EME Outlook - issue 51

SALMON EVOLUTION

Quality, texture, colour, taste – a new standard of salmon

ATOS

Smart manufacturing with global IT leader

Atos

GULF CRAFT

Gulf Craft’s Deputy MD, Abeer AlShaali dives into the waters of a business born from passion that has grown to become a leviathan on the global stage of elite boatbuilding

Mohsin Hani Al-Bahrani , CEO of the ACERE cluster at Mohsin Haider Darwish LLC, takes the helm of one of the largest privately owned business houses in the Gulf region

“Proud to be Digital”

For over a decade, our portfolio of in-house magazines has been lovingly produced, printed, and distributed to our esteemed subscribers across the globe from our headquarters in the UK.

But now we are moving with the times, adopting a digital-first approach by producing online-only publications. A major factor in this decision is to minimise our environmental footprint, reducing the carbon emissions involved in the logistics of print magazine distribution and the resources required therein.

SUSTAI

Going forward, we will provide print orders of any magazine in-line with the requests of our featured companies, subscribers, and conference & expo partners.

Please get in touch for a print-on-demand quote or visit our website to find out more.

“We always planned that when our digital subscribers consistently accounted for 85% of our total magazine subscribers, we would cease printing our publications in-line with our environmental and sustainability goals.”

– Ben Weaver, CEO, Outlook Publishing Ltd

EDITORIAL

Editorial Director: Phoebe Harper phoebe.harper@outlookpublishing.com

Senior Editor: Marcus Kääpä marcus.kaapa@outlookpublishing.com

Editor: Jack Salter jack.salter@outlookpublishing.com

Junior Editor: Ed Budds ed.budds@outlookpublishing.com

Junior Editor: Rachel Carr rachel.carr@outlookpublishing.com

PRODUCTION

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

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

Designer: Sophs Forte sophs.forte@outlookpublishing.com

Junior Designer: Louisa Martin louisa.martin@outlookpublishing.com

Production Assistant: Megan Cooke megan.cooke@outlookpublishing.com

Digital Marketing Manager: Fox Tucker fox.tucker@outlookpublishing.com

Social Media Executive: Bria Clarke bria.clarke@outlookpublishing.com

Web Editor: Oliver Shrouder oliver.shrouder@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

Josh Hyland josh.hyland@outlookpublishing.com

Deane Anderton deane.anderton@outlookpublishing.com

Eddie Clinton eddie.clinton@outlookpublishing.com

Ryan Gray ryan.gray@outlookpublishing.com

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR

Thomas Arnold thomas.arnold@outlookpublishing.com

TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT MANAGER

Marvin Iseghehi marvin.iseghehi@outlookpublishing.com

SALES & PARTNERSHIPS MANAGER

Donovan Smith donovan.smith@outlookpublishing.com

PROJECT MANAGERS

Alfie Wilson alfie.wilson@outlookpublishing.com

Kierron Rose kierron.rose@outlookpublishing.com

Krisha Canlas krisha.canlas@outlookpublishing.com

Nicholas Kernan nicholas.kernan@outlookpublishing.com

Liam Pye liam.pye@outlookpublishing.com

ADMINISTRATION

Finance Director: Suzanne Welsh suzanne.welsh@outlookpublishing.com

Finance Assistant: Suzie Kittle suzie.kittle@outlookpublishing.com

Finance Assistant: Victoria McAllister victoria.mcallister@outlookpublishing.com

EME OUTLOOK

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Championing Change

Across myriad industries, female leadership and the status of women in business is on the rise.

Highlighting this central topic in our latest issue is a trinity of businesses. Born and bred gamer Anne Lise Waal, CTO and COO of Attensi, and leading female tech figurehead, discusses turning passion into a business in a male-dominated industry. Meanwhile, Maddy Russell and Rose Radtke, co-founders of Each to Their Own, tell us about helping businesses build community trust through the power of brand identity, and its impact on growth success.

Standing at the prow of female-led business is Gulf Craft, one of the world’s leading shipyards producing a range of vessels from fishing boats to megayachts - a leviathan business based in the UAE. Bearing a passion for seafaring in style, Deputy Managing Director Abeer AlShaali dives into how the company has navigated the choppy waters of the industry and is now making waves at the forefront of the market.

“We are made in the UAE, and we are very proud of that, but we don’t think of ourselves as an Asian builder or as a Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region builder. We are a boat builder for boat enthusiasts, and that’s international,” she shares.

Staying on course with the ocean theme we take a look at Salmon Evolution, the Norwegian salmon farming company by the coast, producing sustainable fresh fish utilising its advanced hybrid flow-through technology.

“Salmon Evolution represents a step change in salmon farming. Raising our salmon on land gives us a unique opportunity to optimise the environment so the salmon thrive and live a happy life. This results in quality the world has never seen before,” details CEO Trond Håkon Schaug-Pettersen.

Elsewhere, quench your thirst with Coca-Cola HBC Hungary, delve into the digital world with Atos, build your knowledge on VSL Middle East, and dive into many companies showcased in this fresh issue of EME Outlook.

Enjoy!

Marcus Kääpä Senior Editor, Outlook Publishing

Facilitating the connections and building the bridges that join the vast payments ecosystem 42

Representing Finland’s defence, aerospace and security industries

What trends do you forecast impacting your industry in 2023?

78 Salmon Evolution

Extending Ocean Potential

86 Coca-Cola HBC

Quenching the Thirst for Success

106 Oman Tower Company

Towering New Heights

Fresh future for the Omani telecoms sector

112 Belinus

The New Aesthetic of Energy Efficiency Meeting domestic solar demand with Belinus CONSTRUCTION

116 VSL Middle East

Building the Middle East

Innovative structural development from the UAE

96

Around Europe and the Middle East in seven stories…

SUSTAINABILITY

KELP! TOO MUCH SEAWEED!

SEAWEED IN THE Baltic Sea is becoming an environmental concern with increased amounts causing oxygen deficiency, therefore impacting marine life.

The rapidly multiplying blue-green algae is being harvested to create ingredients for food products and cosmetics. Finnish biochemist Mari Granström’s passion for scuba diving helped to alert her to the problem the

TECHNOLOGY

SPOTIFY PAUSED

SWEDISH AUDIO STREAMING

app Spotify is planning to announce job cuts. It is the latest technology giant to reassess its staffing numbers in the last year.

Spotify, which recently saw its share price drop by 66 percent, has around 10,000 employees, and began the redundancies in October with 38 staff laid off from its podcast studios. It joins Meta, Twitter, Microsoft, and Amazon in the cutting of workforces.

toxic plant was causing the marine ecosystem.

Origin by Ocean (ObO), founded by Granström, sources and separates unwanted seaweed into useable materials at ObO’s pilot processing facility in northern Finland using patented biorefinery technology. The extracts are utilised for a host of products, including a replacement for plastic.

CONSTRUCTION

BACK TO THE FUTURE HOTEL

NEOM, A PLANNED smart city in Saudi Arabia, has revealed plans to open London-based hotel company, Yotel, in Oxagon - an octagonal floating business hub.

The fear of recession and a fall in advertising revenue have affected companies across the technology industry which saw the staff intake increase during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The futuristic hotel brand is scheduled to open in 2025 with a robot concierge, motorised SmartBedsTM, and fully integrated technologies which Yotel is known for. The surrounding areas and communities will be connected through advanced and autonomous mobility solutions.

The city’s name is derived from the first three letters from the Ancient Greek prefix for “new” and the fourth letter is from an abbreviation of an Arabic word meaning “future”.

SUSTAINABILITY FUNDS OF STEEL

THE GOVERNMENT PLANS

to give two of the UK’s biggest steelmakers £300 million each to go green. The funding will help Tata decarbonise its Port Talbot steelworks. The plant is the biggest industrial contributor to carbon emissions in Wales at around 5.8 million tonnes per year.

The process would involve investing in arc furnaces that use recycled steel and electricity will power the furnaces harnessed from renewable sources.

A similar financial package is

RETAIL

DIAMONDS ARE FOR EVERMORE

POPULAR UNITED ARAB

Emirates (UAE) diamond company

Evermore is looking to expand into the Indian market. It is currently scouting for a big name in Bollywood to recruit as its brand ambassador.

Evermore has initially earmarked

USD$500,000 for an entry plan onto the sub-continent, although that amount will increase as the enterprise expands.

The diamonds were first launched in Dubai, Bahrain and London, and are from Siroya ALTR, a joint venture between UAE-based Siroya and New York-based ALTR jewellery companies, which creates its gems in a state of the art laboratory.

AEROSPACE

FIGHT OR FLIGHT

THE ITALIAN AIRLINE Italia

Trasporto Aereo S.p.A. (ITA), formerly known as Alitalia, has received an offer from German airline Lufthansa for a minority stake with options to purchase the remaining shares at a later date.

Italy, along with the US, is the most important market for Lufthansa outside of its home market. Its importance for travel lies in its status as one of Europe’s top vacation destinations.

However, the German airline was not Italy’s first choice when it came to selling shares in ITA. Air France-KLM Group was its preferred option, but negotiations dried up.

MICRO RECESSION FOR GERMANY

ECONOMY GERMAN FINANCE MINISTER, Christian Lindner, has revealed that the country faces a mild recession this year, despite feeling positive about 2023 and 2024 overall.

Although there is a small amount of uncertainty, Lindner says the economic outlook is improving. The country’s inflation reading for December came back lower than expected as it declined to 9.6 percent.

Lindner said the government is now focused on “strengthening the competitiveness” of its economy. He believes the German economy is resilient and expects to see opportunities for a faster recovery.

expected to be offered to British Steel’s primary plant in Scunthorpe to support decarbonisation.

Cultivating an inclusive ethos in payment technology

Written by Catharina Eklof, Chief Commercial Officer, IDEX Biometrics

As we move towards a cashless world, accessibility and inclusion have come to the fore. Biometricenabled payment cards are among the innovations being recognised as key to ensuring security and transaction experience amid increasing contactless limits.

Earlier this year, challenger bank Rocker launched Sweden’s first biometric payment card – a huge commercial milestone and a step forward for the inclusive and diverse payment ecosystem. Supported by IDEMIA and powered by IDEX Biometrics’ (IDEX) cutting-edge fingerprint sensor technology, the card is easy to use, helping customers

improve their financial lives without PINs or passwords.

Diversity and inclusivity have been instrumental in bringing the industry to this point, as well as being a key focus for the future to cultivate an inclusive ethos and drive growth and innovation in payment technology.

INCLUSIVITY IN THE PAYMENT ECOSYSTEM

Women are one of the most excluded demographics in payments. This is a worldwide issue, but particularly so in developing countries. One reason for this is that women are less likely to own a mobile phone or use mobile internet.

Despite this, women still make up the majority of today’s retail consumers – indicating a missed opportunity for growing economies. IDEX research shows that most women are comfortable embracing biometric technology to overcome the digital divide. As one example, 91 percent of women in Brazil are ready to switch from PIN to fingerprint authentication for in-store payments.

Payment diversity, however, doesn’t stop at women – it includes making payments accessible to all demographics, including the elderly, vulnerable and unbanked populations. Those suffering from dementia, literacy challenges or impaired vision

Catharina Eklof, Chief Commercial Officer of IDEX Biometrics, discusses diversity and inclusivity as instrumental factors in unlocking growth in biometrics, payments and more

ABOUT THE EXPERT

Catharina

Eklof is Chief Commercial Officer of IDEX Biometrics (NASDAQ: IDBA) where she brings seamless payment experiences to consumers around the world through world-leading biometric sensor solutions. She is also a non-executive board director of Avanza Bank (NASDAQ Stockholm: AZA), Sweden’s largest digital bank.

Catharina has 20 years of global executive management across financial services, retail, travel, and security. She has led the commercialisation of new customer-centric solutions across Fortune 500 companies including more than 12 years spent in leadership roles at Mastercard in Brussels, London, and New York. Catharina established Mastercard’s global strategic merchant programme, bringing digital payment solutions and new, data-driven business models to organisations around the world.

Catharina Eklof holds an MBA in International Business and a Master of Science in Economics from the University of Uppsala, Sweden. She is based in Brussels, Belgium.

can find current payment methods extremely challenging and introducing fingerprint biometrics into payment cards offers a simple and easy way to authenticate payments with the simple touch of a finger.

Today, despite increasing numbers of people gaining access to banking services, over one billion adults remain unbanked around the globe. While the majority of the unbanked live in the developing world, around 42 percent of Europeans currently lack basic digital skills that prevent them from

accessing online or mobile banking.

This needs to be tackled head-on to ensure people have access to paid services, especially in countries that are moving away from the use of cash. For example, in 2020, just nine percent of all transactions in Sweden used cash.

Advances in biometric fingerprint authentication can be particularly effective to support these consumers as the person is linked directly to their card by fingerprint alone, without a smartphone or the need to remember PINs. Remote enrolment capabilities

also mean that users don’t need to visit a bank branch to start using this technology.

ENCOURAGING DIVERSITY

Currently, women make up only 28 percent of the workforce in STEM roles. In order to grow these industries, this urgently needs to change. Biometrics is just one field where a diverse workforce is beneficial.

As a field underpinned by a wide span of technologies including system engineering, custom application-

specific integrated circuits (ASIC), sensor development and cryptology, the biometric industry requires the creativity and collaborative power of every possible diverse mind and personality. Everyone has a unique background experience and a unique perspective. Problems are solved faster and more elegantly when everyone approaches a problem a different way. Attracting a diverse talent pool to the industry, therefore, will not only help strengthen it but also deliver future growth.

I have always supported women in the industry, starting with my involvement in the women’s talent programme while at Mastercard, which included mentorship, training and networking on a global scale. At IDEX, I continue to mentor new talent and share my own experiences within tech. In addition to supporting women in my industry, together with the IDEX team I am formalising our engagement around diversity and inclusion. We are establishing our environmental, social and governance (ESG) agenda, ensuring that sustainability and diversity is integral to who we are as a business and how we operate.

As a woman in an executive role in a heavily male-dominated industry, I am in a privileged position to act as a bridge for women who are interested in biometrics but may feel that the industry is too specialised. Here, IDEX is focused on connecting a very powerful technology with use-cases that have real meaning and can make a difference for millions of people – and that’s something that many people can become a part of.

IDEX is a firm believer in the importance of promoting inclusion. This means offering financial education and developing solutions that foster an inclusive environment for those from diverse backgrounds or for those who would otherwise be financially excluded. Biometric payment cards and offline wallets (a digital wallet that is stored on a platform not

financial inclusion around the globe by providing simple and secure authentication to all.

BUILDING AN INCLUSIVE FUTURE

IDEX Biometrics is leading the way in biometric technological development. We believe diversity and inclusion is part of our DNA, which brings with it immeasurable innovation and developmental potential. Our diverse team of engineers has pioneered the industry. Our 120 team members operate across 13 different locations around the world and speak over 12 languages. Whilst there is always more to be done, we are pleased by the growing number of women in leadership roles.

We are committed to building solutions that will drive payment inclusion around the world, actively working alongside card manufacturers and financial institutions to bring biometric payment cards to the mass market and tackle the challenges around financial inclusion and diversity. Both are essential to the future of tech and payments, paving the way for a more equal payment ecosystem and untapped innovation and growth.

linked to the cloud or internet) are concrete solutions to supporting

THE POWER OF BRAND IDENTITY

Each to Their Own is creating brands for communities to gather around. We speak to the co-founders, Maddy Russell and Rose Radtke, about designing strategies and identities for community-driven businesses and membership organisations, and all the benefits that follow

Writer: Marcus Kääpä

Community-driven business differs from the traditional model by its concentrated success. On top of the many benefits, including a high level of trust between business and consumer, the impact of community association can be felt in lower business costs and a higher level of scalability, answering the demands of said community and building alongside it.

This community trust not only helps secure customer retention (and consequently spending) but allows a business to build a belonging for people while also contributing their own energy to the business, combining knowledge, skills and expertise to help grow the entity that has helped its community.

The advantages of communitydriven business stem from the base of community engagement, not

ABOUT THE FOUNDERS

Maddy Russell, Co-Founder

Maddy has worked with a whole range of organisations from large global brands to small independent businesses. She believes that strategically sound, creatively brilliant design paves the way for long-term success. Maddy is ETTO’s Chief Art Director, but also loves to get stuck into the details. She’s passionate about turning a big vision into a beautiful reality.

Rose Radtke, Co-Founder

With more than a decade’s experience in the strategic branding of purpose-driven organisations, Rose researches, devises and shapes story-led narratives and communications that set progressive brands apart in today’s hectic marketing landscape. Over the years, Rose has worked in agency, freelance and consultancy roles across private, public and third-sector organisations. She’s passionate about marrying thinking with creativity to help to shape the world that she wants her children to grow up in.

only building familiarity but also allowing specific businesses to drive sales through qualifying leads; when people engage with a company, such as by attending an event, the business has access to a greater level of data that can be used to better understand its customer base and develop with people in mind. This in turn helps a business retain a loyal and frequent customer base, and ultimately own a niche in the market where it can grow and thrive alongside the community. At the root of this success lies design, branding and identity. For companies across the globe –traditional and community-driven - these elements are key, reinforcing

products and services through the establishment of a narrative that sets a precedent for what businesses are to provide. While design and branding can be considered the face of a company, the visual elements that customers and clients meet first, identity is the heart – the mission, values and purpose that lay at the core of a business, and what it aims to achieve within its market and community.

Based in the UK, Each to Their Own (ETTO) is an agency created to build brands for the community to gather around, helping deliver a strategy to community-driven businesses.

In 2020, ETTO founders Maddy Russell and Rose Radtke met through a community of like-minded women in business. While their passion and drive were similar, their skills were completely and delightfully different. Rose was all about strategy and words, and Maddy was immersed in the world of design. A creative alliance made perfect sense.

By 2022, ETTO had grown into a collective of talented strategists and

Co-founders Rose Radtke and Maddy Russell

creatives. Today, ETTO’s mission is to collaborate with good people, helping them to connect deeply with their customers and build better communities within complex cultural landscapes. We speak to the founders to learn more.

EME Outlook (EO): What was the initial drive and vision behind starting Each to Their Own (ETTO)?

Maddy Russell, Co-Founder (MR): ETTO started when Rose and I realised that our skills were complementary, and our impact was far greater together. We had a shared belief in the power of people to change the world, particularly when they pull together. It made sense to use our talents to help businesses bring people together to enact change.

EO: Could you talk us through your agency model and the client journey and experience?

Rose Radtke, Co-Founder (RR): We design strategies and identities for communities and membership organisations. All our projects begin with a period of discovery, which involves lots of research and talking to people that are closest to the organisation. We’ll also do surveys, focus groups and workshops to get to the heart of the organisation. All

this leads to a strong identity: the organisation’s vision and mission or purpose; its values, personality and its visual and verbal identity. We then apply the identity to the spaces that the community or members gather in, both on and offline, and work with the core team to define the community culture and member experience. We often go on to enjoy long-term relationships with our clients, applying the brand to templates and collateral and creating campaigns and content to help the organisation grow.

EO: Could you tell us about your work with communities and member organisations?

MR: We’re entering an age where people want connection over material things, and businesses that offer an opportunity to belong are the most successful. Creating a community or a membership organisation isn’t easy though - it’s an art, founded on understanding and engagement, and brought to life around a flexible set of principles. We lead our clients

through a process to understand the truth that lies at the heart of their own community or organisation and help bring it to life through branding, engagement strategy and heartfelt communications with the people that matter to them. Our goal is always to create a truly unique and inspiring strategy and identity that serves an organisation well for years to come.

EO: How do design, branding and identity impact client growth, and why does this matter?

RR: Branding is a capital expenditure (CapEx) cost. That means it’s an investment into a long-term fixed asset that will benefit a business far into the future. A study by brand valuation consultancy Brand

Finance found that a strong brand can increase the valuation of a company by as much as 20 percent. Investment in strategy and identity is worthwhile in the short term, too. A strong identity helps communities and member organisations attract and keep members. It can also increase the value of a membership as people are willing to pay a premium for the perceived value of a brand they identify with and trust. Having a strong identity, a solid culture and a member experience strategy helps engage and retain members, who in turn become the best kind of brand ambassadors. Ultimately, this reduces your paid advertising spend.

EO: How has your vision of the future changed since you started ETTO?

MR: We started with an ambition to bring people together. Since then, we’ve been on a long journey of discovery and gained insight and expertise in the wonderful world of community building. Our passion for community has developed as we’ve seen people’s need for connection grow. We’re living through difficult times, and we wholeheartedly believe that organised groups of passionate people with common interests, skills and the will to do something different are the key to solving the biggest challenges of our generation.

“WE BELIEVE THAT GREAT BRANDS HAVE THE POWER TO BRING PEOPLE TOGETHER, SPREAD JOY AND SHAPE THE FUTURE” – ETTO

Co-hosts Maddy and Rose chat with inspiring business leaders to unpack who and what has inspired them in business so far.

BEHIND THE FAÇADE

Wintech Façade Engineering supports the construction industry with the provision of independent, impartial, technical and façade engineering consultancy services. We speak to Paul Savidge, Managing Director of the company, to learn more

Writer: Ed Budds

Rapidly approaching a prestigious 40th anniversary later in 2023, Wintech Façade Engineering (Wintech) leads the way in expertise for new build and refurbishment projects. Its expert engineers look at building physics, thermal modelling, and the energy performance of façades, as well as providing specifications and

detailed designs for contractors to follow and meet the necessary performance criteria supplemented with site monitoring to check on the installation quality.

Wintech is also deeply embedded in the sustainable transformation of the construction industry, being part of numerous technical industry committees such as the Centre for

Window and Cladding Technology (CWCT) sustainability work streams and UK NZC task groups.

