issue40 july2018 - marafiq.com.sa · data quality assurance and control the widely used acronyms qa...

Marafiq World | ISSUE40 | JULY2018

ISSUE40JULY2018

2 Marafiq World | ISSUE40 | JULY2018

Saeed K. Al-AbdullahCorporate Communications ManagerOverall In-charge and Supervision

Abdullah Ali Al-AmriChief Editor

Editorial Board Basheer Al-Tarouty Steven Carl Smith Gerardo Dumo (Ardee) FloresAnsary Domado, Design and PhotographyAbdulrahman Al-Sehli, Photography

PO Box 11133, Jubail Industrial City 31961Tel: 013 340 9707 Fax: 013 341 [email protected]@[email protected]


Contents:Message from the President and CEO...............5Towards Excellence.......................................6Projects.....................................................8Sustainability............................................ 10MaSa...................................................... 12Customer Relations.................................... 16Corporate Communications.........................18Get to know............................................. 19Information Security Awareness....................20Highlights................................................ 22Our Talented Writers................................... 33


Message from the President and CEO


Message from the President and CEO

Abdullah K. Al-BuainainPresident and CEO

By the grace and mercy of Almighty Allah, it gives me great pleasure to congratulate all of Marafiq’s employees for achieving the momentous milestone of 30 million safe man-hours without a Lost Time Injury. This would not have been possible without each employee’s rigorous efforts and commitment towards safety.

This is a great achievement; however, the moment requires us to reiterate our commitment towards achieving excellence in Organizational Health and Safety (OHS). As we move forward, let us not become complacent, as we need to sustain our efforts to improve our safety performances. Some of the areas that require our special attention and efforts include the implementation of the OHSMS procedures relating to the permit to work system by the contractors’ and safe motor vehicle driving. We all need to think positively and make collective efforts to improve these areas.

I strongly believe that by promoting a safety culture, that cultivates self-discipline and self-commitment towards OHS is the only way forward towards achieving excellence in safety. Let us not forget that safety stands out as the most critical element in our success.

30 Million Safe Man-hours without LTI


Towards Excellence

I am pleased to inform you about Marafiq’s new organization structure implementation project, which is being communicated under the heading of ‘Towards Excellence’. The implementation of this project during 2018 is one of the Wildly Important Goals (WIG’s) within our strategic business plan. The project is being implemented by my functional management team (Corporate Communications, Human Capital Development, Human Resources and Information Technology) to ensure a smooth transition of staff into the new organizational structure.

The new organizational design for the company will deliver enhanced productivity, powered by an asset-centric structure and prepare our great company for the future. Based on a change impact assessment conducted by specialist external consultants, the project will be implemented in two phases starting with Phase 1 for non-technical functions with low change impact, followed by Phase 2 for all remaining functions with high change impact. The organizational change will be led by managers for their concerned department with support from their General Managers and Vice P residents. In the scenario where re-deployment of employees is required, it would be carefully managed and wherever possible they will be kept within their current department or function. Multi-skilling and up-skilling training will be provided as required to optimize the effectiveness of the company’s new organizational structure.

Organizational change is necessary to prepare our great company for tomorrow.

An Asset-Centric Enterprise For Enhanced Productivity

Fahad Abdullah Al-Shammari General Manager, Supply Chain

“Organizational change is necessary to prepare our great company for tomorrow.”


Towards Excellence


Marafiq Projects – The Importance of Safety

Milo Del GobboGeneral Manager, Projects

This activity of communicating the importance of safety from the executive management to the site level is still a challenge for the whole construction industry. The way Marafiq approaches this challenge is not only to address the fundamental controls and procedures to ensure a safe design and execution of projects are achieved, but also, and foremost, addressing the values and to the behaviors that underpin the action of everybody on this important matter.

Addressing the values and the behaviors in implementing the safety during the execution is the true current challenge. This value spans from stop work authority, respect for life, cooperation between workers, true assessment and perception of the risks. Since 2017, Marafiq started to organize workshops with the contractors, big and small alike,

to address the values and the correct behaviors that are actually allowing our company to bring close to zero incidents on site.

One important behavior is that no work is so urgent, that it cannot be carried out in a safe way, and we recognize as a company that it is the duty not only of the managers, but also of everybody, to make sure this is well understood. Marafiq strives to develop its culture where everybody goes home safely, as well as working in a healthy environment (which is also synonym for efficiency).

