MRM pg 1-5.pdf - Mabati Rolling Mills

Volume 3, 4th Quarter 2006
is launched
M A B A T I N E W S
1

FROM THE EDITOR
As the year takes its
sundown dive, the
Mabati News Editorial
Board pauses to look
back at 2006 as the year
that was. As a team and
as a Company we join
hands to review our
performance objectives
in terms of delivery.
Therefore it is time to
celebrate whatever
achievements we have
realised and review those
areas where we did not
succeed as expected.
This is a moment of
truth. It is the time our
readers take the centre
stage because they are
the ones to tell us on the
face whether we lived
up to their expectations
or fell short. It is time to
Members of the Editorial Board
set higher delivery goals
for the coming year.
We would like to reassure our readers of an improvement taking into account
your concerns and suggestions. We certainly share your sentiments of making
every issue of Mabati News the most awaited publication by all our readers.
However, 2006 will be remembered with nostalgia. It is the year when MRM
became an international family member - the Safal Group. The Safal Group, Horn
of Africa Region, was officially launched amidst pomp, colour and pageantry at a
spectacular function at a Nairobi hotel this year (see the lead story). It is also the
year in which MRM staff participated in the Nairobi Marathon and brought home
a number of medals. It is the year when the MRM’s caring nature witnessed the
inauguration of the Mabati Technical Training Institute at Mariakani, a significant
contribution to society through the corporate social responsibility initiatives. It
is the year in which the multi-million US dollar investment in the Pickling Line
was officially commissioned. It is also the year in which MRM launched a number
of new products, including the revolutionary roofing concept - SAFLOK700.
What an eventful year. One can reflect, but for MRM it is just the beginning of
greater things. The Mabati family is now focusing on the strategies of delighting
all our customers through creative and customer-focused products and services.
There is greater focus on empowering every MRM employee with target training
opportunities to sharpen their talents and competencies in order to shift
company performance to the next level in the true spirit of better performance
and leadership.
We take this opportunity to thank all our readers for their support and useful
pieces of advice. We salute the MRM management for sponsoring the Mabati
News publication. We congratulate Mr. Kaushik Shah for becoming the first CEO
of the SAFAL Group, Horn of Africa Region. We also take this opportunity to wish
MRM customers, staff members, families and friends and all our readers a Merry
Christmas and a prosperous 2007.
Cheers!
Contents
2 - From the Editor
3 - The launch of SAFAL, Horn of Africa
5 - Chairman's Message
6 - COO’s Message
7 - Interview
8 - Mabati News
9 - Staff corner
10 - Pictorial
MRM NEW STAFF
Pochiraju Hanumantha Rao
(Imports Officer, Mariakani)
Reuben Kimaru Murguiyia
(Production Supervisor)
Daniel Kiptoo Arusei
(Training Engineetr)
2
M A B A T I N E W S

THE LAUNCH OF SAFAL, HORN OF AFRICA REGION
MABATINEWS
Amid pomp and fireworks, SAFAL Group
was officially launched on the 26th of
October, 2006 in a colourful ceremony
in Nairobi. In attendance were both local and
foreign guests. The unveiling ceremony was
carried out by Dr Manu Chandaria, Chairman
of the Comcraft Group of Companies,
accompanied by his wife Aruna, and
Mr. D.P. Shah, Senior Director, together
with his wife.
SAFAL incorporates four clusters
mainly Horn of Africa region, Great
Lakes Region, Southern Africa and
South Africa. The Great Lakes Region
launch was carried out in August 2006,
in Kampala.
SAFAL Horn of Africa region includes
Mabati Rolling Mills Ltd., Athi River,
Nairobi and Mariakani, Insteel Limited
and Ethiopian Steel PLC. Mr. Kaushik
Shah is the CEO. In his welcoming
address, he had the following message
to share:
“In today’s business environment,
more than at any one time in history,
the only constant is change. Markets,
Products, Technology and Competitive
Conditions are rapidly changing ... What this
means for us and, indeed for all organizations,
is that we must possess the capacity and
goodwill to adapt to these changes effectively.
Indeed, any organization, large or small, that
fails to change could pay a very heavy cost,
which could impact on its very survival!
On the other hand, organizations that
effectively manage change by continuously
adapting their bureaucracies, strategies,
systems, products and cultures to survive
the shocks of change; should benefit and
prosper.
Reality today is that leaders and managers
MUST become Masters of Change and
Renewal to effectively lead their organizations
to greater levels. Those who do not will
continue to struggle.
Tonight, Ladies and Gentlemen, we will be
celebrating the results of our organizations’
renewal … As my role was to welcome you, I
will not delve into the details of this important
step that we have taken.”
Mr. Sarit Shah, Director for South and
Southern Africa Region, took the audience
through the genesis, current state and future
of SAFAL.
Dr. Manu Chandaria, in his usual jovial
mood, gave an inspiring address, highlights
of which are reproduced here:
“The recent World Bank report
on Africa says that Africa is listed
as the most difficult place in the
world to do business. However
there are lots of opportunities
and some of the companies are
doing extremely well in spite of
all the problems of insecurity,
famine, HIV/aids and difficult
political situations. All of us
who are here know all this and
yet we are running successful
businesses. This is largely due to
our commitment, dedication and
hard work. SAFAL is no exception.
Thanks to all of you for your support
to us, the SAFAL Group is now in a number
of countries in eastern Africa and southern
Africa and hope it will have its presence
in many more countries in Africa. In my
various speeches I keep on addressing the
government that Kenya’s best resource is
its human resource - its professionals and,
above all, its entrepreneurs. Our workforce
can be quickly trained and our professionals
are equally a brand on their own not only
in Kenya but also in many African countries
and in Europe and the United States. Our
entrepreneurs are second to none. They are
not only entrepreneurs of Kenya but also
of the region. Today our world
is a global village;
it's global
in nature, it's global in
manufacturing, it's global in
trading, its global in services.
Under these circumstances
economies like China, India,
Brazil and Russia are going to
compete for the same Kenya
shillings or any other African
currencies which are in the
pockets of our people. Today’s
trend is that they are out to invest
in Africa for natural resources
and, against that, they will flood
the markets of Africa with goods
which are manufactured in their
countries. Because of the scale
of manufacturing, they are cheaper than ours.
This onslaught is going to upset a number
of economies unless we all get together and
continue to keep our markets and propagate
“made in Africa” as our first responsibility and
keep jobs of our people and our children. This
will require a lot of Africanness.
Today in Kenya we are seeing a period
of turbulent politics; but we are also seeing
M A B A T I N E W S
3