2022 was a busy period for Wintech, having recently opened an office in Edinburgh, a move which is just one of the latest developments in the company’s current expansion programme, building on the advancement of a new larger flagship office in London and the expansion of its Wolverhampton headquarters. This underpins the continued growth of the business and underlines the group’s commitment to building a market-leading façade engineering consultancy business across the UK. We find out more with Managing Director, Paul Savidge.

EME Outlook (EO): Firstly, could you briefly introduce us to Wintech?

Paul Savidge, Managing Director (PS): Building on four decades of success, the Wolverhampton group has grown into a strong company employing more than 100 industry experts in a range of specialist sciences and disciplines, focused on the aesthetic, environmental and structural challenges crucial to the successful completion of the building envelope. Wintech is now a recognised international centre of excellence for the science of façade engineering in what is fast becoming an integral part of the building process.

Paul Savidge, Managing Director

WINTECH CONSULTANCY SERVICES

Wintech’s specialism in providing consultancy services to commercial and high-rise buildings includes:

• Façade engineering and design

• Sustainability

• Façade access and maintenance

• Fire engineering

• MEP

Anticipated services for sample buildings include:

• Site survey and information gathering on existing construction and systems

• Net zero carbon assessment

• Energy modelling

• Overheating calculations

• Ventilation assessments

• Daylighting assessments

• Options report for fabric and MEP improvements

• Options for the introduction of renewable energy sources

• Complete carbon appraisal for the refurbishment and remedial measures proposed

• Breakdown of carbon scopes into construction, operational energy, and whole life

• Remedial concept design detailing

• Tender assistance and review of contractors’ proposals

• Design audit of contractors’ design details

• Site monitoring of installation works

• Thermal analysis involving U-value calculations

It’s a really exciting time to be a part of the business as it enters a new phase of growth.

We are building upon our current core strength of façade engineering, but also looking to prepare the business to assist with the nation’s net zero building transformation requirements. This includes sustainability and building energy advice for the mechanical and electrical systems, in addition to the envelope which is of course the building’s primary energy modifier. The government has already committed to all new builds achieving net zero by 2030 and all existing buildings achieving net zero by 2050.

EO: How does the company seek to improve cladding and façade standards across the UK?

PS: Across the UK there are 30 million homes that need to be upgraded to assist in achieving the UK’s lawful obligation of becoming net zero by 2050. It is anticipated that to achieve

this, all new builds should aim to be achieving net zero carbon by 2030. The built environment is responsible for 50 percent of the UK’s carbon emissions in both construction and operation.

The challenge is unprecedented and requires a radical change not only for local authorities, but for the country as a whole.

Wintech’s future strategy is to provide a dedicated business unit to assist in the decarbonisation of the existing building stock, in addition to our core consultancy work assisting in the façade construction of new build projects.

EO: How does Wintech encourage talent attraction and retention, particularly in the context of ongoing labour shortages?

PS: Wintech approaches its 40th year in 2023, and one of the main core building blocks of the company has been investing in and developing our

Paul Savidge, Managing Director, presenting at the University of West England (UWE)

people. This includes providing vital support to our new starters as they begin their careers, and upskilling our existing talent has always been our priority. By sponsoring education for our employees, we send a clear message that we value our staff, and in doing so have increased our staff retention, created a talented team, and boosted productivity through the years.

Wintech has always understood the importance of contributing

to a thriving industry, and with integrity at the heart of what we do, we understand that training and upskilling are necessary for Wintech to thrive and in turn support the industry and built environment.

EO: Why is Wintech particularly keen to drive recruitment amongst younger generations?

PS: Building upon Wintech’s solid reputation of investing in education

and upskilling has led to the creation of Wintech’s MSc Façade Engineering Scholarship. Launched last year, the scholarship provides additional funding for those students who need it most, assisting aspiring façade engineers in accessing the education, skills and knowledge required to enter the field. As a company, we understand the importance of attracting the younger generation to the industry and removing the barriers to entry.

Wintech has a history of working alongside academia and has over the years collaborated with several universities, with some of our engineers stepping into the lecture theatres to share and raise awareness of the science of façade engineering.

Our workforce is diverse and one of the main roles of the company has been, and continues to be, supporting talent from all backgrounds to join the façade engineering profession.

The diversity within Wintech’s workforce is further reflected in the more than 15 different nationalities represented across the company. Moreover, our commitment to representation has meant that 33 percent of our technical team is made up of women, and this has been increasing year after year.

Wintech Group is a dedicated engineering specialist in the science of façade engineering and design. The discipline also includes façade access, fire engineering and sustainability consultancy services from the early phases of building delivery strategic development to the building completion.

London School of Economics and Political Science Building Centre

Wintech engaging at “Meet the Employer” careers fair

PHOTOGRAPH: JOAS SOUZA

A LEGACY OF AMBITION

Taking the helm of one of the largest privately owned business houses in the Gulf region, we spotlight Mohsin Hani Al-Bahrani, CEO of the ACERE cluster at Mohsin Haider Darwish LLC, as an inspiring business magnate on a mission

Writer: Phoebe Harper

As one of the leading conglomerates in Oman, Mohsin Haider Darwish LLC (MHD) has a prestigious legacy. Since its inception in 1974, and its subsequent establishment as a corporate entity in 1987, MHD has followed an impressive trajectory of growth and progress.

Equally impressive however, is the

rise of Mohsin Hani Al-Bahrani, who at just 25 years old takes the helm as CEO of MHD’s ACERE (Automotive, Construction Equipment and Renewable Energy) cluster.

A family-run business, Al-Bahrani was not deterred by the potentially daunting prospect of following in his grandfather’s footsteps in joining and scaling the company.

“It was imperative, and in many ways, my responsibility, to one day receive the baton and take on the task of driving the organisation to new heights,” he shares.

Through both tenacity and ambition, Al-Bahrani’s efforts within the business are noteworthy. Within just one year of joining MHD as Director of Automotive, he had been promoted to CEO. This came at a critical time, as all companies were forced to weather a storm of economic turbulence during the COVID-19 pandemic. Not long after, in 2022, Al-Bahrani was ranked as a key figure in the prestigious Forbes 30 Under 30 Middle East.

“It is extremely gratifying to be acknowledged for your work and to know that you are on a good path – a path that leads to the greater good of all,” he says.

“I am honoured to be a part of this illustrious group of achievers. But more than that, it’s a reaffirmation of the work I have done and the impact it has had not just on our employees, but also on people at large and the nation in general.”

Mohsin Hani Al-Bahrani, CEO

A NATIONAL LEADER

As Al-Bahrani suggests, the welfare of the nation is a key concern for MHD as an enterprise founded on far-sighted entrepreneurial values of responsible corporate citizenship whereby both country and company benefit. Indeed, from the company’s very beginning, its development and successes have been intrinsically linked to the progress of Oman as a whole.

“The growth of the company has kept pace with the tremendous progress the Sultanate of Oman has achieved under the wise and able leadership of the Late His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said and continues to align with the new renaissance under the able leadership of His Majesty Sultan Haitham Bin Tariq Al Said,” he comments.

“MHD has been a great partner in the nation’s progress over the past few decades and it was only logical for me to align with and join in this path to greatness that Oman has embarked upon.”

Several initiatives pioneered by Al-Bahrani have been instrumental in this regard, including the introduction of iconic brands within the automotive

segment that have led to the creation of much needed employment opportunities while also contributing to Oman’s overall socio-economic development.

“Drawing on my business acumen and resilience, I was able to bring in niche brands such as McLaren Automotive, ABB EV Chargers, Varta Batteries, XCMG, and Weir Trio,” he says.

Other developments within this branch have included merging the Tyres and Batteries division, to facilitate the growth and expansion of major names including Michelin, BF

Goodrich, Riken, and Eneos.

“I have also been active in promoting MG Motors in the Sultanate. In 2019, the brand ranked 15th in terms of local sales volume, according to the MEAC Report. Now, it occupies second position behind Toyota,” Al-Bahrani shares proudly.

This increasing prominence for MG Motors is largely thanks to MHD ACERE’s launch of e-commerce operations for the brand, whereby consumers can purchase a car in just three clicks.

“This launch was intended to help MG reach a wider customer base and

maintain a continuous relationship with current customers and partners. In addition, to provide a premium, personalised experience to our niche customers, I enhanced the e-commerce platform of Jaguar Land Rover,” he continues.

With regards to the MHD ACERE entity as a whole, Al-Bahrani has overseen significant expansion across the sales and aftersales network in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, establishing seven new sales facilities across Oman and increasing its aftersales facilities from three to 12 in the space of two years.

“These moves have enabled MHD ACERE to achieve its goals of delivering utmost customer satisfaction and improving overall brand awareness,” he affirms.

DRIVING DIVERSIFICATION

A key part of Al-Bahrani’s strategy as CEO is centred on diversifying MHD ACERE’s operations, setting up new verticals to enhance its reach and product offering. To date, this has included the launch of MHD Leasing LLC, which caters to Oman’s tourism industry, and its newly formed healthcare division which fulfils a critical role in supporting the nation’s well-being in a practical and physical way.

“Under my remit we have partnered with some of the leading global brands in the medical sector such as Spark Meditech, Comen, Schrack Seconet AG, FUJIFILM, and Sonosite, to bring some of the best medical equipment and practices to the

Sultanate,” Al-Bahrani elaborates.

“This HospiCare division of MHD ACERE also supplies intra-aortic balloon catheters, hernia repair meshes, and other vital equipment to top medical organisations and hospitals in the country.”

As with all socially responsible corporate citizens, MHD ACERE demonstrates an awareness of environmental concerns, and seeks to tackle the immediate threat of global warming and climate change.

“I have introduced sustainable business practices to MHD ACERE and established the Renewable Energy and Electric Vehicle (EV) Chargers division” he shares.

The aim of this division is to drive technological innovation, powered by clean energy. In addition, Al-Bahrani recently signed a

contract with ABB, a pioneering technology leader focused on digital industries, for the supply of high-power EV chargers that will be installed throughout the country.

“There is no doubt that e-mobility is growing across the globe and my aim is to be among the pioneers providing the best green and sustainable solutions in Oman.”

Through this powerful combination of passion and ambition, Al-Bahrani will continue to build on the legacy of MHD while developing the nation with a focus on sustainability, and innovation.

“Our ambitions are not just limited to the organisation but transcend to a national level. We are one of the key partners in Oman’s Vision 2040 plans and as such, seek to be the biggest contributor to the achievement of the charter and the eventual progress of this nation,” affirms Al-Bahrani, hinting at the pursuit of greater expansion across both sectors and geographies.

“For us, the sky is not a limit.”

“ FOR US, THE SKY IS NOT A LIMIT”

– MOHSIN HANI AL-BAHRANI, CEO, ACERE CLUSTER, MOHSIN HAIDER DARWISH LLC

DC Fast EV charger

MINING OUTLOOK LIVE

Building on the global success of our regional titles – EME Outlook, Africa Outlook, APAC Outlook, and North America Outlook – Outlook Publishing is proud to be launching a dedicated platform for the Mining & Resources sector.

As mining organisations worldwide confront unprecedented change, embracing technological innovations and incorporating critical environmental sustainability agendas, now more than ever is the time to showcase the strides being taken in this dynamic sector. A multi-channel brand, Mining Outlook will bring you the positive developments driven by organisations across the global mining industry through our various platforms. Discover exclusive content distributed through our website, online magazine, social media channels, and dispatches delivered straight to your inbox with a bi-weekly newsletter.

Through this compelling new venture, we intend to foreground the movers and shakers of the industry. To participate as a featured company and join us in this exciting endeavour, contact one of our Project Managers today.

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CHANGING THE GAME

a male-dominated industry

Lise Waal

Anne Lise Waal has been described as one of the leading women in tech across Europe. For the past decade, she has worked as CTO and COO at Attensi – a provider of bespoke gamified training for a host of companies, with clients including Microsoft, NHS, Equinor, Bosch Siemens, Hiscox, Volvo, ASDA and the NSPCC.

Within her role, Waal has supported the company’s impressive growth and international expansion through her extensive knowledge and experience within the technology industry and by continuously scaling Attensi’s technology platform and simulationbased learning products.

As a passionate advocate for women working in the tech industry, we find out more about her take on the field today.

EME Outlook (EO): Firstly, could you provide us with a brief overview of your career background and current role?

Anne Lise Waal (ALW): I am currently the CTO of Attensi - the world’s leading provider of high impact gamified training. I first began my

career as a consultant in Enterprise Architecture and IT Governance with a Masters in Computer Engineering. After that, I was initially planning to do a PhD but dropped out in favour of going into business. From there I quickly moved into the gaming industry after seeing a job opening with leading Norwegian game developer, Funcom. I spent seven years there as senior producer overlooking the development of AAA massively multiplayer online (MMO) games.

I thought I would never be able to go into gaming because I was not working as a programmer. That was until I came across an opening in project management, which I saw as my chance to get into the gaming industry. I started at Funcom in 2006 and worked closely with Trond Aas (co-Founder and CEO of Attensi) throughout my years there. We both left in 2012 and Trond started Attensi the following year. I then joined in 2013 when there was just five people on the team.

A born and bred gamer, we discuss making a business of your passion in

with CTO and COO of Attensi, Anne

Writer: Phoebe Harper

EO: Women in tech is still an area of great gender inequality. What was your motivation to pursue a career in this field?

ALW: I am a born and raised gamer and it has always been a huge part of my life. After receiving my first games console at four years old, then my first computer (a C64) at seven, I was hooked from that point on. My dad is a tech geek, so it was always my dream to work in the creative tech business. I thought that to go into the gaming industry you had to be a brilliant programmer and my passion was not in programming, even though my education was. Instead, I transitioned into the business interface of tech, which began my journey in gaming.

EO: How has your career journey been so far? What would you consider to be your greatest accomplishment?

ALW: It has been an extremely exciting journey so far! Building a company takes blood, sweat and tears, but it is so worth it when you succeed.

My earliest accomplishment was to get that first break into the industry at Funcom. It was the first and only job interview I have ever done, so I was extremely proud of getting into the

industry and working with talented people.

My greatest accomplishment has been being able to build a kickass team from scratch developing software as a service (SaaS) technology and simulation-based training products that have enabled us to rapidly grow into a market leader and most recently raise money for global expansion. It is difficult to find motivated people who share the business’ key values that make up the company culture.

EO: What has been the most challenging thing so far?

ALW: The biggest challenge has been keeping up the stamina. When you are building a new business, times can be tough. You might not see the long-term bigger picture when working on the day to day, but when you remember to look at the longterm vision it helps you to keep your energy high.

In those first three to five years, it was challenging trying to grow both revenue and the business fast. Essentially, it’s about working to go beyond your limits when you think you don’t have any more to give. I think about it like a marathon. When you know the finish line is waiting for you, you can hardly

imagine how you’re going to get there, but the secret is stamina and motivation.

EO: What plans do you have for the next few years?

ALW: At the moment I am focused on further continuing the business’ international expansion as the goal is to take a market-leading position in both Europe and US. I also plan for us to scale our business with great people, while keeping our culture and values at the core of what we do.

As a business we are always scaling the technology platform and simulation-based learning products. Attensi takes untraditional gaming technology into new market sectors that have never used it before and it has been highly successful, but our biggest enemy is the status quo. I like to challenge the ways things have been done in the past and be truly innovative. I would love for us to be completely radical on the product side, perhaps even expanding from B2B into the B2C segment.

EO: Finally, what advice would you give for women considering getting into tech?

ALW: I would say just to take the leap, and make sure that your work is fun!

THE PAYMENTS ASSOCIATION

INDUSTRY SPOTLIGHT

Europe is a region currently witnessing phenomenal change throughout the vast and complex payments industry, driven by a combination of technological advancements and immense consumer demand

Writer: Ed Budds | Project Manager: Deane Anderton

Trading in Europe within the expansive payments industry is not cheap. In order to stay afloat, many financial institutions must now rely on the backbone of large and complex organisations.

For both domestic and international businesses, Europe remains much more complex than other continents, mixing languages, payment methods and even regulations.

The European region has also seen an explosion of FinTech businesses in recent years, offering many similar products to traditional banks.

As the world still struggles to return to pre-COVID-19 levels, several such industries have turned adversity into a fresh advantage. With digitalisation processes already well underway, the payments sector has received a key boost, with European citizens increasingly demanding better customer experiences through digital payments.

With the EU’s payments sector as varied as the cultures of each member state, the European point-of-sale (POS) market recently announced a post-pandemic increase of 14 percent yearly growth, with Norway, Belgium and Spain as the most dominant forces in this impressive rebound.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) claims the utilisation of digital platforms to bring customers and financial institutions closer together is rapidly expanding and this growth is projected to continue surging as financial institutions look to satisfy customer demands for both convenience and decreased costs.

The Payments Association exists today as the largest community in the field of payments. Now curating communities in the UK, Europe, and Asia, helping almost 300 companies enhance their commercial interests, The Payments Association endeavours to solve societal problems such as financial exclusion and evaluate new opportunities for innovation in payments.

BENEFITS OF MEMBERSHIP WITH THE PAYMENTS ASSOCIATION

CONNECT - Save time and money by connecting with the industry’s key stakeholders each month at inperson and virtual meetups, as well as identifying new opportunities and initiating new partnerships.

SHAPE - Join a working group project alongside a group of subject-matter experts in order to drive meaningful change and gain a position as a thought leader on a certain topic.

LEARN - Gain actionable, bite-sized insights on today’s business-critical industry issues in the membersonly resource hub.

MARKET – Gain brand exposure by profiling your company on The Payments Association’s website by positioning it as a part of the most influential community in payments.

INTERVIEW: THE PAYMENTS ASSOCIATION

The Payments Association’s purpose is to empower the most influential community in payments, where connections, collaboration and learning shape an industry that works for all. We dig deeper with Director General, Tony Craddock

EME Outlook (EO): Could you talk us through The Payments Association – when was it founded and what was its initial vision?

Tony Craddock, Director General (TC): The association was founded in 2008 by myself and a small board of

directors who identified that the payments industry was undertaking a period of rapid evolution and change. Back then, there wasn’t a network that could act as the catalyst for that growth, so we saw an opportunity to set up such a community that could support and serve the interests of companies across the entire breadth and depth of the payments industry.

We’ve since deployed a commercial community model that has a range of services to cater for the various needs of the community and as a result, we have built a very loyal and growing membership base.

We have also achieved a high level of engagement from our members and were recently recognised as the UK Association of the Year by the Association Excellence Awards 2022, which we’re really proud of.

EO: Do you think you’ve succeeded in delivering that initial vision?

TC: I think we’re just starting out really. We started off in a tiny room with a small group of people. We didn’t have a big pot of money to invest in this, and it’s been built organically using our own investment, hard work and creativity.

I believe there’s now a need to play an even greater role on several fronts to serve the interests of the

payments industry. It’s an unusual sector because, unlike many markets, where you find yourself competing with other companies, for those in the payments industry, collaboration is a prerequisite for success. Today’s partner or competitor may be tomorrow’s supplier or customer. So everybody must get on with everyone else. We enable this collaboration by providing a range of different events, research projects, and industry engagement working groups, which make collaboration easy and efficient.

In payments, collaboration is not a project. It’s a lifestyle. With the economic downturn and the hangover from the pandemic ringing in our ears, we have to further improve how we influence industry institutions such as the regulators, the Treasury and central banks, to make sure that the foundations of our industry are rock solid.

We must also look to deepen the breadth of services we provide, particularly around training and development, and broaden them, by growing across the EU and in different regions of the world.

EO: What are some of the major challenges and developments the association is currently facing?

TC: One of the issues that keep our members up at night is that fraudsters and scammers are getting smarter, so we as an industry must get better at preventing them from scamming and exploiting consumers.

Secondly, we’ve got to incorporate new technologies into our blueprint for the future. For example, the Bank of England is running a proof of concept for a Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) wallet, which is really progressive and exactly the sort of new technology that we must encourage the industry to embrace.

Thirdly, our community must try to encourage the adoption of new innovations without unsettling the underlying financial system, while promoting the UK as a market-leading provider of the different components that make our industry work. And we need access to an informed and progressive government that is prepared to provide support for our sector, so we are in the process of encouraging and inspiring the current government ministries to promote and embrace the adoption of new technologies and proportionate, agile regulation.

Elsewhere, there is going to be greater pressure to consolidate because of the changing nature of funding in the industry. After a decade of major investments into FinTech and payments, there’s less money around right now, and the money that there is will be more carefully focused on short-term profit rather than longer-term growth. This means that some people’s cash runways will be shorter than they had expected, and they will therefore be looking to consolidate with others. Personally, I welcome this, as it means those companies that focused on revenue rather than profit, with all the risks attached to this approach, will be absorbed into others built on more robust foundations.

Tony Craddock

The model for handling chargebacks is broken –Chargebacks911 is the solution

“Chargebacks911 has worked to mitigate chargeback risk and eliminate fraud for more than a decade. In fact, we were the very first global company dedicated to tackling the problem of chargebacks, which represents more than $200 billion in annual liability to the market. With a laser focus on this goal, we have developed the most effective strategies for minimising the impact of chargebacks, helping businesses streamline processes and optimise data insights to reduce loss.”

The opening words of Monica Eaton, founder of Chargebacks911, encapsulate not only the size of the chargebacks issue for companies but the dedication and focus that has led Chargebacks911 to become the first global company fully dedicated to helping merchants combat post-transactional fraud.

The origin of Chargebacks911 was not rooted in banking or payments. In fact, Monica wasn’t in the financial sector at all. She was a merchant that had poured years into building up an online business only to see its success and revenue eaten away by customer disputes.

