Could you provide a brief overview of ANSA Technologies’ direction and growth since its re-branding in 2005, and how important it is to the ANSA McAL Group as a whole?

ANSA Technologies is a subsidiary of ANSA McAL Group, which is one of the largest conglomerates in Trinidad and Tobago. ANSA Technologies was formed after the ANSA McAL Group purchased H.J. Gransaull and Company Limited and Hardware and Oilfield Equipment Company Limited in 2005, and merged them to create a single entity. Since then, ANSA Technologies has shifted its focus to the industrial sector and the industries at Point Lisas. The company represents a number of brands and has recently entered the market of safety equipment. Although its growth was slow in the past few years due to depressed oil prices and market conditions, 2011 and 2012 saw an upturn and 2013 looks set for further improvements. ANSA Technologies contributes approximately 10% of the turnover for the media and services sector, with 60% of this coming from the oil and gas sector.

Which of the services that ANSA Technologies offers in the oil and gas industry generates the most business?

While ANSA Technologies’ main business contributor is electrical engineering construction, it currently does not operate within the oil and gas industry due to a lull in plant and infrastructure construction. To combat this lull, ANSA Technologies has transferred its electrical construction capabilities from oil and gas to a focus on utilities. It plans to carry out some projects for WASA, which has a huge budget to invest in the next couple of years, and is also bidding for T and Tec (Trinidad and Tobago Electricity Commission) sub-station projects.

What are ANSA Technologies’ competitive advantages, and have customers become more demanding for services? Does ANSA Technologies provide services to complement the brands that it distributes?

ANSA Technologies’ strength is the client relationship it has built up over the years, and it is currently engaged in a series of customer relation presentations detailing its future plans. Its restructuring initiative has been well received by clients, and its new structure will offer technology solutions relationship with its main supplier Inversys. In some areas, it provides services, such as automation through its well-equipped valve repair shop, and it tracks the quality of its service by having ongoing questionnaire feedback from its customers. However, one of the challenges it faces is the supply of materials from China. Some multinationals will not entertain fittings and materials from the Far East, so ANSA Technologies carries dual inventory and sources materials from Europe and the USA. With continuous monitoring, however, the quality of materials from China has improved.

What customer trends have you seen in the market for quality and safety requirements?

From a safety standpoint, most customers will only entertain companies that are STOW certified, and ANSA Technologies has just been recertified for two years. The Energy Chamber of Trinidad and Tobago has the Energy Industry Competency Development Initiative (EICDI), which is an industry-wide program that aims to raise the overall competency of the energy sector workforce. ANSA Technologies is actively participating in the EICDI, which proves competency in the workplace and can be used when changing companies.

Where have you seen the most demand for change from your customers within your service offering?

The industry’s mood for change is cyclical, and currently, safety is a major concern, so ANSA Technologies is moving into safety products to keep pace with the trend. Furthermore, the supply of pipes and fittings has become very competitive, so ANSA Technologies is engaging with mills to secure competitive prices in readiness for the anticipated growth of drilling for oil in the area over the next three to five years.