Endeavour Magazine October 2019

OCTOBER 2019

www.endeavourmagazine.com

TERANGA GOLD

IT’S ALL COMING TOGETHER BLAST MOVEMENT TECHNOLOGIES Upping Efficiency

FETCHR Right To Your Door

MOTION COMPOSITES Keep Moving

MAERSK LINE Adaptation And Evolution

Amazing World

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INSPIRED BY YOUR SUCCESS

HEADS OF DEPARTMENTS Managing Editor Alice Instone-Brewer editor@littlegatepublishing.com Sales Manager Emlyn Freeman emlynfreeman@littlegatepublishing.com Editorial Researcher James Lapping james@littlegatepublishing.com Editorial Researcher Alex Hayes alexhayes@littlegatepublishing.com Editorial Researcher Dennis Morales dennismorales@littlegatepublishing.com Editorial Researcher David Kimberley david@littlegatepublishing.com Corporate Director Anthony Letchumaman anthonyl@littlegatepublishing.com Lead Designer Alina Sandu studio@littlegatepublishing.com CEO Stephen Warman stevewarman@littlegatepublishing.com For enquiries or subscriptions contact info@littlegatepublishing.com +44 1603 296 100 ENDEAVOUR MAGAZINE is published

by Littlegate Publishing LTD which is a Registered Company in the United Kingdom.

Company Registration: 07657236 VAT registration number: 116 776007 343 City Road Suite 10, Thorpe House London 79 Thorpe Road EC1 V1LR Norwich, NR1 1UA Littlegate Publishing Ltd does not accept responsibility for omissions or errors. The points of view expressed in articles by attributing writers and/or in advertisements included in this magazine do not necessarily represent those of the publisher. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead is purely coincidental. Whilst every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained within this magazine, no legal responsibility will be accepted by the publishers for loss arising from use of information published. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or stored in a retrievable system or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the publisher.

Copyright © Littlegate Publishing Ltd 2019

EDITOR’S NOTE

W

e really dove into the work that’s happening at the Obuasi Mine in Ghana this month, speaking not only with the company that owns it (AngloGold Ashanti), but also one of the companies doing work on the current restoration efforts (Bauer Engineering Ghana). The mine dates back to the late 1800s, and has been closed since 2016 for care and maintenance that is costly but shrewd, taking a mine that had become unviable to operate in terms of cost and turning it into, well, a gold mine. With a world-class ore body, letting Obuasi fail and fall by the wayside would have been a short-sighted move. By instead holding production and investing millions into a re-working of its structures and systems, AngloGold Ashanti is turning a weak point in its portfolio into the gem is should be, and local companies such as Bauer Engineering Ghana are getting stuck in to the ambitious overhaul.

On the topic of mining, we also touched base with Teranga Gold, who we have had the pleasure of speaking with several times in the past. We love catching up with Richard Young, Teranga Gold’s President and CEO, as the company continues to impress us both with its pipeline, its focus on its goals, and its careful CSR efforts with the communities it operates within.

We heard the latest from Richard about how Teranga’s pipeline is evolving; it seems the company’s choices are continuing to pay off, as it goes from strength to strength, always one step closer to the goal of mid-tier gold producer than it was the last time we spoke.

A new company that stood out this month was Motion Composites. Getting to know this company was a real pleasure, and we’re excited by the amount of innovation they’re bringing to a field that doesn’t often get shaken up. Motion Composites works in the creation of custom wheelchairs, and if you’re thinking ‘What could be so exciting about that?’, then get yourself over to that article and find out for yourselves! We really were impressed, and other wheelchair manufacturers should take note (if they haven’t already).

Remember, it’s October this month, so don’t talk to ghosts, hunt vampires responsibly, and enjoy this issue of Endeavour!

Alice Instone-Brewer Endeavour Magazine | 3

CONTENTS

FEATURES

13

It’s All Coming Together Teranga Gold Corporation

21

Keep Moving Motion Composites

33

Upping Efficiency Blast Movement Technologies

37

Expanding The Build BAUER Engineering Ghana Ltd

43

Adaptation And Evolution Maersk Line

49

Redeveloping Obuasi AngloGold Ashanti

55

Weathering Every Storm Mauritius Ports Authority

61

The Future Of Insurance United Cooperative Assurance

We Deliver To Your Phone 71 Fetchr

Blast Movement Technologies 4 | Endeavour Magazine

79

A Dazzling Business Model Lucara Botswana (Pty) Ltd

85

Cushioning The Blow Burnside Eurocyl

91

Strength In People BHL Group

97

The Pride Of Vietnam Masan Resources

A Household Name

With Heritage 103 Melcom Group

Maersk Line

ARTICLES

Business Headlines

6 Asia 7 Africa 8 Americas 10 Middle East 11 Europe

Amazing World

28 66

A Jewel Of Biodiversity Darvaza Gas Crater: The “Door To Hell

Automotives 94

Ford Puma

United Cooperative Assurance Endeavour Magazine | 5

BUSINESS HEADLINES ASIA Houses collapse in Pakistan earthquake A 5.8 magnitude earthquake struck eastern Pakistan on September 24th, killing at least 19 people and injuring more than 300.

The quake’s epicentre was close to the city of Mirpur, in Pakistan-administered Kashmir. After the earthquake, tremors were felt as far away as the capitals of Pakistan and India, Islamabad and Delhi respectively.

Children are among the dead, reports say.

The full extent of the damage is not yet known.

“The quake was 10km (six miles) deep... The worst hit was Mirpur,” said Pakistan’s chief meteorologist, Muhammad Riaz. Pakistan’s military said “aviation and medical support” teams had been dispatched to the area.

The same area was hit by a powerful earthquake in 2005; in that crisis, the death toll famously reached the thousands.

Security crackdown in preparation for China’s 70th anniversary On October 1st, the People’s Republic of China will mark its 70th anniversary, and plans to do so on a grand scale, including fireworks, music and a military parade through Beijing.

The birth of modern China was declared on 1 October 1949, after the communists under Mao Zedong won the civil war that followed World War Two. This is because this October 1st will mark the first major anniversary since China has emerged as a global power. While 10 years ago China was a superpower in the making, it is now the world’s second largest economy, almost eyeto-eye with the United States.

In preparation for the parade, security measures have been ramped up in the city and online for weeks, including a raised presence in armed ‘watchmen’ and a rise in stops by the police. There are still fears that Hong Kong protests might threaten the smooth progression of the day. Some wonder whether the scale of the celebration is to distract from these protests.

27 dead from violence in West Papua A new wave of violence has hit West Papua after hundreds of protesters set fire to several 6 | Endeavour Magazine

buildings. The protestors were mostly high school students. At least 23 people died in the regional capital Wamena, some of whom were trapped inside burning buildings.

The protests were reportedly triggered by a teacher’s racist comments - an allegation that the police called a ‘hoax’. It’s the latest violence in the region, which saw weeks of unrest in August. Four people died in a separate incident in the provincial capital of Jayapura, bringing the death toll to 27. The number of killed is expected to rise as reports come in.

The incident in Jayapura took place after a mob of students reportedly attacked a soldier and police officers with machetes and rocks.

The day of violence came after a period of relative calm in the region, which last month was rocked by mass demonstrations in response to claims of racism.

Indonesia haze causes sky to turn blood red The skies turned red in parts of Indonesian in late September, thanks to the widespread forest fires that have been barraging the country. Locals have shared images to social media of vividly red skies, and a red light cast over everything in shot. Some have claimed that the images have been edited, but many locals insist they have not. Locals have also said that the haze hurt their eyes and throat.

Every year, fires in Indonesia create a smoky haze that can end up blanketing the entire South East Asian region. A meteorology expert suggests that the unusual sky was caused by a phenomenon known as Rayleigh scattering.

Indonesia meteorological agency BMKG also said satellite imagery revealed numerous hot spots and thick smoke distribution in the area around the Jambi region.

AFRICA Boeing to pay bereaved 737 families $144,500 each Families who lost relatives in fatal Boeing 737 Max air crashes are set to receive about $144,500 each from the company.

The money comes from a $50m financial assistance fund, which Boeing announced in July. The fund has started accepting claims, which must be submitted before 2020.

Boeing in July pledged $100m to families and communities affected by the crashes.

The company later said half would be reserved for direct payments to families, with the other half set aside for education and development programmes in affected communities.

Lawyers for the victims’ families, many of whom are pursuing the company in court, have dismissed the fund as a publicity stunt.

The 737 Max has been grounded since March, as investigators evaluate the airplane’s safety following fatal crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia, which claimed the lives of more than 340 people.

Rwanda opposition leader fatally stabbed Two suspects have been arrested in Rwanda in connection with the killing of a prominent opposition politician Rwanda’s Investigation Bureau confirmed that Syridio Dusabumuremyi was stabbed to death. The stabbing occurred at a time of multiple abductions and murders of FDU-Inkingi party officials.

Ms Ingabire, leader of the party, returned from exile in 2010 to take part in presidential elections, but was arrested and barred from standing. She served eight years in jail for “belittling” the 1994 genocide after questioning why Rwanda’s official genocide memorial did not remember any of the Hutus who were murdered.

Most of the 800,000 people killed were ethnic Tutsis, but Hutu moderates were also slaughtered by the Hutu extremists.

The FDU-Inkingi leader has been out of jail for a year, but her party has still not been able to register so it cannot officially take part in any elections.

Hundreds held after Egypt’s antigovernment unrest Almost 500 people have been detained in Egypt after protests against alleged government corruption, human rights activists say.

On the 20th, hundreds of young people took to the streets in the centre of the capital, Cairo - including near Tahrir Square, the focus of the popular uprising that forced President Hosni Mubarak to resign in 2011 - as well as Alexandria, Damietta and Mahalla al-Kubra, according to witnesses and social media.

Under President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, there has been a wide-ranging crackdown on dissent, and protests are very rare.

Public gatherings of more than 10 people without government approval have been banned since 2013, when Mr Sisi led the military’s overthrow of Egypt’s first democratically elected leader, Mohammed Morsi.

At least 60,000 people - most of them members of Morsi’s now-outlawed Islamist movement, the Muslim Brotherhood - are reported to have been detained in the past six years; hundreds have been handed preliminary death sentences by courts, and activist say hundreds more have gone missing in apparent forced disappearances.

Kenya MP pushes to ban ‘offensive’ social media content A Kenyan MP has called for the regulation of social media platforms such as WhatsApp and Facebook to stop the spread of ‘offensive’ content. Malulu Injendi, the MP for Malava in western Kenya, has sponsored a bill which will require administrators to obtain licenses from the communications regulator before they create social media groups. The bill proposes that anyone who fails to obtain a license should be put on trial - if convicted, they should be sentenced to a maximum of one year in prison or be fined a maximum of $2,000. Many see the bill as a threat to freedom of speech, especially amongst the young. A study published in July showed that Facebook and WhatsApp are the most popular social media platforms in Kenya, and most users are in the 25-35 age group.

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AMERICAS Brazil dam disaster firms to face criminal charges Brazilian federal police have proposed criminal charges against mining giant Vale and German safety firm Tüv Süd, as well as 13 of their employees, over January’s deadly dam collapse. Police reportedly say both firms used falsified documents that said the Feijão dam was stable. At least 248 people were killed as a sea of mud engulfed a staff canteen, offices and nearby farms. Twenty-two people are still missing. In July, a Brazilian judge ordered Vale to pay compensation for all damages caused by the collapse of the dam, saying that that the company was responsible for fixing all the damages, including the economic effects.

The same month, emails emerged that showed Tüv Süd’s own analysis of the dam initially failed to meet official requirements, and documents and internal emails seized by investigators show that Tüv Süd employees were aware for about a year that there were issues with the dam.

Thomas Cook holidaymakers and crew ‘trapped’ in Cuba Several Thomas Cook holidaymakers and crew in Cuba have said they are being prevented from leaving their hotels until they pay extra for their stay. The situation has arisen following the holiday company, Thomas Cook’s, sudden collapse. Holidaymakers may have paid months in advance, but hotels would normally only receive the money from Thomas Cook several weeks after their stay. It is being suggested that Atol protection, which covers payments in the event of a firm failing, is not recognised in Cuba.

Others state that Atol will cover funds run up after Thomas Cook’s collapses, but not before.

Affected hoteliers will therefore have to apply to the liquidators for their money.

The British Ambassador to Cuba said hotels had now been instructed to allow customers to depart without paying. However, some hotels are using security guards to block holiday makers from leaving to return home.

The CAA has already started repatriating British holidaymakers who were abroad at the time that Thomas Cook collapsed. There 8 | Endeavour Magazine

will be more than 1,000 flights before 6 October to repatriate the remaining 135,300 holidaymakers.

Trump impeachment inquiry over Ukraine claims The US Democratic Party has begun a formal impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump over allegations that he pressured a foreign power to damage a political rival.

Top Democrat Nancy Pelosi said the president “must be held accountable”.

Mr Trump has denied wrongdoing and called the efforts a “witch hunt”. There is strong support from House Democrats for impeachment, but the proceedings would be unlikely to pass the Republican-controlled Senate.

If the inquiry moves forward the House of Representatives will vote on any charges and, with the Democrats in the majority, the vote would likely be carried - making Mr Trump the third president in US history to have been impeached. But the proceedings would likely then stall in the Senate, where the president’s Republican Party holds enough of a majority to prevent him from being removed from office.

US soldier arrested for proposing bombing of news network The FBI has arrested a US Army soldier on suspicion of sharing instructions via social media on how to make bombs. Jarrett William Smith allegedly suggested using a vehicle bomb to attack a major US news network.

The 24-year-old wrote online about wanting to fight for a far-right group in Ukraine, say prosecutors, and also suggested killing members of far-left group Antifa.

The infantry soldier, who was based at Fort Riley, Kansas, was arrested and charged with distributing information relating to weapons of mass destruction. According to charging documents, Smith had been in contact with another American, Craig Lang, since 2016.

Land had travelled to Ukraine to fight for a paramilitary nationalist group, the Right Sector.

The pair allegedly spoke over Facebook about how to build bombs. Smith faces up to 20 years in prison if found guilty.

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MIDDLE EAST Iran rejects fresh accusations over Saudi oil attack Iran has rejected a joint statement by the leaders of France, Germany and the UK who blamed it for the September attacks on Saudi oil installations. Iran’s foreign minister accused them of “parroting absurd US claims”.

Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi rebels have claimed they carried out the 14 September attacks while Iran itself has denied any involvement. Eighteen drones and seven cruise missiles hit an oil field and processing facility.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel issued their statement on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.

However, the three leaders expressed their “continued commitment” to the 2015 nuclear agreement with Iran, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPoA).

Tensions between the US and Iran have soared since President Donald Trump withdrew from the accord last year and re-imposed sanctions.

They are accused of considering declaring a state of emergency and firing the army chief, General Ahmed Gaid Salah, as protests against the president were mounting.

Trump Approves ‘Defensive’ Deployment to Middle East The U.S. will increase air and missile defenses from Iran at the request of Saudi Arabia and the UAE, Pentagon leaders said.

