Challenges, Commitments, and New Beginnings: 12th March, 2025

The early morning report from the plant was far from encouraging. Our team had struggled the whole night with HFO firing, yet the issue remained unresolved. A long night of effort, yet no relief by sunrise.

Amidst this, Mensah’s prayer song lifted the spirits. His voice, carrying a deep sense of faith, echoed through the room, providing much-needed calm in a stressful morning.

My speech today was brief—I simply encouraged everyone to give their best efforts to restart the plant as soon as possible. Words weren’t needed; everyone already knew what had to be done. The HOD standing meeting was also short, as the real work was happening on the ground.

Finally, at around 11 AM, the HFO firing stabilized. A sigh of relief, but no time to relax.

The Never-Ending Challenge of Shutdowns

Restarting a plant after a long shutdown is always a tough battle. Every time, we face new problems—some expected, some not. In an ideal world, we wouldn’t stop the plant at all. But is that practical? No. Maintenance, repairs, unforeseen breakdowns—they all demand stoppages. The real challenge is making restarts smoother. The more prepared we are, the less painful they become.

A New HOD, But the Same Old Issues

Mr. Bharat Thaker, the newly appointed HOD for Process and Production, arrived in Lomé, Togo today. After lunch, I met him at his residence, expecting to welcome him into his new role. Instead, I was met with two unpleasant surprises:

  1. The fans at his residence weren’t working.
  2. The previous HOD had left Togo with the official SIM card!

Basic arrangements like these should never be overlooked. It’s a simple but crucial reminder: Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) exist for a reason. And if they don’t exist, we need to create them.

A Thought That Needed to Be Shared

For a long time, I had been thinking about a common corporate dilemma:
"Why do companies offer higher hikes to new employees than to existing ones?"

There are obvious reasons—market trends, talent acquisition strategies, competition. But the real question is: What should existing employees do in response? Today, I finally put my thoughts into words and shared them in a post.

Read the post: https://sawanjasoliya.blogspot.com/2025/03/why-do-companies-offer-higher-hikes-to.html

One thing is clear—whether it’s restarting a plant, fixing broken systems, or understanding corporate trends, solutions exist. The key is to address them head-on and ensure we learn from them.


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