EME Outlook - issue 46

GERMAN SOLAR ASSOCIATION (BSW)

w w w. e m e o u t l o o k m a g . c o m

DP WORLD

Shipping since antiquity in Romania

AERNNOVA Ready for lift off in European aerospace R&D

TRADING LINE GROUP The expediters of the Danube charting new waters for Romania’s future in remote piloting

Massimo Maffeis, CEO of Maffeis Engineering discusses sustainable stadia and façade engineering solutions

Issue 46

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WELCOME FROM THE EDITOR

EDITORIAL Head of Editorial: Phoebe Harper phoebe.harper@outlookpublishing.com Senior Editor: Marcus Kääpä marcus.kaapa@outlookpublishing.com Junior Editor: Jack Salter jack.salter@outlookpublishing.com Junior Editor: Ed Budds ed.budds@outlookpublishing.com PRODUCTION Production Director: Stephen Giles steve.giles@outlookpublishing.com Senior Designer: Devon Collins devon.collins@outlookpublishing.com Designer: Matt Loudwell matt.loudwell@outlookpublishing.com Production Manager: Courtney Solomon courtney.solomon@outlookpublishing.com Social Media Manager: Fox Tucker fox.tucker@outlookpublishing.com BUSINESS Chief Executive Officer: Ben Weaver ben.weaver@outlookpublishing.com Managing Director: James Mitchell james.mitchell@outlookpublishing.com Sales Director: Nick Norris nick.norris@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 Matt Cole-Wilkin matt.cole-wilkin@outlookpublishing.com BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR Thomas Arnold thomas.arnold@outlookpublishing.com BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT EXECUTIVE Sam Love sam.love@outlookpublishing.com TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR Vivek Valmiki vivek.valmiki@outlookpublishing.com SALES MANAGERS Sales & Partnerships Manager: Donovan Smith donovan.smith@outlookpublishing.com Ryan Gray ryan.gray@outlookpublishing.com PROJECT MANAGERS Harry Parker harry.parker@outlookpublishing.com Krisha Canlas krisha.canlas@outlookpublishing.com Marvin Iseghehi marvin.Iseghehi@outlookpublishing.com Matthew Taylor matthew.taylor@outlookpublishing.com Nicholas Kernan nicholas.kernan@outlookpublishing.com ADMINISTRATION Finance Director: Suzanne Welsh suzanne.welsh@outlookpublishing.com Finance Assistant: Suzie Kittle suzie.kittle@outlookpublishing.com Office Manager: Daniel George daniel.george@outlookpublishing.com EME Outlook 69-75 Thorpe Road, Norwich, Norfolk, NR1 1UA, United Kingdom.

Sales: +45 (0) 1603 363 631 Editorial: +45 (0) 1603 363 655 SUBSCRIPTIONS Tel: +45 (0) 1603 363 655 phoebe.harper@outlookpublishing.com www.emeoutlookmag.com Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/emeoutlook Follow us on Twitter: @eme_outlook

Secure and Sustainable Sustainability has become a multi-faceted term; applied in its environmental meaning or connoting a sense of longevity and security for companies seeking to safeguard their own continuity.

In the heartland of Romania’s shipping sector, we foreground Trading Line Group – expediters of the Danube, as the company seeks to advance the national shipping agenda through the introduction of remote piloting, in a bid to implement sustainable cargo transportation.

Significantly, the company is also directing investment into modernising its vessels with the youngest fleet on the Danube, moving towards newer, cleaner, low-emission ships.

“When investing in new vessels, we take a long-term view, with a focus on the sustainability of our transport solutions. We do not have an opportunistic approach; we do not take into consideration bargains on old polluting ships,” says CEO Paul Ivanov, who hopes to garner the support of major national players to realise his dream of a remote piloting centre for the city of Galati.

Also operating on Romanian waters from its nexus at the Port of Constanța, DP World’s supply chain solutions are being guided by a sustainable focus.

“This year, our three focus areas that we want to build on are creating a legacy in Constanța, ocean restoration and education-related activities.

We will continue to do as much as we can in the CSR sphere and help both people and the planet,” comments CEO Cosmin Carstea.

We delve into the E-Talia Summit as the event to accelerate Italy’s transition to a low carbon future – a sentiment echoed by the German Solar Association (BSW) in our spotlight on renewable energy in Germany.

Meanwhile, encounter true environmental pioneers with Infinited Fiber, the Finnish technology specialists reclothing the global textile industry and bringing joy and hope back into fashion with their superfibre - Infinna™ made entirely from regenerated textiles waste.

Finally, Accolade Wines leaves a sweet taste in the mouth as Regional Managing Director of Europe, Caroline Thompson-Hill, foregrounds the environmental commitments of its leading wine brands.

“Companies have to act on their carbon footprint for the sake of the planet, and we want Accolade Wines Europe to set a positive example that we hope the rest of the industry will follow.”

We hope that you enjoy your read.

Phoebe Harper Head of Editorial, Outlook Publishing EME Outlook issue 46 | 3

CONTENTS E M E

O U T L O O K

10

|

I S S U E

4 6

26

102

REGULARS

6 NEWS Around Europe and the Middle East in seven stories

8 EXPERT EYE

The Rebirth of Textiles Finnish engineering weaving textile circularity into the mainstream

I N D U STRY S P OTL I G H T

26 German Solar Association (BSW)

BU SI N ESS I N SI G H TS

Casting a light on a solar-powered future

From Grape to Glass Making every drop count on the journey to sustainability

16 Energy & Utilities Italy soars towards sustainable future Accelerating Europe’s hydrogen power

4 | EME Outlook issue 46

20 Sustainability

The need for verification to confront misleading ‘green’ claims

10 Sustainability

16

TO P I C A L F O C U S

102 THE FINAL WORD What trends do you forecast for the year ahead within your sector?

EME OUTLOOK ISSUE 46

40

56

F E AT U R E S

38 SHOWCASING LEADING COMPANIES

Tell us your story and we’ll tell the world

S UPPLY CHAIN

40 Trading Line Group Expediters of the Danube Modernising riverine cargo operations in Romania

56 DP World

64

CON ST R U C T I ON

96

64 Maffeis Engineering Standout Stadiums Innovative and sustainable stadia and façade engineering solutions

M A N U FAC T U R I N G

76 Aernnova Flying Forward European aerospace R&D

84 TMK GIPI Success in the Pipeline

Shipping Since Antiquity

Omani oil and gas powered by steel pipes

Development in Romania’s supply chain sector

90 3T

96 Kandia Dulce SA

Pedalling Performance

Rooted in Romania

Bikes designed to traverse any terrain

Quality chocolate since 1890

F O O D & DR I N K

EME Outlook issue 46 | 5

NEWS

Around Europe and the Middle East in seven stories…

SPORT

OIL & GAS

SAUDI ARAMCO PRODUCTION SOARS

PROTESTORS FORMING STRONG ATTACHMENT IF YOU’VE TUNED into any Premier League football recently, you may have noticed some pretty unusual stoppages in play, but this has been nothing to do with VAR decisions, or the actions of players.

A group of protesters from ‘Just Stop Oil’ have been running onto the pitch and attempting to attach themselves to the goalposts in order to disrupt play, with varying degrees of success.

The group has claimed full responsibility for these peaceful

protests. They describe themselves as a “coalition of groups working together” to demand the government to stop the exploration, development and production of fossil fuels such as oil, gas and coal in the UK. During the recent game between Newcastle and Everton the action was halted for over ten minutes as a member of the group cable tied themselves by the neck to the goalpost, before eventually being cut free by bolt cutters.

THE STATE-OWNED OIL giant Saudi Aramco has unveiled plans to sharply increase the amount it invests in energy production over the next five years, in order to significantly raise output. This follows a reported doubling of profits in 2021.

The move from Saudi Aramco will be welcomed by global political leaders, who have become increasingly concerned over the impact of rapidly rising energy prices.

This major boost to investment funding is aimed at tackling this directly, by steadily increasing output over the course of the next five to eight years.

Saudi Arabia is the largest producer in the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and therefore increasing production rates could help to significantly reduce energy prices which are currently at a 14-year high. The war in Ukraine has brought a reluctance to rely on Russia for energy, creating greater pressure to find additional sources of energy.

TECHNOLOGY

ONE GIANT LEAP FOR SPACE TECHNOLOGY AN OXYGEN-HUNTING ROBOT and a power station in space are just two examples of the exciting new projects British engineers are now developing, thanks to a new funding injection.

Science Minister, George Freeman, has announced the £2 million boost 6 | EME Outlook issue 46

for 13 new ground-breaking projects, which aim to implement a pioneering approach to energy, communication and resources.

One ongoing venture will develop new technology that can withstand the high radiation levels on Mars, while a second will build a communications tool for astronauts to tackle the delay in conversation between Mars and Earth. Engineers

are additionally developing a robot that will search for resources such as oxygen and water within moon rocks.

After this welcome cash injection, announced during British Science Week, these discovery breakthroughs will also aim to ensure people additionally benefit from this new technology, which will eventually support the UK’s commitment to net-zero emissions.

FOOD & DRINK

AUTOMOTIVE

MARSEILLE’S VIBRANT CULINARY REVOLUTION

Elon Musk opens Berlin Gigafactory

MARSEILLE’S CULINARY SCENE is rebelling against the stuffy old French mainstream, with the Mediterranean city’s delicious new array of diverse cuisine.

The vibrant and youthful city is standing up to France’s establishment cities like Lyon and Paris, in terms of go-to destinations for gourmet discovery. The southern port simply offers a different way of life. Sunnier, cheaper and easier going, it’s fast becoming an irresistible draw for France’s top chefs.

Numerous young and ambitious cooks with diverse food heritage have recently moved to Marseille in order to open restaurants and create something fresh. As you stroll through the bustling streets and

Bouillabaisse with seafood, salmon fillet, and shrimps

colourful harbour you’ll encounter Lebanese, Algerian and Congolese cuisine, alongside more traditional French food, whilst not forgetting the vast array of seafood that the port city is famous for.

Marseille now offers a modern take on traditional styles, with this new fusion of tastes and diverse flavours redefining the flamboyant city’s culinary DNA.

TECHNOLOGY

QATAR’S DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION QATAR’S MINISTRY OF Communications and Information Technology, in collaboration with Microsoft, has launched the National Skilling Programme, a new initiative tasked with accelerating sustainable human development and digital transformation in the country.

The launch of the exciting new programme is in line with Qatar National Vision 2030 and coincides with the opening of the Digital Centre of Excellence, the first of its kind in Qatar.

This initiative aims to train 50,000 people by 2025 and empower them with the advanced digital skills needed to drive innovation and contribute to boosting the nation’s global competitiveness.

This launch will be key to providing advanced knowledge of modern technology and cloud computing, in order to empower a wide demographic of Qatar’s professionals and drive new economic opportunities in the digital age. More than 13,000 people in Qatar have already been trained and certified across a variety of roles in just 18 months.

TESLA BOSS ELON Musk has opened a vast electric car ‘Gigafactory’ near Berlin, the first European hub for the firm. The highly anticipated project arrives at long last after being delayed for eight months due to problems with local authority licensing.

Costing more than €5 billion, the factory is the largest investment in a German car plant in recent history.

Musk told BBC News, “This is a great day for the factory,” describing it as “another step in the direction of a sustainable future.” Tesla says more than a quarter of the factory’s expected 12,000 workers have been hired already.

ECONOMY

Dubai real estate sky rocketing RESIDENTIAL TRANSACTION ACTIVITY in Dubai is reaching historic new highs. Brand new figures from the Dubai Land Department detail how the city’s real estate market continues to surge exponentially.

What is now being dubbed ‘Super Tuesday’ for real estate in Dubai, saw $517.2 million worth of property deals completed in a single day.

According to the stats, Dubai’s real estate market recorded 474 sales transactions, amounting to AED27.4 million on Tuesday 22nd March 2022 alone.

The final total of sales included 376 villas and apartments, as well as 98 land plots. The mortgages included 57 villas and apartments and 18 land plots, bringing the total completed transactions of the day to a staggering AED1.9 billion.

EME Outlook issue 46 | 7

Can technology solve greenwashing?

Forbes Under 30 entrepreneur Abbie Morris, explores the AI technology providing credibility to ambitious sustainability claims Written by: Abbie Morris, CEO of Compare Ethics

W

ith global warming dangerously close to spiralling out of control, the sustainability agenda is more crucial than ever. Companies are under heightened scrutiny and as a result, pressure to adapt and re-shape their strategies to ensure sustainability is a priority.

Recently, the NewClimate Institute in collaboration with the Carbon Market Watch released a report which found that climate pledges by 25 of the world’s largest companies are not being met.

8 | EME Outlook issue 46

Companies analysed in the report include Google, Amazon, IKEA, Apple and Nestle and yet only one of the 25 corporations evaluated had a net-zero pledge with “reasonable integrity”.

These are household names who have made big pledges and have fallen short.

Whilst this is shocking, it’s not something new.

Change needs to take place from companies right at the top to those smaller and independent businesses.

The Competition and Markets

Authority reported that more than 50 percent of UK consumers are taking environmental considerations into account and increasingly seeking to shop sustainably. However, 40 percent of green claims made by companies are misleading.

Most companies have made some kind of commitment to the environment, but many have not made it explicit in terms of the products and services they sell. Consequently, key performance indicators such as brand trust, attachment and commitment

EXPERT EYE TECHNOLOGY

are badly impacted, and brands are at breaking point.

Using vague language such as ‘natural’, ‘organic’ or ‘eco-friendly’ to describe a product, whilst knowing that not all the ingredients are sustainably sourced, is a form of greenwashing. Alpro Almond milk, for instance, recently had an advert banned after describing the milk as being “good for the planet”.

Although Alpro argued its customers would understand the slogan was referring to the fact plant-based products do not harm the environment as much, the ASA said this claim needed to be clear and inform customers that’s the reason why the almond milk was “good for the planet”.

Fashion is another industry rife with greenwashing claims. In fact, a study by the Changing Markets Foundation likewise reviewed 12 of

the biggest British and European fashion brands, including ASOS, H&M and Zara, and found that 60 percent of the environmental claims could be classed as “unsubstantiated” and “misleading”.

Companies are under more scrutiny than ever before with the CMA set to name and shame greenwashing UK fashion firms in a crackdown on sweeping eco-friendly claims.

So why is climate change high on the agenda but greenwashing on the rise?

The reality is many brands do not know how to reach their own sustainability goals they’ve mapped out. We should also be wary of playing the blame game as many businesses have sustainable intentions but lack the resources, knowledge and support to implement these across their business.

Consumers expect retailers to share their values on climate change and this is a lot of pressure for companies who are balancing revenue and the impact of COVID-19 on operations and consumer appetite.

Business leaders know there’s a problem, but they lack the right technology to act now. Consequently, they’re stuck in the old world and in danger of becoming irrelevant.

Sustainability Communication platforms can bridge the gap by helping brands to verify, manage, and deliver their sustainable product communications at scale. Powered

by AI technology, they enable brands to meet their sustainability goals and move ahead of the competition with haste.

Part of the technology behind these platforms is verification software used to verify the accuracy of documents.

Using algorithms, supply chain data is used to rank and report product claims. For example, if a company made certain green claims, the verification technology could ‘verify’

if these claims were true or in fact misleading. This doesn’t just provide the customers with knowledge but allows brands to be both credible and scientifically sound.

There’s a lot of investor appetite for sustainability, therefore if companies can show they’re environmentally sound then they can unlock the potential of increased revenue and shareholder interest.

Armed with the right technology and processes, brands can put an end to greenwashing for good.

However, companies need support, not only to be fully compliant in terms of sustainability regulations but to also verify and communicate these credentials to their stakeholders.

This is why sustainability communication is so vital. The World Economic Forum recently published a report on the impact that sustainable credentials can have on business models, products and company value.

If brands fail to invest today, they could find themselves falling on the wrong side of authorities, and history.

ABOUT THE EXPERT Abbie Morris is CEO and cofounder of Compare Ethics, a Sustainability Communication platform that enables brands to verify, manage and deliver their sustainable product communications at scale. Brands are verified using international product standards and a scoring system across 10 categories.

She is also a Forbes Under 30 entrepreneur and has previously worked with the United Nations and World Economic Forum.

EME Outlook issue 46 | 9

ACCOLADE WINES SUSTAINABILITY

FROM GRAPE TO GLASS

Caroline Thompson-Hill, Regional Managing Director for Europe, discusses how Accolade Wines is making the wine trade more environmentally sustainable Writer: Jack Salter

10 | EME Outlook issue 46

Companies have to act on their carbon footprint for the sake of the planet, and we want Accolade Wines Europe to set a positive example that we hope the rest of the industry will follow.”

Accolade Wines is ‘Making Every Drop Count’ with its global sustainability strategy, covering every aspect of one of the world’s leading international wine businesses and providing it with a single global vision for the future.

With a proud heritage that dates back to the founding of its first winery almost 170 years ago, Accolade Wines recently achieved carbon neutrality for its European operations in 2019 as certified by the Carbon Trust, an independent organisation accelerating the move to a sustainable, low carbon economy.

The certification of Accolade Wines Europe’s branded wine portfolio, which includes the UK’s biggest wine brand, Hardys, reflects the

company’s long-term commitment to sustainability and reducing its impact on the planet.

“We aim to move further in all areas of our business, not least in packaging.

We regard it as our responsibility to lead innovation across the wine sector, and sustainability is key to that,” says Caroline Thompson-Hill, Accolade Wines’ Regional Managing Director for Europe.

On the subject of packaging, Accolade Wines is a signatory to the

Australian Packaging Covenant, a sustainable packaging initiative which aims to change the culture of business by designing more sustainable packaging, increasing recycling rates, and reducing packaging litter.

Signatories of this programme endeavour to demonstrate leadership in sustainable packaging design, share information to further recover and recycle used packaging materials across the industry, and work cooperatively across the supply chain.

EME Outlook issue 46 | 11

ACCOLADE WINES SUSTAINABILITY

SUSTAINABLE INNOVATION Accolade Wines sells over 150 million bottles of wine in Europe every year, and continuously seeks opportunities to reduce its carbon footprint.

It reflects demand from shoppers for greener products, with 84 percent of wine consumers believing that brands have a responsibility to look after the planet. “We have to meet the constantly changing tastes and lifestyle choices of shoppers and consumers,” Thompson-Hill recognises.

CleanEarth - Accolade Park wind turbine

12 | EME Outlook issue 46

As such, the company has introduced lighter weight bottles for its Hardys and Echo Falls brands to reduce its glass-related CO2 footprint.

Accolade Wines is also launching fully circular, recycled glass products, actively developing paper-based bottles, and introducing more recyclable packaging across ‘Wine on Tap’ formats.

Otherwise known as bagin-box wines, the concept was hugely popular in the 1970s and

fundamentally a good idea. As with many things it did eventually go out of fashion, however Accolade Wines is pioneering its revival.

“It’s great from a sustainability point of view because there is less packaging and the wine stays fresh for much longer,” observes Thompson-Hill.

“Couple that with the impact of COVID-19 and the rise of home consumption, the format is enjoying a great comeback with some amazing products and innovations.”

Meanwhile, investments in on-site renewable energy have commenced with the installation of solar panels at an Australian vineyard, and in 2019, a 2.5MW wind turbine at Accolade Wines’ European manufacturing site, ‘The Park’.

