Issue 36
K92 Mining
K92 Mining has started to monetise the Kainantu Gold Project and identified major opportunities to expand production Writer: Tom WadlowProject Manager: Donovan SmithMining is a mainstay of Papua New Guinea’s economy. Despite facing challenges in the form of fluctuating commodity prices and challenging natural conditions, the sector continues to contribute around a third of the country’s entire GDP. Indeed, PNG is home to a diverse basket of minerals, including gold, copper, silver, nickel and cobalt, and has been increasingly exploiting these resources since the 1970s. The nation’s mining industry has piqued the interest of many investors, and there is room to expand further via large-scale projects. One such development is the Kainantu Gold Project, situated in the Eastern Highlands province around 180 kilometres northwest of Lae. Operated by K92 Mining since March 2015, it covers a total area of approximately 410 square kilometres and was previously mined by Highlands Pacific and Barrick Gold from 2006 to 2009. While infrastructure surrounding mines has proven to be a challenge of operating in PNG, Kainantu is well supported both in terms of on-site and regional access thanks to underground mine development, a mill processing facility, staff housing, a licensed tailings pond, office space, paved access roads and a reliable hydro supply via a dedicated power line. Going for gold This enabled K92 to begin commercial production in February 2018 through its opening at Kora North. The third quarter of 2018 saw production from the Kora deposit of 9,910 ounces of gold equivalent (AuEq). This was achieved despite having a period of three weeks in July when ore production…
Water PNG and Eda Ranu
Water PNG and Eda Ranu are sustainably safeguarding Papua New Guinea’s water supplies, driven by ambition and succeeding through practicalityWriter: Jonathan DybleProject Manager: Matthew Cole-WilkinEl Niño and La Niña. These are two terms, collectively categorised as ENSO (El Niño-Southern Oscillation), that many of us may not be aware of, but have substantial implications on global weather cycles.In the language of science, these refer to cyclical changes in surface temperatures of oceans that in turn lead to drastic changes in climates, often contributing to natural disasters.One similarly scary effect of ENSO is prolonged droughts, dry spells that often lead to water shortages throughout the Asia Pacific on island nations where resources are already scarce. During the 2015 El Niño, for example, the Philippines declared emergency across 85 percent of its provinces, while Indonesia experienced its worst drought in 18 years.However, with the right structure and preparations in place, such severe climates can be endured and handled effectively – planning that has been implemented in Papua New Guinea (PNG) since December 1986 following the launch of the National Water Supply and Sewerage Act.A key function of this legislation was the establishment of a water board, tasked with coordinating the planning, design, construction and management of national water supply and sewerage services throughout the country. Introduced to this end was Water PNG, later followed by the inception of Eda Ranu to oversee such services in the national capital district.“Water PNG Limited is responsible for managing water supply and sanitation in the urban areas of PNG,” the Organisation states on…
M&H Manufacturing
M&H Manufacturing has been building a legacy in Thailand and the wider region for nearly 60 years, elevating the pharma industry to international standards Writer: Tom Wadlow Project Manager: Callam Waller Before the outset of the Second World War, Dr Khasem Pangsrivongse became the first person from Thailand to attain a Pharmacy postgraduate degree from abroad. Graduating from Philadelphia College of Pharmacy & Science, USA, he brought home his wealth of knowledge and began passing it onto students Chulalongkorn University in 1936, kickstarting a life-long and passionate commitment to the improvement of education in Thai pharmaceutical sciences. “His persevering efforts, together with a group of academics, led to the elevation of Chulalongkorn’s Pharmacy Department to Thailand’s first ever Faculty of Pharmacology, with institutional recognition at the bachelor’s degree level,” explains Suthep Namwongsamran, General Manager of M&H Manufacturing, a company founded by Dr Pangsrivongse in 1959. M&H was formed through a historic joint venture between American firm Merck Sharp & Dohme and local Thai firms, creating one of region’s top manufacturers almost overnight. It was the first such company to be granted promotional privileges from the Thailand Board of Investment, at the same time becoming Merck’s first full-scale pharmaceutical plant in Asia. Today, M&H manufactures a range of pharmaceutical products and sells them into 19 countries around the world, including Malaysia, Myanmar, Cambodia Lao PDR, Singapore, the Philippines, Indonesia and Vietnam. Other Asian countries sold into are Japan, Hong Kong, Kazakhstan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkmenistan, while markets entered outside of this include Belarus, Mexico and South…
UMG Myanmar
Inspired by industry 4.0, Myanmar’s UMG Group faces exciting times ahead as it seeks to remodel its operations in a relentless pursuit of excellence.
