North America Outlook - Issue 01

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LAFARGE CANADA

Issue 01

ATRADIUS TRADE CREDIT INSURANCE

A sustainable, innovative, and people-centric approach to construction

Pioneering trade credit insurance in America

As the oil and gas industry recovers from the effects of the coronavirus pandemic, we report on an innovative new route for Exmar Offshore Against the backdrop of the global pandemic, we preview Hellmann Worldwide Logistics’ COVID-19 handbook

Meinhardt EPCM | Thai Optical Group

GRAND CEREALS | BASIL READ MINING

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LAFARGE CANADA

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ATRADIUS TRADE CREDIT INSURANCE

A sustainable, innovative, and people-centric approach to construction

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ASteward of the

Community

Pioneering trade credit insurance in America

SAINT JAMES HOSPITAL GROUP Innovation and adaption through COVID-19

Living Smart

Siam City Cement Public Company Limited (SCCC or INSEE) continues to show strength and compassion for its local communities despite the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic

How Uber continues to leverage the power of technology to bring smarter solutions to several African markets, not only in the field of travel, but much further and deeper into the communities it serves

As the oil and gas industry recovers from the effects of the coronavirus pandemic, we report on an innovative new route for Exmar Offshore

STANDING SIDE-BY-SIDE WITH SLOVENIA

Against the backdrop of the global pandemic, we preview Hellmann Worldwide Logistics’ COVID-19 handbook

Orange’s Patrick Roussel examines the numbers of unbanked across Africa and how mobile money could solve the problem

Nadya Krisko of Honeywell Aerospace explains why COVID-19 has seen the private jet increase in popularity

Richard Browning, the man inside the ‘Iron Man’ suit, tells us the story behind monetising the idea into Gravity Industries

Hellmann Worldwide Logistics’ COVID-19 handbook Against the backdrop of the global pandemic, we preview

across Africa and how mobile money could solve the problem Orange’s Patrick Roussel examines the numbers of unbanked

COVID-19 has seen the private jet increase in popularity Nadya Krisko of Honeywell Aerospace explains why

the story behind monetising the idea into Gravity Industries Richard Browning, the man inside the ‘Iron Man’ suit, tells us

the communities it serves travel, but much further and deeper into African markets, not only in the field of technology to bring smarter solutions to several How Uber continues to leverage the power of

on an innovative new route for Exmar Offshore effects of the coronavirus pandemic, we report As the oil and gas industry recovers from the

construction approach to people-centric innovative, and A sustainable,

Smart Living

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

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circular economy A true pioneer of the

COMPOSAD HOLDING & SAVIOLA

through COVID-19 Innovation and adaption

HOSPITAL GROUP SAINT JAMES

ASteward of the

insurance in America Pioneering trade credit

INSURANCE TRADE CREDIT ATRADIUS

CANADA LAFARGE

SLOVENIA WITH SIDE-BY-SIDE STANDING

by the COVID-19 pandemic communities despite the challenges presented continues to show strength and compassion for its local Siam City Cement Public Company Limited (SCCC or INSEE)

SAVIOLA HOLDING & COMPOSAD

A true pioneer of the circular economy

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

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

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

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

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Issue 38

WELCOME

Hello and welcome

EDITORIAL Editor: Sean Galea-Pace sean.galea-pace@outlookpublishing.com Editor: Dani Redd dani.redd@outlookpublishing.com Editor: Marcus Kääpä marcus.kaapa@outlookpublishing.com

It is a pleasure to welcome you to the debut edition of North America Outlook magazine.

PRODUCTION Art Director: Stephen Giles steve.giles@outlookpublishing.com Senior Designer: Devon Collins devon.collins@outlookpublishing.com Junior Designer: Matt Loudwell matt.loudwell@outlookpublishing.com BUSINESS Managing Director: Ben Weaver ben.weaver@outlookpublishing.com Sales Director: Nick Norris nick.norris@outlookpublishing.com Operations Director: James Mitchell james.mitchell@outlookpublishing.com PROJECT DIRECTOR Tom Cullum tom.cullum@outlookpublishing.com PROJECT MANAGERS David Knott david.knott@outlookpublishing.com Sam Love sam.love@outlookpublishing.com HEADS OF PROJECTS Callam Waller callam.waller@outlookpublishing.com Thomas Arnold thomas.arnold@outlookpublishing.com Vivek Valmiki vivek.valmiki@outlookpublishing.com TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR Eddie Clinton eddie.clinton@outlookpublishing.com SALES MANAGERS Donovan Smith donovan.smith@outlookpublishing.com Josh Hyland josh.hyland@outlookpublishing.com Ryan Gray ryan.gray@outlookpublishing.com

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

Sales: +44 (0) 1603 959 652 Editorial: +44 (0) 1603 959 657 SUBSCRIPTIONS Tel: +44 (0) 1603 959 657 Email: sean.galea-pace@outlookpublishing.com

In an extension of our successful portfolio, we are delighted to add this title to our existing offerings of APAC Outlook, Africa Outlook, EME Outlook and Outlook Travel Magazine. Inside these pages, you will find exclusive digital reports from a range of global companies across North America and Canada.

Featuring on our very first cover is Exmar Offshore Company. As the oil and gas industry recovers from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, we speak to David Lim, Managing Director, and Jay Cotaya, Sales Manager - Major Projects, about the innovative new route for Exmar Offshore Company. “COVID-19 and the resulting global demand reduction has been extremely hard on an already challenged industry that was coming off years of efforts to reduce inefficiency and operate with lower margins,” explains Lim. Elsewhere in the magazine, we preview Hellmann Worldwide Logistics’ COVID-19 handbook and gain insight from David Bang, Global VP of Strategic Development at the organization. Bang tells us that despite technological innovation, 2020 has showcased significant weaknesses in the global supply chain. “This year has proven there’s still many vulnerabilities in our global supply chain even with significant technology advancements,” he says.

While, not to be missed, is a comprehensive look inside the $1 billion esports industry as we chat with Carlos Rodriguez, founder and CEO of G2 Sports, to discuss his plans to lead the most successful video game organisation worldwide.

Meanwhile, we also observe the evolution of the annual shopping tradition – Black Friday – and examine how the tradition has transformed over the last few years.

Before you go, don’t miss our exclusive digital reports with Lafarge Canada, Ranger Energy Services, Dialpad, and Sentry.

And finally, be sure to head over to our newly-branded website www.northamericaoutlookmag.com to discover more and subscribe, the easiest way to ensure you don’t miss subsequent editions of North America Outlook magazine.

Enjoy the issue!

www.northamericaoutlookmag.com

Sean Galea-Pace Editor, Outlook Publishing North America Outlook issue 01 | 3

CONTENTS

30

12

REGULARS

6 NEWS

TOPICAL FOCUS

Around North America in seven stories

24 ECONOMY

8 EXPERT EYE Infectious Disease Outbreaks: Considerations for the Offshore and Marine Industries

BUSINESS INSIGHT

12 ENERGY

Reinventing Water Management Exploring asset management and water services

18 TECHNOLOGY

The Virtual Gamble Inside the dynamic $1 billion esports industry

18 4 | North America Outlook issue 01

The End of Black Friday?

How a decades-long tradition has been transformed

98 THE FINAL WORD What will be the biggest trend impacting your industry in 2021?

NORTH AMERICA OUTLOOK MAGAZINE

F E AT U R E S

28 SHOWCASING LEADING COMPANIES

CONSTRUCTION

Tell us your story and we’ll tell the world

The Building Blocks of Business

OIL & GAS

30 Exmar Offshore Company The Age of Energy Transition Innovation in response to a crisis

42 Ranger Energy Services Challenging the Norm

Driving innovation in the U.S. oil and gas market

SUPPLY CHAIN

50 Hellmann Worldwide Logistics Rising to the Challenge

Hellmann’s COVID-19 Handbook preview and navigating the logistics industry postCOVID-19

56 Women in Trucking

70 Lafarge Canada

A sustainable, innovative, and peoplecentric approach to construction

TECHNOLOGY

78 Dialpad

Dialling a Digital Future

42

Pioneering the latest technological solutions for the workplace

FINANCE

84 Atradius Trade Credit Insurance, inc.

Giving Credit

Pioneering trade credit insurance in America

92 Sentry

Insurance Moves to the Cloud Innovation in the insurance sector

Going the Extra Mile

70

Encouraging women into the trucking industry

62 ID Logistics

Identifying Innovation Business development and collaborative logistics service

92

50

78

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NEWS Around North America in seven stories…

E-COMMERCE

$4.8 billion Black Friday sales

BUSINESS

DOORDASH IN COVID-19 BOUNCE BACK DO O RDASH HAS experienced significant demand as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, selling shares in its IPO at $102 apiece, pricing above its range.

DoorDash is the first IPO in a lateyear consumer technology wave that includes the anticipated debut of Airbnb later this week, followed by e-retailer, Wish, and fintech company, Affirm, this month. The organizations are taking advantage

of a post-election stock rally and a clear indication of investor demand for high-growth tech, which has led the market during 2020.

Despite the demand of software and internet companies scaling to unprecedented levels, DoorDash has led the market and achieved significant growth. Through the first nine months of 2020, Door Dash’s order volume reached $16.5 billion from $5.5 billion a year before.

A MA ZO N H AS confirmed that independent businesses selling on its platform reached $4.8 billion in worldwide sales from Black Friday through Cyber Monday, a rise of over 60 percent from a year earlier.

The e-commerce giant confirmed that over 71,000 small and medium sized businesses globally had reached $100,000 by the beginning of December.

According to Adobe Analytics data, it was the biggest ever US internet shopping day of all time.

Spending increased by 15.1 percent year over year, however, came in short of Adobe’s original forecast of $12.7 billion.

The strong performance has followed Amazon’s continuous offers since it held its Prime Day sales event in October as retailers seek to recoup business lost as a result of COVID-19.

TRADE

Retaliatory tariff suspension T HE U K is set to suspend retaliatory tariffs introduced on US goods as part of a dispute over aircraft subsidies from the beginning of January.

According to the trade department, the move has been described as an attempt to de-escalate a damaging international conflict.

The decision marks the beginning 6 | North America Outlook issue 01

of Britain’s divergence from the European Union trade policy, coming into effect on the day its exit from the bloc’s rules and regulations is complete, signalling an ambition to develop closer ties with the United States.

“Ultimately, we want to de-escalate the conflict and come to a negotiated settlement so we can deepen our trading relationship with the US and draw a line under all this,” commented trade minister, Liz Truss, in a statement.

TECHNOLOGY

AV I AT I O N

Uber subsidiary acquisition

AIRLINE AT-HOME COVID TESTS

CAL IF ORNIA- BASED J OBY Aviation has announced it is set to purchase Uber Elevate, the aerial ride-hailing division of Uber. The move is set to use Uber’s app to provide air taxi rides when the firm’s aircraft eventually enters service, which could be as soon as 2023.

While terms of the transaction have not been released, Uber has agreed to invest $75 million in Joby Aviation.

Earlier this year, Uber invested $50 million in Joby as part of the company’s Series C financing round.

“We were proud to partner with Uber Elevate last year and we’re even

A M E R I C A N A I R L I N E S will begin to offer travellers $129 athome COVID-19 tests, results that can help them avoid quarantines as long as two weeks.

The initiative is the latest from airlines in a bid to encourage bookings. Compounding the virus-induced slump in air travel are quarantine requirements abroad and from within the US. American said that the testing plan was the first from a US airline to focus on domestic travel.

The company providing the tests, LetsGetChecked, recommends that travellers order their tests at least five days prior to their flight.

TECHNOLOGY

Introducing new AirPods Max APPL E HAS launched AirPods Max, innovative wireless headphones that introduce the magic of AirPods to an over-ear design through high-fidelity sound.

AirPods Max combine a custom acoustic design, H1 chips and advanced software to power computational audio for a breakthrough listening experience with Adaptive EQ, Active Noise Cancellation, Transparency mode and spatial audio.

prouder to be welcoming them into the Joby team today,” said JoeBen Bevirt, founder and CEO of Joby Aviation.

“AirPods are the most popular headphones in the world, beloved for their effortless setup, incredible sound quality and iconic design,” commented Greg Joswiak, Apple’s Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing. “With AirPods Max, we are bringing that magical AirPods experience to a stunning over-ear design with high-fidelity audio. The custom acoustic design, combined with powerful H1 chips, and advanced software enabled AirPods Max to use computational audio to wirelessly deliver the ultimate personal listening experience.”

AV I AT I O N

SIGNIFICANT BOEING ORDER RYA N A I R H AS confirmed an order of 75 additional Boeing 737 Max jets with a catalogue value of $9 billion following US-based Boeing’s 20-month safety ban.

It is Boeing’s largest order since the two fatal crashes that led to its grounding. Following the news, Boeing’s shares rose 5.2 percent.

“This is the beginning of the fulfilment of a more robust order book,” commented David Calhoun, Chief Executive at Boeing. “I’ve always had faith that the order book would begin to fill with the return of the industry.”

Ryanair already has 135 of the 197-seat Max 200 on order and expects to receive its first jet at the beginning of 2021, with the final one due at the end of 2024.

North America Outlook issue 01 | 7

EXPERT EYE

Infectious Disease Outbreaks: Considerations for the Offshore and Marine Industries With 2020 defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, what can the offshore and marine industries do to safeguard themselves?

Written by: Martin Petricic, Gareth Burton, Rear Admiral Joyce Johnson

T

he impact of the global COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted how marine and offshore assets can be affected by infectious diseases, and their risks to the maritime environment, just as readily as landbased facilities.

Where infectious disease risks occur, it is critical that robust arrangements, procedures and protocols be designed and implemented to help mitigate the impact to the health and wellbeing of seafarers and passengers, and the industry overall, whilst maintaining day-to-day operations of marine and offshore assets.

ABS collaborated with Rear Admiral Joyce Johnson, a physician and infectious disease epidemiologist, to develop guidance that addresses both physical arrangements such as ventilation and interior surfaces of accommodation spaces, as well as operating procedures to allow isolation and segregation of crew and visiting personnel.

Infectious disease transmission Many infectious diseases are caused by microbes including viruses, bacteria, fungi, and protozoa. Some infectious agents can remain viable in air, water, food, on surfaces, and in nearly all bodily fluids. Many infectious agents remain viable long enough to enable transfer from one person to another, either directly or indirectly via one of these fomites, which can cause or increase an outbreak.

Given that the environment on marine and offshore assets is a 8 | North America Outlook issue 01

ABOUT THE EXPERTS Martin Petricic: A Senior ABS Engineer based in Split, Croatia, Martin works in ABS’ world-leading research and technology development across a range of maritime disciplines.

Gareth Burton: Gareth Burton serves as ABS Vice President for Technology, advancing innovation and research to enhance the class experience and drive more efficient and effective maritime operations.

Rear Admiral Joyce Johnson: Rear Admiral Joyce Johnson DO MA U.S. Public Health Service (Ret) is a physician and infectious disease epidemiologist with an expansive career of senior public health leadership in civilian and US military sectors.

restricted one, infectious diseases have the potential to spread rapidly and to affect significant proportions of the personnel on board.

On marine and offshore assets, infectious diseases are transmitted through six main routes: food, water, vectors (such as rodents and insects), air, direct contact between humans and indirect contact with contaminated surfaces.

By considering the potential of infectious disease transmission at the design stage of an asset, the effectiveness of later operational measures can be significantly increased. In a recent poll conducted

by ABS, approximately one third of participants said they are considering changing future marine or offshore asset design or altering current assets to better prevent or manage an outbreak on board.

For many existing assets however, without the option of re-design, the key is to develop protocols and procedures aimed at mitigating infectious disease risks to prevent or minimize impact should an outbreak occur.

Physical arrangement measures Based on several independent governmental and commercial sources including the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), American Society for Healthcare Engineering (ASHE), the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), and the World Health Organization (WHO), ABS has identified the following ways to mitigate against the occurrence and transmission of infectious diseases via air or direct and indirect forms of contact onboard a physical asset: Single occupancy isolation cabins with an anteroom provide a means for isolating individuals with suspected cases of an infectious disease from the rest of the population on board. Isolation cabins and their associated anterooms should be

under negative pressure to prevent contaminated air from escaping to near-by accommodation. They should be ventilated and air-conditioned without putting the exhaust air back into recirculation, or venting it near high-traffic public spaces or other air intakes. Special considerations should be given to materials and interior surfaces to facilitate cleaning and disinfection.

Medical facilities, as with isolation cabins, should also be under negative pressure and be located as close as possible to the entrance into the accommodation block from an open deck space. Ventilation, material, and surface requirements similar to the isolation cabins should be considered.

Separated facilities for use by visitors should be considered in order to promote the segregation of visitors and crew. Designated sanitary and office spaces should be provided with independent air exhausts and interior material and surface requirements like the ones for isolation cabins. These spaces should be readily accessible from an outside entrance to avoid inadvertent contact between visitors and crew.

Storerooms for infectious solid waste, storerooms for cleaning agents and disinfectants, and laundry rooms should be given careful consideration, be well ventilated with the exhaust air fed directly to the outside. All interior surfaces should be accessible for cleaning and disinfection.

Support infrastructure to provide medical back-up and advice to physicians and other health care personnel should be considered.

For example, telemedicine can contribute to clinical care, as well as to the epidemiological management of infectious diseases, both of which can be very challenging, especially for medical providers practicing in remote or isolated locations.

Independent pilot ladders stored in a separate compartment or locker will minimise the possibility of pilot and crew coming into contact with the same surfaces.

Operational measures ABS recognizes that each infectious disease outbreak is unique and may present different operational challenges on board marine and offshore assets. The early detection,

prevention, and control of infectious diseases may be achieved using many different operational measures.

Essentially there are two types of operational plans that can be integrated by asset operators and owners as part of their health, safety, quality and environmental (HSQE) management system.

Prevention management plan – this includes active measures to minimise the risk of exposure and should be implemented in case of an infectious disease epidemic in the area where the asset is located, or will be in the near future, or in the case of a global pandemic, before the asset experiences cases. This is in addition to the general steps taken to prevent infectious diseases on a daily basis (such as food service safety and other generally accepted operational processes).

Outbreak management plan – contains a range of measures so that when exposure is suspected, the outbreak can be managed using : management, including isolation, of suspected cases to prevent spread, active surveillance of cases onboard, incident reporting procedures for informing the local port health authority and asset management, identification of risk factors, and more.

When looking at the potential for infectious disease outbreaks in marine and offshore assets, effective preparation, prevention and management protocols are critical to help mitigate the impact any outbreak could have.

The combination of physical arrangement measures for each individual asset with robust and clearly communicated prevention and outbreak management plans are critical to enable preparedness should an outbreak occur.

For more information on the ABS guidance, visit: www.eagle.org or fast track your download using https://bit.ly/3iXYSJB

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

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

DESIGN: Stephen Giles +44 (0) 1603 959 656 steve.giles@outlookpublishing.com

E D I TO R I A L : Sean Galea-Pace +44 (0) 1603 959 657 sean.galea-pace@outlookpublishing.com

Devon Collins +44 (0) 1603 959 661 devon.collins@outlookpublishing.com

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

KC WATER

12 | North America Outlook issue 01

ENERGY & UTILITIES

Reinventing Water Management Public utilities service KC Water has employed an innovative asset management strategy to streamline operations and reduce maintenance costs Written by: Dani Redd

S

cott Parker started his career in city management, which he quickly realised wasn’t for him.