“We examine every aspect of our business, from energy and water use to packaging and logistics. A vital element is our investment in on-site renewable energy; the wind turbine at The Park generates around half of our

energy needs alone,” ThompsonHill reveals.

Accolade Wines Europe has partnered with climate and sustainability experts, ClimateCare, who specialise in high quality projects that both reduce carbon emissions and improve lives.

ClimateCare is working closely with Accolade Wines globally on projects to help offset residual carbon

emissions across its brand portfolio.

These projects include the Yarra Yarra Biodiversity Corridor, which helps to restore ecosystems and preserve threatened and unique flora and fauna in Australia, alongside innovative afforestation in Chile, clean cookstoves in South Africa, and renewable energy in the US and China.

“These projects not only cut carbon emissions, helping to tackle climate change, but they deliver a variety of sustainable development impacts.

EME Outlook issue 46 | 13

“For instance, clean cookstoves reduce indoor air pollution, a major health issue in the developing world,” outlines Thompson-Hill.

ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSIBILITY Accolade Wines has a long-term obligation to manage the business in an environmentally responsible manner at all levels, from the vineyards through to the production facilities and distribution networks. It is also highly aware of the environmental risks to the industry generated by the likes of Accolade Wines is committed to its sustainability strategy, ‘Making Every Drop Count’

14 | EME Outlook issue 46

climate change, resourcing challenges, and security of supply.

The company works closely with partners, suppliers and customers alike to minimise its environmental impact, both through a defined purchasing policy and by assessing and using new technologies and alternative materials.

This is exemplified by Accolade Wines’ support for the Banrock Station Environmental Trust (BSET), established in 1995 to reinvest profits from the sales of wines from the Banrock Station brand into environmental projects in the region and around the world.

ACCOLADE WINES SUSTAINABILITY

To date, Accolade Wines’ commitment to BSET exceeds AUD$6 million across more than 130 projects in 13 countries.

“We have worked with government and volunteer groups to restore the wetlands in the Banrock Station area, creating a thriving ecosystem of approximately 1,500 hectares of lagoons, flood plains and native woodlands,” shares Thompson-Hill.

She also notes that there are many ways in which Accolade Wines can delight consumers and make a positive impact on the planet.

“It means taking some risks and breaking some norms, especially as we move into new categories, formats

and propositions.”

Acknowledging that the transition to a low-carbon world will take time, carbon neutrality is by no means the end of the sustainability journey for Accolade Wines. Indeed, as part of its Carbon Trust certification, the company has committed to a year-onyear reduction to its product supply chain’s carbon emissions.

“We will continue to develop new processes and technologies to reduce our carbon impact and introduce new, exciting products that are better for the planet and loved by our consumers,” Thompson-Hill concludes. www.accoladewines.com EME Outlook issue 46 | 15

WORLD HYDROGEN ITALY ENERGY & UTILITIES

Italy soars towards sustainable future World Hydrogen Italy is collaborating with the E-Talia Summit in Milan to provide three days of networking and strategising for Italy’s clean future Writer: Ed Budds

he E-Talia Summit is Italy’s leading senior executive energy transition congress, co-located with World Hydrogen Italy in an exclusive new collaboration.

Now in its third year, the event offers a vast selection of interactive debates on the future of the nation’s energy systems, covering every aspect of the value chain. Thanks to this year’s exciting new partnership with World Hydrogen Italy, E-Talia Summit is proud to produce an additional third day’s programming dedicated to clean hydrogen. This new event will tackle the full array of challenges 16 | EME Outlook issue 46

involved in developing clean hydrogen, seen as a key component of Italy’s roadmap to eventual decarbonisation.

This focused, information-rich, single-day programme will cover topics ranging from national hydrogen strategy, to policy, regulation and permitting. Indeed, green hydrogen opportunities, low carbon blue hydrogen, usage case scenarios and industrial decarbonisation case studies, will all be extensively covered. It will also feature additional coverage of topics such as hydrogen valleys, pipelines, shipping, midstream and storage.

Eurowind Energy has described E-Talia as “a great summit, where you can meet the most active stakeholders from the wind and solar field in the Italian market”.

There will be plenty of designated time for making key connections

throughout the daily itinerary. This will include networking lunches and regular espresso breaks to encourage a diverse range of productive industry conversations amongst attendees.

This event is just one of the many exciting opportunities planned throughout the series of ‘the world hydrogen leaders’ 2022 calendar.

For example, across the year there is a world hydrogen mobility event in Hamburg during December, and a summit in Barcelona on

‘decarbonising the gas grid’, scheduled for May. The vastly ambitious E-Talia Summit strives to unite project developers, traders, corporate energy buyers, equity investors, banks, government and all other key industry players across Italy’s clean energy value chain. The country is aiming to accelerate its energy transition and overcome the many challenges of the last decade.

With steep targets, strong natural resources, talented and experienced clean energy executives in place, deployable capital, and a committed central government, the next decade is set to make large strides to a flexible, clean new energy system.

EME Outlook issue 46 | 17

SO WHY HYDROGEN IN ITALY? Italy has promising potential to develop its own domestic green hydrogen industry given the extensive existing renewable energy assets, twinned with a modern countrywide gas transport network. Italy’s current market for heat and mobility is dominated mainly by fossil fuel imports, whereas a future transition to clean hydrogen on the eventual path to net zero, would capitalise on more of the energy value chain.

Italy is ideally located as a transit country, and with its existing pipelines 18 | EME Outlook issue 46

already connecting Sicily with Tunisia, it can capitalise on these strong geographical benefits. Offshore wind and floating wind specifically could provide Italy with much of the future power to produce clean hydrogen going forward.

There are early indications to suggest that hydrogen could represent upwards of 25 percent of Italy’s energy usage by FED (Final Energy Demand) in 2050, depending on factors such as how the usage case scenarios develop. Italy is currently Europe’s fourth largest industrial

WORLD HYDROGEN ITALY ENERGY & UTILITIES

economy, and the current grey hydrogen consumption (refineries and ammonia production) is equal to one percent of overall national energy consumption. Decarbonising this existing usage will be the first steps on the way to achieving a clean Italian hydrogen industry.

MORE ABOUT THE EVENT This vibrant opportunity is set to feature more than 80 speakers, and over 30 hours of carefully curated content for all attendees’ consumption. Present at the event will be more than 250 participants from at least 25 different nations worldwide.

A crucial element will be creating new connections with future clients, whilst catching up with peers through the

World Hydrogen Leaders - Intelligent Connections for the Clean Hydrogen Transition

Milan Cathedral, Duomo di Milano, one of the largest churches in the world

Four Seasons Hotel Milano is just a short stroll from the city’s most popular sights, including the Duomo and Teatro alla Scala

many dedicated networking sessions.

This is all made easier than ever when using the connective conference app.

This exciting event is being held between 26-28th April 2022, at the suitably impressive Four Seasons Hotel Milano, which E-Talia describes as “a first-class venue offering an entrepreneurial world of possibilities” making it a perfect location for this thrilling opportunity. Surrounded by

Italy’s most desirable fashion giants, located in the beating heart of Milan’s fashion district, it’s a leisurely walk away from the iconic city’s most popular sights including Teatro Alla Scala as well as the Duomo.

A 15th-century convent turned sophisticated garden retreat, this will provide the perfect hub for this unique opportunity.

Milan is overflowing with worldclass museums, frescoed churches and contemporary art galleries, and the Four Seasons provides easy access to the city’s bustling streets as well as its scenic landscapes.

EME Outlook issue 46 | 19

The Rebirth o f Te x t i l e s Powered by Finnish engineering, Infinited Fiber is the textile recycling technology company delivering circularity to the fashion industry Writer: Phoebe Harper

20 | EME Outlook issue 46

E

very second of every day, the equivalent of one garbage truck full of textiles waste is emptied into landfill or incinerators.

In 2020 alone, 109 million tonnes of textile fibres were produced globally.

Although a figure that is difficult to imagine, approximately the same amount is added to the volume of textile waste worldwide every single year.

Now, the planetary boundaries that accommodate this waste are being stretched to their limit

– whether that’s landfill space and the harmful emissions that result from this method of disposal in terms of pollution seeping into soil and water supplies, or the methane and CO2 contributing to air pollution, but also the agricultural land space being consumed for the growth of new cotton.

Returning to that critical figure of 109 million tonnes produced annually, just 0.5 percent of these fibres are created from post-consumer textile waste.

TOPICAL FOCUS SUSTAINABILITY

PHOTO: ©INFINITED FIBER COMPANY

On the global textiles market, sustainability has become something of an empty phrase, the exact meaning of which can be difficult to pinpoint. A far more precise idea that is altogether easier to realise and interpret, is that of circularity.

Enter Infinited Fiber – the Finnish technology company that has devised the engineering to capture the value of textile waste and allow it to re-enter the market and remain in circulation as new, quality resources.

“First and foremost, we are a

technology company,” introduces Laura Vinha, Communications Director for Infinited Fiber.

This technology is embodied by Infinna™ – the company’s flagship regenerated fibre that is now being used to produce clothing by the world’s leading brands – including Patagonia, Wrangler and H&M Group to name but a few.

“We work with the big heavyweights of the global fashion industry because we believe that our fibre has the potential to become a

mainstream material. This is basically the only option if we really want to make an impact,” Vinha continues.

THE MAGIC FORMULA With two manufacturing plants based in both Espoo and Valkeakoski, Finland, Infinited Fiber’s technological process converts trashed and shredded cotton textiles through a series of physical and chemical changes into the regenerated Infinna™ fibre. This fibre can then be woven into existing manufacturing value EME Outlook issue 46 | 21

TOPICAL FOCUS SUSTAINABILITY

on research and development and scaling the technology that we have whilst also fine-tuning our existing process,” she tells us.

This process begins with gathering and sorting the clothing waste, which primarily consists of cotton and other cellulose-rich textiles. After all zips or buttons are removed, these fibres are then shredded and mixed with solutions of acid and alkaline that capture the cellulose, resulting in a pulp. At this stage, carbamation takes its course as cellulose reacts with the urea, leaving a fine powder which is then dissolved to form a liquid. The liquid then undergoes wet spinning before being crystallised into the new, reborn fibre – Infinna™.

ACHIEVING THE MAINSTREAM MISSION

PHOTO: ©INFINITED FIBER COMPANY

chains and passed on to yarn and fabric makers around the globe.

“In this way, we lessen the burden on finite natural resources and support biodiversity since there is no need to cut down trees or secure more agricultural land for cotton growth.”

Since inception, Infinited Fiber has found a receptive market for Infinna™, as more and more brands seek innovators that can offer a scalable solution for the provision of high-quality recycled textile fibres in response to consumer demand.

PHOTO: ©INFINITED FIBER COMPANY

22 | EME Outlook issue 46

“What’s unique and most appealing for the brands, is that this superfibre is extremely versatile and looks and feels just like cotton. Crucially, it doesn’t involve a compromise, both from a designer and a consumer perspective.

“We’re changing the perception of what recycled materials can be like,” states Vinha, departing from the general idea that regenerated textiles may feel scratchy or in some way inferior, thereby increasing the appeal and buy-in for circular materials.

“Our whole foundation is based

As Infinited Fiber continues on its mission, expansion is top of the agenda as the company prepares to build its first commercial-scale factory in Finland in 2024. With the ability to produce 30,000 tonnes of fibre a year – enough to manufacture some 100 million t-shirts – Infinited Fiber will achieve the critical volume that will allow other smaller brands to enter the space.

Aside from producing and distributing more of the fibre itself, Infinited Fiber also intends to fully capitalise on its unique technology, working on licensing agreements so

PHOTO: ©INFINITED FIBER COMPANY

PHOTO: ©INFINITED FIBER COMPANY

that other producers can also start creating Infinna™.

By pursuing these two strategic lines of growth, Infinited Fiber secures its sustainability in the market and overcomes the positive problem that the company now faces of having more demand than supply.

“Simultaneously, while we’re preparing the factory, we have already secured offtake agreements with

some of the global brands who have committed to purchasing fibre from the future factory. This is so important for us from a risk mitigation perspective – that we know there is still that market for our fibre once the factory is up and running,” she explains.

By giving other fibre producers the opportunity to add Infinna™ to their production lines, the supply of circular textiles to the global fashion industry

will continue to flourish from the heart of Finland.

“We want to bring joy and hope back into fashion.”

EME Outlook issue 46 | 23

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MTN CONGO

Mobile services to support greater digital and financial inclusion

MELTON CITY COUNCIL

AERISON PTY LTD

Infrastructure development across Melton City

TRANSCOM SHARAF

30 years of technical problem solving

ENTECH SOLUTIONS | JADEX INC.

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Shipping since antiquity in Romania

Dr. Lawrence Rosenberg, President and CEO of the

AERNNOVA Ready for lift off in European aerospace R&D

Freight forwarding from Beira

KANSANSHI MINING PLC Mining metals from the heart of Zambia

NATIONAL AIRPORTS CORPORATION

TRADING LINE GROUP

RANGER ENERGY SERVICES

walks us through the JGH over the past two years, with an update on the hospital’s latest developments

The expediters of the Danube charting new waters for Romania’s future in remote piloting

Generating positive energy that powers the world

ROSINA FOOD PRODUCTS, INC.

Papua New Guinea is ready for take-off, as the National Airports Corporation continues to improve airport infrastructure across the country

Adama Soro, CEO at the CMB explores the organisation’s role in realising socio-economic transformation for Burkina Faso in realising socio-economic transformation for Burkina Faso Adama Soro, CEO at the CMB explores the organisation’s role

Buffalo, NY - the US heartland of Italian meatballs

Michael Parker, President of Molycop, talks about the pride and challenge of keeping Australia’s mining industry turning

Massimo Maffeis, CEO of Maffeis Engineering discusses sustainable stadia and façade engineering solutions

TY J. SHATTUCK, CEO at McMaster Innovation Park, takes us behind the scenes of Canada’s leading research and life sciences hub

and challenge of keeping Australia’s mining industry turning Michael Parker, President of Molycop, talks about the pride

sustainable stadia and façade engineering solutions Massimo Maffeis, CEO of Maffeis Engineering discusses

the scenes of Canada’s leading research and life sciences hub TY J. SHATTUCK, CEO at McMaster Innovation Park, takes us behind

infrastructure across the country Airports Corporation continues to improve airport Papua New Guinea is ready for take-off, as the National

CORPORATION NATIONAL AIRPORTS of Zambia from the heart Mining metals

PLC MINING KANSANSHI

Italian meatballs US heartland of Buffalo, NY - the

INC. PRODUCTS, FOOD ROSINA

future in remote piloting charting new waters for Romania’s The expediters of the Danube

LINE GROUP TRADING

developments update on the hospital’s latest the past two years, with an walks us through the JGH over

world that powers the positive energy Generating

Tell us your story, and we’ll tell the world.

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aerospace R&D in European Ready for lift off

from Beira Freight forwarding

SHARAF TRANSCOM

Melton City development across Infrastructure

COUNCIL MELTON CITY

and financial inclusion support greater digital Mobile services to

MTN CONGO

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AERNNOVA

problem solving 30 years of technical

PTY LTD AERISON

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CEO of the President and Rosenberg, Dr. Lawrence

antiquity in Romania Shipping since

DP WORLD

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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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ENTECH SOLUTIONS | JADEX INC.

With original and exclusive content compiled by our experienced editorial team, we look to promote the latest in engaging news, industry trends and success stories from across the globe.

Your company can join the leading industry heavyweights enjoying the free exposure we provide across both digital and print platforms with a free marketing brochure, extensive social media saturation, enhanced B2B networking opportunities, and a readymade forum to attract new investment and to help you grow your business.

Visit www.outlookpublishing.com/get-involved for details on how your company can feature for free in one of our upcoming editions.

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Issue 08

INDUSTRY SPOTLIGHTS Welcome to our series of spotlights.

These reports dive into specific segments of economies across the region, featuring exclusive insight from associations and organisations in the know.

German Solar Association (BSW)

INDUSTRY SPOTLIGHT

GERMANY RENEWABLE ENERGY SPOTLIGHT Interview: German Solar Association (BSW) Germany is full speed ahead on the European solar-coaster. We speak with the German Solar Association (BSW) to discuss future ambitions Writer: Phoebe Harper | Project Manager: Krisha Canlas

EME Outlook (EO): Can you talk us through the origins of BSW; how it came about and its initial vision?

INTERVIEW

David Wedepohl Managing Director International Affairs

T

o date, Germany has installed over 59 gigawatts (GW) of solar photovoltaic (PV) power. At the vanguard of Germany’s transition to renewable energy stands the German Solar Association (BSW), as the collective voice to advance the industry.

As a key market, last year Germany installed approximately 235,000 PV-systems and over 140,000 battery storage systems. Today, the industry is experiencing ever more favourable conditions as the framework for solar shifts due to a change in government. As innovation continues to drive prices down and make solar systems even more competitive, the market continues to grow.

Despite the prevailing shortages in supply facing the industry in the wake of COVID-19, the BSW is confident in pursuing its ambitious goals of installing 200 GW by 2030. Just days before the association co-organises the Berlin Energy Transition Dialogue (www.energydialogue.berlin), we take a deep dive into the industry with Managing Director of International Affairs at the BSW, David Wedepohl.

26 | EME Outlook issue 46

David Wedepohl, Managing Director International Affairs (DW): Our organisation is now 43 years old, which is quite a long time for a solar association. We originated in the times of a divided Germany – when the West of the country was what China is today.

Back then, Germany was the workshop of the world.

We had mining and other thriving industries that consume a lot of oil and gas with consequences for the environment. The transportation sector in particular was doing extremely well, churning out all these products, but again with consequences for the health of both the population and our environment.

We were also an incredibly densely populated country, with terrible air pollution in cities and acid rain that was ruining our forests.

When people began observing this as a consequence of our energy usage, an environmental movement came into being. What set Germany apart was how the environmentalists joined forces with the engineers – those tinkering with new ideas in trying to find an alternative energy source to coal, hydrocarbons and nuclear. Crucially, these were business-minded people trying to find an alternative that was not only viable, but also economic. Both wind and solar became trailblazers for us.

This movement led to the birth of our organisation, as solar enterprises continued to merge until they formed one solar association. This also later resulted

in the German Federation for Renewable Energy as an umbrella organisation, since you cannot rely on just one source for energy supply. In Eastern Germany, a separate environmental movement was also founded, which had a strong role in the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. Although this came with relatively little economic consequences at the time, it nevertheless shows the overall consensus in the country to protect the environment and bring about an Energiewende.

EO: Since inception, how has the BSW developed and progressed in terms of its key objectives and operations?

DW: As a country, we consume a lot of electricity, and we have identified that when we switch to renewables, we might actually be using even more electricity since it is one of the most low-carbon forms of energy to use. Germany has one of the

highest rates of reliability on its grid, with an average downtime of 12 minutes depending on the area of the country. This is something that is inherent to the entrepreneurs in our association, in how they identify how people use energy and do not want them to be inconvenienced.

The founding members of our association were also politically minded, since they recognised the need to change the framework conditions that existed at the time. These were mainly geared towards large scale, coal-fired power plants and nuclear power plants. Then all of a sudden, Germany’s energy landscape started to change, with an increasing number of distributed energy systems thanks to both wind and solar. Of course, at the time, the association had no idea how this was going to turn out, and that shows how our vision has changed.

