Land, Sea & Air Issue 153 2018

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Land,Sea Air

Incorporating Shipping & Marine

The magazine for transport and logistics

Shaping Pembrokeshire’s

February 2018 • issue 153 www.landseaairmagazine.com

future

The Port of Milford Haven has grand plans for development and expansion

News

Refrigerated transport

New regulations designed to protect the environment are having repercussions for the chilled and frozen logistics sector

l French cruise line PONANT adopts new HR tech l Wincanton adds services to eFulfilment offer l Bluestream increases ROV fleet with two more models

Aerospace

Key to the success of the aerospace sector in the UK is the ability of companies to move up the value chain through innovation

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Engine Management___Spare Parts Trading___Heavy Maintenance___ Line Maintenance___Asset Management___Engineering Services___ Technologically Advanced MRO Workshops___ Component Repair & Overhaul___INTERIOR SOLUTIONS___ Design & Production___Aircraft Painting___ Technical Training___

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LS A contents Chairman Andrew Schofield

Features

Managing Director Joe Woolsgrove

2 News

Editor Libbie Hammond libbie@schofieldpublishing.co.uk Assistant Editor Will Daynes Production Manager Fleur Daniels Art Editor/Design David Howard Advertising Design Fiona Jolliffe

PROFILES

Updates and announcements from the shipping and maritime arenas

4 Supply chain True collaboration is complicated, but it is a great way of enhancing service levels and making cost savings

Land

14 Multimodal Logistics Ltd

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Production dhoward@schofieldpublishing.co.uk studio@schofieldpublishing.co.uk Advertisement Administrator Tracy Chynoweth studio@schofieldpublishing.co.uk

18 KB Transport Solutions 20 JDL Group

Operations Director Philip Monument Editorial Researchers Ben Richell Jo-Ann Jeffery Jeff Goldenberg Ian Shaw Advertising Sales Mark Cawston Tim Eakins Darren Jolliffe Dave King Rob Wagner Theresa McDonald Web Sales Darren Jolliffe djolliffe@schofieldpublishing.co.uk Subscriptions ikidd@schofieldpublishing.co.uk

Sea

22 Port of Milford Haven

6 Refrigerated transport New legislation on refrigerants is making it more costly to keep certain fleets operational – but there are sustainable alternatives available

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8 Aerospace Andy Tuscher of NDI gives an overview of the UK Aerospace industry, which is thriving on its competitive advantage

10 Voice picking Investing in cloud based systems can allow for next generation picking technology and enhance traditional voice picking methods

28 Baltic Ports Organization

Air

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Cringleford Business Centre, 10 Intwood Road, Cringleford, Norwich, NR4 6AU, U.K. Tel: 044 (0)1603 274130 www.landseaairmagazine.com ©2018 Schofield Publishing Ltd

Please note: The opinions expressed by contributors and advertisers within this publication do not necessarily coincide with those of the editor and publisher. Every reasonable effort is made to ensure that the information published is accurate, and correct at time of writing, but no legal responsibility for loss occasioned by the use of such information can be accepted by the publisher. All rights reserved. The contents of the magazine are strictly copyright, the property of Schofield Publishing, and may not be copied, stored in a retrieval system, or reproduced without the prior written permission of the publisher.

37 10 12 WesCom Signal and Rescue WesCom Signal and Rescue’s Indian Distributor AS Moloobhoy is standing up to unethical suppliers in India and working tirelessly to fight the dangerous practice of redating pyrotechnics www.landseaairmagazine.com - 1

Cool trailers Asset Alliance Group has supplied 50 Schmitz Cargobull refrigerated trailers to the joint venture between Morgan McLernon and Culina Group, as an extension of its existing rental and contract hire work with the logistics experts. All 50 trailers have been specified with a mix of Carrier Transicold Vector 1950 MT and Thermo King SLXi 2 S3 refrigeration units.

The deal, from the Group’s ATE Truck and Trailer division, was secured through a combination of customer confidence in the commercial vehicle and finance provider, trailer availability and competitive pricing.

ATE Truck and Trailer Sales’ Business Development Manager, Tony Allenza, says: “We have successfully worked with Morgan McLernon for a number of years for rental and contract hire, so we are delighted to now also be a supplier to the Culina Group.

“The fact we hold a lot of new stock and can offer truly competitive pricing give us a real advantage in terms of sales, and we can also offer used trucks and trailers, and finance packages tailored to exactly what the customer needs.”

Suite selection PONANT, France’s luxury cruise line, in conjunction with Uvea Marine Services (UMS), will be implementing the Adonis Maritime HR Suite to run all its crewing and payroll operations.

“The complexity of our global operations made it necessary for us to start looking for a brand-new platform and technology for our crewing agent UMS,” said François Vielfaure, Executive Vice President Marine Operations for PONANT. “By choosing Adonis we are confident that we are entering the future together with a partner that fully understands our demands for reliable, efficient and costreducing systems.”

“Being selected by PONANT after a rigorous evaluation process confirms that Adonis is continuing to meet the needs of today’s labour-intensive, demanding, and highly competitive maritime businesses,” said Sigrid Kviteberg, Project Director at Adonis.

“PONANT and Adonis both enjoy reputations as innovators in their respective fields, which is why we’re so honoured to have been selected as their technology partner.”

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Service additions Wincanton, the largest British logistics company, has added several significant advanced services as part of the Group’s successful eFulfilment proposition.

Signalling its ambition to lead in the consumer-centric supply chain, Wincanton’s additional services will enable retailers to rapidly react to changing market demands and deliver to their consumers a seamless, end-to-end, digital shopping experience.

Based on Wincanton’s scalable logistics resources, the service now includes additional, proven, cloud-based solutions. These services complement the Group’s existing eFulfilment proposition, which is already used by some of the UK’s most forward-thinking eCommerce retailers, such as Screwfix, Argos and M&S. Liam McElroy, Managing Director of Retail & Consumer at Wincanton, explains: “It’s clear that the rapidly changing world of online sales is putting retailers under increasing pressure. They must adapt their portfolio quickly and at the lowest possible cost, while providing an outstanding customer experience across both delivery and returns, and at the same time keep the consumer focused on their next purchase. We can call on a wealth of internal and external expertise to help our retail customers respond to these challenges. We are constantly evaluating new technologies and partners who can combine their resource with ours, to deliver a compelling new service to address situations such as this. These additions to our eFulfilment offering demonstrate our ability to do just that.”

Living in comfort ELA Container Offshore GmbH has delivered two ELA Offshore Living Quarters, Type Allrounder, to Jumbo Offshore. The TLQs were installed on board its Construction Support Vessel MV Fairplayer. The ELA Offshore Living Quarters will be used by Jumbo during the offshore transportation and installation of the 60 transition pieces for a windfarm. “Jumbo was looking for extra sleeping accommodation on short notice for their client and available deck space was limited. As we always keep containers in stock we were able to deliver instantly,” says Frank ter Haak, Business Development Netherlands and Belgium at ELA Container Offshore GmbH. Offshore Construction Manager, Mr. van der Meer: “I have seen the ELA Living Quarters on the Offshore Energy Exhibition in Amsterdam in October and I was impressed by the possibilities of their modular system and the high-quality finish. Also, their 20ft ISO dimensions will save us a lot of valuable deck space.”

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LS A news Battery power

Joint contract

Following an investment of £5m, the UK’s largest fleet of rechargeable Lithium-Ion Fork Lift Trucks has gone into service with Fowler Welch. The national fleet of 170 trucks will service the company’s Spalding, Washington, Heywood, Teynham and Hilsea sites, helping in the distribution of fresh and chilled produce and ambient products to many of the UK’s biggest supermarkets and wholesalers.

The trucks will be powered by varying sizes of Linde-branded lithiumion batteries, and come with a management control system and full quality protection from Linde MH. Laurie Black, technical director for Fowler Welch said: “We have worked with Linde for over a decade and were impressed by this latest innovation which offers us improved energy efficiency and sustainability benefits. With quicker charging and no need to be changed, the Linde batteries bring with them space saving benefits as well as health and safety features including zero emissions, offering our depots a reliable and forward-thinking long-term solution.”

BMT and Metocean Services International (MSI) have been jointly awarded a contract by Gastrade to deploy an Environmental Monitoring System (EMS) and develop metocean criteria to be utilised for the design of a offshore moored FSRU and the subsea pipeline to shore.

The Alexandroupolis FSRU will be located offshore Greece in the northern Aegean Sea in approximately 40m water depth and will connect to shore via a 24km subsea pipeline. The FSRU is part of the Alexandroupolis Independent Natural Gas System which aims to create a new natural gas gateway to central and south-eastern Europe.

“We have worked closely with Gastrade’s engineers to formulate a programme of work that will produce high integrity metocean criteria to support the design of the Terminal’s facilities. A key requirement from the client is to reduce uncertainty in metocean characterisation. This will ensure that the design is fit for purpose, but not overly conservative,” explains Robin Stephens, BMT’s Metocean Group Manager.

One hundred per cent electric Alstom, NTL and the RTM tested its Aptis bus solution from 5-12 January on line 82 of the Aix-Marseille Provence, under real operating conditions. Aptis, which won a prize at the Busworld Awards in October 2017, is an innovative mobility solution co-developed by Alstom and NTL, the prototypes of which are manufactured at NTL’s site in Duppigheim (Bas-Rhin).

The tests are designed to evaluate the specific characteristics of Aptis in a new urban setting, its charging system, its autonomy, and its insertion performance in traffic following the first successful tests in Ile-de-France, Lyon, Strasbourg and Belgium.

Aptis, a bus inspired by the world of the tram, provides a unique comfort experience for passengers. Low floors throughout the vehicle and wide double doors allow smooth passenger flows and easy access for wheelchairs and pushchairs. Panoramic windows at the front and rear of the bus provide 20 per cent more window surfaces than a conventional bus, as well as a lounge area at the rear.

