Could you give us some context about Mammoet in the US and Mexico?

Mammoet USA is headquartered in Rosharon, Texas, with annual revenues of $200-250 million. We are one of the five major regions within Mammoet. Our main business is in gas and oil, which accounts for two-thirds of our sales, both in refineries and offshore production. In addition, we do many power generation projects. Turnarounds are our specialty, and we have cranes and equipment to support plants during maintenance operations. We have 450 employees in the US. In Mexico, we have an office in Monterrey, where we established 15 years ago. We are working extensively in the marine area of Tampico, and we are also very active in power plants, moving turbines and generators. Globally, Mammoet has 5,000 employees.

What opportunities do you see for Mammoet in Mexico?

The Energy Reform has just begun, and there is a boom in the country. Mammoet is going to open an office in Tampico with cranes and trailers to serve the local market. We believe we can bring very good technology to help the industry continue to advance. Customers like ICA Fluor, Dragados Offshore, and McDermott demand the highest standards, and we can give them. So far, we have not done any work for Pemex directly. By 2017, I would like to see our operation in Tampico grow to have between 50 and 100 people.

There is going to be a shortage of labor and construction plants in the Gulf. The current trend is modular construction, which can be done anywhere in the world, and then the different modules can be transported. However, shipping costs and size restrictions in the Panama Canal make many companies focus on their construction needs in Mexico. We expect to see a lot of modularization in Mexico. It is only five days by boat from the US. The quality is high, and it is close to Houston, so it is easy to monitor the process. I believe offshore and modular construction will be our main businesses in the short term in Mexico.

What are your main competitive advantages?

Competition in Mexico is the international competition we have everywhere. Safety is Mammoet’s number one priority. We have the best safety records in the industry, and that’s how it should be. Our people do fieldwork all the time and have safety meetings constantly. Sometimes we operate in countries that do not put as much emphasis on safety as we do.