2016 is coming to an end, so it is time to look back at the past year. ELA Container Offshore draws a very positive balance for the year.
"I am very excited with what our team has accomplished in 2016. In addition to the realization of many small and large offshore projects as well as participating in numerous international exhibitions, we were also able to hire new employees that will be a support to our team," sums up ELA Container Offshore managing director Hans Gatzemeier.
Internationalization
The internationalization of the company was further promoted in 2016. Hence, US subsidiary the ELA Container Offshore USA Corp. was founded in order to expand and strengthen its presence in the North American market. Headquartered in Houston, customer retention should be intensified and the expansion of the company’s success consistently pursued.
"We are looking forward to the challenge and are most confident that our ELA Offshore Container solutions will be well received by our customers in the North American market. With our world-renowned ‘Made in Germany’ reputation, we can impress buyers and users in North America," says ELA Container Offshore USA business development manager Daniel Melcher.
International trade fair presence
A further focus of the company in 2016 was to participate and exhibit at major trade fairs and exhibitions.
"This year, we were able to visit many international trade fairs and exhibit at leading trade fairs worldwide. We took our containers with us on site throughout Europe and the US, including Houston, Stavanger, Hamburg and Amsterdam," says ELA Container Offshore marketing manager Katharina Pleus.
"Also, 2017 will be very exciting since we will be exhibiting our Offshore Accommodation Containers at global exhibitions in Houston, Aberdeen and London. Hence, we are increasing our visibility and name recognition beyond national borders as well as intensifying our international customer loyalty."
Realization of numerous projects
In 2015 in numerous projects, ELA Container Offshore was able to successfully position their products and gain plenty of valuable experience in the fields of offshore wind, offshore oil and gas, supplying equipment for supply vessels, as well as cable laying and dredging. Besides Germany, ELA Offshore Containers were delivered as a turnkey solution, assembled and installed on site in Africa, Kazakhstan, the US, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, the UK, Mexico, Norway, Denmark and the Netherlands.
"We are particularly pleased to be working with many international companies that have become so-called ‘continuous purchasers’, the reason being that they appreciate our very fast service, immediate availability and the especially high quality of our offshore containers," says Gatzemeier.
Also the production and delivery of custom-made offshore containers increased in 2016.
"In order to satisfy special needs of our clients we can build containers according to customers’ specification and requirements," says ELA Container Offshore custom-made containers sales Melissa Ermes.
Research and development
Despite excellent project experiences and a high level of customer satisfaction, further advancement and new developments is a main target. Therefore, in 2015, ELA Container Offshore was heavily engaged with new and continuously changing customer requirements as well as the necessary certifications.
"Further innovations are very important in order to provide customers with added value over and over again," says Gatzemeier.
"Many customers appreciate a turnkey solution to keep a project clearly arranged and processed in-house easier as well as faster. Just call us and we will take care of all matters related to container delivery, installation, service and commissioning. Next to the already well-known container solutions, we are also able to provide diesel generators, fresh water treatment systems and waste water processing plants to quickly built a self-sufficient working unit."
Certifications are also an important factor in the offshore sector, according to Gatzemeier. All ELA offshore units are manufactured in Germany according to German quality standards and possess the DNV 2.7-1 / EN 12079 and CSC certificates.
"Meanwhile, in addition to the necessary DNV 2.7-1 certification, many customers require containers that also have the DNV 2.7-2 certification. Therefore, we have been busy with this certification process and are happy that our accommodation containers have now received this important certification," says Gatzemeier.
Also special customers’ requirements do not pose a problem at all: for a special project 24 pieces living quarters with 10m length and 3m width were build according to customer’s specification within only two months and turnkey assembled on an offshore platform by ELA.
"All in all, we are more than satisfied with the past year and are already looking forward to what 2017 has in store for us," adds Gatzemeier.