the highest quality and exporting them not only to the European market, but also to Turkey and China.

Over the last 15 years, Italmetal has expanded the building to a covered area of 40,000 square metres.

As part of the expansion, we focus not only on the area of production and tool rooms, but also on improving the storage conditions for products. We also invest in new machines, thanks to which we will be able to better adapt to the needs of customers in the automotive sector. Our new acquisition is an impressive press with a pressure of 2,000.

Factory 4.0 and a recipe for the future Consistent development and process automation have become a must for any company wishing to remain competitive in the industry. Thanks to the support of European funds, Italmetal has created a

T +48 713819800

|

new R&D Centre with a laboratory and a prototype shop. Part of the project is cooperation with scientists in the fields of metallurgy, automation and image recognition.

The strategic potential of the company and the key to success is the constant need for development and looking to the future, and then planning the strategy.

The quality of the services offered is confirmed by numerous certifications, from IATF 16949, through ISO 9001, ISO 14001, OHSAS 18001.

Attilio Girardini concluded by saying: “We see how the industry is developing and we respond to the future needs of customers. Our products are indispensable in industry. In addition to the household appliances industry, we focus on the automotive industry. Electromobility is a good development direction. The demand for new elements is rapidly arising. We do not rest on our laurels, and we constantly invest to be better in terms of production, customer service and R&D.” Networking and social responsibility In Italian culture, partnerships are the key to success.

Business doesn’t exist without them, and the human factor cannot be overestimated also in industry.

Italmetal invests heavily in technology, but also in a team of loyal and trained employees.

The priority of the development of a modern company should not only be the desire to develop production and increase revenues.

E centrala@italmetal.com

|

www.italmetal.com

MARELLI

Metalfer S.p.A. The cold-drawing process creates a uniform, precision product with substantially improved tolerances, surface finish and tensile strength, increased hardness and good machinability. Being part of the Arvedi Group, Metalfer guarantees the full integrated process from coils to the final cut pieces.

AUTOMOTIVE The automotive sector makes up 50 percent of Metalfer’s production. With over 50 years of experience, Metalfer is considered a leading supplier to automotive manufacturers the world over.

CYLINDERS The fluid power sector makes up 40 percent of Metalfer’s production.

Superior surface finishes that includes special smooth interior diameter (SSID) or “ready to use” (H9), skived and roller burnished (H8), and honed tubing; along with tight dimensional tolerances has earned Metalfer the reputation of the “go - to” supplier from the most demanding customers on four continents.

approximately 4 Hertz), while our ‘Full active’ provides its action for all body movements, even in the range of 25 Hertz.

MARELLI’S FIVE CORE VALUES: 1. INNOVATION 2. DIVERSITY 3. COLLABORATION 4. SUSTAINABILITY 5. ‘MONOZUKURI’ - a Japanese term denoting the creation of value in all respects, through manufacturing fine products and providing excellent services in a timely manner, to meet customers’ expectations.

74 | EME Outlook issue 40

“This innovative system, while allowing an unprecedent comfort level, will also cover the function of active stabiliser bars, controlling in a continuous way the roll of the body,” he concludes.

These advancements are considered as an opportunity for innovation rather than viewing them as a challenge. Over the course of the past year, the automotive sector has been heavily impacted by the pandemic.

Of course, the company did its best to “preserve business continuity”, whilst prioritising the wellbeing of its employees, but the effects were felt hard across the board.

“We had to temporarily suspend our operations for some time in different locations, following the spread of the pandemic. At the worst point, more than 70 percent of our total operations were on hold,” Ferrara informs us.

INDUSTRIAL The industrial sector makes up the remaining 10 percent of Metalfer’s production. A wide range of dimensions, surface finishes, and tight tolerances of its cold drawn tubing places Metalfer in a leading position for the supply of precision steel tubing.

R&D CERTIFICATIONS Metalfer’s philosophy is founded on a deeply qualitative culture which extends to all company sectors.

Our certifications – ISO 14001, UNI ISO 9001 and IATF 16949 – have been obtained since many years, and while they are obviously essential requirements for operating in the sophisticated automotive sector, for Metalfer they represent just one part of the company’s culture and outlook.

www.metalferspa.it

ARVEDI GROUP is one of Europe’s most significant steelmaking realities, operating in the production of hot rolled pickled, galvanized and pre-painted coils, carbon and stainless steel tubes and stainless precision-rolled strip.

METALFER, the Italian steel group leader in the production of welded cold drawn tubes, ranging from 8 mm to 235 mm outer diameter, has achieved the highest levels of product quality recognized by customers the world over.

METALFER has the know-how needed to produce high quality products to the most critical customer requirements.

This enhances the competitiveness of the company and its customers.

With an annual production of 105,000 metric tons of cold drawn, skived/roller burnished and honed tubes including over 80 million cut pieces, takes place in 7 plants located in 4 countries.

ITALY • Roè Volciano (Brescia) • Corbetta (Milano) • Avigliana (Torino) • Tradate (Milano)

POLAND • Bielsko-Biala (Kraków)

BRAZIL • Salto (São Paulo)

MOROCCO • Tangier

METALFER S.p.A.

Via G. Frua, 3 25077 Roè Volciano (BS) - Italy @: info@metalferspa.it

metalferspa.it

MARELLI “In line with its Global Environment, Health and Safety Policy, Marelli applied the most stringent international standards (i.e.: WHO, ECDC, CDC) and then was able to smooth the impact on the business.”

Otherwise, MARELLI ensured that operations were adapted to the ‘new normal’ and continue to be consistently monitored.

SAFEGUARDING SUSTAINABILITY In keeping with the responsible action that our current climate calls for, MARELLI include sustainability as one of the central pillars guiding the company - a worthy inclusion to MARELLI’s five core values.

The concept is firmly entrenched within MARELLI’s modus operandi.

Ferrara describes it as a “fundamental element” for the company; “It plays an increasingly important role as MARELLI evolves and develops as a leading independent global supplier.”

“Sustainability for MARELLI is a strategic tool to demonstrate our role in society, better articulate our vision and journey, differentiate ourselves from peers and act as a true driver of value and innovation,” Ferrara surmises.

The company’s commitments to sustainability are outlined in a threepillar strategy that was launched

Marelli Technology Domains, meeting the CASE needs 76 | EME Outlook issue 40

back in 2020, intended to cover sustainability in the “broadest sense.”

The first pillar, ‘Sustainability of Operations’, entails how Marelli’s operations contribute to reducing environmental impact.

“This pillar shows our commitment to make our operations more sustainable as an environmentally and socially responsible company.”

Ferrara says, and recognises that this will be an ongoing commitment that requires dedication.

MARELLI KEY PRODUCT AREAS: • Automotive Lighting • Cabin Comfort • Electric Powertrain • Electronics • Green Technology Systems • Interior Experience • Powertrain • Ride Dynamics • Thermal Solutions • Motorsport • Aftermarket business

“We will focus even more in the coming years on the sustainable use of resources, e.g., recycling and reuse, energy and water consumption, CO2 emissions and holding ourselves to account alongside the world’s largest companies to set stretching targets and measure our progress.”

The second pillar is ‘Advanced Mobility and Innovation’, as Ferrara explains.

“This represents how we work to shape future mobility with our capability to correspond the shift in consumer attitudes against carbon dioxide and fossil dependent vehicles towards environmentally friendly solutions.

“We have an abundance of smart, creative minds within MARELLI, whose job it is to identify new ways to support our customers in helping to shape future mobility.”

The third and final component of MARELLI’s sustainability strategy, ‘Responsible Corporate Citizen’, outlines the company’s values as the essential foundation for all daily interactions and the formation of relationships with stakeholders, to initially establish, and subsequently maintain, trust.

“By this, we mean the values we uphold at both an individual and a corporate level. Being a good

MANUFACTURING

A testing phase focus is on communication process improvement towards customers and suppliers, with the aim to strengthen the relationship. In this sense, concerning customers, we improved the communication of EDIs (Electronic Data Interchange) in inbound and outbound and we are also trying to introduce new technologies, such as blockchain, for a better product traceability.”

LOOKING AHEAD

Ride Dynamics products corporate citizen means that our strong moral and ethical standards are demonstrated in our everyday interactions,” Ferrara states.

SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT MARELLI fully recognises that none of its operations nor the ability to uphold these core values would be possible without a fantastic network of reliable suppliers – particularly within an industry that is so heavily characterised by complex logistics chains.

“Marelli considers of utmost importance the relationship with suppliers and customers,” observes Ferrara.

This is also an area where MARELLI are allocating investments to streamline operations.

“With regards to the suppliers, we are focusing on the improvement and standardisation of communication,” Ferrara comments. This will be implemented in the use of a single suppliers portal to enable ease of communication,” Ferrara elaborates.

“In addition, “to better improve the integration, within our 2024 Mid Term Plan, we have created a number of tools related to the Integrated Planning, Logistic Management and Materials Management.”

“As far as tools concerned, the

“By outlining the key areas that we believe to be material to the future of our business, and setting ourselves clear goals to measure our success, we can build stronger relationships with our stakeholders,” Ferrara muses.

He continues by outlining MARELLI’s strategy moving forward, “manufacturing efficiency, sustainability and focus on innovation will be the key drivers in the next years to compete in the future mobility scenario.”

With such values at their core, MARELLI stakes its claim as a worthy competitor in the industry.

www.marelli.com

EME Outlook issue 40 | 77

KAOLIN EAD

Mining in Bulgaria Dr Wolf Harlfinger, CEO at Kaolin, discusses the state of mining in Bulgaria today Writer: Sean Galea-Pace Project Manager: Thomas Arnold 78 | EME Outlook issue 40

Particularly in Western Europe, now more than ever, the mining industry has to manage a number of partially diverging stakeholder perspectives,” begins Dr Wolf Harlfinger.

Harlfinger has served as CEO at Kaolin since 2013. During his tenure, he has witnessed how the industry has

changed over the years and believes it is this dynamism which keeps him engaged.

“There is also the customers’ demand for a reliable supply of first-class products, society’s expectation for sustainability and nature preservation, the staff’s need for a safe and predictable work

MINING

environment and, last but not least, owners’ expectations for long-term path of growth,” says Harlfinger.

“It is my role to understand these perspectives, balance them and communicate the way forward. This is a very exciting and colourful job – with the cultural differences between Germany and the Balkan countries

giving some additional spice.”

Upon initially joining the firm, Harlfinger was fascinated by the combination of a long and proud history.

“As luck would have it, a few days after my joining of Quarzwerke Group the acquisition process for Kaolin EAD/Bulgaria started which

we successfully closed in 2013,” he says.

“That is when I had the great opportunity to become a member of our Bulgarian team and step in as CEO of the company. Getting my wife and my four kids on board proved easier than expected – we all moved to Sofia for this exciting experience.”

EME Outlook issue 40 | 79

KAOLIN EAD

DHL Express

DR WOLF HARLFINGER

It’s been a tough period for most.

The world is feeling more than a little uncertain.

“After my high school graduation, I enrolled in the study of laws at the universities of Marburg, Germany and Lausanne, Switzerland. My first seven years as a professional I spent in the international law firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer in Cologne, Germany and London,UK servicing clients in commercial, financial and restructuring activities.

So it’s reassuring to know the things that were truly important yesterday still really matter today. Maybe even more so. Like the power of a human connection. Working together to keep doors open - for schools, hospitals, businesses, and even at our borders.

For us, these things haven’t changed.

Neither has our commitment to a world that trades more, shares more ideas and solves more problems.

Together.

When you think about it like that, thankfully not quite everything has changed.

“In 2012, I joined Quarzwerke Group – a family-owned and family-run mining company with 137 years of history. Initially, I was part of Quarzwerke’s legal team.

I subsequently moved on to become CEO of Kaolin EAD after Quarzwerke’s acquisition of the company in 2013.

globaltrade.dhl

“I’m married and have four kids aged nine to 13.”

However, by his own admission, his route into the industry wasn’t traditional.

“My way into the industrial minerals industry in Bulgaria was not usual,” explains Harlfinger.

“After my high school graduation, I enrolled in the study of law. I spent my first seven years as a professional in an international law firm in Germany and the UK servicing various industrial clients in corporate and commercial activities.”

The industrial minerals industry is one of the foundations for almost all sectors within the manufacturing space. Today, Kaolin is one of the leading producers of industrial minerals in South Eastern Europe.

Its activities are focused on the extraction, processing and refining of kaolin, quartz, feldspar, limestone, 80 | EME Outlook issue 40

Petko Petkov - 24 Ltd. dolomite and clay, while the company’s products are key raw materials particularly for the ceramics and the glass industry.