From a scientific and engineering perspective, we are rethinking what can be done. The first solar energy systems that were produced were so

INTRODUCTION

GERMAN SOLAR ASSOCIATION (BSW)

EME Outlook issue 46 | 27

INTERVIEW

INDUSTRY SPOTLIGHT

expensive, nobody thought the technology could be scaled to the level that it is today. Solar is now a cheap, viable option, and is often the most cost-effective no matter where you are on the planet. Since we started tracking prices of PV-systems in 2006, we have seen prices drop over 70 percent. In Germany, solar radiation is not as bad as you may think, and people are now even using solar PV in the Arctic circle – although only for half the year! Solar has now become economically viable in places and applications that were unthinkable just five years ago.

Our vision has evolved now in that we are looking to change the entire energy system together with other renewables. We assume responsibility for that system by remaining relevant with the amount of energy that we generate. This is why Germany continues to be such an interesting market, not just because it is viable for solar energy but because we have an extremely high per capita rate of installation, and a lot of solar innovations happen first within our market. For instance, in 2013 there was a scheme by the government to adopt battery storage in solar PV systems, overcoming the problem of partial sunlight. We take responsibility for such systems in fluctuating energy, and for non-fluctuating sources like hydropower and biogas. Now, we are asking systemic questions as Germany begins to phase out coal and other hydrocarbon sources, and of course we have to bear that responsibility.

We have also seen a real change in the political environment now that we have a new government.

Previously this has hampered our progress in the market since there was a cap on solar, but this has now been removed and we are able to move forward.

28 | EME Outlook issue 46

EO: What are some major areas of focus for the BSW today?

DW: Our goals for 2030 are ambitious, particularly if we want to decarbonise an industrial country of this size whilst maintaining a high quality of living. This calls for infrastructural change because if you want to switch to e-mobility, for example, you have to inject more power into the grid wherever the vehicles are. We are now moving in more parts of the energy system as well, rather than just feeding into the grid.

These systems are becoming increasingly smart as they are being combined with other parts of the energy system.

We are also looking at things like city quarters where you might have certain residential areas with a shop downstairs, but someone living upstairs.

Here, we are now combining the load profiles since many people will be out at work when most of the electricity from solar is generated. But that shop may be open at night and need to use the electricity that has been stored, so we are looking at the whole picture by combining these things in an intelligent manner.

Five things to look for in your solar energy provider Lower energy costs, a smaller carbon footprint and a sustainable image: There are many good reasons for a business to go solar. For such a project to be implemented efficiently and smoothly though, it is imperative to choose the right partner. Here are five criteria to help you find the best provider.

Making solar radically easy

1

Your partner should be specialized in B2B solar projects Only providers who have worked with many different companies can design a project that fits your specific business model – and make sure that regulations are complied with and supply chains remain undisturbed.

2

Your partner should be able to coordinate all aspects of the project To minimize your own efforts, your partner should be the single point of contact for all subcontractors, third-party investors, network operators and regulators involved and, most importantly, be able to bundle all aspects of the project into a single contract. This ensures clear responsibilities and efficient project execution.

3

The partner’s portfolio should go beyond simple solar installations This way, you always have the option to add green roof solutions, heat pumps or charging stations for electric vehicles to your solar installation – without having to look for new subcontractors.

4

A good partner has their own EPC expertise An in-house team of certified technicians, electricians and engineers is an absolute must for every credible partner. Because only those who have full control over all essential steps can guarantee top service and the highest quality for your solar infrastructure.

5 ENVIRIA checks all these boxes – and more.

We are your full-service renewable energy provider with expertise in solarcentric solutions in Germany. We manage your entire solar project from start to finish, integrating all relevant aspects into a single contract.

With our experience throughout the project cycle, our technical expertise, a solid partner network, and the financial know-how required to ensure your project’s profitability, we’ll make your project a success too!

Start reaping the benefits of solar energy now.

Find out what makes ENVIRIA so unique as a partner and discover our diverse range of services: www.enviria.energy

Financial know-how is just as important as technical expertise Your provider should not only have vital knowledge of regulatory and tax issues, and cover aspects such as liquidity management, accounting and legal structuring. They should also be able to offer you financing concepts that fit the financial possibilities and goals of your company: from Energy-as-a-Service concepts, such as leasing a solar system or renting out your premises, through to classic investment models.

HOLISTIC ENERGY CONCEPTS

M

axSolar GmbH focuses on engineering work. The individual planning and optimisation of photovoltaic systems – just like the development of innovative products and research into new concepts – is carried out and supervised by highly qualified, internationally experienced engineers.

Technical flexibility and innovative strength for special solutions make MaxSolar GmbH an exceptional partner.

MaxSolar develops and constructs ground-mounted and rooftop solar projects in Germany and Austria and has a project pipeline of almost 3.2 GW, of which 800 MW are in an advanced stage of development and approval. In addition to the development of solar projects, MaxSolar is also active as an EPC (Engineering, Procurement and Construction) for ground-mounted and rooftop systems and is one of the leading companies in this segment on the German market. MaxSolar is also active in the field of energy storage systems, charging infrastructure and, in the future, heating solutions and appears on the market with the brands “esolution by maxsolar” and “meineWärme by maxsolar”.

TRADE/ INDUSTRY Investments made today in buildings and industrial plants characterise the energy system of the future. More and more companies are turning to renewable energies and converting their operations, says Christoph Strasser, Managing Director at MaxSolar.

COMMUNAL SOLAR PARKS Our locally anchored communal energy projects contribute a great deal to the understanding and acceptance of the energy transition and the further expansion of renewable energies among the population.

LANDOWNER One of the central issues of the energy transition is the optimal use of the scarce resource “land” to combine climate protection, agriculture and nature conservation.

INVESTORS Solar energy is not only very environmentally friendly, but also attractive for investors due to stable and predictable capital flows with relatively low volatility.

Christoph Strasser Managing Director

“As an innovative company, we constantly question existing processes, products and approaches in our daily work in order to optimize the investment for our customers according to economic and ecological aspects.”

EME Outlook issue 46 | 31

BEST PRACTICES NUMBER 1: Reckertshausen, Germany Innovative Open-Space photovoltaic with fully integrated battery storage Plant North of the district of Reckertshausen, in the immediate vicinity of the town of Hofheim in the district of Hassberge, lies the most innovative solar park currently being built. It covers a total of approx. 13 hectares and is divided into two so-called open-space photovoltaic plants: Hühnerellern and Haßberge. A total of 23,000 high-performance modules were installed. The electricity from the solar energy of both plants is expected to generate an annual output of about 10 megawatts. This means that around 2,600 households in the region can be supplied with green electricity. The innovative feature of this PV park is fully integrated battery storage, which ensures that the PV systems can feed in the electricity stored during the day even when there is less or no sunlight, e.g. in the evening hours or at night.

The battery storage systems were recently delivered and installed in Hühnerellern and Haßberge. MaxSolar developed these innovative systems. “The advantages are obvious. On the one hand, we use low-yield agricultural land to generate CO2-free electricity, and on the other hand, the solar power storage system relieves the burden on the electricity grid by absorbing peak load periods. We are proud to be pioneers in Germany with this technical innovation,” says the head of sales at MaxSolar Christian Mayr. The Swiss energy supplier BKW Energie AG will be responsible for marketing the electricity

generated in the PV systems and partially stored in the battery storage units. MaxSolar and BKW have signed a long-term power purchase agreement (PPA) for a term of six years. “With this project, MaxSolar is playing a pioneering role in Germany as part of the EEG’s call for innovations, and we are delighted to have found an innovative partner for this cooperation in MaxSolar,” emphasises Sascha Zimmermann, Head of Commodities & Renewables Origination at BKW. Key Data on the Reckertshausen Project • Private sale of the electricity generated (PPA).

• Size of the PV park in total approx. 13 hectares incl. compensation areas.

• PVA-Hühnerellern: approx. 6.8 MWp capacity, PVA-Haßberge: approx. 3.5 MWp capacity • Integrated battery storage for solar power storage, so far unique in Germany • Storage capacity: Hühnerellern: 5.76 MWh, Hassberge: 1.45 MWh. • A total of approx. 23,000 high-performance modules installed • Low overall degree of sealing • Distance between rows of modules: 3.5 metres • Biodiversity through species-rich flora and fauna on the intermediate areas NUMBER 2: Vienna, Austria 11,5 MWp (Grid Connection 01/2021) Utility, The largest photovoltaic plant in Austria is currently located in Vienna.

The 11.45 megawatt plant produces more than 12 gigawatt hours of solar electricity annually for 4900 Viennese households. At the same time, agricultural use is possible: the plant is designed as an agricultural photovoltaic system and is thus a showcase example of environmentally compatible and land-efficient ground-mounted systems. Every year, the giant solar power plant with its 25,626 modules saves 4200 tonnes of CO2, thus making a significant contribution to more climate protection in the city. We built the plant for Wien Energie on the 12.5 hectare site of a former city gravel dump.

on accompanying research together with the University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences, which will also cultivate the area.

Solar power between sheep and celery The area under the solar power plant serves as a grazing area for 150 Jura sheep from April to October. As natural lawn mowers, they ensure that the grass does not grow too tall and they in turn can shelter from the weather thanks to the photovoltaic modules.

Part of the plant is also implemented as a so-called agricultural photovoltaic plant. The approximately 400 modules are bifacial – i.e. they produce electricity on both sides – and stand vertically.

This means that a tractor can drive between the rows of modules without any problems and the area can be used for agricultural purposes, such as growing vegetables. The area between the agricultural photovoltaic modules is thus used up to 60 percent more efficiently. This innovative form of photovoltaics has already been successfully implemented by Wien Energie in test operations and is now being used on a larger scale in Schafflerhofstraße. In order to analyse the effects of the dual use, Wien Energie is focusing

MaxSolar GmbH Schmidhamer Str. 22 83278 Traunstein T 0049-861 2139966-0

Key data on the Schafflerhofstraße photovoltaic system: • Power: 11.45 megawatts • Annual electricity production: over 12 gigawatt hours • Area: 12.5 hectares • Solar power for 4900 Viennese households • Partly implemented as so-called Agri-PV that allows agricultural activity.

• 200 tonnes CO2 savings/year

E info@maxsolar.de W www.maxsolar.de www.linkedin/company/maxsolar-gmbh www.xing./companies/maxsolargmbH

EME Outlook issue 46 | 33

INDUSTRY SPOTLIGHT

INTERVIEW

We are also considering such matters from both a technology and a regulatory perspective, and this is being seen worldwide.

An international example is water treatment and desalination. When Germans think of energy, they think of heat, but in many other countries, they might think of cooling. This is another significant part of what companies are doing, particularly in areas of the world where there is no energy generation without desalination such as Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, where many power plants are also used to desalinate water. Solar is now also moving into this, thanks to the pricing as the cheapest alternative.

If we listen to our partners and see how they use energy, we always learn something new with every market that we enter. We and our members keep that open-mindedness in order to change the world of energy. This means constantly adapting as an organisation, and for companies and their business models. Energy is always political, and that is why we remain a political organisation. Now, we are a respected partner of the government, and that certainly was not the case 40 years ago when

34 | EME Outlook issue 46

“OUR MEMBERS COME F I R S T, A N D W I T H O U T O U R BUSINESS-MINDEDNESS, THEY WOULDN’T BE ABLE TO S C A L E O R P R OV I D E T H E R E L I A B L E E N E R G Y T H AT I S N E E D E D TO P OW E R T H I S SMALL PLANET” – D AV I D W E D E P O H L , M A N A G I N G D I R E C T O R I N T E R N AT I O N A L A F FA I R S , B S W

solar energy sounded literally like something from science fiction. Now it’s not some dream world, but rather a billion Euro business worldwide. Yes, we are an industry association, but we always have the interests of our members in mind. Our members come first, and without our business-mindedness, they would not be able to scale or provide the reliable energy that is needed to power this small planet.

INDUSTRY SPOTLIGHT

EO: What are the biggest challenges currently facing both BSW and its members?

DW: In the short term, the biggest challenges are supply shortages and constraints in shipping. So many companies worldwide are missing essential components and chips, but we are seeing this being overcome as more people move into these markets and connect with new suppliers.

The other big challenge is that we want to be one of the main forms of generating energy, and with that comes responsibility for the system in having the lights on 24/7. This has not been done on this scale before, or the scale that we intend to do it.

To have about half of this electricity, we need to move into other sectors such as mobility, buildings, heating and cooling, and industrial processing. For the German market, one of our strongest sources is commercial on-roof, enabling factories or offices to generate electricity right where it is needed. This is a huge challenge to take over that responsibility and engineer technical solutions in coordination with other technologies. From an engineering perspective, this is achievable, but it also poses questions of cost and finding that “butter zone” where the most economical and ecological solution overlaps.

In the long run, the other major challenge is skilled labour – this is true for the entire European Union as well as the UK and I would say almost in any market. One of the reasons we were able to scale in Germany is because we have a skilled labour force and an education system that is geared both towards engineers, electricians and solar installers. But we do not have enough of them yet, particularly if we are scaling. We used to have a political cap on the market here in Germany, which has changed. But skilled people are not going to fall from trees – we need to train and look to roofers and other related

fields to build the considerable workforce that we need for the Energiewende.

In Germany, we currently have a market of about five to six GW in new installations. If we want to reach the 200 GW mark by 2030, we need to install on average over 15 GW a year, effectively tripling what we are doing. In the years 2010 to 2012, we achieved around 7.5 GW annually, so we already know that we can achieve a higher level of installation.

We are working extremely diligently, and we need time to be able to absorb and train new people reliably. I do not see this as a challenge that will make it impossible to reach our goal, but if we do not keep our eyes on the prize and do not work on this collectively to make sure the skilled labour availability is there, this could spell trouble down the line.

EO: How do you see the BSW developing over the next five years?

DW: We are very fortunate in that we are growing.

To have a viable solar market there are three major factors, the first of which is the framework conditions – for instance the question of who is allowed to sell energy, or how it is traded and valued, which is always political. Much of this has been overcome in Germany so the framework conditions are now favourable.

The second factor is financing. We have found that the levelised cost of electricity is as low in Germany as it is in some countries on the equator when it comes

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GERMAN SOLAR ASSOCIATION (BSW)

to solar. This may seem strange but it is because the financing is so cheap in Germany. While the yield is lower, the interest that has to be paid by the investor is also low so in the end, the cost is about the same.

Thirdly, is the skilled labour and its availability. We need the people who can operate these increasingly complex energy systems. We will continue to work on these three pillars of the market and grow sustainably together with our members. We are very close to the market because of our board and membership structure which is geared towards new business. If you ask the German population, 92 percent are willing to spend public money to invest in new solar and on-roof solar infrastructure. The acceptance of the technology is extremely broad and crosses all political sectors. In the 2020s alone, we expect to create around 60,000

full time equivalent jobs, which translates to €15 billion of revenue growth for our members if we reach these goals.

We are always pushing for a bigger market, availability of land and roof space, simple regulation, access to finance and access to skilled labour. I think we are going to grow our services with members who participate in the market – that is what makes a successful organisation. We are very member focused, and our members are not shy of telling us what they need from us or what we need to do – we continue to listen to them.

We just moved into the “house of renewable energy” where we are now intertwined with all of the other technologies with all of the major associations including wind, biogas and hydropower. We will continue to work closely with them to change the energy system fundamentally and we share that responsibility. If we do not coordinate our efforts then we are all bound to fail.

Tel: +49 30 29 777 88-0 info@bsw-solar.de www.bsw-solar.de EME Outlook issue 46 | 37

Tell us your story and we’ll tell the world.

EME OUTLOOK is a digital and print product aimed at boardroom and hands-on decision-makers across a wide range of industries in Europe and the Middle East regions.

With content compiled by our experienced editorial team, complemented by an in-house design and production team ensuring delivery to the highest standards, we look to promote the latest in engaging news, industry trends and success stories from the length and breadth of Europe and the Middle East.

Reaching a combined audience of more than 395,000 people, EME Outlook covers a full range of industrial sectors: agriculture, construction, energy & utilities, finance, food & drink, healthcare, manufacturing, mining & resources, oil & gas, retail, shipping & logistics, technology and travel & tourism.

In joining the leading industry heavyweights already enjoying the exposure we can provide, you can benefit from FREE coverage across both digital and print platforms, a FREE marketing brochure, extensive social media saturation, enhanced B2B networking opportunities, and a readymade forum to attract new investment and to grow your business.

To get involved, please contact Outlook Publishing’s Managing Director, James Mitchell, who can provide further details on how to feature your company, for FREE, in one of our upcoming editions.

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Issue 46

EXPEDITERS OF THE

DA N U B E

DP WORLD

Shipping since antiquity in Romania

AERNNOVA

Trading Line Group is charting new waters for Romania’s future in remote piloting. We find out more with CEO, Paul Ivanov

Ready for lift off in European aerospace R&D

Writer: Phoebe Harper | Project Manager: Eddie Clinton

R

omania lies at the crossroads of European transport. Home to the mighty river Danube, the continent’s second largest river is the lifeblood of riverine trade across south-eastern Europe, originating in the Black Forest mountains of western Germany and winding through 10 countries to the ports of the Black Sea coastline.

The port of Constanƫa lies at the nexus of this dynamic trade environment, as the hub of Romania’s maritime connections with transportation routes connecting the region with the Black Sea, western Europe and the Middle East.

Trading Line Group (Trading Line) is the shipping company at the vanguard of efficient, premium cargo expediting along the breadth of the Danube. Today, Trading Line is playing a pivotal role in Romania’s shipping landscape by advancing the company’s agenda for Remote Piloting, heralding a new age of shipping for the industry.

Paul Ivanov, CEO

PRIORITISING PERFORMANCE When Paul Ivanov, CEO at Trading Line, first turned his attention to the shipping industry in 2011, he was entering the space as a complete novice.

“At that time, I knew nothing – I had no idea what a winch was! I was an IT guy and a network engineer,” he recalls.

Prior to this, it was during his tenure as a councillor for the Deputy Chamber of the Romanian parliament where a business proposition prompted Ivanov’s segway into the shipping Supply Chain.

Despite his shipping inexperience,

Ivanov’s entrepreneurial background served him in good stead, enabling him to champion the recovery of what was then a struggling shipping logistics company.

This spirit of astute decision making has been fostered in Ivanov since childhood.

“I started my entrepreneurial life at 16, when my father bought me my first computer,” he shares. In a savvy business move, in 2001 a young Ivanov began selling internet network access to the neighbours within his apartment building. By 2007, his network had spread to half of the city and approximately 35,000 people.

After selling the company in 2008, Ivanov had made his first million Euros, aged just 24.

Today, Ivanov oversees Trading Line’s operations and its monopoly over shipping logistics on the Danube, advancing the company forwards as it seeks to modernise operations and retain its competitive advantage as a shipping partner of choice.

TRADING LINE GROUP The expediters of the Danube charting new waters for Romania’s future in remote piloting

2 | EME Outlook issue 46

EME Outlook issue 46 | 3

Massimo Maffeis, CEO of Maffeis Engineering discusses sustainable stadia and façade engineering solutions

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Marketi ng Oppo rtunity

EXPEDITERS OF THE

DA N U B E Trading Line Group is charting new waters for Romania’s future in remote piloting. We find out more with CEO, Paul Ivanov Writer: Phoebe Harper | Project Manager: Eddie Clinton

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TRADING LINE GROUP SUPPLY CHAIN

R

omania lies at the crossroads of European transport. Home to the mighty river Danube, the continent’s second largest river is the lifeblood of riverine trade across Southeastern Europe, originating in the Black Forest mountains of western Germany and winding through 10 countries to the ports of the Black Sea coastline.