During 2018, the Marafiq project function will continue to work persistently to organize workshops, stand-downs, celebrations and training involving contractors, in order to sustain zero incidents and a completely accident free environment.

The Marafiq projects function manages many projects, from small jobs worth a few million Saudi Arabian Riyal (SAR), to mega projects worth several hundred million SAR. Despite their magnitude, Marafiq pays utmost attention to all its KPIs, cost, schedule, quality and places safety as its top priority.

Safety; however, is a very special aspect of the activities on a project that requires not only attention and professionalism, but also a special commitment from the whole Organization. Our executive management provides strong leadership on this issue and the challenge is how to cascade this important message down the line, to the site level and to the contractor workers.

P r o j e c t s


P r o j e c t s


S u s t a i n a b i l i t y

Marafiq has a wide range of power and water utility facilities and infrastructures. The different activities within the various business units of Marafiq produce a huge amount of data. This data can be understood to be department records, policies and procedures, working documents, stored documents, performance reports and daily work requirements. During the Marafiq sustainability consultation study, it was observed that there is a real need for an Integrated Data Management, Quality Assurance and Documentation Systems. Developing high data quality is not a luxury; inversely it is an indispensable necessity for any organization pursuing excellence.

Initially, it is a good thing to remember the meaning of data, information and knowledge: • Data: Numbers, words or images

that have yet to be organized or analyzed to answer a specific question.

• Information: Produced through processing, manipulating and organizing data to answer questions, adding to the knowledge of the receiver.

• Knowledge: It is something known by a person or team, it involves interpreting information received and adding relevance.

So based on the above definition of data, the assured data for any

organization will be needed for business planning, performance improving, actions correction and decision making process in the right time with confidence. To do this efficiently, it is very important to evaluate and investigate our organizational capabilities for data quality management, so we can ask: • Do we need data quality

assurance as per our business and long-term strategic plan?

• What are available governance and practices to deal with data quality assessment, monitoring, improvement, certifying and saving?

• What is the required quality of data to be used for each business purpose?

• Do we have a system and dedicated team for data quality management?

• Who is accountable for the data?• Who gets to write the business

rules or the quality standards? • Who can say the data is wrong or

correct?• What systems and techniques

are in place for data assessment, securing and storage?

• When and what is required to go ahead for establishing data management system?

Characteristics of Data Quality

Data can be considered a high quality if they are fit for their intended uses

Integrated Data ManagementDr. Eng. Abdulrzzak AlturkmaniMarafiq Sustainability Coordinator

in operations, decision-making and planning. Data quality means that data are relevant to their intended uses and are of sufficient detail and quantity, with a high degree of accuracy and completeness, consistent with other sources, and presented in appropriate ways. The main key characteristics of good quality data are:• Accuracy: Data should be

sufficiently accurate for the intended use and should be captured at the point of activity. The revised and approved data shall be accepted by the manager or nominated data entry staff. The access to the approved data shall be restricted through secure password controls and limited access to data entry pages.

• Validity: Data should be recorded and used in compliance with relevant requirements, including the correct application of any rules or definitions. Service Heads are informed of any revisions and amendments within 24 hours of receipt from the relevant government department.

• Reliability: Data should reflect stable and consistent data collection processes across collection points and over time.

• Timeliness: Data should be captured as quickly as possible after the event or activity and must be available for the intended use within a reasonable time.

• Relevance: Data captured


should be relevant to the purposes for which it is to be used.

• Completeness: Data require-ments should be clearly specified based on the information needs of the organization and data collection processes matched to these requirements.

Data Quality Assurance and Control

The widely used acronyms QA (Quality Assurance) and QC (Quality Control) are often used interchangeably, but they mean very different things. QA refers to defect prevention, whereas QC refers to defect detection. In a data context, a ‘defect’ is any data issue that negatively affects fitness for use, such as a numeric value error, incorrect classification term, gaps in data series, or failed data transformations. Generally, QA is considered and applied before and during data collection or acquisition, whereas QC is applied after the data are in hand.

The organization shall plan for high-quality data! A Quality Assurance Plan (QAP) is used to define the criteria and processes that will ensure and verify that data meet specific data-quality objectives throughout the Data Lifecycle (Plan, acquire, process, analyze, reserve, publish and share as shown in Figure 1.

Managing data quality is not necessarily simple. When the data of life cycle is considered from data creation/collection to archival, there are many steps to be followed including:• Rules for collecting, creating data

and hierarchy management. • Data quality standards, thresholds

and rejection criteria.• Data standardization and

integration rules with other sources of data.