With almost 100 years of experience, Kaolin EAD sits under the Quarzwerke Group and the firm operates 12 plants in Bulgaria, Serbia and Ukraine, providing employment to more than 1,300 people and serving customers worldwide in 40 different countries.

The firm has also upgraded its rotary kiln in Vetovo which is used to fire kaolin at temperatures above 1,000°C, turning into chamotte for special applications.

“The new installation allows us to use sunflower husks as fuel instead of natural gas,” he says. “Thus, approximately 10 cubic metres of natural gas were saved in the last five years.

Petko Petkov-24 started its activity in 1992. Throughout the years the company took an active part in installation, repair and maintenance of Bulgarian major Power Plants Boiler equipment and pipelines.

We are also experienced in construction of facilities and factories.

Company has a well-equipped workshop. Main accent in our activity are European standards of welding, quality, environmental health and safety and social responsibility.

We are proud to have well-trained and motivated staff with innovative thinking and willing to improve.

Our ambitions are to establish the company as a reliable and trustworthy partner.

MINING

EVERYTHING AND NOTHING HAS CHANGED

globaltrade.dhl

DHL_Covid_Response_Eme_Outlook Magazine_160w_x97h_08FEB21.indd 1

2/8/21 3:53 PM

PETKO PETKOV-24 LTD. office@petkopetkov24.com

CONSTRUCTION, INSTALLATION AND REPAIR OF MECHANICAL EQUIPMENT

petkopetkov24.com EME Outlook issue 40 | 81

KAOLIN EAD A huge success for our engineering team which brought us a number of innovation awards.” Harlfinger believes that the investment brings significant benefits and is proud to have played his part in bringing the project to fruition.

The most significant project in the entire Quarzwerke Group is the greenfield investment into a new plant for the processing of kaolin and silica sand in Dulovo, Bulgaria.

“After extensive exploration works, two substantial deposits near Dulovo in North Eastern Bulgaria could be secured. Mining operations will start in 2021, the new plant in the vicinity of the quarries shall go into operation in 2024,” says Harlfinger.

“Another focus area of our current investment activities is energy efficiency and CO2-footprint reduction. In that context, we will start to operate our own solar plant in 2022 which will feed electricity directly into our single biggest plant in Vetovo,

replacing a material part of electricity supplied from the grid.”

Despite mining often being considered as an industry that is slow to adopt new technology; automation, digitisation and electrification are beginning to play a more influential role in the sector.

“Technology serves two main functions in the mining industry: ensuring consistent supply of premium quality products and analysing and controlling costs,” explains Harlfinger.

“Both aspects have been driving modernisation of our production units – on the one hand through modernisation of processing equipment and on the other hand through an automation and digitalisation of all processes, ensuring a constant and reliable tracking of all performance data.

“The technological upgrade of the plants is, however, only one part of the picture. Technology is of little use without staff to operate it, so investing Trainees

The most significant project in the entire Quarzwerke Group is the greenfield investment into a new plant for the processing of kaolin and silica sand in Dulovo, Bulgaria 82 | EME Outlook issue 40

Dual education workshop

Systems Automation Technologies SAT Ltd. was founded 1991 in Sofia, Bulgaria. SAT Ltd. provides project management engineering and design, manufacture, programing, electrical erection and installation, supervision, testing, commissioning and maintenance of Turnkey automated systems for production facilities.

During the years SAT Ltd. has become a major Bulgarian supplier of automated systems for cement, glass, concrete, metallurgic and other industries.

For the last years SAT Ltd. has supplied and successfully commissioned more than 200 turnkey projects for our clients not only in Bulgaria, but as well in Russia, Balkans, EMEA, South America.

www.satbg.com

MINING

Industries

• Cement • Glass • Concrete • Metallurgy • Energetics • Alternative fuels (RDF, SRF)

Our Clients

• Lafarge Holcim • Heidelberg • Titan • CRH • Kronospan • Henkel • Schade • Saint-Gobain • Kaolin AD • TPP Varna • KCM AD

Products

- Spillage Conveyors - Industrial Panels (LVD, MVD, MCC, DMC, DIO, PC/PLCCC) - Industrial Application Software - Standard Software Modules for DCS, PLC & SCADA - Weight Belt Feeders and Scales - Automation Systems for Rail & Truck Weighbridges - Automated Dispatching Control Software Systems

Turnkey Projects

- Research & Analysis - Consulting - Designs - Manufacture - Programming - El. Installation - Supervision - Testing & Commissioning - Training - Maintenance - Performance improving & Energy Efficiency

“Electro & Automation”

30

Years

Turnkey Solutions

Process Automation Crushing, Material Reclaiming, Dosing & Mixing, Raw Material Grinding, Clinker Burning, Cement Grinding, Packing, Palletizing, Shipping, Storage Integrated Automated Systems Cement/Raw/Coal Mills, Rotary Kilns, Clinker Coolers, Glass Furnaces, Stacker and Reclaimers, Portal, Bridge and Tower Cranes Modernization and Completely New Production Lines Electro & Automation, Substation Retrofit Power Automation MV & LV Distributed Systems Prefabricated Containerized MV & LV Electrical Control Rooms For Machinery Reclaimers, Stackers, Scrapers and Wagon unloading stations

1614 Sofia, Bulgaria, 1 “Hristo Stefchov” Str. T:+359(2)9576929 F:+359(2)9577019 E: office@satbg.com www.satbg.com

The TEMA Fluid bed dryers are specially preferred in mineral drying in combination with after cooling and heat recovery, resulting in better end product quality and very low energy consumptions.

“WE WILL START TO OPERATE OUR OWN SOLAR PLANT IN 2022 WHICH WILL FEED ELECTRICITY DIRECTLY INTO OUR SINGLE BIGGEST PLANT IN VETOVO, REPLACING A MATERIAL PART OF ELECTRICITY SUPPLIED FROM THE GRID”

CONTACT T: +31 88 5225800 info@temaprocess.com www.temaprocess.com

Tema Process BV Ir. R. R. van der Zeelaan 5, 8191 JH Wapenveld The Netherlands

EME Outlook issue 40 | 83

KAOLIN EAD

WHAT DIFFERENTIATES KAOLIN FROM ITS COMPETITORS? “Kaolin is the oldest operating mining company in Bulgaria. The pride in our tradition is a stimulus for corporate continuity. It is not the short-term success we are striving for, but the long-term and sustainable partnership with our clients and the community around us.”

- Dr Wolf Harlfinger, CEO, Kaolin

84 | EME Outlook issue 40

in training and qualification is as important as investing into technology.”

Indeed, investing in staff is a key pillar to Kaolin’s overall strategy.

Harlfinger believes that finding, training and retaining staff in remote areas of Bulgaria is a ‘seismic challenge’, but has introduced initiatives to help navigate the situation.

“In recent years, we have established an internal qualification programme, the Kaolin Academy, which focuses on hard as well as on soft skills for all employee levels,” he says. “We also cooperate with external institutions, particularly national and international mining universities, to train our management.

“Mutual trust and respect, a sharing of success and disappointment, transparency and reliability are the values on which we want to build our internal culture. We seem to be doing well and staff loyalty is high with a turnover rate of less than five percent.”

As the coronavirus gripped the world, Bulgaria was among one of the first countries in Europe to lockdown in a bid to curb the spread of the disease.

For Kaolin, the firm introduced a set of measures to avoid the spread of the disease within the organisation.

“We had to adapt our operations and logistics to the material impact the worldwide lockdowns had on the markets,” Harlfinger elaborates.

“So far, we have been successful with our very quick and decisive approach. There have been individual infection cases among our staff which we identified and isolated. In terms of our business, we faced a steep decline in demand during the most severe phase of the crisis in April and May 2020. During that phase, we stopped production in our main plants in Bulgaria for a period of about one month. The second half of the year showed a recovery of demand.”

To Kaolin, partnerships are central to operations and Harlfinger explains that as a producer of raw material, his firm isn’t reliant on pre-products.

MINING

Kaolin’s activities are focused on the extraction, processing and refining of kaolin, quartz, feldspar, limestone, dolomite and clay, while the company’s products are key raw materials particularly for the ceramics and the glass industry

“We primarily rely on producers of mining and processing equipment as key suppliers. Many beneficiation processes in our plants are tailormade. That is why we are looking for partners who do not only want to sell equipment, but who consider themselves as solution-oriented technology providers.”

The organisation also believes in sustainability. For Harlfinger, he affirms that ‘social responsibility is not only a mission statement, but a credo.’

“We do not appear as an anonymous corporation, but as an approachable and sincere family-run organisation,” he adds.

“All of our corporate social responsibility initiatives focus on the local communities we work in and

are tailored to the local needs and expectations. In Germany, we are engaging intensively in numerous activities around the fascinating nature in and around our quarries and recultivation areas. In Bulgaria, where we primarily operate in the country’s poorest regions, our attention lies on the basic needs of supporting healthcare, education in kindergartens and schools and help for elderly and disabled.”

With the future in mind, Harlfinger has a clear idea of what the next few years could hold.

“Firstly, we have to overcome the crisis and keep staff healthy and secure,” he affirms.

“We are striving to combine longterm partnerships with our customers

with the commitment to social commitment and biodiversity. We are proud that this ambition is publicly recognised and awarded with multiple prices. Secondly, we have to stabilise the business. In terms of the strategic development of the company, we will become more energy and labourefficient in our existing core business lines and strengthen our footprint in specialty applications.”

KAOLIN EAD Tel: 00359 2 48 93 686 office@kaolin.bg www.kaolin.bg

EME Outlook issue 40 | 85

ANT YAPI GROUP

GLOBAL

Construction An international player in the construction industry, we spoke to Ant Yapi Group about its global place at the fore of the sector Writer: Marcus Kääpä | Project Manager: Ryan Gray

H

istorically, construction is one of the sectors that sits at the heart of urban growth across the world. Thoughts of the Roman Empire spring to mind; early uses of cement utilised to create some of the grandest buildings of antiquity, some of which still stand to this day.

Looking away from the ancient Mediterranean and to modern north Europe, in Russia, the strength of the industry has fluctuated, particularly in the past decade.

86 | EME Outlook issue 40

CONSTRUCTION

EME Outlook issue 40 | 87

Classic “RDC” is a dynamically developing company specialized in the design, manufacture and installation of door solutions for hotels, medical centers, sports facilities, mixed-use complexes and other infrastructure projects.

Long term experience of working at project market, the high creative potential of our employees, and the latest technologies allow us to realize the most daring design decisions.

Working with our company will benefit you of a full range of services from our expert advice at the stage of planning of an idea to full realization on construction sites.

Techno

Country

Casual

“Russian industrial group” LLC E-mail: rdc_info@mail.ru Mob.: +7 (925) 000-46-92 Tel.: +7(495) 741-46-67 (доб.101) 6c40 Novoposelkovaja Str., Moscow, 125362

Galaxy

ANT YAPI GROUP After having impressive results between the years of 2010 and 2014, Russian construction wobbled during 2015 and 2016, and registered a decline due to sanctions related to the annexation of Crimea, weak household demand, high interest rates, and a decline in energy prices. However, starting from 2017 the industry showed a trend of improvement thanks to the national government’s new substitution policies to diminish its reliance on oil exports and energy.

Over 2017, the industry has been supported by government plans to complete transport infrastructure, energy and utilities projects, as well as residential buildings in anticipation of the 2018 FIFA World Cup. 2018-2020 was largely a turning point for the construction industry. In housing construction, a new concept for the transition from shared construction to project financing was developed and approved. In the medium term this became a

EME OUTLOOK: Can you tell us about your career and explain how you became interested in the construction industry?

MURAT VURAL: I have been living in Moscow for 20 years. Originally, I come from Turkey where I graduated from the highly regarded TED Ankara College thereafter continuing my undergraduate studies at Gazi University, in the Department of Business Administration.

I took my first step into banking part-time in 1994 during my studies as an undergraduate. The attractive and dynamic face of banking had impressed me so much that I stayed in the sector for 23 years since. Throughout the 23-year-old career, I had the opportunity to improve myself in many areas of banking and accumulated significant experience in many industries.

Cut to late 2017, and I received an offer from Ant Yapi. This kind of proposal was challenging for many people in my same situation – the stable comfort zone within banking offered a reliable working environment, and a life without risk. However, throughout my career I had learned to act out of my comfort zone, to embrace change, because the most important aspect of management and leadership, and therefore success, is our ability to adapt and keep up with the latest. Based on this principle, and without hesitation, I decided to switch my international career path into a diverse industry outside that of banking. I would not have considered this unless my mindset and experience had not matched the progressive attitude, growth, and objectives the Ant Yapi Group and its affiliates hold.

