RADIO HOLLAND SOUTH AFRICA AWARDED 2017 MARITIME TECHNOLOGY INNOVATOR OF THE YEAR

29 May 2017 by Radio Holland

The annual Sea Transport Awards pay homage to companies whose extraordinary work has created a storm within the industry, with their outstanding accomplishments providing vital services in the transportation of goods by sea.

Regional Director of Services for South Africa, Bron Sykstus discusses how Radio Holland South Africa strives for excellence within the maritime navigation and communication industry; earning the firm their prestigious Maritime Technology Innovator of the Year Award.

Established in 1963, Radio Holland South Africa has since grown to encompass dedicated service depots in Namibia, Gabon, Ghana, Nigeria, Angola and Congo which connect customers to a vast network of offices and support locations along some of the most important shipping routes in the world. Bron outlines the firm’s dedication to innovation and creating unique solutions to meet the needs of its clients.

“Here at Radio Holland South Africa, our focus is delivering innovative technologies and unique technical service expertise that helps our customers run smarter, more profitable businesses. We serve the defence; shipyards; shipping; scientific and research; offshore oil and gas; mining; commercial fishing; and the leisure marine markets as well as the land based satellite communications sector.

“The cornerstone of our operation is truly global, 24/7 support for the complete lifecycle of our clients’ equipment. We have factory certified service engineers, surveyors approved by most international classification societies, fully equipped workshops and comprehensive spare parts facilities throughout Sub-Saharan Africa and beyond, as well as over 80 global service locations. We are constantly evolving and expanding our technologies, service network and support staff to exceed the industry’s needs.”

Radio Holland is a global company operating in all major ports. Within Africa, the firm’s offices have been strategically located at key, growing maritime and shipping hubs. Remaining at the forefront of the latest industry developments is vital to the firm’s survival, and as such Bron is eager to emphasise Radio Holland South Africa’s dedication to staying ahead of emerging developments around the world and across the market.

“In our field, it is of utmost importance to remain updated with regards to developments - particularly amendments to IMO/SOLAS regulations - as these changes affect our clients’ operations. Our sales and service teams, as well as our customers are educated and well informed to ensure that the most cost-effective solutions are offered and that our clients do not experience any downtime as a result.

“In addition, we work hard to remain compliant with all relevant regulation and legislation, and as such employ and adhere to extensive Quality Health and Safety procedures; and to ensure that our standards are maintained, our staff – particularly service engineers who are working in the field - are well informed and attend regular safety courses. We are accredited to full ISO9001, ISO14001 & ISO18001 for Quality, Health and Safety and Environmental standards, as well as most major class societies, namely DNV, BV, ABS, GL, LR, Rina, NKK and the Chinese Registry.”

Looking ahead, Bron outlines the areas for growth that the firm has identified and how it intends to support these sectors by expanding its service offering. “Within the maritime and shipping industry we have identified some major future developments in terms of smart shipping and ports. Information Communication Technologies (ICT) are playing an increasingly important role in the maritime industry, as well as ships remote monitoring. In order to support this development, over the past year we have expanded our solutions portfolio in a proactive bid to accommodate these developments. We have introduced innovative asset tracking, as well as turnkey satellite and radio communications solutions. We have also established remote monitoring capabilities, which will allow us to stay updated on our client’s vessels from global monitoring rooms on a 24/7 basis to prevent failures and proactively manage maintenance.

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“Alongside growing this side of our business, Radio Holland South Africa is currently expanding and developing future support locations in Africa. We are also exploring new markets with additional product portfolios in terms of Orbcomm asset/vehicle tracking, as well as mission-critical communications solutions in partnership with Motorola Solutions. Additionally, 2017 will include key developments within our Dynamic Positioning Failure Modes Effects Analysis (DP FMEA) survey and service solutions. All of these developments will help us to ensure that we remain at the forefront of industry innovation and are able to provide our clients with the support and services they need. With over 100 years of serving the maritime industry globally and 50 years in Africa, we are confident that, together with our clients and staff, Radio Holland South Africa will continue strengthen our position within the industry.” 

Source: www.radioholland.co.za