201510 oct

OCTOBER 2015

www.endeavourmagazine.com

NEC

Bright Futures

Eqstra Fleet Management

Being A Company Of Change

Arabian Sugar Company

The Sweet Taste Of Success

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EDITOR’S NOTE Heads of Departments Editor in Chief Daemon Sands daemonsands@littlegatepublishing.com Director General Don Campbell doncampbell@littlegatepublishing.com Editorial Research Manager Alex Smith alexsmith@littlegatepublishing.com Sales Director Tyler Harrison tylerharrison@littlegatepublishing.com Sales Manager Emlyn Freeman emlynfreeman@littlegatepublishing.com

C

hina has certainly caused a lot of excitement recently, putting pressure on the States and Britain; however, the market largely shrugged it all off and rebounded strongly at the end of the week to actually post a gain

of over half a percent. Global analytics still show that the Dow is down for the year by almost 2%.

The risks to the global economies continue to exist but the market, for the time being, wants to look past them. The actions by the Chinese government, which have been almost panicked are being discounted as actions that will enable the Chinese currency to become a tradable currency just like the Euro, the Pound and the Dollar. Some believe that the Chinese government used this as cover for what they were actually doing which was attempting to provide strong stimulus for a rapidly declining economy.

Commercial Manager Kaye Kalu kayekalu@littlegatepublishing.com

It’s important to point out that no economy is immune from recessions not

Corporate Director Anthony Letchumaman anthonyl@littlegatepublishing.com

countries that are barely getting by are so reliant upon the Chinese economy

Lead Designer Alina Sandu studio@littlegatepublishing.com Publisher Stephen Warman stevewarman@littlegatepublishing.com

even that of the Chinese but the problem is of course that so many of the for their growth. If China falters, they will probably go under.

With Portugal, Italy, Spain, Greece, Iceland and Ireland being bailed out because there was sufficient money to do so while on the horizon we have Puerto Rico, Brazil, and Argentina that are now essentially bankrupt. There are many other countries that have not made the news that are equally close, if

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not there already. If the number of countries that cannot pay their debt gets

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businesses feeding into that government and this is where you can see the

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Littlegate Publishing Ltd does not accept responsibility for omissions or errors. The points of view expressed in articles

out of hand, confidence will be shaken and that is when everyone runs for the exits.

Yet, while global growth has been choked due to the global debt with repayments using up all of their excess reserves leaving nothing to grow their economies. This places strain on governments but huge pressure on the most hope.

Whenever there is business growth, business diversification and investment it is a source of light and this month it didn’t take us long to find it.

by attributing writers and/or in advertisements included in this

We have EqstraFleet in South Africa who have invested heavily in their digital

magazine do not necessarily represent those of the publisher.

reformation to better serve their customers with what has already been noted

Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead is purely coincidental. Whilst every effort is made to ensure the accuracy

as an ever-efficient system. National Energy in Trinidad and Tobago and the

of the information contained within this magazine, no legal

Saudi Paper Manufacturing Company who are focussing heavily on their

responsibility will be accepted by the publishers for loss arising

employee developments as investments for the future.

from use of information published. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or stored in a retrievable

A strength of a country is surely not in its government but in its businesses

system or transmitted in any form or by any means without the

which form the riverbed upon which the tides of government flow.

prior written consent of the publisher.

Copyright © Littlegate Publishing Ltd 2015

Cover image ©CERN Endeavour Magazine | 3

CONTENTS

23

Saudi Paper Manufacturing Company

FEATURES

11

Pizza Boys

4 | Endeavour Magazine

11 Pizza Boys

Share A Slice Of The Pie! 17 Arabian Sugar Company

The Sweet Taste Of Success 23 Saudi Paper Manufacturing Company

Perfect On Paper 29 NEC

Bright Futures 35 Eqstra Fleet Management

Being A Company Of Change 43 TCM

Invested On The Roadways Of The Nation 53 United Cable Industries Company Ltd

Laying Cables 57 Merx Construction

Directing Asia’s Construction Industry 63 Trans Africa Projects

High Voltage 69 TSK Grupo

Sunshine For Years To Come 75 MODEC

The Demands Of The Energy Industry 81 Guyana Water Incorporated

Reducing Poverty Amongst Guyanans

47

United Cable Industries Company Ltd

ARTICLES 3 Editor’s Note 6 Business Headlines 48 Automotives

Alfa Romeo Giulietta: Stylish And Small 84 Gadgets 88 Travel

Chasing A Legend Into The Jungle 92 Book Reviews 94 Spotlight: The Famous Company

The UK’s Number One Music Agency

51

Trans Africa Projects Endeavour Magazine | 5

BUSINESS HEADLINES

MILLIONS OF REMOTE WORKERS TO BE AFFECTED BY EU WORKING TIME REGULATIONS

T

he European Court of Justice has ruled that workers who don’t

the home health and social care sector. Once employers add on

have a fixed office should be paid for travel time when travelling

the daily travelling time, they could also be in breach of national

to and from their first and last appointments. Thousands of

minimum wage regulations. Recording travelling time as work could

employers may now be in breach of working time regulations.

be a difficult task for companies without responsive time software.”

The court’s decision is said to affect millions of workers

IQTimecard’s fully integrated system monitors the remote

employed in the care industry, domicile cleaning sector, contractors

workforce, using ECM (Electronic Call Monitoring) to calculate time

and repairmen and many more. It is designed to ensure no employee

worked and then determines the payroll accordingly. The bespoke

works more than 48 hours per week and it could mean employees

web-based system also has a mileage function, which can determine

see a rise in wages depending on how far they have to travel to

how far employees have to travel between each appointment. This

appointments. IQTimecard is helping affected employers manage

can also be used to work out travel time and can be added to

the new regulations with its remote worker management software,

the payroll at the touch of a button, reducing the stress this new

which can calculate mileage at the click of a button.

regulation could bring to management.

The ruling applies to any worker who does not have a fixed

Robin added, “Employers who are trying to reduce the effect

office, who travels to their places of work from home. It will also

on budgets will already be thinking of tactics to try and minimise

only apply to the first and last appointment of the worker’s day, so

the disruption. For example, managers could re-schedule working

not all travel time will have to be paid.

days to ensure first and last appointments are closer to each staff

Robin Huxley, Marketing Executive at IQTimecard explains, “This is going to be a huge shake up for certain sectors such as 6 | Endeavour Magazine

member’s home. Whatever action is needed, IQTimecard software is adaptable and can lighten the load of admin work.”

GRIPEN NG CONTRACT WITH BRAZIL BECOMES EFFECTIVE

O

“Our partnership with Brazilian industry strengthens Saab’s position in Latin America and supports our strategy for growth through industrial co-operation,”

n 27 October 2014 Saab announced the conclusion of a

October 2014, also comes into

contract with the Brazilian Federal Government for the

effect today.

development and production of 36 Gripen NG aircraft. The

says Håkan Buskhe, President and CEO of Saab.

“Through the Gripen NG

contract has now come into effect, as all required conditions have

programme,

been fulfilled. Today, the order value of approximately SEK39.3

to

billion is booked by Saab as order intake. Gripen NG deliveries to

relations between Brazil and

the Brazilian Air Force will be undertaken from 2019 to 2024

Sweden. I am confident that

build

we on

the

continue industrial

The associated industrial co-operation contract (including

this important programme will

technology transfer to Brazilian industries), which was signed in

serve as a platform for new business and contribute to the growth of both the Brazilian and Swedish industry,” says Marcus Wallenberg, Chairman of Saab’s Board of Directors.

The

technology

programme

will

transfer further

contribute to the development of an independent, advanced defence

industrial

base

in

Brazil. Brazilian engineers and technicians will come to Saab for education and on-the job training in Sweden starting in October 2015.

ATLAS COPCO AGAIN INCLUDED IN DOW JONES SUSTAINABILITY INDEX

A

tlas Copco, a leading provider of sustainable

companies

productivity solutions, was listed in the

investment opportunity by demonstrating an

Dow Jones Sustainability Europe Index for

ability to manage sustainability issues. The

2015/2016. The prestigious index highlights

companies were also analysed on factors

companies that are both sustainability driven

such as climate strategy, labour practices,

and attractive for investors.

occupational health and safety and strategy for

“Showing

leadership

in

sustainability,

that

represent

an

attractive

emerging markets.

through our energy-efficient products and

The DJSI listing is based on research by

strong code of conduct, gives our business

RobecoSAM, a specialised and renowned

a competitive edge,” said Mala Chakraborti,

investment group. Sustainability leaders are

Atlas

known to outperform their peers financially in

Copco’s

Vice

President

Corporate

Responsibility. “We feel very proud to see this value creation confirmed with our inclusion in the index.”

the long term.

Earlier this year Atlas Copco was ranked number 11 globally in the Newsweek Green

It is the fifth year in a row that Atlas Copco is

Rankings, one of the world’s foremost rankings

included in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index.

for corporate sustainability. The company was

The DJSI Europe index includes only the

also recognised by the annual Global 100 list,

top 20% of the many hundreds of publicly

presented at the World Economic Forum in

listed companies based in the region that were

Davos, Switzerland, as one of the world’s most

assessed. The index has identified and measured

sustainable companies.

TRAVEL

The Phillipines Endeavour Magazine | 7

HOW DO YOU ACCESS YOUR FINANCIAL INFORMATION WHEN LIVING ABROAD?

H

elping those that are living in far flung locations is the fact that technology

has become a large part of our lives and can be harnessed in a way which brings access to information which we

have

never been able to utilise before.

Banks

and

financial

institutions the world over have invested heavily in ensuring that the security of their online systems is maintained, enabling customers and clients to interact with their personal financial information without the fear of being compromised.

mobile phone – more than have a toilet, according to a recent UN

ways that we could never have

Technology has advanced

study. In time that will become a smartphone, probably in two to five

imagined a few years ago and

exponentially over recent years

years from now. Smartphones are changing the way we shop and

for expats this means a lot less

and the figures for global online

make financial decisions.

to worry about in terms of how

users speak for themselves; in

Research conducted by the US Federal Reserve in 2013 into

to organise their financial life

the year 2000 there were only

Consumers and Mobile Financial Services revealed that 87% of the

without having to waste valuable

361 million internet users; by the

US public owns a mobile phone, 61% of these are smartphones, and

time on too much admin.

end of 2014, according to the

that 27% of the data sample said they used their smartphone for

Results from the 2013 Expat

UN, that figure was predicted to

tracking their finances. Bearing in mind this was a broad based study

Survey*, which asked people

be 10 times higher at over three

across all socio-demographic groups, it is safe to assume that the

how they like to interact with

billion – and the number has

percentage would be somewhat higher among a more concentrated

providers of services (including

grown by over 50% in the last

sample of people who are more fully engaged with technology,

financial)

four years alone.

business and finance.

information showed that:

Over six billion of the world’s

So the way we all interact with the outside world and companies

seven billion people have a

with whom we have an established relationships has moved on in

The research

and majority

to

research of

people

information

online

JOTACHAR’S SAFETY, TIME AND COST BENEFITS DRIVE HUGE SALES VOLUMES IN THE OIL AND GAS INDUSTRY Jotachar JF750, the industry’s first mesh-free Passive Fire Protection (PFP) epoxy coating system for structural steel, is rapidly setting new standards in the oil and gas sector – in terms of both its benefits and sales volumes. Launched just two years ago by Jotun, the groundbreaking performance coating has already attracted substantial orders from some of the biggest names in the industry.

Jotun is happy to confirm that “many millions of kilograms” of Jotachar JF750 have already been installed since launch, now protecting key assets. One recent project award will consume over half a million kilograms for a major Middle-East operator choosing Jotachar to protect two large offshore units against a broad range of fire scenarios, including jet fires.

“These significant volumes are an indication of the interest Jotachar JF750 has generated in the market,” states Global PFP Sales Director Performance Coatings, Andy Czainski. “Third party 8 | Endeavour Magazine

with 70% accessing information

of international investment products, security and control can be

via their desktop PC, 8% via

guaranteed at the touch of a button.

smartphone, 15% via tablet and 62% use video chat and calling The people who said that they use video chat feel that the

Interaction with an advisor can be online as well as face-toface/over the phone and even application procedures have become more streamlined with the ability to submit completed forms and paperwork online.

relationship with the provider,

No matter where you are in the world, as long as you have an

particularly of financial services,

Internet connection and a PC, laptop, tablet or smartphone, you can

is strengthened by the use of

get access to all the information you need securely and at lightning

phone and video calling and that

speed. This is particularly essential for those working as expats, as

they have a preference to build

with transience comes a need for convenience of access and this

relationships via these means

can now be easily provided given the advances of technology over

if face-to-face contact is not

recent years.

available.

Skype video calling or Google hangouts are also good

Methods

of

imparting

communication alternatives when distance is involved and this is

have

changed

something we utilise often when needed, although our preference

exponentially over the years and

is, where possible, via face-to-face meetings. There are many

now the use of technology is an

companies operating in this marketplace who do not offer this option

essential part of the financial

and operate solely online, however we believe that it is necessary to

services

especially

establish a professional and personal relationship with our clients, in

when it comes to clients and

order to fully understand their needs and requirements. We also find

customers being able to securely

that it is very convenient for clients to have their advisor visit them

access information.

at work or at home – rather like having a peripatetic financial advisor

information

industry,

The institutions we work

delivered straight to your desktop or doorstep.

with at Churchill & Partners

Whilst we fully embrace all the modern methods of

all provide clients with direct

communication which are now available to us, sometimes the

log-ins to their accounts via

personal touch is more effective and more desirable for many clients.

a user interface, providing up

Any time that a consultant is not available straightaway, we have

to the minute valuations and

great back-up in the form of client services and administration at our

statements and by using the

head office, which means that there is always someone available to

best and most secure providers

answer any query.

data and customer experience

extreme requirements through rigorous independent tests,

has

actually outlasting the high heat flux test facility during a recent

shown

that

Jotachar

reduces risk, time and cost

witnessed test,” he adds.

during installation and increases

While increased safety and reduced risk continue to be the

safety during operation. Major

primary objectives among operators, the current cost focus in the

Oil

are

oil industry underlines the appeal of technologies that are proven

approaching us to protect their

to help meet project budgets and schedules. Recent project wins

high-value assets.”

confirm this, says Czainski.

&

Gas

companies

“There is a drive in the

“With oil hovering around the USD 50 mark, reducing

industry to provide protection

downtime is more critical than ever. This is especially the case

for higher risk assets against

on maintenance projects, where operators are seeking every

the most intense high heat

opportunity to fast track their assets back to production. In this

flux jet fire scenarios. Jotachar

climate, a fire protection system that is proven to cut application

has proven that it is more than

time by up to 60%, while improving safety, is very attractive to

capable of exceeding these

asset owners and installers alike.”

BOOK REVIEWS

10 | Endeavour Magazine

PIZZA BOYS WWW.PIZZABOYS.COM 001 868 225 5200

SHARE A SLICE OF THE PIE! WRITTEN BY JACK SLATER

Since 1986, Pizza Boys has been serving the best pies on the islands, establishing themselves as the first choice for the world famous and world regarded Italian dish. A product of hard work, consistent effort and great vision they are now easily recognised as the number one selling pizza brand in Trindad and Tobago.

Endeavour Magazine | 11

PIZZA BOYS

With 19 stores throughout the country, as well as recent

additions in St. Kitts, St Lucia and Guyana, they are set on expanding throughout the Caribbean and with such a positive reputation and loyal customers their growth is practically assured.

T

his growth is further supported by the size and experience of the umbrella company that they belong to. Owned by the same franchising company that own the Caribbean’s Ritual

Coffee House, Pizza Boys has become a perfect place to enjoy hot pizza.

Considering the popularity of pizza, a meal that has become synonymous with enjoyment, fun and pleasure, Pizza Boys has been on a winner for almost three decades, combining delicious, hot pizza with clean, well thought out seating and children’s play areas to tick all the boxes of a successful night out.

“More than just a pizza place, Pizza Boys is a popular family style restaurant that serves every family’s favourites,” says Norman Sabga Aboud Managing Director and Founder of Pizza Boys Group of companies.

Of Syrian descent, Norman’s father, Anthony Sabga-Aboud, served as Trinidad and Tobago ambassador to Jamaica and Guyana in the 1960s and therefore Norman grew up in Canada and in Trinidad. A man of notable education, Norman went to high school in Leamington, Ontario aged 14 and after Grade 12, he continued his studies and earned a BA (Hons) in Business Management from the Univeristy of Western Ontario. In 1985 he earned his MBA from Boston University, where he placed in the top 15 percent of his class.

For Norman it has always been important to provide the best for his customers and as such The Pizza Boys Group includes Pizza

12 | Endeavour Magazine

PIZZA BOYS

Boys pizza restaurants, Burger Boys hamburger restaurants, Donut

would they? They want to provide vibrant excursions for their

Boys bakeries, Rituals Coffee, Wok and Roll and Imperial Chinese

families and this is why Pizza Boys Group develops menus and

restaurants, Vie de France French restaurants and the Trinidad and

prepares meals that add joy to the lives of their customers. By being

Tobago franchises of Captain D’s seafood and Church’s Chicken.

vibrant and family orientated, the job of the employee to sell the

“We operate franchises throughout most of the English speaking Caribbean,” he says.

pizza becomes that much easier.

“We are a national leader in sales growth and bottom line

He goes on to attest that pizza is always a guaranteed crowd

performance,” Norman says, “Which says it all because, like any

pleaser and with the extensive experience of numerous successful

business, there are other companies and franchises vying for the

outlets in Trinidad and Tobago, they are confident that their new

consumer market.”

franchises will equally delight pizza lovers at their new locations.

