A high-tech solution for vehicle and staff security

Electronic trackers are now installed in all NCS Vehicles monitoring activities on land and sea 24/7.

As we all know, safety and security in PNG is one of the most critical issues facing everyone – not just businesses. Wherever NCS operates, we have an obligation to provide the safest environment possible and this includes on the road and at sea

NCS have installed electronic trackers in all NCS vehicles. This will enable us to see where our vehicles are – day or night as they transport staff and produce to and from sites.

The trackers relay signals back up to a satelliteand all vehicles are monitored 24/7 by an external company in Port Moresby. This hightech solution will also enable NCS Operation teams all over PNG to pin point a vehicle in our fleet at any time of the day via the web.

“With over 60 cars in our fleet throughout the country, it is a must have to ensure the safety of our employees as well as the maintenance and care of our vehicles” said NCS Operations Manager, Mick Pye.

The trackers provide real-time data “This system is a very effective tool as it allows us to track and monitor the vehicles ourselves in real time and it provides real time data on locations, speed, mileage and most of all fuel usage. This will also allow us to monitor how responsibly our drivers are managing our vehicles, obeying speed, road rules and track any irregular occurrences.” continued Mick.

Increased safety measures for staff is also a benefit of the system with each vehicle fitted with a panic alarm. “If there is an accident or an incident with our staff in a vehicle, we will be able to confirm their whereabouts and send assistance. The security company can despatch an armed team within seconds of receiving a panic signal.” said Mick.

“The security and safety aspects of this device will add value to our vehicle fleet management. There is even a tracker installed on our barge, the NCS Raibus Challenger!” he said.

Automated vending machines to site

NCS representatives have been working closely with Coca Cola Amatil (CCA) since March 2010 on the installation and operation of automated vending machines at NCS project sites. Presently, NCS is the only caterer in PNG to deliver this kind of service to its clients.

NCS and CCA developed a very practical and  safe system of operations. Coupons rather than money are used in the vending machines, preventing coins from becoming jammed in the mechanisms and offering a more secure system than handling cash.

It also improves convenience as customers can access cold drinks when they need rather than wait for restricted opening times of canteens.

Four machines have been installed in the messes at the Ramu NiCo sites Basamuk and Kurumbukari – they are the first vending machines in Madang Province.

Assistant Project Manager, Andrew Clinkaberry said that the arrival of the machines have been  well received by the client, customers and employees. “It has also been a bit of a morale boost to the Ramu Nico community.” he said.

NCS and The Alliance Group combined will be managing over half of the units available  currently in PNG. They will only be installed on sites that are deemed very safe.

New kitchens and dining room at Basamuk

There was a buzz of excitement at the commencement of lunch service on Saturday 28th of May as it was prepared and served in the new dining facility at the Ramu NiCo’s Basamuk site.

The new facilities replace the original kitchens and dining rooms which were built and equipped at the beginning of the project to service very different requirements to what the site has grown to today.

Under construction for the past 18 months, NCS staff and developer MCC’s employees have been very patient with the process and now have reason to celebrate the opening for different reasons.

NCS Chefs and catering attendants prepare both Western and traditional Chinese dishes three times a day for more than 400 diners.

IN THE KITCHEN: Assistant Project Manager, Andrew Clinkaberry explained that the most noticeable improvement is the layout of the kitchen which is departmentalised within the various food categories. This allows concise planning of menus and daily activities and clearly maps out for them the varying styles of preparation and cooking.

“The impact on NCS staff has been a renewed purpose and attitude towards their work and the service. There is excitement and a thirst for knowledge with a pride in their work which is evident from presentation and preparation of meals to the care put into the maintenance of the dining room.”

“You can feel a real sense of achievement in the attitude of the staff after what has been a long and sometimes difficult path to where they are now. All staff have a real sense of belonging and are excited by every challenge a new day brings. Staff are now more focused on setting and achieving goals and developing their skills in the kitchen.” said Andrew.