“It didn’t satisfy my interest in exploring more deeply why cities look the way they do, why and how they operate. Infrastructure was a place that really appealed to me – it’s the baseline for understanding what makes a place a place,” he tells me.

After making the transition to Project Manager within capital infrastructure, he worked for a city which has installed hundreds of millions of dollars of green infrastructure, and was instructed to figure out the best way to maintain it.

It was then he hit upon asset management, a concept that is becoming more important in the infrastructure sector. In this context, an asset refers to a valuable resource, which, in utilities, largely consist of physical resources – such as a sewer line or a utility grid – that need to be maintained, rehabilitated and replaced at specific intervals.

This process combines data-driven in-

sights with operational knowledge and a robust problem-solving approach.

This experience later led to Parker being appointed as Asset Manager at KC Water, Kansas City’s public water service.

ASSET MANAGEMENT – THE PUBLIC INFRASTRUCTURE CONTEXT According to Parker, there are three things driving the need for asset management in the public utilities space.

The first of these is an increasing need for repairs.

“In the US, a lot of our infrastructure was installed in the first half of the 20th century, so assets are starting to fail on a more regular basis,” Parker explains.

“They are incredibly expensive to replace, and those cost drivers are much more of a focus of the utilities’ industry nowadays, whereas before it was largely focused on growth and expanding infrastructure.”

North America Outlook issue 01 | 13

KC WATER “The second thing is as a result of those assets failing, and various regulations we are required to meet, the cost of utilities service is far higher than ever before,” the Asset Manager says. “And in the water industry, in the U.S. at least, there’s only one place to go to support the cost of operations and repairs, and that’s your customers directly.”

Water rates have therefore risen exponentially over the past two decades. Understandably, politicians don’t like passing those rate increases, which pressures water professionals to maximize the benefits of their investments and look to reduce operational costs.

The third driver, according to Parker, is the power of the data acquisition tools that public utilities have at their disposal and the expectations around what those tools produce. Better data is supposed to enable more informed decisions about the assets that they have.

However, he believes that data collection and analysis isn’t always implemented correctly.

“The expansion in the number of tools that collect data and the computing power to house it have made data very easy to get. But information, which is data that is organized or structured in a way to make it useful to a particular context, is much harder to obtain. The sources of data are multifaceted; maybe one tool was brought in to gather one type of data, and now we try and use it in five other domains it wasn’t designed for,” he says. “This can lead to inconsistencies or even confusion when trying to make decisions based on what that data is telling you.

“Our asset management team has focused a lot of our time and energy on standardizing what we put into those decision support tools, and every year the integration and aggregation gets a little better, giving us better insight, and, hopefully, leading to better decisions.”

14 | North America Outlook issue 01

ENERGY & UTILITIES Utilities asset management is therefore driven by the need to rehabilitate assets in the most costeffective way possible, using the information at one’s disposal.

“It’s taking the best bits of engineering, finance and operations and combines them with data systems that represent the assets to provide information to the people that make the decisions about those assets,” Parker concludes.

THE CHALLENGES AND REWARDS OF ASSET MANAGEMENT AT KC WATER For an asset management programme to run smoothly, then, it is necessary to have access to large amounts of accurate, high quality data. It is, Parker says, the lifeblood of the program. However, when he started working with KC Water (initially, as

Scott Parker, Asset Manager, KC Water.

He possesses around 20 years of professional, managerial and consulting experience in utility and public sector management

KC Water’s Smart Sewer Programme In 2010, a federal consent decree was passed that required Kansas City to reduce volume and frequency of wastewater overflows. KC Water has adopted an innovative, data-driven approach to the problem, creating a Smart Sewer programme based on four principles: Repair when we can. Replace where we must. Build only when necessary: KC Water replaces only the parts of the system beyond costeffective repair. A robust asset management programme helps makes these improvement decisions.

Use innovative practices: Innovative construction techniques help make cost and time savings. Skill development programs help workers maintain these new facilities and assets.

Use technology to work efficiently and safely: These include waterlevel sensors and flow meters in sewer manholes and pipes; collection system modelling tools and sewer inspection techniques that find pipe deterioration and prioritise repair sites.

Integrate green infrastructure to provide multiple community benefits: Vegetation, soil, and other elements and practices mimic natural processes required to manage stormwater. Green infrastructure examples include community parks, ponds and rain gardens.

Find out more: www.kcsmartsewer.us

an independent consultant), the data sometimes confused, rather than represented, the condition of the assets.

In the department’s computerized maintenance management system (CMMS), for example, one asset might be categorized in multiple ways through the listing of different components. How each component related to each other was not always clear.

“Looking up one asset, you might only see 20 percent of the work that had been done on it because the definition of an asset was not the same across the board. This made it difficult to see in one place all of the work that had been done on one particular asset,” Parker tells me. “In that system, there was no strict governance policy in that system about how we classify an asset, or who gets to create an asset, or how we retire an asset when it dies.” the Asset Manager explains.

Another challenge was providing timely information to stakeholders to avoid confusion or duplication of work. This was particular important for staff and the multiple contractors assigned to do work on the Smart Sewer program.

Both groups were working on the same assets (sanitary sewers) in the same geographic area, but at different times. Besides improving the condition of the infrastructure, this work was producing tons of data on literally thousands of assets. The question was how to provide timely information to all of the stakeholders involved in the process.

Parker and his team considered many options to solve this problem.

It wasn’t feasible to have hundreds of contractors going through KC Water’s firewall to log their work directly into the CMMS. The team did not have any funds available to purchase extra tools that might benefit the handling of data. Ultimately, it was decided that creating an internally developed, web-based application with built-in North America Outlook issue 01 | 15

KC WATER

Central Industrial District Green Infrastructure West Bottoms green space governance rules and requirements for data entry into the CMMS was the best way forward.

Utilizing the expertise of internal staff (applications development, operations, engineering and asset management) and consultants who were charged with helping deliver the Smart Sewer program, the tool has been in place for just over two years. It 16 | North America Outlook issue 01

has successfully improved the quality of the lifeblood of asset management.

The tool is utilized on more than 40 projects, encompassing 80-plus users and generating 35,000 work orders in the Smart Sewer program alone.

“To my knowledge, we have been able to absorb millions of dollars of work without replication of work,” Parker tells us proudly, “and we didn’t

spend an extra dime – we just used what we had and a robust problemsolving approach.

“We took something that was possibly dysfunctional and we didn’t just fix it, we optimised it with nothing but the skillset of our staff and an approach that emphasised collaboration, communication and coordination.”

The application led to a huge

ENERGY & UTILITIES

improvement in data quality within the CMMS as well as coordination between project delivery and maintenance teams. As a result, the team was able to replicate the process across different areas of the organisation, including sewer cleaning and inspection, green infrastructure, street restoration and water treatment.

Working with his high-functioning

team has been one of the high points of Parker’s time at KC Water.

“Every time I invest something into the team I get double back, which creates a positive feedback loop and we gain momentum together,” he says.

KC Water has been employing more coordinated asset management strategies for the past two and a half years, and since then data governance

and quality have vastly improved.

“We have more confidence in our systems and we are far more confident in making decisions regarding capital investment,” Parker says. “We have engaged everyone all the way through, and they all have a part to play.

“I don’t think people realise how much of a game changer asset management is.”

North America Outlook issue 01 | 17

ESPORTS

A

THE VIRTUAL GAMBLE

decade ago, getting paid to play video games sounded like a farfetched dream. Now, the boom in esports has meant that it’s become a reality for the most elite players.

For those that aren’t in the know, esports means electronic sports. It is a professional gaming competition 18 | North America Outlook issue 01

Carlos Rodriguez, founder and CEO of G2 Sports, discusses the rise of esports and his plans to lead the most successful video game organization worldwide Written by: Sean Galea-Pace

where gamers face each other in tournaments for considerable cash prizes.

A renowned player in the industry is G2 Sports. Headquartered in Berlin, Germany, the organization was founded by Carlos ‘ocelete’ Rodriguez in 2014. Originally a professional gamer in his own right, he became

TECHNOLOGY

known for playing games such as League of Legends and World of Warcraft at a professional level.

From the early age of 15, Rodriguez has been competing at tournaments worldwide. “It’s given me an understanding about the industry and what makes or breaks a business deal,” he explains. “I knew what the brands

and fans were looking for and I could relate to all those parties which also helped me have a pretty successful playing career.”

However, once Rodriguez decided to finish playing professionally, he chose to take a major risk. “It was definitely a gamble,” he admits. “I decided to invest everything I’d earned

into creating my own company but I definitely wouldn’t recommend it!”

And fortunately for Rodriguez, his risk paid dividends. His firm, G2 Esports, has become one of the leading entertainment organizations in esports and brings together an array of competitive players globally and some of the largest personalities in North America Outlook issue 01 | 19

ESPORTS gaming. But, although luck has played its part, Rodriguez believes it isn’t the only factor in his success.

“It is true that without qualifying for the right tournaments at the right times then I probably wouldn’t be where I am today,” he admits. “But, luck comes and goes. The most important thing is that you believe in yourself and I believe I have what it takes to lead the most successful video game organization in the world.”

In 2019, the esports industry reached over $1 billion in value.

RODRIGUEZ ON COVID-19 “Like many other industries, COVID-19 did change the way we do things. A proportion of our business relies on holding physical events which we had to change into digital events. Fortunately for us, we were able to do that really quickly because we grew the company digitally. In our first few years, we didn’t even have an office so we’re used to operating digitally. As a result, we didn’t feel a financial impact in the same way others have.”

Over half of that revenue comes from mega-brand deals from sponsors such as Mountain Dew, Red Bull, and Audi, among many other high-profile brands.

However, Rodriguez recalls the stigma attached to professional gaming at the beginning. “I remember my first ever interview as a professional gamer, ‘oh you don’t 20 | North America Outlook issue 01

actually look too bad for being a gamer.’ What should a gamer look like?” Rodriguez says. “The industry is niche and unlike anything else so there was a lack of understanding. But, sponsorship from major brands has really helped to change that.”

Despite this significant boom in recent years, esports isn’t an entirely new concept. It actually originated

TECHNOLOGY

back in 1972 when a Space Invaders Championship hosted 10,000 participants, while in 1998, there was a Starcraft 2 tournament which drew in an audience of 50 million online viewers.

As technology has developed over the years, so has the popularity of esports. Now armed with more money than ever before, the prize pools for

both the 2019 Dota 2 International and 2019 Fortnite World Cup reached over $30 million. “Children are growing up with these technologies now,” says Rodriguez. “If they’re into gaming when they’re young, there’s a high chance they’ll want to play when they’re older. It’s a generational phenomenon and the more accessible this technology is, the more the

industry becomes recognised as a stable industry.”

And the game that’s dominating the esports world is League of Legends.

It’s a team-based strategy game where two teams of five powerful champions compete to destroy the other’s base.

The game offers the opportunity to choose from over 140 champions to make decisions in a bid for victory.

North America Outlook issue 01 | 21

ESPORTS Rodriguez believes that the game’s competitive advantage is that it’s difficult to replicate and is the main reason why it’s at the forefront of one of the most dynamic industries around. “League of Legends is without doubt the largest video game on the planet right now,” explains Rodriguez.

“It’s so difficult for a rival to copy. It’s so well-balanced and offers a whole universe behind each champion. It’s become more than a game.”

With his eyes on the North American market, Rodriguez adds that there are several titles that also perform well in the region. “From a casual player perspective, Call of Duty and Fortnite are very large titles and incredibly popular,” he says. “While Rocket League and Counter Strike are also strong too. Counter Strike has been a stable for over 20 years and we at G2 have one of the best teams in the world.”

“EVERYTHING WILL END UP IN ONE PLACE AND THE INDUSTRY WILL HEAD TO A MORE SUBSCRIPTIONBASED MODEL THAT WILL BE LESS RELIANT ON SELLING CONSOLES”

TECHNOLOGY

Rodriguez: “We’re known for being a hardcore esports company...”

The recent release of the latest installments of the PlayStation and Xbox consoles have meant that consumers have access to powerful technology like never before.

Rodriguez believes that as a result, it has made the previously impossible, possible. “You can now do things you only dreamed of before,” he says.

“Consoles are now finally realising the power of IPs.” However, following the success of games such as League of Legends, Fornite and Warzone, games are becoming free to play and instead offering in-game micro-transactions for users that want to customise their experience.

Rodriguez believes that crossplatform play is only the beginning and he has a vision of what he believes that future to look like.

“These days, it doesn’t really matter if you have a PlayStation or an Xbox because there isn’t much to separate them,” he explains. “Game exclusively is becoming a thing of the past. I believe that the future is in game passes where you purchase a membership and you play whatever game you like. I can see a world where 20 years from now, you’re connected to a controller and the console you play on won’t matter. Everything will end up in one place and the industry will head to a more subscription-based model that will be less reliant on selling consoles.”

For G2, Rodriguez hopes to diversify away from just competitive gameplay and wants to drive influence in North America over the coming years.

“We’re known for being a hardcore esports company but we’re learning more about other forms of entertainment, not just at a competitive level,” he adds. “At the moment, we own Europe. Next, we’re targeting North America. It’s vital to aim high.”

North America Outlook issue 01 | 23

BLACK FRIDAY

ECONOMY

F

THE END OF BLACK FRIDAY? A decades-long tradition which has come to signal the start of the festive season around the world, Black Friday has evolved tremendously since its incarnation Written by: Marcus Kääpä

or the past three decades Black Friday has traditionally been the biggest day for individual shopper spending. For stores around the US it is a time of reliable mass sales and a huge boost to the revenue of the last annual quarter.

Black Friday occurs each November on the day after Thanksgiving Day, and has represented the start of the holiday spending season. Traditionally, significant discounts and offers become available for a single day, to which customers all over the nation scramble for the best deals, urged forward by a trend fuelled by opportunity and competition.

The Black Friday period sees the considerable rise in sales and revenue for companies across the board, and its roots harken back to the midtwentieth century.

During the 1950s workers were known to widely call in sick the day after Thanksgiving, which was one of the many factors towards the naming of “Black Friday”. This was historically a four-day weekend period for workers around the US and calling in sick meant that they were able to spend more time with their families. Shop owners saw this as a great opportunity to begin discounts and offers, to maximise sales before people went back to work.

The increase of electronic goods for the purposes of watching or listening to news and sports became more widespread across America during the 50s, and retailers watched as year by year revenue increased dramatically on this single day. Accountants widely made use of different coloured inks to represent financial positions in records – red indicated debt (still used to this day), and black, or ‘being in the black’, represented having excess money.

For the retailers, every day after Thanksgiving Day was black.

North America Outlook issue 01 | 25

BLACK FRIDAY The name “Black Friday” was used by agencies such as the American Philatelist magazine in 1966, which aided the spread of the term, but it would be around another 30 years until the term was known around the nation as a day linked to postThanksgiving sales. It would become synonymous with American shopping and hit records sales going into the 90s and 2000s, even managing to influence countries abroad in later years, namely the UK.

BLACK NOVEMBER But with the digitisation of shopping, and specific challenges posed by 2019 onwards, things have changed.

According to a survey by Accenture, 64 percent of consumers (US) are less inclined to shop on Black Friday than a few years ago.

This is primarily down to the explosive change that has occurred in the past decade. As the same Black Friday sales and offers are available online, and a huge amount of the US population has access to digital platforms through which to shop, physical stores and their shoppers are in decline.

On top of this, with the unpredictable occurrence of COVID-19, the notion of Black Friday has adapted. The concept has shifted from a 24-hour timeline to extend itself over several days or even beyond that.

This year, 2020’s Black Friday was extended by many retailers in order to to reduce mass crowds of shoppers, as to curb the spread of the virus, and consequently gain an advantage in the e-commerce space Companies such as Amazon, that only have online shopping as an option, had promoted deal periods outside Black Friday altogether – a

sales tactic employed by few other competitors. The company’s press release on October 15 noted that Amazon’s “Prime Day” (between 13 and 14 October) saw Amazon sellers take over $3.5 billion in sales spanning 19 countries collectively.

When you compare this alongside the $75.5 billion in the entire first quarter of 2020, up from $59.7 billion the same quarter a year ago, the 48 hour “Prime Day” period of sales was substantial.

According to CNBC, the commercial conglomerate Walmart’s deals were not kept to a 24-hour period, or even a 48-hour window like Amazon’s. The company featured the October “Big Save Event”, that ran from the 11th to the 15th of the month.

This tactic called to anticipating holiday season buyers in an attempt to outplay the market, catching earlier sales than the usual late November period.

Thanksgiving / Black Friday Online sales revenue from 2008-2016

Revenue online USD (millions)

2,500

1,965

2,000 1,666 1,498

1,500

1,284 1,187 1,038 1,000

815

281

647

000

530 500 000

1,012

1,101

758 632

480

406

0 2008

2009

2010

2011

Thanksgiving

26 | North America Outlook issue 01

2012

2013

Black Friday

2014

2015

2016

ECONOMY

And from the same source, Home Depot, the US homeware giant that sells furniture, tools, and holiday furnishings among other items, had extended its Black Friday period over almost two months. This was intended to both reach the annual customer spending trend early and help quell the curve of coronavirus through reducing the feeling of limited time offers.

It is now the general norm that Black Friday extends itself at least over a five-day period that ends with Cyber Monday – a day of sales specifically regarding the technology and electronics sphere of products and services. “Black Friday Weekend” is the new version of the November period of sales.

But US sales are not level across the five days. As of 2018, Cyber Monday topped Black Friday $7.9 billion to $6.2 billion, making the former the largest shopping day in the US. It has retained

that title through 2019 and is set to do so again in 2020.

However, 2020 is a different year.

COVID-19 has proved to the world many things: the modern workplace can be shifted to digital work from home, saving time and money for companies and workforces; communication is more important than ever; and the benefits to the environment stemming from the multiple forms of reduction in emissions are clear to see. With regards to the market, it has ushered in the growing view that online shopping is the way forward.

To this end it is not inaccurate to say that Black Friday, at least in the traditional way we saw it, has gone; replaced by a larger form of lengthened deals, offers, and sales, to cater to everybody everywhere.

The globalisation and interconnectivity of customers and online stores has lessened the meaning of physical shopping. With both the digital growth and effects of the pandemic in full swing, availability and affordability of products and services globally has replaced the notion of person-to-store contact.

It is likely that this trend will continue into the future in its increasingly digital form – however, the question remains as to how far companies can take these sales periods before deals merge with existing and standard pricing.

North America Outlook issue 01 | 27

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

NORTH AMERICA OUTLOOK 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 team, the resultant Outlook Creative Services department ensures delivery to the highest standards in promoting the latest in engaging news, industry trends and success stories across the length and breadth of the US & Canada.

As a bi-monthly publication, North America Outlook constantly has its finger on the pulse of the latest trends, biggest developments and business successes from each corner of the region, epitomised by the diversity displayed across each magazine. It incorporates an annual calendar-tailored front-of-book section, a showcasing segment dedicated to the most fascinating success stories in North America, and an event focus assortment sure to fill executives’ diaries throughout the year. The aligning North America Outlook website is also honed and ready to serve as a host for these facets and much more.

