The Secret to Success EDITORIAL CONTENTS
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THE WORLD OF OILTANKING VOL. 24/2 AUGUST 2012 connections The secret to success EDITORIAL CONTENTS Contents EUROPE 10 “I Care” 12 Special matrix task 13 Teamwork training in progress Topical theme: Special guests at the port in Antwerp 14 14 16 “GOLDEN SPARROW” nests ANTWERP Team at Oiltanking ASIA-PACIFIC 04 Thriving team work “The achievements of an organization are the results of the combined efforts of each individual.” Legendary American football coach Vince Lombardi* could not have said it better when discussing his team. I also believe this is true for our team, over 5,000 Oiltanking colleagues worldwide. The INDIA 22 Seamless Teamwork Oiltanking team got a “new” coach recently when I took over as Managing Director of the Oiltanking group. But being among the team myself for 12 years and having held different positions in Germany and US I might not be that unknown. NORTH AMERICA 28 Acquisition of United Bulk Terminal If you want to succeed in today’s work environments, the ability to work in teams gives you a sporting chance. American baseball legend Casey Stengel** understood the importance of the team dynamic PEOPLE & PLACES 08 We can, we care … as a team when he said “Finding good players is easy; getting them to play as a team is another story.". Aligning 28 "our team" can be even more difficult when some do not share the same cultural background, others 18 The secret to success: Teamwork! are geographically separated and/or work in different disciplines. Oiltanking has already been able to BULK TERMINAL count on its dedicated, steadfast and motivated team for over 40 years — a period that had its fair 24 Cultural Experiences | Double “roundtrip”: share of economic and political ups and downs, of course. I take pride in coaching such a team and look Mumbai to Hamburg forward to my new professional challenge to lead "our team" in to the future! I strongly believe that part of our significant success is all of us striving to be good teammates, LEISURE 06 Stronger together: “hardware without this element the thriving development of Oiltanking would not have been possible. Reason & heartware” enough for “teams” and “teamwork” to enter the limelight. These topics “team up” with the latest & FUN news within Oiltanking, but also span the organization, disciplines and boundaries. 21 Number | 40 years I hope you warm up to our themes and enjoy reading this issue, 27 Lexicon | Jockey Pumps 31 Back to the future * Vincent Thomas "Vince" Lombardi (1913 – 1970), an American football coach 32 Sport | Full speed ahead Carlin Conner ** Casey Stengel (Charles Dillon "Casey" Stengel, 1890 – 1975), an American Major League Managing Director Oiltanking GmbH Baseball outfielder and manager 34 Sport | Running across the Andes 34 RUNNING 36 Teaming up! | Healthy music | Special calling | Prestigious page turner | Bird’s IMPRINT connections Vol. 24/2/2012 Published by Oiltanking GmbH, Corporate Center, Admiralitaetstrasse 55, eye perspective 20459 Hamburg, Germany, www.oiltanking.com, Telephone +49-40-37099-485, Fax +49-40-37099-499 E-Mail [email protected] Coordinator Gabi Wuestenberg, Manager Communications Editor Renate Eijkholt 39 Reader's Corner Design raz design, Hamburg Print BEISNER DRUCK GMBH & Co. KG, Hamburg Published Three times a year Copy Deadline vol 24/3 12.10.2012 40 Last but not least | It’s no rubbish Print compensated Id-No. 1221427 www.bvdm-online.de 2 CONNECTIONS CONNECTIONS 3 ASIA PACIFIC ASIA PACIFIC Thriving “BuiLDING GREEN” Working as a team, colleagues lived the CSR motto of Oiltanking Nanjing, China, to the fullest on the country’s National Tree team Planting Day on March 12, 2012. work March 12 has been a special day in China for 34 years. In 2012 the date also marks an eventful day at Oiltanking Nanjing and an unforgettable experience for our colleague Emily Guo. She explains why. * On March 12, 1925 Sun poured in some nutrient soil and watered it. All the loquat Yat-sen, a leading pioneer of the democratic revolution in China passed trees were planted along a path leading up to a fish pond. away. The date was chosen as tree-planting day to commemorate him. Unlike other trees that are left alone to wait for the rain to come and reach for the sun, all the trees here have their own assigned teams, which means they will be taken care of by their dedicated owners. Camellias, gardenias, photinia serrulata and loquat Before completing the activity, each planting team trees, shovels, watering cans … wait a moment — I thought was presented with a surprise photo of the owners I’d joined an oil storage company, not a nursery? But I was with their trees! The trees are shorter than every in the right place at the right time to experience an Therefore, there was a special ceremony in store for all one of us right now, however it won’t take them long unforgettable day: March 12, 2012 — not just my first day colleagues. Before planting trees, Colin Zhan, General to catch up! at Oiltanking Nanjing as a Management Trainee but also Manager, asked us why China chose March 12 as its National China’s 34th National Tree Planting Day (and, by the way, Tree Planting Day.