Aptis also benefits from low noise levels.

The vehicle fits perfectly into the urban environment thanks to its four steerable wheels that minimise the space needed to turn (-25 per cent compared to a conventional bus). This performance is an advantage at bus stops, as it reduces the space required for parking and helps to gain extra space for other vehicles. At night, Aptis can be recharged inside the depot. Alstom will also provide a daytime charging solution at the end of each line. Rapid charging is carried out either via an inverted pantograph or via SRS, Alstom’s innovative ground-based static charging system. Thanks to reduced maintenance and operating costs, and a longer service life than that of a bus, the cost of ownership of Aptis is equivalent to that of today’s diesel buses.

Expanding ROV-fleet Netherlands-based Bluestream has increased its fleet of 18 compact Work Class Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) systems by another two additional systems to meet ongoing customer demand.

Both ROV systems, a Seaeye Panther-XT Plus and a Seaeye Cougar XT, are fitted with a Tether Management System (TMS), and are able to be operated from hazardous zoned areas on both platforms and FPSO’s. The systems are fully adapted to the high quality Bluestream standards and ready to execute the first contracts in the North Sea as from February 2018.

The Panther-XT Plus is the most powerful compact work class ROV in the world. Fitted with ten powerful thrusters it is the benchmark for electric work ROVs and challenges heavier and more costly hydraulic vehicles, particularly where deck space is at a premium.

The Seaeye Cougar-XT is a compact, highly flexible and extremely powerful electric ROV making it ideal for work tasks including light construction projects, pipeline survey and IRM to depths of 2000 metres.

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Is true collaboration

possible?

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Collaboration can help to manage supply chains more efficiently - but only if done properly says transport management expert Tim Fawkes

ost companies involved in logistics are operating on fairly tight margins, which means that they will always be on the lookout for ways to reduce cost – without impacting service. The easiest way of achieving this is to reduce waste in the supply chain by working more efficiently. Simple – but how do you actually do it?

Collaboration is one strategy commonly favoured by organisations as a way of reducing costs and their carbon footprint while maintaining customer service. However, true collaboration is actually a complex arrangement involving a whole range of issues.

Why collaborate?

Customers and end consumers are demanding increased choice, lower prices and immediate availability. This requirement has the following impact on the supply chain: l Shorter lead times l Smaller, more frequent deliveries l Reduced cost l Greater value added initiatives, including consignment stock Greater agility is required from the supply chain to deliver on

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these objectives. However, the onus is very much on suppliers to provide solutions - at their own expense.

Collaboration in practice Collaboration enables the sharing of cost for mutual benefit. Within transport management, it can also help offset the impact of the reduction in lead times and delivery sizes.

In its simplest form, if two suppliers (supplier A and B) based in the same city are delivering a full load to the same customer twice a week, shifting to four half loads a week and combining deliveries would largely offset the impact of any cost increase whilst achieving the consignee’s objective. Of course, the carrier does have the additional cost of collecting each consignment from two collection points, but much of the potential cost increase can be avoided.

If we multiply this scenario across A and B’s customer base and consider the impact of the trend, the problem becomes more complicated - but still theoretically possible.

Why collaboration fails Unfortunately, collaboration doesn’t always work. Reasons for unsuccessful collaboration do vary, but are likely include at least one of the following:

Supply chain

Bringing in a 3rd party In my experience, successful collaboration is most likely to be achieved by engaging with an independent 3rd party. Many 3rd party logistics companies already combine customer volume and take advantage of the savings that would be achieved through collaboration. Shared user networks and local carriers that offer part load services combine traffic from local shippers to end customers and charge a rate based on the space taken up in the vehicle. This works well and is a structured way of dealing with the changing demands of customers. However, it can be more expensive for customers because the carrier is building the risk of not filling vehicles into their rate card.

The 4PL solution

Looking inward – few companies think beyond their customers, themselves and some of their competitors.

Identifying potential collaborative partners is not easy - in fact, the end customer is often best placed to advise suppliers who might be a good fit in terms of geography and product compatibility. l Compatibility – products need to be compatible. For example, an ambient supplier would be incompatible with a chilled supplier in terms of transport processes. There are also many types of trailer which can make collaboration difficult. l Ordering patterns and visibility – the trend towards smaller deliveries with a greater lead time affects the variability in the size of the order. The approach of having what you want when you want it inevitably goes against the desire to smooth out volumes and increase supply chain visibility, reducing the amount of time available to react and identify opportunities as they occur. l Delivery frequency and schedule – each supplier will have their own demands and requirements to meet, including those of their own suppliers. l Objectives and culture – small variances in the supplier’s culture may result in a different approach to situations. Every company will have a different view of customer service, as well as longer and shorter term strategies. If the overriding objective is not aligned, collaboration is destined to fail. l Trust – as in any successful relationship, separate companies have to be able to trust each other to work in a partnership that is advantageous to all involved. This includes the ability to deliver the same service without putting each other’s business at risk. l Sharing the spoils – the arrangement for any division of savings must be agreed in advance. A saving for one company should not result in a cost increase to another. The baseline and mechanism for fairly measuring and apportioning savings needs to be agreed. l

4PLs base their entire business on collaborative solutions. A true 4PL doesn’t mark-up freight rates or build profit into a tariff structure. The benefits of efficiency are passed onto the customer and the fee is taken out of the overall benefit. Therefore, it is in the 4PL’s best interest to collaborate as much as possible. A 4PL’s transport management system (TMS) can deal with the complexity of multiple carriers and multiple shipping lanes, allocating cost fairly and transparently to each party. The TMS not only provides an acceptable allocation of cost, but it significantly automates the administration tasks involved in transport management for customers, its own staff and the carrier, enabling more time to be focused on continuous improvement activity. The 4PL will act as an independent mediator to ensure that profits are shared fairly and that any disputes are objectively resolved.

Collaboration can be a difficult concept to embrace in a marketplace based on competition. However, as experts in transport management, we know it can work. It may not be the only way, but it can be one way of maintaining (and enhancing) service levels while making significant cost savings. l

Tim Fawkes is MD at 3T Logistics.

Tim has over 20 years’ experience working with companies from a range of industries, helping them to reduce their transport cost.

3T has offices in UK, France and Spain and customers include JCB, Honda and LINPAC Packaging. tim.fawkes@3t-europe.com www.3t-europe.com www.landseaairmagazine.com - 5

Level the

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field

he tightening controls on F-Gases with high global warming potential (GWP) is driving fears of an impending shortage of supply, which has sent prices soaring. The retail price of one of the most widely used refrigerants, R404A, has increased by more than 500 per cent since May 2016 – making it progressively costly to keep certain refrigerated fleets operational.

These are the wide-reaching implications of regulations intended to greatly reduce the use of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) in the EU. In 2015, legislation was introduced to phase down permitted supplies of HFCs and subsequent emissions from F-Gases, which are potent greenhouse gases used across all industries, including refrigeration and air-conditioning.

Within the transport refrigeration sector, this means new controls on the use and emissions of HFCs as refrigerants in systems installed on vehicles above 3.5 tonnes.

The measures include:

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Scott Dargan counts the cost of keeping cool l Refrigerant

charge to be referred to in terms of CO2 equivalent rather than kilograms. l By 2030, the quantity of CO equivalent related to HFCs 2 upplied into the EU will be cut by 79 per cent compared to the 2015 baseline. l For operators, any intentional release of F-Gases into the atmosphere is banned; all detected leaks must be repaired without delay. l Refrigerant-handling operations on commercial trucks and trailers must be carried out by trained technicians holding an F-Gas handling certificate. l Mandatory leak checks must be performed on refrigerated commercial trucks and trailers above a certain threshold – with rapid repairs carried out if leaks are detected. l Operators must keep specified records for five years for each piece of equipment subject to a mandatory leak check.

Refrigerated transport

These measures have been met with varying levels of success, with some of the new F-Gas regulations easier to monitor and enforce than others. In the UK, the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) is conducting a voluntary consultation across the industry to tackle the problem of non-compliance.

According to Defra, many business and environmental stakeholders have concerns about the penalty measures and if they provide a sufficient deterrent. As it stands, any business in breach of the regulations is handed an enforcement notice, which carries no financial penalty. If the infringement is rectified, further action is rarely taken.

Though the potential for criminal prosecution exists, and can carry substantial penalties, it is infrequently pursued as the process is resource-intensive and often costly. As a result, for many, there is little risk or seemingly little to lose from persistent non-compliance.

To tackle the non-compliance issue, Defra is considering moving away from the current criminal penalty regime and introducing civil penalties, ranging from £1000 through to £200,000, depending on the severity of the infringement and size of business.

While Carrier Transicold UK awaits the results of the consultation, we welcome this suggested enforcement change. It levels the playing field, ensuring any business persistently failing to meet the regulations faces serious consequences.

Though a new penalty scheme may be implemented in the future, the financial implications of the new regulations are being felt right now. As mentioned, R404A has seen a skyrocketing price increase. Driving this is the fact that the amount of F-Gas that can be placed legally into the EU by gas suppliers was reduced by seven per cent between 2015 and 2016. More markedly, by 2020, it will drop by 37 per cent.

To keep costs under control and protect your business, it’s vital to invest in the right technology. Across the European refrigeration and air conditioning industry, more than 50 per cent of refrigerant consumption goes toward ‘topping up’ leaking systems – effectively haemorrhaging money.

Carrier Transicold has worked hard to develop systems which minimise levels of leakage, reducing the environmental impact while also delivering savings.