Thanks to the ease with which people can now access the

There is a secret to the food industry that Norman reveals and

Internet it is impossible for restaurants to cut corners or allow

it is simply listening to what the employees say. With over 1200

any sort of shoddy service. Whatever food is being served, the

employees across the franchises he recognised the importance of

presentation of that meal has to be picture perfect because if it

having open communication from day one because the staff are

looks scrumptious there is a chance one of the customers may take

directly in contact with the customers and it is the priority of the

a picture and post it online and of course this will help spread the

management to make the employee’s job as simple and straight

word of their quality. There is only a small chance this will happen

forward as possible.

before the food is eaten, which is normal and expected. However,

“No detail is too small,” he reveals, “And it is the smallest changes that can have the biggest results.”

For example, however delicious and well cooked the Pizza Boy pizzas may be they will never be considered ‘fine dining’ and why

14 | Endeavour Magazine

should the meal be poorly presented or even worse, poorly cooked, there is almost a 100% chance that a customer will upload a picture of it to the Internet.

“Even before the Internet of things, the presentation of all my

food and the cleanliness of our kitchens and the conduct of my

doesn’t matter. Every one of his franchises needs to be fighting to

staff have been of the highest attainable standard,” Norman says

be the best.

proudly.

“Franchising has been central to the development and the

Indeed, the reviews of Pizza Boys on sites like Tripadvisor are

growth,” he says, “The brand recognition alone in Trinidad and

very positive involving important catchwords like “happy families”

Tobago is impressive and with our expansion in three new countries,

and “quiet children” and “happy playrooms”.

our unique products and procedures puts us as a cut above the

Open during the day and specialising in grill, much of their daily

rest.”

trade is the family market dealing with kids and so to give parents

He goes on to point out though that every franchisee who

the chance to enjoy their meal, the children’s play centre plays a

is included needs to be of the right calibre and have the correct

very large part in part of the visit to the restaurants. This is one of

experience to run a Pizza Boy and a number of things have to be

the aspects that is mentioned frequently in online reviews; that the

taken into consideration prior to a store being built anywhere.

business, in all its guises, anticipates children wanting to play and parents wanting to be able to relax.

“The setting is very casual,” Norman says, “While the conduct of staff is highly professional. It is important that we stand for good food, family fun and good standards of tasty food and safety.”

“Location is very important,” he says, “And this is not only regarding the place where the restaurant is but who the mainstay of the clientele will be. It has to all work together if it is going to be worthwhile.”

Throughout the year, Pizza Boys provides product training and

FRANCHISEE

support for their franchisees as well as structured plans to ensure

A chain is only as strong as its weakest link and it only takes

the successful development of individual pizza shops.

one poorly reviewed franchise to cause the entire chain trouble.

Why some may argue that Pizza Boys has reached a level where

“This is a proven concept,” Norman says, “We’ve been doing this for almost three decades and we’re here to stay.”

they would be immune to such a thing, Norman is adamant that it

Endeavour Magazine | 15

16 | Endeavour Magazine

ARABIAN SUGAR COMPANY WWW.ASCSUGAR.COM 973 17509999

THE SWEET TASTE OF SUCCESS WRITTEN BY AMY TOCKNELL

The first sugar refinery in Bahrain, the Arabian Sugar Company is embarking on an exciting expansion and development initiative that will see the local economy flourishing.

Endeavour Magazine spoke with prominent managerial force, Dr. Yves El Mallat, to find out more.

Endeavour Magazine | 17

ARABIAN SUGAR COMPANY

When any relatively new organisation announces expansion and

development plans, one thing is for certain; they are doing well. Having been founded in 2009, the Arabian Sugar Company (ASC) has wasted absolutely no time in dominating the market and making great strides thanks to identifying a clear gap in the industry. Before ASC, there was no sugar refinery in Bahrain, meaning that the company could, essentially, write its own rulebook and dictate its own activities. Dr. Yves El Mallat, Chief Executive Officer told us more.

“T

he refinery construction project was completed in 2013, with commissioning carried out in the last quarter.

Commercial Production began in the first quarter of

2014. Sugar refining and export by sea were the main focus for us, during planning and construction of the refinery and export still remains the key focus of sales for ASC. However, utilising the King Fahad Causeway is now a focused route for the delivery of sugar since commercial production started. We also explore other projects through economic feasibility studies.�

By remaining firmly focussed on the core activity of refining raw cane sugar, ASC can ensure that customers are supplied in a timely fashion, with a product that not only meets but also exceeds their expectations and demands. Always staying at the forefront of technological advancements helps with this mandate, but the buoyancy of the industry is an uncontrollable force that can have a big impact. “The sugar industry is currently under intense pressure.

World sugar prices, along with the refinery premiums have fallen.

Efficiencies and cost savings are a key priority to mitigate losses caused by the drop in sugar prices. Regional competition is also gathering pace. ASC is the third major refinery in the GCC region and since our first commercial production, a fourth refinery has also started production, with further refineries in the planning stages.

Whilst the sugar demand for the region currently exceeds its own

18 | Endeavour Magazine

refining capabilities, competition still exists for the long-term contracts to major food manufacturers and customers in the area.�

Though constant demand for a product could be seen as a guarantee of future contracts, Makki Al Zainaldin, Administration and Human Resources General Manager makes it clear that ASC takes nothing for granted, including the team of dedicated workers that they have in situ. With a current workforce of 180, he emphasises that standards compliance is vital, not only for successful sugar production, but also the safety and wellbeing of all team members; “All refinery staff members receive training for work related activities, along with food safety training and health and safety training. For example, first aiders and fire marshals have been trained to international standards and some members of staff have been selected for ISO standard internal audit training in order to help maintain the ISO certifications the company currently holds.�

As we said, nothing is taken for granted from the enviable industry position that ASC holds, through to the happiness and

ASC has selected EURODIA, specialized in the design of innovative process solutions dedicated to the sugar industry, as its partner for the supply of the decolorization workshop of Bahrain refinery. The optimized combination of separation technologies (IEX, NF and evaporation) developed by Eurodia has indeed demonstrated its costefficiency and industrial reliability to produce the highest sugar quality.

development of the staff that keep that company moving forward.

We asked Makki how important staff development is to the

ZAC St Martin, Impasse St Martin, 84120 - Pertuis, FRANCE Tel +33 (0)4 90 08 75 00, Fax +33 (0)4 90 08 75 19

www.eurodia.com

Eurodia designs, builds, commissions, and maintains complete process lines, with a strong commitment to maximum product quality and minimal environmental impact.

Endeavour Magazine | 19

ARABIAN SUGAR COMPANY

management team and what it offers the company as a whole;

maintaining their satisfaction is not something to be taken lightly.

“This is an extremely important aspect for the company, so

With this in mind, a high quality product being delivered on time

detailed employee appraisals are carried out to help identify further

is a given, which is followed up by a dedicated after sales service

training needs. Development of the staff in their roles and for the

mandate. Only through these initiatives can customers be expected

future means the company can identify future stars of the company

to return time and time again.

and also offer avenues of opportunity for the local educated

Dr. El Mallat also said the future holds a lot of promise for

workforce along with fresh graduates, in particular engineering and

ASC, despite new competitors springing up regularly. In a bid to

chemical engineering graduates from Bahraini Institutions.”

retain its grasp on the market, the company is not only invested an

With so many organisations keen to appear to be focused on the wellbeing, development and progression of staff it is not

impressive $200 million into the construction of its new refinery, it is also seeking to diversify;

uncommon to hear of such initiatives, but when you consider that

“New product development is happening with the introduction

the new expansion plans will see the workforce increasing by an

of extra fine sugar to our product range. This product will give ASC

extra 100 team members, most of which will be local Bahrainis,

another route to market, specifically for large food manufacturers

it becomes clear that this is not just another sound byte. In fact,

that require small grain sugar for their processes and products.

ASC is a rare combination of successful, mindful and supportive,

We have also been carrying out feasibility studies for the

making it the ideal employer and the kind of company that similarly

expansion of storage capacities and automation of bagging

upstanding organisations seek to work with.

capabilities on site. This will bring about increased efficiencies in

Of course, customers are also a high priority for ASC and

20 | Endeavour Magazine

what is looking to be a difficult climate.”

Keen to not put the company in a tenuous position, Dr. El Mallat explained that the management team is adept at finding the best solutions for the lowest costs. With such a firm grasp on the finances, there can be no doubt that ASC will weather any storm that may come and do so with restraint, financial security and a deep understanding of the market.

Success really doesn’t come much sweeter than ASC’s story, but it is no fairy tale. The result of careful industry navigation, dedicated and compliant staff and an ability to focus on the now while always thinking about the future, ASC really are showing everyone how it’s done.

“

Development of the staff in their roles and for the future means the company can identify future stars of the company and also offer avenues of opportunity for the local educated workforce along with fresh graduates, in particular engineering and chemical engineering graduates from Bahraini Institutions.”

Endeavour Magazine | 21

22 | Endeavour Magazine

SAUDI PAPER MANUFACTURING COMPANY WWW.SAUDIPAPER.COM 00966 13 812 1016

PERFECT ON PAPER WRITTEN BY AMY TOCKNELL

Saudi Paper Manufacturing Company is an operation that demonstrates just how far considered planning and targeted diversification can get you in the business world and incorporating three factions, it is certainly an impressive set up. Endeavour spoke with Dr. Adel Ezzat, CEO, to find out the secret to perfect paper success.

Endeavour Magazine | 23

SAUDI PAPER MANUFACTURING COMPANY

Made up of the paper company itself, Saudi Recycling Company (SRC) and Saudi Paper Converting Company (SPCC), Saudi Paper Manufacturing Company (SPMC) has a lot on it’s plate, but the gargantuan task ahead of them does not phase the highly experienced and forthright management team.

I

n fact, these companies are merely the tip of the diversification iceberg, with it also wholly owning paper collection and recycling operations throughout the UEA, Morocco, Bahrain, Jordan and

Algeria. It’s fast becoming clear that this is no SME, but an enormous operation that is geared for high turnover and impressive success.

Dr. Adel Ezzat commented; “The Saudi Paper Manufacturing Company (SPMC) is considered to be one of the leading tissue paper manufacturers in the Arab World. Its business activity is mainly the manufacture of high quality tissue paper to meet the needs of local and international markets. In addition, SPMC helps the environment and benefits the community through its interest in paper recycling and reducing its reliance on virgin pulp, which is manufactured through the consumption of forest trees. SPMC is committed to holistically developing its activities and manufacturing capabilities through

its

interdependent

recycling,

manufacturing

and

converting operations. These interdependencies contribute to the development of the group’s performance and sources of income.”

Essentially, SPMC is a one-stop shop for paper recycling, production and development, making it something of an industry inspiration. Naturally, all companies seek to become an independent that is solely reliant on its own resources and processes, but few manage to accomplish this, often due to the enormous financial 24 | Endeavour Magazine

capital that would be required. This poses little problem for SPMC however, as it also owns the Saudi Investment and Industrial Development Company, which seeks out viable investment opportunities the world over. Is there anything this organisation can’t do?

The largest manufacturer of tissue rolls in the Middle East, SPMC is proud to highlight the fact that SRC is considered to be one of the most credible recycling organisations in the region, adding gravitas to an already sterling reputation. With their vision being, “To be among the fastest growing companies that contribute to the enrichment of our shareholders’ wealth and the preservation of the environment through enterprising in various regional tissue paper companies”, there is little doubt that aspirations are not only being met, but actively bettered.

Discussing the values of SPMC, it becomes clear that equal importance is placed on every facet, with consideration for shareholders not coming at the detriment of the environment or

“

Our values are as follows: our shareholders love us for growing their wealth, customers prefer our high product quality and diversity, suppliers value us for fairness, markets respect our integrity and we are friends of the environment”

the quality of products produced; “Our values are as follows: Our shareholders love us for growing their wealth, customers prefer our high product quality and diversity, suppliers value us for fairness, markets respect our integrity and we are friends of the environment”

Endeavour Magazine | 25

SAUDI PAPER MANUFACTURING COMPANY

The key thing to note here is that alongside capital gain,

undoubtedly cutting-edge and increasingly necessary technology.”

customer satisfaction, environmental responsibility and integrity

With no signs of slowing down or sitting back and letting

are all listed among the key values of day-to-day operations,

the already incredible reputation and success of SPMC carry the

something that a surprising number of large corporations still fail

company through the next few years, it is safe to say that things

to live up to. Speaking of environmental concerns, Ezzat expanded

are only going to get better and bigger. Having purchased another

on the importance of SRC;

large paper producing machine, the team is in the process of

“One of the primary activities of Saudi Paper Manufacturing

simultaneously upgrading existing technology to keep up with

Company is the collection of waste paper, which has a positive

demand and new developments, making it a more than just a

impact on the environment and society as a whole. Waste paper

serious contender in the business world. In fact, despite dealing

is defined as used newspapers, magazines, books and cartons.

exclusively with paper, this is one heavyweight corporation that

This type of waste represents up to 33% of total waste in some

looks set to always come out fighting for success.

countries, which could negatively impact the environment, if not properly handled. The Saudi Paper Manufacturing Company is committed to continuously increasing its reliance on waste paper as a major factor of production in its manufacturing operations.

It has clearly demonstrated this through its investments in paper de-inking technology and waste paper collection centres that are dispersed throughout the Arab world.”

With a deep felt commitment to not only diversifying but also developing its activities, in a holistic way, SPMC is looking to the future with optimism and a keen eye, not to mention a finger on the technological pulse as it is initiating the largest Cloud computing project in MENA paper industry history.

“The project will mark the company out as one of the region’s most innovative businesses full stop, establishing vital operational processes in the Cloud as it seeks to fuel business expansion through greater efficiency and innovation. Phase one of the project will see SPMC, which is one of the one of the leading tissue paper manufacturers in the Arab world, adopt the SAP Enterprise Resource Planning solution. Subsequent phases will introduce SAP Advanced Planner and Optimiser, Manufacturing Integration & Intelligence, Business Intelligence, Business Planning and Consolidation into the mix. All solutions will be hosted on the SAP HANA® Cloud Platform, which drives optimal performance through the power of real-time, in-memory computing. SPMC is the first SAP client in the MENA region to invest in the SAP HANA® Cloud Platform.”

Helping to significantly expand the SPMC reach throughout the kingdom and the wider GCC region, this is no small endeavour and Abdullah Al-Enazi, one of the most senior executives at SPMC, acknowledged as such; “SPMC has an aggressive expansion programme and we need to have systems in place that can scale and support our ambitions.

To truly deliver on our growth targets, we need a platform that can serve as a scalable enabler of innovation in real-time and that brings with it the flexibility and simplicity that only the Cloud can offer.

The SAP HANA® Cloud Platform is a one of a kind solution, and we are proud to be the first company in MENA to fully embrace what is

26 | Endeavour Magazine

Valmet is the leading global developer and supplier of technologies, automation and services for the pulp, paper and energy industries. Valmet’s vision is to become the global champion in serving its customers.

Valmet’s services cover everything from maintenance outsourcing to mill and plant improvements and spare parts. The strong technology offering includes pulp mills, tissue, board and paper production lines, as well as power plants for bio-energy production. Valmet’s advanced automation solutions range from single measurements to mill wide turnkey automation projects.

Our 12,000 professionals around the world work close to our customers and are committed to moving our customers’ performance forward – every day.

Together we move forward Spending time with tissue producers to get close to people, region specific conditions and paper production challenges is an important part in how we do business.

The growing Near and Middle East market is exciting and we are happy to be strongly involved in its development.

The fact that we have been trusted with the majority of the installed tissue capacity in the region encourage us to continue our efforts to support tissue makers to succeed.

Join us to become Best in Tissue

Contact us: phone: +46 5417 1000 tissue.info@valmet.com, www.valmet.com

28 | Endeavour Magazine

NEC WWW.NATIONALENERGY.TT 001 868 636 8471

BRIGHT FUTURES WRITTEN BY AMY TOCKNELL

It takes big shoulders to weather the responsibility of developing new and efficient energy projects, but that’s exactly what National Energy has done for Trinidad and Tobago. Endeavour Magazine spoke to President, Dr. Vernon Paltoo, to find out more.

Endeavour Magazine | 29

NEC

The Government of Trinidad and Tobago incorporated National Energy

in 1979, with expectations of what it could achieve. Key objectives were to develop hydrocarbon resources and enterprises while operating various forms of infrastructure, including marine, to facilitate the import and export of materials vital for petrochemical and metal plants.

3

6 years later, these original mandates are still in full effect

hardworking, which creates the proper environment for success.”

but with some extra additions. National Energy is a company

Solely owned by the Government of the Republic of Trinidad

that will not shy away from an opportunity for diversification

and Tobago, National Energy has been keenly involved in the

and has naturally moved into the facilitation of new energy-based

development of marine infrastructure and industrial estates and

industries, development of new industrial estates and towage and

ports, but there is one initiative that they are really leading the

harbor operations. These new ventures have not come at the cost

charge on; Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).

of the environment however, as National Energy has simultaneously

companies, in particular large organisations, may lay claim to being

embarked on a sustainability initiative.

heavily invested in supporting local communities, National Energy

Dr. Vernon Paltoo explained further;

While many

takes this exceptionally seriously;

“National Energy is focused on the development of energy-

“National Energy leads in the implementation of Corporate

based projects for Trinidad and Tobago. However, we have been

Social Responsibility programmes in the communities where we

working closely with other private and state agencies to develop

operate. Such initiatives include activities which contribute to the

opportunities for exporting energy-sector knowledge and expertise,

development and enrichment of both people and communities and

especially in the energy services sector in regions including Guyana,

benefit all stakeholders in the conduct of our business.”