• Ongoing triggers to detect outliers during updates and data correction rules.

When considering the business value of good data quality, the primary

As Marafiq is going to expand its business and investments out of the industrial cities in Jubail and Yanbu, it is recommended to establish an integrated data management system, which will support and consolidate strongly its efforts towards excellency.

purpose is to make a business more efficient and profitable. The main benefits of providing and utilizing effectively the data-quality assurance system can be mentioned as follows:• Increased revenues• Reduced costs• Less time spent reconciling data• Greater confidence in analytical

systems• Increased customer satisfaction• To be better supplier performance• To be more informed decision-

making

The following scheme is a summary of the general Data Quality Improvement Process activities:

Figure 1: Data Lifecycle Process

Scheme 1: General Data Quality Improvement Process Activities

S u s t a i n a b i l i t y


MaSa

MaSa, as a leading joint venture, continues to make steady progress in achieving its goal to modernize the company in order to guarantee its ability to provide a world-class service to its customers. Significant work has been done to improve the reliability of our assets through reviewing the asset preventative maintenance strategies and maintenance practices. Moreover, the use of international reliability practices such as Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM) and Risk Based Inspection (RBI) to enhance the life cycle of the assets and equipment is now an integral part of our reliability program.

Additionally, several initiatives have been implemented to improve the utilization of workforce. This concept shaped the foundation of a specialized Water Academy (MWA) to offer all employees training and development with special focus on automation and technology. MWA provides practical hands-on training and theoretical classroom tailored courses to enhance the employees technical skills, IT knowledge and

Message from the Executive General Manager

Steady Steps to Modernization

Jean Noel Viot Executive General Manager (A)

English language capabilities. Other initiatives focus on modernizing the work practices and the use of RTU’s and SCADA to monitor our assets and equipment, which is being delivered through the CPO Project. The CPO Project, due for completion later this year, will position the CPO at the center stage of transforming MaSa into a modern and competitive organization that is highly valued by its customers and clients.

The safety and wellbeing of our employees is at the heart of everything we do, and it is our shared responsibility to follow the safety rules at all times to ensure our safety, and the safety of those around us (colleagues, contractors and public). We will continue our work to achieve our commitment of health and safety excellence in the workplace through increasing awareness and competences, individual safety objectives, rigorous safety audits, and the Executive Management team full commitment to improve safety practices across the company.

“The safety and wellbeing of our employees is at the heart of everything we do”


CPO Project: Feedback on 2 years of workLeloup Clement, CPO Project Manager, Performance & Reliability Department

MaSa CPO Project is a CAPEX initiated by Marafiq board in Jubail to support MaSa in reaching its 2016-2019 strategic plan objective of modernizing the company to guaranty its sustainability and its capability to face any challenges from customers or any new business opportunities. After pre-study and studies set in 2014 and 2015, kick-off of the project implementation was in 2016. The scope was to build state of the art numerical tools and to re-think company organization to get the maximum benefit of those tools and optimize operation and maintenance (CPO 2.0). If Jubail is a success, the ambition is to deploy the same in Yanbu.

Tools project and realizationProject technical modules are described below with their status. They have been implemented with full involvement of CPO SCADA team, CPO GIS team, Marafiq IT and information security and, of course, MaSa business units.

SAP-Measuring PointsEnabling measuring point function in SAP to capture operational parameters from field (water quality, asset information, etc.).

SAP-Rounds ManagersProviding roving crews with mobility tool under android phones to record their work.

Under procurement

SAP-Work Order ProcessReviewing and enhancing the work order process to get benefit of measuring point and structured completion report

SAP-Multi Resources Scheduling (MRS)MRS is the heart of future new scheduling organization and optimization of maintenance and operation.

Under procurement

SAP work-managerProvide maintenance team with Mobility tool under android phones to record their work.

Under procurement

CPO Central SCADACreation of a unique central SCADA system connected to all facilities including the newly installed RTUs and data loggers to perform real time monitoring of O&M activities and support decision making.

Remote Terminal Units (RTU) installation and SCADA connectionInstallation of 282 RTU in pumping and lifting stations and connection to new central SCADA to monitor those facilities remotely, improve reliability and decrease operation cost.

Data loggers installation and SCADA connectionInstallation of 99 flow and pressure data loggers on existing customers Potable Water meters, bulk meters and pressure censor to monitor water network supply and water billing. ETC: 30/06

Geographical Information System (GIS)Establishing GIS database to have clear understanding of network, hydraulic modeling and pipe renewal plan.