IN THE DINING ROOM: “It is evident from the happy chatter amongst the diners that they are very happy at last to have a ‘gathering’ place where they can relax, socialise and enjoy a meal at the same time.” observed Andrew.

The great efforts of NCS are acknowledged by MCC Management who praised the delicious food prepared and served by our staff in their new spacious and  light-filled dining room.

Menucast Innovation

NCS Lihir has recently started using a new way of communicating daily menus and messages to clients and staff in the dining rooms. The Menucast system displays information via four state of the art LCD monitors located in the main dining room area.

It is a fully customised system that enables us to design and pre-program information that is of interest to our site including:

• Menus and dining cycles
• Health and safety updates and bulletins
• Flight schedules
• Site alerts and warnings
• News updates

Catering Manager Alan Bloxwich said“Menucast is proving to be a fantastic tool for us to display not only our menus but information and news to our clients and staff. It is easily updated and very eye catching.” “Safety messages are especially effective when displayed this way. For example we used Menucast to keep residents updated during the tsunami warning after the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, when all the camp residents in the low lying areas were evacuated to the Main mess area until the warning was lifted.” he said.

Menucast has the capability of also playing video and sound, and can be extended to multiple locations across the site.

In use, since March, the reaction from our customers has been positive!

Building good community relations

NCS has sponsored a local football team who funnily enough, has a food name!

The NCS Hamburger Hills touch football team is one of the top teams in the competition, and are currently in second spot playing for the Lord Mayor’s Cup in the Boundary Road off season touch rugby league competition.

Team President Mr Joe Silas and team Captain Mathew Moses were very happy and pleased with the timely sponsorship by NCS. “Sport is one of the few activities that keeps youths occupied and distracts them from doing other silly things” said Mr Silas “ We are very happy that NCS could helps us out in this way” he said

Golden Kina Award Winner – Cairns International Airfreight

The Quiet Achievers

Cairns International Airfreight has been a service provider to NCS for a number of years and are an important link in our supply chain. Based in Cairns (Australia), this small freight forwarding company always go that extra mile to take care of inventory and transportation of our precious cargo.

We take this opportunity to acknowledge their service to us by awarding them the NCS Golden Kina Award.

The crew, Chris Mummery and Kim Glover, are quiet achievers who understand the importance of great customer service. Sometimes that means doing things that are not strictly “part of the job” – in order to get things done properly!

When goods arrived to them for transport that was incorrectly packaged by the supplier, the team immediately repacked the shipment to our requirements and had them on the next flight to Port Moresby, as we needed them urgently. This is the spirit of “Meeting the Challenge – Every Day”.

The company was nominated by Supply Chain Manger,Corey Polume who presented Chris and Kim with the award, and also some traditional PNG gifts chosen by members of NCS’ supply chain team.

“The crew at Cairns international Airfreight are true professionals, who are not just suppliers but business partners for us. We appreciate what they do for us and thank them for their service, which in turn helps us in meeting our client’s needs’ said Corey.

On receiving their award and gifts, Chris and Kim said that NCS is one of their easiest clients. “They always keep in communication with us, tell us what’s coming and provide detailed paperwork. This is important as it reduces the chasing around and means that we CAN ship the goods as soon as we receive them.” said Kim.

Once again, we would just like to say thanks to the team for their ongoing service and professionalism.

NCS Properties staff dance in honour

It was a very special day for NCS Properties on Sunday 12 June when the cultural groups from the provinces of New Ireland (Namatanai, Kavieng, Lihir – Pangoh, Mali & Zuen), East New Britain (Duke of York, Kokopo & Rabaul), andMomase (Morobe, Madang,Sepik) joined together in a unique celebration to farewell their ‘leader’, Matthew Paget.

It was a rare and spectacular display of unity, ceremony,song and dance, in an honour rarely afforded to a non PNG person.

