Aromatics Operations

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This IssueTawasul is Live

Brand Awareness Campaign

Planting project at the Waste Water Treatment plant

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I do hope you and your families had a blessed and happy Eid. We are in an exciting period in Orpic’s history, as seen by all the celebrations that have occurred during this month. As we continue to work towards meeting our KPIs we can achieve a great deal of success, but it does not stop there we must stay focused on enhancing the company so that we can acquire growth to meet the demands of the markets in Oman and globally. This can only be done through commitment and determination; together we are building one of Oman’s greatest assets – its people.

Congratulations to the Polypropylene Plant for achieving a remarkable six years without LTI; this record stretches back to 2007, just one year after the plant went into commercial production. This is a clear result of teamwork and a steadfast focus on safety. It is up to each and every one of you to embrace the safety culture of Zero Harm we are creating, to make the right choices and take the right actions every day. In addition, congratulations to our Aromatics Plant who set a new production benchmark with over 94,000 metric tonnes of Paraxylene and Benzene manufactured in the month of May 2013.

In a drive to create public awareness we have launched a multi-faceted brand awareness campaign to showcase Orpic. The theme is “Your fuel from our refineries” and the campaign aims to educate the public about what we do and the in-country value that we add. Make sure you keep an eye out for the branded fuel tankers.

One of the drivers for improving our business performance this year is through the variety of training programmes and workshops offered to employees; we are progressing well in this regard with many employees engaging with the Training Centre.

Let’s keep spreading the word about our work here at Orpic, where we all work together, for Oman, as it will continue to cement the path to our vision.

Musab Al Mahruqi Chief Executive Officer

Features4 Department Focus: Aromatics Operations 6 Tawasul is Live 8 Above and Beyond 9 Brand Awareness Campaign with a difference 10 MAF Business Improvement Plan Get to know

12 Ali Al Mahrouqi12 Imad Abdullah Mahmood Al Hamdani 13 Khalfan Al Kaabi Orpic Updates14 Planting project at the Waste Water Treatment plant 14 Community leaders visit Holland14 Corporate Planning New Office Opening Ceremony15 2013 Orpic Football Championship - Finals16 Aromatics production hits a record high in May16 Congratulations to Polypropylene Plant 16 TA 2013 HSE close-out and lessons learned workshop17 100 students for the Summer Internship Programme18 HRS focal points trained on 5S18 In-house training programme: Information Management19 In-house training programme: Process Optimization 19 Accredited competency professional19 In-house training programme20 Etiquette and Excellence in Customer Services

training programme20 Practical Problem Solving and Root Cause Analysis training20 Job Evaluation Committee training

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Contact the Editor

Inside Orpic is a publication dedicated to our stories, events and articles. 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. Articles are uploaded daily to Facebook. If

you have not yet seen our page go to www.facebook.com/orpic. Be sure to

share it with your family and friends!

Yours in Communications,

Steven SmithInternal Communications Specialist

Email: steven.smith@orpic.omTel: 2685 3904

Inside Orpic 5

Q: What are the department’s key responsibilities? • To ensure a safe working environment with zero LTI as a

target.

• To ensure safe and continuous plant operations and to achieve the maximum level of on spec products.

• To develop employees.

• To optimize the cost of production.

What has been the department’s biggest challenge this year? • Safe shutdown and start-up of the Aromatics Plant for the

replacement of the TransPlus catalyst. It was successfully achieved as per plan without LTI.

• Processing different qualities of Straight Run Naphtha which is required for continuous optimization of the units to achieve the highest production.

What exciting projects does the department have planned for the future? There are several on-going studies and projects, for example the Capacity Enhancement Study of AP Furnaces, Morphylane Extraction Debottlenecking, and APC which will enhance production. In addition, more attention on developing the internal capabilities of the staff.

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Department Focus

Aromatics Operations We had the privilege of interviewing Kamil Al Shanfri who is the General Manager for Aromatics Operations.

Q: How many employees are in the department?

A: There are a total of 136 employees in Aromatics Operations.

Q: What motivates the department’s employees?

Good working environment, team work, and support from supervisors to the employees.

Bringing sense of ownership to the employees and encouragement to take higher responsibilities.