She needed a fast and reliable solution, one that prevented chargebacks, recovered lost revenue, and equipped her business for sustainable growth. After trying just about every available provider, she reached a frustrating conclusion: there simply wasn’t an effective, merchant-centric solution available — so she created one.

Over a decade later, Chargebacks911’s exclusive datadriven platform provides true end-to-end chargeback

prevention and remediation technology that safeguards more than 2.4 billion online transactions every year, representing clients in 87 different countries.

Helping merchants identify the root of chargebacks

With more people buying online than ever before, there will be a greater number of mistakes, especially from new and inexperienced online users. Additionally, with more money being spent through ecommerce, there is more incentive for fraud. Both of these factors are going to increase the number of chargebacks initiated by consumers, and that’s bad news for any business selling online.

Chargebacks aren’t just another way to get a refund –they cost merchants significantly more when factoring in admin fees and the potential for card schemes to raise fees or assess penalties. It becomes a particular problem when you look at how many chargebacks aren’t legitimate but are in fact examples of “friendly fraud”.

At one end, friendly fraud can be the result of simple mistakes – not recognising a transaction on a bank statement or not checking if a package is running late. We are increasingly finding that chargeback claims are more likely to be fraudulent than not, perhaps as high as 86 percent.

Most merchants don’t know how to distinguish friendly fraud from genuine chargebacks, or how to effectively respond. To combat the issue, retailers must implement a multi-layered fraud solution composed of both pre- and post-transaction elements to identify the root cause of chargebacks. Enter Chargebacks911.

Fi911: providing financial institutions with chargeback technology

Having built success, trust, and results with its merchant customers via its Chargebacks911 brand, the leadership team launched its revolutionary new brand, Fi911, to provide financial institutions with a suite of next-generation chargeback and merchant lifecycle management technology.

Developed by Chargebacks911’s experts in collaboration with some of the world’s largest institutions and payments processors, Fi911 empowers financial institutions with APIs and innovative quick launch components to help deliver speed-to-market capabilities for managing chargebacks and related activities. Its tools are built for the challenges that financial institutions face today in the midst of the global growth in card payments and double-digit, yearover-year growth in chargeback volumes – such as its proprietary DisputeLab™. This solution helps make resolving chargeback disputes faster and more efficient by optimising each step in the dispute cycle. In addition, as part of its AI-driven platform, Fi911 offers merchant onboarding, post-transaction monitoring, lifecycle management and reconciliation services.

Chargebacks911 and Fi911: collaborative innovation for businesses built from the ground up

The company is proud of the unique and comprehensive suite of solutions it has developed to help safeguard transactions for industry stakeholders. Its products are developed to serve financial

institutions and merchants, with varied implementation options to fit virtually any budget and size. Its clients are either merchants, served by the Chargebacks911 brand and product suite, or banks, supplied by the Fi911 brand catered to acquirers and related financial service institutions.

It also works with many third-party vendors and suppliers, such as CRMs, gateways, fraud filters, processors, etc. The platform aggregates connections and data, driving efficiencies and reducing requirements for manual reviews.

Monica and her company have the capacity to bring on any business, large or small, that receives chargebacks and disputes. The company’s goal is to minimise the loss from post-transaction fraud and utilise data analytics to help prevent it from happening in the future – offering a one-stop shop for everything dispute related.

DisputeLab: Equipping brands with the insights they need to mitigate fraud and chargebacks

Disputing high volumes of chargeback claims would be extremely difficult with the limited information that card schemes give merchants about chargebacks, which is usually not much more than a generic reason code. Merchants need a way to get the information that they need to challenge disputes and win, and Chargebacks911’s solutions solve this problem.

Its unique solutions system was built from the ground up by industry experts, taking into account the breadth of experience gathered at Chargebacks911

and its wide-reaching network. When paired witrealtime management solutions for the acquirer and their merchants so they can reduce chargebacks and prevent related issues going forward.

Through DisputeLab, acquirers and their partners can face the growing levels of first-party fraud and chargebacks knowing they have the tools that will protect them against any fast-paced or dynamic events that give rise to chargebacks and potentially devastate bottom lines. Overall, the system mends an archaic chargeback management process that was not meant for today’s digital world. It allows acquirers to scale their business and operate more efficiently. It can also protect their merchants if paired with Chargebacks911’s merchant portal.

DisputeLab’s effectiveness when protecting financial institutions and merchants against damages associated with chargebacks hasn’t been seen anywhere else in the acquiring chargeback management space. As such, a number of global acquirers have chosen this solution for its key features and benefit from:

1. Reducing human error: Automating the chargeback management process and equipping acquirers with an intuitive user interface significantly reduces staff training time for ‘chargeback competence.’ DisputeLab also enables acquirers to deploy full-time equivalent (FTE) on value-adding tasks rather than relying on manual processing.

2. Operating with an in-built rules engine: This ensures that an acquirer’s now-automated chargeback management system is kept entirely up to date with the latest card scheme rules. These can be configured to business’ bespoke rules at any time. Keeping in line with scheme rules is complex and time-consuming when done manually. Through DisputeLab, acquirers are protected against costly penalties from not meeting rules or deadlines.

3. Handling dynamic or fast-moving business events: It can reorganise or ring-fence chargebacks in real time, so acquirers can immediately locate, isolate, and treat associated transactions differently to suit the business’s requirements when managing a crisis event.

4. Flexibility: The cloud-based system can be easily integrated with almost any end point, file type or system without the need for anyone to visit a business’s premises, making onboarding swift and simple.

5. Competitive advantage: Merchants are more likely to opt for an acquirer who can protect them from the huge profit loss to chargebacks, making DisputeLab a competitive differentiator for acquirers.

Making a real impact

Chargebacks911’s operations have grown significantly over the last year. It now services more than 45,000 merchants across 87 countries and 27 verticals, working closely with some of the largest merchants and financial institutions in the world. Through its chargeback remediation platform, which has the broadest coverage and supports virtually all payment methods that have chargebacks, it has protected over 10 billion transactions and recovered more than £1 billion in falsely disputed and stolen revenue to date. Fi911 is the technology platform provider for 40 financial institutions, supporting many of the world’s largest Tier 1 acquirers. It has provided a reduction in churn and attrition by over five percent for acquirers, and merchants have reported an increase in processing sustainability and growth by over 12 percent.

Through consistent rules adherence, chargeback monitoring, merchant communication, and responsible deadlines, Chargebacks911’s technology promotes significant industry-wide savings and helps acquirers, and their merchants, tackle the ever-growing issue of chargebacks head-on. Chargebacks are a problem that isn’t going away anytime soon. Shopping habits have been forever changed. So, going forward, Chargebacks911 and its sister brand Fi911 will be investing further to help all entities fight unnecessary chargebacks, enabling them to efficiently and effectively mitigate friendly fraud and lost profit.

About Chargebacks911

Chargebacks911® drives profitability for online merchants by decreasing payment disputes and recovering revenue lost to chargeback fraud. Through a proprietary suite of software and service offerings, the company delivers transparent, end-to-end chargeback management solutions backed by the industry’s only performance-based ROI guarantee.

Phone: 877.634.9808

Email: info@chargebacks911.com

Website: chargebacks911.com

Address: 18167 US Highway 19 N. Clearwater, FL 33764

Swift - enabling instant and frictionless cross-border payments

systems. There is for example room to make some cross-border payments more seamless as the world of lower value transactions grows. Swift is working hard to address all the elements that are within our control and to upgrade the industry’s infrastructure to enable instant cross-border transactions 24/7 between over four billion accounts on our network worldwide, regardless of size or value.

In today’s rapidly moving world, people everywhere expect to be able to send and receive payments instantly with a touch of a button or a tap on a screen. All payments therefore need to be fast, transparent, efficient and frictionless regardless of size or value, both domestically and across borders.

We can see firsthand the increasing benefit of values smoothly flowing across borders in our fast-paced, globally enabled society. Cross-border payments are essential to the world’s economic growth and international trade – not only for the world’s largest banks, but also for small businesses and individuals across continents.

While the majority of today’s cross-border payments are made quickly– settling within minutes or even seconds on routes where well-established direct links exist between countries – they are by nature more complicated than domestic payments. Our data shows that delays often occur at the receiving end of an international payment, likely because of capital controls and associated compliance checks, local operating hours, fragmented or incorrect data, and the use of batch processing

Together with our global community of financial institutions, Swift has made huge strides to enable instant and frictionless cross-border transactions for wholesale payments. Today, thousands of financial institutions use Swift to send and receive payments quickly and securely across the world, with full transparency over where the payment is at any point in the transaction. We give institutions confidence to send payments abroad knowing where their money is every step of the way, that all proper controls have been passed and that it will arrive on time. Not only that, but we have also delivered easy-to-implement solutions to address other friction points in the payments chain – including fixing avoidable errors upfront to avoid delays down the line, streamlining operational investigations when necessary, and ensuring compliance processes can keep up with faster payments.

While wholesale payments have traditionally dominated the cross-border payments space, we have more recently witnessed consumer behavior trends shift from a largely domestic payments model to one that regularly includes sending money abroad. The need for a frictionless experience for low value payments is clearer than ever.

Swift is committed to helping financial

Nasir Ahmed, Head of UK & Ireland, Swift

institutions improve the experience for consumer and lower-value business payments to help these businesses thrive. The foundations we laid in the high value corporate payments space have given us the opportunity to deliver the same experience in the highly competitive retail and consumer space, allowing banks to re-use infrastructure investments they have already made.

For instance, our Swift Go service allows financial institutions to enable their customers to send predictable, fast, highly secure and competitively priced payments anywhere in the world with ease – directly from their bank accounts. With a fastgrowing community of more than 630+ banks in 130 countries, Swift Go is not just rivalling the offers of card players and Fintechs, but it is doing so on a global scale as it rapidly grows to become the new standard in lowvalue international payments.

The increasing demand for instant cross-border payments has also fueled a global curiosity around central bank digital currencies (CBDCs). The Bank for International Settlements recently reported that nine out of 10 central banks are currently exploring digital currencies, covering economies that account for more than 90 percent of global GDP. However, the risk of these CBDCs becoming fragmented is high, since central banks are using different technologies, standards and protocols.

While we don’t yet know the exact role that CBDCs will play, we do know that interoperability and linking between different CBDCs on a cross-border level will be critical to fully realising their potential and to ensuring protection against market fragmentation. We have launched a number of experiments which show that Swift can enable interoperability between different CBDC networks and between CBDCs

and existing payment systems. We are committed to working with our community and partners to support this major shift in the financial ecosystem and ensure that value in all its forms – whether digital tokenbased or traditional account based – can move around the world quickly, seamlessly and securely for as many people as possible.

This is a pivotal moment as the global payments industry stands ready for an instant, secure and frictionless future, with Swift at the forefront of this digital revolution. Our work today to innovate the industry’s global financial infrastructure will set it up for decades of success, creating a digital foundation for banks, corporations and small businesses to keep raising the bar on the services they provide to their customers.

Swift is further automating the end-to-end execution of payments on our platform, ensuring data issues are a thing of the past, and that service levels are sustained –making processing transactions faster, more efficient and cheaper without compromising on security. Underlying all of this is the rich data of ISO 20022, a standard for communicating financial information that is being adopted for cross-border payments across the Swift community from March of this year. Not only has Swift played a leading role in defining the standard, but it has been entrusted by the financial community to facilitate industry-wide adoption for crossborder payments.

We can see clearly that the future of payments is powered by better data, artificial intelligence, APIs and cloud-based solutions – and that future has already started.

www.swift.com/future

EO: Is it challenging to keep up with the rapidly changing technology landscape within the payments sector?

TC: Yes, and our role is to continue to champion those new developments and to encourage people to take on and adopt new approaches, new solutions, and new technologies. Equally, we must be mindful of the fact that although our industry is dramatically different to how it was even 10 or 20 years ago, in the grand scheme of things. The debit card was invented 30 years ago, and the credit card was only invented 60 years ago, so these are long term innovation cycles.

Looking at an example such as the addition of digital currencies into the technology landscape, while we’re all excited about what it might mean, we also recognise that the adoption of something like this will take several decades, so we must possess short-term enthusiasm, but keep our eyes on the long-term horizon.

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

TC: As a membership platform business grows in scale, the value for both the buyer and the seller also grows. In such a virtuous circle, the more members you have, the more value they get and the more productive our community becomes to run. This allows us to invest more in delivering value to our members, and the virtuous circle continues.

Secondly, we’ll become increasingly focused on our policy and government relations agenda because the government needs to be completely aware of and excited about the potential for this industry sector to generate new jobs, new businesses, and successful shareholders and to do that in a way that competes with other countries. Now that we’re outside the EU we need to remain focused on building the UK as a centre of leadership in payments.

And finally, we believe that bringing people together

“THE KEY TO THE FACILITATION OF PROFITABLE BUSINESS PARTNERSHIPS IS COLLABORATION, WHICH IS ENABLED THROUGH ENGAGEMENT”

– TONY CRADDOCK, DIRECTOR GENERAL, THE PAYMENTS ASSOCIATION

post-pandemic is increasingly important, so we’re going to invest in delivering larger events to make sure that our members and sponsors get access to greater opportunities, not just here but around Europe.

EO: What is the key to facilitating profitable business partnerships?

TC: The key to the facilitation of profitable business partnerships is collaboration, which is enabled through engagement.

For example, we facilitate an Advisory Board of 18 senior executives who have been elected by their peers to represent the industry. They help to set our content agenda, ensure our governance is world class and serve as our voice in the community. In return they create profitable partnerships with each other and our members.

We also get senior executives involved with our seven

ASSOCIATION

community projects. These focus on the things that matter to our members, including financial crime, financial inclusion, regulation, cross-border payments, open banking and digital currencies. This year, we have launched a new initiative, Project ESG, which will help our industry to achieve a set of responsible, sustainable goals. It is proving to be extremely popular because our members really care about these things. And through these projects, relationships and partnerships are formed.

What makes this such a lovely business to work in is that we enable people to have a greater impact on the world around them in a way that makes them happier and more fulfilled. They feel more resilient in their working lives because they affiliate with like-minded others, have a place where they belong, and have influence over their collective destinies.

In the years ahead we will also be focusing on two other important components. Firstly, we want to professionalise

“WHAT MAKES THIS SUCH A LOVELY BUSINESS TO WORK IN IS THAT WE ENABLE PEOPLE TO HAVE A GREATER IMPACT ON THE WORLD AROUND THEM IN A WAY THAT MAKES THEM HAPPIER AND MORE FULFILLED”

– TONY CRADDOCK, DIRECTOR GENERAL, THE PAYMENTS

payments. We believe that too often people acquire skills and expertise in our industry simply by doing work and we would like to accelerate the pace at which they can learn by providing additional professional learning opportunities and more training.

Secondly, we’re going to be accelerating the democratisation of our community. We want our members to be increasingly able to influence what it is that the community does, and the way in which it is delivered through regularly checking in with our members and allowing them to influence the day-to-day content and direction of what we do. This means that the

community is not only positioned as being for them, but they’ve been involved in creating it, and co-creating it along with my team.

In the end, however, it’s really about the people we have on our team that makes all this possible. You don’t generally wake up in the morning and say, I want to work for a financial services trade association. Instead, people have joined us who are brilliant at developing great content for events, superb at managing business-tobusiness accounts, inspired at shaping policy or excellent at marketing and business development. And they have come together with the collective purpose of improving lives everywhere through payments. As a result, we have a wonderful team of highly motivated people who love working together and doing well by doing good. It’s inspiring and the real secret of our success.

FINLAND DEFENCE, AEROSPACE AND SECURITY SPOTLIGHT

Finland is renowned for its technology and manufacturing industries.

The home of giants such as Nokia Corporation, Valmet Technologies, and reputable vehicle producers, the country is also a hub of activity for entities operating in the defence industry.

This is an industry firmly rooted in the nation partially a result of Finland’s own unique history. In 1917, the country gained independence from the Russian Empire following over a century of rule, and since that time has always held a defensive edge - quite literally - sharing a border of over 1,300 kilometres with the larger neighbouring superpower.

Three months after the beginning of the Second World

War, Finland was attacked by the Soviet Union (USSR) in a conflict that came to be known as the Finnish Winter War (First Soviet-Finnish War), with two preceding wars occurring within the timeline of the global conflict - against the USSR a second time and a smaller conflict against German forces in Lapland. Following this period, and with such a vast land border with Russia, national funding and support to Finland’s military and defence industry has remained steadfast.

Today, the defence sector is an ever-changing space where technologies are utilised in unprecedented ways; robotics and artificial intelligence (AI) autonomous systems, cyber warfare, and the latest in vehicle

Writer: Marcus Kääpä | Project Manager: Alfie Wilson

technology are seen to merge traditional modern warfare with new frontiers.

The Finnish defence, aerospace and security industries focus on certain niche areas. Finland is home to global market leaders in armoured wheeled vehicles, turreted mortar systems, logistics, and command and control (C2) related systems. Finnish companies are also world leading within C5ISR (command, control, computers, communications, cyber, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance). Dual-use products with security solutions and civilian applications are also becoming increasingly important.

With a few exceptions, most Finnish defence, aerospace

and security companies are privately owned small and medium enterprises (SMEs). One strength of these SMEs is that many also operate in alternative industrial sectors. Finland therefore benefits from a larger ecosystem of such companies with substantial R&D investment (15 percent of turnover). Turnover within defence, aerospace and security was approximately €1.9 billion in 2021, which was a slight increase from the previous years, with direct employment standing at around 9,500.

Due to the smaller scale of the Finnish domestic market, Finnish companies operating in the defence industry look abroad to supply products, systems and services to customers and partners.

Made up of member companies representing the Finnish defence, aerospace and security industries, we take a look at the organisation that forms a critical part of the country’s comprehensive security and military security of supply – the AFDA

INTERVIEW: ASSOCIATION OF FINNISH DEFENCE AND AEROSPACE INDUSTRIES (AFDA)

The AFDA is made up of key players in the Finnish defence, aerospace and security industry. We speak to Secretary General, Tuija Karanko about the organisation’s evolution over the decades, and the development of products, services and technology as a result of market demand

Amajor organisation within the Finnish defence sector is the Association of Finnish Defence and Aerospace Industries (AFDA). Made up of approximately 140 member companies representing a wide variety of technologies and solutions, the AFDA’s members form an integral part of Finnish comprehensive security, as well as military security of supply.

EME Outlook (EO): When was the AFDA established, and how has the organisation’s mission evolved since?

Tuija Karanko, Secretary General (TK): The AFDA’s mission is to promote favourable operating conditions for our members, to foster their competitiveness, and to assist them in their national and international relations. The AFDA is a non-profit organisation and was founded in 1994. We are part of Technology Industries of Finland and a member of the Aerospace, Security and Defence Industries Association of Europe (ASD).

In the very beginning, the AFDA’s mission was to bring together the companies focusing on defence and to provide the Finnish stakeholders with a point of contact for the defence industry. Since then, our scope has enlarged and it now also covers aerospace and security. International networking has become increasingly important, as the recent changes in our security environment will have implications for the Finnish industries and our work as an organisation.

EO: Can you tell us about the Finnish-based global market and your work with SMEs?

TK: We work with every company that is interested in joining the AFDA and working with other companies within the association. Finland itself is a home for market leaders within armoured modular vehicles, turreted mortar systems, C3 and C4ISR systems as well as certain cyber solutions.

Most of our members are SMEs, and an important topic for us is cross-border market access especially for such companies.

THE PAN-DEFENCE BUSINESS NETWORK

The AFDA is made up of a multitude of member companies that are active in many markets, including but not limited to:

• Advanced materials

• Aeronautics

• Aerospace

• Cyber security

• Electronics

• ICT

• Land sector

• Robotics

Our

– TUIJA KARANKO, SECRETARY GENERAL, AFDA

EO: How does the AFDA respond to any challenges or security issues that may arise in Finland?

TK: Finland, and the defence technological and industrial base in particular, has a long history of public-private partnerships where the companies and authorities work hand-in-hand for the country’s comprehensive security. Therefore, we are very resilient and have specific policies and measures for military security of supply. This work needs to continue and we need to develop new ways of ensuring our capability to support the comprehensive security of Finland in any situation.

EO: Are there any major R&D developments or upcoming events that the AFDA’s member companies are involved in?

TK: Our member companies invest heavily in R&D. Over 15 percent of their cumulative turnover is put towards it, and they have been very active in the European Defence Fund (EDF) project calls. As a flagship project, I would like to highlight the European Future High Mobile Augmented Armoured Systems (FAMOUS) project in which Patria, the Finnish defence company, is the consortium leader. The consortium consists of 19 leading defence companies from across the EU.

The AFDA arranges dozens of events annually, such as our new initiative which is a defence and security

event called ‘SecD-Day Conference & Exhibition’. It is the first one of its kind and will also welcome international participants. The event will take place in Helsinki from the 8th to 9th February 2023. Please see www.afda.fi for more information and registration.

EO: Lastly, how do you see the future of aerospace and defence developing further into the decade?

TK: The Russian war on Ukraine has highlighted the importance of defence, aerospace, and security technologies as a security provider. A sustainable and secure Europe needs our industries. We need to develop future capabilities but at the same time provide for the urgent requirements of our defence forces. Unfortunately, we live in a world that is not completely safe, and where defence, aerospace and security technologies and investments are needed in the present and into the future.