Take our Vector® 1550 and 1950 units as an example, their microchannel heat exchanger coils reduce refrigerant charge by up to 25 per cent. Their patented e-Drive® all-electric technology also means they can offer improved refrigerant containment that can reduce refrigerant leak rates by as much as 55 per cent over conventional belt-driven systems. That’s less gas required to start with, plus less chance of losing it, so a double benefit.

Lowering charges and reducing leaks will help limit costs but using refrigerants with a lower GWP is also worth consideration.

At Carrier Transicold, we promote R452A as the best current option, offering it on all new transport refrigeration units.

R452A gives a 45 per cent reduction in GWP versus R404A and, combined with the e-Drive, represents a powerful way of limiting environmental and financial risks.

Our vision is to develop sustainable alternatives that take this even further. We already operate more than 30 prototype trailer units running exclusively with closed-loop carbon dioxide natural refrigerant – known as R744. With an ultra-low GWP of just one, it is the baseline from which all other refrigerants currently used in transport are measured. Others have a GWP of hundreds, even thousands, times higher.

For now, though, specifying transport refrigeration units with low refrigerant charges, class-leading containment levels and reduced GWP values will have a progressively important impact on your bottom line as the HFC phase-down legislation continues to tighten. v

Scott Dargan is Managing Director Northern Europe & Service EMEAR, Carrier Transicold. For more than 45 years, Carrier Transicold has been an industry leader, providing customers around the world with advanced, energy-efficient and environmentally sustainable container refrigeration systems and generator sets, directdrive and diesel truck units, and trailer refrigeration systems. www.carriertransicold.co.uk @SmartColdChain www.landseaairmagazine.com - 7

Flying

high

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Andy Tuscher gives an overview of the UK aerospace industry, which is continuing to thrive through continuous innovation

he UK aerospace industry is one of the most dynamic manufacturing sectors across the globe. It has experienced growth over the last 25 years, up by 73 per cent since 1990. It manufactures everything from aeroplanes and helicopters to spacecraft, rockets and satellites, dirigibles, balloons and gliders, providing high-value employment across the UK. The split between civil and defence revenue is broadly even over time, despite variation year on year. However, the value of the space manufacturing industry is a small but important and growing percentage of total UK aerospace revenue.

Aerospace supply chains are global in their nature, with major components manufactured across the world. The UK success in civil aerospace has been driven by manufacturing parts and subsystems, such as turbo jets, turbo propellers and rotors, to satisfy the demand of internationally-based OEMs, such as Airbus, Boeing and Bombardier.

The sector thrives on its competitive advantage producing high-value, high technology products, an ability which has ensured the sector’s continued competitiveness internationally and the retention of a high share of global sales.

Characterised by long lead times and order books, a key difference between aerospace and other manufacturing sectors is a clear visibility of the order pipeline underpinned by consistent demand for new aircraft. This provides companies across the

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supply chain with the certainty to invest and innovate for the longterm, maintain high quality standards and a competitive advantage in R&D intensive production. Nevertheless, long global supply chains are the source of great challenge, potentially exposing production processes to disruptive kinks or bottlenecks.

The Aerospace Growth Partnership (AGP) is key in ensuring continued growth and competitiveness of the UK supply chain. This collaboration between government and industry tackles barriers to growth, boosts exports and grows the number of high value jobs in the sector. The AGP also supports the Sharing in Growth Programme which has helped SMEs secure contracts worth over £1 billion and create around 1600 UK jobs.

Key to the success of UK aerospace is the ability of companies to move up the value chain through continuous innovation. The global aerospace industry is underpinned by a relentless drive and focus on improving performance and safety but also the manufacturing process itself. Whether this is through the increased use of composite materials by airline manufacturers, the deployment of ‘commercial off-the-shelf’ technologies for satellite production, the development of 4IR technologies such as 3D printers and collaborative robots, or developing a viable alternative fuel to kerosene for aircraft; the sector is constantly evolving and has seen huge technological advances, especially in the last ten years.

Research and Development (R&D) underpins the technological advances and success of UK aerospace. The sector accounted

Aerospace

for 12 per cent of all manufacturing R&D expenditure in 2015, investing £1.7 billion or 19 per cent of GVA output. To protect its competitive advantage, industry – supported by Government - must continue embracing new technology, both through implementing new and innovative manufacturing processes, or expanding into emerging markets.

The nature of the military aerospace sector means it is more home-domiciled, though not exclusively so. Major Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) support an extended supply chain underneath, comprised largely of the same companies that serve the civil aerospace market. The main end-customer is the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) but significant volumes of assembled aircraft and components are also exported overseas.

With MoD grappling with new pressures on spending, the Government’s upcoming National Security Capability Review will be critical for long-term prospects. A strategy based on long-term industrial sustainability that defines how the UK will procure its next generation of combat jets would provide the confidence UK industry needs to invest in R&D, skills and innovation. This would support a sustainable UK industrial base, which is good for the economy, and will prevent the loss of nationally held technological advantage that support national security.

The UK’s decision to leave the European Union has thrown up uncertainty in every manufacturing sector, and aerospace is no different. In particular, the concerns around the terms of any Brexit

deal raise serious questions about the next generation of aircraft and where they will be produced. European OEMs face growing pressure to relocate jobs away from the UK as a result of leaving the single market. Furthermore, given the potential loss of access to highly skilled EU labour, this pressure is likely to ramp up, and puts both Germany and Spain in a strong position in bidding for further work on new models.

The UK and EU are poised to negotiate on to the terms of a postBrexit trade deal, one step forward in a complex and long process.

For the aerospace sector, to thrive we need clarity on the transition arrangements that will be in place after March 2019, to ensure it is business as usual for companies for as long as it takes until a final deal is reached. l Andy Tuscher is Director, NDI. NDI is a division of EEF, the manufacturers’ organisation. It represents, and provides services for, over 200 companies in the UK defence, space, aerospace and security sectors. Its aim is to raise the profile of member businesses and ensure they receive fair access to contracts in the defence, aerospace and emerging space and security sectors.

It encourages members to communicate and collaborate, proactively identifying complementary services and opportunities to joint venture, building relationships throughout the UK and beyond to deliver a comprehensive, disciplined and capable supply network. www.eef.org.uk www.landseaairmagazine.com - 9

The future of the

warehouse SĂŠbastien Sliski discusses how modern technology such as voice picking can increase efficiency and improve productivity

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rganisations have long been looking to optimise their supply chain processes and this includes reviewing existing picking processes enabling them to fulfil the increasingly more complex orders within one single warehouse. Voice has arguably been one of the most permanent and trusted solutions found within warehouses all over the globe. However, there is a growing perception that it is becoming out-dated in a world where automation, artificial intelligence and robotics are increasingly becoming more popular ideals. In order for the solution to keep up with the rate of change and the fast-paced nature of supply chain operations, the use of the cloud must be embraced to ensure that voice-picking software can work seamlessly alongside newer technology and more complex picking processes.

The last few years have seen a seismic shift in consumer demand that continues to drive change throughout the entire

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supply chain. That coupled with Industry 4.0 and the introduction and implementation of more digitised supply chains, is changing the way businesses are working with their legacy Warehouse Management Systems (WMS). The companies most likely to succeed in turning this into a key competitive differentiator will be those that use digitisation to truly introduce greater flexibility, agility and speed into their operations.

Optimising WMS legacy systems While some market ‘disruptors’ have built systems and processes that exploit the current and near-future market opportunity, many businesses are still reviewing their current operational reality. These, in the most part, largely promote working in silos, with robust but heavyweight legacy systems and processes.

Ultimately, and historically, these infrastructures were designed for a different kind of competitive market and many of the processes are no longer seen as fit for purpose. However, the

Voice picking

cost and time implications of a ‘rip and replace’ approach to optimising a WMS are often too great; what we are now seeing is businesses seeking operational gains through the bolt-on of additional technology such as voice picking solutions or RFID. With increasing customer demands, organisations have to be innovative; finding more efficient and cost-effective ways of fulfilling orders. Warehouse operations are far more complex than the conventional WMS solutions that have previously been used for handling and, as such, traditional voice picking solutions or the sole addition of RFID may be hard pushed to keep up with more demanding warehouse environments.

A pick and mix of solutions A single warehouse can now be responsible for multiple operations, fulfilling a wider variety of orders and delivery types.

Within retail, for example, from next day, same day or click-andcollect, the warehouse is becoming more and more complex.

A wider variety of orders aren’t the only thing that is creating complexities within the order preparation operation; it’s also the vast array of suppliers and the need to effectively manage the smooth inbound flow.

It’s been the reality for a while that one retailer can have an online store, a hypermarket, a supermarket and several convenience stores. The main take-away from these variations is that they aren’t ordering the same products and, moreover, they aren’t ordering the same quantities. With more and more retailers working hard to provide an omni-channel experience for an ever-demanding consumer, what we’re now seeing is a single warehouse undertaking multiple fulfilment responsibilities.

To embrace this new way of working and bring more innovation into warehouses across the board, the addition of a warehouse process execution solution will create the foundations needed to build ‘best of class’ operations. The right solution will enable businesses to rapidly deploy new technology, increase visibility of events affecting operations and empower teams across the company. It also affords the flexibility required to adopt a suite of solutions and these can include voice (with

mobile screens for back up), Pick-to-Light, Put-to-Light, RFID, Augmented Reality, Artificial Intelligence and more.

Creating advanced functionalities within legacy WMS solutions with a pick and mix of three or four process driven solutions allows businesses to truly unlock agility within their supply chain.

If a more efficient technology became available tomorrow, the business would then have the capability to introduce it without overhauling their entire WMS.

Conclusion Undoubtedly, there is space for more agile solutions that are sustainable and, more importantly, scalable. Technology itself is very rarely agile; it’s the processes and systems in place that will allow for the required flexibility within the supply chain. If the right investment is made in the beginning and agile processes are created, introducing new and innovative technology should be easy. It is all well and good wanting to use the latest technology but what’s great for today isn’t always going to be good for tomorrow.

