Inside Orpic 1

This Issue

Empowering women at Orpic

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Over 250 Young Omani graduates now in training

Learn more about the Policies and Procedures Project

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Contact the Editor

Some exciting news is that we have launched Orpic’s new intranet, introducing dynamic new features and providing a more interactive experience to our colleagues (there is more information on the intranet inside this issue).

Note to all employees: previously the Communications Department sent out frequent Communications and Newsflash emails to all staff. A new regulation has now been implemented where by all internal announcements will be posted on the new intranet and not sent via email anymore (except CEO and emergency emails), so it is important to stay up-to-date and check your intranet home page daily for any new announcements.

Please feel free to send me any comments, questions or if you wish to submit an article, simply contact me either by phone or email.

Yours in Communications,Steven SmithInternal Communications SpecialistEmail: steven.smith@orpic.omTel: (+968) 2685 3904

CONTENTIssue 28

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esMessage from the CEODepartment Focus: Procurement, Contracts, and Inventory (PCI)Sohar Refinery Improvement Project - Gathers further momentumLong Service Awards 2014Learn more about the Policies and Procedures ProjectITS successfully unify Orpic laboratoriesNew Intranet LaunchedOver 250 young Omani graduates now in trainingAbove and Beyond: September 2014 winners!Empowering women at OrpicOur Talented Writers: Empowering Women – Transforming cultureLiwa Plastics Project: Recent events

Ahmed Al RushadiIman Al Maqbali

• Ramadan assistance project swings into action • HSE Sohar Refinery Mini TA 2014• Orpic hosts a group of leading women in Oman• Risk and Control Training• Orpic sponsors Qaranqasho event• MAF hosts Al-Awael• ITS receives CCOE Primary certification • In-House English Course for Intermediate Level• CEO Meets With the Summer Trainees• Orpic Hosts a Toastmasters Session• Orpic’s Ehsan Team Raise Traffic Awareness in Salalah• Project Accounting Training • Nofal Al Saidi talks to the Times of Oman on HR and

Orpic’s future• Mubarak Al-Ismaili now SAP certified• Disaster recovery drill for SAP applications• Presentations on Sustainable Development• 2015 Business Plan Launch• Congratulations Aromatics Plant! - 4 Million MT

production since 2009 and 5 years without LTI• Springboard Training Programme – Closing Ceremony• Above & Beyond and PRIDE celebrations• Orpic basketball team wins 1st championship title• HR Academy Professional Track Programme• External Relations Department visits inpatient children• Essam Al Sheibany wins ‘Top Idea’ recognition in the

OpEx Mena 2014 Forum• Orpic welcomes Tanzanian parliamentary delegation to

its Sohar operations• Safety Observation Ceremony in Sohar• EIP Project – 2nd Sour Water Stripper• Open Learning Day

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Dear Colleagues,

As we near the end of 2014, we have learnt a great deal from the challenges that we have faced this year, however, it is as important to also look at the achievements that we have accomplished and the momentum that we are gathering towards an exciting future.

I would like to highlight a few diverse and noteworthy achievements that have occurred recently: the Aromatics Plant completed 5 years without LTI (Lost Time Injury), and they have also passed a production milestone of 4 million metric tonnes of on-spec Paraxylene and Benzene since the plant’s commissioning in 2009. Essam Al Sheibany (GM MAF Operations) won the ‘Top Idea’ recognition in the OpEx Mena 2014 Forum. Orpic has been named Sustainable Petrochemical Company of the Year at the prestigious ‘BGreen Awards 2014’, the only Middle Eastern sustainability awards, and our Orpic basketball team has won its first ever championship title in the Sohar Basketball Tournament championship.

Orpic’s employees are at the heart the company’s strength, when employees demonstrate loyalty and determination towards their individual roles the company as a whole will better cultivate growth. I would like to therefore thank each employee and contractor who is investing their time to serve Orpic and Oman with pride through their continuous focus on delivering tasks on time and within budget. During our third annual Long Service Award ceremony held in November, we honoured 254 employees for their longevity and faithful service to Orpic.

There have also been a few internal changes that have streamlined work processes, such as the new PCI policy that has been implemented in collaboration with the Tender Board. This initiative will accelerate the department’s ability to procure items to ensure continued growth and momentum. In addition the Communications Department has launched a new intranet that provides central information to all employees; I encourage you to stay informed through engaging with the new intranet.

Our Sohar Refinery Improvement Project has sprouted a new complex of buildings, and at present there are about 1,000 construction workers along with EPC contractor’s management team on site. The workforce strength will grow gradually to peak at around 9,000 to 10,000 workers. Our Liwa Plastics Project will transform Orpic from a refinery operation to a dynamic and flexible petrochemicals producer, which will result in energizing Oman’s downstream plastics industry in the Sultanate. LPP have also announced the award of five technology licensor contracts valued at around US$80 million, these contracts are important to the different stages of LPP’s production processes.

As safety is our foremost priority, I encourage you to report unsafe acts – the more we report unsafe acts the less chance there is of accidents occurring. The culture of safety does not stop at work but continues at home. If you and your family are travelling this December please be safe.

Musab Al MahruqiChief Executive Officer

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Procurement, Contracts, and Inventory (PCI)

We had the privilege of interviewing Ibrahim Al Kalbani who is the PCI Manager.

Q: What are the key roles and responsibilities of the PCI Department?

A: The Procurement, Contracts, and Inventory Department’s mission is to ensure that all purchasing transactions are processed in a timely and cost effective manner, assuring the right quality at the right place as well as extending the opportunity to the qualified and interested potential supplier to respond.

The department’s vision is to be an integrated, motivated team within a multi-cultural environment, working together with all departments to facilitate the continuous delivery of value-added goods and services.

