Enterprising Companies of the Year - Vol. 3

From Editor’s Desk

Thepandemichastestedtheviabilityandfunctioningofmanybrandsandindustries.Throughthisstorm,onlya handfulofnamescameoutasindomitablebrandsthathaveusedthisopportunityandprovedthemselvesasoneof thereadingbrands.Thoughitwasabsolutelynoteasyforanysmallscaleaswellaslargescalecompanies.When newstartupswerecapturingeveryone'sattentionmanyofthealreadysettledcompaniesgoneoffairduetothesame pandemic.Yetwhoovercamethiscameouttobefighters.

Everysectorofenterprisingcompaniesisondemandformankindasbasicneedsofmankindhasincreasedrapidlyand manymorethingsgetsaddedinthesame.

FeaturingforTheEnterpriseWorld'sthisissueofTheListingforEnterprisingCompaniesoftheYeararethestoriesof suchsuccessfulbusinesses,thathavemadeitthrougheveryoddstormandmadeittothetop.

FortheCoverStoryreadaboutTheIMGROUPwasformedinItalyin2021,withsomeleadingnamesasitsbrands.Thesebrandsare–Inkmaker, Rexson,Vale-tech,Swesa,Teko,Tecnopails,andIEC+.

WhatthisGROUPoffersareacombustivemixofworld-classservices,anexperiencethatcomesfrom7different management,teams,andleadersthathaveindividuallyestablishedthemselvesasoneofthebestintheirfields.

Thus,thisresultsinanexplosivecombinedstrengththatofferstotalprocess-engineeringsolutionswithintheindustriesof paint,coatings,ink,specialty-chemicals,adhesives,corrugatedpackaging,pharma,food,cosmetic,textiles,andmore.

IMEGisaleadingU.S.-basedengineeringdesignfirmwithamore-than100-yearhistory Thefirmdeliversarare combinationofthebroadexpertiseofanationalleaderwiththepersonalrelationshipsanddeepcollaborationofalocal firmthroughoutits60locationsand1,800teammembers.

IMEGis100percentemployee-ownedandresults-drivenwithapassionfortransformingenvironmentsandcommunities throughhigh-performancedesignandinfrastructure.Thefirmservesregionsandmarketswithfull-service,in-house engineeringdesignandisaTop6EngineeringFirmintheU.S.(BD+C)andranked#71onENR'sTop500DesignFirms list.

IMEG'sjourneyhasbeentremendous,growingfromaone-roomofficewith16employeesto1,800employeesat60 locations.Thefirmfacedseveralhurdles,buttheirvisiontoprovidenothingbutexcellenceandtheirdriveforperfection fueledtheirspiritsandhelpedthemachieverespect,recognition,andsuccess.Duringitsinitialstages,IMEG'slimited manpowerandinabilitytoprovideallengineeringservicesmadeitdifficulttoestablishclientele.

Eventuallytheybecameafull-serviceengineeringfirm,andgrowingquicklynolongerposedaproblem.Thehurdle, however,wasgeneratingawarenessandeducatingpeopleontheneedforstate-of-the-artengineeringdesignandIMEG's abilitytoprovideit.

Leaders in Spotlight

FortheCoverStoryreadabout-TheIMGROUPwasformedinItalyin 2021,withsomeleadingnamesasitsbrands.Thesebrandsare–Inkmaker,Rexson,Vale-tech,Swesa,Teko,Tecnopails,andIEC+.

WhatthisGROUPoffersareacombustivemixofworld-classservices, anexperiencethatcomesfrom7differentmanagement,teams,and leadersthathaveindividuallyestablishedthemselvesasoneofthebestin theirfields.

Thus,thisresultsinanexplosivecombinedstrengththatofferstotal process-engineeringsolutionswithintheindustriesofpaint,coatings, ink,specialty-chemicals,adhesives,corrugatedpackaging,pharma,food, cosmetic,textiles,andmore.IMEGisaleadingU.S.-basedengineering designfirmwithamore-than100-yearhistory.Thefirmdeliversarare combinationofthebroadexpertiseofanationalleaderwiththepersonal relationshipsanddeepcollaborationofalocalfirmthroughoutits60 locationsand1,800teammembers.