DuluxGroup PNG
Having maintained its manufacturing presence through tough times and expanded beyond its traditional paints portfolio, DuluxGroup continues to empower the people of Papua New GuineaWriter: Tom WadlowProject Manager: Vivek Valmiki“Since arriving the experience has been amazing. The role is challenging and yet very interesting with a lot of freedom to bring change and drive improvements. The people are wonderful. They are sponges for knowledge and experiences and have accepted the changes that the management team is driving.”Simon Barstow is a staunch advocate of all that Papua New Guinea has to offer. As General Manager for paints and coatings firm DuluxGroup PNG, he has grown a passion for the country ever since arriving in 2017. “This is one of the most beautiful countries I’ve lived in, all very clean, unspoilt and natural,” he continues. “It’s important to support the community so we are actively reviving the ‘Divers of Lae’ club to add new activities for the broader community and to help drive tourism – the scuba diving in PNG is world class so I’m lucky to be here to experience it.”Barstow’s move to the country has a touch of fate about it. Had it not been for a last-minute trip cancellation while working for Diageo, he would have immersed himself in Papua New Guinea some 25 years earlier. Today, Barstow justifiably paints a positive picture, striking an enviable work-life balance in what is a hidden gem of a nation 150 kilometres north of Australia. However, he is the first to acknowledge that the country’s economy has passed through somewhat troubled waters…
Seapac Philippines
How Seapac has been pushing boundaries in the Filipino building sector since Chairman James Chant set up shop in 1998 Writer: Tom WadlowProject Manager: Tom CullumBusinesses are buoyant in the Philippines. Between 2010 and 2017 the country’s economy sustained an average annual growth of 6.4 percent, markedly up on the 4.5 percent seen in the preceding nine years and placing it among East Asia’s top three performers. From business process outsourcing to finance and insurance, many service industries are thriving thanks to strong consumer demand, a vibrant labour market and robust remittances. Such has been the Philippines’ rapid rate of economic development; the World Bank estimates it will transition from a lower-middle income nation to an upper-middle income country in the medium term. This is also helped by the fact that President Duterte is spearheading a massive nationwide infrastructure investment programme, something which companies such as Seapac Philippines are poised to take advantage of and add value to. “The average age in the Philippines is 23,” comments the Company’s Founder and Chairman James Chant. “This means, statistically, we can sustain a six percent-plus growth for up to 20 years due to the emerging middle-class market.”Construction out of a crisis Seapac Philippines Inc is a specialist in the design, supply and installation of aluminium and glass facades, window walls, doors and windows for both residential and commercial projects. Now situated in the heart of an economy that is thriving, the origins of the Company trace back to a time of far more troubled waters. “I came up to the Philippines in 1992 to do a job…
dwp|design worldwide partnership
dwp|design worldwide partnership continues to face new challenges and produce award-winning work as it seeks to expand into new markets Writer: Tom WadlowProject Manager: Tom CullumSimple, elegant and timeless. If a building’s design ticks these boxes then, as far as dwp|design worldwide partnership (dwp) is concerned, it is a job very much well done. Three straightforward sounding criteria, but at a time when transformation of urban landscapes is unrelenting and technological possibility is seemingly never-ending, standing out from the crowd can be a daunting prospect. Indeed, for dwp these are uncompromising hallmarks of quality design which have been honed and mastered over more than a quarter of a century in the field. “We knew clients would respond to a superior service,” comments Scott Whittaker, dwp Founder and Group Creative Director. “I was working out in the Asian market for an Australian firm in the early 1990s and, after a couple of years, thought we could do this better.“It doesn’t matter where you are in the world – people like great design and great service.”Headquartered in Thailand, dwp currently operates across much of Asia, the Middle East and Whittaker’s homeland of Australia through its cohort of more than 400 employees. In April 2017 the architecture and interior design company completed its merger with Australia’s Suters, a move which has facilitated a growth in business, especially with Asian investors looking to the country for internationally-revered expertise. Whittaker also has his eyes set West. “We recently launched dwp|signature, a move which will take us into London and New York through collaborations with architects, interior designers and artists,”…
ACL