SAP-Linear Asset Management (LAM) and geo-e enablementConnect SAP and GIS in order to perform and record professional maintenance on linear asset. LAM is live with an internal implementation by MaSa and Marafiq IT. LAM is live

SAP SCADA interfaceConnect SCADA and SAP database in order to feed automatically measuring point with field data and create notification in case of alarms.

ETC: 30/06

SAP Business intelligenceEstablish a dedicated business intelligence database and reporting system to value data gathered in SAP and GIS. ETC: 30/09

Marafiq e-Services portalRollout Marafiq e-Service portal in CPO front office for customer communication management.

Organization project and realizationIn the past two years, many initiatives have been set-up by MaSa HCD department and change management team to enhance MaSa organization. Some of them, summarized below, were linked to CPO Project.

Potable water main pump station re-organizationUse SCADA system to unmanned 5 pumping stations during night and weekend.

Heavy equipment centralizationCentralize heavy equipment under MaSa support services to optimize their use. Monitor their use inside SAP through work-orders.

Front office organization review and planning centralizationReview CPO organization for 24/7 services and rollout of Marafiq e-Services portal for customer management. Change Masa organization to centralize planning and communication in CPO. ETC: 30/06

Pilot test for lift station monitoring by RTUFollowing RCM study done by reliability and reclaim water business unit, in 10 stations spread in Jubail, test RTU/SCADA reliability and decrease rowing crew visit frequency from three per day to one per week.

Al-Ferdoz sector test and next stepsIn June 2018, MaSa will focus on deploying all tools and organization in Al-Ferdos-D5 sector. The objective is to make a live test in this area to demonstrate the reliability and efficiency of whole CPO organization and tools. Once we have succeeded, the next step will be the full deployment of available tools and organization by end of the 2018 in Jubail. In parallel, procurement and implementation for missing technical modules will continue and Yanbu feasibility will be studied.

MaSa


Enhanced Operational Control in Yanbu’s IWTP Hassan Samy Yanbu WWT Lead Engineer

Yanbu Operation team improved the operational control of industrial wastewater treatment plants IWTP 2 which led to significant chemicals saving and improved the operational safety. Since the commissioning of IWTP 2 in 2013, the operations team has improved the monitoring and control of the inlet flows to the plants and operational treatment parameters through a program of dedicated sampling, online analyzers and portable analyzers.

Polyelectrolyte Storage Area Fenton Chemicals Storage tanks

This enhanced operational control has led to significant budget savings achieved through the reduction in chemicals usage. The financial saving varied between 33% and 44% in 2016 to 2018. Additionally, improving the operational control has extended the life of Granular Activated Carbon (GAC) used in the tertiary filters. According to the design concepts, GAC should be replaced yearly at an estimated cost of 2.7 MSAR. Since the commission of IWTP2 in 2013, GAC has been replaced once in all nine filters, in addition to five additional filters three years later. This has achieved savings of around 6.7 MSR since the plant started.

GAC filters Granular activated carbon (GAC) Filtration system (GAC filters & MMF)

The reduction in chemicals usage reduced the chemicals handling (loading and unloading) of such hazardous materials and consequently decreased the exposure time for the operations team and enhanced safe operation of the plant.

MaSa


Jubail City Automation project

Automation and central remote monitoring: a must have in modern water business

As part of CPO Project, an ambitious CAPEX program for monitoring of O&M activities in Jubail has been set-up by Marafiq, and currently under

implementation by MaSa teams. The scope of this project is to monitor 282 pumping and lifting stations, 10 plants, 47 large customers’ sites, and 50 critical points on the portable water network. The project will deliver an integrated system that provides a complete visibility of all O&M activities related to water services in the city. Potable and reclaimed water networks stations and treatment facilities, seawater cooling plant, industrial main customers, and the quality on potable water network will be monitored from CPO 24 hours 7 days a week in total coordination with field operation from the business units. This concept, the one that all modern cities engaged in smart city project wants to implement, will guaranty

to provide MaSa and Marafiq customers with an efficient and well-managed service.

