Issue 02|2017 Introduction 3 Clipper Navigation 4-5 FRS Iberia - Tarifa 6-8 Norddeutsche Binnenreederei 9 FRS HanseFerry 10 Ralf Lange 11-12 Christoph Nissen 13 Editorial Department 14 HSC “Tarifa Jet” Weiße Flotte’s Headquarters in Stralsund FRS – Fast Reliable Seaways FRS 360° Issue 2|2017 Dear FRS-Team, As an internationally operating company with a history As we continue with the integration process of Clipper of over 150 years, the FRS group stands for tradition and FRS – a topic that will also be attended in the article and constancy, never shy of new technologies or “A transatlantic marriage – happily ever after?” by Ileana innovations and with a consistent eye towards future Prado and Ann-Christin Czekay – we appreciate these growth. differences and the opportunities that they bring to the whole group. With dedication to flexibility, open For that growth, we are not only looking for businesses communication, trust and flat hierarchies we will be able that are 100% congruent with our core business or fully to create a long-lasting, cooperative partnership. matching our core competencies: worldwide operations of ferries of the most diverse types and sizes. We also We are looking forward to what 2017 still holds for the strive for diversification – nationally and internationally. FRS Group and will keep you all updated on latest news and developments right here. Please continue with your It is this diversity that adds to our overall experience of great support of FRS 360° by providing articles and widely differing customer target groups, operating stories of interest to [email protected]. environments and cultural backgrounds. And it is this Thank you! group-wide diversity that we encourage every FRS entity to benefit and learn from. The FRS management wishes you and your families for the upcoming quarter a very happy Easter and a Following these principles, the acquisition of Clipper Ramadan Mubarak. Navigation last year was a natural move for the FRS Group. Götz Becker After 30 years in business, Clipper is not only a CEO shipping company with a fleet of three high speed catamarans but has their core business in the travel industry. Having established a reputation as the trusted Pacific Northwest travel experts, Clipper today competes with travel industry giants like Booking.com and Airbnb. The company provides highly curated and authentic travel getaways and experiences that are personally vetted for their customers – something that is unique at this extent within the FRS Group and can serve as a great example. FRS – Fast Reliable Seaways FRS 360° Issue 2|2017 3 A transatlantic marriage – happily ever after? Lessons Learned To say that this is an easy “engagement” would be an “Coming together is a beginning, staying together is understatement. And to say this has been an easy progress, and working together is success.” process for Clipper and FRS would be the same. An Henry Ford ownership change is a pivotal event in the long-term development of any organization and raises all types of questions and concerns. You’ve locked eye across a crowded room, you slowly make your way towards each other, and you know the While the two companies are culturally close, share the rest: you meet someone, you fall in love, you do the same goals and values and match on many levels, both “due diligence”, you get engaged, you sign the deal and have experienced some misunderstandings along the you live happily ever after... way. Cultural differences, language barriers, a nine-hour time difference have been a hindrance to an easy No wait – was that reality or was it a Disney movie? “romance”. – We could compile a long list of the reasons why misunderstandings happened. Business – like marriage – is hard work. The process of two successful international companies coming together But we won’t. Love is blind, let’s keep it that way and to create a bigger more successful union is actually not move forward. that different from two successful professionals working to create a marriage that works. Clipper and FRS have taken the proactive approach by establishing a new, cross-company integration team. This In a marriage each person strives to fulfill individual team’s goal is to reach staff on both sides of the globe needs, increase benefits and improve their quality in life. and connect them. This team is not shy of the effort that it But happiness, contentment and self-realization is takes to build and maintain strong, productive and open nothing that you just “get”. It is something that you have relationships and this team is committed to open to work for and that you create – a collaboration that communication across both companies. supports growth, change, stability, communication and trust. This is exactly the same when you bring two After a successful workshop and teambuilding event in