NOV / DEC 2014

A bimonthly publication ofNatSteel Holdings Pte Ltd

MICA (P) No. 098/07/2014

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2014

TOTAL WORKPLACESAFETY & HEALTH DAY

NatSteel in Singapore now represents a complete solutions business, with strengths in being one of the most e�cient in scrap processing, one of the most energy e�cient in steelmaking, as well as having one the most advanced and continuously evolving downstream processing plants.

With a vision to achieve world class productivity levels, we have undergone a remarkable transformation across our entire operations in the past year. In upstream, we upgraded our scrap processing capabilities with a new scrap shear, as well as modernised our shaft furnace and rolling mill. We also commissioned a host of new machines in our CAB, Mesh and Caging lines.

At the same time, we have worked towards revamping our IT systems. This year, we stabilised our schedulers across all product lines, revamped the campus infrastructure, and signi�cantly improved the performance of our detailing software as well as SAP and MES systems. We also embarked on an ambitious project to develop a responsive and engaging HR system. eMpower will be the platform for connecting people, performance and processes.

In China, our business was adversely a�ected by the sharp drop in rebar prices and billet advances getting locked down at one of our key suppliers. Our Xiamen team helped plough back the situation, bringing the business back to normalcy with a level of 70k MT of sales in Q3 FY15. This is testament to the strength of a group that has a long term view, and the team of colleagues with the grit and determination to manage any eventuality. There are many lessons to be learnt, which we will drive over the next year. 

Our sales in ESM picked up towards the middle of the year. More than taking downstream sales to over 2500 MT, ESM has provided a window for us to access the Malaysian Market which buoyed our overall sales.

Vietnam was a�ected by competitive market pressures and the team tried their very best to keep our operations above water. In Australia, the �rst two quarters of the year saw a turnaround in the business. Returning to full pro�t enabled us to sell the business at a small pro�t, while retaining our presence in the Australian market with a long term sales contract.

We will continue to relentlessly adopt new technologies to deliver exceptional productivity, to maintain the momentum of our technological shift. In the �rst half of 2015, we will see a second new scrap shear, our third integrated mesh machine, and a high speed CAB line.

Our thrust towards regional growth in downstream sales will continue. Singapore, ESM, NatSteel Xiamen, Tata Steel Thailand (in every way that we can support the team) and of course our start up in Hong Kong together must continue to grow by providing exceptional value to our customers in all our operations.

As we enter into 2015, the environment continues to be tough. Some call this the “New Normal”! What will be critical for us? I strongly feel there are 4 broad issues we will have to face head on:

1. Adopt a Total Workplace Safety and Health approach driven by the Tata Safety and Health policy to ensure Zero Harm

2. A relentless drive to build Customer Centricity as intrinsic to our Culture. We must promise to:a. Develop a deep understanding of the unique needs of our customersb. Develop pioneering products and services of outstanding quality and valuec. Delight our customers with great experiences at every touch point

3. Strong Teamwork across all our operations and functions to drive performance against clear and uni�ed goals. Many of the projects we completed last year were undertaken by cross-functional teams. Though we may not feel it, these projects have united us across various functions to deliver exceptional results.

4. Detailed planning, diligent execution through appropriate and timely reviews and a strong sense of urgency are required to Be Agile.

Let’s sustain our team spirit and deliver exceptional value to our customers in 2015! Once again, wishing you all the very best for the new year.

Vivek Kamra

Dear NatSteelites,Here's wishing you, your families, as well as near and dear ones a Safe, Healthy and Happy New Year and all the best for 2015.

This year, all of us have put in signi�cant e�orts in Safety, and I would like to thank you for your contributions. While our safety performance has not been good this year, let that not deter or discourage us, but egg us on to put more energy into this and only tolerate a much higher safety standard for our workplace.