Suriname and Africa. National Energy also collaborates with the

Despite facing issues of competitive pricing and supply, the

Ministry of Energy and Energy Affairs in determining methods of

energy industry remains buoyant thanks to the company working

providing competitively priced energy options for the Caribbean

closely with state agencies and the Ministry of Energy and Energy

region.”

Affairs. By forging strong ties and providing regular updates,

As far reserved from the archetypal image of energy companies that are focused on profit margins only, National Energy is actively

Trinidad and Tobago remains an attractive option for Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), which offers security for the future.

seeking opportunities to make a difference and offer consumers

At present, National Energy has 130 direct employees and

better value and services. Dr Paltoo leads the organization and

countless more subcontractors, all of whom are subject to strict

draws on his many years of industry experience;

guidelines and generous training packages;

“I have worked on the conceptualisation, design, development,

“There are company policies that govern our operations,

facilitation and promotion of industrial and energy related projects

behaviours and ethical standards. These policies are standardised

in Trinidad and Tobago, through several state agencies and academic

and used throughout the entire National Gas Company’s Group,

institutions for the past 20 years.”

of which National Energy is a fully owned subsidiary. Training

Because of this firm grounding, he was able to recognise the

plans are developed for all members of staff in the organisation

potential that National Energy offered when he joined more than

and National Energy has taken an aggressive approach in ensuring

ten years ago and still believes in it;

that employees are adequately trained and competent in their

“National Energy is a very dynamic organisation with several different activities under its mandate. The wide range of activities allows us to contribute not only to the energy sector, but also to overall national economic activity. Our staff is competent and 30 | Endeavour Magazine

respective job areas.”

Staff are not overlooked or treated as a commodity though, as Dr Paltoo goes on to explain; “Employee development is crucial for the continuity and

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Some of our proudly completed projects include:

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•

•

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Design and preparation of Plumbing Isometric Drawings for approval by the Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA) of Trinidad and Tobago.

Review and Vetting Designs done by others for approval.

Inspections of plumbing works Complete supply and installation of plumbing works. i.e. Sewer Treatment Plants, Swimming Pools, Hot Tub / Jacuzzi and the like.

• •

• • •

National Library Building T&T for Carillion (Caribbean) Ltd. National Energy Corporation Head Office Building (Carillion (Caribbean) Ltd).

BHP Billiton On-Shore Accommodation Building (BHP Billiton).

Civil Drainage works to WASA Sewerage Treatment Plant – Beetham Estate (Bi Water International).

Tru-Valu Supermarket Long Circular Mall (Eastern Commercial Lands).

Trinidad and Tobago Civil Aviation Authority (Water Tec Ltd).

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NEC

prosperity of the company. National Energy’s strength is a direct

and achieved through a constant commitment to providing

consequence of the capability and dedication of our employees.

exemplar service and transparent operations. Paltoo also highlights

Based on the nature of our business, our success impacts on the

the importance of staying aware and ahead of competitors thanks

nation and as such, although it may sound cliché, our employees

to the following;

are definitely the most valuable asset and are fundamental to our

“Learning from our competitors and customers. Knowledge is

company’s success. The better qualified and capable the employees

power and customer knowledge is equally important as competitor

are, the greater the efficiency and productivity of the company.”

knowledge. By gaining in-depth information about our customer

It’s still refreshing to hear a large organisation talking about

portfolio, National Energy would be in a better position to

its staff with such inherent respect and gratitude, but this humble

maximise revenue potential, increase customer retention and boost

and grateful approach is extended to customers as well. Customer

prospective customers. We also strive to develop and maintain a

satisfaction is listed as the most important priority for the National

competitive advantage by adapting to customers’ requirements

Energy team and as such, performance indicators are firmly in place;

and increasing the use of business information resources. This

“Customer satisfaction is high on our list of deliverables

would provide better decision-making capabilities.

and as such, National Energy has incorporated this measure

With a highly experienced management team in place,

in our corporate performance management system. Customer

upholding stringent staff development and customer retention

satisfaction surveys are periodically conducted and the company

initiatives, National Energy is in a good position to start planning

emphasises that customer feedback is addressed in a timely manner

for the future with ambitious projects. Dr Paltoo opened up about

and communicated to the customers to ensure that a high level of

some of the exciting new developments;

service is always maintained.”

“The development of a US$1 Billion Methanol/DME (Dimethyl

With a deep understanding that happy customers equal future

Ether) project. This is a downstream natural gas/methanol based

success, consumer satisfaction really is of paramount importance

project that is currently the major energy project under development.

A sod-turning ceremony was held on September 1st 2015 at the project site. We also have the development of an Integrated Melamine/Formaldehyde Cluster Project at Union Industrial Estate.

The Point Lisas Industrial Port Development Corporation Limited has been a major player in the Port and Industrial Estate Management Industry for the past 49 years.

The Point Lisas Industrial Port Development Company Limited owns and operates one of the main container and general cargo ports in the country. The Port of Point Lisas now accounts for over 50% of the country’s domestic container trade and 90% of bulk and break-bulk cargo.

The Industrial Estate has matured into one of the region’s largest gasbased downstream industrial estates. The 860 hectare industrial estate is home of 103 tenants and facilitates the downstream energy sector of Trinidad and Tobago.

PLIPDECO is open for business and as we grow global excellence continues to be our overarching vision.

This project would utilise locally produced melamine and methanol to create higher-valued products, such as Oriented Strand Board and Veneer Products. This project is a first for Trinidad and Tobago, as it seeks to bridge the gap between the energy and manufacturing sectors of the economy. Rehabilitation and expansion work at the Port of Brighton, La Brea is also occurring. This is an existing port, which is managed by National Energy. However, expansion and rehabilitation works are necessary in order to cater for the growing needs of the nearby Union Industrial Estate. The projects previously mentioned are earmarked for location at this industrial estate.”

Not content with these three large new projects, National Energy is also looking into the development of a steel mill and rolling plant, the potential for a small scale LNG project and energy supply to emerging economies. It’s a wonder that there is any time left in the day to actually provide services to customers, but with expectation and satisfaction levels being what they are, National Energy has found the secret to simultaneously operating for consumers and with growth in mind.

With a deep-seated commitment to consistently looking for new and viable resources, National Energy seeks to change the energy landscape of Trinidad and Tobago forever with a diversified portfolio of products. There is no doubt that they will achieve

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32 | Endeavour Magazine

this ambitious aim and unlike many organisations, they will do so without detriment to customer experience or satisfaction. The future looks very bright indeed.

“National Energy and Massy Cat have shared a 15 year partnership, developing a trusted relationship. Their on-the-ground support team has been an invaluable support to our maintenance management. National Energy wishes to commend Massy Cat on their excellent customer service and we look forward to many years of fruitful endeavours together!”

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34 | Endeavour Magazine

EQSTRA FLEET MANAGEMENT WWW.EFM.CO.ZA 0027 31 267 6500

BEING A COMPANY OF CHANGE WRITTEN BY DON CAMPBELL

“Change must be embraced,” Murray Price, CEO of Eqstra Fleet Management in South Africa, opens up with, “And often encouraged.”

Eqstra Fleet Management (EFM) has always delivered sustainable value to its customers, providing a range of integrated solutions designed to not only finance vehicles but actively manage the vehicle fleet of large businesses providing topend efficiency. Unlike many fleet management companies, EFM also achieves this while ensuring that the value delivered is fully quantifiable to their customers.

Endeavour Magazine | 35

EQSTRA FLEET MANAGEMENT

“Transparency is one of our corporate watch words,” Murray,

who has been a key individual in building the company from a small enterprise almost twenty years ago explains, “It makes things far simpler when your good service can be described in figures instead of words.”

W

hen EFM first began trading, it was in a different South Africa than today; one where some people lacked the forward thinking that they are so well known for. At the

time the idea of fleet management was a foreign concept, and many businesses placed high value on ownership of vehicles and human administration. The idea behind Eqstra Fleet Management was to focus on providing a service to get the most out of new vehicles delivered as well as those already owned. From the start Murray has found value in keeping the mindset of a pioneer, believing that a good idea needs only hard work, above-the-standard customer service and transparency to take off.

“It is a system that must work,” he tells us. “We have had customers for fifteen years and employees who have lasted just as long. People want to stay with us.”

This is an important factor considering the hurdles that businesses have in the emerging markets and new fields where everyone is pushing to get more for their money, “The concern we have in South Africa is that money isn’t as readily available in emerging markets, making it tougher for businesses to gain access to capital.”

Murray goes on to explain that he sees this as an opportunity to evolve with the times and admits to a certain degree of excitement about it despite the massive upheavals the company has had over the last decade, “Many challenges, upsets and upheavals were thrown our way but it’s good. Big upsets give you the choice of

Murray Price 36 | Endeavour Magazine

going under or changing and that’s made us a much sharper and even more efficient operation today.”

It is the system behind EFM that is their product, Murray says

no matter what your business, you can KeeP on trucKinG.

and the benefit of a system is that it delivers consistency and can be changed or easily updated if necessary. But merely riding the waves of change isn’t enough for EFM who are looking specifically

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“Our business is really in supply chain management,” he says,

“Essentially we broker services of many different suppliers and consolidate them so as to deliver value to our customers. Our new system, called Quest, is an evolution of our product and is our answer for the customer who is looking for the best.”

According to Murray, the market wants more and more for less and as the services provided are administration heavy the Quest system is an automated, real time system that customers, seeking to find information regarding how/what their fleet is doing, can access online. A simple example that he puts forward is that of drivers.

“It doesn’t matter what make of vehicle you have if your driver is driving badly,” he says, “And by badly we don’t mean dangerously, but if they are speeding or riding the clutch, or if they are braking

no matter what your business, you can KeeP on trucKinG.

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too heavily, all of this negatively impacts on the efficiency of the PROOFING DEPARTMENT vehicle and adds costs.” He goes on to say that the real cost driver within any fleet is just that the driver. Effective driver management

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the new Quest system allows for customers to benefit from consolidating all fleet costs in a single system, allowing for early identification of drivers needing training through the provision of monthly driver assessment reports.

When such assessments are then put forward, drivers can see exactly the areas where they need to improve, not only for the sake of their company’s fleet costs but also for their own sake as drivers.

“As with any change there have been a lot of queries from customers. One of them has been, “What’s the difference?”

Murray explains, “Quest is a one stop shop, a porthole through which a customer can access not only the latest technology for fleet management and driver’s assessments but also the 30 or so years of experience that EFM has gained. A customer being able to view all fleet costs against a single vehicle record in an integrated system makes Quest unique and with more and more customers looking to rationalise their supply chain through partnering with a

24

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single service provider the future looks very bright indeed He describes it as taking the receipts and accounts off the desk of a fleet owner and putting them all into one access point on the computer, “Our customers can go with us and a get a full package, with just one invoice from us while we deal with the banks, the dealerships and the insurance instead of them.”

Quest has been live for nine months in four different countries and has proved that it really is a matter of convenience and makes it easier for the companies relying on EFM’s services to do business.

Murray explains that while the South Africa of today has some of the most innovative and forward thinking minds in the world, there

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Endeavour Magazine | 37

38 | Endeavour Magazine

Endeavour Magazine | 39

EQSTRA FLEET MANAGEMENT

are some areas where they are decidedly old fashioned, but he is

important. Or course it is. But a staff member needs to feel more,

confident that Quest is going to change the industry and that the

they need to feel valued and see their role in the grand scheme of

country will emulate their bespoke system.

things.”

“This is why change is so good,” he says, “It forces you to pick

By focussing on growing the best staff possible, Murray

up your company and give it a thorough shake until all that isn’t

knows that his clients are being looked after to the standard that

needed simply falls out.”

he set out when he first started with the business, “I think we

Another area of change is cooperation with companies that would have been considered competitors previously.

underestimate our ability to change,” he reflects, “We work with specialist suppliers and skilled staff in a market sector where our

“South Africa is becoming increasingly customer-centric,” he

competitors tend to stay away from because they don’t understand

says, “A lot of our competitors are working with us so we’re offering

the fleet risk for example on commercial vehicles. We can handle

better value to the customer. When you work together instead of

the most sizeable fleets and have made commercial vehicles one of

against each other, usually you can achieve so much more while

our core competencies.”

still maintaining that competitive edge.”

This is not to say that it’s all been smooth sailing. Murray reveals

At home, EFM has also been undergoing changes. “While a

that whilst the Quest system has been active for nine months

business is more than just a bottom line, the bottom line is still

they have learnt a lot of painful lessons from introducing it into

there. To offer the best service possible to our clients we must be

4 countries, but now they are operating very effectively in their

as efficient as possible ourselves,” says Murray.

space, “The big risk is converting the South African database. When

Investments have been made to retrain, remind and equip 300 core staff as well as possible, while giving them real value. This is particularly important to the company’s CEO, “Training staff is

we finished analysis, there were 180k unique vehicles we had to bring over.”

There is a still a lot of work to be done, but emerging markets and challenges are the sort of things that Murray has always thrived on and thanks to Quest he has already seen the benefit of keeping data together so customers get valuable insights. As an example, “SA breweries had a fleet of vehicles that we analysed. Using Quest, we looked at vehicle, driver habits and roads and determined that they were using the wrong vehicles for those routes. City cars on dirt roads. This allowed us to recommend a proactive approach to change the routes, therein providing an improvement within the confinement of operation and costs.”

Murray believes this message is worth driving home, “When you have informed data that consolidates from many different aspects of the fleet, you can make the right decisions.”

This is just the beginning of the new era for EFM. With plans to expand further afield than just into Africa, crossing the oceans will be the next big step for the fleet management company but Murray is quick to point out that you should dream big but work small, making sure that every little detail is done right.

“Now that the system is live we need to ensure step-by-step and day-by-day that it does what it says on the box.”

There has to be value added through consistent service and South Africans are loyal customers. This is good when it comes to their customers but if they are to dislodge customers from their competitors they need to be the clear and obvious choice and the only way to achieve this is to be in a position to deliver more measureable value “Landing is just stage one, next is the roll out, and then global expansion” he wraps up.

40 | Endeavour Magazine

42 | Endeavour Magazine

TCM WWW.TOTALCM.COM 001 868-622-4826

INVESTED ON THE ROADWAYS OF THE NATION WRITTEN BY JACK SLATER

When we first spoke with the managing director of Total CM Robert Visser in 2013, we were very impressed by the shine of functionality of his company and the kind of teamwork he had established within his empire, “This company depends upon the people working for it,” he said.

And nothing has changed.

Endeavour Magazine | 43

TCM

In Trinidad and Tobago, if you own a car you’ve probably heard

about the TCM Group of Companies, they are one of the success stories within the region and their Managing Director Robert Visser is often requested to speak at seminars and events and represents the very spirit of entrepreneurial ship and people orientated management. From set up as a small concierge and vehicle detailing business to its current position as a standard-setting, industry shaping group of companies with activities in concierge, vehicle leasing and roadside assistance Robert has been there nurturing the company’s growth one person at a time.

W

ith a leasing and rental vehicle background, Robert Visser

transport for things like airport shuttles, large scale and after-hours

moved to Trinidad and Tobago in 1998 and moved through

transport of staff. Even with most of the customers coming from

a number of management roles when he had a chance

the corporate sector the company’s twenty four/seven dispatch

meeting with his business partner Kirk Waithe.

service still underpins everything it does.

The opportunity was that BPTT was looking for services on

“We recognized that diversification was important,” Robert

both internal and external fleets, a concierge service with their

explains, “And GPS technology has been a natural thread that ties

internal fleets and a leasing and rental approach with the external.

together everything that we do with transport, rental and roadside

BPTT contacted Kirk and asked if he could arrange this all by the

assistance. It allows us to monitor maintenance points for our rental

next day and he contacted Robert and asked if he could put it

vehicles, departure and arrival times for transport, and in terms of

together and Robert’s reply was, “Sure no problem,”

monitoring driver behaviour it’s a critical aspect of HHSE and the

Nothing like a sense of urgency to create results.

technology is designed to suit the client’s needs in all cases.”

“That’s how the partnership developed,” Robert explains, “During the intervening years I’ve become the managing partner of the organization with what started as a company with three

THE TCM FAMILY

employees on our side, and a strong start-up attitude has grown

This focus on people is what sets TCM apart from the

since. The banks backed us because we brought a level of service

competition with their internal customers being just as important

that had simply not been seen in Trinidad.”

as their external ones.

It was a quest to set the standard of customer service as high as

“Our success is based 100% on the commitment of our people,”

possible and the opportunities presented to them early on to offer

Robert details emphatically, “They are the face of the organization

Road Side assistance as an aspect of their package. This was simply

in interacting with our clients and we have a strong team building

something that was not seen in Trinidad and Tobago.

atmosphere and we incentivize much of what we do for our people.”

“When we started our roadside assistance it really startled

TCM also walks the talk, thanks to Arrive Alive which advocates

people,” Robert says, “We were the first to be on the scene it was

for road safety and better transport management systems in

really unprecedented level of service and we were often there

Trinidad and Tobago.

within ten minutes in the event of an emergency or a breakdown and that hadn’t occurred before in the Trinidad market.”