And here I am today; currently holding the position of Chief Financial Officer and overseeing the Group’s subsidiaries in Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

90 | EME Outlook issue 40

determining factor for the industry and has shown a great impact on its development together with the prime support coming from the subsidised mortgage programme at a rate of 6.5 percent in 2020.

Since the second quarter of 2020, industry has been severely affected by the breakdown caused by the COVID19 pandemic. The forecasts predicted the construction industry shrinking by approximately 4.2 percent.

Now, currently recovering from the globally impacting COVID-19 pandemic, Russian construction is on the way up.

“There is a huge range of opportunities to develop and realise in the sector,” begins Murat Vural, Group CFO at Ant Yapi Group.

“Recovering obviously has started giving a new impetus to the development of the construction market. A significant result of 2020 was the final transition of the industry to a project financing scheme due to the change of legislation. By the end of 2020, using escrow accounts, 48 million square metres of housing was constructed, and this tendency is expected to continue in the future.

“Besides, along with the focus on residential building, there is a trend in the development of industrial and infrastructural construction in Russia, and of course such a dynamic developing field is an exciting space to be working in. You learn a lot and are able to see the results and completion of your projects.

“Having the opportunity to provide clients and the public with modern comfortable housing, new innovative factories and plants, increased infrastructure, consequently making their lives easier and more convenient, makes you feel a great sense of fulfillment both personally and nationally.”

Ant Yapi entered 2021 with a large backlog of contracts regarding its international operations, promising positive results for the rest of the year and beyond.

R

ussian Industrial Group (RIG) specialises in the production and sale of doors for medical centres, hotels, business centres, hospitals, sports complexes, schools and other public buildings.

RIG specialises in selling doors for medical centres, hotels, business centres, hospitals, sports complexes, schools and other public buildings.

RIG was established on the basis of Europeanlevel production facilities located in the city of Solnechnogorsk, Moscow region. For several years, the company has mastered and expanded the production of doors using German and Italian technologies. The best materials from the world’s leading manufacturers are a reliable guarantee of the quality of the products.

Today RIG focuses its activity in the project market.

Having its own production, qualified personnel as well as extensive experience and knowledge of the specific features and technical requirements for the interior. RIG builds its work with the clients individually, providing engineering, consulting and organisational support from the design stages, if necessary, to the final stages of installation, construction works and more, carrying out warranty and post-warranty services.

Working on projects in a complex manner, RIG assumes obligations for the complete equipment of the object, from ordinary smooth doors to specialised ones, with high functional and technical characteristics.

or additional properties of the door leaf (sound insulation, strength, fire resistance, etc.).

Today RIG’s assortment includes all kinds of plain doors and panelled doors with different types of coatings (veneer, laminate, varnish). Including specialised doors with advanced technical characteristics in terms of moisture resistance, fire resistance (30 - 60 minutes of burning) and sound insulation (30 - 42 dB).

RIG’s professional work results in long-term cooperation with large commercial companies.

Our customers are: RosKosmos, the Prosecutor General’s Office of the Russian Federation, the Ministry of Defense, Sberbank, Lukoil, Strabag, Vneshstroyimport, etc. Over the years of work at the facilities of the HORECA industry, the company has developed partnerships with management companies: ACCOR, HILTON, RESIDOR, INTERCONTINENTAL, HELIOPARK and others.

In recent years, RIG doors have been installed at the following significant sites: • OFFICES AND BUSINESS CENTRES • HOTELS • MEDICAL INSTITUTIONS AND HOSPITALS • SPORTS FACILITIES We invite you to consider the possibility of cooperation with our company on mutually beneficial conditions.

One of the advantages of our production is the ability to produce and install doors according to individual customer requirements, especially when it comes to non-standard dimensions (up to 3 metres high)

www.rusrig.com

ANT YAPI GROUP

More Contract More Contract is an interior fit-out contractor specialising in hospitality and high-end residential projects. The Turkish company was established in 2006, in Istanbul and the UK company in 2017, in London.

The company runs two furniture production facilities in Istanbul. Having its own factories gains More Contract a significant advantage in fit-out and FF&E works. One of the factories is operated for joinery and loose furniture manufacture. Its premises include 7,000 square metres of enclosed space. The other one is operated for decorative metal manufacture, and its premises include 2,500 square metres of enclosed space. All products manufactured in these facilities are installed in project locations by Turkish experts.

Belgravia gate “With a few exceptions, Ant Yapi can count on a relatively stable market trend this year,” Vural says.

A PAST WITH PROJECTS Ant Yapi Group is an international holding company with 30 years of experience and has maintained a stable position in the ENR TOP-250 of the world’s largest contractors over the past few years. The Group is mainly focused on residential and mixed used projects, as well as infrastructure and heavy construction industries. The company also operates a portfolio of luxury hotel estates, four hotels delivering 506 operating rooms in Turkey, and a hotel under construction in Moscow, as well as actively investing in Moscow’s premium residential market.

“Ant Yapi’s business spans Russia, the US, the UK, and Turkey, and the Group employs more than 18,000 employees across the world,” Murat Vural tells us.

In each of these countries Ant Yapi maintains the provision of high quality and professional construction, 92 | EME Outlook issue 40

infrastructure and residential services.

“In Russia, Ant Yapi and its affiliates have a high brand awareness and reputation due to the large and important projects we have developed to completion. Group revenue in four countries is expected to exceed $1.1 billion and the performance is backed up by almost six billion active contract volume which will allow the current level of revenue to be sustained for at least the next four years. ” he tells us.

“Russian business is the main revenue contributor (almost 80 percent) and demonstrates consistent growth in recent years. The Group’s various companies have implemented a number of landmark projects in Russia such as: Federation Tower, Capitals Towers, OKO Tower, Grand City, Mandarin Oriental Residences, Bvlgari Hotel and Resorts, T-2 Terminal at Domodedovo Airport, Paveletskaya Square, Sberbank Headquarters on Kutuzovsky Avenue, Amur residential complex for the Amur gas processing plant in the town of Svobodny, construction

The quality of design coordination, value engineering, R&D, shop drawing and construction management are enhanced by a technical team of more than 80 people.

Some of More Contract’s previous projects are: Harcourt House in Marylebone, London; Ciragan Palace Kempinski, Istanbul; Quasar Fairmont Hotel, Istanbul; and The Luxury Collection Cesme, Izmir.

More Contract recently delivered three projects in London – 25 high-end residential units in Harcourt House, Marylebone, two high-end residential units in Belgravia Gate, Belgravia and two mock-up rooms in The Park Tower Hotel, Knightsbridge.

More Contract’s current projects are: Aman Hotel New York; The Peninsula Hotel, Istanbul; Park Modern Hyde Park, London and Missoni Baia, Miami.

The scope of typical projects includes joinery, loose furniture and marble packages.

www.morecontract.co.uk

QUASAR FAIRMONT HOTEL Istanbul

THE CROWN BUILDING AMAN New York

REGES A LUXURY COLLECTION CESME

Throughout undertaken projects, More Contract maintains an active role in the design management of M&E and all other disciplines created by world known designers such as Denniston Architecture, GA, Kengo Kuma and Associates, Hirsch Bedner Associates (HBA) and Wilson Associates. Such active role places the company in a triangle of employer, architect and

operator. The company’s team always aims to please all corners of this triangle by delivering projects on time, on quality and on budget, while also preserving the cooperative and constructive approach at all times without compromising the health and safety precautions, and environmental concerns.

T: E: W:

+90 (0) 212 269 95 89 Istanbul office +44 (0) 20 3176 6998 London office info@morecontract.co.uk morecontract.co.uk

ANT YAPI GROUP of airport runway of Mirny Airport (Saha Republic), the reconstruction of the airport Tolmachevo, Radisson Hotel, Sulphate Ammonium Plant and reconstruction of heating furnaces with walking Beams in Cherepovets, and many others.”

Ant Yapi’s service excellence is replicated abroad. In the US, the company’s first project was strategically formed out of a joint venture with the key market player Gilbane Construction, undertaking prestigious general contractor (GC) work at the famous Crown Building located on the 5th Avenue in New York City. The Crown Building project was a mixed-use hotel and residential project. Following this, the Group penetrated the Florida real estate

market with another GC contract at Missoni Baia; to work on 50-story high rise residential condominiums.

After establishing its reputation in New York and Florida successfully, the Group was awarded with a further three contracts and as of now have built a backlog of contract volume keeping its US operations busy and expecting sustainable revenue share contribution from USA, more than 10 percent for the next three years.

Ant Yapi’s UK operations mirror this consistent demand for company services.

“Since its existence in the UK, the Group has concluded £250 million worth of contracts, among which £179 million has been delivered,” Vural informs us proudly.

EME OUTLOOK: What makes Ant Yapi Group stand out in the industry?

MURAT VURAL: Ant Yapi has established itself in the world as a reliable partner in the implementation of construction projects and continues to strengthen its position in the national and international construction market.

Ant Yapi’s brand image is built by the quality of our project results, the ability to construct within the set and agreed terms, through the implementation of the latest technology, and through bringing to life the vision of our clients.

TK Elevator CEO TK Elevator in Russia, Thorsten Elsaesser: “There is nowhere else in the world with more TWIN elevators than in Moscow. Why? TWIN elevators save space and Moscow is one of the most expensive locations. Consequently the capital counts in sky-scrapers, which mainly include our unique highspeed TWIN elevators. In this system, two cabins move up and down independently in a single shaft. Less shafts need less construction and save remarkable floor space.

Moving by high speed state-of-the-art elevator systems is enjoyable. Their outstanding performance results of thousands of ingeniously coordinated single decisions, orders, interactions and timelines.

Overviewing and controlling them needs mastery in communication, finance, planning, installation, and personnel selection. This is the empire of TK Elevator company, which always trys to meet customer requirements”.

TKE - Move Beyond

The great amount of collective experience held by the company owners, top management, and skilled employees of the entire organisation allows the Group to solve problems and reach our clients’ desired results with efficiency and quality.

The presence of our growing portfolio of both regular and new clients is built on the basis of our high quality of work and timely fulfilment of obligations. These, coupled with our reliable business relations with industry partners, and cooperation with large and financially stable credit institutions, are the base elements making up our competitive yet stable place in the dynamic field of the construction and development market. www.tkelevator.com

94 | EME Outlook issue 40

TK Elevator

(formerly: thyssenkrupp Elevator) With customers in over 100 countries served by 50,000 employees, TK Elevator achieved sales of around €8 billion in the fiscal year 2019/2020. Over 1,000 locations around the world provide an extensive network that guarantees closeness to customers. Over the past decades, TK Elevator has established itself as one of the world’s leading elevator companies and became independent since its sale by thyssenkrupp AG in August 2020. The company’s most important business line is the service business represented by over 24,000 service technicians.

The product portfolio covers commodity elevators for residential and commercial buildings to cutting-edge, highly customized solutions for state-of-the-art skyscrapers. In addition, it also consists of escalators and moving walks, passenger boarding bridges, stair and platform lifts. Integrated cloud-based service solutions, such as the MAX platform, are gaining in importance. With these digital offerings, there are no limits to urban mobility anymore. TK Elevator in Russia: tkelevator.ru

ANT YAPI GROUP “Client base covers multinational names such as Grainger PLC, Centreland, the Fenton Whelan and Wainbridge estates. Completed distinguished projects include central prime locations such as Belgravia Gate, 13 Eaton Place, 20-22 Eaton Place and Harcourt House.

“As of today, the Group focuses on delivering two projects: Park Modern in Bayswater, and Apex House on Seven Sisters, London. At the same time during 2016 we made our first land purchase in Maida Vale, London, for residential development and acquired a certain share in Belgravia Gate investment which provides a clear sign for the creation of longterm business in the UK. However, due to the recession relating to Brexit, there are concerns regarding the construction industry and a decline in household demand - this put us in stand-by mode.”

Throughout this year, Ant Yapi is expecting to sign another two new contracts with well-known developers for £150 million, which will increase the contribution of the company’s UK revenue substantially. And looking towards Vural’s home nation, the company’s 30 years of experience in Turkey enables the Group to play a dominant role in development and GC. “The mainstream in Turkey is to focus on developing our projects,” he tells us.

“However, current uncertainty disrupted this ambition. Now, we are developing a resort estate in the southernmost point of the Bodrum Peninsula, Anthaven, which is a mix-use project of Hotel Radisson Collection Bodrum, Retail and Residential.”