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.

EXMAR OFFSHORE COMPANY

OIL & GAS

The Age of T

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LAFARGE CANADA

Energy Transition

Issue 01

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A sustainable, innovative, and people-centric approach to construction

Pioneering trade credit insurance in America

As the oil and gas industry recovers from the effects of the coronavirus pandemic, we speak to David Lim and Jay Cotaya about the innovative new route for Exmar Offshore Company Writer: Marcus Kääpä Project Manager: David Knott

As the oil and gas industry recovers from the effects of the coronavirus pandemic, we report on an innovative new route for Exmar Offshore

The Delta House offshore installation, operated by Murphy Oil Corporation, utilizes the Exmar OPTI-11000™ hull

2 | North America Outlook issue 01

he past year has seen the stagnation or decline of entire industries across the globe.

The travel industry, for example, saw many airlines suffer from 90 percent reductions in passengers, while many others took to switching their services to freight transport to bring back some of what they lost during lockdown periods.

The oil and gas industry has been no different. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), the global average of daily oil demand will be reduced to eight million barrels per day this year, a decline of roughly eight percent from last year.

Major oil consumers such as the aviation industry, that itself has been hit incredibly hard by the effects of the pandemic, have reduced their oil consumption drastically. This has led to oil production companies suffering a drawn-out decline of financial strength over the course of 2020.

According to David Lim (Managing Director) and Jay Cotaya (Chief Operations Officer) of Exmar Offshore Company, the result of the pandemic has caused a huge drop for offshore drilling and related services.

“COVID-19 and the resulting global demand reduction has been extremely hard on an already challenged industry that was coming off years of efforts to reduce inefficiency and operate with lower margins,” Lim tells us.

Exmar is the US-based branch of the Belgian Exmar NV Group, operating under the wider company’s Infrastructure sector (with Shipping representing the other main division).

Exmar Offshore is an engineering services and project development company, proud experts in the provision of a multitude of practices backed up by its broad and historical industry knowledge.

As opposed to the firm’s other branches (Exmar LNG, Exmar LPG, and other services) that focus largely on the shipping side of the wider company, Exmar Offshore specialises

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North America Outlook issue 01 | 3

Against the backdrop of the global pandemic, we preview Hellmann Worldwide Logistics’ COVID-19 handbook

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EXMAR OFFSHORE COMPANY

The Delta House offshore installation, operated by Murphy Oil Corporation, utilises the Exmar OPTI-11000™ hull

30 | North America Outlook issue 01

OIL & GAS

The Age of T

Energy Transition As the oil and gas industry recovers from the effects of the coronavirus pandemic, we speak to David Lim and Jay Cotaya about the innovative new route for Exmar Offshore Company Writer: Marcus Kääpä Project Manager: David Knott

he past year has seen the stagnation or decline of entire industries across the globe.

The travel industry, for example, saw many airlines suffer from 90 percent reductions in passengers, while many others took to switching their services to freight transport to bring back some of what they lost during lockdown periods.

The oil and gas industry has been no different. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), the global average of daily oil demand will be reduced to eight million barrels per day this year, a decline of roughly eight percent from last year.

Major oil consumers such as the aviation industry, that itself has been hit incredibly hard by the effects of the pandemic, have reduced their oil consumption drastically. This has led to oil production companies suffering a drawn-out decline of financial strength over the course of 2020.

According to David Lim (Managing Director) and Jay Cotaya (Sales Manager – Major Projects) of Exmar Offshore Company, the result of the pandemic has caused a huge drop for offshore drilling and related services.

“COVID-19 has resulted in global demand reduction, projects being re-evaluated or even cancelled, and has been extremely hard on an already challenged industry – one that was coming off years of efforts to reduce inefficiency and operate with lower margins,” Lim tells us.

Exmar is the US-based branch of the Belgian Exmar NV Group, operating under the wider company’s Infrastructure sector (with Shipping representing the other main division).

Exmar Offshore is an engineering services and project development company, proud experts in the provision of a multitude of practices backed up by its broad and historical industry knowledge.

As opposed to the firm’s other branches (Exmar LNG, Exmar LPG, and other services) that focus largely North America Outlook issue 01 | 31

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EXMAR OFFSHORE COMPANY on the shipping side of the wider company, Exmar Offshore specialises in the assembly, leasing, operation, and maintenance of company designed semisubmersible drilling and production platforms.

OPTI® – AN INDUSTRY STANDARD-SETTER The company has a long history of working in offshore. It was generally focused on industry floating solutions

but specifically dealt with drilling and production, and in 2006 the firm took a bold move and built the OPTI-EX™ production submersible – the first Exmar OPTI® design to enter the industry.

“Exmar Offshore Company has a reputation for efficiency and in these times its practical and lower cost solutions receive the greatest attention,” Cotaya says. “The OPTI® production semisubmersible was

OPTI® KEY FEATURES MOTIONS: The design includes a proprietary multi-sided column which reduces drag forces, leading to lower mooring forces and negligible VIM. The proprietary ring pontoon shape, featuring surfaces outboard of the columns, reducing heave motions. Combined, these features result in motions suitable for both SCRs and flexibles and minimised mooring equipment requirements.

CONSTRUCTABILITY: The form of the hull is designed to reduce motions; the hull structure is designed to simplify construction. Minimal structural shapes, thicknesses, and steel material grades are selected to reduce fabrication costs and improve shipyard efficiency. A truss structure with a flat upper deck allows for modular equipment skids to be integrated near-ground level in a flexible sequence, while the spacious lower deck accommodates further equipment as needed.

SCALABILITY: The hull form and deck truss fit a broad selection of global fabricator capabilities. The structurally repeatable columns, pontoons, and nodes allow for both easy repetition across projects and are easy scalability. The large, flat deck facilitates the removal or modification of modules with minimal impact.

The Exmar OPTI-EX® production semisubmersible en route to LLOG’s Who Dat development

34 | North America Outlook issue 01

Bexco A leading producer of ultra-deepwater mooring rope in the Gulf of Mexico BEXCO has decades of expertise and knowhow in designing and manufacturing its reliable, made-tomeasure synthetic ultra-deepwater mooring solution for full production systems in the Gulf of Mexico.

DeepRope® has been installed and operational on the DELTAHOUSE OPTI® Floating Production System since 2014 and is proudly awaiting its delivered DeepRope® reels to be installed on the King’s Quay Floating Production System (FPS).

Both of these utilizes EXMAR Offshore´s unique OPTI® semisubmersible design, making it the scalable GOM standard for specialised independent energy companies dedicated to oil and natural gas development and exploration.

From the pre-FEED to project management, installation and support, BEXCO´s expert engineers are on hand to partner with all stakeholders to deliver its proven DeepRope® solution in the field.

www.bexco.be

DeepRope delivers proven performance ®

BEXCO’s DeepRope® represents the industry standard in ultra-deepwater synthetic mooring solutions. Produced to perfection at our purpose built site in Antwerp with efficient connectivity to ocean transport, DeepRope® meets and exceeds the demands of the global oil and gas exploration industry. It’s a claim that’s confirmed by Deeprope® being the rope of choice for GOM projects such as Deltahouse, Vito, Stones and Kings Quay, to name just a few. So for proven performance backed by BEXCO’s reputation for quality and service delivery, BEXCO’s DeepRope® delivers.

BEXCO nv • Industriepark Zwaarveld 25 • 9220 Hamme Belgium • Tel: +32 52 499 370 Email: offshore@bexco.be • For more information on our products: www.bexco.be

EXMAR OFFSHORE COMPANY conceived nearly 20 years ago as a standard, scalable and low-cost solution for deep-water production.”

The firm’s activities are historically grounded in naval architecture and structural engineering. On top of this, it houses decades of experience and knowledge in related fields such as production and marine systems. Seen as a reliable, dependable partner, it is this reputation which has kept the company buoyant in challenging times.

Indeed, Exmar’s OPTI® is a standout in the oil and gas industry. Conceived two decades ago, it is a proven and accepted deep water development solution – the semisubmersible hull design platform is revolutionary within a conservative industry that is relatively averse to change.

The OPTI® is formed of a hull and deck truss form that aids in the execution of offshore projects and leads to lower lifecycle costs. The OPTI® proprietary hull form and single

deck truss features combine superior hydrodynamic performance with payload weight efficiency, ease of construction, simple integration, and rapid, flexible project execution.

This design achieves optimized motions by utilising a deeper draft and ringed pontoon design and has become something of a company hallmark.

“The OPTI® has become nearly synonymous with Exmar Offshore Company, and although its business includes significant non-OPTI® related engineering services, the OPTI® makes us particularly proud,” Lim says.

This design has given Exmar an edge over its competition in the industry. Through owning the design, the firm has the independence to work with any EPC contractor, shipyard, or operator under a license agreement.

But the company is also forward thinking in its business approach.

“Its commitment to continual innovation and practical solutions has

OPTI® MODELS OPTI-MICRO™: Introduced in 2016 as a solution for limited recoverable reserves or as an early production system, the OPTI-micro™ offers a flexible development solution with upside production potential. With a 40,000 barrels per day production capability, the OPTImicro™ offers a strategic alternative to a complicated, expensive tie-back at a lower cost than a larger conventional hub.

Bardex Since the 1960’s Bardex has been providing solutions to lift, move, position or restrain heavy loads in Oil & Gas and Shipyard applications.

The mooring systems we have used on Exmar FPU hulls in the past have been Moveable/Removable Topside Tensioning Systems and most recently the newly designed (OVT) Off Vessel Tensioning Systems.

These 2 types of mooring systems offer considerable advantages, with the latter saving considerably more weight, space and costs.

www.bardex.com

OPTI-16000™: To meet future hub applications, where greater production rates and enhanced oil and gas recovery requirements demand a larger deck and load capability, Exmar has developed the OPTI-16000™.

The design will provide production rates in excess of 120,000 barrels per day and provide space and load capacity for water flood, gas injection, and subsea boosting equipment. It retains all the technical features and construction strategies of previous designs for a cost-effective facility.

OPTI-EX®: Exmar’s confidence in the OPTI® concept and design was so great that it took the ultimate risk, and OPTI-EX® became the industry’s first speculative build semisubmersible floating production system. A decade later, OPTI-EX®, with up to a 60,000 barrels per day capacity, continues safely producing for LLOG with unrivalled uptime availability.

OPTI-11000™: Sized specifically to take advantage of the largest platform integration crane available on the US Gulf Coast, the OPTI-11000™ offers increased capacity up to 100,000 barrels per day. The result is the industry leading and award-winning Delta House facility operated by Murphy Oil Corporation.

36 | North America Outlook issue 01

The OPTI-11000™ hull for the Delta House offshore installation makes ready to sail from South Korea to Ingleside, Texas

OIL & GAS

Bardex Mooring System Solutions – To Save Space, Weight & Costs

Movable & Removable Topside Tensioning (to save equipment weight & costs)

www.bardex.com Features & Benefits of Bardex Mooring Systems DIFFERENTIATORS • CAPEX & OPEX savings systems designs • Innovative Chain Management Solutions to save weight, costs and installation time.

• Field proven designs • Reliable, unique load measurement systems • Designed to reduce chain stress and wear • Patented BarLatch UFCS to reduce or eliminate OPB/IPB • Low friction bearing on Conventional & UFCS fairlead designs.

• Minimized FPU Hull Interface Structures & Associated Costs • Reduced Mooring Equipment Lifecycle Costs

Off Vessel Tensioning

(to capture all topsides space, eliminate topsides weight & minimize CAPEX & OPEX costs)

EXPERIENCE • Inventors of the Chain Jack; patented and in use for over 50+ years.

• Top level technical team with the longest track record in the industry, specializing in client’s technical requirements.

• Designs Reviewed and Certified by ABS, BV and DNV-GL • Mooring & Design analysis with flexible design configurations • Numerous mooring high profile Global & Gulf of Mexico references with key oil & gas Majors & Supermajors • Engineering Services from concept design to Construction & Installation to Decommissioning.

• Lifecycle Support Services ensuring equipment availability, operating at peak performance

The OPTI-11000™ hull for Murphy Oil Corporation’s King’s Quay deep water development in the Gulf of Mexico

North America Outlook issue 01 | 37

EXMAR OFFSHORE COMPANY driven Exmar Offshore Company to develop and improve products with clear intent,” Cotaya adds.

While the OPTI® and its deployment is an in-house feature of Exmar, Lim and Cotaya acknowledge that the company would not be able to provision its whole service offering without the presence of a number of strategic partnerships with external companies. The professional relationships that the firm cultivates and maintains are both mutual and beneficial for both parties and the end customer.

“The company works closely with subsurface and subsea companies. It also works with topsides companies, typically selected by the operator,” Cotaya says. “For the execution of projects, we work closely with shipyards relying on the network and reputation of the Exmar Group which has extensive construction experience.

“For instance, we have had relationships with riser and mooring companies that have been instrumental in developing an optimized performance solution.”

LOOKING TO THE FUTURE Just as partnerships are held in the highest regard, the individual efforts of the Exmar workforce drive the design, production, and services the company provides its varied customer base.

The firm prides itself on its workforce of employees from diverse backgrounds that collectively make up the drive behind high-performance service.

“Exmar is full of examples of technically innovative successes, whether it is FSRUs, FLNG, LPG fuelled LPG carriers or OPTIs®, and exciting projects attract creative people,” Cotaya says. “Keeping creative people motivated means giving them challenges and real responsibilities.

“It is not a large company among its peers, but it achieves great things, and each person is able to point to where they contributed to that success.”

38 | North America Outlook issue 01

“FLEXIBILITY COMBINED WITH A STRONG WORK ETHIC THAT WAS CONSISTENT WHETHER AT HOME OR IN THE OFFICE HELPED US TO SUCCEED IN THESE DIFFICULT TIMES” – DAVID LIM

OIL & GAS

The King’s Quay process facility and deck truss under construction at Hyundai Heavy Industries, South Korea

North America Outlook issue 01 | 39

EXMAR OFFSHORE COMPANY

THE CHAIRMAN’S VIEW OUTLOOK PUBLISHING (OP): Tell us a bit about yourself and your background in the industry. How did you get involved with Exmar?

NICOLAS SAVERYS (NS): My family has been involved in the maritime industry for more than 190 years, mainly through shipbuilding. Since the 60s and 70s, as a family we have been diversifying more into shipping activities. I founded Exmar in 1981, starting as a new player active in the LPG shipping industry.

As a family, we bought CMB in 1991, at that time Belgium’s largest ship-owner. After demerger we recreated three companies as from 2003, CMB (Bocimar), Euronav, and Exmar.

OP: How important is LNG regasification to Exmar?

Can you tell us about the company’s legacy in this field, and what your outlook is for the future?

We have in the meantime developed our seventh generation of midsize LPG carriers (segment between 20,000 – 40,000 cubic metres), and we have since Exmar’s inception continuously been pushing the limits of new ship designs. Also, operationally we have been ground-breaking in the shift over between different types of cargos.

Today Exmar is building the world’s first Very Large Gas Carriers (VLGCs) that can use LPG as a fuel instead of traditional fuel oil. These vessels, being built in China and to be chartered to Equinor, were the first of their kind and now others have followed suit.

OP: What trends are currently shaping the gas industry?

NS: Oil and gas will be there for the longer term, the next decades. Natural gas is the cleanest fossil fuel, and it will continue to grow. Renewables are not a reliable source of energy.

NS: Nearly 20 years ago Exmar started floating LNG regasification as a true pioneer, bringing the first FSRUs to the market. Exmar’s practical approach to problem solving has led the way the industry thinks about floating regasification from the design itself, the floating transfer of LNG cargo and most recently barge-based regasification.

When looking at trends, we see that the market requires the flexibility that floating LNG infrastructure provides. Drivers for this flexibility are:

With an ever-growing need in the market for flexible solutions, floating LNG technology will continue to progress. The well-known advantages of being fast track, re-deployable and cost efficient have led to the unlocking of many new LNG markets over the past decade thanks to FSRUs.

- Political uncertainty.

As for the future, there are still non-traditional markets where gas as an energy source are needed. These markets can be small and in developing countries. The barriers to opening these new markets are economics and permitting. Exmar has the proven, technical solutions and operational experience to quickly bring clean gas to these markets.

OP: What innovations are you introducing to the LPG shipping sector?

NS: LPG is more mature market and Exmar has had a significant presence in it since the early 1980s as a shipowner. Like it has done in all its businesses, Exmar embraces innovation that leads to better solutions meaning higher efficiency with a cost benefit, but always safe.

40 | North America Outlook issue 01

- Shorter term contracts.

- More uncertainty on the longer term from competing fuels.

Not only flexibility but also cost competitiveness remains key for the business portfolio. Exmar has a role to play on bringing costs down for its customers in the gas value chain.

OP: Looking ahead, what are your views on the transition to a low carbon energy mix? How do you see it developing?

NS: Energy demand is going only in one direction.

Low carbon sources of fuel (specifically gas) have increased substantially and will take a greater share in the near future. Hydrogen and ammonia are also coming, but not immediately. Renewables are seeing a large investment that will drive their share of supply.

There will not be a complete replacement of fossil fuels, but the mix or ratio is changing as more sources of energy are needed. Exmar is involved in all these areas of the transition.

OIL & GAS

Nicolas Saverys, Chairman

“THERE WILL NOT BE A COMPLETE REPLACEMENT OF FOSSIL FUELS, BUT THE MIX OR RATIO IS CHANGING AS MORE SOURCES OF ENERGY ARE NEEDED. EXMAR IS INVOLVED IN ALL THESE AREAS OF THE TRANSITION” – NICOLAS SAVERYS The COVID-19 pandemic has thrown many obstacles in the way all industries approach the workplace, and Exmar is one firm that has risen to the challenge. The company promoted remote working for its employees and aided the transition to such an environment.

“Flexibility combined with a strong work ethic that was consistent whether at home or in the office helped us to succeed in these difficult times, and we believe that while the landscape is very different now,” Lim continues. “We believe we are better and stronger.”

Indeed, it was this kind of individual employee focus that has defined Lim’s

own tenure at the company.

His career had veered towards law before he was presented with the opportunity to join Exmar. He had originally joined the firm to gain experience in shipping to later explore the avenues of becoming an admiralty lawyer. Starting in Exmar’s Hong Kong office in 1997, he began with the trading of pressurised LPG vehicles.

The 2000s saw Lim’s career leap forward through the firm.

He was given the opportunity to move to Exmar’s headquarters in Antwerp in 2001, then to Houston to develop the company’s nascent LNG regasification business, and a few

years after he was presented with yet another opportunity.

“In 2004 I was given the responsibility of taking Exmar Offshore Company from a technically strong design development company to a commercially profitable services and project development company,” Lim says.

Now, as Exmar continues to serve its customers, energy is starting to pick back up, and optimism remains the primary emotion for Lim. “While deep-water exploration and development was paused in the early days of the pandemic, we are starting to see activity returning after months of re-evaluation,” he says. “Projects have been delayed but have not been cancelled.”

