Issue 7
Ferrobeton ZRT
Ferrobeton, a pioneer of high quality and innovative prefabrication solutions, has weathered the financial crisis and emerged in 2015 with a new aptitude for construction and infrastructure projectsWriter: Emily JarvisProject Manager: Joe Palliser As a key player in the prefabrication and reinforced concrete industry in Hungary, Ferrobeton Zrt remains one of the largest companies nationwide in this field, reporting annualised sales of €80 million. With its wide product range and market presence 64 years in the making, the Company has the available capacity and considerable expertise to meet individual concrete needs on time and on budget; proving itself “worthy of the trust of our future partners”.Usually taking on the role of subcontractor focusing on the body construction - from the foundation through to the final reinforced concrete construction – Ferrobeton enjoys an excellent reputation for its quality of work. “Our work is our marketing,” said the Company’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Zoltán Vass. “You will hardly find any projects with prefabricated concrete elements where we are not involved. We participate in more than 90 percent of projects in Hungary.“From planning structures and products through the production and delivery stages to the execution of complete structural construction works, we provide a total solution that is tailored to the needs of the market,” highlighted the CEO.Since inception in 1951, Ferrobeton has been considered a pioneer of the development of prefabrication, placing a concerted focus on its continuous improvement strategy at its four facilities in Hungary to achieve better product quality and modernise its facilities through the use of new…
HTC Wolffkran
The continent’s construction industry has sat up and taken notice as two of the market’s key crane operators combine to tower above the UK’s capitalWriter: Matthew StaffProject Manager: Joe Palliser For 40 years, the UK’s HTC Plant Ltd and Germany’s WOLFFKRAN have partnered in Europe, and the two global construction heavyweights are now one following an acquisition by the latter which will see the Company edge closer to its goal of being one of the most significant crane manufacturers in the world.Completed in May, 2015, WOLFFKRAN acquired the UK tower crane rental business, and has subsequently inherited a wealth of expertise, experience and resources to ensure that it does reach goals every bit as lofty as the projects its cranes have helped to build over the years.With an annual turnover of more than £40 million, a fleet of more than 200 WOLFF tower cranes, a workforce of 370 crane experts and 50 years of market experience, HTC perfectly complements the global growth strategy of the German premium tower crane manufacturer.The longstanding partnership between the two made the deal even more appealing, while it has also made the transition almost entirely seamless, with no plans to make any changes to HTC’s previous business operations; those which were equally prominent in gaining significant market share in the UK’s construction domain.The hope for the now rebranded HTC WOLFFKRAN business is that UK customers will benefit most from the strategic fit and long-term investment, as they witness more and more of the notorious, red WOLFF tower cranes grace the London skyline.A…
FoundOcean
The world’s largest subsea grouting company has diversified into structural grouting for offshore renewables in recognition of the changing nature of the UK’s energy demandsWriter: Emily JarvisProject Manager: Eddie Clinton Since experiencing considerable growth in 2010 due to its entry into the renewable energy market and expansion into emerging oil & gas regions, FoundOcean has been at the forefront of industry change and development.Boasting more than 50 years of experience in subsea grouting for the oil & gas and offshore wind sectors, FoundOcean is proud to hold high status as the world’s largest dedicated offshore construction grouting company. Now working on some of the world’s most renowned offshore rigs, the Company is proud to have sustained a comprehensive health and safety management policy that has significantly aided with Zero Harm goals.“Our primary area of expertise lies in securing structures to the seabed by foundation grouting, whether a single oil & gas platform or multiple installations for offshore wind turbines, and we also support the industry through consulting on many foundation designs for tidal, wave and offshore wind projects,” explained FoundOcean.Furthermore, as part of the wider FoundOcean Group – a specialist in vibro-hammers, power units and auxiliary products – FoundOcean is able to leverage on the Group’s Dutch skill base, internal trainings and research facilities in order to continuously improve its operations. In line with this, the Company has allocated an Innovation Director who has the sole responsibility of overseeing the ongoing development of FoundOcean’s equipment.The Company confirmed: “Martin Hardy, Innovations Director, has been behind many of the key technological…
Opus Offshore
