JANUARY 2014
www.endeavourmagazine.com
The Voice Of South Africa
By the Power of Five Be Exotic This New Year In Thailand
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2 | Endeavour Magazine
EDITORIAL Heads of Departments Editor in Chief Daemon Sands daemonsands@littlegatepublishing.com Director General Don Campbell doncampbell@littlegatepublishing.com
O
ddly enough, January 2014
Government get swept into the corner
has arrived with the cool
as other countries in Africa step up to
indifference of time, known
become the leading southern African
as the hangover month worldwide it
nation? In Britain will David Cameron
always starts with a mild sprint. The
realize broad strokes don’t work when
Sales Director James Martin jamesmartin@littlegatepublishing.com
number of gym memberships have sky
dealing with people’s livelihoods? And
rocketed as the conscientious burn
will Obama realize that taking selfies
Sales Manager Tyler Harrison tylerharrison@littlegatepublishing.com
off the Christmas festivities and the
at a beloved peacemaker’s wake is
unconscientous consider whether the
not the best way to keep a reputation
Corporate Director Anthony Letchumaman anthonyl@littlegatepublishing.com
GiftCard Gym Membership had some
polished.
hidden meaning.
One
Editorial Research Manager Alex Smith alexsmith@littlegatepublishing.com
Lead Designer Alina Sandu studio@littlegatepublishing.com Publisher Stephen Warman stevewarman@littlegatepublishing.com
Meanwhile
Christmas
definite
prediction
in
this
actually
upcoming year is the revolutionizing
continues well into January with the
of engineering through the use of
well-practised but relatively unknown
new technologies and materials such
festive tradition of exchanging the
as graphene, aerogel and carbon
gifts from what was happily given to
nanotubes which are proving to be
Any enquiries or subscriptions can be sent to info@littlegatepublishing.com 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
what was actually wanted and this
miracle substances that are playing
extension, combined with the January
an important role in the creation of
sales, is good news for the retail
electric automobiles and motorcycles
industry.
and long life computer cells.
If you are an investor, and thanks
With such robust possibilities and
to sites like eToro you really should
opportunities presenting themselves
343 City Road Kings Lane London Norwich EC1 V1LR NR1 3PS 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
be, then investing in the retail
in the forthcoming year it’s difficult to
market could provide interesting
not become excited about 2014 in a
opportunities for good equity with
way that 2013 just couldn’t match.
regular holidays conveniently falling
In the January issue, we’ve had the
in equal spaces across the year. What
chance to catch up with a couple of
a happy coincidence for shareholders,
businesses that are repeatedly making
employers, staff and customers alike!
waves of change in their industries and
2014 is going to be an interesting
defining themselves as the innovators
year as the retail sector faces some
to look out for. We’ve had the pleasure
serious considerations regarding the
of asking the right questions to some
continuing shift from staffed stores
of the most impressive business
to unmanned, electronic retail stores
personalities and enjoyed the more
with the obvious question of is there
light hearted side of life while driving
an acceptable limit to the number
the most incredible vehicles.
of staff being replaced by electronic
Ultimately a good way to start what is
personnel and should someone take
set to be a great year.
a stand?
Enjoy,
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 2014
Politically, 2014 holds a lot of important questions, will Jacob Zuma resign from his presidency before the shambles of the South African
Endeavour Magazine | 3
CONTENTS
30
Cairo Airport FEATURES 24 30 34 38 44 50 56 62 68 74 80 86
68
Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre 4 | Endeavour Magazine
Tullow Oil Africa’s Leading Independent Oil Company Cairo Airport Sand And Skies Kenyan Airport Authority Still High Above Their Competition TOFCO All Go Onshore And Offshore Amarna Consult Ltd Clarity In The Labyrinthine World Of Engineering APM Terminals Bahrain Gateway To A Nation Maputo Corridor Logistics Clearing The Way For Trade Demir Export Actively Investing In The Future Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre The Welcoming Face Of The Future TCM Because You’re Too Busy And Life’s Too Short National Energy Corporation Great News For Trinidad And Tobago Caribbean Safety Safety First
24
Tullow Oil ARTICLES 6 The Voice Of South Africa By The Power Of Five 10 Our Globally Recognized Secret Society 12 V40 Cross Country D2 SE Powershift As Smooth As A Yacht And As Fierce As A Tank 16 Venturi Automobiles And Leonardo Dicaprio 18 Gadgets 20 Headlines 22 Be Exotic This New Year In Thailand 92 Real Alchemy: Music Into Rum 94 Book Reviews
62
Demir Export Endeavour Magazine | 5
THE VOICE OF
South Africa
BY THE POWER OF FIVE BY DONNIE RUST
T
o our South African audiences, 5FM requires little or no introduction. Known as the very voice of entertainment in the country nothing was popular or current until this station
confirmed it on air. Having firmly established themselves both on the air as the source for entertainment, the latest news, views and music they also established themselves through television with some of the most enjoyably funning and engaging television commercials in the world. Ahead of their time they were one of the pioneering drives for the New South Africa entering into an age of entertainment. It would surprise many to know that, 5FM was formerly known as “Radio 5”and developed from a commercial station, LM Radio, operating from Lourenço Marques (now Maputo) in the neighbouring country Mozambique. “Radio 5 first went on the air on October 13, 1975 after Mozambique gained its independence,” Station Manager Aisha Mohammed explains, “The station was established with eight medium wave transmitters, catering for the pop music audience and the name indicated the SABC’s fifth radio channel at that time.”
6 | Endeavour Magazine
Re-branded “5FM” in 1992, which included a change to its
Corporation
(SABC),
opportunity to be part of the
current logo: a red “5” and superscripted “FM” within a circle and
Africa’s
broadcaster,”
energy and dynamism of the
the words “The Power of” inscribed along the upper periphery of
Aisha tell us, “Headquartered in
fast changing youthful global
the circle.
Auckland Park, Johannesburg,
community.
“Music is the heart of 5FM’s format,” Aisha points out,
5FM
public
South
broadcasts
nationally
Indeed, it is 5FM’s inclusive
“Supported by news, sports and traffic catering to a wide range of
to a youth audience with the
youthful
tastes for a youthful market.”
communitive
combined
engaging
with its passionate innovative
This explains the massive impact that 5FM has on the youth and
payoff line “The Power of 5” our
attitude that allows the station
culture of the nation, becoming the very choice on what becomes
vision is to inspire and Entertain
to
popular in the nation’s music scene. In a country so in love with
Youthful South Africans.”
where the diverse youth of
music 5fm is perfectly positioned as a proudly South African radio station with a national footprint, and a strong, loyal following.
As
and
mindset,
the
entertainment
powerhouse for South African
deliver
an
environment
South Africa meet and amplify their experiences.
“5FM is a South African FM radio station that follows a Top
youth 5FM offers the most
“5FM is also the only national
40 music format and is owned by the South African Broadcasting
popular contemporary music
platform that offers advertisers
and entertainment and spends
access to the upwardly mobile
all of its time plugged into
and trendsetting youth of South
the
Africa.” She points out.
pulse
of
global
music
and content trends, thereby
While we only hear what
offering audiences access and
goes on during the show, a
Endeavour Magazine | 7
5fm is personality based radio and key to our success is that we allow our presenters a lot more freedom on the air than most of our commercial competitors. The combination of a winning formula of good music, on-air personalities as well as great content works best for 5fm.” Aisha Mohammed, Station Manager
radio station is a multi-layered business with every level supported by another and a strong emphasis on team work. With approximately fifty people working at 5FM to bring out the daily show which South Africans have come to rely upon the demands on every person within the organization to constantly be on form increases tenfold. “On air personalities have to adhere to the SABC Editorial policy and the Broadcasting Commissions Code of Conduct,” Aisha explains, “The Operational team members have to follow the SABC’s policies and procedures which include Governance and each operational staff member is provided with a Personal Development Plan which outlines training requirements. This is then supplemented by Training, and Performance is tracked with a KPA.” She adds, “A very important metric for optimum delivery and a performance based culture as well as individualised job satisfaction is individual development of each and every staff member.” Another topic that has to be considered is the enjoyment of the listeners. One must always remember that South Africa is an incredibly complex society made up of different cultures, beliefs, religions, races and tastes. It surely must be a mammoth undertaking for one station to satisfy all of the listeners and to attract more? Aisha explains, “The station focuses on delivering a quality on air product through a cutting edge CHR Top 40 Format, coupled with content that is relevant to a cutting edge, cool, trendy, youthful audience.” “5fm is Personality based radio and key to our success is that we allow our presenters a lot more freedom on the air than most of our commercial competitors. The combination of a winning formula of good music, on-air personalities as well as great content works best for 5fm. We also utilise social media for maximum interaction with an interactive audience. The station is also at the forefront of eventing and live music experiences for a youthful audience in South Africa.” Aisha goes on to explain that the On Air personalities require a reputation of being experienced, reputable, credible and full of personality. They are all required to utilise their profiles and personalities for maximum gain
8 | Endeavour Magazine
and the station has a legacy of
the station has to remain ahead
employing big personalities who
of the curve and be ahead of
are brands over and above their
cutting edge global and music
time slots on air.
trends.
5fm’s
strong
positioning
“The
station
incredible
ensures
as a CHR Top 40, Personality
an
based Radio station in South
flexibility in its decisions and
Africa coupled with the strong
in
On Air offering provides for
personalities on the air which
the right mix of entertainment.
has always been the case and
Constantly delivering the next
has made us the station we are
level of cool is a full time job and
today.”
its
amount
management
of
of big
“
eart
Music is the h
of 5FM’s format
”
Endeavour Magazine | 9
OUR GLOBALLY RECOGNIZED
Secret Society BY DONNIE RUST
D
uring my lazy morning coffee
a
thought
societies, what used to be enjoyed in private is now
occurred to me. I have
enjoyed in public view, what used to be quiet, polite
no doubt that at some point in
shame has become abhorrent pride. A secret society
the history of the Free Masons
must have members or else it’s just one person’s dark
the members asked themselves
secret and when you have a group, you have members
why people on the internet
and members require organizing and coordination, this
seemed to know more about
requires communication. So we have texts, emails and
their super-secret society than
phone calls unless a secret society relies purely on post
they did. And when the wealthy
and pigeons with notes, or ninjas….
young aristocrat was standing in
Seeing as, today, every text, every email, every
a chamber surrounded by men
message connected to the internet is stored somewhere
in robes and masks with one of
as data and information in servers and those servers
his trouser legs rolled up past
require a building to be kept. So the employees at that
his knee, his shirt open while
server builder and those computer techs who have
someone chanted some mumbo-
access to that data are respectively, aware and able to
jumbo about the great Architect
see the content of said message. So when you send out
I’m sure he asked himself why
a message to your secret society’s members, the phone
he hadn’t just joined www.
company is as much a member as that guy with the
darwindating.com if he was so
handle bar moustache and the monk’s habit.
keen to be a douche.
10 | Endeavour Magazine
What have replaced secret societies are public
Secret
societies
have
always
relied
on
Secret societies have existed
communication, because if there isn’t communication
and were secret purely because
everyone will be guessing the whole time and nothing
nobody wanted to brag about
will ever get done. And the best part about a secret
belonging to something that
society is that you know at least one secret about every
everyone knew about. In the
member that’s in the secret society.
good old days secret societies
This was cool. This meant you were in there.
guaranteed a significant nod
Today, we have Facebook, we have Tumblr, we have
across a crowded room and the
Plenty Of Fish and Pinterest, we’ve turned the whole
occasional free scone at the
thing inside out like a sock to reveal what lies within.
local chicken bleeding but today
Today the only way to stay anonymous is to actually
secrets are a no-no. The only
stay public. Although a lot of what we reveal online is
way to make sure that everyone
merely the tip of the iceberg this is usually enough for
knows something is to try and
most people who are only interested in putting you into
keep it a secret.
a category. For example: If they can file the freaks into
the mental filing cabinet under
way to protect the secrets by being
don’t believe the holocaust even
depicting them as fictional. While
section F, they’re satisfied with
known by everyone is to make
happened because they’ve been
the power we wield is impressive,
this, they don’t need to know
them public along with a shroud of
brought up to categorize it as
I need to exaggerate it to
the details about how much of a
misdirecting red herrings.
FANTASY.
ludicrous proportions and as the
Freak you really are. We’ve always loved finding out
secrets.
We’re
As an example, vampires are
You see it all the time. Of the
story behind it is inspirational, I
very popular at the moment.
millions of videos on Youtube
need to simplify into a digestible
curious
Tediously so. However, if I had a
that depict monsters, aliens,
plotline that non-members can
creatures, we thrive on new
secret society that knew about
vampires,
and
believe while still showing them
discoveries and this sort of
the existence of actual vampires,
ghosts, some of which have even
exactly what we do and what
curiosity combined with our
immortal,
sucking,
made it to the news, that cause a
we are capable of and jade their
opposable
resulted
coffin sleeping traditionalistic
great fervour right until someone
opinions of group copulative
in us becoming the second
nosferatu and we wanted to make
dismisses it as a hoax. Suddenly
fornication and back bending
thumbs
blood
werewolves
dominant species on the planet.
ninja fighting.
However, we have become so
As my secret society is a layer
adept at discovering secrets
cake of complexity containing
that we take it for granted that we can uncover just about everything about anyone given enough time. In fact our ability to uncover secrets far outweighs our ability to keep them. So we keep uncovering secrets and forgetting about them, meaning every time you think you’ve discovered
something
online
that nobody knew about, it’s probably been discovered by someone else.
What have replaced secret societies are public societies, what used to be enjoyed in private is now enjoyed in public view, what used to be quiet, polite shame has become abhorrent pride.
Also let us not forget that
thousands of members around the world who dance to my every command, I would be guaranteed an audience for my film. And a platform from which my members can exponentially promote the film online through their own followers and fans like blossoms bursting during spring to sweep the valley of the world with lovely, pollenated misdirection. With
every
member
promoting this film that is so easily believed to be fantasy it
secret societies in the past
will go viral. The thousands of
existed for the purpose of having
sure that people did not believe
the FANTASY VS REALITY fence
members will promote it to their
more power as members than
that they exist the simplest and
shoots up with people arguing
thousands of members and soon
without. There had to be an
easiest way would be to make
so intently on both sides that
millions of people will see the film
advantage to be had outside of
their
completely
they’re right they simply erode
and accept it as a fantasy. The
the group that was gained by
public. Put them in film, put them
away any credibility on the video.
world categorizes it as a fantasy
being inside of it. Mostly this
in Youtube videos, television and
Yes, some of them are hoaxes
and the secrets of the society will
was information, data, nepotism
in books. Get everyone you can
and there is an underlying
be kept secret by putting them
and secrets- all the things we see
talking about them.
competition to create the most
out into the open.
now online. So, wanting to start a secret
existence
Why this would work? We
impressive hoax but some of
Once the film is made, a
tend to categorize things very
them must be true… statistically.
television series can be put
society as I am, I am left with only
specifically,
AND
People wanting to be clever
together at a lower budget to
one other option to keep the
REALITY and it is near impossible
used to say that Fact Was
keep the fantasy alive. This is
shroud of mystery and coolness
to bridge this fence. For example
Stranger Than Fiction, but I’ll be
a system used thoroughly by
that I so desperately want.
there are some people, today,
damned if I’m smart enough to
the governments of USA who
Missdirection. This is one of the
who still argue that the world is
tell the difference between the
have convinced the whole world
tools that is incredibly potent on
ten thousand years old and was
two when I’m online.
that Marvel Agents of Shield is,
the internet and relies on gossip,
made in seven days because
So, to protect the anonymity
rumours and stories. If you have a
they have categorized the fact
of the members to my secret
well-known secret society the only
as REALITY and some kids who
society I need to make a film
FANTASY
indeed, not fact. Simple really. Where’s my coffee? Endeavour Magazine | 11
V40 CROSS COUNTRY D2 SE POWERSHIFT BY DONNIE RUST
smooth AS A YACHT fierce AS A TANK
AS AND AS
V
olvo has always paved their own roads, driving upon
be hardy and the same goes with their car designs that are shaped
highways of their innovative ideas and designs. In 1997
layer by layer around the driver and passengers. The real beauty of
the V70 Cross Country was launched, sixteen years later
Volvo is that it is intrinsically deep.
the V40 retains the same rugged look and practicality that made the name of the original.
