Golden Kina Award – TWO worthy winners from Madang supporting NCS Raibus

Robert Bennetts is NCS’ Project Manager in Madang and has been on the ground since 2008 managing our operations for Ramu NiCo at Basamuk and Kurumbukari. Robert has nominated two of our most important suppliers to NCS in Madang who have been working with our company from the very beginning. We celebrate their contribution to our business by awarding both of them with NCS’ Golden Kina Award.

Gert Litz – Madang Butchery and Supermarket

Madang Butchery and Supermarket has been supplying all our meat & poultry needs for NCS Raibus since 2008. As our business has grown, owner Gert Litz has expanded his product range to meet all our requirements.

Gert came to Madang from Europe 40 years ago as the only master butcher in PNG – still to this day! He is a well known identity in the Province and is “hands on“ when it comes to his business, as are his sons.

“The service we receive from Gert and his team is great. They always respond to our requests – even at short notice.” said Robert.

Gert’s support of our business in the early days with responsive service and flexibility in our trading agreements helped us through some tricky times while establishing our projects with our first Chinese client.”Robert continued.

On receiving his award, Gert said “It’s always a pleasure doing business with NCS – we have always had a great working relationship”

Martin Tsang – Martin Tsang Wholesale

Martin Tsang has been extremely supportive in helping NCS get “off the ground” in the early days of our business. He always makes sure we have adequate supplies of grocery items such as bulk rice and flour – and those hard to get specialty Chinese ingredients that our Chinese clients require as part of their diet.

Martin comes from a very established Madang family dynasty with extensive business interests in the town.

In March of 2011 probably the biggest fire in Madang’s history saw his entire wholesale business & the town’s largest supermarket burnt to the ground along with millions of kinas worth of stock.  He immediately set up a smaller supermarket & wholesale outlet in another part of town and continued to trade – almost seamlessly!

The new bigger & better supermarket is now nearing completion!

“If that’s not Meeting the Challenge, I don’t know what is” said Robert. NCS thanks Martin Tsang Wholesale and Madang Butchery & Supermarkets for your support, commitment and reliable service. You are both deserving recipients of our Golden Kina Award.

Challenges of delivering over land and sea

It’s an awesome responsibility for Purchasing Manager Collin Baim and his small team of assistants, drivers and crew of NCS’ Raibus Challenger to deliver and store at least a month’s worth of supplies on site at Kurumbukari and Basamuk project sites for client Ramu NiCo.

An indication of some of the volumes of basic ingredients required to provide 270,000 meals per month at these sites include:

• 25 tonnes of beef
• 20 tonnes of pork
• 20,000 chickens
• 2 tonnes of small goods
• 300,000 eggs
• 20 tonnes of rice

That’s quite a shopping list!

The added complexity is that 60% of our customers at these two sites are Chinese nationals requiring traditional Chinese meals. To provide this specialised service, NCS employs specialist Chefs from China to train National Chefs in techniques and Chinese cuisines. Certain ingredients must also be imported direct from China.

“It’s a very challenging job. We are a close team and with patience, organisation, good communication and above all, consistency, we work together to ensure that we keep track of containers at sea from Australia & Asia, and in turn, deliver goods to sites.” said Collin who is based at Madang in PNG’s Rai Coast.

“We try to have a month’s worth of stock on site at any given time as both locations are remote and have great challenges transportation wise. Also, communicating with suppliers from overseas and locally who don’t speak English well is another challenge.” he said.

Containers often arrive from Asia and Australia at either Basamuk or Madang, and then travel again by sea and/or road to site.

Overland to Kurumbukari: 75km inland in a verymountainous region only accessible by four wheel drive vehicles from both Lae and Madang. Last wet season the road was cut in many places but we met the challenge head on and kept supplies up to the site in all weather even involving dugout canoes to ford the flooded Ramu river. It was an NCS vehicle that got through first after flooding.

Across the sea to Basamuk: 56km from Madang across the often rough seas of Astrolobe Bay. There is no road access. The NCS Raibus Challenger (barge) is the key vessel with its capacity to transport cargo and passengers to and from site. It is able to cope in all seas and weather and is a vast improvement from using local vessels in the early days of the project.