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Tawasul – is LIVE

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On 1 July 2013, Orpic employees celebrated the Tawasul Go-Live. Employees enjoyed a traditional lunch in the MAF and Sohar Refinery canteens.

The Tawasul system co-ordinates all our activities and processes across departments and locations with an efficiency that will allow us all to perform our roles faster and more efficiently. Congratulations to the Tawasul team for all their hard work and dedication in making this a success.

Please visit the Intranet page where you can find all the information you need about Tawasul.

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What was the problem? During the initial project stage of AOL, a contractor imported machinery under the Administration Decrees, which is allowed by the Government for all new Governmental projects as a support system until the project is complete, and thereafter they would need to get a Royal Decree. After the AOL project was completed they had to use a Royal Decree for all import shipments to startup, something which was available and valid, however, not utilized for some reason. After the integration of the four plants to form Orpic as we know it today, we discovered this issue during the renewal of the Bank Guarantees which occurs every six months.

How was this problem solved?The Logistic team immediately took action, to stop this process. We had our first meeting with customs to gather information, facts and understand the real situation. We found that there was already a Royal Decree that covers the AOL imports requirements, however due to incomplete documents such as the Bill of Entry this Royal Decree could not be utilized properly. With the help of Dr Hilal Al Hinai (GM CSS), Finance and PCI we started an investigation to find any related documents that would help us present our case to Customs.

After around 25 meetings with Customs asking them to activate the AOL Decree, another issue arose – the Register book

As of 1 July 2013, our unique brand awareness campaign that revolves around the use of Oman Oil Marketing’s fuel tankers and selected filling stations, featuring the theme “Your fuel from our refineries” will be visible to the public. The concept behind the campaign was developed in collaboration with Oman Oil Marketing to raise public awareness of the products produced by Orpic from Omani crude oil. The campaign’s key component is the use of fuel tankers which will generate interest among the public as well as banners at selected filling stations visited by motorists. There are many people who are unaware of what Orpic is, and the range of products we manufacture that touch literally every part of our daily lives - from gasoline to diesel, to jet fuel and LPG. The new campaign is designed to accentuate the role Orpic plays in adding value to Oman’s national resource - oil.

was missing (this contains all the imported shipments for AOL) we sent so many emails to old clearing agents and had a number of meetings with the concerned people but couldn’t find any related documents.

We worked really hard day and night to solve Customs’ requirements, in order to complete and meet the deadline as the duty for imported shipments as per Customs’ records was RO 300,000. We presented the Bill Of Entry to them along with all the other documents that we were able to find, and started negotiations to reduce the OMR 300,000 duty fee and to use the Royal Decree. Customs agreed that we only needed to pay OMR 5,000 and that the Royal Decree for free future import shipments could be activated for two years. This saved Orpic OMR 295,000. In addition to that we also returned two Bank Guarantees back to Finance which were frozen by Customs.

“I am really happy and proud that we activated the Royal Decree, and realized such a great saving for Orpic. I would like to thank each team member for their continued support in achieving this, specifically Dr Hilal Al Hinai (GM CSS) who motivated us to reach our targets and Salim Al Saadi (Senior Procurement Planning Officer) who supported me in coordinating this solution.”

We had the privilege of interviewing Noof Al Mayasi (Procurement Logistic Officer) who was one of the Above and Beyond performers in March, to find out more about her problem solving for Aromatics.

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Brand Awareness Campaign with a difference

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MAF Business Improvement PlanFe

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The MAF Business Improvement Plan sets out the action being taken by the Orpic Management to seek improvements in efficiency and effectiveness during the period 2013-2015. The idea has emerged from the “Back to Basic” initiative which was kicked off by Orpic management with the MAF Refinery being the pioneer for implementing this initiative.

The Business Improvement Strategy in the context of other planning processes outlines the strategic framework within which actions are taken forward and explains the operational arrangements being put in place to support and drive forward the process of change. It also sets out the targets being pursued over the three year rolling programme under the main categories of the strategic framework.