The standard settings of the V40 Cross Country include Volvo’s low-speed collision avoidance system, City Safety and the world’s first
Designed for those wanting a sense of adventure in their everyday
pedestrian airbag. These, amongst the many other safety features
life, the V40 Cross Country is the evolution of the V40, expressive and
fitted, ensure Volvo’s reputation for safety leadership. Some of these
rugged it brings to the table a range of developments and uniquely
features earn additional brownie points, as an example the City Safety
impressive strides: increased ride height, practical versatility and an
resulted in this car having lower insurance ratings after being tested
option of all-wheel-drive. With this increase of ride height, special
by Thatcham on behalf of the Association of British Insurers.
attention has been taken by the chassis team at Volvo to ensure
If owners choose to take a policy out with Volvo Car Insurance,
that the dynamic driving, optimum handling and comfort that has
they will receive a 10% discount because of the standard fitment of
epitomised Volvo for decades is not lost. And they have succeeded in
City Safety, and owners who specify the Driver Support Pack will also
an exemplary fashion.
receive a further 5% discount on their premium.
Safety
Carbon Footprint, The Environment
Getting through the preliminaries, the safety of Volvo cars has
Lowering their impact on the environment has made Volvo one of
always been assumed. The same way you can assume that tanks will
the pioneering heroes in this agenda and they have continued their
12 | Endeavour Magazine
effort to reduce the damage
Volvo’s specialist infotainment system, designed to give outstanding
rear bumper has a lower black
caused by exhaust emissions.
connectivity, security and personalisation.
insert, in turn fitted with a silver-
The V40 D2 Cross Country
With that, Volvo have started fitting Bluetooth connectivity for
coloured plastic skid plate with
emits only 99g/km per CO2. The
their hands free and music streaming as standard in their vehicles
‘Cross Country’ moulded into it.
sweetener to this package, not
which I am old enough to appreciate as something we didn’t used to
Volvo’s classic V-shaped bonnet
only is it green but both retail and
have. One of the others things we didn’t always have was comfort as
is ingratiated with bold edging
business users benefit from the
standard, something that Volvo has made a point of ensuring that
and wider shoulders, another
low BIK, road tax and residential
their vehicles possess. If you are a regular driver you’ll attest to the
Volvo
parking savings. Win, win.
importance of comfort to a driver’s experience.
from just behind the headlamps
Keeping People Happy And Comfortable
Looks And Appeal
trademark,
stretching
and at the end of the rear door it sweeps into an integrated “hook”,
Not that this is a nanny car. These extra layers of comfort and
I recognized as the a design
safety have not come at the cost of Volvo’s reputation for being
legacy from the P1800 coupé. A
hard-core and a number of the aesthetics have been designed to
wedged shaped roof silhouette
Having used this with a
give the V40 a tougher look. The front bumper has been re-designed
contributes to the lean-forward
carful of people I was delighted
to incorporate lower black bumper inserts which also houses new
stance and rear tail lamps are
to find that the V40 Cross
vertical day-running lights and a fitted front skid plate.
positioned high, for maximum
Country is fitted with SENSUS,
A unique honeycomb grille turns the front into a muzzle and the
visibility. Endeavour Magazine | 13
Driving Intelligence Volvo’s “Designed Around You” can clearly be seen in the design and functionality of the interior cabin of the Volvo V40 Cross Country. Simple in design and visually pleasing it’s designed to be the most intuitive driver interface ever The cabin is full of easy-to-use technology, all part of Volvo’s high-tech but user friendly Human Machine Interface HMI). The infotainment system mentioned earlier is presented on a five or seveninch colour screen in the upper part of the centre console set high to make it easier for the driver to keep his or her eyes on the road and everything can be controlled from the steering wheel.
between driver and the road. The Electrical Power Assist Steering (EPAS) systems have improved. Early electric steering systems were sometimes criticised for lack of feel but Volvo has conquered that failing, and claims that feedback is now as “as good as a good hydraulic steering system”. This is important in their quest to become more economic and efficient as electric steering means no hydraulic assistance which means fuel savings.
A World First Safety has always identified Volvo as a pioneer with such
The V40 Cross Country had very big shoes to fill with its
inventions as the three-point seat belt, the safety cage, rear seat
predecessor the V40 and huge efforts have gone into making
belts and side impact airbags. Continuing this trend, the V40 is fitted
the Volvo V40 Cross Country as good a drive. They’ve created
as standard with City Safety and the world’s first Pedestrian Airbag
a balance of ride, handling, steering and braking with special
helping toward Volvo’s 2020 vision that no-one should be seriously
emphasis going into the steering to ensure an intuitive, linear feel
injured or killed in a new Volvo.
14 | Endeavour Magazine
14 per cent of all traffic fatalities pedestrians.
in
Europe Accordingly,
below 41mph and usually in
the lanes and the safety of maneuverers including
are
residential areas this has been
overtaking and stopping. As a simple example, if
the
an important step in keeping
you’re on a busy highway and you want to change
accidents down.
lanes but there is a car or motorcycle in your blind
Pedestrian Airbag means that, if collision with a pedestrian is
This falls within a list of
unavoidable, the new technology
important developments that
spot the car will warn you ahead of time and not
will try and mitigate any injury. A
the V40 Cross Country has been
Although the driver now has more access
specially located air bag on the
equipped with, all pertaining to
to information such as SATNAV displays that
exterior of the car that covers the
periphery sensory and giving
offer even more information, additional CD, Wifi,
bonnet and windshield combines
the driver a full 360 awareness
BlueTooth and even DVD displays, it also provides
with a softer metal bonnet that
of the vehicle. Making use of the
more and more opportunities for drivers to be
absorbs much of the impact
very latest in technologies the
distracted. With this in mind it is reassuring that
between vehicle and pedestrian.
car is always a few steps ahead
manufacturers like Volvo are raising the bar on
Working best between the 12
of you, mapping out in real time
safety and car/driver support.
and 31 mph range, due to 90%
the locations of other vehicles
of pedestrian accidents happen
on the road, your alignment in
allow the action until it is safe to do so.
The only problem is, I may never want to drive anything else. Endeavour Magazine | 15
VENTURI AUTOMOBILES
and
16 | Endeavour Magazine
LEONARDO DICAPRIO
V
enturi Automobiles announced a joint venture with
current holders of the world land speed record for an electric vehicle
award-winning actor and environmental activist Leonardo
with 495kph (307mph). The team also plans to become a constructor
DiCaprio to enter a team in the new FIA Formula E
from the second season, building its own Formula E car using a
Championship – the world’s first fully-electric race series beginning
powertrain based on the one used in its 3,000hp electric streamliner
in September 2014.
– VenturiVBB-3 – unveiled earlier this year in Wendover, Utah, by
Based in Monaco, the new Venturi Grand Prix Formula E Team
H.S.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco.
has been co-founded by DiCaprio and Gildo Pallanca Pastor, founder
“Venturi has been a pioneer in electric high performance
of pioneering EV manufacturer Venturi Automobiles, together with
vehicles for more than a decade and Formula E gives us the fantastic
Bert Hedaya and Francesco Costa.
opportunity to further improve our advanced technologies through
Formula E is a new FIA Championship using electric single-seater
motorsport, as well as compete all over the world,” said Gildo. “It also
race cars capable of speeds in
gives us the chance to be part
excess of 225km/h. The series
of a new racing programme
will compete in the heart of 10 of the world’s leading cities including Beijing, Los Angeles and London. Ten teams, each with two drivers, will go headto-head to create a unique and
exciting
racing
series
designed to appeal to a new generation of motorsport fan whilst accelerating the electric vehicle market and promoting sustainability. “The future of our planet depends on our ability to embrace fuel-efficient, cleanenergy
vehicles,”
DiCaprio
said. “Venturi Grand Prix has shown tremendous foresight in their decision to create an environmentally friendly racing team, and I am happy to be a part of this effort.”
“
with a project that really shares
The future of our planet depends on our ability to embrace fuel-efficient, clean-energy vehicles. Venturi Grand Prix has shown tremendous foresight in their decision to create an environmentally friendly racing team, and I am happy to be a part of this effort.”
Venturi’s
Leonardo DiCaprio
entrepreneurs
Venturi Grand Prix will now be put forward to the FIA for approval as the tenth and final
values
for
clean
mobility, innovation in the field of electric propulsion and energy efficiency optimisation.” “It’s an honour and a pleasure
to
welcome
the
Venturi Grand Prix team as the tenth and final team of the FIA Formula E Championship,” said Alejandro Agag, CEO of series promoters Formula E Holdings. “Gildo is a true pioneer in electric racing. From the desert of Salt Lake to Antarctica, his passion forward
and the
vision
pushes
technology
barriers of what can be done with an electric car. But Gildo is not alone in this venture. Global Francesco
Costa and Bert Hedaya bring great experience and energy to the team. “And of course, I want
team to enter the new zero emission series. They join international
to give a very special welcome to our Championship to Leonardo
names from around the globe with IndyCar outfits Andretti Autosport
DiCaprio. Very few environmental leaders have helped more than
and Dragon Racing, Asia’s China Racing, Super Aguri and Mahindra
him to spread the message of sustainability around the world. Having
Racing, and European squads Drayson Racing, e.dams, Audi Sport
people like him and Richard Branson – global ambassadors for the
ABT and Virgin Racing.
environment – is a privilege for our Championship and will greatly
The team is centred around the award-winning Venturi
help us to spread the use of electric cars in cities around the planet.”
Automobiles, a leader in high performance electric vehicles developing a range of sports, urban and utilitarian cars, as well as being the Endeavour Magazine | 17
GADGETS Take a picture of this because it will be in your office within the next five years. The Logitech Wireless Solar Keyboard K750 makes
Solar Powered Keyboard
battery hassles a thing of the past, even indoors. The keyboard
Logitech K750
connects automatically via a 2.4GHz wireless unifying receiver, and
bit.ly/1bdfYZN $79.99
Nevertheless, this is one of those small innovations that has some
the solar battery will stay charged for up to 3 months, even in total darkness although if you’re using it in total darkness you may have some deeper problems than just having a keyboard that works. massively positive effects.
Hanspresso bit.ly/1eo1HBr ÂŁ95.00
At first I thought this was a syringe injected coffee gun for my arm. Until they make that this is the very next best thing. Stylish, sleek and very corporate this is the ideal tool for that caffeine lover who wants to add a touch of class and efficiency to their addiction. I see this being as pivotal to office success as laptops and lumbar supported chairs. Designed and sold by Wild Hybrid this exactly what the corporate executive should keep in their trouser pocket if they really want to impress people when they walk into meetings. Handpresso Wild Hybrid uses either E.S.E. pods or ground espresso coffee. Find your inner barista with ground espresso coffee, or insert the E.S.E. adapter and enjoy the ease of use that coffee pods bring. Handpresso Wild Hybrid brings versatility and quality together in one neat package.
18 | Endeavour Magazine
As it is equipped with motion
titans charge at each other with
sensing technology, the sturdy,
the augmented strength of the
ergonomic device could
gods. A brave new era of sporting
be
used
and
to
record
aggression and entertainment
the
where tackles result in airborne
influence
movement of patients
flights for players, sailing over the
in hospital undergoing
heads of the cheering spectators.
physical therapy and you
A world where table tennis
can clearly see how in future
is played while wearing bullet
developments it will influence
proof vests and blast resistant,
other
procedures
graphene laced face guards,
on both sides of the medical
medical
where high jump tournaments
industry. For example, patients
are measured in stories rather
receiving
treatment
than meters and low orbit
and medical professionals, such
certain
satellites have to be given extra
as surgeons could use it when
shielding whenever the Highland
requiring an additional touch of
Games are played!
stability, strength or control. And,
The Titan Arm titanarm.com
Many things excite me about the Titan Arm. A robotic arm, the start of an exo-skeleton that is able to augment the wearer’s strength
while
I
Imagine,
a
grandfather
strongly
finally given the strength to lift
advocate the importance of the
his grandson above his head or
Titan Arm and the additions
super hero powered emergency
that will no doubt result from
services personnel, fire fighters,
its creation to the above areas, I
police and paramedics where,
feel that there is a hidden agenda
with the Titan Arm, their physical
behind its creation that will
strength can finally match the
reveal the team to be comic book
courage in their hearts. I’m sure
superheroes or the originators
with the spate of recent natural
of the best full contact ball sport
disasters and terrorist attacks
in the history of the world!
that many people working there
This is where I get VERY excited!
wished they were just that little bit stronger.
by ten times as seen in the Youtube video (below) that is spinning
Thanks to Titan Arm, I
Yet another group of young,
around the internet in a frenzy since the team behind it appeared
envisage a future where the
innovative minds working to
on CNN and in the Dailymail. It’s the type of science fiction turned
only injury sustained is on the
shape the future.
science fact that opens up opportunities and imagination.
rugby field where armoured
On their website the Team behind Titan Arm, specifically Elizabeth Beattie, Nick McGill, Nick Parrotta and Niko Vladimirov, have revealed the most responsible inspiration and motivations behind their invention of the epically named Titan Arm to create an untethered, powered, upper body exoskeleton to use in the rehabilitation and therapeutic application for people with disabilities or crippling injuries. They have acknowledged that there is also a scope of use in certain industries requiring lifting and moving where such a strength enhancing, body supporting machinery could serve to protect people from work related injuries.
Endeavour Magazine | 19
HEADLINES
IS THIS A STEP TO IMPROVING ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE?
F
irst Human Trial of Novel
dementia,” said Malcolm Weir, CEO of
Small
Drug
Heptares. “In addition, the initiation of
Derived From Heptares
Molecule
this clinical trial with HTL9936 marks an
GPCR-Focused Structure-Based
important milestone for Heptares, as we
Drug Design Platform
evolve into a clinical-stage business with
Heptares Therapeutics, the
a rich portfolio of novel GPCR-targeted
leading GPCR structure-guided
agents advancing through Phase 1 and 2a
drug discovery and development
clinical trials in the near-term.”
S
company, announces that it
M1 receptor agonism is a well-
has initiated a Phase 1 clinical
validated mechanism of action for
study of HTL9936, the first
treating cognitive impairment and a
fully selective muscarinic M1
valuable pharmacological profile that the
Conversion technology today announces that they are
receptor agonist to enter clinical
pharmaceutical industry has endeavored
strategic partnering with Beijing BOE Vision Electron
development. HTL9936 is an
to create for decades. The principal
Technology Co., Ltd. (owned by BOE Technology Group)
orally available, small molecule
challenge has been to engineer selective
to introduce the next generation of their 55 inch 4K
drug
candidate
compounds that activate the M1 receptor
Ultra-D 2160p 3D No Glasses Display solutions.
using
the
GPCR
subtype without also activating the M2
Stream TV Networks has successfully ported
design
or M3 receptors, which are associated
their 3D Glasses Free Ultra-D 4K 2160p real time
Heptares
with undesirable side effects. All previous
conversion technology to the new Qualcomm 8074
plans to develop HTL9936 as a
compounds have been discontinued due
processor. The 8074 chip with the Ultra-D algorithms
novel treatment for improving
to inadequate selectivity. Using a new
convert all input content – 2D or 3D Stereo content
cognitive function (memory and
structure-guided
– to Ultra-D 2160p (4K glasses free 3D content). The
thinking abilities) in patients
scientists determined the x-ray crystal
Ultra-D™ technology allows users to connect their
with Alzheimer’s disease and
structure of the M1 receptor for the first
satellite or cable service, VOD, Blu-ray player, XBOX
other
associated
time and leveraged unique insights into
or PlayStation directly into the TV using Ultra-D™
with dementia and cognitive
the receptor to identify new chemistries
4K 2160p technology. Using complex algorithms the
impairment.
with fully selective M1 agonist profiles.