Opus Offshore is complementing its strengths as a young, dynamic industry player with an international acquisition that puts the business in a prime position within the cyclic oil & gas sector Writer: Matthew StaffProject Manager: Arron Rampling As a relatively new player in the global oil & gas industry, the pressure is on Opus Offshore to prove itself to the major market players in the sector, and has taken significant steps to achieving just that through a pivotal European acquisition.Marketing isn’t always a simple task as a new player in the oil & gas industry, with most major oil companies looking for partners who have been active for at least three years, with a proven track record.One way to counteract this challenge is to form joint ventures with existing market players; something which Opus has consequently optimised via a new partnership with Norwegian company, Songa Offshore.The resultant Songa Opus Offshore Drilling venture is an amalgamation of Opus and Songa’s international division, in a move which is set to open a whole new set of doors for the former.“We purchased Songa International, giving us two older semi submersibles called the Songa Mercur and the Songa Venus, having heard of them through their work in Southeast Asia,” the Company’s Vice President of Operations, Peter Burnett explains. “This gives us the Songa name attached to Opus, as well as a track record of seven years and a fantastic safety record and operational performance.“When we market ourselves now, we can fall back on their track record, and complement that with the great assets and…
European SMEs Miss Out on Exporting Benefits
The majority of SMEs across key European markets are missing out on the benefits of exporting according to the new European SME Export Report, conducted by Harris Interactive and commissioned by FedEx Express; the world’s largest express transportation company and a subsidiary of FedEx Corp.Findings show that more than six out of 10 SMEs are currently not exporting despite more than three-quarters recognising the potential of international markets and customers, and also reveals that the potential revenue lost by non-exporting SMEs who are missing out amounts to an additional €647,000, on average, in annual sales.The report takes a timely look at current export behaviour and attitudes among the region’s small and medium-sized businesses, which are widely acknowledged as having a major role to play in driving growth, opening new markets and job creation.It highlights clear differences between the individual markets researched, with exporting behaviour ranging from more commonplace in Spain, where almost half of SMEs are internationally active, to 41 percent in Italy, with French and German SMEs reporting markedly lower levels at 32 percent and 31 percent respectively.Those SMEs that are exporting to other markets tend to do so on a ‘local’ level with only a quarter exporting outside of Europe. Spain leads the way with a third of SMEs taking advantage of US and LatAm markets in particular, compared with just a fifth of German SMEs who are more focused on near-neighbours in Europe including Austria, Switzerland and France.Exporting SMEs appear to be reaping significant financial benefits from being internationally active, with fast-growing SMEs (52 percent)…
North American and European Businesses Waste At Least £855m per Year on Connectivity
iPass Inc, the world’s largest commercial Wi-Fi network, has released the Business Traveller Connectivity Cost Index by Rethink Technology Research, revealing that international business travellers from North America and Europe are overspending by at least £855 million on connectivity charges when travelling each year.In 2014, business travellers from North America and Europe made 78 million international business trips, according to travel researchers, IPK International.The direct and indirect costs of keeping these business travellers online through cellular roaming, pay-on-demand Wi-Fi and free Wi-Fi would have been at least £1.42 billion for all of these trips. In contrast, providing business travellers with access to an unlimited global Wi-Fi network would realise savings of at least £855 million.“Failing to have a practical and convenient policy for mobile connectivity can be a costly mistake for businesses," says Gary Griffiths, iPass president and CEO. "The amount of mobile data consumed by business is growing rapidly, as more employees adopt the use of cloud-based mobile applications of all kinds and look to replicate enterprise working environments on their smart-phones, tablets, and laptops. “Although there are millions of free and pay-on-demand Wi-Fi hotspots, connecting to them often poses multiple annoyances; from having to enter personal and credit card information repeatedly, to the threat of exposing sensitive business and personal information on unsecured networks. “Providing unlimited access to iPass' global mobile network of wireless hotspots solves this problem.”Of the £855 million being wasted, £275 million stems from business trips within Europe, a further £243 million comes from Europeans travelling outside of Europe, and £337 million from North Americans travelling internationally. The cost of connectivity…
Venrex Hosts New Fundraiser on Seedrs
