6th May - Ideas, Initiatives, and Alarms

The heat and humidity might slow the body, but the mind must keep moving. Today was a day of planting small seeds - ideas, improvements, awareness - and seeing who picks them up.

The morning meeting opened with a practical suggestion - one coal mill for both lines. Simple logic: one unit running efficiently is better than two limping inefficiently. I proposed it, and Mr. Adama quickly supported it with historical precedent. It had been tried before, and it had worked. That’s the best kind of solution - real, tested, and right in front of us.

The workshop visits were routine on paper but revealing in practice. Both Mechanical and Electrical wings remain stretched and reactive. The Stores still needs stronger discipline, especially in tracking and tagging spares. At the Main Gate Security, however, something different happened.

While reviewing the security documentation, I took a hands-on step - I opened a Google Sheet right there on the security officer's computer. Taught him how to enter the report, shared the sheet with myself for easy follow-up. For him, it was a small digital leap. For me, it was an experiment in grassroots empowerment. And yes, to my pleasant surprise, he entered yesterday’s report by evening. These are the beginnings of transformation - slow, silent, but significant.

An OTR audit was also going on today, comparable to an Excise audit back in India. Understandably, it had the office buzzing in its own quiet way. We may not have a formal Excise framework here, but the spirit of documentation and verification remains critical.

No DPM today, as the plant is weighed down with multiple issues and operational distractions. There’s urgency now to start Line#1 --- we cannot afford to lose rhythm.

At noon, as I walked to lunch, the sirens began to blow. Loud, long, and unsettling. I instinctively recorded a video, capturing the soundscape that felt eerily familiar. With the recent Pahalgam incident in India still fresh and a Blackout mock drill scheduled for tomorrow back home, the sirens took on a deeper meaning for me. Sometimes, a sound thousands of kilometers away can feel too close. Maybe this small clip can help our people understand what preparedness sounds like.

Later in the day, I began drafting a plan for a Plant Dashboard - an integrated, real-time snapshot of production and stoppages, based on the DPR data. This is long overdue. If we want our teams to act proactively, we need to equip them with better visibility.

The weather today was a character of its own - oppressively hot and heavy with humidity. The kind of day that makes you appreciate both fans and focus.

🔹 Key Points of the Day:

  • Suggested running one coal mill for both lines to improve efficiency.

  • Visits: Mechanical + Electrical workshops, Stores, Main Gate Security.

  • Taught Security Officer to use Google Sheet for reports; he submitted the first one.

  • OTR audit (similar to Indian Excise).

  • DPM not held due to multiple plant issues.

  • Line#1 restart is now critical.

  • Captured siren video during lunch - linked to awareness post on Indian incident and mock drill.

  • Started planning dashboard for Plant Production and Stoppage tracking.

  • Weather: Hot and humid.


Next Day - 7th May, 2025

Previous Day - 5th May, 2025


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