Europe & Middle East Outlook - Issue 7

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E X PA N S I O N Opus Offshore is complementing its strengths in Asia as a young, dynamic industry player through a European acquisition

UEFA EURO 2016 12 Europe’s finest stake their claims for a place at 2016’s Finals

EBL MILLER ROSENFALCK 20 Law firm says Stockholm is the emerging centre for European tech startups

HITACHI 24 Biometric authentication leads technology’s overhaul of the banking sector

HTC WOLFFKRAN 46 HTC acquisition fuels Wolffkran’s international expansion drive

EME OUTLOOK ISSUE 07 A L S O F E A T U R I N G : F E R R O B E T O N Z R T | F O U N D O C E A N | S P E O F F S H O R E E U R O P E 2 0 1 5

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W E L C O M E A Eurasian Outlook

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The importance of globalisation is undeniable across the full range of industrial sectors, with not only enterprise expansion a must to achieve optimum success, but the sharing of knowledge playing an equally vital role across the board.

In this month’s Europe Outlook, E X PA N S I O N we explore the benefits of both, as Opus Offshore shares its story of international migration and another Asian giant in the form of Hitachi uses its global influence to hone in on one of the banking sector’s most prominent trends on the continent.

The former was recently featured in our sister publication, Asia Outlook, where the Company’s Vice President of Operations, Peter Burnett explained how the young and dynamic oil & gas contractor was eagerly anticipating the next industry boom in which to unleash its state-of-the-art drill ships.

As part of the imminent assault on the sector, the Company has most recently looked to broaden its horizons and reputation through an acquisition of Songa Offshore’s International arm. Inheriting the Songa Mercur and Songa Venus rigs as a result, Opus Offshore’s venture into European waters to strike the deal will give the Opus brand a much needed track record in time for the sector pickup in years to come.

Hitachi is an Asian company already armed with global notoriety, and this month provides a fascinating forecast on what Europe can expect in terms of technological influences on the banking sector; and namely, the growing role that biometric authentication is set to play in the future.

Staying in tech, and EBL Miller Rosenflack’s Astrid Trolle Adams provides similarly telling insight into Stockholm’s role as the leading city for startups on the continent.

Rounding up the issue, our showcasing section explores the success stories of Hungarian construction specialists, Ferrobeton Zrt, and FoundOcean and HTC Wolffkran in the UK; the latter comprising a look into the recent Anglo-Germanic merger set to dominate London’s skyline.

England and Germany are likely to be less collaborative when Euro 2016 gets underway, however, and we finish off July with a countdown to the Finals which kick off next June in Matthew Staff France.

Editorial Director, Outlook Publishing Enjoy the issue!

Opus Offshore is complementing its strengths in Asia as a young, dynamic industry player through a European acquisition

UEFA EURO 2016 12 Europe’s finest stake their claims for a place at 2016’s Finals

EBL MILLER ROSENFALCK 20 Law firm says Stockholm is the emerging centre for European tech startups

HITACHI 24 Biometric authentication leads technology’s overhaul of the banking sector

HTC WOLFFKRAN 46 HTC acquisition fuels Wolffkran’s international expansion drive

EUROPE OUTLOOK ISSUE 07 A L S O F E A T U R I N G : F E R R O B E T O N Z R T | F O U N D O C E A N | S P E O F F S H O R E E U R O P E 2015

EDITORIAL Editorial Director: Matthew Staff matthew.staff@outlookpublishing.com Deputy Editor: Emily Jarvis emily.jarvis@outlookpublishing.com

PRODUCTION Production Manager: Daniel George daniel.george@outlookpublishing.com Art Director: Stephen Giles steve.giles@outlookpublishing.com Advertising Designer: Mandy Farnell mandy.farnell@outlookpublishing.com

BUSINESS Sales Director: Nick Norris nick.norris@outlookpublishing.com Operations Director: James Mitchell james.mitchell@outlookpublishing.com Sales Managers: Ben Wigger ben.wigger@outlookpublishing.com Tom Cullum tom.cullum@outlookpublishing.com Senior Project Manager: Donovan Smith donovan.smith@outlookpublishing.com Project Managers: Callum Philp callum.philp@outlookpublishing.com Chris Marsh chris.marsh@outlookpublishing.com Craig Killingback craig.killingback@outlookpublishing.com Eddie Clinton eddie.clinton@outlookpublishing.com Jake Megeary jake.megeary@outlookpublishing.com Joe Palliser joe.palliser@outlookpublishing.com

ACCOUNTS Finance Director: Suzanne Welsh suzanne.welsh@outlookpublishing.com Office Administrator: Jen Lloyd jen.lloyd@outlookpublishing.com IMAGES: www.thinkstockphotos.co.uk DIGITAL & IT: Hamit Saka HELPDESK: James Le-May

OUTLOOK PUBLISHING Managing Director: Ben Weaver ben.weaver@outlookpublishing.com Chairman: Mark Weaver

CONTACT Europe Outlook / UK

Woburn House, 84 St Benedicts Street, Norwich, Norfolk, NR2 4AB, United Kingdom Sales: +44 (0) 1603 959 652 Editorial: +44 (0) 1603 959 655 SUBSCRIPTIONS Tel: +44 (0)1603 959 655 Email: matthew.staff@outlookpublishing.com

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In this issue of Europe Outlook...

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TECHNOLOGY The Evolution of Biometric Authentication

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NEWS

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UEFA EURO 2016 French Fancies: The Continent’s Likely Conquerors

All the latest top stories across the month from Europe

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Hitachi discusses the role of biometrics in banking

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C O N S T R U C T I O N

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SHOWCASING LEADING COMPANIES Tell us your story and we’ll tell the world

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HTC WOLFFKRAN Leading the Pack across London’s Skyline HTC acquisition fuels WOLFFKRAN’s international expansion drive

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FERROBETON ZRT Concrete Improvement Plan Strengthens Business Regional cooperation drives construction growth potential

OPUS OFFSHORE Simple is Best

Ahead of the game in delivering sixth generation standards

Europe’s finest stake their claims for an invite to 2016’s finals

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EBL MILLER ROSENFALCK Stockholm: Europe’s Emerging Centre for Tech Startups

FOUNDOCEAN At the Forefront of Offshore Change

Capitalising on new opportunities in renewable energy

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F O C U S

SPE OFFSHORE EUROPE 2015

The largest oil & gas exploration and production event outside North America

The new monarchs of Europe’s tech scene

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S H I P P I N G & L O G I S T I C S

Brussels Airlines Upgrades Efficiency with New Safety Software Through a new piece of risk-based performance monitoring software developed by Ideagen, Brussels Airlines has been able to improve both safety and efficiency of its operations Belgium’s flagship carrier, Brussels Airlines, has introduced a new piece of integrated software that will streamline its delivery of quality and safety procedures through a risk-based performance monitoring management system.

Currently, Brussels Airlines operate 49 aircraft and has 3,500 employees, including a ‘Safety Services Department’ with a focus on continuous improvement to

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safety and operations as well as the anticipation and management of risk.

By working with Ideagen Gael Ltd, the carrier is implementing the Gael Insight suite of software solutions in order to transform its safety and operational performance for the better. The suite of products includes Q-Pulse, Gael Risk and Performance Monitor which work in tandem to help aviation organisations achieve operational excellence through

efficient safety and risk management and in-depth performance indicators.

Adriaan Charlet, the airline’s Safety Services Manager, commented: “The Gael Insight suite has provided us with much better efficiency in investigating safety issues. The risk management and performance monitoring capabilities in particular have been extremely beneficial for us.”

He continued: “Performance monitoring is the link between safety and efficiency. In the past we gathered information ourselves manually from a variety of different databases. However now, thanks to being able to monitor performance of the business through a series of KPIs, we are able to view all of that data in a blink of an eye in one central portal. We don’t need to search or look for this ourselves, the system does this for us and tells us what areas require extra attention or those that are performing well.”

Dirk Adriaenssens, who oversees Brussels Airlines’ Safety & Compliance Monitoring Department, said: “We are now capturing safety issues more easily and working more proactively as we can detect hazards in advance even better.

This has helped us not only improve safety even more here at Brussels Airlines, but has increased efficiency as everyone is using and becoming knowledgeable in one tool.”

In April, Brussels Airlines announced that passenger numbers rose by 11.5 percent mainly due to the introduction of new destinations.

Part of the Lufthansa Group, the airline also celebrated its five year membership with Star Alliance in December 2014. Equipped with the right safety software and expertise, the Gael Insight suite is sure to contribute to the overall growth of the Airline and ensure operational excellence.

GO TO WWW.EUROPEOUTLOOKMAG.COM/NEWS FOR ALL OF THE LATEST NEWS FROM EUROPE

E N E R G Y

Longer Wind Turbine Blades Key to Higher Production Capacity Escalating energy demand and improving wind turbine technologies are fuelling the wind energy market and encouraging wind turbine installations. In turn, this is boosting the consumption of high-performance and lightweight blade materials, such as fibre, resins and core foam materials that can be used to increase blade length while keeping blade weight low.

New analysis from Frost & Sullivan – ‘Analysis of the Global Wind Turbine Blade Materials Market’ – finds that the market earned revenues of $1.94 billion in 2014 and estimates this to reach $3.78 billion by 2021.

Volatile oil prices and the rising profile of environmental issues will

M I N I N G

Gold Mining Contributes More than US$171 Billion to Global Economy A new report from the World Gold Council in association with Maxwell Stamp has reveals that the global gold mining industry directly contributed approximately US$83.1 billion to the worldwide economy in 2013.

‘The social and economic impacts of gold mining’ report analyses the impacts that large-scale commercial gold mining has in 47 gold-producing countries (accounting for more than 90 percent of the world’s gold production), and reveals that gold mining companies in total contributed more than US$171 billion to the global economy in 2013 when the value created by support services and

push forward alternate energy forms, wind being one of the most viable.

