Issue 26
American Mission Hospital
American Mission Hospital has been providing medical services for Bahrainis since the turn of the 20th century, all the while operating as a non-profit organisation Writer: Tom Wadlow Project Manager: Callam Waller Not many businesses can survive more than a century without turning a profit. The unrelenting speed of medical advancement witnessed over the course of the 20th century and into the modern day makes it all the more remarkable that Bahrain’s American Mission Hospital (AMH) continues to provision healthcare to international standards. Indeed, it was the first hospital in Bahrain to receive accreditation from Australia’s official awarding body in 2006, a status reaffirmed in 2010. The foundations for American Mission Hospital’s lasting legacy can be traced back to the late 1880s, when missionaries from New Jersey, USA, embarked on a programme of delivering medical care in the Middle East, or Arabia as it was commonly called. This led to the establishment of the Mason Memorial Hospital in January 1903, which was almost immediately called into action to deal with a smallpox epidemic caused by a late rain season. Services and satellites Fast forward 115 years, and what is now known as AMH continues to provide vital services to Bahrain’s population. These are divided into 23 different categories, from cardiology, dental and orthopaedic through to radiology, pharmacy and general practice. This is supplemented by a number of important admin services, which include financial, IT, HR, medical record handling, nursing administration and a chaplaincy. Beyond the main hospital site in Manama, in the north of the…
Bahrain Pharmacy
Bahrain Pharmacy has diversified into a key national healthcare provider and supplier, working with some of the world’s most renowned brands to deliver services for local communities Writer: Tom Wadlow Project Manager: Callam Waller The human and material sacrifice sustained during the Second World War resulted in enormous shortfalls in countries all around the world. The impact of sustaining huge supply lines spanning thousands of kilometres, from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean to the Pacific and beyond, took its toll. In the Middle East, Bahrain pledged its support to the Allied war effort. Considered strategically important to Britain by the Italian air force, it felt the impact of bombing raids in 1940 and, like many nations, suffered shortages in supplies in the conflict’s aftermath. This inspired Ali Ahmed Alawadhi to establish the Bahrain Pharmacy & General Store in 1945. Providing the population with vital medical goods, within 18 months he was able to expand the business into a specialist pharmaceutical supplier. Fast-forward to the present day and Alawadhi’s sons, Dr. Abdulhay Ali Ahmed Alawadhi (MD) and Dr. Abdulmajeed Ali Ahmed Alawadhi (CEO) leading the business, now Bahrain Pharmacy, from strength to strength. “My father, along with his uncle, became one of the pioneers of the pharmaceutical industry in Bahrain,” the CEO says. “He remained chairman of the Company until just two and a half years ago when he passed away.” Built on values For almost 75 years Bahrain Pharmacy has operated with dedication to preserve its longstanding ideal of its owners – the grace of prevention…
Future-Tech
James Wilman, CEO of Future-Tech, reveals how the Company’s innovative ethos is fuelling technological progressionIn 1997, the ASCI Red supercomputer had 1.3 teraflops of power, standing as the world’s fastest supercomputer.Today, the Xbox One X games console, available to consumers all over the world has six teraflops, whilst the world’s most powerful supercomputer utilises 122.3 petaflops – more than 94,000 times the power of the ASCI Red.Benjamin Franklin, world renowned as the Founding Father of the United States, once said “without continual growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement and success have no meaning”.Although Franklin’s death in 1790 was almost exactly 100 years before the invention of electricity, such timeless words still resonate today with those at the heart of the exponential evolution of computer technology, including UK-based data centre specialist Future-Tech.“I think the key thing that sets us apart is our belief that we can always do better. Our drive to always improve. Our knowledge that we are never at our peak and that we can always find some area to evolve and grow,” reveals James Wilman, Chief Executive Officer at the Company. “This belief and drive is hardwired in to the DNA of the company. It is what keeps us moving and developing.”Such an outlook, retained throughout Future-Tech’s 36-year history, has been pivotal in moulding the Company as it stands today; at the forefront of the data centre revolution.Wilman continues: “We avoid the temptation to say we strive for perfection, we instead strive to always do better than we have done before, to…
Meinhardt Facade Technology