An original implementation plan to safeguard reliability of future O&MIn addition to the vast number of locations that will be connected, and centralization of the data monitoring, one of the main distinctive elements of this project is its implementation plan. MaSa has decided to take up the task on the installation of the devices in the field rather than subcontracting to an external contractor. The reason behind this insourcing strategy is the willingness of MaSa to build its own long-term capability of installing and maintaining devices in field rather

than being tied to external contractors. Moreover, during project execution, multi-skills organization has been achieved with the SCADA team, which was originally only in charge of programing systems and automation, merged with network instrumentation teams and teammates trained and authorized to work on electrical installation and commissioning. In MaSa, we do believe that building such in-house multi-skills capability is a key success factor for the reliability of operations and maintenance.

A company projectSeveral departments from Marafiq and MaSa have been involved in delivering this project. Technical services department for project specifications, procurement and projects for procurement,

human resources and human capital development for organizational changes, and the finance department. In addition, the MaSa business units and support services have been deeply involved in the installation of the RTU’s and handling the fabrication required for the project. Finally, CPO SCADA and front office teams for their commitment and hard work to deliver the project.

Achievements and next stepsThe work on this project started in March 2016, and MaSa will complete the installation and connection of all sites by June 2018. By the end of April 2018, the main plants, 20 large customers and 150 stations where connected to the new system. Moreover, CPO and the reclaimed water business unit are running a pilot trial to test the remote monitoring of reclaimed water pump and lift stations through CPO. In parallel, the business unit is testing reducing the frequency of roving crew’s visits to these locations, and the implementation of new GPM program as identified by the reliability team. This trial will validate the new organization hypothesis and will be the basis for the full deployment of a new organization by the end of 2018.

Mohammed A. HassanienSuperintendent, I&C and ICS Cyber Security

MaSa


C u s t ome r R e l a t i o n s

Digitalization of our customer relations services

Digitization is a complex term, which at its outer shell means turning from traditional ways to electronic ways. One would say, we already are digital. We are using the most sophisticated ERP in the world “SAP” where would we digitalize? The obvious answer is we take digitalization to the extreme meaning of it, which is full process automation with absolute internet self-service for customers. The challenge was to clean house and manage Customer Relations in a fully integrated approach. To achieve this, we have implemented a systemic approach to enhance Customer Relations current process efficiency.

I am sure that most of us have already encountered the term “systematic” or may have used it at least once in our daily living. The term “systematic” or “systematic approach” is used to describe an organized step-by-step method where each step is dependent on the completion of the previous step. However, “systemic” as a term refers to a cohesive body of integrated parts. Understanding each term could lead to a very dramatic shift in our paradigm from looking at

Abdullah Al-GhamdiManager, Customer Relations Jubail

methods and trying to organize them systematically into constantly looking at the big picture and focusing on the complete form.

The Billing Section is about generating customer invoices based on the Meter Readings availability and validity. While the Revenue Collection is engaged with coordinating with customers for payments and ensuring revenue collection within the set due dates.

In order to understand the systemic concept, we may refer to the human body as the most sophisticated system in the universe. All the organs working cohesively inside our body with the heart being the focal engine that runs everything else. With this concept in mind, we have identified the heart of our operations which is the Billing Section. Like the heart, it is responsible to ensure that it pumps out cohesive action with other sections to achieve an efficient operation of systems. Quality Assurance of all consumptions and invoicing activities were the initiatives in place to have a healthy heart “Billing”. In order to

achieve this, we have gone through total transformation of Billing Process with Quality Assurance standard punch list parameters for healthy Meter Reading as input and accurate invoicing as output. The Billing Quality Assurance Process became the connecting chain between all Customer Relations Sections using SAP as the main data bank for all reference data “The Brain”. For any billing complaint assessment, the reference was always Billing Quality Assurance process compliance, which helped reduce the time response to customers.

In conclusion, improvements efficiency is constantly measured through the results. In this case, we have seen very magnificent results in terms of smoother revenue collections because of accurate bills. Higher customer satisfaction in terms of the lower customer complaints. We have seen 28% reduction in billing complaints in 2017 compared to 2016. 84% less invoices corrections in 2017 because of very high quality of invoicing compared to 2016.

