Kaline's Blog

¡Final final, no va más!

(This is what commentators say on Colombian TV when the referee blows the whistle in a football match to say that the game is over; I know, it is not the best way of naming a post, but at least one title had to be in Spanish)

Well, its been a while since my first post, lots of bytes have been uploaded, lots of things have been said and images shown... time to put everything together.

Things to remember

Dear reader: if you are thinking about becoming a site manager keep in mind that this is a job that entails a high percentage of work with people. You will have to be able to communicate very well, to pass ideas and motivate people. What I loved from my coach’s job is that every day is a new one. There is neither monotony nor repetition. He has everyday a new challenge and an always changing activity. As the responsible for the plant he is involved in all the different topics around it. He will surely not be a specialist in every little aspect, but what I find attracting is to know enough of everything to be able to discuss and find solutions for the problems they get every now and then.

About my experience

I love bloging. Every topic was a good excuse to talk to my coach for almost an hour about something new and interesting. It gave us the opportunity to reflect about our daily lives, draw conclusions and discuss about it. The posts are normally just a summary of what we talked about.

I can't really tell how the experience for people outside the WAC program was, but judging from the reactions on my blog and the e-mails I received it was very pleasant, too. By the way I have to say that one of the best things of feedback is that through it know that somenoe out there is taking the time to read all the stuff that's been written down.

This experience showed me a new industry I didn’t know very well, and good news… I found it great! I also learned what a real site manager does and how he does it; I got the opportunity to ask all I ever wanted. I like to work together with people and solve every day a new problem, to have something new to do. I think I would get bored very fast working in something monotonous. I always wanted to work in the consulting industry, because it is an ever changing job with new tasks all of the time. Now I know that not only in the consulting industry you find changes and challenges, Mr. Schmitt at ALCAN has every day a new one. I think that is the biggest lesson I could ever learn.

But there is one more thing I won through the WAC program: a friend, Mr. Schmitt. I loved the time I spend with him and the conversations about the different topics. He didn't just tell me a few facts about his job, more than that he tried always to go farther, to make me really understand what is what he does and why it is so important, for him, for the people that work with him and for ALCAN.

Dear Reader,
You are surely a student trying to decide what to do and where to begin. I think you came to the right place. Read the blogs you find interesting and you will discover parts of different jobs you've never heard of. But read also those that you don't find that interesting, because they may show you something you are looking for and didn't know.

Enjoy the time you spend in our blogs and if ever you still have a question; I am sure that all of us are going to be happy to help you out. We now have friends there where the questions may find answers!

One last thing: thanks to all the people that in a direct or indirect way have contributed to the blog: the WAC team, SpongeBob, Mr.Schmitt, Mr.Lucke, Fredy, Presswerk Burg, ALCAN, my family, my friends, the bloggers, and everybody else I forgot to mention here but who are not less important.

Kaline Brückner Saab - May 10^th, 2005

Blog Equalizer©

Hello everybody. Since the shortcut index on the left side of the blog isn't capable of holding all the posts, I've decided that it is time to introduce some sort of a navigation system. For the way it looks like I call it the Blog Equalizer©. As you can see, it looks like the equalizer of a stereo, but this one here works obviously in a different way. Since the bars are thumbnails of the actual posts, you can see how long and image loaded every article is -and thus decide if you feel like and/or have the time to read it-; to read the article in question you just have to click on the bar.

Since most of the articles are interconnected, I decided not to organize them thematically, but to propose a reading order. Remeber, this is just a suggestion, since you can read the different articles in any order you like and either way understand what is going on (by the way, have you read the novel 'Rayuela' by Julio Cortázar? -it works the same way), but, just in case you feel lost and confused, follow the bars!

>>> about my blog - what's all this about?
>>> about me - who am I?
>>> about the people around me - family and friends are introduced
>>> Colombia or Germany? - just in case you were about to ask
>>> about Burg - a small town with lots of history and ambition
>>> about the presswerk - everything you wanted to know about extrusion
>>> about my coach - who's the man behind the plant?
>>> my ALCAN day - learn about one of the most interesting days of my life

>>> about a philosophy - learn what's behind EHS
>>> about the people around my coach - first discussion topic
>>> about challenging oneself - second discussion topic

>>> about an iceberg (parts 1 and 2) - third discussion topic

>>> together we all can! - fourth (and last) discussion topic [NEW]

Well, all what's left to say is: more bars coming up!