The port of Constanƫa lies at the nexus of this dynamic trade environment, as the hub of Romania’s maritime connections with transportation routes connecting the region with the Black Sea, western Europe and the Middle East.

Trading Line Group (Trading Line) is the shipping company at the vanguard of efficient, premium cargo expediting along the breadth of the Danube. Today, Trading Line is playing a pivotal role in Romania’s shipping landscape by advancing the company’s agenda for remote piloting, heralding a new age of shipping for the industry.

Paul Ivanov, CEO

PRIORITISING PERFORMANCE When Paul Ivanov, CEO at Trading Line, first turned his attention to the shipping industry in 2011, he was entering the space as a complete novice.

“At that time, I knew nothing – I had no idea what a winch was! I was an IT guy and a network engineer,” he recalls.

Prior to this, it was during his tenure as a councillor for the Deputy Chamber of the Romanian parliament where a business proposition prompted Ivanov’s segway into the shipping supply chain.

Despite his shipping inexperience,

Ivanov’s entrepreneurial background served him in good stead, enabling him to champion the recovery of what was then a struggling shipping logistics company.

This spirit of astute decision making has been fostered in Ivanov since childhood.

“I started my entrepreneurial life at 16, when my father bought me my first computer,” he shares. In a savvy business move, a young Ivanov began selling internet network access in 2001 to the neighbours within his apartment building. By 2007, his network had spread to half of the city and approximately 35,000 people.

After selling the company in 2008, Ivanov had made his first million Euros, aged just 24.

Today, Ivanov oversees Trading Line’s operations and its monopoly over shipping logistics on the Danube, advancing the company forwards as it seeks to modernise operations and retain its competitive advantage as a shipping partner of choice.

EME Outlook issue 46 | 41

TRADING LINE GROUP SUPPLY CHAIN

“By 2012, we had recovered enough to start buying our first vessels and began to develop the company. Since then, we have continued to buy new vessels every two years,” he says.

To date, the company’s fleet entails 26 dry cargo vessels, including 10 barges and two pushers, with an additional four tank vessels and further expansion on the horizon.

Trading Line has the most modern fleet on the Danube, with high capacity and efficiency vessels, endowed with engines complying to the latest pollution regulations.

“When investing in new vessels, we take a long-term view, with a focus on the sustainability of our transport solutions. We do not have an opportunistic approach; we do not take into consideration bargains on old polluting ships,” says Mr. Ivanov.

Given the IT background of the owner, Trading Line is a digital disruptor of the shipping industry, with an in-house developed IT platform integrating all fleet and company processes, unmatched by other players in the industry.

Meanwhile, the company’s CEO continues as a proud student of the ‘Blue MBA’ Executive programme at the Copenhagen Business School, where under the leadership of esteemed Programme Director Irene Rosberg – voted by All About Shipping as the Number One Woman in Shipping – he continues to learn and apply modern management theories and shipping economics.

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BREATHING NEW LIFE INTO AN OLD FLEET Trading Line’s key differentiator is that the company boasts the youngest fleet on the Danube, built in 2008 and seeks to further modernise inland vessels after considerable analysis of market behaviour.

“In this supply chain, you don’t have much market innovation. You have actors who have been doing business in this area for years and in a very bureaucratic way,” says Ivanov.

It is here where Trading Line makes its difference, by bringing a new, modern energy.

“We have introduced new novelty things, for instance with how we began to implement automated email noticing. We have been pioneering changing the behaviour of our clients on one side, and on the other side through the suppliers,” he tells us.

Indeed, although the Danube market hosts a worldwide fleet, Romania lags behind in new vessels, with the majority of its operational ships having been constructed between 1981-1990.

“The fact that we have so many old barges can be a real challenge.”

This, combined with the significant expense of labour, represent the two key hurdles that Trading Line endeavours to overcome.

“Our business model is that we need to have two key elements – firstly, the speed of the fleet, and secondly, the performance,” Ivanov elaborates.

In a bid to increase and improve both speed and performance, Trading Line set about the ambitious task of covering the length of the Danube on a data collecting mission. By so doing, the company implemented a database of all loading and unloading destinations, ranking each place in terms of speed.

Each operating place was effectively profiled so that captains are aware of the location, its facilities and the moorings available.

The company therefore effectively marked its profits by improving efficiency, reducing the duration of load times and therefore the cost of labour.

“We optimised the fleets based on where we can load quickly. In turn, we wrote it into our contracts with clients that they would need to be able to discharge quickly,” Ivanov explains.

The plan worked, as clients soon became willing to pay a premium for the speed and efficacy of Trading Line’s services.

“For a competitor of ours, it takes one month to take a vessel from Constanƫa to Serbia and back. We do that journey in five days.”

Aside from the vessels themselves, Trading Line can also be hampered by aging port facilities, such as the dated floating cranes available at the Constanƫa port. To overcome these operational hurdles, Trading Line is investing in optimised equipment to further streamline operations and decrease idle time for the vessels.

Currently, the company is investing in two new floating cranes that will make a significant difference.

In terms of labour, the industry as a whole must confront an aging workforce. New captains entering the market are hesitant to accept positions on older vessels, due to the less comfortable, and altogether noisier working conditions. This has resulted in a real demand for new vessels.

“We have a big problem with labour, where it is mostly old captains working on the Danube,” says Ivanov.

TRADING LINE GROUP SUPPLY CHAIN

“Roughly 40 percent of the captains available are at pension age.”

The slow discharging times for these older vessels is also a real deterrent. As an example, Ivanov highlights the performance log of the Shir Khan downstream vessel, which, after arriving into port on the 15th November, was not able to depart until the 21st, resulting in several days of costly idle time.

“On each vessel, we are losing so much time. Each captain for one month, works 700 hours, but the real sailing time is less than 100 hours.

“To sail these 100 hours 24/7, you need to have two captains on board and another two at home since they need time to rest. So, for just 100 hours of sailing a month, you need to pay four captains. Those other 600 hours are spent with the vessel either waiting, loading, or discharging.”

REALISING REMOTE PILOTING In light of these issues, Trading Line is currently engaged in delivering an innovative solution that will seek to surmount the challenges posed by both labour and working conditions on the older barges.

“We are in the process of developing a remote operated captain, with a piloting centre that can be controlled from shore,” shares Ivanov.

“By so doing, the captain can control the boat continuously and moor the vessel (using pylons), then connect to a new one. This means that same captain can operate four or five vessels in one month.”

The significant savings resulting from this solution can then be allocated to new investments in technology for the company and focus on continuously upgrading and promoting the crew, having more sailing hours monthly and gaining more experience and better jobs.

Trading Line is in the final stages of defining an International Consortium for the Remote Piloting

“ W E A R E I N T H E F I N A L S TA G E S O F D E F I N I N G A N I N T E R N AT I O N A L C O N S O R T I U M FO R A R E M OT E P I LOT I N G C E N T R U M ” – P A U L I VA N O V, C E O , T R A D I N G L I N E

Centrum, and will be undertaking this ambitious venture with the help of several strategic partners, including specialists in semi and autonomous shipping, Seafar, Shipping Technologies, Marine AI, Sea Machines, Boning, Sintef Marine, Kongsberg Marine and many others.

The first stage of this development entails the construction of the Remote Piloting Centre in Galati city, as a strategic transport hub on the Danube. This will involve the construction of a €40 million stateof-the-art pilot centre in Galati city.

The project is being implemented in European Synergy on the Horizon 2022 programme and the Government of Romania.

An architectural masterpiece, designed with a wave like façade to mimic the waters of the Danube, the remote pilotage centre will house piloting rooms equipped with 4D chairs for simulations and training.

Meanwhile the Starlink ground station

will provide the critical satellite technology to power operations.

By introducing innovative StarLink technology to Romania, the pilotage centre will also act as a research hub and interconnection centre through the internet exchange between both StarLink and terrestrial, thereby benefitting from the lowest latency in ship command.

Another major benefit of the centre will be the employment opportunities that it is able to provide for women seeking a career in maritime logistics, who typically aren’t employed in captain roles.

Trading Line plans to develop a protocol with several maritime technology companies – including Seafar, Sea Machines, SINTEF, and Boning Ship Automation to name a few – who will devise the hardware to communicate from the centre with the black box of each vessel.

“We are challenging our technological partners to develop a EME Outlook issue 46 | 43

TRADING LINE GROUP SUPPLY CHAIN

protocol that the console can easily connect to each type of hardware that they develop.

“That black box then records the pilot’s movements. Once all this movement has been recorded in each environment, for each type of hull and vessel, that black box can then use data mining to develop the digital twin,” he explains.

In this way, the new robot who will drive the vessel is born. With such a wide variety of types of vessel, with varying sizes and levels of manoeuvrability, more than one algorithm is needed.

The project is also being delivered in partnership with the University of Antwerp, University of Athens and the universities of Constanța and Galati.

In addition, after developing an initial concept map for the remote piloting centre, Trading Line received approval from the Ministry of Transport to develop, test and sail the remote vessels.

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“We are taking a new step towards autonomous operations with remote piloting to store and to collect all movements of the captain to learn how to drive these types of vessel,” concludes Ivanov.

FUTURE HORIZONS With the savings made from the trailblazing steps that Trading Line is taking into the realm of remote piloting, the company will continue to invest in modernising its fleets.

Ivanov envisages a new set of 14 vessels – River Drones, inspired by the Yara Birkeland Zero Emission maritime vessel, but re-imagined for dry cargo riverine operations.

These newer vessels will contain on-board accommodation for just two sailors, with a high-tech server room operating as the vessel’s data centre.

With a promising future ahead fuelled by innovation, Trading Line will continue to chart new waters in Romanian shipping.

T H E I N N OVAT I O N C E N T R E F O R R E M OT E N AV I G AT I O N I N G A L AT I C I T Y We speak with various members of the Romanian Government and significant partners for their insight into the future of autonomous shipping, and Trading Line and Inland Shipping’s development of the Innovation Centre for Remote Navigation Writer: Phoebe Harper

INTERVIEW:

MR. IONUT PUCHEANU, MAYOR OF GALATI CITY

W

e find out more about the remote piloting project and the significance of the new centre’s construction in Galati with the city Mayor, Mr. Ionut Pucheanu.

EME Outlook (EO): Could you tell us more about the construction of the Pilot Centre taking place in Galati?

Mr. Ionut Pucheanu, Mayor of Galati City (IP): Building a Shore Control Centre to remotely operate the vessels on the Danube is a private project that benefits from the full support of both local and national governing bodies.

The project consists of the construction of a building with a research and command centre that will be able to operate with up to 100 consoles. This will also involve the development of software and hardware technology on the ground and on board the ship or crane for remote control or autopilot in the future. In addition, practical training will be provided in a virtual

environment and through multiplayer simulators. The multi-player simulator has the ability to simulate an operation of up to 10 participants simultaneously using different types of ships (river and sea).

Furthermore, the project intends to deploy a ground station of Starlink – the satellite internet service developed by SpaceX and Elon Musk. This has just been authorised in Romania by Sabin Sărmaș, the chairman of the IT commission in the Chamber of Deputies. Consequently, we are one step closer to having internet access across the entire country, with fibre optic and largescale internet via any satellite.

EO: What makes Danube the ideal place to test and deploy new technology of Remote Sailing, EME Outlook issue 46 | 45

TRADING LINE GROUP SUPPLY CHAIN

Autonomous Sailing, Data Mining and Digital Twin?

IP: Firstly, this is due to the Danube’s significance as the second longest river in Europe. Unlike the other major rivers of Europe, the Danube crosses Europe on a west-east direction, thus amplifying its position as an economic and geopolitical strongpoint of Europe. The geopolitical reality means that the Danube can connect Western, Central and Southeastern Europe. The construction of the Danube – Black Sea canal and the Rhine – Main – Danube canal has given extra economic importance to this waterway - it could be said that Europe has a unique river system that will support economic relations within Europe and between Europe and Africa or the Middle East. Presently speaking the Danube - Black Sea canal is not necessarily economically efficient, but its future perspectives and its environmental role (avoiding transit in the Danube Delta) have made it an important spot on the economic, geopolitical and strategic maps.

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“A M A J O R A D VA N TA G E O F U S I N G R E M O T E S U P P O R T I S T H AT V E S S E L S C A N E X P A N D T H E I R O P E R AT I O N A L T I M E P E R Y E A R ” – M R . I O N U T P U C H E A N U , M AY O R O F G A L AT I C I T Y

Secondly, water transport is by far the cheapest and most efficient option. The river is suitable for almost 2,600 km of navigation, between Ulm and Sulina. It is the safest shipping route due to its sandy bottom, plus it is less crowded than the Rhine, which will make testing new technologies less disruptive to the shipping industry.

Finally, the Danube allows for more crowded shipping - meaning several ships can traverse at the same time.

All these are sufficient reasons for this new naval technology to be tested on the Danube navigation.

EO: How will digitalisation improve shipping operations and why is this innovation so important for the city?

IP: The concept of remotely operated, unmanned, and autonomous ships

is creating increasing interest in the maritime domain, promising safety, increased efficiency and sustainability. This will concentrate a new specialised labour force within the city, since the naval pilots will be employees of a Galati company. It will connect Romanian companies to technologies implemented at a European level and put Galati on the map for introducing modern technologies to the naval industry.

EO: What are the benefits of using the Seafar high-tech control centre to control ships autonomously?

IP: The vessels sail with Seafar’s hardware and software automatically, supported by the Shore Control Centre where the team of engineers and captains manage the vessel.

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The operators in the control centre have a range of high-tech systems based on artificial intelligence, sensor fusion and object detection at their disposal to ensure safe navigation. By integrating these new services and technologies, shipping companies and operators can continuously improve their operational efficiency: reducing operational costs, enhancing competitiveness, and expansion of the navigation possibilities.

This will bring multiple benefits in terms of allowing the training of new captains to be done faster and in conditions of increased safety, minimising the risk of human error. It will also lead to greater collaboration between the institutions that coordinate naval transport on the Danube.

Through the integration of the Seafar control system and services, the capabilities of a vessel can be expanded by optimising crew time efficiency on board and operating with less crew. The optimal performance

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of vessels can be achieved, leading to unmanned navigation with automated vessels on fixed trajectories with the goal to increase the competitiveness of small sized vessels.

A major advantage of using remote support is that vessels can expand their operational time per year. In theory, having remote access to the vessels may also mean that operations could be controlled from anywhere in the world. Using remote support on demand creates a significant increase in operational efficiency.

Consequently, idle time is dramatically reduced (up to 500 working hours per year). Seafar’s automation hardware and software components can be integrated on vessels up to 135m for inland and coastal navigation.

EO: Will the new shore control centre provide employment opportunities for Galati? For instance, I understand that women will be able to operate this technology?

IP: This technology creates a gender balance between men and women, creating the premises for women to enter this male-dominated industry.

Today, women represent only 1.2 percent of the global seafarer workforce, which is a 45.8 percent increase compared to 2015.

Furthermore, this will be an opportunity to reduce ‘brain migration’, and retain graduates from the Faculty of Naval Architecture. This is the only such faculty in Romania, with a tradition of over six decades in higher education, training naval architects recognised worldwide for long, motivational and fascinating careers. This Galati institute ensures superior technical training necessary for the research, design and construction of ships and marine structures.

We will continue to work internationally to lead and develop the safe, sustainable and intelligent ships of tomorrow.

TRADING LINE GROUP SUPPLY CHAIN

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INTERVIEW:

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development at a national level for governmental political strategy, Mr. Nica is also President of the Timiș County Council. We discuss his support of the Remote Piloting Centrum in delivering sustainable cargo transportation for the region.

EME Outlook (EO): As President of the Timiș County Council, how will the Remote Piloting Centrum develop sustainable cargo transportation for the region?

MR. ALIN NICA, VICE PRESIDENT OF TRANSPORT INFRASTRUCTURE, PNL & PRESIDENT OF TIMIȘ COUNTY COUNCIL

M

r. Alin Nica stands as Vice President of Transport Infrastructure for PNL – Romania’s National Liberal Party.

Overseeing the supply chain’s

Mr. Alin Nica (AN): The Bega canal in Timiș County connects the Timișoara Danube and the Black Sea. This is why it is very important for us to think of innovative modes of transport that will make it much easier for goods and people to travel by water. Technology is taking the place of man in many areas and shipping cannot avoid this. Remote ship management is practically a revolution in the field

of shipping which will lead to the development of this safe and efficient means of transport in the next period.

But it also opens up new perspectives for the integration into the naval labour market of other categories of people with knowledge in the field of Information Technology, and who can be of real use in this new way of driving ships.

EO: From a national perspective, are you excited for the changes that this project will bring?

AN: Of course. We want to promote this new way of shipping and Romania wants to revive its long tradition in the field of freight transport. This tradition can be renewed now that we are becoming pioneers in the concept of remote piloting, especially since there are many urban centres in Romania where Information Technology is an engine of economic development.

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TRADING LINE GROUP SUPPLY CHAIN

This means that we have the necessary workforce to make us competitive in this innovative field.

EO: How will the Remote Piloting Centrum project support the objectives of your local government programme, ‘Timiș at European level’?

AN: Our vision is for Timiș County to become a model of competitiveness

both at a national and European level through smart specialisation. This means choosing the areas in which we can be the best and investing wisely and intelligently in those directions. That is why one of our European-funded projects, which we are implementing, is to make the navigability of the Bega canal a gateway for goods and people by water in our county and to develop this mode of transport, which has not

Trading Line has the the youngest fleet on Danube built in 2008. The company offers up to 50,000 tonnes of total loading capacity of dry cargo and 3,000 tonnes of liquid, a pushing power of 18,000 BHP and a 24/7 sailing mode.

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been widely used until now.

EO: Finally, could you tell us more about your involvement with Trading Line in this project?

AN: Although we do not have a contractual relationship with Trading Line, the company’s idea to build such a remote piloting centre seems very interesting to me and in line with our objectives and projects.

TRADING LINE GROUP SUPPLY CHAIN

INTERVIEW:

MR. NIKOLAOS P. VENTIKOS, SCHOOL OF NAVAL ARCHITECTURE AND MARINE ENGINEERING, NATIONAL TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY OF ATHENS (NTUA)

A

s Head of the Naval Engineering Specialisation Committee of the Technical Chamber of Greece, and a member of both the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA), and the School of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering, Mr Nikolaos P. Ventikos represents a key partner in the development of autonomous shipping on the Danube.

logistics chains, and business models.

The Danube basin is a region that has the potential to release an immense latent demand for freight transport throughout European inland waterways. Besides being part of the Trans-European Transport Networks (TEN-T), the Danube’s full exploitation will enable a direct international connection between the North and the Black Sea, spanning across Europe. Cargo vessel traffic in Danube is currently limited, especially compared to its counterpart, the Rhine. Hence, the Danube provides an excellent opportunity for utilising autonomous vessels that can be monitored and controlled via remote control centres (RCC), and aid with the wider impact and exploitation of autonomous maritime technologies in Europe.

EO: Can you give us some insight into the deployment and testing of algorithms for the future?