Paul Grove of Meinhardt Façade Technology explains how the Company is leveraging innovative techniques and an adaptive culture to produce unrivalled results Writer: Jonathan DybleProject Manager: Tom CullumThe construction industry comprises a range of sectors, with façade services considered to be one of the most specialist and technical niches within this.Often depicting the character and spirit of a building, the design, fabrication and installation of building façades are pivotal to the representation of a brand or company.Naturally, façade engineers are often dubbed as the artists of construction, with engineers required to analyse a range of factors from aesthetic appearance and structural behaviour to safety and serviceability.Such services are expected to see rising demand in the years ahead, with research suggesting that the global façades industry will rise from the $179.7 billion recorded in 2016 to more than $337 billion by 2025, and one company readily positioned to capitalise on this rising demand is Meinhardt Façade Technology (MFT). Having discussed the firm’s ambitions across the Asian continent in the latest issue of Asia Outlook, Paul Grove, Managing Director of Middle East, Southeast Asia, UK and Australia at Meinhardt Façade Technology, provides insight into the Company’s equally expansive portfolio across the EME region.Recognising the opportunityWith Meinhardt Façade Technology having been established in 1988, the firm’s Hong Kong office initially dealt with business in the EME region. However, having gradually established the brand in the years since its inception, Meinhardt began to recognise the opportunity of working more locally with EME by the turn of the millennium, particularly through Meinhardt Façade…
SPETCO
A year on from our last conversation, we discuss the Kuwaiti oil & gas giant’s plans to broaden its horizons in 2018 and beyond Writer: Jonathan Dyble Project Manager: Josh Hyland “When asked about SPETCO, I always like to emphasise the qualities that we hold as a Company,” says CEO Tareq Qaddumi. “We try, wherever possible, to ensure that we maintain the highest of standards, and I stress to my project managers out in the field to be perceptive of our clients, of our staff and of local communities.” Having spoken to Europe & Middle East Outlook a year ago almost to the day, SPETCO has achieved success that the Company itself had not even anticipated in the 12 months since. Having remained true to its core values and expanded upon its reputation as a high-quality vendor, the Kuwait-based oil & gas specialist’s ambitious nature has paid dividends, reflected by its latest core growth statistics. “We have seen our overall revenues grow by 64 percent in the last year, whilst the number of employees at the Company is also up by 12 percent. In terms of our geographical footprints, we have now established branches in Abu Dhabi and Erbil, with the vision that these will contribute substantially to SPETCO’s overall growth plan.” Surpassing expectation Much of this success has been manifested in SPETCO’s major projects, namely through the engineering, procurement and field installation of sucker rod pumping systems on 270 wells for the Company’s leading client, Kuwait Oil Company (KOC). “We were able to install all…
Baltic Connector Oy
Herkko Plit, CEO and President of Baltic Connector OY, reveals how one of the EU’s flagship energy projects is set to change the regional status quo Writer: Jonathan DybleProject Manager: Richard Thomas“The EU gas market will be transformed, not only in reducing Russia’s position as an essential gas supplier in the EU, but also in expanding market aspirations – which is something that we are really hoping to see in the outcomes of the project,” says Herkko Plit, CEO and President of the EU-funded pipeline project, Balticconnector.In a volatile geopolitical climate, enhancing regional energy security has become an increasingly pressing issue for the European Union.In the aim of achieving this, the European Commission (EC) is attempting to merge key regional gas networks across the Europe, a goal that has led to the development of several key infrastructure projects.One such project is Balticconnector. With the Finnish government having introduced a new company, Baltic Connector Oy, to oversee its construction, the pipeline is expected to play a key role in remodelling the status quo in the energy market, both politically and economically.Two decades in the making“The story of Balticconnector started almost 20 years ago, when people began to discuss how we might better connect the Baltic region to other countries,” Plit explains. “In 2011–2012 these discussions really got boosted, largely after the European Commission (EC) announced that it was planning to help funding some of the most crucial infrastructure projects in Europe.“As a result, the Balticconnector project, together with the creation of a new major energy terminal, began to become…
Aero Vodochody
As Aero Vodochody prepares for its 100th anniversary celebrations, the Company is commemorating its heritage and prestige via a host of new products and innovative upgrades Writer: Matthew StaffProject Manager: Thomas Arnold2019 will not only see Aero Vodochody enter the third pivotal year of its 2016-incepted decade-long strategic vision, but it will see the Czech manufacturer celebrate its 100th anniversary; a milestone which will be commemorated through a host of product innovations and network expansions.100 years in any sector is worthy of commemoration of course, but to span numerous challenging historical and regional events, and to come out the other side as a market-leading entity is testament to the light jet trainer aircraft producer’s fortitude and business acumen.