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jobs smooth and seamless. Examples here are the strategic relationship with the third party logistics provider, service dispatch tool, or new service vehicles, that allow each Ser- vice Engineer to carry tools and supplies on every call, con- sistently. On a global scale we are investing in new service concepts, such as remote monitoring and maintenance, which is now available.

WHAT DO YOU COUNT AS THE TOP THREE CHALLENGES TO CONDUCT-

ING BUSINESS EFFICIENTLY AND PROFITABLY IN TODAY’S MARITIME

MARKET?

The top challenge by far is to have the best people, in particu- lar those on the front. Despite relatively high unemployment and a shaky economy, there appears to be always a shortage of people with the right mix of education/training and experi- ence. The second is to maintain an organization that remains focused on the customer. The third is innovation. I believe the marine industry is fairly conservative, but there is signifi cant room to differentiate ourselves through innovative concepts, that are not yet wide spread. Examples are an approach that focuses more on the ships’ life cycle, “green” (and by that I mean concepts that save real money), remote monitoring, and preventative maintenance concepts.

WHO IS URS RATHGEB?

Urs Rathgeb, general manager of Radio Holland USA, has a degree in economics from University St. Gallen, Switzer- land. He started out as a Financial Analyst, and eventually as- sumed the role of CFO at Sulzer Pumps, a manufacturer of engineered centrifugal pumps, focusing on oil & gas, hydro- carbon processing and power plant applications, in Portland,

OR. After a period as the head of Sulzer’s Holding company in the US, he assumed the role of Integration Manager and then General Manager after acquisition of a manufacturing plant by Sulzer Pumps in the Houston, TX area in the spring of 2005. In 2009, he joined Radio Holland USA, where in the summer of 2010, he was promoted to General Manager, re- sponsible for its activities in the US and Canada, after initially joining as Chief Financial Offi cer.

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