At the beginning of the day, Matt was led to the traditional East New Britain men’s house known as Palnapidik. The Palnapidik is sacred and his initiation ceremony will remain private in respect to cultural traditions. When he emerged from the Palnapidik he was recognised as a traditional leader and the celebrations began with East New Britain’s Whip dance. This was followed by the Pangoh Cultural group who lined up and individually paid respect to him.

Following this, all the cultural groups moved into position to commence the PNG Unity Dance to recognise the congregation and camaraderie of all provinces within NCS Properties team.

Celebrations, performances & speeches continued late into the afternoon. Most of the dancers were NCS Properties employees.

This was a very special day, a very emotional day for the NCS Properties team and one that may not be repeated – yet will be remembered for many years to come.

“I have had the pleasure of working with absolutely magnificent people. We have had a very productive yet fun experience and I am truly grateful to have met such wonderful people.”

Said Matt. It has been some of the most satisfying aspects of working with NCS in PNG – achieving projects in a very challenging environment, training PNG personnel to undertake and deliver complex works, and above all learning about PNG cultural traditions, values and beliefs that are PNG.” he continued.

Marcus Gosling, Managing Director of NCS said that Matt had bought great leadership and team building skills to NCS Properties which has been based on a respect for the local cultures and traditions. This is a great example of delivering true sustainable development that will have benefits for the local communities for many years to come.

Matthew has been at the helm of NCS Properties for almost 5 years, and now leaves the company to further his career in Australia.

Celebrating the successes of the NCS Properties crew

For the last 5 ½ years, NCS Properties has grown steadily as a company and today, employs 241 tradesmen – carpenters,plumbers, electricians, tilers, welders, refrigeration mechanics,plant & equipment operators, mechanics, as well as administration,purchasing, accountants, storemen and cleaners.

Based on Lihir Island in New Ireland Province, the company’s goals are to: Deliver our projects on time, on budget at the highest quality maintaining the highest level of safety.

They have achieved the construction of a number of challenging projects on the island including:

• 200 and 400 man standard / basic accommodation camp
• resort style 500 man camp
• residential houses, duplexes, guest wings
• commercial industrial warehousing, office complexes
• infrastructure works for schools, villages and the community.

The current project, Lakunbut, which has been reported in previous issues of Gadona, is going well. Stage 1 is nearing completion and the development will ultimately deliver 432 up-market accommodation rooms for Newcrest Limited.

COMMITTED PEOPLE MATTER

Developing people is integral to any business and Manager Matt Paget believes that his team are fantastic and committed for all the right reasons. “I can confidently say that our people are 100% committed to getting the job done and all are great achievers.”he said.

They are responding to a culture that has been developed within NCS Properties based on the following principles:

• firm yet fair
• treat one another with respect
• always commit yourself to the task to ensure you are
• contributing to the team
• have fun when we come to work, that is a real winner for everybody.

NCS Properties have a diverse mix of employees who are predominantly from Lihir, yet many others come from Rabaul, East New Britain, Port Moresby, Lae, Manus and various areas in the highlands.

“To help build cohesiveness and team spirit we regularly hold training which enables personal growth within our employees. We award certificates of recognition for achievements and participation in our projects, hold regular BBQs and sporting events to really highlight our appreciation of our employees by the company.”continued Matt.

“We continuously train our personnel and promote from within the ranks ensuring continued growth within our people.” he said.

“I am most proud of the team, the spirit & camaraderie that we share, and also the evolution from simple small contracted projects to large scale diverse complex projects which has led to sustained growth of the company.”

MATT’S TOP 3 REMINDERS ON ACHIEVING GOALS

1. Reflection: Take time to reflect on your past whether it is personal or work related, and the lessons learnt from your past. Ensure you take the correct step forward which will lead to personal growth and greater understanding.

2. Simple steps complete difficult tasks: Step your objective out into achievable steps. If you do this no matter how complicated the task / job / project is, you will achieve it.

