Page 57: of Maritime Logistics Professional Magazine (Q3 2011)

turned it on and it didn?t work, deciding which aspect of the installation didn?t work was problematic.? With this in mind, W&O acquired a firm that could provide complete system integration. ?We make sure it is working for the customer, with one person or entity responsible for it. That was the major change that put us on a different path. Complete system integration on the ships was key.? Turner sums up the W&O journey neatly by saying, ?I?m very proud of what we accomplished, especially at atime when a lot of companies struggledor downsized. PON came along at the right time and gave us the capital we needed to realize our dreams. It was a $110 million company when I left in 2007 and this year, it is going to do $160-to-$170 million in sales.? It hasn?t all been wine and roses. W&O?s revenue was expected to increase nearly 50 percent to about$250 million by 2012. Asked about whether that goal was still realistic, Turner replied, ?That projection ? to be fair ? was made before the downturn. But, I think you?ll see internal growth and acquisitions pick up with the econ-omy. I wouldn?t rule out $250 million before 2012, just yet.? The smaller footprint of W&O?s marine sales (10 percent of total rev- enues) under the larger shadow of its Pon parent should not, says Turner, make anyone think that the marine business is not an important part of the overall business plan. ?We want to con- tinue to expand our position in the engine room. On the W&O side, we?re the number one player in the industry inthe states. To enhance that position, we?ll look for acquisitions and try to attract new talent. We like the business and we intend to stay in it, grow and expand to other parts of the world.? He adds, ?Since the marine industry else-where is growing faster than in the states, especially in the newbuild ship- yards, it is a smart place for us to go.? THE PON PICTUREAs a Member of the Executive Board, David Turner is responsible for Pon-Cat business, PMH, Continuous Improvement, and Sustainability. He rarely has time to sit down and enjoy the view from his corner office. Spanning a dozen countries andemploying 11,000 employees, Pon is one of the largest family-run businesses in the Netherlands. And Pon, like everyone else, took a hit during the downturn. Turner adds, ?We survived fairly well and probably better than most. Representing strong brands ?Volkswagen and Caterpillar, for exam- ple ? our strategy is to represent pre- mier brands in whatever industry we are in. The second part of that was that our business model includes a service and parts business. During a downturn, people don?t buy as much new equip- ment as they otherwise might, but they do buy parts to repair existing equip- ment. Partly because of that, we are in a great position for future growth and acquisitions.? Turner describes a business model for ?I?m very proud of what we accomplished, espe- cially at a time when alot of companies strug- gled or downsized. PON came along at the righttime and gave us the capital we needed to realize our dreams. It was a $110 millioncompany when I left in2007 and this year, it is going to do $160-to-$170 million in sales.? www.maritimeprofessional.com Maritime Professional 57 MP #3 (50-64):MP Layouts 8/17/2011 4:45 PM Page 57