CASE STUDY: MARKET NICHE Petroleum, Lubricant and Fuel Additive POSITIONS NICHE R&D JOB TITLE Senior Researcher (Automotive Section) CLIENT Idemitsu COMPANY Idemitsu
POSITION Senior Researcher (Automotive Section)
LOCATION Detroit, MI Idemitsu Lubricants American Corporation
For more information contact:
Patrick Ropella Chairman and CEO Ropella 850.983.4883 [email protected]
TM Idemitsu Extreme Eco Lubricant ROPELLA GROWING GREAT COMPANIES
8100 Opportunity Drive, Milton, Florida 32583 850-983-4777 | www.ropella.com Idemitsu 2 Senior Researcher (Automotive Section)
Company Information Idemitsu
The Company More Information: Idemitsu Oil & Gas Co., Ltd. http://www.idemitsu.com/ is responsible for the oil and gas upstream business in the Idemitsu Group and actively promotes their business in Norway, the UK and Southeast Asia. Their objective is to sustain the growth and development of their business, as part of their commitment to strengthen Idemitsu Group’s corporate value of making contributions to their shareholders and to society.
Since the Snorre field came on stream in 1992, they have steadily increased their production and reserves of the oil fields on the Norwegian Continental Shelf. Production volume in their Norwegian interest base in 2009 was 26,000 bbl/day. In November 2009, they acquired asset and exploration acreage in the UK, including producing oil fields. In February 2010, the commercial production from the Nam Rong - Doi Moi oil field (the NR-DM oil field) located in offshore Vietnam commenced. In order to maintain and expand production from the UK, Southeast Asia and Norway, they are striving to strengthen their business infrastructure by well balanced new exploration activities and asset deals.
Ropella | Executive Search and Consulting — Chemical and Allied Industries | www.ropella.com Idemitsu 3 Senior Researcher (Automotive Section)
Product Information Lubricants
Marine Oils Idemitsu carries a wide range of high- quality oils for all types of marine engines, incorporating the latest in technological advances for consistently high performance. Maintenance Oils With a focus on conserving energy and reducing the use of hazardous chemicals, Idemitsu has developed a line of environmentally friendly maintenance and machine oils. This is a part of Idemitsu’s commitment to working toward a sustainable society. Their maintenance oils include zinc-free biodegradable hydraulic oils as well as long-life compressor and gear oils.
Metal Working Oils Idemitsu is an industry leader in the development of environmentally friendly machine oils. Chlorine-free metalworking oils like cutting fluids and water soluble coolants aim at reducing material waste and extending the life of machinery. Grease Products Suitable for a wide range of industrial uses, Idemitsu’s greases are designed for multi- purpose use, long-life and functionality under extreme pressure.
Idemitsu Zepro Lubricant
Industrial Oils Other lubrication products Idemitsu offers include liquid paraffin, transformer oils, rubber oils, solvents and general-purpose lubricants.
Ropella | Executive Search and Consulting — Chemical and Allied Industries | www.ropella.com Idemitsu 4 Senior Researcher (Automotive Section)
Position Information Senior Researcher (Automotive Section)
Summary Provides innovation in product design and development that is aligned with and supports the company’s strategic business objectives. Creating innovation and new concept and new product and analytical method development initiatives related to new business. Assists with localization of Idemitsu formulated products and identifies new and replacement raw materials. The senior researcher adheres to all quality system requirements for ISO 9001, TS 16949. Qualifications/Requirements Develops and modifies formulations and specifications for automotive lubricants by working with Japanese Development Staff assigned by ILA’s parent company, Idemitsu Kosan Co. This process includes:
Seeking customer needs with sales team (Technical & Marketing section) and reflect customer need in new product concept.
Performing and/or arranging beaker blending. Making and modifying formulations as necessary to meet customer needs and requirements. Managing the laboratory testing phase.
Managing development process and communication with development staff of both Idemitsu Kosan and ILA. Provides and supports the distribution of technical information regarding raw materials, product formulation, product blending and product applications to ILA’s sales and manufacturing staff.
Making and managing “Research and Development Reports” and “Product Design Sheets (LFSRs)” based on performance and quality matter.
Checks all formal specifications (Spec F) for raw materials and finished products received from Idemitsu Kosan. Maintains appropriate documentation on new or changed formulations to assist in product launch phase. Communicates with Production Control, Procurement, Manufacturing and Quality Control to help ensure a smooth launch on all new or changed formulations.
Preparing design sheets for ILA and contract blenders. Preparing raw material specification sheets for contract blenders when necessary.