TCM then branched out even further into the area of executive 44 | Endeavour Magazine

“All that we do at TCM is invested on the roadways of the nation,” he continues, “So we felt it was important that we advocate for road safety ourselves and that was how arrive alive was born. It

TCM

has played a bit part in having the breathalyser past in the country

door policy. If there is a particular degree or certification that

because in the end it’s all about people.”

will benefit a person’s career we will support their education and

This person-to-person attitude has set a high level of customer service that remains at the heart of TCM and helped create a new

training with a 50% loan upfront to help pay for it, and a following 50% once the certificate is earned.”

industry standard from the very moment the company began

Expecting the best from you staff, expecting them to uphold

operations in 2001. Thanks to them a number of the innovations

the name of your company is much easier when you’ve given so

they had over ten years ago are now the norms of the industry.

much to them first. When people enjoy working somewhere they

“We’ve shown that excellent customer service can exist in Trinidad and Tobago and that message needs to get out and our

want to do their best. And this is what Robert Visser and TCM have epitomized.

business has grown through unsolicited customer to customer

“One of the things we offered our staff was an eight week self-

testimonials and our people understand that. It’s everything that

defence course for them and their family. Something close to my

drives our success and continues to drive our success in the future.”

heart as I’m a blackbelt in karate and know how good it is as a tool to engage them with,”

WORKING WITH PEOPLE Robert is a man who recognizes that business is all about

BIGGEST DEVELOPMENTS

working with people and has set himself the task of not only being

“Two of the largest developments that have taken place recently

the best leader and employer as possible but also as an example

is that we have formed incredibly strong partnerships with BGTT

to other entrepreneurs and owners of small to medium sized

(British Gas Trinidad and Tobago) and ALNG (Atlantic LNG),” Robert

enterprises.

reveals, “These two business partnerships are the main reason that

“As an entrepreneur you do go through your ups and downs and we’ve always grown through word of mouth,” he says, “Early on we grew too rapidly, where in 05, 06 and 07 we had to downsize.

But we’ve always recognized our reputation is our greatest asset and that’s key, no matter how hard the times are, you must stand behind your core values and your reputation as a service provider in whatever industry you’ve chosen. That was what sustained us through difficult times.”

TCM is a service company and Robert recognizes that their reputation is the greatest asset and that the people working there are the most important people they have. For the service industry, the first key, is you have to know and interact with your people and TCM employs over seventy-five people including executive transport representatives, field agents, a technical division and a leasing and a rental feet in excess of 500 vehicles. In all the activities the face to face and interaction of a professional level stands out, to get getting your people to perform at their peak you have to understand their motivations and there are different motivations for their generations.

“You have to understand that some people are looking at just a job and others are looking at a career,” Robert explains, “Three important keys come to face when speaking about personnel; you have to have a family focus, a family feel, especially in small to medium sized enterprises, we like to have our people engaged on multiple levels, we go above and beyond.”

One of the ways is that TCM offers their staff internal interest free loans, while this has caused some problems in the past it is something that Robert believes is important.

“We promote beyond internal training, we promote education across a broad range of areas and keep communication in an open46 | Endeavour Magazine

our total rental and lease fleet has grown to over 500 vehicles over the past two years.”

Robert goes on to tell us, “We handle the entirety of BGTT’s

BGTT, ALNG, and BPTTs operating in T&T.

corporate lease and short-term rental vehicles with approximately

TCM is the one of the few vehicle services providers who have

210 total vehicles engaged and we handle the majority of ALNG

survived the gruelling process of being successfully audited and

executive transport requirements.”

STOW Certified as a “High Risk” compliant entity for two full years.

Atlantic provides a shuttle to work service for all of their

“The reason that this is so critical is that TCM was only required

personnel into and out of Southern Trinidad on a daily basis as a

to achieve “Low Risk” certification in our specific field of vehicle

strong human resources and safety focus and this incorporates as

services but we chose to push ourselves to achieve High Risk and

many as nine, thirty seater buses operating on any given business

only if your company grades out during the audit process at over

day.

85% are you certified for 2 years – anything less than 85% in any

Together, British Gas Trinidad and Tobago and Atlantic LNG are two key partners who are directly responsible for the reputation and success of TCM Group.

category would only allow for a 1 Year certification. “ In conclusion, over achievement in business is wonderful.

The drive to do more than is necessary to create something that

“Their influence has been crucial,” Robert tells us, “For example,

will always be better tomorrow than it was today is something

their on-going commitment to helping small companies in raising

that identifies the best companies to watch out for. Historically

their level of safety delivery to globally recognizable benchmark

these are the businesses that not only create distance between

standards can be seen through the local initiative called Safe To

themselves and the next level of competitors, but they shape their

Work (“STOW”),”

industries around them and change the world.

This has been a highly publicised safety and management system requirement instituted by the Energy Chamber of T&T whereby all energy (multi-national) sector sub-contractors have been required to be STOW certified in order to be accepted as contractors by the

Endeavour Magazine | 47

AUTOMOTIVES

ALFA ROMEO GIULIETTA STYLISH AND SMALL WRITTEN BY JACK SLATER

The perfect car for a city dweller. Despite the outward appearance of being a small vehicle, inside is spacious enough to make driving it an absolute joy irrespective of length of journey while it’s compact enough to make city driving easy and problem free.

48 | Endeavour Magazine

T

he Alfa Romeo Giulietta is a stylish and small beauty that has

futile as I found driving it to be quite dynamic and agile; happy on

set itself as a major rival to the VW Golf, Ford Focus, BMW 1

the highways as well as on the twisty-snake-back bends of Norfolk

Series and Mercedes A-Class for the title of city car of choice.

villages - aspects that would be lost on family runs.

With its youthful, innocent good looks and stylish interior, the

Similarly, the interior design is so refined and cultivated, with

Giulietta could at first glance be mistaken as purely a girl’s car, but

the hooded controls and the silver motifs on the controls that it’s

it’s just as fit for a man as well.

all very aesthetically pleasing, with all the controls needed to enjoy

Straight off the bat, some reviewers have almost condemned the Gulietta for a poor pedal and steering wheel position but as someone who always makes comments about the small pedals of Italian cars due to my size 13 boats, I can say that these are not a problem at all.

a comfortable drive, including radio controls, air conditioning and seat adjustment all being within easy reach.

INSIDE Standard equipment is generous across all specifications and

Definitely less of a family car and more of a couples vehicle, the

the entry-level Progression model gets a five-inch touchscreen

Giulietta does not have the largest back seat and offers limited leg

with DAB (digital) radio, electric windows and air conditioning. Rear

space for anyone crammed inside. Likewise, the boot space does

parking sensors are handy but not essential as the car is compact

seem to be a little limited so if you’re thinking of buying one to

enough to make parking quite easy.

service your five member family during school runs and shopping

In general, the Giulietta’s interior is everything you’d expect

trips, you’re going to find it frustrating. But if you’re looking for a

from an Alfa Romeo. It’s eye-catching and well laid out but there are

sporty, comfortable ride with you and your significant other then

certainly parts that are a little way off the class best. Build quality

this is definitely the right choice. Certainly more a car to let you

is certainly one area where it lags behind and it’s been noted that

enjoy the scenery while driving through the countryside while

even brand-new models seemed to quickly develop the dreaded

listening to Ryan Adams rather than hunkering down with three

rattle.

screaming kids strapped to the backseats while listening to re-runs of the Lion King’s “Oh I just can’t wait to be king.”

Comparing the Giulietta to any kind of family car would be

It rides the line between sumptuous and minimalist and frankly I prefer my cars to be understated rather than gaudy. Being a single man in my thirties, I think an overstated vehicle is merely an

Endeavour Magazine | 49

attempt at compensating for something. Understated beauty, that is what people are looking for in this hipster age.

the level of intervention of the electrical driver assists are altered.

Drive this with enthusiasm down twisty roads though. That firm ride has a positive trade-off in terms of body control, so there’s little

ALFA GIULIETTA PASSENGER SPACE Again, I was surprised to hear that some critics had been ruthless regarding the space inside the Giulietta as I found there to be more than adequate head room and comfortable moving room in the driver seat. I found the car distinctly ergonomic and can only assume that finally a car manufacturer finally heard my cries about cars not being shaped for a six foot five South African and designed the Giulietta especially for my specifications.

in the way of roll and the steering is direct and fast, offering a sense of agility that is suitable for the vehicle. With the right engine, it’s actually pretty eager between the bendy bits and the brakes are strong and responsive too.

ALFA GIULIETTA DIESEL ENGINES The entry level 1.6-litre diesel returns a class average 0-62mph sprint of around 11 seconds while posting fuel economy figures in excess of 70mpg. A much more sprightly option is the larger

BOOT SPACE AND STORAGE In terms of outright volume, the boot is 30 litres short of the Volkswagen Golf’s, but 34 litres bigger than the Ford Focus’s.

Okay, here the high loading lip makes the space on offer much less practical and the rear seat backs fold, but not completely flat, which expands the volume to 750 litres but as I said before, you shouldn’t be using this to load up anything too heavy into the boot.

I don’t like too many cubby holes and found that the space at the base of the dash for my phone more than adequate. I think that

2.0-litre diesel, which still returns a claimed 64mpg but hits 62mph from rest three seconds sooner, thanks to its 175hp and 258lb ft of torque.

ALFA GIULIETTA PETROL ENGINES The 1.75-litre petrol Quadrifoglio Verde range topper has the same 240hp engine and six-speed twin-clutch transmission you can find in the Alfa Romeo 4C sports car it should be enough to worry Focus ST and Golf GTI drivers.

too many cubby holes are just reasons to make a car untidy and

The overall favourite seems to be the 1.4-litre petrol though,

that your phone should be out of sight so as not to be a distraction,

in both entry-level 120hp and tweaked 170hp forms. They’re

leaving only the requirement of a coffee holder. Which in this case

said to be smooth and aurally pleasing when pushed, though fuel

is all you get… any of the critics who say that a lack of interior

economy is down in the mid-40mpg unless you specify the twin

stowage space for odds and ends is frustrating are frankly taking

clutch automatic gearbox.

too much stuff into the driver’s seat with them.

VERDICT PARKING

Opinions may differ but I think it’s unfair to judge the Giulietta

Every Giulietta comes with Alfa Romeo’s DNA driving type

on its ‘family car’ appeal because this is clearly the car for the

selector – approximately abbreviating for Dynamic, Natural

modern single gentleman looking to impress the ladies with his

and All-Weather. Depending on which mode is selected, the

metrosexual taste.

responsiveness of the engine, the weighting of the steering and 50 | Endeavour Magazine

Endeavour Magazine | 51

52 | Endeavour Magazine

UNITED CABLE INDUSTRIES COMPANY LTD WWW.UCIC-CABLES.COM 00962-6-5549292

LAYING CABLES WRITTEN BY JACK SLATER

A Jordanian company, United Cable Industries Co. (UCIC) is a shareholding company, located in Mafraq, approximately 50km away from Amman. Situated at their plant which is 27,000 m2, built over 160,000 m2 of land, the business benefits from a capital of about $57 million.

Endeavour Magazine | 53

UNITED CABLE INDUSTRIES COMPANY LTD

Cabling is a utilitarian product and an essential component found

at the base of almost every infrastructure and architecture available. Quality is important and UCIC is managed by professionals with a wide range of experience in cable manufacturing, engineering, business administration, quality control, planning, marketing, research and development and business development. We spoke with Sales Section head, Bashar Alwadyan, about it all.

H

e points out that while cables are not the most extravagant of products, they are essential and that the range of products found at UCIC are all vetted and checked to the international

standards including BS, VDE, IEC, ASTM and DIN.

The training covers not only the technical aspects of the job but also productive, management and public safety.

“Our staff are the business’ ambassador’s to the public,” Bashar explains, “They have to be professional and accountable.”

“We offer Low Voltage Power Cables with copper and aluminium

As such, individual staff development is essential for their

conductors,” he says”, Arial Bunched Cables(ABC), Control Cables

company, as he says; “UCIC provides training courses for all of our

and overhead transmission lines or OHTL.” In addition to the

staff for all sections with internal promotion being a preference and

domestic wires, which include Single Wires and Flexible Cables.

staff safety and wellbeing a priority.”

Founded in the year 2007, UCIC commenced as a prime

It is a well known business law that looking after your

manufacturer of power cables in 2009 specialising in the

employees is the best way to look after your customers and Bashar

manufacturing of LV power cables. The core activities include the

says that they have a focus on getting their cables into new areas

above mentioned domestic cables of building wires and flat flexible

and markets, which is an ongoing endeavour, “You must always be

cables, low voltage power cables and control cables 0.6/1kV, ABC

looking to get your foot into new areas because new opportunities

cables and high tension overhead transmission lines of HTOTL,

are to be found there,” he says.

soon; Solar Cables for photovoltaic systems and Fire Resistant Cables will be included in UCIC products range.

Servicing such a high number of varying industries, UCIC are in

Partnering with the best companies has played a major role in the business as Bashar highlights, “There are three main things in a business; the consumer, the employee and the partner,”

the enviable position where they have a host of business sectors

And UCIC partner with the best, such as Henze and Streng,

requiring cabling and while these sectors themselves may suffer

which was founded in 1994 and is seen as an internationally

peaks and troughs, Bashar explains that UCIC has found the market

operating and innovative trading company characterised by many

happily buoyant.

years of experience and interdisciplinary expertise in the wire and

Around 250 staff work at UCIC and Bashar explains that

cable industry.

according to labour law standards, UCIC provides full training to

Capable of providing services and products for the rapidly

all of their employees, “It is vital that we equip our staff with the

changing demands of the markets and in particular, customers,

right tools and expertise to do their jobs so that we can offer our

while offering a worldwide service, flexible, customer-oriented and

customers the very best products and services possible.”

efficient solutions.

54 | Endeavour Magazine

Bashar adds that environmental consciousness is a focus for Heinze and Streng, who seek to always develop their products with a focus on energy conservation and consolidation of orders and the use of recyclable packaging material to contribute to the environment.

A pragmatic approach to the future has kept UCIC moving in the right direction and the immediate strategy is to continue providing the best quality products tomorrow but ensure the finest quality working today.

“We are also planning to add to our products to complete the LV cable range,” Bashar says, “So we are adding fire resistance cable and solar DC cable.”

These new products will snatch new opportunities and open up new markets for the business as well as setting the tone for the future.

“It’s important to think big but work moderate specially these days which witness political and economic instability ,” he says, “Business is about building in little steps and being meticulous with detail.”

Heinze & Streng, an international trading company with long-term experience in the wire and cable industry, posseses a wide-ranged product line in which energyefficiency and sustainability are taken into account at every step.

UCIC, our reliable partner for more than 10 years, makes use of a lot of our parts: Contact Tubes, Carbonfiber Bows, Nickel Band , Ceramics, Bearings and all kind of measuring instruments.

For more information, visit: www.heinze-streng-gmbh.de

www.heinze-streng.com

Endeavour Magazine | 55

56 | Endeavour Magazine

MERX CONSTRUCTION WWW.MERXCM.COM 0065 6423 9664

DIRECTING ASIA’S CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY WRITTEN BY JACK SLATER

The fourth largest financial hub in the world, Singapore is one of the fastest growing and moving business sectors in the world. Especially the construction industry, which, having weathered the global economic downturn of 2008 better than the United Kingdom and the United States, has continued to expand and diversify, offering a scope of opportunities to the companies savvy enough to keep up.

Endeavour Magazine | 57

MERX CONSTRUCTION

Endeavour Magazine was fortunate enough to speak with Australian borne founder and owner of Merx Group, William Forwood, regarding the various machinations of the Asian construction industry and to outline what it takes to be a success in the sector.

M

erx Group was founded in 2001 by William, with the key focus

in Melbourne before seeking out further opportunities in Hong

being project and cost management for two clients; Clear

Kong in 1996. From there he went to Singapore and has been there

Channel International and Adshel who were responsible for

for the last 14 years.

the advertising on bus stops and bus shelters across Singapore.

“Initially, it was purely for the professional opportunity,” he says,

Considering the dependency Singapore has on public transport, it

“As I had a family connection there but having moved to Singapore

is not surprising that this contract, which was originally only a year,

and set up a growing company here it has been the main reason for

lasted two years and gave the young company the chance to get on

me staying in the country.”

their feet and determine their future plans.

Businesses never turn out the way you expect, he says candidly,

“Since the beginning our focus and targets have developed,”

“Everything is an opportunity and we’ve worked all around South

William says, describing how his company had since taken the

East Asia, although we don’t have offices everywhere, we’ve

reigns in project, construction and procurement management,

ducked our heads into new territories across India, Philippines and

programming and scheduling, quantity surveying and contract

Thailand.”

administration, building due diligence and space and occupancy

William believes that the diversity and culture that a company

analysis studies for both workplace and retail, “As consultants

is exposed to when working across so many different regions, even

we provide skills and expertise, via resources, into a project. We

when they are neighbours, can take a business to another level.

interface with clients, contractors and consultants to provide the

Things move fast in Asia and you have to think and act dynamically

best and most quantifiable outcome possible.”

to keep up with the project activity.

After four years of working the Singapore market, offices were

Having built up a healthy client base and established a solid

then established in Dubai (2005), Malaysia (2006) and Hong Kong

reputation, Merx Group have found themselves in the position

(2007), with the latest office in Myanmar being set up this year in

where they are able to assess which projects they wish to work

2014.

with, “We don’t have the pure luxury of choosing which clients we

“The core activity throughout,” he continues, “Is providing

work with all the time,” he says, “As we are part of the economic

fee-based professional consulting services to our clients. The

cycle but the business has grown to the point where we are able

foundation service is project management for interior fit-out and

to and do refer work to smaller companies. We see this as a sign of

new build projects, with particular focus on corporate offices, retail

growth and no work in the premium end of market, retail, hospitality

tenancies and hospitality such as hotels. Combining with project

and corporate construction.”

management we include cost management (QS), site management and commercial construction management.”

