Message from Frank Kramer

Kramer Group Chief Executive

I have always had a vision for a Pacific Engineering business which would lead in its prominence within the region and command such professionalism and integrity so that governments, development agencies and industry would recognize us as a firm of preferred choice within our region of operation. To a great extent we have achieved this. A great deal of the most prestigious projects in the region has our name on the documents.

We have always had more major building projects on our books in PNG than any other local or international firm and today this is still the case. We are unquestionably the lead project manager/engineer in Vanuatu. From the Solomon Is Government’s perspective, we are currently doing the most important assignment any consulting engineer can undertake for a Pacific Is Government. For many years we have been the only Consulting Engineer in the Kingdom of Tonga. We have some room for improvement in Fiji and we are working to lift our profile here where the hospitality industry is the most developed in the region. For three years in succession Kramer Group Samoa has won the prestigious “Best Consultant of the Year Award” presented by one of our most significant Clients in the Pacific. However we cannot become complacent. We must not rest on our laurels. There is much more to do.

The Pacific is 90% ocean and 10% small island communities. We are constantly challenged by the tyranny of distance. In terms of population, we are a small community but our developmental problems are the same as in any of the developing countries around the world. Combine our sparse population with these large distances and we will quickly realize the problems we face in developing our region. Add natural disasters such as cyclones and tsunamis into a highly seismic region and we have unique problems that we face each day. To successfully deal with these problems, to be economic in our projects delivery systems, we must operate as a seamless unit in the region. All of our seven Offices must complement each other and be sensitive to the needs of both a Client who is hundreds of kilometers away, who deals with one of our Offices and who many of us may not see and as well we must be sensitive to the needs of that Office who has the mandate from that particular Client. We must be vigilant in defying the tyranny of distance and we must constantly look for innovative ways such as those provided by the “information age” to improve on our collective knowledge and skills and in so doing better serve our Clients.

My vision for our business is to one day have a Board that guides the business from its current form into a new direction. This Board will be represented by the best professional and most diverse talent from the Pacific to the extent that its composition will also represent and be identified with the countries of the region. It will engage with organizations of the region as well as international organizations and command such authority, knowledge and respect that Governments, development agencies and private sector bodies alike will seek its counsel and partnering in shaping the policies and future of the region.