Over the years the Group has demonstrated a strong performance in Turkey that offers to its clients the trust to invest in real estate.

Ant Yapi has completed numerous significant projects in Istanbul such as Anthill Residence (Antriva), Antasya 96 | EME Outlook issue 40

Residence (Antteras), Antplato and Antwell.

In addition to this, Ant Yapi has partnered with strong developers such as, IS GYO to build Manzara Adalar project, and Dogus GYO and Bilgili Holding to build Galataport Istanbul, in both cases in the capacity of general contractors.

Having an established root in development, the Group has also invested in hospitality and actively operates four hotels. During 2021, the Group will continue focusing on luxury segment hospitality properties with stable operating margins.

“In our development operations, we have a good quality project portfolio,” Vural informs us.

“I expect a high amount of activity and a continued increase in value during 2021-2023. There is currently some uncertainty about FED policies, but the underlying demand for new residentials remains strong in Moscow which over time should create good potential for our development operations. This year we therefore have a good starting position in terms of both customer demand and the project portfolio.

“The market outlook also appears relatively stable even though there is some uncertainty in individual markets and sectors. Despite this, our financial position remains strong in the industry.”

PEOPLE-CENTRIC OPERATIONS Ant Yapi Group’s success comes down to more than its professional project results. Its people, both in-house and external, are the base from which the business operates at such a high level.

“We practice a philosophy of Back to Building, focusing on getting the job done with the best quality, we are not a general construction management contractor,” Murat Vural explains.

“We maintain control over as many aspects of the supply chain, we engage directly with labour and

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M-Tech covers every element in the process of staircase development, from initial consultation and design (including 3D drawings), to the fabrication from its skilled engineers and in house Joinery department that then follow through the process.

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extend our existing supply chain to every market we work. With direct control we have flexibility to react and accommodate some of the unpredictability that is inherent in our industry, enhancing productivity, solving problems and maintaining a firm hand on quality.

“A strong attribute that we bring to each market is our existing supply chain and our long-standing relationships with key suppliers, specialist sub-contractors, designers and a very strong 3D / BIM design capability. These long-standing relationships allow us to extend the flexible approach to problem solving through our entire supply chain.”

Within this chain Ant Yapi can rely on specialist experts for joinery, marble, mechanical and electrical, and our facade specialists. These business relationships have been established for many years and contribute to the company’s success as a “family.” Ant Yapi achieves cost competitiveness

CONSTRUCTION

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EME Outlook issue 40 | 97

ANT YAPI GROUP by repeat business and close working relationships with the suppliers. Its approach to each market is the same it works to utilise the high-quality skills and lower cost base of our established supply chain and then bring materials.

On top of maintaining reliable and efficient supply chain partnerships, the Group employs around 18,000 employees both directly and indirectly across its four countries. Ant Yapi’s teams are qualified and well

EME OUTLOOK: Can you tell us about your current projects based in Moscow?

MURAT VURAL: Of our many projects, Poklonnaya 9 and Victory Park Residences are two of the most vital with regards to both volume of investment and stepping into the Moscow luxury real estate market.

These projects represent a new and exciting journey for Ant Yapi.

Poklonnaya 9, Moscow The grandiose and graceful building rises impressively above its surroundings. Panoramic windows in the style of famous Moscow skyscrapers and those of New York City provide living spaces with generous lighting, and residents with picturesque views of Vorobyovy Gory, Moscow City, and Victory Park. Within its walls there is an extensive infrastructure with five-star service from one of the best lifestyle and luxury hotel brands, four restaurants, a bar, a spa complex, swimming pool, and business lounges. Its exclusive location guarantees the residents of Poklonnaya 9 a comfortable stay in the centre of the developed infrastructure of an elite area.

View terraces, efficient layouts, large glass area, abundance of natural light, premium designer finishes, multi-level underground parking perfectly meet the status and needs of apartment owners in Poklonnaya 9 residential complex. 32-storey building owns 99,000 metre-squared construction area and expect to be delivered in 2023.

Victory Park Residences, Moscow This is a mixed-use elite class project. There are eight low-rise buildings with a private inner area available only to residents. The modern and elegant architecture of Victory Park Residences was designed by Sergey Skuratov’s bureau. Panoramic glazing of the apartments provides high insulation and offers unforgettable views of Victory Park Plaza and Poklonnaya Gora.

The advantages of the project are low number of stories, spacious planning solutions, a unique own infrastructure as part of a shopping centre, excellent transport accessibility, a kindergarten and three styles of “turnkey” design finishing at the client’s choice.

Ant Yapi’s projects are backed by Sberbank with a credit limit of over $500 million indicating the bank’s financial confidence in the Group and the realisation of its capacity.

98 | EME Outlook issue 40

experienced, and work to develop, implement, and promote new projects.

Knowing their value, the company places them at the highest priority.

“Ant Yapi recognises the importance of employing people with local knowledge and experience in each region it operates,” Murat Vural elaborates.

“There are a number of professionals engaged within the senior management of the business that have specifically regional experience, this ensures that the work is undertaken with efficiency, with control, and compliance with particular focus on local conditions, regulations and health and safety.

“Whether sharing our resources

CONSTRUCTION or professional expertise, we encourage and support every single team member to get involved with the ultimate goal of collaboration throughout the world. We are a diverse and connected group of professionals. No matter the market, service or geographic region, we create efficiencies for our employees by expertise and knowledge. Having a workforce with diversified people, it enables us to deliver the best solution to our customer.”

Ant Yapi operations are dependent on these dedicated and proficient individuals. In light of this, the company actively works to attract, recruit, develop, and retains these employees, including managerial staff, to realise the growth and ambitions of the company.

Construction is one sector that has been rapidly evolving over the past decade. With a growth in actively implementing sustainability practices, the environmental effort is now a must-have in industries across the board. In this new decade, developers cannot maintain a positive reputation if social and environmental components are not met.

“Ant Yapi’s projects meet all environmental quality standards,” Vural assures us.

“The company has obtained its BREEAM certificate; the world’s leading sustainability assessment method for master planning projects, infrastructure and buildings. It recognises and reflects the value in higher performing assets across the built environment. BREEAM rated developments are more sustainable for the environment, they enhance the well-being of the people who live and work in them, help protect natural resources, and make for more attractive property investments.”

The organisation also encourages the support of various institutions and bodies that aid several causes, both charitable and cultural.

“Ant Yapi encourages the

Mandarin oriental participation of the employees in charity events, campaigns and companies, such as the participation in the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF),” Vural says.

“Additionally, through our subsidiary Ant Development, we engage with art galleries and curators in Moscow to help our employees and clients to stay up to date in Art World. Providing them free entrance or helping them to see the new exhibitions up front.”

INTO THE FUTURE For the rest of 2021 and beyond, Ant Yapi plans to maintain and expand its position as a key player in the international market.

“An important element of our business plan is to work proactively to create safer work sites,” Murat Vural elaborates.

“This is something that we at Ant Yapi Group have focused on extensively for many years, and we compare well with the rest of the construction industry in the countries where we operate. One of the key priorities for the Group is to bring work site accidents, environmental incidents and ethical breaches to a complete zero. Turning these visions into reality will of course require focus, training, individual dedication, incentives, follow-ups and good leadership. We are continuing to

improve in all these areas to achieve this.”

With regard to development, the company’s goal is to consistently improve the technology and design involved with its projects. This is so that the company can continually provide its clients with the latest and best services and results they can possibly receive.

“We are now in the process of creating a new aspect of the company: Ant Community, where we will meet with each client, listen, and understand their needs in entirety. We believe that communication carries high importance as to understand the expectations of management, employees and clients alike,” Murat Vural tells us, and ends on a positive note.

“We look back at 30 years of successful operations at Ant Yapi.

Overall, I have a very optimistic view of the future of the Group, both with regard to 2021 and in a longer perspective.”

Tel: +44 (0) 203 892 56 30 info@antyapi.co.uk www.antyapi.co.uk

EME Outlook issue 40 | 99

GM ARCHITECTS

CREATING I’ve always been fascinated about building things since I was a child,” explains French-Lebanese architect Galal Mahmoud.

Mahmoud is the President of GM Architects, a Lebanese architecture firm that specialises in the creation of luxury hotels and resorts. For Mahmoud, there was never a question of which direction his career would take. “I was educated in the French system so when I graduated, I felt that

100 | EME Outlook issue 40

As a leading architecture firm in Lebanon, GM Architects values quality. We chat with Galal Mahmoud, President of the organisation, to find out more Writer: Sean Galea-Pace | Project Manager: Ryan Gray architecture studies encompassed a variety of trades and I felt like it was a good fit,” he recalls. “I love the challenge of transforming a sketch

into something that is actually built and something that people can enjoy and use. Without architects, people would still be building houses themselves.”

Mahmoud began his career in Paris and went into business with a French acquaintance, where he initially worked as a trainee.

“After about a year or so, I was made a partner and we did mostly interior design works,” he explains. “We then opened an office in New York and we

CONSTRUCTION started going between the two cities regularly and began to establish ourselves within the United States.”

Following the Civil War in Lebanon, Mahmoud decided to shut down the Paris operation in a bid to establish himself fully as GM Architects in Beirut in 1998. In 2006, Mahmoud partnered with Anwar el Hajj, Randa Chahine and Elie Waked and opened an office in Abu Dhabi and subsequently began to cover the entirety of the Middle East, Africa and become more involved in projects within Europe.

However, Mahmoud admits the European market is tough, particularly as a result of a disruptive 2020, but says short-term, his company hasn’t been affected.

“The space in Europe is definitely challenging,” says Mahmoud. “Our main business is hospitality and that has been hit by COVID considerably.

Hotels shut down and air travel was grounded but fortunately in our line of

work, you think long-term. This means that for anyone with a project in mind, they won’t stop it as they know it will take a number of years to build it and then a few more years to get their money back.”

Despite this, Mahmoud admits that long-term, people may think twice about costly investments but remains confident that the industry will rebound.

“There is always that risk that someone with a project in mind might get cold feet,” he explains. “But, we have to deal with the changing demands of the market. All of our efforts are about maintaining our assets and being ready for when things pick up again.

We understand that while the world has changed, we also believe the world will go back to some level of normality.

We remain positive.”

Mahmoud is clear about what sets his organisation apart from competitors.

GM ARCHITECTS AT A GLANCE The organisation specialises in the field of high-end tourism, particularly in the creation of luxury hotels and resorts. It is renowned as one of the largest firms of its kind in Lebanon.

The practice employs 35 professionals including architects and interior designers managed

by Galal Mahmoud and his partners Randa Chahine, Anwar El Hajj and Elie Waked.

GM Architects is becoming increasingly in demand for large-scale project offerings and continues to build its focus on developing its expertise within the overseas market.

EME Outlook issue 40 | 101

GM ARCHITECTS “It’s very simple – we’re a regional firm,” he explains. “Hospitality is a very competitive market but being regional gives us a significant edge because all our competitors want to cover the world. We’re a boutique firm, we know we’re not huge. We have 35-40 very knowledgeable architects that get the market, understand the local culture and have dialogue that needs to be brought in to allow an owner to feel comfortable and speak their language.

“It’s not about coming in with a fantastic idea, we have to ensure that the investment is going to be profitable. Our knowledge of the market and cultural immersion allows us to ensure that whatever we produce is going to be well accepted by the market.”

Mahmoud is keen to outline the importance of adapting to the requirements of each country and embracing the local culture all while being resolutely contemporary. “Each project has its own challenge, and we know how to adjust,” he explains.

“Whenever we go into a new country, we fully absorb the locality.

It’s important to try and bring in creative ideas that can blend with

Agadir Resorts, Morocco

102 | EME Outlook issue 40

the local culture and make it singular.

Due to our knowledge of all these different countries, we understand their demands. Our understanding of what can and can’t be done allows us to produce original ideas with what is realistically available. You have to be so careful with what you propose to ensure you can actually deliver what you promise.”

Mahmoud points to the Le Meridien Hotel in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, as being a particularly influential project.

“Riyadh is considered the commercial capital of Saudi Arabia and was the crossroads of all the ancient caravan routes,” he elaborates.

“It was a resting post for these caravans along the Far East and the whole inspiration behind the storytelling of the project was the caravan and how these nomads used to travel the desert and what tools they used to direct themselves.

“If you look at the project at first glance, you won’t see it. But if someone tells you about it, you’ll start to understand, and this is what makes it interesting. This becomes something memorable for the guests because it’s gives them a true sense of place. For every country and location,

Myconian Korali Hotel, Mykonos, Greece we have the same contextually driven approach.”