Together We All Can!

Time flies and thus we reached our last topic: teamwork. To talk to my coach about this topic is quite interesting, since teamwork has played a fundamental role during his whole professional life. But before we begin, let's have a look at the semantics:

Teamwork is the concept of people working together as a team. The concept has spread from the world of sports where it is well known and accepted, to business, so much so that it is in danger of being considered by some as an empty buzzword, or a form of corporate-speak. In the 21st century, as people are becoming more sophisticated and society is becoming more technically advanced, working as a team makes it easier to accomplish goals.

from wikipedia org

Mr. Schmitt, how would you define teamwork?

Teamwork is working together in a way that everyone respects and listens to the opinions and ideas of other tem members. Everyone invests their effort in order to achieve a higher efficiency. It is a way of being more creative and of enjoying more the work you are doing.

How much of your work is done in a team? How about your co-workers?

Hmm, that's hard to answer. I am all of the time going from one team to another in the plant. I am the 'sponsor 'of the projects we do, so I have to know how far they are coming and help solving problems that get out of the team's hands.
For my co-workers it is a bit different. It depends on the kind of work they are doing. If they are working on a project, a big part of the work will be done in teams. There are also some other areas, where everyday work is done in teams. Take for example the workshop. The people of the workshop have developed a way of working in teams, which enables them to be more efficient. Teamwork makes the work even easier, since every single person feels part of the group and enjoys working.

What would you say makes teamwork successful?

Diversity. Different people, with different backgrounds, with different specializations and different ideas. Teamwork lives from different points of view, and this can be achieved only if you put different people together and motivate them to work towards a common goal. But I think it is also important that the people in the team fit together, that they are able to work together.

What should a team leader keep in mind?

He shouldn't be a superior. For a lot of people it is hard to express new ideas when their boss is in the room. The leader should 'moderate' the discussions and keep the respect between the members. Authoritarian leaders are out. Modern leaders should make everyone feel as equals. I also think that it is also important that the leader doesn't know too much about the topic, since this will help him to be more open to the other's ideas. He should motivate and support his team in every possible way. A leader's main task consists in steering the team to success.

How can a leader maintain the communication in the team?

Before starting the teamwork, there are certain rules that should be explained. Afterwards the leader has to watch over the team and make sure the rules are being followed.

How do you motivate people in a team?

I think the most important thing is to make the team members feel that they belong to the group and that they are an important part of it. They should know that their ideas are going to be taken into account and respected.

What do you think is the best part of teamwork?

The experience you acquire. To know that you can achieve a lot more than if you were working alone. And the atmosphere is often a lot better than when you are working alone in a corner.

And the worst?

The worst part of teamwork is when you have the feeling that you are stuck in a never-ending discussion.

How much helps teamwork in your plant?

I think it is the basis of our work here. We have formal and informal teamwork. Formal teamwork is when you have teams that have been put together to solve a given problem; this teams 'exist' just for a fixed span of time. Informal teams, on the other hand, are those which are not appointed, but 'spontaniously' built by people who like working together and are very efficient at doing so. An example of this kind of teamwork is the workshop I mentioned before. To work in a team is more efficient than working alone, so it automatically increases the productivity.

One last question: what kind af advice would you give to someone who hasn't work in a team?

He or she should remember the times they played sports, let's say, for example at school. They just have to transfer what he/she did douring those experiences to the work he/she is doing in the team.

Well I think that was quite informative, so now, dear reader, is your turn to express your opinion about teamwork. What would you say is the best/worst part of teamwork? And remember, together we all can!

