| Boccard USA: Permanent Presence |
| Featured Spotlights | |||
| Written by Eric Slack | |||
| Wednesday, 31 March 2010 | |||
 Thanks to a corporate culture created by its French parent company, this US industrial piping system fabrication company believes establishing lasting ties in many industries is the key to success.
Boccard USA is headquartered in Houston and operates in the power and oil and gas spheres. Over the last few years, the domestic oil and gas booms have caused the company to target its business more in those areas. Boccard USA’s projects include working with majors like Exxon, Conoco Phillips, and Chevron, either directly or through EPC (engineering, procurement, and construction) companies like Fluor Corporation and Jacobs Engineering Group. Although Boccard USA hasn’t focused as heavily on the power industry in the past three to four years, it is starting to move back in that direction to balance its operations. “We are shifting our focus back toward power so we don’t go feast or famine on oil and gas,” said Rob Marchitello, president and CEO.  Rob Marchitello, president and CEO “The key is to be as flexible as possible to best serve our clients,” he said. As the company works to balance the business portfolio in the US, it has the opportunity to extend beyond the power and oil and gas markets. Globally, Boccard does specialty design projects in spaces that include the food, pharmaceutical, cosmetics, and dairy industries. Diversifying itself in North America will give Boccard USA a more stable base. “The domestic oil and gas industry is expected to be slow for the next few years, as major capital investments in refineries won’t be there. There will be some upgrade and refurbishment projects, but major spending in the US will be in power,” Marchitello said. “Focusing on reestablishing connections with the clientele in that industry both directly and through the EPCs will let them know we have capacity and are ready to do business with them. And diversifying even further in the future will help ensure stability across the business.” Although the company already has a foot in the power industry door, the only way to increase opportunities in that area at this stage is to go back to the basics. Marchitello said doing everything from making cold calls, taking advantage of existing networks and connections in the power business, and establishing a nationwide representative network and getting out to trade shows are all strategies the company is looking at. More than a vendor Marchitello believes the company will be able to gain ground throughout all its markets by demonstrating the successful history of accomplishment on projects and through the capabilities of the global Boccard network. The idea is to focus on service so customers see Boccard USA as a partner, not just as a vendor. “Our company motto is ‘Alliance for Success,’” he said. “”We have to be more than just another vendor that shows up on bid lists.” That requires Boccard USA’s more than 200 employees to think differently than the competition. Marchitello said the traditional wisdom says win a contract, complete the job, make money, and move on. Because Boccard USA serves customers in volatile, cyclical industries, relationship building is a much bigger part of the equation. That mindset starts at the top of Boccard on a global scale with Patrick and Bruno Boccard, the great grandsons of the company founder. Making customers know Boccard USA is focused on their industries and individual success for the long haul is key to generating the all-important repeat business. When it comes to continuous improvement, Boccard USA works closely with its global parent. The global entity is constantly looking to upgrade technology like welding machinery and to improve its engineering resources and capabilities. The role of the global directors across the various business units is to review business processes regularly, examine regional activity, and figure out how to better position each unit. Marchitello said Boccard USA plans to invest in updating machinery over the course of the next year to stay on the cutting edge and show customers it is always working to be a better service provider. As the company continues to look for new directions to diversify, one area that intrigues Boccard USA is the resurgence of nuclear power. There are certain hurdles to clear before the company could fabricate systems in the nuclear industry, and increased nuclear construction is still just in the discussion phase. But analysis of how and when the market may come back indicates it could be a multibillion-dollar business for the better part of the next decade. “There are a limited number of companies that have the nuclear ‘N’ stamp in the fabrication business, and we are looking at that closely because we see it as an area where our expertise could be useful,” Marchitello said. Whatever direction Boccard USA moves in, one thing is certain. Whether in the US or around the world, Boccard’s business units aren’t looking for a fast dollar. Instead, the company is looking for ways to establish a long-term presence in many markets. “Our goal is to double US revenues by 2012, and it will take a lot of work to do that,” said Marchitello. “We need to figure out ways to grow in an oil and gas market that will be stagnant for the next few years while expanding our operations in other areas as well. Despite the many challenges, I believe we can hit our revenue targets over the next two years.” |
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