Mahmoud believes that one of the biggest challenges for him and GM Architects is to preserve a true sense of creativity within the constraints of a budget or a timeline.

“It’s the same no matter if it’s a three star or five-star hotel – projects today are budget driven,” he affirms.

“Hotel brands have become right duly extremely demanding in terms of allowing them to differentiate from the competition. Our role as designers is to provide them with out of the box design ideas all staying within the brackets.”

Mahmoud is keen to stress the importance of developing key, strategic relationships with his clients.

A case in point, he says, is a familyowned hotel that GM Architects works with in Greece.

“There’s four brothers that we’re working with in Mykonos and we feel that relationships such as this are very important to us,” he tells us.

CONSTRUCTION

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We’ve worked on hundreds of projects in Asia, Africa, Europe and the MENA region and gained a wealth of experience on the way.

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“At the end of the day, the hospitality industry is volatile because anything can disturb it. They’re investing in you so it’s vital to be next to your clients and be concerned by their problems as much as they are.

Treat them like family and they will do the same to you. I like to build

long-term relationships and strive to always put them first. My own personal approach is that I do things for them as if I was doing it for myself.”

With the future in mind, Mahmoud has a number of targets for the future of GM Architects.

“I see us being more specialised and undertaking more demanding projects where a lot of creative input is needed, while also not being solely commercial driven,” he explains.

“The way I see it, you have two types of developers. You have those that are driven by the commercial part and this would take 60-70 percent of their focus, and then you have the boutique investors who are personally involved in their projects and thrive for the designer to push the boundaries.

“At GM Architects, we’re the latter.

We want to be involved in the whole process and they want to ensure it is successful in all aspects. Our multidisciplinary and holistic approach allows us to choreograph the whole

guest experience whether through the architecture, the interior design, the signage and sometimes the marketing and communication. This is my target – this is what I’m trying to move into. We got to the point a few years ago where we became quite big and were dealing with both.

“Now, I know what we’re good at and where our added value stands. If we focus on those types of projects, we can be efficient, creative and push ourselves to always come out with new ways of dealing with challenges.

This requires really open and transparent dialogue with the investor and owner.”

Tel: +9611346770 - BEIRUT gm-arch@gm-architects.com www.gm-architects.com

EME Outlook issue 40 | 103

SCHÜCO MIDDLE EAST

CONSTRUCTION

Flexibility and Façades Utilising innovative new methods of operation, Schüco Middle East represents the forefront of the UAE’s construction and development sector. We spoke to Alastair Common, Technical Director, about Schüco’s place and projects in the industry Writer: Marcus Kääpä Project Manager: Ryan Gray

C

onstruction is evolving.

In the Middle East, innovative uses of new technology and methods in operation are paving the way to developments in cities both regionally and internationally.

“The opportunities in the UAE and in the Middle East are exciting,” begins Alastair Common, Technical Director of Schüco Middle East.

Having been originally founded in Germany during the early 1950s, Schüco Group is a specialist aluminium systems company that develops and sells system solutions for windows, doors and façades.

With more than 5,650 employees worldwide, the company strives

Alastair Common, Technical Director of Schüco Middle East

to be the industry leader in terms of technology and service today and into the future. In addition to innovative products for residential and commercial buildings, the building envelope specialist offers consultation and digital solutions for all phases of building projects – from the initial idea through to design, fabrication and installation.

Schüco Middle East is the regional headquarters of the German firm.

Based in the UAE, Schüco ME works with multiple local and German businesses to provide the best quality specialist aluminium systems for the architecture and construction sphere in the Middle East.

SCHÜCO MIDDLE EAST

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The DOWSIL™ Membrane Façade System offers a complete, flexible solution for interior and exterior weather and air-tight seals which tolerate normal building movement, inclement weather and offer a secure closure of the building envelope.

Etihad Tower. A residential, hotel and commercial building in Abu Dhabi, UAE, utilising Schüco’s customised façade system. The building is a real landmark and known from the movie ‘Fast and Furious 7’.

“We have a substantial presence in the market, both nationally and internationally, and dedicated architectural advisory services that focus on development and highlighting the benefits to the stakeholders,” Common tells us.

“We also have a network of authorised and licensed fabricators that we train, and who correctly fabricate and install systems for our clients so that they work as intended.”

Schüco ME as a subsidiary has been in the Middle Eastern region for approximately two decades and has many longstanding customers who have been using Schüco’s trusted products and services for decades, as well as an expanding base of newer customers for increased market coverage that represent the company’s promising future in the Middle East.

“In the UAE and greater region Schüco ME has expanded a lot over the past couple of years,” Common informs us.

“Our employees numbered within the 50s during 2018 - now Schüco ME’s employee numbers are in the 80s.”

106 | EME Outlook issue 40

This is an exciting prospect to Common who has always been interested in the engineering sector and has had the privilege of watching Schüco ME grow over the past 13 years.

“Even at a young age I wanted to be an engineer - I always thought of building bridges and dams,” he muses.

“This interest in the sector carried me to Glasgow University where I studied Civil Engineering and lived there for four years. At the same time, I played a lot of rugby, and four months before my finals I received a call from the Head Coach of the Edinburgh Rugby Club. He offered me a professional contract for the following season.”

Common graduated university and then immediately began playing professional rugby in Edinburgh for a season prior to gaining another part-time rugby contract in Italy. This contract unlocked the opportunity for employment with Italianbased international engineering, architectural and manufacturing firm Permasteelisa Group – an opportunity Common accepted immediately.

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SCHÜCO MIDDLE EAST

Private Villa. A private villa in Al Barsha, Dubai, Schuco installed its ASE 70 PD.ME - a developed panoramic sliding design. This project has led to many villa owners contacting Schuco about replacing the older systems with the company’s premium products. These are mainly very high-end villas and palaces in luxury destinations such as Palm Dubai or Emirates Hills, Dubai.

“It was a great opportunity to enter the industry,” Common elaborates.

“I started as a draughtsman and I have been in the industry ever since. However, afterwards the Permasteelisa position became UK based, and moving back there for a couple of years made me miss the lifestyle and warmer climate of Italy.

I then decided to move to the UAE and was fortunate enough to gain employment with Schüco ME at the end of 2010. It’s the best company I have worked for to date.”

SERVICE PROVISION Schüco ME stands out in the market and surrounding industry due to the 108 | EME Outlook issue 40

quality of the firm’s entire service package.

“It is the support we provide, as well as our products, that sets us apart,” Common tells us.

“We don’t only sell a part of the system; we sell the whole system in a complete package. We are not selling a product, we are also selling full support along the way – technical support, training, everything required to ensure the full functionality of our product.”

And this provision of full service is well-known by existing customers and those looking into working alongside the firm.

“Due to the quality of support we provide we have very strong branding

- everyone knows Schüco, everyone understands Schüco,” Common explains.

“Being a German-based company there is a good appreciation for German quality in this market and globally. We are also strict and fair with our policies, for example our aluminium. We have a network of approved extruders here as we only source our aluminium from approved sources, and the fittings, hardware, gaskets, accessories, hinges, handles and other parts come from Germany.

And these fittings will only work with our systems, as we sell the systems as a package in order to provide our customers with an entire complete system with our aforementioned support and training.”

This aspect of the firm’s provision of quality and innovation is embodied

CONSTRUCTION

ALTAISEER ALUMINIUM COMPANY (TALCO) The leading company of aluminium extrusion and surface decorative finishes in the MENA region. With over 44 years of experience and continuous presence in production of profiles for architectural systems and different industrial applications. TALCO aims to provide its customers with products that are tailored to the exact specifications of the application according to the international standards.

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Mill Finish Powder Coating 3 Types of Wood Finishes Anodizing Flash Anodizing Thermal Break Scaffolding Riyadh, Saudi Arabia info@altaisser.com sales@altaiseer.com +966-11-265-5550

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by Schüco’s Grid-to-Shell; an exciting new system that is currently in the process of launching. Entering a joint partnership with another company, Schüco’s new system offers ultimate flexibility in construction.

“This system allows us to make use of free form geometry, and is a completely innovative system,” Common elaborates.

“It is extremely simple as there are very few different components in the system itself. We are able to do free spanning skylight systems, glazed skylight systems, parametric façade geometry - it opens up the flexibility of parametric design within a system approach.”

The system works through a 3D model of a central nodal element that dictates the geometry of the façade.

This nodal element can connect to

“BEING A GERMAN-BASED COMPANY THERE IS A GOOD APPRECIATION FOR GERMAN QUALITY IN THIS MARKET AND GLOBALLY”

every mullion and transom therefore interconnecting each piece simultaneously. The nodal elements can be replicated to fit specific pieces to allow for endless geometry for full design and structural flexibility – each piece can fit into its neighbouring piece and be altered on demand.

“There is no steel required, and so consequently no welding needed. It is all aluminium that provides a variety of practical, financial and structural benefits,” Common assures us.

“The pieces are screwed together instead of traditional welding for easier and more practical assembly (rather than on-site welding and coating), and aluminium staves off corrosion to a greater effect than steel, as well as being a lighter and

more flexible metal providing a greater structural advantage.”

In order to align with the firm’s plans for growth, Schüco ME has expanded its facilities in the UAE. Of its major investments in the nation, its office and warehouse expansions stand out.

“Last year we moved into a new office that is double the size of our previous location, and it is situated right next to Dubai International Airport,” Common informs us.

“We went from 600 square metres to 1200 square metres. We have full show room of 200 square metres in the entrance area which is a nice networking area. The new office is a EME Outlook issue 40 | 109

SCHÜCO MIDDLE EAST

lot more in line with our brand, and that was a major investment of 2020.”

Despite COVID-19 hanging over the progression and plans of many companies throughout 2020 and into 2021, that did not stop Schüco ME. For the firm, 2020 was a surprisingly positive year with regards to revenue and was on par with 2019. As office investment was a long-term strategy for Schüco ME, the firm stuck to its plans for growth.

“Our warehouse was moved adding an extra 50 percent of space to 8,400 square metres,” Common informs us.

110 | EME Outlook issue 40

PEOPLE-CENTRIC EXCELLENCE For Schüco, it is the team of colleagues that make the firm what it is.

“The key is trust and respect,” Common tells us.

“It starts with our Managing Director Ammar Alul, he doesn’t micromanage us. Instead, he trusts us in management with our work and our teams.”

“We all have our own teams that we oversee, and I don’t micromanage mine because I trust them, although I am there if they need me. I am not on their back though, as they don’t let

me down. It is about mutual trust and respect, otherwise there’s nothing.

If things slip up, I step in, but I rarely have to do that as they work very well together and have great relationships with the customers. They enjoy their work and this is reflected in their results.

“This was why we still worked well last year despite working from home.”

On top of this the supply chain is critical to Schüco ME’s operations.

The invoicing of material is how the firm generates revenue and so supply chain partners become an incredibly

CONSTRUCTION

Ashar Tented Resort, Al Ula. Based in northwest Saudi Arabia, Ashar Tented Resort is set to open in 2021. It forms part of a wider strategy to encourage international tourism in Saudi Arabia. The project is at the heart of Saudi Arabia’s strategy to open the country to international travelers - Ashar Tented Resort will be the first international standard resort in Al Ula. It aims to create a statement in hospitality for visitors to the AlUla world heritage site. The resort express centuries of Bedouin living practices in a place of extreme environmental conditions. important aspect of Schüco ME’s success. Aside from a network of locally approved extruders, almost all else comes from Germany.

“It is not an entirely huge supply chain network, but it is a very important aspect of business,” Common informs us.

Looking to the future Schüco ME’s primary aims are that of turnover and market expansion.

“There is always a challenge from head office for us to grow by 10, 15 or 20 percent in turnover which is both exciting and challenging,” Common says.

“But we are also expanding our presence in the region and abroad.

We are a premium brand, but we need to also expand our services towards

Schüco Parkhaus, Bielefeld, Germany. The building is part of the makeover of the Schüco HQ in Germany, in Bielefeld. The product installed is a relatively new one, called FACID. It’s a functional, flexible façade. FACID combines the advantage of curtain walling with almost unlimited design options and high degree of flexibility for architects, investors and users of the building. See here: https://www.schueco.com/web2/facid_en a lower end of the market, such as product development. We are looking into developing systems for two new sliding systems, window systems, a new balustrade system, a folding door system.

“Being successful consists of ensuring you have the right products for this market. Local product development with German quality is a key aspect, because we cannot

grow as a firm if we do not supply the correct systems to various customers, both old and new.”