Ropella | Executive Search and Consulting — Chemical and Allied Industries | www.ropella.com Idemitsu 5 Senior Researcher (Automotive Section)
General (5%) Supervises development technicians and interns and day to day activities.
Attends STLE, SAE seminars, webinars, and other continuing education for lubricant fundamentals, raw materials and lubricant applications and stays informed of current technology and trends. Raw Material/Vendors (10%) Stays current on knowledge of additive technology, searches for new and replacement raw materials and works with Japanese staff to gain approval of raw materials from Idemitsu Kosan Co.
Meets with suppliers as needed. Acts as technical liaison between suppliers, ILA and Idemitsu Kosan Co. Assists with discussions between Idemitsu Kosan Co, ILA and suppliers concerning performance, cost negotiation and new technical information.
Evaluates new raw material choices through testing, beaker blending or other means. Testing (25%) Searches for and implements new testing equipment.
Establish new testing methods and equipment based on customer needs and requirement. Sales Support (10%) Communicates with customers and Sales Team to address customer and/or application problems. Performs or coordinates appropriate testing to provide technical support. Troubleshoots problems and recommends corrective actions. Additional Information: The preceding functions are examples of the types of work performed by associates assigned to this job classification. Management reserves the right to add, modify, change, or rescind work assignments and to make reasonable accommodations as needed. Minimum Requirements: Education: Masters’ degree in Chemistry or equivalent experience. Doctor in chemistry preferred.
Ropella | Executive Search and Consulting — Chemical and Allied Industries | www.ropella.com Idemitsu 6 Senior Researcher (Automotive Section)
Required Experience: Minimum of five years experience in researching and analyzing for automotive and industrial lubricants and/or raw materials used in such lubricants.
Formulation and development experience of lubricants preferred. Special Skills/Job Knowledge/Abilities: In depth knowledge and understanding of lubricant formulations, raw materials and customer applications. Additional Information Relevant to This Position: Able to effectively work in a multi-cultural work environment.
Must adapt to a consensus based decision making management style.
Travel approximately 10-20%.
Japan business trip is required for development training. (About 2 months)
Ropella | Executive Search and Consulting — Chemical and Allied Industries | www.ropella.com Idemitsu 7 Senior Researcher (Automotive Section)
Location Information Detroit, MI and Surrounding Area
Detroit is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan, and a primary business, cultural, financial and transportation center in the Metro Detroit area. It is home to substantial activity in urban design, historic preservation, and architecture. The diverse culture of Detroit, Michigan, has influenced American and global culture through its commercial enterprises and various forms of popular music throughout the 20th and 21st century. Detroit is home to several institutions of higher learning, public and private schools. Renaissance Center Many of the area’s prominent museums are located in the historic cultural center neighborhood around Wayne State University and the College for Creative Studies. These museums include the Detroit Institute of Arts and the Detroit Historical Museum. Other cultural highlights include Motown Historical Museum, the Pewabic Pottery studio and school, Fort Wayne, the Dossin Great Lakes Museum, the Contemporary Art Institute of Detroit, the Belle Isle Conservatory, and many more. Important history of America and the Detroit area are exhibited at The Henry Ford, the United Spirit of Detroit States’ largest indoor-outdoor museum complex. The Detroit Historical Society provides information about tours of area churches, skyscrapers, and mansions. Inside Detroit, meanwhile, hosts tours, educational programming, and a downtown welcome center.
Live music has been a prominent feature of Detroit’s nightlife since the late 1940s, bringing the city recognition under the nickname ‘Motown’. The metropolitan area has many nationally prominent live music venues. Major theaters include the Fox Theatre, Music Hall, the Gem Theatre, Old Main Wayne State University Masonic Temple Theatre, the Detroit Opera House, the Fisher Theatre, The Fillmore Detroit, St. Andrews Hall, the Majestic Theatre, and Orchestra Hall which hosts the renowned Detroit Symphony Orchestra. The city has contributed to a number of different genres over the decades leading into the new millennium. Important music events in the city include: the Detroit International Jazz Festival, the Detroit Electronic Music Festival, the Motor City Music Conference, the Urban Organic Music Conference, the Concert of Colors, and the hip-hop Summer Jamz festival.