Wind energy is also much quicker to install; large onshore and offshore wind farms can be installed within a time frame of two years. Taller, lighter and more reliable turbines significantly extend production capacity.

According to Frost & Sullivan, these factors will see turbine blade manufacturers strengthen their portfolio to provide a consistent supply of high-performance materials in line with market needs. Manufacturers will look to enhance the performance of

materials within existing chemistries and commoditise them, rather than develop new chemistries.

“The winds of change will continue to sweep through the market as manufacturers establish a strong product pipeline aligned with regulatory standards and customer specifications,” explained Frost & Sullivan Chemicals, Materials and Food Research Analyst, Ankit Mittal.

“Offering differentiated products along with customer support mechanisms will ensure steady global expansion.”

indirect employment is taken into consideration.

Globally, gold mining companies directly employed more than one million people in 2013, with three million more people employed as a result of the industry’s suppliers and support services.

Commenting on the launch of the

report, John Mulligan, Head of Member and Investor Relations at the World Gold Council, said: “This report shows that the total economic impact of gold mining is significant and substantial, it is greater than the GDP of more than 150 different countries and considerably larger than the total value of global overseas aid in recent years.

“Our findings highlight that commercial gold mining is a major source of income and driver of economic growth, playing an important role in supporting the sustainable socioeconomic development of host nations and communities.”

The social and economic impacts of gold mining also show that gold mining’s direct economic contribution to the global economy has increased seven-fold from 2000 to 2013; greater than the rise in value of gold over the same period.

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S O I L & G A S

SafeEx Releases Updated Tablet-Based Software

Geoff Cook, CEO of Jersey Finance

F I N A N C E

‘Contribution to FDI’ Report Shows Role of IFCs Findings from Jersey’s ‘Contribution to FDI’ report have revealed the global institution has attracted and distributed tens of billions in FDI, adding considerable value to the global economy as a result.

Launched at a Jersey Finance ‘Africa Investment Seminar’ held in London last week, the report found that Jersey attracted a stock of inbound FDI totaling US$65.7 billion in 2012.

The main source of this was the UK (56.3 percent of the total), whilst FDI was also sourced from Ireland (14.6 percent) and Russia (7.8 percent) as well as India, France and South Africa.

Chief Executive Officer of Jersey Finance, Geoff Cook commented: “This new report provides a timely and objective insight into the role of IFCs in mobilising investments globally and builds on the findings of last year’s ‘Value to Africa’ report, which identified for the first time the scale of Foreign Direct Investment that the African continent needs to realise its growth potential.”

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Danish software company, SafeEx, has launched the second generation of its software.

The new software is tablet-based and makes it both easier and more efficient to carry out Exinspections, creating a modern tool for mobile workers in the oil & gas industry.

The tablet-based version is a further development of SafeEx’s current PDA solution, which makes it possible to do all routines in one procedure. It is used by BW Offshore, Seadrill, Petronas and DONG Energy, among others.

SafeEx launched the new tablet version at the OTC trade fair in Houston where it was warmly welcomed by the visitors. ”People expressed that the tablet was easier and more logical to use than similar systems they had seen. There was great interest in the fact that it is possible to integrate the software with any ERP or service management system,” detailed SafeEx CEO, Henrik Andersen.

H E A LT H C A R E

LIMS: Europe’s Key Pillar in eHealth Development Investments in cloud-based laboratory information management systems (LIMS) are becoming a key part of Europe’s eHealth strategy. In line with this, the need for genetic and molecular testing and data management solutions will generate strong demand for cloud-based laboratory information management systems.

New analysis from Frost & Sullivan, ‘Analysis of the Western European Laboratory Information Management System Market’, finds that the market earned revenues of US$303.5 million in 2014 and estimates this to reach US$394.1 million in 2021.

“The development of LIMS that support genetic and molecular testing requirements can speed up these processes and have a high impact on preventative medicine in Western Europe,” said Frost & Sullivan Healthcare Industry Analyst, Srinivas Sashidhar.

“Capabilities such as high-speed computing and processing, and sophisticated software for specimen tracking, quality assurance, and quality control documentation are crucial for success.”

GO TO WWW.EUROPEOUTLOOKMAG.COM/NEWS FOR ALL OF THE LATEST NEWS FROM EUROPE

R E TA I L

E D U C AT I O N

LifeStraw® Mission Water Purifier Now on Sale

Digital Skills Academy Launches World’s First Digital Technology Online Degree A pioneering new BSc degree from the Digital Skills Academy programme will be the first online degree in integrated digital technology, business and design.

The aim of the International BSc is to combine digital business acumen with digital technology expertise; a hybrid skillset increasingly sought after by leading tech players worldwide, as well as by multiple sectors; including banking, insurance, telecoms, media, aviation and retail.

The one year, part-time and online

2015-2016 course is accredited by Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT) and facilitates work in international teams on real world projects via virtual platforms.

The new LifeStraw® Mission is the first gravity-powered water purifier that removes bacteria, protozoa and viruses from water. The device joins the award-winning LifeStraw® series of products that transform microbiologically contaminated water into water that is safe to drink.

The device is easy to use and maintain, making it ideal for group camping trips, group hikes and expeditions. Backcountry water purified by LifeStraw® Mission can be saved in a canteen or bottle for drinking or used for cooking and other campsite activities. It is also sure to have a wide variety of uses around the world, particularly in developing countries.

T E C H N O L O G Y

Kaspersky Lab’s Opens Research Centre in UK Kaspersky Labs has opened its first research centre in Europe, which further strengthens the brand’s growing international footprint. Adding to the company’s existing network of research hubs in Russia, USA and China, the facility is strategically positioned at the heart of the UK’s business capital, and will ensure that the cybercrime landscape is monitored 24 hours a day, seven days a week, keeping customers informed of the latest threats as early as possible.

Researchers at the European centre will work closely with colleagues in other Kaspersky Lab hubs across the globe to share insight and understanding of the latest malicious threats affecting organisations and individuals.

R E TA I L

Online Envirofone Shop to Sell Preowned Mobile Devices Redeem, the leading mobile phone recycling and re-commerce company in Europe, has announced that it will be extending its Envirofone offering to include the selling of preowned electronical products to consumers.

With the new online shop, Envirofone customers will be able to acquire the latest mobile phones second hand, by either trading in their existing phone or paying cash.

Using this consumer-friendly system, Envirofone has given more than £158 million to more than four million customers in the UK, Holland, Sweden, Ireland and Spain between 2005-2015, in return for their old mobile phones and tablets.

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TELL US YOUR STORY

AND WE’LL TELL THE WORLD E U R O P E O U T L O O K is a digital and print product aimed at boardroom and hands-on decision-makers across a wide range of industries on the continent.

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

We reach an audience of 195,000 people across the continent, bridging the full range of industrial sectors: mining; oil & gas; logistics; resources; manufacturing; construction; engineering; technology; food & drink; retail; finance; and healthcare.

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

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

W W W. E U R O P E O U T LO O K M A G . C O M Tel: +44 (0) 1603 959 650 Email: ben.weaver@outlookpublishing.com

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Didier Deschamps, the current manager of the France national football team. Image

by Mustapha Ennaimi. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

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French Fancies:

The Continent’s Likely Conquerors One Year from Euro 2016 While FIFA remains embroiled in unsavoury allegations and disputes concerning forthcoming World Cups, the focus will slowly turn towards UEFA over the next 12 months, as Europe’s finest stake their claims for an invite to 2016’s Finals Writer: Matthew Staff

ith global football under closer scrutiny than ever before, led by a governing body that is seemingly the cause rather than the solution, the sport’s community could almost be excused for forgetting that the globe’s second most prestigious international tournament is now less than a year away.

The forthcoming FIFA World Cups in Russia, 2018, and Qatar, 2022, have formed a formidable grey cloud over the footballing planet, which has somewhat obscured the imminent UEFA Euro 2016 tournament which kicks off next June.

Michel Platini is the man entrusted with the pressure of not only fending off innumerable questions regarding the sporting world’s most under-fire head organisation, but of also working tirelessly in the background to ensure his home nation of France puts on a Finals to

UEFA Euro 2016 Host country

France

Dates 10 June-10 July 2016 Teams 24 (from 1 confederation) Venue(s) 10 (in 10 host cities) President of UEFA: Michel Platini

Above: Image by Klearchos Kapoutsis, Paleo Faliro, Greece - Michel Platini’s visit. Licensed under CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

remember 11 months down the line.

Fortunately for Platini, where distaste and mistrust engulf FIFA’s headquarters in Zurich, UEFA’s base also in Switzerland, in Nyon - remains largely reputable and conflict-free, and with Euro 2016 set to include more teams than ever before - 24 as opposed to the traditional 16 continental feeling is refreshingly enthusiastic and widespread.

On a strangely comforting note, the only negativity emanating from the European community relates solely to how their countries are fairing during qualification and matters on the pitch.

Despite suggestions that it’s almost more difficult for the top nations not to qualify thanks to the increased number of participants, some are taking this theory a little too literally as the embryonic phase of UEFA Euro 2016 begins to create a picture of what to expect once all is said and done on 10 July, 2016.

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Booking their flights

On that day in Paris, when the final is watched by hundreds of millions of people around the world, the smart money would place a few familiar names into the frame as to who might be there on such a stage.

Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and the hosts France led the betting before qualification began, but the old adage of being ‘in it to win it’ has proved somewhat of a stumbling block so far in what was expected to be a formality of a qualification campaign.

Reigning champions Spain may only sit second in their group, but look comfortable, while traditional underachievers, Portugal and England have their cursor hovering over ‘book now’ for the 23 plane tickets that will take their squads across to France in a year’s time; the latter one of only two teams with a 100 percent win record so far.