2014 has been one of the toughest years that we, as a team, have faced in a long time. We saw a continuous downward trend in Chinese and international rebar prices, yet scrap prices remained stubborn. While markets around us used trade actions to stem the import of steel, Singapore, as an open market, bore the brunt of aggression.

Despite the challenging external environment, we have many accomplishments that we can be proud of. We stabilised the operations of several new facilities, changed our purchase patterns, adopted a new upstream product mix with increased exports, as well as delivered our highest ever downstream volumes and highest quarterly sales volume since the boom in 2008. Towards the end of last year and the beginning of 2014, NSX achieved record sales levels under the Zhong Da brand. “Changing Tyres while Driving Fast on an extremely bumpy road” is how I would describe the year!

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COVER STORYTotal Workplace Safety & Health Day 2014 8

NEW BYTESCEO’s New Year message 2, Carpet reinforcement – A cost e�ective and high productivity building solution for slabs and walls 4Ethics Week 6, CAB Loading Operation Breakthrough 10

OVERSEAS OPERATIONSFire Drill at NSX’s Heavy Oil Depot 12, NatSteelVina celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Vietnam People’s Army Foundation 12

WORK LIFEBuilding Beyond Borders 2014 13

ENVIRONMENT, HEALTH & SAFETY5S – Housekeeping techniques that improve safety 16

QUIZQuiz answers 13, Quiz 16

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NATSTEEL RAISESTHE CURTAIN

ON ITS NEW PRODUCT,CARPET REINFORCEMENT

NatSteel invited the Building & Construction Authority (BCA) Design For Manufacturing &

Assembly (DFMA) club to visit the new Carpet Production facility at No. 9 Jurong Pier on26 Nov 14. The club comprised leaders of

industry stakeholders throughout the entire construction chain, such as, BCA, LTA, JTC,

HDB, Developers, Architects, Consultants and Contractors.

During the tour of the facility, visitors had the opportunity to try rolling out the Carpet

Reinforcement. Senior leaders from the various organisations were amazed to experience

�rsthand the speed at which reinforcements could be laid. Compared to the current methods of reinforcement laying for slabs & walls, Carpet

Reinforcement greatly improves productivity onsite, which was greatly welcomed by the DFMA

club. CEO of BCA Dr John Keung, who also leads the DFMA club, queried us on the use of the new product onsite and appeared very keen. BCA has supported us by funding part of the cost for our

Carpet Reinforcement machine and has expressed interest in helping us promote the

product to the construction industry.

Apart from raising the curtain on our new product, we also took the opportunity to

showcase our achievements in the various production centres in terms of increasing labour productivity with state-of-the-art machines. The

club stopped by at the modern Cut and Bend facility to witness the seamless �ow of material,

integrated with an advanced planning and tracking system.

The visit gave the DFMA club members a better appreciation of NatSteel’s contribution to the

industry, and further strengthened NatSteel’s ties with the various industry stakeholders.

BY N.SARAVANAN, MARKETING

CARPET REINFORCEMENT A COST EFFECTIVE & HIGH PRODUCTIVITY BUILDING SOLUTIONFOR SLABS AND WALLS

Carpet Reinforcement is a unidirectional reinforcement system in the form of a carpet which can be easily unrolled to form reinforcement layers for slabs and walls onsite. With up to 60% less manpower required, this technique is up to 10 times more productive than current conventional loose bars �xing onsite. This solution, widely used in Europe, Australia and parts of Middle East, is expected to bring multiple bene�ts to contractors. Its applications include basement / heavy slabs, RC walls, raft foundations, large pile caps, MRT stations, Cut and Cover tunnels, and roads.