C u s t ome r R e l a t i o n s

It was quite a journey since the year 2016 when Customer Relations started seriously thinking about shifting all services to the internet. Our main objective at Customer Relations was to have a complete solution to serve the customers; however, we were struck with the fact of not having prior experience in the same field. What should our customers be expecting and what should be optimal for us. From there we started the market research journey and internal brainstorming activity in collaboration with IT Department. We reached to a conclusion that our solution should not be only provided to customers for convenience and to just be in line with technology advancement. Rather, we should be building a complete framework for full automation of all the processes triggered by customers. This way we can hit two birds with one stone. Customer convenience and process efficiency. With that objective in mind the real work started by completing a scope of work for

Marafiq e-Services--The untold story

the project that included those major parts:

• Cross platform Frontend (Mobile app & web-portal)

• Automation of backend operations (SAP Automation)

• Work management (System workflows)

• KPI & Regulatory Reporting

When everything is clear, one could think that it simple to be done. That was the challenge in our case. When things got clearer during the Business Blue Prints preparation, we have realized that the magnitude of work that is required to achieve our main goal is very huge and we only have a very small window of time to finish off. Literally, this project looked like an iceberg where outsiders think about it as just a website and a mobile app, which is quite normal for any company these days. However, the truth is, after successfully completing the e-Services project, Marafiq is

very ahead of time in terms of fully digitalized Customer self-service processes. What does this mean to Marafiq? What could we achieve from digitalized process? Well, the straightforward answer is efficiency. However, there is much more to it when it comes to touch customers. It means accuracy of customers’ details, organized record keeping, and well-monitored process and finally yet importantly customer satisfaction, which is a major core, value of Marafiq “Customer Focus”.

E-Services applications went live on April 29, 2018. Thus, the journey of digital world has just started and we all should be transforming our mindset and work behavior in order to cope up with the change.

We would like to thank Marafiq management, Corporate Communications, IT Department & all the business teams for their support and positive involvement.



C o r p o r a t e C ommu n i c a t i o n s

In a successful launch of Marafiq’s new e-services application, we have witnessed exceptional engagement from our employees in promoting this new application. One of Marafiq’s many strengths is that its employees are proud to be part of the Marafiq family and to be ambassadors in building the public image. Marafiq’s employees are its most valuable assets and are therefore its most powerful form of communication; they are influencers within their own social circles. The Marafiq employees take pride in promoting new organizational developments and have actively liked, shared and reposted many of Marafiq’s new e-services content on social media.

Our valued employees promoting our new e-services application Saeed K. Al AbdullahCorporate Communications Manager

This digital form of involvement has allowed employees to contribute and to be directly involved in building Marafiq’s brand awareness. Marafiq continues to develop an engaged culture with its employees, where proactive participation is a leading contributor to its success. Each Marafiq employee has his own unique expertise and provides a wealth of ideas to the organization as a whole, it is very encouraging that the employees are enthusiastically promoting Marafiq’s new e-services application through social media activities.

“Thank you to all Marafiq employees who have contributed in promoting our new e-services application.”

Salim Al-JohiniDepartment: Power Generation Yanbu I

When did you start working at Marafiq? I joined Marafiq on 2 April 2011 as the Gas Turbine Generator Operator.

Why did you decide to join Marafiq?Marafiq stood out to me as a proactive and forward thinking company, which is of course any job seekers dream.

Briefly, explain what value you add to Marafiq? Saving and control of operation assets, as well as participation as a trainer to train several staff in the department.

What are some of the valuable lessons that you have learnt in Marafiq? To be organized, working independently and as part of a team, patience and fighting for my goals.

What motivates you? Job improvement and training

What do you do with your spare time, interests or hobbies? Reading books and traveling. Where do you see yourself in the next 5 years? I would like to undertake more management responsibilities and take the lead of operation processes. Nevertheless, I want to build a successful career over the next five years. Who is your role model? In my entire life, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) is my role model. I think that he is the best role model for all humanity. Moreover, for the working culture, I am seeing Mr. Ali Al-Naimi as role model because he started his career from my present position as field operator and has become the Saudi Arabian Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources since 1995 to 2016.

What is your favorite quote?

“Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new.” Albert Einstein


G e t t o k n o w


Email is one of the primary ways we communicate. We not only use it every day for work, but to stay in touch with our friends and family. In addition, email is now how most companies provide online services, such as confirmation of your online purchase or availability of your bank statements. Since so many people around the world depend on email, it has become one of the primary attack methods used by cyber criminals. In this article, we explain phishing, a common email attack method, and the steps you can take to use email safely.