Croatia is another team on the verge of relaxing and planning their holidays, while Austria has awoken from an eight-year long football slumber to reignite their position on the elite stage.

Wayne Rooney, Euro 2012.

Image by Football.ua. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

BOOKING Austria

England After a disastrous World Cup campaign in 2014, the recovery has been swift, albeit a little surprising, having recorded six out of six wins so far in qualifying. The opposition has been less than testing at times, and the default pessimism of the expectant public has not entirely waivered as yet, but Roy Hodgson’s side has gone some way to answering their critics before their inevitable trek across the English Channel next June.

Cast to the football wilderness for the best part of two decades, Austria’s success in this Championships’ qualifiers has put them on the cusp of only a second major tournament since they last graced a French-hosted event at World Cup ’98. Among company of supposed equal ability, the country has left the likes of Montenegro, Sweden and Russia in their wake and can now look forward to a much better showing than their also-ran status at Euro 2008.

“UEFA European Championship trophy” by http://www.flickr. com/people/drabikpany.

Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Image by Steindy (talk) 00:13, 8 June 2013 (UTC) - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

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G THEIR FLIGHTS Portugal A one-man team? Perhaps. But any side with Cristiano Ronaldo leading the line has a better chance than most and has certainly proved too much of a match for the likes of Albania, Serbia and Armenia. Denmark are likely to join the archetypal ‘bridesmaids’ of tournament football, but a spot in the top two seems in the bag and Ronaldo will once again have a chance to get his hands on something that Lionel Messi hasn’t; a major international trophy.

Right: Cristiano Ronaldo. Image

by Football.ua. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Image by copa2014.gov.br.

Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Croatia

Image by Football.ua.

Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Spain The reigning European Champions, having won in both 2008 and 2012, may have endured an underwhelming World Cup last year, but are seemingly back on track. Despite losing to the surprise Slovakian package, placing inside the top two and booking their flights for France next summer seems an inevitability, and it would still take a brave person to bet against them in 12 months’ time.

Part of the fabric at the top of European football since they took France ’98 by storm by finishing third, Croatia will almost certainly return to the country next year after gaining the upper hand on the Italians in their group. Another Semi-Final berth next summer seems less likely, but the familiar dark horse label will certainly be attached to East Europe’s most successful team in recent years.

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The dark horses

Ever since Greece’s highly unlikely triumph at Euro 2004, the title of ‘underdog’ is slightly more appealing than before and there are already a few candidates throwing their hats into the ring as potential long-shots worth keeping a close eye on.

The aforementioned Slovakians sit alongside the English as the only other team with a 100 percent win record in qualification so far, while Iceland’s heartbreak at narrowly missing out on a spot in Brazil last year is being mended by showing that the past few years’ rise up the rankings has been no fluke.

The award for arguably the most surprising ascent in world football, let alone Europe, goes to Wales, however, whose recent placing in the top 10 of FIFA’s - often confusing - rankings reflects a qualifying campaign that seems to have inspired a British Isle assault on next year’s Championships.

FIFA World Rankings 1: Argentina 2 Germany 3: Belgium 4: Colombia 5: Netherlands 6: Brazil 7: Portugal 8: Romania 9: England 10: Wales

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THE DAR Image by Stefan Heinisch originally posted to Flickr as Training der slowakischen Nationalmannschaft. Licensed under CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Slovakia Optimism in Slovakia is at an all time high since the country’s biggest win in its history against Spain last October. Bumper crowds have since turned up in their droves for games against local rivals, Macedonia and Czech Republic, and the side is now on the brink of reaching its first ever European Championships. A timid, but significant, appearance at World Cup 2010 in South Africa may have been fleeting but has given them a taste of what to expect next year.

Image by Andrzej Otrębski - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Iceland Missing out narrowly on last year’s World Cup - falling to Croatia in the playoffs - the small Scandinavian island is still desperate to make its first ever major international tournament, and it looks like their time may finally have arrived. Victories over Turkey, Czech Republic and the Netherlands leave them top of the group with four games to play, and nerves of steel are now required to fend off all three when fixtures resume later in 2015.

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RK HORSES Wales Officially, the small British principality is now one of the top ten teams in the world. Almost on a par with England, and on the verge of a first major tournament since 1958, this double whammy has brought huge optimism back to the valleys which was only compounded by their most recent win over the much fancied Belgians. With the world’s most expensive player, Gareth Bale, as a talisman, many are now tipping the Welsh to continue causing upsets next year in France as well.

Above: Image by Wales national football team in 2011

by Biser Todorov

Northern Ireland The British Isles is dreaming of a full house when the draw is made for France 2016 with England and Wales already cancelling summer holidays, but while Ireland and Scotland may have to fight among themselves to secure another spot, Northern Ireland look very much on track to capitalise on a weak qualification group to make a Euro Finals for the first time in their history. Battling Romania and Hungary for one of the two spots, the nation would care very little about going into next year’s Championships as rank outsiders, if it meant a bit of fun while it lasted.

Welsh international Gareth Bale, shown playing for Real Madrid.

Image by Laura Hale.

Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Top photo: Aaron Hughes, 2012. Image by Садовников Дмитрий - http://soccer.ru/ gallery/53694. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

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Giants in danger

In a format that will see the top two teams from every group guaranteed a place in next year’s Championship, and a playoff place for all third-placed finishers, the door was always going to be ajar for dark horses enjoying a purple patch. Nobody, however, expected it to be to the detriment of the usual suspects.

However, Iceland have stolen a march on the Netherlands, Scotland and Norway are putting pressure on the Germans and Italians, respectively, and Russia’s hopes of qualifying automatically seem all but over already.

The Netherlands Winning only half of their six games so far, and labouring through those if truth be told, the Dutch are potentially in the most danger of all the serious contenders, sitting behind Iceland and Czech Republic in Group A, with Turkey also within striking distance from fourth. A major tournament without the boys in orange seems unthinkable, but resurgence is required later this year if they are to avoid the tension of a playoff.

Image by Дмитрий Неймырок / Dmitrij Nejmyrok. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikipedias

Much-needed enthusiasm

While the 15th Championships four years later in 2020 will take on a different guise to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the competition removing the traditional sole host country model and bringing games to 13 nations - the 14th instalment in 2016 will be significant in its own right.

Taking place in one of the continent’s most football-mad countries, the reformatted tournament will see more competition than ever before for whoever does come out victorious.

Of course, once qualification has been completed, everyone begins again at zero and a new form book will be consulted, but given the trials and tribulations of many European teams at last year’s World Cup, the immediate resurgence of the likes of England, Spain and Portugal may indeed prove to be vital, while the less likely success stories continue to whip up muchneeded enthusiasm with less than one year to wait.

And for a sport as tainted and criticised as football is at present, any enthusiasm and positivity should be embraced and celebrated.

Michel Platini will certainly be looking to channel such positivity as the countdown to France ‘16 begins in earnest.

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Russia

Image by Steindy (talk) 13:42, 18 November 2014 (UTC) - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

The tension of a playoff would be heightened further if the prospect of playing another sleeping giant came to fruition. Russia seems the most likely to fall under this category as they watch Austria and Sweden stride away from them in their qualification group. With only three years until the proud nation hosts the next World Cup, the Russian fan base has already reached levels of despair and desperation at the lack of progress being witnessed.

Robin van Persie slides for the ball. Image by Football.ua.

Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

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Italy Similar to Germany, a top two spot should be cemented by the time the draw is being prepared for, but Croatia and Norway are certainly making things tricky for 2012’s runner-up in the meantime. Like Spain, the Italians are no longer sat among the world’s top 10, according to the FIFA rankings, and a stuttering qualification is largely to blame.

Identified as a ‘team in transition’ like so many esteemed nations looking for an early excuse in the past, not making the trip to France at all would still be a disaster for a country with the rich pedigree that Italy has in major tournaments.

Above: Italy national football team Euro 2012. Image by Станислав Ведмидь Left: Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus).

Image by Football.ua. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Germany

Above: Germany players celebrate winning the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Image by Agência Brasil. Licensed under CC BY 3.0 br via Wikimedia Commons

A major international football tournament without the Germans couldn’t happen, could it? Well, it’s unlikely, but the highest ranked European side in world football is anything but guaranteed qualification as yet. Handed a competitive group including the Poles, Scots and Irish, neutrals expected a stern challenge but never a crisis. The smart money is still on Germany to reel in Poland and to win the group, but nobody expected them to be caught in the crowd at the halfway stage either.

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STOCKHOLM: Europe’s Emerging Centre for Tech Startups Astrid Trolle Adams, a Solicitor at European law firm ebl miller rosenfalck, analyses the appeal of Stockholm as a leader in the European tech startup sector Writer: Astrid Trolle Adams, ebl miller rosenfalck f London and Berlin are the monarchs of Europe’s tech scene, Stockholm should surely be regarded as the talented challenger to the throne.

Many ventures in Stockholm’s tech scene are chasing the magical “unicorn valuation” where a private company is shored-up by enough venture capital investment to become part of the ‘billion-dollar startup club’. Indeed, recent figures suggest that Sweden is in fact the king, producing more billion-dollar tech companies per capita than any other country in Europe.

Successes in Stockholm

‘The fact that Swedes enjoy free university education and healthcare has contributed to the startup-friendly environment assembling innovative people who are willing to take risks and try new things in the same setting’

How can we explain the realisation of those Swedish tech success stories and why have they become so lucrative for US and UK venture capital firms seeking to invest?