growth in our businesses.
However, more peace, political
stability and better economic
management are becoming a
reality. Since the establishment
of Kenya Private Sector Alliance
(KEPSA), which I chaired for the
first two years, immediately after
one year, we started propagating
the idea that business must
flourish in spite of politics.
Businesspeople have taken this
on board and business is increasing. However, business is a family of
customers, bankers and financiers, suppliers of goods and services
and manufacturers. Members of SAFAL management team, staff
members of various group companies - it is because of you Insteel
and Mabati are going places and, to you all who are present here you
add to our capabilities to be what we are today. Similar is the case in
other countries where SAFAL operates. I would like to thank each one
of you. Asante Sana.
If we have to fight to remain in the marketplace then we have to
put more collective effort, more than that collective willingness to
make sure we not only survive but flourish. First, let me appreciate
all the support you have given to date. But, in future, we would like
to create stronger partnership.
We would like to share our plans of SAFAL with you. We would
like your participation, help and suggestions so that we can attend
to our objectives. We believe that SAFAL as a group is larger than
individual
companies in the group. We want
you to help us build capacity
not only in Kenya but also in
our neighbouring countries by
establishing yourself in those
countries and continue to build a
similar partnership that we have
here in Kenya. This will give us
all an opportunity to become
more pan-African.
I would like to raise
another issue: the other
major responsibility we
as private sector have to
accept is Corporate Social
Responsibility. The private
sector has a major role
to play to see that the
people of our country and
the continent are out of
poverty. Give them an
opportunity to aspire
for better standards
of living. The United
Nations has come
out with Millennium
Development Goals.
It is a concentrated
and focused effort for
the poor countries’
governments and the private sector to see that they meet their
targets by 2015. We are already at the end of 2006, yet no country
in Africa is nearer to achieving what they should have during the
last six years. Our government does not have the capacity to do
it alone. Private sector has to play an important role in seeing it
happen. Let us take Kenya presently - our poverty level is at 60 per
cent, meaning 19 million people go to sleep with one meal a day. It
is a major problem but we have to be a part of the solution.
SAFAL Group of Companies - Mabati, ALAF, Uganda Baati and
others - we are very aware of our responsibility. In partnership
with the European Investment Bank we have created EIB Mabati
Trust. It has set up a training institute under Mabati Technical
Training Institute where young women and men of Coast Province
train in Computers, Garment Manufacturing on industrial machines,
Technical Wiring, Metal Fabrication and Welding. Next year we will
add another two or three subjects. Presently, there are 200 young
women and men under training. We are now looking at plans of
how to make it sustainable. One of the things we have found is
that the capacity of the students to learn reduces dramatically in
the afternoons. We started giving them an afternoon meal which
improved the situation tremendously. It costs 50,000 shillings a
month to feed 200 students. We have started growing our own
vegetables. Some of our customers have given us 50,000 shillings to
provide the food under their name for a month. This way we would
like more of our customers and service providers to support this
project. I appeal to you to join us in providing excellent opportunity
by donating to Mabati Technical Training Institute. Be a part of us and
make corporate social responsibility happen.
We have also set up a dispensary at Mabati in partnership with
the Hindu Council. Aluminium Africa Dar es Salaam has a Health
Clinic on their premises and a new clinic has just been completed at
Uganda Baati in Kampala. All these provide much needed medical
services not only to our staff and families but also to residents who
live around. We have medical camps twice a year where our doctor
friends come and give a day free of charge providing medical
services. We try to make sure that all our managing directors,
managers, accountants and engineers get themselves involved in
some social work. Even our staff and workers in times of drought and
other emergencies fully participate in serving the society.
We have encouraged our senior people to personally participate
in trade associations to help articulate issues facing the investors,
to suggest the way forward. My request is be a part of this noble
work.”
4
M A B A T I N E W S

CHANGING OUR COUNTRY
WHO SHOULD TAKE RESPONSIBILITY?
We want to change our country
How can we bring about that change?
We have to change our mind set.
Each one of us can play a role.
Dr Manu Chandaria OBE EBS
We are following Gemba Kaizen
in our plant. How can we
introduce Gemba Kaizen in our
homes and in our lives? How can we stop
waste?
In November, I attended a meeting
called by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).
It is the largest non-governmental
organization on environment. They have
created a Club under the name "Eastern
Africa Corporate Club" to address
environmental issues. They have major
corporates like Safaricom, Brookebond,
Bamburi, Portland Cement, etc, as
members. I am the roaming Ambassador
for this Club. One of the projects they
have taken up is to plant part of the Mau
Forest. Quite a bit of the Mau Forest has
been excised and given to individuals
who have farms and dwellings there.
Mau Forest is one of the watersheds out
of the five in the country. Others include
Mount Kenya, Amboseli and Charangani.
They are also called water towers. These
are the sources of the rivers in Kenya.
Mau Forest is the source of the River
Mara. This river flows through Masai
Mara and Serengeti where we have the
largest number of game. You must have
read recently that the Masai Mara and
the migration has been considered to
be the 7th Wonder of the World. It is a
heritage for the world and we Kenyans
are trustees of this heritage. Due to
wanton destruction of our forests most
rivers that were full of water throughout
the year have now become seasonal.
Some rivers have already dried up.
If we are not very careful and do
not look after Mau Forest, the heritage
that nature has given us to protect on
behalf of the people of the earth, will be
destroyed.
That is why I ask the question, “Who
should be responsible for this?”
We are all responsible.
Think about it. Think of what you
can do and what you should do to help
the situation. Be part of the solution to
afforest our country to return into its
former glory.
OUR VISION, MISSION AND VALUES
OUR VISION is
“To be the TOYOTA”In Metal Roofing Solutions
OUR MISSION is
“To Deliver Value For Money” Metal Roofing Solutions
OUR VALUES
We Shall and WILL Take No Shortcuts
to Ethics, Compliance and Quality; Be Fair and Caring Towards Employees,
Customers, Community, Environment and Other Stakeholders.
M A B A T I N E W S 5