The department is made of various teams, which include:

Procurement Services MAF and Sohar teamsThis team’s responsibility is to ensure that all purchasing transactions are processed in a timely and cost effective manner assuring the right quality and giving the opportunity to qualified and interested potential suppliers to respond. The team also has the responsibility to procure all required materials, all service requests which are less than OMR 10,000 and all ‘once-off’ provisioning.

Contracts Services teamThe contracts team has one of the most complex and multi-faceted roles within Orpic. On a daily basis the team undertakes all aspects of the contracting cycle such as preparation, floating, receiving, evaluation, award of tenders and change orders. With the need for hundreds of contracts over eight functions the twelve strong team consists of experienced and dedicated professionals who are there to ensure the tender process is ethical, procedurally correct and tenders are awarded to the technically compliant, most economically advantageous contractor.

Inventory Management teamThe Inventory Management team ensures that Orpic achieves maximum efficiency in production and sales with minimum investment in inventory by enabling the flow of the right quality and right quantity of raw materials, spare parts, general stores items, tools and tackles etc. within minimum time for proper functioning of various units using different inventory management techniques. The team is also responsible for setting-up and managing inventory levels, replenishment of stock items, availability of reserved materials for shutdown/ turnaround maintenance, receipt, storage, preservation and issuance of stock materials across the plants’ warehouses.

Markets and Logistics teamThe Markets and Logistics team is entrusted to deliver goods to Orpic on a timely and efficient manner that meets end users’ requirements. The team is responsible for supplier relationship management which involves suppliers’ registrations, suppliers’ performance management, low performance non-conforming suppliers’ management and suppliers’ grievances.

PCI ManagerIbrahim Al Kalbani

TL ProcurementServices SoharIbrahim Al Farsi

TL ProcurementServices MAF

Abdulbaset Al Kindy

TL InventoryManagementMurthy Akula

TL Makets andLogistics

Faiz Al Jabri

TL ContractsServices

Lee McMorn

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What is the difference between contracts and procurement?

Within the Orpic team Contracts and Procurement are defined as follows:

Contracts: Are lawful agreements intended to create legal obligations to obtain services or works from outside external sources. Where possible the services or works are procured at the best possible cost to meet the needs of Orpic in terms of quality,quantity, time and locations; and in a manner intended to promote fair and open competition for the business while minimizing exposure to fraud and collusion.

Procurement: The acquisition of goods from an outside external source. Where possible the goods are procured at the best possible cost to meet the needs of Orpic in terms of quality, quantity, time and locations; and in a manner intended to promote fair and open competition for the business while minimizing exposure to fraud and collusion.

What are some of the challenges that PCI are faced by? • High number of Purchase Requisitions• High number of Single Sources• Unplanned and emergency purchases• Identification of critical spares• Contract Management• Supplier performance management

What are some of PCI’s ongoing and upcoming initiatives to tackle these challenges?

Ongoing:• Long term contracts• Stock verification and photo capturing• Process documentation and improvement• Annual procurement plan• PCI open office work environment• Development of standard contract

document suites

Upcoming:• e-Tendering and supplier relationship

management • Tendering website• Meeting local suppliers• Outsourcing all logistics operations• Supplier symposium• PCI awareness sessions

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The Sohar Refinery Improvement Project (SRIP) has gathered further momentum on site following the successful ground breaking ceremony and commencement of civil works. At present about 1,000 construction workers along with EPC contractor’s construction management team has been mobilized on site. This strength will grow gradually to a peak at around 9,000 to 10,000 workers and 700 to 800 construction management personnel.

The overall physical progress of SRIP until August 2014 is 28% against the schedule of 27.3%.

The overall engineering procurement and construction progress by EPC Joint Venture Company consisting of Daelim and Petrofac is 15.3% against the schedule of 14.4%. All activities are progressing well and to schedule.

This project consists of following major works:• Concreting: 98,000 Cu. M• Structural Steel: 23,500 MT• Total number of equipment: 1,553 units• Total number of storage tanks: 44 units• Length of total piping: 750 Km (2 million inch

diameter welding)

6 Construction contractors have been mobilized for various construction activities so far, these include:1. Al Hassan Engineering: Site Grading, Civil and

Underground Piping Works2. Target Engineering: Temporary Facilities for Owner

and EPC Contractor3. Douglas OHI: Buildings 4. Indian Oil Tanking: Storage Tanks5. Dutch Foundation: Piling works6. Swiss Boring: Piling works

A construction kick-off meeting with EPC contractor and Orpic Project Management Team was held on 27 August at Sohar where all aspects of Construction Management were discussed, these items include:

Sohar Refinery Improvement Project - Gathers further momentum

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• Contractors Site Construction Organization Chart• Safety Management System and Organization

Chart• Quality Management System and Organization

Chart• Pre-Commissioning and Commissioning • Phase wise Mobilization Plan

In order to emphasise the importance of safety management and enhance safety awareness, senior management of the EPC Contractor and the Orpic Construction Team conducted a joint walk around and inspection of the site, the EPC Contractors Corporate HSE Director also participated in this activity.

The Engineering and Procurement activities are in full swing and on target. There are 16 Engineers from Orpic and 13 CB&I employees dedicated to this task, they are working from the Engineering Center based in Seoul. In addition there are more than 800 Engineers from both the Joint Venture partners working in EPC Contractor’s offices at various locations.

During the last quarter, the following major milestones have been accomplished:• 60% of the 3D model review was completed on

5 September and the licensor ensured relevant units.

• HAZOP and SIL reviews have been completed for the major project facilities. Vendor Packages are in the advanced stage of completion.

• The last order of schedule critical items for WWT Package was placed with Siemens on 5 August.

