KSB Spotlight - Issue no.4

Issue No. 4 October 2022 KSB Spotlight “Leading the way to bring out the BEST”

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KSB Spotlight - October 2022 05 01 CONTENTS 03 07 TABLE OF 11 01 Message from the GCC-Country Director 03 Internal Trainings 05 Special Event 07 Feature Story 09 Figures 11 Success Story 13 Work Anniversary 14 New Member of KSB ME Family

KSB Spotlight - October 2022 1 Message from the GCC-Country Director In my quarter century of experience in the sales of Centrifugal Pumps for multi- ple applications across multifaceted seg- ments, I have never seen a more misused term than Design Life. This is an integral part of any specifications or tender doc- ument and we manufacturers proudly, sometimes blindly, fill in 20, 25, or 30 Years depending on what is asked. It is only when you have spent 25 Years be- ing associated with the same Industry in the same region and furthermore with the same brand do you understand the real significance of design life. This is more pronounced when the prod- uct is dynamic equipment like Centrifugal Pumps whose performance and longevity are highly dependent on the Selection of the pump, the System Characteristics, and the associated operational philosophies. Hence the design life of the product is highly dependent on the Design Life of the ‘Design’ itself. Mr. Geoji Thomas GCC - Country Director

KSB Spotlight - October 2022 2 So under such circumstances, it is debatable ‘who The joy one feels when one gets an enquiry for bells the cat?’ as far as the onus on the account- the replacement of a Pump you have lost 10 to 15 ability of the Design Life of the product is con- years back is bliss, particularly when you exact- cerned. ly remember the reasons for losing it in the first place. For example, it might have been that our From the perspective of a frontline salesperson competitors had offered a solution with a 1450 and as someone who has filled in tender data RPM pump but we knew then that it wasn’t the sheets with a design life of the pump as 25 years right solution and offered a slower & bigger and who is still around even after 24 plus years to pump. witness the very same pump functioning perfectly gives me the courage to pen this insight. Hence our option was expensive then, but we were always convinced it was the right one and The emphasis on the right selection of pumps for refrained from following what our competitors the system we were offering was and is sacrosanct did. Sadly, it’s very rare that the decision makers at KSB; we are still conservative when it comes to then, are still around to give you, your moment of selecting Pumps. ‘I told you so’, but the end user and the manufac- turer are the only constants in this arrangement. I must confess this has come at a huge cost. As the business environment and sentiments evolved The design life in this case was shortened from the along with the emerging social changes where an grand 25 Years to almost half. But when the con- era of instant gratification slowly consumed the tractual warranty is done and dusted who cares traditional era of delayed gratification it was diffi- about design life? cult for traditional philosophies like conservative pump selection and long term benefits of the same Even with the advent of Industry 4.0, internet of to hold fort. things and what not that gives you real time out- puts from the Pumps, it is always music to my Furthermore it was a fine line between long term ears when an end user asks you for an exact re- benefits and reputation over instant commercial placement of a pump that was working for almost success which sadly evolved by the day and was 25 years and all the instruments that it had was a made even more difficult with the emergence of pressure gauge at the discharge and no other fan- highly valued and profitable zero brick and mor- cy stuff. These are times I wonder if it was the tar businesses over traditional manufacturing. Product Design or the System Design that lasted the test of time. I personally have lost large contracts due to this conservative approach but have been fortunate As an organization with more than 150 Years of to be around long enough to actually see pumps existence, we certainly hold steadfast to the prin- fall apart in less than 10 years, not because of the ciples that a pump is only as good as the system product quality but primarily due to the selection it operates in and it is in our DNA to sometimes and system / ‘design’ changes that the original even go a step ahead and think and factor in how pump vendor was not aware of, or chose to ig- the system might MISBEHAVE in future. Though nore at the time of offering. Many though in my we had a price to pay with this conservative ap- opinion were caused by greed and ignorance in proach we believe that the longevity of brand and equal measure. the reputation we have built over a century and a half is a testimony for the same.

