An Industry Stalwart: Colin West – Manager: Welding and Cutting Gases at Air Products
Colin West, a highly respected welding and gas industry stalwart, expert and long-serving employee of Air Products South Africa, has sadly passed away after a long illness bravely borne.
Colin, who has been described by colleagues as the best welding product specialist that the company has ever had, certainly left his mark on the industry. His passing will also leave a gap for many Air Products customers who grew accustomed to receiving his sound advice and support, based on many years of his experience.
Colin joined Air Products in October 1990 and, armed with a number of international welding certificates, dedicated his career to the development of his specialist knowledge of the different gas compositions and their effect on the welding operation. His metallurgical knowledge, combined with his extensive practical welding experience, placed Colin in a unique position to provide expert and complete solutions to any customer query or problem.
Heavily involved in the training of both sales engineers and distributors, he took pride in imparting his knowledge to anyone who was interested in learning. Colin was passionate about young South Africans having the opportunity to further their careers; and was a strong and vocal supporter of the SAIW and the SAIW Young Welder of the Year Competition.
Equally competent on the workshop floor as in the boardroom, Colin was always both professional and friendly in his dealings with colleagues and customers. Not shy about putting forward his ideas, which at times were innovative and ‘pushed the envelope’, he always kept in mind his customers’ needs and finding the best possible solution for them. He showed a deep understanding and commitment to his customers, who in turn found his advice practical and trustworthy.
Colin, who was well-known in the industry, will be remembered for his direct yet friendly approach. Not one to suffer fools gladly, he shared his expertise in a way that made people sit up and take note.
When he was not solving welding issues, Colin was passionate about golf, talked ‘constantly’ about his sons, and enjoyed winning arguments with colleagues over fish and chips and a beer.
After Colin’s retirement in 1998, he returned to Air Products on a contract basis as Manager of Welding and Cutting Gases, a role he ably and expertly filled until his passing in April 2011. Colin’s passion, friendship and professional contribution will be sorely missed by all who were fortunate enough to know him.
Published on May 23, 2011 in Air Products News |
A New Look At Corporate Strategy and the Role of Industry Associations
Central to our corporate strategy at Air Products is a very simple philosophy: take the time to understand the market. This refers to both the wider economic context as well as individual market segments. Keeping one’s eyes and ears open and finely tuned to the environment can determine not only a company’s success, but also its very survival.
Gone are the days when a company’s corporate strategy was formulated by CEOs behind closed doors (of a boardroom) where strategic decisions were ‘cast in stone’. That kind of insular, even complacent thinking has become very dangerous in today’s business world. In the past couple of years, many companies have learnt the hard way how important it is to read the market correctly.
Of course, we have learnt that much of what can happen in the broader economic world is unforeseeable; however, while we cannot always accurately predict the future of a certain market, we can at least anticipate changes and be flexible enough to grow and adapt to change when it happens.
All Things To All People
Strategy has not always included a flexible, responsive approach. The gas industry as a whole has to an extent been guilty of rigid thinking in the past. Gas is, and always has been, one of those basic commodities – used in every conceivable industry. We supplied according to demand, and, because of the ubiquitous nature of gas, soon became all things to all people. Gas is an age-old industry, historically dominated in the past by a ‘dinosaur’ approach – slow to change and in a strategic comfort zone.
Some years ago, it became evident to us at Air Products that we needed to refresh our thinking. We realised that the industry had changed, that there were new market segments, and other segments were moving in new directions, that smaller independents started emerging and knocking on the door, and that there were new industry drivers. Suddenly business cycles were much shorter – three years at the most. It was necessary to start examining the way we did things, with a focus not so much on what we had been doing right, but what we had been doing wrong. It became clear that we needed to sharpen our focus: to target markets more precisely, to focus on optimising our business through a new look at different supply modes, gas sources and applications. Thus, we formulated a five year strategy, which is now in it’s third year – and already we are seeing the fruits of this change in approach.
Back to Basics with the ‘Strategy Roadmap’
As part of our ‘rethink’ we went back to basics and revisited the question of what is strategy, and how important the concept of strategic intent is in an industry such as ours.
While strategy is often linked to a corporate vision and mission, it is at the same time simpler and more complicated than that. Strategy is, in simple terms, a company’s roadmap for its journey. As such, it provides a company with direction and focus, both of which are key to any journey, business or otherwise. It answers two of the most essential questions of all: “What do we want?” and “Why do we want it?”