Efforts are also being made to create as much synergy as possible between Liwa Plastic Project (LPP) and SRIP. In this regard, two major synergy opportunities i.e. integration of the LPP control room with all other operating plants including SRIP (Integrated Control Room) and augmentation of SRIP interconnecting pipe rack for LPP requirements were identified and are being implemented.

A proactive plan has been initiated to ensure adequate numbers of trained personnel are available for the pre-commissioning and commissioning of the project, as they will ultimately take charge of the operations of the plant. The organizational chart for the operations team has been finalized and appropriate actions are being taken for recruitment and training of the operations Engineers, Panel Operators and Field Operators. Efforts have been made to start operations with about 75 to 80% Omanisation through timely recruitment and training of engineers and operators.

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Long Service Awards 2014On 6 November 2014, Orpic held its annual Long Service Awards ceremony at the Al Bustan Palace in Muscat. There were 254 awards given to Orpic employees who have demonstrated their commitment and loyalty to the company

Nofal Al Saidi (GM HRS) said “We are glad to celebrate the third batch of Long Service Awards by honouring 254 employees who have been devoted to the company. People will always be the first

priority for any successful company. At Orpic, we are embarking on an exciting phase in our history in which we will see many new employees joining us, as the company’s extraordinary growth gains momentum.

During this phase, those who have been with us for many years have a critical role to play. The values of loyalty and hard work that are so strongly embedded in our long-service employees need to be demonstrated and passed on to the next generation”

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Learn more about the Policies and Procedures Project The Policies and Procedures (P&P) project is one of the most critical enhancement projects of Orpic’s current business plan. Missing, incomplete and redundant documentation, desire to obtain ISO certification and lack of clearly defined roles and responsibilities were some of the key drivers for this project. The project is expected to be completed by middle of 2015 with a major part of policies and procedures documentation ready by end of 2014. A user friendly P&P tool is expected to launch by the middle of next year to allow easy access.

PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) is supporting Orpic in the development of Policies and Procedures for all functions. The larger objectives are to build and enhance the quality of our documentation, align them to international best practices, harmonize what we do across our facilities and disciplines and ensure policy management is sustainable. The P&P Project will ultimately contribute to our stated aim of achieving ISO 9001:2008 - QMS (Quality Management System) certification status in 2014.

Nazar Al Lawati (CFO) is spearheading this project with the assistance of a cross-functional steering committee consisting of the Chief Operating Officer (COO), Chief of Internal Audit and General Manager of Technical Services Department. Mohammed Al Kaabi (Manager Finance Projects) is tasked with the Project Manager role supported by Talal Al Kalbani (Business Analyst). P&P champions have been appointed and are responsible for coordinating the development of documentation for their respective functions.

Here are some Frequently Asked Questions that will help you understand more about the P&P Project.

Q. Who are the P&P champions? A. The P&P champions are employees

nominated by Orpic to participate in, and co-ordinate the documentation of policies and procedures of their respective functions or departments. You can find the list of P&P champions on the intranet (Policy and Procedure tab on the left).

Q. Is the purpose of the P&P Project only ISO 9001:2008 QMS Certification?A. No, the main objective of the project is to

unify, simply and make accessible all Policies and Procedures documentation of Orpic. It is an important step towards our journey of ISO 90012008- QMS certification.

Q. Will PwC re-write Orpic’s Policies and Processes?A. PwC will document Orpic’s As-Is policies

and processes. Certain improvements might be made, but not if they require any organization change, system change, or significant debate or discussion within Orpic. This project is aimed at setting a baseline for continuous improvement.

Q. What will happen to our existing work-instructions and SOPs?A. You will continue to use the Work instructions

and SOPs applicable to your work. The existing Work instructions and SOPs are very detailed in nature and will be updated by Orpic in due course. The P&P Project Team is only documenting business policies and processes.

Q. How will Orpic staff and stakeholders support the P&P Project?A. Orpic staff will assist in narrating the

processes to the PwC project team; they will be actively involved in setting up controls, and designing the sequence of activities for process flows.

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Q. What format will the final product of the Policies and Processes be available?A. The developed Policies and Processes will

be available in both print and electronic formats The P&P will be hosted on a software/ tool that will facilitate the accessibility of all documentation to Orpic staff in a reader friendly format. The tool will allow you to search for the policies and procedures and download these as required.

Q. How will the Policies & Procedures project benefit my daily activities?A. The P&P project will provide clarity on

individual and team responsibilities.• - Individual objectives of the different

departments will align with organizational objectives; this will assist them in achieving a common goal.

• The P&P project will provide a well-documented accountability for the different roles in the organization which is very crucial for effective performance evaluation.

• The P&P project will assist in training the new joiners regarding Orpic’s core and support processes.

Q. What kind of training will be provided?A. PwC will prepare a training strategy

and plan in line with launch of the P&P communication tool. The training will have two components – the first component will be tool technical trainings, that will cover tool access and navigation; the second component will be delivered by P&P

champions where they will talk through the newly developed content, policy sections, process maps and their impact on day to day work.

Q. How will collaboration be ensured amongst various departments? A. The project team will organize cross-

functional P&P project team workshops to discuss the policies and processes of various functions. General Managers of all functions will be involved in making key decisions and will support in the development of Policies and Processes.

Q. When will the project be completed?A. A major part of the documentation is expected to be ready by the end of 2014, with a P&P communication tool to launch in Q2 2015

Q. Will there be a change in roles and responsibilities because of the P&P project? A. Yes, if you are a P&P champion, you will be

allocated the additional responsibility for maintaining and updating the policies and procedures for your respective functions. All employees are expected to abide by the policies and procedures and perform their duties accordingly.

Q. Who should I contact to ask questions?A. Please contact the designated P&P

champions from your respective functions. For any additional queries you can contact Mohammed Al Kaabi (Manager Finance Projects) at mohammed.alkaabi@orpic.om.