As companies grow, responsibilities grow as well and with more employees come more mouths to feed, so selecting the projects

William explains that his background has always been in

that will not only provide the best returns but also promise future

construction, having originally earned a Bachelor of Construction

and return work is important and part of the Merx Group’s approach

and Construction Management at RMIT University in Melbourne.

to growth.

He worked on a number of inner city high-rise conversion projects

58 | Endeavour Magazine

MERX CONSTRUCTION

THE ASIAN MARKET PLACE “Across Asia the construction industry is generally buoyant,” William says, “There is strong demand for project management services in the established markets that we work in which are Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong.”

According to William, the emerging markets in Asia are yet to fully understand and therefore recognise the need for project management on their projects. These emerging market clients still tend to deliver their projects in a ‘design and build’ fashion or ‘client direct’ management approach. There are some areas where Merx Group have been able to demonstrate the importance of their services, “In a market like Myanmar we have been able to show our clients that professional project management helps improve delivery quality and co-ordination and dramatically reduces our clients’ risk and exposure to cost overruns and programme slippage.”

There have, however, been a few hurdles that Merx Group has had to face and overcome, ranging from the Dot.com crash in the early 2000s to SARS in 2003, although he does point out that comparatively, Hong Kong was hit harder by that than Singapore, nevertheless it did scare off a few people. Since 2008 however, things have been stable with growing exposure coming off the back of big corporates working in Europe and America and as well as a number of Asian operations shoring up their businesses, “For a while the attitude was to stabilise and grow,” William recalls, “Both of which are good for us.”

INSIDE MERX GROUP

Long-term relationships outside the staffing ranks are just as important to Merx as they are inside, with repeat business being an intrinsic part of the Merx brand and the company ethos. “The company values are Agility, Excellence, Integrity, Teamwork and Passion,” William tells us, “These values are brought into each project we undertake for our clients and living these values is the essence of our customer focus and customer satisfaction guarantee.”

Aftersales is also a key part of their business, he says, “The quality of our service offering culminates in the creation of an ‘asset’ for our clients. Whether it is a new office, retail store, hotel, industrial building, restaurant or data centre, the quality of our overall project management service is reflected in the end result.”

The Merx core strategy is to focus on forging long-term relationships with clients. To achieve this, Merx provides on-going support in the form of non-biased independent advice for any of the client’s project, construction and property needs, “The strategies we have in place to differentiate ourselves from our competitors include leveraging new markets, improved services, employing great staff and team leaders and encouraging their training and upskilling.”

Developing long-term relationships, delegation of tasks to the most competent of employees and staff, focus on consulting and developing repeat business are some of the keys that William has learnt are important, “It’s important to employ people who are better than you,” he says sagely.

These sorts of hard learned management strategies have been needed for the projects that have identified 2015. Merx has heavily

With consultancy being a face-to-face industry and with 35

focussed on expansion plans for this year, “During the course of

employees across their markets, William is actively involved in

2014, we looked at geographies and sectors and drove with those

ensuring his employees are all on the same page. All of the Merx

two pillars.”

active ‘client facing staff’ that work on fee generating projects are

In 2015 they took on large projects in Myanmar, with a particular

degree qualified and the qualifications held vary across the fields of

reference to hotels and re-launched the Merx Hong Kong office

architecture, engineering (structural, electrical or mechanical) and

with the engagement of a new director for Hong Kong, Macau and

quantity surveying. Each year all of the staff members engage in

PRC. They took on new staff and worked with some great clients in

additional training outside their day-to-day work life.

Hong Kong and the region in 2015.

“Also, we have developed a framework for delivering projects,

Indonesia is a new market that Merx will be opening offices in,

which is an in house system called ‘Octagon’ that all staff are

thanks to a joint venture with a large MNC real estate firm. Like

trained in,” William explains that is an 8-step gateway process for

Myanmar, the focus will be on hotels, mixed use and large scale

delivering projects from inception through to close out.

fit-out projects. With the re-launch of Hong Kong and new offices

“Individual staff development is a real focus as we drive staff

in Myanmar and Indonesia they will start serving their core clients

promotion and succession planning for staff as they progress in

in multiple cities through Asia which will enable them to deliver

their careers,” he says, speaking about how the company is 13 years

around the SEA region on multi city/multi project commissions.

old now and many staff have been with the firm longer than six

Merx will also have a regional leadership team established, which

years, which he sees as a great sign, “Staff have built their careers,

will meet quarterly and the plan is to grow in the established Asian

joining at an early stage and progressing through many projects.

markets and emerging markets reflecting the new dawn for the

They have learnt and evolved into the senior leaders within the

countries with young demographics, rising middle classes and large

firm.”

populations.

60 | Endeavour Magazine

During the second quarter of 2013, Merx started an ongoing investment into branding of the sectors they operate in such as corporate office, retail and their new sector, hospitality. The branding involved upgrading the company website, aligning company collateral, brochures, marketing documents and staff inductions. Along with this, Merx invested into their two in-house systems; their project system (Merx Octagon) and the online prequalification system (Merx PQ) “We have also brought on a new Project Director to lead the Retail and Hospitality division and a new head of hospitality,” William tells us, “And in September Merx had its yearly ‘all staff off site’ to Sentosa Island which was a focused day of training and team building.”

He assures us that as the investment has continued into 2015 that they will continue to develop their systems with new clients in Asia and that they will continue to grow, develop and influence the course of Asia’s construction industry.

TARKUS INTERIORS PTE LTD Established in 1990, Tarkus Interiors has earned the reputation of being an interior contractor and manufacturer that firmly believes in balancing function and aesthetic

46 Defu Lane 9 Singapore 539286 Tel: (65) 6285 6142 | Fax: (65) 6286 5695 tarkus@singnet.com.sg | tarkus.com.sg Endeavour Magazine | 61

62 | Endeavour Magazine

TRANS AFRICA PROJECTS WWW.TAPROJECTS.CO.ZA 0027 10 595 7954

HIGH VOLTAGE WRITTEN BY AMY TOCKNELL

Set up to assist the premier power utility in South Africa, Trans-Africa Projects offers industry leading consultancy and EPCM services for transmission lines and substations. It’s no cliché to say that leading such an organisation would take a team of bright sparks, excuse the pun, and Endeavour Magazine spoke to Jan Greyling, Business Development Manager, to find out more.

Endeavour Magazine | 63

TRANS AFRICA PROJECTS

A joint venture between Fluor and Eskom, Trans-Africa Projects

(TAP) was founded in 1995 with a very specific set of objectives to fulfill.

Created to offer both commercial resources and industry expertise to projects outside South Africa, TAP was born into high expectations that it has met with ease and authority.

J

an Greyling commented, “Since its establishment, TAP has

used in South Africa and approximately 45% of the electricity used

evolved into a completely independent company and a leader

in Africa. Eskom directly provides electricity to about 45% of all

in the electrical engineering industry. Our expertise and

end-users in South Africa. The other 55% is resold by redistributors

the optimised solutions presented to our customers ensures the

(including municipalities). While most of Eskom’s business is within

retention of customers and a continuous growth in customer base.

South Africa, the company also buys and sells electricity in the

Plus, in terms of QMS we maintain international Certification for

SADC region. Eskom’s involvement in African markets beyond

ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and BS OHSAS 1800.”

South Africa is currently focused on projects that have a direct

So what started as a collaboration has been heralded as such

impact on ensuring a secure supply of electricity for South Africa

a success that it has gone on to drive it’s own future. Add to this

itself. Eskom is investigating additional opportunities in the SADC

a clear desire to provide exemplar customer satisfaction and you

region.”

have a very impressive feat that is being attempted independently, especially when we consider the magnitude of the shareholders.

Understanding that the founding companies have such enormous reputations for excellence and industry knowledge, it

“Fluor Corporation is one of the world’s largest engineering

becomes even more impressive that TAP is keen to establish itself

and construction companies. Fluor Daniel, the company’s largest

off the back of its own accomplishments. Lesser joint venture

unit, provides design, engineering, procurement, construction

organisations would be happy to ride the corporate coat tails of

and other services for a broad range of industries. Fluor Global

their founders. Now with offices in Johannesburg, Durban, Cape

Services provides an array of services outside of those offered

Town and Mozambique, TAP has taken all available opportunities to

by Fluor Daniel, including construction and industrial equipment

grow and develop into its own agile and fully independent company

rental, sales and service. Fluor also has considerable investments in

With 20 years of successful operation under its belt, including

the coal industry, producing steam coal for the electric generating

local and international transmission and sub-transmission projects

industry and metallurgical coal for the steel industry.”

amongst others, consultancy services are also being offered. With

Jan goes on to enlighten us about Eskom, the other major shareholder in TAP, “Eskom is one of the top 20 utilities in the world by generation capacity Eskom generates approximately 95% of the electricity 64 | Endeavour Magazine

such levels of industry expertise it could be easy for an organisation to demand unattainable rates, but TAP is vigilant when it comes to remaining competitive.

“We have built a broad client base and perfected a suite

Optimised Solutions in:

Earthing, Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) and Lightning Protection

of services around our clients’ requirements. TAP maintains its competitive edge in the market through committed and experienced staff and vast international experience. Being a world leader in design optimisation through the use of probabilistic techniques, our proven track record and association with Fluor provides for a “total solution”. Our access to Eskom IP and to a world-wide network of specialists (including State Grid of China, with whom we have a technology sharing agreement) places TAP at the forefront of the high voltage industry.”

Our Services: • • • •

What’s more shocking than the current running through the high voltage industry is how modest TAP is regarding its position.

Not a company to rest on its laurels or depend on the heritage of its founding companies, there is a consistent desire to progress, innovate and improve and its nothing short of inspirational, especially when we consider the current state of the industry, as Jan discusses, “The current South African market is rather depressed, as funding aimed at the electrical industry in South Africa is mainly

• • •

Substation Earth Electrode Design Transmission Line Lightning Performance Assessment and Improvement Electrical Safety Analysis and Assessment Earthing and High Voltage Numerical Simulation (using specialised software such as CDEGS® and COMSOL Multi-physics®) Technical Audit and Adjudication Expert Opinion and Forensic Investigations Training: Short Courses and Seminars

E-mail: office@terratechnology.co.za Website: www.terratechnology.co.za

Endeavour Magazine | 65

TRANS AFRICA PROJECTS

focused on the generation needs of the country. In terms of

Grid. We further provide project management and construction

the African market, the situation is buoyant, with International

site supervision to some.”

funding supporting electrical utilities. The international financial

On the Major transmission side, TAP is currently entrusted

institutions such as the World Bank, African Development bank,

by the Botswana Power Corporation with the establishment of

JICA etc. has keen interest in Africa. The competition is fierce with

the Morupule B to Isang 400kv line and associated transmission

multinationals competing in the African Market, TAP has however

works. This is one of the most important projects for Botswana

maintained its track record and holds its position in the market.”

infrastructure and entails 220km of 400kV line and six substation

Not just holding its position but striding out into new territory,

related projects.

TAP has some interesting projects on the go that include working

For Eskom, current projects include Engineering design, project

with the Saudi Electricity Company, breaking into the renewable

management and site supervision services are supplied to Eskom,

energy market in South Africa and involvement with African

the main Electrical utility in South Africa. Various projects and

interconnection endeavours. Jan expanded,

disciplines are supported. This includes the765kV Kappa Sterrekus

“We are undertaking a bankable feasibility studies for the

line, 765kV Foskor line, 400kV Aries – Nuwehoop line, 400kV

interconnection between Mozambique, Zimbabwe and South

Dedisa Grassridge line, Greater East London 400kV Strengthening,

Africa. Our role is as a technical partner with KPMG, Norton Rose

Namakwaland

and Gibb. We are also involved with Twelve renewable energy

strengthening, Hendrina Gumedi 400kV line, Kusile Intergration at

projects in South Africa, which include the feasibility studies,

400kV, Medupi Masa 400 kV, Medupi Boritho 400kV, Ngwedi – Lilo

engineering designs for collector networks, lines and substations

400kV, Vulcan bypass 400kV. On substations we support Eskom on

for the integration of these generation facilities into the National

the 765kV Aicorn Hoek, Foskor 765kV, Hidra 765kV, Kappa 765

400 kV Strengthening, Northern 400kV Cape

ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING SOLUTIONS FOR THE UTILITIES BUSINESS Noratec provides niche services in the Electrical Industry and offers state-of-the-art solutions for Rural Electrification, System Design (Lines, Substation Primary and Control Plant), Planning, Construction, Project Management, Renewable Energy and Live Line Maintenance.

Head Office: 75 Allan Road, Glen Austin, Halfway House, South Africa, 1685 Cellphone: +27 83 254 2431 Phone: +27 11 041 0500 Fax: +27 86 551 8997 www.noratec.co.za 66 | Endeavour Magazine

kV, Sterrekus 765 kV, Longyian De Aar 765kV. Amakala Emoyeni 400 kV, Ankerlig 400 kV, Dedisa OCGT, Dedisa Grassridge 400kV, Garona Pinotage 400 kV subs and line , Xina IPP, Paulputs 400 kV sub, Avon 400kV sub, Kookfontein Waterberg 400kV sub and line, Borutho 400kV substation, Kusile 400kV sub and Ngwedi 400 kVSub TAP is a company that not only has it all, it recognises that fact and still attempts to grow as an independent organisation.

With indutsry connections and ties that other businesses could only dream of, TAP has taken a stand against piggy-backing on the success of parent companies, choosing instead to stand for customer service and exemplar accompishments through hard work and dedication. It’s this attitude and work ethic that sets TAP apart from competitors and demonstrates that sometimes, all you need is a spark of inspiration to really get ahead.

“

We have built a broad client base and perfected a suite of services around our clients’ requirements.

TAP maintains its competitive edge in the market through committed and experienced staff and vast international experience.”

100 95 75

Success does not come from eliminating risk.

25

SUCCESS COMES FROM MANAGING RISK FOR GROWTH.

5 0

We help you balance your strengths against the risks that come with growth.

100 95

Marsh have been Brokers to Trans Africa Projects since the inception of their business.

We are proud of our association with them.

75

25 5 0

MARSH AFRICA Africa’s pre-eminent Insurance Broker and Risk Advisor www.africa.marsh.com | +27 11 060 7100 An authorised financial services provider | FSB/FSP: 8414

Endeavour Magazine | 67 Endeavour Magazine_051015

68 | Endeavour Magazine

TSK GRUPO WWW.GRUPOTSK.COM 0034 985 13 41 71

SUNSHINE FOR YEARS TO COME WRITTEN BY DON CAMPBELL

You cannot argue with these kinds of specifications; €800 million yearly turn over from 850 professionals and a footprint that extends to over 35 countries. TSK has always pursued the clear objective of building a leading group in engineering development and supplying facilities of the highest quality.

Endeavour Magazine | 69

TSK GRUPO

Speaking with Southern Africa Business Manager, Rafael Lapique, it is clear

that this is a company that puts their ‘guarantee’ of service excellence at the very top of their priorities, “Our priority is to meet the needs of our customer, offering them all the technical and human resources necessary, every step of the way,” he says.

A

ccording to Rafael the company TSK was established and

experts in this field. So their acquisition mission continued and two

launched as a public limited company in 1986 and was the

years ago, in 2013, they purchased Flagsol, a German engineering

result of the combined skills of the electrical engineering and

company that specialised in solar plants.

electrical installations divisions at Grupo ERPO, a group specialised

“It was at this time that 93% of our activities were now outside

in turnkey industrial projects and the first engineering company

of Spain,” Rafael explains, “And with a turnover of 800 million Euros

listed on the Spanish stock exchange.

we had firmly reinforced our position as a technology company

“In 1990, TSK’s current stockholders acquired TSK from Grupo ERPO and this launched the new stage of the company’s

with an enviably strong international presence in engineering and industrial construction.”

development,” he reveals, “Then in 1995 a German company,

Having worked for the company himself for several years,

namely PHB Weserhütte, who specialised in the design and supply

Rafael has recognised that there is a strength in the dedication

of mineral storage and handling facilities, was acquired.”

TSK exhibit to their mission. With their eyes firmly set on a target,

Thus began a journey of investment and development that

whatever the industry or the economy may throw at them, they

helped further TSK’s reach and influence such as involvement in

are ready and prepared to meet it head on with a strategy already

the environmental field in 1999 where they focused on the turnkey

in place.

installation of water treatment plants. This allowed them to not

“It’s all about the satisfaction of our employees,” he explains, “If

only secure a niche but broaden their expertise and capabilities for

you want satisfied, loyal and repeat customers you need to have

future projects.

happy, well prepared employees who understand their role in the

“IN 2006, TSK began work in the solar photovoltaic field and

company.”

to anchor the best skill sets into their projects, they acquired the

Too many companies focus too little on the employees, Rafael

engineering firms Ingemas and Irelsa. “Further subsidiaries in Brazil,

explains, whereas at the heart of TSK is a dedication to the people

Nicaragua and Chile were established in 2008 and the first themo-

who form the company and a commitment to their personal and

solar projects were launched” Rafael says. By this stage a firm

professional development. It is no surprise therefore that the

international presence had been established and further expansion

company is able to go above and beyond their own expectations,

to the Middle East in 2011 began with projects in Saudi Arabia,

considering they do the same for the expectations of their people.