Strategy versus Operations and Tactics
The simplicity of those questions brings a laser focus on the bigger picture; and forms a cohesive vision of a company’s very reason for being. Many South African companies are very strong on the operational side of things, and less so on strategic intent. In fact, they often confuse operation and tactics, with strategy. It is easy to get bogged down with detail and a constant analysis of the ‘here and now’.
The ‘chess game’ of Strategy
It is always useful to illustrate the concept of strategy with the analogy of a game of chess. Here, strategy becomes more than a roadmap or goal. It takes on both a defensive and an offensive position; you consider your next move in relation to your opponent’s position – always keeping your eyes open and anticipating a change of scenario. There is a constant tension between attack and defence, between reacting and striking: strategy in this instance is no longer a simple question, and it is not just about waiting to see what happens. It becomes a dynamic force, filled with intent.
The game of chess also illustrates the difference between strategy and tactics, and how they necessarily go hand-in-hand. While strategy is the ‘battle plan’, tactics refer to individual moves, the ‘operation’ of a business. This is the detailed, more finely tuned side of the business that people tend to get lost in.
End Goal – Keeping it in Mind
South African companies are good at reacting and thus at tactical intent. But we do not always understand the overarching question: “Why?” Without that understanding, we are effectively wasting our time. The key is to never lose sight of the end goal in the wider context. By doing so, a company will keep its focus on its core competencies which in turn will lead to a strong sense of direction and focus in its people.
A Supply Chain Company
Air Products’ core competency has, historically, been our On-site business – servicing the larger user through investing in huge ASU’s (air separation units). This formed the base load of our business, a platform for the development of other modes of supply, such as pipeline gas or smaller liquefiers. Other gas companies grew in different directions, but overlapping was inevitable. With the ASU market having finite capacity, and requiring major capital investment which could only be seen in long cycle terms, Air Products has had to re-examine other segments, as well as other modes of supply. Producing gas has always been our primary function, but our new strategy has forced us to focus on optimising the way we supply and service the end market; and thus we no longer see ourselves as a gas company. We are a supply chain company.
The main drivers of the gas industry have also changed over the years: the use of energy is the single biggest cost for Air Products nowadays, which has significantly impacted on our strategy. For example, it has forced us to reconsider other, and in some cases, older technologies, which have become increasingly (and perhaps unexpectedly) viable, such as cryogenic freezing. Cryogenics represents a much more flexible technology which is less dependent on electric power, and which would considerably reduce a company’s carbon footprint.
Industry Associations – Adding Value to Strategy
Testing different market segments and keeping up to date with technology requires market intelligence, and industry associations, such as SASSDA, can add tremendous value, and indeed feed a company’s strategy. As a forum for an industry’s stakeholders, customers and suppliers, industry associations play a valuable networking role, creating opportunities for gathering nuggets of market information. Participating in such forums enriches one’s understanding of an industry outside of one’s core competency. It gives one a much better sense of what the future may hold, and helps to keep one’s eye on the ‘bigger picture’.
In addition, an industry association which takes a proactive stance, such as SASSDA, can impact on a company’s bottom line from the point of view of helping to identity and generate business opportunities. As such, SASSDA has acted as a business development tool for Air Products, giving us direction in terms of our strategic intent within a particular industry. By helping us test a market, it provides an invaluable industry benchmark on which to base our strategy.
Industry Watchdog
SASSDA, in particular, has taken on an industry watchdog role, championing the ‘local content’ cause, which has a ripple effect on associated industries, including gas. The stance that SASSDA takes on education, training and upliftment, also sets it apart from other industry associations: it is a position which cultivates not only the stainless steel industry, but industry at large.
A valuable aspect of industry associations is that, as a forum for the various role-players in a specific industry, they encourage commonality and not diversion or disagreement. By focusing on common aims, they promote industry standards, consistency and professionalism. In this way, associations such as SASSDA are driven by the industry at large – with all stakeholders working towards a common, mutually beneficial understanding.
Constantly Revisiting Strategy
While a company can, and must, have a five to ten year vision, it needs to constantly revisit its’ strategy so that it is in tune with the wider business context, both local and international, fed through the conduit of industry associations. This strategy should be flexible, measurable, and designed to adapt to today’s shorter and at times volatile demands and business cycles.
Published on May 19, 2011 in Air Products News |