When it comes to staying competitive, organisations need to examine where small efficiencies can be made to allow them to successfully fulfil a customer’s order. The best way for them to do this is to recognise that their choice in an order picking solution needn’t be driven (or constrained) by their chosen technology. Moreover, investment in cloud-based systems will allow for next generation order picking solutions to be built, enhancing traditional voice-picking methods and enabling companies across all industries to implement the best solutions for their business. v Sébastien Sliski is General Manager Supply Chain Solutions at Zetes, an international corporation specialising in the provision of identification and mobility solutions. By using the latest technologies, Zetes enables its customers improve the speed and quality of their process execution and increase data accuracy, which in turn helps them to remain at the forefront of their industries. www.zetes.com/en www.landseaairmagazine.com - 11

The problem of counterfeit

pyrotechnics

WesCom Signal and Rescue’s Indian Distributor AS Moloobhoy is standing up to unethical suppliers in India and working tirelessly to fight the dangerous practice of redating pyrotechnics

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WESCOM signal and rescue

T

oday, many people assume that counterfeit products are the biggest issue of selling pyrotechnics, when actually it is the redating of products. Not many people are aware of this practice and procurement officers should be fully educated about how to ensure they are buying quality products. This is a particular issue that WesCom Signal and Rescue’s Indian distributor, AS Moloobhoy, has lobbied against and tried to improve import procedures for life-saving equipment. Indeed, AS Moloobhoy, which has been a Pains Wessex supplier for almost 80 years, has conducted a 30-year campaign against re-dating and re-labelling expired marine distress signals in India.

AS Moloobhoy has been fighting a seemingly endless war on ethics with the Indian Government, against other suppliers and distributors for over ten years. In India, its main competition is not another SOLAS approved brand or OEM also making pyrotechnics, but it is the refurbished, recycled and unethical second-hand market that re-sells outdated and expired pyrotechnics as ‘new’. Therefore, the firm launched a campaign in India, to encourage people to stay away from cheap and duplicate product choices, that could eventually cost you your life.

The campaign has documented several occasions, where, over the years, customers or distributors do not dispose of their expired pyrotechnics, but resort to re-selling them, after re-dating them in India’s extensive ‘grey’ market.

The first attempt at curbing this illegal and alarming practice was to legally launch and operate the first and the largest DG (Director General of Shipping, Government of India) approved pyrotechnics disposal facility in Mumbai, Wada, Maharashtra that was approved by the Department of Explosives (www.asmoloobhoy.com/Service/Disposal).

After following the mandated guidelines, AS Moloobhoy launched the first Eco-Friendly and Government approved pyrotechnics disposal facility in Asia, giving customers the option to dispose of expired pyrotechnics ethically and legally, in an environmentally controlled chamber, against the issuance of a Certificate from the Government of India, for a basic cost. For the first time, this gave customers an alternative to dumping their pyrotechnics overboard in the ocean, (thereby endangering aquatic life) or burying them in the ground, or re-selling them to the second-hand market.

However, the difficulty here is that the services cannot be free of charge – which is what is often demanded from customers – but to ensure the best possible service, there needs to be a small fee, to ensure the outdated pyrotechnics can be disposed of safely and efficiently.

After several years, although the sale of expired pyrotechnics is still rampant in India, the company has managed to curb a significant percentile of the atrocities relating to this practice, and made the re-sale of WesCom Signal and Rescue pyrotechnics close to negligible.

Often other OEMs are being represented by distributors in India who mis-declare goods or pyrotechnics when importing them into India, calling them ‘liferaft spares’ instead of referring to them as dangerous or hazardous goods. This saves them time, capital, effort and they are able to surpass several governmental permissions and Customs procedures that are only mandated for ‘dangerous goods’ or ‘explosives’. This

too, gives the said Agent or Representative a price advantage over AS Moloobhoy, which then gets passed on to the end customer, making it impossible to ethically compete.

Managing Director, Nafeesa Moloobhoy, sits on several boards and works closely with the Marine Segment of the Indian Government.

Nafeesa is working tirelessly and diligently to ensure that strict measures are taken to monitor and control unethical importing of hazardous cargo in India.

To ensure complete transparency, AS Moloobhoy uses LOT Numbers, to link stock against the correct and relevant Bill of Entry or Lading, and ensure that the pyrotechnics are original or fake. This has managed to preserve the brand image in India, and today, all customers across the board know that if they are buying WesCom Signal and Rescue pyrotechnics, the source is authentic and therefore not duplicates.

At the forefront of everything WesCom Signal and Rescue does, is saving lives, and by changing these life-saving devices and cutting corners with regulations puts lives at risk. That is why it is vital that clients purchase products from approved distributors to make sure that they receive the correct manuals, labels and documentation. Aside from the moral issues, ultimately, in the event that something goes wrong those involved with these illegal practices could be held accountable leading to compensation claims, heavy fines or jail.

After several complaints filed with the Director General Of Shipping (DGS) and IRS (Indian Register of Shipping), A.S.Moloobhoy and WesCom Signal and Rescue are jointly holding a one-day training seminar in midFebruary 2018. The event, to be held in in Mumbai, India, will host more than 100 surveyors, DGS officers and purchasing managers of many Authorities and Shipping Companies in India, to educate them on the differences between an original Pyro and tampered Pyros. l

WesCom Signal and Rescue is the world’s leading marine distress signal manufacturer and is fully committed to ensuring the safety of lives at sea. It is the world’s leading supplier of marine distress signals, under the brand names: Pains Wessex, Comet, Oroquieta and Aurora.

The quality, technological superiority and innovative design of its products combined with worldwide approvals and manufacturing to ISO 9001 standard ensures the brands are still market-leaders today.

For more information about AS Moloobhoy, please visit: www.asmoloobhoy.com.

For more information about WesCom Signal and Rescue, please visit: www.wescomsignal.com.

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Distributing the

goods

‘‘

In 2018, we will be replacing some of our vehicles that are coming to the end of their natural period with us. It needs to be mentioned, though, that because trucks are expensive to own and operate, we also invest in our subcontractors who work with us directly

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he last three years have been quite eventful for Multimodal Logistics, a shipping and transportation services provider, based in Felixstowe, Suffolk. According to the words of General Manager Tim Wray, the company has been like a phoenix rising from the ashes in this period, due to it being a part of an elongated merger and its subsequent growth in business outside of its core. Here is his account of Multimodal Logistics’ latest developments: “We were a subsidiary of China Shipping European Holdings Ltd and up until recently following the start of the merge with another shipping line, Cosco.

We were the sole logistics provider for China Shipping for the UK, incorporating road, rail,

and some feeder movements, and with the joining of the two companies we started to carry out a similar function in the new business, alongside the logistics operation provided by Cosco Shipping. The merger provided an opportunity for Multimodal Logistics Ltd (MML) to expand further, because in our position at that time, if we wanted to grow and establish ourselves, we had to go out into the market and attract new business from customers away from our core, which we have managed with continued success,” he reasons.

Tim identifies the particular area of interest for the business in the changed environment: “We now want to focus on widening our customer base, outside of our shipping line commitments. To do this, we

Profile: Multimodal Logistics Ltd

are developing logistics solutions for third parties, and even though we still have a long road of growth ahead of us, in the last few years we have seen a 30 to 40 per cent third party year-on-year revenue growth. We are now able to compete in the open market with general haulage contractors in the container market, moving cargo from almost all major UK ports through the UK and into Ireland, using road and rail options.”

One of the reasons for Multimodal

Logistics’ continued success, is its location.

Tim insists that being based in Felixstowe, which hosts the biggest container port in the UK, is one of the explanations for the company’s enlarged geographical footprint.

He also places emphasis on the solid infrastructure it can rely on that facilitates the shipping and transportation works: “Our inland trucks are based on railheads, and we have positioned vehicles at the rail terminals in Manchester, Yorkshire and the Midlands,

so when the trains leave the ports for their inland destinations, we are ready to meet them and process the cargo quickly.”

The road and rail combination Tim mentions, appears to be one of the key strengths of the company, giving it the edge over the competition. “Because we are able to offer this type of combination, we can help reduce the costs for customers and move their containers more quickly. The ports are very good at charging customers after a certain amount of time, so we offer to move the containers inland within that free period, and deliver them directly by rail.

We can also do this at volume, which means that we are capable of moving considerable amounts of cargo, even at short notice,” he comments. “Furthermore, today’s shipping line vessels are getting bigger and bigger, which leads to everything arriving at the port in one huge spike. This gives us a very short period of time to unload everything, but we work very hard to provide quick and efficient solutions and cope with the work coming at these peak times.”

Tim elaborates on his previous point, as he offers a valuable insight of the condition of the logistics industry: “It has always

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been a financial challenge for customers, because containers come all the way from the Far East at very competitive rates, and what the clients want, is the UK distribution to be as cheap and effective as possible.

The problem with the UK infrastructure is that the haulage resource at peak times is minimal. This means that you need to be as precise and efficient as you can, in order to get the containers moved quickly, and the cargo delivered. I think that we have developed almost a niche service to our customers, being able to offer that speed and quality.”

Multimodal Logistics has committed itself to regularly upgrade its fleet, in order to add higher value to its services, and infrastructure is one of the areas where it places significant focus. Tim explains: “We invest a lot in vehicles. The company has established an excellent working relationship with a truck manufacturer who provides all our trucks. In 2018, we will be replacing some of our vehicles that are coming to the end of their natural

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period with us. It needs to be mentioned, though, that because trucks are expensive to own and operate, we also invest in our subcontractors who work with us directly.

They dedicate themselves to us in providing service to our customers, and in turn, we give them business, so both parties can grow, going forwards.”