Obviously there are a number of factors which have aided the appeal of Stockholm to startups. Naturally any country’s ability to attract investment relies on its environment for business, people and innovation; and Sweden is no exception. Sweden’s competitiveness relies not only on core business environmental indicators but – Astrid Trolle Adams, also on other factors such as reliability, Solicitor, ebl miller rosenfalck

trust and quality of life. Swedes are used to communicating in English, and any entrepreneur with aspiration to go overseas should work in English from the very beginning.

Swedish politicians have legislated since the very early tech days to ensure extensive broadband is as widely available as possible, including subsidies for the private sector to install rural internet connections. Stateowned companies have been forced to provide local network services with the outcome being high internet penetration. Ecommerce boomed early on in Sweden and is in no small part due to its world-leading telecom sector. The fact that Swedes enjoy free university education and healthcare has contributed to the startup-friendly environment assembling innovative people who are willing to take risks and try new things in the same setting.

Entrepreneurs have often teamed up with technologists from Stockholm’s Royal Institute of Technology offering academic support and aiding development.

International companies are attracted to Sweden as a global leader for innovation with a highly skilled labour force, a genuine openness to international ownership and a stable

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economy. Colloquially the Swedish labour force has been described as ‘trendy Germans who speak great English’.

However, despite the benefits there remain a number of hurdles. Domestic venture capital funding still remains subdued with Stockholm’s tech centre relying heavily on more inconsistent foreign investment. It is also a challenge to keep highly educated engineering and tech talent within Sweden as they may be tempted by the tech scenes both in the UK and the US; such talent has proved to be very mobile. Despite this the majority of already successful players have remained in Stockholm in one form or another as “angel investors” or board members of local companies.

Examples of VC investments in Swedish tech startups Well known VC (venture capitalist) firms from around the world have invested in Stockholm companies.

They travel to Stockholm to discover and meet with tech startups. Below are some examples of where VC investors have invested in a new Stockholm based tech Company: Bridgepoint have invested in Trustly - a Swedish tech company in the finance sector

Tictail launched in 2012 and has more than 35,000 stores created on its platform. Tictail guides users through the setting up process and running their online store.

CEO, Carl Waldekranz has described the accessibility and affordability as key to the democratisation of ecommerce. Josh Kushner’s VC firm, Thrive Capital is one of the biggest investors

The tax environment

Sweden used to have very few business angels and cautious venture capitalists; a combination which meant startups had to focus on international funding sources. However several tax measures to attract both national and international businesses and investors have been launched in the last decade. Now the tax deductions for investors in small companies for those individuals who obtain shares in a small company becoming eligible for a deduction of up to 50 percent of the cost of acquiring the shares. The maximum limit of the deduction is SEK650,000 (€70,570) per individual per annum, on a maximum investment of SEK1.3m (€141,000).

The investor deduction applies only to companies with fewer than 50 employees or active partners and a net turnover or a balance sheet total not exceeding SEK80m (€8.7 million).

The shares must also be kept by the investor for at least five years. The Swedish Private Equity & Venture Capital Association’s CEO, Isabella de Feudis has declared that she hopes the maximum limit will be increased.

Corporate tax has also been lowered

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Active Venture Partners, Monkfish Equity and local Industrifonden have all invested in Barnebys, a platform signing up auction houses around the world, acting as the meta-search engine which can deliver traffic and branding

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down to 22 percent from 26.3 percent and is now one of the lowest headline corporate tax rates in Western Europe.

Klarna’s payment system is used on retail sites by one click and the customer can choose to pay using a credit or debit card or choose to pay next month. Sequoia Capital became Klarna’s largest single owner and one of its partners is a member of the board. General Atlantic, Digital Sky, Oresund and Atomico are other investors in Klarna

IT hubs in Stockholm

Apart from Kista which is the best known tech district in Stockholm often referred to as “Chipsta”, Stockholmbased entrepreneurs have new and more central meeting places where they can share ideas and meet on a daily basis. The most famous one is possibly SUP46, a hub set up in 2013 to bring Stockholm’s startup community together. In January 2015, a new space called Epicentrum opened up to create an innovation centre for growing companies. It is the place to be for both Swedish and foreign companies looking to take the next step. iZettle turns an iPhone or iPad into a credit card terminal using a mini chip-card reader and app. It is available in various countries where chip-cards are the standard.

Index Ventures’ led a £6.7 million investment in iZettle some years ago alongside Swedish Creandum to allow it to expand and more recently, Zouk Capital also showed its investment support

Challenging the status quo

Sweden has in total produced six unicorns, including Skype, Spotify, games company Mojang – the makers of Minecraft – and the Anglo-Swedish group King, creator of smartphone game Candy Crush.

Although Stockholm is still some way behind London in terms of investment in new companies, US venture capital firms invested nearly $200 million in Swedish tech companies last year and $308 million in 2010, more than twice the average amount invested between 2002 and 2008, and more than rival hubs in France and Germany. Both entrepreneurs and venture capitalists are looking for the next billion-dollar Swedish internet company to rival Spotify and Skype, and through Stockholm’s ideal blend of characteristics it would seem they may not have to wait too much longer.

DISCLAIMER The material contained in this article is provided for general purposes only and does not constitute legal or other professional advice. Appropriate legal advice should be sought for specific circumstances and before action is taken.

Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers and Sequoia Capital, together with Niklas Zennström’s Atomico, are some of the investors in Truecaller. Truecaller has had global success with its app which one can find phone numbers and block spam calls, a useful tool designed so that you never pick up an unwanted call again

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The Evolution of Biometric Authentication Ravi Ahluwalia of Hitachi Europe Ltd discusses the role of biometrics in replacing traditional passwords across the banking sector and what to expect next

Writer: Ravi Ahluwalia, Deputy General Manager, Information Systems Group – EMEA, Hitachi Europe Ltd

ccording to Goode Intelligence, more than one billion users will access banking services through biometric systems by 2017 and by 2020, biometrics will be the predominant identity authorisation method to access bank services.

This is because the public recognises that data security is increasingly important, but worry that passwords and PINs are not fraud proof. It is this need that biometrics fulfil by delivering faster, easier and more secure authentication process, in sync with other trends such as the rise of mobile banking.

The adoption of biometric technology is accelerating due to an evolutionary shift from external to internal feature recognition (for example, from voice to vein recognition) which offers a more streamlined and palatable customer experience.

Biometric technology is beginning to mature and soon enough it will be the norm.

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Challenges over time

Innovation and collaboration have driven the evolution of biometrics, but rolling out this technology and ensuring effective implementation has come with huge challenges.

Due to the advanced hardware it requires, cost has historically been one of the biggest issues when deploying biometric security technology. But with the spread of built-in biometric support in smart mobile devices, the cost of hardware will become less of a challenge. This is because biometric hardware will become cheaper over time as it’s produced more efficiently and used more widely.

Another obstacle to the rise of biometric authentication has been consumer understanding. It can take time for consumers to get used to new technologies, particularly when they relate to personal data.

For example, while some appreciate when advertising campaigns used facial recognition and other similar technologies to tailor an advert, others find this invasive or worry about how this data is used. However, this

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too is now changing, as the public acclimatises to these developments.

The most significant obstacle to the development of biometrics has been fear of banking fraud and identity theft. However, as biometrics have developed from external to internal feature recognition, fears around this have lessened. Internal recognition is far more difficult to fake, as well as being a more convenient and less invasive experience for customers.

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Companies that can update their old IT systems and deliver biometric solutions in innovative ways, like Barclays’ partnership with Hitachi, will continue to push biometric development forward

Degrees of success

The development and uptake of biometrics has not been uniform across the different types of biometric technology. Finger vein, hand geometry, facial, voice, iris and signature recognition have all had varying degrees of success in different regions.

The UK has been particularly open

Security matters

The increased uptake of biometrics and towards facial recognition which the move towards internal rather than has evolved and become far more external features has had particular sophisticated in recent years. On the success in the banking industry, where other hand, 80 percent of Japanese security is paramount. Finger vein now use vein recognition at ATM authentication is increasingly seeing machines while VeinID has been slower uptake as trust and engagement to catch on in Europe. Yet this creates builds. And this is contributing, along a huge opportunity to replicate the with other FinTech developments, to success of different types of biometrics the death of the password. in different regions.

Banks in the UK are increasingly

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looking into biometrics for security, be this from enabling customers to log on with Touch ID when doing their banking to Barclays bringing out finger vein authentication for UK business customers later this year.

For this, they are using Hitachi’s finger vein authentication technology which reads the pattern of the vein inside the finger, rather than external characteristics, making it very difficult to replicate. It is so difficult to capture the data without sophisticated technology that the chance of cloning is extremely slim; particularly in comparison to traditional card or password methods of authentication.

Barclays is advanced in financial technology; secure cheque-scanning service has just been made available to all smartphone customers. This is because it says that customers don’t want old forms of payment anymore.

Here we see that the evolution of biometrics is beginning to be customer rather than sector-driven.

“The move from external to internal biometrics and increasing acceptance of the technology - that comes with both familiarity and education - means biometrics are coming into their own” Beyond banking

Yet opportunities offered by biometrics are being recognised across an increasing number of industries; including healthcare. Just recently, Hitachi’s partner MIG introduced mobile Wi-Fi scanners that offer convenient mobile identification for the patient at the point of care.

This ‘BIOMIG’ device, based on Hitachi’s core finger vein scanner technology, has been rolled out at several individual private hospitals, hospital groups and dialysis centres in Turkey as well as the Memorial

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Finger vein recognition Finger vein recognition is a method of biometric authentication that uses pattern-recognition techniques based on images of human finger vein patterns beneath the skin’s surface. Finger vein recognition is one of many forms of biometrics used to identify individuals and verify their identity.

Finger Vein ID is a biometric authentication system that matches the vascular pattern in an individual’s finger to previously obtained data.

