United Heavy Lift Gears up for the Asian Boom

 

Set to expand its footprint in the South Asian market, Hamburg-based United Heavy Lift (UHL) appointed strategically placed Lexicon Overseas Pvt Ltd. as its General Agents in India, to help ramp up operations from Mumbai. With two vessels calling at Mumbai port each month the company has plans to increase the number gradually and add other Indian ports to their schedule.

Lars Rolner, Managing Director of UHL who is in Mumbai since last week along with some of the heads of the company’s various divisions said, “India today is whole different country from what I saw in 1985. The industry is set to grow and so the infrastructure in the ports. I find there are large projects just on the doorstep of India, especially the whole Middle East region. If you look at the downstream - Oman, Saudi, Kuwait, and Qatar – there are markets coming up there and investing a lot. Then of course you have country like Iran, as the embargo is lifted it will be active again. So you also have Africa developing. And among all these, I see India in the middle of the development with manufacturers of Heavy equipment here having grown tremendously over the years and India having become high-tech now. That is why we want to establish ourselves in this market.”

At a one-to-one meeting Rolner explained his company’s strategy.  He learnt that a lot of development was taking place in India, in particular the important infrastructural arena. He pointed out that extensive development in ports, the highways, etc., were taking shape to provide connectivity. Massive bridges like the Trans Harbor Link, various metros in major cities, etc. are set to take off the drawing board. He confirmed that his company is focused on various core areas including, ports and infrastructures where it hopes to handle cranes and port equipment. They are looking at power generation, oil and gas, and renewable besides floating cargoes like top boats, barges, etc. all of which are factored in the Indian government’s policy on development.

“I see India becoming a hub of activity for manufacture of heavy cargo in due course,” stated Rolner. “We want to be here in India when the boom takes place and ensure we get a share of the growing pie. We already have 12 vessels and our fleet is set for a major expansion. Our vessels have been coming to India. With Lexicon Overseas now looking at our operations here, we have made a beginning under this partnership with a new ship calling at Mumbai for loading for Houston, USA this week.

“We are going to be in India in a bigger way with two ships regularly making calls here every month and each ship having lifting capacity of 800 tons. Our ships carry a mixture of cargo partly break bulk and partly heavy lift. We have an advantage here in India because our vessels are designed to cater to the middle and lower segment of the market where there is good potential to establish ourselves.  At the moment we have 12 vessels and the number will grow to 18 to 20 ships by the end of the year. We are also into chartering heavy lift vessels. “

On the global front United Heavy Lift has moved onto a higher growth trajectory. Besides, their Head office in Hamburg which was established in April this year, they set up an office in Seoul Korea and the present one now in Mumbai. By next month they will have opened an office each in Shanghai and Dubai and later on in Houston.

Rolner confirms that he is also set to take advantage of the growth taking place in Bangladesh and other surrounding countries. However, he does not see much happening in Sri Lanka and Pakistan. He states, “Here in India we have Mr. Ashok Vaid who is very experienced expert. We look up to him to look after our all India interests.”

Rolner spent a few days in Mumbai last week along with some of the heads of the company’s various divisions. They held discussions with clients, officials and well wishers in order to deepen their relationship and create awareness of the company’s forte, the salient features and advantages they offer to logistic players specializing in heavy lift and project cargo operations and inform them how best these can be optimally utilize their services.