NV: The tendency to make the production process more efficient and less costly is evident. To achieve this, safety or other issues have to be identified as early as possible

in the design phase to reduce the iterations in the systems’ design process, hence making it more efficient. The evolution of technology assists towards this direction through the utilisation of virtual reality, however real scale model testing will always be considered more accurate. I believe that the future of deployment and testing of algorithms will be comprised by a combination of Software In the Loop (SIL), Hardware In the Loop (HIL) along with real model validation Model In the Loop (MIL). SIL deals with the code/algorithm validation to identify coding/programming errors, HIL deals with an integration test of the system, i.e. testing the integration and operational level of a system’s algorithms and sensors in a virtual world, and the latter MIL deals with the functional validation of an algorithm/system on a real scaled model.

[1]European Court of Auditors, 2015. Inland waterway transport in Europe: no significant improvements in modal share and navigability conditions since 2001. Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg.

EME Outlook (EO): As one of the partners involved in the development of autonomous shipping, how do you envision the future of the Danube as Europe’s first autonomous river?

Nikolaos P. Ventikos (NV): Inland waterway transport (IWT) in Europe represents only six percent of modal share, a predicament that the Commission has been repeatedly trying to mend since 2001[1]. To that end, autonomous vessels are a solution that can induce a compelling modal shift towards IWT, through the employment of entirely redesigned EME Outlook issue 46 | 51

TRADING LINE GROUP SUPPLY CHAIN

INTERVIEW:

MR. ONUT ATANASIU, VICEPRESIDENT OF COMMISSION FOR EDUCATION IN ROMANIAN PARLIAMENT

M

r. Onut Atanasiu is the VicePresident of the Commission for Education in Romanian Parliament. We hear his opinion on his goals for Galati city in light of the centre’s development from an educational perspective.

EME Outlook: What are your plans to develop education in Galati City

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in respect of Trading Line’s and Inland Shipping’s plans to construct the Innovation Centre for Remote Navigation?

Mr. Onut Atanasiu: My former student, Paul Ivanov’s plans in the development of remote piloting refer to things that we want to build together so that we can make the city of Galati a pole of distance navigation. We also believe that this could lead to the development of the city, the regional and even the national economy.

TRADING LINE GROUP SUPPLY CHAIN

Trading Line focuses its river transport activities mainly on the stretch between Regensbrug and Constanƫa.

INTERVIEW:

MR. IOAN-SABIN SĂRMAȘ, PRESIDENT OF COMMISSION FOR INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY FROM ROMANIAN PARLIAMENT

E

lected in the Romanian region of Cluj – which is acknowledged as the country’s answer to Silicon Valley - Mr. Ioan-Sabin Sărmaș is President of the Commission for Information and Communication Technology. Since his election, Mr. Sărmaș has been committed to introducing an innovative future for Romania and its younger generations.

In the last months, under Sărmaș’s leadership, the Commission approved a few essential laws that boost Romania’s communication infrastructure, such as Communications Code or 5G Law. In addition, most recently, ANCOM

approved the use of StarLink’s services in the country as an alternative for broadband services in Romania.

Now, Trading Line and its partners are in the process of convincing StarLink to construct the first ground station in the Innovation Centre for Remote Navigation. This will significantly improve internet connection services throughout Romania and neighboring Ukraine, thereby developing a sustainable IT and Communication Technology network that many business sectors will benefit from.

EME Outlook: In light of Trading Line’s and Inland Shipping’s project to build and develop the Innovation Centre for Remote Navigation, where do you suggest that Starlink deploys its first ground station?

Mr. Ioan-Sabin Sărmaș: First of all, I am content to see more and more companies in Romania involved in innovative projects. This should

be among the top priorities of our industry.

While it is impossible for me to suggest to Starlink where to deploy the ground station, they will probably look after the fibre optics hubs like Bucharest, Brasov, Galati, Sibiu, and the proximity of communities they are interested in.

I recently found out about an initiative of Inland Shipping which, from my understanding, is in touch with the Municipality of Galati to find a proper location where they will propose that StarLink deploys a ground station. As mentioned before, Galati city is among the fibre optics hubs from Romania, with fibre optics in neighbouring countries.

In particular, the city also has a telecommunications tower with a radio redundancy network that can be used as backup links in case fibre optics become damaged.

I hope they will succeed in their endeavour cause the sooner we have the first Starlink deployment in Romania, the better.

EME Outlook issue 46 | 53

INTERVIEW:

IRENE ROSBERG, PROGRAMME DIRECTOR, EXECUTIVE MBA IN SHIPPING AND LOGISTICS, COPENHAGEN BUSINESS SCHOOL 54 | EME Outlook issue 46

I

rene Rosberg is a force in the international shipping industry. Most recently, Rosberg was nominated as number one out of the top 100 women in the shipping industry, by All About Shipping. This is largely thanks to her work as Programme Director at the Copenhagen Business School for the Executive Blue MBA in Shipping and Logistics, and how the programme champions greater gender diversity and inclusion in the industry. She is also Chief Executive of the Blue MBA Alumni Association, and President of the Maritime Network of Women (M-NOW).

We hear her thoughts from an educational perspective with regards to Trading Line’s ongoing developments and the Blue MBA

programme’s goals in advancing the shipping industry.

EME Outlook (EO): How will the Blue MBA programme help to advance shipping operations in Romania?

Irene Rosberg (IR): We make sure that we have the flexibility to provide our participants with the knowledge and skill sets they need to carry out their company’s project. The learning is very hands-on and applied, and makes sure to provide the skill sets required to do the work they have at hand. Our Romanian participants are focusing on advancing the operations of the shipping and shipping-related industry in Romania. Our job is to make sure that we provide them with

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the skill sets they need to do this.

While they bring us the issues, we give them the possibility and show them the way to find the solution.

EO: Similarly, how will the programme develop the remote shipping agenda?

IR: One of the advantages that we provide to our participants through the programme is translating the needs of the industry into our academic programme. By doing this we make sure to stay current and relevant and today digitalisation and advanced technology is on the top of our agenda.

EO: Could you expand on the development of the Remote Piloting Centrum project and why this is so significant for sustainable cargo transportation?

IR: Remote pilotage is another way of moving into the age of digitalisation.

This has already been tried in some of the Nordic countries’ navigation software, provision for collecting the AIS data and having a proper platform to analyse this data. The concept will be of great benefit for the ports.

EO: Finally, how will these developments help to increase gender diversity in the shipping supply chain?

IR: The pressing demand for personnel with the relevant skillsets to respond to the impact of IT on the shipping industry and the demand for innovative leaders remains. It will only be met if we commit to empowering women and bringing them in as partners to secure a maritime industry that is viable in all senses of the word.

TRADING LINE GROUP Tel: +4075125577 office@tradingline.eu www.tradingline.eu EME Outlook issue 46 | 55

SHIPPING SINCE ANTIQUITY Constanța stands as a historically strategic hub for trade.

We explore the importance of the city’s port to interconnecting east and west Europe with Cosmin Carstea, CEO of DP World in Romania Writer: Marcus Kääpä | Project Manager: Eddie Clinton

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DP WORLD SUPPLY CHAIN

Historically speaking, Constanța (Romania) has had a long past stretching back to the year 600 BCE, when it was established by Greek traders as Tomis, long after which it was later conquered by the Romans and has forever held its port in a strategic location.”

Cosmin Carstea, CEO of DP World in Romania, has spent his life in the city of Constanța; a place grounded in history

and one that is commercially characterised by its port that sees goods shipped all over Europe and beyond.

“I was born in Constanța, and as a child I was fortunate enough to be able to see the port every day from my bedroom window,” he reflects. “I could see all the vessels that were anchored and those coming to and from the port and growing up I was always curious as to their routes and destinations.

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VISY EVOLVING AUTOMATION ECOSYSTEMS DP World Constanta’s trusted gate automation partner Visy has been the gate automation supplier for DP World Constanta for over 10 years. The first phase of the system included Visy Access Gate GOS (gate operating system) with OCR for license plate recognition with TOS integration.

DP WORLD AT A GLANCE DP World, a world leader in maritime-led end-to-end supply chain solutions, continues its expansion into logistics with the launch of a new business unit in Romania, which will deliver Grade A facilities to drive additional efficiencies for DP World customers in Romania and further support the growth of trade and commerce in the Three Seas region.

Named DP World Logistics Romania, the division forms a key part of DP World Logistics Europe’s strategy, and is designed to complement existing operations at DP World on Romania’s Black Sea coast.

By focusing on intermodal connectivity and co-locating logistics facilities with port operations and industrial space, DP World has been able to drive supply chain efficiencies that cut costs and time lost for its customers in markets across the globe.

Through the Black Sea, Romania is well positioned to be a commercial hub for European trade with Asia and beyond, and the launch of its new logistics division will play a supporting, useful role in facilitating Europe’s economic development.

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“I knew the history of Greeks and Romans using the port to trade, and it also made me wonder who was benefitting from the commodities.”

Today, Carstea works in a field that has been at the centre of his lifelong interests and has witnessed the industry change radically through a mixture of technological innovation, a drive towards sustainable development, and the sudden world-changing impacts caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

CHANGE AND DEMAND “The past two years have had their challenges for everybody in the supply chain in Romania, with shortages in things such as containers, but we have been lucky because of the necessity of the international supply chain and our location, with the port at Constanța being strategically placed and able to provide solutions in such challenging times to keep things moving,” Carstea says.

DP World expanded its activities in Constanța in 2004, and has since developed over the past 18 years to operate with a team of around 500 employees across two entities: terminal and logistics. The company handles approximately 500 vessels, 1,600 trains and 150,000 trucks per year, while controlling around 80 percent of the market share in Romania.

Since then, the system has expanded with truck OCR portals for container imaging and recognition, a customised vehicle booking system, and deeper integration with the TOS. Visy’s gate automation system has provided DP World Constanta with measurable business improvements including reduced truck turnaround times and a platform for scalable, repeatable, predictable gate operations.

About Visy Visy is the future-proof partner for gate automation and vision technology to reduce operating expenses, increase throughput capacity, and optimise safety and security. With Visy systems, our customers manage the flow of cargo, vehicles, and people in demanding logistics environments including ports, terminals, and intermodal facilities. Our world-leading OCR and AI technologies identify assets and share relevant data with thirdparty systems for business-wide improvement. With our automation ecosystem approach, we oversee everything that goes in or out of a facility whether it’s by road, rail, or quay and manage internal equipment interchanges on a single platform.

Contact E sales@visy.fi John Lund, Marketing & Sales Director (Global) T +358 50 477 9504 E john.lund@visy.fi

www.visy.fi

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Expand

your vision

DP WORLD SUPPLY CHAIN

“We provide end-to-end solutions in our logistics division including ocean freight, and we are known for providing our customers with experienced and reliable supply chain solutions,” Carstea elaborates.

“Through the COVID-19 pandemic, the global supply chain has been critical for everybody and it has kept

EME OUTLOOK: CAN YOU EXPAND ON DPWc’S CORE VALUES AND SUSTAINABILITY EFFORTS? COSMIN CARSTEA, CEO: “‘Our World. Our Future’, is a tagline of DP World. This saying surrounds the importance of sustainability, and also relates to our seven responsible business priorities: safety, security, ethics, community engagement, climate change and people development.

“This year, our three focus areas that we want to build on are creating a legacy in Constanța, ocean restoration and educationrelated activities. We will continue to do as much as we can in the corporate social responsibility (CSR) sphere and help both people and the planet.”

growing, from shipping consumer goods to food and machine parts.

“We have seen substantial growth from 2020 onwards. Not only have we provided stability and reliability, but we have also adapted to the rules and norms made by the government during the pandemic, including ensuring that we held a very high responsibility for employee and customer health, as well as that of their families.”

For Carstea, this is what truly sets DP World apart from its peers in the Romanian supply chain space.

“This health and safety aspect of operation was, and remains, at the forefront for us,” he continues. “We made sure that we didn’t have our employees engaging in large numbers or crowds to limit the spread of the virus, and we maintained a low number of infections throughout the period, with the maximum being around 25 people total out of the entire 500, while remaining open 24 hours a day, seven days a week to best serve our customers.”

This people-centric dedication embodies DP World’s mindset as a business. It is the company’s continuous availability mixed with its ability to deliver the same high-quality service consistently and better itself to best perform in the supply chain sector that makes it stand out amid competition.

“We have the ultimate goal to make people’s lives better through our service, and because of this we have three major objectives as a company from a strategic perspective,” Carstea tells us.

“We have to add value in everything we do, we need to think ahead when it comes to increasing productivity, and lastly, we must build on our legacy wherever we can, that revolves around long-term solutions and contracts.”

DEVELOPING ROMANIAN SHIPPING Cosmin Carstea, CEO

60 | EME Outlook issue 46

In the past 18 years, DP World has invested a lot into Romania’s development, including both intermodal

LASE LASE has delivered two of its laser measurement systems to DPW World Constanta.

Cranes at DP World Constanta were equipped with LaseLCPS systems and LaseTPS systems. The LCPS – Load Collision Prevention systems prevent container collisions in the stacking area. They also allow soft-landing on trucks and other containers, which reduces the wear and service of the spreaders. The LaseTPS – truck Positioning System is used to position the trucks for pick-up and drop-off of containers so that the crane operator does not have to move the crane for adjustments.

www.lase-solutions.com

terminals and warehouses. It is the ever-changing supply chain space that demands more adaptive solutions for the field, and DP World’s creation of alternative trade flows through multiple investments, such as in its terminals, will answer this change.

With a surface area totalling over 81 hectares (54 hectares currently operational), DPWC provides a collective yearly vessel throughput capacity of approximately one million TEU (Twenty-foot Equivalent Units) and is committed to develop additional capacity to meet future customer requirements.

“In the near future, we want to create a network of intermodal terminals and warehouses that will create regional consolidation points for the commodities of the shippers or consignees that will be channelled through our port using the integrated services that DP World is capable of offering in Romania,” Carstea explains to us.

DP WORLD SUPPLY CHAIN

LaseAYC-2 AUTOMATIC YARD CRANE

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is a global player in the field of industrial laser measurement technology for ports.

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EME Outlook issue 46 | 61

DP WORLD SUPPLY CHAIN

“We have started the development of an intermodal terminal in Transylvania, which provides a regional consolidation point from which we’ll offer our solutions in a year’s time when we expect the project will be finished. Through this terminal, we’ll offer supply chain solutions not only to the Black Sea and our port in Constanța, but also directly to Adriatic and Baltic ports.

The project will offer synergies when it comes to container and semi-trailer flows. When it comes to warehouse development, our investments support aspects such as commodity packaging and value-adding solutions, to streamline warehouse operations and increase efficiency throughout.”

DP World’s terminal investments include a terminal platform extension of an additional 16 hectares that will be used to help organise container flows, project cargo and the company’s roll-on/roll-off (Ro-Ro) terminal business, while providing faster, reliable and greener solutions for customers.

INTERCONNECTING EME DP World’s Ro-Ro terminal is not just a facility to serve Constanța, but also a hub for shipping in the Black Sea. This is due to the substantial commodity flows seen coming from Asia, the Middle East and the Caucasus such as Turkey, with many European entities sourcing goods from suppliers in these regions.

“The Ro-Ro terminal hub will have a dedicated area of around seven hectares and will provide cleaner solutions for our customers,” Carstea continues.

“This is because use of the terminal will take traffic from the roads to vessels that make use of an electrified rail network that can reach anywhere in Romania and central Europe, thereby taking advantage of the synergies created by the hub’s connections.”

Additionally, DP World is aiming to invest in a large warehouse project to capitalise on and promote the various modes of transport available to its customers, enabling it to choose greener, faster or more reliable services.

“ W E H AV E T H E U LT I M AT E G O A L T O M A K E P E O P L E ’ S L I V E S BETTER THROUGH OUR SERVICE” – C O S M I N C A R S T E A , C E O , D P W O R L D C O N S TA N Ț A

Moving ahead, DP World’s main priority is to ensure the health and safety of its employees and their families in the face of a lingering COVID-19 virus.

“Two years of the pandemic have created new norms and additional requirements in the supply chain space, and staying healthy is incredibly important,” Carstea affirms.

“It also means that we can maintain

our operational efficiency and achieve our business objectives while staying reliable.

“Of course, we will also be concentrating on finalising our projects across Romania, such as our terminals and warehouses. A part of this will be the integration of smart solutions to provide to our customers, as well as integrated digital solutions,

which will create many more opportunities for both DP World and those who work with us.”

Tel: +40-241-700100 Office.CSCT@dpworld.com www.dpworld.com/constanta EME Outlook issue 46 | 63

S TA N D O U T S TA D I U M S When it comes to design and engineering, stadia have taken centre stage for Maffeis Engineering. We find out more with Massimo Maffeis, CEO of the multi-disciplined Italian firm Writer: Jack Salter | Project Manager: Sam Love

64 | EME Outlook issue 46

MAFFEIS ENGINEERING CONSTRUCTION

S CEO, Massimo Maffeis

port is a theatrical spectacle, and stadiums are the ultimate box office.

From football grounds to tennis courts and multi-purpose sports arenas, Maffeis Engineering (Maffeis) specialises in consultancy services for the design of niche, complex buildings and structural systems.

Based in Solagna with 12 more branches spread across the world, this Italian engineering firm also provides

services for civil and commercial buildings, industrial facilities, and other types of infrastructure such as façades and bridges.

Services range from project conception to project handover, covering engineering disciplines that include steel and cables, tensile structures, façades, bridges, timber, geotechnical, foundations and marine works, and mechanical/retractable structures.

EME Outlook issue 46 | 65

TENSOSKY® ETFE SYSTEMS

MEMBRANE STRUCTURES

Taiyo Middle East LLC A TAIYO GROUP OF COMPANIES

TENSILE ARCHITECTURE

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TENSOTHERM ™ INSULATED TRANSLUCENT MEMBRANE

Preconstruction Services Engineering / Design Fabrication Installation Maintenance

info@taiyo-europe.com taiyo-europe.com

MAFFEIS ENGINEERING CONSTRUCTION

“Most of our work is done worldwide; last year, close to 90 percent of our jobs were generated around the world,” states Massimo Maffeis, the CEO of Maffeis, whose leadership skills have allowed him to successfully lead a large design team on both a technical and managerial level.

Indeed, employing over 180 professional architects, civil, mechanical, façade and structural engineers, Maffeis’ unique blend of engineering excellence and construction sector expertise has allowed the company to successfully deliver projects in 38 countries worldwide.

The broad range of professional design and engineering services offered by the team at Maffeis is supported by highly motivated in-house software developers, draftsmen, and well-organised office staff.

Having worked on important projects that involve fabric, ETFE and PTFE for more than two decades, stadiums and arenas are now very 68 | EME Outlook issue 46

much the focus for Maffeis, whose highly qualified structural engineering team specialise in the likes of retractable roofs, facades, structures and moving mechanical systems.

“We are very well subdivided into different niche markets. Right now, our core business has expanded to stadia and arenas, that is really where we have major expertise.”

WORLD CUP PROJECTS As a leader in the field of stadia and arenas, Maffeis contributed to the structural engineering of eight football stadiums for the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups in Russia and Qatar, respectively.

Maffeis’ expertise in tension structures and membranes resulted in the company being appointed to redesign the roof of the Khalifa International Stadium, Qatar’s oldest and most historic stadium with a capacity of 40,000 people and venue for eight matches at the upcoming World Cup. Part of the existing stadium was dismantled, and the new lightweight

spoke-wheel system and PTFEfiberglass fabric roof was designed to cover the bleachers, whilst a singlelayer EFTE ‘half-moon’ roof portion was added to the cable net roof to improve the natural growth of the turf.

