dr Robert Uberman

Strategy & Technology

XV Konferencja Naukowo-Techniczna Nowoczesne Kopalnie Żwiru i Piasku pod patronatem magazynu Kierunek Surowce odbyła się w Bronisławowie. Uczestniczyło w niej ponad 140 przedstawicieli producentów kruszyw żwirowo-piaskowych w Polsce, świata nauki oraz dostawców usług i urządzeń dla branży. Ekspert przedstawił referat pt. Wyzwanie dla kopalni żwiru: wycena złóż kopalin pod kątem aportu/sprzedaży/zabezpieczenia kredytu.

Bronisławów, 1-2.06.2024

Expert present at the Modern Sand and Gravel Mines' conference 1-2.06.2023 / Ekspert wystąpił na konferencji Nowoczesne Kopalnie Żwiru i Piasku

Expert present at the Modern Sand and Gravel Mines' conference / Ekspert wystąpił na konferencji Nowoczesne Kopalnie Żwiru i Piasku

Wrocław, 5-6.06.2024

XVI Konferencja Naukowo-Techniczna Nowoczesne Kopalnie Żwiru i Piasku pod patronatem magazynu Kierunek Surowce odbyła się we Wrocławiu. Uczestniczyło w niej ponad 170 przedstawicieli producentów kruszyw żwirowo-piaskowych w Polsce, świata nauki oraz dostawców usług i urządzeń dla branży. Ekspert przedstawił referat pt. Wysokość odpisów na Fundusz Likwidacji Zakładu Górniczego – regulacje i rzeczywiste potrzeby. Kierunek Surowce

Expert was an academic mentor of the Chain - Synthos project aimed at identification of market opportunities for bioplastics. He was responsible for the Challenge 1: How might we increase the share of bio-based polymers as alternatives of synthetic plastics in production of eco- packaging materials? Project had been prepered in 2022Q2 by post-graduate students and delivered on time. For obvious reason no details can be shared.

2022

Expert present at the Modern Sand and Gravel Mines' conference 1-2.06.2023 / Ekspert wystąpił na konferencji Nowoczesne Kopalnie Żwiru i Piasku

Expert had been invited to give presentation on the Circular Economy – challenges, goals, tasks in regions and industries - held 28-30/11/2022 in the Hotel Mercure Racławice Dosłońce Conference & SPA./Expert został zaproszony do udziału w VI konferencji pn. „Gospodarka o obiegu zamkniętym – racjonalne gospodarowanie zasobami”, która odbyła się w dniach 28-30.11.2022 r. w formule hybrydowej – online oraz w Hotelu Mercure Racławice Dosłońce Conference & SPA.

Racławice, 28-30.11.2022

Small Modular Reactors

Expert was appointed by the General Meeting of PAEE held 2022/05/31 a member of the Audit Committee./ Ekspert został nominowany do Komisji Rewizyjnej PAEE na Zgromadzeniu Członków Stowarzyszenia w dniu 31 maja 2022 r.

PAEE, 31.05.2022

Expert to become a member of the Audit Committee PAEE

Ekspert jest członkiem PAEE. Konferencja Forum Gospodarki Energetycznej KRAKÓW 2018 odbyła się w dniach 19–20 marca 2018 roku w hotelu Qubus w Krakowie. Organizatorem konferencji jest Instytut Gospodarki Surowcami Mineralnymi i Energią Polskiej Akademii Nauk we współpracy ze Stowarzyszeniem na rzecz Gospodarki Energetycznej Polski (PAEE, http://www.paee.org.pl), będącym afiliacją prestiżowego International Association for Energy Economics (IAEE). IGSMiE PAN posiada bogate doświadczenie w organizacji renomowanych konferencji, jednak wsparcie merytoryczne ze strony PAEE stanowi dodatkową gwarancję jakości i wyjątkowości tego wydarzenia. Tematem konferencji „Dylematy energetyki polskiej – wyzwania i zagrożenia”. Ekspert brał udział w sesji dotyczącej dylematów przedsiębiorstw energochłonnych.

Kraków, 19-20.03.2018

Forum Gospodarki Energetycznej KRAKÓW 2018

What are key challenges faced by the Central Europe Oil & Gas business? How LNG, LPG and GTL technologies can impact gas security of the region?