3. Success is only what you are willing to settle for. Only you personally can decide whether or not you are successful.

Take pride in your work & be the best you can be, be a good person & treat people as you wish to be treated. If you do that and go back to phrase 1 “reflection” you will soon measure your success.

Scenes from Sites – Christmas 2010

UP TO SPEED with The Alliance Group

The past 6 months has seen The Alliance Group (“TAG”) commence operations throughout all the key areas of the PNG LNG project, from Port Moresby to the Hides area and the lower southern highlands.

LABA ALLIANCE GROUP

The major contract within the project, EPC 3,(construction of the Plant Site outside of Port Moresby) was awarded to TAG and its local partner, LABA Holdings in August 2010. LABA represents the four villages in the Central Province project area; Boera, Papa, Rea Rea and Porebada.

The joint venture between the two companies is known as the Laba Alliance Group and is responsible for the Catering, Camp Management and maintenance of the 10,000 person township which is currently under construction. The joint venture was formalised with a signing ceremony and exchange of gifts in November. Marc Soipang,chairman of NCS Holdings and a Director of TAG, spoke of the role that NCS has in assisting its fellow landowner companies in developing sustainable long term businesses.

Raho Kevau, chairman and CEO of Laba Holdings, in response welcomed the opportunity to work with NCS which he acknowledged is the country’s leading service group adding that his vision for LABA is to emulate the success of NCS.

HIDES ALLIANCE GROUP

Activities in the Hides area have continued to grow with operations at Kobalu, Well Pad A and Juni all underway. The Hides Alliance Group is a joint venture between the Alliance Group and Hides Gas Development Corporation which is the umbrella group for the local Hides landowner companies.

Chairman Libe Parindali has worked closely with TAG management assisting to establish the operations.

The Alliance Group has also won the tender to supply catering and camp management services to SpeiCaPag. This company will be constructing the on shore pipeline which includes major camps, fly camps and guest houses along a 600km stretch between Kopi and Hides.

NCS continues to work closely with Alliance offering support and assistance as the company gears up for peak capacity in mid 2012. At that point the various Alliance companies will be preparing and serving in excess of 50,000 meals per day. When this is taken alongside the current NCS business it means that the combined group will be feeding more than 23,000 persons everyday.

Business SHINES in Lae with 4 new contracts

The NCS Morobe team ended 2010 catering Christmas parties for some of Lae’s premium business, and has commenced in 2011 with a ‘gift” of new clients.

Catering events like Christmas parties enable NCS staff to enjoy the “face to face” experience firsthand of our customer’s enjoyment of our food and service. Many of the usual contracts for NCS Morobe are packaged meals that are delivered to the workplace.

“It really lifts our spirits to see everyone happy and enjoying their parties” said NCS Morobe’s Area Manager John Hosea. “We see their mouths watering at the smell of fried garlic and onion wafting through the air as the steaks and sausages sizzle on the BBQ stand and we can tell they enjoy our food” he said.

“It makes it fun and satisfying for us!” he continued.

The biggest Christmas party NCS catered in Lae was KK Kingston’s celebration for 1200 staff and family, followed by a very impressive party for Nestle PNG Ltd.

In Lae: Nestle PNG Ltd, KK Kingston, Xstrata and East-west Transport will join Trukai and CCA who contract NCS to provide meals for staff every day.Our two commercial kitchens will be busy preparing and delivering over 600 packaged meals each day.

NCS innovation streamlines warehouse management

The new NCS Warehouse & Logistics Management System is now operating and streamlining operations for NCS Lihir. This system was custom designed by NCS Lihir after discovering that there was no system currently in existence that was capable of servicing the requirements of the unique way that NCS operates.

The solution was to just make our own!

“We have a unique business which relies on goods supply, both by import and sourced locally” said NCS Lihir General Manager John Honan. We bring in large volumes and need to ensure that we have an accurate way of controlling movement of food, costings and daily reporting. This system we designed has already vastly improved our operations on Lihir.” he continued.