Detroit is one of 12 American metropolitan areas that are home to professional teams representing the four major sports in North America. Monument to All these teams but one play within the city of Detroit itself. There are Joe Louis three active major sports venues within the city: Comerica Park (home of the Major League Baseball team Detroit Tigers), Ford Field (home of the NFL’s Detroit Lions), and Joe Louis Arena (home of the NHL’s Detroit Red Wings). In college sports, Detroit’s central location within the
Ropella | Executive Search and Consulting — Chemical and Allied Industries | www.ropella.com Idemitsu 8 Senior Researcher (Automotive Section)
Mid-American Conference has made it a frequent site for the league’s championship events. The University of Detroit Mercy has a NCAA Division I program, and Wayne State University has both NCAA Division I and II programs.
Detroit is home to several institutions of higher learning including Wayne State University, a national research university with medical and law schools in the Midtown area offering hundreds of academic degrees and programs. The University of Detroit Mercy offers more than a hundred Fox Theatre academic degrees and programs of study including business, dentistry, law, engineering, architecture, nursing and allied health professions. Other institutions in the city include the College for Creative Studies, Lewis College of Business, Marygrove College, and Wayne County Community College. The University of Michigan was established in 1817 in Detroit and later moved to Ann Arbor in 1837. With about 66,000 public school students (2011–12), the Detroit Public Schools district is the largest school district in Michigan. Detroit has an additional 56,000 Detroit Institute of charter school students for a combined enrollment of about 122,000 the Arts students. As of 2009 there are about as many students in charter schools as there are in district schools. Detroit is served by various private schools, as well as parochial Roman Catholic schools operated by the Archdiocese of Detroit.
Within the city of Detroit, there are over a dozen major hospitals which include the Detroit Medical Center, Henry Ford Health System, St. John Health System, and the John D. Dingell VA Medical Center. The DMC has Eastern Market more than 2,000 licensed beds and 3,000 affiliated physicians. It is the largest private employer in the City of Detroit.
With its proximity to Canada and its facilities, ports, major highways, rail connections and international airports, Detroit is an important transportation hub. The city has three international border crossings, the Ambassador Bridge, Detroit-Windsor Tunnel and Michigan Central Railway Tunnel, linking Detroit to Windsor, Ontario. Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport, the area’s principal airport, is located in nearby Romulus. Bishop International Airport in Flint, Michigan is the second busiest commercial airport in the region. Coleman A. Young International Fisher Building Airport, previously called Detroit City Airport, is on Detroit’s northeast side. Mass transit in the region is provided by bus services. The Detroit Department of Transportation provides service to the outer edges of the city. From there, the Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation provides service to the suburbs. An elevated rail system known as the People Mover, completed in 1987, provides daily service around a 2.9 miles loop downtown.
Ropella | Executive Search and Consulting — Chemical and Allied Industries | www.ropella.com Idemitsu 9 Senior Researcher (Automotive Section)
Location Links Detroit, MI and Surrounding Area General Area Links Wayne State University City of Detroit http://wayne.edu/ http://www.detroitmi.gov/ Michigan State University Visit Detroit https://www.msu.edu/ http://www.visitdetroit.com/ Sports Shopping Detroit Tigers Shopping Malls http://detroit.tigers.mlb.com/ http://experiencedetroit.com/ index.jsp?c_id=det shoppingmalls.htm Detroit Pistons Detroit Eastern Market http://www.nba.com/pistons/ http://www.detroiteasternmarket. Detroit Lions com/ http://www.detroitlions.com/ Arts & Entertainment Detroit Red Wings Greektown http://redwings.nhl.com/ http://greektowndetroit.org/ News Detroit Institute of the Arts Detroit Free Press http://www.dia.org/ http://www.freep.com/ Belle Isle State Park Detroit News http://belleisleconservancy.org/ http://www.detroitnews.com/ GM Renaissance Center Real Estate http://www.gmrencen.com/home. Zillow Detroit, MI axis http://www.zillow.com/detroit-mi/ Education Detroit Public Schools http://detroitk12.org/
Ropella | Executive Search and Consulting — Chemical and Allied Industries | www.ropella.com For more information contact: Patrick Ropella Chairman and CEO Ropella 850.983.4883 [email protected]
If you have open positions in your organization, give us a call and put our people and our process to work for you.
ROPELLATM GROWING GREAT COMPANIES
8100 Opportunity Drive, Milton, Florida 32583 850-983-4777 | www.ropella.com
Skill Survey Senior Researcher
Name: Date:
1. Outline University Degree(s): (Please provide the Name, the Location, and the Phone Number of each Institution)
2. Outline your expertise and years of experience in the formulation of lubricants, fuels, power transmission fluids, additives for the previous, or closely related product lines?
3. While each formulation project is somewhat unique give an estimate of the average number of components in your typical formulations.
