Business View Oceania | December 2019

119 120 BUSINESS VIEW OCEANIA DECEMBER 2019 BUSINESS VIEW OCEANIA DECEMBER 2019 INNOVAT I VE P I PEL INE CROSS INGS , INC . operating procedures, such as their confined space entry and rescue program. Hennig acknowledges, “As we grow as a company and take on more people, we also have to grow in the field of training and education in this technology. And a strong safety environment is just one component in defining our company culture. We try to have a culture of involvement, of giving our staff an opportunity to raise their opinions and be involved in developing what we’re doing. It’s not up to me, as the CEO, to tell everybody how to do their jobs. These people have worked with the equipment on a daily basis and they must have a chance to say how things should be done to make it more efficient, safe, and to improve how they work.” Direct Pipe, in particular, is mostly an oil and gas application. There are presently two pipeline owners in North America actively building pipelines in the diameter range suitable for this application, and the technology is still somewhat new to them. Which means that repeat work for IPC has been slow to kick in. “We’re now looking into sufficient back-to-back project opportunities with those pipeline owners to allow us to synchronise our activities and be more efficient for our own benefit but also for the client,” says Hennig. “The more work opportunities you have, the more you can have people working with the equipment on those projects, and the more skilled and professional they become. Our goal as a company is to continue to put Canadians into work.” But as IPC expands their capability, they are also looking more into the opportunities for work in infrastructure development. “There is a lot of potential in terms of the expansion in infrastructure requirements happening in Canadian municipalities. We want to be a part of building the underground infrastructure needed for people to maintain their quality of life – and be proud to be part of Canadian city development.” A key element to the company’s success is the quality equipment manufactured by Herrenknecht. IPC considers them a valuable partner with whom they have a great mutual relationship. In addition, PREFERRED VENDOR n Frontier Petroleum www.frontierpetroleum.ca Operating across Canada, Frontier Petroleum is an experienced, fully insured and TSSA-licensed company, specializing in petroleum construction, environmental services and terminal remediation services. Frontier Petroleum was founded in 2006 and works predominantly in the Oil & Energy sector supporting fuel terminals and pipeline activities across Canada. Its head office is in Ottawa, Ontario with full-service shops in Ottawa and Toronto and crews spread across Canada. Frontier Rescue, a division of Frontier Petroleum, provides confined space rescue services across Canada. It specializes in on-site attendant and rescue services, risk and hazard assessment, monitoring, ventilation, control and training. The company has crews of highly trained confined space rescue specialists supporting all sectors. The companies’ clients include TransCanada, Shell Canada, Suncor Energy, Esso, the International Airport Authority and Ultramar. vendors, such as Frontier Petroleum, and local subcontractors, are vital to IPC. Hennig gives them full credit: “We couldn’t do it without them, it’s all teamwork. We grew the business significantly over the past three years from seven figure revenue into high eight figure revenue for this year, and we’re looking positively into the future. This new ownership with the Bothar Group has helped us to drive the business forward, with their available resources being added to our capacity.” Speaking to future goals, Hennig reports, “We are a young company, still, in the scheme of things. And we’re growing; looking for eager and ambitious people to join our company that can meet our culture and our requirements. It is a very demanding niche industry we’re working in, so you need to have thick skin. We’re a dynamic, 24/7 business, it’s not an 8 to 5 job. We are passionate about what we do in this industry, in this company, and in this Group of companies with Bothar. We are very much aligned in understanding that we do whatever it takes to keep the client happy. We take away our lessons learned and look to improve constantly.”