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As part of the IT Services (ITS) Department’s ongoing mission to improve the services provided, ITS is pleased to share with all of you the latest update on the Labware LIMS (Laboratory Information Management System), which is a major platform for all Orpic laboratories to store and share their analysis and statistical data with other departments and systems.

During the first quarter of 2014, the last legacy LIMS system (WINLIMS) used at the Polypropylene laboratory was decommissioned and the lab was added to Orpic’s Enterprise LIMS system. All data from the WINLIMS system was moved to the new LIMS system. Nearly 80,000 samples, related tests and results were migrated to the enterprise LIMS thus achieving the One-Orpic One-LIMS goal.

One LIMS for all Orpic will help the laboratory staff to work efficiently even when they move between different laboratories. Data synchronization and publishing will be from a single source which enables smooth data transfer between LIMS and systems like SAP and OSI PI.

LIMS now generates nearly 20 reports daily which are automatically e-mailed to users. This helps the laboratory staff and management to

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analyse the work and take appropriate actions when required. These reports are also helpful to Technical Services and Operations to monitor the plant operations and product quality.

LIMS-SAP data interface has now been extended to the Polypropylene Plant and the enterprise system is modified to cater for the PP Lab requirements and workflow. In addition the product re-grading and copy sample results from one sample to another were also introduced in the LIMS system.

During the third quarter of 2014, another pair of LIMS servers was configured in the MAF Disaster Recovery site ensuring LIMS maintains high availability. If the primary servers in Sohar Data centre go down, the system can be brought up from MAF without much delay and data loss. Recently the first trial run of disaster recovery was successfully carried out.

ITS is planning to enhance the system by adding more features and functions. Some of them include: • Dash board for statistical data • Data normalization • Upgrade to the latest version • Introduce more reporting features • Improve the automatic alert system for

approved out of specification results

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New Intranet LaunchedThe Communications Department is pleased to announce the launch of Orpic’s new intranet which went live on 13 October. The intranet is an internal virtual environment which will continue to grow. It serves as an easy access point to share internal information and documents.

Department Pages: Managers need to send the names of focal points who will be updating information, documents etc. on their departments page – these names need to be sent to the Communications Department in order to grant permission. Employees who do not have permission to edit will only be able to view the pages. This new function provides departments with the opportunity to expose and manage important information to the rest of the company.

Public Documents: If you would like to feature specific documents in the Public Documents section please send the Communications Department your request and we will provide you with permission to upload into a specific folder.

Events Calendar: By clicking on the title “Events Calendar” you can insert details for a specific day, please note that this is not for personal use but strictly for company-related activities only.

Discussion Forum: This new platform allows employees to post threads and comments, providing an environment to create dialogue about specific company topics.

Market Place: You are able to post items that you would like to sell, domestic or otherwise; please delete the item from the page once it has been sold.

For any assistance please contact: Corporate Communications Services

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Over 250 young Omani graduates now in training

The third intake of young Omani BSc and Diploma graduates has been welcomed into Orpic. The future employees are now undergoing an intensive training programme related to all Orpic functions.

This event is part of a plan developed and implemented by Orpic’s Training Centre Services to train 500 young Omanis in groups with the objective of increasing the level of Orpic’s Omanisation to 78% by end of 2014. This significant number of trainees, up from 110 last year, reflects Orpic’s commitment to ensure that priority is given to Omani manpower, as well as offering Omanis the opportunity to compete and participate in

Orpic’s business achievements and development, and ultimately become part of an organization that serves Oman with pride through the uninterrupted supply of fuel and petroleum products to energise the nation’s development march.

Orpic plans to attract around 1,400 to 1,600 new employees by 2018 with at least 800 of them being young Omanis. This poses a challenge for Orpic given the unique skills and specifications different units in existing and future Orpic projects need. To overcome this challenge, Orpic has prepared plans to provide training for the new Omani joiners to equip them with necessary skills to succeed in their different areas of expertise.

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Each month, winners are selected by the Function Heads and Line Managers. These nominees can be from any part of the business and their success can be in any element of their work.

As part of the employee recognition scheme, Orpic celebrates the outstanding teams and individuals who go “Above and Beyond” for the Company.

Esti MurtopoAromatics Plant - Operations

On 6 September at around 01:30 in the Aromatics Plant, Esti noticed that

the lube oil pressure alarm was activated for P-A3101A (Chamber feed pump), he immediately took action and asked his shift team leader as well as the field operator

to urgently look into the problem. What transpired was that the lube oil

line flange was in fact leaking, and instantly the team got to work to do a pump change over. Due to the quick response from the panel operator a ELUXYI unit shutdown was avoided and 12 hours Paraxylene production loss prevented. In addition, Esti’s quick response also avoided damage to the chambers.

Yasser Al Kalbani and Abdulaziz Al RashdiMAF Operations

Yasser initiated a cost savings idea, previously a contractor was used

to analyse the 270km pipeline from Sohar Refinery to MAF using the normal cleaning PIGGING technique. Yasser and Abdulaziz took on the challenge to do it

themselves and saved Orpic OMR 3,200.

Mahtasam Al Siyabi HRS/Performance and Development

Mahtasam plays an important role in upholding Orpic’s value

“bringing the potential of our people alive”. He has shown a great deal of determination and has achieved above 80% IDP for non-OMT staff.

In addition he has gone above and beyond what

was required and has completed other departments ahead of schedule such as HSE, Laboratory and Maintenance.