Seedrs, the largest crowdfunding platform in Europe to focus solely on equity investments, has announced that venture capital firm Venrex has chosen to host its new £1 million fundraising on Seedrs.The aim of the Venrex VII fund is to open up equity investment in early-stage businesses to more investors, effectively democratising the traditional venture capital business by making it possible for more investors to take part in the potential success of startups raising VC investment.Venrex is a London-based, FCA-regulated, venture capital firm with a strong 12 year track record of early-stage investments in fast-growing businesses including; Just-Eat, Notonthehighstreet.com, Orlebar Brown, Lyst, Charlotte Tilbury, Chilango, Dressipi, Thread, Loveknitting, Opus Energy and Skimlinks. Led by Tom Fleming, of the well-known Fleming investment family, Venrex takes a highly targeted approach to early-stage venture investing, focusing only on opportunities that the team believe can deliver a minimum 10 times return because of their expertise, market niche and passion.Jeff Lynn, CEO and Co-Founder of Seedrs, explained: “One of the biggest benefits of crowdfunding is that it opens up investment opportunities to a much broader audience than just ultra high net worth or institutional investors, breaking down traditional barriers within the venture capital industry. Tom and his team have a fantastic reputation in the marketplace for spotting the potential winners amongst early-stage startups and we are pleased to partner with Venrex on this new opportunity to enable crowd investors to access its next portfolio of highly curated companies.”This raise represents the next stage in Seedrs’ strategy to be the “crowdfunder to the professionals”…
Small Animal Imaging an Important Tool in Medical Research
The use of small animal models in basic and preclinical research is now an integral part of developing and testing new pharmaceutical drugs prior to commercialisation. Small animal imaging is an efficient and cost-effective research platform for the timely validation and commercialisation of novel drug agents. Moreover, it is a highly essential technology to understand underlying mechanisms of conditions such as cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular, immunological and neurodegenerative diseases.New analysis from Frost & Sullivan entitled ‘Breakthroughs in Small Animal Imaging’, explores the importance of medical imaging as a tool in research applications focused towards drug discovery/development and the understanding of basic pathological physiology, wherein changes at the cellular or molecular level in animal models are closely monitored over time.Miniaturised versions of clinical diagnostic modalities such as optical imaging and micro ultrasound have greatly improved researchers’ ability to longitudinally study various experimental models of human disease through animal models. These modalities essentially increase efficacy and decrease the number of animals used in clinical research studies.“For researchers, the unique advantage of in vivo small animal imaging is its ability to non-invasively screen, analyse and monitor animal models before, during and after experimental intervention or drug administration, and thereby produce quantitative measurements of study outcomes,” noted Technical Insights Industry Analyst Darshana De.“Importantly, small animal imaging allows more data to be collected from a single clinical imaging study.” Many modalities are available for small animal imaging for different clinical applications. Since animal imaging enables image outputs from different modalities to be combined in a single study or even in a single…
Barco Shares its Visualisation Solutions with India
The Radisson Blu Resort Goa Cavelossim Beach traded its holiday atmosphere for one of hi-tech visualisation and industry-leading projection. Over the course of a two-day event, Barco offered its local business partners a series of workshops and hands-on product demos.“Staying abreast in a fast-evolving industry is not always easy,” says Mandar Gupte, Barco E&C Sales Director. “Hence we took this opportunity to give our business partners a comprehensive overview of recent trends and new product launches.”With the help of several key partners, Barco’s high end systems turned the venue into a blank canvas onto which several of its newest solutions could shine. An impressive lighting set-up immersed the conference room in a fitting ambience.Participants were greeted with an advanced 3D projection mapping display featuring Barco's PJWU-101B - the brightest single-chip DLP projector on the market. The content for this projection mapping was developed by Montie Paul (W Productions). Another eye-catcher was the HDX-W18 FLEX 3-chip DLP projector that was used to relay all presentations to the venue's main screen.Showcasing at the eventFollowing the opening address by Lutz Nerhoff, Managing Director at Barco India, the afternoon was filled with presentations on the various Barco product ranges. Participants got comprehensive introductions to several of Barco's industry-leading solutions, including its corporate projectors, collaboration tools and venues and hospitality portfolio. Day one was concluded with a lively panel discussion on the key challenges the entertainment and corporate visualisation industries currently face.T2 Technology Consulting particularly enjoyed how the E&C event offered a global overview. Kelvin Ashby-King, T2 Technology Consulting commented: “Getting to know the…