Despite describing 2017 as a difficult year for all the shipping lines due to new shipping alliances being formed early in the year, and the initial insecurity this led to, Tim expresses his satisfaction over how Multimodal Logistics fared in the past 12 months: “We had a successful year, particularly with our third-party business, as the customers found out that we were able to react quickly to their requirements.

In addition to this, we also optimised our operations in Southampton and London Gateway, as well as in Felixstowe, which is where the key business comes through.”

It is not that the company is running short of ambitions for 2018, and Tim is confident that it will increase its turnover, compared

Profile: Multimodal Logistics

with its result last year. “We are also planning to grow our third party proportion this year at a greater rate than 2017. It is also crucial for us to try and become more independent in what we do and how we do it, and to further business streams, which will provide cost-effective options for all of our customers. Diversification of services is a big part of our plans for achieving sustained growth.”

Towards the end of our conversation, Tim opens the discussion of the need for more professional drivers to be engaged in the industry, and suggests that their dwindling number is a concern for the normal working operations. “There is a driver shortage in the UK. It is hard to find suitable drivers who are able to perform to the standards and the work requirements of the industry,” he notes. “Truth being said, it is not a very popular job for a PlayStation generation.

Drivers often work long hours, day and night, but they are needed, because they move the cargo we all later buy in the shops. The UK does not have a great record of developing new drivers, as a whole. It is true that some companies have already started to do that with relative success, but there is no volume in it. There is a significant amount of foreign drivers in the market, but the uncertainty around Brexit means that we do not know what level of employment resource will be left after the negotiations are over. Another issue is that a lot of the drivers are in the latter years of their careers, and there are more drivers going out, than coming in. We are a nation based on import and export, so we need these people to move the goods around, otherwise the infrastructure will start to struggle,” Tim concludes. l

Multimodal Logistics Ltd www.mmlogistics.co.uk • Container Logistics service provider • Significant revenue growth outside of its core business in the last three years • Delivering cargo to anywhere in the UK

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Driving

K

force

B Transport Solutions (KBTS) is a thriving logistics and warehousing business, based in Coventry. After being established in 2010 during the height of a recession, it had a slow progression into the transport and warehouse storage industry, due to limited funds. Despite this, the company continued to pursue its ambitions and develop longstanding contracts and relationships with its customers, which thanks to KBTS’ high standards of service, are still working with the organisation today. “Originally it was just myself and my business partner, Managing Director Kevin Bennett, who started and operated the business; however, we have now developed our staff and can boast a team consisting of over 30 employees. As a family-run business, we promote a close-knit environment with family and friends being on both the board of directors and operating as members of staff,” states Alan Mohomed, Finance Director and Partner at KB Transport Solutions Ltd. “At the start, we solely provided warehouse services, after being given the opportunity to operate from a small area of a site at Edgewick Park, Coventry,” he added. “We eventually outgrew this area, and continued to take over full occupancy of this site, becoming a limited company in September 2011. Following this, our next project

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was developing into transport and distribution services.”

This next evolution required a move to a new site on Henley Road, Coventry, situated just off Junction 3 on the M6, making it a key location in the UK, with essential access to main transport links.

“This site, which we have now occupied for over five years, enabled us to progress within the transport industry,” agreed Alan.

“We were then given the opportunity to expand again, and we took on a facility on Sandy Lane in Coventry, which we have fully racked out to give a complete service to our warehouse customers. The relocation to Sandy Lane has enabled us to move all our warehouse operations to one central site, as opposed to being fragmented at both locations.”

Thanks to the developments and expansions that KBTS has undertaken, the business now operates from both Henley Road and Sandy Lane. The 17,000-square feet Henley Road site mainly offers home delivery operations and distribution services across the country; whilst the facilities at Sandy Lane are purely for warehouse purposes.

This site operates as an organised, stylish facility, with LED lighting throughout making it more energy efficient, and a track and trace system, which is fully optimised, so customers can track their consignments through their own personal log-in. “This enables us to

provide a complete service to our warehouse customers,” explains Alan. “To support our team and serve our customers more efficiently, in the third quarter of 2017, we also replaced all our forklift trucks; this consists of two reach trucks, two gas trucks, two crown trucks, and two electric trucks and we have a couple of man riders as well.”

In fact, KBTS’ expansion has been so successful that the company has now taken over almost the entire Sandy Lane Estate in Coventry, occupying 130,000-square feet of the 136,000-square feet site, owned by the commercial property company Wigley Group.

KBTS and Wigley have not only developed a close working relationship, but also both get involved in local community work, with Wigley organising charity events, both companies working with Zoë’s Place, a charity for sick children, and KBTS about to sponsor a local up and coming football club for children. “This

Profile: KB Transport Solutions

raises our own name as a local firm but also it’s our way of giving back,” added Alan.

These kinds of activities are supported by the KBTS team, and Alan was keen to give credit to the staff, as ‘they support the business

moving forwards, and enable us to manage large, complex contracts.’ To help progress further in the future, Alan and Kevin have created a young, passionate and knowledgeable group to help the company achieve its growth plans over the coming years. “Myself and Kevin are planning on standing back a little on certain aspects of the business as we now trust our young team to operate the day to day running of KBTS,” stated Alan. “This includes Charlotte Steele, who within 18 months of being with the organisation is already a great driving force for our business, and Kevin Junior who successfully runs the haulage and subcontracting area of the business for the heavier contracts.

“The team is very proactive and we are always keen to hear their opinions on how we can evolve further. We also prioritise training and offer development opportunities – for example at the moment we are doing new health and safety courses with the staff, and Charlotte Steele has just completed her degree in HR, and I would like her to take on more responsibility, overseeing the budgeting and forecasting of the business. We are always offering ways for staff to further their education, especially if it is something where we can see a business benefit for us too. By making sure everyone is happy in their jobs we add to the overall stability of the company, as well as help maintain our overall reputation for offering the right services at the right price.”

It is clear from speaking to Alan that continuous improvement is a priority for KBTS and the business is always looking for new avenues for expansion and improvement. “We have already filled much of our Sandy Lane warehouse, and are therefore considering another move to a larger site at the beginning of 2018, to enable us to further progress,” he concluded. “We want to ensure our customers have room to grow, and give ourselves some breathing space too. We’re looking at all the options but we always want to make progress and improve the business, in whatever way that may be!” l

KB Transport Solutions www.kbtsltd.co.uk • Pallet distribution transport and warehouse storage specialist • Wide breadth of knowledge across a diverse range of industries • Builds long-term relationships with all clients based on trust and service

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The logical

choice T

he James Dolan Logistics Group (JDL) has a simple slogan, ‘helping you realise your business goals.’

For Managing Director James Dolan, it summarises the ethos behind the organisation: “There is a full suite of logistics solutions available, including same day couriers, next day delivery and overnight pallets. As a result, the team can offer excellent customer service.”

The original James Dolan Logistics was first incorporated in 2009, before trading in 2010. Based in Cambridge, it was in James’ own words a ‘one man band’ operation that became much bigger: “Deliveries began building up, to the point where the opportunity arose to purchase Green and Skinner in 2016, followed by Dooley Rumble in October 2017.”

Both of these entities are impressive in and of themselves – Green and Skinner Haulage was established in 1959, specialising in forwarding, air and sea freight, while Dooley Rumble was founded in 1986 by Neil Dooley and Simon Rumble, and has been involved in the distribution industry for over

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30 years. Between the three firms, there is now a combined fleet of 53 vehicles available, ranging from vans to 44 tonne articulated lorries, with routes going from Wick in Scotland to the bottom of Cornwall on a daily basis, as well as delivering internationally through its increased network of contacts.

James insists this is more of a merger as opposed to a takeover: “Dooley Rumble subcontracted a lot of haulage, so Green and Skinner were able to pick up that work, effectively keeping everything in-house. At the moment, everything is being brought together in one location in Ipswich, including the main headquarters, which were completed at the end of December 2017.”

James’ role as Managing Director is a crucial component in the group, though he is quick to stress that he is one part of an efficient management structure: “For example, there is my Operations Director with over 20 years’ experience on the operational side, handling day to day issues with freight and so forth.

What I do is based more on the financial direction, looking at strategies to move the business forward.”

When discussing what may happen in the future, the subject of Brexit will inevitably come up: “It’s hard to gauge, and a lot of people are understandably concerned about it. For JDL, this is seen as more of a positive change, as it should open up the European market and further afield,” James predicts.

He is also happy to point out that recent financial news has been positive, with 110 employees producing an £11 million annual turnover. The new elements of the JDL framework have contributed significantly to these results: “Green and Skinner had the busiest November on record, £100,000 up on the year before, and at the moment 20 per cent more than the last 18 months of trading.

Dooley Rumble only just came on board, but have also brought a lot of work in.”

When it comes to joining JDL, there are clear criteria for membership: any entity should have pre-tax profits of £50,000 over the course of three years, sustainable sales in the same time period and have low or justifiable structural debt. As James explains, there are practical reasons behind this approach: “This is effectively the wish list. If we

Profile: JDL Group

like what they are offering, then a deal can be done. Being profitable is an important aspect, because JDL are not at the £100 million to £200 million turnover point, so at the moment a risk can’t be taken on a business that may be failing, or not doing as well as it could be.”

He does suggest that some new potential acquisitions are being actively looked at: “There are a few possibilities being investigated at the moment. Some of them are family owned companies that are of interest, while there are a few other local hauliers that could also be in contention.”

James also hints that the final decision may be further afield than East Anglia: “Without specifying too much, it may well be the northwest, the Midlands or south-west of England, as these are useful locations to make the delivery process more effective.”

There is definitely the feeling that James knows what he wants, and the overall game plan seems to involve bringing in people that understand this: “There is no ceiling to what could be achieved, it doesn’t matter if it is a company with a £0.5 million or £50 million turnover, if someone coming in can tie in with JDL’s objectives, then moves will be made to get the deal done.”

