Life in a factory: Bored out of my skull

I'm getting really bored today ... and we also have a communication problem in this factory. Management tends to hide some information and I think I will also hide some information to the management. This will leave the management in the dark and they will not know the manufacturing status. I will just keep quiet until being asked. Till now ... I'm still bored, really really bored.
♦FHR♦

Life in a factory: Courage Factor ... last part

I have wrote about my friend's courage in questionning the competency and professionalism of our HR Manager on Wednesday last weeks.

2 days later, on Friday, the HR Manager was escorted out of the factory. He was given an immediate notice to vacant his position (in a harsh words, he was dismissed on the spot). There are actually a few things went on in this factory that relates to the HR Manager actions and decisions. It is a bad day for him, he was with the factory for only 2 months and we barely know him.

I would think this relates to the performance. In that performance perspective, the HR Manager could not meet the expectations or fail to delivered the tasks given to him. That the life in a factory, if you do not performed, then you will be doomed.
♦FHR♦

Majlis Tahlil untuk arwah Bapa Mertua Ab Ghani Abbas

Majlis Tahlil untuk arwah bapa mertua Ab Ghani @ Ya bin Abbas diadakan di rumah adik ipar di Bandar Tasik Selatan, KL pada Sabtu 28-Jul-2012. Majlis tahlil dimulakan sebelum berbuka puasa dan tamat dengan majlis berbuka puasa. Nasi kerabu menjadi hidangan untuk majlis berbuka puasa. Semoga arwah dimasukkan bersama-sama golongan mereka yang beriman dan para salihin. Al-fatihah.

Kami bertolak ke KL untuk majlis tahlil pukul 11.00 pagi selepas Danish habis kelas Smart Readers dari pukul 8.30~10.30 pagi. Haffi pula dah mula nak demam, so stand-by ubat demam dalam perjalanan. Sampai kat R&R, berenti kejap bagi Haffi makan ubat & beli mainan untuk dia main dalam kereta. Selepas exit Lebuhraya Pantai Timur, masuk ke Karak sekejap untuk check tayar belakang yang nampak sedikit kekurangan angin berbanding tayar lain. Rupanya ada paku sepanjang 1 inci tertusuk kat tayar belakang sebelah kiri. Cabut paku, tampal balik lubang kecil kat tayar tu (caj RM5) & teruskan perjalanan ke KL. Sampai kat KL lebih kurang jam 2.30pm.
♥FHR♥

Life in a factory: Courage Factor ... continue.

One of my colleagues sent a direct email to our HR Manager questioning the HR Manager competencies on handling salary increment issue. Definitely, he was called to the HR Manager office and talk face to face to the manager.

I do respect him. He has the Courage Factor, a salute to you my friend !

Where does courage come from? Is it innate? Are people born with courage? We know that temperament plays a vital role in how we behave. Are you passive or active? Are you sensitive or insensitive? Can you change much of what you appear to be? Are you risk averse or risk prone? Underlying and paramount to being a leader is the quality of courage

Let's look at some of the ways you can test your courage quotient. Suppose someone in your office doesn't fit into the team. Either her behavior is not acceptable to the team or her effort is not up to standard. How does the team treat her? Are snide comments made about her behind her back? Is she ignored at meetings and made to feel like an outcast? As a member of that team, do you go along with the general consensus and join in the subtle and not so subtle harassment of this individual?

Does this take courage? Have you thought about the consequences to you - both personally and professionally - from taking such a stand? It will require a great deal of courage to confront the group mentality that has embarked on this journey. If you decide to do so, you will be able to see if you have the courage required to be a leader.
♥FHR♥

Life in a factory: The Courage Factor

One of my colleagues sent a direct email to our HR Manager questioning
the HR Manager competencies on handling salary increment issue.
Definitely, he was called to the HR Manager office and talk face to face
to the manager.

I do respect him. He has the Courage Factor, a salute to you my friend !

Venz Media Player V5

Hari ni ambik delivery kat ABX Jalan Bukit Ubi, Kuantan untuk Media Player Venz V5 (website http://venztech.factory.dhgate.com/).
Detail produk nih boleh tengok kat website tu, dikeluarkan oleh Shenzhen Venz Technology Co Ltd China. Tapi saya tak beli direct dari website company tu, saya beli dari Mr Yeo (yangximusic@gmail.com) yang jual macam-macam model Media Player nih.