AFDA

Tel: +358 40 559 8986

AFDA@techind.fi

www.afda.fi

“THE RUSSIAN WAR ON UKRAINE HAS HIGHLIGHTED THE IMPORTANCE OF DEFENCE, AEROSPACE, AND SECURITY TECHNOLOGIES AS A SECURITY PROVIDER”

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SEAFARING A NEW WAVE OF

From fishing vessels to megayachts, Gulf Craft keeps seafarers afloat in style. Deputy Managing Director, Abeer AlShaali dives into the waters of a business born from passion that has grown to become a leviathan on the global stage of elite boatbuilding

Writer: Phoebe Harper | Project Manager: Kierron Rose

SEAFARING

aluminium and steel. In an age where the superyacht has become a signifier of status and celebrity, luxury leisure boating has exploded into a multibillion-dollar industry.

Nevertheless, from the age of antiquity to modern day, the same

EME OUTLOOK: COULD YOU TELL US MORE ABOUT THE LAUNCH OF YOUR NEWEST BOATS?

ABEER ALSHAALI, DEPUTY MANAGING DIRECTOR: “We announced two key yachts at the Dubai International Boat Show in 2022. At the 2023 show, we will launch the Majesty 111. This is not simply a new yacht – it’s a whole new definition of what a superyacht can be. It’s a gorgeous boat with cutting edge technical features that help to bring the outside in.

“In addition, we announced the Majesty 160 superyacht. There are some key features in this design that are going to be very captivating for clients and we’ve already had a lot of interest. “Both boats are extremely futureforward and I think that 2023 is going to be a great year for these two yachts.”

undeniable magnetism of the ocean and the romance of seafaring endures.

It is an impulse that beats strongly within Abeer AlShaali, Deputy Managing Director of Gulf Craft – a leading manufacturer of superyachts and one of the top seven superyacht builders in the world.

“I have always been fascinated by boatbuilding – that you can take an idea, draw it, build it, and see it come to life,” she continues.

This is precisely what Gulf Craft has excelled at for decades, with 2022 commemorating the company’s 40th anniversary. This manufacturing milestone celebrates Gulf Craft’s prestigious history in designing, building, and shipping boats across global waters through a vast distribution network from its base in the UAE.

“We are made in the UAE, and we are very proud of that, but we don’t think of ourselves as an Asian builder or as a Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region builder. We are a boat builder for boat enthusiasts, and that’s international,” says AlShaali.

“We speak boat, and we have a passion for it.”

THE PURSUIT OF A PASSION

Gulf Craft was born in 1982 as the brainchild of its current chairman and AlShaali’s father, Mohammed Alshaali – an entrepreneurial businessman and professional diplomat with an aptitude for identifying a gap in the market.

“It basically began with my father, his partner and his brothers looking at the cost of shipping boats into the UAE,” explains AlShaali.

“He came from a strong background in boating, his grandfather and father both worked as captains, and everyone in his family had gone out to sea. It was a passion that they all shared,” she recalls. “They began to study the size of the market, its potential, and shortly after the company was established.”

Cantalupi Light Engineering

Cantalupi is a group made up of three companies - Cantalupi Electric Systems, founded in 1951, Cantalupi Light Engineering, born in 2001 and 4C Innovation, established in 2015recognised around the world for their expertise and specialisation by the most important shipyards, designers and architectural firms. To this day, Cantalupi has operated on more than 800 yachts throughout its 71 years of history.

Specifically, Cantalupi Light Engineering specialises in the production of technical and decorative lights for the superyacht industry. The design and manufacture of the lighting solutions take place within its facilities in Tuscany, where the Bespoke Division is also based. The aim of the company is to create excellent, highly customised solutions that represent the best synthesis between technology, elegance and beauty. The company also stands out for professional services and maximum customer support.

From an “idea of light” Cantalupi Light Engineering can develop the whole project through solutions that match every single project, request and design need.

Cantalupi Light Engineering creations are based on refinement and a profound desire for exclusivity. The company is constantly experimenting with original, sophisticated and timeless solutions that meet the exceptional expectations of its clients. Exclusivity is in the details, that are so crucial in the creation of a highlevel product designed for classy environments and spaces with an unforgettable style.

The products of Cantalupi Light Engineering arouse experiences full of charm. The high quality, handcrafted materials and fine finishes provide customers with exciting sensory stimuli and help create experiences of refined elegance. www.cantalupilighting.it

The excellence of yacht lighting in the world

Together, Gulf Craft’s founding members sought to change a nascent market whose development was hampered by prohibitive shipping costs, a significantly underdeveloped marine infrastructure and a virtually non-existent skilled labour force. Regardless, an undeterred passion for the sea kept the idea afloat.

Navigating the choppy waters of a budding maritime environment, Gulf Craft began bringing the boating

industry to UAE waters with the production of fishing boats. Although a far cry from the superyachts that have become synonymous with the Gulf Craft name today, such fishing vessels remain a key staple of the company’s portfolio.

“We are not only superyacht focused – that’s a key thing for Gulf Craft. We are interested in boats across the range regardless of size,” affirms AlShaali.

MAKING WAVES IN THE MALDIVES

Gulf Craft has been in the Maldives for over 20 years and was the first to introduce fibreglass boats to the archipelago – a significant technological advancement from the wooden dhows formerly used.

“We introduced this modern technology to the Maldives, and we continue to enjoy a very good relationship with the people of that country,” AlShaali comments. Most recently, Gulf Craft has launched a new manufacturing base here to develop its boatbuilding footprint.

“The Maldives is a unique situation in that the nation relies heavily on boats. Our current facility has provided roughly 85 percent of the transportation services there, including emergency services, public transport and resorts and leisure transits. It was the natural next step for us to continue to build a bigger facility and advance the new wave of bringing yachts into the Maldives.”

Working in collaboration with the local government, the new facility will be a state of the art manufacturing base. In addition, Gulf Craft will be working closely in partnership with the community by building a school where Maldivians can be trained and educated in these skills.

Sylka Carpets

SYLKA Carpets reinvents luxury with new ecoconscience innovation

One of the world’s leading producers of luxury carpets for superyachts has achieved what many thought was impossible, by bringing to market a totally sustainable luxury carpet, perfect for the marine industry.

With a long and successful history of supplying and installing flooring on some of the world’s most opulent vessels, SYLKA wanted to take its next big step and revolutionise their entire range through the creation of EcoSylk.

At the heart of this bold development by SYLKA is a commitment to reducing carpet waste by preventing thousands of tonnes of used carpets from going to landfill through the regeneration of used yarns.

EcoSylk is the embodiment of a ‘circular solution’, ensuring that every carpet SYLKA creates not only comes from recycled fibres but are themselves fully recyclable – ensuring no carpet waste ever ends up in landfill again.

No other luxury carpet producers have made such a significant commitment to quality, style and sustainability.

World-renowned for producing some of the highest quality carpets and rugs, SYLKA’s products have the benefits of being luxurious to the touch, with a deeply lustrous look, while remaining easy to maintain and more resilient to wear and fibre loss than traditional wool and viscose carpets.

Through careful development, EcoSylk retains these award-winning characteristics, while also delivering on SYLKA’s pledge to be a reducer, rather than a producer of waste.

sylkamarine.com

Indeed, the company’s diverse product range is a unique market differentiator in building all the way from 32 ft vessels to 175 ft, produced entirely in-house and under one corporate identity. Alongside the company’s commercial line, Gulf Craft builds Majesty and Nomad yachts and superyachts, Oryx sport cruisers, and SilverCraft leisure family fishing vessels.

Complementing this expansive range are the unparalleled in-house capabilities which AlShaali credits as another standout attribute for Gulf Craft in producing these floating masterpieces.

“The company is more like five factories in one because we do our own joinery, upholstery, metalworks, carpentry and more – all of it is done in-house.”

Although the challenging nature of the market conditions at the time of inception may have initially

hampered the company, it was this lack of infrastructure that forced Gulf Craft’s hand in developing its own expertise in-house, culminating in a vertically integrated operation that today represents one of its greatest advantages.

KEEPING IT IN THE FAMILY

Since AlShaali was invited by her father to take on a role at Gulf Craft, she has continued to echo the zeal and passion that is the company’s bedrock, while also introducing her own vision with a particular emphasis on developing a local supply chain and enhancing opportunities for training and development.

“I never even think of it as a career - I grew up around boatbuilding with the factory constantly in the background. I always had an affinity for it,” she says.

“The idea behind me joining was to carry forward my father’s vision and legacy, to help to continue delivering

Besenzoni S.p.A.

Besenzoni S.p.A. offers an incomparable range of standard and custom made products for yachts and superyachts: external and re-entering gangways, deck or garage cranes to hoist tenders and water toys, automatic roof systems, pilot seats, boarding and multifunctional ladders, patio and pantograph doors, windows with electric movement, balconies and garage doors opening solutions, automations beach area and anything else that may be entrusted to an accessory.

Made in Italy enriched by the most innovative and avant-garde technological and design solutions, they constitute the best range available on the market.

besenzoni.com

Heirlooms

Heirlooms is a unique British manufacturer regarded as the Rolls Royce of bespoke linens. With an outstanding team of craftspeople, we design and manufacture luxurious linens for a growing international clientele.

Whether private homes, palaces, superyachts or private aircraft, Heirlooms has the expertise to meet the needs of our discerning clients.

An ongoing commitment to sustainable materials is reflected in us holding the Royal Warrant to her late Majesty the Queen and to the former Prince of Wales – King Charles III. We are honoured to support Gulf Craft with stunning linens for their yachts.

heirlooms-linens.com

on our quality and growth, while also bringing in international standards and cleaning up some of the processes and habits that had been formed over the years.”

Although to a lesser extent than in 1982, Gulf Craft still confronts the weaknesses of UAE’s manufacturing base. As such, AlShaali today leverages the Gulf Craft name to champion a strong focus on developing the Emirate’s marine prowess.

“Being in an environment that doesn’t have a strong manufacturing infrastructure, it’s something that we are constantly working on,” she says.

“Going forward, I would like to grow our supplier base locally, so that as we continue to grow, we bring up the people around us. My father is extremely supportive of this.”

To be able to source niche products, such as marine-certified glass and pantograph doors from within the

UAE, would be a major advantage for both the company, and the industry across the region.

This holistic vision also opens windows for building the future of the industry, training and educating the next generation of boatbuilders and manufacturers.

“For me also, it’s a great opportunity to work with universities and schools to provide internships to students. I like to get very involved personally with that side of the business,” AlShaali adds.

BEYOND BOATBUILDING

Although its products are arguably the greatest symbol of the Gulf Craft name, the company in its entirety comprises a broad network of different departments and expertise that work in synergy to keep the cogs of this well-oiled machine turning.

This entails internal production processes, such as concept, design

Hydromar

Gulf Craft has chosen to equip their recently produced yachts with the SeaScape, a multipurpose platform produced by Hydromar. The SeaScape can be used in many ways and for many purposes; launching of tenders and jetski’s, serving as a swim platform, providing access to the dock, becoming a stage, the possibilities are endless. The platform is capable of moving in and out and up and down while staying horizontal with a self-leveling ladder, this makes it versatile in use.

Hydromar has developed the SeaScape according to their highquality standards and standardised solutions philosophy. The multipurpose platform will continue to operate under all conditions and can easily withstand the water pressure while being submerged. The SeaScape comes in different standardised sizes, the range is such that Hydromar will be able to find a match for yachts from 40m to over 150m.

The outstanding quality of welldeveloped and proven standardised solutions can be found in the entire portfolio of Hydromar; gangways, boarding ladders, swim ladders, deckand garage cranes, to name a few. In many instances we are the complete system integrator of all the hydraulic equipment on board a yacht. Many yacht builders, like Gulf Craft, choose Hydromar because of the knowledge they have in the combination of machining, shipbuilding and hydraulics. Hydromar continues to improve and innovate their products while focusing on excellent quality, craftsmanship and reliability.

www.hyrdromar.nl

and engineering, which have enabled Gulf Craft to build and develop its own brands, compared to other players in the market.

“What differentiates us is that we have not purchased brands – these are our brands that we have developed ourselves,” states AlShaali.

Although the company may occasionally collaborate with external international firms for certain design elements depending on the project - as AlShaali says, “everything is a

cooperation” - this in-house expertise remains a huge strength.

“We have had design firms say that they find it easier to work with us because we have that perspective and those design skills in-house. When they’re talking to us, they’re talking to the boatbuilder, to the guys who are going to understand the design, and that’s been a great advantage.”

This extends beyond the production process to client-facing departments including sales and marketing which

SEA&BOAT NV Superyacht Systems by SEA&BOAT

Gulf Craft collaborates with the Greek manufacturer SEA&BOAT on choosing the luxury custommade NV gangways for the Majesty Superyacht Collection.

In recent years, the superyacht industry has focused on transforming vessels into luxury accommodation units. The yachts are not just a transport method to a destination anymore. Now the travel is the destination. Gulf Craft, being perfectly aligned with this perspective, offers an extraordinary overall in-sea experience with the Majesty Superyacht Collection.

Stepping on such outstanding vessels, the gangway systems are essential and have to meet excellence. This has always been what SEA&BOAT aims for with their NV systems range; excellence in the equipment provided, but also incorporating a high responsibility in their technical support. These features are the reasons why SEA&BOAT has created a strong cooperation with Gulf Craft, being a valuable and reliable partner for all their new-build superyachts. NV offers these systems as customised equipment especially designed according to the vessel model, but still every NV gangway is managed as a new project, becoming a unique masterpiece for each superyacht, with extraordinary details, as well as extra features and functions upon request. Moreover, all NV products are handmade, giving exceptional attention to detail and finishing, and ensuring that the end product is a true reflection of the owner’s expectations.

Further to the NV gangway custom and standard range, SEA&BOAT also offers customised solutions for multifunctional boarding systems, Pwd boarding systems, lifting systems and other hydraulic equipment, such as boarding ladders, deck cranes, hydraulic platforms, ceiling davits etc.

SEA&BOAT: ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE, we just make it happen. seaboat.gr

Gulf Craft Shipyard, UAE

Reels Smart Technologies LLC, Your Partner in Technology, is an integrated provider of automation solutions company in Dubai, UAE. We are revolutionizing the business by connecting the worlds of distributed media with high-tech control systems for lighting, curtains, security, air conditioning, entertainment, ELV, and multi-room audio, all with an emphasis on the user experience.

You can trust that we will only offer you the highest quality, most trustworthy, most easily accessible, and most securely implemented home automation solutions.

Our mission is to develop advanced smart home automation systems that are superior to anything now available in the Middle East or anywhere else in the globe, all while remaining intuitive and userfriendly to maximize both the quality of life in the home and its resale value.

Your complete pleasure is our top focus as the industry’s leading home automation services supplier, which is why we supply our assistance with boundless passion.

“WE HAVE THE SAME CLIENTS WHO WILL BUY A SUPERYACHT AND A FAMILY FISHING VESSEL FROM US. THEY CHOOSE TO DO THAT WITH GULF CRAFT BECAUSE THEY KNOW WE CAN OFFER THAT VARIETY WHILE BEING HANDLED BY JUST ONE RELATIONSHIP MANAGER”

–

fulfil a critical role in streamlining relationship management through one point of contact handling the customer’s access to the diverse portfolio of products that Gulf Craft offers.

“We have the same clients who will buy a superyacht and a family fishing vessel from us. They choose to do that with Gulf Craft because they know we can offer that variety while being handled by just one relationship manager,” she explains.

CHANGING TIDES

As Gulf Craft moves forward into a period of extensive growth, investment is being made across the board within all these various segments – from recruitment, to products, service facilities and developing brand awareness in different markets – to ensure that the entire network advances as one.

A key example of Gulf Craft’s recent investments is the launch

of its new manufacturing facility in the Maldives where the company intends to strengthen its presence in a strategic market. Complementing this international outlook, Gulf Craft will continue to expand its global dealer network to reflect its interest in boating in its entirety.

“We like the challenge of adapting to the demands of boat and yacht owners from around the globe and we’re committed to strengthening our

ABEER ALSHAALI, DEPUTY MANAGING DIRECTOR, GULF CRAFT

product offering and our relationships – externally and internally - through the way we conduct our business and what we offer to the world,” surmises AlShaali.

Two exciting new developments were announced in the Gulf Craft product range last year, after it declared the launch of the superyachts Majesty 111 and Majesty 160. The latter represents the pinnacle of modern boatbuilding.

“These boats show how we are always interested in creating something new,” she says. “We are excited to go and show the world these new creations.”

Under AlShaali’s direction, Gulf Craft refuses to drift into the doldrums, keeping afloat on a continual tide of innovation and improvement.

“In any company, occasionally you need to do a kind of audit to sit back and re-evaluate processes. It can be easy when you’re vertically integrated to continue moving in the same way, but it’s essential that we continually re-assess,” she says.

“We are committed to continuously improving our build techniques, processes, and whatever it is that we can do to create something better.”

NEW HORIZONS

With its sights set on the future, Gulf Craft will maintain its leading position at the prow of the global boatbuilding and yacht manufacturing market.

“We are one of the premier shipyards in the world. We have sold boats from Panama to Tonga and we’re proud of that. We will continue to ship wherever we can,” shares

AlShaali.

Gulf Craft’s continued success since its inception is something of an anomaly in the superyacht world, with AlShaali highlighting an industry report documenting the traumatic decade following the financial crisis of 2008-2009. During this time, 50 percent of all superyacht builders in the world were forced to close following bankruptcy.

“The fact that we’re still standing and growing after 40 years is testament to our capabilities.”

Gulf Craft Shipyard, UAE

INFORMATION

TRANSFORMATION WITH ATOS

The pace of change across the manufacturing sector is starting to increase. With the evolution to more customer-centric and service-centric business models, it is imperative that manufacturers make better use of the data and technology available. The manufacturers that invest in this now will get ahead of the curve, see stronger returns and will best equip their businesses to flourish in the future. The future of manufacturing, therefore, lies in maximising the effective use of both information and operational technology (IT and OT). By digitising value chains, manufacturers will be able to join up their businesses, optimise demand and supply and create the agility needed to respond to changing market dynamics.

As a world leader in IT solutions, cybersecurity and decarbonisation services, Atos provides end-toend solutions for all industries. Its performance enhancing services for manufacturing span both IT and OT and are enabling new production possibilities, more sustainable supply chains and factories, and growing revenue streams. IT plays a significant role in today’s business world, and when integrated effectively into OT, has the potential to improve manufacturing and create new business models in ways that are still to be discovered.

“Adopting an end-to-end approach to smart manufacturing and IT/OT integration has the ability to link up businesses that operate in silos and drive real, sustainable business value,” Simon Culshaw, VP Manufacturing Northern Europe, Atos tells us.

Culshaw suggests that looking at manufacturing operations in the context of the wider business is needed in order to maximise return from smart manufacturing / industry 4.0 initiatives. “You can improve manufacturing efficiency or reduce waste from operations, but such initiatives create even greater value if

With manufacturing set to spend more on digital transformation than any other industry, we speak to Simon Culshaw, VP Manufacturing Northern Europe at Atos to find out what it means for the industry

Writer: Rachel Carr | Project Manager: Dennis Morales

Your factory, only smarter

If you are a manufacturer with at least one IoT or Industry 4.0 initiative in the works, chances are there are sensors on your shop floor or in your supply chain, and computers across your enterprise that are regularly generating masses of industrial equipment data. No matter how many di erent IoT or connectivity initiatives you have in place, however, these tactical ‘innovation projects’ won’t address the strategic demands facing your industry today: the need for an intelligent, self-aware factory where production assets, manufacturing processes and equipment maintenance converge.

As the world changed, the bar for manufacturers went higher. Driving sustainable value and intelligently connecting your business strategy with your people, processes and technology is no longer a ‘nice to have’.

At Atos, we understand that the convergence of the physical and digital worlds – from the shop floor and operational equipment to the intelligent enterprise and the wider ecosystem – require both the right experience and the right technology infrastructure. Our deep sector expertise means we know how to guide you to successfully transform manufacturing plants into adaptable, agile closed-loop Smart Factories, including self-optimising, self-healing production processes within a connected business network. In conjunction with our technology partner, SAP, we’re using some of the world’s most advanced technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to create factories that not only orchestrate the manufacturing processes, but actually learn from their experiences. The combination of SAP’s technology and our step-based approach means you can easily adapt at your own pace to meet all your sustainability, environmental, productivity and commercial needs.

Our experience in this area means Atos is the trusted partner to some of the world’s leading manufacturing companies across both discrete and process industries, from automotive and aerospace and defence manufacturers through to chemicals, CPG, pharmaceutical and hi-tech.

Our consultative Smart Manufacturing service gives you:

• A robust business case for investment.

• A clear strategy and a realisable road-map.

• Insight on how and where to start, what to expect and how to scale.

• Advice on how to accelerate business benefits and drive sustainable value and environmental gains.

• A customised immersive experience and tailored workshops.

• Co-development environments demonstrating proof of value and building the case for rollout at scale.

• Solution design and implementation.

Our step-based approach lets you:

• Maximise asset data in real time.

• Break organisational silos and realise benefit across the value chain.

• Create self-optimisation.

• Reap the benefits of self-healing, predictive maintenance, automatic creation scheduling and dispatching of maintenance tasks, rescheduling of production via alternate machines or work centres.

• Trigger proactive alerts to respective engineers, supervisors, and shop floor operators.

• Test, scale and deploy specific Smart Factory use cases that will best optimise your assets and plants.

they are, for example, linked through to procurement and planning. This can, along with other benefits, free up working capital, eliminate the need for spot buying, prevent starvation events and enable just in time delivery.”

Reduced waste and energy consumption along with increased efficiency will contribute to net zero targets as well as adding to the bottom line, and Culshaw recognises that it is important to factor these benefits in when implementing smart manufacturing solutions. The use of technology to enable these benefits is changing how businesses operate and paving the way for new business models.