President Trump has approved a “moderate” deployment of troops to the Middle East to help Saudi Arabia defend itself against Iran, senior Pentagon leaders said in a brief news conference.

Brother of deposed Algerian leader goes The deployment will be “defensive in nature” on trial and primarily concentrated on air and missile The brother of Algeria’s deposed former defense, Defense Secretary Mark Esper and president has gone on trial, accused of Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Joe conspiring against the state and undermining Dunford said, but provided no details about the military. Said Bouteflika was a key figure the precise number of troops to be sent. among Algeria’s leadership until President Dunford said that the number would be “not Abdelaziz Bouteflika was ousted in April thousands.” following pro-democracy protests. Two former One challenge in the Middle East is that Gulf secret service chiefs and a political party head nations do not share missile defense information are also on trial. Said Bouteflika was widely with one another. For years, U.S. officials have seen as the real power behind the presidency been pushing its allies in the Middle East to after his brother suffered a stroke in 2013. share missile warning information.

All four are standing trial at a military court The Sept. 14 attack on two Saudi oil in Blida, south of the capital Algiers. The ailing production facilities by a swarm of drones and former president is currently in a residence low-flying cruise missiles — which temporarily west of Algiers, and is not expected to face trial. halted half of the petro-state’s oil production The charges relate to an alleged meeting — were “a dramatic escalation of Iranian between Said Bouteflika and his co-defendants aggression,” Esper said. in March. It is claimed that he met two secret It’s difficult to defend against cruise missiles service leaders, General Mohamed Mediene and small drones because they flow low and and General Athmane Tartag, and the head of slow allowing them to literally fly under the The Workers’ Party, Louisa Hanoune. radars that would detect them.

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EUROPE Britain’s Supreme Court rules PM’s parliament shutdown unlawful MPs and peers will return to Parliament later after the Supreme Court ruled that its suspension was unlawful.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who is flying back early from a UN summit in New York, faces calls to resign from opposition groups.

The PM has said he “profoundly disagreed” with the ruling but that he would respect it.

The court ruled it was impossible to conclude there had been any reason - “let alone a good reason” - to advise the Queen to prorogue Parliament for five weeks in the run-up to the Brexit deadline of 31 October.

Mr Johnson, who was attending the UN General Assembly in New York, spoke to the Queen after the ruling, a senior government official said, although no details of the conversation have been revealed.

The Supreme Court has stated that the ruling was not a reaction to Brexit, but about upholding the law.

North Sea cod certification suspended by Marine Stewardship Council North Sea cod is set to lose its sustainability certification due to concerns about stock levels.

The Marine Stewardship Council said certificates for North Sea cod fisheries would be suspended as stocks were below the “safe biological level”.

A “blue tick” had been awarded in 2017, meaning cod could be eaten “with a clear conscience”.

The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) said the suspension was “devastating” but that stock levels were “worrying”.

The fish had been considered under threat for more than a decade after stocks were said to have fallen to about 40,000 tonnes in 2006.

The industry agreed measures to help regenerate the population, including new nets and closing spawning areas to fishing.

However, in June, the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (Ices) warned cod was being “harvested unsustainably”.

Ices said stocks in the North Sea had plummeted to critical levels.

Thomas Cook collapse: German airline Condor seeks financial help Germany is considering issuing financial aid to the Condor airline after Thomas Cook declared bankruptcy.

Thomas Cook, which has a 49% share in the airline, collapsed on the 23rd September.

Condor has applied for a bridging loan from the federal government and is awaiting a response, with German media reporting the amount requested was €200m ($220m; £176m).

Thomas Cook’s collapse has reportedly left 600,000 tourists stranded, including tens of thousands of Germans.

German Economy Minister Peter Altmaier said that the government would make a decision on financial aid within the coming days.

Condor has said it will not carry passengers who have booked with Thomas Cook or its subsidiaries. Those passengers have been advised to get in contact with their tour operator.

A German government official said that compulsory insurance should cover most German travelers if they were stranded abroad.

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IT’S ALL COMING TOGETHER Teranga Gold Corporation chevron-square-right www.terangagold.com phone-square 001 416 594 0000

Every time we speak with Teranga Gold, we see its pipeline of gold mines coming together more and more into the promising portfolio it set out to create.

A few years ago, when gold prices took their plunge, many gold producers scaled down their spending, but Teranga Gold chose this time to invest in future growth.

Written by Alice Instone-Brewer

A

cquiring prospective projects whilst the cost was lower, Teranga is now in the position to profit from its strategic business planning. Mining has been, and continues to be, a costly enterprise to explore and develop, but with a sleek scale from operational to as-yet undeveloped mines in well spaced-out stages, Teranga has carefully managed everything it has taken on, and now, it is bearing fruit.

Teranga was formed in 2010. Since then, the Canadian company has produced over 1.8 million ounces of gold at its flagship Sabodala operation in Senegal, but that mine is only part of the company’s story. The multi-jurisdictional company has a goal, and that goal – to reach mid-tier gold producer status – becomes more within reach with each passing year.

To achieve this, the company’s mines would need to produce over 500,000 ounces of gold per annum, and it’s getting close. With its second mine, Wahgnion, now in operation, the company will be a 300-350,000-ounce producer commencing in 2020. Add to this the strength of its existing pipeline and the once lofty production goal seems sensibly within reach. We caught up with Richard Young, Teranga Gold’s President and CEO, to hear the Endeavour Magazine | 13

TERANGA GOLD CORPORATION

latest on Teranga’s efforts and to see how the story has been unfolding.

Teranga has roughly 6,400 km2 of land located on prospective gold belts in West Africa. Currently, it is carrying out exploration programs in three countries: Senegal, Burkina Faso, and most recently, Côte d’Ivoire. At last count, on December 31, 2018, the company had 4.0 million ounces of mineral gold reserves, but ongoing exploration and drilling is looking to increase this figure. So, what exactly is the state of the company’s pipeline, and what does this mean for its future? Richard took us back to the beginning and broke it down: “We acquired the Sabodala gold mine [Teranga’s first mine] from an Australian company called Mineral Deposits, and then in 2013/2014, we acquired a contiguous property that doubled Sabodala’s gold reserves. Our flagship operation in Senegal produces over 200,000 ounces and generates more than $50 million in free cash flow per year, so it’s a

14 | Endeavour Magazine

wonderful asset for us.” When Teranga arrived in Senegal, Sabodala was the only large-scale industrial gold mine in the country. Though this is no longer the case, it is still the largest.

“The next leg of growth came with the acquisition of Gryphon Minerals in 2016; that’s actually given us not only Wahgnion, which has just been commissioned, but provided what is now our most advanced exploration project and potentially the next development project for us: Golden Hill.” Both of these projects are located in Burkina Faso. Wahgnion began processing in August, two months ahead of the original schedule and exploration on the site will continue in 2020-2021: “When we acquired Gryphon Minerals, Wahgnion had about 800,000 ounces in reserves, and we certainly believed that that number would grow.” Shortly after the acquisition, Teranga carried out a drill program on the site that increased minerals reserves to 1.1 million ounces. A second program later increased this to 1.6 million ounces and extended the mine life from 9 to 13 years. The addition of Wahgnion will increases Teranga’s consolidated production base by 50%, and double its free cash flow. “And we think we’re just getting started. There are four deposit areas, and all four remain open along strike and at depth. The Gryphon team, who were very good explorers, identified a dozen targets beyond what’s included in the current reserves and resources, giving us a lot of follow-up to do. Ultimately, we think that Wahgnion, much like Sabodala, will have at least a 15 to 20year mine life.” In the meantime, Wahgnion is expected to produce 30,000 to 40,000 ounces in 2019.

During their testing, Teranga discovered that the metallurgy at Wahgnion is very similar to Sabodala, which meant it could replicate its Sabodala mill and transfer much of its knowledge and processes from one operation to the other.

As for Golden Hill, it is still early days, but having this on the horizon whilst two healthy sites are in production sets Teranga up steadily

TERANGA GOLD CORPORATION

for the future. The targets at Golden Hill appear to be near the surface, which Teranga hopes will lead to shallow open-pit deposits, operating at a low cost. It is a large site to explore thoroughly given its 40-50 km length.

Currently, Teranga believes it will tackle this by identifying an area that promises a sound 2.5-million tonne project, and once this is in operation and further funds become available, exploration can continue to expand this. Again, this steady approach is a reflection of Teranga’s business strategy as a whole: take time, tackle stages as and when funds are available, and surely, steadily keep that pipeline growing. It’s a profitable attitude that Richard credits to one of the company’s investors: “Our pipeline is really a credit to our board, and in particular, to our largest shareholder, David Mimran, who has a long-term vision.”

Mimran, CEO of the Mimran Group, has invested close to $100 million Canadian for about 22% of the company, and maintains a

16 | Endeavour Magazine

deep involvement in guiding Teranga’s strategy and pacing.

These tantalizing new projects don’t mean that Teranga is letting its first site sit stagnant, however. Far from it. As well as its current mining operations, Sabodala is set for a major drill program. Teranga has been working on this diligently for the last five years: the focus of much of its work has been the relocation of a village that is on top of Niakafiri – the largest deposit on the Sabodala mine licence. To mine this deposit, the local village requires resettlement – a delicate task that requires consultation and cooperation with the local community to make sure that it is done smoothly, fairly, and in a way that ensures the happiness and well-being of everyone involved. We asked Richard how Teranga have handled this with respect: “It starts with a lot of communication: you’ve got to work with the community, you’ve got to listen to the community, and it always takes more time than you think. It’s been a very

IT’S ALL COMING TOGETHER

interactive process.” Teranga held talks with the community to learn about their values and long-term goals, and worked closely with them to design new housing, making sure that all designs are signed off by the locals, and even stopping construction and re-designing when the community gave new feedback. “We are very proud of what we’re accomplishing and excited for the future of the community.”

Moving the village is expected to be complete in 2020, and it won’t be the first project like this that Teranga has pulled off: “We’ve actually undergone a similar operation at Wahgnion, and that’s gone extraordinarily well. It’s a phased relocation and it’s partially complete. The community love their new accommodations. They were very much engaged in the design and the materials that were used, and were very pleased with the outcome.”

This care is in keeping with Teranga’s excellent CSR track record. The company

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TERANGA GOLD CORPORATION

works hard to leave a positive impact where it operates: “We want to ensure that the communities are better off when we leave than when we arrived.” This includes improvements to water supplies and health and education facilities, and establishing alternative sources of income such as farms and market gardens that foster healthy diets and enable communities to profit both now and after the mine leaves.

The company also hires and trains members of the local communities. Last year marked a record year for this in Senegal, with a workforce of 95% Senegalese nationals. Similarly, for the construction of Wahgnion, the company recruited and trained approximately 650 local unskilled workers during construction, and seventy are transitioning now into operational roles, and the mine’s total workforce is over 90% Burkinabe.

The latest addition to Teranga’s pipeline is a prospective land package in Côte d’Ivoire.

Whilst other projects are further along and

18 | Endeavour Magazine

have been receiving priority in terms of funds, this package is one Teranga is now keen to develop. “With Wahgnion up and running, we will be looking to spend more dollars in Côte d’Ivoire, searching for what we believe will be the next project or two after Golden Hill.”

Côte d’Ivoire is a country that keeps cropping up in conversations with gold producers lately, and that’s because the previously under-mined country is now pushing, under its current government, to attract this industry to its prospective land. “We’ve found the government to be mining-friendly and capable. I think Côte d’Ivoire is a number one jurisdiction to explore for gold, and you’re seeing it as more and more companies are focused on moving in to the country. I speak to many CEOs, and that is the number one jurisdiction that they are looking at. So, I think it’s just a matter of time before there’s more success.”

The company has two joint ventures in Côte d’Ivoire. The first is with Miminvest, with whom

IT’S ALL COMING TOGETHER

it has three permits. The other joint venture is on a project called Afema: “This project is very prospective, and has the potential to be large scale. We probably have six or seven drill targets on that as we speak. As we move into 2020 and beyond, most of our discretionary exploration spend will be in Côte d’Ivoire.”

With its sequential organic growth pipeline, Teranga’s future goal to be a mid-tier producer is within reach: “We have a very solid pipeline of projects that will allow us to achieve 500,000 ounces of gold production within the next five years.

Wahgnion helped bring Teranga Gold one step closer to this goal and we are thrilled with the success of our team, who took this project from exploration to production in less than three years.”

With Wahgnion now up and running, Teranga has two operational gold mines, both with +10-year mine lives, as well as with a slate of incredible exploration prospects in their

portfolio. With the free cash flow to help fund its future growth, mid-tier producer status looks to be on the near horizon, and the company has set itself up well to continue a safe and steady success for many years to come.

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KEEP MOVING Motion Composites chevron-square-right www.motioncomposites.com phone-square 001 866 650 6555

How much can there be to innovate in a wheelchair?

Motion Composites has taken the industry back to the drawing board, and the results are changing lives and causing ripples throughout the sector. We spoke with Tina Roesler, Head of International Business Development, and Nicholas Forrester, VP of Sales for Canada, to find out exactly why this company’s product design is causing such a buzz.

Written by Alice Instone-Brewer

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eating, bicycles – these products are constantly updated and improved upon, and yet wheelchairs remain largely the same.“I think people picture wheelchairs like the ones in airports - something that looks pretty generic,” Tina Roesler, Motion Composite’s Head of International Business Development told us, “But the truth is that most people should have something that’s custom built.”

Sound excessive? Nicholas Forrester, Motion Composite’s VP of Sales for Canada, went on to illustrate why this is so important: “There are thousands of different types of office chairs, because people are not all built the same way.

When it comes to wheelchairs, you might not get out of it for 12-14 hours a day, so it’s very important to make sure to have the right chair underneath you.”

Given the view of wheelchairs as a uniform piece of equipment, Tina told us that many suppliers and therapists will recommend wheelchairs that do not fit the needs of the end user in question. “For example, maybe the client doesn’t need armrests, but they’re giving them armrests anyway, and they might not know that they can take them off.” On top of this, there are many other factors that could affect what a patient needs from a chair; as Endeavour Magazine | 21

MOTION COMPOSITES Nick mentioned, individual build and posture comes into play, and there are also details such as age or the nature of the user’s injury or condition to factor in. This is what Motion Composites is striving to do.

The company’s co-founders, Eric Simoneau and David Gingras, began thinking about improved manual wheelchair design when they were in college. Looking at wheelchairs from an engineering standpoint, both men realised that contemporary designs were inefficient and needlessly heavy, whilst other markets were leaving the same technology far behind. Inspired to solve this problem, Eric and David teamed up and brought together a team of engineers, clinicians, and industrial designers with the task of redesigning the wheelchair from scratch.

As Eric, now company President, told us, “We started the company by engineering and selling foldable models for the first eight years but realized that there was an opportunity in the market to introduce a high-end rigid model.

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We launched the APEX and since then it has become one of our most successful models, winning a Red Dot award for design in 2017. As a company we are successful due to a number of factors, but really it comes down to hiring and supporting the best talent, listening attentively to user feedback, and delivering a high-quality product with a cutting-edge design.”