The firm plans to deliver the installation of the King’s Quay FPS for Murphy Oil and its partners, as well as the sanctioning of another project in 2021. On top of this, OPTI® studies are ongoing, the aim being to move these forward for approval in the next 12-24 months.

One of the most exciting prospects, however, is Exmar’s plans to explore the offshore renewables space, an area where the firm can take and apply its knowledge to a more sustainable sphere of the energy spectrum.

“I am very optimistic for the coming year and beyond,” Cotaya says, bringing the conversation to a close.

“I don’t believe the doomsday scenarios will be as bad as predicted.

Difficult times lay ahead but the industry has always regrouped and redoubled its efforts. The offshore industry has weathered extreme highs and lows and continues to improve.

We are in the age of energy transition and Exmar is part of it.”

EXMAR OFFSHORE COMPANY Tel: +1-281-679-3900 info@exmaroffshore.com www.exmaroffshore.com

North America Outlook issue 01 | 41

RANGER ENERGY SERVICES Mark Haubert, Vice President at Ranger Energy Services, discusses the organization’s innovative approach and how it is underpinned by a positive energy culture Writer: Sean Galea-Pace | Project Manager: David Knott We drive new thinking.” It’s a mantra that works well for Mark Haubert and Ranger Energy Services.

An oil and gas completion and production solutions organization focused on well servicing, it was founded in 2014 and has grown to become a leading provider of high specification well servicing rigs and ancillary equipment, known for its ability to pioneer new ideas.

Haubert is the company’s Vice President. From an early age, he foresaw a career in engineering and credits his family as important influences on his career direction.

“Growing up, I was good in math and science so I knew that I wanted to study an engineering field.

When I was choosing my career and field of study, the petroleum industry was booming in the U.S.,” he explains. “I also had exposure to the industry through my father and uncle who both worked in natural gas production and storage. It was an easy choice and it sounded like it would be an adventurous career.”

However, by the time Haubert had completed his degree, the industry was experiencing a severe downturn.

“I decided to pursue a backup career as a Navy pilot, but fortunately landed a position in oilfield services,” he says. Having demonstrated success transforming firms into becoming profitable, market-driven organizations within the energy sector, Haubert recognises the importance of company culture and orchestrating successful change management.

42 | North America Outlook issue 01

Challenging the Norm

OIL & GAS

North America Outlook issue 01 | 43

RANGER ENERGY SERVICES Throughout his career, he has experienced a number of growth and contraction cycles. “In the U.S. unconventional market, these cycles have become more frequent and more extreme each time,” says Haubert.

“This last contraction occurred due to an oversupply of oil and demand erosion due to COVID-19 causing active drilling rig count and frac crew completion count to contract by two-thirds in a few months. The US land market reached a record low of about 290 drilling rigs in July, which is the lowest rig count ever recorded

by Baker Hughes and perhaps dating back to the 1890s.”

Ranger consists of three brands: Ranger Energy Services, Mallard Completions, and Torrent Energy Services that provide services throughout the U.S. unconventional basins. The company employs around 1,000 people across its field locations, with its corporate headquarters based in Houston, Texas.

DynaEnergetics™ DynaEnergetics™, the only provider of fully Factory-Assembled, Performance-Assured™ perforating systems for unconventional well completions, is a proud supporter of Ranger Energy Services and its Mallard Completions division.

Haubert values innovation, and driving innovation is at the forefront of decision-making at Ranger.

As a result, the firm strives to transform the well service industry by introducing data capture and analytics throughout its brands and services, and one of these innovations is Ranger Live™.

The Ranger Live™ mobile platform delivers a customised suite of applications to the firm’s field crews at the job site via tablet. This platform allows the crew to access data on the job site and to input data that is stored on Ranger’s servers. The Ranger Live™ Customer Portal offers access via any

ONE GROUP, THREE BRANDS

1

Ranger Energy Services is one of the largest providers of high specification well service rigs and associated services in the United States.

Ranger offers Elite completion solutions, production maintenance, workover solutions, and well abandonment solutions using our high spec service rigs, rig-assist snubbing, equipment rentals, and well flowback services.

2

Mallard Completions offers horizontal wireline perforating and pump down solutions. Mallard uses wireline trucks and 2,500 HP pump trucks to pump frac plugs and perforating guns into extended reach horizontal wells for pump down perforating completion operations. Mallard offers industryleading safe and efficient operations due to its use of fit-for-purpose wireline perforating solutions and plug and play gun technology.

3

Torrent Energy Services offers modular equipment and services to process natural gas at the wellhead in the field when drilling and completion activity has outpaced the development of permanent processing infrastructure. Its premium and proprietary solutions include mechanical refrigeration units and pressure reduction units coupled with turnkey services to mobilise, install, commission and start up the units. Its natural gas processing solutions assist customers with meeting pipeline specifications, extracting higher value NGLs, providing fuel gas and reducing emissions.

44 | North America Outlook issue 01

Ranger and Mallard have built a reputation for unsurpassed safety, quality and efficiency in serving the unconventional oil and gas industry. Since its inception, Mallard exclusively has used DynaEnergetics’ DS perforating systems in its well completions.

Customised DS systems are delivered just-in-time to the wellsite, and reduce investments in assembly and storage infrastructure. DynaEnergetics is proud of the role these systems play in supporting Mallard’s ultra-efficient business model.

dyna.sales@dynaenergetics.com

OIL & GAS

Factory-Assembled, Performance-AssuredTM DS™ DynaStage™ perforating systems deliver a step-change improvement in safety, performance and efficiency.

Which system is right for you? dynaenergetics.com | dynastage.com | dyna.sales@dynaenergetics.com

Rogue Field Service is proud to provide quality and efficient service to every customer in the Permian Basin. We specialize in diesel engine repair and maintenance. We are here for you 24 hours 7 days a week.

Because we know, you needed it done yesterday.

Industrial Engine Service | Mobile Maintenance | Power Generation

www.roguefieldservice.com

North America Outlook issue 01 | 45

RANGER ENERGY SERVICES

IN FOCUS: RANGER LIVE Ranger Live includes the following applications: eQHSE™ - Enables and supports its quality and safety management systems. It provides each crew with easy access to all policies, forms, safety alerts, its Learning Management System, standard operating procedures, observation entry, corrective action implementation and notification. eTICKET™ - Its electronic ticketing system used to capture work activities and the associated timeline during a job and to provide benchmarking and post-job metric reporting. eRIGS™ (Ranger Information Gathering System) - Its data acquisition system that gathers data such as pump rates, pressures, volumes, weight, depth, and torque via sensors on the rig and ancillary equipment. This data can be monitored real-time through the Ranger Live™ Customer Portal and it can be used for benchmarking and post-job metric reporting. eDRIVE™ - Its driving application that enables driver behaviour monitoring and improvement facilitated by monthly driver scorecards. It also enables Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration compliance for our DOT-regulated vehicles. ePMM™ - Ranger’s preventative maintenance management system used to document periodic equipment inspections and scheduled maintenance.

46 | North America Outlook issue 01

device from any location to real-time job data and post job metric reports.

Providing real-time data and analytics to decision makers leads to safer and more efficient operations.

It is an example of the pioneering spirit housed within the company, a spirit which over the years has been recognized through numerous nominations and awards.

The organization was recently selected as a finalist in the Houston Business Journal Middle Market 50 Award for 2020. This honour is given to the 50 fastest-growing locally-based middle market companies with annual revenues of $28 million to $1 billion.

Ranger Energy Services was ranked as the 21st fastest growing company with 118 percent growth over the two years from 2017 to 2019.

The firm was also selected as a finalist in the Houston Chronicle’s Top 100 Leading Companies

OIL & GAS for 2020. Ranger was ranked 34th overall, 11th for earnings per share growth, and 29th for revenue growth over the two years from 2017 to 2019.

But for Haubert, while being recognized in such ways is a testament to the company’s success, there are more fundamentally important priorities that need addressing on a day to day basis.

For instance, Ranger is focused on providing the highest quality of service while protecting its employees and the environment in which it works.

Haubert explains that in order to make this a reality, his organization has introduced an award-winning, behavior-based QHSE management system that is formed by six core elements and consists of 36 total elements.

“Together, they form a complex interrelated structure with maximum synergies where one element supports many other elements,” he says. “The

six core elements include: Policies and Procedures, Executive Leadership, Employee Engagement, Continuous Improvement and Failure Adaptation, all supported by the Ranger Live™ Mobile Platform.

“Further, we’re pursuing the ISO 45001 certification which is the internationally recognized standard relating to health and safety in a business environment. We anticipate

becoming one of the first service companies in the U.S. to receive this certification in early 2021.”

A result of implementing this QHSE management system and developing a safety focused culture is that Ranger has been presented with the Large Well Servicing Rig Division safety award by the Association of Energy Service Companies (AESC) for the previous two years.

eRIGS cloud portal

RANGER ENERGY SERVICES

HOW IMPORTANT ARE PARTNER AND SUPPLIER RELATIONS TO THE SUCCESS OF YOUR BUSINESS? MARK HAUBERT: “Partner and supplier relationships are critical to our success. Since we are primarily a service company, we partner with other companies to design and manufacture the equipment and products that we use to perform our services as well as to provide us with professional services.

“Ranger Energy requires mobile rigs, reversing unit pumps, power swivels, pipe handlers, chemical mixing plants, chemicals, tanks, trucks and trailers. Mallard Completions requires wireline trucks, cable spools, pump down pumps, perforating gun systems, pressure control kits, and hydraulic latch assemblies. While Torrent designs their own natural gas processing equipment, they require other companies to manufacture them.”

“We also have critical partnerships that provide professional and consulting services to us such as finance, accounting, insurance, legal, and safety services. These partners are key to our success and our continued growth.”

“WE WILL LAUNCH OUR RANGER ELITE™ COMPLETION SOLUTIONS IN EARLY 2021... A COMPREHENSIVE FRAC PLUG DRILLOUT AND COMPLETION SOLUTION INCLUDING ELITE PERSONNEL, ELITE EQUIPMENT, AND ELITE SYSTEMS AND SOLUTIONS”

Indeed, Haubert places a considerable amount of value on harbouring a high-performance culture that is based on its purpose and values.

“Our purpose, “We exist to generate positive energy” permeates everything we do.” “We continuously strive for our customers, stakeholders and communities to have a positive experience when interacting with Ranger. To accomplish our purpose, we must drive new thinking and encourage everyone’s input to share ideas. We aren’t afraid to engage in healthy debate. The innovation that results is what sets us apart from our competition.”

Haubert strives for high standards and believes that teamwork is essential in order to achieve longterm success. “We take responsibility for supporting one another and our clients in moving forward,” he adds.

“We challenge each other to improve and to leave things better than we found them. This means encouraging the best and celebrating so that we all rise up together.”

OIL & GAS

With the future in mind, the Vice President is excited about the next couple of years and adds that Ranger will be introducing a new solution at the beginning of 2021.

“We will launch our Ranger Elite™ Completion Solutions in early 2021,” he explains. “Ranger Elite™ is a comprehensive frac plug drillout and completion solution including elite personnel, elite equipment, and elite systems and solutions. Our elite personnel are highly trained and qualified with specialised

technical and leadership certifications.

In addition, they are armed with stateof-the-art equipment and our Ranger Live mobile platform.”

Over the course of 2021 and beyond, Haubert is determined to continue building a positive energy culture across Ranger while strengthening the overall brand awareness.

“It’s important that we continue to develop and implement differentiating technologies while strengthening existing partnerships and developing

new partnerships with major independent and multi-national operators,” he says, bringing the conversation to a close.

“We’re in a position to evaluate numerous expansion opportunities and we anticipate expanding our portfolio of companies and services.

We rise to challenges. When a roadblock is thrown in our path, we pull together to eliminate barriers and overcome the challenge. We come to work every day filled with positive energy, a smile on our face and willing to stick through to the end to accomplish what needs to be done that day. We enjoy working together and celebrate each other’s success.”

RANGER ENERGY SERVICES Tel: (713) 935-8900 contact@rangerenergy.com www.rangerenergy.com

HELLMANN WORLDWIDE LOGISTICS

COVID-19:

Rising to the Challenge Against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, we preview Hellmann Worldwide Logistics’ COVID-19 handbook and gain insight from David Bang, Global VP of Strategic Development at the organization Writer: Sean Galea-Pace Project Manager: Tom Cullum

50 | North America Outlook issue 01

SUPPLY CHAIN

T

he COVID-19 pandemic has created a multitude of obstacles during the course of 2020. This has propelled businesses across the world to rethink operations and adopt agile approaches to business in order to deal with the ever-changing global situation.

However, despite such disruption from both a human and a business perspective, a vaccine for the deadly disease has been announced and is being rolled out throughout December and into 2021. With the vaccine now declared safe for us, the logistics HELLMANN WORLDWIDE LOGISTICS 10450 Doral Boulevard, Doral, Florida, USA Tel: +1 305 406 4500

US-Marketing@hellmann.com www.hellmann.com

AIR FRANCE KLM MARTINAIR CARGO www.afklcargo.com

EMBALL’ISO USA

130 Keystone Drive, Montgomeryville PA 18936 Tel: +1 267 687 8570 Ext 104 Fax: + 1 267 543 6737

customercare-us@emballiso.com www.emballiso.com

HANHAA

Unit 507, Cocoa Building, The Biscuit Factory 100 Drummond Road, London SE16 4DG, United Kingdom info@hanhaa.com

www. hanhaa.com

MAESTRO CARGO

837 Patton Drive – Door C Chicago, IL 60666 Tel: 773.570.6432

www.maestrocargo.com

VALIDAIDE

Johan Huizingalaan 400 1066 JS Amsterdam The Netherlands www.validaide.com

COVID-19 VACCINE LOGISTICS HANDBOOK SPRING 2021

industry is now tasked with distributing the vaccine to the most vulnerable as efficiently as possible.

Anticipated to be a mammoth task, the Pfizer vaccine for instance, is unable to travel above -70°C more than four times which means logistics companies such as Hellmann are vital.

Some other vaccines are suitable to be transported at more modest temperature ranges like +2 to +8°C or -20°C, but transporting safely billions of doses globally in addition to all other vaccines and healthcare products as well as all other commodities based on

PRODUCED BY NORTH AMERICA OUTLOOK MAGAZINE

PRODUCED BY NORTH AMERICA OUTLOOK MAGAZINE

www.validaide.com The Netherlands 1066 JS Amsterdam Johan Huizingalaan 400

VALIDAIDE www.maestrocargo.com Tel: 773.570.6432 Chicago, IL 60666

North America Outlook issue 01 | 51

HELLMANN WORLDWIDE LOGISTICS

David Bang is the Global VP of Strategic Development at Hellmann Worldwide Logistics stronger economic return in 2021 and 2022, it will surely be one of the most challenging and critical temperature controlled logistics tasks we’ve ever seen.

Logistics has been one of the industries that has undergone the most disruption. As an influential part of value chains, both within and across international borders, logistics firms facilitate trade and commerce while helping businesses get their products to customers.

Initially, the impact of COVID-19 was felt in Asia as a result of the role the region plays in global manufacturing.

With over 200 of Fortune Global 500 firms having a presence there, this meant that disruptions to manufacturing in the country then caused issues across global supply chains. For example, cargo was backlogged at China’s major container ports as travel restrictions led to a shortage of truck drivers picking up containers and ocean carriers cancelled sailings. Subsequently, the pandemic spread to the rest of the world and led to lockdowns and border closures which restricted the movement of goods worldwide.

52 | North America Outlook issue 01

For example, air cargo capacity significantly reduced globally and decreased by around 60 percent overall.

Now capacity is slowly recovering although in many cases still volatile, and we have a monumental task in front of us to distribute COVID-19 vaccines from production to point of care for at least 70-80 percent of global population for herd immunity in every corner of the world, regardless of economic or geo-political bases.

As a result, Hellmann Worldwide Logistics has compiled a COVID19 handbook which provides commentary from industry experts at EMBALL’ISO, Hanhaa, Air France-KLM Cargo, MIC Cargo and Validaide about the measures taken to distribute the vaccine and the major challenges to overcome.

Founded in 1871, Hellmann Worldwide Logistics has become one of the largest privately-owned international logistics providers.

SQA SQA works with its client partners and their supply chains in over 70 countries annually, with over 1,000 quality professionals. SQA understands the complexity and challenges of a global supply chain and our clients count on us to extend their reach, uphold their name, and ultimately protect the patient.

Annually, SQA performs over 3,000 audits, provides component inspection of over 1m parts at the source, and 50,000 hours of engineering supplier development. This occurs in the form of managed programs at supplier sites that include, but may not be limited to: audit, assessments, supplier development, part approvals, inspection, remediation, desktop evaluation and full time surveillance.

We’re excited to share the SQA’s outsourced risk management “partnership”. We have boots on the ground worldwide allowing SQA to accommodate even the most complex supply chains.

www.sqaservices.com

HELLMANN HISTORY 1925 - In Germany, Hellmann was one of the first companies to replace their horse-drawn fleet with coal-powered trucks

2006 - Hellmann receives the coveted ‘Award of Excellence’ from the Global Institute of Logistics 1968 - With 20 years of post-war expansion across Europe, the company’s shares were transferred to the fourth generation, Klaus and Jost Hellmann

SUPPLY CHAIN

SQA has a global footprint that supports critical supply chains. We are a leader in assessing, monitoring and improving supplier quality for our client partners. The partnerships SQA has created over the past 25 years have provided benefits for our clients integrated strategies where SQA supports on a flexible, long-term basis.

For industries where quality survives!

For industries where quality survives

+1 800-333-6180 (USA) | improve@sqaservices.com | www.sqaservices.com

2017 - With the foundation of the legally independent business units Air & Sea, Road & Rail and Contract Logistics as well as the Holding company, Hellmann reacts to the changing market conditions and its own Group size - initially on a national level, from 2018 also internationally

North America Outlook issue 01 | 53

HELLMANN WORLDWIDE LOGISTICS Through its partner network, the organization is represented across the globe, with around 20,500 employees across 489 offices in 173 countries.

Its range of services includes classic forwarding services by truck, rail, air and sea freight, as well as a comprehensive offer for CEP services, contract logistics, industry and IT solutions.

David Bang is the Global VP of Strategic Development at Hellmann Worldwide Logistics. He recognizes that 2020 has been a challenging year in the supply chain and stresses that lessons have been learnt. “From a supply chain and logistics point of view, the year 2020 clearly showed that, even with many advanced technology advancements, there are

54 | North America Outlook issue 01

“THE HANDBOOK ISN’T A CONSULTING OR ACADEMIC PAPER BUT RATHER PRACTICAL CONTENTS THAT ARE HELPFUL TO TRANSPORT THE COVID-19 VACCINES SAFELY, SECURELY AND COST-EFFECTIVELY FROM PRODUCTION SITES TO POINT OF CARES” – DAVID BANG still many vulnerabilities in our global supply chain,” he explains. “There was the toilet paper fiasco as well as other consumables you couldn’t find on the local grocery shelves, PPE shortage, etc. However, let’s not forget that there have been nearly one and a half million lives lost globally (as of early December 2020) and millions of other

people’s lives have been turned completely upside and down.

Although it is not just about the supply chain issue alone, we must learn and improve.”

