has made great strides with the growth of their
operations and production capacity. In the first
quarter of the year, the expansion of our on-site
GCC plant at BILT's paper mill in Bhigwan, near
Mumbai, was completed. This was followed by
the start-up of an on-site PCC plant at ITC's
paper mill in Bhadrachalam, Andhra Pradesh in
the second quarter of 2009. And finally, IMERYS
have very recently commissioned an on-site
GCC plant at Khanna Paper in Amritsar, Punjab.
on-going IMERYS projects in India,
what was missing? Where could we
find an experienced carbonate
production manager, with start-
up experience to train and
mentor the Indian team?
Japan since 1987 and has worked and optimized
the processes at each of 3 of our GCC plants
in Japan. He also has been a key part of the
commissioning of 4 GCC plants with IMERYS
(in Japan, India, Taiwan, & Indonesia).
to support the efforts of the IMERYS India
start-up project team.
proven and optimized GCC flow sheet, with
established maintenance procedures. The Indian
team taught me the value of having a "fighting
spirit" for managing difficult situations. The
team stayed positive and friendly, even during the
difficult times. This is something that I respect
and have enjoyed about working with the team in
India. This combination of structure and unrivalled
enthusiasm has proved to be quite powerful.
vital and I was surprised to find another perspective
in India. There was also quite a different operations
structure than I have seen before. I suppose that
I should have expected new things, as Japan and
India are quite different!
the spirit and enthusiasm to produce good and
cost effective products. The team were very open
to the process changes that were implemented,
and eager to take new steps to ensure that the
project was completed on time and within budget.
important that we should take the time to learn
about the country, people, culture, and especially
customs. The many countries within the Asia-
Pacific region are quite unique, with an
extraordinary history in some cases. I always
think that it is good to travel with an open heart
and open mind, so that you can really enjoy, and
get the best out of the time that you spend as a
guest in the country visited. It is very important
to be respectful of your colleagues, but, I would
recommend that you do not forget your own
health (for example, bring enough medicines
for your use your prescription might not be
available where you are travelling).
very interesting for me. I am sure that the team
will keep up the good work that has been started
and continue to improve on their skills. During
my travels, I did miss my family in Japan, but
was happy to be surrounded by such friendly
and optimistic people! India is an extraordinary
country, extremely vibrant and diverse and as a
result unique. I look forward to my next visit to
India.