When it comes to the talent Eric and David hired, they weren’t conventional. “It sounds funny,” Tina told us, “But one of the advantages of our engineering team is that we don’t have any engineers that have been a part of the medical equipment industry in the past. In order to bring new ideas in, and to not get trapped in ‘let’s do it how we’ve always done it’, you have to bring people in from the outside.

It’s really fun for me, as an industry person, to see that new wave of fresh ideas and thought processes.”

“When I visited Motion Composites, before I worked for them, it impressed me that they really were doing something different. The engineers were fixing things that nobody else in the industry fixed, and they did it without any knowledge that they were problems.”

Approaching the design with no industry preconceptions, Motion Composites’ team identified issues and engineered solutions for them without having to un-learn old ideas.

This approach makes for fresh and exciting innovation but, of course, is conducted closely hand in hand with the market and users of the chairs. “We have not lost sight of how we got to where we are today,” Nick told us, “and that’s from listening to the market.”

Motion Composite’s chairs don’t only resolve many previously unfixed design issues – they are also fully customisable, not only to cater to a client’s health and needs, but also their comfort and aesthetic preferences. This was first brought to the market when, deploying the world’s most advanced technology, highend materials and cutting-edge engineering, Motion Composites launched its first design (the Helio C2) in 2008. In the process, it revolutionised how people think about wheelchairs, and business took off. Between 2008 and 2013, Motion Composites grew sales

KEEP MOVING a remarkable 2241%, earning an impressive 26th place on the 2014 Profit 500 List of the fastest growing companies in Canada. Today, although the company’s main markets remain Canada and the US, its chairs are now available today in 24 countries, including Australia, New Zealand and much of Europe.

Both Nick and Tina joined the company four years ago, and both came to it rich in experience. Nick graduated from a Canadian university with a degree in biomechanics, and joined the industry as a wheelchair dealer at 22. He worked as a dealer for 15 years, liaising directly with both clients and therapists. Four years ago, he brought this knowledge and hands-on experience to Motion Composites, now overseeing sales in Canada with direct knowledge of custom needs, and what dealers are experiencing on the ground.

Tina trained as a physiotherapist, and has worked within the medical equipment industry for 20 years. She worked for the Roho Group for eight years, as Sales Rep and

Director of Clinical Education for their wound care cushions. She then worked for another wheelchair manufacturer for ten years, during which time she collaborated with the company to introduce and promote titanium chairs – the biggest shake-up of the industry before Motion Composites came along. Now, she oversees Motion Composite’s International Sales, as well as having some involvement in the US. We asked the pair what makes Motion Composites stand out from its competitors.

Both agreed that, first and foremost, it was the level of innovation in its products. As Tina told us, “I’ve always been lucky to work for companies that have really unique products.

Material is where our industry really has been behind – we all know that carbon fibre has been introduced to many other industries for many years, but it’s never been successful in ours.”

Since those attempts, technology has changed and evolved, but the industry hasn’t returned to the idea of using this superior material. Motion Composites, in contrast, works primarily with

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MOTION COMPOSITES carbon fibre, hence the lightweight and freeing quality of its chairs.

“The market was stagnant,” said Nick.

“Titanium was one of the few disruptions to the market, but mostly, it was stagnant for many years. Our goal is to keep ahead of the curve, and to keep being market disruptors.”

In part, one can measure the success of this new technology by watching how competitors respond to it. Motion Composites has noticed an increase in carbon fibre used by other wheelchair manufacturers since it brought in the material, but it isn’t worried about being overtaken: “We are experts first and foremost in carbon fibre,” explained Tina, “And it’s hard for a company that works mostly in metals, and does all its welding in house etc., to transfer that technology to carbon fibre. It doesn’t transfer.”

As well as its many in-house innovations, Motion Composites has also recently elevated its products through its acquisition of Dynamic Health Care Solutions, through which it has procured the company’s Seating Series. “We

were at a bit of a crossroads, where we could continue to develop all of our own product, but when it came to seating, this is the route we decided to take, and I think with good reason.

By acquiring Dynamic, it gives us better market penetration, and it gives us synergy [through the seating product] over all of our products.”

The company plans to use the seating on not only all of its own chairs, but to sell this seating to its competitors, too.

The other element of Motion Composites that stands out for Nick, aside from its product quality, is the company atmosphere: “I find that Motion Composites stands above anyone else because of the culture that it instills in its staff. That’s the big difference for me.” The team includes many younger engineers, and encourages them to come forward with a fresh perspective and new approaches to old questions. Added to this, the feel-good nature of the job makes for a passionate and happy team that truly care about what they’re doing: It’s different to if you’re selling hot tubs. We’re

Company Founders David Gingras and Eric Simoneau 24 | Endeavour Magazine

KEEP MOVING providing solutions for people who truly need them and improving the day-to-day lives of people who use our products. It’s exciting. After seeing first-hand for so many years what a good prescription can do for someone, there’s no better feeling.”

The feeling is contagious. Whilst the titanium chairs of her last company were an “uphill battle” to introduce to the market, Tina told us that “this product seems to sell itself, so to say. At first, people say, ‘Oh, it’s just another wheelchair’, but I very rarely have people come out of a presentation or an introduction not impressed and surprised that there are so many changes, whether they’re small or big.” These changes both refer to engineering fixes to the base designs of the chairs, and also the incredible number of customisable and adjustable options to make sure every customer’s chair is exactly how they need it to be. “To give you an idea of just how versatile and adjustable these chairs really are,” Nick elaborated with pride,

“with one of our folding chairs, you can make almost 300,000 configurations.”

No matter how advanced a design, however, you cannot change an industry or market with a product alone – you also need the market to understand what it is you’ve done. “I think our approach is different from others,” said Nick, “In that we’ve really focused, even at the initial concept, on education. Instead of knocking on a dealer’s door and saying ‘We’re going to help you make a lot more money’, we’ve focused on the clinical side of the business. The growth that’s occurred in Canada is really down to the education that we provided: we went to dealers, but we also went to clinicians, not just in the big cities, but in the smaller towns and rural areas of Canada, and clinicians quickly adapted to that idea.” Motion Composites now hires three full-time clinical educators, who coordinate communication with therapists and clinicians, and even organize classes, both for dealers and therapists, and also wheelchair users.

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MOTION COMPOSITES As well as making sure that its chairs hit the regulatory requirements for each country it markets to, Motion Composites must communicate with that country’s government and therapists to explain what it is that the company brings to the table. As Nick said, this has been particularly successful in Canada; as for overseas, Tina told us, success varies from market to market, and much of this has to do with existing clinical practices. “Our biggest international success has been Australia and New Zealand, because they operate much in the same was as North America, their clinicians are trained much in the same way. I think every European country has its own way of practising and providing products, and they also have very different funding systems sometimes. So, a chair in the UK might have a certain price tag, but then you go to Spain or Portugal, and it’s 1000 Euros less, for no reason other than the funding, so that’s a challenge on a global scale.”

Looking to future expansion, Motion Composites is considering an attempt to break into the Asian market but, as Tina explained, it knows that this won’t be straightforward, “Asia is a very particular market, and every country in Asia is very different as well.”

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Due to the amount of customisation possible, Motion Composites is able to work with end users to find the best way to answer their physical needs whilst also hitting a price point they can afford, but to go the extra mile and help people access this lifechanging technology who otherwise wouldn’t be able to, the company also runs a ‘Wishes for Wheels’ program. Through this program, the company donates one wheelchair per quarter to someone in need, with no limit on the chair features that the recipient is able to choose.

Since its inception, Motion Composites has developed a family of innovative highperformance manual wheelchairs that open up countless health-improving options for their customers, as well as the enjoyment and pride of having something that looks slick and a little different. Every wheelchair the company produces is the lightest in its class, and true to the founders’ vision of improving lives by providing enhanced mobility. This is a genuinely exciting product to learn about, and a testament to the power of true innovation.

Sometimes, in this fast-moving world, we need to throw out the old recipe, remind ourselves of its purpose, and start again.

AWARD-WINNING 2019 Ultralight Manual DESIGN Wheelchair Winner product award 2019

The Veloce has won an award from Mobility Management honoring outstanding product and technology development in the Ultralight Manual Wheelchair category.

Earlier this year, the Veloce garnered international recognition by winning a prestigious Red Dot award for product design.

Contact your local wheelchair dealer for more information:

motioncomposites.com

AMAZING WORLD

A JEWEL OF BIODIVERSITY

by David Kimberley ound some 240 kilometres east of the This diversity was fully realised in 2001, when coast of Somalia and 380 kilometres a group of Belgian speleologists investigated south of the Arabian Peninsula, the island a cave on the island and found a staggering of Socotra is unusual in many ways. While number of inscriptions, drawings and objects politically part of Yemen, Socotra and the left by ancient sailors who visited Socotra. The rest of its archipelago are geographically part texts found were in Indian, Arabian, Ethiopic, of Africa.

Greek, Palmyrene and Bactrian languages.

Described as “the most alien-looking place It was in November 1967 when Socotra on Earth”, the island is extremely isolated, and became part of South Yemen, and their so is home to a high number of endemic species. relationship with the Soviet Union enabled the In the 1990s, a team of biologists conducted a latter’s navy to use the archipelago as a base survey of the flora and fauna there, counting of operations between 1971 and 1985. Yemeni nearly 700 species found nowhere else on unification occurred in 1990 and the island has the planet. Only New Zealand, Hawaii and the since been part of the Republic.

Galapagos Islands have more than this.

In 2015, Socotra was struck by the twin Socotra measures 132 kilometres by 49.7 cyclones Chapala and Megh, which ravaged kilometres and is a historic place of trade dating the island and caused devastation for the back as far as the 1st century AD. It appears in tiny population, who lost homes, roads and the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea; a Greek power. Despite receiving support from the navigation aid from that period and a wooden United Arab Emirates at the time, Socotra was tablet were discovered there in the Palmyrene almost left abandoned and all-but forgotten dialect dated to the 3rd Century AD, indicating by the world. When the UAE established a the diversity of cultures who visited the island. military base on the island, it caused rising

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tension between the remaining populace and the soldiers there, resulting in the only airport being seized. Eventually a deal was brokered and the tenuous alliance re-established.

Socotra is one of four habitable islands in the archipelago. The other three are Abd al Kuri, Samhah and Darsa. Socotra consists of narrow coastal plains, a limestone plateau and the Hajhir Mountains, which rise to 1,503 metres.

With a warm climate across most of the year, the island does suffer monsoons frequently, which can cause strong winds and high seas.

For many centuries, the sailors of Gujarat referred to the maritime route near Socotra as Sikotro Sinh, meaning ‘the lion of Socotra’ due to the constant roar of the waters.

The years of isolation, along with fierce heat and drought, have combined to create a unique and impressive endemic flora across the island. One of the most unusual plants is the dragon’s blood tree. Shaped like an umbrella, it was named because of its red sap, which is

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now used in paint and varnish. It was also used centuries ago for medicinal purposes.

Other impressive endemic plants on Socotra include the giant succulent tree, the cucumber tree and the rare Socotran pomegranate. These plants are what gives the island such an alien look, as visitors walk through a terrain unlike anywhere else on Earth.

The endemic fauna is just as interesting, too. The island is home to starlings, sunbirds, buntings, sparrows and golden-winged grosbeaks, all unique to Socotra. Unfortunately, many of these species are endangered now due to non-native feral cats roaming the wilds. However, with six endemic bird species and one endemic mammal in the Socotran bats, reptiles are the most widespread across the island with 31 different species. There are also several endemic spider species, including a distinctive tarantula, and three species of freshwater crabs.

Humans have been on the island for two thousand years and this has had a stark effect on the flora and fauna of course. In fact, reports have said that those creatures and plants that remain on Socotra represent a vastly degraded fraction of what once existed there. Ancient texts referred to crocodiles and larger lizards, all now gone, and Socotra once had larger

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wetlands which were home to water buffaloes in the early 17th century. The livestock currently on the island now threaten the remaining plants, while species introduced to Socotra (some by accident) are affecting the endemic animal population.

During the 2015 Yemen civil war, the people of Socotra were forced to cut down many of the island’s trees for wood to fuel their fires after gas prices became too high for them to purchase. In 2018, the UAE sent cooking gas to all residents of Socotra in order to stop the mass deforestation.

The island has an ancient tradition of poetry, which is down to the unbelievable number of languages spoken there over the years. Even today, an annual poetry competition is held on Socotra which attracts visitors from a wide variety of cultures.

Isolated islands such as Socotra may be uniquely beautiful, however it is inevitable that man’s encroachment will negatively affect the habitat unless it is carefully maintained.

With the number of visitors steadily increasing each year as word spreads of this alien jewel, Socotra’s endemic biodiversity is at risk and the hope is that such an amazing wonder of our world will not fade away into the annals of history.

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UPPING EFFICIENCY Blast Movement Technologies chevron-square-right www.blastmovement.com phone-square 00 61 7 3376 6611

If you’re looking for hightech solutions to boost your mining endeavours, then you’d be smart to look towards Australia.

The new HiSeis seismic survey technology that has companies in a buzz was developed at Australia‘s Curtin University, and the country is also home to Blast Movement Technologies (BMT), well established as a go-to company for open pit mining. We caught up with BMT to ask about its new products – products it teased us with the last time we spoke. Ross Hafner, BMT’s Global Sales Manager, gave us the latest.

Written by Alice Instone-Brewer

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MT’s aim to is create revenue and save companies money in their open pit operations by increasing the accuracy of their work. Specifically, when ore is blasted with explosives in order to fragment the rock for digging, the ore moves from the position it was in when exploration took place. This can affect where a company should be digging, and if the movement isn’t accounted for, the company can waste efforts and miss out on ore recovery, and therefore on revenue.

BMT’s solution to this, as it was explained to us the last time we spoke with them, is its Blast Movement Monitoring (BMM) system. This system involves a whole slate of products to allow three-dimensional measurement of blast movement, and their new products will further complement this system. Before we delve into what BMT’s latest development offers, it’s important to explain how the BMM system works: in essence, the system revolves around BMM transmitters that activate when they sense a blast. These blast-proof transmitters are placed throughout a pattern that is going to be blasted, and post-blast, the site is surveyed using detection devices that pick up where the transmitters have moved. These detectors have a high-precision GPS system built into them, Endeavour Magazine | 33

BLAST MOVEMENT TECHNOLOGIES

and using the data they retrieve, they’re able to map out how far each transmitter moved, and therefore extrapolate and map out the exact effects of the blast. This is calculated by BMT’s software, BMM Explorer.

How worthwhile is this process? Depending on the mine, the average additional ore recovered per blast varies from tens of thousands to millions of dollars. This means that the annual cost of the system is typically recovered in two to three blasts.

This takes us to BMT’s latest development, which has been designed to make the use of these BMMs far more effective: the FlightEnabled Detector (FED). The FED was first announced in May this year, and was developed in response to feedback that BMT had received about its system. As Ross explained: “BMT prides itself on engaging directly with our customers to ensure that we remain relevant in our space. Numerous customers expressed concern regarding employees having to walk on the uneven post-blast muckpile, so BMT reacted.” In the interest of safety, many companies quite rightly don’t want to send their personnel onto the post-blast site, just in case there are any undetonated explosives, and even if they know this isn’t the case, because it is an uneven terrain. In fact, many Tier 1 companies have an explicit policy against this, which prohibited them from benefiting from BMT’s technology. So, the FED has been developed to traverse the blast pattern instead.