Most governments have responded to the crisis by designating ports, shipping and trucking services as essential and exempting them from

SUPPLY CHAIN

The Pfizer vaccine is unable to travel at temperatures above -70°C, which means logistics companies, with capabilties such as Hellmann, are vital

lockdown rules. For example, the Indian government exempted the movement of cargo through ports, supply chains and the transport of essential commodities from lockdown rules. While lots of airports worldwide remain closed to passenger flights, most still remain open to cargo flights.

Even prior to COVID-19, almost 30 percent of global vaccines annually had supply chain and logistics issues, according to GAVI. “And that was only for a two billion dose operation,” says Bang. “Now, with an almost 15 billion dose operation for COVID-19, we need to work and collaborate much better.

Hellmann plays an important role in this and wanted to lay out a practical path forward that can benefit many others (even if some of them may be our competitors).

“We are fortunate to have our partners and friends who are like-minded and came along with us for this project and we couldn’t have done this without them. This handbook lays out some practical areas we all can review and reflect on our own organization to improve and contribute positively to the big picture.”

Even prior to COVID-19, almost 30 percent of global vaccines annually had supply chain and logistics issues. “Now, with an almost 15 billion dose operation for COVID-19, we need to work and collaborate much better”

Bang points out that the handbook isn’t a consulting or academic paper but rather practical contents that are helpful to transport the COVID-19 vaccines safely, securely and costeffectively from production sites to point of cares, while also adding that Hellmann’s handbook caters to a wide demographic. Also, it covers multiple transport mode situations such as air, sea, and road as well as warehousing and last mile deliveries “You may be with a local government, a logistics company, a distributor, ministry of health, a vaccine producer, or a supplier to a vaccine producer,” he explains. “It’s important that they

are equipped with practical and costefficient guidance on how to prepare, execute and measure the cold chain logistics of COVID-19 vaccines for the top objective, product integrity and patient safety.”

HELLMANN WORLDWIDE LOGISTICS Tel: +1 305 406 4500 US-Marketing@hellmann.com www.hellmann.com

North America Outlook issue 01 | 55

WOMEN IN TRUCKING

GOING THE EXTRA MILE

The Women In Trucking Association is an all-inclusive, trailblazing organization working to improve gender diversity in the trucking industry Written by: Dani Redd I was one of the lucky people whose mom told me I could do anything I wanted, and there were no “girl” careers,” explains Ellen Voie, Founder & CEO of the Women In Trucking Association.

In 1972, Title IX of the Federal Civil Rights Act was adopted in America – it stated that no student in a federal education program could be prohibited from learning an activity based on their sex. Until it was in place, girls studied home economics and boys took shop class. But in 1975, encouraged by her mother, Voie joined shop class, learning woodworking, welding, drafting and auto mechanics.

“Shop class was so much fun, and my instructor insisted I was the best welder he’d ever had! I loved the auto mechanics lessons, and when I wanted to use the family car, I disconnected the distributor cap so my older brother 56 | North America Outlook issue 01

couldn’t get it started! These were more valuable to me than cooking, baking or cleaning!” Voie explains.

In 1978, she was hired at a steel fabricating plant in central Wisconsin and worked in the drafting department, designing material handling equipment, such as steel pallets, bins, and racking. A year later, her employers invited her to transfer into the Traffic Department.

Upon earning a diploma in Traffic and Transportation Management in 1980 from LaSalle Extension University, Voie was then promoted to the role of Traffic Manager.

She was responsible for managing three plants creating parts such as material handling and jacks, for shipping out finished products and managing the company’s fleet of three trucks and their drivers.

“I ended up marrying a professional

driver, and we started our own trucking company,” Voie says. “I also did freelance work as a transportation consultant while I ran our small carrier, raised two children and attended college to earn my bachelor’s and then master’s degree in communication.

I was offered numerous writing opportunities in various magazines.

My monthly columns were about family life in the trucking industry.

“I completed my Master’s Thesis on

TRANSPORT

‘The Complex Identities of Women Married to Professional Drivers.’ I later published a book filled with some of my most popular articles called, ‘Marriage In the Long Run’.”

Two decades later, her marriage ended and she was hired as the Executive Director of Trucker Buddy International, a unique not-for-profit in which long distance truckers become pen-pals to a class of school children, sending them postcards and letters

from the places they visit across the country.

After six years in the position, she was recruited by Schneider National to lead their retention efforts, with a remit to initiate corporate level programs designed to attract and retain non-traditional groups, such as women.

“At the time, I was completing my pilot’s license, and I belonged to an organization for female pilots. It struck

me that there wasn’t a similar group for women in the trucking industry; so I started one,” she says.

And so, in 2007, she founded the Women In Trucking Association (WIT).

SUPPORT AND INCLUSION In its current incarnation, WIT is a non-profit organization with over 5,000 individual and corporate members located in 10 countries. Its mission: to encourage the employment North America Outlook issue 01 | 57

WOMEN IN TRUCKING of women in the trucking industry, promote their accomplishments, and minimize obstacles faced by women working within the trucking industry.

It is the only association focused on gender diversity for both drivers and management in the trucking industry, so has little competition.

“Our membership consists of anyone who believes in our mission.

To that point, nearly anyone can join the association. However, we want to attract people who believe in the benefits of gender diversity,” the CEO explains.

This includes men, who make up 17 percent of the membership.

“Women In Trucking is not an association FOR women, it’s ABOUT women and their success and support in this industry,” Voie says. “If you think about it, you don’t need to be a dog to support the humane society, do you?

The Arbor Day Foundation doesn’t require that you’re a tree to fund their efforts.”

Voie is often asked to explain what issues women in the trucking industry face that are different to men.

“The answer is ‘none’. Every one of the concerns that our members have affects both men and women,” she says. “But there are issues that affect women more than they affect men.

These are some of the concerns we are focusing our efforts on and working to alleviate.”

The first of these pertains to the image of the trucking industry as a ‘man’s world’, which puts women off from joining it.

“There may be a greater percentage of men than women responsible for moving the nation’s freight, but that doesn’t mean that women aren’t welcome. In fact, some of the most

CASE STUDY COMMUNICATION AUDIT SURVEY WIT’s goal is to be a resource for the industry, providing trucking companies, drivers, the government and its members with the best information to help facilitate more gender diverse workforces.

Last year, it reached out to members and non-members with a communication audit survey, to get feedback on the way it communicates. 216 respondents completed the survey.

The results of the survey showed that its weekly e-newsletter was the most popular method of communication (57 percent), followed by social media (47 percent) and its print publication, Redefining the Road.

The organization learned that only eight percent of respondents have used the Engage platform, a members-only communication tool.

However, around a third visit the website at least once a week – the most popular feature is the “Member of the Month” article.

Most interestingly, “gender issues” only ranked 11/20 on a list of topics of interest. “Leadership issues” was second highest, while “safety” was third highest.

WIT reviewed the results of the survey, and concluded that it needed to revamp its website and better focus its social media campaigns. Now it knows the key topics of interest and issues faced by its audience, it will be better equipped to create value-added communications.

58 | North America Outlook issue 01

encouraging and supportive people in trucking are men!” the CEO says.

To counteract this image, WIT aims to ensure women know all about the fantastic opportunities in the industry, from driving to maintaining and managing equipment.

“Often, when I tell women about the organization they are curious, but when I start describing the potential opportunities available to them, they tell me they aren’t “built” to drive a truck, or that they aren’t mechanically minded enough to service an engine,” Voie says.

“I tell them that they’re wrong. I tell them they can learn and they are capable and most importantly, they are needed.”

A second issue is one of safety. Voie cites a study from the US Department of Justice which found that women are three times more likely to be raped than men, three times more likely to be stalked, and twice as likely to be injured during an assault.

“This industry can’t afford to lose women because they do not feel safe in their work environment. Everyone deserves to have the security to do their job, and whether their workplace is an office, a truck or a maintenance facility, our goal is to help women overcome some of the challenges they might face in ensuring that they are safe while they are on the job,” she states.

A third issue is cleanliness of truck stops and toilet facilities, which puts women off from taking driving jobs.

A final, more serious issue is that of harassment.

“Many of our female members have told us that they are often verbally accosted by an anonymous male voice when they key the mic on their CB radio,” Voie explains. “Diane, an owner operator from Canada, said that she had been called some pretty nasty things when she talked on the CB. She turns it off except for the few occasions she needs it to communicate with a fellow driver.”

TRANSPORT “...OUR GOAL IS TO HELP WOMEN OVERCOME SOME OF THE CHALLENGES THEY MIGHT FACE IN ENSURING THAT THEY ARE SAFE WHILE THEY ARE ON THE JOB”

North America Outlook issue 01 | 59

WOMEN IN TRUCKING

‘OVER THE YEARS, VOIE HAS ATTENDED AN INCREASING NUMBER OF ENGAGEMENTS AROUND THE WORLD TO PUBLICISE THE ORGANIZATION’

MAKING AN IMPACT So what has WIT done to help women overcome these obstacles and encourage them to join the industry?

Since its first membership drive in 2007 (which attracted 500 members) it has launched a number of positive, innovative events and initiatives to encourage women into the industry.

In 2009, for example, it organized the first ‘Salute to the Women Behind the Wheel,’ a group photo shoot for professional female drivers, which takes place at a larger trucking event. Six years later it launched its own trucking event and expo, Accelerate!, devoted entirely to redressing the gender imbalance in the trucking industry.

In 2010, it created the Women In Trucking Scholarship Foundation. In the same year it established the first annual Influential Women In Trucking Award, set up to recognize women in the trucking industry who make or influence key decisions, have a proven record of responsibility, and mentor and serve as a role model for other women. This year’s award was jointly shared with Kristy Knichel, CEO of Knichel Logistics (also featured in this 60 | North America Outlook issue 01

Ellen Voie and the WIT team edition of North America Outlook) and Jodie Teuton, Vice President, Kenworth of Louisiana/Hino of Baton Rouge and Monroe.

In 2011, the Women In Trucking industry launched Redefining the Road, a thrice-yearly publication available to its members, while 2014 saw the introduction of the weekly ‘WIT e-News’. A mentoring board was

also added to the website, enabling new starters in the industry to connect to those with more professional experience.

Over the years, Voie has attended an increasing number of engagements around the world to publicize the organization. She has even visited the White House, who in 2012 recognized WIT as “Transportation Innovator

TRANSPORT

Champion of Change”. Voie herself has received many accolades, such as being named in Insights Success Magazine’s “2020’s Most Influential Women to Watch” and is known as a trailblazer in the industry.

LOOKING AHEAD Of course, the transport and logistics industry has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, alongside many others. Voie admits her own career has dramatically changed and has had to learn a new way of working.

“My job was formerly about traveling all over the world to talk about how to bring more women into supply chain careers,” Voie says. “I haven’t been on a commercial flight in months, but I’ve learned to give presentations virtually, and we’re all getting more comfortable sitting in front of our computers instead of in front of a crowd.”

Despite the pandemic, the organization has continued to work towards its goal of improving gender diversity within the trucking industry.

It is in the process of rolling out a D&I Index, a novel diversity and inclusion

program that will promote and share what different carriers are doing to support and expand the needs of the evolving trucking workforce. In doing so, it will help identify and promote best practice, as well as encouraging creativity and innovation.

It also launched its Driver Ambassador Program in February, to help promote career opportunities within the trucking industry and increase membership for the organization.

Since the launch the official WIT Driver Ambassador Kellylynn McLaughlin has been involved in media interviews and speaking engagements. But since COVID-19 halted the latter, she began to engage with members through a daily video series on social media, and via writing blogs for the WIT association.

WIT is now embarking on the next phase of its program, which will involve McLaughin travelling the country in a WIT-branded trailer. Its interior functions as an educational unit, introducing viewers to the career of professional truck driving and featuring success stories of women drivers.

“It’s going to be a powerful and very visible symbol of what women have to offer the freight industry. I will be so proud to haul it,” McLaughlin says.

Despite the difficulties of this year, WIT is going from strength to strength as it increases its reach and engagement. Alongside its digital communications it is also working on creating chapters for its increasing number of members to connect on a local or regional level.

“I started in 2007 with a great team who shared my passion, and we put together a fantastic staff, board and support group. Here we are, 13 years later, with a success story I could never have imagined,” Voie concludes.

COMPANY NAME Tel: 888-464-9482 ellen@womenintrucking.org www.womenintrucking.org

North America Outlook issue 01 | 61

ID LOGISTICS

Identifying

Innovation With a new year around the corner, we take a look at ID Logistics and the company’s sustainable, innovative, and service-centric developments amid its expansion into the US Writer: Marcus Kääpä | Project Manager: Tom Cullum

I

D Logistics stands as a key player in the North American logistics industry. From its inception in France in 2001, the company was designed with an international focus in mind.

Following the launch of French services for large format retailors, ID kicked off its global expansion with the opening of its first subsidiary in Taiwan during early 2002. Following this, the firm continued with a steady growth of logistics activities through the opening of several sites across France, as well as subsidiaries in Brazil, the Indian Ocean region, Spain, China, and Indonesia.

From there, ID gained a foothold in multiple continents and took to strengthening its position in the e-commerce space. Now it consolidates itself as a market leader in order picking in Europe (after the acquisition of CEPL), maintaining a strong presence in luxury goods, and moved on to breach the US market in 2019.

Following the purchase of Jagged Peak (a US company specializing in 62 | North America Outlook issue 01

e-commerce logistics), ID stamped its footprint on luxury goods in America, opening itself up to additional opportunities for development, innovation, and acquisition-led growth prospects.

The extension of e-commerce services remains an extremely important aspect of business for ID Logistics. With a wide variety of products to sell, with a multitude of different requirements with regards to the speed and excellence of service, it is within ID’s requirements to anticipate unpredictability and overcome everyday challenges.

Similarly, the company’s retail department require specific knowledge and attention to identify potential peaks in activity that require management, coupled with the logistical flows when regarding storage or simply the just-in-time deliveries that are expected. ID additionally specialises in providing fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) that require the high-quality standards of factory-to-client fluidity management.

LOGISTICS

North America Outlook issue 01 | 63

Advantix Logistics is committed to providing superior labor solutions for your warehousing and distribution facilities. Advantix Logistics provides motivated and dependable labor for freight handling, warehouse services, warehouse management, and on-site management.

Advantix Logistics has been supplying warehouse and distribution clients with skilled associates for nearly three decades. Whether it’s admintrative or a manager overseeing operations, we recruit and hire top-of-the-line staffing. We have continued to grow over the years as we have helped our clients grow their businesses with focused, competent associates who comply with proper security and safety practices. Our intensive screening and training procedures, combined with our intelligent matching system, increase your bottom line. Advantix Logistics will build out a diverse team with extensive experience based upon your company’s request. We know each client values honest and consistent communication and Advantix Logistics strives to meet all commitments within the timeframe requested.

Distribution centers need to lower costs while getting the right products delivered damage-free and on time. We provide trained staff who are well versed in our client’s SOPs. We review both client and staff expectations on an ongoing basis to ensure that both sides of the equation are meeting expectations.

OUR VALUES – We build strong relationships with our clients by providing highly screened and trained associates at a competitive cost.

Advantix has partnered to successfully serve a variety of distribution and manufacturing operations. Here are some industries we proudly serve.

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OUR MISSION – Advantix Logistics provides the highest caliber of trained, reliable and efficient associates for all positions in warehousing and distribution facilities.

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ID LOGISTICS SUSTAINABILITY AT THE FORE These activities do not only take the service of company to consumer into mind. Another side to ID’s business practices are the company-wide environmental standards that it sets for itself.

ID stands as a company that supports and encourages the active development of sustainability practices organization wide, and externally. Its sustainability developments focus around three key areas that cover a broad ecological plan.

IDEO AT A GLANCE IDEO offers a unique transport management as a collaborative and assetsfree European fourth-party logistics provider (4PL). IDEO utilizes of two important aspects of business: COLLABORATION: The world would be a better place if it was one unique supply chain. As a multi-client control tower, IDEO shares resources, experiences, and backhauling synergies to maximise potential.

ASSETS FREE: • Without owning vehicles to make benefit with, our hauliers’ selection and allocation is totally independent. Our decisions are only done in alignment with our customers’ benefits.

• We provide to our customers a management of their operations from creation of an order to its fulfilment. We act on three levels: 1. Management and coordination of road and rail transport 2. Costs and service optimisation 3. Innovation and process engineering OUR HISTORY We started as a European-based entity in Saint Priest, close to Lyon in France, the control tower IDEO had been created in 2014 and is specialized in road and rail transport management across Europe.

Four years later, IDEO regroups more than 100 experts in the supply chain and transport sectors. We serve customers such as Danone, Auchan, Orangina Suntory Factory, Bericap, BMI, and PepsiCo. Operational excellence and added value created by our advance supply chain management have built our reputation to what it is today. As a result, IDEO was awarded “King of Supply Chain 2017” by Supply Chain Magazine.

“KING OF SUPPLY CHAIN” 2017 This award was granted to IDEO for the setting up of a dedicated rail hub.

The project evacuates Evian’s products as soon as they arrive via a rail shuttles connection between the factory and the rail hub. IDEO serves to maintain our seamless and professional logistics service throughout Europe.

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The social and civic aspect of these developments sees ID maintain responsibility as an employer and contributor to the economy within local communities that are intertwined with the company’s presence and business. ID is focused on increasing the involvement and security of its employees through means of training and awareness programs – encouraging responsible initiatives by which the employees can grow and develop.

The company’s investment in economic efficiency and the support of customers and clients is another.

Through the implementation of optimised and innovative solutions, ID manages to address the issues of company economic and environmental performance needs.

And of course, the third key area that completes the triangle of sustainability development is environmental protection. Taking action on pollution and pollutive elements, unsustainable energy consumption and wastage, the firm actively improves the environmental quality of resources utilized in its practices, including vehicles and sites, with the goal of being a continually greener business.

“Born and raised in New Jersey, I remember my father giving me the opportunity to work each summer break with him in his trucking business since I was ten years old vs. offering me summer camp to hang with my friends. I have been blessed to work in the logistics industry all of my life.

My family started on the trucking side of the logistical business. Our daily challenge was making timely deliveries to supermarket and warehouses because of constant delays in unloading. When I complained to any customer about the congestion on their docks, received the same response from each of them - if you can do better, than do it! Took the challenge personally and came up with my own solution. Advantix Logistics was created, and my team started performing unloading services at distribution centers. Found that with our discipline and dedication we did a better job than the customer.

From this humble beginning Advantix Logistics morphed into supplying all functions in distribution centers and warehouses.

Advantix Logistics can provide labor solutions to all needs in warehouses or distribution centers. Can unload containers, pull orders, move the freight, load out, administrative and management support. Our services are like a menu, pick what you want!

The Advantix Logistics leadership team prides ourselves on our labor solution model. Every customer we service will see an improvement in their distribution in quality and time with cost savings.

As the Frank Sinatra song says: “If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere. Well, we made it in NJ/NY Metro Market, the toughest market in America and we all are proud of it!”

Michael J Mortorano

Advantix Logistics is not your average temp agency, we are a labor solutions provider. Our full-time associates are dedicated to the performance and success of our clients. With Pride an Advantix Logistics Associate is well trained and driven for the success of our clients.