Hitachi developed and patented a finger vein ID system in 2005. The technology is currently in use or development for a wide variety of applications, including credit card authentication, automobile security, employee time and attendance tracking, computer and network authentication, end point security and automated teller machines.

To obtain the pattern for the database record, an individual inserts a finger into an attester terminal containing a near-infrared LED (lightemitting diode) light and a monochrome CCD (charge-coupled device) camera. The hemoglobin in the blood absorbs near-infrared LED light, which makes the vein system appear as a dark pattern of lines. The camera records the image and the raw data is digitized, certified and sent to a database of registered images. For authentication purposes, the finger is scanned as before and the data is sent to the database of registered images for comparison. The authentication process takes less than two seconds.

Blood vessel patterns are unique to each individual, as are other biometric data such as fingerprints or the patterns of the iris. Unlike some biometric systems, blood vessel patterns are almost impossible to counterfeit because they are located beneath the skin’s surface. Biometric systems based on fingerprints can be fooled with a dummy finger fitted with a copied fingerprint; voice and facial characteristic-based systems can be fooled by recordings and high-resolution images. The finger vein ID system is much harder to fool because it can only authenticate the finger of a living person.

Finger Vein Pattern Recognition Technology - Hitachi

Healthcare Group.

One by-product of the rise of biometrics is the opportunity this is creating for start-ups. British start-up, Sthaler is working with Hitachi on a “pay-by-finger” solution it has trialled at several music festivals.

The next stage of biometric evolution

Now at the tipping point where mobility and biometrics are converging to streamline and protect both private and public processes, the next stage of evolution for biometrics is education.

Many organisational and operational shifts such as the move to biometrics are spearheaded from the C-Suite, but it is vital the reasoning behind the change is filtered throughout the entire organisation to ensure all involved have full understanding of how these technologies work.

Consumers and staff need to understand what is being implemented, why biometrics are being brought in and what is being done to address their concerns.

Education programmes can dispel the myths around biometrics, informing users and teaching best practice; creating the circumstances whereby this innovative technology secure a future for the banking sector and beyond.

The move from external to internal biometrics and increasing acceptance of the technology - that comes with both familiarity and education - means biometrics are coming into their own.

Companies that can update their old IT systems and deliver biometric solutions in innovative ways, like Barclays’ partnership with Hitachi, will continue to push biometric development forward.

Biometric technology education combined with the development of internal feature recognition innovation will allow the technology to mature and disperse across companies, sectors and geographies.

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is a leading business-to-business publication promoting and showcasing the leading companies across an array of sectors on the continent.

Appearing in both digital and print, the publication is aimed at boardroom members and hands-on decision makers, reaching more than 195,000 business executives.

Every other month we feature leading companies and business executives by profiling their operations and success stories. Covering areas of best practice, capital investments, the supply chain, innovation and continuous improvement, we aim to promote all that is good about the industry and the region, with your company taking centre stage throughout it all.

Producing business profiles across the full range of sectors and every corner of the continent, Europe Outlook is the platform to promote your business success.

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Opus Offshore is complementing its strengths as a young, dynamic industry player with an international acquisition that puts the business in a prime position within the cyclic oil & gas sector Writer: Matthew Staff • Project Manager: Arron Rampling

s a relatively new player in the global oil & gas industry, the pressure is on Opus Offshore to prove itself to the major market players in the sector, and has taken significant steps to achieving just that through a pivotal European acquisition.

Marketing isn’t always a simple task as a new player in the oil & gas industry, with most major oil companies looking for partners who have been active for at least three years, with a proven track record.

One way to counteract this challenge is to form joint ventures with existing market players; something which Opus has consequently optimised via a new partnership with Norwegian company, Songa Offshore.

The resultant Songa Opus Offshore Drilling venture is an amalgamation of Opus and Songa’s international division, in a move which is set to open a whole new set of doors for the former.

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Peter Burnett, Vice President of Operations Having joined Opus Offshore in May 2013, Peter Burnett has played a vital role in overseeing the development of the four Tiger drill ships, stewarding the Company towards executing the core business strategies set out for future international success

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“We purchased Songa International, giving us two older semi submersibles called the Songa Mercur and the Songa Venus, having heard of them through their work in Southeast Asia,” the Company’s Vice President of Operations, Peter Burnett explains. “This gives us the Songa name attached to Opus, as well as a track record of seven years and a fantastic safety record and operational performance.

“When we market ourselves now, we can fall back on their track record, and complement that with the great assets and people that we have here at Opus.”

Songa’s reputation for its successful operations in different regions and harsher environments adds further strings to Opus’ bow, with enhanced sharing of knowledge also stemming from the relationship; all of which is set to be beneficial in marketing this enhanced offering to the wider industry.

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Industry breakthrough

This potentially defining acquisition aligns itself with Opus Offshore’s general progression over the past year, with the Company currently on the brink of a major industry breakthrough.

Its four, benchmark, new build drill ships have been a signal of intent for the Company since its inception in 2011, with its Tiger 1 rig delivered on 29 June, 2015 and ready to enter the market this year, and Tiger 2 having the finishing touches put to it in the dock also; both of which are now gearing up for an inevitable rise in the oil & gas market over the next 18 months.

In the meantime, Opus is playing the same waiting game as many other industry players in terms of attaining contracts for new builds, but Burnett is confident that once Tiger 1 is picked up and operational, a snowball effect will occur for future rig uptake to fall into place.

“When we began building the ships the oil prices were very good and if they had remained as they were, we’d have had them contracted without any problems, but these slumps are very cyclic, and will come around again,” he predicts. “It has also played into our hands strangely because we have been able to build these a lot cheaper in China than we would have been able to in Korea or Singapore, so when the market does pick up, our operating and capital costs are lower too.

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Songa Mercur

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Course participants are trained to manage command, control, communication and stress in a rapid and structured response, sufficient to deal with the incident.

MEM training cannot be quantified during your normal day’s operations.

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Songa Venus

When we market ourselves now, we can fall back on their track record, and complement that with the great assets and people that we have here at Opus

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In the oil and gas industry, we are constantly exposed to high risk environments. Though extensive preventative measures had been put in place to reduce or eliminate the probability of unwanted incidents from occurring, when preventative measures fail and major incidents happen, stress levels can escalate rapidly, adversely affecting mental response.

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To help overcome this possibility, we have training centres set up in UAE, Dubai, Egypt, Cairo, Indonesia, Batam and a new centre soon to be introduced in Vung Tau, Vietnam.

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Seaworld Marine is Bizsafe certified and equipped with ISO9001:2008 quality certification and OHSAS19001:2007 safety certification.

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“We’re ahead of the game in having four rigs ready, so all we need to do is get a contract for Tiger 1, show the market how well they are working and how efficient they are, and then other companies will have to play catchup, and Tigers 2, 3 and 4 will basically market themselves.”

Simple is best

Finding a differentiator in such a fiercely competitive market is imperative, with a lot of rigs currently sitting and waiting to be activated, and a lot of companies behind those rigs desperate for a return on investment on their products.

For Opus, these differentiators stem from the ability to be flexible and entrepreneurial in making quick decisions and skipping outdated

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hanghai Shipyard Co., Ltd, your sincere cooperative partner in shipbuilding and offshore engineering.

We’re ahead of the game in having four rigs ready, so all we need to do is get a contract for Tiger 1, show the market how well they are working and how efficient they are, and then other companies will have to play catch-up...

• Subordinated to China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC), with excellent facilities for new shipbuilding and offshore engineering • High safety and environmentally friendly, innovative and in pursuit of excellence • Successful delivery of seismic ships, semi-submersible rig, multi-purpose heavy lift vessels and various types of bulk carriers & container ships for worldwide owners • Under construct 5,000ft WD drillships, tender barges, AHTS’ and seismic ships • We are able to satisfy customs all over the world with integrated strength of R&D, design and manufacturing, highly commended by owners with constant explorations in high-efficiency and energy-saving projects

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Our company specialized all kinds of piping system as follows: • Afloat and voyage repair work • Piping fabrication and installation work • Workshop fabrication job • Offshore repair work

Shanghai Shipyard is one of the three China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC) Offshore industry bases and distribute to more than 30 countries and regions all over the world.

Our products include: seismic research vessel, drillship, tender barge, anchor handing tug supply vessel, multi-purpose heavy lift vessel, medium-sized container vessel, bulk carrier and other vessels.

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MAPS OFFSHORE SERVICES

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APS Offshore Services is fast becoming one of the best known companies within the offshore industry with its own team of Engineers, QCs and our very own subsea department.

MAPS not only possess the whole suite of capabilities and expertise to take on turn-key projects, we also specialize in upgrading for rigs, all metal fabrication works, high pressure piping fabrication, LARS, accommodation upgrading and fabrication of diving systems.

We have vast experience collaborating with numerous eminent offshore companies. Having built up our client base and project capabilities over the years, MAPS Offshore Services is set up with the sole vision of leading it to greater heights.

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www.mapsoffshore.com.sg Opus Offshore Tiger 2

practices to produce the most efficient rigs possible.

“That’s the idea of our new drill ships; they are sixth generation drill ships but we can offer them at third or fourth generation prices,” Burnett notes. “We have equipment on board which is all sixth generation, including features which older rigs simply can’t do.

“The efficiency of the equipment operating on these rigs is also far superior to older ones that we’re competing against price-wise.”

Optimising efficiencies begins in the planning stage and its target regions of operation, ensuring that the rigs are not burning any unnecessary fuel, producing unnecessary emissions, and are moored to levels of deep water that each ship was tailored for.