“Technology has the ability to move manufacturing businesses from making to stock to making to order, from making in specific factories to design anywhere, build anywhere and from pure manufacturing companies to companies that add further value through services and direct customer relationships,” says Culshaw.

OPPORTUNITIES AND POSSIBILITIES

As a leader in the digital transformation of manufacturing, Atos builds, implements and operates end-to-end solutions for smarter factories. It is a field that Culshaw himself had already experienced earlier on in his career when he was exposed to manufacturing processes in the pharmaceutical industry.

Although this sparked his interest, it was a while before he got to work in this area in earnest. In the interim, he worked across a number of different industry sectors – experience which has been invaluable in seeing the art of the possible and in generating ideas to be used in a manufacturing context.

“For example, I worked in the telco sector, implementing fully integrated operational support systems (OSS) and business support systems (BSS) which enabled complete zero-touch, automated solutions,” Culshaw

elaborates. “It gave me a valuable insight into what was possible with technology and how to run a business based on it.”

Culshaw first became interested in smart manufacturing and the possibilities of digital transformation in the industry through a contact — the IT director at a large food manufacturing company in the UK. Again, the process flowed back to adding to the bottom line.

“He had a vision on how to use technology to improve manufacturing efficiency and reduce waste but

was struggling to make the business case for it,” recalls Culshaw. “We met through a conversation about SAP implementation, and he thought they could be doing a lot more integrating this with technology in the manufacturing space.”

The key support processes across the business were run through SAP, such as procurement, accounts payable/receivable, goods in, logistics, production planning and demand planning. They each had visibility in the business, but as Culshaw explains, “In the middle of

RESULTS FOR RENAULT

In terms of successful smart manufacturing programmes delivered at scale, Culshaw cites Renault’s application of an industrial data solution that Atos is now working to industrialise and take to market in the automotive and discrete manufacturing sectors.

“Renault is rolling this solution out at real scale, and it has already delivered insight that has led to huge cost savings, greater efficiency and reduced waste across their manufacturing processes,” he explains.

The results speak for themselves, as Renault launched the first industrial Metaverse.

“We are implementing other solutions involving things like integrated product lifecycle management to enable closed loop manufacturing and digital twins, resulting in shorter design cycles and faster time to market.”

“The approach to smart manufacturing works best when it is a co-development with the manufacturer. This way, you work together to address real business challenges, gain true business insight and focus on the business benefit in the long term,” adds Culshaw.

“The Renault solution is remarkably encouraging; it has provided benefits which they did not foresee. They were able to find patterns in data that they were not expecting.”

all that was the big black box which is manufacturing. This is how the business viewed their factories. They can see what goes into them and they can see what comes out of it, but they have no idea what happens inside.”

Using technology to control the manufacturing process, the product lifecycle and to integrate these into the rest of the business enables you

“I AM STARTING TO SEE CHANGE IN THE MARKET WITH MORE MANUFACTURERS COMMITTING TO SCALE UP SMART MANUFACTURING INITIATIVES. THE DIRECTOR OF IT AT A LARGE FOOD MANUFACTURER TOLD ME RECENTLY THAT THE ONLY THING HE WOULD HAVE DONE DIFFERENTLY WITH THEIR INDUSTRY 4.0 INITIATIVE IS TO DO IT MUCH MORE QUICKLY AND AT SCALE”

– SIMON CULSHAW, VP MANUFACTURING NORTHERN EUROPE, ATOS

to gain control over the end-to-end supply chain. In this case, Culshaw’s contact needed a business case that would bring it to life.

It was this opportunity and the subsequent implementation to deliver the business case that resulted in Culshaw’s fascination with the possibilities of technology in the manufacturing context.

“These solutions were not difficult to implement, but for me they were quite ground-breaking, especially when they were integrated into end-to-end business processes,” says Culshaw. “In terms of the technology used in the factory, it was generally standalone to that point, and this bought manufacturing processes into the mainstream business.”

INNOVATIONS IN MANUFACTURING

As an example of the benefits that can be delivered from fully integrated smart manufacturing solutions, Culshaw cites a soft drink manufacturer which he worked with. They implemented technology to create integrated processes across core business functions, aligning order intake to procurement, goods-in, accounts payable, capacity planning, production scheduling, quality and recipe management, warehouse management, manufacturing control and providing a full product genealogy.

“It enabled the company to achieve 100 percent first-time right in its ingredients processing, provided an accurate picture of stock and enabled effective first-in, first-out routines,” he explains.

The whole approach was driven by looking at the end-to-end manufacturing process and the processes that support it.

“We went on at the soft-drinks manufacturer to implement many more solutions based on a common platform. One such solution drove a significant increase overall equipment efficiency in the plants. It was a solution based on the theory of constraints that enabled them to course correct in real time and maximise yield from the lines,” Culshaw adds.

TRANSFORMING WAYS FOR FUTURE DAYS

Forecasts predict that by 2025, some USD$815 billion will be spent on digital transformation by the manufacturing industry.

“There is a good reason that manufacturing is the industry sector that will have the largest spend on digital transformation. Too many factories are not yet integrated into the business and are still being run on paper and spreadsheets,” Culshaw says.

“Where manufacturing is digitised, there tends to be multiple standalone

Atos has teams of people all over the world and an amazing community focused on driving real value for manufacturers from the use of smart manufacturing technology.

point solutions that have been put in place to address specific challenges. The cost to the business may be initially low, but the lack of common platforms and integration actually costs the business more and misses the opportunity to drive greater value from the investment.”

Since initiating the smart manufacturing programme at Atos in the UK, Culshaw continues to drive its progress.

“We have teams of people all over the world and an amazing community focused on driving real value for manufacturers from the use of smart manufacturing technology. I have helped drive this in the UK and Northern Europe; it is a real passion of mine and something that I can see enormous potential for across our customer base in the manufacturing sector.”

Looking towards the future, Culshaw has a key objective for 2023.

“Atos aims to be a leader in smart manufacturing services which drive sustainable business value through the implementation of intelligent, integrated solutions,” said Culshaw. “These solutions can transform manufacturing by connecting business strategy, people, processes and technology.”

He goes on to add, “strong partnerships will be the key, and I

am keen to be involved in initiatives in this area, as they can help deliver at scale and have the potential to dramatically accelerate time to benefit.”

Nevertheless, when it comes to scaling up smart factories, it is not without its challenges, he warns. Francesco Betti, Industry 4.0 lead for the World Economic Forum and Enno do Boer, lead partner for Industry 4.0 at McKinsey, refer to many manufacturing businesses as being stuck in ‘pilot purgatory’ when it comes to Industry 4.0 initiatives.

“The big challenge for manufacturers is to escape pilot purgatory and to do this at scale,” says Culshaw. “Only by doing so will they make substantial change to the bottom line, increase agility and make the adoption of new business models possible.

“The way in which many manufacturing businesses are run make it difficult to scale Industry 4.0 initiatives. Investment which cuts across business functions and brings the silos together needs active championing at the board level, often from the CEO. This requires a bit of a leap of faith, and there is a nervousness to commit to the benefits that can be delivered.

“A robust business case is often not sufficient, we need to see more active promotion of shining examples of excellence, an ecosystem which enables joint investment and leadership in manufacturing which is prepared to push boundaries. At Atos, we are committed to pushing this and to helping industry move into the modern age of production.”

UTILISING VIRTUOSITY

Over the last three years, UTIL has grown impressively into a multifaceted global manufacturing group spanning three continents. Group President and CEO

Fernando Bertoni breaks down the company’s proven recipe for success

We are a relatively small company, but global in nature and by design.”

Taking full advantage of more than 60 years of technological leadership, UTIL’s journey of continuous growth is grounded in technological innovation, the ability to design and manufacture cutting-edge solutions, the flexibility of its manufacturing capacity, the continuous search for excellence in terms of the quality and performance of the finished product, and the progressive globalization of its industrial operations.

UTIL excels in the provision of cutting-edge solutions for high-precision products. The company designs and engineers technological solutions for the production of high-quality parts used in various industrial sectors, from the automotive sector

to agricultural and earth-moving machines, construction to household appliances, and e-mobility to twowheeled transport.

Similarly, now able to draw expertly from his 25-year career in the global industrial space, spending 18 of those years at General Electric (GE), Fernando Bertoni, UTIL President and CEO, has navigated a global career fundamentally around energy, automation and the automotive.

“I have worked in the initial phases of what is referred to today as the energy transition and for the last four years I’ve been part of what we call the automotive transition of transportation from the internal combustion vehicle to a broader concept of electrical mobility,” he describes.

Writer: Ed Budds | Project Manager: Kierron Rose

AN INDUSTRY IN TRANSITION

The automotive manufacturing industry is currently in a revolution phase because it is transitioning from an established technology developed over the last 70 to 80 years to a new form of mobility. Only time will tell how successful this transition will prove, as there remain a number of unpredictable variables play across the sector in the journey through this vast evolution.

These key variables include technology development and adoption, cost acceptance, and

UTIL ESG TARGETS

ENVIRONMENTAL

• Monitoring and ensuring compliance with the latest climate and environmental regulations

• Focusing on the management of energy and waste

• Introducing circularity in product design

SOCIAL

• Focusing on the health, safety, and well-being of all employees, as well as providing training and reskilling programmes

• Fostering diversity, fairness and inclusivity for all employees

• Creating social value in local communities

GOVERNANCE

• Evaluating sustainability at every point in the supply chain through periodic audits that include ESG factors and set objectives for improved performance

• Investing in new technology and preparing to address physical risks that might result in the interruption of the supply chain

• Monitoring and complying with the complex array of regulations that govern product safety and sustainability

infrastructural readiness, and these factors are all affecting or playing a key role in the industry and the element of uncertainty at present.

With all participants in the industry still strategizing and trying to figure out how to best play the game, UTIL believes that the future will encompass several innovative technologies including internal combustion, electrical, hydrogen and hybrid methods of transportation.

“Across the mobility space, we are being offered the opportunity to do something that we love, which is to innovate, take risks, learn from mistakes and grow. Despite the challenges and uncertainty, it remains a very exciting time to be part of this industry at a time that will define us as a company and as professionals for many years to come,” Bertoni assures.

SPECIALISTS IN FINE BLANKING

Util defines itself as a global fine blanking technology provider. Fine Blanking is UTIL’s core technology, and the company prides itself on its great reliability in guaranteeing a high level of quality of the finished product in terms of rigorous compliance with project specifications, in terms of tolerances, flatness in the order of a hundredth of a millimetre and accuracy of the surface finish. This complex process allows UTIL to produce high-precision ‘net shape’ components in large quantities in a repeatable manner, minimising waste, and reducing costs and processing times with presses operating with exceptional power.

“Through our core technology, we develop, design and manufacture a wide array of components for the automotive industry and beyond and when we say beyond, we include electrical mobility, as well as other

We provide quality slit coil, plate, sheet and sheared to size product.

industries such as construction and agriculture,” Bertoni adds.

On top of this, UTIL complements fine blanking with its capability to design and build its own tools, alongside running what the company calls secondary operations, which are fundamentally state-of-the-art machining operations to produce sophisticated parts.

Now employing over 800 people located globally across four sites, on three different continents around the world, at present, UTIL works out of manufacturing and technology centres in China, Italy, Canada, and most recently Mexico. This is on top of commercial and services organisation offices in the US and Germany that complement the now expansive global company footprint.

“We have the privilege of serving some of the largest players in the world, including very large global market

“WE HAVE THE PRIVILEGE OF SERVING SOME OF THE LARGEST PLAYERS IN THE WORLD, INCLUDING VERY LARGE GLOBAL MARKET LEADERS SUCH AS BOSCH, CONTINENTAL, MARELLI AND ZF”

leaders such as Bosch, Continental, Marelli and ZF, ” he acclaims

“While we have the privilege of working with some of the largest Tier 1s in the world, through them we serve global platforms including Maserati, Porsche and Ferrari” he adds.

“Because of the breadth and depth of our technology and the fact that in addition to being the masters of fine blanking technology, we have the capabilities internally to design and

build our own tools, there is no solution that we cannot develop internally for our customers.”

This then provides UTIL with leverage in terms of its engineering and design capabilities and the flexibility at a technical level that it can provide to customers. There are very few companies in the automotive and manufacturing space which utilize fine blanking technology and that at the same time can develop their tools internally. This means that from prototyping a few samples to manufacturing large batches, UTIL

– FERNANDO BERTONI, GROUP PRESIDENT AND CEO, UTIL GROUP

enables its customers to carefully evaluate product specifications and make informed decisions before mass production begins.

“On top of this, none of our competitors has the global footprint that we have across three continents,” Bertoni adds proudly.

ESTABLISHING DIVERSITY

Diversity for UTIL is encapsulated within the company’s work around the environmental, social, and governance (ESG) space.

“We have developed and implemented a diversity initiative over the last three years, which acts as a dedicated talent development programme, especially for empowering women in the workplace,” Bertoni outlines.

“Today we have the honour and the privilege of having key senior leadership positions in the company covered by our female leaders, such as the head of HR, the head of Internal Controls, the Secretary of the board of directors, and the head of our Global Procurement, who are all integral to UTIL.

“They are not there because they are female leaders, but instead because they have proven to be the best in the context of the meritocracy that

“DESPITE THE CHALLENGES AND UNCERTAINTY, IT REMAINS A VERY EXCITING TIME TO BE PART OF THIS INDUSTRY AT A TIME THAT WILL DEFINE US AS A COMPANY AND AS PROFESSIONALS FOR MANY YEARS TO COME”

– FERNANDO BERTONI, GROUP PRESIDENT AND CEO, UTIL GROUP

The Directors along with the authorities, open a new area at the Italy plant

is built into the fabric of our talent development plan, to best fill those roles where we need the best people covering the position.”

The two proven fundamentals of the success of UTIL are accountability and empowerment.

“These values have allowed us to grow fast and efficiently. In this, my role and the role of my senior leadership team is clearly defined, and each of us feel fully accountable. We

are a lean, horizontal organisation that is extremely results-driven, and we must preserve this,” Bertoni explains.

SECURING A PROMISING FUTURE

In a gradually declining industry over the last several years, due to the various challenges encountered over the last few years, from the fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic to the war in Ukraine, UTIL has managed to defy the odds by continuing to grow its business by over 20 percent annually.

Decided upon by the core group of senior leaders as they strategized and prepared the upcoming plans for 2023 at the close of last year, the key fundamentals that UTIL will be looking to implement include the mission of accelerating the company’s diversified product portfolio primarily in Asia and North America.

This is alongside the ambitious aspirations to grow UTIL’s Mexico operations which were set up and

have been running since late 2021 and went into mass production in the early part of 2022. The group has also endeavoured to place great importance on ensuring protection for the company’s future in this tumultuous and challenging time for the industry.

“In a world of great uncertainty, cash is more king than ever before, so we’ll continue to work on making sure that our cost structure remains in check, and at a level consistent with our size and profitability goals. This will make us even stronger, and it will give us the opportunity to continue to grow the company organically and be opportunistic on organic growth in the future,” concludes Bertoni.

China plant

Canada plant Italy plant

Mexico plant

Head office, Italy

Photovoltaic Park, Italy plant

EXTENDING OCEAN POTENTIAL

Salmon Evolution is the Norwegian player at the forefront of sustainable salmon farming. We speak to CEO Trond Håkon Schaug-Pettersen about the company’s chosen hybrid flow-through technology, and its production plans moving forward

Sustainable food sources are the key to feeding a rising global population while maximising efficiency and maintaining environmental goals, a trio of factors that balance the demands of people and the planet.

Salmon Evolution aims to be one such company. A Norwegian landbased salmon farming business founded in 2017 by a group of

visionary pioneers with vast experience in the seafood industry, Salmon Evolution was established with the goal of becoming a beacon for sustainable salmon farming. Using innovative technology, Salmon Evolution is extending the ocean’s potential by transferring the best conditions offered by the sea to farm salmon on land, in a more sustainable way. The company is currently

Writer: Marcus Kääpä | Project Manager: Liam Pye

Trond Håkon Schaug-Pettersen, CEO

targeting a production capacity of 100,000 tonnes of head on gutted (HOG) salmon by 2032.

Through the company’s chosen hybrid flow-through (HFS) technology, which combines the benefits of both traditional and landbased aquaculture, Salmon Evolution is solving several traditional farming issues. With controlled and optimal

eliminating the challenges associated with conventional seabased farming, such as sea lice,

escapes, reducing mortality and emissions, and feed loss.

“We are becoming a part of the solution in providing the world’s growing population with more protein while reducing the impact on our shared planet,” introduces CEO Trond Håkon Schaug-Pettersen. “We are highly engaged in our mission to extend the ocean’s potential through innovative and sustainable means.”

Salmon Evolution has been listed on the main list of the Oslo Stock Exchange since 2021, and has subsequently continued to grow. The company started construction in May 2020 and has almost completed Phase 1 of its long-term development plan.

Today, Salmon Evolution numbers around 60 employees, all of whom are dedicated to achieving its progressive business and global goals.

FARMING BY THE NORTH SEA

Salmon Evolution’s first production facility is strategically located at Indre Harøy on the Norwegian west coast, which boasts unlimited access to fresh seawater, renewable energy,

established infrastructure, and an educated and experienced workforce. Phase 1 is already in operation, and the company is seeing an annual capacity of 7,900 tonnes of HOG salmon at a steady rate. Fully developed, the Indre Harøy facility will have an annual capacity of 31,500 tonnes of HOG salmon.

According to Schaug-Pettersen, the production facility was previously an abandoned quarry, and so adapting the area to suit the needs of the business has kept intrusion into nature at a minimum.

“The site had unlimited access to clean and fresh seawater, adequate electricity supplies, deepwater quays and opportunities for expansion and growth,” he details. “In addition, it was optimally positioned in terms of distance for produce to reach the market. The location for landbased farming was perfect; we have transformed an undeveloped land zone into a new and modern industrial adventure.”

Salmon Evolution has an agreement for slaughter services with Vikenco AS (Vikenco), one of the leading salmon processors in Norway, located only 10 kilometres (km) from the production site in Indre Harøy. Due to this

Blue Ocean Technology Sludge evolution with Salmon Evolution

Plug and farm: Take your fish sludge through a high quality treatment line, from 0.3 percent dry solids to valuable biochar – all ESG supporting and bottom line positive. Blue Ocean Technology offers fish farmers, on land or at sea, a complete sludge solution that creates real resources and real value from what to date has been considered waste or unwanted discharge.

We offer flexible solutions that can easily be expanded (Plug&Farm®): Easily scalable, with very low energy signature – and minimal space requirements.

DESMI

It’s a great milestone and recognition for DESMI Group to supply the entire centrifugal pumps and frequency converters package in the first project phase at Indre Harøy.

DESMI has been a supplier for the seafood sector for decades. Hydraulic energy optimalisation has been the key focus in our latest pump R&D. Long experiences in seawater applications combined with know-how in the land-based processand energy sector, we believe are important factors for the aquaculture industry in the near future.

It has been a great honour for DESMI to work closely with the EPCcontractor, Artec Aqua, and Salmon Evolution during project execution, and commissioning at Indre Harøy. E

www.desmi.com

The system itself takes in 30 to 35 percent cold and fresh water at any given time, helping to maintain fish welfare.

Using Blue Ocean Technology’s dewatering and drying technology helps to lower the threshold for establishing optimal downstream systems.

We now see the contours of what this will become with technology and ingenuity facilitating sustainable opportunities. And we continue to work with purpose and great enthusiasm in collaboration with our customers who are at least as passionate about this as we are.

Land-based solutions

solutions

Dewatering: Screw presses Dryers: Blue Dryer

ENERGY EFFICIENT PUMP SOLUTIONS AND UV SYSTEMS FOR

AQUACULTURE

www.desmi.com

desmi@desmi.com

• Simple installation, operation, and maintenance

Simple installation, operation, and maintenance

• Acts as a firewall for viruses in intake water

Acts as a firewall for viruses in intake water

• Can be delivered skid mounted for super easy installation

Can be delivered skid mounted for super easy installation

• No chemicals, only UV light

No chemicals, only UV light

The DESMI pumps and systems are sold to more than 150 countries via a network of subsidiaries and distributors on six continents.

• Design to run 24 / 7 / 365

Designed to run 24 / 7 /365

• Very long intervals between maintenance

Ranges from 35 m3 to 3,500 m3 Horizontal Reverse

• High efficiency > 85% at high-flow & low-pressure conditions

Very long intervals between maintenance efficiency > 85% at high-flow & low-pressure conditions

Vertical Horizontal

Filtration: Band filters

Complete, containerised dewatering system delivered Salmon Evolution

proximity, there is no need to invest in subscale processing operations as Salmon Evolution’s partnership with Vikenco provides the company with a comprehensive product portfolio, full product flexibility, HOG, fillets, and portions divided into two main categories – fresh and frozen products. This gives Salmon Evolution an industrial cost level from day one.

OCEAN TO EARTH

Sustainability and innovation are two aspects of business that lay at the heart of Salmon Evolution, both of which are encapsulated by HFS technology central to the company’s farming practices. HFS represents the most suitable technology to utilise on-site, especially alongside the optimal water conditions available along the Norwegian coast and in

Salmon Evolution’s other locations worldwide.

“Our emphasis has been on creating the most natural possible environment for the salmon while avoiding the challenges we find in the sea, such as lice and disease,” SchaugPettersen says. “We have put biology first in everything we do because we want to create an environment where the salmon not only survives, but also thrives. This ensures better biology, quality, fish health and welfare, improved sustainability and, in the end, long-term profitability.”