Phishing refers to an attack that uses email or a messaging service (like those on social media sites) that tricks or fools you into taking an action, such as clicking on a link or opening an attachment. By falling victim to such an attack, you risk having your highly sensitive information stolen and/or your computer infected. Attackers work hard to make their phishing emails convincing. For example, they will make their email look like it came from someone or something you know, such as a friend or a trusted company you frequently use. They will even add logos of your bank or forge the email address so the message appears more legitimate. Then the attackers send these phishing emails to millions of people. They do not

Darweesh Nasser Al-BuainainGRC Lead, Information Security ERM-Corporate governance

know who will fall victim, all they know is the more emails they send, the greater the chance for success. Phishing is similar to using a net to catch fish; you do not know what you will catch, but the bigger the net, the more fish you will find. There are several ways attackers use phishing to get what they want:

Harvesting Information: The attacker’s goal is to harvest your personal information, such as your passwords, credit card numbers or banking details. To do this, they email you a link that takes you to a website that appears legitimate. This website then asks you to provide your account information or personal data. However, the site is fake, and any information you enter goes directly to the attacker.

Malicious Links: The attacker’s goal is to take control of your device. To do this, they send you an email with a link. If you click on the link, it takes you to a website that launches an attack on your device that, if successful, infects your system.

Malicious Attachments: The attacker’s goal is the same, to infect and take control of your device. Instead of a link, the attacker emails you an infected file, such as a Word document. Opening the attachment triggers the attack, potentially giving the attacker control of your system.

Scams: Some phishing emails are nothing more than scams by con artists who have gone digital. They try to fool you by saying you won the lottery, pretending to be a charity needing donations or asking your help to move millions of dollars. If you respond to any of these, they will say they first need payment for their services or access to your bank account, scamming you out of your money.

Protecting YourselfIn almost all cases, opening and reading an email or message is fine. For a phishing attack to work, the bad people need to trick you into doing something. Fortunately, there are clues that a message is an attack. Here are the most common ones:

Information Security Awareness: Phishing

I n f o r m a t i o n S e c u r i t y


I n f o r m a t i o n S e c u r i t y

• The email creates a sense of urgency, demanding “immediate action” before something bad happens, like closing your account. The attacker wants to rush you into making a mistake without thinking.

• You receive an email with an attachment that you were not expecting or the email entices you to open the attachment. Examples include an email saying it has an attachment with details of unannounced layoffs, employee salary information or a letter from the IRS saying you are being prosecuted.

• Instead of using your name, the email uses a generic salutation like “Dear Customer.” Most

companies or friends contacting you know your name.

• The email requests highly sensitive information, such as your credit card number or password.

• The email says it comes from an official organization, but has poor grammar or spelling, or uses a personal email address like @gmail.com, @yahoo.com or @hotmail.com.

• The link looks odd or not official. One tip is to hover your mouse cursor over the link until a pop-up shows you where that link really takes you. If the link in the email does not match the pop-up destination, do not click it. On mobile devices, holding down your finger on a link gets the

same pop-up. An even safer step is to copy and then paste the URL from the email into your browser or type the correct link.

• You receive a message from someone you know, but the tone or wording just does not sound like him or her. If you are suspicious, call the sender to verify they sent it. It is easy for a cyber-attacker to create an email that appears to be from a friend or coworker.

If you believe an email or message is a phishing attack, simply Report it. Ultimately, common sense is your best defense.

Reference: SANS Institute


H i gh l i g h t s

Marafiq participated in the activities of the World Civil Defense Day in Yanbu Industrial City for 2018. Several industrial companies and government sectors participated in the event by distributing awareness publications and participating with fire trucks. This annual occasion focused on boosting the concept of individual and family comprehensive safety from dangers that may occur due to negligence and its severe consequences.

The Director of Civil Defense in Yanbu, Colonel Samer al-Sa’idi, recognized Marafiq for its gold sponsorship of this world occasion.

Marafiq participates in the World Day for Civil Defense in Yanbu

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Highlights


A delegation from the Administrative Services Department visits Yasref Company

A delegation from the various security sectors in Yanbu visits Marafiq

A delegation from the various security sectors in Yanbu visited Marafiq in order to review the work progress and explore aspects of collaboration between the security sectors and Marafiq. Manager of the Industrial Security Department, Fuad Jambi, welcomed the visiting delegation

and gave them thorough explanation of the company operations and the services it provides to its customers in Jubail and Yanbu Industrial Cities. The two parties discussed the matters of mutual interest and means to boost the relationship between the company and all government

sectors, including the security sector. Manager of the Industrial Security Department valued the visit, which strengthens the relationship between the two parties, help them exchange expertise and information, and serve the public interest and all of them.