Hapakebenda Media Player nih?
Sama jer dengan program Windows Media Player yang korang guna untuk tengok movie, dengar music tu. Cuma Media Player yang ini adalah stand-alone media player, tak perlu komputer untuk mainkan movie/lagu. Kat dalam Media Player tu ada Hard Disc Driver (HDD), jadi dia run software dari hard disc tu. Korang cuma sambungkan Media Player tu kat TV, cucuk thumbdrive kat Media Player tu, dah terus boleh mainkan movie atau music terus ke TV anda. Format movie yang boleh dimainkan ialah hampir semua format, tapi yang biasa korang guna pun ialah format MKV, AVI, RVB, MOV. Semua format tu tak ada masalah untuk mainkan kat Media Player. Gambar pula ... bergantung pada sumber file tu, Media Player nih boleh play Full HD 1080p. Source file cantik, TV pulak full HD, memang gambar movie cun. Sambung pula bunyi dia kat home theater set, dah macam mini panggung wayang.

Secara ringkasnya, Media Player ni adalah pengganti kepada DVD/Blue-Ray Player. Kalau dulu nak tengok cerita, orang guna Video Player, lepas tu keluar pula, CD Player, kemudian DVD Player, dah tu Blue-Ray, dan sekarang nih Media Player. Nak sambung pada internet pun boleh, boleh video streaming terus ke TV anda.

Anda dah ada Media Player atau masih gunakan DVD Player? Saya dah ada Media Player ... heee.. hee..
♥FHR♥

Life in a factory: MiniTab 16 Training

Just finished Level-1 Minitab Training for 2 days on Monday & Tuesday. It is not a new software for me, I've used the software during my training for GreenBelt Six-Sigma Training at Seagate back in 2000. However, at this company/factory, knowledge is not appreciated by management. So I just pretending that I don't know nothing about this MiniTab. At least I can spend the 2 work days in the training room and a refreshment training on MiniTab for me.

In this factory (that I currently worked for), if you know more, you need to do more. If you know nothing, then boss will not disturb you. At the end, there is no difference between knowledgeable worker and unknowledgeable worker. Thus, in this factory, it is better to pretend you know nothing, so that you don't have more responsibility and you can focus more on your current responsibility. It is better to have less work and you focus on it, rather than to have more work and you lost your focus.

To be smart in your work at this factory, don't show that you're a smart worker, show that you're a type of 'know nothing' kind of worker. You will have less work, can focus better on your job & at the end you will get a better appraisal and higher salary.

I'm looking for a new job opportunity.
♦FHR♦

Perniagaan Internet: Portal eBay

Saya salah seorang eBayer, macam-macam barang dah saya beli kat portal eBay termasuk barang dari US, Poland, China, Hong Kong & dari Malaysia. Kebanyakkan barang yang dibeli adalah dari China sebab harga murah. Bila harga murah, tak semestinya tak berkualiti, tapi berbaloi ler dengan harga yang dibeli.

Harga murah bermakna modal untuk beli barang tak besar. Modal RM10 pun dah dapat jana keuntungan 100%. Beli barang RM10, jual RM20, dah dapat untung RM10. Jangan cerita ribu-ribu dan jadi jutawan internet ler kalau untung RM1 pun tak dapat, tapi bercerita macam bagus jer. Bagi saya, buat bisnes internet nih bukan untuk jadi kaya-raya sekelip mata. Bak kata Chef Li, biar kecil asal berhasil.

Hari nih saya dapat untung 230% dari hasil jualan barangan yang saya beli dari internet. Fuhh ... bunyi banyak untungnya tu, tapi sebenarnya cuma untung RM14 jer. Saya beli cable USB untuk camera Nikon dengan harga RM6 dari China (shipping cost percuma pulak tu) dan jual balik kat sini dengan harga RM20. Company pernah dapatkan quotation untuk USB Cable nih, supplier tak dapat nak supply sebab katanya tak ada orang jual cable sahaja, kalau nak, kena beli camera sekali. Ada ke macam tu? Jadi saya cari kat eBay, bidding harga yang murah dan jual balik kat company dengan mark-up harga. Tu yang dapat untung 230% tu.

