Rémy's Blog

Last Post

This is my last post. So i answer to my post about a photo taken during my Alcan day. It was a cable car. Thank for everyone who try.

About my coach:

It was a pleasure to meet a person like him. He is open-minded and enthusiastic. We spend time about technical things, human relation and i hope we continue to discuss together. He was always listening to me and brought me several answer. He let me independent of his opinion that is really important for having his own opinion.

About me:

I learned plenty of things during this program. It was very constructive to share experience with my coach, with the other bloggers and the fellow who had the chance to go with me in St Jean de Maurienne, a beautiful place composed by friendly people. I remember when i answer the quiz for the first step of this program, it was amazing and i couldn't know that it will be so amazing, interesting...

Now I must pass my exam in June and start my training period. I never forget everyone i knew in this program and I hope that we'll spend more time together by web, visit, meeting or everything else.

I don't forget my promise and i have four months to finish my flying license, before the last year as a student, and maybe before the flight with YOU.

So if you are still interesting for a flight near Alpes, Corsica, or the destination of your choice, contact me remy.aubry@caramail.com and we flight together on this beautiful airplane:

                                    

Thanks

The Weallcan blog is about finish and I would like to thank people who help me, advice, support me and motivate for create this blog. I hope , you, reader could be find some explanation about Alcan and after visiting you will more interesting by Maintenance which is the work of my coach.

I thank my coach Frédéric who motivate me for my blog and answer to thousands questions

I thank the WAC team who work nights and days for this.       

I thank  the site of St Jean de Maurienne for the reception during my Alcan day. Particularly to Marianthi El Ghaoui Tsoli.

I thank bloggers and visitors for spend time on my blog and post comments.

I thank my family for support me and a special mention for my fiancee .

Rémy AUBRY

remy.aubry@caramail.com

Main Menu

                

The Challenger

After talking with my coach another time about the last topic (already the end , what a pity!), I had the proof that he is a real manager with lot's of qualities. For his job the challenge is to warrant a function rate on every machine.But how does he manage his team? what are his problems, success?

As I wrote in a post 'About my coach', he has to manage the maintenance policy.

• The main problem ,I think is the human problem. In fact, it's not like an equation, manage workers require human quality. He must observe his team and identify who is a best manager than technician. He is helped by the human research service. He try to motivate by thanks and every year by the annual salary bonus.For example this year the maximal bonus was 100€/month. not too big for a good technician.So he manages people with delicacy.
• Another aspect of the manager's activities is the respect of their objectives. Frederic said that he try to perform his objectives. If he succeed maybe the objective was not ambitious else he analyze to find why he failed.
• For example in St Jean de maurienne, this old plant have some specials objectives that others haven't. Due to its geographical situation, there are some flow problems. So the managers have to  perform one things: 50 days a year without delay. Delay means no delay of anode and flowing. They try to improve interface, communications between sevices and the transport. Maintenance ,one of the support's service help them.

Innovation another side

Now I had a phone call with my coach, and my opinion about Innovation is larger.Let me try to sum up this call.

• Innovation is for me a economic and technological success. Are you agree with my definition?

I think your are an incomplete definition, Innovation is not only a technical progress but also it could be an organization's development.Indeed in my sevice, the method to progres are as important as the technical progres. If a new method to repair a machine is discovered, maintenance's staff spend less time on this machine and might do another thing.

• How you motivate operators and technicians to innovate, cause some ideas come from these who work on machine?

In St Jean de Maurienne, We had install a system which receive all idea from workers and validate by our superior.It called IDEAL, we interest people who thought and realised or not our idea. They accumulate point and could be exchange with voyage or something else. The best ideas receive a price each month and every year.I think every idea are interesting.

Innovation first thought

I have some courses in Innovation and I had some preconceptions about it. My professor gave us some definitions: Innovation is for their an economical and commercial success. So it's a restricted definition about it, they spend all the time to speak about the product and the market and the evolution about the market. They show us the way of the innovation in the consummer side or technical side.

So for me Innovation is a new product which answer market and custommers. It's not really a creation but it could be a technological addition or new package.

Tath is my point of view BEFORE the call with my coach.

International

I'm ready for the second topic which is International. If you know Alcan, you know it's an internationnal firm if NOT go THERE

For this buisness , the site of St Jean de Maurienne was already in a international policy. That means international clients and suppliers. But also a new way of management and careers for everybody.

My coach is single and he's really motivate to move in different country in order to have a lot of experiences. "interbreeding do best results". He likes learn custom and habits cause when we go in a foreign country we may to integer the population not as a visitor but as a Worker and a Professionnal.