Ultra-D™ technology converts the content of 1080p
Heptares
structure-based (SBDD)
discovered drug
platform.
diseases
“We are excited to initiate
approach,
Heptares
tream TV Networks, Inc., a Philadelphia based tech Company and developer of Ultra-D2160p 3D Glasses Free Display and
The Phase 1 study will evaluate the
2 million pixels into 4K 8 million pixels without scaling
of
safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetics
using disparity between images. Content from Netflix,
HTL9936, a first-in-class agent
of HTL9936. In addition, the clinical
Hulu, YouTube, Baidu TV, PPStv, iQYi tv, Totou TV and
with the potential to become
pharmacodynamics of the drug will be
other video sites get converted directly into glasses
an important new medicine
investigated in a series of studies over the
free 3D. Photographs can now be seen in 3D.
for
next year. This study aims to recruit more
Qualcomm’s latest 8074 processor features
with
than 100 healthy volunteers including
the New Krait 400 CPU in quad configuration, with
Alzheimer’s disease and other
elderly people at a single clinical centre
speeds of up to 2.3 GHz per core offers best-in-class
potential indications including
in the UK. Initial results are expected in
schizophrenia and Lewy body
mid-2014
clinical
development
improving
function
in
cognitive
patients
20 | Endeavour Magazine
January book reviews
TEENAGE CLICKS - ARE YOU READY FOR THE digital first ERA?
A
survey of more than a
thousand
productivity to the workplace.
13-17
“This generation has the
year olds points to a
potential to deliver a digital
performance per watt, so
future workforce that is ‘digital
dividend; an economic return
processor performance
first’ in everything it does and
on their ICT skills. But it won’t
can hold up to the more
whose digital talents could bring
happen by itself. The challenge
demanding processing.
significant economic value to the
for Government, the education
The new Adreno 330 GPU
Western World. The findings
system and employers is to
delivers more than 2x
are published today in a report
sustain this generation’s interest
performance for compute
by Logicalis UK, entitled ‘The
in the professions and industries
applications over the current
Realtime Generation: Rise of the
that give Britain its competitive
Adreno 320 GPU, capture
Digital First Era’.
edge.”
The survey, conducted by
Teens
research company Youngbods,
important
Beijing BOE Vision
reveals the digital life of the
infrastructure for their future,
Electron Technology plans
average UK teen includes six
with High Speed Broadband
to produce the Ultra-D™
digital devices and access to
rated
4K 2160p line of TVs with
192GB of storage, while two-
High Speed Railway (HS2). The
its 55-inch panels. The TVs
thirds are creating and actively
report provides a unique insight
are accompanied with the
sharing videos online.
for
universities,
employers
and
Government
into
playback and display in 2160p video.
external conversion box, or
This connected generation
rate
digital
than
more
more
physical
important
than
how
seeCube™ that will allow
consider Maths, English, Science
this generation will influence
for all kinds of content to
and ICT the four most essential
our economy and change the
be converted to 2160p in
subjects to study; and IT and
workplace. Carroll adds:
glasses free 3D. Towards the
Science
choices.
“The Realtime Generation is
end of 2013, this conversion
The findings also demonstrate
expecting to use the technologies
technology will be built into
a demand for change in the
and devices to which they’re
a chip and be placed inside
workplace of the future.
accustomed, throughout their
top
career
Gerry Carroll, author of
education and into their careers.
reduce the costs. It will make
the report at Logicalis UK,
The nation will only benefit from
our products enjoy a great
comments, “The statistics show
this opportunity, however, if
cost advantage compared
a highly connected, commercially
the infrastructure and working
with similar ones in market.
aware generation that is pursuing
practices
www.streamtvnetworks.com
careers in STEM industries, and
accommodate this generation’s
whose instinctive ICT skills could
expectations.”
the TV. This will significantly
are
in
place
to
bring innovation and greater Endeavour Magazine | 21
Be Exotic This New Year
In Thailand WRITTEN BY SHANNAH LAUREN
T
he feeling of freedom is one that is
excitement when you are enjoying yourself in the
commonly mistaken, or misunderstood.
islands festivities. It depends on what break you
Focusing your life on the debts you
need, but I can promise you will find it here. It’s not
owe, the living expenses you have to survive,
a surprise that Hollywood loves to use Thailand for
and the future you desire can weigh you
their location to shoot movies such as The Beach,
down, and make you feel as if you never get
The Hangover Part II, Rambo and many more as
a break. Imagine yourself lying on the beach, enjoying a few drinks in the sun whilst being
Thai food is adored as it is, but if you haven’t
surrounded by beautiful mountains. You
had Thai food in Thailand, you haven’t even come
may be thinking that you have to wait for
close to that realm of scrumptious. The variety that
summer time to enjoy this kind of leisure,
you get, the different flavours, and the spice is to
but in fact you don’t! Give yourself a treat
die to for. You can smell, taste and breathe all the
this New Year, and take a life changing trip to
different flavours, as it dances in your mouth with
Thailand.
every bite. While, if you have a low tolerance for
Although Thailand may look completely different
22 | Endeavour Magazine
you can see how paradisiacal the views are.
than
what
you
envision,
its
spicy food, I do suggest that you order “mai pet”, this means “not spicy”.
remarkable how much you feel at home in
We all need a break from this English gloomy
this exotic location. It gives you that sense of
weather and enjoy some warmth and sunny skies.
freedom you may have never felt before,
Thailand is known for its heavenly weather and
a peaceful assurance while you sit on
it’s all year long! You can skip out on England’s
the beach and even that butterfly
depressing months of winter wearing layers of
clothes, and feel the never ending
live by being compassionate to
summer in Thailand.
one another, and respecting the
The best part of Thailand is the scenery, such as the beautiful
Great
food
and
friends jealous.
perfect
world around them. The spiritual
islands and beaches you can find, such as Ko Chang, Ko Kood, Surin
weather all the time, it’s no
beliefs of Thailand do influence
Island, and Ko Adang. You can enjoy a calming swim in clear blue water,
wonder that the locals are so
the people to be as graceful
whilst feeling the sun against your skin and the warm breeze flowing
friendly here but it’s definitely
as they are, as their attitude
around you. You can also take a hike through Thailand’s picturesque
a plus when vacationing here!
towards life is to be kind always,
jungles such as Khao Yai National Park, and visit a few elephants while
It’s not just about where you
and to always choose happiness.
you are there. Speaking of wild animals, the Tiger Temple or Wat Pha
go, it’s about the people who
The costs of trips are usually
Luang Ta Bua, which can be founded in Sai Yok District has tigers that
surround you. Thailand locals
a burden; Thailand on the other
you can not only see up close but you can actually interact with them.
make you feel welcome, and
hand isn’t just welcoming in spirit
Thailand does have incredible attributes; it also has its
more importantly safe. They are
but also financially. For example,
imperfections and dangers like anywhere else. In July 2013, a severe
the nicest people you would ever
you are looking at spending less
bus accident occurred which had killed 19 tourists. This wasn’t
meet; happy, smiling and always
than three quid on food for an
new to the people who live in Thailand, as they have severe bus and
willing to help you if needed.
entire day, and even between
minivan accidents every week. Also, drink spiking is very popular in
Thais also rarely steal; therefore
ten to fifteen quid for a night in
Thailand, especially known at The Full Moon Party. There have been
you don’t have to worry about
a bungalow on the ocean. You
many stories of tourists who have been affected during this event,
checking on all your belongings
can also take your trip further
as they have buckets of alcohol being passed around; you can expect
every five minutes. They make
by getting flights to other parts
a few to be spiked. In Bangkok, you have to be more careful of your
the experience of Thailand that
from Thailand such as Hong
belongings as it is more populated. A few helpful tips for you would
much better, and encourage
Kong or Singapore for less than a
be to always order your own drinks, and keep your belongings in your
you to come back, which brings
hundred quid. The convenience is
front pockets.
me to my next point, they will
additionally impeccable, as they
When visiting another country, you will always have to take the
remember you! If you decide to
keep their shops and markets
natural precautions to keep you and your belongings safe. Thailand
take a trip back, go to the same
open twenty four hours, you can
gives you an experience of freedom that you will never forget, and the
restaurant or pop in the same
get food or go shopping at any
break that you may need in your life (especially after the Christmas
shop, expect a smile and a big
time of the day or night. You can
bills come in). Do yourself a favour, and enjoy yourself in Thailand this
hug as if you are being greeted
catch all the bargains, and bring
New Year.
by a close friend. Thais generally
a few gifts home to make your Endeavour Magazine | 23
TULLOW OIL 00256 312 564 000 WWW.TULLOWOIL.COM
24 | Endeavour Magazine
Tullow has had a presence in Uganda for almost a decade after obtaining their first exploration license in the country in 2004 through the acquisition of Energy Africa and since, in 2006, when they made four significant oil discoveries at the Lake Albert Rift Basin. After a number of positive leaps, including the commercial threshold for development in 2009 being exceeded and an investment of $2.8 billion in capital expenditure being put forward for exploring for oil in Uganda and acquiring Heritage Oil’s Uganda interests we spoke with Communications Executive David Onyango, regarding the extensive and varied developments that are taking place.
Africa’s LEADING INDEPENDENT OIL COMPANY WRITTEN BY CHATUM O’BRIAN
Endeavour Magazine | 25
TULLOW OIL
“Our history as Africa’s leading independent oil company started almost 30 years ago in 1986, with the Group’s first license in Senegal,” David tells us, “Today, we have more than 150 licenses across 25 countries, including 17 countries in Africa and while we are headquartered in London we have a total global workforce of over 2,000 people with over a thousand people working in our African operations, over 80% of whom are nationals.”
T
o date almost 80 wells have been drilled, underpinning gross
expertise. As an example, the personnel required for exploration,
resources of around 1.7 billion barrels of recoverable oil
development and production require 10 to 15 years of industry
and Tullow and its partners are now working closely with
experience. Uganda is still developing its expertise and capacity in oil
the Government of Uganda to achieve First Oil, whilst respecting
and gas and so there are relatively few local oil and gas engineers.
Uganda’s rich social and environmental heritage. As mentioned
“Having said this, the development phase of the Lake Albert
over 88% of their 177 employees in Uganda are nationals, reflecting
Basin will create more direct employment as well as jobs in industries
Tullow Oil’s commitment to building capacity in their host countries
required to support the industry, such as construction, logistics and
through both creating local employment opportunities and investing
catering, amongst others,” he says, “We are addressing the challenge
in developing the skills required by the oil industry.
of working in a nascent oil industry, by training our own staff, investing
Looking Locally Ensuring that the Ugandan people directly participate in their
in educational social projects which provide industry knowledge and expertise, and through capacity building initiatives within our supply chain.”
country’s oil and gas industry is one of the key ways in which Tullow
Adding to this, “As we move towards the next phase in the oil life
Oil work to create shared prosperity. Aiming to run each of their
cycle, our employee training programs have been focused on providing
country-operated assets with a majority of local leaders, managers
our people with the skills and expertise needed for development and
and staff, Jimmy Mugerwa is their first national General Manager for
production. The focus is therefore mainly on well, petroleum and civil
the Ugandan Business and was recruited from the diaspora after an
engineering skills as well as hydrocarbon operating skills. Our people
extensive international career in the oil and gas industry. Over half of
learn through formal training, as well as knowledge transfer via our
their Country Leadership Team is also Ugandan.
expatriate employees.”
“While we are proud of the achievements we have made in the
Over the last few years, five employees have successfully
localization of our Ugandan team,” Conrad adds, “An ongoing challenge
completed Tullow Oil’s graduate training scheme and have now
we face is managing expectations around the number of employment
gone onto work in the geosciences, petroleum engineering and
opportunities that are created as a result of our activities.”
well engineering parts of our business. Graduates also have the
Oil and gas activities result in less direct employment compared to other extractive industries, such as mining. Jobs in the oil industry also tend to be highly specialized and require significant training and 26 | Endeavour Magazine
opportunity to work on secondment in their UK, Ireland and South Africa based offices as part of the scheme. “For more experienced staff members, we also provide
Carrying you to greater heights
Q-Sourcing limited is a management solutions firm operating in the East African region. Services include: 1. Recruitment 2. Temporary staff placement and payroll management 3. Industrial maintenance and support services, including provision of technical and administrative manpower for: a. Logistic and back office management, b. Plant and facilities maintenance, c. Factory floor management and operations, d. Warehouse and stock management, e. Machinery installation, operation and maintenance, : + 256 414 532 060 / 76 : + 250 783 025 030 : + 255 784 833 844, + 255 719 115 091 Kenya : + 254 203673234, + 254 735579937 Southern Sudan: + 211 955876494 Email : office@qsourcing.com
f. Factory commissioning and decommissioning.
Uganda Rwanda Tanzania
Core Ideology: ‘Satisfy and exceed our client and employee expectations.’ Resource, Performance, Safety w w w . q s o u r c i n g . c o m
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Our Services include Civil and Building, Mechanical and Electrical Contractors Provision of Technical Services Supply of Construction Chemicals 20Years since 1994
Pearl Engineering Company Limited
Happy to be associated with Tullow Oil as we build long lasting foot prints in Uganda
QUALITY POLICY STATEMENT Produce Quality Exceed Customer Expectations Act with Integrity
Respect & Team Work Lifelong Improvement
Head Office Plot 816, Nsambya Road, P.O. Box 7553, Kampala-(-Uganda)
Pearl Engineering HP.indd 1
Tel: 256-414-266043, Fax: 256-414-266144 Email: info@pearl-engineering.com, website: www.pearl-engineering.com 14:20 Endeavour15/01/2014 Magazine | 27
TULLOW OIL
international career development opportunities by including our
“We regularly engage informally, but also hold organized open
Ugandan employees in succession plans for both international and
forum sessions where we encourage people to raise their concerns
local job opportunities.”
and issues,” he stipulates, “And have also established a Social Performance function in Uganda to provide leadership and support
Engagement
our business in managing our social impacts.”
Communication is very important to Tullow Oil and with this in
Tullow Oil has invested over $12 million since 2004 in local
mind David explains how they engage directly with the Government
projects. Also undertaking considerable stakeholder engagement to
of Uganda holding regular formal meetings with local and national
consult with local communities and keep them informed about their
ministers and regulators and hosting visits to their areas of operation.
operational activities. Tullow Uganda operations Pty Ltd is involved in
“We also participate in the Lake Albert Basin Development
a number of Social Investment projects within its areas of operation
Committee, which is represented by numerous ministries,” he says,
which are Buliisa and Hoima districts.
“Through this committee and other engagement fora, we share plans,
Extending this is the use of local businesses to build their capacity,
discuss and agree on each of the development steps as well as Basin-
so that they can provide competitive local goods, services and skills to
wide challenges. Also, there is ongoing engagement with specific
international standards.
agencies, such as the environment regulator NEMA and the Uganda
“We call this local content, also known as ‘national content’ in
Wildlife Authority (UWA), which ensures our activities meet Uganda’s
Uganda,” David explains, “To date, we have done more than $200
environmental laws.”
million worth of business with around 550 local companies and
As part of this Tullow Oil also engages with the local communities,
continue to rely on international suppliers to deliver services
appointing Field Stakeholder Engagement officers (FSEO’s) who are
which require deep technical and industry knowledge, such as well
dedicated to providing information about their projects in the local
engineering. “However, we stipulate in our contracts with international
languages and dialects of the communities.
Environmental & Hazardous Waste Management EPSILON LINES OF BUSINESS INCLUDE * Waste Management * Engineering Contractors * Human Resource Management * Liquefied Petroleum Gas Installations * Repair and Maintenance
28 | Endeavour Magazine
SERVICES * Transportation of waste * Weathering Services * Storage facilities * Incineration services * Spillage cleanups
Kibuli Plot 1413 Mbogo Road, P.O Box 12647, Kampala, Uganda Phone: +256 414 252076, +256 312514790, Fax: +256 414 269302 Email: epsilonugandalimited@gmail.com
suppliers that they must also contract with local suppliers wherever
activity over the last 12 to 18 months has decreased as a result. We
possible and also make discretionary investments in programs which
anticipate spend with local suppliers will increase again during the
build capacity among local businesses.”
development and production phases of the project.”