InfoME@Schueco.com www.schueco.com

EME Outlook issue 40 | 111

CHEMIE-TECH GROUP

Maintaining Industry Facilitating the engineering, procurement and construction industries, Chemie-Tech Group is a key player in the sector, placing professional and client-centric service at the fore of its operations Writer: Marcus Kääpä | Project Manager: Thomas Arnold

T

he resources sector is one that keeps the wheels of global industries turning.

In the Middle East, where the fields of engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) are both numerous and arguably crucial to multiple nations, the resources sector stands as a key aspect to the functionality of industry operations.

AT A GLANCE: CHEMIE-TECH GROUP 17 YEARS of experience and excellence.

OVER 3,400 in the total Group workforce.

APPROXIMATELY 300 engineers and managers currently employed.

12 OFFICES worldwide.

OPERATING IN 28 countries across five continents.

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Based in the UAE, ChemieTech Group is one such firm that operates in this field. The Group was established in India, 1997, by a group of passionate engineers who had served for years in the EPC industry. It started as a consultation organisation for both the on and offshore resources sector, and engineering services to small-scale industrial projects, under the name Chemie-Tech Projects Ltd. Chemie-Tech LLC was then born in 2003 as the international division of the Chemie Tech Group after its phenomenal success on Indian soil. It has since grown into a large multinational organisation with offices in 28 countries and a workforce of over 3,400 employees.

With its focus on bulk storage tanks for the oil and gas sector, petrochemical and process plants, power and water treatment units, the Group has delivered over 30 prestigious projects across the Middle East, Africa, and North American regions over the span of 11 years.

Chemie-Tech is a globally active company, and its operations surround four specified routes of business, each of which operate as individual legal

entities: EPC, Refining, Mining, and Trading.

The Group is represented in more than 30 countries on five continents. Chemie-Tech Group’s flagship company, Chemie-Tech DMCC, is a professional industrial solutions provider offering high quality engineering, procurement, construction, and project management services to the oil and gas, petrochemical and process, power and water, and agriculturalbased industries.

The sphere of activity is focused in providing expertise and turnkey solutions to clients throughout Middle East, Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa and the Americas.

CONSTRUCTION

EPC AND INDUSTRY Operating across many fields of industry, Chemie-Tech specialises in delivering cost-effective solutions to clients across the globe.

The Group provides comprehensive engineering services enabling its local and international clients to maximise their assets, gain competitive positioning and increase their business success. With a team comprising of several multidiscipline engineering professionals and in-depth regional and local knowledge, the company is known for both its local and international engineering capabilities.

Chemie-Tech’s team of engineers is geared to support projects of all sizes from anywhere around the

world, and guarantees a high level of responsiveness, presenting innovative global solutions for local challenges, and bringing international standards of execution to local projects. The engineering team is well acquainted with the phases of the project life cycle, from the appraisal stage through to the feasibility, detailed design, and completion. Chemie-Tech maintains a close eye on all the needs of each of its projects while following a strict quality process, design and safety policy.

The company takes great pride in its localised knowledge of the countries in which it operates, as well as its commitment to client, local and international standards. The design and engineering teams provide

multi-disciplinal services for grassroot projects as well as upgradation.

Engineering services are totally client dependent, with the single objective of providing true project value engineering to clients, based on optimum and innovative solutions.

Chemie-Tech Group’s global procurement operations enables the company to provide its clients with cost effective and quality sourcing of materials and equipment solutions.

Its procurement engineers and team members are fully experienced with all aspects of compliance regarding engineering requirement, freight forwarding, custom duty requirement, duty exemption procedures, and local road transportation. Chemie-Tech has fully functional procurement teams EME Outlook issue 40 | 113

CHEMIE-TECH GROUP based in India, the UAE, and Canada.

The company has expediting and quality assurance teams in all the countries in which it operates, while always maintaining its just-in-time delivery of material and equipment.

Chemie-Tech’s procurement department is staffed with experienced professionals capable of providing equipment, materials, and services to both large and small projects in a timely and cost-effective manner.

QHSC Chemie-Tech’s Quality Policy summarises the essential elements of our commitment for excellence, and includes: • Fostering quality culture with the objective of developing and providing solutions and services with zero defects that are trusted and preferred by its consumers.

• Complying with relevant laws and regulations as well as internal requirements.

• Continuously challenging itself to improve the quality management system to guarantee health and safety, prevent quality incidents and eliminate defects through the review of quality objectives and results.

• Encouraging participation and promotion of quality responsibilities amongst all employees and third parties through standards, education, training and coaching, supervision and effective communication.

• Operating under the disciplines and control of a quality management system conforming to ISO standards.

114 | EME Outlook issue 40

Purchasing, expediting, subcontracts, and source inspections are the functions performed by the ChemieTech’s procurement department.

Purchase orders are placed with global suppliers that are qualified to furnish materials and equipment for the refining, petrochemical, and power industries. Chemie-Tech’s efforts to develop long-term relationships with key suppliers have proven to be a significant benefit to its customers and clients.

• At Chemie-Tech, teamwork, engagement, ownership and support by everyone are vital for achieving its quality objectives.

In this context, it is committed to providing the required leadership, management and resources, and will ensure that quality policy is reviewed annually and communicated to all employees and third parties.

• Quality is about trust. Each and every one of Chemie-Tech employees has the power to influence this trust through the quality of its services and through our passion and leadership.

Consolidated Shipping Services Group L.L.C. Consolidated Shipping Services Group L.L.C. is one of the leading integrated freight forwarding solutions and NVOCC providers in the region it operates, with 25 years of service in the industry.

Through its corporate diversity and willingness to keep learning and relearning, the company has earned its collective experience within the industry. CSS can meet a client’s freight forwarding requirements by sea, land, or air.

The CSS Group adapts itself to the industry’s latest trends, offering efficient and feasible solutions to its clients and associates.

www.ccsgroupsite.com

The Chemie-Tech procurement system is deeply integrated with its engineering and bulk materials systems. The project’s work breakdown structure and cost codes are known to the procurement system to ensure proper cost reporting on the project.

On top of engineering and procurement, Chemie-Tech has a total of over 17 years of experience in the construction industry. This consists of an extensive track record in executing its projects with quality, on schedule, and within budget. The company provides expertise in all facets of construction, and within its construction management teams are many highly experienced individuals with a vast collective knowledge and specialisation of new facilities and the expansion of existing facilities. The firm has the ability to manage and execute multi-discipline construction services for its many projects across the world.

CONSTRUCTION

THE COMPANY MISSION Chemie-Tech is driven to meet high quality standards.

Delivering quality projects on time and in budget is paramount to the company’s mission. Chemie-Tech believes that the best recipe for success is the honesty and integrity of its business operation, as well as commitment and hard work from its employees and management. But ultimately, Chemie-Tech views that the success of its projects relies on the satisfaction of the client involved.

With this unwavering commitment to client satisfaction at the fore of the company’s mission, Chemie-Tech is fuelled by the passion and expertise of its professional workforce, specialising in providing a wide range of EPC solutions and services to a broad spectrum of industries.

Chemie-Tech’s assets, both in terms of people and equipment, allow its customers to leverage an end-toend solution and have all necessary

services under one umbrella, making the company’s projects easier to manage and quick to deliver, maintaining the highest standards of quality, health and safety.

Chemie Tech attributes its success and growth to both its customers and work ethics. Delivering quality projects, on time and within budget, is an unwavering commitment woven into the fabric of the company.

The company values relationships and firmly believes that its customers, vendors and employees are its partners in creating success stories, project after project. Its pledge is to maintain lasting relationships that are established on trust, professionalism and ethics at the core.

Quality is an integral part of ChemieTech’s corporate business principles.

These principles guide the company’s actions to deliver its solutions and services that are safe, compliant and preferred by its customers. They are essential for the achievement of

OUR ROADMAP TO SUCCESS Chemie-Tech aims to achieve long-term sustainable growth as an international EPC contractor by adding true value to its customers and empowering them with cutting edge engineering, cost effective procurement, and world-class construction services, all overseen by individuals with numerous years of project management experience.

Chemie-Tech strives to be true partners to all its customers and help them achieve success through its innovative solutions.

company ambition to be recognised and trusted as a leading EPC contractor in the Middle East.

EME Outlook issue 40 | 115

2GETTHERE

The Future of Mobility Having undergone significant transformation over the past three decades, Robbert Lohmann, Chief Commercial Officer at 2getthere, recounts his firm’s journey and its standing within the industry today Writer: Sean Galea-Pace Project Manager: Vivek Valmiki

116 | EME Outlook issue 40

T

he future of mobility is promising. With a plethora of new technology available like never before, there is unprecedented opportunity to equip cities with bestin-class technology and make them smart. Enter 2getthere.

2getthere realises automated transit applications and operates on

either segregated infrastructures, dedicated lanes or in mixed traffic.

The systems are based on more than 30 years of experience with automated vehicles in different demanding environments.

The company is based in Utrecht, the Netherlands. 2getthere’s first transit system was developed in

AUTOMOTIVE

2GETTHERE’S KEY PROJECTS • Rivium • Brussels Airport Zavantem • RA Bus • Masdar City • Floriade 2002 • Amsterdam Airport Schipol

1995. Pilot projects were tested at Amsterdam Airport Schipol in 1997 and business park Rivium two years later, which is now in its third generation.

Since initially joining the company in 1999 under the brand name Frog Navigation Systems, Robbert Lohmann has worked in a broad range of positions such as Marketing Manager, Project Director and Chief Operating Officer as well as his current position Chief Commercial Officer.

“The company was focused on industrial automation and delivered solutions to factories and ports. They had just started their first application which moved people. Within six months, we understood the potential of moving people from place to place in 1999.

“In the early 2000s, we had this great initiative where we went to every city within the Netherlands and examined the areas that lacked transportation routes and we promoted autonomous shuttles as a last-mile, first-mile system to ease the new housing areas. We slowly built up the business and found ourselves bidding for projects worldwide, such as airport terminals.”

In 2008, 2getthere won its biggest project when it was awarded the order for the Masdar City application in Abu Dhabi. Ultimately, this allowed the organisation to grow significantly and went from having just two staff to expanding to over 60 by 2018.

“The potential of the market was staring at us in the face and we had reached the point where we needed to invest and grow as a company,” recounts Lohmann.

“We recognised that our customers wouldn’t award projects to a small company with limited financial strength and no big mother company supporting us. This led to us searching for the right company to partner with and help us fulfil these demands.

Ultimately, we became part of ZF.”

Indeed, 2getthere now operates under the ZF Group. The organisation is a global leader in driveline and chassis technology, as well as active and passive safety technology. Upon the acquisition of 2getthere in 2019, Wolf-Henning Scheider, Chairman of the Board of Management at ZG Friedrichshafen AG, commented: “2getthere has more than three decades of experience in the market for autonomous passenger transport vehicles as well as unique engineering and software competences. This acquisition supports our strategy to become a leading autonomous transportation systems supplier in the booming new mobility market.”

With technology continuing to play an influential role in mobility, Lohmann believes in the importance of adhering to sustainability, accessibility and liveability.

“This is why we think that we should introduce autonomous shuttles rather than autonomous cars,” he explains.

“When it comes to smart cities and smart mobility, ultimately it is not just about people in transit, but also about people living and working along the streets transit travels through. That’s why with increasing urbanisation it is vital to reduce the number of vehicles in a city to ensure it remains accessible and liveable.

The focus should be on walking and cycling, which also support a healthier lifestyle, supplemented by smart mobility.

“It’s going to be fascinating over the next decade to see whether governments and authorities have the willingness and guts to set policies to influence the way mobility will change their cities and ensure accessibility and liveability.”

One of 2getthere’s flagship projects is its transit system at the Rivium business park. Now in its third generation, the business park has gone through a significant transformation over the years.

“Rivium is a prime example of the EME Outlook issue 40 | 117

2GETTHERE work we do,” explains Lohmann.

“Transdev started operations of the first-generation system in 1999 as a way to commute the last mile from the metro station towards the business park because it is too far to walk.”

“That system grew for its second generation and we had to make some adjustments to the vehicle to elevate the quality of the vehicles. The second generation was active from 2006 to 2019, until the vehicles were beginning to show their age. This led to us beginning conversations to replace with a new third generation.”

Indeed, the introduction of the third generation ParkShuttle helped catalyse the redevelopment of the Rivium business park. Where previously it was the business park in the Netherlands with the highest rate

of available space, it is now almost sold out. Offices are in the midst of being transformed into housing, while new residential buildings are being introduced.