This new NCS Warehouse and Logistics system, called Alpha 5, has been in the making for a number of years. More intensive development time was spent in design, programming and testing in the months leading up to its implementation on Lihir.

The investment into this technology development has already paid off! In the first month of activity, we have seen a vast improvement in food management costs.

KEY FEATURES OF NCS’ ALPHA 5 SYSTEM:

The system design is simple to operate manage supply, logistics and warehousing at NCS camp sites in remote locations. Some of the key features of the system include:

• Management of all forms of activity, whether it be large scale movement to a Mess or capturing beverage orders for a function.

• Monitoring movement of product transfers to any site or location.

• Tracking product shipments is a critical part of any purchasing & warehouse system. Orders can be tracked according to variables like approval status, type of goods currently in transit, expected times of arrival, names of shipping vessels, tracking details, receiving dates and actual goods received.

• Inventory costs updated on a daily basis.

• Automatic re-ordering function based on a “min/max” system. Orders are automatically generated when stock levels have drop below a minimum amount. The system identifies quantity of stock on hand, the stock value, and the supplier’s details.

• Supplier management function contains a detailed bio of each supplier that includes location details which interface with Google Maps to ensure that shipping is coordinated efficiently.

Future developments to the system will include linking up to menus, enabling the generation of orders according to what’s scheduled for mealtimes!

The benefits and efficiencies of this system are clear. NCS Warehouse Manager Tony Saldana said that the implementation of Alpha 5 has greatly improved our efficiencies in the ordering & shipping processes that we have in place.

“Compared to previous programs, it has allowed us to improve the stock control of our inventory, allowing us to track stock whether it is in a container or in the middle of the Pacific Ocean or on site.” he said

“ A key point to remember is that this system has been totally developed for NCS by relevant key personnel within NCS. We are extremely lucky to have this program in place and that NCS has provided total input during the development and implementation of Alpha 5 on Lihir”.

This new system will be rolled out at other NCS sites, starting with our operations in Lae in the coming months, something that the entire NCS Management team are eagerly waiting for!

WELL DONE NCS LIHIR. YOUR INNOVATION AND PERSISTENCE WILL RESULT IN BETTER SYSTEMS, EFFICIENCIES AND COST SAVINGS!

Golden Kina Award Winner – Air Niugini, Lihir Island

Terry Bywater, Port Manager for Air Niugini on Lihir Island and his team have been awarded NCS’ Golden Kina Award. The GKA as it’s known at NCS, is awarded 3 times a year. Nominations are received from NCS employees who wish to acknowledge individuals from other organizations who support NCS in the challenging work of delivering catering and camp services to businesses in some of the remotest locations in PNG.

The award is presented to those who share the spirit of  Meeting the Challenge – Every Day, which is NCS’ company slogan.

Nominations for Terry and his team were received by two Executives at NCS, John Honan, General Manager of NCS Lihir and Marcus Gosling, Managing Director of NCS. That’s certainly high praise!

“Operating our business in remote environments is always challenging. Transportation of people and supplies to and from site is a major challenge – and when your business is located on a remote island – you really rely on great working relationships to get you through – every day” said Mr Gosling

“In particular, our transportation challenges to and from Lihir Island by air are eased considerably by our exceptional working relationship with Terry Bywater, both on and off the island.” he continued.

“I particularly appreciate his great customer service. Terry is always there to meet and greet, being at the ready from 4:30am right through to the last flight in at 6pm in the evening, receiving and fare welling each flight with a friendly, welcoming wave.” he said

During a special dinner for the Air Niugini crew hosted by NCS, John Honan said that his nomination was based on the exceptional customer service we receive and the attitude of willingness, to work with us to find solutions.