About an iceberg (1 of 2)

This week the WAC team asked us in what sense our coach’s job entail innovation. Based on this question I talked to my coach and he told that he was the sponsor of a very innovative project: how to reduce an iceberg!

continue>>

About an iceberg (2 of 2)

idea & text: kaline - layout and illustrations: reimert

About a philosophy

In this post I want to share with you some of the information Mr. Lucke gave me about his department. He is one of the 'clients' of my coach, which I met on my ALCAN Day. He has been working at the Presswerk for the last 10 years. In the beginning he spent half of his working time in the Quality Management, but with the Pechiney’s acquisition Mr. Lucke became the responsible for the EHS department.

In ALCAN EHS stands for Environment, Health and Safety. The EHS program is more than a few rules that describe quality and safety. It is a PHILOSOPHY.

The goal of this philosophy is that all the employees develop a mindset and an attitude to make their environment, health and safety their highest priority at all times. They all work together to achieve an excellent EHS level not only within the company but in the communities where they are present. To achieve these all the employees have to know the guidelines of the program, they have to respect the norms and behave responsible vis-à-vis the environment, health and safety of their co-workers. They should be able to identify danger, calculate risks and start the implementation of preventive actions if possible. They also have to notify the cases where these procedures are not being respected as well as notify the local authorities if necessary.

With the acquisition of Pechiney a lot of things had to be changed in the Presswerk, in order to achieve the level of other ALCAN plants. The company gave Mr. Lucke about a year to gain this level in three of the seven different main points of the EHS philosophy.

The first one: rules about how to drive and control the fork lift truck and the overhead crane. The workers at the plant had to get used to new directions as for example they had to respect a new speed limit: now they are only allowed to drive at 'walking' speed. Another new rule was that when a pedestrian comes in the opposite direction, the pedestrian and the fork lift truck's driver have to keep eye contact. This helps avoiding accidents that in some cases have cost the lives.

The second main point that had to be achieved within a year was the behavior of the workers of foreign firms within the perimeter of the Presswerk. Foreign firms are those who have a contract with the Presswerk and whose workers need to enter the plant to do their job. Examples for these workers are those in charge of picking up products to transport them to their firms, or the workers that build a new machine in the hall of the Burg plant (as for example the machine for the BOSCH product). These workers have to read a set of rules before entering the plant, fill in a form with questions as where and when exactly they are going to be in the Presswerk, and sign that they are aware of the rules and that their doubts about these were solved (you can download the form by clicking here, only problem is that I only have a German version of it).

And the third and last main point that had to be achieved within a year was the 'shut down routine'. With this they mean the shutting down of the machines while repairing or at the end of the day. Since ALCAN took over Pechiney, every ingle switch for turning the machines off and on (not only the press, but also the overhead crane, ovens, or the conveying systems) was changed. Now for turning off a machine the person needs a key to be able to open the door to the switch and then he needs the same key to switch off the machine. He can’t leave the key hanging on the first door and while the door is open nobody will be able to close it either. With this method they make sure that while somebody is working on the machine nobody will be able to turn it on, since it could become deadly.

Some other main points of the EHS are about the waste, the narrow rooms (these should be marked and controled) and the emissions that are harmful for the environment.

There is one more thing I want to talk about and that I found extremely interesting while talking to Mr. Lucke: the Worldwide Code of Employee and Business Conduct. This is a small booklet of about 30 pages which guides all ALCAN employees in their behavior not only in the activities directly related to the company but also indirectly. The code explains themes as the use of the internet and the company's property, drugs, alcohol and firearms, human rights at the workplace, international business operations and some other. I think the actual reason for the code is to enable the communication between people from different nationalities and cultures as well as to standardize what ALCAN understands as ethics and to invite their workers to act within these parameters.

I think I could go on for pages and pages talking about this marvelous philosophy, but the idea is not to bore you but to interest you and tell you a little bit more about ALCAN's way of working and 'living'. If you have questions about EHS or the Employee Code feel free to post them –I’ll answer them happily!

About challenging oneself

To work as a site manager for ALCAN is not only about controlling the plant so that it achieves the goals set, or manage the people that work in it; it is about challenges. Challenges that renew themselves every day, making you wake up feeling excited because you have a new day of work ahead!

No Limit

When my coach talks about having no limits he means being open to try everything. The Presswerk has been known as the plant that 'tries it'. You need a new part for the modern motor you are developing, and no one yet has been able to do it? Well, in Burg there is a team, directed by Mr. Schmitt, which is waiting for the next challenge.

