By lyndamyer
Tunnelling towards success – Boreas Holding launched a new business division dedicated to providing solutions to the tunnelling industry. Boreas Tunnelling, operating as a division under Dutch-entity Boreas Holding, specializes in providing staff and project management for tunnel projects around the world.
Boreas Tunnelling, launched in August 2018, is a full-service staffing agency dedicated to solving challenges within the tunnelling industry. From staffing to project management, payrolling to recruitment, the experienced team of industry experts is standing by 24/7 to provide support and solutions to customers.
Boreas Tunnelling is being led by industry veteran Harrie van der Steldt and Operations manager Leif Schmidt. With more than 20 years of experience in the tunnelling industry, Mr. van der Steldt and Mr. Schmidt bring an inside knowledge of the unique challenges this industry faces. “Our company values of being available 24/7 for our clients, combined with providing best-in-class staff solutions, enable us to build long-lasting and reliable partnerships with our clients”, states van der Steldt. “To this end, we are excited to extend our services into the tunnelling industry, where we look forward to providing the same high level of service”, he continues.
Although Boreas Tunnelling may be recently established, the team’s knowledge is built on many years in the sector. Collectively, we have a wealth of experience on numerous tunnelling projects, including DTSS TO1 5800m (7.2m Dia EPB tunnel in Singapore) and DTSS T05 & T06; various LTA MRT Singapore projects; the immersed Oresund tunnel; the drilled slurry shield TBM tunnel under Pannerdensch Canal and The Hallandsås Tunnel (Hallandsåstunneln), also known as the Hallandsås Ridge Tunnel or Scanlink.
Leif Schmidt, Operations Manager at Boreas Tunnelling, passionately believes in providing the highest levels of service possible to his clients by remaining focused on their needs and getting the right personnel in the right place at the right time. Leif, like all of his colleagues, is driven by the company’s mission – to provide ‘best-in-class staffing services.
Leif’s tunnelling career started in 1998 with pipe jacking and machine maintenance and repair in Thailand. He has since worked on numerous construction projects and been involved in complex assembly, operation, production, troubleshooting, and disassembly operations. Leif has first-hand experience of challenges that tunnelling presents daily and knows what kind of people he must find to fill roles safely and effectively.
Leif gave us some insight into his typical day: “My day starts with my inbox, where I normally have a bunch of incoming applications and CVs to review. To fully understand the skills and capabilities of each person, I read every CV thoroughly and then use the information to enter and categorize candidates in our detailed database. This is crucial if we are to place the right person in the right job. Ultimately the customer wins when the right candidate is selected, so it’s a win-win to ensure a fit for both client and applicant.”
Leif explained further: “As operations manager, my role is to support clients and crew. My colleagues and I are the first points of contact for our clients, who rely on our broad experience on tunnelling projects around the world in order to achieve their own business goals by bringing in the right people that are a good skill fit and happy in their job. You need to be a people person that can form and nurture relationships to do this job well. Some companies have complex organizational structures that need to be effectively navigated, but at the end of the day it all comes back to people and understanding how they interact with each other.”
Boreas Tunnelling prides itself on providing clients with at least two suitable candidates within 36 hours of a request coming in. Leif, therefore, keeps in close touch with clients around the world to check on current operations and understand upcoming requirements. The nature of the industry and its complex project structures call for local presence to provide effective and responsive staffing resources. From Thailand Leif reports directly to the Operations Director and CEO, staying in touch with his global colleagues through regular use of online and networking tools.
All Boreas Tunnelling’s staffing teams work closely alongside their client base to support complex operations with high-caliber candidates. Peace of mind for customers is paramount, with Boreas taking on the role of the employer and handling all personnel-related matters, including visa and travel arrangements, tax administration, insurance, and payroll if required.
Boreas Tunnelling’ s team of experts is standing by 24/7 to take the pain out of staffing challenges for complex tunnelling projects around the world.
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