Sara Al GhaithiSRIP

Sara is meticulous in planning, organizing meetings and departmental

engagements for the SRIP General Manager. In addition Sara effectively coordinates with different departments for all support services

required by SRIP. Sara has demonstrated her commitment

to Orpic by performing above and beyond her role, by coordinating with the EPC Contractor team, during the hot summer at the SRIP construction site in a dusty atmosphere along with Contractor›s Supervisors, for setting up the Project Office and preparing the Facilities for Owner teams on site. Her close coordination has enabled the contractor to complete the site office on time. Whenever Sara is asked to do any kind of job she shows willingness and determination to complete it, and to take up the challenge.

Mohammed JaonCSS/PCI

Mohammed provides PCI support service to operations and maintenance

functions for turnaround and shutdown material requirements. Mohammed has performed above his normal duties, has initiated SAP training for his colleagues and has solved a

number of pressing problems in the process. He has also put in a big

effort in doing the technical evaluations to clear the back log of PR’s, which has resulted in more stock availability. Mohammed is recommended for his effective work ethic and his energetic response to solving issues relating to inventory and the end user. Congratulations to the September

2014 winners!

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Orpic paid tribute to the women of Oman and Orpic with a special celebratory event that included music, poetry and presentations. The half-day programme was put together to honour and appreciate the variety of roles that women play in society and also to encourage females to further contribute to the development of the nation through their participation in the workplace, something that has been keenly focused on at Orpic during 2014.

The Oman Women’s Day celebration is the culmination of what has been an important year for women at Orpic. It has seen the formation of the Oman Women’s Forum which has hosted several seminars at which prominent and inspirational female role models have

participated, passing on their advice and knowledge to Orpic’s female employees.

Speaking at the ceremony Musab Al Mahruqi (CEO) said: As we congratulate Omani women in the Sultanate in general and at Orpic in particular on Omani Women’s Day, we call upon them to continue their march of excellence and productivity. We are confident of their capabilities and look forward to seeing more of their effective contributions in various areas of work at the company. We have created equal opportunities for women in the company and developed various qualification and training programmes to help them master the necessary skills to assume senior positions in Orpic.

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Empowering Women at Orpic

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Empowering Women – Transforming culture

The phrase “women’s empowerment” seems to be a popular saying in the recent years within the work place. In simple words, it refers to increasing the economic, political, social, educational, gender and spiritual strength of women. Historically women in Oman were excluded from forums of everyday life. But with the dispersal of Omanis in the early 1900s and their return in

the early 1970s, a more contemporary population of Omanis were influenced by British colonial values during their time abroad, slowly challenging many traditions of gender segregation. Women now pursue careers and professional training, gradually moving from their previous household confinement to the public sphere. In Oman, an annual celebration is held on 17 October, a special day known as Omani Women’s Day.

His Majesty Sultan Qaboos has repeatedly called upon women citizens to offer their full support to the continuing development of their country and has often described them as “Half of Oman’s potential”. Royal Directives to celebrate Omani Women’s Day; reflect His Majesty’s belief in the importance of the role of the Omani women and their inputs to society’s evolution.

“This is not a new era from Omani women, for the journey of acknowledgement and empowerment started a long time ago. I like to view this as just another step that taken to appreciate and recognize the value of Omani women. While women in other parts of the world fight for their rights, our government ensures that women and men are treated equally and are granted equal opportunities in all fields.” Quote by His Majesty Sultan Qaboos.

The refinery and petrochemical industry require graduates from the engineering stream which only recently women have started to study and the numbers are increasing. Almost 60% of Orpic’s

Our Talented Writers

This section is dedicated to employees who have taken the time to compile and submit articles that share knowledge, significant information or to create awareness about certain topics. Please contact the editor if you would like to submit an article to feature in this newsletter.

Written by:Shaima Al AufiTeam Leader Business Planning

task forces are in Operations, Maintenance and Technical Support (OMT) which is the core of our business. The organizational cultural is being challenged as we grow, the step change which happened this year (2014) will not solve 100% of the issues women face in a year. I believe that these changes will take time depending on individual acceptance and the willingness to keep climbing the ladder. It all starts with a dream: I dream that women from Orpic have the ambition to become a CEO one day. I envision Orpic women to be confident to make business decisions and for a greater number of women to be working in the OMT arena.

From having zero focused training and workshops prior to 2014 for women in Orpic to having four inspiring sessions in less than six months, it is clear that the cultural transformation and women empowerment has begun.

Areas where Orpic women are making a difference: 32 ladies graduated from the Springboard Women’s Leadership programme, these women are involved in six unique projects which will have a positive impact on Orpic. One female Orpic employee was first to be certified in the Systems, Applications and Process (SAP). Two female’s graduated from (PIMS) masters and eight females got promoted in 2014. There were 26 female trainees who joined Orpic from a total of 100 intakes, which positively reinforces that Orpic is supporting women’s development.

Orpic has received invitations from individuals and organizations interested in creating or expanding women centers in their community such as OLNG, Electricity Authority, Oman Oil, Finance Companies and many more. The future developments of these opportunities depend on individual interest. All of this would not have happened if women did not seize the opportunity to encourage further development programmes.

A ‘high five’ to all of women out there for making us proud! And for constantly proving that women’s roles are indeed a valuable asset to any organization, and to Oman. Ladies, go out there and keep serving Oman with pride!

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Liwa Plastics Project

Progress has been swift over the past year, and at present LPP has just finished the EPC pre-qualification process, with the EPC packages expected to be awarded in October 2015.

Orpic organized a workshop for significant and expert regional and international Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) contractors to brief them on the forthcoming prequalification tender for the USD 3.6 billion project on 8 July. The purpose of the workshop was to outline to the potential bidders details regarding the implementation of LPP, its status, objectives and timeline, project participants, financing and sponsors, along with Orpic’s corporate growth strategy.