“The FED brings a semi-autonomous BMM detector product into the marketplace in line with major mining developments and demand trends,” explains Ross. “It also provides a safer work environment.” The FED is a drone that has been equipped with BMT’s special BMM detector. This drone flies a pre-programmed, automated flight path to retrieve the BMM locations, which allows BMMs to be located post-blast without sending personnel out onto the post-blast muckpile. This new technology was first announced at the May Austmine Expo in Brisbane, and has already been extremely well received – especially

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with those Tier 1 companies that previously couldn’t use BMT’s system. “This solution has won us a major contract with one of the largest mining companies in the world, in a specific commodity that will open a lot of doors for us.”

So, what has changed between May and now? “BMT has conducted numerous site trials as well as development at our research centre to ensure functionality and provide improvements. We are now confident that we have met all specifications.” BMT is focusing on the release of this product before it delves into its new R&D venture, which it plans to commence early next year. In the meantime, FED is the company’s priority – that, and a new 3D visualization tool that’s also in the works.

“This product is still in development, but should be ready for release in the next three months.

It will provide full 3D visualisation of the moved polygon and can then be used to maximise dig positions and thereby further improving ore recovery.” This software was hinted at the last time we spoke with BMT, but the details were still hush-hush. From the description, this sounds like an essential, game-changing addition to the current BMM System, almost as much as the FED. Whilst the FED tackles all-important questions of safety, this software will take companies’ post-blast results to a new level. With every development, BMT improves upon the use and impact of its product, as well as its smooth application and use.

This system has been designed specifically for open pit mining, so we asked Ross whether BMT has any plans to move into the underground mining sector. “In line with our progressive proactive approach, we are continually exploring technologies that will open up this market for BMT. We have identified a number of potential solutions for underground mining and are in the process of conducting technical de-risking to ensure viability of the solution before progressing it further.”

BMT has grown its operations steadily over the past ten years, but in the last three to four, this has taken off at speed. The change was a new push towards digitisation in mining, and

UPPING EFFICIENCY

a fresh awareness within the industry of how effective and important solutions like BMT’s are. Mining companies are being more careful with resources and funds, and this means a growing interest in smarter, more efficient mining techniques.

“Digitization is the most effective method to merge multiple data inputs from the operation and then effectively utilize this data to make better and faster decisions to improve all aspects of the operation. The future is definitely in digitization and autonomous and semi-autonomous mining. Although this terminology is overused there is a strong move to autonomous vehicles and our own semiautonomous flight enabled detector. Drones are being used far more frequently and this is providing copious amounts of data that needs to be rationalized and prioritized.”

Currently, BMT has no high-tech competitors in its sector, and ‘low-tech’ solutions don’t compare in terms of results. Therefore, the

further it pushes its BMM solutions, the further it pushes efficient open pit mining. It will be exciting to watch where the company continues to push this technology, and to see how it potentially extends this towards the underground mining space in time. We will keep in touch with the company to see what else it brings to the market and to keep you updated, but if you work in mining and haven’t tried BMT’s products already, watch this space.

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EXPANDING THE BUILD BAUER Engineering Ghana Ltd chevron-square-right www.bauer-ghana.com phone-square 00233 302 544113

The Bauer Group is a well-established name in construction. The Germanybased Group has operations in 70 countries worldwide, including a presence in every continent. This vast entity manages its reach through a network of 110 subsidiaries, which are split into three main segments: construction, equipment and resources. We spoke with Emmanuel Dengu, Senior Project Manager for Bauer’s Africa Division, about the subsidiary’s role within the larger Bauer Group.

Written by Alice Instone-Brewer

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auer Engineering Ghana Ltd (BEG) is a subsidiary of Bauer Spezialtiefbau GmbH, aka the Group’s construction branch. “At BEG, we offer specialist foundation engineering services for the West African market with support from the main Head office in Schrobenhausen, Germany. We focus on infrastructure developments, power stations, ports and the active mining sector.”

BEG operates locally in Ghana and regionally across West Africa. Its main clients are mining companies and Ghana’s government via infrastructure projects, both of whom it has had l contracts with, but it also works with private individuals, and local partners who rely on its engineering services. We spoke to Emmanuel Dengu about the state of the market in Ghana and West Africa, and especially how it affects BEG’s two main sources of contracts: “The mining sector is growing due to the increase in mineral prices, mainly gold and silver.

New mines will be opening that require new infrastructure and other processing structures.

There is also the pressure on environmental concerns of the open cast mining method, so mines are opting for the underground mining methods. These leave a less visible footprint on the surface at the end of the mine’s life.” A Endeavour Magazine | 37

BAUER ENGINEERING GHANA LTD

shift to underground mining means more work for Bauer, as well as a better outcome for the environment long term.

This frontier may be looking positive, but unfortunately, BEG’s other source of major contracts isn’t so steady: “For major infrastructure developments that are government funded, they are impacted by the political cycle. We have noticed a trend: after an election or change of government, projects are either suspended or cancelled completely.

It is the nature of where we are, and we have to adapt.”

BEG is interested in breaking into highrise construction, but this market is currently slow in West Africa, due in part to this bumpy process Emmanuel described in government contracts. It is also due to complications in the West African construction sector in general, which slow down private companies and deter from such ambitious projects. “The current market is quiet and challenging,” Emmanuel

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told us. The sector faces many challenges that make business difficult to keep profitable and timely: one such challenge that many African businesses will attest to is that of cross-border duties and delays. “Despite West Africa being ECOWAS zone, for goods it is not working.”

Emmanuel explains: “For people, it works well - as good as the EU. For goods, it is the differences in regulation between the Frenchspeaking countries and the English-speaking countries that causes problems. However, if operating in between the French zone, it is much easier, as they use the same currency and the regulations are very similar.”

Another challenge can be equipment availability, and whether or not this challenge arises can greatly affect the cost of a job for BEG, which, depending on what equipment their competitors currently have access to, can price them out of a job. “If the drilling rigs and equipment are available locally then the competition is not a major concern. When the drilling rigs and equipment have to be imported, this drastically increases the cost for mobilisation and could make us uncompetitive.”

Be that as it may, BEG is, for the most part, unfazed by competition. This is because it knows it is a small part of a greater entity, and has the support and strength of that Group’s expertise and experience behind it. “We are part of Bauer Group, a business with more than 225 years in the special foundations industry.

We are technically superior, as we have experience from other parts of the world that can be harnessed when necessary through back up from head office.” Head office also supplies BEG with design support, which again gives it an edge.

BEG isn’t just relying on its wider group, however – it has also taken shrewd steps to place itself in competitive positions. In particular, it has made a series of investments to attempt to see the challenge of equipment availability off at the pass: “We have managed to keep a small fleet of drilling rigs, BG28 and a BG15, which gives us flexibility, as we do not have to import. By the end of the year we will also have a small anchor drilling and micro piling rig to improve our chances on the local

BAUER ENGINEERING GHANA LTD

market.” The very nature of BEG’s placement also gives it an advantage within West Africa, as Ghana benefits from a well-run banking sector and easy flight connections to the rest of the world, as well as having two main ports – Tema and Takoradi.

Despite certain challenges, therefore, business for BEG is going from strength to strength. In fact, the company is looking to expand its operations: “We want to grow the business in Ghana and the region of West Africa and will need a full team that is well resourced and supported. We are focusing on growing and consolidating our presence and visibility by being on the ground full-time, and with sufficient equipment and resources to respond to projects and clients’ needs.”

As well as assembling the right team for this expansion, BEG is also on the lookout for the right projects. Emmanuel told us that they are keeping a particular eye on the Côte d’Ivoire. Abidjan port is currently up for

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redevelopment, which opens up a wide slate of potential contracts. In the meantime, BEG isn’t forgetting its greatest current source of support – the mining sector. In order to prepare to move forwards, it is also looking backwards by remembering and aiming to strengthen its partnerships within this sector. “New mines are opening up across West Africa, in mainly Ghana, Mali and Burkina Faso, so there is opportunity for us.”

One of BEG’s strengths is that it doesn’t forget its partners, and it builds strong bonds with its clients, too. Emmanuel shared that they’ve received a lot of support from their clients over the years, naming Group 5 as one that stands out. He also mentioned the support the company has had from its local clearing agents, Hans Shipping and Bollore, who have enabled them to move rigs and equipment across borders and import/export to and from other parts of the world. Lastly, he named the company’s auditors, Egala, as having also

EXPANDING THE BUILD

been of great support, this time in matters of compliance.

BEG is currently drawing to the conclusion of a shaft installation at AngloGold Ashanti’s Obuasi Mine. BEG was hired by Master Drilling to install a shaft for the rise bore installations, and should complete its work by the middle of this month.

Emmanuel has been with Bauer for three years, and described his time working for them throughout Africa as “exciting and sometimes challenging”. However, he loves the work now as much as he did when he joined, and as BEG gets ready to expand, he feels nothing but drive and optimism. He shared his advice on success and continued hard work with us, and they were wise words: “Focus on the goal/destination and be adaptable along the way. Challenges will come and they must not distract you from the destination. There will be diversions and stops, but you get there eventually - with some humour.” We couldn’t agree more.

Shipsale & purchase • Ship broking • Cargo broking • Ship repairs • New building • Ship supplies • Engineering for heavy cargo operations • Trading & other services hans@hansshipping.com www.hansshipping.com

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ADAPTATION AND EVOLUTION Maersk Line chevron-square-right www.maersk.com phone-square 0044 844 264 1263

A.P. Møller - Mærsk (Maersk) is one of the largest transport and logistics companies in the world, and its vast operations are getting more digitalised by the day. We took a closer look at the Danish conglomerate to see what its latest steps were in embracing the future and keeping its extensive operations ahead of the curve.

Written by Alice Instone-Brewer

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ounded in 1904, a remarkable 115 years ago, Maersk has learnt how to stay current. In 1996, it claimed the title of the world’s largest container shipping and supply vessel operation: today, it has served 343 ports in 121 countries, with over 76,000 employees to its name. It has two main branches - logistics, which we looked at this month, and also energy.

Both entities are so large that we focused in on logistics and transportation, but remember that even these huge undertakings are only half of the story for Maersk.

Primarily a shipping company, Maersk ships over 12 million containers a year, and that’s by ocean transport alone - it also transports inland by barge, road or rail, as well as sending cargo by air. It deals in goods from all industries, from fresh food to chemicals and pharmaceuticals, all of which need precise and specific care taken to preserve and safely move them. As the company claims, “Regardless of your industry, your commodity, or your key markets, Maersk has solutions that offer both small and large businesses the opportunity to grow. We serve our customers with frequent departures on all major trade lanes and inland services for a true end-to-end experience.”

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MAERSK LINE As well as being able to handle this cargo, the company also offers cargo and finance services to its clients: “As experts in global integrated logistics, we can bundle Trade Finance, Customs House Brokerage and Value Protect with our transportation solutions to meet your end to end supply chain needs.” Add in freight forwarding by ocean, air or rail, and supply chain services such as management, development and warehousing, Maersk has a great number of plates to keep spinning, and they need to be spun with accuracy. With such a staggeringly large global operation to run, how does the Copenhagen-based company keep track of so much information? It makes sure to embrace the best of modern technology to keep its network smooth and in check.

Working digitally goes two ways: it allows Maersk to offer clients a digital platform through which to communicate with them, track their cargo etc, and it also allows Maersk to monitor and organise itself in-house. The latter is essential for any logistics company who wants

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to compete in the modern world and to save itself from needless stress and error, so it’s of no surprise that it is implemented by the world’s largest container shipper. However, the digital customer service it offers is less compulsory; Maersk had the foresight to provide this for its clients, and therefore, the benefits it adds shine all the brighter. “We all buy goods, track deliveries and pay online - shipping with Maersk is no different. Our tailored online services take the complexity out of shipping by letting you instantly book, manage and track shipments, submit Verified Gross Mass information and much more.” This includes an online finance service, and a website and app that allow you to track and manage your shipments, as well as to live chat to Maersk with any issues. It also includes areas of specific support, enabling the smooth execution of every part of the shipping and logistics process and any needs a client could have within this sector. The company describes its ongoing game as to “simplify its customers’ increasingly complex supply

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MAERSK LINE

chains”, and the latest development on this front has been the introduction of a new piece of warehousing software by JDA Software Inc. The use of JDA’s cloud-based Warehouse Management System will add to Maersk’s endto-end logistics services by allowing its clients detailed and flexible input into its warehousing processes when it comes to their cargo.

Maersk has a network of well-positioned warehouses that allow their customers to experience efficient shipping at a low cost, but the use of this new software should improve their experience even further, as well as further lowering inventory cost.“‘Digital’ is no longer just a buzzword, today it is unlocking tremendous value for our logistics and warehouse customers in terms of simplification and better performance,” Henning Goldman, Global Head of Maersk’s Warehousing and Distribution, said in a press release. “JDA’s deep expertise and leading innovation are already creating competitive advantages for its customers.

The addition of these exciting solutions to

Equipped with good infrastructure empty depots across port locations and the hinterland, Unicon Marine Services LLP delivers service excellence to its prime customer Maersk Line, the world’s biggest container shipping company. Unicon Marine Services LLP possesses expertise in both, dry as well as reefer container management, in addition to high standards of service in body repair.

Unicon Marine Services LLP has its depots located at the below locations pan India: • Dadri, Garhi, Patli & Sonipat in the North • Vizag in the East • Nhava Sheva, Mundra & Hazira in the West • Chennai & Mangalore in the South

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our portfolio is going to help Maersk continue offering our customers truly unique, end-toend solutions.”

JDA itself expands on this in its own statement about the software: “With innovation shifts, such as robotics, driverless forklifts, wearable technology and other artificial intelligence (AI), the warehouse you see today will change drastically in the near future to a more digital environment. JDA Warehouse Management is positioned to facilitate that transition through current functionality, empowering automation, leveraging an extensibility framework focused on configurability and encouraging experimentation and innovation.

“Through real-time transaction processing, optimised storage and selection strategies, directed task management and integrated labour standards, JDA provides a best-in-class platform to maximise your labour utilisation, reduce obsolescence and leverage available capacities while driving best in class customer service levels.”

Unicon Marine Services LLP provides facilities such as storage, handling and repairs of containers (dry & reefer) of Maersk Line, to include reefer data download facility in case of reefer malfunctions, and fixed and mobile reefer plug points.

Apart from this, Unicon Marine Services LLP with a fleet of 35 trailers is also a proud service partner of the Maersk Line in providing trucking solutions (Store Door) to the end customer, thereby giving them seamless access to a wider range of logistics and service offerings such as container equipment maintenance and repair, and transportation.

ADAPTATION AND EVOLUTION

Maersk will initially deploy JDA Warehouse Management in Europe (Gothenburg) and the U.S. (Newark and Santa Fe) in Q4 2019, and will use these sites to build a template for a global rollout across all other Maersk warehouse facilities.