James knows what he wants from any future agreements or partnerships: “Essentially, it’s about going with the flow, organically building up in a similar way to the Ipswich companies here now, ideally bolting others on to the established structure in due course. In terms of a five-year plan, it is about growing, and anyone coming in has to fit into that.”

In other words, the JDL Group has been built to deliver, and it will be offering a very attractive package to anyone wanting to come on board. l

JDL Group www.jamesdolanlimited.co.uk • Cambridge-based freight company, first established in 2009 • Acquired Ipswich-based Green and Skinner and Dooley Rumble • 110 employees and an annual turnover of £11 million

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Aerial photo of Milford Haven featuring Milford Waterfront & Haven’s Head Retail Park

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future

Profile: Port of Milford Haven

T

he Port of Milford Haven is one of the leading drivers of the local economy in the county of Pembrokeshire, in the south west of Wales. “The Port, alongside the businesses that operate in the Haven, employ about 4000 people, which accounts to close to 20 per cent of the employment in the region,” the Port’s CEO, Alec Don tells us.

And the works on Pembrokeshire’s further development seem nowhere near ceasing. The Port of Milford Haven achieved a £22.4 million turnover in 2017, with the group operating at a profit of £3.7 million, while numerous plans have been devised, and more are set to be launched over the course of 2018. Alec was happy to provide us with an overview of 2017 for the company, and the projects it is going to advance in 2018, the company’s 60th Anniversary year.

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Apart from being part of “Land Sea & Air” businesses, what do Milford Haven Port Authority, Cardiff Wales Airport, P&O Ferries, Eurotunnel, Cardiff Bus, Airbus and Northern Executive Aviation all have in common? That’s right…their employee benefit arrangements are all looked after by Quantum Advisory.

Established in 2000, Quantum Advisory is an independent financial services consultancy that provides solution based pension and employee benefit services to employers, scheme trustees and members.

Quantum designs, maintains and reviews pension schemes and related employee benefits so that they operate efficiently and effectively. If you work with us, you will have the assurance of knowing that you will be allocated a key contact and have a dedicated, experienced team to work with. We offer a wide range of services to companies and pension scheme trustees in respect of their Defined Benefit and Defined Contribution schemes, all designed to focus on their specific needs, including: • Administration services • Actuarial consultancy services • Investment consultancy services • Pension accounting services • Communication services • Auto-enrolment • Health and Wellbeing • Mergers and acquisitions

One area we are particularly proud of is the recent introduction of our new Flexible Benefits package, QChoice. QChoice is a cost-effective choice for employers designed to offer flexible benefit packages to employees with access to enhanced terms with preferential providers. For more details, please see https://quantumadvisory.co.uk/company-services/flexible-benefits We pride ourselves on the quality of people we employ, our personal approach to client care and the smart solutions we come up with, which allow us to offer greater choice, more flexibility and personal tailoring. We have offices in Amersham, Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff and London.

If you are interested in finding out more, why not contact Stuart Price on 029 2083 7902 or visit our website at www.quantumadvisory.co.uk to see how we can help you with your pension and employee benefit challenges.

Profile: Port of Milford Haven Pembroke Port

“It was a busy year in terms of development. Our plan is focused mainly on two of our assets – Pembroke Port and Milford Waterfront. We are working on a project we call Pembroke Dock Marine that will see us redevelop a significant proportion of the port. It is one of the headline undertakings of the Swansea Bay City Deal, which involves four councils in west Wales (including Pembrokeshire), and consists of a total of 11 projects. We are expecting that the Pembroke Dock Marine project will generate around £76 million of investment. What we are trying to do there is create a commercial space for developers to design, test, build and deploy renewable energy devices. It is also going to substantially support the boat building industry in the area. The space could also be utilised for supporting the construction of nuclear power stations, for decommissioning oil rigs and other portrelated activities, if the opportunity presented itself,” Alec details.

“We are also regenerating the town of Milford Haven by developing the Milford Waterfront area,” he adds. “It is a busy place and a great shopping location, sitting alongside 100,000 square feet of retail space, so we want to give it more critical mass. As

part of this programme, we acquired Haven’s Head Retail Park which spreads across 18,000 square feet of retail space and includes muchloved national retail brands such as Tesco and Boots. It is an area near the waterfront, and there are lots of flats and offices around it. Our plan is to put in 380,000 square feet of development over time to consolidate and expand it further. There is a lot of work to be done, but we are now beginning with the construction of the first developments.

This tourism and retail investment will be instrumental to diversifying the business further, and reducing our dependence on oil and gas.”

Alec recognises the central role the Port of Milford Haven plays in a wider economic and social context, so he emphasises the benefits its expanded activity will deliver to the Welsh economy as a whole, and the community of Pembrokeshire, in particular. “Our own plans at Pembroke Port and Milford Waterfront are aligned with those of the Welsh Government, which is now drawing up its economic action plan, as well as with Pembrokeshire County Council, which is currently reviewing its local development plan. We all have the health and wellbeing of future generations at the heart of our considerations. We are seeking

to create environments that are not only attractive to businesses, but are great places to live, in sustainable communities with strong interconnectivity to electricity generation, renewable energy generation, and public transport,” Alec certifies.

He opens up on the new job opportunities the ongoing projects have the capability of creating: “The Pembroke Dock Marine project should be able to add about 1200 new jobs, if it reaches its full potential. The upcoming Milford Waterfront development is expected to create another 650 jobs for Milford Haven.

The good thing is that these jobs will emerge in sectors that are not directly connected to the oil and gas industry, therefore they would be independent of its prospects, albeit still closely interrelated. They will create and help support the supply chain for a vital local employment sector. We understand that we need to invest and broaden the economy as much as possible. We want to create sustainable jobs, and give people roles which will give them purpose and confidence in their lives,” Alec summarises.

Speaking of broadening the economy, Alec tells us more about Pembroke Dock Marine, which entails turning Pembroke Port into a centre for marine renewable energy

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Terberg DTS UK Limited

As proud suppliers to Milford Haven Port Authority, Terberg DTS UK Limited is the leading provider of 5th wheel tractors to industrial, port, distribution and logistics applications.

To complement the tractors, Terberg DTS leads the way in the supply of specially designed trailers to work within the same operations. The range of trailers includes; container chassis’, roll trailers, goosenecks and heavy duty chassis’ with a capacity of up to 300 tonnes for industrial sites such as scrap schemes and steel handling applications. The trailer portfolio is completed by the supply of hydraulic cassette trailers for specialist heavy duty industrial and seaport operations.

THE WORLD TRUSTS TERBERG

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research and development and engineering.

“What particularly interests us about the wave and tidal sector is the possibility of getting a cluster of businesses located in Pembroke Dock, if not headquartered there, which are employing not just the fabricators, but also the technicians and the engineers who design and maintain these installations. Our idea is to create a higher-value employment opportunity that gives anyone moving to the

area to work on one of those businesses a good market for their knowledge and capabilities. We hope to have an economy that is more sustainable and self-sustaining with multiple sources of business.”

Alec also feels that the company should keep its interest in the fishing and aquaculture sector alive, acknowledging its existing strength and potential for reinforcement. “We already have a sustainable fishing industry

Profile: Port of Milford Haven Floatel cabins

here, and Milford Haven’s proximity to the best fishing grounds in the Bristol Channel makes this sector important to us. We have expertise in driving and maintaining the boats, as well as knowledge about fishing and growth of aquaculture products, so we think there are opportunities for the industry to achieve greater local and national significance, by growing stronger and more diverse.”

The Port of Milford Haven hopes to keep the momentum it has gathered in 2017, and carry on with its development plans during 2018. Alec shares his expectations for the next 12 months: “It’s an exciting year for us. In our 60th Anniversary year we will be launching new developments at Milford Waterfront, such as the introduction of new floatel cabins and new drive-thrus. We also hope to see a growth in the number of people bringing their boats here and using Milford Haven as a base for exploring Pembrokeshire’s fabulous coastal waters,” he concludes. l

Port of Milford Haven www.mhpa.co.uk • Responsible for 20 per cent of employment in Pembrokeshire • £3 billion of new investment over the past ten years • Advancing projects at Pembroke Port and Milford Waterfront

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Bogdan Oldakowski, Secretary General Baltic Ports Organization

Binding ports

together

‘‘

We see LNG as one of the cleaner fuels ships can use in the future, and we believe that our activities can contribute to its wider use in the Baltic. Many of our ports have already devised plans on how to make LNG bunkering efficient, safe and feasible

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T

he collapse of the Soviet Union not only led to the liberation of many Eastern European countries, but also allowed their independence to seek free association between them, in order to advance the economic and social opportunities for the geographical regions they share. The Baltic Ports Organization (BPO) is an example of one such association.

“It was established in 1991, with the aim to make a ‘bridge’ between ports from Scandinavia and Finland, and ports from unified Germany, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and Russia,” Secretary General Bogdan Oldakowski tells us. “The BPO has also been active in training and in transferring know-how to ports from these countries.

Over time, the strategy of the organisation

inevitably changed, and we are now more focused on lobbying activities with EU institutions, as well as on following maritime regulations and trying to introduce the Baltic port industry to new green policies,” he details. With the Port of Mukran (in Germany) having joined the association earlier in 2018, the BPO now has 42 member ports from nine countries surrounding the Baltic Sea. Bogdan reports a busy year in 2017 and highlights some of the principal activities the organisation took part in: “We have been involved in a dialogue about transport policies and the role of the ports with the European Commission and other EU bodies, especially the specific environmental regime in the Baltic, as well as how the maritime industry adjusts to the higher standards. We also initiated a port debate in the European

Profile: Baltic Ports Organization

Parliament explaining the ports’ role in the EU transport sector, and specifically in the Baltic maritime transport segment. Furthermore, we have been very active in promoting LNG (liquefied natural gas) as a potential fuel for shipping in the future, as well as LNG bunkering. In July, we were selected as a member of the newly-established European Ports Forum. We are also members of the European Sustainable Shipping Forum, so we can defend the Baltic Sea region’s cause across various platforms.”

