Integrating success

Integrating success

3W Networks built its solid reputation from its base in Dubai, UAE as a trusted telecommunications, safety and security systems integrator and turnkey provider; today it has operations throughout the Middle East, as well as Australia, Korea and Egypt. The company, which has been entrusted with securing, integrating and equipping billions of dollars’ worth of facilities, boasted a backlog of $70 million at the end of 2014. . It has achieved revenues on this scale through fostering strong, long term partnerships across its territories, through quality project and product delivery and a unique customer-focused ethos. 

Operations

3W provides an expansive variety of solutions to clients from a range of sectors; its system integration capabilities extend from telecoms to transport, and from power and water to oil and gas. It has the capacity to offer its clients anything from dense wavelength division multiplexing, IP/MPLS and radio communications, as well as security and safety solutions for difficult and harsh terrain environments. It is currently investing $500,000 on expanding its facilities to enable the expected growth in capacity for the future.

The company’s remit extends far beyond technology solutions; it has the expertise to deliver industry specific services to its clients which range from factory and site acceptance testing, to installation, project management, and engineering. CEO Walid Gamali is proud of its critical position in the Middle East, he said: “There are few companies in the world and very few in the Middle East that can do integration for a pipeline or an offshore platform, and 3W Networks is one of them.”

3W was commissioned to provide a catalogue of services to the Abu Dhabi Crude Oil Pipeline. The pipeline is designed to transport 1.5 million barrels of crude oil per day (70 percent of Dubai’s oil exports) across 390 kilometres; needless to say that security provisions not only need to be effective, but also constructed to the highest health and safety standards in order to prevent any potential damage to the pipeline and its employees.

Gamali highlighted that his company often battled against the clock to deliver its vitally needed solutions, he said: “After a project like this has been constructed, it can’t go online unless our part of the work has been completed; we always have to step up to the challenge of meeting these demands on time.”

3W Networks provided key telecommunications installations for the pipeline project which included design and engineering, procurement, systems integration and factory acceptance testing, in addition to installation, commissioning, training and warranties. Furthermore, the company was also responsible for providing crucial security solutions for the pipeline which, with the pipeline costing in excess of $2.2 billion, was no mean feat. Its security remit for the project included SDH transmission, CCTV, UHF radio, public address, access control, as well as structured cabling all energized by solar power.

 

Gamali also added that, combined with its unique customer focus, 3W had a two pronged strategy for staying ahead: “We do a lot of detailed front end engineering and design as soon as the order is completed: time is always of the essence. We even do a significant amount of research during the bidding stage.”  

The competitive edge

Being headquartered at the Dubai Silicon Oasis allows the company to stay close to the pulse of the country’s technology and communications industry, and enables it to maintain complete control and ownership of its operations, in exemption from customary UAE laws. The zone is also exempt from both corporate tax and customs duty, which provides the company with much additional capital.

Gamali asserted that much of 3W Networks’ success was down to the fact that it retains a close working relationship with its customers and partners and also how this enabled 3W to act as a hub, simplifying numerous webs of associations.

Sabu Matthew, Sales and Marketing director at 3W, added: “Our technology partnerships are mutually beneficial because the manufacturers are typically from the US and Europe and therefore have little or no interaction with the end user, here we act as both a representative to the end user, and also provide feedback to the manufacturer, so it’s a two way street. ”

Talent Management

3W recognises that people are at the heart of any modern, high performance network and this is why the company strives to attract, develop, and incentivise talent whenever it comes across it. Working in such a technology-intensive industry, an employee must be prepared to embrace change and adapt to new ideas and technology. The management team therefore demands an extra effort from its employees; Gamali said 3W workers need to be: “Capable of working on equipment beyond their initial experience and be able to use a multi-skilled approach.”

Employees putting in the extra mile do not go unnoticed; the company awards performance-rated bonuses to its best and brightest. Furthermore, in addition to providing employee gratuities and healthcare, 3W makes sure to regularly recognise its top talent through a companywide Employee of the Month award.

Social Mission

3W takes its social responsibility just as seriously as the profitable sections of the business. Gamali said: “We set up the 3W foundation so all of our efforts could be consolidated into one institution. We have partnered with a group called ‘Mawaheb from Beautiful people’ which encourages disabled artists.” Perhaps the most touching sentiment of this association was the fact that this artwork was incorporated into the company’s marketing material. This caught the attention of the UAE government, who awarded them with the Dubai Chamber of Commerce CSR Award in 2011.

Gamali commented: Building on its award-winning practices, 3W is leading the way in operating an environmentally friendly office environment, taking steps to ensure that the correct recycling procedures are strictly adhered to. He said: “Our philosophy is to continually enhance our activities, reducing any potentially negative environmental impacts.”

Through a truly holistic strategy grounded on its dual dedication to both its partners and customers, 3W Networks has shown that pleasing everybody is not only within reach but can be grasped and used to become a truly competitive player. Gamali modestly noted that the lucrative contracts the company has with the regions oil and gas producers enabled the company to pass through the financial downturn relatively unscathed, which goes to show that 3W’s unique business model will enable the company to deliver solutions in the long term.

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Companies
3W Networks
Executives
Walid Gamali