Burnett adds: “If you’re sitting in the ocean hundreds of miles from anywhere and you’ve got 10,000 feet of water below you and you’re using dynamic position systems to keep you

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FORUM ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES

Ultimately, we always look to our motto, ‘simple is best’, meaning we run the systems that are simpler to run, with less costs involved and less emissions also

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MAPS Offshore Services Pte Ltd Email: arthur@mapsoffshore.com.sg www.mapsoffshore.com.sg Office number: +65 6266 5727 Fax number: +65 6266 5513

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• Upgrading work for rigs and DSV • Turnkey projects • Standard and high pressure pipe fabrication (4130 XXS) • Fabrication work for all metals • Accommodation upgrading • HVAC systems • Inspection on offshore drilling rigs • Oil & gas equipment sales & brokerage • Oil & gas merger & acquisitions within the marine industry

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Opus’ affiliation with Songa Offshore will further compound its long-term international success

in location, it takes a lot of complicated science and energy to maintain position, as well as a lot of costs.

“We don’t have all that on board. We went for the conventional system which is a very high powered, sixth generation mooring system which allows us to moor and sit there very comfortably regardless of the weather conditions.

We also burn as little as 12 tonnes of fuel a day compared to as much as 50 tonnes on ultra-deep water rigs.

“Ultimately, we always look to our motto, ‘simple is best’, meaning we run the systems that are simpler to run, with less costs involved and less emissions also.”

Shanghai Shipyard has seen the recent introduction of a new simulator

Cyclic industry

Over the first four years of Opus Offshore’s evolution the business has been able to rely on two consistent and core structural facets; its role as a subsidiary of the multibillion dollar Reignwood Group in China, and its use of the Shanghai Shipyard.

Knowing the latter from previous roles within the industry, Burnett was confident that all aspects of the engineering and assembly process could be achieved from this Shanghai base, with the cost factor also more efficient than it would have been in either Korea or Singapore.

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Opus Tiger 1

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Tiger 3 will be delivered in the fourth quarter of 2016

Shanghai Shipyard also allows room for further innovation as has been seen through the recent introduction of a new simulator.

Burnett notes: “We have all the experience working out of the shipyard, working with all the equipment that is needed on board, but what we have recently done is purchase a multi-million dollar simulator, built specifically for our drilling systems by guys who work with cyberspace simulators. This allows the worker to sit in an air conditioned room, and train on the simulator, before they go on to the rig.”

Keeping a fixed eye on future technologies, trends and continuous improvements is another benefit that comes more easily to a company like Opus, and with ongoing collaboration and discussion taking place with industry analysts around the world, the business is fully geared up to capitalise when the market becomes more favourable.

www.c-a-m.com » drillinginfo@c-a-m.com » +1 281 606-6000

In 12-18 months from now, demand will have picked up and I would hope that both Tiger 1 and Tiger 2 will be contracted. Tiger 3 will then be delivered in the fourth quarter of 2016, with Tiger 4 following in early 2017

Its affiliation with Songa Offshore will further compound its long-term international success, but the priority for now remains to capitalise on the rigs already prepared for operation in its domestic market.

Burnett concludes: “In 12-18 months from now, demand will have picked up and I would hope that both Tiger 1 and Tiger 2 will be contracted. Tiger 3 will then be delivered in the fourth quarter of 2016, with Tiger 4 following in early 2017.

“Our second phase is to build and operate some semi-submersibles, on which we have carried out pretty much all the engineering and just need investment to get these off the ground once Tigers 1 and 2 are working.

“In the meantime, we await the industry to come back, which it will do. This is my fourth cycle and it’s not always fun during the lull, but it’ll come back around again and we are in a great position for when it does.”

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F O U N D O C E A N

AT THE FOREFRONT OF

Offshore Change The world’s largest subsea grouting company has diversified into structural grouting for offshore renewables in recognition of the changing nature of the UK’s energy demands Writer: Emily Jarvis • Project Manager: Eddie Clinton

ince experiencing considerable growth in 2010 due to its entry into the renewable energy market and expansion into emerging oil & gas regions, FoundOcean has been at the forefront of industry change and development.

Boasting more than 50 years of experience in subsea grouting for the oil & gas and offshore wind sectors, FoundOcean is proud to hold high status as the world’s largest dedicated offshore construction grouting company. Now working on some of the world’s most renowned offshore rigs, the Company is proud to have sustained a comprehensive health and safety management policy that has significantly aided with Zero Harm goals.

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“Our primary area of expertise lies in securing structures to the seabed by foundation grouting, whether a single oil & gas platform or multiple installations for offshore wind turbines, and we also support the industry through consulting on many foundation designs for tidal, wave and offshore wind projects,” explained FoundOcean.

Furthermore, as part of the wider FoundOcean Group – a specialist in vibro-hammers, power units and auxiliary products – FoundOcean is able to leverage on the Group’s Dutch skill base, internal trainings and research facilities in order to continuously improve its operations.

In line with this, the Company has allocated an Innovation Director who has the sole responsibility of overseeing the ongoing development of FoundOcean’s equipment.

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The Company confirmed: “Martin Hardy, Innovations Director, has been behind many of the key technological breakthroughs the company has made in the past 20 years, in addition to providing advice to clients who are facing technical challenges.

“Hardy is accompanied by an experienced management team whose knowledge of the offshore and subsea market can be traced back to the 1960s, and many of our company directors have been with us since the beginning, when the Company was known as Wimpey Laboratories.”

Five decades later

Established in 1966 and later becoming Wimpey Geotech, Wimpey Laboratories was the first company in the world to develop the process of offshore grouting; a process which

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North Rankin B: FoundOcean’s biggest pile grouting project by cement volume to date at 150m tall, with four 22m2 mudmats, standing in 125 metres of water

is now adopted worldwide on a vast number of subsea installations.

Operating under the Wimpey banner for three decades, in 1993, the offshore division of Wimpey Geotech was acquired by SeaMark Systems, which was swiftly followed by the sale of the namesake Sea Marker product in order to focus solely on offshore grouting.

The resulting Company became known as FoundOcean.

CASE Study North Rankin B

Grouting the 16-sleeve-jacket for one of the world’s largest topsides

North Rankin B

Grouting the 16-sleeve-jacket for one of the world’s largest topsides The North Rankin B foundation houses one of the world’s largest topsides and is immense compared to a regular jacket.

It is 150m tall, has four 22m2 mudmats, and stands in 125m of water. Because the grout volume was so large, FoundOcean used two of their unique Recirculating Jet Mixers (RJM) in unison to mix the material, and pump the grout down a single hose.

The seabed in Western Australia is particularly complex, with the structure requiring 16 foundation piles to secure it to the seabed. Each 182m-long pile was placed in two sections.

The upper part of the hollow pile was driven as normal into the seabed. The ground below the pile was then drilled out to form a socket to enable the lower section of the pile to be inserted through the upper part.

To grout the lower part of the pile, a Stinger was inserted to the bottom of the socket where ducts in the lower section carried grout out to the rock surrounding the pile. The Stinger was raised as the column of grout filled the annuli inside and outside of the lower pile. The sleeve-to-pile connection was then grouted using standard procedures via primary and secondary grout lines. The lower end of each primary pile sleeve was equipped with a grout packer system to retain the grout in the annulus whilst it was curing.

PROJECT FACTS Industry Region Services Project year Operator Contractor Water depth Cement type

Oil & Gas Western Australia Pile grouting 2012 Woodside Energy Heerema Marine Contractors 125 m Semen Padang ASTM type 1 AS 3972 General Purpose Total cement 4,456 tonnes Mixer type Recirculating Jet Mixer Grout specification 45 MPa Mixing rate 30m3/hr (2 No. RJMs)

nRB RJM DECk PlAn

This was FoundOcean’s biggest pile grouting project by cement volume to date.

Pioneering innovations from the leading global energy-focused offshore grouting contractor

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Liston Exchange, Liston Court, Marlow, SL7 1ER, UK • +44 1628 567 000 info@foundocean.com • www.foundocean.com

Half a century later and Wimpey’s grouting services went on to become award-winning industry practice, accompanied by a whole host of value-add solutions; diversifying into offshore renewables, life extension solutions for offshore assets including freespan correction, pipeline rehabilitation and jacket strengthening, maintenance and repair. FoundOcean solutions therefore have the capability to prolong the life of offshore energy production, which is a very welcome service for those with operations in the industry.

“Our 49 years of grouting experience has been perfected by successfully completing more than 1,000 offshore projects in the oil & gas and offshore renewable industries including the award-winning Ormonde Offshore Wind Farm, contributing to our title as experts in subsea grouting,” the Company further added.

perspective and environmental considerations into new product design is a goal and a high priority. the target is to implement environmental O I L & G management systems in all operations. all product companies and major customer centres must be certified according to the international standard on environment, the ISo:14001.

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WE KEEP YOU AHEAD OF THE COMPETITION

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Certification SS-EN ISO 3834-4

Fluid power technology for success Innovations and intelligent system solutions combined with flexibility and productivity – ARGO-HYTOS sets new standards in all areas of fluid power technology.

Julian Massler (21) Bronze medal at the Junior European Championships 2011 Sponsered by ARGO-HYTOS

We support young talents in sailing on their road to success. This is also the way our customers experience us: As an active partner – for more than 65 years.

ARGO-HYTOS Nordic AB · Topplocksgatan 18 · 21241 Malmö · Sweden · info.se@argo-hytos.com · www.argo-hytos.com

Incident-free strategy

Committed to maintaining a conscious culture towards health, safety and the environment, FoundOcean applies its years of in-depth knowledge of the industry to prevent unnecessary harm to employees to protect them from the harsh working conditions.

“As a DNV-accredited to ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 quality standards since 2006, we work to continually identify and eliminate any foreseeable hazards and minimise the probability of incidents resulting in personal injuries, illnesses, damage to property and the environment,” said the Company.

With an annual review of its policies, FoundOcean is able to monitor the effectiveness of its current health and safety practices and ensure the process of continuous improvement is maintained.