COO's MESSAGE
Managing time at work
It is easily forgotten but we need to keep it in our mind
at all times that time is not only scarce but a nonrenewable
resource.
All people should be conscious of the value of time
and its non-renewable properties so that they manage
it effectively. People who manage their time properly
accomplish more within the same time space than their
counterparts who do not. The principles of good time
management are quite simple……commitment and a
belief that you can do it!
1. One should direct one’s efforts appropriately; by
addressing what is most important.
2. A person should also direct his/her efforts efficiently
by maximizing the achievements for time and energy
expended.
3. Most importantly, a person should reduce time
wastage.
It is necessary to plan how to use the available time, and
to monitor usage on a continuing basis to ensure that bad
habits that tend to cause time wastage are systematically
eliminated from your daily routine.
the efforts as effective as possible. For example, avoid
procrastination. Make sure that you start off on an organized
platform. A lot of time is lost doing things without a clear
plan from start to finish. Do not trying to do more than
one thing at time. A lot of people attempt to do too many
things simultaneously –
this is a another common problem.
Remedial actions, if your efforts are not
fully effective
If have an office , organize your it: It is extremely
hard to concentrate when you are surrounded by a
mess. There are many organizers/computer software
(if you have paperless office). The system you choose is
unimportant. Whatever you decide make sure that you
have system.
Devote efforts doing what you have planned to do:
Procrastination is the thief of time. If you have a big
task use the “divide and conquer approach”.
Use prime time for prime jobs
Make sure that you are doing what you are meant to be
doing
Work to deadlines
Mr Mahesh Chavda,
COO, MRM
Appropriate Direction of
Your Efforts
This means allocating your time in
accordance with importance of various
task requirements. It means avoiding
doing unnecessary tasks. Typically
people engage into inappropriate
activities such as…
Working on low priority job while a
high priority job is waiting
Over-supervising subordinates
Aiming for perfection in performing
tasks that do not require 100%
accuracy
Reading a document in detail when
a scan would suffice
Doing something by yourself when
you could delegate to others
Remedial actions to
maximize time value
1. Plan your time: Spend time to earn time
2. Delegate: It may require initial time
investment in training your subordinates
3. Understand your over commitment
4. Renounce Perfection
5. Stop performing in a routine fashion : Think
carefully how you spend the largest fraction
of your time and rearrange the approach
of doing the same thing with a view to
completing the task faster.
Effective Efforts
Once you are sure that you are directing
your efforts towards the right things, make
How to minimize time wastage
Keep reminding yourself about how much working time
you have. Remember all the time that time is your scarcest
resource, and it is your responsibility to ensure it is never
wasted.
Remedial actions, if time wastage is a
problem
Reduce meeting commitments: Prepare in advance and
be objective. You will save other people’s time also.
Reduce interruptions: Shorten unavoidable
interruptions
Putting in to practice
Whatever approach you adopt enhance value for time, it is
important address following:
Think: In terms of telephone, visitor in terms of what
you would achieve
Check: Look at your day’s plan and compare with
what you have achieved so far to ensure that you are
progressing satisfactorily toward your deadlines
Review: Compare what you have done today with
what you did yesterday; have you made some
improvement in time utilization?
Alter: If your time is getting interfered with alter
your future plans or ways of operating to ensure
you accomplish in the day what you set out to
complete.
It is important to start improving your time management
from today and to monitor your progress on continuous
basis.
Wish you all the best!!
6
M A B A T I N E W S

Japheth Ojango has been the shop steward
for the Mabati Workers union
Q Mr. Japheth, how long have you served as the Shop
steward for the workers Union?
A I have served the workers union as the shop steward
for eight years.
Q Eight years! That seems quite a long time. That
means you must have grown along with the
company!
A I was among the members who did the
trial run of the CCL plant, and I have seen the unit
expand from a single go-down to the present
three and along side this, the many profiles and
products the company now offers to the market.
Q You have retained this position for
quite a long time, taking into account the
internal politics that is synonymous with workers unions
nationally.
A Well, I believe I've been in this position for a long all this
time due to the trust the members have had in me and the
teamwork displayed by the Works Committee.
Q During this time you must had some ups and
downs or successes or failure. Kindly tell me about the
road down the eight years!
A Well, I believe under my watch, we have had more
successes than failures or disputes if I may say so. I will start
with the success & growth that we have had.
As you know when the company shifted base from
the Main Industrial Area in 1989, then known as Galsheet
Resincot, it meant a fresh start. In these eight years, I initiated
the following:
- The Funeral Committee of which I am the chairman,
- With advice from the then Chief Engineer Mr.
Chaturvedi, I mobilized the workers and with KSh500
shares per head we took over the running of the
Canteen.
- And also with the help from all members and nonunionisable
staff we set up the Resincot SACCO which
has been well managed to date.
I am proud of all these achievements.
Q That looks quite an impressive record! But there
must be the other side of the story!
A Disputes? Yes, but not much, whatever may have arisen
we got into a discussion with the management and all issues I
can say were amicably...
Q As the Shop Steward how has your team contributed
towards the development of MRM?
A My team has been quite supportive to the company
initiatives that improve the company’s performance.
Q Like?
A One such example is the Gemba Kaizen principles of
work, which is all about ‘Continuous Improvement’ at the
workplace.
We have participated alongside the management to
improve the company and this is clearly
visible.
A lot of positive changes have
taken place since the introduction of
Kaizen about five years ago.
Q What changes are these and how
do you maintain the gains?
A One major change has been the
cleanliness. This has been improved by
the use of Kaizen tool 5K or 5S. This tool
stipulates that the workplace has to be
clean and well organized.
To maintain the gains we have do under constant training
and we ensure self-discipline and all this is made possible be
good teamwork.
Q What other initiatives are there?
A Along side Gemba Kaizen, the company has made all
aware of its direction. This is well spelt out in the company’s
Mission, Vision and Core Value statements.
Q What do these statements say?
A Our mission is to ‘Deliver Value for metal roofing
solution’ with a vision of being the ‘Toyota in Metal roofing
solution’ while ‘Taking no short-cut and being caring’ being
our core values.
Q That’s great! But what does it mean being the
‘Toyota...’
A I believe Toyota cars are very affordable, reliable, easy
to maintain. They keep ahead with customer trends and
needs, there are variety of them to choose from and you get
them in all corners of the country. I believe our products
match this description already.
Q Lastly, Japheth, your parting shot?
A We have to maintain teamwork that has brought about
these successes.
We would like to be the best steel company at personal
and company level; this can only be achieved if we continue
working hand-in-hand with the management as we share the
successes.
Thank You
We wish you and your team well in keeping the
company’s Mission & Vision alive.
Interview by Austin Okoda
INTERVIEW
M A B A T I N E W S 7