IMEGis100percentemployee-ownedandresults-drivenwithapassion fortransformingenvironmentsandcommunitiesthroughhighperformancedesignandinfrastructure.Thefirmservesregionsand marketswithfull-service,in-houseengineeringdesignandisaTop6 EngineeringFirmintheU.S.(BD+C)andranked#71onENR’sTop500 DesignFirmslist.

IMEG’sjourneyhasbeentremendous,growingfromaone-roomoffice with16employeesto1,800employeesat60locations.Thefirmfaced severalhurdles,buttheirvisiontoprovidenothingbutexcellenceand theirdriveforperfectionfueledtheirspiritsandhelpedthemachieve respect,recognition,andsuccess.Duringitsinitialstages,IMEG’s limitedmanpowerandinabilitytoprovideallengineeringservicesmade itdifficulttoestablishclientele.

Eventuallytheybecameafull-serviceengineeringfirm,andgrowing quicklynolongerposedaproblem.Thehurdle,however,wasgenerating awarenessandeducatingpeopleontheneedforstate-of-the-art engineeringdesignandIMEG’sabilitytoprovideit.

Technologicalchangesinevery industryhavepropelled tremendousgrowthof organizations.Ofthosewhohaveembraced itwithopenmindshavehadagrowthchart thathasgrownexponentiallyineveryway

Thepandemichoweverhastestedthe viabilityandfunctioningofmany companiesandindustries.Throughthis storm,onlyahandfulofnamescameoutas indomitablecompaniesthathaveusedthis opportunityandprovedthemselvesasone oftheleadingcompanies.

FeaturingfortheCoverStoryofThe EnterpriseWorld'sthisissueofEnterprising CompaniesoftheYearisIMGROUP,a brandwhoseserviceshavebrought perfectioninprecision!

TheCompany-

FormerlyknownastheInkmakerGroup, IMGROUPisanextensivebrandthat coversanumberofnichesunderits umbrella.Theseincludetheprocess engineeringsolutionswithintheindustries ofpaint,coatings,ink,specialtychemicals, adhesives,corrugatedpackaging,pharma, foodandmanyother.

InkmakerGroupwasrecentlyrebrandedto IMGROUPin2021inItaly Thishuge groupisaholdingbrandofInkmaker,Rexson,Vale-tech,Swesa,Teko, TecnopailsandmostrecentlyalsoofIEC+, whichisthemechanicalengineering specialistandisrenownedforthedesign andmanufactureofdispersing,grinding andmixingequipmentaswellascomplete engineeringstudiesandturnkeysolutions. WiththeadditionofIEC+,IMGROUPhas evolvedintoitsnextstageof:'Advanced' engineeringsolutions”.

“IM GROUP, with its brands, operates with its own staff and offices in over 15 countries over 5 continents.”

On18June,2021,thegroupwas recognisedasoneofthe”Top10Chemical

TechSolutionProvidersinEurope 2021"byManufacturingTechnology Insights,whichwasreportedinover30 oftheworld'smostprominentindustry media.

Asaglobaltechnologyleader headquarteredinItaly,IMGROUPisa brandthatisfocusedonreliability Theircorebusinessoperatesinthe nichesofpaint,coatings,andink industry Throughtheirarrayof services,theyofferdesignand manufacturingwithcomplete engineeringstudies.Theprominent solutionsIMGROUPoffersare-

Customisedplantengineeringand softwaredesign

Highlyaccurateautomated dispensing

Processequipmentfrom bulkhandlingto fillinglines

POSequipment

Andotherrelated services

Thesesolutionsareengineeredtosuit anindividualorganizations'needs.

Withintensiveresearchand developmentthatgoesbehindthese solutions,thekeyfactorsthatdrivethe processesareCloudconnectivity

Industry4.0

Increasedsafetyandreductionof environmentalimpact

IMGROUP'sproprietarysoftwareand systemsaremanufacturedin3 continents.Withtheprecisemaking process,thesesoftwareandsystemsare builtforreliability,amottothebrand swearsby Theyguaranteehighly accuratecolourconsistency,whichis alwayspreciseandinstant.