LPP also announced the award of five technology licensor contracts valued at around US$80 million. The contracts relate to various LPP units, namely, NGL Extraction, PyGas Hydrogenation, MTBE, Polypropylene, and Polyethylene. These technology contracts that have been awarded are of paramount importance to the different stages of LPP’s production processes and have been chosen as a result of a competent bidding and selection process.

1. The NGL extraction technology will be provided by Randall and will be used in a natural gas extraction plant located in Fahud, in the central plains area.

2. The technology for the PyGas Hydrogenation unit will come from Axens. This unit is designed to produce a number of high-value components, such as isoprene, benzene, toluene and xylenes.

3. CB & I have been chosen as the licensor of the MTBE producing unit. MBTE is an additive for gasoline.

4. Basell Poliolefine will provide the technological requirement for the Polypropylene unit. This is a single bulk polymerization line based on the LyondellBasell proprietary Spheripol process.

5. The Polyethylene unit technology provider will be Univation.

In addition, Henk Pauw (GM LPP), gave a presentation on LPP at the annual MEED Oman Projects Conference held at the Al Bustan Palace Hotel on 28 October. Henk outlined the rationale, history and importance to both Orpic and Oman of LPP, before giving the audience the latest updates on the project’s progress. Henk’s presentation is available to view on the LPP Intranet page.

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Iman Al Maqbali

Ahmed Al Rushadi

Tell us a bit about yourself?I have a Business Administration degree and graduated from the UK in 2009. Sohar is in fact my home town, and joining Orpic was a great opportunity for me, I was very joyful when I got an offer from Orpic directly after my gradation, and I have been working with this great company for five years now.

What is your current position at Orpic?General Services Coordinator (MAF). What is the best part of your job at Orpic?The best part of my job is without a doubt the people that I work with. Everyone is always ready to help and encourage one another. We get a lot of challenges, work load, deadlines and the pressure to be perfect is high, but I realize that these challenges are opportunities for us to see how far we can push ourselves, excel at what we do and to grow stronger as a team. Name one of Orpic’s four guiding principles and what it means to you?“We serve Oman with pride”, I am loyal to the country that I was born in and feel this is how I can serve and add value through my contribution at Orpic.

Where in the world would you most like to visit, and why? It would certainly be the United States of America, I have actually visited most of Europe and Asian countries before but I have never had the opportunity to visit the USA.

Who do you most admire in life, and why?I admire my father; unfortunately in 2008 he has passed away. He always supported me in my life, every step of the way. He encouraged me to do what feels right and to do what is the best for me. I have always considered my father as one of my best friends, and always sought his advice in every aspect on my life. He taught me a great deal on how important patience and bravery is in one’s life. On the road of life there are often many ups and downs, but they are part of the journey and experiencing them makes us who we are. I’m blessed to have a father like him and may Allah rest his soul in peace.

If it was your birthday, what would you like to have for dinner this evening?I really adore going to new places and experiencing new cultures of food, as long as I have my favourite desert which is chocolate fudge cake. What do you do on your days off?I spend my time with my family relaxing and enjoying the days off.

Tell us a bit about yourself?I was born in Sohar. I started my career in the Ministry of Education in 2004 and I joined Orpic in 2007. What is your current position at Orpic?Specialist IT Systems, my responsibility is to control and manage different systems and to ensure that they meet the highest level of quality.

What is the best part of your job at Orpic?The best part of my job is solving the various challenges that I face each day, most of these challenges are related to IT systems and ensuring that they are always up and running. Name one of Orpic’s four guiding principles and what it means to you?“Serving Oman with Pride”, it gave us a strong motive to serve Orpic and to do my best for our lovely country Oman. Where in the world would you most like to visit, and why? Holy places like Mecca and Medina, I feel that these places will give me enlightenment. Who do you most admire in life, and why?His Majesty Sultan Qaboos, because of his policy and wisdom. If it was your birthday, what would you like to have for dinner this evening?I would like to go to a restaurant with my family and enjoy a mixed grill. What do you do on your days off?I enjoy training and doing exercises to keep physically fit, I also enjoy going out with my family and watching movies in the cinema.

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Ramadan assistance project swings into action

Recently Orpic employees participated in an “Iftar fasting” project organized by the Ehsan Volunteering Team in co-operation with the Orpic Trade Union. The project aimed to identify and provide assistance to families with low income and support them during the Holy Month of Ramadhan by providing them with supplies. This project was initiated on 23 May and helped 290 families within Al Batinah North and other Governorates.

HSE Sohar Refinery Mini TA 2014

The safety of our people, plant and environment is Orpic’s first priority. An “HSE Observation Reporting Incentive Campaign” has been initiated during the current mini turnaround (TA) to improve safe working conditions in our surroundings and to recognize the efforts of Orpic and Contractor staff who are contributing to it. The first ceremony was held on 3 July at the SR MCB building and our COO distributed prizes amongst the winners. This campaign will continue for the duration of the TA and appreciation letters and prizes will be awarded to 10 selected staff (Orpic employees and Contractors) on a weekly basis.

Risk and Control Training

A Risk and Control training session was organized on 1 July for Orpic risk champions. Risk is the main source of uncertainty in the company. It can adversely affect the company’s operations and can limit its ability to reach the stated objectives. Therefore, control is required to mitigate risk, regulate operations and ensure the attainment of the set objectives. Risk champions from the different functions in Orpic attended the training session. The knowledge gained from this training will enable Orpic risk champions to effectively understand and perform their roles and responsibilities across the company, apply more governance to operations and contribute effectively to the achievement of Orpic’s goals.

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CEO meets with the Summer Trainees

Musab Al Mahruqi met recently with the summer trainees in the Training Centre. Orpic’s CEO gave a brief introduction about the company and its upcoming projects such as LPP and SRIP. Moreover, the CEO shed light on Orpic’s values and how they reflect on its business. He also encouraged the trainees to maximize the benefit of the summer internship programme by exerting greater effort in order to improve their skills and knowledge. At the end, the CEO opened the door to discussion to listen to the trainees and respond to their questions.