MABATINEWS
Computer virus
By Sam Kamau
Systems Administrator
Dear Reader, the word
COMPUTER VIRUS has
become a generic term that
refers to all the malicious ways that
your computer can be attacked.
The most common blunder people
make when the topic of a computer
virus arise is to refer to a worm or
trojan horse as a virus. While the
words trojan horse, worm and virus
are often used interchangeably, they
are not the same. Viruses, Worms
and Trojan Horses are all malicious
programs that can cause damage
to your computer, but there are
differences among the three, and
knowing those differences can help
you to better protect your computer
from their often damaging effects.
A virus is a small program (piece of
code) that piggybacks on other programs
or files. A virus can be attached to a word or
excel file by placing its code in the path of
execution so that each time the file is run,
the virus runs too hence replicating itself in
the process.
Since a virus is programmed to alter
the way a computer operates, without the
permission or knowledge of the user it can
damage your programs, hardware and even
delete your files. Others are not designed
to do any damage, but simply to replicate
themselves and make their presence
known by presenting text, video, and audio
messages. Even these “simple” viruses can
create problems for the computer user.
They typically take up computer memory
used by legitimate programs. As a result,
they often cause erratic behavior and can
result in system crashes.
A worm is similar to a virus by its design,
and is considered to be a sub-class of a virus.
Worms spread from computer to computer,
but unlike a virus, it has the capability to
travel without any help from a person.
Worms replicate themselves from
system to system without the use of a host
file. This is in contrast with viruses, which
require the spreading of an infected host
file.
A worm takes advantage of information
transport features on your system, which
allows it to travel unaided. The biggest
danger with a worm is its capability to
replicate itself on your system, so rather
than your computer sending out a single
worm, it could send out hundreds or
thousands of copies of itself, creating a
huge devastating effect.
Due to the copying nature of a worm
and its capability to travel across networks
the end result in most cases is that the
worm consumes too much system memory
(or network bandwidth), causing network
servers and individual computers to stop
responding. More recent attacks such as
the much-talked-about blaster worm, have
been designed to tunnel into your system
and allow malicious users to control your
computer remotely. Others are designed
using SMPT (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol)
engines and will send hundreds of email
from your system without your knowledge
– spamming.
A Trojan horse is a computer program
masquerading as a benign application,
game or a “cute” program.
The Trojan horse, at first glance, will
appear to be useful software but will
actually do damage once installed or run
on your computer. Those on the receiving
end of a Trojan horse are usually tricked
into opening them because they appear
to be receiving legitimate software or
files from a legitimate source. When a
Trojan is activated on your computer,
the results can vary. Trojans are
designed to be more annoying than
malicious (like changing your desktop,
adding silly active desktop icons,
blocking your screen with a graphic
that will not go away). Trojans are also
known to create a backdoor on your
computer that gives malicious users
access to your system, possibly allowing
confidential or personal information to
be compromised. Unlike viruses and
worms, Trojans do not reproduce by
infecting other files nor do they self-
replicate.
Having familiarized ourselves with
the above terms we now need to be
alert of messages that are normally sent
by email to propagate unnecessary alarm
about viruses.
Virus hoaxes are messages, almost
always sent by email, that amount to little
more than chain letters. Following are some
of the common phrases that are used in
these hoaxes:
If you receive an email titled [virus hoax
name here], do not open it!
Delete it immediately!
It contains the virus [hoax name].
It will delete everything on your hard
drive [extreme and improbable danger
specified here].
This virus was announced today by
[reputable organization name here e.g.
CNN].
Forward this warning to [everyone in
your address book!]
Most virus hoax warnings do not deviate
far from this pattern. If you are unsure if a
virus warning is legitimate or a hoax, kindly
seek clarification from your system admin
or from the Internet through a website like
www.symantec.com .
I trust and hope that this article has
enlightened you on the various threats
posed to our systems and you can clearly
distinguish them.
Thank you for taking your time to read this
article.
8
M A B A T I N E W S

Seeing the big picture in teamwork…
Assume you are the manager of a
company; a supervisor calls you and
says he has a breakdown (A CONVEYOR
CHAIN IS BROKEN), what do you do? Similarly, at
home we encounter challenges, which require
solving. These challenges might be, for example,
financial, social or maintenance based.
When confronted with a problem at your
Gemba or at home the following questions do
race in most peoples minds:
What happened?
What do we need to do here?
Why did this happen?
What is the cost of this happening always?
What is the real problem?
How do you solve the problem?
How do you ensure that it does not happen
again?
The first three questions can be easily
answered as follows by most people:
The following could be the answers from
most of the people.
1. What happened? The operators have caused
a breakdown because we did not provide
transport.
2. What do we need to do here? Have the
machine started and give warning letters to
the operator.
3. Why did this happen? Because of sabotage.
4. What is the cost of this happening always?
The company loses on time, customer
confidence, labor, and inventories, transport,
etc.
5. What is the real problem? Actually that is
difficulty to answer.
To seek out the cause problem you need
more than yourself. No wonder the Creator
formed more than one being. The above
answers do not solve the problem, all the
answers are but finger pointing answers to one
another and not solving the root cause of the
problem. When confronted with a problem at
your Gemba or at home we need to find the
answers to the above questions using ‘5Why
analysis’ and ‘2H’ technique e.g. there is a
breakdown in the plant:
What happened? The conveyor chain is
broken.
Why did the conveyor chain break? There
was lack of lubrication oil in the machine.
Why wasn’t the machine lubricated?
Lubrication of the machine is difficult to be
done.
Why is the lubrication of the machine
difficult to be done? Lubrication point is
difficult to locate.
Why is the lubrication point difficult to
locate? The lubrication point is not been
marked.
Why wasn’t the lubrication point marked?
The painter painted the lubrication indicator
arrow pointer.
How do you solve this? A visual sign
through color-coding be assigned to all the
lubrication points of the conveyors.
How do you ensure this does not happen
again?
Training to be done to the machine operators,
painter and the rest of the team on the visual
management.
To realize our vision of being world class we
work as a mechanical chain. A chain has many
links together to form a chain everyone of us
including you the reader is part of the chain.
Hence you are a very important member of the
team. Due to the breakdown of the chain in the
plant all the other team players would not do
a thing.
TEAM MEANS:-
T-Together
E-Everybody
A-Achieves
M-Missions
WORK MEANS:-
W-Winning
O-Organization
R-Requires
K-Kaizen
(Continual Improvement)
Every day has its challenges, do you perceive
problems to be bigger than mountains and
quit trying solutions? Similarly at home we
encounter challenges, which require us solving.
These challenges might be financial, social or
maintenance based (iron box is not working)
Where do you normally operate when faced
with a challenge?
Where do most people operate? Looks
difficult, not possible due to:
Fear of rejection due to failure or loss of
status
Lack of vision
Rules are restrictive
Lack of knowledge or skill
Lack of resources.
Easy to do is the ultimate comfort zone where
ordinary leaders can achieve their goals and
objectives withought much imagination and
problems, due to the reasons stated above.
We need to eliminate words like "its
impossible", "I cannot do it", "Goals are not
attainable", and this will prompt us towards
realization of our Mission and Vision.
Food for thought
What would you do if you were not afraid?
What would you do if you had all the resources
needed and all constraints removed?
Not possible
Looks difficult
Easy to do
Do not miss the next issue, as we will focus on
how to generate ideas towards creativity and
innovations, problem solving and many more.
Carol Soi
STAFFCORNER
Standard Chartered Marathon
MRM Sponsored 30 athletes to the Standard Chartered Marathon on
Sunday October 29, 2006 at the Nyayo Stadium for the half marathon,
10km race. Twenty-five gents and four women completed the marathon
the first person completing at position 365 out of 15,000 participants.
M A B A T I N E W S 9