Technology is rapidly changing how audit, risk and compliance is managed, thanks to ACL, a leading enterprise governance SaaS providerProject Manager: Eddie ClintonThe advent of big data and its accompanying technology is radically changing how business activities are being tracked, monitored, and reported – transforming the face of audit and risk management.Beyond shiny new concepts, autonomous vehicles and smart voice assistants, technology powers multiple facets of today’s business world, much of it unseen behind the scenes. The power of data automation and the impact it has on a global scale run a lot deeper than many might realise, helping major private and public organisations to properly audit their activities, and carry out risk mitigation activities. Simply put, organisations which are able to make sense of, and leverage on their data to make better business decisions simply run better.One organisation that has successfully harnessed emerging technology and advanced capabilities to enhance the way businesses operate is ACL, a Vancouver-based enterprise governance SaaS provider that has been helping the world's largest companies and governments quantify risk, stamp out fraud, and optimise performance through best-in-class risk management, compliance and audit software. ACL aims to bring together data automation techniques to create a single transparent source that can allow businesses to better manage their operations with insightful information.Over the years, the ACL platform gives rise to numerous real-life use cases by its clients spanning various industries around the globe, highlighting the crucial role ACL has played in combatting criminal activities. Empowering more than 14,000 organisations globally across 140 countries, ACL…
Siemens Philippines
Spearheading betterment with a proactive approach, Siemens Philippines is galvanising a multitude of industries with its technological expertiseWriter: Jonathan DybleProject Manager: Matt Cole-WilkinTransformation is a word that has become synonymous with industry 4.0.As the implementation of new technologies is increasingly enabling business excellence, from smart factories to IoT to cloud computing, investment into this progressive sphere is becoming a must throughout a number of different industries.According to forecasts from the esteemed International Data Corporation, approximately $1.3 trillion will be spent on digital transformation technologies this year, marking a 16.8 percent increase on the $1.1 trillion spent last year.And while firms the world over actively finance their own digital transformation initiatives, those who are enabling the tech revolution, such as Siemens Philippines, will continue to prosper.“For the last 124 years, Siemens has been a technology partner to the major players in the energy, manufacturing, building technologies, mobility and healthcare sectors in the Philippines,” says Jorel Nuyda, the Company’s President and CEO. “Through our technological competencies in the areas of electrification, automation, and digitalisation, we remain committed to enhancing our customers’ operational efficiencies and profitability, consequently delivering impactful contributions that create lasting value for society.”Transforming industryA fully owned subsidiary of Siemens AG, Siemens Philippines employs almost 400 people across the country with offices in Makati and a power plant in Santa Rita, Batangas.In the eyes of Nuyda, this is one of the Company’s most impressive developments to date, home to the 414 MW San Gabriel Combined Cycle Power Plant.“This is a landmark project that we have built, and now…
Cellcard
Connecting CambodiaIan Watson, CEO of Cellcard, reveals how the Company is facilitating grass roots digitisation across the country Writer: Jonathan Dyble | Project Manager: Donovan SmithWith the global race on for 5G, it’s refreshing to see a country like Cambodia fully embracing the potential of the fourth industrial revolution as the Kingdom continues to undergo rapid development and transformation.While other operators in more mature markets are looking at using 5G to deliver smart homes and cities, Cellcard is taking an alternative approach, collaborating with the Cambodian government to ensure LTE advancements deliver a much greater humanitarian impact, readying the technology for use in enhancing healthcare, education and jobs growth, amongst other things. In getting to this point, Cellcard in the past 18 months has re-engineered its business – a project that Ian Watson, the Company’s CEO, was quick to touch on in our latest discussions, having spoken to Asia Outlook one year earlier. “Basically, we’ve transformed the business in the last year,” says the Chief Executive. “Since we last spoke we’ve rolled out one of the fastest data networks in Southeast Asia, where we went from 300 to 3,000 data sites.” Reflected by this broad expansion, a significant proportion of Cellcard’s motivations centre around enabling digitisation throughout one of the region’s most underdeveloped nations. Watson himself expresses a desire to not only continue to grow the business and bolster the local economy, but take this a step further and implement new technologies for the benefit of everyone. “As the only 100 percent owned Cambodian operator, we are strongly committed to our brand…
Water PNG and Eda Ranu
Water PNG and Eda Ranu are sustainably safeguarding Papua New Guinea’s water supplies, driven by ambition and succeeding through practicalityWriter: Jonathan DybleProject Manager: Matthew Cole-WilkinEl Niño and La Niña. These are two terms, collectively categorised as ENSO (El Niño-Southern Oscillation), that many of us may not be aware of, but have substantial implications on global weather cycles.In the language of science, these refer to cyclical changes in surface temperatures of oceans that in turn lead to drastic changes in climates, often contributing to natural disasters.One similarly scary effect of ENSO is prolonged droughts, dry spells that often lead to water shortages throughout the Asia Pacific on island nations where resources are already scarce. During the 2015 El Niño, for example, the Philippines declared emergency across 85 percent of its provinces, while Indonesia experienced its worst drought in 18 years.However, with the right structure and preparations in place, such severe climates can be endured and handled effectively – planning that has been implemented in Papua New Guinea (PNG) since December 1986 following the launch of the National Water Supply and Sewerage Act.A key function of this legislation was the establishment of a water board, tasked with coordinating the planning, design, construction and management of national water supply and sewerage services throughout the country. Introduced to this end was Water PNG, later followed by the inception of Eda Ranu to oversee such services in the national capital district.“Water PNG Limited is responsible for managing water supply and sanitation in the urban areas of PNG,” the Organisation states on…