*(As it happens to coincide with my my 24th birthday). And Oiltanking Nanjing was all about birthday, I was extremely curious!). After the planting doing the right thing. The terminal decided to spice up the instructions had been given, we learned about the special plantation project on National Tree Planting Day and do its stage of “plant adoption”. There were several different LOVELY LOQUATS The bit for the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Journey in kinds of trees, which each of us would be assigned to in sweet scent of their GARDENING TEAM 2012. To live up to the company’s ecological responsibility teams of two or three. I was even more excited than the flowers appears in the Emily Guo (right) — being friends with Mother Nature — Oiltanking Nanjing others when I spotted loquat trees among the plants. I autumn or early winter and Shijie Huang will initiated the “Building Green, Being Green” outdoor activity. could almost taste the delicious fruit these trees would and can be smelled from jointly be looking after their little loquat tree. bear! Eager to plant my tree for our Oiltanking family, my a long way off. Their fruit, which tastes sweet hand shot up for the loquat tree. Together with Shijie (a bit like apricots), is Huang, the HSSEQ coordinator, we adopted the tree ripe in the late winter or seedling and planted the lovely specimen. We dug a hole, early spring. 4 CONNECTIONS CONNECTIONS 5 LEISURE & FUN LEISURE & FUN DAy’S THEME The slogan “TEAM — Together Everyone Achieves More” printed on the specially designed T-shirts highlighted the objective of the day. “I SPY WITH MY LITTLE EYE” Blind-folded participants bank on the team’s guidance. and Koen Verniers (CEO Oiltanking Odfjell Singapore) came up with the idea of a joint “Teambuilding Day” for both companies and their various HSSE, logistics, operations and maintenance departments to cement the strong partnership and ties even further. And this is exactly what the program reflected. The morning was devoted to identifying (technical) “hardware gaps” in both companies’ unique integrated infrastructure in the informal setting of a closed room discussion. Profound insights were shared, topics of concern discussed and issues in need of attention noted for further action. Discovering new approaches to tasks After a sumptuous buffet lunch, it was time to strengthen the “heartware”. Although there is already a good understanding/ working relationship in place, this “fine-tuning” was aimed at maximizing the potential of this partnership. Team challenges were “hardware & designed to test the participants’ ability to work together as a team in demanding scenarios, such as a “Rope Obstacle Challenge” heartware” (crossing a tightrope), “Plank Balance Challenge” (obtaining/ maintaining equilibrium as a group) or “Low-Wall Challenge” (scaling quite a high wall). These activities were not only approached with a great deal of enthusiasm and laughter (not to mention sweat!); they also fostered a great sense of team spirit and encouraged problem- solving skills as the trainers highlighted the “lessons learnt” from each team challenge for potential everyday work situations and reminded the participants of the importance of Teamwork is a much talked about subject. That joining forces goes beyond one’s cohesiveness through team cooperation own company and colleagues was demonstrated at a special “Teambuilding Day” and collaboration. To cap it off, participants were treated to a video co-organized by Oiltanking Odfjell Singapore and one of its clients, Shell Chemicals show of the day’s events while they Seraya Limited (SCSL), at the beginning of this year. belted out "Nothing’s gonna stop us now" in unison. A certificate of achievement and a souvenir mug featuring a group “Four eyes see better than two”, “Many hands make tankages and systems (hardware) are closely integrated. photo were then presented to participants light work”, “A problem shared is a problem halved” … Systems are in place (e.g. equipment checks, audits, to commemorate the event. there are many examples of how being in a team has its quarterly operational meetings) to perform a "health- advantages over tackling something on your own. check" on the hardware. A strict maintenance regime and Afterwards, everyone adjourned to a Oiltanking colleagues work as a team; that is nothing new. regular operational meetings ensure the service provided private BBQ dinner held at the Dream But for some at Oiltanking Odfjell terminal in Singapore, for SCSL runs optimally with minimal downtime. Given this Pool, Amara Sanctuary Resort.