India and Bangladesh, which offered them important opportunities

Of course, the investment into their staff is purely so that the

to gain experience of working in different countries, under different

customers can be better looked after and as a company striving to

conditions and within different working cultures.

remain on the cutting edge in terms of human and technological

“This is important,” Rafael professes, “While having the working

resources and profitability, they are in a fine position to do so.

knowledge is important, you have to be able to understand the

“It is important to offer efficient solutions in the field of

cultural differences to be found in different countries. Such

engineering and equipment, which contribute to sustainable

understanding is where you are able to influence and motivate a

development, both nationally and internationally, ensuring the

professional workforce,”

satisfaction and trust of our customers,” Rafael says, “You need

Seeing at the time that photovoltaics were going to play a hefty role in the future of energy, TSK set themselves the task of becoming 70 | Endeavour Magazine

to remain alert and proactive to any opportunities. You can never stand still.”

A NEW GLOBAL BENCHMARK FOR AFFORDABLE & RELIABLE SOLAR ENERGY Phase II, Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park

P L A N T C A PA C I T Y

200MWAC

IMPACT Sufficient to power

30,000 A V E R A G E

Displaces the equivalent of

469,650

UAE HOMES

POWERED BY

2.36 MILLION

ADVANCED FIRST SOLAR PHOTOVOLTAIC MODULES

M E T R I C TO N S O F

GREENHOUSE GASSES PER YEAR

Higher energy density in real-world conditions compared to conventional PV modules Superior temperature coefficient and spectral response, translates into reliable energy yields even in hot, dusty conditions

COST COMPETITIVE SOLAR ELECTRICITY The project consortium, led by ACWA Power and TSK, established a new global benchmark, reducing the cost of solar electricity by 20% The project will earn a levelized tariff of 5.84 USD cents per kilowatt-hour of energy as part of a 25-year power purchase agreement

See what we can do for your business at firstsolar.com.

TSK GRUPO

QUALITY AND EXCELLENCE Inherent in any company should be a promise of quality and excellence, however, so many businesses can become victims of their own successes and allow too many customers to fall through the net and be left disenfranchised. To counter this possibility TSK places a great amount of stock in their reputation, not only with their customers but within the industry as well.

“Our companies’ activity forms part of services to industry,

“We face the constant challenge of improving our products and services through innovation and applied research as one of our development opportunities, in search of greater competitiveness both nationally and on the global market, where innovation is the differentiating factor that enables us to provide added value in everything we do,” he says.

MOHAMMED BIN RASHID AL MAKTOUM SOLAR PARK

which means that flexibility and cooperation are key elements

Solar power company, First Solar has signed an agreement to

fundamental if we are to compete with larger companies with

supply modules for the 200MW second phase of the Mohammed

greater resources,” he says, “We must transmit these qualities with

bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park in Dubai; a massive project that

a deep seated value of commitment and respect throughout all our

will require 2.36 million First Solar modules over 450 hectares. The

companies and be ready to adapt, as a team, to any changes which

first 13MW phase of the park used 152,880 First Solar modules.

might arise.”

The Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) selected a consortium comprised of TSK and ACWA Power, to develop

EXCITEMENT AND PASSION LEADS TO INNOVATION TSK prefers its staff to always transmit excitement and passion for their projects. When used together they can create a real energy about a company which makes encouraging the ongoing innovation that has become a benchmark for TSK possible.

72 | Endeavour Magazine

construct, own and operate the IPP project and once completed in early 2017, the project will be the largest PV plant in the Middle East, producing enough power for 30,000 homes in the United Arab Emirates.

In a recent interview, Ahmed S. Nada, vice president and region executive for the Middle East at First Solar, said: “This project’s

impact on the global energy transition cannot be overstated. It has

The Government also signed similar contracts for two 10 MW

effectively driven down the cost of solar electricity, marking a new

solar PV power projects earlier this year. At least one of these

milestone in solar PV’s evolution as a mainstream energy resource.”

projects will be developed by Kuwait Oil Company which, in turn,

The modules provided by First Solar are due to be installed at the

has awarded the contract for construction of the project to another

52.5MW Shams Ma’an solar PV plant, currently under construction

Spanish company, Gestamp Solar. All three projects will be funded

in Jordan and scheduled for completion in the second half of 2016.

by the Kuwaiti Government, however, in the future, projects shall

Another project that has hit the headlines recently is the

be allocated to private sector companies under a build-operate-

Shagaya MW Thermal Solar Power Plant in Kuwait where TSK won a $385 Million order for a Solar Power Plant In Kuwait in September this year.

transfer mechanism.

The country’s Electricity and Water Minister, Ahmad al-Jassar, stated that Kuwait plans to generate 4.5 GW from wind and solar

“Kuwait have taken bold steps towards realising their target

power projects by 2030, when the total power demand is expected

to have 15% of its electricity generation coming from renewable

to increase from its current level of 12 GW to 30 GW. By 2025,

energy projects by the year 2030,” Rafael says.

the Government expects to have an operational renewable energy

Kuwait recently signed a contract with Spain’s TSK Group to

capacity of at least 2 GW. The renewable energy target was

set up a 50 MW solar photovoltaic power project, Isabel explains,

announced in 2012 when Kuwait also set a target to generate 1%

“The contract is worth $365 million and will see the project start

of the total electricity from renewable energy sources by the end

commercial operation in 2017. The project will be set up at Shagaya,

of this year.

100 kilometres from Kuwait City and near the country’s border

“TSK have a long history of projects that help us not only reach our

with Saudi Arabia and Iraq. When commissioned, the project will

next targets but also help change the world,” Rafael says in conclusion,

generate enough electricity to fulfil needs of 100,000 homes and

“This is an exciting industry that is just entering into its growth phase

save energy equivalent to 12.5 million barrels of oil every year.”

and we are expecting sunshine for a long while to come,”

Endeavour Magazine | 73

74 | Endeavour Magazine

MODEC WWW.MODEC.COM 0065 6496 4000

MEETING THE DEMANDS OF THE ENERGY INDUSTRY HEAD ON WRITTEN BY JACK SLATER

There is no escaping the fact that to meet the increasing energy demand, oil and gas will continue to be the major source of the world’s energy well into the 21st century. Moreover, petroleum resources are plentiful, despite some speculation to the contrary. The most troubling questions for the oil and gas industry relate to deliverability rather than availability and this is surely where technology will play an increasingly important role - all of which bodes well for company MODEC. We spoke with company president, Sateesh Dev, regarding his company.

Endeavour Magazine | 75

MODEC

MODEC functions in a very diverse and rich industry. Offshore

production began in 1940s offshore Louisiana. Advancements in technology have expanded the industry to deeper water and over the last six decades, offshore production has increased tremendously. Currently, approximately 30 percent of world’s oil and gas production comes from offshore and it is expected to continue to increase in the future. hile fixed platforms were initially used for the offshore

W

Through all this Sateesh is very pleased be able to say that,

developments, as the fields have gone deeper, floating

“MODEC is the global leader in delivering and operating innovative

production facilities have become the main solution for

and reliable floating production systems,” and adds, “We do this

the offshore production. There are four main types of floating

by developing our people so that we have skilled, proactive and

production facilities; Floating Production Storage and Offloading

committed teams focused on creating value.”

(FPSO) vessels, Tension Leg Platforms (TLPs), Spars and Production Semi-Submersibles.

THEIR HISTORY

Currently, approximately 160 FPSOs, 20 TLPs, 20 Spars, 40

Mitsui Ocean Development & Engineering Co., Ltd. (MODEC)

Production Semi-Submersibles and 100 Floating Storage and

was founded in 1968 and its first growth stage involved the design

Offloading (FSO) vessels are in operation worldwide. Orders for

and construction of offshore construction vessels. By the mid

floating production facilities have increased dramatically over the

1970s, the company had branched out into the full construction of

last decade and that trend is expected to continue as the world’s

jack-up drilling rigs.

energy consumption continues to grow and advancements in technology provide the capability to extract more hydrocarbons.

CONCEPT, FEED,

EPC SERVICES

Aibel AS is a leading service company within oil, gas and renewables. We provide our clients with the best engineering, construction, upgrading and maintenance solutions.

– AIBEL DOES IT

Photo: Piyawat Hirunwattanasuk

76 | Endeavour Magazine

The first contract for a Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel came in 1985 and in 1986 MODEC began

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MODEC operating the unit. Since that first FPSO contract the company

do so.” These partnerships have led MODEC to play an invaluable

has been awarded over 25 additional FPSO/Floating Storage and

and life changing role in a number of the worst tragedies to affect

Offloading (FSO) EPC projects and still provides operation and

the world in recent times. In the Asia Pacific they donated and

maintenance for FPSOs throughout the world.

supported relief efforts following the earthquake and tsunami in

In 1999, MODEC sold its first Tension Leg Platform (TLP) and has since been awarded contracts on four more, including the

2011, while earlier, in 2009, they participated in the famous Blood Drive to support the Singapore Red Cross Society.

Marco Polo, which at the time of installation was the deepest TLP

Not every victory is found in the grandiose gestures however.

in the world. For their innovative and “always a solution” attitude,

Sateesh reveals that they have contributed to the building and

Sateesh’s company has been recognised many times for their

cultivations of gardens at the Kwong Wai Shiu Hospital in Singapore

project achievements, most recently in 2007 when, thanks to their

in 2009 and the support of an orphanage centre and home for the

work on the MOSES Self Stable Integrated Platform (SSIP) TLP, they

elderly in Vietnam.

were recognised at that year’s Offshore Technology Conference.

It is common for the public to see monetary gestures such as this as frivolous when compared to the hands on businesses involved

BIT OF BACKGROUND NEEDED ON SATEESH

in direct relief, however MODEC recognises the importance of

Sateesh believes it is important for businesses to give back to

supporting professionals to do their jobs and so the list of charitable

the communities they are involved with and have a direct influence

and relief-orientated expenditure is rather extensive, enough to

on, as such MODEC is seen as a corporate citizen and values the

say that whenever there has been a disaster or a need for support,

world and the environment as a whole.

MODEC have been there to help. And it is not exclusive to the Asia

“We evaluate how we can minimise any harm to the environment

Pacific, with offices in America and in Brazil MODEC has mirrored

while maximising the benefits to people throughout the world,”

their focus on community development projects, including the

he says, “And so we have engaged with a number of community

sponsoring of the building of schools, blood clinics and laboratories

contributions, scholarship programmes and other charity events to

in these countries with ongoing and long-term benefits and results.

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78 | Endeavour Magazine

PROJECTS MODEC has signed a contract with Maersk Oil North Sea UK Limited to supply a Floating Storage and Offloading (FSO) vessel

Delivering Above Expectations to Customers Every Day

for the Culzean development project in the North Sea. Under the contract, MODEC will provide the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) of the FSO, while its subsidiary SOFEC, Inc. will design and supply the internal turret mooring system. The FSO will be equipped to receive 25,000 barrels of condensate per day and store up to 350,000 barrels.

Delivery of the floating facility to Maersk Oil UK is targeted for the first half of 2018, when it will be deployed at the Culzean field approximately 145 miles (233 kilometres) off the coast of Aberdeen in water depth of around 295 feet (90 meters). “We are very honoured to be awarded the contract for supply of the FSO by Maersk Oil. This new contract represents a significant milestone for MODEC in gaining entry into the important North Sea oil and gas industry,� Toshiro Miyazaki, president and CEO of MODEC said in a press release.

Partners in the Culzean field are Maersk Oil UK (operator), JX Nippon Exploration & Production (UK) Limited and BP plc.

The GSG is an ISO 13709 / API 610 type BB5 high-pressure barrel pump, with thousands of pumps installed worldwide, the GSG is a well proven solution suitable for the most demanding applications for the oil and gas market.

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Endeavour Magazine | 79

80 | Endeavour Magazine

GUYANA WATER INCORPORATED WWW.GWIGUYANA.COM 00592 227 8701

REDUCING POVERTY AMONGST GUYANANS WRITTEN BY JACK SLATER

Speaking with Nigel Niles, acting CEO of Guyana Water Incorporated, it is made clear, very quickly, that the main driver for improving the water sector in Guyana is the reduction of poverty amongst the population of the country.

Endeavour Magazine | 81

GUYANA WATER INCORPORATED

GWI provides water to some 145,000 homes, offices and schools across Guyana and it also provides water to Amerindian communities in the Hinterland where the company aims to supply water facilities to 80% of the Hinterland settlements.

“W

e employ over 500 workers and supply 300 million

The Guyana Water Authority was responsible for delivering

litres of water every day,” Niles points out, “We

water to the suburban, rural and the Hinterland regions, excluding

operate 24 sewage pumping stations in Georgetown

Linden and those areas supplied by the Sugar Industry Labour

and have water treatment plans at Mon Repos, Pourdroyen,

Welfare Fund Committee.

Fellowship, Golden Grove, Queenstown, Cotton Tree, Lima,

Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) was established, resulting

Vergenoegen, Better Hope, Covent Garden, Eccles, Bartica, Sophia,

from the merger of the Guyana Water Authority (Guywa) and the

Central Ruimvedlt and Number 56 Village,”

Georgetown Sewerage and Water Commissioners (GS&WC), on

Not only is GWI one of the primary forces in the water industry across the country, but it is also one of the oldest companies and has its roots in two different businesses.

May 30, 2002. Thus, GWI is now responsible for the previously divided responsibilities of GUYWA and GS&WC. Niles reveals that the Infrastructure, Planning and Implementation

The Georgetown Sewerage and Water Commission was

Department (IPID) is responsible for the conceptualizsion and

established on the 23rd March 1929 to provide for the completion

implementation of all capital investment works in accordance

of the sewerage works of Georgetown with the objectives of

with the company’s strategic plan, “As our name suggests,” he

establishing a body of commissioners to control, maintain and

continues, “We quite literally develop and improve existing capital

manage the sewerage system and waterworks of Georgetown

infrastructural assets, such as pipe networks and production plants,

and to provide for the maintenance thereof. GS&WC was

so that our operations department can deliver improved levels of

responsible for Central Georgetown. The Georgetown Sewerage

service to our valued customers.”

and Water Amendment Act Number 4 of 1994 made the GS&WC

Currently this department comprises of three units charged

an autonomous public sector institution under the control of the

with the delivery of projects funded by the Government of Guyana,

Minister of Works and Communications.

(GOG), who pay into annual capital developmental works along

This set the grounding roots for the Guyana Water Authority

the coast and at Linden; the Inter American Development Bank,

(GUYWA), which was then established under the Guyana Water

(IDB) who deal with the rehabilitation of the Water and Sewerage

Authority Act Chapter 55:01 of 1972.

Networks within Georgetown and the World Bank Water Sector

“Its main activities included the construction, operation and maintenance of water distribution systems in order to supply potable

Consolidation Project, which involves the construction of three new water treatment plants.

water to the public,” Niles reflects, “Prior to the establishment of

“The IPID is responsible for all stages of project development,”

the Authority, responsibility for the water sector was that of the

Niles tells us, “Managing and evaluating all capital-intensive

Pure Water Supply Division of the Ministry of Works.”

projects within GWI large and small.”

82 | Endeavour Magazine

He adds that the Team also liaises with other organisational entities who are undertaking water-related projects, with the primary activities being project management and geographicinformation management.

Niles reveals that the Guyana Water Incorporated is in collaboration with several international organisations, among them the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), United Kingdom Department for International Development (DFID), World Bank and the Japan International Co-operation Agency (JICA).

“These agencies have assisted GWI in developing several new water treatment plants,” he explains, “Among them are plants in Rosignol and Corriverton Berbice covering from Number 51 village to Molsen Creek. Also, Lima and Vergenoegen on the Essequibo Coast, which are now almost ten years old,” Among other works is the ongoing rehabilitation of pumping stations and the construction of raw water mains and distribution lines.

The long history of collaboration with these international partners, such as the World Bank resulted in the provision of funding for essential water treatment plants in Anna Regina on the Essequibo Coast and Parika on the East Bank of Essequibo.

Recently, senior officials from Creditinfo Guyana and the Guyana Water Inc. shook hands to mark the implementation of a historic partnership, driven by their shared concerns and mutual support for the financial development of Guyanese and the economy of Guyana.

Through the Creditinfo Partnerships Initiative, GWI collaborated with the credit bureau to help consumers when they approach banks, microfinance institutions and other lenders for loans and other forms of credit. Information on the payment patterns of individuals from the utility was not available to third parties until the Creditinfo Partnership between GWI and Creditinfo. This information can be a very useful tool to help in determining the character and credibility of a potential borrower. The information is included in the various credit reports that are now used by banks throughout the sector as an indicator of eligibility for funds. Further, lower rates of interest on loans and faster approvals are also now possible, making the whole application process with lenders faster and easier approvals more likely.

Creditinfo Guyana declared that they were both pleased and proud to publicly acknowledge Guyana Water Inc.’s outstanding leadership, corporate responsibility and incredible efforts on behalf of their customers, as demonstrated by their unstinting support for the credit bureau programme.

“Throughout the world, studies have shown that the presence of a credit bureau in the market is always followed by a vastly improved climate for lending and credit access for consumers,” Niles says, “It is exciting news that this is now available in Guyana, for Guyanese.”