Seapac Philippines
How Seapac has been pushing boundaries in the Filipino building sector since Chairman James Chant set up shop in 1998 Writer: Tom WadlowProject Manager: Tom CullumBusinesses are buoyant in the Philippines. Between 2010 and 2017 the country’s economy sustained an average annual growth of 6.4 percent, markedly up on the 4.5 percent seen in the preceding nine years and placing it among East Asia’s top three performers. From business process outsourcing to finance and insurance, many service industries are thriving thanks to strong consumer demand, a vibrant labour market and robust remittances. Such has been the Philippines’ rapid rate of economic development; the World Bank estimates it will transition from a lower-middle income nation to an upper-middle income country in the medium term. This is also helped by the fact that President Duterte is spearheading a massive nationwide infrastructure investment programme, something which companies such as Seapac Philippines are poised to take advantage of and add value to. “The average age in the Philippines is 23,” comments the Company’s Founder and Chairman James Chant. “This means, statistically, we can sustain a six percent-plus growth for up to 20 years due to the emerging middle-class market.”Construction out of a crisis Seapac Philippines Inc is a specialist in the design, supply and installation of aluminium and glass facades, window walls, doors and windows for both residential and commercial projects. Now situated in the heart of an economy that is thriving, the origins of the Company trace back to a time of far more troubled waters. “I came up to the Philippines in 1992 to do a job…
Siemens Philippines
Spearheading betterment with a proactive approach, Siemens Philippines is galvanising a multitude of industries with its technological expertiseWriter: Jonathan DybleProject Manager: Matt Cole-WilkinTransformation is a word that has become synonymous with industry 4.0.As the implementation of new technologies is increasingly enabling business excellence, from smart factories to IoT to cloud computing, investment into this progressive sphere is becoming a must throughout a number of different industries.According to forecasts from the esteemed International Data Corporation, approximately $1.3 trillion will be spent on digital transformation technologies this year, marking a 16.8 percent increase on the $1.1 trillion spent last year.And while firms the world over actively finance their own digital transformation initiatives, those who are enabling the tech revolution, such as Siemens Philippines, will continue to prosper.“For the last 124 years, Siemens has been a technology partner to the major players in the energy, manufacturing, building technologies, mobility and healthcare sectors in the Philippines,” says Jorel Nuyda, the Company’s President and CEO. “Through our technological competencies in the areas of electrification, automation, and digitalisation, we remain committed to enhancing our customers’ operational efficiencies and profitability, consequently delivering impactful contributions that create lasting value for society.”Transforming industryA fully owned subsidiary of Siemens AG, Siemens Philippines employs almost 400 people across the country with offices in Makati and a power plant in Santa Rita, Batangas.In the eyes of Nuyda, this is one of the Company’s most impressive developments to date, home to the 414 MW San Gabriel Combined Cycle Power Plant.“This is a landmark project that we have built, and now…
How Veolia Water Technologies is safeguarding Asia’s most precious resource
Asia is heading towards a colossal shortage of water.Currently home to 4.5 billion people who already use two thirds of the world’s supply, the region has less freshwater per capita than any continent on earth.Around 30 percent of Asia’s population are already facing water scarcity, and a recent study by the IIASA Water Program identifies rapid socioeconomic development as a major contributing factor to a situation that is expected to intensify in coming decades. However, with consumer demand soaring and an increasing need for innovative ways to reuse and preserve water, the industry is both lively and lucrative.“Many countries and cities in the region are increasingly becoming highly populated, and some of these territories’ economies are growing rapidly,” explains Mark Elliott, Commercial Director for Veolia Water Technologies, Asia Municipal.“In many places, government agencies are in the early stages of developing infrastructure – e.g. drainage systems and wastewater treatment plants – to improve sanitation and water supply systems to meet demands. This translates to huge market potential in these territories.“The shortage of freshwater resources for drinking water is indeed another factor, affected by capacity limitations or quality issues such as saline intrusion. This is driving interest in reuse schemes.”Water veteransElliott and Veolia are industry stalwarts. Established in Asia for more than 35 years, Veolia Water Technologies provides unique water, wastewater, and reclaim solutions, from process design to complete turnkey installation and operation services for municipal and industrial customers.The firm is bolstered by 350 proprietary technologies which can be customised and applied to client needs across numerous industries, including…
Shell on the Lubrication Revolution
We speak to Felix Guerzoni, Product Application Specialist at Shell, about development opportunities provided by the Shanghai Technology Centre.