“One of the most important points which is sometimes not realised, is that Aero is actually the largest European company in the general manufacture of light jet trainer aircraft,” the Company’s President and Chief Executive Officer, Giuseppe Giordo affirms. “Over the years we have manufactured and delivered more than 6,000 aeroplanes and our fleet has accumulated more than 13 million flight hours, to further highlight Aero’s industry significance.“From this point of strength, we are working with more than 40 different operators around the world on all continents, and still have more than 500 aircraft operational across this footprint.”With this in mind, Aero embarked on its 2016 strategic vision from an already widespread and lucrative platform, and it was triggered in part by the privatisation of the Company which occurred seven years earlier in 2007, as Giordo continues.“Historically, Aero was fully…
Coindu Romania
Exemplifying specialised automotive manufacturingWriter: Jonathan DybleProject Manager: Thomas ArnoldOn 1 January 2007, EU-25 became EU-27 as Romania and Bulgaria joined the European Union. With the establishment of key trade partnerships having been a key motivation in its founding, one of the staple benefits of EU membership is the European single market, renowned as the largest single market in the world.Offering the removal of trade barriers between countries, Romanian industry has benefitted greatly from greater transparency, efficiency, and ultimately reduced costs in the 13 years that it has been a member – benefits that have been particularly evident within the country’s manufacturing industry, as Andrei Sardi, CEO of global seat cover specialist Coindu Romania explains.“With Romania becoming a full member of the European Union in 2007, for Coindu and its partners the whole import-export process became dramatically simplified and business started boosting,” he says.In the wake of this, Coindu Romania was clearly able to capitalise on the European market.By 2017, the Company’s turnover reached almost €100 million, up from the €5 million recorded in 2006, whilst employee growth also erupted, rising from 100 in 2005, to 500 in 2010, to more than 2,000 in 2016.Rising to the topFounded in 2004, borne as a division of the Coindu Group headquartered in Portugal, Coindu Romania has markedly come a long way in the 14 years since its inception.Starting out as a regional satellite division of the Group, developing fabric seat covers for the Chyrsler Minivan, Coindu Romania has since surged in status, now serving a significant number of the…
Emirates Glass
The past year has seen Emirates Glass pour considerable resources into its research and development operations. We caught up with Executive President Mr. Rizwanulla Khan to find out more Writer: Tom Wadlow Project Manager: Matthew Cole-Wilkin Demand for glass continues to rise. As the global population continues to grow at a whistle-stop rate, industry is responding in kind by producing more products and building more buildings. This is reflected by the constant growth forecast for the world’s glass manufacturers. By 2023, demand for fabricated flat glass is expected to reach $139 billion, more than double that seen in 2008 before the global financial crisis. Emirates Glass continues to operate as a regional market leader in the Middle East. Celebrating two decades of existence, the Company has become a go-to for architects seeking the highest quality flat glass across both the Gulf and the wider world. In September 2017, Executive President Rizwanulla Khan spoke to EME Outlook at length about the firm’s flagship EmiCool range of solar control, multi-functional Low-E and standard Low-E glass designed to minimise solar heat gain into airconditioned buildings in the Gulf environment. He also outlined ambitions to acquire increasing market share and keep ahead of customer needs and technological advancements. A year on, Emirates Glass is progressing on both fronts. Almost immediately after our conversation last year, the Company secured projects worth $27 million across the UAE, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. Such projects entailed high performance, energy-saving, reflective coated glass products for the Ministries Complex in Kuwait, the first ever greenhouse being…
HELLA AUTOTECHNIK NOVA s.r.o
Lighting up Europe’s Automotive IndustryWriter: Tom WadlowProject Manager: Thomas ArnoldAutomotive lighting is big business. A crucial part of the ever-complex vehicle manufacturer supply chain, the global market for these products is expected to hit $33.7 billion by 2020, growing at a rate of almost seven percent a year.With the likes of LED and Xenon offering alternatives to traditional halogen bulbs, the sector is undergoing a transition which is underpinned by vibrant research and development activity. Factor in a growing population and increase in auto production, and the future certainly looks bright.In Europe, vehicle headlamp and rear lamp producer HELLA AUTOTECHNIK NOVA s.r.o is more than keeping up with the wider industry. It is part of the wider HELLA organisation, a German company which is growing markedly stronger than the continent’s automotive market.In August, HELLA announced sales increases of 9.3 percent for the fiscal year ending May 31 2018 – this equates to €7.1 billion, up from €6.6 billion from the previous period.In the Czech Republic, HELLA AUTOTECHNIK continues to play its part in this story of rapid growth.Petr Novotný has been the Company’s Managing Director around two and a half years. An industry veteran, he explains why he decided to make the move back in 2016.“I have spent all my professional life in the automotive industry, mainly Tier 1,” he says. “My father was part of my inspiration and decisions – he was working in automotive as well, in R&D, including OEMs and motorsport.“I have been a member of HELLA since April 2016. Lighting is a…