IM'sSuccesswithNewOpportunities-

“Being a “Total Solutions Provider” is our MISSION, and this is precisely why we acquired the brands that we did.”

IM'sstrategyistocreate“areasofexcellence” dedicatingeachoftheirbrandstoaspecific expertise,thatcancometogether—liketheir logo—toformastrongforce.Eachbrandcanstill workindividuallywithitsexistingclientsinitsown marketsandwhenrequiredsharetheir expertise—offeringTotalSolutions—forexample onlargeturn-keyplantengineeringprojects.This guaranteesresourceoptimisationandhighflexibility tomanageprojectsofallsizes.Thiswasoneofthe keyreasonsforformingtheholdingbrand,IM GROUP,inthefirstplace.

TheentranceofIEC+intothegrouphaspresented thegroupwithauniqueopportunitytoevolvein offering'advancedengineering',inthatthedesign, projection,andmanagementservicesareextended toalltheproductionprocesses,sitemanagement andsoftwareinterface.Thisstartsfrompreliminary engineeringstudiesthroughtothecompleteproject implementationanddelivery.

“Each brand will continue to be differentiated through their expertise, and compete in their individual market and when required, they will come together on large for

IMGROUP'sExpertiseDispensingSolutions-

Inmanyareas,theoperationofmixingdifferentingredients intoafinishedproductisstillperformedmanually,attimes throughtheworkofskilledpersonnel.

Withthemarketsteadilymovingtowardsautomation,and theneedtoperformanincreasingnumberofoperations withinlimitedtime,theneedtoprogressfrommanually performedtasksisbecomingstronger

Furthermore,togetherwiththeincreaseinthenumberof operations,thereisacorrespondingneedtoproducesmaller batches,dueto;largerproductsdiversification,increased

customerscustomisation,theoveralltendencytoreduce stockandtoproduceonlywhatthemarketdemands.

Dispensingtechnologyenablesthereproductionofany formulationstartingfromanumberofselectedcomponents instrictlycontrolledmanners,avoidinghumanerrors,and inasafeandrisk-freeenvironment.

Otherthanbeingcustomdesignedaccordingtothespecific application,allIMGROUP'sdispensingsolutionscan handlewaterorsolventbasematerials,highviscosityor liquidproducts.

Foreachlineofproductsdifferentsolutionsareavailable.

“All systems are developed with the objective of simplifying

the operations and to bring substantial operational and economic benefits.”

IMSoftwareBasedinTurin,Italy,IMGROUP'scutting-edgeR&D departmentisdedicatedtodevelopingitsinnovative, efficientanduser-friendlyproprietarysoftware.Availablein over30languages,itssoftwarecanoperatefromsmall compactunitstocomplexindustrialsystems.

IMGROUP'ssoftwareisthebrainbehindthereliabilityand consistencyoftheirtechnology.Easilyexpandableand customised,theyofferunlimitedapplicationfieldsandcan beintegratedwithallleadingmanagementapplications. Asbusinessesevolve,theyincreasinglyrelyontoolsthat provideconnectivitytocorporateresourcesandtheinternet, aswellastocolleaguesandbusinesspartners.Thisrequires toolsthatarefamiliarandeasy-to-use,whichiswhyIM GROUP'sproprietarysoftwarehasbeencarefullydesigned toevolvewithitscustomersbusiness.

“Our software specialists thrive on challenges and can

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IMGROUPhasitsbaseofoperationsinTurin,Italy.IMboastsof itswideandexperiencedboardofdirectorswholeadits operationsaroundtheworld.Thededicationandzealofthese leadershasprovedtheirmettleandhasmadeIMGROUPoneof themostrecognizedChemicalTechIndustryintheworldtoday.

ChristopheRizzoistheCEOofEMEA/Americas,IM GROUP

ChristopheistheCEOoftheEMEAregion(European,Middle East&Africa)andAmericasofIMGROUP.Hebringsimmense

amountofexperiencetothetableandhasheldIM GROUP'soperationsstrongformorethantwodecades.