This piece of software is just the latest in a long line of digital innovations, which in turn come at the end of a 115-year history of striving to not only grow to the impressive size Maersk now is, but to never grow complacent with the old way of doing things. Maersk has achieved its long-lived success by paying attention to the market and the direction it’s moving in, and making sure that it is always ready to embrace the new stage of its own evolution. Adaptation is the key to survival, and Maersk is a lesson to all of us who ever longed to stay stuck in our ways; 1904’s world of logistics is unrecognisable from the one of today, proving through Maersk that strength is not in rigidity, but the ability to be as flexible as the services it now offers its customers.

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REDEVELOPING OBUASI AngloGold Ashanti chevron-square-right www.anglogoldashanti.com phone-square 00233 302 743 400

AngloGold Ashanti is a global gold producer with widespread operations in the Americas, Africa and Australasia. We spoke to Eric Asubonteng, Managing Director of one of the company’s two mines in Ghana, about the near future for Ghanaian gold mining, and the anticipated benefits from the company’s restoration efforts on its Obuasi mine.

Written by Alice Instone-Brewer

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ngloGold Ashanti was formed in 2004 in a business combination between AngloGold and the Ashanti Goldfields Corporation. The company currently owns a total of 14 operations in nine countries, with their activities spanning everything in the gold process from exploration and mining to the production of refined gold and its sale.

Within continental Africa (excluding South Africa), the company owns seven mine sites, four of which AngloGold Ashanti manages itself. These are split between Mali and Ghana, although the company also owns sites in Tanzania, Guinea and the DRC. In Ghana, out of the company’s two mines, only one is currently operational. This is the Iduapriem Mine, which comprises the Iduapriem, Teberebie and Ajopa leases. Iduapriem is an open-pit mine and its processing facilities include a carbon-in-pulp (CIP) plant with a gravity circuit. The gravity feed recovers about 30% of the gold, with the remainder recovered by the CIP plant. As of December 2018, the mine had an ore reserve of 1.63Moz, and produces around 254,000oz per annum.

The company’s second mine, Obuasi, is currently not operational, and yet has a long history behind it, and a hopeful future ahead.

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ANGLOGOLD ASHANTI

The mine first went into production in 1897, and became part of AngloGold Ashanti after a merger between then-Anglo Gold and then-Ashanti Gold in 2004. Having been operational for so long, issues had developed in its operational approach that went beyond a quick fix. We spoke to Eric Asubonteng, the Managing Director of this mine, to learn more about the decision to close the mine and effectively redevelop it from scratch. “It wasn’t viable - it was operating at high cost, and the production wasn’t as efficient as it should be.

The drop in gold price around 2012 obviously didn’t help either, and these inefficiencies could not be sustained any longer.” The Obuasi mine went out of commission from the end of 2015, up until mid-2018. During this time, the company ran a series of feasibility studies on the mine to determine what was to be done with it, and whether it had an affordable future.

The site still has a 21-year mine-life, and a

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world-class ore body, so there was a great deal of potential.

Although closing the mine was a financial blow, it also gave AngloGold Ashanti an opportunity to re-examine the mine in detail, assessing its viability and the efficiencies of how it had been running. The opportunity for this detailed study led to the conclusion that, with the right work and investment, this mine could be turned around and could become profitable in the long term. The investment to do this work, spread over a three-year period of 2018-2020, totals between $495-545 million.

Eric took over as Obuasi’s Managing Director in April 2016, shortly after the mine had been shut down. Eric took the role with a strong faith in the skill and tenacity of his colleagues, as well as the potential of the mine itself. “It was certainly one of the more difficult times for somebody to take the role, because we didn’t know what the future held. My colleagues, the team on the ground and I knew the potential of the mine, and we knew that with the right changes and the right effort, it could be turned around. We saw it as a challenge that had to be met.” The redevelopment work began mid2018, and whilst it is still underway, the mine is now safe and secure, and the company is expecting its first gold by the end of this year.

Although Obuasi had been out of commission for a few years, its involvement with the local community didn’t stop. AngloGold Ashanti has a set of solid values that it actually lives by, and doesn’t just pay lip service to, and these continued programs in Obuasi are a testament to that. Establishments such as the school and hospital in Obuasi that the company funds have stayed in operation, and the Community Trust Fund continued to roll out several developmental projects, showing that the company takes its commitments seriously, even when those commitments aren’t as easy or convenient.

Once the mine is back in business, this continued support will be enhanced with further programs in agriculture and education, including establishing a university college in Obuasi, which will train up local youth not

REDEVELOPING OBUASI

only for this mine, but in order to equip them for the industry at large and beyond. This plan will also boost the local economy by bringing a range of businesses into the area. Speaking of business, whilst the mine is still in its restoration phase, the company is already adding to its local support, by prioritising local hire and the use of local businesses wherever it can, and supporting these businesses to help them grow their capacity to the level the mine needs.

As well as his role within AngloGold Ashanti, Eric also serves as the President of Ghana’s Chamber of Mines. This places him in the helpful position of being on both sides of the fence when it comes to advocating for conducive mining legislation: “I think the roles complement each other: you could be the President of the Chamber of Mines and not run a mine, but running the mine means I better understand the impact and knock-on effects of policies.” The dual role has many benefits, allowing Eric pre-warning and insight into how

policies are changing, a direct understanding of how those policies will affect the Chamber’s other members, the ability to talk to the government from both perspectives, and the ability to manage Obuasi with full knowledge of how the Ghanaian mining industry is moving.

It allows him to better help the Chamber and AngloGold Ashanti in equal measure.

When asked about the current state of the country’s mining industry, Eric was extremely positive: “In 2018, Ghana surpassed South Africa as the leading gold producer in Africa.

There is a rising prominence of West Africa as a major gold producing center globally. From that perspective, I see the prospects for Ghana in the near future as very promising.” The current rise in gold price is a positive factor, but one that Eric rightly pointed out they cannot control; “We have to focus on the things that we can control, such as our costs and efficiencies.”

Ghana is currently on an upward trajectory in terms of production, and is well positioned

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ANGLOGOLD ASHANTI

thanks to its long history as a mining country.

In fact, Eric is hopeful that Ghana could soon establish itself as the key destination in mining in West Africa: “In the future, I see Ghana being presented with a unique opportunity to be the hub of the mining industry in the west African subregion. If all stakeholders in the industry view it in the same way and approach it with the same focus and attention, then 5-8 years down the line, we could have this central hub in Ghana.” Eric foresees this as meaning that Ghana could become a ‘headquarters’ of sorts of mining in the subregion, from where all main service providers are stationed. However, he knows that this future is not guaranteed – especially when many of its neighbouring countries are also starting to flourish in the sector: “Ghana has many advantages. The country has been very stable both politically and economically. The rule of law is very well established in Ghana, and we have a strong and

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long mining history. We have very high mining education – we have a full university that focuses on mining, and so on. So, we are better positioned. However, if we are not delicate about how we continue to position ourselves and taking advantage of the opportunities that we have, then down the line, we could lose that advantage to other countries. Côte d’Ivoire, Mali, Burkina Faso – in all of those countries, mining investment is on the increase, just like it is in Ghana. If we don’t act within three to five years, we’ll be losing momentum and advantage already.”

In order to achieve success, one needs to see the full potential of what one currently has, and carefully plan how best to unleash that potential. Sometimes, as with Ghana’s mining industry, it’s advisable to continue onwards on the same path, but with renewed cooperation and focus. Other times, like with the Obuasi Mine, one must be ready to stop moving, take stock, and go back to the drawing board. There

REDEVELOPING OBUASI

is a short-term cost, but as long as you don’t lose sight of the potential that’s there, the long-term rewards could be huge. AngloGold Ashanti know this, and once Obuasi is back in production, it will have a far more profitable and exciting asset. With a world-class ore body and a good 20 or more years in it, the company was wise to invest in its redevelopment, and we look forward to hearing about the results once it is fully up and running again.

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WEATHERING EVERY STORM Mauritius Ports Authority (MPA) chevron-square-right www.mauport.com phone-square 00230 206 5400

Overseeing the regulation of the entire port sector of Mauritius and its surrounding islands, the Mauritius Port Authority has committed to an enormous roster of responsibilities and there is no sign of struggle.

Written by Amy Buxton

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ounded in 1976, the then Mauritius Marine Authority strode into new territory with confidence, identifying those areas which needed the most regulation, guidance and management. The result of such a hands-on approach led to the authority being renamed as the Mauritius Ports Authority (MPA) in 1998, under a revised Ports Act. The name also made more sense, given that the authority is not just an overseeing body, it is also intrinsically woven into the fabric of the marine sector, “The MPA is a landlord port authority, providing the main port infrastructure and superstructure, together with related facilities.

It also provides marine services and navigation aids, while it regulates and controls all port activities and environmental issues within the designated port areas.�

When your own success is dependent on that of another enterprise, collaborative working practices and symbiotic relationships are essential, so this arrangement is genius at its very core. Add in the crucial nature of a slick ports sector for the good of the wider economy and there can be no doubting what a critical role the MPA plays.

An island nation, Mauritius is entirely dependent on the seamless and uninterrupted Endeavour Magazine | 55

MAURITIUS PORTS AUTHORITY (MPA)

flow of goods both in and out. An efficient import and export industry allows for internal commercial growth and increased interest from overseas operations looking to supply new products to certain locations. It’s a win-win, but when ports are not run with the requisite expediency, problems start to back up. This has never been an issue for the MPA because it retains a focus on the driving forces behind its inception, “As the principal gateway of the country, Port Louis Harbour plays a vital role in the national economy by handling about 99% of the total volume of the external trade. All strategic imports such as food and petroleum products, raw materials for the textile industry, and major exports such as sugar and textile, transit through the harbour.”

Working to a stringent set of strategic objectives, all geared towards the provision of world-class services, facilities and equipment, the MPA has been rigorous in its constant improvements. Where lesser authorities might

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have simply sought to maintain the status quo, the MPA has been determined to be recognised as a force for positive and definitive change.

The result of this is an ‘economic nerve centre’ filled with contemporary equipment, highly expert staff, a spectacular Freeport and even a stunning waterfront, complete with specialist cruise ship facilities.

By recognising the industries and individuals that support Mauritius, the MPA has been able to position itself in the role of unofficial ambassador to the outside world and it’s a strategy that is yielding phenomenal results, “The strategic objective of the MPA is to make Port Louis and Port Mathurin Harbours well equipped, professionally managed and constantly upgraded ports in order to maintain high productivity and enhanced service levels at competitive rates. To achieve this objective, MPA will continue to pursue a policy of improvement and opening to the outside world. In the same manner, it will encourage further investment in the ports to respond to the growing needs of the shipping lines and other port stakeholders.”

The Port Louis Harbour in Mauritius has undergone a huge amount of change in the years that it has been utilised as an import and export centre. The 1970s, in particular, were a dark time for the commercial centre, as outdated equipment, barely-there infrastructure and fractious relationships translated into a completely ineffectual port. Fortunately, an appraisal by the World Bank revealed untold potential and promise for Mauritius as a whole, if only the port could be modernised, which it was through the financing of a significant reconstruction and development programme.

Significant improvement of the port turned out to be the revitalisation that the entire country needed and as such, the port has remained a focus for continued development ever since, “While Port Louis continues to be the business and administrative capital of Mauritius, expansion of the tourism industry in the late 1990s led to considerable development in Port Louis, with many shops, hotels, and restaurants being built in the Caudan Waterfront area.”

WEATHERING EVERY STORM

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Now, all eyes are focussed on the future of the port, thanks to a development schedule that is set to complete in 2040. The Port Master Plan has been revised, to now include a rationalised layout that is responsive to the trade patterns being witnessed, in a bid to secure the port’s position as one of the finest and most efficient in the Indian Ocean and there is no concern that it won’t be successful. By observing trends, the MPA has always been able to stay on top of what the port and Mauritius itself needs, moving quickly to accommodate, and that includes environmental concerns.

With a master plan in place to build upon the already fantastic reputation and operational excellence of the MPA, it stands to reason that thoughts will turn to the greener side of things. All businesses, regardless of industry, have a responsibility to try and identify more environmentally friendly ways to operate and the MPA is not shirking its duties in this regard,

“The Mauritius Ports Authority (MPA) recognises the need to conduct port activities in a sustainable and climate friendly manner.

In this context the MPA has embarked on the implementation of the Green Port Concept with the objective to reduce the negative impacts of port activities on the environment. The overall rationale of this project is linked to the very high dependence of Mauritius on imported fossil fuels, coupled with the high volatility and increasing cost of fuel prices, making energy security of strategic importance for the island.”

From humble and disorganised beginnings, a laudable authority has been created, with a slick and respected trade industry being the observable result. Mauritius is flourishing, thanks to the continued development and evolution of the ports and now that greener initiatives are being introduced, there’s every chance that the MPA will be setting the example for the rest of the world’s port authorities.

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THE FUTURE OF INSURANCE United Cooperative Assurance (UCA) chevron-square-right www.uca.com.sa phone-square 00966 12 606 8633 Based in Saudi Arabia, United Cooperative Assurance Co. (UCA) is an insurance firm with a difference, taking a wholly personable approach in an extremely competitive commercial arena. We spoke with Waheed Khayyat, Chief Information Officer, to learn more about the ways in which UCA sets itself apart.

Written by Amy Buxton

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ooking to make a name for itself in the insurance industry, UCA has set about things in a phenomenally positive and affirming way. Headquartered in beautiful Jeddah, with two more offices in Riyadh and Al Khobar, the company seeks to distance itself from less admirable competitors, in a bid to become the utmost preferential firm in the entire Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, thanks to exemplar customer service and a reputation for being the very model of professional conduct: “The mission of the company,” Waheed explainted, “Is to increase awareness and develop an understanding of the cooperative insurance culture in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and, most importantly, to build a successful partnership with clients, staff members and agents. UCA’s value proposition falls into providing insurance services under the ‘general’ line of insurance business (e.g. motor and cooperative health insurance), however, UCA plans to expand in the future and enter the life insurance market, as well as adding more insurance products.”

With a plan in place and a clear and defined methodology decided upon, all that’s left is to wait and see if UCA can make the impact that it hopes to.

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UNITED COOPERATIVE ASSURANCE (UCA)

Insurance has been around, seemingly, since time began, so what can UCA hope to do that will make a significant difference? In short, it plans to take full advantage of any and all online and digital innovations that will afford customers the opportunity to take a little more autonomy, save time and, most importantly, feel as though they have found the best deal possible. While the manual methodology worked for many years, everybody needs to be seen embracing new technology now and insurance firms are no different. Plus, UCA acknowledges that reducing the margin for error is of the utmost importance, “Insurance operations are complex by nature, therefore, completing core tasks and activities in the old ways and without exploiting the opportunities that new digital technologies can offer, can make us prone to great danger and losses.”

Promoting ‘operations efficiency’ is a priority for every business, especially in industries that involve high complexity and risk, such as the insurance sector, and the financial sector in general. Operations digitalization is the answer, and many aspects of UCA’s operations, such as policy administration, claims management, accounting and customer service, experience great quality and efficiency improvement through the use of digital technologies. Additionally, digitalization opens up unprecedented ways to communicate, and to understand customers’ behaviour and needs through online channels.