4. Provide a brief description of your expertise in any of the following that apply: o Additive Chemistry o Vehicle Driveline Hardware o Tribology o Experimental Design
5. Provide an overview of a highly complicated additive formulation project you were a key part of (please note we are looking for general information showing technical and problem solving abilities, proprietary information is neither requested nor desired). What were some of the roadblocks you encountered and how did you use your technical expertise, and problem-solving abilities to complete the project?
6. Provide an overview of your testing experience. Include your expertise in creating/developing new testing methods, sourcing new testing equipment and training people on test methods.
7. Describe your project management experience, including experience with Stage-Gate, and the average number of projects you manage concurrently.
8. Outline your experience working with 3rd parties (customers, OEM's) during the formulation process. What strategies have you perfected to explain complex technical matters to non- technical people?
9. What is your comfort level with travel? Do you have a maximum % level of travel or # of days/week away from home that you could sustain?
10. Tell us about any non-compete and/or employer restrictions that you may have. Please provide these documents for our review.
11. Are you a US Citizen? If no, what is your Visa status and provide the type of Visa that you are currently working under and any restrictions/issues our client will have to deal with.
12. If asked one of the following questions during an interview, how would you answer? Why are you considering this opportunity? (or) What motivated you to consider a job change at this time?
Relocation Acknowledge Agreement I , acknowledge the condition to relocate to Detroit, Michigan area for the specific opportunity with Idemitsu and am willing to do so if hired.
As evidenced by my initials below, I fully understand that this acknowledgment is a requirement for the interview process and states that I have already spoken with any parties (i.e. spouse, significant other, children, parents, etc.) who may directly be impacted by my final decision to relocate. Print Name Initials
References Please provide three to six references. The first priority is past bosses, then employees, then peers.
Example: Bob Smith, currently - Business Director at ABC Corporation 412-123-4567, Email: [email protected]. Was Business Director, my direct boss, while I was a Manager at ABC Corporation.
We will NOT contact any references until after completing the interview process and not without notifying you first.
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
Our Candidate Scorecard is a form you complete on every candidate you have now screened as a potential fit. If you can tell that some of the candidates are probably C level in a superficial overview in comparison to others you set those aside now and grade the rest. The grading sheet will help you objectively weigh all the Must Haves and even the preferences in such a way that at the end of using the grading sheet process you can be pretty sure who the A plus candidates are, who the A candidates are, and who the B candidates are. Then we focus on scheduling for the A’s.
Candidate Comparison-Scorecard Grader's Name:
Candidate Name: Grade:
Client Name: Idemitsu Hiring Mgr:
Position: Senior Researcher HR Contact:
Salary Range: hard cap at $150K Candidate Base: Bonus:
Communications: L = Heavy Accent - Hard to Understand M = Accent - Understandable H = No Accent - Easy to Understand Comment:
A/B/ Attribute C Comment 1. Education A = MS in Chemistry B = BS Degree in Chemistry C = BS in a related field or Associates degree
2. Years of relevant experience for a specialty chem.or additive company A = 5+ yrs exp or more B = 3-5 yrs exp C = < 3 yrs exp
3. Prior formulation experience A = Strong experience w/high average number of components in typical formulations
B = Some experience w/Automotive engine oils and drive train lubricants C = Little or no formulation experience
4. Level of experience in additive chemistry, Vehicle Drive-line Hardware and Tribology A = High level of expertise in all 4 targeted areas B = High level of expertise in 2 of the targeted areas C = Low level of expertise in all for targeted areas
5. Project Management experience A = Significant project management experience & was a key part of the project team(s) B = Some project management experience, or was not a key part of project teams C = Minimal project management exposure
6. Experience with creating/developing new testing methods, sourcing testing equipment and training people on test methods A = Significant experience with all 4 required fields B = Some experience in but not in all fields C = Minimal exposure in the required testing fields
7. Project Management experience incl. Stage-Gate A = Excellent - answer shows project management experience, and the ability to handle several projects at once as well as knowledge of Stage - Gate B = Moderate answer shows experience project management experience, and ability to handle 1-2 projects C = Limited - No experience with project management , Stage-Gate, and ability to handle more than one project
8. Experience working/communicating to 3rd parties during formulation process A = Significant experience working/communication to 3rd party, non-technical people B = Some experience working/communicating w/non- technical people C = Minimal exposure in this area, poor communication
9. Comfort with travel A = Road warrior - wide open to all levels of travel
B = Comfortable with up to 40% of travel C = Prefers limited travel
10. Non-compete A = No non-compete or limiting non- disclosure B = Very limited non-compete or non-disclosure C = significant non-compete or NDA issues