The system itself takes in 30 to 35 percent cold and fresh water at any given time, helping to maintain fish welfare and provide control of the production environment, while the company also reuses approximately 65 to 70 percent of the water to save energy and control overall temperature. Intakes at two different water depths also provide Salmon Evolution with opportunities to optimise temperature and heating requirements.

“Each production tank is structured as a separate biological zone to reduce operational and biological

EME OUTLOOK: CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT YOUR TEAM AND THE ADVANTAGES OF YOUR INDRE HARØY LOCATION?

TROND HÅKON SCHAUG-PETTERSEN, CEO: “We have grown the company from only a handful of people to around 60 staff members over a period of only a couple of years. We are fortunate to be located in the heart of the aquaculture industry with very good access to competent people. Furthermore, land-based salmon farming is a merger between the farming industry and the more conventional processing industry, where both competencies are equally important to succeed.

“In addition to the significant level of farming activity in our area, there are also a number of highly advanced processing industry facilities including oil and gas refineries and alumina producers, which has enabled us to recruit a highly competent team of employees. We also see that what we represent with our vision of “extending the ocean potential” is something that appeals to people and something they want to be a part of.”

Gjøco

Gjøco is a Norwegian producer of thermosetting products for the construction industry. The products are mainly used for ensuring the protection and watertightness of tanks, bridges and industrial flooring. Our success is grounded in tight connections and teamwork between designer, contractor, material supplier and applicator, as well as the landlord. The good solutions comes with good planning and teamwork, especially when it comes to details.

www.gjoco.no

High-performance heat pumps for Salmon Evolution

In 2021, PTG won a contract from Artec Aqua to supply an energy plant with a system efficiency capable of delivering 30 kW of heat for each kW input. The system efficiency is achieved by PTG supplying ultraefficient heat pumps with COP at 12. Low energy consumption will help to cut operating costs and the carbon footprint for Salmon Evolution.

The last of the six large heat pumps was delivered in August as part of the first development stage for Salmon Evolution’s land-based fish farm. Each heat pump controls the perfect temperature of a huge amount of water, up to 40,000 litres per minute.

www.ptg.no

PTG

Gjøco AS develops and produces innovative thermosetting plastic products, based on epoxy, polyurethane and polyurea, to withstand tough conditions.

Gjøco has outstanding expertise in polymer technology, with superior products and the ability to tailor a solution to any project. This makes your floor, deck, bridge, quay, tank, pipe, or parking garage hard-wearing, waterproof, and crack bridging at low temperatures, leaving every customer satisfied!

Big heat output with low power input

The PTG heat pump and energy plant for Salmon Evolution can heat water with a minimum of power. The heat pump COP is above 12, and taking the energy plant as a whole, Salmon Evolution gets 30 kilowatts back for each kilowatt it puts in.

www.ptg.no

The best solutions come from those who thrive on challenges.

risk, and wastewater treatment and sludge recycling will minimise the environmental footprint,” SchaugPettersen adds. “Waste and feed residues from production are collected and used as raw material for producing biogas or fertiliser, thereby ensuring that the whole project contributes to a circular economy.”

SETTING A NEW STANDARD

The Indre Harøy facility will be one of Europe’s largest fish farms on land, as it has been designed for a total annual production capacity of 31,500 tonnes of HOG salmon from its completion set for 2028. This production capacity is comparable to 10 to 15 conventional salmon farms (covering an extensive geographical area), yet the Indre Harøy location only covers around 100,000 square metres, a substantial reduction in land usage furthering the company’s sustainability-centric goals.

“We will provide around 150 million salmon portions a year for the world’s population from our flagship facility in Norway,” Schaug-Pettersen elaborates. “It is being developed in three phases, with Phase 1 providing an annual production capacity of 7,900 tonnes of HOG salmon from late 2023. Phase 2 will add another 7,900 tonnes,

“SALMON EVOLUTION REPRESENTS A STEP CHANGE IN SALMON FARMING”

– TROND HÅKON SCHAUG-PETTERSEN, CEO, SALMON EVOLUTION

with construction planned to start this year. The final phase, Phase 3, will take total production to 31,500 tonnes.

“Salmon Evolution represents a step change in salmon farming. Raising our salmon on land gives us a unique opportunity to optimise the environment so the salmon thrive and live a happy life. This results in quality the world has never seen before.”

GREEN GLOBAL GOALS

For Salmon Evolution, operations are intended to stretch from east to west. The company has entered into a joint venture with seafood giant Dongwon Industries where the parties will develop, construct and operate a land-based salmon farming facility in South Korea with an annual production capacity of 16,800 tonnes of HOG salmon, using Salmon Evolution’s chosen HFS technology.

On top of this, the company has also initiated a process with the aim of establishing a land-based salmon farming operation in North America.

However, despite this, salmon farming can only be undertaken in specific geographical areas around the world.

“We cannot operate everywhere –we need access to waters of a certain temperature,” Schaug-Pettersen reveals. “There are places where we cannot apply this concept, but there are still a lot of locations that have the right conditions, enabling us to provide the salmon with an excellent living environment.

“We are already utilising our knowledge and experience in South Korea via our joint venture with Dongwon Industries. Together we will develop, construct, and operate a land-based salmon farming facility. As we go international, we will always do so enabled by our flagship operation at Indre Harøy. Here we are going to have the best land-based salmon farming facility in the world, in the middle of the aquaculture cluster in Norway with access to people, suppliers, competence and the full value chain.”

Through the utilisation of technology, competence, and experience from domestic projects, Salmon Evolution aims to develop projects in targeted growth markets in collaboration with local partners. The company has a clear road map towards 100,000 tonnes of production capacity by 2032, and is on track for around 25,000 tonnes of capacity by 2024.

EME OUTLOOK: CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT YOUR BACKGROUND AND EXPERIENCE IN THE INDUSTRY?

TROND HÅKON SCHAUG-PETTERSEN, CEO: “After gaining a BSc in Economics and Business Administration from the NHH Norwegian School of Economics, I started as an investment banker at Swedbank/First Securities advising Norwegian and international companies on IPOs, equity and debt capital raisings, M&A and strategy, and continued this career for nine years.

“From here, I joined the salmon farming industry serving for over four years as Senior Vice President of Finance and Business Development at Norwegian salmon farmer and processor Hofseth International. Thereafter, I took over as Salmon Evolution’s CFO in January 2021, and CEO from October 2022, the position I hold today.”

is a high awareness of land-based salmon as an environmentally friendly and sustainable solution. We see a fantastic opportunity now for our land-based salmon as the market is looking for new categories, and we believe there is an open position in the market to build a new concept that really emphasises both quality and sustainability.”

OPPORTUNITIES ABROAD

Norway has been a leader in providing the world with premium salmon for many decades. Since then, salmon – or in fact Norwegian salmon - has become the world’s most popular fish. With its long coastline and stable, cold temperatures, the country makes for the perfect natural salmon farming conditions, and currently, about half of all farmed salmon comes from Norway.

Norway already has an advantageous starting point with its long and proud traditions of living by and off the sea, with perfect natural conditions for salmon farming. Cold, clear waters in the fjords along its long coastline form an ideal environment where salmon thrive, and that is why Salmon Evolution is

building its flagship facility in Norway, the pinnacle of salmon farming knowledge and expertise.

“Salmon of Norwegian origin is also the most preferred among consumers, and the only origin which seems to be increasing in popularity year on year,” Schaug-Pettersen affirms. “As we see it, there is now a window of opportunity with very limited land-based competition in both Europe and abroad for the foreseeable future, and Salmon Evolution aims to be the market leader in the development of landbased salmon farming globally. With the strong platform we have at Indre Harøy, we are confident that we are in a unique position to do so.

“We have done some consumer insight and what we see is that there

The company’s first harvest has confirmed good fish health and fillet quality, firm meat texture, a vibrant and consistent red meat colour, and of course, excellent taste.

“Because we make no compromises on water quality, fish welfare or environmental responsibility, our salmon thrives better, grows better and tastes better - it’s a new standard of salmon.”

SALMON EVOLUTION

Tel: +47 46 86 00 00

post@salmone.no

www.salmonevolution.no

QUENCHING THE THIRST FOR SUCCESS

As the largest bottler of soft drink products in the country, General Manager of Coca-Cola

HBC Hungary, László Békefi highlights the company’s impact on the beverage market, and its sustainable business model

Writer: Rachel Carr | Project Manager: Kyle Livingstone

Coca-Cola is one of the most recognisable brands in the food and drink industry and in popular culture, but a little-known fact is that the soft drink is bottled by different companies around the world.

Coca-Cola HBC Hungary (CCHH) is part of the 29-member-count CocaCola HBC AG, an important strategic partner of Atlanta based The CocaCola Company and the largest bottler of Coca-Cola products in Europe. The

company aims to expand to a total beverage company in Hungary and strives to become a production hub of its Group in Central Europe.

Primarily serving retail, hotel, restaurant, and catering customers from small family-owned businesses to the largest multinational retail agents, CCHH is headquartered in Dunaharaszti. The company owns two production sites, eight logistics sites, and the country’s largest food and

drink warehouse.

“I personally believe that this company has shown amazing growth potential over the past few years and has finally become what it was always meant to be – a centre of excellence, a driver of innovation, and a home of talent,” introduces László Békefi, General Manager of CCHH.

CCHH currently employs 1,000 people directly, and another 13,000 indirectly through its supply chain.

With 528 million litres bottled for domestic sales in 2021 and exported to 17 different countries, it closed the fiscal year with €308.1 million in net revenue. As a result, CCHH represents the largest beverage manufacturer on the domestic market.

“We see that the stability of CCHH as an employer represents a serious and growing value in the labour market, which gives us a significant advantage. We are an employer of

choice in the FMCG category. We have been honoured by PwC with the Most Attractive Workplace Award in the FMCG category for the fourth time consecutively in 2022 and were appointed the most attractive workplace in the FMCG sector

THE COMPANY’S #YOUTHEMPOWERED PROGRAMME...

CCHH’s #YouthEmpowered programme is primarily aimed at helping people aged 18-23 find their way into the labour market. The initiative supports participants in finding a job, choosing a career, changing careers, or starting a business by providing free selflearning and skills development materials and small group face-toface workshops. Extensive online learning materials are available on https://enjovom.hu./

The programme’s demographic has grown. Through its partners it now helps disadvantaged young people, as well as secondary school students, university students, mothers, jobseekers with disabilities and young people thinking of starting their own business, with learning materials ranging from selfawareness to basic legal skills.

The latest educational material focuses on food waste and was created in cooperation with The Hungarian Food Bank Association.

according to Randstad’s employer brand survey.”

The company is proud of its talented workforce and puts significant effort in talent development with programmes targeting different seniority levels and working skills. Moreover, CCHH places important focus on Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) topics putting women leadership at the centre of its activities in order to facilitate the appointment of more women colleagues in management roles.

“We offer a clear and predictable career path for our employees, and as a multinational company, we can also provide our colleagues with the opportunity to try themselves in an international environment in other markets of Coca-Cola HBC or in the central team of our Group.

“Looking back to the past 12 months, I can proudly say that we managed to close a remarkably successful year. We continued to grow strong on the domestic market in order to maintain our leading role in the F&B industry. Our portfolio has expanded rapidly; we have introduced several novelties in almost all market categories and even tried our capabilities in new market segments. We have reached growth in market shares for our key products, and we proudly own several marketleading brands. Our investments have greatly contributed to developing our business to provide faster, more accurate and overall better service to our customers, suppliers and through them to the end consumer.”

INDUSTRY INSIGHTS

The company mainly operates in the non-alcoholic ready-to-drink (NARTD) market, whose categories include carbonated soft drinks, juice, flavoured and natural mineral water, iced tea, energy, and

Rancilio Group

Sharing a common passion for excellence, responsibility and premium quality, Rancilio Group is a trusted, long-run partner of CocaCola HBC Hungary in the coffee business.

The beautiful simplicity of mopping up a great espresso is at the heart of the Hungarian consumer. Today the decisive drink of Italian coffee culture is the most popular coffee type in the country. Every second Hungarian drinks it regularly. It requires only the best quality coffee, and the best-in-class coffee machine to be able to extract the soul of this extremely complex drink into the consumer’s cup. CCHH knows it and proudly chose Rancilio Group to be the leading coffee machine supplier of its HoReCa business. Today, more than 1,100 professional devices have been placed out to CCHH’s customer network. Rancilio coffee machines provide an exceptional coffee experience, are comfortable to use and come with an overall service support.

Being a leading professional company in the coffee machine industry, Rancilio Group manufactures and sells food service equipment in over 115 countries, owns four brands, and maintains an extensive global sales and service network. Founded in Milan, Italy in 1926, the innovative company has been keeping up with changing industry and consumption trends over the almost 100 years of its history while evolving its business expertise and knowledge of Italian espresso. For Rancilio Group, sustainability is a responsibility and a key to long-term success that involves each part of the business worldwide.

www.ranciliogroup.com

sports drinks with further presence in the premium spirit, coffee, and snack categories.

How consumers purchase drinks products changed dramatically with the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic. This unique period’s impact on the beverage market significantly changed consumer shopping habits.

“In 2020, the number one place for consumption has become the home, both for soft drinks and coffee. Therefore, during the pandemic, more people chose to purchase larger packs of products, instead of single serve packs. The purchase of multipacks has increased, so the consumption has not become significantly less, but its structure has changed,” Békefi informs us.

E-commerce has reinforced the trend and pushed the sales of single serve packs as online retail became an accelerated sales channel during the pandemic.

“Despite the challenges of that time, CCHH managed to close 2021 with an outstanding result and continued to the pre-pandemic levels in 2022,” he says enthusiastically.

The summer of 2022 saw the most successful sale season in the company’s history in Hungary. This

was primarily driven by its seasonal programmes, but also due to the lifting of restrictions, favourable weather, and a boost in domestic tourism.

“Going forward, and as food inflation impacts shopper baskets in 2023, it is important that we, together with our customers, segment our product range through offering a portfolio of premium propositions and affordable packs at the same time. While this addresses consumer needs, it also helps to grow the category and create value to our customers.”

24/7 PORTFOLIO

The company already has one of the broadest portfolios in the industry, and the selection is still expanding.

“Our products cater to a growing range of tastes with a wider choice of more conscious options, premium products, and increasingly sustainable packaging,” Békefi tells us proudly.

The beverage company offers the right product for all kinds of occasions, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. As a result of this business strategy, CCHH’s products have reached 65 percent of households in Hungary.

The product portfolio is always improving in line with ever-changing consumer needs, the range is

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constantly broadening with 100 different products currently offered including Coca-Cola, Fanta, Sprite, Kinley, Fuzetea, Smartwater, local water brand Naturaqua, Costa Coffee, and Jack Daniel’s.

“In 2022 alone, our premium spirit portfolio expanded with nine new brands as we became the exclusive distributor of the Bacardi-Martini products.

“In the beginning of last year, we added premium Italian espresso brand Caffè Vergnano to our growing coffee portfolio. Soon after, we entered the snack market as a result of a vertical portfolio investment initiative in which we started to sell oat biscuits called MyWellness at one of our biggest key account customers as part of a market pilot,” he adds.

WORLD WITHOUT WASTE

Supporting this ever-expanding portfolio of diverse projects is an operating model that is becoming increasingly environmentally-friendly. Sustainable-centric technologies, such as reducing plastic, using more recyclable plastic and aluminium are an integral part of the corporate culture at CCHH. With a sustainable

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business model, the company creates value for its stakeholders, while addressing environmental issues. Appropriate packaging is essential to keep products fresh and a strict requirement from a food safety aspect, but the long-term impact of packaging materials on the environment, especially plastic packaging, means there must be new, sustainable solutions.

Békefi insists that the company is an engine for change; the approach and goals for greater sustainability of packaging have been consolidated in the “World Without Waste” global strategy that was announced together with The Coca-Cola Company in 2018.

“Our commitments by 2030 include collecting and recycling the equivalent of 100 percent of the packaging we use. Our beverage packaging is already 100 percent recyclable, and we have committed to increasing the proportion of recycled materials in our bottles and aluminium cans to 50 percent.”

The most recent innovation in new packaging technologies was the €2 million KeelClipTM, replacing the shrink wrap previously used for multipack aluminium cans with 100 percent recyclable cardboard packaging, thereby reducing plastic consumption by 230 tonnes per year.

In addition, the amount of plastic needed to produce PolyEthylene Terephthalate (PET) bottles has been reduced by 20 percent since 2010. “We use 170 tonnes less aluminium per year for cans of soft drink packaging in our plants, and we also gradually reduce the amount of secondary packaging materials needed to store and move our products,” Békefi adds.

“We continue to explore innovative packaging technology solutions that could replace commonplace packaging materials in the future –such as the paper bottle prototype The Coca-Cola Company has developed together with the Danish start-up Paboco.”

PRECISION PICKING

Continuing on the theme of constant innovation, CCHH is annually increasing production and logistics capacity. Its latest advancement in this field was the introduction of robot picking technology in its central warehouse in Dunaharaszti last year.

“The integration of digitalisation and automation into our corporate operations is of strategic importance, as we want to serve Hungarian households and the 17 export markets from a modern, 21st century production unit,” says Békefi.

“The artificial intelligence (AI)based robot system, installed with an investment of €1.8 million, helps us to accurately prepare customer orders and fits neatly into this strategy,” he adds.

The investment is a unique logistical innovation in the Hungarian food industry. The technology handles the company’s top 20 best-selling

products based on their position in the warehouse with zero error.

“Processes like the pre-delivery assembling, palletising, and wrapping of new products are carried out by three automatic robotic arms, forklifts and smaller vehicles responsible for moving of the products,” explains Békefi.

The three robotic arms can assemble up to six pallets per hour, working twice as fast as a human workforce.

The combination of human and robotic resources increases picking efficiency by 15 percent. By allowing faster responses, it also enables accurate changes to company needs.

“We are proud to be the first in the Coca-Cola HBC AG, which has a presence in 29 countries, to introduce robot technology into our logistics processes.”

The newly introduced robot picking technology is not the only

efficiency improvement that supports digitalisation.

“Smart glasses have been used in the picking process since 2020, which enables our employees to assemble customer orders for delivery in the warehouse using voice-guided instructions,” reveals Békefi.

The vision picking technology is powered by AI which improves the quality and efficiency of work, and it can help develop current working processes by making a wide range of data available to analyse.

“Up to 24 people can work safely at the same time in the picking area using smart glasses at the central warehouse. The picking accuracy is 99.9 percent, and the efficiency of order assembling has increased by 10 percent.”

MESSAGE IN A GREEN BOTTLE

Parent company Coca-Cola HBC AG has made a commitment to achieve

Sustainable and Inspired Packaging that meets the needs of consumers and our planet.

net zero emissions across its entire value chain by 2040.

“Through an existing and approved science-based target, we will reduce our value chain greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in Scopes 1, 2 and 3 by 25 percent by 2030 across the CCH Group, with a further 50 percent reduction in the following decade,” assures Békefi.

To address the 90 percent of emissions resulting from third party actions, the group of companies will broaden its existing partnership approach with suppliers. This

will maximise the contribution of partners to these sustainability goals. Wherever the issue cannot be eliminated entirely, they will mitigate these by investing in other climate protection measures.

“We have switched to significantly more energy-efficient lighting in our central warehouse, and the number of hybrids and vehicles with alternative drives in our company fleet is increasing every year,” informs Békefi.

In 2022 alone the company replaced 5,000 coolers with more modern, energy-efficient ones, saving

commercial partners up to 60 percent of energy.

“Between 2002 and 2022 we made investments worth €45 million in our Zalaszentgrót plant. Most longterm investments were for capacity expansion, technological innovation, and environmental improvements.

“The Zalaszentgrót water plant –like the one in Dunaharaszti – uses 100 percent green electricity. The green operation of the plant in Zalaszentgrót is enhanced by heat pumps, supplying green thermal energy to the premises, making its operation almost entirely carbon neutral,” he adds.

A BENEVOLENT BEVERAGE COMPANY

CCHH has proudly been a partner in several volunteering initiatives for years with various non-governmental organisations (NGOs).

“Our objective remains to empower local communities through our responsible operations, and to adapt

“OUR PRODUCTS CATER TO A GROWING RANGE OF TASTES WITH A WIDER CHOICE OF MORE CONSCIOUS OPTIONS, PREMIUM PRODUCTS, AND INCREASINGLY SUSTAINABLE PACKAGING”

– LÁSZLÓ BÉKEFI, GENERAL MANAGER, COCA-COLA HBC HUNGARY

Our packaging is designed to be easily recyclable, supporting a future with less plastic waste.

Graphic Packaging is proud to be Coca-Cola HBC Hungary’s supply partner.

to their needs and expectations,” says Békefi.

With the support of The CocaCola Foundation – The Coca-Cola Company’s global philanthropic arm – the company joined efforts with water management authorities and an NGO called Plastic Cup in 2019 to clean up the Tisza, Hungary’s second largest river.

The Zero Waste Tisza River programme aims at providing constant protection, waste collection and recycling of accumulated waste.

The initiative has removed more than 100 tonnes of waste from the river since 2019 and has introduced several technological innovations, such as a water purifying container to make clean water more accessible to the local population in Subcarpathia, which has grown due to the ongoing conflict in neighbouring Ukraine.

Plastic Cup mobilised more than 100 people, who donated thousands of working hours to clean up the Tisza

and its tributaries. CCHH volunteers also joined the programme with more than 200 enthusiastic colleagues managing to shift eight tonnes of waste.

CCHH’s philanthropic concerns as a responsible corporate citizen are one of the many factors that first attracted Békefi himself to work for the company.

“It is a community of dedicated, devoted, and enthusiastic people,” he shares. “It makes me proud to see what we have done to achieve our sustainability goals.”