P I C T O R I A L
P I C T O R I A L
MRM's Standard Chartered marathon 2006 team, amongst other partcipants.
MTTI students show their work during official opening of
Mariakani Technical Training Institute.
Head of delegation of European Union to Kenya - Mr. Eric Van Der Linden signs
visitor's book as MRM, Dr. Manu Chandaria and Hirji Shah look on.
Head of delegation of European Union to Kenya - Mr. Eric Van
Der Linden plants a tree during official inauguration of MTTI.
Trade Analysts Dawn Heuschel and Douglas Newman of the US International Trade
Commission, George W. Aldridge, Economics Officer, US Embassy, Nairobi with
Suresh, Mahesh and Suraj (MRM) outside MRM offices.
MRM Directors, Dr. Benjamin Kipkorir and Mr. Neelesh Shah chat
during SAFAL launch in a Nairobi Hotel.
10
M A B A T I N E W S

Dr. Manu Chandaria delivers
his speech during official
commissioning of Pickling line
in Mariakani.
Employees enjoy themselves during end-of-year staff party.
MRM football team: Finalists Wavinya Cup tournament before the
match - MRM clinched second position out of six participating tams.
Mr. Kaushik Shah, CEO SAFAL Horn of Africa, delivers his speech at the
end-of-year staff party.
Dick Isiche receives his Long Service Award from the CEO during the
end-of-year party.
Eunice, Weru and Rispa enjoy at the end-of-year party.
Happy faces in anticipation of their sumptuous lunch.
M A B A T I N E W S
11

MABATINEWS
THE RESPONSIVE MANAGER
In the recent past, the management’s
development focus in most well run
firms has been shifting from preparing
their managers to fill higher level slots to
preparing them to meet the challenges of
managing in a fast-paced environment.
Increasingly, therefore, the emphasis is on
developing a manager’s ability to learn and
make decisions under conditions of rapid
change.
Two experts put it this way: “As decisionmakers
take on increasing responsibility
across their careers, their learning needs
move from the arena of task learning to
behavioral learning to conceptual or policylevel
learning.” For example, today’s corporate
managers are under enormous pressure
“to find the strategic opportunities their
competitors are yet to find.” This therefore
requires more emphasis and realignment
on developing their conceptual ability to
search for internal strategic opportunities to
improve quality, service and prices. Similarly,
all managers have to be well schooled in
business related information, marketing and
negotiation. And to manage in flatter, more
empowered organizations, the leader must
increasingly become a teacher, coach and
consultant rather than a “boss”.
The above changing scenario is causing
a corresponding change in the techniques
that are emphasized in management
development programs. Historically, onthe-job
training, coaching and rotational
assignments have been the most popular
management development techniques.
The problem is that these techniques tend
to emphasize showing managers current
procedures or (at best) getting them to think
about how to “do what we are doing today a
little better”.
However, today there is a shift
towards development techniques that
teach managers how to learn and how
to develop the competencies they need
to cope with changes, such as seizing up
emerging markets and searching for new
strategic opportunities. In this regard,
special in-company executive development
programs, action learning are examples
that we in MRM, through our philosophy of
“continuous improvement”, look forward to
encompassing in order to stay ahead of our
budding competitors.
- T. M. Ngira
Gender issues in management
Biased impressions from an Office
The Family Picture on HIS DESK.
Ah, he is a solid family man
HIS desk is cluttered
He must be obviously a hard worker and busy man
HE’s talking with his co-workers.
He must be discussing the latest deal.
HE’s not at his desk
He must be at a meeting elsewhere
HE’s not in the office
He is meeting customers
HE’s having lunch with the Boss
He is on his way up.
The boss criticized HIM
He’ll improve his performance
HE got an unfair deal
Did he get angry?
HE’s getting married
HIS/ HERS
He will get more settled
HE’s having a baby
He’ll need a salary raise
HE’s going on a business trip
It's good for his career
HE’s leaving for a better job
He knows how to recognize and seize a good opportunity
The Family Picture on HER DESK
Umm, her family will come before her Career
HER desk is cluttered
She is obviously a disorganized scatterbrain
SHE’s talking with her co-workers.
She must be gossiping
SHE’s not at her desk
She must be in the ladies room
SHE’s not in the office
She must be out shopping
SHE’s having lunch with the Boss
They must be having an affair
The boss criticized HER
She’ll be very upset
SHE got an unfair deal
Did she cry?
SHE’s getting married
She’ll get pregnant and leave
SHE’s having a baby
She’ll cost the Co. money on maternity benefits
SHE’s going on a business trip
What will her husband say?
SHE’s leaving for a better job
Women are not dependable
12
M A B A T I N E W S