Zarzeb, Chorwacja, 07.04.2017

Zagreb MBA Presentation in Oil & Gas again after 2 years

The International Association for Energy Economics was founded in 1977 in response to the 70's energy crisis. It is a worldwide non-profit professional organization based in the United States, which has members in over 100 nations. It acts as an interdisciplinary forum for the exchange of ideas, experience and issues among professionals interested in energy economics. To achieve this goal, IAEE publishes three periodicals. "The Energy Journal" is a quarterly, academic publication available to all members. The "Economics of Energy & Environmental Policy" is a semi annual publication also available to all members. PAEE is the Polish affiliate of IAEE.

IAEE, 2017

Expert became a member of IAEE/PAEE

What are key challenges faced by the European Refinery business. How the conversion form oil into an oil and gas industry affects it? Challenges resulting from LNG, LPG and GTL technologies.

Rijeka, Chorwacja, 24.04.2015

Zagreb MBA in Energy presentation on oil & gas

Why multinational corporations (MNCs) are actually national? Who really owned and owns MNCs? How are new MNCs from so called "emerging markets" different to old ones?  See the presentation given to students at Rijeka University, Croatia.

Rijeka, Chorwacja, 20.04.2015

Rijeka Strategic Management Guest Lecture

Question: How is ExxonMobil reacting to the deep fall in oil prices (from ca. 150 to 50 USD/barrel)? Answer: We really make no adjustment to our strategy (..) based on 30-yers investment horizon –refusing to give into pressure to spent more when prices rise and not cutting back when prices fall.   If interested how such reaction was possible see presentation attached.

Rytro k. Nowego Sącza, 7-9.11.2019

2015

Oil prices roller caster vs Corporate Values

The recently published US Survey stated that:

1. "Utilities will move away from the traditional vertically integrated utility model towards a more distributed,  service-based model."
2. "The industry’s three biggest growth opportunities are distributed energy resources, the customer relationship,  and transmission."
3. "The industry’s three most pressing challenges are old infrastructure, the aging workforce, and the current regulatory model."

and "Utilities see a big opportunity in distributed energy resources, but are unsure of the best business models". How these business models shall look like? Does your company has it defined in the strategy?

2015

What the US electricity operators are facing? What Europeans shall expect?

Presentation outlying current challenges face by the European refinery business given to attendants of the Executive MBA in the energy sector in Zagreb, Croatia.

Zagrzeb, Chorwacja, 04.04.2014

European Refinery Business 20140404

Many attempts have been made to develop a process allowing for the substitution of crude oil with another feedstock capable of delivering high-quality fuel products. This quest is inevitably linked to the names of Fisher and Tropsch, who successfully developed and patented a process to convert a mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen into liquid hydrocarbons. GTL technology, if successfully implemented, may cause another revolution in the energy industry, leading to the elimination of crude oil as a key feedstock... for more details see.

2014

GTL Technology

A presentation (in Polish) given to Cracow Technology University as a part of series of lectures to commemorate the 45th Anniversary of the Department of Chemical Engineering and Technology there.

Kraków, 18.05.2011

Rola Orlen Oil w rozwoju przemysłu chemicznego w Polsce

A presentation given at the for The National Students Conference: "Multinational Corporations. Who really governs the World?" on 4th April, 2011 (in Polish). The same topic has been elaborated in English in the article "Why values are precious?".

Kraków, 04.04.2011

Corporate values

Case 1 (Strategy formulation: must not be viewed as a description of true Orlen Oil story). Imagine the middle-size company facing a double challenge: big Internationals ale pushing technological edge beyond capacities of smaller players, minors are competing on price for diminishing, low segments of the market. Basically both ways of competing as prescribed by Porter (eg. by product differentiation or price) are already taken and well fenced. The typical answer (how many times you have heard it?) is: “rigid costs control” and “concentration on profitable segments”. There are only two “buts”:

• no costs control can save a business without revenues,
• concentration on profitable segments too often means loosing all customers because they in turn want to reduce number of suppliers and expect comprehensive service.
• The other answer is: sell the business. Fantastic. However who would buy it?
  • Internationals? What assets are of value for them?
  • small players? They’re just too small for both taking over such company and foster substantial benefits of such move.
  Then what to do? Where to look for a solution. The answer is simple and difficult at the same time. Look at <strongyour customers? They’re still buying. Even more have stopped purchasing even recently. Surely customers are nor fools neither charities. The must have good reasons to do so but looking through pictures framed by competitors you’re not able to identify them, What may be discovered?
  • customers may prefer reliable, short delivery times to any cutting edge technology,
  • customers may value additional services on site which Internationals provide only to narrowly selected partners,
  • customers may value a direct contact not only with sales people but with employees
  • representing other key functions (eg. logistics, R & D),
  • customers may value individual technological solutions which could be developed domestically with help of research/scientific institutions.

Expert was appointed by the General Meeting of PAEE held 2022/05/31 a member of the Audit Committee./ Ekspert został nominowany do Komisji Rewizyjnej PAEE na Zgromadzeniu Członków Stowarzyszenia w dniu 31 maja 2022 r.

ACADEMIC PUBLICATIONS ON STRATEGY & ENERGY RELATED ISSUES

1. „Zastosowanie metodyki mapowania produktów do analizy potencjału rynkowego wybranych bio-plastików”, Kwartalnik Krakowskiego Towarzystwa Technicznego, nr 191/142, str. 17-22, Kraków, 2022
2. „Instrumenty rachunkowości zarządczej mogące wspierać gospodarki o obiegu zamkniętym” in: „Gospodarka o obiegu zamkniętym w polityce i badaniach naukowych”, red. Kulczycka J., IGSMiE PAN, str. 129-140, Kraków, 2019
3. Co-author: Uberman R., Ziković S: „Evaluate GTL processes compared with conventional refining”. Gas Processing: Special Supplement to Hydrocarbon Processing, Word Oil, Houston, May/June 2016
4. “Group I Base Oils in Europe. Decline which lasts long and offers opportunities.” in proceedings from: Argus Americas Base Oils Summit, 16th&17th May, Houston, USA, 2013.
5. “Developments in the European market for lubricants & greases. Global Lubricant Market Impact on Europe” in proceedings from: The 2012 European Base Oils & Lubricants Summit, 19th & 20th September, Prague, 2012.
6. „Complexity of the Central European Lube and Base Oil Markets” in proceedings from: „European Base Oils & Lubricants Summit 2011”, Kraków, 2011.
7. „Selected trends on the Central European Lube and Base Oil Markets” in proceedings from: „The 15th World Base Oils & Lubricants Conference”, London, 2011.

PUBLICATIONS

If interested in such issues please follow me at Linked in or Twitter.

If you think to face a similar problem please refer to.

1. “Military origins of strategy as a science. Influence on business thinking” (Militarny rodowód nauki strategii. Wpływ na myślenie biznesowe), Journal of Cracow International Studies, No 3 (XIII), pp. 105-116, Kraków, 2016.
2. Co-author, “Ownership of refinery business in Croatia and Poland as a factor impacting national energy security”, Journal of Security and Sustainability Issues, Volume 4(2): pp. 101–121, Vilnus, 2014
3. “Transatlantic relations internal to International Oil Companies as an important component of European energy security.” Krakow International Studies, No 2 (XII), pp. 111-124, Krakow, 2014.
4. „Why Values are Precious?”, Journal of Cracow International Studies, No 2 (VIII), pp. 261-277, Kraków, 2011.
5. “State ownership of energy corporations in view of policy of energy security” (Własność państwowa przedsiębiorstw sektora paliwowo-energetycznego w kontekście polityki bezpieczeństwa energetycznego), Energy Policy Journal, Vol. 14/ 1, pp. 29-57, Kraków, 2011.
6. “Proposal regarding methodology to be used in the process of FDI absorption into the Polish Fuel and Energy Sector” (Propozycja metodologii pozyskiwania bezpośrednich inwestycji zagranicznych w polskim sektorze paliwowo-energetycznym), Energy Policy Journal, Vol. 5/2, Kraków, 2002.
7. “ Proposals for State Policy Towards FDI in the Polish Fuel and Energy Sector based on the ADL Methodology” (Propozycje polityki Skarbu Państwa wobec bezpośrednich inwestycji zagranicznych w polskim sektorze paliwowo-energetycznym w świetle metodologii Arthur D. Little and Co), Cracow Review of Economics and Management No 575, Kraków, 2002.
8. “ Proposals for State Policy Towards FDI in the Polish Fuel and Energy Sector based on the BCG Methodology” (Propozycje polityki Skarbu Państwa wobec bezpośrednich inwestycji zagranicznych w polskim sektorze paliwowo-energetycznym w świetle metodologii Boston Consulting Group), Cracow Review of Economics and Management No 528, Kraków, 1999.