This is proven by the company’s corporate volunteer programme.

In operation since 2007, it is a key element of its corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategy.

“Within the framework of this programme, our employees support important local projects, and help NGOs, educational institutions and communities that do not have all the resources or skills they need.

“Our company has also been working with the Hungarian Food Bank Association for many years. In the current economic situation, we believe it is more important than ever to reduce food waste as it is in our common interest.”

“OUR OBJECTIVE REMAINS TO EMPOWER LOCAL COMMUNITIES THROUGH OUR RESPONSIBLE OPERATIONS, AND TO ADAPT TO THEIR NEEDS AND EXPECTATIONS”

– LÁSZLÓ BÉKEFI, GENERAL MANAGER, COCA-COLA HBC HUNGARY

COCA-COLA X RED CROSS

Coca-Cola Hungary (a collective name for CCHH and The Coca-Cola Company’s local representation) and the Hungarian Red Cross have been working together for 12 years to ease conditions for people living in deprivation. Recently, efforts have been focused on the COVID19 pandemic and the humanitarian disaster caused by the war in Ukraine.

“We remained committed to supporting the needs of our customers, consumers, employees, and communities during the pandemic. We commended the efforts of public healthcare workers during this challenging time and tried to help where we can,” says Békefi.

In 2020, the Hungarian Red Cross was granted USD$200,000 financial support from The Coca-Cola Company’s global foundation.

“With their support we donated products to 21 hospitals and healthcare institutions, and to three national relief organisations in Hungary. We delivered a total of 65,000 bottles of soft drinks, water, and juice to people in need and to healthcare workers,” he continues.

It also provided the infrastructure to facilitate the operation, and five employees as volunteers, who worked full-time for weeks to distribute and deliver donations in five regions of Hungary.

Since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine in 2022, CCHH has provided refugees with continuous care, logistic support, as well as product and financial donations worth €90,000.

LOOKING AHEAD

For Békefi, CCHH’s priorities for the year ahead are crystal clear.

“Our aim is to further build on our capabilities and sales excellence in the NARTD market, strengthen our presence in the coffee market, earn a foothold in the Hungarian snack market and develop our growing premium spirits portfolio,” he says.

“We are expecting a difficult year, mainly due to inflation and its effects, which were heavily present in Q3 of 2022, but especially in Q4. The current situation encourages us to make further improvements to strengthen the energy saving and modernisation measures that we started earlier. We are systematically switching to renewable energy sources.”

Promotions, appealing offers and new products will also play a part in the year ahead. “What we can count on is the high quality of our products and their popularity among consumers,” he adds.

“We focus our resources on areas where they generate the highest returns and we strive to reduce our costs through automation, modernisation of our operations and

working closely with our suppliers and customers. In this rapidly changing environment, we are preparing with a variety of scenarios to adapt as quickly as possible to changes that are difficult to predict.”

One thing is certain - with the vision, determination, and commitment of Békefi and his team, CCHH will continue to thrive.

SAFEGUARDING ‘GENERATION DATA’

Ark Data Centres embodies the synergy between security and sustainability. With social responsibility woven into the company’s DNA, we follow its Scope 3 journey and dissect the current data dilemma with Head of Energy and Sustainability,

Pip Squire

Writer: Phoebe Harper | Project Manager: Dennis Morales

We have got to start thinking about the impact of data and how we handle it in order to impact the climate crisis. To me, that is the biggest fundamental that we all need to start working on.”

Data has become the fuel of modern society, a precious commodity whose prominence today compares to the necessity of coal during the days of the Industrial Revolution.

Yet, as the opening statement of Pip Squire – Head of Energy and Sustainability at Ark Data Centres

(Ark) - would suggest, revolution is what is called for in the realm of data management if it is to be environmentally responsible.

“Once data is on the internet, it’s there forever, and as long as it’s on the internet, it’s burning energy. We need to start asking, firstly, if that data needs to be up there, and secondly, whether it needs to be stored there for all time,” he states.

With the internet accounting for around four percent of global energy consumption, a staggering 50

EME OUTLOOK: HOW DOES ARK ACHIEVE A SUSTAINABLE VALUE CHAIN CENTRED ON VISIBILITY?

Pip Squire, Head of Energy and Sustainability: “This comes down to our Scope 3 reporting and working with our supply chain to ensure that they are also recording their CO2 emissions. However, this also includes our efforts around modern slavery, diversity in the workplace and other policies put in place driven by our leadership team.

“We expect our supply chain to meet our high standards. I’ve been with Ark for 15 years and our main suppliers have grown with us. As a result, our ethos of sustainability has been built into them. They already know that we are looking to avoid carbon emissions, so will be looking at whether we can get CO2-free concrete, or even better, concrete that captures CO2.

“Because of the way we work and the frameworks we have, our supply chain is developing in the same mould. Anyone that hasn’t continued with us on the Ark journey has likely fallen down on one of those points.”

percent of that energy is consumed by end-user devices – individuals streaming movies on smartphones and storing hundreds of photos that are replicated across the cloud. Behind every individual user, is a digital footprint that is escalating beyond control.

DRIVING RESPONSIBLE DATA MANAGEMENT

Squire is an influential voice championing this dawning realisation within his role at Ark – a company which is well-established as a forerunner in designing and constructing secure, sustainable data centres.

Ark’s story began in 2008 with the acquisition of Spring Park - a 38-acre derelict military site in rural Wiltshire that was subsequently converted into a fully functioning data centre campus hosting six separate facilities. Evidence of Ark’s ever-increasing footprint, Cody Park in nearby Hampshire boasts an additional six data centres, Meridian Park in North London has one facility and three sites are currently under development close to London.

From the public sector to financial institutions and private sector bodies including various tech ‘hyper-scalers’, Ark’s sites cater to a broad spectrum of customers and provide a space with the appropriate conditioned power, air conditioning and environmental controls to lease through flexible contracts.

“We provide a service level agreement (SLA) to our customers that the power will always be on, and we give them the cooling, temperature, and humility controls that their servers require for the length of their tenancy with us,” Squire elaborates.

A BREATH OF FRESH AIR

Ever since its inception, a major factor for these customers in choosing to work with Ark is the efficiency and

CBRE

CBRE Data Center Solutions is dedicated to supporting data center and mission critical infrastructure with over 4,000 dedicated technicians managing 700+ data centers in over 45 countries worldwide.

Our customers benefit from bespoke processes and procedures that unlock maximum value and performance for our clients’ portfolios. Our ultimate aim? To reduce risk through operational strategies powered by cutting-edge technology and top talent.

With operations in nearly 50 countries, our scale ensures our clients can confidently leverage this established global footprint as a foundation for growth. Whether clients have one data center, or multiple locations across the globe, our trusted team of world class experts tailor the right solution to meet individual requirements.

Clients benefit from our wide service offering that incorporates real estate, facilities, and technology systems into a single delivery model. This holistic approach streamlines operational oversight, giving greater visibility, higher risk mitigation as well as cost savings and efficiencies.

The result is mission-critical engineering and infrastructure facilities, essential for business continuity, to increase uptime and improve operating efficiency.

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CBRE

powers performance across the entire data center lifecycle, no matter where you are in the world.

UPTIME

We strive for zero unplanned downtime with industry-leading risk management protocol.

TALENT

Quality supply and retention of data center professionals.

EFFICIENCY

Balancing site performance with cost to operate and maintain.

PREDICTABILITY

Constant monitoring and analytics reduce risk and forecast capacity.

SUPPLY CHAIN

We leverage our global buying power to provide resiliency and competitive prices.

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environmental benefits that an Ark campus entails.

“Sustainability is just business as usual for us – that whole ethos drives our practices throughout the business and has been at the heart of our development from the very beginning,” observes Squire.

Since joining Ark as employee number one back in 2008, Squire has been involved in the original design of its first estate and has sported various hats within the company, including Head of Design. Regardless of position, environmental sustainability has been a constant thread throughout - a concern that he personally attributes to his original academic background as a geologist studying Earth Sciences creating an affinity for the study of environmental processes.

In the early days, it was Ark’s forward-thinking stance on energy efficiency that established the company as a frontrunner in the field. It was the first data centre to use a direct fresh air, adiabatic cooling system, at scale.

“In the early days, we said that we were SAS – Secure, Available and

ARK DATA CENTRES AND BIODIVERSITY

Thanks to their mostly rural locations, campuses within the Ark portfolio host various biodiversity efforts. This plays a significant part in the well-being of the people working on the campus while also contributing to customers’ sustainability goals.

The current Ark campuses between them have in excess of five hectares of dedicated conservation areas which include beehives, bee-friendly habitats, bat corridors and a bat cave, badger sets and hibernacula all designed to encourage the local wildlife to thrive.

Sustainable,” Squire explains. “Energy efficiency was our USP and made us unique at the time by using direct fresh air system to minimise the use of mechanical cooling systems.”

These efforts progressed with the capture of rainwater from the facilities’ roofs for the evaporative cooling processes, further reducing Arks’ reliance on utilities and thereby mitigating its environmental impact – a pursuit that continues at pace to this day.

SETTING THE STANDARD

Since 2017, Ark has procured 100 percent renewable energy (RE), working on a fully flexible REGObacked renewable energy contract with a supplier three years in advance to leverage its demand as a major consumer of energy to drive positive change.

“By making a commitment to a supplier that we are going to be buying circa £2.5 million worth of energy every month in three years’ time and it must be renewable, we are using market forces to drive the development of RE,” explains Squire. “We use our procurement process to send market signals, which provides a level of additionality, without direct investment in RE technology.”

Furthermore, all Ark diesel generators run on hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO), resulting in a 95 percent reduction in fossil carbon emissions compared to conventional diesel. Across the board, these efforts combine for an incomparably energy and carbon-efficient operation.

“In data centres, it used to be that approximately 25 to 40 percent of the energy consumed by the facility ran the actual IT. When our systems are running fully, 85 percent of the energy in the data centre is used for the IT, six percent for electrical services, six percent for cooling, and three percent for security and to keep the staff working there comfortable,” he outlines.

Gratte Brothers

Gratte Brothers is a third generation family company offering trusted, fully integrated engineering and construction services for data centres striving to lead the market in social responsibility.

Spanning a range of responsibilities from design to installation as well as management, commissioning and maintenance, we have over 28 years’ experience delivering data centres with resilient engineering, from plant replacements to 50 MW installations. We are therefore uniquely placed to provide end-to-end solutions for our clients though principal contractor, framework, alliance and service partner appointments and our delivery encompasses a collaborative, proactive approach.

The quality of our delivery is the result of our directly-employed installation technicians and managers and our specialist supply chain which shares our passion for safety and outstanding delivery.

Our ethos is simple – build long-term relationships with clients who share our values and consistently deliver the excellence required to meet individual needs and exceed expectations. We’ve been one of Ark’s Service Partners for over a decade and being an integral part of their ecosystem has been the perfect opportunity to showcase our commitment to engineering solutions with low energy consumption.

Innovation from pre-construction through to handover in terms of product and digitalisation of systems, offers opportunities to deliver optimal value for our clients and our 23,000sq ft. of prefabrication facilities allows us to additionally maximise site solutions and secure critical programmes. At Gratte Brothers, continual improvement is fundamental as we strive to enhance our processes and ultimately our delivery.

www.gratte.com

“You can’t really get much better than that and still provide the availability and security requirements that our customers demand of us.”

MITIGATING EMISSIONS

The purchase of energy from RE electricity suppliers combined with the above efforts in energy efficiency tackle head on the reduction of Ark’s operational energy derived Scope

1 and Scope 2 emissions as far as possible, whilst working around the inescapable minimal level of standby generation emissions that require offsetting.

Within Scope 1 emissions, fluorinated gas (f-gas) losses from compressors and cooling systems represent a major part of Ark’s carbon emissions. As such, it is an area ripe for future development, exploring alternatives with less global warming potential.

“Our new buildings will utilise cooling systems that are compressor-less,

meaning that they have no f-gas,” shares Squire. “This is the ultimate solution that we can get to.”

In terms of construction emissions, all Ark facilities have sustainability embedded into their very fabric, built on recyclable, modular designs that favour steel over concrete.

“We have been real forerunners of the modular data facility. We pride ourselves on the fact that at end-of-life, around 95 percent of our building is recyclable,” he adds. All these factors combine to keep our greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to a minimum.

“ IN THE EARLY DAYS, WE SAID THAT WE WERE SAS – SECURE, AVAILABLE AND SUSTAINABLE. THAT WAS OUR MANTRA AND ENERGY EFFICIENCY WAS OUR USP”

– PIP SQUIRE, HEAD OF ENERGY AND SUSTAINABILITY, ARK DATA CENTRES

Pip Squire, Head of Energy and Sustainability, Ark Data Centres

SPEARHEADING SCOPE 3

With projects for further reduction of f-gas within Scope 1 firmly underway, Scope 3 emissions - i.e., those that indirectly occur throughout a company’s value chain - are top of Ark’s agenda since the company began publishing its records in this field in 2019.

As an area that is not explicitly under Ark’s control, this can be a complicated emission source to manage since it is entirely behaviour related and largely comes down to individuals. In addition, the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic in the later stages of 2019 and 2020 established this period as an unreliable baseline for identifying trends, due to the change in working behaviours and elimination of business travel.

Arks’ Scope 3 reporting falls into the five key areas of operational GHG emissions – commuting, business travel, waste management,

and downstream and upstream transportation, other areas will be added as Ark’s carbon management skills develop.

As a means of addressing this first area, Squire highlights the particular commuting challenge of convincing an employee to switch from a gasguzzling Bentley to an electric vehicle (EV).

“All you can do is promote the value of that change by providing the charging infrastructure, publishing the amount of CO2 that is used in commuting, and trying to get people to recognise the real personal benefits they can achieve,” he says.

Indeed, across Ark’s campuses, some 20 percent of car parking spaces have EV charging capability with provision to increase this to 50 percent as the demand for EV charging at work grows.

Throughout other areas, a balance is struck between the need for

physical business travel versus electricity-intensive virtual meetings. In terms of waste, Ark operates a strict net zero waste to landfill policy.

“We work very hard to ensure that we send nothing to landfill, recycling as much as possible and using various metrics to get others to review their own practices,” Squire tells us.

In terms of downstream transportation, Ark partners closely with members of its supply chain, working exclusively with entities whose environmental commitments mirror its own.

“We work with our supply chain to see how they report on the CO2 emissions in the transport of their goods and services to us and see if we can work to package things together,” he adds.

By so doing, Ark seeks to continually develop a supply chain that is built on transparency and visibility.

MEASURE, MANAGE, REPORT

Furthering the importance of visibility, Ark walks the line between making its own information on emissions reporting readily available while not making a noise about it, on the understanding that this should be a requirement expected of all corporate entities.

“We keep the records of our emissions reporting in our financial audit on an annual basis so that it’s public knowledge. But we don’t crow about it because, for us, this is what you have to do to be a responsible citizen, and that is what we all need to be,” shares Squire.

“If everyone was on the ball with Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions

reporting, we wouldn’t need to work so hard on Scope 3.”

Indeed, to further this change, Ark assumes an educational role in guiding its customers on best practices in environmental reporting.

“We need to educate our customers that when they are doing their own emissions reporting, they don’t need to include our Scope 1 and Scope 2 within their own. Since we are one of their downstream suppliers, everything that we do needs to fall within their Scope 3 emissions reporting,” Squire elucidates.

“This takes a bit of education, to ensure that there is no double

counting in the system, but the message is beginning to get through.”

APPROACHING 2030

Such messaging is crucial in 2030 – a year hotly tipped for so many companies to deliver on ambitious commitments laid out at COP26. Although many entities have been widely critiqued for setting targets far beyond their capabilities, Ark’s pledge of a net zero emissions target by 2030 sits comfortably within reach. For Squire, this “final piece of the jigsaw” represents the culmination of the company’s efforts thus far.

“By the time we get to 2030, we

“ THE COST OF DATA MANAGEMENT ON THE PLANET NEEDS TO BE IN THE PUBLIC EYE”

– PIP SQUIRE, HEAD OF ENERGY AND SUSTAINABILITY, ARK DATA CENTRES

will have reduced our operational emissions and the majority of our construction emissions to a certain level below which we will not be able to go,” he outlines. “By bringing f-gas down to a minimal level, we will have our largest emissions under control.”

With these needs addressed, Squire’s greatest preoccupation concerns the matter of offsetting this minimal level of GHG emissions whilst remaining critical of common practices such as tree planting and buying land.

“This is the biggest challenge we have today,” he says. “Buying acres of land now or regardless of how many trees you plant now, they are

only useful for offsetting the carbon you are going to produce in 20 years’ time. Even if you are planting trees, drought, deforestation or even planting the wrong species, means that you can’t be sure how much they’re going to offset when that time comes.”

The quandary of finding real, impactful offsetting practices, is one shared by Ark, its customers and the entire supply chain. Working collaboratively to identify a solution, Squire hints that the answer to successful offsetting lies in carbon capture.

This represents the next frontier in what has already been an innovative and rewarding journey to reaching

net zero, one equally defined by both challenge and optimism.

“That’s a work in progress, and to me, that’s the most exciting bit that we need now – the question of what are we going to do to capture the carbon in the air and sequester it safely and permanently.”

TOWERING NEW HEIGHTS

Operational since 2020, Oman Tower Company is already playing a vital role in the Sultanate’s telecommunications sector. Majid Al-Kharoosi, Managing Director, details the company’s immediate impact

Writer: Jack Salter | Project Manager: Josh Hyland

Technology changes fast in the dynamic telecommunications industry, and with the onset of the fourth industrial revolution, the sector is also required to learn and adapt to new technologies just as quickly.

In Oman, the telecoms sector is massive and a significant mover, constantly growing to meet the requirements and expectations of clients and customers.

Contributing to the development of the telecom sector by providing passive infrastructure, and working

closely with licensed service operators in the Sultanate and other government entities, is Oman Tower Company (OTC).

The infrastructure solutions provided by OTC play a vital role in enhancing Oman’s telecoms sector, by consolidating service operators into a single tower.

“We combine multiple operators into one tower structure, such as greenfield towers and rooftops,” details Majid Al-Kharoosi, Managing Director of OTC.

“On the other hand, OTC specialises

in “passive” wireless network infrastructure. We provide our service to licensed service operators and other firms that hold permits to operate wireless networks.”

Whilst Al-Kharoosi’s extensive local and international telecoms experience spans more than 25 years, OTC was only recently established in 2018 in the capital of Muscat to build, lease, manage and maintain telecoms towers.

“Forming a new company from scratch is not an easy task with all

the challenges surrounding it from all aspects,” he says. “I am very proud that OTC has been doing well and is a rare model of success in the Middle Eastern and GCC countries.”

OPERATOR SERVICES

OTC’s mandate is to avoid “double investment” into towers in the same area by consolidating and liaising with all service operators, whose desire is to reduce the capital expenditure of their operations and concentrate on their core business.

Working closely and coordinating with all relevant stakeholders to ensure the use of available assets in the country, OTC reduces the required investment in a new method of revenue sharing.

“It was mandatory for OTC to provide different services to mobile operators, such as tower structures, in-building solutions, power management, equipment shelters, and all other services that help operators to run their sites efficiently,” Al-Kharoosi elaborates.

“On the other hand, it’s important to focus on how to enhance the requirements of services for operators and the delivery of services in a short space of time which OTC has become very experienced in, coordinating with all government entities that issue the permits.”

OTC has worked hard over the last three years since becoming operational in 2020, and is proud

“AS PER THE BUSINESS PLAN, OTC WILL CONTINUE TO ROLLOUT EVEN MORE TOWERS TO SERVICE OPERATORS DUE TO THEIR NETWORK EXPANSION EXTRA CAPACITY REQUIREMENTS”

– MAJID AL-KHAROOSI, MANAGING DIRECTOR, OMAN TOWER COMPANY

Our

key services

Established in Oman over 15 years ago by Founder and CEO, Yogendra Katiyar, WE Network LLC follows an unwavering mission of delivering quality solutions and services to implement a working environment managed by a professional team. Since then, we have grown to establish branches in both India and the UAE.

to have delivered more than 1,200 tenancies to clients across the Sultanate of Oman.

More than 600 tenancies are expected to be delivered by OTC in 2023, following high demand for the network rollout of a recently-launched third mobile operator as well as the introduction of 5G.

“Rolling out 5G could positively impact the company’s business as it requires more sites to be constructed and made available for all service operators,” outlines Al-Kharoosi.

COORDINATION AND COLLABORATION

OTC works side by side with all relevant authorities, manufacturers and suppliers in the telecoms sector to provide efficient and sustainable solutions.

The rollout of telecoms tower infrastructure, however, is an incredibly challenging task as it not only involves many government and private sector stakeholders, but also requires multiple permits and adheres to a number of regulations.

It has required significant amounts of effort, coordination and collaboration from OTC; subsequently, the company is already in a very sustainable position after just a few years in operation.

“As per the business plan, OTC will continue to rollout even more towers to service operators due to their network expansion and extra capacity requirements,” shares Al-Kharoosi.

Only turnkey tower sites are procured from local civil works

contractors by OTC, to avoid the complexity of importing and storing telecoms towers.

OTC has worked with its partners and suppliers to optimise the tower designs and maintain costs, despite the increased price of steel, copper, and shipping during the last two years.

“We are also working to provide new tower designs and solutions to address emerging telecoms demands in the Omani market,” Al-Kharoosi informs us.

“OTC is always open to new tower design concepts and analyses the global market for new innovations in tower manufacturing, supplying and shipping.”

A new means of outdoor communication has also been introduced, with advertisement space provided on some of OTC’s “beautification” towers, reducing the impact of visual pollution in the main cities of Oman.