Christmas
As a Christian kid, I grew up amongst the Hindu and Muslims. I
always enjoyed the celebration; the Diwali fire crackers lighting
up the sky, the delicious pilau at the end of Ramadhan and finally all
the Christmas goodies.
But did I know what do all these people celebrate or observe?
Being a Christian I thought I knew the meaning of Christmas! The
birth of Jesus, Father Christmas and a day to wear new clothes!
Today, reflect on the real meaning of all these celebrations
including what I thought I knew - Christmas.
Christmas: Christmas literally means the Mass (celebration) of
Christ. “Christ” is a Greek word and title meaning “anointed” or one
set apart by God for a special purpose - to deliver of the people from
sin.
Jesus was born in a humble stable, into a poor family. Simple
shepherds were the first to witness this event. In this poverty
heaven's glory was made manifest.
Christians believe that it was exactly God’s plan
that things happened this way. They say that
it shows that Jesus came as a humble, poor
person and not as a strong, rich king.
The birth of Jesus was told many years
before in the books of the prophets Micah
and Isaiah.
D
Diwali
iwali is the most well-
D
known of all Indian festivals.
It is a five-day festival which occurs on the
fifteenth day of Kartika (First month).
During this festival, colloquially
known as the “Festival of Lights”, homes
are thoroughly cleaned and windows are
opened to welcome Lakshmi, goddess
of wealth. Candles and oil lamps (divas)
are lit as a greeting to Lakshmi. The lights also illuminate the
darkness of the New Year’s moon and strengthen our close
friendships and knowledge
Gifts such as sweets are exchanged and meals are
prepared. The festival is invariably accompanied by
explosion of fireworks. Everywhere, it signifies the renewal
of life and, accordingly, it is common to wear new clothes
on the day of the festival. Similarly, it heralds the approach
of winter and the beginning of the sowing season.
The
Great
Religious
Festivals
In reality, every day the real image of
Christmas is exposed. As God looked down
from heaven with compassion on His human
creation, He sent Jesus to become like us so that
through His obedience we would have the opportunity of living a life
of forgiveness and hope.
Scriptures say that because God so loved His people, He sent His
only Son Jesus so that His people could be saved and in turn love
Him (see John 3:16).
The image of “people” is not one that often comes to our mind
when we celebrate Christmas. But it should be. This was the image
God saw when He sent Jesus to be born in that manger in Bethlehem.
He saw the image of you, me and countless others who are lost,
hopeless and in need of salvation.
It was because of His love for what He saw that God sent His
Son.
As you set up your nativity scene this Christmas and as
you arrange the shepherds, angels, barn animals and
other figurines in the stable, don’t forget to include a
portrait of yourself. After all, this was the image God
saw when He looked down on Bethlehem that first
Christmas day.
E id-ul-Fitr
Eid-ul-Fitr’
id-ul-Fitr is one of the most important festivals in
Islam celebrated by Muslims all over the world with
great joy and festivities.
‘Eid‘ means ‘a recurring happiness or festivity’ and ‘fitr’
means to ‘to begin’. ‘Iftar’ means’the breaking of the fast’ and it is
from this that the name ‘Eid-ul-Fitr’ seems to have been taken which
means ‘festival of the breaking of the fast’.
‘Eid-Ul-Fitr’ falls on the first day of Shawwal, the 10th month of the
Muslim calendar, and marks the end of the fasting observed by the
Muslims during the month of Ramadhan.
Fasting was prescribed as an act of self-denial with a view to
attaining moral and spiritual upliftment.
While “Eid-ul-Fitr” is an occasion for joy and
happiness, it is certainly not an occasion for
over-eating, frivolity or for the pursuit of pleasure.
The joy on this occasion is the spiritual joy of
fulfillment.
‘Eid-ul-Fitr’ also occasions an opportunity for the
believers to forget all grudges and ill-feelings towards
one another and start afresh in the brotherly spirit that
Islam preaches.
The underlying message of this happy occasion is
that the believers fulfill God’s command of discipline
and holiness
MABATINEWS
Christmas, Idd-ul- Fitr, Diwali .........
so what do all these religious observance mean?
The Hindu say ... 'Diwali signifies the renewal of life'
The Muslims say.... The underlying message of Eid-El-Fitr is
that the believers fulfil God’s command of discipline and
holiness'.
The Christians say..... 'With Christmas, He sent Jesus to become
like us so that through His obedience we would have the
opportunity of living a life of forgiveness and hope'.
What do you make out of this!
God bless you all!
By Austin Okoda
M A B A T I N E W S 13

MABATINEWS
Balanced Scorecard
As some of you may be aware, Mabati Rolling Mills has
embraced the Balanced Scorecard philosophy alongside the
Gemba Kaizen principles in the leadership and performance
management strategy. Both initiatives are complementary rather
than being in competition with each other. The Balanced Scorecard
(BSC) is a strategic management system originated by Robert Kaplan
(Harvard Business School) and David Norton in the early 1990s
in the United States. It is a
methodology that actualizes
corporate strategy.
MRM embarked on the
mechanics of implementing
BSC, starting with top level
management this July. The
plan is to initiate the concept
and cascade the learning
process to all key players in
the supply chain loop. By
embracing the BSC system,
MRM is aiming at empowering
all key players with appropriate
competencies to develop
metrics, collect data and
analyze it relative to each of
the following key performance
perspectives:
The Business Process
Perspective
The Customer Perspective
The Financial Perspective
The COO Mr. Mahesh Chavda and
Manager HR Mr. Tony Nasirembe
who have spearheaded the
balanced scorecard initiative.
The Learning, Growth and Human Resources
Development Perspective
MRM Employees recite
the Gemba Kaizan
Pledge before starting
work every morning.
Performance areas that need improvement will be easily
identified. Appropriate training programs will purposely be designed
and implemented. The result of this will be the creation of a high
performance workforce.
Studies have shown that by 2004 about 57% of global
companies were using BSC as their strategic management tool.
The companies using BSC included well known corporations such
as British Telecommunications Worldwide, Caterpillar Inc.
DaimlerChrysler, Defence Logistics Agency, DuPont, Ford
Motor Company, General Electric Company, High Performance
Systems, Inc. Hilton Hotels Corp., IBM, NCR Corp., Ricoh Corp.
Royal Canadian Mounted Police and UPS.
General Electric won the global leadership as the most
admired corporation in (2006) taking over from Wal-Mart.
Incidentally, the No. 2 position was won by Toyota Motors
which applies the Kaizen principles in its management
strategy.
MRM has been using the Kaizen principles for sometime
now. Coupled with the BSC strategy, it can be said that MRM
has taken advantage of a unique leadership position to use
the best from both worlds.
BSC goes beyond embracing management concepts.
It calls for identification of the right people with the right
Corporate Governance
Perspective
By addressing these performance perspectives the
Company’s strategic performance objectives would
review the vision and align all performance objectives to the mission
and strategy implementation. Strategic corporate objectives will be
articulated, making it possible for the departmental and individual
objectives to be linked to complete the value chain loop.
Balanced Scorecard and Gemba Kaizen
initiatives
The two perspectives provide powerful platforms for employees to
link corporate vision, mission to corporate strategy. It provides a
clear focus of everyone to work in tandem with the other creating a
very powerful performance bond.
skills, competencies and attitude for the right jobs throughout
the organization structure. The result will be creation of high
performance teams that deliver world-class value to customers,
employees and other stakeholders.
The Kemba Kaizan “alone I am weak, together we are strong”
slogan is the epitome of team work. Every employee sees the
strength rather than the weakness in each other. By holding
hands in a circular formation every morning the energy from every
individual is combined to generate powerful energy source capable
of shifting the MRM performance paradigm to the next level in
corporate competitiveness. Cheers!
14
M A B A T I N E W S