Toyoda Gosei Czech Republic
Driven by its people, plants and products, Toyoda Gosei Czech continues to take the automotive manufacturing market by stormWriter: Jonathan Dyble | Project Manager: Thomas ArnoldWith production levels up and investment on the rise, the European automotive industry is set to maintain an upward trajectory for the foreseeable future.A continental climate of increasing urbanisation and industrialisation, combined with a growing emphasis on improving fuel efficiency and developing autonomous technologies, has led analysts to believe that the automotive plastics market will exceed $50 billion by 2024, up from the $22 billion recorded in 2016.As a result, whilst major automotive brands are set to reap the rewards of this prosperity, so too will major suppliers and component manufacturers such as Toyoda Gosei Czech (TGCZ), a key European subsidiary within the Toyoda Gosei Group.Consistent expansionStanding as one of Europe’s leading manufacturers of plastic, polyurethane and rubber car components, TGCZ has worked with a significant number of the world’s most substantial brands. Having only been established in 2001, TGCZ’s swift rise to the top in the European market can largely be attributed to its sound recognition of the importance of continual investment.Such an attitude is reflected in the firm’s gradual facilities expansion, something that has remained consistent in the 17 years since its inception.“Our early success as a safety system supplier in the Czech Republic led to our first plant expansion just one year later in 2002. Thereafter, we began to manufacture a wider range of functional components,” explains Jan Richter, the Company’s Vice President and General Manager of Corporate Services…
Hi Europe & Ni 2018: Food Safety in Focus
Numerous exhibitors will demonstrate the industry’s innovative power in the new Expo FoodTec pavilion. Additionally, with food safety being a key topic, expert presentations will showcase innovations in processing technologies, hygiene, certification and supply chain traceability.The exhibitors, including Atlantia Food Clinical Trials, Innov’ia Manufacturing Services, Glatt Engineering and NSF Health Sciences, will cover a wide range of food processing and packaging issues, such as plant development, contract manufacturing or regulatory affairs and a broad array of new products and services.Expo FoodTec will be a huge draw for ingredient producers, process engineers, R&D managers as well as decision makers with quality management and safety responsibilities. Concentrated knowledgeWith causes ranging from contamination in the process chain to tainted raw materials, the number of food and beverage recalls in Europe has quadrupled since 2008. Producers therefore need to react quickly and be able to reconstruct and assess the entire production process. This also calls for the highest standards of quality management, safety and supply chain traceability.Industry experts will offer concrete solutions that are designed to meet the stringent requirements of both producers and suppliers. Rob Kooijmans, founder of foodrecall.nl, will explain how companies can prevent contamination through optimised quality controls and how it’s possible to detect and resolve issues of this kind.For the first time, IUFoST, the World Food Science and Technology Congress, is organising a conference on process technology and its contribution to a new generation of healthy food in Frankfurt. Among others, Dr Volker Heinz, Managing Director of the German Institute of Food Technology (DIL), will speak on…
Hi Europe: An Inspirational Business Platform for Food Retailers
As part of Hi Europe & Ni, taking place in Frankfurt, Germany (27–29 November), the new Healthy Finished Products Expo provides a novel platform for innovative new end products from all over the world that have already made their way into the retail sector.At the Healthy Finished Products Expo, exhibitors at this year's show will present their high-quality end products – from functional foods made from natural ingredients and whole meals to special medical purposes nutrition, dietary supplements and active nutrition drinks. The new pavilion offers visitors from the retail environment a one-stop-shop on the 22,000 square metre show floor. In addition, a free business matchmaking tool will encourage networking throughout the show, enabling business appointments to be arranged online. A customer lounge and tasting bar will provide the perfect framework for successful meetings.The enormous range of new developments in functional foods and beverages presented at the exhibition makes Hi Europe & Ni an important and inspirational business platform for food retailers, drugstores and pharmacies, as well as distributors. In addition, more than 40 exhibiting companies produce ingredients and/or finished products themselves, including key players such as Glanbia Nutritionals and Stern Vitamins.Healthy food: a growing but undefined category Commenting on the upcoming event, Hi Europe Brand Manager, Julien Bonvallet said: "Consumers associate both healthy food as well as nutritional supplements with a positive effect on their own health. At the same time, they expect more transparency, sustainability and trustworthiness than with normal finished products. Meeting these high standards is a key task for the entire industry.…