The MAF Business Improvement Plan is broken down into the four themes:1. Health Safety and Environment 2. General – Organization3. Maintenance, Inspection and Procurement4. Operations and Technology

The aim of the Business Improvement Plan is to improve: • Reliability, availability and integrity of the plant• Maintenance on back-logs• Organizational efficiency• Process and personal safety

The aim of MAF Business Improvement Plan is to provide the necessary strategic framework and supporting infrastructure that will identify what needs to be done and support the company in improvements.

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Ali Al MahrouqiTell us a bit about yourself?I am a self-driven

individual and always enjoy a good

challenge. I started my career in the Royal Navy

of Oman in 1995 followed by PDO in 1997 and then ORC in 1998. Through my time here in Orpic, I have experienced different challenges and lessons that have shaped my professional career.

What is your current position at Orpic?My current job is Team Leader Training Services, my responsibility is to supervise and run the various activities in the Training Center and ensure proper training is provided to meet each employee’s job requirements.

What is the best part of your job at Orpic?The best part of my job is the challenges and the never ending focus on ensuring that what you and your team are doing has an impact on the business. I truly enjoy every interaction I have with each employee as there are times when you can make someone›s day and other when you can›t, but you can help the individual understand.

Name one of Orpic’s four guiding principles and what it means to you?“We bring the potential of our people alive”. Developing the workforce is not just knowledge, but an art form. One of the greatest responsibilities we have is to

support ourselves and others by adopting the highest standards and by believing and encouraging others with consideration and intention.

Where in the world would you most like to visit, and why?The place I would like to revisit would be Japan. I just love the place, the people and the culture there, it was truly amazing.

Who do you most admire in life, and why?The amazing person that stands out in my life is my father. He instilled discipline and dedication in me through his wisdom in life.

If it was your birthday, what would you like to have for dinner this evening?Believe me, there is nothing tastier than Omani grilled meat!

What do you do on your days off?One of my absolute favorite things to do when I have free time is to be in the desert close to my home town enjoying a cup of prepared fresh coffee away from civilization and meditating on the beautiful nature that Allah created.

Imad Abdullah Mahmood Al Hamdani

Tell us a bit about yourself.I was born in Egypt, raised in

Dubai and attended the University of Bahrain and the University of Sheffield where

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Get to know...

I studied Chemical Engineering. I joined Orpic in 2009 as a Marketing Representative - my first non-technical role which broadened my experience in the downstream side of the oil industry business. Outside of work I love reading, social networking, watching movies, video gaming, and surfing the net. I also enjoy public speaking and delivering inspirational speeches. What is your current position at Orpic? I am a Senior Business Analyst. My job includes communicating with internal stakeholders to analyse and critically evaluate information needs and functional requirements, and challenge business units on their assumptions of how they will successfully execute their plans as per set KPIs. What is the best part of your job at Orpic?I’ve been fortunate to experience a variety of roles in Orpic - starting in the Marketing Department was great as I experienced different aspects of a refinery’s business and operations. In the Strategic Business Planning department I have a new and challenging scope of work, but I consider it an opportunity to further stretch my knowledge and expertise. I admire the Orpic way of providing growth opportunities to its staff. Name one of Orpic’s four guiding principles and what it means to you?Serving Oman with Pride; my country has done a lot for me and it’s time for me to return at least part of that debt. For me working in Orpic is a way to serve and develop my country. I am one among many other Omanis contributing towards the same objective, and I believe that an individual who works with an intention to serve his country will surely add value to his company. Where in the world would you most like to visit, and why?I would like to visit Rome in Italy for it has many historical places that I would like to experience especially the Colosseum which was once used as a gladiator’s arena and is considered the largest amphitheatre in the world. Who do you most admire in life, and why?My beloved parents, family, and friends no doubt will always be the ones I admire. However, as a public figure I admire Dr Tareq Al-Suwaidan for his inspirational teachings on life, this is what I would like to, and one day Insha’Allah, will achieve.

If it was your birthday, what would you like to have for dinner this evening?Difficult question as I love many types of food - but will stick to a very light one: Mandi Chicken. What do you do on your days off?I love paying visits to family members, going to shopping malls to survey the latest electronic gadgets and fashion items, watching movies in the cinema, and dining with my wife and little daughter.

Khalfan Al Kaabi

Tell us a bit about yourself. My name is Khalfan and I have worked at Orpic since 2008.

What is your current position at Orpic?