RobertoGuerraistheCEOAsiaPacific,IMGROUP

RobertoleadstheAsiaPacificregionastheCEOAsia Pacific.Withhisexpertise,heisstrivingtoexpandIM GROUP'spremisesandispavingthewayforabrilliant futurebystrengtheningthebondwithMalaysianbased IECPlantEngineering.

RobertoaimsatmaximizingIMGROUP'ssalesand servicenetworkthroughoutSouth-EastAsia,especially Malaysia,India,andVietmanbyutilizingIEC+'s expertise.

ValentinaCignaistheGlobalDirectorofHRand PresidentofIMGROUP

Valentinabringsherimmenseexperienceandexpertise tothegroup'soperations.Shemanagesandhandlesthe mostimportantresourceofacompany-thehuman

resources.Valentinaplansonutilizingalltheresourcesthat willbesharedthroughoutthegroup'sbrands,thereby reducingwaste.

Also,sheaimstousethisopportunitytoconsolidatetheir forcestoinvestinhumancapitalinitiativessuchas advancedIoTtraining,toimproveindustry4.0experience andskills.

LauKarSengisGeneralManagerofInkmaker ShanghaiandaMemberofTheBoard KarSeng,leadsoperationsinChina;recentlyoverseeing thegroup'sexpansiontolargerpremises,inShanghai,to meettherequirementsofIEC+(IMGROUP'slatest acquisition),formanufacturingandcustomizinglarge heavy-dutyequipmentfordispersing,grinding,andmixing. Additionally,heisbusybuildingthecompanythatIM GROUPrecentlyformed—injoint-venturewith,Zhuhai LongtecCorp.Ltd—called“InkmakerIntelligentSystems”.

“We strive to create a reliable complete supply chain—serving predominantly, but not only, the ink, paint & coatings industry—that will sustain our core businesses.”

ASSESS THE SAFETY OF SELF-DRIVING CARS

owsafeareself-driving

Hcars?Modernautomobiles includearound100million linesofsoftwarethatenableavariety oftechnologiessuchascruise control,speedassistance,andparking cameras.Andthecodinginthese embeddeddevicesisbecoming increasinglysophisticated.Asfuture automobilesbecomemorelinked, thistendencywillcontinue.

Automobilesarebecoming increasinglyreliantonelectronics. Theywillalsogrowincreasingly autonomous,eventuallybecoming self-driving.Asaresult,it'scriticalto understandaboutself-drivingvehicle securityriskssoyoucananswer questionslike"areself-drivingcars safe?"and"inwhatrespectsare driverlesscarssaferthanhuman drivers?"

Couldself-drivingvehicleseliminate the94percentofallcaraccidentsin theUnitedStatescausedbyhuman error?Whilepublicopiniononthe subjectismixed,thereareclearly advantagesanddisadvantagesto havingautonomousvehiclesonthe road.Withsomebusinessespredicting a2017publicdebut,it'scriticalthat automakersfigureouthowtomake thesevehiclesassafeaspossible beforeputtingthemontheroad.

Therecenttragicautomobileaccident involvingaTeslaonAutopilotthat failedtobrakeautomaticallyhas reignitedtheargumentoverwhether completelyautonomousvehiclesare saferthanhumandrivers.Thousandsof accidentsarecausedbyhumanmistake eachyear.Drunkdrivers,hit-and-run incidents,andcarscollidingwith immovableobjectsordebrisall

contributetothisnumber."Ithinkit willbealongtimebeforehumanerror iscompletelyremovedfromthe drivingequation,"WestPalmBeach accidentlawyerBrianLabovickof LabovickLawGroupsaid,"but certainly,therewillbealotlesslowimpactbumptypeaccidents."