“Air Niugini is a true business partner and Terry is a great representative. We work together and help each other when issues arise. Terry has continually helped us find solutions to getting employees to and from site when

all options seem exhausted. Thank you, and congratulations” said John.

On receiving the Award Terry said “This is truly a wonderful surprise and on behalf of my staff and myself, I thank NCS for this presentation. To accept this award on behalf of my staff, is a great honor and I could not do it without them.”

“I have enjoyed the interaction with NCS over the last 4 years and have always found them to be very professional in all aspects. Will be looking forward to building a stronger relationship with NCS in the future” he continued.

Nominate someone for a GKA.

NCS’ Golden Kina Award is just one of the ways NCS acknowledges outstanding service to our company in helping us with Meeting the Challenge – Every Day in spirit and in action.

Do you know someone who works with NCS and shares the spirit of “Meeting the Challenge – Every Day”?  Nominate them for an NCS Golden Kina Award, and tell us why you think they deserve to win!

New dining rooms open for Chinese New Year 2011

The many Chinese employed within the Ramu Nico project came together 2-3 February to welcome in The Year of the Rabbit during Chinese New Year celebrations at both Basamuk and Kurumbukari.

NCS’ Chinese Chefs and PNG national teams put together sumptuous feasts of noodles, dumplings, steamed buns and stir fried favourites, which were served in new dining room facilities at both sites.

MCC staff celebrated by playing traditional Chinese music, karaoke singing, lucky door prizes and other games to toast in this very important festive season for the Chinese.

At Basamuk, the celebrations were hosted by MCC President, Madam Luo Shu, with similar scenes up in the mountains at the Kurumbukari site with MCC’s Dr James Wang hosting his staff to a traditional feast and celebration in their newly finished dining room and facility.

R&R 2010 Presentations on Lihir

On Lihir, 66 NCS employees were the VIPs at a special presentation ceremony at the Lihir Sports Club on Friday 28 January where awards were presented for 5, 10 and for the first time, 15 years of years of continual service for NCS’ 2010 Recognition and Reward Program.

The recipients from NCS Lihir and NCS Properties were joined by their colleagues, managers and executives from Anitua and Newcrest to share in the celebrations of this great achievement.

Newcrest were thanked for their ongoing support over the years in assisting NCS in their drive to be PNG’s number 1 service company.

These sentiments were echoed by Bob Pink who spoke on behalf of Noel Foley and Newcrest who said that he was very moved to think that people had been working for NCS on Lihir for so long.

“It’s highly commendable that people have been working continually for 10 and 15 years. The work you do is extremely hard. We work together as a team and have supported each other during extremely tough times.” said Bob.

“It’s the attitude of service, working together and pitching in that makes our relationship work. That kind of camaraderie is something that we want to foster and endorse – that’s only going to continue to blossom and grow.” he continued.

2010 Recognition & Reward Program

NCS’ Recognition and Reward Program is one of the most important ways that the company acknowledges the loyalty and dedication of employees who reach 5, 10 and 15 years of continued service.

In his welcome address at the Lihir awards event on 28 January, Managing Director Marcus Gosling said that this opportunity is significant for NCS as a family, to celebrate the achievements of its most dedicated ‘elders’, particularly those achieving 10 and 15 years.

“You are a great example to your colleagues and in particular new employees. It’s time to celebrate your achievements and recognise the journey you have all made over these years.” he said.

“The strength of our company and the future we have is displayed in this commitment and shows that NCS has a future based on solid foundations. You all work very, very hard. Hard work translates into achievement and satisfaction.” he said.

Marcus went on to say that NCS has been operating now for over 17 years and this in itself is a great achievement, and we couldn’t have done it without PEOPLE.

“Success and recognition doesn’t come easy – it takes people like you to stick at it during the tough times and rise to the challenges. You olgeta namba wan.” he said.

Presentation events were held in Madang, Kaintantu, Hidden Valley, Lae, Port Moresby and Lihir acknowledging 129 employees for their service to NCS.

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