Diversity

1600 different products, and whatever else you can imagine, means diversity for my coach. Everything is possible, and there is always a way to get there, even if things have to be changed in order to get there. My coach and his team are ready to try and do those parts that won't be produced anywhere else. The clients of my coach know that if his team cannot do the part they are looking for there won't be any other plant able to do it. They demonstrated it when BOSCH opened the bid for what I call the 'BOSCH product' and the only plant that remained until the end was the Presswerk Burg. All other European competitors gave up.

Diversity means to adapt to what the customers are looking for. To find new ways to solve new challenges, new profiles and new products. Not just say 'we can't do it', but to answer 'we can try it', and at the end come up with an innovative idea. This is what differentiates my coach's work and makes his plant competitive, not only locally but internationally. Nowadays everyone can lower their costs and guarantee a high quality, but when it comes to new products, there are very few competitors.

Exciting

The best part of my coach's job is its dynamic. There are every day new aspects to discover and new things to learn. Thank God there is no 'peace' in his job, otherwise that would mean that something is going wrong! There are everyday new goals to achieve, and even from the problems there are always good things to learn.

Absolut ALCAN

One aspect of my coach's job you can find in every ALCAN job: new challenges. Everyday all ALCAN employees get challenged to achieve higher customer satisfaction and produce profits for their departments. They learn from the negative as well as from the positive experiences, enriching their jobs and their lives. The goal is to benchmark themselves, their team and their company. And this is what you find in every ALCAN job.

About the people around me

Dime con quién andas, y te diré quién eres.

Tell me who you go with, and I will tell you who you are.

Colombian proverb

In the last post I talked about the people that surround my coach (in his professional life) and the idea was to get to know my coach and his work a little bit better. While writing it I thought you will be happy to get to know me a little bit better too, so I decided to write about the people I care.

My family

To talk about my family I would need a never ending page, but even though I’ll try to keep it short.

My mom studied law, but never practiced it. She is now a very successful manager working for Marriott Vacation Club. She is in charge of the sales in Colombia. She has a great sense of humor and the capacity to see the uniqueness of every moment; on the other hand I wouldn´t exagerate if I say that she has already tried every single diet that has been invented -and I'm not sure, but I think she has invented others as well. My sister studies Business Administration in Berlin. She just arrived from a semester in Sao Paulo and three months of working for the American Chamber of Commerce in Bogota. Both of them are more than just a mother and sister, they are my best friends and eternal companions.

My dad was a great man; sadly he died five years ago, but I am sure he is always with me. I remember him every time I use one of his useful advices.

I only know my maternal grandparents, and I can tell you, you rarely find grandparents as this ones. I’m very lucky for having such young grandparents. My grandfather sings the best songs ever; we don’t need any music in the parties: we have my grandfather who sings to us! And I better don’t start describing how good the food from my grandmother is; otherwise you will get very, very hungry. But, just in case, if you get the opportunity to sit with them at the table, eat as much as you can... twice!

I have four uncles and an aunt, and a whole bunch of cousins and I better stop here, otherwise I will never end…

My boyfriend

Fredy Reimert. We met in school 9 years ago. He is a year older than me, but was two years over me in school. That is because he was too bright and the school decided to advance him a year. For me he is an artist. He studies Architecture in Berlin, but plays the drums and does very good comics and drawings. He is starting his own internet homepage, if you want to visit it just click here.

We have been together for about 3 years and half now. There is one thing where we are similar: we both come from families that are mixtures of cultures. His dad is German and his mom is Chinese, and the best part is that he was born in Bogota and he feels Colombian.