Maffeis has also helped to complete the structural design of brand-new venues purpose-built specifically for

Taiyo Middle East LLC

F

ounded in 1922 in Japan, the Taiyo Kogyo Corporation is the leader of the Taiyo Group of Companies, which includes Birdair, Inc. (North & South America), Taiyo Europe GmbH (Germany), Taiyo Middle East (UAE), Shanghai Taiyo Kogyo Corporation (China), MakMax Australia (Australia), and 24 other companies worldwide.

and renderings in order to turn a client’s idea into a signature design. This early design support allows the project’s architects and structural engineers to determine the most effective details for an elegant tensile fabric structure. Our experience and expertise in value management allows us to create complex structures economically.

Supported by our global network of offices and production facilities, as well as a cutting-edge R&D testing centre in Japan, and with projects completed in more than 50 countries on all seven continents, we dynamically merge global solutions to local individual regional needs.

FABRICATION AND QUALITY CONTROL: Our commitment to excellence meets our client expectations with quality and quantity, putting us in an advanced position to secure relevant commercial aspects.

Our reputation is built upon high-quality awardwinning projects across the globe: from temporary to permanent applications, with structures in all shapes and sizes, our Group has the experience and knowhow to make our client’s vision reality.

Some historic benchmarks include the Sports Science and Athletics Pavilion at the University of La Verne (California, USA, 1973), the world’s first PTFE-coated fiberglass tensioned structure, and the ThyssenKrupp Testtower (Rottweil, Germany, 2017), with a height of 230m, the tallest membrane-clad building in the world.

As partners to our clients at every stage of the project, architects, engineers, contractors, owners and developers have relied on Taiyo Europe for services that range from preconstruction support to field installation and maintenance of their tensile structure.

DESIGN ASSISTANCE: Taiyo’s in-house team of engineers and designers works with clients during the design development phase, presenting material options and samples, design solutions

INSTALLATION: Offering a complete end-to-end solution, our expert installation team executes ontime delivery with minimal impact on your venue’s activities. Installation takes place according to the project quality standards and specifications, considering all HSE measures in different regions and temperatures. After intensive coordination with the site team, all parts are delivered prefabricated, enabling all installation activities to be carried out smoothly and efficiently.

MAINTENANCE SERVICE & WARRANTY: Our commitment to customer service doesn’t end when the project is completed. Taiyo offers clients a wealth of postproject resources and assistance, ensuring building owners have their structures looking as breathtaking years from now as they did the day it was completed.

As partners to our clients at every stage of the project, we offer a complete set of solutions. We love collaborating with our clients, combining the vision of an outstanding and elegant architecture with our expertise and experience in executing them. If you have a vision for a membrane structure, Taiyo is your partner to bring it to life.

E info@taiyo-europe.com | taiyo-europe.com

MAFFEIS ENGINEERING CONSTRUCTION

the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, most notably the Al Janoub Stadium.

Boldly futuristic in shape to mirror the innovative, ambitious spirit of Qatar, Al Janoub Stadium’s roof structure consists of four main steel arches confined by an outer ring truss. The unique, retractable roof provides shading to spectators before matches, whilst enabling the ground to properly precool.

The scope of Maffeis’ work was extended to all structural components of the stadium, including the concrete bowl and dismountable steel structures for the upper tiers of Al Janoub Stadium.

“We are working on several World Cup stadiums, and to do that we are

also pushing a lot of R&D investment related to software development and optimisation tools,” notes Maffeis.

ONE SINGLE MODEL One of such tools is the company’s One Single Model (OSM) framework, an innovative system that aims to seamlessly integrate the different design stages. This approach implements parametric design tools and data to reduce the amount of architectural and structural design uncertainty by running iterative analysis and improving project collaboration and execution.

The main advantage of OSM, compared to traditional design processes, is the reduction of design

EME OUTLOOK: HOW IMPORTANT ARE CLIENT RELATIONSHIPS TO THE SUCCESS OF THE COMPANY? MASSIMO MAFFEIS, CEO: “Most of our clients are always the same. When we have started to work with a client over the years, they have always come back to us, which is a good sign.

“Normally when we enter into a project, we like to operate not as a supplier, but as a partner with our clients. We try to be involved in bringing new ideas and value to clients and their projects, and they are therefore key to the success of Maffeis.

“Project by project, we address the heartfelt desires of our client. This is really important for us, and I think it is the reason why we have established such longterm relationships with all of our clients.”

Lanaro Srl Lanaro Srl is an Italian company specialised in steel manufacturing.

It is highly-valued and qualified to handle different kind of projects, structures and materials.

The company has particular experience in facades, roofs and tensile structures, interior architecture and stairs in particular for what concerns construction, but it has a strong expertise in the development and realisation of mechanisms.

Each structure realised is completely customised according to client’s demands and the services that Lanaro can offer, as consultation, design, production and site installation, allow to identify special solutions on a range of different businesses.

Following this principle, Lanaro is constantly striving towards the future to offer innovative solutions to meet any possible challenge in today’s market.

The collaboration with Maffeis Engineering SpA, consolidated for years, has incentivised this ambition and has permitted to create iconic and astonishing structures and to improve and elevate the company’s expertise.

The company’s growth continued in 2019 with the foundation of Lanaro’s first department outside the Italian territory, Lanaro Middle East, based in Dubai (UAE) with the clear scope to increase the services on the whole Middle East area, with a project management closer to the customer activities and by supporting the installation and the maintenance teams on site.

www.lanarosrl.it

70 | EME Outlook issue 46

www.lanarosrl.it

MAFFEIS ENGINEERING CONSTRUCTION

MAFFEIS ENGINEERING’S SERVICES Maffeis’ offered services range from tenders to concept, preliminary, detail and construction design, covering all project phases.

In the concept phase, collaborating with architects, designers, and general contractors, Maffeis provides feasibility studies, material definitions, value engineering solutions, and digital prototype models that clearly represent the technology chosen.

Schematically, the dimensions of principal components are then fixed, the main materials defined, typical details studied, the main construction and installation issues solved, and the building’s performance through structural, thermal and acoustic analysis are assessed.

During the detail design phase, the project is refined into its final design. Here, it becomes important to give individual attention to each aspect, geometry and detail, for this is the part of the project where technical problems are solved and details are discussed with the architects, while finalising the related documentation that can be used as the full tender package.

Last but not least, during the construction phase, the team at Maffeis can provide the full set of specialist drawings for approval and production drawings. The company’s rich experience in this area allows it to support clients during specific approval procedures, such as CSTB certification.

72 | EME Outlook issue 46

cycle latency and the allowance of further analysis integration, enabling the evaluation of more design alternatives. This reduces the chance of mistakes and integrates engineering knowledge into the creative process, right from conception.

OSM allows for an unlimited, automated exchange of information throughout all phases of the project, and based on custom software developed in-house, the process is highly customisable and adaptable to client requests.

By creating automation in the workflow between different software during the design process, it is also possible to increase design options for architects, while at the same time reduce design and construction time, optimise the use of materials, and improve construction safety.

“We develop our own tools that only we are using internally. With OSM, it is very easy to interact, modify and run different analyses simultaneously in real time,” Maffeis observes.

This unique analysis methodology is based not only on Maffeis’ extensive experience of working with contractors and manufacturers, but also on the comprehensive use of parametric modelling and visual programming for all stages of design.

Parametric modelling, an algorithmic approach that allows specific variables or parameters to be manipulated to alter the outcome of an equation, was applied to the Museum of the Future in Dubai, one of the most complex construction projects ever attempted and an otherwise impossible undertaking.

The Museum of the Future reflects Maffeis’ commitment to designing the most extreme structures, by means of cutting-edge software that it develops to deal with the engineering challenges it faces and solves every day.

In Australia, meanwhile, Maffeis

Tamimi Tamimi steel is one of the leading steel and membrane structure companies in the Middle East specialised in the field of special structures. It has a root of more than 60 years as a reliable quality family business.

We can design, fabricate and install any complex structure using PVC,PTFE and ETFE materials.

Some of our work has been chosen as the best architectural design in façade structures, namely King Fahad national library in Riyadh.

Our products cover wide range of special structures, such as: football stadiums, airport and train stations roof, shopping malls covers, retractable roofs and many other roof structures.

We are one of few companies in the world who can design, fabricate both steel and fabric under one roof. This advantage (fabricating steel and fabric under one roof) is essential to eliminate common conflict problems between steel and fabric especially during erection time. Furthermore, we have the ability to make and swage structural cables up to 32mm with tensile strength reaching 45 tonnes.

Due to our long family legacy, one thing that is unique about Tamimi Tensile structures, is the assurance that we are always there when our clients need us. Hence, we are not like some companies who disappear or fade from time to time.

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MAFFEIS ENGINEERING CONSTRUCTION

recently developed the tender solution from concept up to design development for the ANZ Stadium, one of the country’s busiest sports and entertainment venues and a powerful icon of the Sydney landscape, while also developing its erection methodology through 4D analysis.

“We are not like a standard engineering company. We are involved in special projects where we are pushing our competencies, so we invest a lot to try and optimise our workflow and develop our own tools,” says Maffeis.

“Iconic, landmark projects are something that we are very keen to get involved in, and there is now a natural synergy between Maffeis and complex engineering challenges.

Luckily we have built a good reputation, and this means it is easier to do so.”

One truly pharaonic and iconic project is the Al Wasl Plaza, the beating heart of Dubai Expo 2020 in which Maffeis had the privilege of designing the method statement and steel pipe connections.

“Al Wasl Plaza was another important job for Maffeis, where we were involved in the design, erection and engineering of glulam works.”

SUSTAINABLE STRUCTURES Also dedicated to façade engineering, Maffeis specialises in the design of sustainable building skins and advanced curtain wall systems, able to design any building envelope system no matter how complex it is.

“We are not a generalist engineering office; we service difference niche fields, and we are really specialised in what we do,” emphasises Maffeis. “This is also with a view to reducing risk, because sometimes we are very busy with our core business of stadia and arenas, and sometimes we are busy with façades.”

Maffeis adheres to all modern 74 | EME Outlook issue 46

façade requirements, focused on innovative solutions to architects’ design concepts. No matter how innovative Maffeis’ façade consultancy services are, however, they are always based on sound design and engineering principles.

Nowhere better is this demonstrated than at Europe’s largest green façade, Kö-Bogen. In collaboration with Frener & Reifer, a full-service supplier for premium façades and special constructions worldwide, Maffeis executed the full design of the façade and roof system of this challenging project with inclined and curved façades, two

of which are completely green and planted with hornbeam hedges.

Elsewhere, in London, Maffeis is involved in the façade engineering for The Forge, the UK’s first net zero carbon commercial building offering innovative solutions to the climate crisis.

“We are involved in projects from a structural point of view, as well as from a sustainability perspective,” Maffeis explains. “Structural aspects such as the façade are at our core, but most of all we are looking into the embodied carbon assessment of every solution that we do, from construction through to the end of a structure’s lifecycle.

“Embodied carbon assessments are being integrated into our projects through our OSM, to make sure that they have a positive impact on the environment.”

Sustainability is a key area of Maffeis’ operations and this not only stems from an environmental point of view, but also the sustained continuity and longevity of the company going forwards, for example through the co-division of shares with employees.

Having been CEO for more than two decades, Maffeis himself recognises the need to guarantee the future of the company and the people working there. “We have to build

something for our employees that can proceed without me in the future, I think that’s the most important thing,” he acknowledges.

“Our main goal ahead is to guarantee the sustainability of Maffeis based on environmental and socioeconomic principles, enlarging the management of the company to guarantee the future of the families that depend on our work and our decisions.”

A fortress of stadia and façade engineering, Maffeis is certain to ensure engineering excellence in this niche, specialised industry for years to come.

MAFFEIS ENGINEERING Tel: 0424-558361 info@maffeis.it https://www.maffeis.it/ EME Outlook issue 46 | 75

F LY I N G F O R WA R D Aernnova is ready for lift-off. Vice President Miguel Angel Castillo discusses spearheading clean and innovative R&D in the European aerospace sector Writer: Marcus Kääpä | Project Manager: Matthew Taylor

A

erospace is a realm of technological brilliance.

The industry is constantly evolving and making use of the newest innovative tools and systems to advance its flying potential, from commercial jets and emergency response helicopters to the rockets and space-faring vessels that transcend the thin blue line into the 76 | EME Outlook issue 46

void beyond.

Based across multiple worldwide locations, Aernnova is one such manufacturer that operates in the aerospace sector. Aernnova is a 100 percent private company and world-class supplier of integrated aero-structures, composite and metallic components and aerospace engineering services.

“We provide to our customers highly engineered products and services with full responsibility over the complete life cycle of an aerospace programme: from conceptual and detail design, testing, certification, prototyping and serial manufacturing to product and in service support,” introduces Miguel Angel Castillo, Vice President of

AERNNOVA MANUFACTURING

Technology at Aernnova.

“We have very strong capacities and capabilities in product development, design, manufacturing, engineering and aftermarket support, especially for complex composite structures. This exists alongside extensive experience and best-in-class composite capacities, capabilities and metallic components

as a one-stop-shop to manufacturing and final processing.”

Aernnova numbers more than 4,500 people across seven countries and 16 different industrial locations.

The company’s operational excellence has been recognised for years by Airbus, Boeing, Embraer and Sikorsky, and it is the only Airbus supplier accredited as a full member of the

company’s Supply Chain and Quality Improvement Programme (SQIP) every year since 2014.

“We are headquartered in Spain with an expanded global presence through our manufacturing and engineering centres in Europe, America and Asia. Aernnova currently serves more than 20 different customers worldwide,” Castillo adds.

EME Outlook issue 46 | 77

AERNNOVA MANUFACTURING

EME OUTLOOK: CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF YOUR SUPPLY CHAIN PARTNERSHIPS? Miguel Angel Castillo, VP Technology: “We have a dedicated directorate to articulate all of Aernnova´s group supply chain operations. Our supply chain is one of our key leverages for success.

“The empowerment of innovation across Aernnova´s value chain is a clear focus of our management. It is very relevant for us to partner with companies to successfully face the challenges of permanent adaptation to a changing future.

“We, together with our suppliers, must improve our efficiency and productivity through operational excellence, and this would not be understood without the clear commitment of the entire value chain, their capabilities, and innovation as a business action that guarantees the future.”

78 | EME Outlook issue 46

AEROSPACE INNOVATION According to Castillo, commercial transport aircraft and defence platforms are the company’s two traditional subsectors. Of the two, the commercial transport aircraft sector is the truly globalised area.

“The competition starts from the passenger’s demand for safer and cheaper trips,” he explains to us. “This translates to the airlines that set their requirements, together with minimum operating costs to the aircraft original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), for

example, Airbus, Boeing, and Embraer among others. The OEMs’ open part of their design and manufacturing leads to competition where companies such as Aernnova bid.

“In order to successfully uptake one quote, we need to be the best option for our customers. That can sometimes mean simply being based on the best costs, other key industrial capabilities or the best value for our customers. The innovation part, in my opinion, must be supporting the value generation for our customers, and

H

arbin Hafei Airbus Composite Manufacturing Centre (HMC) is a genuine and strategic Airbus composite manufacturing facility in China, with over 10 years’ experience in monolithic & sandwich composite parts manufacturing and assemblies, under Airbus system qualification and requirements, with 80,000m², 300M$ investment and 365 headcount.

We are committed to providing a safe, quality composite product to our global customers, to deliver on time, on cost, and on quality by utilising our industrial means, composite knowledge and automated management system run by highly trained personnel to satisfy our airline customers’ and local Chinese market’s needs.

KEY INDUSTRIAL MEANS 3 Automated Tap Laying (ATL) 3 Autoclaves (ACL) Biggest: 5.8 diameter*19m 3 Automated Trimming 2 Non-Destructive Test Machines 1 Test Laboratory 2 Painting Booths

AIRBUS OPERATING SYSTEM HMC triggered the Airbus Operating System (AOS) to build the foundation of continuous improvement culture throughout all departments in 2019.

HMC takes Airbus “standardisation” as the cornerstone, and optimises enterprise process management and supports the digitalisation platform, thereby improving operational performance and efficiency. In 2021, HMC is honoured to have achieved an AOS score of 7.1 and maturity level B which has been recognised by Airbus AOS in Europe as lighthouse in China sites for 3 consecutive years. HMC also established AATC (AOS Asia Training Centre) in 2019 to explore more business opportunities in training solutions to practice the continuous improvement activities which has been proved in HMC. RUDDER TIER 1 TO AIRBUS GERMANY

RUDDER TIER 1 TO AIRBUS GERMANY

ELEVATOR TIER 1 TO AERNNOVA SPAIN BELLY FAIRING PANELS TIER 1 TO ALESTIS SPAIN

S19 MAINTENANCE DOOR TIER 1 TO AIRBUS SPAIN

+86 451 5190 5818 | communication@hhacmc.com | www.hhacmc.com

AERNNOVA MANUFACTURING

this is where Spain and the European industry is at this moment.”

For Castillo, the aerospace industry is rich with innovation and potential.

Technological tools such as urban air mobility, drones for delivery, inspection, security matters, and new developments that are demanding innovative materials, manufacturing processes, systems, operational means, are proving the start of a new frontier for the industry.

“This ecosystem is rich enough to make the sector an exciting environment for any engineer or professional willing to grow,” Castillo continues. “However, we now have to address the impact of COVID-19. The current post-pandemic environment

EME OUTLOOK: CAN YOU TELL US HOW YOU CAME TO WORK IN THE AEROSPACE ENGINEERING SPHERE? Miguel Angel Castillo, VP Technology: “I completed my MSc Aerospace Engineering back in 1989 and the aerospace manufacturing sector was very appealing to me as I saw it at the forefront of research, technology development and innovation. I felt motivated to accept the challenges associated with this sector; that basically meant studying, innovating and improving year after year.

“This need for continuous improvement was the reason for me to accept the challenge in 2011 to start a PhD in aerospace engineering that I finalised in 2016 with a thesis that included advanced manufacturing matters. I believe that aerospace and innovation are well coupled together, and I enjoy being part of a global sector in which education, knowledge, capabilities, industrial, technology and business experience are key for personal and business growth.”

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does not invite us to view the future with optimism, as we often hear words such as ‘uncertainty’ and ‘volatility’.

Fortunately, thanks to science and innovation, we have new vaccines that are proving their effectiveness against COVID-19 and are allowing us to recover normality. Digital transformation and sustainability are going to mean a change in the way of life that we currently enjoy. Also, the health and safety of the people has to be in the core of our activities.

The challenge is to promote all these transformations being competitive, and in Aernnova we have a clear commitment in this sense.

“I think that a time of extraordinary aerospace manufacturing lies ahead of us.”

Aitiip Technology Centre Aitiip Technology Centre has been manufacturing the future for more than 30 years.

Aitiip is specialised in developing both advanced materials and technological processes to help strategic sectors to overcome the upcoming challenges and offers innovative solutions especially related to the plastic value chain, in service of setting up new sustainable development paradigms: biomaterials, engineering, additive manufacturing and eco design.

In this respect, Aitiip is coordinating at least 25 revolutionaries European projects.

COLLABORATIVE R&D Existing in such an evolutionary industry, R&D and innovation form a part of Aernnova’s DNA. This represents a commitment not

www.aitiip.com

AERNNOVA MANUFACTURING

Aitiip, more than 30 years manufacturing the future.

Commanding Green & Digital Transition.

Leading innovation, circular economy & industry 4.0, by developing both advanced materials & technological processes.