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“UCA currently operates locally across the entire Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The sales activities go across all cities and regions of the kingdom, which extends over 2,150,000 km².”

Having always remained a stable and secure industry, the insurance sector took a small hit in 2017, scaring certain established operations and giving rise to whispered talk of how the drop in the oil sector could carry on affecting more markets, but UCA retained a positive mindset and continued looking to the future.

It’s a move that has paid off, with 2021 being cited as the deadline for a huge market jump and a reversal of fortunes.

Having not fallen into the trap that many of its competitors did, UCA did not immediately change tack in the face of some financial waves and decided not to switch blindly to sales mode, and surrender to the prevailing temptation of the market status at the time. Rather, UCA saw the situation as an opportunity to correct the entire business strategy, and support it with modern ‘digital strategy’. This was a prudent decision, as those that did rely on hard sell techniques discovered to their peril that it was not a technique that would lead to growth but instead, would weaken the entire industry. UCA took an entirely different route and is still here, growing and ready to tell the tale, “UCA is nimble and agile in its nature, it can move forward and transform faster than other rivals transform.”

Acknowledging that customer trust is everything within the insurance industry, UCA has conducted a thorough and honest audit of itself and its working practices, identifying two areas ripe for improvement that both boil down to the same thing: a major need for a fast and total digital transformation. One area that was not cause for concern, however, was the contingent of professionals that make up the staffing body of the organisation.

Waheed told us: “People are the real asset for any business, and we are currently planning to establish a ‘UCA Academy’ to provide a continuous learning and educational environment for all UCA staff that aims to develop the employees’ skills and competencies.”

UNITED COOPERATIVE ASSURANCE (UCA)

It’s true that you get back what you put into people and, in the case of UCA, rewarding hard work and expertise has resulted in a crack team that is ready and willing to help customers to source the best product for them. What’s more, by appreciating what a team of professionals does on a day-to-day basis, when change is inevitable, they adapt and grow with a company, rather than resisting the new direction. Everything takes on a far more fluid and organic feel, which is what UCA is all about; insurance made easy, transparent and natural. This forms the basis for the future as well.

Insurance services, by their very nature, are preoccupied with the future and what could potentially happen. With this in mind, it makes perfect sense that UCA dedicates plenty of time and resources to preparing for what’s on the horizon.

Through enhanced marketing strategies, reduced operating costs and improved IT

Waheed Y. Khayyat, UCA CIO 64 | Endeavour Magazine

infrastructure, UCA has effectively trimmed the fat, leaving behind a slick and client-focused operation that is ready to make good on a new philosophy, “The IT infrastructure improved significantly, and the IT role shifted from being a solely support service provider to a true strategic business partner that is capable of collaborating with the business managers to drive the operations’ processes re-engineering, using modern yet mature technologies. The new philosophy to rebuild and disrupt insurance operations is called ‘D.A.R’, which stands for ‘Digitalise operations’, ‘Automate processes’ and ‘Robotise manual activities’.”

UCA also prepares for the future by making sure that it, and therefore its clients’ support, is securely guarded. To do this, the company turns to SecuTech Arabia, one of the most sought-after Physical Security Solutions Designer in Saudi. As the company states: “Protecting our client’s business entity through a security network is our number one priority. At SecuTech Arabia, we ensure that our designed security solutions meet the requirements of any of our customers who are handling single or multi-site operations where optimization and enhancement is the key.”

“We have been serving UCA for almost a decade now,” Rauf Anwar, National Sales Manager for SecuTech Arabia, told us. “This relationship is based upon one thing, and that is that we at SecuTech Arabia are never short sighted about UCA’s Security requirements.

Since UCA has always welcomed ever-evolving technologies, we have designed some of the best access control and surveillance solutions by combining enriched security with the most intuitive user experience at UCA.” Coupling an intrinsic understanding of the insurance industry within the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, with a desire to be everyone’s preferred agent and a commitment to a digital transformation programme, UCA has concocted itself an all but guaranteed successful future.

There’s no such thing as a safe bet, according to the insurance sector, but UCA appears to be as close as you can get.

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HYATT KURESHI – Head of Marketing & Business Development – SecuTech Arabia

“We have been serving United Cooperative Assurance Co. (UCA) for almost a decade now. This relationship is based upon one principal & that is we at SecuTech Arabia never short sighted UCA’s Security requirements. Since UCA has always welcomed ever-evolving technologies, we have designed some of the best Access Control & Surveillance Solutions by combining enriched security with the most intuitive user experience of deployed Security Solution at UCA.” RAUF ANWAR – National Sales Manager – SecuTech Arabia

AMAZING WORLD

DARVAZA GAS CRATER: THE “DOOR TO HELL

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t is in the middle of Turkmenistan, alone in the centre of the Karakum Desert, an endless fire rages. At the bottom of a 70-meter-wide (230 ft) crater, surrounded by the stark expanse of barren rock and sand, flames burn in a ceaseless and hellish-seeming natural wonder. The anomaly is truly satanic is appearance, unsurprisingly earning this fiery pit the nickname the “Door to Hell”. Imagine wandering through the Karakum at night, with endless black stretching out in every direction, only to come across this rumbling beast: it would be easy to imagine you had stumbled upon Hades, or that some terrible fiend had recently broke through from another realm.

The Darvaza Gas Crater, as it’s officially called, has an origin story dating all the way back to 1971. Whilst this is a modern date for something that carries such a sense of mythos, the remarkable fact is that this giant fire has 66 | Endeavour Magazine

by Alice Instone-Brewer been burning non-stop since then – that’s almost 50 years! What’s more, there’s no clear sign of when the fire will go out, or if it ever will.

The area around the Darvaza crater, as its official name suggests, is rich in natural gas.

Whilst conducting exploration drilling in 1971, Soviet geologists tapped into a cavern filled with this gas: however, the floor beneath their rig collapsed, swallowing it as the area fell in on itself. The 70ft crater now posed a threat, as the geologists knew there was a high chance of poisonous gas discharge being released into the desert. Their fast solution was to set fire to it – seems risky, right? – hoping that any excess would quickly burn away. The pit ignited, and the scientists expected the flames to die down after a couple of days – but the days kept going. They turned into weeks, into months, and now, 47 years later, they burn on in defiance.

Unsurprisingly, as news spread, the tourists came. A good 30 ft deep, the crater glows in a way that seems almost molten, an aggressive image in the middle of the most void and barren of landscapes. If you were to picture a pit to hell, this is exactly what you would imagine, and even though its explanation is known, one can’t help but marvel at such a supernaturalseeming event. Even on a scientific level, the sight is awe-inspiring – a reminder that the Earth still has surprises to throw at us.

The crater’s official name is a nod to the village that lies near it. Darvaza, or Derweze, homes about 350 inhabitants in a small settlement nestled right in the middle of the Karakum Desert. These residents are mostly Turkmen of the Teke tribe, and are one of the few groups preserving the tribe’s semi-nomadic lifestyle.

The village’s true name, Derweze, derives from the Persian for The Gate – another nod to the area’s infamous attraction.

However, the Door to Hell has had a tragic negative impact on this nomadic village.

In 2004, partly in response to the growing tourist attention that the burning pit gathers, the President of Turkmenistan ordered that the village be disbanded, because “it was an unpleasant sight for tourists.” Whilst still attempting to live in the area, life for this village has been complicated by the attention the crater has received.

Yet, for Turkmenistan as a country, the attention from overseas has been profitable – even if the crater has made it unsafe to drill for oil and gas in this resource-rich desert. It’s perhaps to be expected that something this devilish would be a duel blessing and a curse.

Who knows if it will ever burn out, but until it does, it has to be seen to be believed.

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WE DELIVER TO YOUR PHONE Fetchr chevron-square-right www.fetchr.us phone-square 00971 4801 8100

As you probably know, online shopping has caused a drastic rise in the amount of shipping and delivery to individuals on a daily basis.

This raises issues that one might expect, such as dealing with the volume or keeping track of that much data, but there is a complication that is less commonly talked about: how to deliver to people without a clear address. This issue is more common that you might think.

Written by Alice Instone-Brewer

I

n emerging markets where the ecommerce boom has been exponential, as seen in UAE and KSA, the lack of a formal address system makes the delivery of mail extremely complicated. Countries where this is prevalent include the UAE, KSA, Pakistan, Nigeria and Egypt. Normally in these situations, companies will call the recipients of packages ahead of delivery, and recipients will need to clarify their location to the point of physically describing their home, what they are adjacent to etc.

This process happens every time the recipient receives a package - think how often you receive parcels in the mail, then consider how frustrating that would be. There is also a high rate of mis-delivery or non-delivery using this method (between 25-35%).

Where there is an issue like this, there’s a gap in the market, and this is what inspired Fetchr.

The company was founded in Dubai in 2012 by Idriss Al Rifai, who hails from an e-commerce background understood the pain points of the industry and was keen to build a scalable solution to match the growing needs of the region. Fetchr considers itself to be a tech startup rather than a logistics company, giving it the ability to adapt to the latest industry trends in comparison to traditional industry players Endeavour Magazine | 71

FETCHR

with rigid organizational structures, inflexible operations and, ultimately, low delivery success rates. Through a wide network of 60 warehouses and a 4,000 employee-strong team, as well as an extremely impressive bank of 70 IT-oriented minds that have come together from Google, Facebook, Alibaba, Amazon and IBM, Fetchr has been made a success.

Fetchr provides a courier app (available for both Android and iOS) that allows users to arrange pick-ups and deliveries. Its courier service is both local and international, shipping to and within UAE, Saudi Arabia, China, Jordan, Oman, Bahrain and Egypt. All details of arranging and managing a delivery can be run through Fetchr’s app, which also uses your phone’s GPS as your address instead of putting recipients through the outdated method we described earlier. As well as using GPS, Fetchr’s team have built an AI scheduling channel that uses the data it collects to learn how to better identify and pinpoint locations in the future.

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The app leaves a notes section for any details you want to share, all of which helps the AI learn, but the days of repeated phone calls and lost packages are over.

However, the address issue is only one of the three problem areas in last-mile delivery services that Idris set out to solve: the other two were a lack of cash-on-delivery infrastructure, which Fetchr specialized in , and the issue of scalability. Fetchr has addressed this issue in order to enable businesses to use their shipping service as well as individuals, serving not only e-commerce clientele, but also banks, airlines, major supermarket chains, telecoms, restaurant chains and more. As the company states, “Fetchr helps local merchants and global brands build, launch and grow profitable e-commerce and online businesses.” Sellers are able to benefit from the GPS address system and other shipping solutions that Fetchr provides, as well as being able to schedule and track everything with the ease of an app.

WE DELIVER TO YOUR PHONE

“It’s because we understand e-commerce and the region that we have been able to build a customised solution for this region,” said Idriss Al Rifai, the CEO and Founder of Fetchr. “None of our competitors come from that mindset and tend to use tools and software that are not optimised for the problem at hand.”

With lengthy payment cycle that averages 15-25 days, Fetchr has developed a COD solution with a daily reconciliation process across the region that is consistently fast, reliable, and efficient for healthy cash flow and growth of its eCommerce partners. The tech solution is completely digital starting with the COD information required to be collected to disbursing the cash to our eCommerce partners.

Fetchr is currently looking to further expand this service with same day disbursement through various tech enhancements with partners.

Being able to scale up its services in this way proves the careful programming that went into Fetchr’s software. Omar Yaghmour,

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FETCHR

the Cofounder and Chief Operating officer at Fetchr, explained: “Our in-house built technology enables us to scale at a much faster rate than our competitors. Fetchr is here to enable the growth of e-commerce in the region, ticking the box of providing a hassle free last mile experience while empowering the client to expand their portfolio and focus on their core business, making their market expansion strategy effortless.”

That said, with Fetchr’s key focus on building products in the last mile sector, they partnered with key players who are already specialized in their respective domains to leverage potential synergies. For example, SAP provides Fetchr’s communication via SMS, which in turn supports one of its main scheduling system. For this service, Fetchr needed a partner who it could rely on to scale up with it – especially as it has grown at an impressive pace of 500% and 320% over the last two years!

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Also assisting in this scaling up of operations, Fetchr’s data science team even built an ingenious internal matrix for predicting future sales, which allows for more accurate volume estimates, and therefore allows Fetchr to be prepared to smoothly meet these needs.

Shahin Abdul Salah, a senior project manager at Fetchr, told us, “This has allowed Fetchr to scale up effectively as compared to some of our competitors. Fetchr, now, can easily identify spikes in volumes, not only based on seasonality, but also on the type of client and their products.”

Fetchr’s team have achieved something truly impressive: the group built the app’s technology from scratch, in order to make it as smooth, intuitive and suited to their task as it could be. Now, with this steady platform in place, the company’s R&D engineers continue to develop services to improve upon this successful base. This team’s tech talent, and the ongoing potential of their app, was recognised

WE DELIVER TO YOUR PHONE

in 2015, when Fetchr became the first company in the Middle East to be funded by a Silicon Valley investor, New Enterprise Associates. In 2017, the recognition came again, when Fetchr obtained the largest series B funding in the region, with investors from Majid Al Futtaim, Nokia Group Partners, BECO Group and more.

To top this all off, Fetchr also is regarded by Forbes as one of the most promising startups in the region.

So, what future developments has this team come up with? Recently, Fetchr introduced ‘AI Rango’, its new scheduling channel, which will be able to predict accurate addresses using various algorithms, and in November, it will launch ‘Nancy’, a scheduling channel that works over Whatsapp. Continued improvements to the scheduling process directly affect customer experience, but this isn’t the only area Fetchr is working on. It is also looking closely at fleet management, such as monitoring driver behavioural patterns to analyse performance,

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Endeavour Magazine | 75

FETCHR safeguard against fraud, and make more accurate delivery projections. It is also looking to create software that will enable smooth and easy cross-utilisation between fleets, which needs to be approached with precision in order to avoid confusion and wasted driver-time.

The team also hopes to develop software that will identify high-risk customers that can potentially default on COD payments, which would assist both Fetchr and its business clients.

It also hopes to develop customer and client credit ranking through data analytics, and off the back of this, to develop an effective price structure for clients with low credit ratings, so that Fetchr can be accessible to everyone.

It is remarkable what Fetchr is doing; this is a gap in the market that greatly inconvenienced many, and yet, the solution seems so obvious that one wonders why it hadn’t been done already. This is always the mark of a good invention - it is the natural conclusion to a problem, and it was Fetchr’s founder and team of engineers that made it a reality. Opening

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up successful product delivery in developing markets will aid the quality of life for individuals as well as aid in the growth and successful trading of emerging businesses, both of which should boost economies and remove needless mail-delivery stress. From small-scale benefits to the bigger picture, the way Fetchr is changing the game in the Middle East is exciting, and is bound to have a trackable knock-on effect in the years to come.