My friends

I am glad they exist! Friends are doubtless the biggest treasure a person can have. There are different types of friends, if you know what I mean. There are my school-friends, university-friends, work-friends, sport-friends, Colombian- German-, Panamanian-, French-, Mexican- and elsewhere-friends, and lots of others which I have met at different times and throughout different circumstances and listing all of them here would take too much space. So, if you want to see your name here, I encourage you to briefly introduce yourself : )

About the people around my coach

Interpersonal relations are an essential part of every day life. The way you interact with the people around you is one of the key-factors of success. This week I'll try to break down the main types interpersonal, professional relationships of my coach, thus learning a bit more about him, ALCAN, the corporate world and every day life. Relationships have basically to involved parties, which in the corporate world are known as

A Site Manager like my coach, Mr. Schmitt, has different kinds of suppliers and clients and different kinds of relationships with them. There are mainly two kinds of groups: insiders and outsiders. Insiders are those who work for ALCAN and outsiders are those who don’t but have continuous contact with ALCAN’s employees. Per group my coach has mainly two kinds of relationships.

Insiders

My coach’s most important relationship is the one he shares with his most important clients: his co-workers. These are all the persons that work in the plant in Burg. The products Mr. Schmitt sells to them are his ideas. All his co-workers go to him with problems that need solutions and together they try to solve them. Sometimes the problems lay only on Mr. Schmitt’s hands and he has to find solutions. The relationship with these 'clients' is based on trust and direct communication; otherwise the ideas won't be bought. Mr. Schmitt believes that his role as a boss is to listen to his people and support them with his help and confidence. All his people have expectations and a certain right to await from him something more than a plain answer. The major purpose of this relationship is to achieve very good functioning teamwork and that the people feel comfortable and well in what they do, the result of this good work-atmosphere is a more efficient and better production.

An example of one of his clients is Mr. Schiehorn (pictured above with my coach). He works on the quality management of the different parts produced in Burg. He also has a direct contact to some of the clients of the plant. He follows closely the production and is in charge of deciding which pieces have reached the quality standards and which don't and therefore cannot be supplied. He 'buys' advises from Mr. Schmitt and sometimes also permissions. Most of the time he has to take his own decisions, but often he finds problems that get out of his hands and that's when Mr. Schmitt comes in and 'sells' solutions.

The other relationship he has with insiders is with his direct boss, who is in charge of managing the three Presswerke in Germany; he is also a client for my coach. Mr. Schmitt supplies him with results of the plant in Burg and the fulfilling of economic goals. It is also a trust-based relationship in which each party knows, that what it is asking from the other one is possible to achieve, and that if there is any problem it can be discussed and solved.

What is a client?

Original definition: in ancient Rome, a client was someone, usually a freed slave, who was attached to a rich patron benefactor; this was necessary for many who were not legally able to secure citizenship, a right initially reserved for the patrician class.

In traditional commerce and in the marketing and provision of services, a client or customer consumes or benefits from a product or service.

Client (computing), a system that accesses remote services on another computer.

from wikipedia.org

Outsiders

In the group of the outsiders he has mainly two kinds of partners: clients and suppliers.

Suppliers are the firms where the plant buys raw materials for the production, like aluminium and dies for the press. These are long-term relationships. ALCAN has a greater bargaining power than its suppliers, which gives him -my coach- the opportunity to achieve better conditions. But the idea is not to finish them up, but to work as a team and get better results for both parties. My coach needs to trust his suppliers, to know that what he asks for is being done as agreed and that it will be delivered on time, otherwise his production will suffer.

Clients are those companies to whom the products of the plant are being delivered to. Since these companies are often very big, the roles are changed, leaving ALCAN on the other side of the table, in the supplier position, with lesser bargaining power. As you can imagine, sometimes it is hard to negotiate with them; this is why Mr. Schmitt needs to have very good relationships based on trust and fairness. Normally these relationships are long-term, which enables a better communication and allows both companies to work more as a team than to be just buyer and seller.

How would you define trust?

Belief or confidence in, or reliance on, the truth, goodness, character, power, ability, etc. of someone or something.

Charge or care.

The state of being responsible for the conscientious performance of some task.

A task assigned to someone in the belief that they will perform it well and conscientiously.

from allwords.com

As we saw Mr. Schmitt does not only work with ALCAN’s employees by 'selling' them ideas and support but also with people of the industry that come from other companies to whom he sells the products made at the plant in Burg. Trust is what enables Mr. Schmitt to sell 'his products' to his customers and also to know that what he is getting supplied with has the quality he needs and that it fulfills all of his expectations. There are many definitions for trust, I believe each person understands trust differently, but it is the basis of every relationship. Relationships last long because both partners succeed in maintaining trust. This is achived mostly through little actions that demonstrates the others that there is something worth fighting for.