Local growers supply produce daily

Another arm of our supply chain at NCS Raibus is the local purchasing team over on the Rai Coast at Basamuk. It’s quite a sight to see each morning as a steady stream of banana boats arrive at Nutlau Beach from various destinations along the coast bringing their fresh produce to the site. Some of the growers travel up to 8 hours by boat each way just to supply the site!

Ably led by Douglas Sibi from Ganglau, the team liaise with more than 50 – 80 clan groups, landowners and growers spread throughout the Rai Coast all the way to the border with Morobe Province to keep the kitchens stocked with fresh produce daily.

Each month the team receives and processes around 120 tonne of fresh fruit and vegetables which are meticulously checked for quality and weighed before being distributed to the projects. Locally grown crops include: banana, egg plant, kaukau, pokchoi, chinese cabbage, tomatoes and capsicum.

Well done to NCS purchasing and supply teams around PNG. The job that you do is so important to our operations – we do nothave a business without you doing your work
so well.

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.

Scenes from Sites – Christmas 2010

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.

Celebrating 35th PNG Independence Day – Kurumbukari & Basamuk

The way we celebrated 35^th PNG Independence Day – 16 September 2010

All around Papua New Guinea, NCS people celebrated the 35^th Independence Day with great pride, joy and of course, feasting!

NCS staff had the awesome responsibility to prepare and serve a feast and a celebration – for their clients, guests and colleagues at our sites across PNG. We hope you enjoy some photos from our celebration album and a few special stories too.

At Kurumbukari and Basamuk:

TUG OF WAR part of the challenge at KBK

An impressive array - including our people at KBK

Some time for fun and games at KBK

The Ramu NiCo mine site at Kurumbukari (KBK) came alive for NCS Raibus staff who embraced the spirit of “Meeting the Challenge – Every Day” when client MCC organised a “mini games” as part of their PNG Independence Day celebrations.

The NCS team led by cook Roger Kauken managed to not only participate, but also come in first place in the tug-of-war despite being on a tight schedule for preparing the special Independence Day feast.

Some of the games organised by MCC included: basketball and tug-of- war, for which teams from Raibus Security, MCC and SJ Construction PNG all put up strong competition.

The National dining room transformed into a jungle, adding to the celebration atmosphere for the Independence Day Feast. The transformation of the dining room was incredible with trees and plants transferred from the jungle outside – the impact was impressive as you can see!

Congratulations to KBK Site Manager Ora Tueti who worked tirelessly with the help of all staff to prepare and serve a magnificent feast AND be part of the fun and games for the day.

A Rai Coast Welcome for NCS Raibus Challenger

On Wednesday 6 October, NCS’ new 51ft steel barge named MV “NCS Raibus Challenger” took its official maiden voyage from Madang to Basamuk across Astroloble Bay. On arrival at Basamuk “The Challenger” and crew were greeted with a traditional Rai Coast welcome from community elders, dancers and the singing of the National Anthem by students from the Mindre Elementary School.

The Challenger, licensed to carry vehicles and cargo and up to 38 passengers, will be used by NCS for transport primarily to the Ramu NiCo Project Basamuk site where NCS provides catering services.

Fire Training builds practical skills and cultural bridges

The threat of FIRE in our industry is a real one and as professional, responsible operators, NCS must be vigilant about fire safety and training. Consistent training and reinforcement of processes and use of equipment is necessary to ensure that staff have the knowledge AND experience to respond to a fire emergency and minimise the threat to our people, facilities and sites.

Fire training is also crucial for all of our staff as our sites are in remote, isolated locations. We need to establish and manage real life situations and utilise the appropriate equipment and processes.   NCS is conducting fire training at every site.

The topics covered included:

• The three conditions needed for a fire to start including fuel types, heat & oxygen
• Operation of dry chemical extinguishers, fire blankets & water on the appropriate fuel source
• Evacuation plans and strategies for our sites

Staff at the Lae Office undertook their training earlier this year, with staff at Basamuk and Kurumbukari attending fire training sessions in March. The benefits of that training were not only to build crucial safety knowledge and skills about fire safety on site – but also demonstrated great teamwork and co-operation that bridged our cultural challenges.