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A DAZZLING BUSINESS MODEL Lucara Botswana (Pty) Ltd chevron-square-right www.lucaradiamond.com phone-square 001 604 689 7842

To be a premier operation in a luxury industry takes something more than knowledge and determination and as Lucara proves, that je ne sais quoi is rarer than the world’s finest diamonds.

Written by Amy Buxton

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ucara Diamond Corp. is a mining operation with a difference in that it seeks to locate, harvest and sell only the very best resources possible. This is no mere lip service, as while less ambitious operations might be happy to offer a variety of stones, Lucara exclusively mines for Type IIA examples and not small ones at that, “Lucara’s 100 percent owned Karowe diamond Mine, located in Botswana, has been in production since 2012 and is one of worlds’ foremost producers of large, Type IIA diamonds in excess of 10.8 carats, including the historic 1,109 carat Lesedi La Rona (second largest gem diamond ever recovered) and the 813 carat Constellation (sold for a record US$63.1 million).”

Now that you’re sat up and paying attention, it’s time to take a closer look at how a diamond mining operation becomes a global industry leader, which is something that Naseem Lahri, Managing Director, was able to explain.

Asking Naseem what it is that really sets Lucara apart from its competitors, she was happy to reveal that, “Firstly, it’s our commitment to invest in technology. We are pioneers in the way that we’ve done things in that we are always looking for new innovations that will improve Endeavour Magazine | 79

LUCARA BOTSWANA (PTY) LTD

our efficiency and the safety of our team.

From purchasing state of the art machines for recovering diamonds through to investing in a new sales platform, we are always at the very forefront of things. The other thing that sets us apart is that the management team is willing to take some calculated risks. We aren’t afraid to get on with some tough decision making.”

It’s no secret that mining is an industry that has come on in leaps and bounds, in terms of safety and responsible exploration techniques, in recent years, but Lucara has been ahead of the game from day one. Instead of having to play catch up with modern legislation and improved operational methodologies, Lucara has been working in accordance with international best practices since 2012 and not just in terms of safety. Looking to the global mining industry for inspiration as to sustainability, environmental responsibility and even community interaction.

The result is a recognisably innovative and

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enviably premium operation that acts as a shining example to the world.

Naturally, while discussing Lucara with Naseem, Endeavour Magazine wanted to know how the market is currently performing.

Given the luxurious nature of the resources being mined, it wouldn’t come as a surprise if there were periods of turbulence, but Lucara appears to have a built-in life jacket for such rough spells, “Questions about the buoyancy of the diamond industry can be hard to answer, as we are the exception to the rule, as opposed to being the rule itself. Some competitors might be struggling, but we aren’t, thanks to how niche our operation has always been. We exclusively source Type IIA diamonds, which make up just 1-2% of all excavated stones, making us a premier provider with a bank of dedicated clients. The fact that we constantly invest in new technology has also helped us to navigate ourselves away from standard industry difficulties.”

Though on paper, choosing to create a niche from day one could have been considered risky, it was obviously one of the ‘calculated risks’ that Naseem acknowledges has made for a courageous management team that produces results. Why settle for average, when you can be aspirational?

When working alongside the most precious stones in the world, it must be easy to see everything in terms of monetary value, but Naseem had a surprise up her sleeve: “Our staff are the most valuable assets and resources that Lucara has. We recognise this every day and seek to demonstrate it through continuous professional development, internal promotions and optimised safety procedures.

We want to develop long-term team members, so we look for people that share our values, both at home and at work and we always look to promote from within, before we look at outside talent.”

There’s a real sense of Lucara being a family away from home, for everyone that works for the company and just like a real family, Naseem explains that people can always come home,

LUCARA BOTSWANA (PTY) LTD

“When our GM left us, we were happy for him to go and stretch his wings and experience opportunities elsewhere, but we realised that he was the right person for us, bar none. We approached him to come back, which he did, and we’ve been working perfectly ever since.”

When was the last time that you heard about a company putting humility and the good of the entire operation ahead of pride? While so many organisations would not choose to invite a former employee back, Lucara simply followed its principles of always wanting the best. Unusual it might be, but this decision is just one more example of the way that Lucara is always working just that little bit differently to everyone else and let’s face it; the results really speak for themselves, so it must be an approach that works.

With a unique business model in place, a contingent of appreciated and well rewarded staff, a reputation that competitors would kill for and performance levels that nobody can

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rival, Lucara is now looking ahead with vigour and positivity, “Obviously we are looking to further develop Clara, our next generation sales platform that will make purchasing a far simpler process, but we are also devoting time to mining feasibility studies. We want to extend our local reach, so potential is being assessed and then there’s new technology. Obviously, we can’t predict what will be created in the next year, but I can tell you that our eyes are very much peeled, to ensure that we are ready to invest in anything relevant to us.”

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CUSHIONING THE BLOW Burnside Eurocyl chevron-square-right bvv phone-square 00353 59 913 4555

One of Europe’s leading hydraulic cylinder providers, Burnside Eurocyl, has four decades of experience to rely on, which clients have come to appreciate, alongside the innovative solutions, product evolutions and timely responses that all come as standard.

Written by Alice Instone-Brewer

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roduct quality is built into everything that Burnside Eurocyl (BE) manufactures, but before we take a look at the extensive catalogue of specialist parts, it’s important to understand what has made the company the success that it is today.

Naturally, a deep-seated commitment to quality will always play a large part in the continued profitability of any operation, but more than that, the management team has strived to instil a certain ethos, right from the start. The focus points of this operational ethos are what have driven the company forward, bringing return clients and names of note with them, “With a focus on service, flexibility and value, at Burnside Eurocyl, we work hard at establishing a solid business relationship with OEMs all over Europe and North America.

Our clients include household names like Volvo and JCB as well as industry stalwarts Wacker Neuson, the Wirtgen Group and many, many more.”

This is key. It’s no use offering the best product on the market, if it isn’t priced competitively, offered within a reasonable timeframe and the experience of ordering it is painful, and BE knows this. There is an understanding of the Endeavour Magazine | 85

BURNSIDE EUROCYL

crucial nature of close and constant contact with all clients, if budgets and timeframes are to be met – and they always are.

BE benefits from family underpinnings, as it is part of the wider Burnside groups of companies, founded by the four Byrne brothers in 1974.

Every operation is a valuable cog in the overall machine, with everyone working towards the same goal of customer satisfaction, “The group operates four-cylinder production plants in the area employing a workforce of over 1000 people. Burnside Eurocyl operates from a purpose-built facility in Carlow town in the south east of Ireland. We employ in excess of 250 highly trained staff on a 20,000 m2 site. With customer-focused production lines in operation, we produce over 6,000 cylinders per week and deliver to key customers in Mainland Europe in two days.

We ship to the east coast of North America in one week.”

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By taking an integrated approach to group diversification, the focus has remained firmly on the cylinders themselves, with logistics and improvements always continuing in the background. It’s an ingenious business model that is proving itself to be exceptionally successful, which is why BE has been able to grow its product range to include six separate types of hydraulic cylinder.

When your main consumers are OEM companies, you have to stay on your toes.

Standards, designs and requirements can change on a whim, and with new models of vehicles and machines being released every year, you can guarantee that the style of cylinders needed will change too. No OEM wants to waste precious time instructing a buying team to liaise with four different companies, so by offering a vast contingent of different cylinders, BE has made itself a veritable one-stop operation. Moreover, it will also be a valued, trusted and retained partner and that’s no small accomplishment, given the names involved here, “At Burnside Eurocyl, we offer custom built cylinders to OEMs. Production is to the highest standards using state-of-the-art manufacturing techniques and technology.”

Offering double-acting, displacement, single-acting, telescopic, double ended and sensor & positioning cylinders, BE seemingly has all bases covered, but if something isn’t quite right, there is a customisation programme ready and waiting to rectify it. That’s an impressive addition, given that BE services the entire world platform of OEMs and the management team knows exactly who to thank for keeping the company operating at such a high level.

No company has ever reached the upper echelons of success without having a reliable and knowledgeable body of staff in place and BE is not the exception. Given the stringent timeframes and standards being worked to, an undervalued workforce simply isn’t an option, which is why praise and continued development are always on offer, “We value the role our staff play, and continue to invest in ongoing training and development. Research and Development of

BURNSIDE EUROCYL

hydraulic cylinders is an on-going process and we excel in this area.”

The management team understands that to be the best, you need to be represented by the best and that’s why it’s crucial to always maintain good relations with those on the ‘shop floor’. Hiring the best and most expert team members has an extra benefit in the form of exemplar customer service, which clients of BE recognise only too well. With a knowledgeable voice at the end of an email or phone call, client confidence remains exceptionally high, leading to repeat business and the retention of an enviable market position.

BE knows that diversification and development are the keys to the future and that there’s no room for complacency. While to the uninitiated, it might seem as though there is a finite number of hydraulic cylinder designs, while OEMs are dictating industry demand, changing standards will always need to be addressed and accounted for, meaning

endless iterations of seemingly similar items and this is where BE will set itself apart from every competitor out there.

By always looking to predict and offer the next solution, BE is consistently first to the party, meaning that so are its clients. In the competitive world of automotive and equipment manufacture, nobody wants to be left behind or seen to be playing catch up, which is why partnering with an innovative and future-hungry operation, such as BE, is vital.

Clients know this and recognise that they’ll get what they need with no inconvenience and Maha Maschinenbau Haldenwang GmbH & Co.KG, a valued partner, speaks for everybody when it says, “Over the years, we have worked closely with Burnside Eurocyl on an on-going basis.

They give us what we want, when we need it – with no delays and no fuss.”

MAMBRINI OLEODINAMICA was funded in 1965 as a turnery and over the course of a few years it became specialised in the construction of hydraulic cylinders and their components.

It experienced great success thanks to a strict attention to its client’s specific requirement and product, thus creating efficients collaboration for the constant improvement of quality product.

The company’s competitiveness is founded in modern technologies, first quality materials and perfect knowledge of the final product due to 40 years experience.

This is allowed Mambrini to became a reference in the Italian and internatiol markets and count among its customers some of most important European companies.

Mambrini keeps a wide range of standard products available in stock, and the company can also supply customer’s specific request in a short time frame thanks to modern CNC lathes, milling center ( traditional and 5 axs) and metrology room whit automatic CMM measuring machine.

Via Degli Artigiani N°2 06016 San Giustino, PG, Italy www.mambrinioleodinamica.com 88 | Endeavour Magazine

Phone: +39 075 8582247 Fax: +39 075 8582127

info@mambrinioleodinamica.com gregorio@mambrinioleodinamica.com

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STRENGTH IN PEOPLE BHL Group chevron-square-right www.bhlgroupint.com phone-square 00260 76 120 1000

Sourcing effective logistical support is tough enough, but add in difficult landscapes and huge expanses of ground to cover and suddenly, only the very best operations can make a tangible difference, which is where BHL comes in.

Written by Amy Buxton

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s with most transport and logistics companies, the BHL Group has to deal with a huge variety of shipments, commodities and goods, all with a level of care and consideration that ensures safe delivery, but it has an extra string to its bow that it does so all within the Zambian and sub-Saharan Africa region.

Founded at the end of 2004, the BHL Group is closing in on its 15-year anniversary and, while that isn’t technically a huge heritage within the industry, the approach taken by the team has ensured that this is no fledging operation that’s still ironing out initial problems.

Quite the opposite in fact; as a traditional attitude to customer service standards and client promises has resulted in the fast acquisition of an enviable reputation within the logistics sector, “BHL is a dynamic entity currently offering total logistical solutions within Zambia and sub-Saharan Africa with the norm of business currently conducted in but not limited to Zambia, DRC and Namibia. We are renowned for our ability to bring logistical management methodologies to greater heights through our experience.”

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Having carefully nurtured relationships with cross-border companies, as well as local businesses, BHL has honed a clearer understanding of delivery schedules and timescales, as well as operational techniques, “Our mission is clear, to provide you with optimal Transport and logistical solutions throughout Zambia and sub-Saharan Africa, by combining loads when possible, ensuring that the vehicles for your product are optimally utilised and maintaining all stock levels on a weekly, monthly basis.”

So you see, intelligent logistics involves a lot more than simply transporting goods from a to b. It requires foresight, knowledge of the routes being taken and common-sense solutions to garnering the best value for fiscally responsible clients. BHL has mastered all of these elements, resulting in the customer always coming first and their goods always going on schedule.

Whoever it was that first stated you ‘can’t please all of the people, all of the time’, didn’t have the same ambition or commitment

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to customer service as BHL, as never a day goes by when the team isn’t going the extra mile, either literally or figuratively, to exceed client expectations.

In addition to creating a working culture dictated by values of honesty, transparency and objectivity, BHL also makes sure to treat every client as an individual. By never assuming that two, albeit similar, operations might have the same set of requirements, everyone is given the tailored solutions treatment and this itself has led to some innovative developments, “Each client is treated individually and offered real time management solutions pertinent to their organisation. We give you peace of mind to focus on your core business, while we manage your transport/logistics. We have also developed a powerful contractor base which is both an empowerment initiative and beneficial to your organisation.”

Working with sub-contractors has allowed the roster of services available to grow exponentially and in an astonishingly short space of time. From initially being a general transporter to now offering specialist movement packages for notoriously difficult industries, such as mining, BHL has proved itself to be a master of every initiative that it takes on.

Boasting a diverse fleet of vehicles, a large team, and six separate, dedicated depots, BHL has made light work of expanding in just 15 years and has become a recognised and respected name in the African logistics field and a contingent of notable CSR hasn’t gone amiss either. Contributing to both road and water projects, BHL has been consistent when it comes to giving back to the communities that supply the organisation with exemplar staff, commercial opportunities and viable locations for depots. This symbiotic relationship between a successful company and surrounding communities is essential to the longevity of both and something that BHL takes particular pride in, “We are proud to announce that our first community road project of 221km between Kaoma and Kasempa, has been completed.

An ongoing maintenance plan is in place

STRENGTH IN PEOPLE

and under the watchfull eye of BHL Group International. BHL Group, in conjunction with a Chinese Group, MeiMei, constructed the Nsobe Community School Project (Ndola) at no cost to government or the community.”

Looking ahead, BHL has laid incredible foundations for a profitable future. Having already invested significantly in site machinery (‘yellow machines’), a huge flatbed fleet and 100 side tippers, there can be few, if any, transportation contracts that can’t complete, but BHL has set itself apart, once again, by planning for the worst-case scenario, “We have a facility in Ndola that rebuild trucks / trailers and yellow equipment. We do complete rebuild of our equipment after 5 years and also do all our own accident repairs.”

By bringing all the fleet repairs and maintenance in-house, BHL can give clients honest updates as to if and when scheduling changes need to occur and can maintain a firm grip on costs, which translate into savings for clients. After all, it’s a sensible company that

recognises what an important role expense plays in securing a new contract, which is why BHL is forever seeking out new and inventive ways to slash prices, while still offering the same levels of phenomenal service. It’s a proven recipe for success.

With a sizeable fleet in place, an enormous contingent of ready-to-work sub-contractors at its beck and call and a sterling reputation already in place, BHL doesn’t need to worry about the future; it’s going to deliver itself.