companies together. Seattle in January, the team has received consent and full support of the Clipper Board to move forward with the So what’s the story of our “romance”? proposed integration plan. This plan is built on opening the communication between the two companies and being there to support staff on both sides in better understanding each other. It will be key to their success to keep a good balance between personalities, share empathy and concerns, stay committed, accept the differences and continuously cultivate the relationship. David Gudgel and the Integration Team at their French cooking class Part of the teambuilding event: Kart racing at K1 Speed 4 FRS – Fast Reliable Seaways FRS 360° Issue 02|2017 Quick wins After our one year anniversary this transatlantic Finally, let us formally introduce our integration team: relationship is stronger than ever and the team is looking forward to jointly achieving shared goals and objectives - Moritz Bruns, FRS, Director Business & through adaptation, learning and striving for win-win Corporate Development outcomes. Doing all this by sharing the core values that - Berit Fischer, FRS, Director Controlling make each of us a unique and successful company. - Thekla Nissen, FRS, Director HR - David Gudgel, Clipper, Chief Operating Officer We were excited to have David Gudgel visit our Spanish, - Tyrone Huff, Clipper, Chief Financial Officer Moroccan and German FRS operations and exchange - Brad Hartman, Clipper, Port ideas and experiences on operations worldwide. Engineer/FSO/DPA - Ileana Prado, Clipper, Vice President of In addition, integrating Clipper’s accounting into the FRS Human Resources - North America SAP system and having a common financial language is - Ann-Christin Czekay, Clipper, Integration & also a quick win. Communication Manager Ileana Prado providing senior counsel to the HR department of FRS Caribbean in Miami, and a frequent Written by Ileana Prado exchange between engineering and business Vice President Human Resources, North America - Clipper Navigation development departments at Clipper and FRS, with the and Ann-Christin Czekay goal of bringing HSC “Halunder Jet” to the Pacific Integration & Communication Manager – Clipper Navigation Northwest are a testament of not only staying together but working together. This is what success looks like. And it is just the beginning. More to come! HSC “Victoria Clipper IV“ at the quay in Seattle FRS – Fast Reliable Seaways FRS 360° Issue 2|2017 5 Tarifa, its port, and how FRS changed the concept of crossing the Strait of Gibraltar Located in the Province of Cádiz (Andalucía), Tarifa is the southernmost place in Europe, and the town that marks the point where the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean meet. With just 18,000 inhabitants and at 14.4 km (about 9 nautical miles) at its closest point to the Moroccan coast, Tarifa is placed in a strategic enclave, which gives it great geographical, maritime and tourist importance. Bolonia Beach FRS evidently adds greatly to the enrichment of Tarifa as a tourist destination, mostly through its excursions to Tangier. This is a key tourist activity, since it allows the visitor to see a different country and continent: all in one day and in less than 1 hours' ferry journey. That's why thousands of tourists choose our day trips, Tarifa Island which include a guided tour and lunch, to have their first contact with Morocco, its culture and gastronomy. (For more information on our day trips, please visit www.FRS.es) But, out of everything that can be found in Tarifa, the most important part from FRS's point of view is, of course, its port. A port that has grown unstoppably in the last few years and which has become, so far, the "home" of 9 FRS Group's fast ferries: “Hanse Jet”, “Tanger Jet”, “Nordic Jet”, “Baltic Jet”, “Thunder Cat”, “Tarifa Jet”, “Tanger Jet 2”, “Algeciras Jet” and “Ceuta Jet”. All of them have been, as we've said before, High Speed Craft (HSC). Tarifa Island Tarifa is a town with great tourist interest: every summer, over 70,000 people (more than three times its population) from all over the world come to stay here. The beaches, the climate, the nautical sports, such as kite surfing and wind surfing; the wide range of activities and the variety of food on offer are the main reasons why every year more and more people are choosing Tarifa as their holiday destination. HSC “Hanse Jet“ One of the main attractions in Tarifa is Bolonia beach, which is about 3.8 km long and which was voted the 6 FRS5th –best Fast Reliablebeach Seaways in Europe and 2nd in Spain, in the Trip FRS 360° Issue 2|2017 Advisor1's Traveler’s Choice awards in 2015. But what is most important about this, is the fact that FRS changed the concept of crossing that had existed until then, with a great investment to back their move.