Basamuk and Kurumbukari ready to respond in a real

At the Ramu NiCo sites where NCS caters to Chinese and PNG workers, we employ Chinese citizens as Chefs.

“Our Chinese Chefs are every bit NCS as our National staff and we are focused on building our relationships to overcome language and cultural differences. We need to work together” said Assistant Manager Andrew Clinkaberry.

“We had a fire emergency situation on one site very soon after the staff completed their training session. The staff on duty followed procedures and attempted to extinguish the fire with the equipment available and evacuated all personnel safely.”

“Having everyone clearly briefed and trained about the skills and evacuation plans – really helped when we needed it – in a REAL EMERGENCY,” continued Mr Clinkaberry. Congratulations to NCS staff at Basamuk and Kurumbukari for applying their training, co-operating with each other and keeping SAFE.

Through mud and flood – the road to site

When the only route to site is across a flooded river…

During the days of heavy rains at the end of January the road from Madang to Ramu literally washed away. Literally chasing the rains and the rising rivers, the NCS Raibus team needed to get urgent supplies up to the Butua Site as it had been isolated, cut off by the Ramu river which had broken its banks in many places a week before.

When the road to Ramu washed away, NCS found ways around getting across

In the true sense of ‘Meeting the Challenge – Every Day’, Project Manager Rob Bennetts said “ We had been getting supplies through by transferring to dugout canoes then heading down stream & loading on to another vehicle. We did not get a photo of NCS staff loading canoes as the river was rising again and we did not want to be stuck on the other side of the river”

“At one point we did decide to cross the river and next time – if  it keeps raining like this – we might consider taking our boat The Warria. You can imagine how difficult this was” he added

Meeting the Challenge: through the MUD

A typical example of how NCS go the extra mile to Meeting the Challenge – Every Day is the regular occurrence of roads being washed away in PNG’s monsoonal rains.

In early January Brian Curran and Corey Polume travelled from Lae to Wau to meet with Lydia Waengo from Wau Fresh Produce and approximately 30 Buang growers to discuss ongoing business of supply to NCS projects.

On the way they were delayed by at least five landslides on the Wau Road and a taxi truck that had also become stuck fast in mud, blocking road access both ways.

Brian (in the driver’s seat) and Corey (knee deep in mud) tried to pull the truck back with the winch on the NCS 4WD, but had no luck moving it. After 90 minutes of trying, an MMJV ‘Troopie’ was able to pull the truck forward and out ably assisted by a group of locals pushing the vehicle.

Raibus Celebrates Two Years of Operation

On a balmy Saturday night in October 2009, NCS Raibus in Madang hosted a party to celebrate the first two years of operation between Raibus and MCC. Guest of honour, Mr Gu Yuxiang of MCC, joined Raibus Directors, clan leaders and representatives for a celebration featuring entertainment by a local dance group and an impressive gourmet feast.

NCS Executive Director, Marcus Gosling said “The first two years have been a major cultural challenge and we need to continue to work closely in the years ahead.”

Mr Gu added “We still have improvements to make, but have come a long way in this short time and continue to improve in our Cultural understanding.”

Raibus Chairman, Kevin Murray said “ We have a very sustainable business for our stakeholders, now and for the years to come”.

Proactive Response to Cholera Outbreak

As news of the Cholera outbreak in Papua New Guinea spread, NCS Project Managers took immediate and proactive steps to ward off any on-site threat.

When news broke of a State of Emergency being implemented due to the outbreak in Wasa, Morobe Province, NCS acted immediately to ensure steps were taken to prevent any occurrence of the highly contagious disease.

An urgent memo was distributed to all sites at 8 am and within the hour news was received that water testing and reinforcement of hygiene standards and procedures were immediately actioned.

When Cholera was reported to have spread to Lae it caused some panic, particularly for staff and students of the University of Technology, one of NCS’s sites. In order to address this, an information forum was convened by the student body to inform and reassure that the issue was being taken care of with the utmost urgency.