Endeavour Magazine | 83

GADGETS

Height Adjustable Desks

I

am curious when it comes to health. I have been a runner for

the average office worker sits for around nine of their waking hours

several years and I have run marathons and train at least three

and that is a huge percentage. It is believed that this non-activity

times a week. I also cycle and walk lots to try to keep fit, however,

has an enormous impact on health, increasing diabetes, obesity and

I feel the biggest Achilles heel to this is the fact that I work in an

even cancer. Standing, pacing and general movement has to be a

office and sit for the majority of the day, so any activity I do is

more natural default position.

battling against this enforced sitting.

So our friends at heightadjustabledesks.com have given us one

I have suffered with the usual activity injuries such as a bad

of their flagship models for me to use and test. I have the E:Lift

stress fracture, known as shin splints, when I increased my running

Transition and it is a beautifully heavy piece of equipment that

to harder and further, the result was pain and rest. I put this down

you can lean against, with no fear of movement. It has a black

to my legs being too weak and not used enough and then suddenly

top without cable port holes, but with a cable tray. It measures an

I want them to run a faster 10 miles!! Something gave and it was

impressive 1400mm wide x 800mm deep and I love the look of it.

the shins.

A friend of mine has been training hard for an important triathlon and slipped off his bicycle and broke vertebrae in his back.

It also has an electrically operated height adjuster, so if your legs get tired you can draw up a chair and used it as a normal desk.

I rarely do this though, as my legs don’t get too tired.

The result was a back brace and loads of time off work. On his

I seem to suffer less from writer’s block at this desk, as I find I

return, he ordered a standing desk, based on his doctor’s advice.

am constantly moving and repositioning. This has to increase blood

I have spoken to him about his standing desk and he waxes lyrical

flow and I like to think some of that went to my poor overused

about the benefits for his legs and core. I decided I wanted to try

brain. I have even noticed I am using a notch less on my belt and I

one.

am sure my core is stronger.

I thought initially it was a bit of a gimmick, but hey I love

The mechanics that this desk uses are top notch thanks to the

gimmicks. I run barefoot as I believe it strengthens your legs and is

Piezo Anti Collision Technology and this is confirmed by not only

more natural, but other people think I am mad. However, my legs

the smoothness of the movement but the five year warranty that

have never felt stronger and I haven’t had any return of the dreaded

comes as standard.

shin splints.

Is sitting all day at a desk going to be the new smoking issue?

Gimmick or not, the standing desk does have a history and

Are we suddenly going to be aware of just how much harm we are

was very popular for the upper classes back in the 18th and 19th

doing to our bodies? I would love for the UK to adopt Scandinavia’s

century and people such as Ernest Hemmingway and Charles

attitude to standing desks and make them the mainstream desk of

Dickens produced their best works on one. Winston Churchill,

choice.

Leonardo De Vinci and Napoleon Bonaparte also used them, so I am in good company.

In Scandinavia it is estimated that 90% of office workers have the use of a standing desk and the UN announced this as the happiest place in the world. It can’t be a coincidence can it?

Let’s face it, humans aren’t designed to sit all day. Apparently, 84 | Endeavour Magazine

We will do follow up reports on this as I genuinely feel a change in our fitness on the whole is necessary.

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Endeavour Magazine | 85

UTA FabLab gives new option to children in need of prosthetic hands

C

arrying out the easiest tasks can be a struggle for children

Prosthetic recipients work with their occupational therapist

with no hands or missing parts of their arms, unless they have

and UTA FabLab personnel to customise the design before sending

prosthetic hands. A major obstacle to getting the artificial

it to a 3-D printer. Once the pieces are printed, a process that takes

limbs, however, is the hefty cost. Read more...

The devices, run by batteries and electronic motors, can run as high as $10,000.

up to five hours, the parts are sanded and cleaned before being assembled and fitted to the child.

Flexing the wrist, which pulls on cable “tendons” closes the

The UTA FabLab, operated by The University of Texas at

fingers. Move the wrist again and the hand opens. The hands are

Arlington Libraries, offers new hope to families in need of low-cost

printed in pieces, which are assembled by volunteers, or by parents

artificial hands by joining Enabling the Future (e-NABLE), a network

and children themselves. If the prosthesis is uncomfortable, a new

of providers offering access to 3-D print technology. The move

one can be made at the UTA FabLab. The same costs would apply.

will allow visitors to customise and fabricate prosthetic hands for

The 3-D print files for the hand are free and available at the

children in a matter of hours and for $50 or less; a fraction of the cost of a medical prosthesis.

e-NABLE website, www.enablingthefuture.org .

Rebecca Bichel, UT Arlington Libraries dean, called the

“We chose to focus on children with e-NABLE because it’s

programme a great fit for the university and its focus on health

difficult for them to get properly sized prostheses,” said Fraser

and the human condition through the Strategic Plan 2020 | Bold

Jones, UTA FabLab technician. “The costs of medical prostheses

Solutions: Global Impact.

can present a daunting financial challenge to caregivers because as children grow, their prosthesis must grow with them.”

“The UTA FabLab has an extraordinary opportunity to connect research and knowledge created at the university to impactful and

Many families find the investment impractical and do without.

innovative services,” Bichel said. “The ability to create a customised

The benefit of e-NABLE is that people can produce a low-cost

prosthesis and produce it at a low cost can be life changing. We

prosthesis, which is particularly important for a child whose

are proud to provide access to this technology and will continue to

family is unable to spend thousands of dollars every six months to

explore ways we can support and enhance our community.”

accommodate growth.

“Having access to very low cost prosthetic hands like the ones we can generate here at the UTA FabLab is extremely useful,” Jones said.

Peace Williamson, health sciences librarian and interim comanager of the UTA FabLab, said the service highlights the strengths of the university and abilities of the students.

“Students are excited to learn new skills associated with 3-D

With prosthesis options named Raptor Reloaded, Cyborg Beast

printing technology and its impact on someone’s life,” Williamson

and Odysseus Hand, e-NABLE designs suggest power and mobility,

said. “They get to be a part of something incredible and, through

not disability. Makers can customise each hand with multiple

these processes, learn more about collaboration and teamwork

colour options, including clear, transparent and glow-in-the dark

within a STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and math)

filaments.

environment.”

86 | Endeavour Magazine

KERV the first contactless payment ring

K

erv, the London fintech startup, today launches the world’s

felt we could do better. So we did, designing Kerv to be the most

first contactless payment ring on kickstarter.com in a bid to

ergonomic, natural and convenient contactless payment method

raise £77k mass-production capital via crowdfunding.

possible.”

Kerv wearers can make instant contactless payments of £30 or

Phil continued: “We feel Kerv is a perfect fit for Kickstarter, but

lower with a single gesture - no card, PIN or paired smartphone

we don’t just see the campaign as a way of raising the funds to take

required. Accepted anywhere in the world that takes contactless

Kerv to mass production; we want to elicit the input and support of

payments, Kerv is always on ‘your’ hand, removing the need to

a community of forward-thinking individuals that have a real desire

carry a wallet, purse, cash or cards - perfect for those with active

to help bring great products to market.”

lifestyles. The Kerv ring never needs charging and doesn’t need to be paired with a smartphone to work.

Kerv Chairman David Hunter added: “A lot of technology in payments strikes me as being a solution looking for a problem. I’m

Kerv seamlessly blends form with function, creating a beautiful

confident that Kerv will be well received on Kickstarter because

and understated piece of wearable tech which, uniquely, looks and

it solves genuine problems, focuses on the user-experience and

feels nothing like a piece of wearable tech. Available in black or

makes the underlying technology invisible.”

white, Kerv’s sleek outer shell is engineered from zirconia ceramic, a material most often found in nuclear reactors, spacecraft and dental surgeries. Zirconia is lightweight, hypoallergenic and one of the most scratch-resistant materials on the planet, necessary for an item of functional jewellery designed to be worn all day, every day.

Kerv is also waterproof.

Beyond retail payments, Kerv can be used on the Transport for London network (and other global cities’ mass transit systems).

Kerv also offers instant sharing of emergency, medical or contact details at the tap of an NFC-enabled phone, plus one-touch access via compatible NFC locks and security systems - which means even more pocket junk can be left at home.

Kerv founder, Philip Campbell, said, “Currently, wearable payment devices are either eye-wateringly expensive or thoroughly unattractive. But the biggest issue I have is that they’re all worn on the wrist, which has to be placed flat against the contactless reader in a way that feels extremely unnatural and awkward. With a creative background - plus eight years’ experience in payments - I Endeavour Magazine | 87

TRAVEL

CHASING A LEGEND INTO THE JUNGLE

BY WILL HATTON

88 | Endeavour Magazine

T

he Philippines… golden beaches, steaming jungles, smiling locals and living legends.

This is a country where new and old come together

in a clash of colour and tradition. This is a country where it is possible to have a totally unique adventure in just a few days.

I was heading deep into the tribal territory of the Kalingas.

I was on a pilgrimage. My purpose was simple; to have a real adventure, to get truly off the beaten path, away from crowded tourist bars and to have a life changing experience.

For decades, Apo Whang Od has kept the traditions of the

In the Philippines, there is so much to explore, so much to

Butbut tribe alive by tattooing with thorns, soot and a small

experience that it is possible to get totally off the beaten path

bamboo hammer. Historically, These tattoos were reserved for

with relative ease.

members of the tribe but, in the last decade, Whang Od has

But where should you go and what should you do? With just

begun to tattoo the occasional foreigner who finds their way

a few weeks to spend in this incredible country I was keen to

to her small village. Whang Od is 97 and she is the last of the

head off on an adventure, to get away from the tourist crowds

Mambabatoks; the Kalinga tattoo masters.

and to do something that I would never forget. I turned to social

Traditionally, tattoos were reserved for head-hunting

media. Filipinos responded to my queries on various Facebook

warriors and the mambabatok would choose where the tattoo

backpacking groups; Whang Od. Whang Od. Whang Od.

was to go upon the warrior’s body and nobody would know

A great tattoo artist, she is the last of her kind living in

exactly what shape the tattoo would take until the artist

the Kalinga jungles. To my delight, numerous folks offered to

began. The eagle, reserved only for warriors of exceptional

help me make my way to her - the path was to be long and

bravery, was one of the most coveted tattoos in Butbut culture.

difficult, not impossible, but certainly a real challenge without

Although Whang Od does now tattoo the occasional foreigner,

a friendly translator on hand. I perused the profiles of these

it is strictly forbidden for anybody other than a member of

strangers offering to take me into the jungle; many appeared to

the Butbut tribe to be tattooed with an eagle. Today, the tribe

be beautiful Filipino girls in high heels… so I opted to go with

are a friendly bunch; shy yet smiley and pleasantly surprised

a chap named Pot Pot, who resembled a small Buddah and had

that foreigners have begun to make the arduous trek to their

one of the largest smiles I have ever seen.

village… but this was not always the case.

Pot Pot offered to guide me to Whang Od and to help me

Once upon a time, the Kalinga tribes were distrustful of

communicate with her. He did not want any kind of payment, he

strangers and frequently involved in tit for tat head-hunting

simply wanted the opportunity to help a stranger in his country.

battles with neighbouring groups. Kalinga territory is one of the

This, for me, is what travelling is all about; meeting new people,

few places which was never occupied by the Spanish, Americans

taking new chances and saying yes to new opportunities.

or even the Japanese; the Kalinga warriors and rugged terrain

I booked my flights. I was going to the Philippines… I was going to get a tribal tattoo…

were simply too much to contend with, so most armed groups steered clear and let the tribes do their own thing. This has

The wind whipped my hair into a frenzy as I sat, my eyes

resulted in a unique and proud people thriving in the jungles

drawn forwards by the plunging landscape. Below me, a dozen

along the Chuco River. The headhunting ended in the 1950s

Filipinos lounged with regimented discipline on hard wooden

and although tattoos are becoming less and less common in

seats. I sat atop the jeepney alone, luminous green paddy fields

Kalinga culture they are still an important badge of honour.

streaming away from me in all directions. I had been travelling

Now, I hoped to join the privileged few who could say

the world for over seven years now and I went where I wanted

that they had been tattooed by the last Kalinga tattoo master.

and did as I liked, providing I could scrape together the money.

Unfortunately, it was not exactly simple to make an appointment

For years, the Philippines had called to me; perfect beaches,

with Whang Od - one simply had to turn up and hope that she

friendly people, tropical jungles and ancient traditions… one of

felt like tattooing a foreigner as traditionally Kalinga tattoos

which I was fascinated with.

are reserved for Kalingas only. There has been occasions when

Endeavour Magazine | 89

90 | Endeavour Magazine

tattoo to get and had, in the end, decided upon a fern; a symbol

deem them worthy, so I crossed my fingers and continued upon

of rebirth and I later found out, fertility… I was gonna be one

my journey, wondering if I should change into a cleaner top…

fertile dude by the time this was done. Whang Od carefully

The jeepney spat me out in a dusty frontier town called

outlined the tattoo on my arm using charcoal and a small stick.

Bontoc. I was meeting Pot Pot, my Filipino guide, who was

Next, she picked a sharp thorn and placed it carefully within

going to help me get to Whang Od and act as a translator once

another stick before glancing at me, checking that I was ready

I arrived. I had no idea where he was but he was three hours

and preparing her hammer.

late already. I continued to smile at anyone who approached

I sat on a hard block of wood, watching with grim fascination

me, vaguely remembering that he kind of looked like a Buddha.

as she lifted the stick and began. Whack, whack, whack. I felt

I hoped he would find me; it shouldn’t be hard, I reasoned, I was

nothing. I watched as the thorn punctured my skin again and

the only white face for miles. I sat, snacking on fresh mangoes

again, forcing the charcoal inside the wound, five times a second.

and chatting to a bored policeman, until finally Pot Pot arrived.

The musical noise of the hammer drifted across the village as a

Pot Pot is a constantly smiling, always giggling man in his late

crowd of interested villagers watched to see if I would reveal

30s, with a shaved head and twinkling eyes. He thrust a cold

any sign of pain. I did not, for in truth it did not hurt. I had waited

coke into my hand and urged me to climb atop yet another

months to meet this incredible women, I had traversed valleys

jeepney as, with a belch of exhaust fumes, we left Bontoc

and hiked through jungle, ridden atop metallic-death vans and

behind us.

endured belching fumes; what was a few pin-pricks to mark the

We raced further into the country, taking hair-pin bends

successful completion of my journey? Tiny droplets of blood

with reckless abandon, bouncing along on top of the Jeepney

decorated my arm as slowly but surely the design came to life

as we climbed into the mountains. We passed deep ravines and

upon my flesh. It crawled and writhed as Whang Od continued

soaring hills, countless paddy fields, farmers carrying goods to

to breath life into it with her bamboo hammer. I could think of

market, children playing in the road, herds of hogs snuffling

no better way to pay homage to this incredible women and to

in the undergrowth and tiny hamlets, clinging to the space

the spirit of adventure itself than to get a traditional tattoo…

between the road and a vertical drop. The jeepney took us as

this was an idea I had been knocking around for years and as

far as possible before the road dwindled to nothing and we got

I watched the tattoo take over my arm, I knew I had made the

out to continue on foot.

right decision.

Photo Credit: Will Jehring

people have been turned away because Whang Od did not

I shouldered my pack and set off into the jungle, following a gaggle of children with extremely unhappy chickens tied to sticks. Slowly but surely I left civilisation behind as I traipsed further from the road and higher into the hills. An hour later and I was dripping with sweat. I could see ahead a small village perched atop a particularly steep looking hill. I turned, catching the last rays of the sun as they slipped across the valley and decided I better hurry up. It was going to be dark soon.

I arrived in the village without warning. One minute I was still on the lonely path, the next I had burst from the jungle and was standing next to a wooden shack with a tin roof. Animal skulls and chicken feet hung from every square inch of a nearby house. In ones and twos the villagers came out to greet us, they spoke only limited English but luckily Pot Pot acted as a translator and before I knew it I was whisked away by a friendly family and shown a place where I could lay my pack and sleep

About Will Hatton: Writer and photographer. Adventurer

for the night. I crashed out almost immediately, exhausted and

and vagabond. Master of the handstand pushup. Conqueror

all too aware that tomorrow I would finally be meeting with

of mountains, survivor of deserts and crusader for cheap

Whang Od.

escapades. Will is currently preparing to hitchhike from England

She didn’t look like she was 97. She didn’t move like she was

to Papua New Guinea, a journey which will take over 18 months.

97. She was sprightly, humorous even and smiled from beneath

Will blogs over at The Broke Backpacker about his adventures

a heavy black hoodie - the kind of thing a gangster rapper might

in some of the world’s least visited countries, you can follow

wear. I had spent most of the morning agonising over what

him on Facebook and on Twitter.

Endeavour Magazine | 91

BOOK REVIEWS

REFLECTIVE PARENTING

R

eflective Parenting provides practical advice and strategies for how parents can bring meaningful change to their child’s behaviour and emotional well being and support their

development, by adopting a more reflective style of parenting.

Written by leading clinical psychologists Alistair Cooper and Sheila Redfern, Reflective Parenting is filled with practical advice to help parents form a better relationship with their child, starting from the development of their baby’s first relationship with them as parents, to how they can be more reflective in relationships with toddlers, children and young people. By focusing on what’s going on inside their child’s mind, a better connection is established between parent and child, leading to better outcomes in behaviour, emotional functioning and cognitive development.

Stephen Scott CBE, Director of the National Academy for Parenting Research writes that “this exciting book is a welcome addition to other approaches to parenting… [and] it can easily be combined with other approaches to parenting such as sensitive responding to the child’s needs, spending positive times together, and calmly setting limits when necessary.”