ECONOMIC PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENTS
By Antony Kung'u
Background
A special trade relationship has existed between the European Union
(EU) and African Caribbean and Pacific group (ACP) of countries since
1975 when the first Lome Convention was signed. Under the Lome
Conventions, the ACP countries enjoyed unilateral trade preferences
into the EU market. The Fourth Lome Convention was replaced by
the Cotonou Agreement in 2000, which extends the unilateral trade
preferences up to December 2007. Thereafter, the parties are dutybound
to negotiate and conclude World Trade Organisation (WTO)
compatible reciprocal trade agreements, the Economic Partnership
Agreements (EPAs), at the beginning of 2008.
The EPAs are touted as the new co-operative framework under the
Cotonou Agreement and are expected to adopt an integrated approach
based on partnership and promoting co-operation, multilateral trade
and political dialogue between the EU and the ACP countries. The key
features of EPAs are their reciprocity and non-discriminatory nature.
They involve the removal of all trade preferences which have been
established between the EU and the ACP countries since 1975 as well
as the progressive removal of trade barriers between the partners. The
EPAs are open to all developing countries thereby effectively bringing
down the curtain on the ACP group as the main development partner
of the EU.
Regional Blocs
Previously, the EU negotiated with all ACP countries as a bloc. However,
for EPAs’ negotiations, the EU has split the ACP countries into trading
blocs, arguably undermining their solidarity, negotiating power and
political power thus weakening their overall bargaining power. The
ACP countries have formed six regional configurations or groupings
through which to negotiate EPAs with the EU, some of which arethe
Southern Africa Development Community (SADC), the Eastern
and Southern Africa group (ESA), the Caribbean Community and the
Economic Community of West Africa (ECOWAS). Kenya belongs to the
ESA configuration.
Effects of EPAs on ACP Countries
Although the EPAs are aimed at supporting the on-going processes
of economic integration and gradual liberalisation of trade between
ACP countries and the EU, some very legitimate concerns have been
raised on their effects on the ACP countries. The EU has chosen to
negotiate the agreements under strict WTO rules that govern reciprocal
free trade agreements (FTAs), requiring ACP countries to open their
markets to "substantially all" EU imports over a limited period of time.
The 10-year period given by EU to ACP countries to open their markets
to substantially all trade is not adequate for the latter to develop their
productive capacities and strengthen their competitiveness prior to
the potential influx of EU products into the ACP markets. Inequalities
resulting from the different levels of development between the EU
and ACP countries make reciprocity untenable. The ACP countries also
face a gargantuan task in their zeal to break into EU markets already
dominated by long established, well loved and highly patronised
European brands. Local producers lacking distinctive capabilities will
not survive the potential onslaught to be waged by cheap imports
from the EU. Furthermore, the EU is bound to apply stringent rules of
origin (ROO) on imports from ACP countries, thus introducing technical
barriers to market access.
MABATINEWS
Profiling lines at CGL Mariakani
By Gabriel Olukwo
As part of its modernization and
equipment upgrading program in line
with the developments in technology,
MRM has installed and commissioned three
profiling lines at the finishing department of
the Continuous Galvanizing Line at Mariakani.
Profiler 1 was commissioned in July 2004,
while profilers 2 and 3 were commissioned
in October 2006. These lines have replaced
shearing lines and barrel corrugators. The
profiling lines produce galvanized and
aluminium-zinc coated corrugated standard
profile sheets. These profiling lines and
their layout are in line with Gemba Kaizen
principles of lean manufacturing. Material
and crane movement have been greatly
reduced. Three processes have been
combined into one. The order execution time
has been reduced and the products from
these lines do not have any variations. The
profiling lines are far much superior to barrel
corrugators in many ways. A higher range of
materials can be processed on profilers. They
can accommodate 0.20mm to 0.30mm thick
material with minimum adjustments. Sheets
of various lengths are produced ranging from
a few centimetres to over 10 metres length
to meet customer requirement. The
profiling lines also produce sheets with
uniform profiles. These profilers are highly
automated with minimal setting time and
once correct settings have been achieved, the
profilers run automatically producing scratch
free sheets. Since profiling lines combine
three processes, (shearing, handling and
corrugation), rejections are fewer and orders
can be executed exactly as per requirements.
Profiling lines occupy less space and do not
require storage for cut plain sheets. Each
Profiling line is manned by only five persons
compared to 11 persons in barrel corrugators
(three at shearing and eight at corrugator).
Production cost of profiling lines is lower than
that of lines with barrel corrugators because
less manpower is utilised and less power is
consumed. The profiling lines have a very
high safety level as the operation position
is far from moving parts and there is no
manual feeding of sheets into the profiler. The
operation is thus less tiresome resulting to
decreased human errors as a result of fatigue.
The noise levels at profiling lines are very low
hence operators are not required to wear ear
plugs or muffs.
Conversely, barrel corrugators
process only one gauge and a
maximum sheet length of 3.7 metres. As
the production process entails shearing,
transfers and finally corrugation the rejection
level is high because of the independent
multiple processes involved. Continuous
manual feeding leads to over dependency on
humans. These lines are prone to accidents
because of multiple handling of products,
operation is near to moving parts and their
inherent prolonged human fatigue. Lines
with barrel corrugators occupy a lot of floor
to accommodate the shearing lines, extra
storage space for work in process plain sheets
and the barrel corrugators. The noise levels at
barrel corrugators are high and the operators
must wear ear plugs or muffs for hearing
protection.
M A B A T I N E W S 15

Commisioning misioning of Pickling plant at Mariakani
MABATINEWS
In the true spirit of Kaizen principles of continuous improvement,
MRM invested over US$9 million last year to create a new
pickling line that was commissioned on October 3, 2006 this
year by the Minister for Finance Hon. Amos Kimunya. In his key
note address Hon. Kimunya, acknowledged the huge investment
the shareholders had made into the state-of-the-art technology.
He recognised that the results of the new line will shift the level of
manufacturing to a completely new level of competitiveness. He
noted and appreciated the advantages of the new line. MRM will
now widen its raw material sources, particularly in the hot rolled
coils. It was hitherto confined to a few selected suppliers. He also
noted that the investment will give the company the advantage of
flexibility, innovation and creativity in a very competitive market.
He acknowledged that such an investment demonstrated
the confidence MRM shareholders had in doing business in
Kenya. Hon Kimunya noted with appreciation that the plant took
into consideration environmental concerns and made further
investment in Acid Regeneration Plant which allows the acid to be
completely recycled. The facility has a capacity to handle and treat
coils up to 200,000 tonnes per year.
The minister observed that MRM’s overall business operations
make a significant contribution to the country’s economic growth
and development. He said that the government is committed to
creating a conducive and enabling environment where businesses
will find it easier and more friendly to do business.
Since private sector plays and important role in the country’s
economic development the government is committed to support
private sector investment initiatives. Appropriate legislation and
streamlining of administrative bottlenecks will continue to be
introduced at various levels of operations of government to make
it easier for businesses to operate.
The Minister pointed out how Kenya has gained high rating
by where it was rated 4th in the Sub-Saharan Africa behind
Botswana, South Africa and Nigeria. The World Bank has rated
Kenya 6th in Africa in respect of doing business. Obviously there
is going to be increased government effort to consolidate what
is good and improve on areas that can facilitate private sector
investment in the country.
The government is also investing in ICT and communications
connectivity to make it easier for businesses to share vital
information necessary for growth and global trade. The Minister
spoke about refunds and said the government has scaled up from
KSh614million to KSh900million. He also said there is a provision of
KSh1.5billion for KRA to clear the backlog.
The Minister praised the MRM management and welcomed
the opportunity to officially visit the plant and commission the
Pickling Line. The inauguration ceremony was attended by among
others: the Board Directors,
Managers, Workers,
Customers, Well wishes and
community leaders.
After
the inauguration ceremony
Hon. Kimunya visited and
toured the nearby Kaluworks
Plant which is also owned
by the same shareholders
of MRM.
16
M A B A T I N E W S
Continued on page 18>>