NCS Project Manager, Allan Atava, was asked to present at the forum. “My role was to give assurance and guarantee that their meal at the mess was safe for consumption” Allan said. “I spoke about the systems we have in place in food management and the guidelines we follow in food and personal hygiene”. Three doctors also presenting spoke specifically about the disease, its symptoms and precautionary measures.

Over 1,000 people attended the forum. Marcus Gosling, NCS Executive Director, said “After initial talk of closing the University down, the outcome was very good. It was an important way to calm people down after a day of panic.”

NCS’ “Navy” servicing Basamuk

The Basamuk site is the processing plant for Ramu Nico’s mine operations at Kurumbukari. It is only accessible by boat, and managed by our NCS office in Madang.

At Basamuk we feed in excess of 900 Chinese and National staff three meals each day.

NCS Assistant Operations Manager, Allan Atava said that in the early days at Basamuk, food delivery was done by stinger boats.

“When the weather is good, it takes approximately 3 hours to cross Astrolabe Bay to the Basamuk site from Madang, 5 hours during rough seas in the winter months.” Said Allan.

“We required at least two of these boats doing three trips a week. This turned out to be a very expensive exercise. It was a major challenge to deliver the volume of food needed to feed our customers every day – so decisions had to be made.” He said

An opportunity arose for NCS Raibus to purchase a local boat, The Waria, a 42 foot long stainless steel hulled fishing boat, to transport frozen, dry and fresh fruit and vegetables three times a week from Madang to the Basamuk site.

“We can carry 8 tonne of food a trip and is fitted with 4×750L chest freezers and a generator.” Said Allan. “Prior to having The Waria, the frozen food we took over had almost thawed out by the time we arrived on site 3 hours later, so having the right food storage on the boat has helped us overcome this major obstacle.” He continued.

Whilst NCS Waria solved the supply logistics requirements, a boat was still needed to transport staff to site. NCS purchased a second boat, The Half Moon is a 19 foot Stinger powered by 50HP outboard motor.

The Half Moon has made life much easier and safer for our hard working crew, who are happy that NCS now has a “navy” in operation.

Celebrations to open of the Ramu NiCo Bridge

The sound of kundu drums and song filled the air on 11 December 2008 when several thousand people joined together to celebrate the official opening of the Ramu NiCo Bridge.

The bridge is located approximately 75kms southwest of the Madang Province in the Usino-Bundi District and is the main access point to the Kurumbukai mine site. The bridge took 15 months to construct and spans 250 meters, crossing the mighty Ramu River.

The official celebrations started at 11am with the cutting of the ribbon by MCC President Madam Luo and a walk over the bridge.

Madam Luo congratulated everyone involved in the construction and completion of the bridge.

“The Ramu NiCo bridge is not only pivotal for the operation of the mine but is also an important access point for the local community,” President Luo said.

Many local clans put on traditional dress and reached for their kundu drums and spears, to forming groups that filled the air with welcoming song.

NCS-Raibus staff were proud to serve the refreshments to the VIP guests including: MCC Project President Madam Luo,  Minister for Works, Transport and Civil Aviation The Hon. Don Polye, Raibus General Manager Mr Peter Kembu and Raibus Chairman Mr Kevin Murray.

KBK Underway

Twelve months after mobilizing the Basamuk operation for Ramu Nico, NCS Raibus has added the Kurumbukari (KBK) site to their growing list of successes in Madang. On 1st November, they served their first meals to over 200 client and contractor personnel at KBK.

There on the day to guide clients to their first meal was a very proud Bill Magando, who recently returned from specialist training on Lihir to take on the role of NCS KBK site manager.

While logistic difficulties with suppliers hampered the delivery of goods to site prior to opening, NCS Project Manager, Rob Bennetts, was on hand to ensure everything went smoothly. “It was a fairly challenging day,” says Rob.

Despite the hiccups, it was a very enjoyable occasion, particularly for Ramu NiCo Mine Site Manager, Deng Henbo, who said he was ‘very happy to start’.

NCS Raibus now provides three meals a day, with all fresh produce supplied by local KBK
farmers.

1 November 2008

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