USB harga RM6? Berkualiti ke? Kualiti apa pulak, asal boleh download gambar dari camera ke komputer tu kira dah capai kualiti yang dikehendaki. Jadi kualiti ni bergantung pada jenis barang. Ada barang yang kualitinya perlu diambil-kira dan ada barangyang kualitinya adalah hampir sama dan tiada perbezaan ketara.

OK la, setakat nih je dulu pasal business internet nih. Nak tengok apa lagi yang saya jual, boleh lawat website kedai saya faizul.lot.my
♥FHR♥

Life in a factory: Inspire Recognition Winners

Received an email today informing that I am one of the 4 receipients of TT Electronics Inspire Recognition Winners for month of June 2012. The winners are selected from all various companies around the world under TT Electronics Group. I will receive a Congratulatory Letter from Components Divisional Director and a monetory rewards of £200 (equivalent of around RM950).

The 4 winners for month of June 2012 are:
Faizul Haslizi ~ BI Technologies, Malaysia.
Jamie Monkman ~ Dale Power Solutions, UK.
Wan Rosli ~ BI Technologies, Malaysia.
Bryon Driscoll ~ IRC, Corpus Christi, Texas USA.

We have 2 of the winners from Malaysia. Congratulation for myself :-)
♦FHR♦

Life in a factory: Kurma & Lunch Treat before Ramadhan

Tomorrow will be the first day of fasting month, 1st Ramadhan. The work hours during the Ramadhan month will be slightly different. The lunch break reduce from 45 minutes to half an hour and the time to go back would be 15 minutes earlier. Not much differences actually.

Company also gives out Kurma for all employees today. Some of the operators groups are having their own lunch party to celebrate the coming Ramadhan. I was invited to one of the group to join them during their lunch. Thanks you to those who invited me.

End of today, need to pack & bring back the coffee mugs and a pack of Nescafe at my office. Hopefully, this Ramadhan, we will be a better person.

♥FHR♥

SUKMA XV Pahang 2012

Hari ini adalah hari terakhir SUKMA XV (ke-15) dan cuma sempat pergi tengok pertandingan Gimrama kat Gimnasium SUKPA berdekatan rumah. Danisa suka sangat tengok atlit-atlit gimrama beraksi, balik rumah terus buat gaya gimrama. Pertandingan bermula jam 2.30 petang hingga 4.00 petang. Lepas tu tunggu kejap untuk acara penyampaian hadiah sambil tengok persembahan gimrama bola. Tempat pertama & kedua dimenangi oleh kontinjen Wilayah Persekutuan dan ketiga oleh Selangor. Kelantan pula dapat tempat ke-14 & 15, tempat terakhir. Tengok pada jurulatih pun dah dapat agak kontinjen yang akan menang. Jurulatih antarabangsa tak pasti dari negara mana, tapi muka macam belah Russia & Eropah Timur yang terkenal dengan gimrama nih.

Lepas tengok Gimrama, pergi cari baju raya pulak kat The Store Kuantan Parade. DanishHaiqal & DanialHaffi beli seluar, DanisaHanna pulak nak skirt kembang. Sedar-sedar dah pukul 6 petang, jadi singgah kat Masjid Negeri untuk sembahyang Asar.

Zie rasa nak makan rojak, jadi kitaorang pergi ke Mustofa Rojak kat Jalan Teluk Sisek. Tapi sebab dah lambat, semua yang special dah habis. Rojak dah habis, yang ada cuma ABC dan Cendol, order je la mana yang ada. Pukul 7 petang baru habis makan, jadi last customer yang balik sebab Mustofa Rojak tu buka sampai pukul 7 petang jer.

♥FHR♥

Line in a factory: Innovative & Creative Team (ICC)

As part of continuous improvement initiative, we try to start the ICC Team ... with no experience in ICC. We have a Steering Committee, but what I feel is this committee members are also have little experience in ICC implementation. The training was done using other company training materials/slides and takes only 2 hours training for facilitators and team leaders. After this 2 hours training, the committee expected us to run the ICC team and start the project.