Helping strategic sectors to overcome industry challenges: Aviation, Automotive, Packaging, Agroindustry People, high knowledge, facilities and stateof-the-art equipment related to the whole plastic value chain: new materials, processing, machining, engineering, additive manufacturing, eco design.

Aitiip Technology Centre Polígono Industrial Empresarium C/Romero 12 50720 – Zaragoza – Spain E aitiip@aitiip.com T +34 976 464 544 www.aitiip.com Berta Gonzalvo Bas - Research Director berta.gonzalvo@aitiip.com

only to the company’s clients and shareholders, but also to all of the employees and management who work at Aernnova, and indeed a commitment to society as a whole.

“Currently, we are undertaking a full effort to overcome the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic,” Castillo explains. “In addition, our commitment to sustainability, together with the increasingly rapid obsolescence of the technologies with which we generate value for our clients, make technological innovation a top-level management and operational excellence a continuous need.

“This will allow us to be more efficient and adapt more quickly to the changes that may be imposed on us by current uncertainties, whose management is beyond our reach.”

R&D activities are one of the levers for strengthening Aernnova’s position as a Tier One company (those that supply components directly to OEMs)

“ I T H I N K T H AT A T I M E O F E X T R A O R D I N A R Y A E R O S P A C E M A N U FA C T U R I N G L I E S A H E A D OF US” – M I G U E L A N G E L C A S T I L L O , V I C E P R E S I D E N T, A E R N N O VA

to generate sustainable value and increase its competitiveness.

“These activities during the past year and a half have been adapted to the new realities of the sector as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the demands of our customers, particularly in the way they are going to do business within their value chain in the coming years,” Castillo tells us.

“The Aernnova 2025 Technological Development Plan continues to be the reference for our activities. The priorities, as a consequence of the situation, have to take into account the need to be leaner and contain the debt.

“Thus, there is a further focus for effectiveness on our R&D and related

objectives, placing greater emphasis on winning new orders for single-aisle aircraft structures, wing products and empennage, materials, hard metal alloys and composite processes more advanced than current ones.

“R&D investments for our customers’ needs account for an average of 7.5 percent of our revenues during the last five years.”

CONTINENTAL SCOPE Aernnova has actively participated in the European Framework Programme (EFP) since the Fifth Framework Programme (FP5). The Framework Programmes are the primary financial tools that the European Union (EU) EME Outlook issue 46 | 81

uses to support R&D activities across almost all scientific and technological disciplines.

“We intensified our participation in the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) with our assembly contributions to the Breakthrough Laminar Aircraft Demonstrator in Europe (BLADE), an Airbus project associated with the Clean Sky framework. This project flight tests experimental laminar-flow wing sections,” Castillo says.

Clean Sky is a public-private partnership involving the European aeronautics industry and European Commission that aims at coordinating and funding research activities in order to deliver innovative aircraft, especially when it comes to reducing noise pollution and emissions. Within this, the objective of Clean Sky 2 is to help build, develop and strengthen 82 | EME Outlook issue 46

an internationally competitive aeronautical industry and supply chain in Europe.

“In the recent finalised Horizon 2020 (H2020) funding programme, we have had a variety of contributions, together with our European partners, to new aero-structures technology with innovations in one shot thermoset and thermoplastics processes for different flight and ground demonstrators, advanced laminarity and more modular and highly integrated structures, just to mention the most relevant perimeter in Clean Sky 2 demonstrators.”

CLEAN AND GREEN According to Castillo, within the framework of the Clean Sky 2 programme, the different group companies are completing, together

with numerous European partners such as Airbus, DLR, Onera, Fraunhofer and others, the development and manufacture of aerostructures with integrated systems for ground and flight demonstrators.

“Additionally, within the H2020 programme, we have been applying aerospace knowhow to the rail sector where lightweight materials and structures are increasingly required,” he adds. “Aernnova has a background in rolling stock projects and is currently on board the European Shift2Rail project within three work packages: car body, doors and interiors.”

The use of these European partnerships in Clean Sky, and Clean Sky 2, has served Aernnova to successfully mature manufacturing technologies up to demonstration level. Based on this success, Aernnova

keeps on trusting the EFP as a major way to develop innovative manufacturing technology processes with the best partners across Europe.

“There is value to partnering with our customers at a European level and some of the best aerospace global research and technology organisations together with reputed universities,” Castillo continues. “We can integrate a good part of our future R&D scope in proposals together with our European clients, in particular Airbus, and to articulate future projects with good technological partners.”

These are the main reasons why Aernnova has been very active in the launch of the initial activities of the new Clean Aviation Joint Undertaking programme within the new Horizon EFP. Aernnova is one of

the 26 European entities listed in the commission regulation as a founding member of the Clean Aviation entity, is one of the private members, and is also a representative on the current governing board.

AERNNOVA GLIDING AHEAD Moving forward through 2022, Aernnova’s primary target is to prioritise its business relations with customers when it comes to single aisle platforms, particularly for wing components and assemblies.

“Aernnova is prioritising two main lines of actions in this sense,” Castillo concludes. “Aernnova is part of Airbus Wing of Tomorrow and follow up Airbus R&D projects for next generation single aisle wings. This is a key priority for our activities to get started within 2022 to develop more

competitive and valuable solutions by the 2025 horizon.

“Also, Embraer and Aernnova have very recently announced a strategic partnership for Embraer industrial units, located in Evora, Portugal.

This transaction is pending closing.

The agreement aims to increase the production of these sites, whose operation has a strategic importance for the current and future Single Aisle products of Embraer.”

AERNNOVA Tel: +34945185600 general@aernnova.com www.aernnova.com EME Outlook issue 46 | 83

SUCCESS IN THE PIPELINE TMK GIPI produces pipes for the oil and gas industry that are as true as steel. CEO, Sulaiman Al Farsi, lifts the lid on Oman’s leading carbon steel pipe manufacturer Writer: Jack Salter Project Manager: Thomas Arnold

Sulaiman Al Farsi, CEO

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I have always believed that the steel manufacturing industry has an undeniable growth path ahead in Oman, bringing new technologies to the Sultanate and the whole Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).”

Sulaiman Al Farsi, CEO of TMK Gulf International Pipe Industry (TMK GIPI) since 2018, recognises the vital role that manufacturing plays in the Omani economy, and considers as a whole to be an important socio-economic pillar.

Whilst oil has been an economic protagonist in the country since it began commercial production in

TMK GIPI MANUFACTURING

1967, manufacturing is one of the key driving forces of Oman Vision 2040, which aims to transform the country from oil dependency to a sustainable, diversified economy.

Formed in January 2007, TMK GIPI works with the TMK Group, a leading global manufacturer and supplier of steel pipes for the oil and gas industry with numerous production sites in operation across Russia, Romania, Kazakhstan, and UAE. This fully integrated pipe mill was established in line with the strategic aspirations of the Sultanate, as Oman reduces its reliance

on imported finished products needed to service its oil and gas manufacturing.

TMK GIPI, whose mission is to be a commendable global supplier of effective solutions for steel pipe consumers, is the first manufacturer of high-pressure steel pipes and casing pipes in Oman, and the first mill in the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) region and subcontinent of India to produce high pressure, 24” electric resistance welded (ERW) steel pipes.

Strategically located in the Sohar Industrial Area, Oman’s industrial hub, the annual production capacity

of TMK GIPI’s 240,000 square metre facility exceeds a quarter of a million metric tonnes. This certified facility was designed using state-of-the-art fifth generation technology, exceeding stringent international standards and the specific requirements of oil and gas companies.

Advanced and effective laboratory testing equipment, including an optical spectrometer, high-capacity universal testing machine, and fully automated drop weight tear testing, also ensure that all TMK GIPI products are consistently of the highest quality.

“TMK GIPI is equipped with all the necessary testing facilities and EME Outlook issue 46 | 85

TMK GIPI MANUFACTURING

VALUE-ADDED SERVICES FOR TMK GIPI CUSTOMERS • Just-in-time delivery in line with construction/drilling schedules.

• Damage-free products and immediate replacements of any pipe that may be damaged during transportation.

• High-pressure pipes of up to 7,000 PSI exceeding API requirements for onshore and offshore projects.

• On-line, off-line and full body ultrasonic testing.

• Availability of stocking yard facility for long term supply agreement.

• Inspection of incoming imported pipes to Oman and repairing services.

Ultrasonic testing (UT) of full pipe body and weld seam

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has one of the best, most modern laboratories in the Middle East, accredited with ISO/IEC 17025-2017 certification,” notes Al Farsi, whose career has always been focused on manufacturing, leadership and people management.

ONE STOP SOLUTION With this in mind, TMK GIPI acts as a one stop solution, whose integrated facilities produce API grade bare and coated pipes for the oil and gas industry. As a leader of the Omani steel industry, it is the company’s responsibility to secure and upgrade the quality of high-end steel tubular products in the country.

“As usual, we continue to deliver to our valuable clients in Oman, including PDO, OQ, and other oil and gas operators and EPC contractors.

This year, the company is planning to expand and participate in tenders around the GCC and MENA region,” Al Farsi informs us.

Sanyo Seiki Creativity links to the future Forming Roll Manufacturer Sanyo Seiki Sanyo Seiki have been a world leader in forming rolls since 1965.

We actively propose various rolls, including their design, to meet the needs of our customers.

Developing and Suggestion of various rolls.

Meeting the challenges of today and onwards to the promises of tomorrow.

Designing for difficult applications.

Application for OCTG, Automotive Tubing, Stainless Tubing, Precision Tubing.

Tomoyuki Katoh General Manager/Overseas Sales Dept.

www.sanyoseiki.co.jp

TMK GIPI MANUFACTURING

Since 1965

CREATIVITY LINKS TO THE FUTURE Forming Roll Manufacturer

We have developed the technology of “manufacturing” over half a century.

We will keep supplying quality products to the world.

7F Agora 20 Bldg, 1-2-8 Hamasaki, Asaka-City, Saitama-Pref, 351-0033 Japan E contact.en@sanyoseiki.co.jp | T +81-48-486-1100 www.sanyoseiki.co.jp

All made in Japan

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Sherwin-Williams provides a variety of solutions to match your needs depending on pipeline type, location and operating environment – delivering unmatched durability, superior batch-to-batch consistency and leading-edge performance technology.

Middle East: +971 4 8840200 sales.me@sherwin.com protectiveemea.sherwin-williams.com Coating

EME Outlook issue 46 | 87

TMK GIPI MANUFACTURING

TMK GIPI’s product lines include oil country tubular goods (OCTG), with the company manufacturing a wide range of ERW casing products that conform to API 5CT specifications and the requirements of oil and gas majors. OCTGs represent the largest share of TMK Group’s sales, with goods shipped to customers in 85 countries across the world.

When it comes to welded pipes, there are two main pipe manufacturing processes utilised

by TMK GIPI, namely Contact Tip Welding and Induction Welding.

Both processes employ different techniques to produce the pipes, and each of these techniques offer pipes with varying degrees of diameter, thickness, tolerance and mechanical properties to suit the demands of the customer.

The company is also an industry

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ELECTRIC RESISTANCE WELDED (ERW) PIPE For ERW pipes, TMK GIPI uses a high frequency electric resistance welding process to manufacture pipes ranging in nominal diameter from 6”(168.3mm) to 24”(610mm), and in wall thickness from 4mm to 25.4mm. Unlike the arc-welding process, no filler material is added, ensuring the weld becomes a homogenous part of the completed pipe.

The company’s welding facilities are equipped with diagnostic systems to control and display operating information, such as cooling water circulation, input and output voltage, power consumption, normalising temperature, and all the forming and weld parameters.

In order to ensure completely smooth pipes, welds are both internally and externally trimmed. Following ultrasonic assessment, weld joints are induction heated to normalise the metallic structure of the weld, air cooled and then water cooled to reduce the temperature of the weld seam.

Prior to hydrostatic testing, pipes are sized to the required tolerance before being cut to length and the ends bevelled. Once the weld seams have once again been ultrasonically tested, the pipes are then inspected, weighed, and can be varnished and marked ahead of final inspection and dispatch.

When required, pipes are threaded and coupled at the mill. After coupling make-up, the pipes are transferred to an automatic drift station.

Welding the seam

Normalising the seam

leader in the application of protective coatings and steel pipe linings.

Indeed, in line with TMK GIPI’s commitment to delivering the highest quality products, corrosion protection is a critical element that contributes to the lifespan of carbon steel pipelines.

Corrosion protection, which could be as simple as external paint or as sophisticated as internal and external coatings supplemented by a cathodic protection system, is essential for pipelines that are invariably exposed to corrosive environments.

“Recently, we have added duplex stainless steel (DSS) pipe coating services, increasing the services available to a number of customers in Oman and the MENA area,” reveals Al Farsi.

Orders for approximately 200km of pipes have already been placed this year, as TMK GIPI continues to invest year on year to increase its capacity and range of services.

“We are planning for further investments and to extend our services portfolio to meet our main local client requirements,” he adds.

“We do not micromanage employees. Moreover, as a local manufacturer, we approach local universities to hire Omani graduates in different departments. Those graduates undertake a training programme upon joining the company in order to make sure they are ready to begin their duties,” states Al Farsi.

“We are proud to commence with new projects and train fresh graduates from our local universities, to prepare them for the job market within the steel industry.”

Beyond the local Omani talent pool, TMK GIPI also harnesses the talents of experienced employees from abroad, so as to improve and develop the company’s internal work processes.

Fully trained, experienced technicians and inspectors are the nucleus of TMK GIPI’s integrated laboratory, well versed in the stringent requirements of API specifications.

“Investment into our people and our country are the most important thing to us, as we strive to increase our productivity and push for our targets,” Al Farsi concludes.

QUALITY ASSURANCE Health, safety, security and environment (HSSE), as well as assuring quality and excellence, are not just corporate slogans to TMK

GIPI; they are an essential part of the company’s very being.

“We are committed to provide our local operators, in addition to our regional and international clients, with best-in-class service with a strong focus on sustaining high levels of HSSE discipline and quality,” Al Farsi emphasises.

“TMK GIPI is also extremely proud of the long-standing relationships with our main raw materials suppliers, which guarantee the sustainability and security of our supply chain and business continuity.”

The continued improvement of TMK GIPI’s professional and management competencies is a pre-condition to the company’s sustainable growth and competitive performance. Training and development is completed internally with all employees given the chance to grow and deliver, fully aware of their personal responsibility to manufacture quality products.

TMK GIPI Tel: +968 24212082 sales@gipi.co.om www.tmk-gipi.co.om EME Outlook issue 46 | 89

PEDALLING PERFORMANCE 3T is breaking new ground with its revolutionary cross-terrain bicycles. We speak to CEO, René Wiertz, to find out more Writer: Jack Salter | Project Manager: Harry Parker

3T MANUFACTURING

3T MANUFACTURING

3T is an iconic Italian brand, who has consistently been able to deliver performance parts, and now bikes, for the cycling enthusiast.”

The opening words of René Wiertz, CEO of 3T, echo the true Italian passion for two wheels, from a light cycle to the local shops to attacking the route of the infamous Giro d’Italia.

Italy is also amongst the most successful Olympic cycling outfits of all time, with only France and Great Britain taking more golds and total medals in the history of the sport.

Across a number of illustrious competitions, including the Olympics, Tour de France, and World Championships, 3T has powered countless great champions to glory in the likes of road racing, triathlon, cyclocross, gravel racing and track cycling.

Bikes made from carbon fibre have been available since the mid1980s, but the carbon manufacturing process is evolving. As such, through the use of innovative machinery and dry filament winding, 3T is able to manufacture increasingly intricate and complex carbon fibre bikes that continue to be successful in their respective cycling disciplines.

With an in-house factory in Bergamo (Italy) and additional offices in Toronto (Canada) and Taichung (Taiwan), 3T’s track record of performance is complemented by global design and marketing capabilities, as well as regional warehousing, assembly and customer service.

“We currently employ 50 people worldwide and are growing strongly; I expect we will reach 100 people in less than two years from now,” Wiertz states.

PERFORMANCE GRAVEL Long before gravel riding became popular, 3T wanted its bikes to ride faster and further, no matter what the terrain.

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Bike Components 3T and bike-components have – and it is definitely not too bold to claim that – one thing in common: We are at the core of the cycling world. Since the beginning of our 25 years long history, bike-components has always been focusing on the needs of core cyclists…

When we were born, 3T was already there. In that exact position, with 25+ years of experience already. Thus, we are more than proud to have that partnership running with René and team, doing together, what is our purpose: providing the best service and best products possible.

bike-components.de

The result of this philosophy was the 3T Exploro, an award-winning aero-optimised gravel bike that took the gravel market by storm, allowing cyclists to explore the toughest terrains in new ways without sacrificing speed.

The Exploro is the brainchild of 3T’s Head of Design, Gérard Vroomen.

During his first gravel ride, he knew the challenge of gravel together with the speed of road bikes could make cycling more fun and exciting for many.

That day, performance gravel was born, and the Exploro continues to lead the way as the first range of bikes to combine road speed and mountain toughness, allowing cyclists to take the rough with the smooth.

“3T is the thought leader in performance gravel and e-gravel bikes globally, a ‘new’ segment we created in 2016 and in which we currently hold a leading position,” notes Wiertz.

“Gravel bikes combine the pure

3T MANUFACTURING

speed of road bikes with the fun element of being able to go offroad with mountain bikes. With a gravel bike, you can ‘explore’ more, new terrains, hence the Exploro name.”

The race proven Exploro, which comprises the RACEMAX, ULTRA and PRO/TEAM models, pioneers gravel bike aerodynamics, including mudcovered knobbly tyre wind tunnel

testing, to provide speed on both asphalt and windswept gravel tracks.

Of more and more importance, however, is not only how a bike performs, but how it looks, and 3T has always been renowned for the quality and beauty of its products.

“Our customers are primarily cycling enthusiasts with medium-tohigh levels of income that are looking

for performance gravel bikes. We also sell to customers who are not so technical or performance-oriented, but want to make sure they buy a topquality bike that looks beautiful; the beauty element is something that is increasingly important,” Wiertz tells us.

“3T has a very loyal customer base; it is a brand that you really fall in love with.”

EME Outlook issue 46 | 93

3T MANUFACTURING

STRATEGIC INNOVATION As a relatively small player in an industry rich with competition, 3T stands out by being different through its bike designs.

“Our strategy is to define a ‘new segment’, such as gravel, create this new segment and then dominate it, rather than competing with hundreds of other brands in existing segments,” says Wiertz.

“The only way to ‘create’ new segments is through innovation. For us, innovation is not only prevalent in design, but in all aspects of the business.”

Innovation is therefore crucial to 3T, and the company has a footprint of innovative firsts. For instance, it is one of the first bicycle manufacturers to offer white-glove bike delivery direct to the homes of its customers, whilst 3T is also the first company to invest in and build an in-house factory that can compete cost wise with Asian manufacturers.

“Innovation is a mindset that we all have, and need to have, in every department of the company. By continuing to innovate, we want to secure our leading position in the gravel and e-gravel segments,” Wiertz emphasises.

Founded in 1961, 3T last year proudly celebrated 60 years of innovation and pushing the limits of bicycle manufacturing.

This wealth of experience has proven to be another competitive advantage for 3T, whose company name is an ode to its humble but ambitious beginnings as Tecnologia del Tubo Torinese (Turin Tube Technology) just over six decades ago.

“Longevity is very important.

The bike industry has relatively low barriers for entry, which is why you see new brands being created and disappearing all the time,” observes Wiertz, who began to revitalise the brand in 2007.