Rather than focussing on strict behavioural management strategies as found in other approaches, Reflective Parenting explores recent developments in mentalisation, attachment and neuroscience, illustrating how our understanding of the parentchild relationship has transformed. It instead highlights to parents the importance of being aware and understanding of their child’s thoughts, feelings and motives.

Peter Fonagy, psychoanalyst, clinical psychologist and head

HOW MUCH DO YOU KNOW ABOUT SEX ADDICTION?

W

ith Sex Addiction: The Partner’s Perspective, Paula Hall has effectively shined a light on an otherwise much underserved clinical population: those spouses and

partners traumatised and otherwise hurt due to the ongoing sexual

of the department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology

and/or emotional betrayal of a cheating spouse. – Robert Weiss

at University College London and Chief Executive of the Anna

LCSW, CSAT-S, US therapist, educator and author of Always Turned

Freud Centre writes in the Foreword, “While this book is aimed

On: Understanding Sexual Addiction in the Digital Age.

at parents, it is just as important for professionals working with

A condition that can be kept hidden for many years, sex

parents to read. The authors offer sound advice throughout and

addiction not only wrecks the lives of those who suffer from it, but

do so in an entertaining and perhaps even gripping style. There is a

also wrecks the lives of their partners. Written by Paula Hall, one

‘page-turner’ quality to the book, which comes from the application

of the UK’s leading sex addiction specialists, Sex Addiction: The

of a key principle of reflective parenting: they arouse curiosity in

Partner’s Perspective features the first UK survey of the partners

the reader. You want to find out what happens next. The curiosity

of those that suffer from sex addiction, a condition that only 9%

is hopefully infectious – in the sense that curiosity about what is

of partners thought was a real condition* – until it affected them.

going on in a child’s mind is what reflective parenting is all about.”

“There are three main reasons why sex addiction hurts so

Reflective Parenting shows how reflective parenting can

much.” States Paula. “The first is the social stigma associated

help parents understand their child and help them achieve their

with the condition, the second is the painful and often drawn-

full potential in their development; cognitively, emotionally and

out process of disclosure or discovery and the third is the

behaviourally and is a must read.

assumptions and misunderstandings made by some well-meaning

92 | Endeavour Magazine

YOU DON’T NEED TO WIN THE BOOKER PRIZE TO SELL BOOKS SUCCESSFULLY, SAYS PARCELHERO

A

s the shortlist for this year’s Man Booker Prize is revealed, e-commerce experts ParcelHero say the book industry is still healthy for both marketplace traders and budding authors.

The shortlist for the MAN Booker prize was announced last

week and will mean thousands of extra sales for the winner.

However, the courier price comparison site ParcelHero, specialists in e-commerce fulfilment, say you don’t need to win the Booker to be successful in the book industry. Says ParcelHero’s Head of Publications, David Jinks MILT: “It is widely thought that the growth of Amazon is killing the book market, but that is a myth. While the future of the printed word is far from being an open book, there are strong signs that people still like to own physical paper books and also that the new technologies of ebooks and print-on-demand are encouraging a new generation of authors.”

David explains: “Our eBay and other marketplace traders are finding the market for second hand-paperbacks is something of a struggle, but hardcover books, particularly quality items such as Folio Society books and first editions, are actually growing in value.”

David has this assessment of the book market: “It’s true that the number of independent book stores has declined by 50% and a book has less than a 1% chance of being stocked in an average bookstore. But while that’s not great for the High Street, there is no let-up in demand for books bought online. In 2014, 184,000 new friends and untrained therapists.”

and revised titles were released in Britain and 304,912 in the US.”

Sex Addiction: The Partner’s Perspective addresses these

Davis adds: “As well as traditional print, budding authors are,

issues and gives partners and those who want to help them, the

of course, also looking to ebooks and self-publishing, with the

guidance and tools needed to survive the emotional turmoil caused

option of print-on-demand opening new potential markets. In

by discovering their partner is a sex addict. With 95% of partners

2013, of the 184,000 titles sold in the UK, 33% of these titles were

feeling shock, grief and confusion at their partner’s diagnosis*, this

digital. And first time author’s e-books no longer have the stigma

book explores the myths and realities surrounding the condition,

of ‘vanity publishing’. E.L. James’ 50 Shades of Grey started life as a

allowing partner’s to learn how to survive the trauma, understand

humble ebook, but has gone on to sell over 125 million worldwide.

their reactions, reclaim their self-identity and face the future.

Publishing your own kindle novel couldn’t be easier.” Admits David:

“Sex addiction is the most intimate wound that any partner can

“I myself published a novel last year, The Dodo Tree, about the

be forced to face and the most brutal attack a relationship can be

adventures of a Public Relations manager and while it’s not exactly

expected to endure.” Paula says. “But partners do survive and so

sold 125 million, it was a fun thing to do.”

do many relationships.”

David concludes: “If you have self-published your own book,

Featuring a range of revealing statistics and real life stories, this

or are selling books in quantity, independent booksellers and eBay

book is a practical asset that is full of facts and self-help exercises

stores can save up to 70% versus using the Post Office when they

to give partners a much needed sense of stability and control after

book a delivery on our site. We also offer discounted large and

their discovery and will help partners not only survive, but to grow

heavy and international Pallet delivery for orders over 50kg up to

stronger and move on with their lives.

1,000kg. So, if you need to send an entire book collection or a small

* Statistics drawn from survey of 126 people.

library, you can with ParcelHero!”

Endeavour Magazine | 93

SPOTLIGHT

THE FAMOUS COMPANY: THE UK’S NUMBER ONE MUSIC SERVICE AGENCY

BY DONNIE RUST

B

reaking into the music industry can feel like a boxing match

based across the UK they are working with over 50 artists with

with the odds stacked against you. Talent is important but

various ongoing consultancy projects with management companies

not as important as hard work and the right contacts. What

and labels.

you need is a player in your corner, a guide, a coach who can

“It can be a ruthless industry,” he acknowledges, however like

show you the ropes. We caught up with Matt Allen, CEO of The

any industry music operates on many different levels. It’s easy to

Famous Company who have set themselves as a customer focussed

assume that a successful musician is one who is constantly on the

heavyweight in the corners of talented musicians across the UK.

radio or television but there are millions of professional singers,

As the UK’s number one music services agency with the

musicians and performers out there who have gainful careers who

capacity and experience to get artists further in the music industry

are known only within their circles, “It’s important to build all of

Matt Allen believes that they have reached this level through

them equally.”

pioneering a unique approach for the industry as a whole.

What it takes is hard work and a personalized touch to turn a

“We put our clients first,” he says, “Connecting them with the

career into a fruitful one and The Famous Company is very focussed

best professionals, suited to their situation and irrespective of

on giving the hands on approach to each of their clients, something

geographical location or individual financial situations.”

that Matt admits he is able to do less and less as the company

Celebrating their fifth birthday this year, Matt is proud of the

grows, “We handpick every member of our team carefully to make

work they have been able to accomplish and the continued growth

sure that our ethos is shared by everyone but it does become

of the company as a resource for talent entering the industry. With

harder for me to be fully involved with our clients while I’m busy

two full-time directors and 30 freelance creative professionals

running the business.”

94 | Endeavour Magazine

As a CEO of a company that is genuinely changing the fortunes

A student of the university of life, Matt goes on to advocate that

of artists across the UK, Matt Allen is a surprisingly upfront and

most of what he knows today has been garnered through learning

approachable man void of the usually razor-edged finality that

from his peers, making his own mistakes and working out ways to

has come to represent people working in the background of this

do things better in the future, “Dusting yourself off and trying again

industry.

is the best education.”

“I was born in a small clay mining village in Cornwall,” he reveals, “So working in the music industry wasn’t naturally what I might have ended up doing but I always wanted to work in the arts in some way.”

With a love for creativity and working with energetic people who have a vision to entertain Matt combined this with a natural flair for management and found that A&R was an obvious choice because as he says, “It’s about finding people, believing in them and helping them to grow.”

For 99% of professional musicians there are no shortcuts to popularity. It’s a daily ear-to-the-grind slog that has to be combined with creativity and innovation. In this way Matt benefits from a unique perspective with a background dominated by hard work and innovative thinking, “I never went to university,” he tells us, “I quit sixth form mid-term because I knew it wasn’t for me. Soon after that my first job was as an apprentice for a dot com company specialising in pop and youth culture and it was there that I learnt a lot about the music industry.”

THE FAMOUS COMPANY Hardworking and creative, there are many areas that Matt could have been successful in but for him his love of music pointed him in only one direction, and so setting up The Famous Company was, he admits, inevitable, “I love music; I live and breathe it. But I’m also a natural sales person and as Famous is a music services company we don’t do the 360 journey that most managers do, we are involved in only a small part of an artist’s journey, and if we do our job well, that artist will come back to us. So I’m able to get that buzz from the ‘sale’ to the client all over again, and get to enjoy the music and creativity that comes with it, what more could I ask for?”

Networking in any industry is key and Matt keeps a book of contacts that he can approach for advice thanks to this Famous is connected with hundreds of industry professionals from recording studios to radio pluggers, photographers and tour managers, “Everyone you meet could be a potential contact/colleague/client

Birmingham Based Urban Duo Vois Endeavour Magazine | 95

in the future so getting out of the office and meeting them is crucial,” he says, “As is being approachable Making

a

and

good

friendly. impression

starts with a good smile and a welcoming manner. But there’s no point knowing all these people if you don’t understand what they do, so I always try to gain a bit of knowledge about them so that we can have some common ground.”

While Matt is fast to support innovation he is quick to turn to practicality and to remind people that any business, in any industry is tough, and that while you need things like determination, bags of energy, an understanding of things and a strong indomitable sense of humour you have to listen to successful people who have done it before you, “Study those people who are successful,” he says, “Learn from them and adapt things to fit yourself so that you keep it fresh. But don’t rip up the rule book and write your own, there’s no time for that!”

A fast paced methodology is so crucial to this game, Matt explains, “And we have set

contact and A&R consultation to the proposal of services, monthly client reviews and exit customer

everything to eliminate the

services questionnaire all clients are contacted by the company numerous times to ensure they have

inefficient or the contrived.

an open dialogue. They are also encouraged to communicate with them throughout their journey via

Such as the point of contact

their very active social media platforms.

which is The Famous Company’s

“The Famous Company is unique in its set-up because we don’t just work with artists in London

online porthole through which

or one particular part of the UK,” Matt says, “We have pioneered a national network of ‘hubs’ allowing

vetted

artists in Wigan the same opportunities as artists in Wembley. We believe that no matter whatever

accredited

freelance

professionals are available to

your geographic location, your opportunities in life should be no less than someone else.”

Further to this, Matt is really excited to be launching a new partnership with Youth Music, a charity

deliver our services to clients.” non-traditional

that helps over 75,000 disadvantaged young people from all over the UK gain access to music training

music industry based company,

and development. The Famous Company are supporting Youth Music in a number of ways including

their focus is service driven.

launching ‘The Famous Company Bursary’ which will allow one of their network of young people the

Therefore

opportunity to receive £8,500 worth of development services from them and an additional £500

Being

client’s

a

right

journey

through with

a

them

travel allowance.

customer

service

is

really

“It is so important for me that everyone is able to follow their dreams in life, and Youth Music

important.

From

the

initial

provides fantastic opportunities to so many young people,” he reflects, “We’ve been blown away with

96 | Endeavour Magazine

the Youth Music case studies and the young people we have had

some the less capable singers on TV and now they want to have

the opportunity to meet, so we hope that this is just the start of

their chance to shine. Everybody has a talent in something, so if

a fantastic charity partnership, the two brands certainly have a

shows like The X Factor continue to ignite that passion in someone

fantastic synergy.”

that they can do it, I think that can only be a good thing.”

THE STATE OF THE MUSIC INDUSTRY

industry The Famous Company are constantly evaluating their

With reality television shows playing such a large role in people’s entertainment and regularly featuring as the most watched

And to keep relevant in such an aggressive and talent hungry processes and services provided to ensure that they are able to compete in what can be a crowded market.

programmes on television there is some argument on whether this

“The world of artist development is heavily populated in London

is a good thing or not. However, Matt points out that music is a very

especially, but because we work nationally with our development

diverse industry with these reality shows representing only the

hubs and have our unique monthly payment plan allowing artists to

iceberg tip and that there is more to being a professional musician

pay for a service over anything up to 18 months, we know that we

than merely appearing on stage in front of judges of the X Factor

are without a doubt doing everything possible at the moment to

or The Voice.

offer more than any of our competitors.”

“I think shows like The X Factor are great for bringing new talent

Matt is also unafraid of change, knowing that just because

forward,” he says, “We see so many people who have watched

something works today, it doesn’t mean that it will as well next Endeavour Magazine | 97

London Based Rapper Manni from Britain’s Got Talent

Midlands Based X Factor Act LittleJack

month, so all their services need ongoing refinement, adjustment

whether they are with Famous as a client or as a member of staff,

and monitoring, “Do whatever it takes to stay ahead. “

“Without them we wouldn’t be able to operate.”

The set up between staff, representatives and clients is very

WHO DO THE ARTISTS WORK WITH? The Famous Company provides all members of their team, whether working with clients or behind the scenes, with the same level of training to ensure that their ethos of exceptional customer services is delivered across the board. Considering how competitive the market for artist development is Matt is says he is often very proud when they are told how refreshing and unique their service is and knows that this is largely down to his team.

“We have developed an in-house training manual that outlines our background and ethos as a company, the Famous brand values, our portfolio of services and systems and procedures,” he says, “And because we are a sales and service driven operation we have a company-wide commission structure which means no matter what you do within the company, if you sell any of the services from our price list you will receive commission for the sale. This encourages everyone to work together to build and strengthen the brand.”

“Even though we have staff based across the UK, we’re still a

important and formalized. Matt explains, “We have monthly A&R meetings with clients who we work with as part of our Virtual Manager service. Most consumer clients we work with opt to take this service in addition to any creative services we provide to them.”

As part of Virtual Manager they see the client face-to-face for an A&R meeting to discuss their progress and at the end of each meeting the client is asked to rate their journey with the company so far and their experiences with them during that month.

“Our aim is to maintain a constant high score throughout their time with us. We also ask all our staff to complete an Activity Report at the end of each face-to-face creative service provided to clients and this includes feeding back any comments the client may have during the session ensuring that no matter how many miles may be between the client/staff member and our head office, we can stay on top of their journey with us.”

THE FUTURE OF THE FAMOUS COMPANY

very tight team,” he adds, “We encourage development to be led

To celebrate their 5th year, The Famous Company are staging a

by the staff. They’re on the front line so we want to hear their

spectacular seated event at Kensington Roof Gardens in the events

experiences, how they dealt with new situations and how we can

marque. The evening will celebrate five years of Famous with a

streamline our procedures to make their jobs easier.”

number of their own artists performing plus a special guest, “We

In the same way that they have regular reviews with all of their

will also be launching The Famous Company Bursary with Youth

clients they do the same with their staff to ensure that everyone

Music as well as presenting our first ever Famous Awards! It’s going

is happy with how they are moving forward as a company. It is

to be a packed night which hopefully everyone will remember for

important to be one team, and for everyone to feel supported

years to come!”

98 | Endeavour Magazine

Bristol Based Electro Duo Stereo Kela

Additionally they are also overhauling all of their visuals

been an expensive undertaking but one that we understand is so

including a refresh of their marketing collateral and website. After

important for our company growth in becoming the market leader

a slight development of their colour scheme and logo this year and

in the UK. We’re really proud of the web development which Ben’s

with their fifth anniversary coming up it was agreed now would be

team has undertaken, the new e-commerce capabilities on our

a great time to freshen everything up.

shiny new website launching in October will make the customer

“We’ve also filmed a series of promotional videos with a

experience and UI much more fluid.”

selection of clients who we have worked with which will be coming out later this year,” he says, “I’ve seen a few of the videos, and they look incredible, I am really excited for these to launch.”

The future could also hold other shifts in the market, as even though The Famous Company is synonymous with music Matt reveals that they are constantly being approached by clients from outside of the music sector looking for them to help them develop their careers, “It’s our intention next year to look at expanding our services into other sectors,” of course. There is only so much Matt is allowed to reveal as far as this is concerned.

“The Famous Company are achieving great things at the moment,” he says, “But freshening up the brand and giving it a bit of a makeover can only be a good thing. For new clients looking in, we have to be seen to be the best in the business, and so the investment of time and money in the rebrand will be totally worth it when our predicted wave of new business hits later this year.”

The refresh is being spearheaded by the company’s Chief Marketing Officer Ben Rees who also owns a media and marketing agency, which brings with it a huge team of graphic designers, web developers and branding specialists.

“We’ve been really fortunate to utilise his team and their amazing

PREPARING FOR CHANGE Matt is very positive for the future but has been able to see some of the hurdles that the industry as a whole will be facing, “Right now we’re in a really exciting time in the music industry, there are some great new artists pushing through. Unfortunately we’ve been in a period of chart domination by manufactured products off the back of things like The X Factor, which is a great platform, but I don’t think it should be the only way in.”

To this, he reveals, the industry has fought back and right now there’s some hot new talent emerging. Platforms like BBC Introducing have been a great way of allowing emerging artists a chance to push through and share the spotlight.

Further to this, changes in the industry like the decline in sales and increase in streaming means there is less money available for labels to invest in the development of artists. So companies like The Famous Company are becoming much more appealing to artists giving them the tools they need to get further in the industry.

“Whatever challenges the industry throws at us next we will be totally prepared for them,” he promises.

skillset for the next wave of our brand development,” Matt says, “It’s

Endeavour Magazine | 99

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