Proud of our formula for success, Advantix Logistics is built on the fundamentals of customer service, dedication, and driven hard working associates.

T (866) 402-5011

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E info@advantixlogistics.com

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www.advantixlogistics.com

ID LOGISTICS

COMPANY VALUES ID Logistics follows a set of four founding values that guide the group’s expansion in the industry. These are the building blocks of the company’s success and continued growth and development.

The four founding values:

1

ENTREPRENEURSHIP Daring, imagining, and developing with a rigorous approach in the implementation and measurement of risk.

2

OPERATING EXCELLENCE Complying with specifications and service standards, while prioritising new technologies.

3

HIGH STANDARDS Responsibility and professionalism in human relations within the company as well as with clients and partners.

4

SOLIDARITY Promoting solidarity within the group and committing to sustainable development together with our employees, clients, and partners.

68 | North America Outlook issue 01

To further consolidate its sustainability practices, ID has provided a “sustainable development toolbox” made up of a list of 110 actions with implementation guidelines – one that has been available since 2008. These guidelines cover the entire spectrum of sustainable development and provide the followers of such actions with the easy deployment of chosen projects.

The commitment levels of participants are checked during site certification audits to ensure that they are maintaining the goal of at least three projects in a year following the sustainability guidelines - one of these must be in collaboration with a client to further promote ecological activity.

ID Logistics makes use of active involvement when it comes to customers’ sustainability programs.

Annually, the company gets involved with evaluations made by Ecovadis (the world’s largest and most trusted provider of business sustainability ratings) or Sedex (one of the world’s leading ethical trade membership organizations). These groups help establish a long-standing environmental stance both in-house and with external businesses.

Stemming from this, ID also play an active role within the Demeter club.

This organization brings together key players in the supply chain

(distribution, manufacturers, logistics service providers, and public authorities) to promote collective ecological actions in a collaborative way.

INNOVATION IN THE INDUSTRY In recent years, ID Logistics has ramped up its deliverance of innovative development. 2014 saw the company set up a true innovation unit – four engineers were tasked with setting this up, and they utilized collaborative methodology to centralise the group’s innovative projects.

In order to manage the unit, the firm created an innovation committee made up of managers from multiple departments including operations, IT systems, and development departments, to monitor the team’s focus on future topics.

A part of this increase of innovative development is the improvement of customer service across the company.

LOGISTICS

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ID’s aim is to allow customers to benefit from the new solutions they produce, and improving the service provided, by making it much more efficient and flexible. Within this, ID will be offering a variety of different kinds of products that stand out to the consumer.

However, the company’s focus is not only restricted to operation excellence.

ID works towards anticipating the future needs of its customers and the industry through the application of incremental technological developments.

The partner and supplier relationships that ID maintains are held with absolute importance. Working with multiple external businesses means that the fluidity of service and communication between them is paramount to success.

It is due to this element of logistics that ID unites its partners around an ecosystem of innovation. Each external body is approached on a regular basis

to share with ID the product development and service plans they each plan for the future. Existing suppliers then look into each development plan to analyse its potential, as well as issues, that could arise.

The organizational structure allows for a simple but effective process of identifying prospective subjects, analyzing their relevance, setting up a representative trial, and ensuring the ease of its development (scaling up the trial to fit the realistic needs of the subject).

The communication and sharing of knowledge and planning between the integrated businesses allows ID, as well as each company involved, to gain the latest in development, innovation, and progression to help each collaboratively move forward in the industry.

With 2021 around the corner, ID Logistics continues with its expansion into various countries around the globe and aims to grow its influence in the North American market. It is fair to say that ID is one logistics company that is worth keeping an eye out for in the coming new year.

ID LOGISTICS Tel. +1 (813) 514 2580 us_contact@id-logistics.com www.id-logistics.com

North America Outlook issue 01 | 69

LAFARGE CANADA

The Building Blocks of Business 70 | North America Outlook issue 01

CONSTRUCTION Outlook interviewed Robert Cumming, Director of Environment, and David Redfern, CEO of Lafarge Eastern Canada for a closer look at how the company is making sustainability a core component of its operations Writer: Marcus Kääpä | Project Manager: Tom Cullum

C

onstruction has always been at the center of civilization and urban planning—that is, for as long as humans have had buildings to build.

From the first wooden forts and lookout towers, to motte-and-bailey castles, and the Great Pyramids of Giza, construction has served as the building blocks of civilizations.

And with the unique and innovative designs of the Roman Empire, with grand structures such as the Colosseum and aqueducts, the world saw its first use of an early form of cement en masse.

Today, cement, concrete and other materials dominate the construction industry as primary materials for buildings, bridges, walkways, roads, paths, and a multitude of other structures all over the globe. There is more concrete sold per year than all other building materials combined.

And in Canada, the construction industry has undergone a dramatic change. Due to a mixture of rapidly evolving innovations, a global focus on sustainability, and recent challenges posed by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Canadian construction has renewed itself to align with an ever-advancing sector.

“We’ll look back on this time period in 10 years and recognize that the industry was going through a huge shift – the biggest changes in the building materials sector in over 100 years,” begins David Redfern, CEO of Lafarge Eastern Canada.

North America Outlook issue 01 | 71

LAFARGE CANADA “The change won’t happen if we act alone. We must change the ‘tragedy of the commons’ into ‘the power of the commons,’. To do so, we need to activate a framework of partners with

governments, developers, NGOs and businesses to act interdependently and to collectively drive a sustainability-focused mindset in our shared-resource system.”

AN INSIGHT INTO OPERATIONS With 6,000 employees and 400 sites across Canada, the company’s mission is to provide construction solutions that build better cities and communities. From cement and aggregates, to ready-mix and precast concrete as well as asphalt, paving and construction, Lafarge Canada brings value to every project.

“In Eastern Canada, we have three main product lines—Cement, Ready-Mix and Aggregates—in addition to our Geocycle business that focuses on waste management solutions. Together, all four are vertically integrated; where Geocycle supplies fuel and raw materials, derived from by-products, to our cement manufacturing plants, and our cement and aggregates are then used to produce our ready-mix concrete products,” explains Cumming.

“Cement and cement alternatives are produced at seven locations in Ontario, Quebec, and Nova Scotia, and shipped to terminals and to ready mix concrete plants by ship, rail, and truck.

“We produce multiple types of cement and concrete blends with differing performance capabilities. Many of our concrete products include by-products from the power and steel sectors and are used in proprietary blends to produce cements with enhanced properties,” he adds.

The company also operates around 120 aggregate quarries and sand pits.

Here too, circularity has a role such as a specialty program through which excess soils from construction sites are conserved and used to rehabilitate land in and around the company’s quarries using industry leading quality protocols. Lafarge also recycles over one million tonnes of demolition concrete per year into a specialized product called Aggneo.

Lafarge Canada has around 80 ready-mix plants that combine aggregates and cement mixes – and water is added – to produce ready-mix concrete which is delivered swiftly to various construction sites. In doing so, the firm is also a large transportation company and operates a fleet of nearly 800 ready-mix delivery trucks.

Geocycle is a subsidiary of Lafarge and specializes in finding industrial by-products that can be recycled into the company’s cement plants, and processing and diverting waste materials from landfills to cement plants to replace coal and petcoke in the manufacturing of cement.

Robert Cumming, Director of Environment for Lafarge Canada

72 | North America Outlook issue 01

Lafarge Canada is the largest Canadian provider of diversified construction materials, as well as being a member of the global group and brand, LafargeHolcim.

The company’s Canadian entity is split into the two divisions: Eastern and Western Canada, and functions as a materials supplier while engaging in construction streams such as buildings and housing, infrastructure, energy, and mining. The company prides itself on providing time, cost, performance, innovation, and sustainability benefits to its customers’ projects.

Having worked for Lafarge for over twenty years, Redfern has witnessed first-hand recent industry developments and has had the honour of helping the company further its aims and reach new goals. Robert Cumming, Director of Environment for Lafarge Canada, agrees.

“Sustainable construction is the way forward, and Lafarge is definitely headed in the right direction,” he tells us.

After completing his chemical engineering degree in 1989, Cumming worked in an engineering firm, and during a part time master’s in environmental engineering he developed a passion for the promotion and preservation of sustainability and the environment.

Cumming then joined an environmental services company where he learned the importance of the relationships with stakeholders, partnerships, environmental management systems, and how to increase profits through sustainable thinking.

“Long before sustainability was a widely established goal, I knew that I wanted to focus on making a lighter environmental footprint from within the industrial sector – and to do so efficiently, effectively, and profitably,” Cumming says.

“In 2004 I joined Lafarge Canada just as the company was embarking

Building a world that works for people and the planet

Our building blocks to net zero We are taking a renewed approach on our journey to net zero carbon emissions; from shaping the plants of tomorrow with automation and artificial intelligence to accelerating green solutions such as ECOPact green concrete.

By 2030, LafargeHolcim will: • • • • • •

Accelerate the use of low carbon and circular products such as ECOPact and Aggneo Recycle 100m tons of waste and byproducts for energy and raw materials Be a positive force for water conservation around the world Double waste-derived fuels in production to reach 37% Reach 475 kg net CO2 per ton of cementitious material (net CO2/t.cem) Operate its first net zero CO2 cement production facility

www.lafarge.ca

Lafarge Canada is a member of the global group LafargeHolcim

LAFARGE CANADA

PRODUCTS AND SERVICES Lafarge’s solutions for buildings, roads and homes draw on all its product lines. The cities where Canadians live, work, and raise their families along with the community’s infrastructure benefit from the solutions provided by Lafarge.

“Whether the goal is to build durably, aesthetically, quickly (or all three), we bring innovations like Agilia® self-consolidating concrete, DuraCycle™ asphalt engineered with recycled materials, NewCem Plus™ low carbon cement and now ECOPact Green Concrete to the table,” Redfern tells us.

List of services: • Aggregates • Asphalt • Cement • Concrete products • Concrete ready-mix • Construction • Services • Remote site solutions • Ductal

David Redfern, CEO

74 | North America Outlook issue 01

on a circular economy program to repurpose waste materials into fuels.

Construction and demolition are mirror images and lend themselves well to circularity.”

SUSTAINABLE CEMENT SOLUTIONS Indeed, CEO Redfern and Lafarge Canada attribute the firm’s longstanding success and reputation to three key factors: innovation, peoplecentricity and, critically, sustainability.

With the aim of taking serious actions towards increased sustainability, Lafarge signed a Net Zero Pledge with science-based targets as of September 2020. Having joined the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), LafargeHolcim is the first international building materials company to sign the “Business Ambition for 1.5°C” in line with the net zero pathway aim.

A part of this is its 2030 goals that include lowering its target for CO2 in cement production to 475 kilogrammes per ton and, as of signing the pledge, partnering with SBTi to develop an active plan for aligning climate targets to a 1.5°C future in the sector – paving the way for a greener industry.

“It has been an important priority for our company, especially in recent years.

The appointment of our Chief Sustainability Officer, Magali Anderson at the LafargeHolcim level, clearly signalled that sustainability is now a central theme to our company’s growth strategy,” Redfern elaborates.

“With 60 percent of the world’s 2050 infrastructure needs not being built yet, and the simultaneous global imperative to reach net-zero carbon emissions in all walks of life, we see this as an immense opportunity for growth – rewarding our shareholders, our employees, our neighbours, and of course our customers.”

Earlier this year Lafarge mapped out the firm’s decarbonization strategy and moved an extra step forward to ensure its 2030 goal and plans were certified by science-based targets.

This was to signal to company stakeholders that environmental aims such as decarbonization are true business aims, not simply aspirational goals without a business case attached to them.

To support this, Lafarge ensures that over 55 percent of its research, conducted by its Lyon, France Labs – the world’s largest building materials laboratory – is focused on issues surrounding climate solutions within the industry.

“We are replacing our fossil fuels with low carbon fuels thus avoiding their landfilling (or incineration) and the associated greenhouse gases,” Cumming adds. “On top of this, the company is innovating with advanced cement blends further integrating steel and electricity production by-products, investing in energy efficiency, and demonstrating novel carbon capture and utilization technologies with partners.

“We are also working with our customers and governments to move towards lower carbon procurement and supporting the metrics and performance standards needed to facilitate this. For example, in early 2021, the Canadian Standards Association (CSA) in conjunction with the American Society for Testing & Materials (ASTM) will publish the CarbonStar standard which will allow a consistent means of measuring carbon content in a cubic meter or cubic yard of concrete,” concludes Redfern.

Lafarge Canada has also launched the ECOPact product line consisting of low-carbon concrete product offers. This will enable customers to choose lower carbon, greener options that are more financially viable, and suit their specific needs.

CONSTRUCTION

‘LAFARGE IS ONE COMPANY FOCUSED ON POSITIVE WHOLESOME INDUSTRY IMPACTS, WITH A PROGRESSIVE ATTITUDE TOWARDS ADVANCING BUSINESS, PEOPLE, AND THE ENVIRONMENT’ Lafarge Eastern Canada already recycles two million metric tons of industrial and commercial by-products annually, and the national company is eager to carry out its five international carbon capture pilot projects, including CO2Ment – a project focused around capturing industry greenhouse gases and recycling them into lowcarbon fuels for the Western Canada business unit.

Aside from Lafarge’s progressive sustainability story, the firm is equally determined on being a peoplecentric organization that ensures its employees are proud of and enjoy their work, assuring quality results for its customers, and engaging with the wider community.

“We have a wide array of sponsorships and partnerships with local community leaders. From product donations for the University of Dalhousie’s Engineering Building,

sponsorship of NGO conferences, donations to various community organizations, and even small hyperlocal donations like the Angel Tree Gifts for Kids, in the village of Bath, Ontario,” Cumming tells us.

Engaging with local communities is not only a positive company aim, but also a necessity. With a product like concrete which only takes a few hours of transport time before it sets, the firm’s concrete plants must be strategically located close to markets.

Given transportation costs the aggregate quarries must also be close to the concrete plant - transportation networks are critical to success.

Indeed, Lafarge is one company focused on positive wholesome industry impacts, with a progressive attitude towards advancing business, people, and the environment.

Redfern’s leadership embodies these principles.

“I’ve been with Lafarge for over 20 years, having started as a Supply Chain Manager in 2000. Over those years, I have risen through a multitude of positions spanning many areas of the firm, CEO Redfern explains.

From supply chain, to sales and marketing, to Group Vice President Aggregate Performance Topline, in Paris – where he oversaw the global commercial aggregate product line with operations in 22 countries, strategic assessments, innovation and product development, and team growth – Redfern has placed a great importance on progression and company values.

As CEO, David is now utilizing his position, experience, and expertise in the industry to help enact the innovative, people-centric, and sustainable continuation of Lafarge into a new decade.

INCORPORATING INNOVATION The other standout factor, as stated by Redfern, is innovation.

Using the most innovative methods and practices in the construction industry is the key to North America Outlook issue 01 | 75

LAFARGE CANADA staying above and apart from the industry competition, and Lafarge incorporates the latest practices into serving its customers to provide the best possible products and experience.

Critical to this is an engaged and highly valued workforce - that is, having the right people, with the right skills, and the right motivation.

“Our company stands out from its industry peers because of our employees,” Redfern says. “Our people are the key to building our firm’s relationships with end-users, communities and customers.

They ensure that our partners and community have a memorable experience when dealing with Lafarge, and they themselves believe in and stand behind our products.

“It is because of our employees that our entire brand continues to expand into new products and markets, and consequently thrive.”

The firm ensures that it holds onto the tenants of a people-centric business. One example is through its Employee Value Proposition, making it a place where safety comes first – the foundation block upon which all else is built.

The proposition also assures that assignments encompass the company’s performance culture, and leadership and career advancements provide empowerment, autonomy, and opportunities to crosscollaborate. It also offers online learning platforms to allow employees to learn at their own speed while also expanding their knowledge and personal toolkit to further their careers.

The Lafarge Leadership Development Program (LLDP) is an 18-months to two-year internship program for bright new graduates to develop their leadership skills while learning on the job.

“It instils a well-rounded understanding of the construction materials industry while reinforcing 76 | North America Outlook issue 01

THE SIX PILLARS “Our mission as the most advanced company in the building materials industry is to provide what really matters to our customers and end-users.

To meet these needs, we have established six strategic goals.”

1. Create an attractive environment for our people: People are at the heart of LafargeHolcim’s business success. Therefore, we intend to create an attractive work environment for our people. We are committed to offering individuals and teams unique opportunities to grow, contribute and engage to their fullest potential, and recognizing and rewarding remarkable contributions.

2. Engage our resources for best returns and cash generation: For Lafarge, this means pro-active management of our portfolio, disciplined capital allocation and selective pursuit of attractive growth opportunities, so as to generate superior sustainable financial returns on our capital employed and cash generation.

3. Serve the building needs of individuals and retail customers: Finding the most effective ways to bring our products to those who sell and use them through best-in-class go-to-market models and world-class branding and customer experience. In short, build better cities.

4. Be the preferred partner for building and infrastructure: An in-depth understanding of end-users and ecosystems in which projects will be implemented is crucial. We also believe in early involvement, innovative value-adding solutions and excellent project delivery to make a difference.

5. Achieve operational excellence through continuous improvement: To create value, we deliver cost leadership, we implement the most advanced operating models across all product lines, and we make an optimal use of our capital and resources, while leading our operations in a safe way.

We intend to capitalize on our professional teams, assets, technologies, innovation in industrial operations, and strong operating models to replicate best practices across the business in all geographic markets.

6. Create shared value with society: We will create shared value with society through distinctive and sustainable solutions and the best possible sustainability footprint.

“OUR MISSION AS THE MOST ADVANCED COMPANY IN THE BUILDING MATERIALS INDUSTRY IS TO PROVIDE WHAT REALLY MATTERS TO OUR CUSTOMERS AND END-USERS” – ROBERT CUMMING

CONSTRUCTION

fundamental leadership principles and practices,” says Redfern. “We ensure that we develop a skilled workforce focused on finding sustainability solutions and innovative ways to do things for our customers. Our program is a key element of our Eastern Canada Employee Value Proposition and we are proud to say that we’ve been recognized as part of Canada’s Top Employers for Young People.”

“David Redfern, CEO Lafarge Eastern Canada, has signed a UN declaration with an extensive array of programs to attract and retain women in our organization and industry. We have also been awarded a place in Canada’s Best Diversity Employers awards.”

When it comes to product innovation, Lafarge is very much an industry protagonist.

“We have developed a robust capability of providing cement and concrete blends that offer superior performance for our customers (for example, set time, strength, and workability), as well as being made with more sustainable methods,” Cumming chimes in.

“Through the ECOPact product line, we are providing an important and additional dimension of carbon content

to our product range. This is alongside another very promising range of next generation technological development – mineralization technologies.

“What is not often known about concrete is that if it is crushed and exposed to air it will naturally absorb CO2. This is the opposite of the chemical reaction in cement plants, wherein limestone is heated to form lime and CO2. The exciting prospect exists to someday manufacture limestone aggregates from calcium and CO2 and replace virgin aggregate in concrete mixes such that the concrete becomes carbon negative.”

The firm is currently investigating such technological developments in the sector, and optimism remains for the potential for this kind of technology to become fully commercialized in the near future.