The technical capabilities required by the oil and gas industry take time to build and are not readily available in countries where the oil
The upcoming year, looks like it’s going to be a busy one for Tullow Oil since the exploration and
industry is still developing. In the short term, Tullow Oil is working to
Appraisal phase of this project has been successfully completed
ensure that local suppliers provide their security, catering and logistics
and a great opportunity lies ahead. While East Africa as a region is fast
services. Over the medium term, they will seek joint ventures and
becoming a prominent potential player in the world’s energy market,
additional investment to train local suppliers to provide construction
Uganda’s stage of industry development is more mature than that of
support, such as civil engineering, building, welding and fabrication.
Kenya, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Tanzania.
“Whilst our local content expenditure decreased by 34% between
“Uganda’s time has come,” David declares, “And it currently has a
2011 and 2012, this reflects the fact that we have now successfully
first mover advantage to compete for the investment and technical
concluded the exploration and appraisal phase of the project and
expertise that will be required to develop the region. However, it will need to act decisively and efficiently in order to maintain that advantage. This implies timely completion and approvals of the
“
To date, we have done more than $200 million worth of business with around 550 local companies. We stipulate in our contracts with international suppliers that they must also contract with local suppliers wherever possible and also make discretionary investments in programs which build capacity among local businesses.”
Field Development Plans (FDP) which will lead to getting the Final Investment Decision by the various company boards within the next 24 months. “The potential for the Ugandan people is huge and Tullow with our partners are committed to ensuring this potential is delivered” he concludes.
Epsilon Uganda Limited build long-term, sustainable relationships with their customers through delivering world-class waste management services. Their clients include Tullow Oil, Total E&P, and CNOOC among others. Epsilon Uganda spend over 100,000 USD annually to train staff to meet the unique requirements of the Oil and Gas business and have already invested over 3,000,000 in the right equipment for the job.
Endeavour Magazine | 29
CAIRO AIRPORT 0020226966811 WWW.CAIRO-AIRPORT.CC
30 | Endeavour Magazine
Providing one of the most important gateways to Africa and The Middle East, Cairo International Airport plays a vital role in the global transport of peoples and cargo. Located at the crossroads of Africa, the Middle East, Europe and the Persian Gulf, it plays a role as a regional hub for millions of visitors to Egypt. WRITTEN BY JACK SLATER
SAND AND
Skies
Endeavour Magazine | 31
CAIRO AIRPORT
The Ministry of Civil Aviation along with the Egyptian Holding Company for Airports and Air Navigation and the Cairo Airport Company have embarked on a long-term development plan to upgrade and modernize its facilities, increase its capacities and set a new standard of service in the region.
C
airo Airport’s mission is to become a passenger and cargo hub for the Middle East North Africa region (MENA).
To this end, they have recently finished the projects upon Runway 05R/23L and the new Control Tower to accommodate the increase
The plan is to achieve the top levels of service by rising
of future traffic development. Additional projects include enterting
to global competitive levels and gradually applying air transport
the final stage of completion of the Seasonal Terminal aimed at
liberalization policies. Part of the airport’s strategy includes working
accommodating 3.5 million passengers per year, a three thousand
closely with Egypt Air, which joined the Star Alliance group, as well
capacity Multi Story Carpark with the Automated people Mover for
as its partner airlines. The openings of the 211,000 m2 Terminal
transporting two thousand passengers/hour from T1 to T3. Further
3 doubled the capacity of the current facilities to 22 million annual
ongoing developments include a five star Hotel and an Extended
passengers.
Metro Line linking Cairo Airport with Giza.
2002 saw the beginning of the ambitious plan to upgrade Egypt’s
Cairo International is the second busiest airport in Africa after
civil aviation facilities which continues with the renovation of Terminal
OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg, South Africa. Over
One’s VIP Lounges and Terminal Two was recomissioned. The aim is
forty five passenger airlines use Cairo airport (including charter
to make them ready to host 8.5 million international passengers per
airlines) and nine cargo airlines. EgyptAir is the largest operator at
year.
the airport. It is administered together with other airport facilities by EHCAAN (Egyptian Holding Company for Airports and Air Navigation). Management is through contractual arrangements, currently held by Fraport AG. Started as a naval base, it was after the Second World War that Cairo Airport started to take shape. After the American Forces commanding the base had left after the end of the war, it was taken over by the Civil Aviation Authority for global civil aviation purposes but it wasn’t until 1963 that Cairo International Airport earned its title after replacing Heliopolis, the old airport, located along the Hike-Step region in the eastern part of Cairo. By 2009 Cairo Airport was able to serve about 14.4 million passengers, a sizeable percentage increase from the previous year. It also handled about 143,000 movements of aircrafts in the same year, also a strategic increase from the previous year. The tonnage of airfreight passing through the airport was about 275,000. Amidst this statistics, Cairo Airport still comes second in Africa in terms of busy airport activity. There are more than 65 airlines using the airport, as well as nine cargo and charter airline. EgyptAir has the largest chunk of operations in the airport taking up to 61 percent of all departure slots. After EgyptAir was assimilated into the lucrative Star Alliance carrier, Cairo Airport has been poised to become the chief hub of major destinations from Africa, Europe and the Middle East, since it has A380 facilities among other major utilities.
32 | Endeavour Magazine
Projects
“Such a hotel will help promote the airport as a transit alternative”
A number of projects are underway to enable Cairo to compete with Dubai as a transit destination, according to the Minister of Civil Aviation Abdel Aziz Fadhel. Speaking at the Euromoney Conference 2013, Fadhel said a 350room hotel attached to the Cairo International Airport is currently under construction and is part of the ministry’s EGP 6bn backlog.
In addition to offering more choice and flexibility ARINC’s unrivalled technical expertise and customer-first policy has led to numerous Airport Systems integration contracts in the Middle East where one of its biggest projects was Terminal
to Dubai and boost the number of transit travelers amounting to currently 30% of total arrivals”, he said. Fadhel added that expansions to the airport with the goal of increasing its capacity from the current annual 21 million passengers are in the pipeline, as well as an unspecified “mega-project” to be set up over a 10 million square metre area that he said would create 100,000 new jobs.
New Attractions And The 50 Year Anniversary – Golden Jubilee To celebrate its half centinneriary the Ministry of Civil Aviation &
3 at Cairo International Airport. The company delivered,
Cairo Airport company celebrated with The Golden Jubilee for Cairo
installed and integrated a suite of 14 specialist information-
Airport Company. This was on the occasion of the 5th anniversary for
handling systems, many of which were later extended to
Cairo Airport Company that was established in 1963.
the new Seasonal Flights Terminal and Automated People
Another attraction for both leisure and business travelers is the
Mover (APM) Stations.
new ‘5 Star Hotel’ which has been built in front the new terminal
In partnership with AVIT, ARINC expanded its customer base
and linked with an air-conditioned, 230m long skyway that is also
in 2013 with the award of an Egyptian Airports Company
equipped with moving walkway/travelators. The Hotel will offer, on a
contract covering five Regional Airports including Sharm El
total of 10,000 sqm of land assigned for the facility, opportunities for
Sheikh, Luxor, Borg El Arab, Aswan and Abu Simbel.
Conferences, Business Meetings and simply the highest comfort. The Hotel will include 350 Rooms and will be managed by “Le Meridien.
ARINC_Littlegate-Endeavour_halfpage ad.pdf
1
06/01/2014
16:23
Endeavour Magazine | 33
KENYAN AIRPORT AUTHORITY WWW. KENYAAIRPORTS.CO.KE +254 20 661 1000
34 | Endeavour Magazine
Established in 1991 through a parliamentary act and tasked with responsibly managing all the airports and airstrips in the country, The Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) started life with a mission to become the number one airport system in Kenya. Seamless connectivity and the highest level of efficient facilities and services place their average well above stakeholder expectations and like this they have grown in leaps and bounds to become a major contender and a model for all their neighbours. I spoke with engineer Philemon Chandwana about it all. WRITTEN BY JACK SLATER
High
STILL THEIR COMPETITION
Above
Endeavour Magazine | 35
KENYAN AIRPORT AUTHORITY
In the interests of kaizen (change for the better) Kenya Airports Authority continuously invest heavily into its facilities, workforce processes and the local community. Ultimately, the Authority is looking to turn Kenya into a ‘hub’ for Africa and have in many ways succeeded in doing that with Kenya receiving more international attention from global companies and decision makers looking to the region as an important destination for business and tourism.
B
ased at the largest airport in East and Central Africa, KAA’s offices are found at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in Nairobi. The airport originally had a passenger
handling capacity of 2.5 million, however, it now easily handles 6.5 million passengers a year which is a substantial increase which has created a ripple effect through their organization and affiliated
Ogle Construction Co. Ltd is proud to be associated with the success of Kenya Airport Authority having constructed Wajir and Lodwar Airports along other Airstrips.
businesses.
Ogle Construction has been nominated to receive CQE Award of 2014 in Geneva and was previously awarded Arch of Europe 2013 Award in recognition as a driver for quality & excellence.
Airport. There are a number of smaller local and domestic airports
Two other airports that the KAA is also responsible for include Moi international airport in Mombassa and Eldoret International that the KAA is in charge of such as Wilson, Malindi, Kisumu, Wajir and Lokichoggo and in addition to the airports, Kenya Airports Authority also looks after close to 200 airstrips in the country. Professionalism and teamwork are two of the Kenya Airport Authority’s core values and the organisation invests significantly in developing its 1,700-strong workforce. “Every employee, at least
Our services: Project Management, Maintenance and Construction of Roadworks and Airports, Builders Works, Water and Surge Rehabilitation.
once a year, gets some serious training with numerous refresher courses,” says Philemon, “Our training programme is comprehensive locally and overseas with particular focus on safety, security and customer service,” Everybody is is given safety awareness training and on the security force is regularly refreshed and retrained so that they can keep themselves at the top of their games, especially with those responsible for the security of passengers boarding and disembarking.
Physical address: Garissa Kenya Postal address: PO Box 327 - 70100, Garissa, Kenya Telephone: +254 722 516 840 Mobile: +254 722 516 840 Email: info@ogle.co.ke 36 | Endeavour Magazine
The KAA is also going to train up ‘ERP Champions’ to coincide with the launch of its new management tool. Champions will be selected from each operational area; for example, finance, customer service,
human resources, and are then trained in South Africa on using the new software. Training is not enough, treatment is also of concern and the employees at KAA receive both to a very high degree. Above average pay, medical schemes, a bus service to take staff members to and from work and a car and housing allowance for senior employees are some of the incentives given. “Those are some of the things that we are doing to ensure that we are top notch, in terms of having a motivated workforce, but also in terms of improving our facilities and our processes,” Philemon specifies. A great deal of capital is being invested into The KAA airports, being put into terminal refurbishment, expansion and construction of new runways. One of the biggest projects the Authority is presently involved with is the major refurbishment of the JKIA, and its overall cost has been estimated at half a billion US dollars. At the moment, the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport consists of three terminals and one runway. A fourth terminal is currently being put together and Philemon hopes this will be completed by the end of the year. He elaborates, “A second runway will be build because having only one runway is dangerous,” something that Endeavour Magazine has seen in the past working with Norwich International Airport, “The building of a second strip will also give us the chance to refurbish some of the neighbouring facilities.” Meanwhile,
the
KAA
has
just
completed full refurbishments of both
“
The aim is to be able to handle excess of 20 million passengers a year at JKIA, in the next five years. We are also working towards attaining a category one status, which would mean that anybody, including people from the US, can fly to Nairobi directly which will be a significant boost to the economy.”
Kisumu Airport and Malindi Airport. With such huge investments taking place in the KAA’s processes, airport facilities and workforce, it seems fair to predict that it will be successful in achieving both its mission and vision. Specifically looking at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, Kobuthi hopes the addition of a fourth terminal and second runway will help it to more than double its passenger capacity. “The aim is to be able to handle excess of 20 million passengers a year at JKIA, in the next five years,” he says. “We are also working towards attaining a category one status, which would mean that anybody, including people from the US, can fly to Nairobi directly which will be a significant boost to the economy.” He concludes by saying: “I see Jomo Kenyatta as being the top airport in the whole of Africa within five years.”
Endeavour Magazine | 37
TOFCO WWW.TOFCOTT.COM 001 868 651 0006
38 | Endeavour Magazine
ALL GO ONSHORE& OFFSHORE
After three years of limited activity at TOFCO Unlimited Yard at la Brea, four hundred jobs have recently been created. WRITTEN BY JACK SLATER
Endeavour Magazine | 39
TOFCO
Early in 2013, we introduced TOFCO to our readers, a joint venture between Chet Morrison Contractors, a subsidiary of Morrison Energy Group, and Weldfab Limited from Trinidad, TOFCO’S relationship with Morrison Energy Group maximized its ability to provide integrated solutions for its valued clientele. Now, powered by a dynamic and goal orientated team, TOFCO has positioned itself to become a major competitor in the international market and once again we spoke with Acting CEO Javed Mohammed.
L&S Surveying Services Limited Intelligent Surveying & Mapping Solutions
E
stablished specifically to serve the offshore industry off the coast of the island nation of Trinidad, TOFCO (Trinidad Offshore Fabricators Unlimited) is expanding internationally.
After nine years of business, they’ve gained enough experience and knowledge to best capitalize on their positive situation and more onto the next phase. To aid with this, TOFCO have hosted a number of government officials from the nations mentioned above to have a look at the business model utilized because they want to find a way to adopt it. If imitation is indeed the highest form of flattery then this is good news for this nine-year-old industry leader. “The current level of activity in construction industry can be described as a bit buoyant,” Javed reveals, “As it relates to the Global downturn in the sector. Again, while the competition may be a bit aggressive for the limited available work, TOFCO still maintains its
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competitive edge due to its experience, safety record and high quality products.” Focussed on fabrication and construction projects on offshore platforms and other facilities serving the oil and gas industries TOFCO has taken aim and is heading towards a target of being the best in the region with a worldwide reputation for the highest safety standards and quality of work. Founded on the 17th April 2004, over the last nine years TOFCO have successfully completed major oil and gas fabrication projects for
Endeavour Magazine | 41
TOFCO
various operators in Trinidad and Tobago as a joint venture of Chet
Since 2004, TOFCO has completed five major offshore platform
Morrison Contractors LLC., a Houma, LA based and Weldfab Ltd. of
jacket and deck fabrication projects for BP Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad. The company stems from BP’s drive to do more projects
(Cannonball, Mango, Cashima, Savonette and Serrette) one for BG
locally. At the time local firms lacked the expertise to perform the
Trinidad and Tobago (Poinsettia Deck-The largest built to date in
sort of projects they wanted and so invited international contractors
Trinidad) and two for EOG Resources Inc (Oilbird Deck and Jacket,
with the skills in offshore platform work to team up and share their
Toucan Deck). Benefiting greatly from the company’s two Facilities totalling
knowledge. Importantly, while TOFCO
37-acres, TOFCO has its main
maintains ownership ties to its
Yard 1 a 21-acre waterfront
parent companies it functions
facility and Yard 2 with another
as an independent company and
16-acre
performs its own projects and procurement having developed solid,
reliable
relationships
with suppliers. As a company, still new in comparison to their competitors, feeding
into
the the
suppliers projects
form the foundation on which TOFCO operates and develops,
42 | Endeavour Magazine
“
While the competition may be a bit aggressive for the limited available work, TOFCO still maintains its competitive edge due to its experience, safety record and high quality products.”
in La Brea, Trinidad,
with the ability to easily ship completed decks and other pieces
for
customers
to
assemble offshore. The facility includes a dock with a 30foot water depth; a 600-foot bulkhead, 2000 p.s.f. ground capacity and is complimented by its fleet of six crawler heavy lift
cranes, five mobile groove cranes and other pieces of equipment. This
response they took on young
that is proving to be highly
is subsidized with a twenty four hour delivery schedule.
employees, under the age of 25
efficient in growing not only the
TOFCO’s recent work includes a number of smaller maintenance
and groomed them to work with
businesses through the influx
and fabrication projects in support of oil and gas customers including
them. This sort of investment has
of loyal employees and staff but
procurement, fabricating, blasting, painting, storage, equipment
resulted in a strong loyalty from
also from the levels of education
rentals and consulting work to clients.
their staff.
and training available to these
Engaged in a programme of diversification, TOFCO originally
Outside of its fabrication
employees prior to joining the
focussed totally on the offshore business, but over the years have
facility,
branched out into working on refineries and petrochemical plants.