StudieshaveshownthatSelfdriving carsaresafe

Expertsbelieveself-drivingcarshave thepotentialtobesaferthanhuman drivers.Humandrivers,afterall,cause millionsofaccidentseachyear.In 2016,nearlysevenmillionaccidents involvinghumandriversoccurred. Onlyaround1%ofsuchcollisions weredeadly.Self-drivingautomobiles, ontheotherhand,arestillintheearly

stagesofdevelopment.Theystillhave alongwaytogobeforebecoming commonplace.InArizona,inMarch 2018,anUberself-drivingtestcar collidedfatallywithacyclist.Untilit wastoolate,thisself-drivingauto failedtorecognizethecyclistasa human.Andthevehicle'shumansafety driverfailedtoseethecyclist.Itwill mostlikelybesometimebeforeselfdrivingcarsarewidelyused.Humandrivenautomobiles,ontheotherhand, areincreasinglyemployingtechnology inAdvancedDriverAssistance Systems(ADAS).

HowAreSelf-DrivingCarsSafe?

ADASisnowstandardonalmostall newautomobiles.ADASentails:

Trackinglanes

Emergencybrakingwithautonomy Visionenhancementsystems

Sensorsandactuatorsinteractacross localnetworksinthesystemsthatoffer theseservices.Microcontrollersarein chargeofthem.Automobilesmayalso talkwithoneanother Vehicleto VehicleCommunicationisthetermfor this(V2V).Theycanalso communicatewithinfrastructurelike trafficlights,roadsigns,andsatellites. V2IorV2XstandsforVehicleto Infrastructure.Software,ofcourse,is whatmakesallofthispossible.There areoperatingsystemsandmiddleware, suchasnetworkcommunication stacks,aswellassensor,actuator,and displayinterfaces,inadditionto applicationcode.

The"sight"orperceptionofaselfdrivingautomobileisdonethrough numerousprocesses.For360ovision, camerasareputontheroofandat variouslocationssurroundingthe vehicle(Figure2).Whilecamerasare usefulfordistinguishingformsand colorsinthesurroundings,theyare ineffectiveatdeterminingdistances. Self-drivingvehicles,ontheother hand,usehigh-techsensorscalled LIDARsthatarefarbetterat identifyingthelocationofpeopleand thingssurroundingthevehicle. A devicehavingacontinuallyrevolving laserbeamisknownasaLIDAR(or "LightDetectionandRanging").It emitsinaudiblelightpulsesinall directions.Itcandistinguishtheform andpositionofsurroundingobjectsby measuringthetransittimeandlocation ofreflectedlaserlight.Self-driving carsfrequentlyincludeconventional radarsinadditiontocamerasand LIDARs.Althoughradarscanonlysee inahazymanner,theyareexcellentat detectingmovingthingsandarefar lessexpensivethanothersensors. Whenaself-drivingcar"sees"its surroundings,thecameras,LIDARs, andradarsalltransmitthedatatothe car's"brain."Asophisticatedcomputer

thatresidesinthetrunkandcontrols theautomobile'sthoughtsandactions isthe"brain"ofaself-drivingcar.It hasageneralconceptoftherouteithas totaketoarrivetoalocationthanksto GPS.However,navigatingalonga crowdedstreet,changinglanes,and stoppingatatrafficsignalwhen necessaryisnotenough.Asaresult, thecomputerusescamera,LIDAR, radar,andGPSdatatopinpointthe preciselocationoftheautomobileand theobjectsinitsvicinity.Programmers havecreatedextremelyintelligent algorithmsthatcanbe"taught"to recognizeitemsinthecar's environment.Alarge,fast-moving devicewithtwowheels,forexample, isclassifiedasamotorbikeratherthan abicyclebythesealgorithms.Cars, people,trafficsignals,andobstructions wouldbeclassifiedasotheritems.

Thecomputermustselecthowto operateafterdeterminingwhichthings aroundtheautomobileandhowfar awaytheyare.Ifalaneisclosedahead duetoconstruction,forexample,the computerwilldeterminethebest courseofaction:changelanesright awayorslowdowntoletcarsinthe followinglanetopassfirst.Buthow doesthecomputerdeterminewhich choiceispreferable?Algorithmsthat actlikebrainneuronshavebeen createdbyprogrammers.These algorithmscaninferwhattodoina new,comparablescenariobasedon prioractions.Thisformofmachine learningissimilartospeech recognitiononyourphoneorface identificationinsocialmedia photographs.Thistypeofmachine learningislikespeechrecognitionon yoursmartphoneorfacialrecognition forphotosonsocialmedia.Oncethe car'scomputerdecideswhatactionto take,itsendselectroniccommandsto controllersthatturnthesteeringwheel andcontrolthethrottleandbrakes.