The Company added: “Our incident and injury-free strategy is built around a multi-layered learning and

Award-winning structural grouting services for offshore wind farms and oil & gas platforms

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James Bell, Managing Director Bell started his engineering career when he joined the Wimpey Construction Group in 1989. He worked across various heavy civil construction projects before moving to Wimpey’s offshore construction division. Following this, Bell spent several years working in engineering and oil & gas roles.

In 2005, he made the move to FoundOcean as Managing Director where he has implemented major strategic changes resulting in a significant expansion of the business. These changes include international expansion, research and investment in a new plant and overseeing a 500 percent increase in employee numbers, leading to a 10-fold increase in revenues.

Bell has been involved with numerous technically challenging projects including the Woodside North Rankin B jacket installation, Thornton Bank Wind Farm, BP CATS pipeline repair, ConocoPhillips Ekofisk strengthening, Exxon Diana Truss Spar riser system and Umm Shaif Gas Development project.

development programme, embedded employee wellbeing culture, and focus to build a sustainable business for the future. As the industry is subject to undergo change due to a number of variables in the future, it is important that we keep our policies as up to date as possible.”

Moreover, all FoundOcean personnel working offshore have to undertake an offshore survival course and subsequent refresher courses at an approved offshore petroleum industry training board centre; where staff knowledge of Company procedures can be put to the test.

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Offshore wind

As the industry is subject to undergo change due to a number of variables in the future, it is important that we keep our policies as up to date as possible

After applying its wealth of subsea grouting knowledge to the offshore wind sector in 2010, FoundOcean’s first renewable project – the Ormonde Offshore Wind Farm - became the recipient of a national ‘Large Project’ award at the inaugural Energy Awards provided by RenewableUK. “We quickly proved our versatility and competence with a range of offshore wind foundation types including monopole transition pieces at the 576MW Gwynt y Môr, jacket-style foundations at the 30MW Thornton Bank, and tripod foundations at the 400MW Tiranel Wind Farm Borkum phase two,” highlighted the Company.

Ormonde Offshore Wind Farm is just one example of industrial excellence, displaying the huge amount of structural design work that goes into offshore renewable energy projects.

Located 10 kilometres (km) off BarrowIn-Furness in the Irish Sea and covering an area of 8.7km2, Ormonde comprises

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CASE Study Ormonde Offshore Wind Farm Pile grouting for 31 four-legged jacket foundations in the Irish Sea, 10km off Barrow-In-Furness.

Ormonde Offshore Wind Farm Pile grouting for 31 four-legged jacket foundations in the Irish Sea, 10km off Barrow-In-Furness.

Subsea and offshore grouting for the global energy construction industries

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30 RePower 5MW wind turbines producing a capacity of 150MW and one substation; this is enough energy to supply the equivalent of approximately 100,000 homes a year with clean power.

FoundOcean explained the structural building process: “The 31, four-legged OWEC Quattropod foundations were secured to the seabed by four main legs which were inserted into pre-driven piles. The connection between the leg and the pre-driven piles was made by injecting FoundOcean cement grout into the annulus around each pile and stab-in-leg.”

Conclusively, Ormonde served as a great marker that highlights the potential for large scale offshore wind projects around the world.

For FoundOcean, this was the first multiple-jacket grouting project that demonstrated the flexible, scalable nature of the Company’s operations and its ability to diversify in the face of changing energy requirements.

FoundOcean completes grouting operations for the Ormonde Offshore Wind Farm,the first large-scale commercial wind farm in European waters to use jacket foundations

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or 40 years, the UK’s HTC Plant Ltd and Germany’s WOLFFKRAN have partnered in Europe, and the two global construction heavyweights are now one following an acquisition by the latter which will see the Company edge closer to its goal of being one of the most significant crane manufacturers in the world.

Completed in May, 2015, WOLFFKRAN acquired the UK tower crane rental business, and has subsequently inherited a wealth of expertise, experience and resources to ensure that it does reach goals every bit as lofty as the projects its cranes have helped to build over the years.

With an annual turnover of more than £40 million, a fleet of more than 200 WOLFF tower cranes, a workforce of 370 crane experts and 50 years of market experience, HTC perfectly complements the global growth strategy of the German premium tower crane manufacturer.

The longstanding partnership between the two made the deal even more appealing, while it has also made the transition almost entirely seamless, with no plans to make any changes to HTC’s previous business operations; those which were equally prominent in gaining significant market share in the UK’s construction domain.

The hope for the now rebranded HTC WOLFFKRAN business is that UK customers will benefit most from the strategic fit and long-term investment, as they witness more and more of the notorious, red WOLFF tower cranes grace the London skyline.

The continent’s construction industry has sat up and taken notice as two of the market’s key crane operators combine to tower above the UK’s capital Writer: Matthew Staff Project Manager: Joe Palliser

A logical acquisition

With a fleet of more than 200 WOLFF cranes and nearly 400 crane experts in-house, HTC has long been renowned in the market for offering complete tower crane solutions tailored to its customers’ needs.

This made the acquisition all the

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AGRI-TECH SERVICES

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We have been supplying live wind monitoring solutions to the Construction Industry for 15 years.

Construction sites are interested in detailed wind speed data for obvious reasons.

We knew we had to deliver a plug and play system, but also a system which would accurately record historic data, and in parallel display near “real- time data” on the web explains the Company’s MD Simon Turner. We chose to partner with leaders in live monitoring Logic Energy to deliver a bespoke Construction site package T +44 (0)1462 813303

www.agri-tech.co.uk The acquisition of HTC was made all the more logical because of the strength of the UK construction market

more logical for WOLFFKRAN’s own development, as Dr Peter Schiefer, CEO and owner of the Company explained: “The acquisition is a big step for WOLFFKRAN, but a very logical one. It’s totally in line with our global strategy of manufacturing, selling, renting and providing related crane services.

“With HTC we are taking an experienced and highly motivated management team and an extremely skilled workforce on board. And the solid UK construction market was just another driver for our decision.”

The name of the new company will be HTC WOLFFKRAN Limited and reflects the combination of high standing expertise in delivering safe and effective tower crane services from HTC paired with state-of-the-art tower crane technology from the German manufacturer.

Dave Holder, Managing Director of HTC, added: “WOLFFKRAN has been

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the tower crane manufacturer of our choice for decades.

“Its reliable and state-of-the-art cranes are the ideal fit for our ‘be the best’ culture. Becoming a fully integrated part of the WOLFF family fills us with pride and confidence.”

Integrated portfolio

HTC’s crane portfolio predominantly consists of WOLFF luffing jib cranes that – based on their particular construction – are ideal for construction jobs in tight urban spaces, all the more so in countries with stringent overslewing laws such as the UK. Both older generation and new WOLFF luffing jib cranes are currently in operation on various high-profile constructions sites in London, including London Bridge Station, Nine Elms Redevelopment and Nova Victoria Development.

With the integration of HTC’s crane

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DELTA OBSTRUCTION LIGHTING

D

elta Obstruction Lighting was the first organisation to use LED based aircraft warning lights and as a result we have built up a reputation for being innovators in LED technology at the leading edge of the design of aircraft warning lights and obstruction lighting.

Delta Obstruction Lighting have collaborated with the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to bring unique lights to the marketplace, as well as providing long term installation and maintenance cover for leading communication providers.

T 0161 785 4940 E lighting@thinkdelta.com

www.deltaobstructionlighting.com

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Precision Irrigation

Precision Farming

Weather & Climate

24/7 Technical Support

www.agri-tech.co.uk

+ 44 (0) 1462 813 303

info@agri-tech.co.uk

Protecting city skylines since 1984

Innovators in LED Lighting Technologies Since the unfortunate Helicopter accident in London back in January 2013 authorities and building consultants are strict on meeting regulations in line for the use of Aircraft Warning Lights on cranes.

Company Address: Delta House, Wrigley Street Oldham, OL4 1SL Email: lighting@thinkdelta.com Tel: 0161 785 4940

www.deltaobstructionlighting.com

Roche Building 1, Basel. The WOLFFKRAN team closely cooperated with both the logistics specialists of the contractor and the architects of the building to ensure every step of the build was done logically and safely

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fleet, WOLFFKRAN’s global rental fleet will surpass 750 tower cranes, underlining its position as one of the largest tower crane rental companies in the world, comprising a complete tower crane package with the single focus of providing its customers for every need.

Unparalleled in the industry

When analysing the true benefits that the UK will reap as part of this more concerted amalgamation, prospective customers needn’t look any further than its Central European neighbours; many of whom have had their cities’ infrastructures enhanced thanks to WOLFFKRAN’s influence.

In Cologne, Germany, the highest freestanding WOLFF crane helped renovate the TÜV Rheinland highrise in the centre of the city. At 130 metres, the high trolley jib crane was commissioned by Bilfinger Hochbau GmbH, and will fit the building with a new, modern glass facade over the course of the next two years.

While a hook height of 130 metres is usually comfortable for a tower crane, a freestanding 130 metre hook height is a challenge. At the TÜV Rheinland construction site, however, this was the only possibility.

“We couldn’t place the crane close enough to the building to tie it to the building,” explained Carsten Druske, Branch Manager of WOLFFKRAN Dortmund. “Further, none of the surrounding buildings had a flat roof

HTC WOLFFKRAN SERVICES: Comprehensive range of WOLFF luffing jib & saddle jib tower cranes Crane selection and advice, including customised solutions Site visits & logistics planning Cranes in customers’ colours Manufacturer & engineering expertise Efficient erection time Road closure & traffic management arrangements HTC mobile cranes Strict adherence to hse guideline CAD facilities CITB approved training centre PPM (preventative planned maintenance) programme & crane servicing Independent examinations Advertising on cranes

Baustelle construction site, Köln, Cologne

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Crane accessories

TOWER STAFF CONSTRUCTION

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ower Staff Construction Ltd is a company specializing in five main sectors placing professional and qualified candidates on contract, permanent and temporary assignments. We manage assignments in a number of skilled disciplines from hourly paid contractors through to senior appointments. In addition to this we have specialist divisions in skilled and semi-skilled labour in a variety of industries.