Such innovations are indicative of Lafarge Canada’s progressive plans for the future.

In Eastern Canada, the goal is to reduce its current kilograms of CO2 per ton of cement to below the global company’s 2030 goal of 475 by 2025, five years early. The firm aims to reduce this even further by 2030.

The company also plans to increase its sustainability solutions as a share of its annual earnings, for example through its new low carbon cement and concrete products and finding new ways for its products to be used in meeting environmental imperatives.

In addition to this, last month LafargeHolcim reaffirmed its commitment to reaching its CO2 reduction goals by 2030 through the launch of its first-ever sustainabilitylinked bond. The bond is an industry first and also, a testament to LafargeHolcim’s leadership position in paving the way forward.

“Lafarge and our employees’ purpose, in collaboration with our partners in government, research and business is to build better cities. These goals are our commitment to make that happen.”

Redfern concludes optimistically.

LAFARGE CANADA Eastern Canada: Tel: (905) 738-7070 Western Canada: Tel: (403) 225-5400 www.lafarge.ca

North America Outlook issue 01 | 77

DIALPAD

Dialling a Digital Future

The world of work is undergoing a substantial change, we spoke to CEO and cofounder Craig Walker about Dialpad and the company’s role in driving forward the growing digital revolution Writer: Marcus Kääpä | Project Manager: Sam Love

78 | North America Outlook issue 01

TECHNOLOGY

We were always built with the future of work in mind.”

It is accurate to state that 2020 has seen a large shift in the way people communicate, work, learn, and interact.

The influence of the current COVID19 pandemic has caused companies and individuals to adapt to the new and necessary methods of practice, and because of this, there has been a substantial surge in the need for online platforms and services.

For many who can do so practically, government-implemented “lockdowns” have granted the opportunity to establish home-based offices and the ability to work with the consequential flexibility offered by the lack of commute time, as well as the increased sense of responsibility through a lack of face-to-face direct management.

And for Dialpad, 2020 has proven an opportunity to support those individuals and businesses that have had to make the switch from officebased to home working.

With a company mission and ethos surrounding the progressive attitude towards a working future, Dialpad has impacted thousands of businesses across the last decade since its inception in 2010.

The company provides its customers the very best and latest in digital cloud-based communication and organization business platforms that are designed to bring clarity and efficiency to domestic and external business practices.

Craig Walker, CEO and cofounder of Dialpad, and orator of the opening statement, has watched the company thrive from its first day.

Having started his career as a securities lawyer in Silicon Valley (USA), working on venture capital transactions, he then joined a client of his who was starting a venture fund in communications in the late 1990s.

North America Outlook issue 01 | 79

DIALPAD The next decade saw Walker work closely with the likes of Yahoo and Google, before he and a core group of individuals took it into their own hands to grow their own business.

In 2010, Walker and the founding team left Google to set up Dialpad in line with anticipating the future of the workplace.

“Work is not a place you go; it is a thing you do. It should not be restricted by excessive time spent commuting, and can be equally social, and even more productive, than that of the office,” Walker begins. “The

movement to cloud-based technology in the workspace has changed the way we can proceed with work. We no longer require to be in one space to do our jobs.”

For Walker, that was what made the technology and communications industry so interesting and exciting — the prospects of a mass-progressive attitude towards streamlining the process of work, and the ability to integrate organization and communication alongside flexibility and autonomy — each of which are key elements to a successful business.

SERVICES AT A GLANCE

Craig Walker, CEO

At the forefront of its services, the company promotes three innovative products in one platform, all of which are aimed to unite the business and digital realm with seamless efficiency. Dialpad provides services in 65 countries and has a number of large multinational customers.

UBERCONFERENCE FOR CONFERENCING The first of these is Dialpad’s UberConference — a cloud-based conference system to enhance the fluidity and effectiveness of inter-business communication — that incorporates artificial intelligence (AI) technology, clarity of visuals and audio, and transcribes what has been said into text for any post-meeting stages of work. This transcription process is aided by voice intelligence (VI) as an aspect of the software, powered by AI, to transfer speech into text with accuracy and clarity, and one that is incorporated into Dialpad’s other products.

DIALPAD TALK FOR CALLS AND MESSAGING Alongside the conference system, Dialpad Talk focuses around providing a unified communication system that integrates cloud-based technology so that no matter if you are using your mobile, laptop, tablet, desktop, or desk phone, there is never any need to switch between them.

CONTACT CENTRE AND SALES DIALLER Providing businesses with the best possible customer service and enabling company sales teams to communicate more effectively with potential clients and coach new team members is a must have. With the help of VI, communicating swift and informative responses for the purposes of answering questions, or coaching team members, becomes an incredibly valuable integrated tool for individuals and businesses.

80 | North America Outlook issue 01

Jabra Deliver Superior Customer Service with Jabra and Dialpad Customer Service? The reality is that most customers simply want to pick up the phone, call a company, and speak to a human. Dialpad partners with Jabra as a recommended headset provider to combine its advanced call center voice solution with best-inclass headsets that eliminate poor call quality and create a superior call experience for both agent and customer. Additionally, Jabra analytics and software enable the management capabilities and customizations needed to assure KPIs are met.

Get the freedom to choose how your contact center operates, whether in office or 100 percent remote -always-on and always-ready.

www.dialpad.com

During the period of the coronavirus pandemic, Dialpad has become an access point to the necessary business software required and utilized in today’s climate—the company has answered the need for a growing digital business base.

One of the key aspects of Dialpad to note is that it is one of the newer companies to be established as opposed to many tech giants that had established themselves in and around the 2000s.

This is a factor that sets it apart from the competition—it is a new company, building new platforms, with the latest technology to serve current requirements. Dialpad is moving forward with, and looking ahead of, the present industry and its needs.

“Using the latest software allows us to bring a new customer into the fold and get them up and running instantly, with no issues surrounding out-ofdate systems or tech,” Walker tells us.

“Businesses can have thousands of

TECHNOLOGY

Work anywhere

with professional audio solutions

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“The products provided by Dialpad are as easy to gain full access to as signing up for Gmail” – Craig Walker, CEO

North America Outlook issue 01 | 81

DIALPAD individuals using Dialpad’s products within five minutes. Meanwhile, other providers would take companies weeks of time, money, and hassle to get their businesses and its employees fully integrated.

“The products provided by Dialpad are as easy to gain full access to as signing up for Gmail.”

And having recently acquired HighFive, Dialpad has been able to considerably grow the potential of its products to better serve its customer base.

“HighFive was a company that focused on conferencing and video conferencing services,” Walker says.

“Bringing the business into the fold consequently brought its experts with it, who have spent more time on conference software and tech then we ever had.

“A result of the acquisition is that we combined the two pools of expertise into a product line like no other. Having that combination of industry experts makes our video capabilities both consistently great and in continual

VOICE INTELLIGENCE (VI) “AI is for robots, VI is for humans.”

One of the software additions Dialpad has incorporated across its products, VI is an AI-based technology that is designed to interact with human emotion, read and reflect language, and respond in turn.

VI is the first technology to transform people’s conversations into data they can see and use, so they always understand, remember, and learn from everything that’s said long after the conversation is over.

82 | North America Outlook issue 01

VI is there before, during, and after every call that occurs. It’s creating to-do lists, finding answers to tough questions, and uncovering trends and insights that appear over time — and it’s all being done in real time, as the conversation is happening. As long as someone is talking, VI exists to make that conversation better.

What VI does: • Speech recognition • Natural language processing • Machine learning • Real-time coaching

improvement.”

Alongside this provision of expertise, the company incorporates AI as an aspect of its systems to better the experience of its users. This is one element of the firm that Walker notes is paramount to its success, and an aspect of Dialpad that is way ahead of any other business in the field.

“We are in front of our competitors on artificial intelligence. AI provides data that goes beyond the norm and helps tailor customer experiences directly to best suit the individual,” he tells us. “Establishing people with a high-quality connection and a personally customised experience allows Dialpad to provide a high level of service, and as a result, helps those individuals improve the running of their businesses.”

Dialpad’s effective products, high level of service, and innovative technology are reflected in the financial investment granted to the company.

Recently, the company raised a substantial $125 million in financing to aid expansion, evolution, and growth.

“I believe it was a recognition from the market of the promise and opportunity Dialpad holds,” Walker tells us.

“The company is the most modern platform in the current market, and this level of investment will really enable us to show the industry and our customers what we can do.”

“It is great to have the trust and support of the market in doing so.”

This support is not only reflected in financial investment. As a global tech company, relationships with various business and industry partners play an important role in the success of Dialpad.

As a software provider, collaboration with external companies with regard to reaching out to potential customers and organizing the process of product incorporation is of paramount importance.

The combination of excellent products and service, financial investment, and partner collaboration

TECHNOLOGY

“WE ARE GOING TO KEEP INVESTING IN AND GROWING COMPANY TEAMS, SUCH AS THE ENGINEERING, SALES, AND MARKETING TEAMS, AND EXPANDING FURTHER INTERNATIONALLY COVERING AREAS WE ARE CURRENTLY LIMITED IN” – CRAIG WALKER

have helped Dialpad reach above and beyond its industry competition. As for the future of the company, Walker elaborates on the promising and optimistic plans for the years ahead.

“We are going to keep investing in and growing company teams, such as the engineering, sales, and marketing teams, and expanding further internationally covering areas we are

currently limited in,” he says, bringing the conversation to a close.

“Dialpad has a sales office in Tokyo, Sydney, and London, and we will be expanding more into the Asian market as well as further into Europe, to reach customers and businesses that need our innovative and expert products and services, and to better the future of work.”

DIALPAD Tel: 415-469-1690 sales@dialpad.com www.dialpad.com

North America Outlook issue 01 | 83

ATRADIUS TRADE CREDIT INSURANCE, INC.

FINANCE

Giving Credit Atradius Group is a world leader in trade credit risk thanks to a simple philosophy: close collaboration with its customers Writer: Dani Redd | Project Manager: Sam Love You always think about insuring your property, or about key man insurance if you are an SME, and insuring your fleet if you have cars. It is mandatory to ensure these assets. But a business’ receivables balance sheet – often its largest asset – goes uninsured a lot of the time,” Gordon Cessford tells us.

He heads up the America region of Atradius, a multinational business specializing in trade credit insurance.

In America, trade insurance is not very well known, and the market is underpenetrated.

This is something that Atradius is here to change.

“Credit insurance is a very simple product,” Cessford explains. “Company A sells to Company B. They give them an amount of time – say 60 days – to settle the receivable. If after that time the bill has not been settled, they flag it to Atradius. We try and collect, and if we can’t, then we settle that invoice.”

An insured customer thereby has the assurance that they will receive

payment for services they provide. It gives larger companies confidence to explore new markets and offerings while, for smaller and medium businesses, it provides vital financial security.

In today’s current economic climate, trade credit insurance has never been more necessary.

A CLIENT-FOCUSED BUSINESS The Atradius Group is a world leader in credit insurance and debt collection, having been in operation since 1935.

It currently has 3,700 staff members operating in 54 countries and revenues in excess of two billion euros.

Atradius has 12 offices across the U.S., Canada and Mexico. The U.S. operation, Atradius Trade Credit Insurance, Inc. (ATCI) is headquartered near Baltimore, Maryland and also has offices in New York, Chicago, Irvine, Dallas, New Jersey and Indiana. ATCI works in two ways – with a range of broker partners and through its agents in the field who bring in direct business.

North America Outlook issue 01 | 85

ATRADIUS TRADE CREDIT INSURANCE, INC. “One of the challenges in the U.S. market is the geographical spread, because we prefer being close to our clients. Working with such vast geographical distances makes it difficult to be as close as we would like to these clients,” Cessford says.

“I’ll give you an example – in China, most of the business is done in Beijing, Shanghai or Shenzhen, so with three offices we captured 60-70 percent of the market. You can’t do that with the

ATRADIUS WORLDWIDE OFFERINGS Atradius offers the following services through its various units in the group: CREDIT INSURANCE: Credit insurance protects businesses against credit risks, such as the insolvency of their customers.

BONDING: Each market requires a different type of surety bond.

As a global company, Atradius is attuned to these differences.

In certain jurisdictions, but not currently in the U.S., it offers a variety of bonds closely linked to local requirements and customer needs in each of its countries of operation.

DEBT COLLECTIONS: Atradius Collections offers debt collections, and will support collections of outstanding invoices in many countries, time zones, currencies and languages.

REINSURANCE: As a trusted global leader in credit reinsurance, Atradius Reinsurance has a team of underwriters supporting major credit insurance, surety and bonding firms across the world.

86 | North America Outlook issue 01

U.S., it’s just too diverse. Our plan in the U.S. is to expand our reach so we can be closer to our clients.”

One can see the company’s commitment to this goal if we look at the growth of offices and employees over the course of the past eight years: ATCI more than tripled the amount of sales people and regional offices since 2012.

Being close to its clients is one of Atradius’ main goals, as well as, according to Cessford, one of the key factors differentiating them from the competition. The success of this approach is reflected in 94 percent customers renewing their contracts year over year, an industry high record.

The company takes pride in its customer service and makes sure that it is responsive to client requests and queries. On average, it replies to 89 percent of client credit limit requests within 48 hours.

“In order to respond to client request as quickly as we do, we have to have access to information such as credit reports and financials to underwrite it. For small-scale requests, we have artificial intelligence to aid the process, but a lot of it is done with people looking at numbers and giving expert opinions on the clients.

We have a significant amount of information we invest in to help give such a quick response,” the President of Atradius in North America explains.

Atradius invests heavily in technology. It has a seamless online application process and a comprehensive analytics tool that clients can use to take a further look at their portfolios. It is also developing an application programming interface (API) that will allow customers and clients to directly interact with its systems – instead of logging on and asking for a credit limit, it is done automatically through their ERPs. “That’s very much where we see our strong point moving forward – digital tools that will help us better serve our customers when we cannot physically be there in front of them,” Cessford said.

LNS Insurance Services, LLC LNS Insurance Services has worked closely with Atradius and has maintained a long ongoing relationship with Atradius as well as with our clients.

TESTIMONIALS “Throughout our 35-year connection with LNS Insurance Services, they have worked alongside ESI Enterprises with every aspect of our daily Credit Insurance needs. From creatively negotiating difficult coverages, handling past due accounts, claims, and policy structure changing as we grew.

We have always been completely satisfied with the high level of service provided.

LNS has always provided professional, friendly, and prompt action as needed putting their clients at the highest level of importance.

I highly recommend them as a topquality insurance brokerage with excellent knowledge and service on all credit insurance needs.”

“I believe that working with and having LNS Insurance Services handle our Credit Insurance policies for the past 15 years has been a true advantage for Private Label PC Inc. Their expert knowledge and personal care in negotiating a policy that works for us, having a broker that will fight for what we need on a daily basis, and working hand in hand with our company on a daily basis on all issues has enabled Private Label to maintain and grow business securely and confidently.

In today’s unsure domestic and global trade, peace of mind is important and for this we thank LNS.”

(562) 343-5478 lns@prodigy.net

LNS INSURANCE SERVICES, LLC Credit Insurance Specialist Broker

Our goal is not only to find the best coverage, terms, and structure but to assist you in understanding Credit Insurance; how to administrate it and use it as an asset to your company.

Credit Insurance is the wall between success and failure in today’s uncertain world of trade!

Use it to Grow Safely and Use it to Protect what you have worked so hard to build!

With 35 year’s experience dealing solely in Trade Credit Insurance, our goal is not only to find the best coverage, terms, and structure but to assist you in understanding Credit Insurance; how to administrate it and use it as an asset to your company.

We are a top independent specialist agency in southern California of all the credit insurance policies now being written. Our global services are worldwide with direct access to underwriting.

We market and place credit insurance as well as providing full daily service in all aspects of the daily administration of the policies to our clients such as:

• Processing and recording all limit requests and coverage decisions as needed • Negotiating and dealing directly with underwriting on difficult coverages.

• Assisting in obtaining needed buyer documents if necessary • Processing & handling buyers reviews, past dues, and coverage issues

3350 E 7th Street, Ste 501, Long Beach, CA 90804

• Receiving, reviewing, recording and handling claims

Telephone: (562) 343-5478 Fax: (562) 343-1179 Email: LNS@prodigy.net

• Negotiating new policies, renewal terms, and competitive quotes

www.lnsinsuranceservices.com

ATRADIUS TRADE CREDIT INSURANCE, INC.

One Source Risk Management One Source Risk Management and Funding was established in 1988 and today stands as the largest speciality credit risk broker in North America.

The company manages over 1,000 clients and operates out of its global operations and service hub located in Houston, Texas.

Bolstering its presence are additional offices in both the USA and Canada, along with more than 550 dedicated specialists around the world who provide access to expertise insurance, risk solutions, support services, monitoring, credit consulting, marketing, collections and risk management.

Gordon Cessford, President of Atradius North America

FEEDBACK IS SUCH A VALUABLE THING. IT LETS YOU KNOW WHETHER YOU ARE GOING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION OR IF A PARTICULAR AREA, SUCH AS UNDERWRITING OR CLAIMS, NEEDS A STRONGER FOCUS” – GORDON CESSFORD

One Source Risk Management and Funding is a member of the International Credit Brokers Alliance (ICBA).

RELATIONSHIP-BUILDING

Trade Credit Insurance

Cessford believes that building relationships is key to growing and maintaining business.

“We have our own sales team but broker partners are our lifeblood. We are very committed to working closely with them,” he explains.

“We have open, honest, transparent dialogue with them. They are brokers so their role is to find the best possible deal for their clients, but we work closely with them. I call it a true partnership. We have tough discussions with them – I don’t shy away from it, and neither do they; they like to engage.”

ATCI relies on brokers for constructive feedback about its products and services. Before COVID, it would hold regular meetings with its brokers to see what they are looking for and how it could improve.

In 2021, it will undertake an extensive survey project to help ascertain the company’s strengths and areas 88 | North America Outlook issue 01

needing work.

“Feedback is such a valuable thing.

It lets you know whether you are going in the right direction or if a particular area, such as underwriting or claims, needs a stronger focus. We rely heavily on our broker partners to give us that feedback,” the President of ATCI says.

Atradius’ continued high performance is a key aspect of relationship-building with brokers.

“We have to make sure we offer the service that is sold to clients – if they tell their client ‘go with Atradius, they are the best in class, have great underwriting skills and are fun people to work with,’ and then we’re none of those things, it doesn’t work. Brokers are good people to work with because they are always challenging us,” Cessford explains.

Moving the focus inside of the organization, he believes that Atradius is a high-performing company thanks to its excellent staff.

mike@onesourcerm.com

During these difficult times, our services create a meaningful difference to our customers, their employees, and their families.

Trade Credit Insurance Agency (TCIA) assisted several customers in receiving critical claim payments during the pandemic. One customer with a seven-figure loss avoided bankruptcy because we were able to get their claim paid early. Another business would not have made it if they had not insured their largest customer who closed their doors permanently.