Assist residents of La Brea
“2014 will be bringing some
An applicable agility allows them to fabricate and process whatever is
with community development
opportunities for TOFCO and all
applicable to their model which has opened up a number of industries.
programs to organizations but
its main vendors and contractors.
An interesting aspect of TOFCO comes from its initiative and
not limited to schools, a local
We are anticipating work on deck
approach to treating and training employees. Typical of the region it
orphanage and home for the
and jacket fabrication as well as
nurtures its community ties encouraging an approach of “Being your
elderly.
some modularized work. There
brother’s Keeper”.
TOFCO’s
employees
This theme of corporate
The company employs a youthful but skilled workforce of welders,
workforce.
will be some additional facility
altruism is common in this region
upgrades
fabricators, riggers and others whom it cross-trains across several
where
looking
disciplines. This youthful presence was a result of their start up story,
grown up in the community and
as in 2004 when they first started they were the “new arrivals” to
have never lost their roots, it
the area and so the existing workforce was hesitant to join them. In
is a refreshing business model
AIMS
the
businesses
have
to at
be
undertaken
completion
4th
quarter 2013.” Javed concludes.
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www.aims-intl.com Endeavour Magazine | 43
AMARNA CONSULT LTD 001 7584500227 WWW.ARMANACONSULT.COM
44 | Endeavour Magazine
You’ve got a major, competitor-flooring project nestling in your mind. Well, it was nestling at first; it was the size of a small orb, sitting there quietly, ever so elegantly giving you hints and tips. It’s now bustling, busily trying to unmerge itself from your pulsating brain cells. WRITTEN BY LEONIE GARLICK
CLARITY IN THE LABYRINTHINE WORLD OF ENGINEERING Endeavour Magazine | 45
AMARNA CONSULT LTD
You’re in St Lucia. It’s intensely hot and intensely beautiful. You’ve finally raised your company funding and you have high hopes for your short and perhaps long term investments. The orb you have been harbouring for so long is ready to combust with its uttermost potential as you knew it would.
Y
ou know a great wealth about your company- its physical and theoretical foundations, its essential targets and luxury finish lines, its ultimate expectations. However, you’ve reached a
small gap in that wealth of knowledge. The thought of navigating your way around the world of engineering gives you the impression you’ve hit a steel wall- which is understandable really, considering there are approximately 200 variations of the trade bumbling around the net as we speak. Civil, Construction, Industrial… if you are not familiar with the field, you may be asking yourself, “Well what exactly is the difference?” To an engineering expert, there is a considerable amount of difference. So you open your browser, tap a few words on your keyboard and realise that many engineering experts have an area of expertise. “How am I going to find an engineer to work on my project? They have specialist areas and I’m not sure which of those areas I am looking for?” You may be saying to yourself. That’s when you realise you need an engineering consultant; a reliable someone who can pinpoint exactly which bits you need and where (that someone is not afraid to use “bits” as business jargon). Fear not, business buddies. Allow me to introduce you to Amarna Consult Ltd- a diverse engineering consultancy based in the luscious realms of St. Lucia and Trinidad. The main objective? To integrate the construction process as easily as possible in St. Lucia and beyond. This means that Civil, Structural, Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, Architects, Designers and other Professional Contractors will all be huddled in one place. That’s rightyou no longer have to stalk the web endlessly for consultancy (more coffee breaks, less headaches-works for us!) Amarna is clarity in the great big labyrinthine world of engineering. Technical Director Mr Akhnaton St Rose is one of the key movers and shakers behind the St. Lucia branch, along with his business
46 | Endeavour Magazine
Trinidad & Tobago
#101 Eastern Main Road, St. Joseph Republic of Trinidad & Tobago, W.I. T: 1-868-222-9112 F: 1-868-222-9896
Jamaica
1st Floor, 23 Barbados Avenue, Kingston 5, Jamaica, W.I. T: 1-876-578-7545 F: 1-876-754-7276
partner and Managing Director Mr Dennis Cudjoe. A swift look at each of their readily available online resumes will tell you exactly why your project is in the safest of hands.
“We are always looking for new markets” Naton says that creating practical solutions is one of the company’s core values: “We listen to the needs of our customers so we can take their projects on as our own. This enables us to think openly and to consider as many possibilities as we can, through interacting with our team members and associates. We are unrestricted”
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Amarna was founded just ten years ago in 2003, but already the company has a wealth of supervisory experience under its metaphorical belt. From overseeing construction roads to building up educational institutions and adding the primmest of touches to boutique resorts, Amarna as a unit took it upon themselves to make every one of those ten years count. In a nut shell, they’ve covered everything from Malibu Barbie style beach houses to endearing local schools. The engineering pros have something that most companies wouldn’t consider portraying in their core values- fearlessness. Naton says they are always looking for shiny new markets, which is a risk that
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Endeavour Magazine | 47
AMARNA CONSULT LTD
has drastically improved their product over the years. Naton is a man
healthy, happy, and comfortable
including mentorships, which
that knows how to stay true to his customers: “Sometimes if stressful
at work and home. We show
are contributed to financially
situations arise and our actions fall out of line, we have to apologise
each team member that we are
by the company or paid in full.
and make things good so that we can move forward. We don’t let
genuinely
about
They provide a free exchange
issues linger”
their well-being. We encourage
of ideas and information, as
them to move on if better
well as the opportunity to mesh
opportunities exist outside of our
your skills with those of other
company but to keep in touch, so
professionals. “We each benefit
we may collaborate in the future.”
from the training that another
Looking at the directors, it is
team member has gained.” Naton
Naton and his fellow engineers certainly have a grand approach to business- jump now, and roll with that curve ball later. We like it.
“We thank our staff for the success of the company”
concerned
evident to us that every worker
says politely.
under the Amarna family roof
There is one thing more stunning than Amarna’s new working
has an equal mind set. Naton
locations- the way the directors treat their staff. They’ve completely
says: “We’ve invested a lot of
by-passed the colleague stage, and instead appear to function as a
time into this company- years
group of siblings; keeping an eye out for each other should anything
of focus. Working for a private
This approach has taken
not go according to plan.
Engineering Consultancy which
Amarna to great heights this
we own has been a goal for all of
year. They’ve joined forces with
us since leaving university”
a bunch of gifted architects from
Naton, who describes his team of 11 as “Ambitious, hardworking, intelligent and with great potential” says his staff are the ultimate lock
Great heights for Amarna 2013
and key to Amarna’s success. He says: “Our staff is more important
There is a wealth of training
Thailand, which has enabled
than anything else really for the success of our company. They must be
available for Amarna’s engineers;
them to shoot forward with
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48 | Endeavour Magazine
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12.12.13 17:16
two of their most beautiful projects in 2013- Kittitian Hill and KOI Resort. After discovering the company is receiving a large percent of their income from these projects, the team at Amarna are currently considering a new office in St. Kitts, which is where they are spending most of their working hours. This is a very exciting step for the company indeed. Naton tells us that his team is working with several other big markets as of late, too: “Trinidad & Tobago, Grenada, Dominica; St. Vincent and The Grenadines. We also have a very close Electrical & Mechanical Engineering outfit in Canada with whom we collaborated on The Windjammer Landing in St. Lucia and with whom we intend to develop a close relationship with in the future.” If you are a newbie to St. Lucian travelling, The Windjammer Landing is a luxury resort which specialises in meditation, therapeutic boat tours and wedding services. Its St. Lucia wrapped up in a box with a bow- it’s very classic and nicely stereotypical of the popular Caribbean island.
“
Our staff is more important than anything else really for the success of our company. They must be healthy, happy, and comfortable at work and home. We show each team member that we are genuinely concerned about their well-being.”
“We strive to work with bigger markets, to have a greater presence throughout the Caribbean and elsewhere, and most of all - we wish to be less dependent on resources outside the expertise of our company and our valued specialist associates”
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Endeavour15/01/2014 Magazine | 49 14:37
APM TERMINALS BAHRAIN 00973 1736 5500 WWW.APMTERMINALS.COM
50 | Endeavour Magazine
GATEWAY TO A NATION WRITTEN BY KATIE RICHARDSON
Drawing upon a rich maritime trading heritage dating back hundreds of years, the Gulf nation of Bahrain is tapping into the vast wealth flowing through the small island nation. The Khalifa Bin Salman Port is taking the lead to ensure the most is gained from this capital and after securing steady financial and reputational growth for the port over the last two years, steward APM Terminals Bahrain speaks to Endeavour magazine about its on-going success story.
Endeavour Magazine | 51
APM TERMINALS BAHRAIN
“It is not the size, it is not the oil, it is the trading mindset,” CEO Marco Neelsen stresses. “Our competitive edge definitely is geographic location and the trade-friendliness of the country; Bahrain has a history of trading that goes back centuries. We are focused on the upper-Gulf region, encompassing Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Kuwait and therefore, we do not see the likes of Jebel Ali and Abu Dhabi as direct competition.”
B
ahrain has indeed secured its status as one of the leading financial centres in the Arab world. As well as holding considerable stock in natural gas and oil, the island nation
wields considerable power in regards to its economy, population and modest size. Its maritime trade is its battleaxe – an important resource for in-house trade and communication - also acting as an international gateway for island-nation Bahrain to the rest of the world. The Khalifa Bin Salman Port (KBSP), constructed on the reclaimed land in the northern province of Hidd, is the keeper to this financial access and has played a highly important role in the resurgence of the Gulf after the global economic crash, also restoring a degree of political stability in the wake of the Arab Spring. Open for business since April 2009, the port terminal is strategically located in the middle of the Arabian Gulf, complete with deep-water berths and an approach channel. KBSP positions itself ideally as a major regional distribution centre and has played an important role in the safeguarding of Bahrain’s economic future, cementing its status not only as a modern operation and able to handle container vessels, but effectively matching global industry leaders as a state-of-the-art facility. It has also been able to capitalise more efficiently on merchandise trade in the northern Gulf, particularly in comparison to the nation’s previous port Mina Salman. In June, KBSP welcomed the largest container vessel yet to enter Bahrain’s waters. The arrival of APL Antwerp, an 8100 TEU (twentyfoot equivalent unit) marked a landmark achievement for the port, and marked its success as meeting the growing requirements in the Gulf markets. As global shipping lines continue to look for efficient terminals to cater for international trade and distribution, KBSP is certainly carving out a reputation for itself as an efficient and modern port.
52 | Endeavour Magazine
Endeavour Magazine | 53
APM TERMINALS BAHRAIN
Strong Guardianship APM Terminals is the steward under whose wing KBSP resides. The Hague-based company provides port management and terminal operations to more than 60 liner shipping and port customers, and holds a central role in global trade and logistics as a result of its widereaching transportation and cargo services. This year, a total of ten of APM Terminals operated or associated container facilities were cited as among the world’s 30 most productive, more than any other terminal operating group. Also, with interests in 71 port and terminal facilities, APM Terminals is certainly ideally placed to guide KBSP to a position as the undisputed leading transhipment hub in the northern Gulf. This business partnership, coupled with Bahrain’s natural geography, which places itself at close proximity to trading partners Kuwait, Iraq and Saudi Arabia, and a strong transport infrastructure
“
We are committed to this country so by employing, training and providing internships for local talent we are investing in its future.”
54 | Endeavour Magazine
thanks
to
the
King
Fahd
APM Terminals also manages the
Causeway and the US$4.5bn
entire supply chain, taking care
Qatar-Bahrain causeway project,
of the whole process from the
only strengthens the economic
moment a ship comes into port,
potential of the relationship.
until it loads cargo into lorries at
As the only port terminal
the gates.
in Bahrain, Neelsen insists that
“We provide all manner of
KBSP is much more than a
land-based services within the
simple container port, rather a
warehouses on our terminal
veritable ‘candy-box’ of different
facility so that we can strip and
activity. “Containerised traffic
stuff containers, provide storage
accounts for the major part of
and arrange delivery services; all
our business, but the handling
in all we are a one stop shop,” says
of general and dry cargoes is
Neelsen.
another important segment,” he says. “KBSP also operates as a
Smooth Sailing
passenger terminal for Cruise
Efficiency is very important
Liners as well as a home base for
to APM Terminals, and a clear
the US Navy’s 5th fleet.”
focus
in
management
and
Rather than have several
logistic strategy has encouraged
parties perform different tasks,
an increase in the productivity
at KBSP, not surprising with five decades of experience in port and
On the back of a positive
achieve its goal of becoming the
terminal operations behind them. “The number of crane lifts per hour
2012, this year has all been about
transhipment hub for Bahrain.
at the KBSP has increased from under 20 per hour to more than 30
lifting trade between Bahrain
“We
since we took charge of port operations in Bahrain,” says Neelsen. “It
and the Eastern Province of
around half of our TEU capacity,
is simple; a quicker GMPH (gross moves per hour) means more ships
Saudi Arabia, which has become
however, we can expand quickly
and cargo can be handled and increases our theoretical capacity. Our
an
if needed and it would simply be
current GMPH is 33 per hour which well above the industry standard.
powerhouse
region.
a case of bringing in equipment
Consistency and productivity is crucial.”
increasingly in
important the
are
still
operating
at
Neelsen hopes that by instilling
when it is needed as no civil work
Regards to safety and corporate responsibility, AMP Terminals
yet more efficiency into the
is required,” he says. “Khalifa
makes it a priority to provide a sustainable and safe working
supply chain, increase in trade
Bin Salman Port is therefore a
environment for all port-users and works hard with the authorities
will only continue: “As people
“plug and play” solution and can
to ensure this objective. There is also a strong emphasis on the
start to take notice of Bahrain,
expand its terminal capacity
development of the local economy, and to this end a priority is placed
the KBSP and the potential that
within a very short notice.”
on the employment of Bahrain’s workforce to act as a catalyst for
exists here, trade will continue to
the economic development of the nation. Roughly 80% of the near
rise,” he stresses.
Under the steady guidance of APM Terminals, it seems
800-strong employees are local, and APM Terminals is the first to
There are no extravagant
KBSP will only cement its status
express the importance of this investment. “At the end of the day it’s
expansion plans in place for
further as an iconic catalyst
a Bahrain terminal so it’s important to employ and train Bahrainis,”
KBSP over the coming years, but
in Bahrain’s maritime growth
says Neelsen. “We are committed to this country so by employing,
Neelsen insists the company will
and development. This is one
training and providing internships for local talent we are investing in
continue its policy of ‘consistent
heritage set to last.
its future.”
and steady organic growth’ to
Supporting Khalifa Bin Salman Port Royal HaskoningDHV, a leading independent maritime, civil and structural, mechanical and electrical engineering consultancy is proud to have provided planning, design, construction supervision and contract management services to the new port and industrial area at Hidd from 1997 through to the completion ahead of schedule. Royal HaskoningDHV is also pleased to have continued providing supporting services including the navigation and dredging of the main channel from international waters to the port and continues with planning of the next phase of the expansion of the Bahrain Logistics Zone which serves the port. For more information please contact: Syd Bell E: syd.bell@rhdhv.com
royalhaskoningdhv.com
Endeavour Magazine | 55
MAPUTO CORRIDOR LOGISTICS 0027 13 755 6025 WWW.MCLI.CO.ZA
56 | Endeavour Magazine
WRITTEN BY KATIE RICHARSON
Having heard so much about the astonishing changes that the Maputo Corridor Logistics Initiative (MCLI) has made in recent years, Endeavour Magazine spoke with company CEO Barbara Monmen to get to the heart of their success story.