Golder Associates Appoints New Managing Director
Golder Associates, the global consulting and engineering firm, has announced Dr Elisabeth Culbard as its new Managing Director in the UK and Ireland. On 10 August, Dr Culbard will leave the engineering and construction company, Bechtel, where she held the role of Head of Sustainability for its global infrastructure business for 12 years and was also a Vice President for the Company.Dr Culbard has more than 30 years of experience as an environmental scientist, with specialisms ranging from urban regeneration to civil infrastructure financing and assessment. She is a technical expert in the fields of sustainability, environmental and social impact assessments, project planning, and project management. She has also played a vital role in demonstrating the commercial value of sustainability throughout engineering projects. Most recently, she co-authored a report for the US Council for International Business on infrastructure’s role in delivering the UN’s post-2015 millennium goals on sustainable development.During her career, Dr Culbard has worked on numerous major projects, including the Nabucco pipeline in Eastern Europe and Turkey. Furthermore, she worked for the International Finance Corporation at a time when the IFC's environmental and social performance standards were beginning to gain ground.Jean-François Bolduc, President of Golder in Europe, commented on her appointment: “Dr Culbard has been an influential figure at Bechtel over the past decade and her robust experience will allow Golder in the UK and Ireland to grow to new heights. Her appointment is aligned with our intent of further embedding technical excellence and high quality standards in our professional service delivery.”Golder in the UK and Ireland works…
Pirelli Announced as a Leading Force in Sustainability
A recent study based on the DVFA’s (Deutscher Verband der Finanzanalysten) published standard ‘KPIs for ESG 3.0’, has awarded Pirelli 99.60 points (out of a maximum of 100) in the Environmental Sustainability category, 99.0 in the Social category and 97.80 in the Corporate Sustainability category. The results of the study show that no other company in the same sector as Pirelli obtained comparable top values.The analysis involved approximately 100 ESG indicators, covering the fields of the environment, social responsibility and governance (ESG).Conducted by Sustainalytics, the study is designed to assess the sustainability of a company's activities and determine key indicators via a variety of sources such as corporate communications, corporate websites, media reports, information from NGOs, government agencies and direct dialogue with the business itself.In the area of the environment companies were examined in terms of their ecological footprint, such as whether environmental factors are integrated in the development of products and services, and whether their procurement is sustainable.Social issues related to the company's relationship with its customers, suppliers, employees and society in general, and the philanthropic and social activities of the business were also considered; in addition to compliance with the company’s own strategies, business ethics and communication transparency when it came to corporate governance.The Frankfurt Stock Exchange regularly publishes sustainability indicators to provide investors with the opportunity not only to support responsible company management, but complement and support growth in these markets.
Manufacturing Innovation Pays Off Within One Week
A leading UK-based pressworker has invested more than £250,000 into a new Special Products Division (SPD) that will improve its ‘one-off’ prototyping and low volume manufacturing capabilities.Brandauer opened the new facility last week and wasted no time in securing £70,000 of contracts from clients in the automotive, medical and renewables sectors.For the first time in its 153-year history, the firm is able to accommodate customer requirements spanning from one-off to 20,000 metal components in materials ranging from aluminium and brass to copper and nickel alloys.The SPD reduces time to market pressures by providing fast turnaround and the longer-term possibility to move from prototype through to medium and high volume production.Mark Fenney, Special Products Division Manager explains: “This is an important step forward in our development and gives us a low volume capability that we would normally have to sub-contact, or worse still, decline to quote.”He continues: “We try to get involved in the process at the conceptual stage and identify where we can add value and design for scalable manufacture. Now we have the natural opportunity to do just that, and even work with customers on a small batch product introduction before moving on to larger numbers.”The Special Product Division is the result of a six-month project that involved the introduction of a new material handling approach to create narrower aisles in the warehouse and logistics departments.This provided the additional space required to develop the dedicated cell and installation of more than £200,000 of new machinery, including multiple low tonnage presses, hydraulic presses, a sheet metal…
Smart Thermostats to Take off in the Next Five Years