Whenyoutalkaboutdatasecurity,datathreatis anythingthatcanpotentiallycausedangerto theinformationinyoursystems.Thesethreats couldbeanythingfromanintrudernetworkthroughaport onthefirewall,toaprocessaddressingdatainawaythat violatesthesecuritypolicyofacompany,toatornado wipingoutafacility,orevenanemployeemakingan unintentionalmistakewhichcouldexposesomeofthe confidentialinformationordestroyafile'sintegrity.

Itisimportantforeverybusinesstounderstandtherisksif theirdataisbreached.Oneofthemostimportantstepsin datasecurityistoidentifythepotentialthreatstothe system,classifythembyacategory,andthenevaluatethat damagepotentialtothecompany.Followingaretheways howcommondatathreatscanaffectyourbusiness.

TechnicalDataThreatsHacking-

Today,hackingisworthamulti-billion-dollarindustryfor thecybercriminals.Hackinghasbeenproviding opportunitiestoextractthedataforpoliticalandmonetary gains.Inabroaderview,hackingisanunethicaland unauthorizeduserwhogainsaccesstoacomputerora network.Therearemanywaysthroughwhichthehackers gainaccesstonetworksorcomputers,someofwhichareas intricateasalteringthesystemssecurity.Othersaresimple andstraightforward,likeguessingtheusers'passwordsor installingakeylogger.

Cracking-

Crackingisareverseengineeringforsoftware,passwords orevenencryption.Thiscouldleadtotheunauthorized accesstoacompany'ssensitiveinformation.

Malware-

Malicioussoftware,oralsocalledasthemalwareisa softwarethatdisruptssomeoftheimportantcomputer operationsandgatherssensitiveinformationorevengains anaccesstoacomputersystemthroughwhichthedataand informationisthencompromised.Tokeepacomputersafe fromthiskindofdatabreaching,antivirussoftwareand firewallsareinstalled.Viruses,worms,spyware, ransomware,keyloggersandbackdoorsaresomeofthe examplesofmalware.

Errors-

Someofthemostcommonerrorslikesystem misconfigurationsorsomeotherprogrammingerrorscan

causetheunauthorizedaccessbycybercriminals.These errorscanoccurduetofaultyin-houseprogramming,or whenhackersfindaloophole.

DataLeakage-

Dataleakageiswhenthereisanunauthorizedelectronicor thephysicaltransmissionofdataorinformationfroma companytosomeotherexternaldestination.

Non-TechnicalDataThreats-

Onethingtokeepinmindisthatdatasecurityisnotjustan electronicissue.Somenon-technicalthreatscanaffectyour businesstoo.Someofthenon-technicaldatathreatsare-

Physical-

Physicalfactorsliketheft,tampering,snooping,sabotage, vandalism,localdeviceaccessoranassaultcannegatively affectyourbusinessasitcanleadtolossofyourdataand information.

Environmental-

Direenvironmentalfactorslikeundeniablenaturaleventsof tornado,powerlosses,fire,andfloodscanposedangerto theorganizationandinfrastructurewherethedatais located.

InsiderThreat-

Anotherwaythenon-technicalfactorscanposeasathreat toyourbusinessiswhenthereisinsiderthreat.Your employees,contractors,orevenpartnerscancommita fraudortheftoftheintellectualproperty

SocialMedia-

Oftenemployeescanfallpreytosomescamsonthe internetandthusrevealsensitiveinformationwhichisnot intendedforthepublicknowledge.

ImproperDisposalDumpsterdivingortheimproperdisposalofsensitivedata cancauseimproperdisclosuresandleaksomeofyour sensitiveinformation.Toavoidthis,youneedtohave internalprocedureswhendisposingofthesensitive documents.

Withheapsofdatabeingproducedeverypassingday,itis justasimportanttosavethedataproperly.Leakingevena smallamountofdatacanleadtolargerrepercussionsand cancausegreatlossestoyourcompany.