“The aim is that by 2030, Capelle aan den IJssel will have roughly 7,000 people living there,” says Lohmann.

“This will also mean that by the time the six vehicles that we supply won’t be sufficient to meet the demand and we will need to develop the transit system even further.”

Developing key, strategic partnerships in the industry is essential to long-term success.

For Lohmann, he recognises their importance and points to his company’s name – 2getthere.

“We did a fun play on words and it actually means to get there

INSIDE THE RIVIUM PROJECT FIRST GENERATION With a relatively small distance to metro station Kralingse Zoom, it was decided that an automated system would be preferred over a manually driven bus due to the repetitive nature. With a rail solution deemed too expensive, autonomous shuttles were suggested.

2getthere was chosen as the supplier based on its experience with automated vehicles in the Port of Rotterdam.

The initial installation featured three vehicles, each accommodating up to 10 passengers. The route was introduced on what was previously planned as a bike path. This meant that if the system did not deliver on its promises, it allowed the infrastructure to continue to be used. It also meant that operations ran on a single lane, with designated locations to allow vehicles from the opposite direction to pass. A landmark bridge over a major highway ensures entry to the Rivium business park.

SECOND GENERATION Despite being only intended for a single year, the system operated for almost three years before being replaced in 2006 for second generation vehicles. Rivium 2.0 extended with two additional stations to serve deeper

118 | EME Outlook issue 40

into the business park. Another station is added to serve the new business park Brainpark III and the residential area Fascinatio developed along the existing route.

The system is in operation on weekdays and primarily serves the business park. Operating between 6am and 9pm, the six vehicles carry around 2,500 passengers every day.

THIRD GENERATION In 2017, 2getthere and the city of Capelle aan den IJssel partnered to submit a proposal to ‘de Verkeersondereming’ and were granted a 50 percent contribution for renewal and extension of the existing system. This year, six new third generation vehicles will be introduced to replace the 15-year-old vehicles that have been operating the route for 12 years every day.

This year, testing will commence on the extension of the route in mixed traffic, foreseen towards the waterfront where a stop for the Waterbus will be created. The ParkShuttle becomes the unique link between the Rotterdam metro network and the Waterbus. 2getthere works closely with RDW, the Dutch road authority to be approved as the first autonomous system certified for operations in mixed traffic without safety steward on-board. This extension is expected to increase ridership by around 20 percent to approximately 3,000 every day.

AUTOMOTIVE

Are user manuals always a ‘last minute job’?

Find out how Etteplan meets all of your technical information needs!

(transporting people) and together.

There is no way that any company can provide a complete transit system in-house. There’s no supplier in the world that can claim they do it all themselves,” he affirms.

“We’ve always said that the parties we work well with, we want to continue to work with them. If there’s a new supplier that comes up that is slightly cheaper, it’s still a big risk because you know what you have with your existing suppliers.”

“We have a number of key, strategic relationships and are working with some fantastic companies that we have a mutual appreciation and understanding with. You’ve got to find partners that can scale up with you and deliver the projects alongside you.”

Talent management is another key pillar to Lohmann. With staff the heartbeat of any organisation, he believes that his company’s workforce is diverse but has a Dutch mentality.

“You’re encouraged to have an opinion, to express it and be critical when necessary,” he says.

“We take great pride in our work and I think that shows by the fact that 20 percent of the staff have a history with the company that dates back to the company’s original name of Frog over 20 years ago. If we need to step up, everyone does. There’s no one within the company that has a 9-5 mentality.”

With the future in mind, Lohmann is quick to affirm that the pandemic hasn’t cancelled any projects, just slowed them, and he believes that the industry is at an exciting phase.

“COVID-19 hasn’t changed our vision. It’s delayed a few projects, but it hasn’t cancelled any of them,” he says.

“I expect that over the next couple of years, post COVID, the future of our cities are going to be determined between the governments and the autonomous car advocates.

If the autonomous car advocates get their way you could see a lot of autonomous taxis by 2030. However, if cities step up, then advancement of the number of vehicles you will see will be slower and the process will be more careful. There will be rules and regulations in place and you will have to prove the safety you are trying to provide first.”

“For me, I expect authorities will come out with good regulations and cities will create car-low or even car-free areas. As such autonomous shuttles will be introduced firstly before autonomous vehicles are launched on a large scale.”

Tel: +31 (0)30 2383570 info@2getthere.eu www.2getthere.eu

EME Outlook issue 40 | 119

TNI KING COFFEE

Building a Global Coffee Empire The story behind the rise of TNI King Coffee, a Vietnamese coffee brand and café franchise with ambitious plans at home and abroad Writer: Sean Galea-Pace | Project Manager: Donovan Smith

PART 1 – A PERSONAL STORY “Coffee has always brought me endless joy, creativity and passion,” gleams Le Hoang Diep Thao, Vietnamese entrepreneur and Founder and CEO of Trung Nguyen, the company which owns her latest venture – TNI King Coffee.

It took two decades of building up her first enterprise before the decision was made to launch a second startup, the lesson very much being the need to master the fundamentals of business, and coffee.

“With Trung Nguyen, everything starts from the most basic things,” Mrs Thao says. “You learn about coffee beans, grasp seasonal prices, learn how to process and package finished products, self-manage with the first employees in the small coffee factory.

Then, you gradually reach further, find ways to open stores and develop a distribution system according to international standards.

“As for King Coffee, since I have accumulated more than 20 years of experience, when starting a business,

120 | EME Outlook issue 40

I chose to immediately set up a standards system from the beginning – a modern factory with international certifications, systematic distribution regularity, and diverse products to satisfy all the demands of enjoying coffee in modern society. However, you cannot forget to still pay attention to the smallest details towards perfection.”

Mrs Thao’s journey to this point has not been without its challenges.

The entrepreneur admits that there have been ups and downs along the way, but acknowledges the impossibility of establishing and growing a business without having to embrace failures at some stage.

Coffee, she points out, has played its own part.

“I think the cups of coffee I drink every day have helped me to always renew myself in such creative ways,” Mrs Thao muses. “There have been times when it’s so difficult that you want to give up – there are times when I’m tired and want to listen to many loving people telling me to rest.”

FOOD & DRINK

Le Hoang Diep Thao, CEO of Trung Nguyen, the company that owns TNI King Coffee

EME Outlook issue 40 | 121

TNI KING COFFEE

AN INTRODUCTION TO TNI KING COFFEE TNI King Coffee was launched in 2016 and represents Trung Nguyen’s premium coffee brand.

The brand quickly grew its presence out of Vietnam and into the likes of Korea and the US, its overarching aim being to become a Vietnamese coffee brand that is favoured all around the world.

Today, its various coffee products are present in more than 60 countries thanks to the hard work of more than 3,000 company employees.

VISION: To become the world’s leading Vietnamese F&B corporation.

MISSION: Commit to bringing Vietnamese brands to the world equating with other multinational corporations.

CORE VALUES: High aspiration; constant creativity and innovation; outstanding execution; value creation and sustainable development; social responsibility.

But these moments have only been fleeting ones. What has truly kept Mrs Thao motivated throughout her journey is the network of people who depend on her company’s success to make their own livings – be they employees and their families or thousands of farming households who supply Trung Nguyen and TNI King Coffee.

Ms Thao adds: “This is the value of entrepreneurship, I think. Once a certain milestone is reached, enriching yourself is not the ultimate goal.

122 | EME Outlook issue 40

To create jobs, to enrich society, to be a refuge for the community... those are the qualities that make an entrepreneur.”

Her altruistic approach has not gone unnoticed in Vietnam, and indeed the world. In 2020 Mrs Thao was recognized with the Most Admired CEO Award 2020 in the Food & Beverage sector from Global Brands Magazine (GBM).

It is an extraordinary accolade, one which the entrepreneur hopes

will inspire a new wave of young businesspeople to enter the industry and forge a living for themselves, especially young Vietnamese women.

“Youth gives people many opportunities,” Mrs Thao continues.

“They learn, stumble, fail, and start over. Even though they had tasted the pain, they still had the strength to move on. I think if someone knows their own self and knows how to make a meaningful use of their youth, that person will surely succeed.”

FOOD & DRINK PART 2 - A GLOBAL FMCG OPERATION Coffee has been a mainstay and hallmark of Vietnam for hundreds of years.

Already a sizable industry, Mrs Thao is a firm believer in the potential to bring billions more dollars of value to the country’s economy and people, and determined to make sure TNI King Coffee plays a leading role.

The CEO is understandably ambitious. Through executing a global growth strategy, she wants to develop the business to become one of the top 10 coffee brands in the Asian market, as well as a key stakeholder in the Vietnamese agri sector.

“I chose to develop King Coffee from overseas markets,” Mrs Thao says. “We appeared first in the US market, then through other major

international markets such as Korea, China and Singapore before concentrating on our home country.

Within a year, King’s distribution network covered all 63 provinces and cities in Vietnam thanks to our international quality products and reputation from overseas markets.

“In the near future, I will once again promote Vietnamese coffee in the international market. Coffee will become a strategic commodity of Vietnam and promote alignment between Vietnamese brands in this sector – with that, we will become a global power in the coffee world.”

Technology has and will continue to play its part in achieving this worldly ambition.

Each of its product lines, from instant and ground to roasted and new generation RTD coffee, relies on

innovative technological solutions to produce. The latter product, for instance, was created using pioneering ASEPTIC sterile cold extraction technology.

“Additionally, based on modern technology, I believe we absolutely can help our Vietnamese coffee industry by educating farmers about water recycling and waste-reduction techniques, installing advanced drip irrigation systems in farms that use too much water, providing better services, fair-trade solutions and so on,” Mrs Thao adds.

“My constant motivation is how I can develop Vietnam’s coffee industry, and help farmers get rich and be proud of their own achievements. Our products are consumed and loved all over the world. From there, there can be benefit to the nation and the community.”

EME Outlook issue 40 | 123

TNI KING COFFEE doing to support Vietnamese women through the Women Can Do program.

“Women Can Do is an 4.0 ecosystem in which we exchange experiences, knowledge and learn from each other,” Mrs Thao explains.

“In cooperation with the Vietnamese Women’s Union, Women Can Do connects 22 million women and aims to support 100,000 women in starting their business.

“The goal of setting up 100,000 SMEs after the COVID epidemic crisis is considered the best solution for an early economic recovery and will create new jobs and

PART 3 - ACCELERATING HIGH GROWTH IN NEW TERRITORIES As Vietnam is one of the best antiepidemic countries in the world, disease has also helped King Coffee actively seek orders from other markets by developing a network of personal sales agents worldwide. In just 12 months, King Coffee’s market doubled its export numbers from 60 countries up to 120 countries.

“For King Coffee to enter the “always crowded” international market, I was determined that there is no common strategy for all markets, “think global and act local”. I will have a different strategy in accordance with the trends, tastes and needs of coffee in each locality depending on each country and region.”

In 2020, TNI King Coffee was recognized as the fastest growing global coffee brand in Vietnam’s food and beverage industry. “This is reflected in our growth — expanding our overseas market share up to 200 percent,” she says. “Particularly in the Russian market, our turnover reached 350 percent. These are very encouraging numbers amid the Covid volatility.”

“Coffee is the quintessence that stimulates the brain, promotes creativity and discovery, maintains alertness for high productivity,” explains Mrs Thao. “That is the 124 | EME Outlook issue 40

same page of those who come to coffee, need coffee, and love coffee.

Coffee also creates its own culture of enjoyment, a resonance for travel and connection. That’s where my customers are.”

PART 4 – A PILLAR OF THE COMMUNITY Indeed, inspiring society is the endgame for Mrs Thao and TNI King Coffee.

All business activities are geared towards this end, and away from commercial operations the company engages in a tremendous array of dedicated corporate social responsibility programs.

This includes the Happy Farmers campaign, launched in response to the challenges brought about by the drought, floods and COVID-19 during the 2019-2020 harvest season.

Farmers also suffer from relatively low coffee prices, another issue this initiative aims to reverse.

“The project encompasses our desire to help the people of the Central Highlands learn new techniques in production, stabilize farming and ensure social security, subsidise the purchase price, and increase the economic benefits of the coffee farmer segment,” Mrs Thao says.

The CEO is also extremely proud of the work she and the company are

reduce unemployment. The female participants will be starting with us from the smallest of origins, and gradually we will grow and become bigger together.

“When women have their jobs and are financially independent, they take control of their lives. That is what I am most passionate about.”

And this prompts Mrs Thao to offer arguably her most important piece of advice. She ends the conversation by revealing what has guided her to this

FOOD & DRINK point in her career.