The export opportunity in Saudi Arabia
One of my priorities in my role as HM Trade Commissioner is to ensure that British businesses know about the opportunities that exist in the sectors and geographies across my region, and how the Department for International Trade (DIT) can help businesses succeed overseas.Saudi Arabia has been mentioned more frequently in the past weeks and months, which is not surprising, as it has been a big year for bilateral relations between the Kingdoms.Just over a year ago, His Royal Highness Mohammad bin Salman bin Abdulaziz bin Saud was appointed Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia. Billed as a reformer, he has been quick to make his mark on his home country and around the world. In November last year, Prime Minister Theresa May visited Saudi Arabia, and the courtesy was returned with a visit by the Crown Prince to the UK in March.See the latest edition of Asia Outlook magazine hereWhat I want to highlight is how Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 – and the resulting closer ties between our two countries – presents a unique opportunity for UK businesses, underpinned by government support in the form of the newly launched Export Strategy, through DIT International Trade Advisers and through UK Export Finance.Vision 2030Vision 2030 - the Saudi programme of economic reform and modernisation - aims to diversify the economy away from a reliance on oil, while delivering greater inclusivity for Saudi citizens.To achieve this, the Crown Prince has committed to a significant programme of economic diversification which will grow the domestic economy, and which provides opportunity for…
Feature: How AGIS continues to supply a resurgent GCC construction industry
It is well-documented that Gulf Corporation Council (GCC) countries are seeking to diversify their economies to reduce dependence on oil exports.Recent forecasts suggest the region’s GDP is set to grow by 2.4 percent through 2018, and 3.5 percent in 2019, a marked increase from the 0.1 percent recorded in 2017. Although a recovering oil price is the major driver of this, it is not the only factor in the equation. Against this backdrop of an improving economic picture, industries outside of oil and petrochemicals are also picking up. Indeed, a report published by Oxford Economics in February 2018 cited one of the reasons for the GCC’s uptick in growth prospects as a revival in non-oil sector growth.One such sector is steel. Growing at an annual rate of around eight percent, the GCC’s steel industry is supplying an ever-diversifying construction sector that is looking to prefabricated structures as a means of generating sustainable growth. Further, an upsurge in tourism coupled with global events such as the Expo 2020 in Dubai and 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar has led to a demand for quick, economical construction solutions.See the latest edition of EME Outlook magazine here This is highlighted by another report by IMARC, which found that the region’s prefabricated building and structural steel market reached a value of nearly $3 billion in 2017, a figure it forecasts will rise to $4.4 billion by 2023.Carving a nicheA crucial component of building construction and fabrication processes is galvanised steel. Galvanised steel coils possess ideal properties of corrosion resistance, formation and…
The Southern Gas Corridor: Solving Europe’s energy dilemma
The Southern Gas Corridor (SGC) is one of the most substantial oil & gas projects that has ever been seen.Inaugurated by Ilham Aliyev, President of Azerbaijan in the country’s Sangachal terminal at the end of May, construction of the SGC is now officially underway.Set to become one of Europe’s largest pipelines, the Sangachal facility is the first in a line of terminals across the continent that will be extensively supplied with gas from the BP-operated Shah Deniz field in the Caspian Sea – a major gas resource base that is closely associated with the Southern Gas Corridor.Comprised of several separate pipeline projects, the SGC will include an expansion to the existing South Caucasus Pipeline (692 kilometres) alongside the construction of the Trans Anatolian Pipeline (1,841 kilometres) and the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (878 kilometres), spanning a total 3,500 kilometres across seven countries.The corridor will stretch from the Caspian Sea, through Azerbaijan and Georgia, with the Trans Anatolian Pipeline then splitting in western Turkey where one route will lead to Southern Italy via the Trans Adriatic Pipeline, whilst the other will travel up through Eastern Europe, connecting to the Nabucco West Pipeline.With an estimated price tag of more than $40 billion, the entire project is expected to provide 10 billion cubic metres of gas (bcm) to the continent annually, with scope for this to rise to 100 bcm per year in the future.Diversification and SecurityThe SGC will be key for the EU in achieving two of its major long-term goals within the oil & gas market – providing…