About the Presswerk

[Presswerk: from the German, Press:to press - Werk:plant]

ALCAN Extruded Products Burg is a very young plant built in 1993. It is one of the most modern plants of its kind with a very high automation level and only 72 employees, which makes it price competitive with countries such as Slovakia. Its whole crew comes from the region and they work mainly in a two level structure: a 10 person’s management-team and 62 production workers. It makes them a kind of big family and allows that almost everyone knows the work of the others, this way they are able to fill in the work of their colleagues. This makes possible a fast and flexible answer to the market’s demand.

It has a capacity of 15.000 tons of extruded soft profile of aluminum alloys and produces around 1.600 different profiles. The plant has a press with 3.500 tons forming pressure and an overhead crane with a carrying capacity of 7.500 kg which works automatically 24 hours a day. The plant works with a three shift structure, which keeps all the machines working 5 days a week and sometimes even 6, depending on the market’s demand.

In the year 2000 the plant produced around 17 tons per shift, which for a plant like this is a good average. But as a result of a study, its management team noticed that they could do a lot better, and set a new goal: 22 tons per shift as a minimum. They achieved an increase in production of about 25% in three years. It was all organized according to the principles of the continuous improvement process. The key success factor of this project was that it wasn't only a project of the management team, but also of the production workers; more or less 60% of the workers were directly involved in the process. Mr. Schmitt said that there were three key success factors:
1. all employees working together for a common goal
2. trust on the capacity of the employees and giving them enough chances to demonstrate what they can
3. strong commitment of the management team, which assisted and supported the production workers

How does the plant work?

Everything starts at the back of the plant where the aluminum is introduced (1) in the building; the aluminum arrives at Burg as big cylinders. At the beginning they are warmed up in two ovens (2) before putting them into the press. They achieve a temperature around 400°C. It is important to know that the melting point of the aluminum is around 630°C, depending on the alloy. The aluminum gets a dough-like consistency and the bolt (3) presses it through the die with 3.500 tons forming pressure. The die is a metal form that gives the aluminum the desired profile. In the press the aluminum reaches a maximal temperature of 585°C to 650°C; once more it depends on the alloy. Long lines of profiles come out (4) and they are transported automatically to a cutting machine, where they will be cut to the needed length. Then if needed they will be hardened (5), that way achieving certain qualities asked by the customers. If the parts are leaving right away, they will be packed (6) and placed to get loaded on the trucks, otherwise they will be storaged (7) until the time to get packed comes.

The dies in the press machine are normally changed within 3 to 4 minutes and there is at least a die for each profile produced. Each customer asks for a different quality, and depending on this, the parts are measured and controlled to assure the quality each client asks for. The plant produces around 3.500 tons scrap aluminum which is recycled and reused.

“Security and safety is written with capital letters at this plant”. Each worker has to pay attention to what he/she is doing but also to the doings of their colleagues: it is responsibility of everyone to avoid accidents.

There are some other places of the plant that are indirectly involved in the production. The technical office (8), where engineering drawings are clarified. This is made in direct connection with the clients. They also get the orders and plan the production. An other important place for the production is the workshop (9), where the dies get maintained after being used and if the exact measures are not achieved, here is the place where the dies are changed to reach the needed quality. And not to forget: the offices (10) where the 10 person's of the management team have their seats.

The BOSCH products

The Bosch product is a crankcase for the engine of the servo steering of the Volkswagen cars. The crankcase and the electronics inside help the lowering of the needed full consumption, with the replacement of the hydraulic servo steering. It was developed by BOSCH to be produced specially in the ALCAN plant in Burg, and until now this is the only plant producing it. Every 40th part is proofed on 35 different measurements and every part is checked in 5 different points. These parts also go through a longer process than the other parts produced at Burg. A special machine (11) was built in the plant to cut the parts and make the last finishing touches. This is one more proof that the Burg plant is able to produce what the client wants, with the needed quality and safety.