We are proud that TCIA plays a role in keeping these companies and their employees afloat during difficult times.

www.tciallc.com

FINANCE

Growing business, Securing success

OUR SERVICES RISK TRANSFER

RISK FINANCING

Credit Insurance Structured Credit Political Risk Insurance

Collateral Enhancement Supply Chain Finance Factoring

RISK SOLUTIONS

RISK MANAGEMENT

Receivable PUT Options Alternative Risk Transfer Strategic Use of Captives

Credit & Collections Consulting Credit Management Support Commercial Collections

Mike DeLuca - Phone: (443) 838-4141 Email: mike@onesourcerm.com

PROTECTION AGAINST BAD DEBT Insolvency, Non-Payment, and Political Risk loss protection.

ACCESS TO RISK INFORMATION Our professional relationships with carriers provide your risk team with invaluable information on customers and prospects.

BE MORE COMPETITIVE Safely extend terms to customers to increase sales.

IMPROVE BORROWING ABILITY Receive additional working capital from your bank with insured accounts receivable.

EXPERT EXPERIENCE TCIA, LLC is a brokerage of experts with over 140 years of experience working with companies like yours to address your credit risk and financial needs.

Grow and protect your business with Trade Credit Insurance Contact us today to see how a Trade Credit Insurance progam can benefit your company.

T 716.932.7713 E info@tciallc.com WWW.TCIALLC.COM

North America Outlook issue 01 | 89

ATRADIUS TRADE CREDIT INSURANCE, INC. “Our people are the core of the business, and we have the best people in the business on our team,” he tells me.

Cessford believes that attracting and maintaining the best talent is fundamental to the business. Atradius ensures staff are well supported, both from a wellbeing perspective and in terms of their growth within the company.

It is important to understand each individual staff member – their goals, areas of strength and areas of development. Cessford welcomes internal feedback as much as he does external feedback, as it helps him develop his staff, which he believes is Atradius’ biggest asset.

“I have to give credit to our team who are hardworking, dedicated and committed to providing the best possible service to our clients, with a good deal of fun and smiles at the same time,” he says.

90 | North America Outlook issue 01

COVID-19 During 2020, the business landscape changed drastically on a week-byweek basis. Businesses have had to adapt and become more resilient.

ATCI is no exception. The company put the health and safety of its staff first and foremost, so employees have been working from home since the onset of the pandemic to provide uninterrupted service to their clients.

Its second objective was to build more flexibility into products for its clients. In particular, Atradius Group offered some extensions in reporting deadlines and premiums settlement to ensure that businesses affected by Covid-19 related closures and supply chain disruption could continue being protected by its insurance policies.

“This allows companies to still have the benefit of the coverage, which is what they need at the moment, because there’s such uncertainty around lockdown and businesses remaining solvent,” Cessford explains.

FINANCE

ARI Global, Inc.

Global Brokers of Accounts Receivable Insurance

Credit Insurance Offers: • • • •

Catastrophic Loss Protection Safely Increase Existing Credit Lines Safely Sell to New Clients Include A/R concentrations

• Offices throughout the United States • Correspondent Brokers in Europe, Asia, America, Canada, Australia www.ariglobal.com 1311 N. Westshore Blvd. • First Floor • Suite 315 • Tampa, FL 33607 Office: (800)320-7338 - (813)288-8680

The pandemic, however, negatively affected the trade credit insurance sector as well.

“We are very upfront about this issue,” Cessford says. “Clearly, the impact of COVID-19 on businesses means we have to manage our exposure levels, by reducing or sometimes removing credit limits.

It’s not great news, but we are very transparent about what we’re doing and how and why we’re doing it.”

Atradius learned how to react from the 2007-2008 global financial crisis.

“This time around, communication has been key. We’ve made coverage reductions with full transparency to the client. We have had great feedback from clients and brokers praising us for the way that this has been done. Despite the fact that reducing coverage is not what we prefer, the positive feedback we’ve received has been really heart-warming.”

Cessford stresses that coverage reductions should not be seen as

info@ariglobal.com | creditinsurance.com

Atradius working against the client; rather, it is working with them to help manage their credit limit.

“We are in the business of risk management and we are true partners with our clients,” he says. “We are in the business of supporting them – it’s not just about risk transfer. For example, with accident insurance, you have an accident, you get paid. With credit insurance, someone does not pay, you get your claim settled. But we are also managing that relationship so we ask our clients to only take risks they can afford. We’re adding value to that relationship and complementing

what a company is already doing for their credit management procedures.”

Adding value to client relationships is what ATCI wants to continue doing.

Like any business, it wants to continue growing, with plans to expand its reach throughout North America. But Cessford stresses the importance of growing sustainably and continuing to build partnerships and nurture staff talent.

“I want to work with clients and brokers who have a long-term goal in mind, not those who are here today, gone tomorrow. That is not the kind of relationship we look for,” he concludes.

ATRADIUS TRADE CREDIT INSURANCE, INC. Tel: +1 410 568 3850 info.us@atradius.com www.atradius.us

North America Outlook issue 01 | 91

SENTRY

INSURANCE Moves to the Cloud Progressive digitalization paves the way for businesses around the globe, we spoke to Sentry about how data and technology are changing the insurance industry Writer: Marcus Kääpä | Project Manager: Sam Love

92 | North America Outlook issue 01

INSURANCE

I

nsurance companies are an important contributor to many organizations and small-scale businesses that are pitched in competition against the giants of their markets.

In a world where larger companies serve to provide goods and services to a broad swathe of customers, often with fast delivery times, cheaper prices, and larger varieties, the smaller

business owner is not just competing, but also having to survive.

Having the right insurance partner provides businesses of all sizes a competitive advantage.

An aspect of business most accentuated by 2020’s coronavirus pandemic has been individual companies’ abilities to adapt to increasing digital means of operation,

and a shift to the online workplace.

Sentry has been a key player of the insurance industry for more than 115 years. On the commercial side, they provide everything from traditional property and casualty to worker’s compensation and 401(k) services.

On the personal side, they provide non-standard auto and motorcycle coverage.

North America Outlook issue 01 | 93

SENTRY

SENTRY PROVIDES EXPERT CONVERSATIONS At Sentry, we’ve built our reputation on listening and providing assistance to all of our business customers. It’s in our DNA. And has been for more than 115 years.

DEDICATED SERVICE Every company needs insurance protection for when things go wrong. But if you’re like us, you know there’s a bigger picture. We are here to help you find the right coverage, manage claims, and develop a proactive safety culture to minimise risks.

INNOVATIVE OPTIONS Let’s face it. Insurance is not a one-size-fits-all solution. At least not here at Sentry. We get to know you and your business, offering innovative solutions that make sense for you.

Jim Frank

94 | North America Outlook issue 01

Jim Frank, Chief Information Officer (CIO), has been with Sentry since 2003, and transitioned from Chief Technology Officer (CTO) to the position of CIO last year.

He has had the privilege of witnessing the growth of Sentry throughout the past two decades, and highlights what has differentiated the company from its rivals in the industry.

“As a company overall, we take a more personal approach to how we do business,” Frank informs us.

“We truly value having conversations–so we do just that. We engage our customers in substantive conversations. We listen to their unique challenges and their goals.

Then we work with them to identify solutions and plan for the future.”

Sentry also houses an innovative culture in its operation – the continuation to discover advanced solutions and provide its customers with better services sits as the company’s standard of practice.

It is the aforementioned personal approach that helps in this regard, as the firm is able to build and grow alongside its customers. Of course, as a business that drives forward with IT services, innovation is critical to stay ahead of the curve. Yet Sentry still retains its human edge shown by the personal and professional care it provides its customers.

The firm has adopted cloud-based operations faster than that of the industry. This ensures it provides better availability and greater scalability with regards to services – Sentry can iterate and develop elements of its work a lot faster due to cloud-based technology.

“Most insurance companies spend 50 percent or more of their IT budgets to maintain legacy systems – technology that may have limitations in accessibility or scalability,” Frank explains.

“At Sentry, we are spending under seven percent on legacy technology because we’ve transitioned a majority

OneNeck OneNeck IT Solutions LLC specializes in multi-cloud solutions, combined with managed services, professional IT consulting services, hardware and local connectivity via top-tier data centers in Arizona, Colorado, Iowa, Minnesota, New Jersey, Oregon and Wisconsin.

OneNeck’s nearly 500 technology professionals deliver secure, modern platforms and applications for organizations embracing data-driven transformation and secure end-to-end solutions throughout the country.

OneNeck is a wholly owned subsidiary of Telephone and Data Systems [NYSE: TDS], a Fortune 1000® company, whose business units also include U.S. Cellular and TDS Telecom.

www.oneneck.com

of our systems to web- or cloud-based operations.

“A recent Accenture study estimates 10 percent of insurance computing is being done in the public cloud.

At Sentry – we have 20 percent of our capacity in the cloud, and we’re working to increase that every month.”

INDUSTRY INNOVATION Despite the obstacles posed by the past year, Sentry has been able to weather the storm of COVID-19’s effects on the industry thanks to an innovative approach to progressive digital services.

“We already emphasise having conversations, being accessible to our customers, having a way to get a hold of us – whenever they need us. Over the years, that has led to establishing more sophisticated capabilities on the web, like being able to buy directly through our customer-facing portals,” Frank continues.

INSURANCE

www.oneneck.com

“WE CAN USE ANALYTICS TO PREDICT WHAT ARE GOING TO BECOME THE MORE EXPENSIVE AND PROBLEMATIC CLAIMS, WHICH ALLOWS US TO GET THE RIGHT FOLKS ON IT TO SERVICE THAT CLAIM FASTER”

North America Outlook issue 01 | 95

SENTRY “Those types of capabilities to support our customers have always been there; it’s just that COVID-19 drew attention to our capabilities and our customers’ needs to a degree we wouldn’t have expected in a prepandemic world.

“Because we had experience with these functions and had planned an infrastructure to support heavier use, it all stood up to the challenge and performed well.”

This adaptation in the face of the coronavirus is no better exemplified than Sentry’s ability to make 95 percent of its workforce work in a remote digital capacity in a matter of days.

With elements of Sentry’s operations built on modern systems, the company’s focus remains fixed to innovation over the maintenance of older systems. The lack of need to support legacy technologies means

that Sentry maximises time efficiency and its resources on the advancement of the business.

“And that means we can serve our customers better. We’re able to leverage our newer technologies to do things with greater accuracy and quite simply, with the right data, machines can figure that out faster than humans,” Frank elaborates.

“For example, we’re able to run artificial intelligence models around things like how to predict price, or even how to predict the complexity of a claim.

“We provide worker’s compensation insurance to many businesses in many industries. We can use analytics to predict what are going to become the more expensive and problematic claims, which allows us to get the right folks on it to service that claim faster.

This results in a better experience for our customers and it helps us better

“AS A BUSINESS, LIKE MANY OTHERS, WE’RE FOCUSED ON GROWTH AND PROFITABILITY. AND WE’LL USE OUR TECHNOLOGY TO HELP DO THAT IN ALL THE WAYS SHARED. IT WILL MEAN INTRODUCING NEW PRODUCTS AND CONTINUING TO INNOVATE IN AN EFFORT TO BETTER SERVE OUR CUSTOMERS”

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INSURANCE

analyze claims to determine moreeffective pricing models.”

On top of this, Sentry is able to bring products to the market a lot faster than before. Previously, the process took the company 12 to 18 months, however, has subsequently reduced to a six-to-nine-month time frame – all due to the modern technologies utilised to handle larger quantities of data in shorter time.

“Our board decided we needed to make a commitment to adopting and investing in new technology to position Sentry for success in the future,” Frank tells us. “Now we’re moving to cloud-based operations.

It’s been a continual evolution that positions us well in the marketplace because it allows us to stay focused on innovating in ways that improve the way we do business.”

THE FUTURE OF INSURANCE For Sentry, company partnerships have never been more important. The

transition of operations to the cloud means that Sentry’s supply chain relationships are critical to its overall success.

“In cloud-based capabilities, you blend Sentry innovation and products with supplier-provided infrastructure and services,” Frank elaborates.

“That means doing business with companies we trust to adhere to the same quality and reliability standards we set for ourselves. As we continue to partner with leaders in the technology and services space, we make decisions based on reputation, market strength, and trusted vendors in this sector.

“I can say with certainty that the list of companies we do business with are really the best in this space.”

With 2021 around the corner, Sentry aims to continue through the decade with a focus on the continued optimization of its operations. It strives to move away from its use of data centres and focus on cloud-based technology.

“While we’re at 20 percent cloud operations now, we’ll continue to look to increase that in 2021 and beyond.

Our focus on migration to the cloud will be a guiding principle for us for the foreseeable future,” Frank explains and ends on the existing determination displayed in Sentry’s aims and goals.

“As a business, like many others, we’re focused on growth and profitability. And we’ll use our technology to help do that in all the ways shared. It will mean introducing new products and continuing to innovate in an effort to better serve our customers.”

www.sentry.com

North America Outlook issue 01 | 97

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

WHAT WILL BE THE BIGGEST TREND IMPACTING YOUR INDUSTRY IN 2021?

David Redfern CEO, Lafarge Eastern Canada “The biggest near-term trend impacting the building and construction materials industry will be putting the power of procurement to work to create demand and spur innovation for sustainable solutions, which in turn will have repercussions on construction, development and design.

"Critical to this will be the adoption of tools such as the CSA sponsored CarbonStar standard to bring transparency to the carbon footprint of products and services.”

David Lim Managing Director, Exmar “The single biggest factor which normally affects the oil and gas industry is the market price and we think that consumption of oil and gas will only increase and see recovery from COVID lows starting sometime in the second half of 2021.

“The global demand for energy will continue to increase and there will be the need for continued oil and gas exploration and production.

Simultaneously, the push for decarbonization increases the efforts for emissions reduction in the oil and gas industry and power generation sector with the application of new and improved technologies and to reduce CO2.”

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Mark Haubert

Jim Frank

Vice President Business Development, Marketing & Technology, Ranger Energy Services

CIO, Sentry

“There is set to be a continued drive to increase efficiency in drilling, completion and production operations. Since the 1980s, digital monitoring systems have been developed for oil and gas drilling rigs to capture data from downhole sensors using wireline logging and measurement while drilling tools.

“Today, these systems have evolved into advanced drilling, data acquisition, control, automation and monitoring systems. State-of-the-art automated rigs capture data and control the rotary system, pipe handling and makeup, top drive and hoisting system, fluids management and circulation systems, rotary steerable systems, well control systems, power systems and third-party systems.”

“Everyone remains focused on the current developments surrounding COVID-19.

With many businesses transforming the way they operate, it has meant it has changed where the exposures are and it has meant that adjusting accordingly is vital.

“Severe weather is also having an increasing impact on our industry.

From wildfire season lasting longer and covering more ground to hurricanes becoming more frequent and intense – it’s something we’re all watching closely.”

Are you a CEO/Director with a company story to tell? Contact North America Outlook now!

EXMAR OFFSHORE COMPANY

OIL & GAS

The Age of T

he past year has seen the stagnation or decline of entire industries across the globe.

The travel industry, for example, saw many airlines suffer from 90 percent reductions in passengers, while many others took to switching their services to freight transport to bring back some of what they lost during lockdown periods.

The oil and gas industry has been no different. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), the global average of daily oil demand will be reduced to eight million barrels per day this year, a decline of roughly eight percent from last year.

Major oil consumers such as the aviation industry, that itself has been hit incredibly hard by the effects of the pandemic, have reduced their oil consumption drastically. This has led to oil production companies suffering EXMAR OFFSHORE COMPANY a drawn-out decline of financial Writer: Marcus Kääpä strength over the course of 2020.

Project Manager: David Knott While the OPTI and itsAccording deployment to David Lim (Managing is an in-house feature of Exmar, Director) “FLEXIBILITY COMBINED WITH A Lim and Cotaya acknowledge that and Jay Cotaya (Chief the company would not be able to WORK ETHIC THAT WAS Operations Officer) of ExmarSTRONG Offshore provision its whole service offering CONSISTENT WHETHER AT HOME without the presence of a number Company, the result of the pandemic OR IN THE OFFICE HELPED US TO of strategic partnerships with caused a huge drop for offshore SUCCEED IN THESE DIFFICULT external companies.has The professional relationships that the firm cultivates drilling and related services. TIMES” – DAVID LIM and maintains are both mutual and beneficial for both parties and the end “COVID-19 and the resulting global customer. demand “The company works closely withreduction has been extremely subsurface and subsea companies.

It already challenged industry hard on an also works with topsides companies, was coming off years of efforts to typically selected bythat the operator,” Cotaya says. “For the execution reduce inefficiency and operate with of projects, we work closely with shipyards relying onlower the network and margins,” Lim tells us. reputation of the Exmar Group which Exmar is the US-based branch has extensive construction experience.

“For instance, we have had of the Belgian Exmar NV Group, relationships with riser and mooring companiesoperating that have under the wider company’s been instrumental in developing an Infrastructure sector (with Shipping optimised performance solution.” representing the other main division).

LOOKING TO THE FUTURE Just as partnershipsExmar are held in the Offshore is an engineering highest regard, the individual efforts of services and project development the Exmar workforce drive the design, production, and services the company company, proud experts in the provides its varied customer base.

The firm prides itself on its provision of a multitude of practices workforce of employees from diverse backed up by its broad and historical backgrounds that collectively make up the drive behind industry high-performance knowledge. service.

Asofopposed to the firm’s other “Exmar is full of examples technically innovative successes, branches (Exmar LNG, Exmar LPG, whether it is FSRUs, FLNG, LPG fuelled LPG carriers or OPTIs, and exciting and other services) that focus largely projects attract creative people,” oncreative the shipping side of the wider Cotaya says. “Keeping people motivated means giving them company, Exmar Offshore specialises challenges and real responsibilities.

Energy Transition

See page

30 36

As the oil and gas industry recovers from the effects of the coronavirus pandemic, we speak to David Lim and Jay Cotaya about the innovative new route for Exmar Offshore Company

The Delta House offshore installation, operated by Murphy Oil Corporation, utilizes the Exmar OPTI-11000™ hull

INNOVATION IN RESPONSE TO A CRISIS

“It is not a large company among its peers, but it achieves great things, and each person is able to point to where North they contributed to that success.”

The COVID-19 pandemic has thrown many obstacles in the way all industries approach the workplace,

2 | North America Outlook issue 01

10 | North America Outlook issue 01

OIL & GAS

America Outlook issue 01 | 3 The King’s Quay process facility and deck truss under construction at Hyundai Heavy Industries, South Korea

North America Outlook issue 01 | 11

Innovation in response to a crisis, Exmar Offshore has told its story.

Now, why not tell yours? Our bi-monthly magazine North America Outlook is essential reading for business executives wanting to keep up with the latest in global news and trends affecting US and Canada businesses across all industries.

Reaching ever increasing audiences across the continent and beyond, your company can take advantage of this global exposure with a FREE article and FREE digital brochure, as well as access to further digital and print-based marketing tools that could transform your business.

To share in this unrivalled opportunity, contact one of our project managers today!

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E D I TO R I A L :

Stephen Giles +44 (0) 1603 959 656 steve.giles@outlookpublishing.com

Sean Galea-Pace +44 (0) 1603 959 657 sean.galea-pace@outlookpublishing.com

Devon Collins +44 (0) 1603 959 661 devon.collins@outlookpublishing.com

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