awards
MABATINEWS
OVERALL CORPORATE CP AWARD:
awarded to the organization with
outstanding cleaner production
management initiatives
CP LEADERSHIP AWARD:
given to the company that demonstrates
its openness and communication
regarding cleaner production and other
environmental matters to workers and
the surrounding community
SOLID WASTE REDUCTION AWARD:
given to the company that has achieved
significant solid waste reduction in
the implementation of its cleaner
production initiatives
REDUCTION IN GASEOUS EMISSIONS:
given to the company that has achieved
significant reduction in gaseous
emissions through implementation of
cleaner production initiatives
WASTEWATER REDUCTION AWARD:
given to the company that has achieved
significant wastewater reduction in
the implementation of its cleaner
production initiatives
CP INNOVATION AWARD:
given to the company that promotes voluntary
complementary initiatives like designing products
for environment, EMS, green supply management
and other innovative eco-efficiency principles.
KRA 2006 DISTINGUISHED
TAXPAYER AWARD
OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND
SAFETY AWARD:
given to the organization with most
significant reduction in occupational
health and safety risks and hazards
M A B A T I N E W S 17

Cleaner Production Initiatives at
Mabati Rolling Mills Ltd
By Francis Muthama
Cleaner production is a preventive
environmental management strategy
that focuses on products, processes
and services. Cleaner Production aims to
reduce waste generation at source leading to
economic savings as well as protection of the
environment. Its techniques of application can
be broadly classified as waste minimization at
source, on-site recovery and reuse, recycling,
good house keeping, energy efficiency, risk
management, equipment modification,
input substitution, better process control,
technology change, product modification and
responsible corporate management.
Cleaner Production describes a preventive
approach to environmental management.
It is called a “win–win” strategy, because it
protects the environment, the consumer
and the workers while at the same time
improving industrial efficiency, profitability
and competitiveness. It focuses on processes,
productivity and services.
Reduce the consumption of raw materials
and energy
Eliminate as far as possible the use of toxic
and dangerous materials
Reduce at source the quantity and toxicity
of all emissions and waste generated and
released
Principles of Cleaner Production
Prevention: Preventing as much as possible
the generation of waste at source
Source reduction: Waste is reduced at
every process stage or service step
Raw material optimization: Conserving
raw materials and switching to renewable
resources
Substituting toxic inputs with less toxic
ones
To recover, recycle and re-use of byproducts
and waste
Reducing environmental, health and safety
impacts
MRM production processes aim for:
1. Waste Management and control Systems
Energy Conservation: An energy audit is
performed identifying areas where there
are high power consumption and giving
solutions on minimizing losses.
Key performance Indicators: the company
has formulated objectives and targets
for minimizing waste, reducing resources
depletion.
Methodology or a procedure for identifying
areas of inefficient use of resources and
poor management of waste: This is done
through internal audits, Systems audits and
Monitoring of consumables.
Material Balance: this helps to explain
unaccounted raw materials that end up as
waste and the yield.
Housekeeping: Implementation of Kaizen
Tools such as 5K’s help control wastes and
keeps the plant neat and tidy
2. Process Performance, Monitoring and
control
Equipment performance: measured and
monitored via the overall equipment
efficiency analysis which takes into account
the performance factor, availability & quality
factors.
Machine down time: Logged and analyzed
with reasons.
Rejections and Rework: Minimal rejections
and rework is generated.
Process Monitoring: Automation &
computerization of the Plants, Calibration of
measuring equipment / instruments, planned
maintenance and in-house Laboratory
analysis.
3. Systems to improve services
Maintenance: Autonomous Maintenance, And
Periodic maintenance schedule is followed.
Cross Functional Teams: These are groups
working as a team on any areas of improvement
i.e. different experts from different departments
coming together to brainstorm on a common
problems in TQM projects, Gemba – Kaizen
projects / interventions ISO 14001 continual
improvement programs.
Computerized systems of data acquisition,
storage and reporting: These include
Production Management System (PMS) and
Coil tracking software (Access)
4. Fire, Health and Safety
Fire
A general fire fighting procedure is
available throughout the factory. However
at departmental levels, detailed fire control
procedures specific to the particular type of
fire are available.
Health
There is periodic medical examination incase
of workplace sickness. Occupational Health
and Safety procedure is followed.
Safety
Workers are provided with personal protective
equipment which are relevant to their areas of
operation.
Issuance and compliance of use of Personal
Protective Equipment is at 100%.
First aiders have been trained and
allocated to cover 24 hours plant operation.
Well stocked first aid kits have been placed at
strategic areas in the plant
5. Environmental Practices
1. Environmental Impact Assessments before
commencing any new project
2. Corporate Reporting
IFC reports and NEMA environmental
assessments (self audits)
3. Measuring and Monitoring
4. Continual Improvement Programmes
These are done as Gemba Kaizen
Interventions and Continual Improvements
under ISO 14001
6. Innovation
Recover, recycle and re-use wastes
Product water from the reverse osmosis
plant is used as boiler feed water. This
water is recovered as condensate and
used as Rinse water and Scrubber water at
the Pickling Line. This water is collected as
rinse water for use in the Acid Regeneration
process to Produce Regenerated Acid.
Reject water from the reverse osmosis
plant is collected and used in toilets and
cooling water for mechanical seals of
pumps at Pickling and Acid Regeneration
Plants. This cooling water is collected
treated at the Pickling line ETP and used
as water for flushing in Toilets.
Recovered water from the Sewerage
treatment plant is recycled for use in toilets
within the factory and at the technical
school.
Treated Water from the CRM effluent
treatment plant is used for Agriculture
within the plant.
Rain water is Harvested and stored in
ponds. This water is utilized as process
water.
Hydrochloric acid is recovered from used
waste acid form the pickling line through
the process of regeneration and re-used in
the Pickling Process.
Waste Minimization at Source
This done through continual improvement
programmes , raw material substitution and
use of better technologies.
Awards won
Occupational Health and Safety Award
CP Innovation Award
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