ITS receives CCOE Primary certification ITS was awarded with CCOE Primary certification in June 2014 after successful audit by SAP AG, Germany. CCOE certification validates that Orpic fulfills the minimum requirements needed to provide a solid infrastructure for interaction with SAP. Primary certification focuses on establishing a single source of truth and a central point for functional collaboration between Orpic business units and IT department on one side and between Orpic and SAP on the other side.

Orpic hosts a group of leading women in Oman

Orpic Women's Leadership Forum recently organized two leadership workshops in the Sohar complex. The Forum itself was set up to drive the enhancement of women’s capabilities in the company, and serve as a knowledge and experience sharing platform for generating new ideas that might provide further opportunities for Omani women at Orpic to assume leadership roles. By organizing these two workshops, Orpic aims to contribute to the development of the knowledge and skills of women working at the company. It also seeks to provide a platform to exchange ideas and experience between Orpic female employees and successful counterparts within business and society.

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In-House English Course for Intermediate Level

Orpic initiated an In-House English Course for its employees in MAf. It is a short term course which had started on the 10th of August through to the 18th of September. The course was conducted in two shifts, one in the morning from 8 am to 11 am and the other in the afternoon from 1 pm to 4pm. The course touched all of the four basic language skills, and was a great opportunity for employees to refresh and develop their linguistic knowledge.

Orpic hosts a Toastmasters Session

In a bid to establish its own Toastmasters club, Orpic hosted on 13 August a Toastmasters Demo Session. During the session the attendees were briefed about the concepts and objectives of the Toastmasters organization which is headquartered in California, USA. It has more than 292,000 members in more than 14,350 clubs across 122 countries. The organizing team of the event promised to organize other sessions to give more chances to people to join to develop their leadership and speaking skills and better express their potential.

Orpic’s Ehsan Team Raise Traffic Awareness in Salalah

Orpic’s Ehsan Voluntary Team in cooperation with Orpic’s External Relations Department and the Traffic Safety Institute, Royal Oman Police, launched on 19 August an awareness campaign for Road Safety in the Governorate of Dhofar. The team’s goal was to raise awareness of the safety measures and traffic rules among locals and visitors to Salalah. As part of the event Ehsan celebrated the launch of its new logo. The traffic awareness campaign lasted until 24 August.

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Springboard Training Programme – Closing Ceremony

The Training Centre coordinated the Orpic Springboard Development Programme that started on 28 August and continued every Thursday over a period of four weeks. Springboard targets the Orpic Women’s Group and is designed by leaders in the field of female self-development. Its key focus is to enable women to achieve greater recognition and to improve their influence by fulfilling their potential in both their personal and work lives. A closing ceremony was held on 23 September when certificates were awarded to all the female participants. Well done to all the Orpic ladies who participated in this programme and showed your commitment to personal development!

Congratulations Aromatics Plant! - 4 Million MT production since 2009 and 5 years without LTI In August 2014 our Aromatics Plant passed a production milestone of 4 million metric tonnes of on-spec Paraxylene and Benzene since the plant’s commissioning in 2009. On 10 November 2014, Aromatics Plant completed 5 years without LTI (Lost Time Injury). Congratulations to all Aromatics employees, as well as the contractors. This would not be possible without their dedication, efforts and ambition to reach our Orpic vision of an LTI-free operation. Congratulations to all the employees at the Aromatics Plant!

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Orpic sponsors Qaranqasho event On 12 July, in partnership with the Municipalities of Sohar and Liwa, Orpic sponsored the Qaranqasho celebration, which occurs during the middle of Ramadhan. The event attracted many families and was held at the Sohar Amusement Park as well as Liwa Park in Al Ghuzail.

2015 Business Plan Launch

The 2015 Business Plan launch took place on 7 September in Muscat and 9 September in Sohar. The launch is a symbol which expresses the 5 year business plan, and emphasizes the business plan process which will be part of a series of intensive

activities that engage all functions until the end of

February 2015.

Open Learning Day

The Training Centre organised an Open Learning Day on 11 November 2014 and the event was held at the Sohar Refinery. Executive Team members attended and the Hon Sheikh Khalfan Al Eisry delivered an inspirational workshop to employees. The day included two major workshops on self-development and self-leadership, in addition to various outdoor team building activities where employees learned and had fun. The Open Learning Day successfully promoted the learning culture within Orpic and motivated employees to share their knowledge and contribute to each other’s personal growth. 13 employees were recognized and received a Learning Award from the CEO for their valuable time and effort in sharing their learnings with fellow Orpic employees.

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Nofal Al Saidi talks to the Times of Oman on HR and Orpic’s future

In an article published in the Times of Oman, Nofal Al Saidi revealed some of the key HRS focus areas for the future. Amongst other topics, he talked about the recent launch of the Code of Conduct and how important it is that employees understand and acknowledge it. In addition, he focused on the goal of 78% Omanisation

by the year end, and the fact that between 14001800- new jobs will be

created in the company by 2018.

Disaster recovery drill for SAP applications

On 23 August, IT Services achieved an important milestone by successfully completing the second Disaster Recovery (DR) drill for SAP applications. This drill is an important part of our Business Continuity Plan which essentially uses Information Technology to carry out critical business operations. IT Services successfully migrated SAP services from the Main Data Center in Sohar to the Data Center in Mina Al Fahal Refinery (MAF), tested the SAP applications on MAF Servers and again reinstated the original state of servers in Sohar. This will ensure continuous uptime for all critical SAP related applications, as they can now run from MAF Data Centre servers in case there is any issue in Main Data Centre in Sohar.