KSB Spotlight - October 2022 3 Internal Training

KSB Spotlight - October 2022 4 Communication Skills Dr. Sven Baumgarten SAP Training Mr. Prabhakar Viswanathan Ability to Work Under Pressure Mr. Francois Naude

KSB Spotlight - October 2022 5 Special Event KSB Middle East take part in the 3-day event held at Dubai World Trade Center Exhibition Center from 27-29 September 2022. This event was an ideal oppor- tunity to share and showcase our products and services, to meet people from different countries and field of busi- ness. Unity in diversity is the source of strength. Our sales and marketing team had a chance to meet peo- ple from International, Middle East and North Africa, including UAE trade visitors, students and our loyal cus- tomers. Did you know? There were 1,200 brand exhibitors and 45,506 total number of visitors from 55 countries. WETEX has become one of the largest and most import- ant specialized exhibitions and an annual event awaited by the organizations from the energy, water, environ- ment, green development and related sectors from the region and the world. WETEX and Dubai Solar Show are the perfect plat- forms to display the latest technological advancements and discuss the latest trends related to energy, water con- servation, saving natural resources and building a sus- tainable environment. They provide an ideal opportunity for local and international companies and organizations to share and showcase their products and services, along with offering a forum to share best practices and experi- ences with exhibitors from around the world. It was a successful event for KSB Middle East!

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KSB Spotlight - October 2022 7 All About MC Thomas Keep 100% honesty, be loyal to the company, and respect all people regardless of their age, gender, race, and culture. Communicate with the management and colleagues, be open to all people, do not make pol- itics in the working environment, and have a good long-term relation- ship with the customers. We have to follow the rules and regulations of the company where we are work- ing and keep a good relationship with the factories which will help us to have a smooth business atmo- sphere. Since I am a more sales-ori- ented person, time is an important factor for our business. If we do not act on time, we may miss the train. 1. What are the toughest challenges you’ve 3. What’s your secret talent that no one had at work? knows about? Since I am working in sales, every day is a Frankly speaking, I do not have any secrecy challenging day for me, for any small or big in my life. Family matters shall be discussed business discussions. And due to the current with my family members and business mat- market situation, keeping the continuity of ters shall be discussed with my colleagues customer relations is a real challenge. and management. But I have always liked agriculture. 2. What are the hobbies that you enjoy do- ing in your free time? 4. How would you spend a million dirhams I normally enjoy watching cricket matches in 24 hours? whenever it is possible. I also enjoy listening Even 1 dirham or a million dirhams has the to old music songs. same personal value to me and I will spend it if it is necessary only.

KSB Spotlight - October 2022 8 5. What was your first job? I had no plan to come to the Gulf region After I graduated from college with a Mechan- at that time but the KSB resident manager ical Engineering degree, I worked as Produc- in Abu Dhabi explained to me that UAE is tion Planning and Control Engineer from the a very open country. Based on his expla- year 1981 – 1983 in one of the reputed com- nation, I joined the KSB Abu Dhabi resi- panies in India - Tata Oil Mills Co. Mumbai. dent office in the middle of the year 1998. I have enjoyed life in Abu Dhabi with my 6. Who inspired you to pursue the career you family and the working environment in the have today? office was also good. In the year 2005, I In the year 1984, I got an opportunity to work was promoted to Resident Manager of the as an Application Engineer at Abu Nayyan KSB Abu Dhabi office and my current role Trading Co. (a local Agent of KSB) in Riyadh, is Resident Sr. Manager. Saudi Arabia. The current chairman of Abu Nayyan Trading Co. was my immediate boss 7. What skill do you think everyone at that time. After 1 year of working as an Ap- should learn? plication Engineer, he asked me to go outside Politeness, loyalty, honesty, ambition to and meet customers and work as a Sales En- grow, and tension-less working situation. gineer. As per my experience, tensions/pressures cannot solve the issue in the family as well That was good motivation from him and I en- as in business. If any problem occurs, we joyed the job. In three-year time, I was pro- have to analyze and find out the root cause moted to Riyadh Sales Manager looking after of it and act accordingly. Listening is also the pump business. I was also responsible as a skill that everyone should learn. Listen to Resident Engineer for Ebara pumps, Pleuger all people (colleagues, management, cus- pumps, and Pompes Guinard pumps. During tomers) to understand and communicate. this time, I got the opportunity to have train- ing in Ebara pumps - in Japan, Mitsubishi En- 8. What’s the best advice you can give to gine - in Japan, Pleuger submersible pump- in someone who just started their career? Germany, Pompes Guinard – in France, Le- The best advice that I can give to someone roysomer motor - in France, KSB pump - in is, we should be loyal to the company where Germany, etc. we are working, respect our boss and other colleagues, have the ambition to grow, try In the year 1991, I was promoted as Riyadh to learn from our mistakes without miss- Branch Manager. In the year 1995, I was ing opportunities, and reduce the number promoted as Western Regional Manager and of complaints. Do not jump from company moved to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Due to the to company in a short span of time due to very strict rules and regulations in Saudi Ara- small benefits. Communication with all col- bia at that time, I decided to quit the job and leagues is the key factor to any success. returned to my home country India by the end of the year 1997. 6 months later I received a telephone call from the KSB Resident office in Abu Dhabi that there is an open position of Senior Engineer for pumps in Abu Dhabi.