Following the organisation’s commitment to promote the sustainable development of maritime transport, and increase the Baltic Sea region’s global competitiveness, Bogdan explains how BPO’s recent undertakings will add their share to the mission’s successful completion: “The advanced port network in the Baltic makes it easy for shippers to move cargo within the region, and this has been achieved thanks to the creation of a modern port infrastructure and high quality services offered in Baltic ports.

“We recognise maritime transport as a very efficient and environment-friendly way of transporting goods and people. On the one hand, our goal is to keep an eye on the EU transport policy and how the overall transport is financed, in order to ensure that the Baltic ports receive fair support in comparison with the other modes of transports. On the other hand, we aim to show that maritime transport provides viable green solutions for shippers. This is why we launched our policy paper ‘The Baltic Sea as a model region for green ports and maritime transport’,” Bogdan comments.

As Bogdan mentioned previously, the Baltic Ports Organization has demonstrated ongoing interest in promoting LNG as a new fuel for ships, with the view of making it more

Seehafen Stralsund GmbH - The Port of Stralsund

The Port of Stralsund is a highly efficient multimodal logistic centre on Germany’s Baltic coast. Located in the north eastern region of Germany, in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, the port offers a wide range of services in cargo handling, storage operations and other port procedures to the maritime industry. Well connected to Europe’s hinterland via railroad, inland waterways and road, the port is a hub for the handling of bulk and general cargo to a lot of destinations around the Baltic region, and to other locations on the coasts of the North Sea and the Mediterranean region. Main cargoes include synthetic gypsum, steel products, scrap, building materials, agricultural products and chilled cargo.

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Fit for a maritime future – smart, digital and green As in all aspects of business and people’s everyday lives, the maritime industry of the 21st century needs to adapt its modus operandi to utilise technological innovations and turn them into a viable business case. The digital age, with its smart solutions, provides tools to create a successful, growing and profitable business.

Technological advancement and success is driven by the ability of maritime companies to fully adapt the following principles – using smart and digital tools to simplify business processes, creating a favourable business environment, and doing this with a careful focus on sustainability and responsible usage of natural resources.

Smart and digital For a company servicing more than ten million passengers per year, ensuring smooth traffic for both people and vehicles is fundamental. Simple check-in and short waiting times, together with minimised wasted time and efficient management of queues – all this can be achieved with a modern Smart Port application.

Port of Tallinn has started testing its pilot project, which also addresses the congestion of trucks. Currently, vehicles bound for ships usually have to park in the port first, and boarding inevitably results in traffic jams. With the implementation of real-time waiting line systems, we will have the trucks stopping on the outskirts of the city centre, before being directed to vessels at exactly the right time. Thus, a smart solution not only shortens waiting times at port, but also reduces traffic loads and minimises air pollution.

For the industry as a whole, smart solutions at end customer points are a must-have tool, but for real efficiency gains the key is digitalisation. All of our communication channels are digital already, and the logistics sector is utilising well-functioning in-house digital platforms and solutions. But for a value chain that ranges across borders, and often includes tens of different companies, the often-encountered bottleneck results from the interconnection of IT-systems between different actors.

In Estonia, the core members of the infrastructure cluster have started developing an information system exchange layer called Single Window, which allows the logistics and

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Valdo Kalm, CEO Port of Tallinn

transportation sectors to communicate with each other in a paperless and secure way.

Such a solution would in essence be similar to an information system exchange layer called X-Road. Its core digital infrastructure allows the nation’s various e-services databases, both in the public and private sector, to link up and operate in harmony.

Caring and sustainable Another vital principle for a modern maritime company is sustainability. The maritime sector has previously been characterised as a ‘coal and steam’ industry for its high dependence on fossil fuels and high-energy consumption equipment. Traditionally this resulted in a large ecological footprint. However, in an era of an ever-stronger emphasis on finding new, eco-friendly and sustainable models, the sector is constantly looking for feasible ways to cater for the need for economic development, while also finding the most sustainable means.

In shipping, it is estimated that for every euro spent on business development offshore, it creates a socioeconomic return of about ten euros onshore. Therefore, every development that fosters cleaner and more sustainable business on the seas benefits societies and surrounding communities both financially, as well as morally.

In 2017, the first LNG-powered ferry was commissioned on the Tallinn-Helsinki route.

A ferry that produces 25 per cent less carbon dioxide, 85 per cent less nitrogen compounds, and practically no sulphuric compounds or soot particles marks the beginning of a new era in marine traffic.

‘Being Green’ cannot by any means be seen as jumping on a bandwagon or be used as simply a figure of speech. Being green means valuing sustainability and for any business entity, sustainability is the key to future development and success.

In conclusion, in all sectors, the prerequisite of success is the fast adaption of the opportunities technological innovation offers us. Being smart and digital, with a keen eye on sustainability, is the way forward in serving customers and reducing needless bottlenecks, which will not only have a direct impact on a businesses’ bottom line, but also benefits society as a whole.

Profile: Baltic Ports Organization

competitive both in terms of availability and pricing in the market. This vision has been supported by the successful completion of the first two phases of the ‘LNG in Baltic Sea Ports’ project, whose implementation framework began in 2012 and ran until 2015.

The project originated as a response to the International Maritime Organization’s decision to establish new sulphur content limits in marine fuels sailing in Emission Control Areas (covering the Baltic, the North Sea and the English Channel) from 1 January 2015.

Bogdan outlines the goals the BPO pursues in this project: “It is a good platform for us to present the port’s view and contribute to the promotion of LNG. We see LNG as one of the cleaner fuels ships can use in the future, and we believe that our activities can contribute to its wider use in the Baltic. Many of our ports have already devised plans on how to make LNG bunkering efficient, safe and feasible. Alas, the ship owners are still slow to show their interest in this means of fuelling.

Nevertheless, the Baltic ports want to send a clear signal that if anyone plans to build LNGfuelled ships, they are more than welcome to come to the Baltic.“ The establishment of bunker stations has been a key feature of the LNG project, and Bogdan updates us on the most recent developments: “Due to a new legal requirement, LNG is now to be bunkered from track cisterns. What is more, new LNG bunkering vessels are being planned, or already launched. It is also worth mentioning that some of the ports are planning onshore LNG stations, as well.”

Bogdan acknowledges that decisions about the EU’s next financial period (20212027) are already being made, and he sets the BPO’s participation in the following areas as a priority for this year: “We would like to focus on the dialogue we have with the

European Commission on the EU’s transport infrastructure funding scheme, and the role of the Baltic ports in it.” The organisation also maintains the view that it should attempt to influence the functioning of the CEF (Connecting Europe Facility) – a key EU funding instrument, in order to ensure that the projects targeting the development of the Baltic port industry, gain sufficient access to funding. Hence the BPO will take part in the public consultations on CEF2, starting in March 2018. “We would like to share our experience and give some advice on how the financing of the transport infrastructure on EU-level should be structured. We are currently preparing a report that we are going to present at the forum, highlighting

our findings from the CEF fund for the 20142020 financial period,” Bogdan clarifies. The BPO is also set to hold its annual debate in the European Parliament, in late-April, in which it will open up discussions surrounding past experiences and recommendations for the future of the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) policy. l

Baltic Ports Organization www.bpoports.com

• Established in 1991 • Actively proposes green policies for the Baltic port industry • Promotes LNG as an alternative fuel for ships

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Profile: aurigny

No island too

small L

ocated in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy, The Channel Islands are an archipelago steeped in history, famously passed to the English Crown upon the coronation of William the Conqueror as King of England in 1066, before being divided into two bailiwicks, the Bailiwick of Jersey and the Bailiwick of Guernsey, in the late 13th century. The latter consists of a group of vibrant, picturesque islands, and is home to a modern community and a fastpaced economy.

The northernmost of the inhabited Bailiwick islands, and indeed The Channel Islands as a whole, is Alderney. Three miles long and 1.5 miles wide, the island is the closest to both France and the United Kingdom, and is home to a population of just over 1900, as per figures collected in 2013. Alderney’s Norman name is ‘Aurigny’ and this is also the

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moniker adopted by the flag carrier airline of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, Aurigny.

“The business was founded by Sir Derrick Bailey in 1968, essentially to provide regular, scheduled air services to and from the island of Alderney, which we remain the only carrier currently doing so 50 years later,” explains Aurigny’s Commercial Director, Malcolm Coupar. In its first year of operations the airline carried approximately 45,000 passengers between Guernsey, Jersey and Alderney, but by the end of 2017, from its present-day base in Guernsey, it had surpassed 15.5m passengers.

The airline’s network of scheduled services not only fly inter-island between Guernsey and Alderney, but also to key destinations in the UK and Continental Europe, providing a lifeline for the island’s local communities, and their respective business and tourism sectors. “For 2018, our services from

Economical and flexible.

The Dornier 228 Advanced Commuter.

RUAG – a proud partner of Aurigny Air Services Ltd.

www.dornier228.com

RZ_Inserat_Land_Sea_&_Air_Magazine_A4.indd 1

10.01.18 17:09

Nordic Aviation Capital cordially congratulates Aurigny on their 50th anniversary

Profile: aurigny

Guernsey will reach out to London Gatwick, Manchester, East Midlands, Bristol, and Leeds Bradford and Norwich, which we added in 2016. Meanwhile, from Alderney we fly to Southampton,” Malcolm continues.

“Internationally we have a year-round service between Guernsey and Dinard in Northern France and seasonal services to Grenoble.”