Our clients benefit from clear tangible cost savings, experienced, qualified candidates and on-going bespoke recruitment solutions to fulfil their specific needs. We provide highly skilled, experienced and professional operatives, specialising in crane personnel for the construction industry throughout the UK.

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The Shard Tower, London Bridge

that could support the 152 tonne heavy crane. Actually, these couldn’t even support the scaffolding.”

“Our technical support department achieved remarkable structural calculation, unparalleled in the industry.”

Equally showing that skyscrapers aren’t just reserved for Dubai or China, Basel’s Roche Building 1 has similarly benefited from WOLFF’s influence in 2015.

Measuring 178 metres high, Marti AG employed WOLFF tower cranes to raise the building which required a hook height of 204 metres; the tallest crane used in the history of Swiss construction.

In addition to its impressive height, it was also the unique design of the Roche Building 1, with a tapering silhouette at the top, which required a sophisticated crane concept. To tackle these challenges, the WOLFFKRAN team closely cooperated with both the logistics specialists of the contractor and the architects of the building to ensure every step of the build was done logically and safely, while also epitomising a collaborative philosophy within WOLFFKRAN that is sure to stand the new acquisition in good stead.

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Concrete Improvement Plan

Strengthens Ferrobeton, a pioneer of high quality and innovative prefabrication solutions, has weathered the financial crisis and emerged in 2015 with a new aptitude for construction and infrastructure projects Writer: Emily Jarvis • Project Manager: Joe Palliser

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s a key player in the prefabrication and reinforced concrete industry in Hungary, Ferrobeton Zrt remains one of the largest companies nationwide in this field, reporting annualised sales of €80 million. With its wide product range and market presence 64 years in the making, the Company has the available capacity and considerable expertise to meet individual concrete needs on time and on budget; proving itself “worthy of the trust of our future partners”.

Usually taking on the role of subcontractor focusing on the body construction - from the foundation through to the final reinforced concrete construction – Ferrobeton enjoys an excellent reputation for its quality of work. “Our work is our marketing,” said the Company’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Zoltán Vass.

“You will hardly find any projects with prefabricated concrete elements where we are not involved. We participate in more than 90 percent of projects in Hungary.

“From planning structures and products through the production and delivery stages to the execution of complete structural construction works, we provide a total solution that is tailored to the needs of the market,” highlighted the CEO. Since inception in 1951, Ferrobeton has been considered a pioneer of the development of prefabrication,

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placing a concerted focus on its continuous improvement strategy at its four facilities in Hungary to achieve better product quality and modernise its facilities through the use of new technologies. The Company further added: “This comes as a result of our desire to keep up with the latest industry trends and transform the Company in line with present day industry demands.”

Regional cooperation

Since 2008, Ferrobeton has been operating as a subsidiary of the CRH Group in the Southeast European region. CRH, with its headquarters in Ireland, operates in 34 countries and employs close-to 90,000 people.

“The acquisition of Ferrobeton saw the Group enter Hungary for the first time, expanding and strengthening our concrete products business in Eastern Europe, serving as a platform for future growth in the region,” CRH Group confirmed in a statement at the time.

However, European building and infrastructure markets were hit hard by the financial crisis in 2008-2009 which had a knock-on effect on delivery of some of Hungary’s major construction projects at the time.

Thanks to regional cooperation across the Group’s production facilities at seven sites in four countries (Hungary,

Origo Film Studio, Budapest. Eight light and soundproofed film studios were built on 18 hectares of landscaped grounds, all consisting of a single-space hall without columns, with an internal height of 10-21 metres

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DESIGN Our design department is the best in the business, designing prefabricated structural elements, made of reinforced concrete with guaranteed conformity, to all standards and regulations.

From the outset, our planning service can offer any level of support to general contractors; from obtaining permits to creating the design of your project to the finest detail.

Upon request of our clients, we are also capable of preparing the complete documentation for the supporting structure independently.

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Since 2008, Ferrobeton has been operating as a subsidiary of the CRH Group in the Southeast European region

Slovakia, Romania and the Ukraine), Ferrobeton has been able to access a significantly larger pool of resources, a bigger product range and flexibility regarding capacity; all contributing to the creation of tangible benefits for its business partners and making the Company more attractive to wary investors.

“The years that followed the initial crisis have been difficult, and the market has shrunk continuously which has indicated the need to diversify by supplying our reinforced concrete to consumers as well as professional clients. We were able to leverage Group expertise from a proven model of business improvement and work with other companies and subcontractors locally in order to both grow Ferrobeton’s presence in the country and combat the

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power made simple

www.FGWilson.com Modern life is complicated but ensuring your power supply can be simple with FG Wilson.

Our latest product range from 32 – 125 kVA provides uncomplicated power assurance with the quality excellence you’ve come to expect

crisis,” said Vass in an interview.

He continued: “My challenge was to integrate Ferrobeton into the CRH network as well as possible, and I believe that the Company is now wellpositioned for a construction industry boom.”

For now, the Company has adopted an infrastructure and subcontractor focus, which includes activities such as building beams and bridge parts for motorways and telecommunication applications, and supplying the rail industry with sub-constructions. “We aim to enhance our activities in the railway and bus sector in particular,” emphasised Vass.

Strategic position

Ferrobeton’s enhanced geographic position and fruitful strategic partnerships means that it can take advantage of good road connections and direct rail links where feasible, enabling the safe transport of the

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from FG Wilson. Choosing this range also

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My challenge was to integrate Ferrobeton into the CRH network as well as possible, and I believe that the Company is now well-positioned for a construction industry boom

means you are choosing superior availability and expert local support.

For more details, please visit:

www.FGWilson.com/EO Company’s extremely heavy products to any construction site, with heavy loads often weighing up to 80 tonnes.

“Being in close proximity to the river ports allows us to exploit opportunities provided by water transport. Our construction team has already proven its abilities not only in the assembly of structural elements produced by us, but also in foundation and monolithic works and the construction of steel structures,” said the CEO. “Further, our activities extend beyond the traditional domestic market, through facilities in building construction, industrial, commercial and communal areas to road, rail, underground and hydraulic construction in infrastructural projects. For example, we possess 40 stressing beds with an average length of 100 metres for the production of pre-stressed beams, floor and pillar structures at four sites in Hungary,” the Company explained.

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In order to ensure a more effective market presence, Ferrobeton has brought several elements of its supply chain in-house, including its design and development units. “The design and development side of the organisation maintains an ongoing working relationship with other design bureaus, both home and abroad, in order to fully integrate into the local industry scene,” Vass said on the Company website.

These relationships have resulted in several large development projects during recent years including the development of large-span building structures and bridge beams, railway construction elements and frame elements, as well as their production technology.

Moreover, in 2010, Ferrobeton saw all of these improvements pay off, winning the ‘Innovation Prize of the National Office of Intellectual Property’ for the development of the pre-cast reinforced concrete bridge baulk family.

Albert Stadium, Budapest (24,000-seater)

Courageous future

TAKATA, Miskolc: The project involved the construction of over 60,000 m2 of halls over 25 hectares.

Ferrobeton Zrt not only produced and assembled the structure of these halls, but also actively participated in the preparation of the project, developing an extremely economical concept for the structure

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Backed by the support of its parent company, Ferrobeton is keen to explore new markets, technologies and innovative techniques that will benefit the prefabrication industry.

“Today, Hungary acts as a central hub for Slovakia and Ukraine, and we have always had the courage to try to be first-movers in terms of bringing new technologies and developments into these markets,” said Vass.

Innovation continues to be a key driver for Ferrobeton, which is a factor that saw it through the 2008 crisis. Vass concluded: “Whenever we received instructions for a huge order, we were ready to accomplish it. This was one of the salient factors that not only keeps us ahead of the competition, but it demonstrates our resilience and ability to weather the financial crisis and emerge even stronger.”

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Audi Logistics Park: Ferrobeton not only manufactured and assembled the concrete components, but was constructively engaged in the design phase of the structure, covering a total ground space of 80,000 m2

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E V E N T SPE OFFSHORE EUROPE 2015 is the largest exploration and production event outside North America. The event will bring together some 65,000 oil & gas business leaders, companies, technical specialists, regulators and academics who will share their views, knowledge and expertise with the aim of inspiring the next generation of people taking this exciting industry forward.

The conference keynote programme will focus on the challenge of how the industry will meet future energy demand while balancing concerns over climate change, security of supply and consumer affordability.

“Despite current tough market conditions, oil & gas will remain indispensable to the world for securing supply of heat, light, mobility and prosperity for many decades to come.

As a responsible industry, we must address society’s concerns about our operations and the hydrocarbons on which the world relies,” commented Michael Engell-Jensen, Keynote Chair for SPE Offshore Europe 2015.

The conference and exhibition is a platform for individuals and companies drawn from North and South America, Africa, Asia and Europe to brush up on industry knowledge, discover new technology and network with established and new business contacts.

SPE Offshore will be held in Aberdeen, a city with a longestablished reputation as a global centre of expertise across the entire oil & gas supply chain. A huge selection of products and services offered by both local and international companies will be on display in the exhibition halls.

F O C U S

The largest exploration and production event outside North America Free conference 65,000+ energy professionals 100+ technical presentations 1,500+ exhibiting companies

E V E N T

D E TA I L S

WHEN: 8 – 11 September, 2015 WHERE: Aberdeen, UK REGISTER FOR FREE: www.offshore-europe.co.uk

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