The entrepreneur concludes: “Let perseverance overcome adversity. In life, the thing that never changes is our love for family, parents and children.

No-one can predict what events will happen in their family. No matter what happens, that is, before the changes, if we keep in our hearts an unchanging love, we will know what we need to do to protect the family, and the people who we love most.”

PART 5 – EXPANDING CAFÉ CHAIN STORES TO THE UNITED STATES AND BEYOND Another critical part of the TNI King Coffee strategy resides in its café chain expansion plans.

Before the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Vietnamese coffee shop industry was growing strongly, a trend which Mrs Thao is eager to capitalize on.

Indeed, the aim once more is to become a global café brand, and it is a journey which has made a promising start. In just two years since launching, the network has expanded to 50 stores in three countries which cover four different styles and concepts.

This includes mega flagship concepts ranging from two storeys to four storeys large scale luxury café set-up.

However, 2020 through to 2021 has brought an unprecedented challenge to the hospitality sector, but it is one that Mrs Thao is determined to overcome without having to sacrifice the incomes of any employees.

“This year, the COVID-19 pandemic is a sad picture with a double crisis affecting all aspects of our life,” she explains. “It has forced everyone to live differently, learn differently, think differently and play differently. We can’t change the direction of the wind, but we can adjust the sails to always lead the boat to its destination.

“In my company, I guarantee that all of my employees still keep their jobs and continue to contribute to King Coffee. Besides, we are going to join

a project with the Vietnam Coffee and Cocoa Association to build up the national strategies to change the new situation and increase the worthy advantages of Vietnamese coffee.

“King Coffee continues to create smarter and faster market approaches to seize opportunities to move forward sustainably. We want to inspire society to get stronger after the pandemic.”

In March 2021, TNI King Coffee will officially open its second overseas store and first flagship store in United States. Situated in Gardenwalk Anaheim, California, the King Coffee store is situated near an iconic landmark in the state, Disneyland.

Despite the pandemic situation, Mrs Thao is convinced that the market

is ready to pick up where it has left before. The King Coffee café in Anaheim, United States, has been in the planning process for over a year and after the opening, the brand plans to expand more stores in the North America through its own network as well as via franchising.

TNI KING COFFEE Tel: +84 28 3526 0196 www.kingcoffeenetwork.com

EME Outlook issue 40 | 125

THE FINAL WORD To round off each issue, we ask our contributing business leaders for their views on the same question

IF YOU COULD OFFER ONE PIECE OF ADVICE FOR A YOUNG ENTREPRENEUR ENTERING YOUR INDUSTRY, WHAT WOULD IT BE? Dr Wolf Harlfinger CEO, Kaolin EAD “The Mining and processing of industrial minerals is not a business for those who seek quick success and money. It’s all about longterm partnerships and persistency.”

Robbert Lohmann Chief Commercial Officer, 2getthere “Join 2getthere. Seriously!

Join 2getthere and add your entrepreneurial spirit to the company that has been the pioneer of the automated vehicle industry since 1997.

We foster innovation and have the unique advantage of ZF as our mother company allowing a long-term focus to deliver permanent, steward-less applications.

“If you choose not to? Listen, learn and continue to relentlessly believe and pursue your vision. Either way you’ll be helping the industry as a whole to improve the accessibility, liveability of cities with safe and sustainable transit.”

Alastair Common Technical Director, Schüco Middle East “Start at the bottom and work your way to the top. People enter the construction and engineering 126 | EME Outlook issue 40

industry and instantly want to be a product developer or product design manager, but it’s important to gain experience before becoming this.

“I started as a draughtsman, and I think that getting basic knowledge of the industry is crucial. Once you grow you start to know more about the industry, but I think that gaining a broad knowledge of the industry in general will help your later career, where you understand more and have a stronger foundation from which to go forth.”

Murat Vural Group CFO, Ant Yapi “The construction industry has a unique dynamic structure. You need to manage many different tasks at the same time with the same skill, without breaking them down. In a sense, you are juggling.

The secret of success is not only to work hard, but also to be able to listen to yourself, to maintain your inner balance.

“Multi-tasking is inevitable for all of us in professional life. It is not always easy to evaluate information, to answer questions, and to meet demands. But it is a fact that it is a part of our job.

“It is very important for professionals who interact with many people at a busy pace to be involved in some hobbies and activities that will help them relax and focus. It is essential to slow down a little, to empty our mind a little, to look one step behind and see the overall picture better, in short, to take a break to protect both our mental and physical health. Therefore, I strongly advice young entrepreneurs to find the life balance between family, business and friends.”

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Precision and flexible manufacturing...

KR PFIFFNER GROUP

MANUFACTURING

Making Machinery

M

achinery manufacturing is a key element of industry function in Europe and beyond.

Turning to Switzerland and its progressive manufacturing industry, we see that incorporating and utilising the latest technologies and knowhow in the field pushes the country to the fore of such a sphere.

“Switzerland is still an excellent place to work in the manufacturing industry,” begins Andreas Ewald, CEO of KR Pfiffner Group.

Revolutionising the manufacturing industry, we spoke to Andreas Ewald, CEO of Swiss firm KR Pfiffner Group, about the company’s innovative and forward-thinking place within the sector

See page

30 36

AT A GLANCE: KR PFIFFNER GROUP HISTORY

1970 Karl Richard Pfiffner incorporates K.R. Pfiffner AG in KR PFIFFNERZurich GROUP

Writer: Marcus Kääpä | Project Manager: Matthew Taylor

MANUFACTURING

1976 Development of the Hydromat - Rotary Transfer Machines

KLOPFER

1977 Delivery of the 1st Hydromat - Rotary Transfer Machine 1989 Foundation of K.R. Pfiffner GmbH (Germany) 2005 Delivery of the 2‘000th Hydromat - Rotary Transfer Machine 2007 Market introduction of the product lines RT / AT 2013 Market introduction of the product line PT 2014 Establishment of Pfiffner Japan Co., Ltd., Japan 2015 10th June Pfiffner Group joins the international FFG Group 2018 Foundation of Business Unit Multispindle and Witzig & Frank Offenburg joins to K.R. Pfiffner GmbH Zimmern o.R

PRECISION AND FLEXIBLE MANUFACTURING 2 | EME Outlook issue 40

EME Outlook issue 40 | 3

Hirth-Gearing Power chucks Special clamping devices Series and special cylinders Special welding devices

ALBERT KLOPFER DE – 71272 Renningen

GMBH

s a l e s @ k l o p f e r - t o o l i n g.d e

“Pfiffner has very hard-working and loyal employees that are excellent highly qualified personnel, which is another very important ingredient to a successful company,” Ewald explains.

“Our universities, technical schools, and engineering schools produce very highly qualified individuals through the apprenticeships, and our in-house culture of open exchange allows our employees to learn from any mistakes made, maximising our learning and proficiency in problem-solving.”

Additionally, education plays an important role in Pfiffner’s operation as a company. Not only does the prospect of employment with Pfiffner drive aspiring technicians, engineers and others towards gaining higher qualifications, but the company actively encourages additional experience and learning from within.

“We have our own in-house training programme,” Ewald tells us proudly.

“Currently of our 250 staff we have 30 apprentices. These apprenticeships last three or four years during which the apprentices learn and gain experience directly from the company, with plenty of them continuing employment with us after the course is over.

“Pfiffner contributes to the national industry by helping also to support this apprenticeship model and bring the latest talent to the field. We rely on these qualified people to help us achieve this highest quality standards that we can achieve.”

2021 AND BEYOND With the latest technologies in the automotive sector moving towards electrical and autonomous vehicles, Pfiffner is turning to new applications within the manufacture of battery parts and projects for the autonomous driving sector.

On top of this, while 2021 sees

the widescale rollout of COVID-19 vaccines over Europe, Pfiffner sets its sights on the east, including aiming to introduce its advanced RT machine in Korea and China.

“We will increase our presence in Asia which is where the market grows the most,” Ewald tells us.

“It’s also where we expect to have the best market development in the coming years, given the current environment, with our major project focus being China and Taiwan. We are in the middle of increasing our footprint in China with hiring more people to move this forward.”

KR PFIFFNER GROUP Tel: +41 (0)32 666 35 35 info@pfiffner.com www.pfiffner.com

EME Outlook issue 40 | 13

EME Outlook issue 40 | 13

2 | EME Outlook issue 40

EME Outlook issue 40 | 3

programme,” Ewald tells us proudly.

“We have our own in-house training experience and learning from within. actively encourages additional qualifications, but the company and others towards gaining higher drive aspiring technicians, engineers prospect of employment with Pfiffner as a company. Not only does the important role in Pfiffner’s operation Additionally, education plays an proficiency in problem-solving.” made, maximising our learning and employees to learn from any mistakes culture of open exchange allows our the apprenticeships, and our in-house highly qualified individuals through and engineering schools produce very “Our universities, technical schools, explains. to a successful company,” Ewald another very important ingredient highly qualified personnel, which is loyal employees that are excellent “Pfiffner has very hard-working and

On top of this, while 2021 sees autonomous driving sector. of battery parts and projects for the applications within the manufacture vehicles, Pfiffner is turning to new towards electrical and autonomous the automotive sector moving With the latest technologies in

www.pfiffner.com info@pfiffner.com Tel: +41 (0)32 666 35 35 KR PFIFFNER GROUP

KR Pfiffner Group has told its story.

MANUFACTURING PRECISION AND FLEXIBLE

Pfiffner GmbH Zimmern o.R Frank Offenburg joins to K.R. Unit Multispindle and Witzig & 2018 Foundation of Business Group joins the international FFG 2015 10th June Pfiffner Group

Japan Co., Ltd., Japan 2014 Establishment of Pfiffner

product line PT 2013 Market introduction of the product lines RT / AT 2007 Market introduction of the

2021 AND BEYOND

that we can achieve.” achieve this highest quality standards on these qualified people to help us the latest talent to the field. We rely this apprenticeship model and bring industry by helping also to support “Pfiffner contributes to the national after the course is over. them continuing employment with us from the company, with plenty of learn and gain experience directly years during which the apprentices apprenticeships last three or four we have 30 apprentices. These “Currently of our 250 staff

people to move this forward.” footprint in China with hiring more are in the middle of increasing our focus being China and Taiwan. We environment, with our major project the coming years, given the current the best market development in “It’s also where we expect to have the most,” Ewald tells us.

Asia which is where the market grows “We will increase our presence in Korea and China. introduce its advanced RT machine in sights on the east, including aiming to vaccines over Europe, Pfiffner sets its the widescale rollout of COVID-19

s a l e s @ k l o p f e r - t o o l i n g.d e DE – 71272 Renningen

ALBERT KLOPFER

GMBH

Now, why not tell yours? Our bi-monthly magazine EME Outlook is essential reading for Machine Hydromat - Rotary Transfer 2005 Delivery of the 2‘000th

devices Special welding

cylinders Series and special devices Special clamping

business executives wanting to keep up with the latest in global news and trends affecting GmbH (Germany) 1989 Foundation of K.R. Pfiffner

Power chucks

Hirth-Gearing

Machine Hydromat - Rotary Transfer 1977 Delivery of the 1st

European and Middle Eastern businesses across all industries.

Machines Hydromat - Rotary Transfer 1976 Development of the

KR PFIFFNERZurich GROUP incorporates K.R. Pfiffner AG in 1970 Karl Richard Pfiffner

KLOPFER

MANUFACTURING

Writer: Marcus Kääpä | Project Manager: Matthew Taylor

forward-thinking place within the sector GROUP HISTORY Reaching an audience of over 395,000 readers, your Pfiffner Group, about the company’s innovativecompany and KR PFIFFNER can take advantage of spoke to Andreas Ewald, CEO of Swiss firm KR

Machinery to further digital and print-based marketing tools that could transform your business.

Making AT A GLANCE:

exposure in EME Outlook with a FREE article and FREE digital brochure, as well as access Revolutionising the manufacturing industry, we

of KR Pfiffner Group. industry,” begins Andreas Ewald, CEO place to work in the manufacturing “Switzerland is still an excellent fore of such a sphere. in the field pushes the country to the the latest technologies and knowhow we see that incorporating and utilising progressive manufacturing industry, Turning to Switzerland and its beyond. function in Europe and a key element of industry achinery manufacturing is

M project managers today!

To share in this unrivalled opportunity, contact one of our KR PFIFFNER GROUP

MANUFACTURING

MARELLI | TRUMPF GROUP

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Issue 40

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The oldest operating mining firm in Bulgaria

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