KSB Spotlight - October 2022 9 Did you know that? KSB Abu Dhabi (WWW) has finalized and received confirmed PO‘s for all six packages of Riyad City Irrigation project in Abu Dhabi. Total Order Value - AED. 4.33 M. Main competiton - Grundfos pumps & Xylem pumps

KSB Spotlight - October 2022 10 Order Status Total Pump Qty. Phase 1, 6 & 7 - Completed and delivered (6 pcs. 22 pcs. Omega V MTC + 16 pcs. KRT/ARX delivered) 6 pcs. MTC 28 pcs. Amx/KRT Phase 3, 7A, 7B & 5 - PO received and currently 4 pcs. Movitec under manufacturing. Total : 60 pcs. To our Abu Dhabi Team. Congratulations & Thank you for your hardwork!

KSB Spotlight - October 2022 11 Success Story Due to severe time constraints and delays from the global supply chain, a recent project for KSB ME was delayed. The delay required certain mea- sures and out of the box thinking to satisfy the customer requirements. To achieve this, our Logistics team, and obviously Sales team as well, ar- ranged for the completed pumps and motors to be delivered separately to our Jafza warehouse from the respective KSB factory and external motor vendor. Our newly created Operations team, specifically Operations Technician, Renz Gambol, worked tirelessly together with assistance from our warehouse staff. They managed to mount the pumps & motors, fit couplings, do the laser alignment and package the units. All of this work (total 12 pump sets) was completed within a couple of days. End result, KSB ME found a solution, customer is sat- isfied and we have a system for almost endless possibil- ities. My sincere thanks and ap- preciation goes out to our team from Operations, in- cluding Logistics. Renz, well done on the ma- jor achievement. Mr. Francois Naude Operations Director

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KSB Spotlight - October 2022 13 Work Anniversary 1st Year Unlocked Grace and Elton have been an essential part of our organization’s journey and success. It feels just like yesterday since you both start work- ing with KSB Middle East, whereas it’s already been a year. Mrs. Grace Hizola Mr. Elton D’souza HR Assistant Sales Engineer - Pumps KSB Middle East are eternally grateful for the dedication and passion you have shown. Thank you for being with us. Happy 1st Work Anniversary to both of you!

KSB Spotlight - October 2022 14 New member of KSB Middle East Family Renz joined KSB Middle East on 13th July 2022 as Opera- tions Technician. He is a graduate of Industrial Technology, Ma- jor in Mechanical Engineering in the year 2014.Before moving to Dubai, he was working and living in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia for almost 3 years. Renz also worked as Rotating Equipment Service Engineer in an Oil & Gas company in Jebel Ali Free Zone. Renz enjoyed spending time with his friends on off days. Mr. Renz Ivan Gambol Operations Technician Victoria has joined KSB Germany on Mrs. Victoria Ensinger August 2009 until January 2012 as Appren- Regional Finance & Controlling Manager tice. And from January 2012, she started her MEA -R career in Internal Management Account as an inter-company invoicing for overheads and stayed in the same department until the end of February 2021. She graduated Business Ad- ministration in AKAD University, Germany. One of the projects she initiated was the GRIP21. From March 2021 to August 2022 she was the CFO of KSB Limited, UK. And from September 2022, she joined KSB Mid- dle East as Regional Finance and Controlling Manager – MEA/R. She is also one of the founders of the KSB Women’s Network. During her free time, she enjoyed knitting and gardening.

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