To make doubly sure, however, there is one more innovation that the company has put in motion: property development, “We have been developing our own depot facilities in Ndola and Solwezi. We are busy building a new depot in Solwezi currently. We also developing farms from bush to centre pivot operations.”

If this is how much a forward-thinking company can achieve in just 15 years, it’s going to be fascinating to see what can happen in another 15.

Far East Metals are proud to collaborate with BHL Group Far East Metals RM 20A KIU FU COMM BLDG 300 LOCKHART RD WAN CHAI, HONG KONG Phone: +8618615173719 Email: sales@femsl.com Endeavour Magazine | 93

AUTOMOTIVES

FORD PUMA

T

he new Ford Puma is an SUV-inspired compact crossover that fuses stunning exterior design, incredible load space, and sophisticated mild-hybrid powertrain technology. This car aims to be sleek, comfortable, and yet filled with family-ready storage. At a glance, it looks much like many such family cars, but the devil is in the details.

The new Puma joins Ford’s expanding lineup of SUV and SUV-inspired crossover models in Europe, including the Fiesta Active, Focus Active, EcoSport, Kuga, Edge, and the new Explorer Plug-In Hybrid. SUVs now account for more than one in five Ford vehicles sold in Europe.

Amongst these, the Puma sets itself apart by bragging about its boot space, so this is a sensible place to start. As it comes, the boot offers a capacity of 80 litres of storage, but the boot floor can be removed, which opens this up to an incredible 456-litre capacity.

However, that isn’t all that recommends it. The Puma delivers a powerful, responsive 94 | Endeavour Magazine

performance (without sacrificing fuel efficiency) using Ford’s EcoBoost Hybrid 48volt technology. The mild-hybrid powertrain seamlessly integrates electric torque assistance with a low-friction, three-cylinder 1.0‑litre EcoBoost petrol engine to deliver up to 155 PS. This electric torque assistance helps the Puma to deliver a punchier performance, with up to 50% more torque available at lower engine speeds. The BISG has also enabled Ford engineers to lower the 1.0-litre EcoBoost engine’s compression ratio and add a larger turbocharger for more power, by mitigating turbo-lag using torque supplementation that also rotates the engine faster for maintained turbocharger boost response.

The Puma has also upped its driving experience with driver assistance technologies such as adaptive cruise control with Stop & Go, Speed Sign Recognition and Lane Centring. Like a GPS, the car can also access new local hazard information, which can inform the driver of hazardous situations in the road ahead before

they become visible to the driver or vehicle sensors. It utilises 12 ultrasonic sensors, three radars and two cameras positioned around the car to deliver a suite of Ford Co-Pilot360 technologies that enhance protection, driving and parking, and are designed to make the driving experience more comfortable, less demanding and safer. If all of this wasn’t relaxing and reassuring enough, Puma is also the first vehicle in its segment to offer a handsfree lumbar massage seat!

On the subject of the luxuries, the Puma comes with an impressive ten-speaker sound system, for clear sound no matter where in the car you’re seated, and its smart display has a 12.3-inch fully-configurable digital instrument cluster that allows drivers to personalise and prioritise the information they’re shown. The cluster uses free-form technology that allows curved upper edges for seamless interior design. This 24‑bit “true colour” digital display generates detailed, high-definition images in brighter colours and clearer images that are less tiring to look at and make out, especially after a long drive.

Ford has even thought to add minor details such as wireless charging, to keep the Puma’s

two USB ports free for devices that need them, and to reduce the wires and clutter in your cabin. Devices can remain connected via Bluetooth to Ford’s SYNC 3 communications and entertainment system while using wireless charging, allowing Puma drivers to control audio, navigation and connected smartphones using simple voice commands. It’s details like this, on top of the powerful and intuitive drive, that set the Puma apart as a car you’ve got to try out.

The Puma is available in ten colours: Blazer Blue, Frozen White, Race Red, Solar Silver, Agate Black, Lucid Red, Grey Matter, Desert Island Blue, Magnetic and Metropolis White. Stuart Rowley, president, Ford of Europe, is confident that the design will be well received, and we can see why: “We believe Puma is going to really resonate with drivers in Europe,” Rowley said.

“We’ve gone to every length to give customers the flexibility they want, and the best-looking car they’ve ever owned.” Contrary to what Rowley says, it might not be the best-looking car we’ve ever seen, but its performance, its storage and its extras certainly make it worth the test drive, and you might just fall in love.

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THE PRIDE OF VIETNAM Masan Resources chevron-square-right www.masangroup.com phone-square 0084 8 6256 3862

Working to an ultimate aim of becoming the premier mineral mining operation in Vietnam, Masan Resources is a company that pairs ambition with expertise beautifully and as a result, is making serious inroads into one of the world’s most competitive industries.

Written by Amy Buxton

M

ining is a complex industry riddled with just as much competitiveness as it is risk and environmental concerns, which is why only the strongest companies survive and turn a tangible profit. It takes a certain level of tenacity, experience and innovative thinking to make headway in such an unpredictable arena and Masan Resources, located in Vietnam, is determined to be one of the few, “Masan Resources is looking to become Vietnam’s private sector resources champion by acquiring, exploring and developing resource assets of scale. Vietnam is endowed with significant resources across a variety of metals and minerals. We believe that with our experienced management team, local access, strong execution capabilities, international partners and capital raising abilities, we have developed the right platform to consolidate these assets and build Masan Resources into the leading mineral mining company in Vietnam.”

Putting in the groundwork In a bid to ensure a strong presence in the mining industry, 2010 saw Masan Resources take a controlling interest in Nui Phao Mining, Endeavour Magazine | 97

MASAN RESOURCES

an operation with ownership of an open pit location that had been proven to contain numerous mineral deposits. With Tungsten, fluorspar, bismuth and copper all having been discovered, the potential of the mine was clear to see and demonstrated a significant investment opportunity, which Masan Resources has continued to build on, “Since taking over the Nui Phao Project, we have focused on key areas to complete investment requirements for the project and support its successful development. At the beginning, we concentrated on essential functions to deploy the project, specifically completing legal requirements for the project, arranging sufficient funds, re-enforcing the management team and accelerating compensation and resettlement activities. In 2011 and 2012, we continued on the back of this success and focused on the acceleration of project development, which eventually

enabled the Nui Phao mine to start commercial production during the first quarter of 2014.”

To move from acquisition to commercial production in just four years is impressive, but didn’t give rise to any slowing down. 2014 was, in fact, a year of serious progression, with Masan Resources focusing entirely on increasing production rates, which came to fruition in the final quarter of the year. Naturally, this has provided an excellent basis for continued growth.

A strategy for sustained development A multi-pronged approach has been instigated by Masan Resources, in order to maximise the potential of the successful Nui Phao takeover and it doesn’t come as a surprise. It would be exceptionally short sighted to believe that tenacity alone would be enough to make inroads into a hugely competitive marketplace and there’s no place for blind hope in the commercial sphere either.

The multifaceted strategy of the management team here, led by CEO Craig Bradshaw, is both intuitive and inspired, focusing on quality people, best practices and the importance of local relationships, “Masan Resources has assembled a worldclass team of international mining industry professionals who have extensive experience in building and operating projects in the region with international best practices. We have the right team to develop and operate the Nui Phao mining successfully and to develop Masan Resources into Vietnam’s premier private sector resources company.”

There’s no doubt that this aim is beautifully on track, thanks to the Nui Phao location meeting the exceptionally high standards of the Equator Principles, which are widely considered to be the gold standard for social and environmental sustainability within the mining sector. The real clincher, however, is the three-layer execution manifesto in place.

Three is the magic number Masan Resources has created something of a holy trifecta in terms of managing risk, developing a location and reducing the impact

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on the communities that it operates in. The latter point is particularly pertinent, “Masan Resources leverages local relationships to access and execute opportunities and to obtain preferential access to quality assets. We are proficient at navigating central and local government and regulatory requirements and use governmental and community ties to accelerate onsite progress.”

Combining this with a commonsense approach to capital usage, which seeks to assist with the optimisation of production and expansion, as well as infrastructure improvement, has led to an incredible platform for mining prowess and industry progression.

Where many other operations would fail at this point, by failing to accommodate for risk, of course, Masan Resources has neatly sidestepped this pitfall, “We are always significantly de-risking projects through the Masan platform.

Macroeconomic risk is hedged against

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commodity price fluctuations with Masan Resources’ diversified basket of metals and minerals and financial risk is negated through access to the Masan Group’s stable capital flows and investor networks.

Finally, operational risk is accounted for via access to the Masan Group’s trading partners, customers and professional management expertise to solve operational issues.”

Success and responsibility in equal measure When a company has identified an aim to be the premier example of what they do within a competitive industry, as Masan Resources has, there is always a risk that ambition will overtake ethics but that’s demonstrably not the case in this instance. Caring just as much about the environment and local communities as profit margins, Masan Resources is setting a world-leading example to the mining industry, as well as striding to the forefront of the Vietnamese arena,

THE PRIDE OF VIETNAM

“By the end of 2014, the Nui Phao project had invested over US$80 million into the local community affected by the project, towards compensation, resettlement and various economic restoration activities. To date, we have provided economic restoration to over 3,000 households from the projectaffected area, through alternate skills training, employment with Nui Phao and partnerships with international investors to provide employment opportunities for the people.”

A socially responsible company with exemplar parent group backing, a clear and defined aim and an experienced management team that can make it happen, Masan Resources is operating on a whole different level. What’s more, the goal of being Vietnam’s premier private sector mining company suddenly doesn’t seem like such a stretch, as there’s a sense that it has already been accomplished and so much more.

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A HOUSEHOLD NAME WITH HERITAGE Melcom Group chevron-square-right www.melcomgroup.com phone-square 00233 561 112777

So much more than a chain of retail outlets, the Melcom Group seeks to supply everything that Ghana needs through a range of conveniently located and beautifully maintained premises, as well as a significant online presence. Endeavour Magazine looked at the history underpinning this exceptional organisation, to find out the secret to its success.

Written by Amy Buxton

I

t can be easy to assume that any successful retail group started out due to a desire for commercial profitability, but there is something far more admirable behind the evolution of the Melcom Group: a heartfelt love for Ghana. Mr. Bhagwan Khubchandani, Chairman of the Group, explained how his father’s vision enabled Melcom to come into being: “Many may be surprised to discover that our journey in Ghana actually began 89 years ago, in 1929, when Ghana was known as the Gold Coast. My late father, Mr. Ramchand Khubchandani, immediately fell in love with the country and its people upon his arrival and decided to settle here. After working tirelessly for 17 years as a shop manager, he had saved enough to start his own business and made the decision to do so with his younger brother.”

Skip ahead to 1989 and the intrinsic appreciation of Ghana, the community and its people that Bhagwan was born with had translated into a phenomenal business idea; a Group that could fulfil the varied needs and desires of an entire nation: “The Melcom Group of Companies caters to B2B, institutions and the basic household needs of the general public. Melcom, through Endeavour Magazine | 103

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its brands and businesses, provides services and support notably through ‘Melcom Ltd’, which is the retail arm of the business both in brick and mortar as well as online(melcomonline.com). It also has other businesses such as CrownStar Electronics (Service arm), Century Industries (Plastics Manufacturing), Melcom Hospitality (Food & Beverages), Melcom Travel and Tours (Travel Agency), Melcom Care Foundation (CSR) and other support businesses.”

Having conceptualised and founded the Group with his sons-in-law or, as he likes to say, “sons-in-love”, Bhagwan ensured that the family-first approach to business was tightly interwoven into the fabric of the Melcom Group from day one. This is an important element to note, as it lends understanding as to the driving force behind the organisation; human connection and gratitude to Ghana for providing a beloved home. It also explains why the Melcom Group primarily focuses on operating within Ghana, as opposed to

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stretching resources and attempting to take on international contracts as well. There are a smattering of international offices in place, but they provide administrative support for the business as a whole rather than acting as bases for extended trade.

An impressive heritage and deep-seated investment in the region give the Melcom Group a distinct advantage in terms of outperforming competitors, but this would only be so useful if the market was flaccid: “We are currently operating in an economy that is growing, but at a slow pace. Melcom continues to look for opportunities while also investing in its core businesses. As a market leader with over 50% of the organised trade, Melcom sees everyone in its line of business as a competitor, so we are continuously striving to improve, as we do not take this threat lightly. However, Melcom, with its history of overcoming obstacles and barriers, is well positioned to compete.”

A HOUSEHOLD NAME WITH HERITAGE

MELCOM GROUP

Aside from a rugged commercial hardiness that has steered Melcom through periods of economic turbulence, there is an extra pillar of strength running through the core of the organisation; an unflinching desire to serve the public and delight them with great value, quality products and reliability.

In a bid to never disappoint, there is a contingent of incredibly hardworking staff that all take personal responsibility for their contribution to the wider success of the Group: “The Melcom Group has over 2,800 employees and the numbers are still growing, with more stores to be added to our existing 38. Our approach to staff training is to focus on continuous improvement for the benefit of both the Group and the individuals. We offer a structured “benefits and rewards programme” too, which is intended to promote a culture of recognition for effort, innovation, expertise and excellence.”

Add to this an established supply chain that uses Ghanaian people and companies, and the integrated locality of the organisation is clear to see and easy to appreciate. It’s this internal approach that has helped to make the Melcom Group a beloved household name and a genuine success story.

Turning our attention to Bhagwan himself and his leadership style, it won’t come as a surprise that he maintains a level of awareness and cognisance that can only come from understanding a company from the ground up: “Even though I have always held the position of Chairman of the Melcom Group, I must say, I feel as though I have held every position or role starting from the cleaning person through to salesman and accountant etc.” Perhaps this is why he has such a personable approach to leadership? “The key to effective leadership and inspiring success among staff is to ensure that a healthy competitive environment is always

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fostered. This, hopefully, guarantees that all persons are making a contribution to the growing businesses, and that personally, they are also realising their individual aspirations along the way. As the Chairman of Melcom, I am also the number 1 servant. I take full responsibility when problems arise.”

Of course, maintaining quality and consistency across such a wide-ranging portfolio of products and services, including clothing, groceries, hospitality and electronics, takes dedication and ambition, both of which are in plentiful supply within the Group. Always aiming high and diligently planning new strategies, Bhagwan has a poetically eloquent way of looking at future endeavours: “With hard work and, hopefully, a bit of luck along the way, surely you will fly with the birds, if not touch the stars.” His philosophy has always been, “Aim high. You will only hit what you aim.”

Having recently completed a number of impressive projects, including a world-class warehouse in the Tema Free Zone, Bhagwan’s attention is turning to the future and all of the exciting new developments that are on the horizon: “We have bigger and better stores coming up at Bolga, Koforidua. La - Accra and Mankesim. A Century Industries revamp is also in the works, designed to increase capacity and introduce new product lines.”

He concluded, “At the Melcom Group, we aim to work with diverse people and groups to optimise capacity, grow the Ghanaian brand and culture and provide quality and excellent results in all touch points.”

Already a treasured household name and spectacular ambassador for Ghana, there can be no underestimating just how much more the Melcom Group can achieve. In fact, as Bhagwan himself alluded to, the sky is the only limit.

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