Case 2: Creation of joint Oren Oil and academic technology transfer programs. Having identified that one of the strategic disadvantages of Orlen Oil was lack of direct access to technology research programs which cornered the company to buy on-shelf solutions available virtually to everybody on the market and consequently made the company a cost based player the decision was taken to step into basic research area. Being aware of various studies related to tribology and lubricating issues carried out by Polish academic and research institutions we teamed up a group of 5 employees who undertook a constant task of identifying institutions pursuing projects/programs of interest to Orlen Oil. An adequate set of criteria had been developed which included, among others, compatibility of research fields to lubricating issues of importance to European industry, availability of researches with a sufficient record of scientific and industry – related achievements, with special focus on industries important for Orlen Oil, laboratory equipment, selected credentials, etc.   As a result of their work we identified at first stage four entities satisfying our criteria. Later others were added. 

1. Academy of Mining and Metallurgy in Krakow,
2. Technical University in Krakow,
3. Institute for Heavy Organic Synthesis,
4. Institute for Oil and Gas Researches.

The two latter were (and still are) recognized as scientific research institutes. This agreements have been serving as an umbrella for transferring numerous technologies under individual contracts, however subjected to some general provisions included to the Agreements. The general provisions covered area of intellectual property rights, exclusivity but also included guidelines for financial terms. Individual contracts then related to specific technologies to be developed and applied. If the final steps were successful technology has been implemented as a part of Orlen Oil portfolio and allowed creation of a new or modified product lines. At the time of my departure there were more than 10 fundamentally new products in the company market portfolio resulting from the scientific researches carried out within the above described agreements. It is worth mentioning that in several cases researches carried out within specific projects gained some scientific interest and results have been published in academic Journals.

Case 3: Resources & Materials Foresight   Resources policy has always been and never ceased to be a hot issue. Regardless business you are in materials make it existing. Is Apple really a non-tangible asset based company? Here’s where your iPad (or other modern electronic device) begins: http://www.cnet.com/news/digging-for-rare-earths-the-mines-where-iphones-are-born/   Each CEO? MB? Owner is accountable for a foresight regarding materials used and sold by his company in 10-20 years perspective. Even small and medium size companies will either answer such question and disappear. Not in a moment but it will happen gradually. Is your company ready for the challenge? How to approach it swiftly at in a cost effective manner?  

1. Understand evolving needs of your customers. They have already posted their views. Internet, conferences public reports are not bad source. The real challenge is not to find them but to identify the most relevant ones. Strategic thinking is the tool.
2. Understand what features will be required from your products/services. Make a link to point . Strategic thinking is the tool.
3. Identify materials needed to satisfy theses needs. Set up engineers. If you happen to have one ask him to spend one day a week on this issue (at the beginning). Ask your suppliers for the solutions. Remember: quite often smart suppliers do not ask their customers. They ask customers of their clients. And they want you to succeed because your success drives their sales. Strategic thinking is the tool.
4. Discriminate 2-3 challenges of the highest possible value to your business. And focus on them. Sometimes the best solution will be to strengthen links with a business partner/supplier. Strategic thinking is the tool.
5. Rethink the value added you provide. Strategic thinking is the tool.
6. Work on it one day a week. For years. Not 3 months, 16 hours every day when facing a disaster. Common sense is the tool. A good consultant who has managed the process several times may help and pay off.

• Registered Technology Transfer Professional, The Alliance of Technology Transfer Professionals (ATTP), September 2014 –
• Strategy and R&D Director at Orlen Oil responsible for the full cycle strategy formulation, implementation and reporting.

CREDENTIALS & CONSULTING PROJECTS PERFORMED

© Robert Uberman - badania i rozwój