His job is to allow and develop the international relationship with Alcan team and the other actors. His maintenance's policy is based on and is helped by it. Indeed he can use competitors and experiences on the other plant in Alcan's company.The methods are differents, the way to aproach problem is different too and finnally Frederic thinks that Every idea is good to take not to let in the bin.

In his job he is in contact with international people two or three hours a week. He speaks English of course and use only once German. Would he try to learn another language , maybe not . My coach knows how to make choice never regret. He assumes!

Index

After viewing my blog i saw it's difficult to read a post without a context so I create for you an index. If you are any question about my blog or everything you can contact me :remy.aubry@caramail.com

Topic about ALCAN and specific WAC:

Last post, Assessment

Topic 4 the challenger

Topic 3 part 2

Topic 3 part 1 Innovation

Topic 2 International

Topic 1 clients and suppliers

My Alcan Day

About My coach

Topic around ALCAN :

Few thing about me

Very soon a great coach

My Trip

Amazing

Trying

Alcan day evening

Topic 1: clients and suppliers

In the maintenance, what is the clients and suppliers and what is their functions?

There are two types of clients/suppliers:

First the inner clients and suppliers.We often forget the different services, like human resource, functional services. They ask for a service. For example the carbon and foundry have to function a percentage of time (80% maybe). So Maintenance have to take preventive measure for our clients. They ask several services to the other department in the site.

The other type is the external suppliers. In fact they don't have clients out of the factory cause it's a support department. So maintenance have subcontractor for fabrication of pieces or suppliers for buying machine. In this moment maintenance are going to buy some 'Mecflor' and they contact a Canadian firm for this purchase.

See the picture about the maintenance's organization, it explain the different step of the maintenance.

                                        

Another thing about the suppliers is the policy of standardization. They need to have every piece with the same dimensions, functions in order to repair easily the different machines. However the site of St Jean de maurienne is old and we can find as well old machine as new one. So they must keep old pieces for replacement.

So they have more than two suppliers in oil or fabrication, for example; it's a little bit important but my coach work with them to develop pieces or materials which answer better than concurrent or an old one.

Alcan Day evening

My Alcan day evening was very particular like every participant but My coach and I eat with 'The Sandrine', Angelique and Mathias.

We ate a delicious dinner thanks to the long experience of my coach in St Jean de Maurienne... And we discuss about everything except WAC.We had enough time to talk about it in the journey. Go to the Forum to answer a very hard question...

                                 

My trip (non technical)

I arrived in St Jean Monday 21st at 7Pm.

After a traditional presentation we ate and discussed about the project WAC.

The following day at 7:30 i was accommodated by Frederic in his office. He explained me the program of the day and the policy of security in the site.

Every morning he walked 2 hours in the site through some workshop in order to ' take the atmosphere'.He checked every people as well health as the security.

Then he explained me the different services, the St Jean's activity, and the most interesting, his job:

He have to manage a big team, respect the objectives of the boss ( Jean Jose ). The credit is very short year after year. Sometimes he has to treat a technical problem like new trucks which could be replace the 'modified Fenwick' called the Mecfor by a more effective truck.

After explained me his job, the aluminum transformation, we went to rejoin sandrine, Angelique and Mathias in restaurant.

Then he was extended for a meeting about the penalty: why and when worker have to call the different hierarchy in the site. It was not very clear and some explanations were needed.

It was the first time i went in a meeting like that:

there were the vice-director, the foundry manager, the Carbon manager(Romuald, Etienne's coach), and one person of electrolyze. It was a non formal meeting without a schedule but everybody explained their ideas and opinions.

After that i couldn't go to the next meeting with the management team. So i debrief all Alcan day's information and taken photos for Alcan.

Frederic came back at nearly 6 pm and we talked about his project to by several 'super' trucks.

the evening we ate in a ski station:'La toussuire', the atmosphere was friendly. We finished late and i couldn't reception my fellow Etienne who arrived at 10 pm.Sorry!

NEXT DAY:

7h30 Discussion with Frederic about risks, security in the site.

8h30 Classic presentation of St Jean site with the charming communication's manager Marianthi El Ghaoui-Tsoli. She explained the aluminum transformation,gave us some figures and one hour later she invited us to visit the site. She took care of every movement of us to respect security and confidentiality.

11h return to the Maintenance office and debrief this visit with Frederic. He showed me the maintenance's policy cause he is one of instructors in maintenance.

13h Lunch with every participant to WAC and coaches.

14h Departure....