Senior Specialist ITS System

What is the best part of your job at Orpic?Every day dealing with new challenges to keep Orpic’s systems up and running.

Name one of Orpic’s four guiding principles and what it means to you?“Serving Oman with Pride”. As we provide the fuels and petrochemicals products that power our nation’s cars, planes and factories we can do it with pride.

Where in the world would you most like to visit, and why? Mecca in Saudi Arabia, to feel more spiritual.

Who do you most admire in life, and why?Prophet Mohammed (PBUH), because of his unique leadership skills.

If it was your birthday, what would you like to have for dinner this evening?Fresh Omani steak.

What do you do on your days off?Relax and spent time with my family members.

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Planting project at the Waste Water Treatment plant Orpic has further expanded its greening of the environment surrounding its Sohar operation through a new project that focusses on the refinery. Over 600 trees are being planted in a landscaping programme that centres on the refinery’s Waste Water Treatment plant. At present we have over 1,900 trees and shrubs within our complex. The planting project celebrates World Environment Day which was on 5 June this year, and is part of Orpic’s commitment to both the local environment and the local community.

Community leaders visit Holland A group of 10 community leaders from Liwa Wilayat along with the MECA North Al Batinah Director and Khalid Al Baluchi

from SEU were invited to visit Shell Pernis Refinery in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, from 4 to 9 June 2013. The group was accompanied by Orpic’s Dr. Hilal Al Hinai (GM Corporate Support Services), Raphael De Loenen (COO), and Hamed Al Rumhi (Environmental Services Manager). The visit to Rotterdam also included a meeting with Pernis village’s community leaders to better understand how community and industry can work together.

Corporate Planning New Office Opening CeremonyOn 16 June 2013, Dr. Gabor Kenessey (GM SCM and Acting GM Corporate Planning) and Padmanbhan Ramadoss (Manager Strategic Business Planning) inaugurated the new Corporate Planning office in the

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Admin Building at MAF. The new office will be occupied by the Strategic and Business Planning team. The department is involved in the following key activities at Orpic such as: strategy and business planning; management reporting; performance measurement; corporate, function, department KPIs; OpEx reporting and analysis as well as the Quick Win challenge.

2013 Orpic Football Championship - FinalsIn a spectacular rivalry between the two titans, High Voltage (Sohar) and Operations A (MAF) who played in the grand final held in Sohar on 16 June 2013 at the Al-Arabi football field. High Voltage dominated the game by maintaining control of the ball, even though both goal keepers’ hands

were hot during the game with numerous shots on goal from both teams, and High Voltage duly claimed the cup with a 2-0 win. The first goal was scored by Abdullah Al Hadhrami in the first half and the second by Khalil al Baloushi in the second half. This was a fantastic game with which to end the 2013 Orpic Football Championship. Well done to all the players that participated in this year’s championship and for making the time over and above working hours to practise, and to all that attended the game and gave their support to the players. Congratulations High Voltage for winning the 2013 Orpic Football Championship!

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Aromatics production hits a record high in MayIt’s been announced that our Sohar Aromatics Plant had a record May for production. Over 94,000 metric tonnes of Paraxylene and Benzene were manufactured, which beats every month since the plant started commercial production in February 2010. Benzene and Paraxylene are used to produce a host of consumer and other products including CDs, detergents and food packaging. Their production is a key part of Orpic’s strategy to ensure that Oman retains as much value as possible in country from its crude oil resource. Congratulations to all the Aromatics Plant.

Congratulations to Polypropylene Plant On 1 July 2013, the Polypropylene Plant achieved 6 years without LTI. Congratulations to all employees in this safety milestone.

TA 2013 HSE close-out and lessons learned workshopOn 24 June 2013, Operations, Maintenance, Technical Service and HSE employees who were involved in the SR, AP and PP planned TA had a workshop at the Crowne Plaza in Sohar to identify the HSE lessons learned. Some of these lessons include: Improving effectiveness of safety training, to be more satisfactory for hazards; applying formal change management procedure; more effective daily communications between operators and TA team and (sub) contractors; advanced job hazard analyses

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before starting work, and strictly following the Permit to Work practice; reporting all near misses and investigating incident and high potential incidents with root cause analyses. Positive recognitions were also put in place identifying 97 individuals who have contributed to overall safety performance in the HSE Incentive Programme.