“From 2007 to 2015 we designed, 94 | EME Outlook issue 46

“ 3 T H A S A V E R Y L O YA L C U S T O M E R B A S E ; I T I S A B R A N D T H AT Y O U R E A L LY FA L L I N L O V E W I T H ” – RENÉ WIERTZ, CEO, 3T

3T MANUFACTURING

produced and sold bike parts, but since 2016, we have been mainly producing premium, highperformance, carbon fibre bicycles.”

TAKING CONTROL Whilst the bike industry has a very complex and global supply chain, 3T controls its entire process from design through to production, assembly, and up to the final sale.

The company produces parts in the Far East, and has suppliers for components in Italy, Germany and the United States.

“We assemble bikes in three different regions (Italy, Canada and Taiwan), so you can imagine how complicated this is to manage, especially with increased global tensions resulting in higher tariffs and the current challenging situation with transport around the world,” Wiertz informs us.

“As the CEO of 3T, I have strong and personal relationships with the owners and senior management of almost all of our suppliers and partners. We invest in our long-term relationships with suppliers and partners around the world.”

It had always been 3T’s dream to

manufacture bikes in Italy, and in 2018, this dream became a reality thanks to the new office, warehouse and factory building in Bergamo. By assembling bikes in-house in Italy, 3T ensures quality, quick delivery and constant feedback on all components.

Production was brought back to Italy by the company in recognition of the fact that it should, and could, develop more in-house production and assembly capabilities, in order to have more control over its own destiny.

“3T is now the first bike company that is able to produce cost-effective frames in Europe, thanks to the development of a totally unique and highly automated production technology,” adds Wiertz.

Ramping up production at the Bergamo facility is one of 3T’s key priorities for the years to come which, together with the launch of a second factory in North America, is set to reduce the company’s dependence on the global supply chain.

As new bike segments continue to emerge, 3T is pedalling the way forwards for cycling, as it grows from a race sport to a way of commuting and a way of life.

Tel: +39 035 494 3451 info@3T.bike www.3T.bike

EME Outlook issue 46 | 95

KANDIA DULCE SA FOOD & DRINK

R O OT E D I N

ROMANIA Kandia Dulce SA has supplied confectionery goods in Romania for over 130 years. Dragos Militaru, CEO of the company, discusses its proud history and present-day developments in preparation for the future Writer: Marcus Kääpä | Project Manager: Sam Love

We have a unique portfolio of authentic Romanian brands and products adapted to the tastes and traditions of consumption in the country. We are promoting Romanian pride and local traditions, and this makes us unique.”

Romania exists as a cultural treasure trove in East Europe.

Boasting historic towns, rolling hillscapes and decorative traditions, the country is the proud home of a multitude of unique annual celebrations and folklore that has spawned tales and helped shape the course of modern literature, such as Bram Stoker’s Dracula.

But one aspect that does not sit at the forefront of external association with Romania is its rich food and drink culture. Within this space, Kandia Dulce SA (Kandia) is the biggest Romanian chocolate and

sweet snacks producer, and has been operating since its initial production of milk chocolate in 1890.

PAST TO PRESENT “Today, after more than 130 years, we offer an extensive portfolio of 11 brands that are present in product categories such as chocolate, pastry, biscuits and confectionery,” says Dragos Militaru, CEO of the company.

“The business and the Kandia brand have managed to navigate different regimes and wars, the move from communism to capitalism, changes in ownership, and have faced and endured all kinds of socio-economic challenges.”

According to Militaru, Kandia stands as one of the most important employers in Romania, with a human capital of approximately 430 direct employees, of which over 300 work EME Outlook issue 46 | 97

KANDIA DULCE SA FOOD & DRINK

in manufacturing and operations. The company’s social footprint results in an estimated 5,000 to 6,000 jobs generated indirectly.

“In the chocolate bars category, we lead with ROM, the iconic Romanian brand bearing the national flag on its packaging, and a product that has witnessed all of our history and development since 1964,” he tells us proudly. “In the cakes space we

have Magura, the benchmark of the category and the market leader since 1970s. When it comes to chocolate tablets and pralines, have with Kandia in dark chocolate, Primola in milk chocolate and Laura in the economy section.

“In sugar confectionery we have Sugus and Silvana, two sweet brands, and our biscuit, croissant and wafer options are addressed by our

EME OUTLOOK: CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT YOUR INTRODUCTION INTO THE INDUSTRY? DRAGOS MILITARU, CEO: “I am a Romanian native from Bucharest. During the former communist regime, I started my professional career at 18 years old working as a technician for TV receiving systems in 1987 while studying electronics and telecommunications.

“Following the fall of communism, and during the tumultuous transition period, I experienced lots of new situations such as joblessness, after which I temporarily served as a taxi driver and then set up my own business, that unfortunately went bankrupt.

“I discovered the food and drink industry in 1995 when I applied for a sales job at Coca-Cola. Between 1995 and 2010 I worked for the company, starting from the bottom and going through around 15 different roles in various countries in Southeast Europe.

“Then, in January of 2019, I took over the management of Kandia, where we continue the success story of over 130 years since the business started in 1890 as Kandia Timisoara.

“In joining Kandia, I found an elite team of world-class professionals and a vast portfolio of brands and categories that we represent. The level of technological performance and productivity is very high, and I also found a great ambition to expand our success story with the market leading brands: ROM, Magura, Kandia and Sugus!”

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umbrella brands ROM and Magura, as well a specific one called Ulpio.”

Outside Romania, Kandia currently exports to 17 countries mostly in the EU, with export activities generating approximatively five percent of annual turnover for the company.

NEW GENERATION CONSUMERS For the past two years, Kandia has had to adapt not only internally to safeguard its employees, but also to the shifts in market demand as a result of social restrictions and home-based living.

“The industry is very much challenged by consumption changes,” Militaru elaborates. “On-the-go products have been largely replaced by those for in-house consumption, with a strong tendency for discount options versus others.

“On top of this, online working and education have made consumers buy and consume differently across the COVID-19 period in comparison to two years ago. In recent years, more and more Romanians are rediscovering our local beloved traditional brands and products, which are also brought into focus by retailers promoting products produced in Romania.”

Plant-based products are making their way into the treat aisles. With Barry Callebaut’s new Plant Craft range of vegan and dairy-free products, make your plant-based creations truly indulgent.

Our Plant Craft range The next generation of consumers is looking for experiences that are tasty, good for them and good for the planet. With that in mind, we aim to accompany the industry in this plant-based revolution.

With more than 175 years of experience in mastering chocolate, creating indulgent experiences is at the heart of what we do.

We now offer Plant Craft, our range of delicious vegan and dairy-free chocolates, cocoa, nuts, fillings, and decorations. www.barry-callebaut.com

KANDIA DULCE SA FOOD & DRINK

KANDIA – AT THE HEART Kandia’s staff, alongside its brands, are the company’s most valuable asset. Through its employees, Kandia transfers its values of Romanian pride, company agility, the spirit of togetherness, and national traditions, as well as the eagerness to deliver the best consumer experience to the Romanian people.

direct contact and dialogue with our consumers in order to observe and understand the changes in consumption and purchasing behaviours and to be able to adapt our products to new consumer preferences.

“We have a great advantage in that we are a Romanian company with products and brands built by Romanians for Romanians, and we manage to always remain in the top of their preferences.”

EXPANSION AND GROWTH Alongside this, the snacking industry is expanding as younger generations replace traditional meals with alternative snacks.

“With the improved purchasing power of Romanians, we are enjoying a constant increase of overall sweet snack consumption,” Militaru says.

“During the COVID-19 pandemic, we were often overwhelmed by the speed of changes such as mobility restrictions, accelerated digitisation, legislative changes and the evolution of production technologies. The most important thing is to be in constant

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Backed by its extensive roots in Romania, it is Kandia’s priority to remain ingrained in the nation and grow with the country’s future in mind.

“Having brands like ROM, Kandia and Magura in our portfolio, and with such a long history in the market, surviving and reinventing themselves generation after generation, it gives us strength as well as a huge responsibility to be relevant through the times,” Militaru explains. “Apart from brand messages and behaviours, we had to adapt and expand our portfolio to suit the new generations’

taste and expectations, in order to be able to meet the expectations of new consumers.

“Therefore, we have developed ROM and Magura as ‘umbrella’ brands, expanding them into new sweet snack categories and aiming to enlarge the brand franchise.”

Kandia has undertaken substantial consumer research to understand its consumers’ needs and expectations in depth and in connection with company brands, all to understand how far Kandia can stretch its brands without losing relevance and credibility.

“It is an R&D effort in connection with product and concept tests in order to validate with consumers any potential route for expansion,” Militaru adds. “In the case of ROM, starting with the first original bar in 1964, this is how we are present in seven categories with 26 SKUs today.”

When it comes to exports, Kandia’s strategy has a dual focus. This is aimed at the Romanians living in other European countries, and those internationally. In both cases, Kandia aims to bring the beloved brands from the childhoods of those living

KANDIA DULCE SA FOOD & DRINK

abroad, such as ROM and Magura, so that export consumers can relive the familiar tastes of good quality and affordable products from their homeland.

AIMING FOR NUMBER ONE Moving through the rest of 2022 and the years ahead, Kandia’s foremost priority is to grow within Romania and maintain its mission as Romania’s first choice in sweet confectionery.

“Our business started recovery after the first pandemic year, and we grew in 2021 by four percent in volume sold and by 14 percent in turnover,” Militaru

recounts. “The plan for the future is to continue fuelling our accelerated growth and deliver another doubledigit performance in 2022.

“We are aiming to be the number one choice in the country. In Magura’s case the challenge would be to preserve the leadership position on the market, as it is difficult to become number one, but is even more demanding to preserve it. Regarding ROM, we are a strong challenger, fighting neck to neck with wellestablished international brands. For these, we will continue to innovate by capturing not only the trends but

also by monitoring closely how the Romanians’ taste is evolving and keep being a national staple with newer generations as we have been since 1890.”

DULCIURI

din tara ta , KANDIA DULCE SA Tel: +4 021 316 45 80 office-romania@kandia.ro www.kandia-dulce.ro EME Outlook issue 46 | 101

THE FINAL WORD To round off each issue, we ask our contributing business leaders for their views on the same question

What trends do you forecast for the year ahead within your sector?

Miguel Angel Castillo VP Technology, Aernnova “If we look at the aviation sector as a whole, digitalisation may make a significant impact on sustainability with the internet of things allowing for the optimisation of the product cycle, the best choice of travel from an environmental point of view, improved air traffic management, and more efficiency in the whole system with multimodal transport.

“In my opinion, most of the big trends in the aerospace manufacturing sector are going to be linked to digitalisation and sustainability.

Digitalisation in general terms for aerospace manufacturing is going to be translated into faster and cleaner development and certification, big 102 | EME Outlook issue 46

data and digital twins in our processes, and a more integrated supply chain just to mention the most relevant matters.

Sustainability is the other trend stream that will mean more energy efficient platforms, sustainable aviation fuels, more electric airplanes, batteries, fuel cells, and hydrogen as an energy carrier.”

Dragos Militaru CEO, Kandia Dulce SA “We are forecasting single digit growth across most of the sweet snack categories in 2022 with an accelerated growth and increasing consumer interest for functional and nutritional categories such as protein enhanced products, cereal bars or fruit-based snacks.”

René Wiertz CEO, 3T “The gravel segment is to become the largest cycling segment, and pure road will shrink to a small size. Driven by government regulations, high energy prices and the need to reduce pollution, e-bikes will continue to grow strongly, bringing in more new customers to the sport. In-house production will also become the norm rather than the exception; we will embrace a regional approach in terms of production and assembly, away from the global set up we see today.”

Massimo Maffeis CEO, Maffeis Engineering “Infrastructure, healthcare, aviation, science, technologies, mobility, data and digital, all encompassed and linked to sustainability.”

Are you a CEO or Director with a company story to tell?

Contact EME Outlook now!

Modernising riverine cargo operations in Romania...

TRADING LINE GROUP SUPPLY CHAIN

EXPEDITERS

R

omania lies at the crossroads of European transport. Home to the mighty river Danube, the continent’s second largest river is the lifeblood of riverine trade across south-eastern Europe, originating in the Black Forest mountains of western Germany and winding through 10 countries to the ports of the Black Sea coastline.

The port of Constanƫa lies at the nexus of this dynamic trade environment, as the hub of Romania’s maritime connections with transportation routes connecting the region with the Black Sea, western Europe and the Middle East.

Trading Line Group (Trading Line) is the shipping company at the vanguard of efficient, premium cargo expediting along the breadth of the Danube. Today, Trading Line is playing a pivotal role in Romania’s shipping landscape by advancing the company’s agenda for Remote Piloting, heralding a new age of shipping for the industry.

OF THE

DA N U B E Trading Line Group is charting new waters for Romania’s future in remote piloting. We find out more with CEO, Paul Ivanov Writer: Phoebe Harper | Project Manager: Eddie Clinton

See page

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Ivanov’s entrepreneurial background served him in good stead, enabling him to champion the recovery of what was then a struggling shipping logistics company.

This spirit of astute decision making has been fostered in Ivanov since Paul Ivanov, childhood.

CEO “I started my entrepreneurial life at 16, when my father bought me PRIORITISING PERFORMANCE my first computer,” he shares. In a When Paul Ivanov, CEO at Trading savvy business move, in 2001 a young Line, first turned his attention to the Ivanov began selling internet network shipping industry in 2011, he was access to the neighbours within his entering the space as a complete apartment building. By 2007, his novice. network had spread to half of the city “At that time, I knew nothing – I had and approximately 35,000 people. no idea what a winch was! I was an After selling the company in 2008, IT guy and a network engineer,” he Ivanov had made his first million recalls.

Euros, aged just 24.

Prior to this, it was during his Today, Ivanov oversees Trading tenure as a councillor for the Deputy Line’s operations and its monopoly Chamber of the Romanian parliament over shipping logistics on the Danube, TRADING LINE GROUP SUPPLY CHAIN where a business proposition advancing the company forwards as prompted Ivanov’s segway into the it seeks to modernise operations and protocol that the console can easily “We are taking a new step towards shipping Supply Chain. itsthat competitive advantage connect to each typeretain of hardware autonomous operations with remoteas a they develop. piloting to store and to collect all Despite his shipping inexperience, shipping partner of choice.

“That black box then records the pilot’s movements. Once all this movement has been recorded in each environment, for each type of hull and vessel, that black box can then use data mining to develop the digital twin,” he explains.

In this way, the new robot who will drive the vessel is born. With such a wide variety of types of vessel, with varying sizes and levels of manoeuvrability, more than one algorithm is needed.

The project is also being delivered in partnership with the University of Antwerp, University of Athens and the universities of Constanța and Galati.

In addition, after developing an initial concept map for the remote piloting centre, Trading Line received approval from the Ministry of Transport to develop, test and sail the remote vessels.

movements of the captain to learn how to drive these types of vessel,” concludes Ivanov.

FUTURE HORIZONS With the savings made from the trailblazing steps that Trading Line is taking into the realm of remote piloting, the company will continue to invest in modernising its fleets.

Ivanov envisages a new set of 14 vessels – River Drones, inspired by the Yara Birkeland Zero Emission maritime vessel, but re-imagined for dry cargo riverine operations.

These newer vessels will contain on-board accommodation for just two sailors, with a high-tech server room operating as the vessel’s data centre.

With a promising future ahead fuelled by innovation, Trading Line will continue to chart new waters in Romanian shipping.

T H E I N N OVAT I O N C E N T R E F O R R E M OT E N AV I G AT I O N I N G A L AT I C I T Y We speak with various members of the Romanian Government and significant partners for their insight into the future of autonomous shipping, and Trading Line and Inland Shipping’s development of the Innovation Centre for Remote Navigation Writer: Phoebe Harper

INTERVIEW:

MR. IONUT PUCHEANU, MAYOR OF GALATI CITY

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EME Outlook issue 46 | 3

W

e find out more about the remote piloting project and the significance of the new centre’s construction in Galati with the city Mayor, Mr. Ionut Pucheanu.

EME Outlook (EO): Could you tell us more about the construction of the Pilot Centre taking place in Galati?

Mr. Ionut Pucheanu, Mayor of Galati City (IP): Building a Shore Control Centre to remotely operate the vessels on the Danube is a private project that benefits from the full support of both local and national governing bodies.

The project consists of the construction of a building with a research and command centre that will be able to operate with up to 100 consoles. This will also involve the development of software and hardware technology on the ground and on board the ship or crane for remote control or autopilot in the future. In addition, practical training will be provided in a virtual

environment and through multiplayer simulators. The multi-player simulator has the ability to simulate an operation of up to 10 participants simultaneously using different types of ships (river and sea).

Furthermore, the project intends to deploy a ground station of Starlink – the satellite internet service developed by SpaceX and Elon Musk. This has just been authorised in Romania by Sabin Sărmaș, the chairman of the IT commission in the Chamber of Deputies. Consequently, we are one step closer to having internet access across the entire country, with fibre optic and largescale internet via any satellite.

EO: What makes Danube the ideal place to test and deploy new technology of Remote Sailing,

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EME Outlook issue 46 | 7

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booking@supercargo.gr | www.supercargo.gr

Trading Line Group has told its story.

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EME Outlook issue 45 | 3

This tremendous undertaking is made by none other States (CIS) region and beyond.”

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and operate about 9,600 trucks and trailers.

18,000 drivers across the whole of the company and own COO Scandinavia at Girteka. “Overall, we have around full truck loads every year,” continues Jens Romer Sode, transportation company, transporting more than 820,000 “We are the largest European asset-based

efficient and sustainable time-sensitive digital logistics. ronmentally friendly fleet, the company is the first choice in offices. With its eyes set on continually improving this envidrivers and supported by an additional 1,200 people in our operates around 1,500 trucks and trailers, manned by 3,000 Across the company’s Scandinavian brands, Girteka

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Writer: Marcus Kääpä | Project Manager: Eddie Clinton

Greece, as well as the wider Balkan region. transportation of any oversized vehicle throughout issuance of the required documentation for the Super Cargo undertakes all the preparation and

company’s latest investments in the space and beyond. Jens Romer Sode, COO Scandinavia of Girteka Logistics, discusses the Efficient logistical solutions are the key to moving time-sensitive produce across Europe

requirements may be.

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IMPROVING THE INDUSTRY

operations. underpinned by a focus on greener the all-important logistics space, company is moving forward in processes and IT capabilities, the skilled employees, high quality (trucks, trailers and warehouses), Combining its reliable hardware And Girteka is set to do just that. a half billion-euro company.” plans, but in a year we want to become course we have our four- and five-year 20 and 30 percent top line, and of we want to grow somewhere between pany,” Sode tells us. “In Scandinavia, “Girteka is a growing logistics com-

increased, so it remains a continually engaging space.” growth, and since then the complexity of supply chains have only “From the 1990s up until the 2008 financial crisis the sector saw significant gained momentum with China joining world trade organisations. network through technology and new trade routes, and this especially time but even then, there was an understanding to combine a global processes very interesting. The technology was very rudimentary at the of the leaders in the shipping logistics space, and I found the international “I joined Maersk Line back then, and they were (and have been since) one

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S

chain became a centre of focus for many people. space, and it was a time when global sourcing and the international supply around the early 1990s when I became interested in this and supply chain sector for about 30 years or so. It was Jens Romer Sode, COO: “I have been in the logistics

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