Sustainability report 2019

63

Boskalis’ proactive approach to supplier relationships has driven some productive collaborations that have a direct beneficial impact on the operations of Boskalis, our suppliers, and beyond to those who are involved further down the supply chain. Boskalis has been working with De Ruiter Staalkabel since the early 1960s. Today, De Ruiter Staalkabel’s product offer focuses on steel wire ropes and hoisting and lifting products and associated services. The relationship has driven De Ruiter Staalkabel to strive for ever higher social and environmental standards. Boskalis challenged De Ruiter Staalkabel to extend the life of steel wire rope products, which are exposed to corrosive salt water conditions as part of any seawater operations. De Ruiter Staalkabel applied nanotechnology to mitigate the corrosion, and conducted testing on several of Boskalis’ vessels. This innovation extended the life of the steel wire rope by 50% and De Ruiter Staalkabel is now able to offer this product to other clients. As a result of Boskalis’ pro-active approach to sustainability, De Ruiter Staalkabel was motivated to think more holistically about its product range. The company initiated developments in products, including a new lubrication retention system for steel wire rope used on subsea operations to reduce pollution of the ocean. They also reviewed the packaging and presentation of products to Boskalis. Through this collaboration, De Ruiter Staalkabel has significantly reduced the amount of hard plastic used. De Ruiter Staalkabel reports that the experience of the Boskalis supplier scan has contributed to the development of a greater awareness among the team of the potential environmental and human impact of the company’s products, from receipt of the raw materials to dispatch to customers. This extends to an awareness of the importance of the performance of their products to the personal safety of the individual employees of their own and client companies. Subsequent health and safety initiatives have reduced employee sickness levels from 6% to 1%. As a result of changes made, order completion rates have increased to over 99%, despite an increase in orders of 60%. It is evident that the collaborative supplier relationship between De Ruiter Staalkabel and Boskalis is driving both companies to achieve more.

SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2019 – BOSKALIS