Vanguard Magazine

As the shipbuilding strAtegy in CAnAdA Continues to move forwArd, we Are ConstAntly tAlking with CAnAdiAn smes pArtiCipAting in the downstreAm teChnologiCAl AdvAnCes being leverAged And brought to CAnAdA. for this month's issue, we spoke with A few business leAders innovAting in the shipbuilding seCtor. tECh wAtCh 36 OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2019 www.vanguardcanada.com By mEGhA khiRwAL CEO, Gabadi President & General Manager, Rousseau Metal President, Integral Management Solutions Antonio Jose LLAgo HermidA CHArLes- ALexAndre PAre Vito Longo Q How did you get started in this business? Hermida: We started in 1989 in Ferrol, a village in the North of Spain. We were born after a crisis when the shipbuilding industry restructuring took place in the 1980s in Spain. It was a time during which shipyards went from manufacturing every part to becoming synthesis shipyards. Pare: Our experience with national de- fence goes back many years. We were in- volved in implementing drawer storage systems in the very first frigates. On the first contracts, Rousseau Metal's cabinets stood out for being the most robust, while also the lightest. Longo: Our company started in consult- ing for the defence and aerospace sectors in the operational excellence area. We then expanded into offering engineering and manufacturing services to the point of becoming vertically integrated. Jansen: Before immigrating from the Netherlands, I was an OR technician and ran a construction company with my hus- band at that time. When I met my new partner Wayne McKay in Canada, who had a restaurant consultancy service and had experience in galley design, we de- cided to work together and to take that branch out of his consultancy services and start Smart Galley designs as a separate business. Pakomaki: Before Almaco, I had over a decade of procurement experience in leadership positions at several large and well-known companies, including ABB and Rolls Royce. I started with Almaco in 2015 to take up the opportunity to return to sea and work with a leading marine sys- tems supplier. Q What do you think you have learned from the commercial businesses that you can bring over to your offering in the defence/naval sector? Hermida: Within the offshore sector we have developed systems for modular out- fitting, which enable industrial manufac- turing options to be used and integrated afterward at the local shipyard. Within the military sector, these are less used but can be applied to modular wet units or modu- lar cabins in big vessels. Longo: The commercial sector has al- ways been focused on quality, schedule, and cost. These aspects have been in- grained in our Modus Operandi and IMS has brought this mindset in working with our customers to help make their projects more affordable, meet tight deadlines and always maintain the level of quality re- quired by the defence industry. Jansen: It's about people and safety first. Budget is second. The end-user defines the success of the project. Q Where do you see the future of your industry going? Hermida: The future is in containerized living quarter systems, which allows us to integrate containers to be transported by any container carrier in the world while providing a full outfitting and accommo- dation system inside with a capacity for more than 200 people. Longo: The defence industry will always be in a growth phase that requires suppli- ers who are flexible and adaptive to meet the fast pace of change.

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