CLEARING THE WAY FOR
Trade
Endeavour Magazine | 57
MAPUTO CORRIDOR LOGISTICS
“Our task could be really simple,” Monmen says. “We provide a platform for inward investment on the Corridor; removing barriers along it, coordinating and liaising and facilitating the necessary changes to ensure investment and to unlock barriers to trade.”
“T
he Port of Maputo is in an ideal location for exports to India and the Far East and for transit into the eastern SADC (Southern African Development Community)
region,” she continues. “However, there have had to be a number of developments. For example, when MCLI first started, we had no container lines calling the port, which meant that cargo owners could not ship containers out of the port although they wanted to, so there was the typical chicken and egg scenario.” Until just under a decade ago, infrastructure and economic development had been a serious cause of concern for the governments of Mozambique and South Africa. A major hurdle in any real trade progress was the crumbling rail and road links to the southern city of Johannesburg. With desires to create new investment connections to establish their fluctuating economies, the leaders of both countries decided it was economically and socially important to sustain key elements of the transport corridor that links the city of Johannesburg and the industrial heartland of Southern Africa with the Port of Maputo, the parastatal authority in Mozambique in the southwest Indian Ocean. Thus, the Maputo Development Corridor was launched in 1996, and developed as a Spatial Development Initiative (SDI), an integrated planning tool aimed at promoting investment in regions of the country that were underdeveloped but had great potential for growth. An additional awarding of the port concession in 2003 and an investment of $60m in the port’s rehabilitation, alongside a 20year master plan also aims to see a $1.7bn investment in equipment, training and infrastructure.
58 | Endeavour Magazine
Establishing Its Place The aim of MCLI as a non-profit organisation is to act as a viable network to sustain an economically-sound future for all industries which rely on it. Service providers, stakeholders, and infrastructure investors from Swaziland, South Africa and Mozambique have all pooled their resources together in order to secure its promotion and further development as the region’s primary logistics transportation route, and are now able to strive for developmental targets rather than the profit margin. However, it wasn’t smooth sailing to begin with. “During the early part of the first decade, there were huge border delays and terrible congestion which compromised the efficiency of the logistics chain into the port itself,” says Monmen. “Our original remit was to promote the benefits of the port on the basis of distance versus the costs of the logistics chain for products in transit from the north-eastern area of South Africa. The port also forms a key departure point for the emerging markets of India and the Far East.” There were also problems with employee resources; with just a small workforce it was rather difficult to get things done. “You can’t manage if people don’t believe in the validity and importance of what they’re doing and while it is a challenge, the changes are substantial
Endeavour Magazine | 59
MAPUTO CORRIDOR LOGISTICS
and you can’t argue with the
citrus, vegetable oils and larger exports like cars and Ferro slabs
results,” says Monmen.
are also benefiting. The depth of the channel in the port itself has
You certainly can’t argue
been increased to 11 metres in order to provide smoother access
with the results being generated
to containers, and beyond the port, transport links on the Maputo
by the MCLI. More than $64m
Corridor have been significantly improved, with train journeys
has been invested into the
dropping from a whopping 200 hours to 90 hours. All in all, just under
Port of Maputo since 2003,
$300m has been invested in the Port of Maputo since 2003.
and
the
improvements
to
infrastructural development are
60 | Endeavour Magazine
Competent Leadership
vast. New warehouses, tugs,
As CEO, Monmen is perfectly placed to oversee a smooth
equipment, operations and quay
transition and worthy initiative. Her background lies in education; she
rehabilitation related to road
worked in the KaNgwane Administration and the Premier’s Office in
and rail improvements in the
the Mpumalanga Government, a province of South Africa, where she
region have all been successful,
worked on a number of project developments. “Prior to that I obtained
as well as updates to the Matola
a Certificate in Development Management from the University of
coal terminal. A further $61m
Manchester in the UK, followed by a short spin at the Cabinet Office
has been invested into the
in London,” she says.
container terminal to increase
“My interest in the Maputo Corridor developed while I lived in
the capacity for cargo depots
Mpumalanga where I worked in the Chamber of Business. I had,
and cranes. Other terminals
during my tenure, begun to explore business relationships between
dealing in produce like sugar,
Nelspruit in South Africa and Maputo. I joined in 2006 as the chief
operations officer and was appointed as CEO in July 2011.” Monmen believes having a clear idea of what needs to happen in order to plan appropriately is the key to the success of a project like the MCLI, and she feels very strongly about economic development and the growth of the private sector in the region. “Until there is a mutual cooperation between the public and private sectors, we’ll always have an issue,” she says. “MCLI has achieved this cooperation to a considerable extent.”
Looking Forward “We want to raise the profile of the Corridor in the SADC (the Southern African Development Community) region generally, and we are particularly keen to deepen our collaboration with the government of Swaziland,” Monmen says. “For the moment we face the challenge that the majority of trade along the Corridor tends to be one way, moving from South Africa to Mozambique. To fully capitalise on what the Corridor is capable of we need to have more growth in bi-directional movement and an increase in the usage of the Corridor as a key transit route into the SADC region.” The on-going success of MCLI and the determined work of Monmen and her team have culminated in a highly productive level of investment into the region, as well as making it easier for the necessary requirements to be handled by stakeholders and
“
The Port of Maputo is in an ideal location for exports to India and the Far East and for transit into the eastern SADC (Southern African Development Community) region.”
governmental departments. The efforts from all parties has enabled a positive and productive direction for the company and Monmen is quick to recognise the achievements: “Thanks to the significant investment over the last decade, the Maputo Corridor has seen incredible opportunities for growth and this will have a consequential knock on effect when the region moves towards a free trade area,” she says. “The drive towards borderless trade on our corridor is a passion that we share with COMESA (the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa), EAC (the East African Community), SADC, the AU (African Union), and NEPAD (the New Partnership for Africa’s Development). “It is only through the continued partnership of users and service providers, including public sector agencies, that this corridor will reach its full potential as an efficient, predictable, and reliable logistics route servicing the region,” she concludes. As a result of efficient management and timely investment, notable growth in the project has already delivered impressive results in the trade facilitation system. Coupled with effective collaboration and partnerships, MCLI’s projected figures include a cargo volume increase to more than 48.6m tonnes by 2030 and an extension for the Maputo Port Development Company to 2043. All in all, MCLI continues to hold its claim as a very efficient and powerful working machine.
Endeavour Magazine | 61
DEMIR EXPORT 0090 312 415 4500 WWW.DEMIREXPORT.COM
62 | Endeavour Magazine
ACTIVELY INVESTING IN
The Future
WRITTEN BY DON CAMPBELL
Demir Export was founded in 1957 and has always been a very active player in the Turkish mining sector. With a number of glowing projects underway we spoke with General Manager Savas Sahin regarding the ongoing projects.
Endeavour Magazine | 63
DEMIR EXPORT
“Demir Export produces 25% of the iron ore production in Turkey, representing 1.5 million tonnes per year,” Mr. Sahin tells us, “Core business is iron ore, but the future will be iron, gold and coal in three main business units including ferrous iron, energy - coal and base metals - gold, copper and zinc. Construction for production for gold mine is under way.” “We are active in three iron ore zones; Sivas, Kayseri, and Balıkesir. In total, we have seven iron ore mines, from where we are producing almost 1.5 million tonnes every year.” Mr. Sahin reveals.
T
he main activities of Demir Export revolve around iron ore production for domestic integrated steel mills. As a group they are constantly investing in exploration and development
of new greenfield iron ore mines, as well as improvement of their processing facilities at their existing operations. Another business unit is coal. Currently they are providing 6.5 Mtpa coal at Kangal TPP operated by another Turkish private company. At Turkish Coal Enterprises’ Soma coal fields they are developing Eynez East UG Coal Mine, which will start commercial production in 2015. This project is now at an advanced development stage. The mining method at Eynez East will be sublevel LTCC (longwall top coal caving) which is a very unique coal mining method and the operation will be fully mechanized from top down. The
base
metal
(copper
in
concentrate) is being mined at their Lahanos mine in northeast Turkey, this is a small scale UG mine and alongside that Demir Export are exploring the possibility of base metals in northwest Turkey. One of their targets is Ulutas (Erzurum province), where they are exploring for porphyry Cu-Mo deposit. So far, the exploration results, 17.000 meters of core drilling completed and ongoing, proved 64 | Endeavour Magazine
to support their efforts to chase a +500 Mton resource with local high grade intersections. “In 2013 we have started our first gold mine project, Bakırtepe in Sivas province,” Mr. Sahin explains, “However, the construction was halted for permitting issues and we are expecting the construction will restart in early next year and our target is to pour the first gold dôre by the end of 2014. Our exploration for gold also continues in different exploration tenements, in central and western Anatolia.”
Staff “We have 975 people working at our operations and head office in Ankara,” Mr. Sahin adds, “Including the contractors and subcontractors, this number reaches up to 1500,” “We have three layers of training,” he adds, “The first layer is generic HSE training given to all employees when they first start working with us. Other HSE training packages are also provided for the site personnel, such as risk management, incident reporting, etc. Some blue collar employees also receive technical training as well. Especially mechanical and electrical people receive specific training on the equipment they are dealing with.” The second layer is training for site supervisors. This training
Endeavour Magazine | 65
DEMIR EXPORT
generally revolves around safety issues, such as incident/accident investigation, risk management, hazard identification and so on. The third layer of training is for developing managerial skills of managers and supervisors. “Leadership training is given to our superintendents and managers,” he points out, “And moreover, our very technical training (as required) is provided to our engineers and geologists, such as 3D software trainings, project management and advanced excel training. Our most important asset is our people.” With this principle, Demir Export places great importance on
training
development
to of
address
the
professional
knowledge and the skills of their people. In this regard, training plans are created for all staff members, and the related training is conducted within the year and monitored by the HR department.
66 | Endeavour Magazine
“
Customers Demir customers
product quality and increasing
Export’s are
biggest domestic
integrated steel mills, namely Kardemir, Erdemir and Isdemir, and
overseas
buyers.
The
most important demands of their customers are consistent
Our biggest investment is our people. We have expanded the exploration and project development teams in our headquarters.. We have also added new positions in our operations to improve and extend on-site planning and project development skills and capabilities.”
production capacity and these are
the
important
points
that they take care to ensure customer satisfaction. “Although it looks like the resources market is not as competitive, it is not true for the iron ore market,” Mr. Sahin explains, “Domestic iron ore market is the same. As long as we honour our contracts from quality and quantity aspects we are more successful in delivering what we committed. So far, we have a very good and prospective relationship with our iron ore customers and we are caring to continue this situation.”
Valued Partners
underground coal mine (Eynez
“For the Soma mine,” Bruce continues, “They require at least
East) in the Soma area, Manisa
two more roadheaders and we are in the middle of technical and
relationships and these form the
District to the north of Izmir in
commercial negotiations. We understand that they have plans for
foundation upon which future
Turkey (see above). They opted
other bigger underground coal mining projects in Turkey and that
projects can be based. One such
for roadheaders for the gate
the Soma mine is a stepping stone for them to acquire experience
company is IBS.
road development as well as for
in that field. Obviously we hope that if their experience with us and
“We have been working with
the main access headings and
our Agents Labris in Soma is good they will come back to us for other
Demir Export for a couple of
completion of the two surface
projects in the future.”
years,” says Bruce Field, Head
drifts.
of Sales at IBS, “I first met Savas
at Bauma in Munich in April
Sahin in Ankara in November
this year they ordered the first
“The most exciting project for 2014, is our ULUTAS (in Erzurum
2011 and since then there have
roadheader from IBS together
province) Cu-Mo project. This project was acquired from Mining
been numerous meetings – at
with an articulating bridge belt
the mine site in Soma, Turkey,
conveyor system, power supply
here in our factory in Germany
cable and a package of spare
and also, in February this year,
parts.
in Poland on an underground pit
increased cutting height of 4.5m
visit to see one of our machines
to suit their gate road profiles
in operation.”
and was shipped in July and
Business is all about building
Demir Export is in the process
of
opening
a
new
After final negotiations
The machine has an
commissioned in August this year.
2014 And Beyond Bureau’s bidding process in 2012 and we rapidly moved to the site and completed all our geological mapping, initiated geophysical inspection, and geochemistry to cover the entire potential of the tenement.” On top of this, Demir Exports have completed almost 17.000 meters of core drilling and the current situation of the project is definitely exciting as they continue drilling and development efforts to target a +500 Mt Cu-Mo porphyry deposit. This project will be inserted in the project pipeline in 2016 with an aim to start commercial production in 2018 or earlier and has a potential to be largest base metal mine in the country in near future. “Our diverse portfolio is expanding with gold and underground coal mining,” says Mr. Sahin, “So far, we produce coal from an open pit mine but now we will use fully mechanized method to produce coal from underground. Underground coal production is becoming more widespread in Turkey; therefore Eynez East Underground Coal mine project is very critical for our company.” The other exciting development is Bakırtepe Gold Project. Gold production from Bakırtepe will be the first for Demir Export and it is believed that it will be the first step to become a gold miner in Turkey. These developments help Demir Export to consolidate its position and being an international player. There are many domestic and overseas opportunities in gold and base metal mining areas also the historical developments of gold and mechanized underground coal mining sectors show that new opportunities will come. With help of new developments, Demir Export will be better positioned for the upcoming opportunities. “Our biggest investment is our people. We have expanded the exploration and project development teams in our headquarters. We have also added new positions in our operations to improve and extend on-site planning and project development skills and capabilities. Beginning from next year, we are thinking about bringing experienced expats on board on contract basis to assist our local workforce to develop and maintain international safety standards at our operations.” Mr. Sahin concludes.
Endeavour Magazine | 67
KUALA LUMPUR CONVENTION CENTRE +60 3 2333 2888 WWW.KLCCCONVENTIONCENTRE.COM
68 | Endeavour Magazine
THE WELCOMING FACE OF THE
Future
WRITTEN BY BY CHATUM O’BRIAN
Endeavour Magazine | 69
KUALA LUMPUR CONVENTION CENTRE
Anyone who’s worked in the eventmanagement or convention-coordination industry will agree that there is a certain criteria that a venue has to meet to be selected for the biggest functions. It has to be unique, accessible and reputable for a start.
3G
telecommunications
digital
audio-visual
and
services.
The Centre also prides itself on having a professional team to
B
ensure the delivery of worldclass services and top-notch
enefit from a good location with a good environment that is
culinary offerings; the latter served up by a 51-strong culinary
not only suitable for the function itself but representational
brigade.
of the overall surroundings. A certain level of plug-and-play
The winner of numerous awards including the Meeting Industry
is also good, with the infrastructure of the venue itself being set up to
Marketing Awards (MIMA) 2012 for “Best Print Advertising
ensure that the planners don’t have to spend all their time arranging
Campaign (Gold)”; MICE Report Awards 2012 for ‘Best Convention
what should, by all accounts, already be there.