What could I say ... it is a hopeless steering committee. My reference is the WWW world, lots of websites share on how to do the ICC things. Anyway, I have been selected as a facilitator and I already form a team for an ICC project. Currently we are collecting the previous history yield data for our yield improvement project.

I will update on how we progress in this ICC things, either we will have ICC project or ICC will becaome ICU.

♦FHR♦

Macrobrachium Rosenbergii

Macrobrachium Rosenbergii adalah nama saintifik untuk Udang Galah. Pagi semalam beli 1 kg udang galah dari member, Khalil. Udang nih dikail sendiri oleh member di Sungai Kuantan dan harga pun harga member ler, murah dari harga pasaran. Harga pasaran antara RM65-RM70 sekilo.

Untuk makan malam, wife masak udang galah tomyam dan udang galah masak merah. Pergghhh ... dengan saiz yang besar (kat sepit galah tu pun masih boleh makan isi dia) dan rasa isi yang lemak manis, memang puas hati.

♥FHR♥

Life in a factory: Meeting Skill

Meetings can be very productive. They can also be a waste of time. Here are some ways to improve your meeting management skill.

PAT approach meeting: A meeting has to have: a Purpose, an Agenda, and a Timeframe.

Set the PURPOSE of the meeting in 1 or 2 sentences at most. "This meeting is to review new product introduction for manufacturing" or "this meeting is to discuss the rootcause and corrective action of a customer complaint". That way everyone knows why they are there, what needs to be done, and how to know if they are successful.

Set an AGENDA. List the items you are going to review/discuss/inspect. I like to assign a time limit to each agenda item (see below) and identify the person responsible to speak or moderate the discussion.

Set a TIMEFRAME, at the very least set a start and end time. I also recommend setting a duration for each item in the agenda. These should total to the overall meeting timeframe.

Meetings need to start on time. Don't wait for stragglers to show up. When someone arrives late, don't go back and review what has already been covered. That just wastes the time of the people who showed up on time for the meeting. If the meeting organizer/sponsor doesn't show up on time, consider the meeting cancelled and go back to work. How long to wait for the organizer to show up varies among companies, but I wouldn't wait any longer than 5 minutes.

♦FHR♦

Printer baru E500

Semalam ada PIKOM 2012 kat Berjaya Megamall Kuantan. Kedai yang participate macam biasa, kedai-kedai IT yang dah establish kat Kuantan nih. Yang berbeza cuma harga sesetengah barang tu murah ler RM1-~RM20 tapi yang paling ketara ialah dapat lebih free-gift berbanding waktu biasa.
PIKOM kali nih target untuk beli printer baru. Memang dah target nak beli Canon E500 All-inOne Printer sebab dah tengok banyak iklan-iklan dia kat banner-banner yang tergantung sekitar Kuantan nih, terutama di sepanjang jambatan ke Tanjung Lumpur. Canon war-warkan printer tu sebagai 'Ink Efficient' printer, jimat penggunaan ink catridge dengan satu catridge mampu mencetak 800 mukasurat hitam putih. Tu dah cukup banyak tu untuk penggunaan di rumah.

Harga? RM249 dan dapat Thumbdrive 8GB serta payung golf Angry Bird secara percuma. 1 set ink (hitam dan color) disertakan sekali didalam kotak printer. Kalau harga biasa, RM269 dan dapat payung sahaja. So kira jimat ler sikit beli masa Pikom nih. Ada printer nih senang ler sikit, untuk print dan photostat. Tak perlu nak photostat kat kedai kalau perlukan salinan dokumen. Nak print gambar sekeping dua atau nak print gambar passport pun senang. Untuk print gambar, boleh guna kertas gambar glossy (Kodak Photo Glossy Paper). 1 pack Kodak Photo Glossy Paper cuma RM8 untuk 30 keping saiz 4R (4" x 6"), lebih kurang 30 sen sekeping. Kat belakang kertas gambar tu tertulis Kodak Royal Gold Paper, macam cetak gambar betul kat kedai gambar.