Street furniture for “microcell” sites in dense urban areas, meanwhile, is an emerging area of business that OTC is preparing for, as well as the structures required for the Internet of Things (IoT).

“As a result, there is close coordination with different stakeholders to make sure all dense areas are covered with high-speed internet and the required elements of communications,” Al-Kharoosi tells us.

Moving ahead with the likes of upcoming 5G and IoT technologies, OTC is working with suppliers of street furniture to accommodate future antennas.

“I AM VERY PROUD THAT OTC HAS BEEN DOING WELL AND IS A RARE MODEL OF SUCCESS IN THE MIDDLE EASTERN AND GCC COUNTRIES”

– MAJID AL-KHAROOSI, MANAGING DIRECTOR, OMAN TOWER COMPANY

NATIONAL BROADBAND STRATEGY

The National Broadband Strategy (NSA) aims to overcome the low levels of broadband penetration within Oman, and the challenges presented by the rapid expansion of mobile broadband networks in an often geographically challenging landscape.

The strategy is built on three main pillars:

• Reviewing the telecoms regulatory framework

• Stimulating demand for broadband

• Enhancing the broadband infrastructure

Enhancing the broadband infrastructure is within the competence of OTC, as the company aims to upgrade and expand existing networks as well as future broadband technologies such as 5G, enhance the technologies used, and increase the integration amongst them by providing the required passive infrastructure by service operators that falls under OTC rules and responsibilities.

Leased to service providers at a competitive price, OTC makes its high-quality infrastructure available on a non-discriminatory and open access basis.

YOUNG ASSETS

A young company still relatively in its infancy, OTC employs an equally youthful generation of staff and works closely with various stakeholders to train young people.

OTC believes that human capital is a major asset to any organisation, and as such has heavily invested in its workforce.

“We have recognised the importance of people from the very beginning, as the next generation has been introduced to OTC and trained to handle projects,” says Al-Kharoosi.

Efficient at training and empowering fresh Omani graduates, the company likewise motivates all members of staff and provides them with a safe, healthy, friendly and positive environment to work in. Moreover, to build trust between management and employees, OTC delegates responsibilities and tasks to people throughout the company.

“We believe that when employees are motivated and rewarded, they will become loyal and put in all the effort required to deliver and meet set targets and goals, which I believe it worth doing as they are an important asset,” Al-Kharoosi emphasises.

More than 55 valued members

of staff are employed by OTC, who collectively prioritise the facilities of service operators.

“We are looking to enhance our services across Oman, as well as introduce new concepts and products line that suit our clients and enhance the beautification of the cities across Oman, and maybe abroad if the opportunities arise,” concludes Al-Kharoosi.

THE NEW AESTHETIC OF ENERGY EFFICIENCY

Writer: Phoebe Harper | Project Manager: Thomas Arnold

Domestic demand for green energy solutions continues to escalate on a global scale. The question of how this demand is met, both responsibly and sustainably, is a quandary that many players in the energy sector must confront, and quickly.

“I believe this is one of the major global challenges in the immediate and long-term future of our world,” introduces Francis Rome, CEO at Belinus.

“We want to contribute to this challenge.”

Rome is the leading voice behind a Belgian manufacturer of solar panels and energy storage batteries, which it has been producing for home and business use since 2015. Belinus

stands out in this dynamic field as the only producer of ultra-black doubleglass IBC modules – an innovation in solar panels that combines sleek aesthetics with high-efficiency.

“IBC cells apply a distinguished idea,” explains Rome, elaborating on the science behind the modules. “Rather than placing the contacts in front of the cell, they place them on its rear side. This allows them to achieve higher efficiency due to reduced shading on the front of the cell, while at the same time, electronhole pairs generated by the absorbed light can still be collected on the rear side of the cell.”

Since their launch, these products have enjoyed high demand across Europe. Indeed, just last year,

Belinus was named as the ‘Top Brand PV 2022’ by EUPD Research – a well-established market research company headquartered in Germany.

From its head office in Thor Park, Genk (Belgium), the company operates in more than 10 countries and specialises in the research, development, and production of innovative, high-efficiency, ultrablack, double-glazed solar panels and high-quality energy storage batteries for the home and businesses.

THE KEY TO QUALITY

Quality is the bedrock on which all Belinus products are manufactured and is its ultimate promise to clients.

“Quality is one of the biggest challenges in the industry. People

As the sole producer of ultra-black IBC glass-glass PV modules, Belinus is reinventing domestic demand for solar panels. We unpack its roadmap to growth and innovation with CEO, Francis Rome

these days expect this - they invest in something that they want to have on their roof for several decades, so naturally, they expect a good product that they can rely on,” says Rome.

All solar cells and solar panels produced by Belinus are manufactured in Bloomberg Tier-1 factories with an annual capacity of 2.2GW. The guarantee for

double-glass solar modules is 35 years, yet another unique selling point offered by the company.

With supply issues continuing to hamper many industries, partnerships are a key ingredient to unlocking the quality that Belinus promises to deliver.

“Supply is not always there. There is a lot of demand but not everyone can deliver, and that’s why we only choose a few good partners who are reliable and with whom we can build a relationship,” he continues.

“We at Belinus always look at our partners, who they are, what their vision and mission are, and if they have the same quality standards as us. Instead of selling to anyone, we choose who we sell to. In that way, we always have enough supply for our trustworthy partners.”

By applying this selective perspective to hand-picking carefully chosen partners, Belinus ensures autonomy and control over the level of quality it commits to delivering.

Although the company is currently pursuing further growth to meet

ever-increasing demand, Belinus remains cautious in its approach.

“Because our brand is growing and people know who we are, we get many questions from consumers as to where they can get our panels or other solar energy solutions. There are certain markets that are asking us almost daily if we will go there, but stability is the most important thing for us,” expands Rome.

“Growing in a stable and healthy manner while also standing behind our quality is essential, even if it means slower growth since quality will always be our number one focus.”

“GROWING IN A STABLE AND HEALTHY MANNER WHILE ALSO STANDING BEHIND OUR QUALITY IS ESSENTIAL, EVEN IF IT MEANS SLOWER GROWTH, SINCE QUALITY WILL ALWAYS BE OUR NUMBER ONE FOCUS”

– FRANCIS ROME, CEO, BELINUS

This quality is further guaranteed by using the opinions and feedbacks of its customers and consumers as a continual touchpoint for progress.

NEW FRONTIERS

Rome looks back on 2022 as a year of “growth and great opportunities” for Belinus. Such pace and dynamism are set to continue, as a roadmap of growth lies ahead.

This will be fuelled by the spirit of innovation, in order to remain relevant in a competitive and everevolving field. The development of new solutions to cater to its

ever-increasing base of high-end customers is one key aspect of this continued exploration.

“Our R&D team works very hard to stay ahead towards the solar energy industry trends. Soon we will be launching the new N-type TopCon PV module series with an efficiency range up to 22.5 percent and a power range of up to 440W,” Rome tells us.

Despite these future ambitions, Rome affirms that the core priorities on which Belinus is founded will remain steadfast and unchanged.

“Our concept is all about the better home. Therefore, product quality,

guarantee terms, deliveries, and aesthetic is always our priority.”

With these values at the fore, Belinus will continue to meet the future of the solar industry head on, and paint it black.

BELINUS

Tel: +32 (0) 16 91 03 14

info@belinus.be

www.belinus.be

Al Bustan North, Qatar

BUILDING THE MIDDLE EAST

Operating

Writer: Marcus Kääpä

Project Manager: Ryan Gray

Human fascination with mega structures stretches back thousands of years. Mexico’s Tlachihualtepetl, Cambodia’s Angkor Wat, and the monumental Pyramids of Giza are three historical examples of design ingenuity that demonstrate the power of human innovation, imagination, and our desire to forever reach new heights of achievement.

The Middle East is home to an impressive array of modern megastructures, landmark buildings, and expansive infrastructure that prove its position as a region of structural speciality. It is within this construction and engineering space that companies, both domestic and

alongside giants of the construction sector, VSL Middle East is facilitating structural development backed by industry-leading expertise. We speak to the General Manager of Business Development, Stephen Burke, to learn more about the firm’s innovative efforts across the region

international, play key roles in the building, upgrading and maintenance of structures.

Part of VSL International, VSL Middle East (VSL) specialises in post-tensioned and cable-stayed structures, foundations and ground engineering, operating out of its headquarters in Dubai, UAE. The

EME OUTLOOK: COULD YOU EXPAND ON YOUR INITIAL INTEREST AND ENTRANCE INTO THE CONSTRUCTION SPHERE?

STEPHEN BURKE, GENERAL MANAGER OF BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT: “My passion for civil engineering stems from my father, who was also an engineer. I decided to follow in his footsteps by studying civil engineering at the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) and started my career with a large UK-based civil contractor called Taylor Woodrow on a nuclear power station construction project. “In the mid-1980s, following a stint at a local authority highway and bridges technical services design office, I went overseas to my first posting on a major bridge project in Kuwait City, Kuwait. By 1999, I was fortunate enough to join VSL and have been with the company ever since based out of our regional headquarters in Dubai, UAE.”

company contributes to the design and construction of transport infrastructure (bridges, tunnels, roads), buildings, and industrial and energy-producing structures, and it maintains, repairs and upgrades all structural systems that guarantee performance, safety and durability.

“Regionally speaking, you will find that each country’s construction sector has its own five or 10-year plans, which impacts the industry as a whole. For example, Qatar has had a very busy few years on the back of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, and has invested heavily into infrastructure that we have been a part of,” begins Stephen Burke, the General Manager of Business Development for VSL.

“Our strength comes from our 360-degree approach, which combines engineering and construction methods, structural systems and technologies, and project execution. Our objective is to understand the structure as a whole, including its environment and use, in order to propose and deliver the best technical solutions to turn even the most complex schemes into reality.”

Established in the 1950s, VSL International today boasts approximately 4,000 employees across 25 countries, with headquarters in Bern, Switzerland, and defines the overall company mission that echoes through its various branches.

AN INTERNATIONAL PARTNER

VSL International itself is part of the French construction company Bouygues S.A. (Bouygues), specialising in the construction and preservation of structures (specialist contractor working alongside main contractors) when it comes to bridges, tunnels, buildings, and industrial structures such as wind farms and nuclear plants. Depending on the contracts, VSL works either for or with the main contractor, and when it comes to the preservation or maintenance of structures, VSL is

GECO Industrial Co

Established in 1992, GECO Industrial CO., LTD is a company specialised in civil engineering construction materials. FASTEN® and Land Drain® are our centrepiece products. FASTEN® is a polymeric strip which is used in MSE wall. Land Drain® known as PVD, Wick drain is the water draining materials for supporting soil.

FASTEN® is a geotextile strip to substitute steel strip. FASTEN’s components are cost efficient polymer. These are high tenacity polyester fibre tendons encased in a polyethylene (LDPE) sheath coating which increases the durability of fibre tendons from physical and chemical damages. Due to its lighter weight, FASTEN has superior workability, handling, and transportation. Its performance and reliability are verified by partners worldwide.

Land Drain® is a combination of plastic core and nonwoven filters that helps land reclamation. There are four core types; corrugated, two types of fish bone and honeycomb. Honeycomb, LD60 is our patented product. It has higher discharge capacity with lower cost. Land Drain can be customised depending on the client’s request and the conditions of the construction site.

GECO is fulfilling various and continuously investing in both technological innovation and green energy. We at GECO, are always open to all for success. Currently, 40 percent of GECO’s electricity is supplied by solar power.

gecoind.com

Pursue

Economic Competitiveness

FASTEN is a cost competitive material, especially for the construction of higher MSE walls. By using FASTEN, constructors can decide either to use higher strength grade strips or a greater amount of strips for higher MSE walls.

Superior Workability

FASTEN has a lighter weight than steel strips, and its vertical concrete panels can easily be designed for any kind of project.

Excellent Mechanical Stability

FASTEN has high resistance to chemical and installation damage due to polyethylene (LDPE) sheath coating. It has a 120-year certified design life and the durability of FASTEN is well documented.

the best We at GECO promise not only to satisfy your customer’s needs and wants, but also to provide products and services of the utmost quality.

The best geosynthetic products for you!

FASTEN® FW

FASTEN® FS

VSL INTERNATIONAL –SERVICES AT A GLANCE

Established in the 1950s, VSL International is a member of Bouygues and VSL is present throughout the Middle East region, including the UAE, KSA, Qatar, Oman, and Kuwait. VSL is focused on four areas of expertise, namely:

- VSL Technologies

- Civil Works

- Ground Engineering

- Structural Repairs and Retrofit

VSL INTERNATIONAL OPERATES

ACROSS FOUR KEY MARKETS:

- Construction of transport infrastructure

- Building construction

- Industrial and energy facility construction

- Asset preservation, structural repairs and upgrades

directly in contact with the end client – in these cases, VSL will take charge like any main contractor.

VSL takes action as a specialist contractor: every structure carries loads and is subject to ongoing forces that can lead to material deformation or failure. In order to continue to build bigger, longer and stronger, the critical areas of structures must be strengthened and the behaviour of the ground that supports them needs to be controlled.

“The Middle East has been a very rewarding territory for VSL. As it stands, our Middle Eastern branch has a workforce of 170 employees, including 60 in admin and technical as well as 110 engineers, supervisors and support staff; our labour force requirement fluctuates from project to project,” Burke says.

“We are a responsible and committed company with health and safety as our number one priority, which is why we apply and follow 12 health and safety rules across all construction sites

globally. We respect ethics and our business practices are governed by integrity, honesty, fair dealing and full compliance with the law. With respect to the environment, we also have a target of 20 percent reduction in our carbon footprint by 2030.”

To maintain an open and innovative approach, VSL works with external partners such as universities and laboratories and is standing at the forefront of setting internationally applicable technical standards and guidelines with international professional associations.

SAFETY FIRST

This professionalism is evident in the many projects that VSL undertakes for clients across the Middle East, such as working on UAE’s own Burj Khalifa - the tallest building in the world – in 2010, where VSL’s heavy lift department positioned a 143-metre pinnacle at the top of the structure, taking the building’s overall height to 828 metres.

After working on the most iconic

Gewan, Qatar

building in Dubai, VSL also took on the pinnacle erection for the world’s second tallest tower, the 679-metre-high, Merdeka 118 Tower in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in 2022 – a contemporary example of the company’s expertise and ability.

“We carried out this work through our heavy lifting division. We worked very closely with the main contractor for this type of technology where there are very sophisticated elements being placed into position safely,” Burke elaborates. “Safety is a priority for VSL across every site. We take the lead from our parent company, Bouygues, and this safety-centric philosophy and practice is at the fore of our operations.”

When it comes to handling heavy loads, a range of techniques, including

the lifting, lowering, tilting and sliding of a building or stadium components, allow for alternatives to standard construction methods. These bespoke techniques are designed to meet each project’s requirements and offer an increased opportunity for creativity, scale and speed of construction. One structure that made use of VSL’s expertise in this area is the Address Residences Sky View, UAE, made up of a 5-star hotel with 166 apartments and 531 residential units between the two connected towers.

Working across so many critical structures, VSL’s 12 basic health and safety rules are applied and followed strictly on all construction sites globally. In addition, the company sets annual health and safety improvement objectives to focus

its efforts and allow it to measure progress. These include accident rates; health and safety training for workers, site supervisors and project managers, as well as top managers; health and safety action plans and a vigilance index, involving site inspections by management.

BUILDING PRESERVATION AND REPAIRS

VSL is a key entity in realising and facilitating infrastructure throughout the Middle East. On top of working on iconic projects such as the Dubai Metro, VSL has also worked on the Riyadh Metro (Line 3) in Saudi Arabia, utilising industry-leading techniques and technologies to fulfil the needs of clients and cities.

“Railway and expressways are

“WE ARE A RESPONSIBLE AND COMMITTED COMPANY WITH HEALTH AND SAFETY AS OUR NUMBER ONE PRIORITY”

– STEPHEN BURKE, GENERAL MANAGER OF BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT, VSL MIDDLE EAST

– STEPHEN BURKE, GENERAL MANAGER OF BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT, VSL MIDDLE EAST

two key areas of development and ones that we are heavily involved in,” Burke tells us. “We have undertaken a number of expressway projects in the region that have kept us very busy, and these have made use of our precast segmental bridge technologies, gaining many benefits including greater durability.

“We are always looking at R&D to improve and enhance durability and the overall lifespan of structures. At the end of the day, clients receive durable assets that require little to no maintenance over the course of their lifespan. We work very closely with technical teams in developing new technologies to protect structures,

whether this means retrofitting or cathodic protection to prevent corrosion to an existing structure.

“Knowing how to maintain, repair or upgrade bridges, especially their structural systems has become crucial – as has the need to allow for the eventual replacement of components,” Burke adds. “More broadly, the discipline of durability engineering has emerged in the sector, bringing together design, systems and technologies, construction processes, maintenance, repairs and upgrades. As a result, VSL has positioned itself to work across all stages of a structure’s life, with experienced specialists on tap to

extend the lifespan of these valuable assets for our clients.”

PLEDGED TO A GREENER INDUSTRY

Where safety forms a key pillar of VSL’s practices on-site, environmental concerns are a focal point of business that are present throughout its operations. VSL has a target of 20 percent carbon footprint reduction by 2030 as well as being actively involved with green areas of construction, such as power production; wind and nuclear are two examples of such areas of involvement.

The high elevation of wind towers

“OUR GREEN COMMITMENT ENVELOPS WORKING AROUND THE ENVIRONMENT, INSTEAD OF THROUGH IT”

Merdeka 118, Malaysia

in order to generate more energy make them a challenge with regards to erection and resistance to high wind loading. As such, the design, construction and maintenance of wind towers requires the expertise of a specialist like VSL, who offers a diverse range of durable and cost-effective solutions that can be combined to create bespoke packages or applied as standalone services for wind tower construction projects.

Concrete containment structures are critical components of nuclear plants, as they ensure the structure remains air-tight in the event of any leakage of coolant and prevent contaminated particles from being released into the atmosphere. The design, construction and maintenance of such structures requires specialist expertise to guarantee their stability and safety. VSL offers a diverse range of solutions to meet this requirement; they can be combined to create bespoke packages or applied as standalone services for nuclear containment construction.

“Outside of the energy sphere, our green commitment envelops working around the environment, instead of through it,” Burke says. “An example of this is the re-engineering of bridge structures to pre-cast arch technology, a fantastic valueengineered solution for clients that has a very low impact on the surrounding environment while providing huge savings when it comes to concrete and steel.”

A CREATIVE COMMITMENT

Innovation is at the heart of VSL’s culture and the key to its success. VSL has two distinct innovation processes that nurture each other: short-term innovations driven by individual projects, and long-term innovations through R&D. VSL has registered 370 patents to date and invests significantly in innovation both through projects and R&D.

“VSL is at the forefront of the development of internationally applicable technical standards and guidelines thanks to our experts, who are active members of various technical committees of organisations such as the International Federation for Structural Concrete (FIB), the Post-Tensioning Institute (PTI), the International Association for Bridge and Structural Engineering (IABSE), and more,” Burke explains. “We work to the industry’s latest standards and technologies and have adopted building information modelling (BIM) as an integral part of our development process. We use it to improve the planning, design, construction and operation of the structures and to facilitate the work of our clients and others we collaborate with.”

VSL is also involved in Bouygues’ innovation programme to research the use of big data and artificial intelligence (AI) in order to better detect early signs of deterioration in concrete structures, making use of available and consolidated data sources. This will eventually lead to algorithms that can predict the future evolution of a structure’s condition and pave the way for construction in the years ahead.

Kuwait Airport, Kuwait

Residences Skyview, UAE

What trends do you forecast impacting your industry in 2023?

Trond Håkon Schaug-Pettersen CEO, Salmon Evolution

“We are seeing very strong demand and think that the salmon category has the potential to multiply many times over the coming decades. The challenge is the supply side where conventional farming is pushing the biological limits as to how much it’s possible to produce in a sustainable way. We are 100 percent confident that landbased salmon farming is part of the solution in providing the planet with much-needed additional high-quality proteins in the years to come.”

László Békefi General Manager, Coca-Cola HBC Hungary

“According to the majority of forecasts, 2023 will be a challenging year for the Hungarian economy and for all business actors. As per the recent data of the leading domestic economic research company, the Hungarian GDP may fall by 1–1.5 percent within the next year, mainly driven by the slowing domestic demand. We are already seeing the change in consumption trends.

“We also need to face several external circumstances affecting our business. All the raw materials

used to make our products have become significantly more expensive. Sugar, concentrate, carbonic acid, and even coffee. The purchase price of raw materials for packaging has also increased, along with energy and transport costs due to the rising cost of fuels. In addition, the national currency (forint) has weakened compared to the largest currencies, which further impacts the company’s operations. We have little control over these external circumstances, so we are dealing with what we can.

“We are at a time when it is of paramount importance that the entire value chain – from suppliers, manufacturers to trading partners – works more closely than ever to ensure the competitiveness of the industry and the highest level of service to consumers.”

Majid Al-Kharoosi Managing Director, Oman Tower Company

“Rolling out 5G could impact the company’s business positively as it requires more sites to be constructed and made available for all service operators. On the other hand, the Fourth Industrial Revolution could also create value to the company by adding more equipment to the towers which could generate more revenue.

“Additionally, moving ahead with our new smart tower which contains several solutions like installing telecom equipment, public WiFi, IoT, digital advertising, statistic advertisement, a mini data centre, and electric vehicle charging, could impact the company’s business and revenue completely.”

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To round off each Issue, we ask our contributing business leaders for their views on the same question

Outlook Creative Services

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