What started as a small fleet of eight and nine seater Britten Norman twin propeller aircraft has understandably grown in line with the number of passengers and routes serviced by the airline. Today, the flagship of its fleet is arguably its 122 seat Embraer E195 jet, introduced in July 2014 to service Gatwick.

Joining this are two ATR 72-500 and one ATR 42-500 aircraft, and a fleet of Dornier aircraft.

Together the above-mentioned aircraft combine to serve the three main sectors that provide the life blood of The Channel Islands; the finance industry, the local community and tourism. “The finance industry is hugely important to Guernsey and is very dependent upon good, regular transport connections to the world,” Malcolm says. “What we do is provide that crucial link into London, via Gatwick, where passengers can then connect with the rest of the globe. By providing six flights a day in each direction, we provide our business passengers with a high degree of flexibility for when their own schedules change. At the same time, our services are not only offering the islands’ inhabitants the ability to migrate to and from the mainland, but also play a vital part in stimulating the tourism sector. It is only when all of these areas of the

travel market come together that we truly thrive collectively.”

With competing services coming in the form of not only rival airlines, Flybe for example operates to Guernsey from Southampton, Exeter, Birmingham and Cardiff, but also local ferry services to the south coast, the need for Aurigny to maintain the highest of customer service standards remains no less fundamental to its operations than any other aviation company.

“The standard of service that we offer our customers is second-to-none, which

is something that we are hugely proud of,” Malcolm enthuses. “We believe it is how we treat our customers at all times throughout their interaction with us that has seen the company come to be recognised by various industry bodies and observers.

This culminated in Aurigny coming third in the Telegraph Travel Awards for ‘The Best Short-Haul Airlines’ in December 2017, an achievement we then followed up just two weeks later by topping the Which? ‘Short Haul Airline Survey for 2017’.”

As it enters its 50th year in existence, the

Nordic Aviation

Nordic Aviation Capital (NAC) is the industry’s leading regional aircraft lessor serving over 70 customers across 48 countries. NAC provides commercial aircraft leasing, remarketing and third-party management services to leading carriers. With an active fleet of over 400 aircraft, NAC is the largest owner and lessor of ATR aircraft in the world, and is a prominent player in the E-Jet market. With offices in Ireland, Denmark, USA, Canada and Singapore, NAC is best situated to serve commercial aviation markets across the globe. Its current fleet includes ATR 42, ATR 72, Bombardier Dash 8, CRJ900, CRJ1000, CS300, E170, E175, E190 and E195.

For over 28 years NAC has been providing flexible, customised and competitive aviation solutions to airlines worldwide. The company boasts an energetic, committed and dedicated team of highly motivated individuals, providing an unmatched level of knowledge and expertise to its client base.

NAC warmly congratulates Aurigny on their 50th anniversary. Thank you for the privilege of working with you. We are proud to be a part of your success story. You have built a great enterprise, here’s to the future and to working together to keep delivering continued success.

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Profile: aurigny

company’s focus, first and foremost, is on consolidation and this means ensuring that the level of service it provides its passengers continues to improve. “One of the things we have recently put in play is the hiring of our own staff at Gatwick,” Malcolm states. “This is far and away our biggest route, making up around half of our total revenues, and to improve the passenger experience we have decided to end our reliance on third party businesses to provide our passenger handling services. In their place, we have employed our own people, using our own systems and this is an investment that we believe will make a very positive difference going forward.

“This initiative represents an example of how we are constantly focused on sharpening up the customer experience from start to finish, from reservations through to arrival, developing existing and new technology in order to improve communications and provide up-to-the-minute information to our passengers. We have already taken great strides in perfecting the customer experience over the last five decades, but it is exciting for us that there remains huge scope to improve things further still in the future.”

Another highlight over the coming months will be the arrival of a second Dornier 228NG, providing a further upgrade to Aurigny’s Alderney service, while early plans are also being laid out for a fleet replacement programme for its ATR fleet. This programme, which it is hoped will be realised over the next two years, would see the adoption of new ATR’s which include improved poor weather landing capability in the form of the Enhanced Vision System.

For an airline business for any size, reaching its 50th birthday is an incredible achievement. As Aurigny embarks on a year of celebration it can take great pride in the fact that, in an area where many others have tried and failed, it has displayed the traits needed to achieve continued success and progress. l

Aurigny www.aurigny.com Commercial Director, Malcolm Coupar

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• Flag carrier airline for the Bailiwick of Guernsey • Carried nine millionth passenger in 2017 • Celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2018

Profile: KLM UK Engineering Limited

The sky’s the Managing Director, Peter van der Horst

W

limit

ith an estimated 1.5 million people living within a 90-minute catchment area covering Norfolk, Suffolk and North Cambridgeshire, Norwich Airport is the busiest airport in the East Anglia region of the UK. Relocating to its present-day location on the site of a former RAF base in 1970, it today serves close to 500,000 passengers per year, flying to destinations including Manchester, Edinburgh, Jersey, Amsterdam, Alicante and Tenerife.

The same year that Norwich Airport first occupied what is now its home base, the airline that was known as Air Anglia was

formed from the merger of three operators – Anglian Air Charter, Norfolk Airways and Rig Air. Ten years on, it would itself enter into a merger with British Island Airways, Air Wales and Air Westward to form AirUK, which quickly became the biggest regional airline and the third largest scheduled operator in the UK. It was then in 1998, following a large-scale share purchase of AirUK by KLM, that the company was first rebranded to KLM UK, before ultimately becoming KLM UK Engineering Limited in 2003. Focused on heavy maintenance, it is today wholly owned by the AFI KLM E&M Network, and forms part of its worldwide subsidiary.

“KLM UK Engineering has built up its

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reputation within the marketplace by being experts in the field of narrow body and regional aircraft maintenance,” explains Managing Director, Peter van der Horst. “We are particularly well-known for the experience and knowledge we have built up by delivering services such as base maintenance, line maintenance, component sales, technical training and decommissioning with aircraft including Bae146/Avro RJ’s, Fokker 70/100’s, Boeing 737’s, and most recently Airbus’ A320’s and the Embraer 170/190 EJet.” Through continuous investment in lean principles, KLM UK Engineering ensures that its customers receive excellent products and services, delivered via outstanding technical skill and to exacting quality requirements. These services are provided from its five fully equipped modern heavy maintenance bays across three hangars. Also present is an extensive on-site workshop supporting all base maintenance activities, providing industry leading standards when it comes to modifications, repairs, overhaul, NDT, paint shop, trim bay, and composite and component repairs.

With Norwich Airport’s excellent links to Europe making it easy for KLM UK Engineering’s customers to fly in for maintenance it has provided the perfect base for the company’s operations for more than 40 years. In that time, it has built up a workforce of approximately 370 people across its maintenance and support departments, with many having been originally trained as apprentices and its longest serving team member having been with the company for 43 years.

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Profile: KLM UK Engineering Limited

Believing firmly in the idea of ‘growing its own’, KLM UK Engineering has played an important role in helping to inspire and train the next generation of aviation engineers for over 30 years, and has recently moved into a new facility dubbed International Aviation Academy – Norwich. “This brand new, purpose built facility houses not only classrooms and workshops for students, but also a live Boeing 737 Classic Generation aircraft within the emulation zone, which allows students to get hands on,” Peter enthuses. “This new facility is located next to the existing maintenance hangars making it an inspirational place to work and study, and close to the main hub of the business.”

The company also works in partnership with various colleges and universities to deliver apprenticeships and degree programmes that incorporate EASA courses and the B1.1 Licence. “In recent years, we have also developed a variety of online training courses, which include EASA CAT A, B 1.1 and B2 Licence, Fuel Tank Safety, Human Factors and Electrical Wiring Interconnect System (EWIS),” Peter adds. “These can be

studied anywhere, anytime via our Virtual Learning Environment (VLE), which was launched a couple of years ago to great feedback from its users.”

As Peter goes on to note, a few years ago the aviation industry identified a global shortage of aircraft engineers and this is a skills gap that urgently needs to be filled. “We are committed to, and passionate about, training the next wave of engineers and we have been making this a reality through a combination of our own apprenticeship scheme, degree programmes and the retraining of existing industry engineers. We believe strongly in the need to support our engineers, running a night school to help them to gain relevant qualifications, and we also look to embrace the knowledge and skills possessed by the high percentage of exmilitary personnel that we have in our ranks.”

As the company navigates the first few months of 2018, the plan is very much to continue down the path that it has carved

out for itself in recent years. “Our focus will remain fixed in the short-to-medium term on staff engagement and operational excellence, as this has proven to be the best way of providing our customers with the best service and experience,” Peter concludes. “In the longer run, our level of experience when it comes to working with newer aircraft will continue to develop and will allow us to further promote our aircraft type training courses to both individuals and the wider industry.” l

KLM UK Engineering Limited www.klmukengineering.com • Leading regional aircraft and narrow body MRO • Wholly owned by AFI KLM E&M Network • 2017 turnover of almost £30 million

Liberator Road, Norwich International Airport, Norwich, NR6 6ER, UNITED KINGDOM Phone: +44 (0)1603 254400 • Email: jobs@klmuk.com • training@klmuk.com • sales@klmuk.com

@klmukecareers @afiklmem

KLM UK EngineeringLimited

@klmukengineering

@klmukecareers @klmuke

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&

Land,Sea Air

Incorporating Shipping & Marine

Schofield Publishing Limited Unit 10, Cringleford Business Centre, Intwood Road, Cringleford, Norwich, NR4 6AU, UK Tel: +44 (0) 1603 274130 Fax: +44 (0) 1603 274131 Editor: Libbie Hammond libbie@schofieldpublishing.co.uk Managing Director: Joe Woolsgrove jwoolsgrove@schofieldpublishing.co.uk