Printer nih mempunyai warranty 1+2 years. 1 tahun warranty tu memang dah sah, dan bila kita register kat online dapat lagi extend 2 tahun warranty. Dan sebab warranty nih, saya tak modified printer nih pakai CISS ink system.
♥FHR♥

Life in a factory: Manage your stress

Stress is a fact of life, but being stressed out is not. We don't always have control over what happens to us. I'm a kind of eustress guy, keep smiling and you will not feel stress in carrying out your tasks or jobs. However ... I will get stress if I'm talking to a not-so-smart @ dumb person at my work place. A person who acts that he knows everything but in fact knows a little, this kind of people make me stressed and make me pi**-off.

Here are some management tips to find escape route from your stress:
1. BREATH EASILIY - breath deeply, it will oxygenates your blood which helps you relax.
2. SAY CHEESE - Smiling is a two-way mechanism. We do it when we're relaxed and happy, but doing it can also make us feel relaxed and happy.
3. BE A FIGHTER - feeling like a victim only increases feelings of stress and helplessness. Instead, being proactive, do something to change the situation.
4. COUNT TO 10 - before you say or do something you'll regret, step away from the stressor and collect yourself. Use your time-out to take a few deep breaths.
5. TAKE A WALK - It forces you to breathe more deeply and improves circulation.

Have a stress-free work.

♦FHR♦

Exora - ABS Sensor menyala

Lampu kuning ABS menyala kat dashboard. Hantar kereta kat Service Center Hoi Keen untuk pemeriksaan. Masaalahnya? Sensor pada tayar sebelah depan kiri tidak berfungsi dengan baik. Tiada masaalah pada ABS breaking system, cuma sensor bermasaalah. Sensor masih dalam warranty, jadi dapat tukar sensor tu secara percuma. Jadi tengahari nanti, tumpang member jer la pergi sembahyang Jumaat, tinggalkan kereta tu dulu untuk service kat Hoi Keen Padang Lallang.
♥Liji♥

Life in a Factory: Additional Product Line

It's organization re-structuring again. One of my colleague will be pull-out from the manufacturing engineering team to focus on equipment procurement & automation project. The consequences ... I have to cover his product line manufacturing area. This will make me to handle the biggest total production areas in this factory.

Is this a challenge to me?
No, it is a burden on my shoulder. More responsibility to handle with the same resources and same salary. The total areas require 3 Managers and 2 Supervisors to handle, but require myself alone as Manufacturing/Industrial Engineer to take care of the total area. I need to work smart, smarter than the manager.

Today I have another new product introduction to the production floor. It is a Transformer part for Automotive customer, thus is has also must meet the ISO/TS16949 requirement. From Manufacturing point of view, I need to prepare Process Flow, Process FMEA, Control Plan, Initial Process Study, Dimensional Study, and Run-at-Rate Report. Have I completed all this task? Yes, it was done within 3 days. It's really tough, but I can cope with it.

♦FHR♦

Life in a factory: Internal Audit

This week is an Internal Audit week for my company & I am an auditor for ISO/TS16949 (automotive) & ISO13485 (medical). This time I am auditing Document Control (Clause 4.2.3) and Product Design & Development (clause 7.4). My Auditor's partners are Rahman & Siti Mariam from IMS (Integrated Manufacturing System) division. Anyway, we have completed our audit task and audit result will be compiled by next week. Thanks to our auditees for giving support and assistant to make this audit a successful audit.

This weekend, I will go for another Internal Quality Audit training for AS9100 (Aerospace requirement). Another quality standard that I need to learn and organization need to comply.

♦FHR♦

Life in a factory: Intro

I'm an Industrial Engineer. Studied Industrial Engineering and worked in Industrial Engineering field for 18 years. Huh ... I have worked for almost 2 decades? Yes, and all these years I've been working inside a factory environment for various multi-national companies.
Am I tired? No, I love my profession as an IE. It suits my personality of being analytical and attention to details.
Am I happy? No, I don't make much money in my profession. Money cannot buy me happiness, but I will be happier if I have more money.

Well ... this is my live, half of my time from half of my life I've been spending time in a factory as my main source of my income.

♦FHR♦