Bene�ts: • Construction productivity improvement of up

to 10 times • Reduction of reinforcement laying time by up

to 80% vs using Cut-and-Bend loose bars • Reduction of onsite manpower by up to 60%

vs using Cut-and-Bend loose bars • Bar Bending Schedule and Installation

drawings done by trained engineers at NatSteel

• Simple working method onsite – Rolling instead of laying

• Higher construction quality as spacing are controlled by wires

• Cost e�ective – cheaper overall than traditional loose bar laying

• Can be rolled out at right angles to each other to form di�erent layers of reinforcement

Singapore's construction industry faces an uphill task of improving construction productivity. Rising to the occasion, NatSteel, a pioneer in advanced reinforcement solutions in Singapore and the region, has introduced the “Carpet Reinforcement”.

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EthicsWeek

BY LEE SUE LIN, CSD

PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST WINNERS

clockwise from top left1st Prize: Jensen Tan2nd Prize: Lin Congren3rd Prize: Ivy Cong

SKIT COMPETITION WINNERS

from top1st Prize: Ye Lai Siang (Cross Department Team)2nd Prize: The Scrap Dudes (NSR)3rd Prize: CAB Stars (CAB)

In conjunction with the Ethics Week, a Senior Leaders Workshop on the Management of Business Ethics was conducted by Chief Ethics Counsellor Chuah Yak Ngi on 4 Nov 14. The workshop covered the foundation of the TCOC, Ethics Leadership in the Tata Group and the roles of the Leadership in Business Ethics. He also took this opportunity to update the participants on MBE activities and concluded the workshop with several case studies. Many interesting points were exchanged and participants found the workshop bene�cial in reinforcing their understanding of the TCOC and their roles in leading the deployment of MBE in the company.

Jigsaw puzzles and word hunt games with TCOC themes were held at NatCafe on 6 Nov 14. Many colleagues, including shop-�oor employees, spent their lunch break playing games which were created with the objective of increasing TCOC awareness.

MANAGEMENT OF BUSINESS ETHICS –

Senior LeadersWorkshop

GAMES BOOTH @ NATCAFE

The annual ethics week was launched at the Click room on 3 Nov 14. Door gifts of “High Five Pledge” with imprinted Tata Values and TCOC Pledge were issued to all attendees. The event was graced by the NLT and colleagues across departments. The NLT led the recital of the TCOC pledge followed by the signing as a rea�rmation of our commitment to uphold the TCOC at all times. The event shifted into lighter mode. The event shifted into lighter mode with three skit performances with themes that are related to the TCOC. Light refreshments were then served as we wrapped up the occasion with a prize giving ceremony for the skit and photography contests.

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The NatSteel Total Workplace Safety & Health Day (TWSH) Day 2014 was held on 7 Nov 14 at the WAB carpark beside Hall E. The theme of this year’s event was “Our WiSH – Wellness, Safety & Health”.

Safety & Health Award Ceremony where employees were recognised for their outstanding contributions.

There were many interactive games organised by the DICs as well as SRC and even external organisations such as the HPB at the exhibition booths. The purpose of these activities was to share wellness, safety and health tips in an e�ort to get employees to inculcate positive lifestyle habits at work and at home.

Senior Minister of State for the Ministry of Health & Ministry

As the �rst organisation in Singapore to participate in the TWSH pilot project in partnership with governmental agencies including the Ministry of Manpower, the Workplace Safety & Health Institute, the Ministry of Health, and the Health Promotion Board, the company hopes to leverage TWSH Day to share its holistic approach in managing the Safety, Health and Wellbeing of employees to all its sta� as well as business partners.

Attendees were entertained by the wildly hilarious Total WSH Skit and cheered loudly for the winners during the

of Manpower, Dr Amy Khor attended the event as the Guest-Of -Honour. She was treated to a tour of the exhibition as well as the plant. The experience was memorable for her and she took to facebook to share her thoughts, saying, “I must say that it was rather nostalgic for me, as I’d �rst visited this plant in the 1980’s fresh out of University as a property tax assessor for the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS)! I’m happy to say that the plant has expanded and changed quite signi�cantly with many processes being automated to improve productivity and worker safety.”