35 Violations to the safety rules were recorded and 15 individuals were removed due to non-compliance on site. The workshop was highly successful, with round-the-table discussions and a focus on continuous improvement. The success factor of this project came from the commitment of each person involved in the planned TA.

Congratulations to the following employees who were selected as the TA HSE Champions: Yousuf Al Majrafi, Yousuf Al Jabri, Abdullah Khoduri, Jana Rathina Sabapathy, Fasishal Majhoti, Sushil Mishra, Rafik Pathan, Abdulrahman Al Zeidi, Bhaskar Sheth, Ali Al Jahdhami, Mabrook Al Habsi and Salim Nasser Al Habsi.

100 students for the Summer Internship ProgrammeEach year Orpic opens its doors and offers opportunities to accommodate students from different local Colleges and Universities for the summer internship training programme. On 9 June 2013 more than 100 trainees started the Summer Internship Programme in different departments in Orpic. The summer internships run from June

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through to August and the training duration is between four to six weeks. Orpic provides an opportunity for all the trainees to develop their knowledge and skills, while making them more aware about the Oil and Gas industry and its employment requirements.

HRS focal points trained on 5SAs part of the HRS improvement project for 2013, Badriya Al Balushi (Analyst HRP Services) was appointed as Project Leader to implement 5S in the HRP Services Department. 5S is a Japanese technique as well as a set of guidelines (steps) for creating and maintaining a high-performance workplace that is organized, clean and safe. 5S stands for Sort, Set in Order, Shine, Standardize and Sustain.

This project has taken a step forward with various focal points in the function being trained by Badriya. Their key responsibilities are to inform their respective teams on the objectives of 5S, introduce the techniques and tools to maintain it and to support them in implementing 5S.

In-house training programme: Information ManagementThe Training centre conducted training for 15 employees on Information Management, Analysis and Business report writing from 1 to 3 July 2013. The training focused on skills such as technical writing, principles of data analysis and the preparation of visual illustrations that support technical reports, so that employees can present statistics and technical information in its simplest form for viewers to easily engage with.

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In-house training programme: Process Optimization As part of the Capability Development Project training intervention, the Training Centre trained 21 Engineers from the Technical Services Departments and Operations between 7 to 9 July 2013. The course focused on describing the elements, drivers and potential benefits of Plant Optimization and Energy Conservation and how to realize them. The participants also used the process simulator to practice optimization techniques. The simulator module is a very effective tool that delivers training content and also engages the participants in a real time situation.

In-house training programme: NDT Level-IIThe Training Centre conducted tailored training programmes for inspection personal

from 27 May to 5 June 2013. 16 Members attended each course during the In-house training and certification programmes on the following topics: NDT Level-II in UT A-Scan thickness measurement and the NDT Level-II in RT film interpretation.

Accredited Competency Professional From 23 to 27 June 2013, 16 employees attended the Accredited Competency Professional (ACP) programme organised by the Training Center. The programme was designed by competency specialists to create world class competency experts. The programme covered various topics including return on investment, the use of competency management for acquisitions, deployment and development of talent.

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Etiquette and Excellence in Customer Services training programmeThe Training Centre conducted Etiquette and Excellence in Customer Services training for 20 Orpic employees as part of the continuous development of Orpic employees, between 2 to 4 June 2013. The programme covered: managing customer complaints effectively, building powerful relationships with customers and many other topics.

Practical Problem Solving and Root Cause Analysis trainingOn 17 and 18 June the ITS employees received in-house training from Faiz Al Jabri (Team Leader IT Support Service) on Practical Problem Solving and Root Cause Analysis. The training provided employees with tools and structured processes on how

to identify and solve problems using the DMAIC methodology (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve and Control).

Job Evaluation Committee training18 nominated Orpic employees attended the Job Evaluation Committee (JEC) training on 9 and 10 July 2013. The objective was to increase the number of trained JEC members as well as up-skill HRP’s in the Hay Job Evaluation methodology. Hay is recognised worldwide as a tested job evaluation methodology and is widely used within Oman and the GCC.

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