FEATURE
Future-proofing – Frans Caljé says PD Ports is driving momentum and taking opportunities for the good of the Tees Valley .
At PD Ports , we ’ ll do what we can to support , influence and drive the upcoming revolution , to help Teesside rise once again . influence of social media and the sweeping changes brought by digitalisation , automation and AI .
People , too , are changing . The requirement to have a job for life is no more . People prioritise the work-life balance in a way that was unheard of even five years ago . They prioritise working for a company that supports and meets their personal objectives around green issues and diversity and inclusion .
There is no end to the changes that impact every part of life , socially and economically . We need to be proactive in managing them .
And that ’ s not something , as a business , we ’ ve always been very good at . We ’ re quite a traditional organisation , we ’ re very reactive .
But we ’ re changing that . We ’ re having a complete rethink in the way we work and behave .
We recognise the expectations from the community that we are a part of – whether that ’ s the great colleagues we employ , the great customers we have , the people who live and work in the wider Tees Valley who are impacted by the decisions and investments we make , whether they know it or not .
And that ’ s really difficult . Changes are happening a lot faster than the organisation can make the adaptations it needs to .
A big area of change for us is tackling our part of the green agenda – we ’ ve set ourselves a very big task in aiming to be carbon neutral across our Tees-based landside operations by 2027 .
To be successful , every investment decision we take must comply with the 2027 deadline .
We are putting the money where our mouth is – the Emerald Duchess , a £ 23m dredging vessel , will arrive on the Tees next year . It is one of the biggest investments we ’ ve made in the last 10 years and a unique development in the industry .
The vessel will run on a mix of hydrotreated vegetable oil ( HVO ) and a battery pack , lowering its carbon emissions , while also being future-proofed to allow new fuel cells that run on ethanol and methanol – which will make it carbon neutral in its operations – ready to be dropped in once the technology is sufficiently advanced .
We are also running a multi-million pound programme to invest in new electric powered cranes , while also converting older models for operations at Teesport .
Investment in our people remains a priority also , with the aim of creating a stronger cohort and helping them to progress their careers through a programme of learning and development .
We have a new immersive simulator , a £ 500,000 investment from the US , which allows crane operators to hone their skills in a controlled environment and practice for any eventuality .
My hope is that , once we ’ ve had chance to embed this amazing asset in our own business , we can become a centre of excellence in the operation of port handling equipment , opening up the simulator to colleagues from other port operators in the region , benefitting the wider industry .
It ’ s just one example of the continuous investment PD Ports makes in the business , the industry and its people and in the development of new skills and learning potential .
PD Ports has been a part of the Tees for more than 170 years and we are here to stay .
There ’ s no shortage of ambition as we look forward to a very exciting but challenging future – one that ’ s changing as fast as we can adapt to it .
We are not just sitting waiting for things to happen , we are driving the momentum and taking opportunities , both for our own business and for the good of the Tees Valley .
The voice of business in the Tees region | 141