T o t a l W o r k p l a c e S a f e t y & H e a lt h D ay 2 0 1 4

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At the start of each shift, the shift supervisor or shift IC will assign loads to individual markers through the Loading Plan Tracker System.

The marker, armed with his tablet, will be able to see the orders for each load as well as the machines which have been assigned to produce the order.

The worker at each machine scans the product tag, which contains order information such as bar size, shape and quantity. The machine will bend and produce the items accordingly and its production status will be re�ected in the LPTS.

The marker checks the product tags of the �nished bundle of goods against the orders that make up the required load.

Finally, a trailer with the �nished goods is ready to be delivered to the customer’s site.

After con�rmation, he works with the crane driver to load them up to the correct trailer.

In the face of these challenges, the idea to implement an automated system to track every product was born. Based on market research, no other operation in our industry had begun to leverage technology in such a way, leaving our team to pioneer the use of an IT system to track all our products on the shop�oor.

The main goal of this project, aligned with one of our strategic objectives, was to “Passionately Serve our Customers”. The LPTS was created with the ability of a tracking system, allowing updated information to be supplied to our customers whenever necessary. Besides having real time production feedback, it acts as a “coordinator”, overlooking the production of our order items when faced with dynamic situations. Markers can easily trace and account for all the products with lesser lead time.

The Loading Plan Tracker System (LPTS) is one of those projects. The LPTS provides real time continuous �ow of information and monitors the product status from the start of production until delivery to customers. This greater visibility on the shop�oor enables us to meet the Just-In-Time standard promised to the sites.

In the past, the CAB department did not have a system that was su�ciently robust to control the processes of its massive hall operations, where 15,000 made-to-order items are produced by some 80 workstations. This often led to issues like inaccuracy, improper feedback, missing items and overall sluggishness of the entire loading operation, requiring massive amount of manpower and time to be deployed to ful�l Delivery-In-Full-On-Time.

This project would not have been possible without the support from various members including Head of Building Solutions Yeoh Choon Kwee, HOD of CAB Lau Wing Keong, Senior Engineer Toh Hong Wee, Bhat Rajesh and Azman Jupri from IT and Shaugata from TCS.

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BY YIP WAI LOON ZACC, CAB

CABLOADING OPERATIONBREAKTHROUGH

To stay agile and competitive, NatSteel has been continuously investing in technology to achieve productivity improvement in our processes.

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2014 CONGRATULATIONS TO THE

50 LUCKY WINNERS!A $10 NATCAFÉ VOUCHER AWAITS YOU!

The winners’ list will be put up on the Intranet and SHES will notify you either through email, or your supervisor to collect your prize. GO TO THE BACK COVER FOR THIS ISSUE’S QUIZ

QUESTIONHow can you identify or recognise a 2nd degree burn?

ANSWERA 2nd degree burn can be recognized when the skin turns cherry red and the wound is very painful when touched or exposed to air.

© All rights reserved. No reprints or transmission in part or full of any article is allowed without the prior written permission of the publisher. The views expressed in the articles do not necessarily re�ectthe opinions of the editorial team.

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EDITORIAL TEAM Daryl Yeo, Corp CommsJason Khor, Corp CommsZhou Junlin, Corp Comms

For comments/ideas, drop the editor a note: NATSTEEL BULLETIN c/o Corp CommsNatSteel Holdings Pte Ltd 22 Tanjong Kling Road, Singapore 628048

T (65) 6265 1233 F (65) 6266 3697 enquiries@natsteel.com.sg www.natsteel.com.sg

PRINTING Pixel Tech Pte Ltd

CONTRIBUTORS Lee Sue Lin, CSDN. Saravanan, MarketingNguen Tu Lan, NSVYip Wai Loon Zacc, CAB

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Building Beyond Borders2014YEAR

We take a look at the highlights of ourvolunteer programme of 2014

everyone with the usage of the extinguisher so that they can put out a small �re if need be.