Centre in Asia’; Business Destinations Travel Awards 2011 for ‘Best
Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre has all of that in spades. A
Congress & Convention Centre, Asia’; TTG Travel Awards 2011 for
purpose-built convention and exhibition facility strategically located in
‘Best Convention & Exhibition Centre’; Meeting Industry Marketing
the Kuala Lumpur City Centre overlooking the iconic PETRONAS Twin
Awards (MIMA) 2011 for ‘Best Use of Budget (Bronze)’; CEI Industry
Towers and the 50-acre KLCC Park. Spanning five levels, the Centre
Award 2009; and TravelWeekly (Asia) Industry Awards 2007 and
offers 22,659m2 of flexible function space including 12,310m2 of
2008 for ‘Best Convention & Exhibition Centre in Asia’
column-free exhibition halls including a 2,600m2 standalone marquee,
The Centre has ISO 9001, ISO 22000, ISO 14001 and OHSAS
3,000 capacity Plenary Hall, 500-seat Plenary Theatre, Grand
18001 certifications, EarthCheck Bronze status and Hazard Analysis
Ballroom for 2,000 diners, Banquet Hall for 750, Conference Hall for
and Critical Control Points Certification (HACCP) recognition, the
1,800, 20 meeting rooms, ancillary facilities and the latest in wireless,
international food safety system for international convention facilities
The Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau is Malaysia’s one-stop centre for Business Tourism activities, operating as the country’s official Destination Marketing Organisation (DMO) in relation to business events. 70 | Endeavour Magazine
Endeavour Magazine | 71
KUALA LUMPUR CONVENTION CENTRE
Chef Richmond Lim, an award-winning chef with over 24 years of
The Malaysia Convention
the first in Asia; and one of only
experience in the hospitality industry, the Centre’s catering service
& Exhibition Bureau (MYCEB)
12 AIPC centres worldwide, to
offers a carefully planned selection of Malay, Chinese, Indian, Modern
is Malaysia’s one-stop centre
receive the ‘Gold’ AIPC Quality
Asian and International cuisine, all prepared strictly in accordance
for Business Tourism activities,
Standards certification.
with the ‘Halal’ tradition.
operating
and five-star hotels. It is also
as
the
country’s
standards
Upon inspection, the in-house chef s are ready to oblige any
official Destination Marketing
are managed and operated by
culinary request; from freshly flown-in Maine lobster and Beluga
Organisation (DMO) in relation
Convex Malaysia Sdn Bhd, a
caviar to smoked salmon sandwiches and gourmet coffee. Personalised
to business events.
joint venture company between
menus are available to cater to every conceivable occasion, from
KLCC (Holdings) Sdn Bhd and
simple coffee breaks to elaborate 12-course banquets, featuring an
towards
AEG Ogden Pty Ltd, Australia.
impressive selection of food, wine and other creative beverages.
promoting potential buyers to
These
heady
MyCEB’s focus is directed
Malaysian
introducing products,
and services
Malaysians care deeply about
Accessible by air, road and rail the country benefits from the
food, which explains the Kuala
reliable infrastructure that connects Singapore and Thailand to
and securing future Business
Lumpur Convention Centre’s
Peninsular Malaysia and excellent air service to the East Malaysia
Tourism through formal bids
unwavering
states of Sabah and Sarawak. Rail service is provided by Keretapi
prepared by the bureau and its
Tanah Melayu (KTM). Malaysia’s premier rail network.
TEAM MALAYSIA partners. It is
providing
commitment an
to
incomparable
tailor-made culinary experience
Ships, from prestigious vessels such as the QE2, passenger liners
the Government’s intention to
to suit every need, every time.
and cargo ships from all over the world dock at Port Klang which is a
make Malaysia a “top-of-mind”
Masterminded
45 minute ride to the city centre by car.
destination in the region and to
by
Executive
Malaysia’s Premier Event Management Company
® Conference & Convention
Fashion Events
Concerts & Musical
Awards & Gala Dinners
Exhibition & Roadshow
Parties & Special Events
15, Lorong Datuk Sulaiman 7 Taman Tun Dr Ismail, 60000, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 72 | Endeavour Magazine
Tel : +603 7729 6010 / 7010 Fax : +603 7729 9010 Web: www.orangeevents.com.my Email: mei@orangeevents.com.my
encourage more active participation from local associations to be the
events. The IEU’s goal is to
simplest of things like knowing
‘host’ country for major conventions and congresses.
identify and assist home-grown
that all the available electronics
Amongst MyCEB’s other roles and responsibilities include
events with the potential to
work and are maintained to
providing business leads for the industry, organising cooperative
attract international publicity
having faith that the staff are on
promotions, independent production of high quality destination
and international attendances.
the ball and able to handle all
materials, providing networking and educational opportunities,
MyCEB
with
the tasks appointed to them all
technical assistance, training and industry development as well as
Tourism
offices
combine to make a successful
strategies for product development and improvement.
worldwide to extend its services
Established by the Ministry of Tourism Malaysia to further strengthen Malaysia’s business tourism brand and position for the
works
closely
Malaysia
globally. Ultimately,
event. As business becomes ever
what
this
all
more global it is for event
international meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions
provides to event coordinators
managers to plan ahead and
market MyCEB is a non-profit organisation. Serving as a central hub
like Orange Events, is a reliable
pinpoint the best international
to assist meeting and event planners to bid for and stage international
platform on which to launch their
venues and centres to be used
business events in Malaysia and act as a conduit for national product
events. From experience, you
for their corporate dealings. This
development.
cannot put a price on knowing
is an important choice to make
As a measure to further develop the international events industry,
that the foundation from which
because for many it will be the
MyCEB has launched a specialist unit known as the International
you are launching your event is as
first impression into a new and
Events Unit (IEU) which focuses on identifying and supporting
solid as possible. Infrastructure
exciting territory.
international event bids including sports, art and culture and lifestyle
counts for so much and from the
Endeavour Magazine | 73
TCM 001 868 622 4826 WWW.TOTALCM.COM
74 | Endeavour Magazine
BECAUSE YOU’RE TOO BUSY AND LIFE’S TOO SHORT
WRITTEN BY DONNIE RUST
To do justice to their name, TCM can only be spoken about in terms of a team. Yes in the captain seat stands a keenly intelligent, motivated and enterprising individual but by his own testimony the company depends upon the people working for it. Endeavour Magazine | 75
TCM
In Trinidad and Tobago, if you own a car you’ve probably heard about the TCM Group of Companies, they are one of the success stories within the region and their Managing Director Robert Visser is often requested to speak at seminars and events and represents the very spirit of entrepreneurial ship and people orientated management.
F
rom set up as a small concierge and vehicle detailing business to its current position as a standard-setting, industry shaping group of companies with activities in concierge, vehicle
leasing and roadside assistance Robert has been there nurturing the company’s growth one person at a time. With a leasing and rental vehicle background, Robert Visser moved to Trinidad and Tobago in 1998 and moved through a number of management roles when he had a chance meeting with his business partner Kirk Waithe. The opportunity was that BPTT was looking for services on both internal and external fleets, a concierge service with their internal fleets and a leasing and rental approach with the external. BPTT contacted Kirk and asked if he could arrange this all by the next day and he contacted Robert and asked if he could put it together and Robert’s reply was, “Sure no problem,” Nothing like a sense of urgency to create results. “That’s how the partnership developed,” Robert explains, “During the intervening years I’ve become the managing partner of the organization with what started as a company with three employees on our side, and a strong start-up attitude has grown since. The banks backed us because we brought a level of service that had simply not been seen in Trinidad.” It was a quest to set the standard of customer service as high as possible and the opportunities presented to them early on to offer Road Side assistance as an aspect of their package. This was simply something that was not seen in Trinidad and Tobago. “When we started our roadside assistance it really startled
76 | Endeavour Magazine
people,” Robert says, “We were the first to be on the scene it was
customer service can exist in Trinidad and Tobago and that message
really unprecedented level of service and we were often there within
needs to get out and our business has grown through unsolicited
ten minutes in the event of an emergency or a breakdown and that
customer to customer testimonials and our people understand that.
hadn’t occurred before in the Trinidad market.”
It’s everything that drives our success and continues to drive our
TCM then branched out even further into the area of executive transport for things like airport shuttles, large scale and after-hours transport of staff. Even with most of the customers coming from the
success in the future.”
Working With People Robert is a man who recognizes that business is all about working
corporate sector the company’s twenty four/seven dispatch service
with people and has set himself the task of not only being the best
still underpins everything it does.
leader and employer as possible but also as an example to other
“We recognized that diversification was important,” Robert
entrepreneurs and owners of small to medium sized enterprises.
explains, “And GPS technology has been a natural thread that ties
“As an entrepreneur you do go through your ups and downs and
together everything that we do with transport, rental and roadside
we’ve always grown through word of mouth,” he says, “Early on we
assistance. It allows us to monitor maintenance points for our rental
grew too rapidly, where in 05, 06 and 07 we had to downsize. But we’ve
vehicles, departure and arrival times for transport, and in terms of
always recognized our reputation is our greatest asset and that’s key,
monitoring driver behaviour it’s a critical aspect of HHSE and the
no matter how hard the times are, you must stand behind your core
technology is designed to suit the client’s needs in all cases.”
values and your reputation as a service provider in whatever industry
The TCM Family
you’ve chosen. That was what sustained us through difficult times.” TCM is a service company and Robert recognizes that their
This focus on people is what sets TCM apart from the competition
reputation is the greatest asset and that the people working there
with their internal customers being just as important as their external
are the most important people they have. For the service industry,
ones.
the first key, is you have to know and interact with your people and
“Our success is based 100% on the commitment of our people,”
TCM employs over seventy-five people including executive transport
Robert details emphatically, “They are the face of the organization
representatives, field agents, a technical division and a leasing and a
in interacting with our clients and we have a strong team building
rental feet in excess of 500 vehicles. In all the activities the face to
atmosphere and we incentivize much of what we do for our people.”
face and interaction of a professional level stands out, to get getting
TCM also walks the talk, thanks to Arrive Alive which advocates
your people to perform at their peak you have to understand their
for road safety and better transport management systems in Trinidad
motivations and there are different motivations for their generations.
and Tobago. “All that we do at TCM is invested on the roadways of the nation,” he continues, “So we felt it was important that we advocate for road safety ourselves and that was how Arrive Alive was born. It has played a bit part in having the breathalyser passed in the country because in the end it’s all about people.” This
person-to-person
attitude has set a high level of customer service that remains at the heart of TCM and helped create a new industry standard from the very moment the company began operations in 2001. Thanks to them a number of the innovations they had over ten years ago are now the norms of the industry. “We’ve shown that excellent Endeavour Magazine | 77
TCM
“You have to understand that some people are looking at just a job
executive transport requirements.”
and others are looking at a career,” Robert explains, “Three important
Atlantic provides a shuttle to work service for all of their personnel
keys come to face when speaking about personnel; you have to
into and out of Southern Trinidad on a daily basis as a strong human
have a family focus, a family feel, especially in small to medium sized
resources and safety focus and this incorporates as many as nine,
enterprises, we like to have our people engaged on multiple levels, we
thirty seater buses operating on any given business day.
go above and beyond.” One of the ways is that TCM offers their staff internal interest free loans, while this has caused some problems in the past it is something that Robert believes is important.
Together, British Gas Trinidad and Tobago and Atlantic LNG are two key partners who are directly responsible for the reputation and success of TCM Group. “Their influence has been crucial,” Robert tells us, “For example,
“We promote beyond internal training, we promote education
their on-going commitment to helping small companies in raising their
across a broad range of areas and keep communication in an open-
level of safety delivery to globally recognizable benchmark standards
door policy. If there is a particular degree or certification that will
can be seen through the local initiative called Safe To Work (“STOW”),”
benefit a person’s career we will support their education and training
This has been a highly publicised safety and management system
with a 50% loan upfront to help pay for it, and a following 50% once
requirement instituted by the Energy Chamber of T&T whereby all
the certificate is earned.”
energy (multi-national) sector sub-contractors have been required
Expecting the best from you staff, expecting them to uphold the name of your company is much easier when you’ve given so much to them first. When people enjoy working somewhere they want to do their best. And this is what Robert Visser and TCM have epitomized. “One of the things we offered our staff was an eight week self-
to be STOW certified in order to be accepted as contractors by the BGTT, ALNG, and BPTTs operating in T&T. TCM is the one of the few vehicle services providers who have survived the gruelling process of being successfully audited and STOW Certified as a “High Risk” compliant entity for two full years.
defence course for them and their family. Something close to my heart
“The reason that this is so critical is that TCM was only required to
as I’m a blackbelt in karate and know how good it is as a tool to engage
achieve “Low Risk” certification in our specific field of vehicle services
them with,”
but we chose to push ourselves to achieve High Risk and only if your
Biggest Developments “Two of the largest developments that have taken place recently
company grades out during the audit process at over 85% are you certified for 2 years - anything less than 85% in any category would only allow for a 1 Year certification. “
is that we have formed incredibly strong partnerships with BGTT
In conclusion, overachievement in business is wonderful. The
(British Gas Trinidad and Tobago) and ALNG (Atlantic LNG),” Robert
drive to do more than is necessary to create something that will
reveals, “These two business partnerships are the main reason that
always be better tomorrow than it was today is something that
our total rental and lease fleet has grown to over 500 vehicles over
identifies the best companies to watch out for. Historically these are
the past two years.”
the businesses that not only create distance between themselves and
Robert goes on to tell us, “We handle the entirety of BGTT’s corporate lease and short-term rental vehicles with approximately
the next level of competitors, but they shape their industries around them and change the world.
210 total vehicles engaged and we handle the majority of ALNG
“
All that we do at TCM is invested on the roadways of the nation, so we felt it was important that we advocate for road safety ourselves and that was how Arrive Alive was born. It has played a bit part in having the breathalyser passed in the country because in the end it’s all about people.”
78 | Endeavour Magazine
Endeavour Magazine | 79
NATIONAL ENERGY CORPORATION 001 868 636 8471 WWW.NEC.CO.TT
80 | Endeavour Magazine
We covered The National Energy Corporation (NEC) of Trinidad and Tobago in early 2013 but, since we spoke to them that short time ago, the company has been making some very interesting developments. Not to mention the rebranding of the company from NEC to National Energy.
GREAT News FOR TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO WRITTEN BY JESS SHANAHAN
Endeavour Magazine | 81
NATIONAL ENERGY CORPORATION
To recap, National Energy is a subsidiary of The National Gas Company of Trinidad and Tobago. Its purpose is to support to infrastructure of the country’s growing gas industry while also securing new business and investments.
N
ational Energy has been busy repositioning itself within the
With respect to the Galeota Port project located in South-East
sector. Not only is it focussed on developing energy-based
Trinidad, Dr Paltoo said: “The project includes the establishment of
projects for Trinidad and Tobago but also on lending its
a fish landing facility at Guayaguayare — completed in 2013 — which
knowledge and expertise within the energy sector to newly emerging oil and gas territories such as Guyana and Suriname.
provides for the fisher-folk activities and livelihood in the area. “This provides an excellent opportunity to facilitate the increased activities of exploration and production (E&P) companies,
Major Developments There are currently three main areas under development at National Energy. There’s a new methanol/DME (dimethyl ether) project; an integrated melamine/formaldehyde cluster project and the development of the Galeota Port project. We spoke to the President of National Energy, Dr Vernon Paltoo,
while generating both onshore and offshore economic activity in Guayaguayare.” These are the three main areas of development for National Energy but the company is up to so much more.
Rebranding
regarding the integrated melamine/formaldehyde cluster project.
Those of you who read our previous article on National Energy
He said: “This project would utilise locally produced melamine and
may have noticed the company was called The National Energy
methanol to create higher valued products, such as oriented strand
Corporation of Trinidad and Tobago. The company has recently
board and veneer products. This project is a first for Trinidad and
embarked on a rebranding exercise to bring the company’s image in-
Tobago, as it would seek to bridge the gap between the energy and
line with its activities.
manufacturing sectors of the economy.” It’s these types of projects that are putting National Energy on the map as they are doing amazing things for Trinidad and Tobago.
82 | Endeavour Magazine
Dr Paltoo said: “The rebranding exercise will improve the outlook of the company and, through increased marketing and promotion, the visibility of National Energy will be enhanced.”
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Some of our proudly completed projects include:
•
• •
• • • •
Design and preparation of Plumbing Isometric Drawings for approval by the Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA) of Trinidad and Tobago. Review and Vetting Designs done by others for approval. Inspections of plumbing works Complete supply and installation of plumbing works. i.e. Sewer Treatment Plants, Swimming Pools, Hot Tub / Jacuzzi and the like.