The European smart thermostats market is set to boom, driven by the 2020 targets on climate change and mandatory energy efficiency certification for buildings. The enforcement of minimum standards for high energy consuming products such as boilers as well as heating, ventilating and air conditioning systems (HVAC) too is fuelling opportunities for smart thermostats. The United Kingdom, Germany and the Netherlands will account for a lion's share of the market in Europe, while France will be the fastest growing.New analysis from Frost & Sullivan, Analysis of the European Smart Thermostats Market, (https://www.frost.com/mb01), finds that the market earned revenues of $152.5 million in 2014 and estimates this to rocket up to $2,570.6 million in 2019.“Rapidly increasing awareness among customers on the user-friendliness and comfort of smart thermostats is spurring demand in Europe,” commented Frost & Sullivan’s Energy and Environmental Research Analyst, Dhivya Sundara Manohar. “Moreover, the market is at an advantage since it is not significantly limited by government regulations.”Although smart thermostats offer energy cost savings in the long run, high initial prices curb adoption in the medium-end and low-end customer segments. The variation in HVAC systems across European countries is another challenge hindering uptake. Smart thermostat manufacturers are forced to customise products based on individual country specifications, complicating matters for the retrofit market.As competition intensifies, suppliers must deploy effective pricing strategies to stave off rivals. Consistent innovation will further help manufacturers make headway across countries and customer strata.“In this technology-oriented market, frequent upgrades to sensors, connectivity, and interface are essential. Manufacturers must also react quickly to the need for bulk volumes by expanding production capacity,” noted Dhivya.Most importantly, vendors need to…
Benoit Gruber: Top Tips for Cross-Continent Business
By Benoit Gruber, Vice President of Corporate Communications, Sage Enterprise Market & Sage X3If you’re looking to conduct cross-continent business, know that you can, but the task is not easy. Managing one location has its own challenges like keeping up with all of your departments including human resources, sales, marketing and the like. Now, think about doing that, but all over the world where there are different time zones, cultures and expectations. Those of you that already run a multi-location enterprise know how difficult this can be. Again, it might not be simple, but with the right frame of mind and the best practices in place, you’ll be able to grow and strengthen your cross-continental presence and allow your business to truly thrive. The following are some tips that will enable you to conduct your global business successfully.Create relationships and ask for helpWhether you have an established global business or are looking to expand to new markets, you don’t have the advantage of being everywhere at once to meet and connect with your teams and customers. You’ll have to work hard to maintain your relationships, so you should be setting up regular calls to access the tone and satisfaction of those employees at the location. You can even go the extra mile by making sure you’re present for important events at different global offices or utilise video calls for a more in-person feel. You should also be leveraging your connections in the various continents you’re looking to grow in. If you’re looking to expand in a…
Improving Efficiency and Cost-Effectiveness of Wind Power
Lightweight materials are seeing greater adoption in wind turbine manufacturing as evidenced by patent trends. High-strength materials including glass fibre and carbon fibre reinforced plastics (GFRP/CFRP) are expected to replace conventional resins and composites due to their durable and lightweight properties. Most material developers for wind energy have already deployed these products to cater to the rising global demand and the need for increased efficiency.New analysis from Frost & Sullivan, Impact Assessment of Materials in Wind Energy Generation, finds that about 9,500 tonnes of composite materials are used annually for manufacturing wind blades. Between now and 2020, the materials segment will grow at a rate of 17 percent annually. The study looks mainly at materials for rotor blades and nacelles but includes foundation and tower applications.“Traditional rotor blades tend to be shorter and therefore produce power in the range of two to three megawatts (MW), whereas the industry requirement is in the range of five MW or more per unit to match the demand from end users and to improve the efficiency and profitability of the system,” noted Technical Insights Senior Industry Analyst, Aarthi Janakiraman.“Coupled with the recent emphasis on shifting to renewable sources of energy and its simultaneous adoption in emerging markets such as China and India, this need will keep the R&D of new materials and fabrication techniques for wind blade manufacturing strong.”The market is looking for materials that have high fatigue resistance and the ability to withstand harsh environments, especially in the rotor blades segment. CFRP is already being adopted as the reinforcement…