During the �re drill, all personnel on the ground were required to run through the entire emergency response procedure, and demonstrate their competence in using the foam-based extinguisher.

Safety is an important part of the NSX’s operations. Through the exercise, employees were trained to respond to a �re at the Heavy Oil Depot, ensuring that the company is always prepared no matter the circumstance.

Managing �re safety in the Heavy Oil Depot is a critical part of the safety operations in the NSX plant. To improve workers’ �re safety awareness and equip them with �re-�ghting skills in case of a �re at the depot, the Safety Department recently organised a �re drill.

The drill taught the workers on the use of the foam-based �re extinguisher, which is suitable for �res arising from �ammable liquids. Members of the Safety Department conducted a brief on the operating procedure for the �re extinguisher before allowing fellow colleagues to try it out. The main objective of the session was to familiarise

NSV organised a special ceremony for all ex-servicemen, who, after being discharged as soldiers, continued their careers in the company. It was a meaningful meeting to reminisce their former glory while being part of the Vietnam People’s Army, and a form of recognition for them. NSV has a total of 47 veterans working across various sectors in the company. No matter what position they hold, their e�orts to help achieve the objectives of NSV are greatly appreciated.

For Vietnamese people, 22 Dec marks the anniversary of the founding of the Vietnam People’s Army. It also marked as the National People’s Defense Day. To celebrate this important occasion, the Vietnamese organise di�erent activities to instill patriotism within the younger generations, reminding them to take responsibility for their country, motivating people to be alert and not to take peace for granted.

NA T S T E E L V I NA

BY NGUYEN TU LAN, NSV

C E L E B R A T E S T H E7 0 T H A N N I V E R S A R Y

O F T H EV I E T N A M P E O P L E ’ SA R M Y F O U N D A T I O N

BY NGUYEN TU LAN, NSV

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5SHOUSEKEEPING TECHNIQUES

THAT IMPROVE SAFETY

You will often hear our enthusiastic 5S auditors announce that they are coming by to check your

workstation for 5S. Most of us know that this involves keeping our area neat and tidy, but 5S is

much more keeping away loose items!

Named after the Japanese words for the �ve principles of good housekeeping, 5S is a systematic technique of organising the workplace by keeping it clean and maintaining e�ective, standard conditions. With practice and discipline, a well-kept workstation adhering to 5S improves productivity, e�ciency and safety. It also eliminates waste and improves work�ow. 5S comprises Seiri, Seiton, Seiso, Seiketsu and Shitsuke.

SHITSUKE – SUSTAINFollow the rules in keeping the workplace 5S-right

and instill good housekeeping habits and discipline in every employee. Being consistent and sustaining

the change over time is critical for e�ective housekeeping.

SEITON – SET IN ORDERStationery and tools have to be kept at properly at

their allocated places so that they are readily available. Make sure that every item “has a place

and that everything is in its place”. This eliminates time taken to search for misplaced items and the

frustration that ensues.

SEIRI – SORTWeed out clutter. A work area can only �t a

limited number of items. Remove unnecessary items from the workstation, leaving only

process-critical tools in the work area. Disorder is unproductive and unsafe.

SEISO – SHINEKeeping the work area clean is everyone’s responsibility – from your individual work stations to shared work spaces. This involves removing dirt and litter as well as cleaning and maintaining equipment.

SEIKETSU – STANDARDISEMaintain and monitor adherence to the �rst 3Ss, and standardise the way we work across the company.

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ALL ORIGINAL ENTRIES, ONE PER STAFF, SHOULD REACH HRD BY 15 DEC 2014. WINNERS’ NAMES WILL BE PUBLISHED ON THE INTRANET HOMEPAGE. SHES WILL ALSO CONTACT YOU VIA EMAIL, OR PHONE.

What does 5S stand for?

NATCAFÉ CAFE VOUCHER WORTH $10 AWAITS YOU!

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