Project Accounting Training Training Centre Services arranged a two day in-house programme for 10 employees from the Finance Services Function on Project Accounting. The programme aimed to improve efficiency in handling projects that the business requires and to provide the Project Accountants with an overview of what their role is and how it impacts key areas within projects, such as Project Reporting, Project Accounting, Finance Contribution to Contracting and Procurement.

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Orpic basketball team wins 1st championship title

In an exciting game held on 30 September our Orpic basketball team conquered the Majan team (7057-) and claimed the Sohar Basketball Tournament championship. This is the 4th championship held and is the first time Orpic has proudly held the title. Dexter Roque (Technician Analyzer) was named best defensive player of the tournament. Congratulations to our Orpic Basketball team!

EIP Project – 2nd Sour Water Stripper

On 20 October, the new 2nd Sour Water Stripper (SWS), 3m x42.5m long, weight approximately 68 tonnes was received at Sohar Refinery site from L&T Heavy Engineering. The project will be completed by February 2015. The SWS unit in Area 400 of the refinery will increase the Sour Water Stripper capacity and ensure plant reliability, efficiency and reduce upsets of the Waste Water Treatment Plant. This is an important milestone in the execution phase of the Second Sour Water Stripper project, which TSD-PMS has succeeded in achieving through the help all its stakeholders.

External Relations Department visits inpatient children

On the first day of Eid Al-Adha Orpic’s External Relations Department paid visits to Sohar and Al-Raffah hospitals to share the joy of Eid with the children who are hospitalized there. The visits were organized to encourage people to exchange visits and share their moments of happiness especially with those who were deprived of spending Eid with their families and friends.

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Orpic welcomes Tanzanian parliamentary delegation to its Sohar operations

A delegation of nine parliamentarians from the United Republic of Tanzania, headed by the Honourable Anne Makinda, MP, Speaker of the National Assembly, was received by Orpic management on 21 October at Sohar Refinery. The delegation was given a presentation and a tour of Orpic’s Visitor Centre, and then reviewed operations at the Sohar Aromatics Plant. Discussions covered a variety of topics including Orpic’s US$7 billion projects that will transform the company between now and 2018.

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Above & Beyond and PRIDE celebrations On 30 September the Performance and Development team arranged the Above & Beyond and PRIDE winners’ ceremony, which was held at the Sohar Refinery VIP canteen. From January to August 2014, there were 27 Above & Beyond winners and 7 PRIDE Winners who all received certificates at the ceremony. Congratulations to all 34 winners, who have clearly demonstrated their ability to perform beyond their normal work and for their commitment towards Orpic.

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Safety Observation Ceremony in Sohar

An award ceremony was held in Sohar on 28 October to celebrate the best and most number of safety observations made by employees for the third quarter of 2014. Employees from different departments who spotted potential safety issues and intervened were recognised for their positive contribution to safety, with appreciation certificates and gift vouchers presented in the presence of the CEO and COO. Congratulations to the winners!

MAF hosts Al-Awael Orpic Women’s Leadership Forum hosted on Tuesday 12 August 2014 in MAF four Omani pioneers during its Al-Awael event. The Forum brings prominent speakers with experiences worth sharing to Orpic female employees so they can benefit from the shared lessons and inspirational stories. The Al-Awael event hosted Oman’s motor racing star Ahmad Al-Harthy and Major Sheikha Ashoor Al Hambasi who is the first Omani female Major to lead a military parade before HM Sultan Qaboos. In addition, the attendance were privileged to meet and listen to Major/ Hanan Khalfan Al Silaimi who is the first Omani woman to join the special task police department. The fourth speaker of the event was Rumaitha Al Busaidi who is the youngest Omani woman to set foot on Antarctica.

Mubarak Al-Ismaili now SAP certified

It was a proud moment for CSS and specifically IT Services as Mubarak Al Ismaili (Senior Application Analyst) achieved his SAP certification. He achieved his certification as Application Associate in SAP’s Human Capital Management Module by passing the certification examination with flying colours. He also attended a four week SAP training workshop and spent many hours of self-study to achieve this certification.

Congratulations to Mubarak!

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Essam Al Sheibany wins ‘Top Idea’ recognition in the OpEx Mena 2014 Forum

Essam Al Sheibany was invited to present at the OpEx Mena 2014 - Idea Forum held from 14 to 15 October in Abu Dhabi. This high-level conference was organized by the Euro Petroleum Consultants and the theme was Operational Excellence in Oil, Gas and Petrochemicals. Essam’s idea: “The Engagement of People in Everything That We Do” was voted the top idea in its category.

Congratulations Essam!

Presentations on Sustainable Development

As part of an ongoing campaign on enhancing the level of awareness of the increasingly important topic of Sustainable Development, two open presentation sessions were held by Fathy Al Mendhry. The first was on the 4th of September in Mina al Fahal and the second was on the 8th of September in Sohar. Those who attended were very pleased with the exposure to the topic and appreciated the importance and relevance of issues not only to the company but also to themselves and their loved ones. A number of participants commented that there is so much going on in the company, the country and in the world and most of us are not aware of how our vital interests are being served or impacted!

HR Academy Professional Track Programme

Training Centre Services organized a Training Programme for HR professionals that was facilitated by Takatuf-RBL HR Academy. The programme is a world-class development experience that is customized to accelerate the advancement of HR professionals and improve business results. This intensive nine-month long Professionals Track HR Academy has been designed to equip HR professionals with the approaches, tools, mindset, and competence to meet and exceed these ever increasing demands. Congratulations to our Four Employees: Hajar Al Yahmadi, Fatma Al Ghaithi, Ahmed Al Mahrouqi and Mahtasam Al Siyabi who graduated on Thursday 25 September at the Al Bustan Palace Hotel.

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