• • • •
National Library Building T&T for Carillion (Caribbean) Ltd. National Energy Corporation Head Office Building (Carillion (Caribbean) Ltd). BHP Billiton On-Shore Accommodation Building (BHP Billiton). Civil Drainage works to WASA Sewerage Treatment Plant – Beetham Estate (Bi Water International). Tru-Valu Supermarket Long Circular Mall (Eastern Commercial Lands). Trinidad and Tobago Civil Aviation Authority (Water Tec Ltd).
Licensed Sanitary Plumbers Specializing in Isometric & As Built Drawing Preparation Sanitary & Supply Plumbing
“
Based on the nature of our business, our success impacts on the nation. As such, although it may sound cliché, our employees are definitely the most important asset and are fundamental to our company’s success.”
Endeavour Magazine | 83
NATIONAL ENERGY CORPORATION
Other Activities As
well
projects
as
the
above,
energy industry, it also ensures that everything is done with full major
National
Energy is continually facilitating developments for other energybased manufacturing activities. Trinidad and Tobago is one of the richest countries in the Caribbean and boasts a strong, industrialised economy with a rich heritage in the natural gas,
consideration of the environment, something that’s hugely important for any company that wants to be taken seriously in this industry. National Energy is currently working with local and regional investors to develop a steel mill and rolling plant to produce downstream metal products for both export and local consumption. The company is also conducting feasibility studies into a mid-size LNG project with several prospective investors, with a view of establishing such facilities in Trinidad and Tobago.
Improvements and Changes for the Brand
Careers Within the Company National Energy understands the importance its employees play in its growth and there are a number of plans and policies in place to make the most of this. Like most companies of this size in this industry, National Energy has policies in place that govern operations, behaviours
oil and petrochemical industries.
The commercial activities as well as the rebranding of National
It’s the job of National Energy to
Energy are going to change things for the company. Not only will
standardised
market this expertise around the
its image be improved but it would be enhancing the overall energy
entire National Gas Company
world.
landscape in Trinidad and Tobago as well.
group – of which National Energy
and ethical standards. These are throughout
the
Not only does National Energy
The continuing developments in the country will generate
help to promote the country’s
substantial employment opportunities too. This, in turn, allows
As well as ensuring that
expertise,
economy
National Energy to diversify its activities as well as improve the
everyone is working in the same
infrastructural
infrastructure requirements for exploration and production
way across the board, National
companies.
Energy will soon have personal
and
grow
develop
its
requirements to support the
84 | Endeavour Magazine
is a subsidiary.
development plans in place for each of its employees. Of this Dr
satisfaction were to the business,
to maximize revenue potential,
Paltoo said: “Employee development is crucial for the continuity and
he said: “Extremely important,
increase customer retention and
prosperity of the company. National Energy’s strength is a direct
since
boost prospective customers.”
consequence of the capability and dedication of our employees.
impacts
customer
company’s
2014 is no doubt going to
“Based on the nature of our business, our success impacts on
revenue stream. We understand
be a busy and exciting year for
the nation. As such, although it may sound cliché, our employees
what is required to positively
National Energy with numerous
are definitely the most important asset and are fundamental to our
contribute to our bottom-line.
new
company’s success. The better qualified and capable the employees
Customer
and
activities surrounding the new
are, the greater the efficiency and productivity of the company.”
quality of service are paramount.”
brand, and the consultancy side
The personal development plans aren’t just about training and
To
on
commitment
commitment
stay
how the employees work but also giving employees the opportunities
competition
for career advancement and professional development.
actively customers
Commitment to the Customer
the
ahead National
learns and
of
marketing
the
of the business which will benefit
Energy
all sorts of people and companies
from
its
in the energy sector.
competitors.
Dr Paltoo said: “Knowledge is
Like any good company, National Energy is committed to
power. Customer knowledge is
its customers and regularly asks for feedback in order to make
equally important as competitor
improvements and direct developments. Customer satisfaction is
knowledge. By gaining in-depth
something National Energy measures in its corporate performance
information about our customer
management system.
portfolio,
We asked Dr Paltoo how important after-sales and customer
projects,
National
Energy
would be in a better position
Not only does National Energy help to promote the country’s expertise, grow its economy and develop infrastructural requirements to support the energy industry, it also ensures that everything is done with full consideration of the environment, something that’s hugely important for any company that wants to be taken seriously in this industry. Endeavour Magazine | 85
CARIBBEAN SAFETY 001 868 299 3900 WWW.CARIBBEANSAFETY.COM
86 | Endeavour Magazine
SAFETY FIRST WRITTEN BY AMY TOCKNELL
With a longstanding reputation for offering the highest standards of customer service within their industry, Caribbean Safety Products Ltd (CSP) have become a sector leader, boasting an impressive international client portfolio.
Endeavour Magazine | 87
CARIBBEAN SAFETY
Founded 30 years ago by Dipinder Manocha, CSP has continually strived to provide customer service and solutions far beyond recognised industry standards. This dedication to continuous improvement and development has transformed the once modest organisation into an international supplier of not only quality safety products and services, but also security and training innovations.
N
ow the Caribbean’s premier manufacturer and supplier of
the European sector, Dipinder was able to break into the lucrative
safety products, CSP enjoys lucrative working relationships
western marketplace.
with a number of recognised worldwide brands, allowing
With newly found success, the future looked bright for CSP, until
clients access to competitive prices and informed advice from a highly
the introduction of Free Trade, a worldwide initiative brought about
trained, expert team. This supply of consistently cost-effective and
in the early 1990s, which effectively threatened to leave small or
well thought out solutions to a wealth of safety concerns is precisely
independent manufacturers to fend for themselves. Determined
why the company has continued to flourish within a competitive
not to suffer the same fate as other, similarly sized, organisations,
market, despite setbacks which would have resulted in lesser
CSP strived to reach new levels of efficiency through re-tooling and
organisations closing.
streamlined processes. The will and sheer determination to survive
It is not through chance that CSP has become the enormous success that it has, it is due to the determination, tenacity and high-
and prosper allowed CSP to remain buoyant and continue operating, but yet another challenging time was soon to present itself.
level business acumen of founder Dipinder Manocha. Born into a
The 2008 collapse of the US stock exchange effectively destroyed
legacy of Delhli businessmen, Dipinder was no stranger to hard work
the export market, leading to a 75% reduction in revenue across
and the long hours it would inevitably bring, and so he refused an offer
the board. Ever optimistic, CSP once again pared back superfluous
to work for his Trinidadian brotherin-law, choosing instead to step out on his own. The endeavor paid off; Dipinder was awarded the Prime Minister’s Export Award every year from 1983 to 1987. The
first
significant
development for CSP came in the form of the much welcomed 807 Treaty, a piece of legislation that allowed manufacturers who used raw materials imported from the United States, to export their finished, ‘added value’ products back to the US without incurring costly
duties
and
penalties.
Coupled with the LOME treaty that offered reduced levys for Caribbean
products
88 | Endeavour Magazine
entering
TenCate Tecasafe® Plus with Coolderm™ Technology is comfortable to wear, soft and breathable. It offers enhanced comfort, superior moisture management due to the special cellulosic fiber content. Excellent abrasion resistance and better strength retention remains after multiple commercial washes. This fabric maintains an outstanding laundered appearance maintaining a like-new look and permanent pressed appearance better than other protective fabrics. Tecasafe® Plus offers excellent value, long life cycle and competitive price means lowest cost.
Endeavour Magazine | 89
CARIBBEAN SAFETY
spending and again emerged
as well as the Dominican Republic. This can be of no surprise when the
process by stating that “people
from a financial crisis victorious.
comprehensive portfolio of products and services on offer include, but
look at the valleys as depressions
By July 2009, Dipinder was able
is not limited to maintenance and provision of lifeboats and relevant
but the best fruit grows in the
to reveal that yearly revenue was
equipment (as authorised partners of, amongst others, Winslow and
valleys, so don’t be afraid of
once more on the rise.
Switlik), inclusive safety consultancy services, supply of temporary
them. Use the time well and reap
30th
staffing solutions (security, safety and medical personnel), certified
the best fruit.”
anniversary of CSP, a company
and accredited safety training course delivery and refurbishment of
that has continuously beaten
existing equipment.
2013
the
odds
marks
and
the
With a reputation for sandy beaches, perpetually hot weather
surpassed
The CSP mission statement states that the company aims “to be
and crystal clear waters, the many
expectations. It now owns not
the premier safety company of the Caribbean, by adding value to our
islands of the Caribbean have
only it’s own, internationally
customers’ business, by providing safe working solutions and sharing
long been heralded as a dream
recognised, brand, but also four
our success with our valued employees and our shareholders.”
holiday
destination,
offering
manufacturing sites (located in
Having such a prolific interest in the continued satisfaction of their
honeymooners and travellers
China, Malaysia and of course,
customers and professional partnerships is a clear demonstration of
alike a slice of paradise. A haven
Trinidad), and has become the
the personable and invested approach that CSP have opted to use, a
for watersports enthusiasts and
largest, most successful provider
technique which has set them apart from competitors. Where many
sun worshippers, the islands
of safety and protective clothing
others have failed, success has been granted to those that continually
are able to cater to the needs
to not only the Caribbean but
strive for more, seeing periods of turbulence as opportunities to excel
of all visitors, giving rise to a
also Central and South America
rather than excuses for failure. Dipinder eloquently describes this
reputation that is founded less
90 | Endeavour Magazine
on international business acumen and more in accordance with the successful local hospitality sector. The far-reaching success of CSP has the potential to afford the region a new reputation, one based on fiscal security and triumph through adversity. The future looks set to offer yet more success for the brainchild of Dipinder Manocha, with continued commitment to staff development and dynamic expansion. With a management team that boasts in excess of 85 years combined business leadership experience working in unison with an almost 40 strong sales and marketing team, dominance of the international safety product industry is entirely anticipated. A significant partnership has emerged following a lengthy and in-depth consolidation period, throughout 2013. The National Energy Corporation of Trinidad and Tobago (NEC TT) will be working closely with CSP in order to maintain the highest standards of safety while putting new and major projects into action. The inevitable sector changing innovations that are sure to emerge from the development team will herald the beginning of yet another chapter in the story of the company’s success.
“
People look at the valleys as depressions but the best fruit grows in the valleys, so don’t be afraid of them. Use the time well and reap the best fruit.”
Endeavour Magazine | 91
Real Alchemy: Music Into Rum Sammy `Red Rocker` Hagar, former vocalist of Van Halen, is the proud father of five swanky beach bars… who would have thought?
Sammy and Guy toasting the new rum
Starting with Maui and spreading his vigour to Las Vegas, New York, St Louis and newly adopted Roseville, the seventies rocker successfully knocked up five locations with the help of grub provider HMSHost, all under the name of `Sammy’s Beach Bar & Grill`. And there are more brewing as we speak…
Sammy with Anna
Classy, fresh and oozing with A-listed ambience, Sammy’s bars were a sure fire hit as soon as they pitched their rafters. The food is bang on theme, the shrimp barely skims the sand before it lands on your plate and, not to mention there is always a possibility of the man himself mingling with his customers. As enticing as the “Chickenfoot” attribute’s bars sound, that’s not why we’re here. We haven’t given you the news yet. We haven’t pulled you the big guns. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame should have a Cristal soaked plaque made in his honour since the birth of the news we are about to deliver to you. Or perhaps a rum soaked plaque would be better suited? There, we said it. We gave you a little something. We might as well tell you now.
92 | Endeavour Magazine
The California born guitar hero has only gone and made his own
which are custom made to ensure
rum. Why has the rum gone, we hear Jack Sparrow say? t’s in Sammy
the rum pours in at the highest
Hagar’s back pocket, that’s why. And it’s bloody good.
standard.
Sammy’s rum is premium silver, and it prides itself on being made
So what’s the story of the Halen
from the best sugar cane on the globe. The silky rum is concocted in
Hunk and his new found gift for
the heart of Maui, and since Maui is the home slice of Sammy’s Beach
materialising booze?
Bar & Grill, you can be assured that business is staying in the family.
Sammy met a local distiller one
The Hawaiian island is well known for being a server of unbearably
fine afternoon; it was discovered
beautiful cocktails, such as the Mai Tai; several shades of lip-tingling
that he was in the process of
Mojito and of course, the signature Maui Libre. Let’s not forget about
making some good quality vodka.
the Maui Libre.
After spending some time testing
So Sammy wasn’t daft when he put two and two together; the sugar cane rum and the Maui Libre. As Sammy sings in one of his rock studded anthems, “One sip and you’ll surrender”. But of course, we don’t want to surrender; we want the five-day fermented climax. So we sip and sip and sip.
each other’s alcoholic experiments, Sammy and the distiller joined hands with a promise to produce the neatest rum around. No magic wands, no special
The five-day climax isn’t the only characteristic of Sammy’s rum
celebrity contacts- just a local
that makes it so…surrendering. The sugary sweet cane is worked
distiller and a friendly former rock
on for two full years before it is harvested and gently pressed near
god.
the local distillery. Only the toughest crops make it through the vats,
Meet you in Maui?
Endeavour Magazine | 93
BOOK REVIEWS
L
ess than two years earlier, Leslie Robb, an accountant in her late twenties working for the Imperial National Bank, had seen her life-partner and co-worker, Gina, shot to death during a
bank heist subsequently foiled in part by Chris Barry, millionaire and clandestine operative of the government’s ‘Discreet Activities’. Taken as a hostage along with Chris by the remaining robbers onto a helicopter secretly piloted by two ‘DA’ operatives, including ‘DA’ head, Jonathan Addley, Leslie had played an integral role in helping bring the offenders down. As a result, thanks to her sang froid, sense of moral justice and martial arts affinities, Leslie left the world
Femme Fatale
By Claude Bouchard www.claudebouchardbooks.com/mybooks.htm
of finance to fight crime as a member of the ‘DA’ team. Now, Leslie has a new partner in life, Dominique Petit, a Canadian/ French dual citizen who suggests Leslie visit Paris with her while she is in the City of Lights on business. Less than twenty-four hours after Leslie arrives, Dominique and her sister, Corinne, disappear, turning Leslie’s vacation into her own business trip of justice and revenge...
94 | Endeavour Magazine
The Girl With Nine Lives By E. Earle http://amzn.to/1cb1HTF
Fondness of rum? Check.
make the best of her degree and
dangerous secret that the Head
Job heading nowhere? Check.
failing miserably. Falling into
Office would very much rather
Mastermind
boss
such a hole of self-pity, even her
that she didn’t know. Deciding
discovering you have unravelled
criminal
cat, Ben, is sick of her and tells
to take control of her life,
their plot? Check. Talking cat with
her to snap out of it.
Ellena enlists the help of Ben to
an addiction to catnip deciding
And
that’s
when
Ellena
to take control of the situation?
realises she has a talking cat, and
Check. Welcome to the lives and
he’s not going to go away anytime
adventures of the ginger moggy
soon.
Ben and his human, Ellie.
investigate as soon as her friend goes missing. But Detective Calloway is determined to get involved, and
Having a devious crime boss
Ellena soon learns that Ben isn’t
your
as Principal to the college she
the only one who thinks he has
average woman - desperate to
works at, Ellena discovers a
nine lives.
Ellena
Blackwell
is
Gifts Of The Peramangk by Dean Mayes http://bit.ly/18W15hz
In 1950s Australia, during the height of the divisive White Australia Policy, Virginia, a young Aboriginal girl is taken from her home and put to work on an isolated and harsh outback station. Her only solace: the violin, taught to her secretly by the kind-hearted wife of the abusive station owner. However, Virginia’s prodigious musical gift cannot save her from years of hardship and racism. Decades later, her eight year old granddaughter Ruby plays the violin with the passion Virginia once possessed. Amidst poverty, domestic violence and social dysfunction, Ruby escapes her circumstance through her practice with her grandmother’s frail, guiding hand. Ruby’s zeal attracts the attention of an enigmatic music professor and with his help, she embarks on an incredible journey of musical discovery that will culminate in a rare opportunity. But with two cultural worlds colliding, her gift and her ambition will be threatened by deeply ingrained distrust, family jealousies and tragic secrets that will define her very identity
Endeavour Magazine | 95
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