As part of collaboration with sister companies in Yanbu Industrial City, a delegation from the Administrative Services Department in Yanbu paid a visit to their counterparts in Yasref to get acquainted with the applied mechanism, exchange expertise and important information, and strengthen the relationship and communication between the two companies. The delegation, comprised of Wesam Hiji and Yasser Al-Juhani, were well received by the colleagues at Yasref, who provided them with all the necessary information in addition to a comprehensive presentation on Yasref Company.


Highlights

A delegation of gifted students from Okaz Intermediate School in Yanbu visits Marafiq

A delegation of gifted students from Okaz Intermediate School in Yanbu visited Marafiq in Yanbu in order to get acquainted with the company operations and the services it provides to the companies and residential

district in Yanbu. A presentation was given to the visiting delegation, covering all phases of the company operations, its various sections and services and its new projects in Jubail and Yanbu. After that, the delegation

had a tour at the station to know more about the company operations and listened to the explanation given by the competent personnel.

Company employees support the Holy Quran Reciting “Yatloun” Campaign in YanbuIn a good religious gesture, showcasing respect for the holy book of Allah, a number of the company employees in Yanbu supported the holy Quran Reciting campaign “Yatloun” in collaboration with the Holy Quran Reciting Charitable Society in Yanbu Industrial City. Some colleagues headed by Maher Al-Wakeel of Water Production Department led the volunteer’s team in receiving the rest of the employees and gave them thorough explanation that a monthly amount can be deducted from their accounts and transferred directly to “Yatloun” campaign. Maher Al-Wakeel explained that Marafiq is one of the main supporters for “Yatloun” Holy Quran Reciting Charitable Society. The number of employees,

male and female students in this society in Yanbu Industrial City is around 3500, studying in 75 circles for reciting the Holy Quran in Yanbu Industrial City. Their monthly and

incentive rewards depend on the gifts and donations made by good people and donors through small monthly amounts, which are highly regarded by the Almighty Allah.

25

Highlights


Amir of the Eastern Province recognizes Marafiq for its sponsorship of the Eastern Coast Festival

His Royal Highness, Prince Saud ibn Nayif ibn Abdulaziz, Amir of the Eastern Province, Chairman of the Tourism Development Council, recognized Marafiq for its sponsorship of the Sixth Eastern Province Festival at the premises of the Eastern Province Emirate.

Marafiq’s sponsorship of the Festival comes as part of a sustainable partnership, as it comprises a group of events that provide entertainment and

aesthetics, and help the participants get a glimpse of the details of ancient life, its relationship with the sea and its interesting tales and stories. A number of artisans took part in the event by building the entire heritage village.

The Eastern Province Festival is held under the patronage of His Royal Highness, Prince Saud ibn Nayif ibn Abdulaziz, Amir of the Eastern Province and Chairman of the Tourism

Development Council, and the Vice Amir, HRH Prince Ahmed ibn Fahd ibn Salman. It is organized under the supervision of the General Authority for Tourism and National Heritage in the Eastern Province and a number of government and private agencies. Every year, the Festival focuses on one of the main landmarks in the Eastern Province to remind the new generations of the Province’s heritage, its genuine nature and how their ancestors lived in the past.


Highlights

Marafiq signed a cooperation agreement with Takaful Welfare Society for Orphans and Needy Families’ Care in Yanbu. Engineer Sultan Turki Al-Ruhaili, Vice President for Projects and Engineering, signed the agreement on behalf of the Company’s President and CEO, while Engineer Turki Al-Harthi, Takaful Society Manager signed on its behalf. The agreement states that Marafiq provides financial support and sponsorship for the activities of Takaful Society for one renewable year. The Society is licensed by the Ministry of Labor and Social Development, and it is specialized in providing social care for orphans, similar disadvantaged children, and those providing them with care such as the mothers of orphans. The scope of care covers living cost, health, education and other related matters. Marafiq CEO, Engineer Abdullah Al-Buainain,

Marafiq supports the activities and programs of Takaful Welfare Society for Orphan Care in Yanbu

indicated that the company places this community outreach activities on top of its priorities in view of the importance of providing support for the orphans, who are dear to all of us, and whose right for support is due from

all those financially able individuals. He added that Marafiq makes several contributions in support of the charitable societies, which undertake major roles in serving the needy and those with special circumstances.

27

Highlights


As part of the interests and values of Marafiq and its employees, Maher Al-Wakeel of Yanbu I Water Production Department, who is a certified instructor, and in collaboration with the Corporate Communications Department and the Gifted Students Department of the Royal Commission schools, gave a lecture to the gifted students of Yanbu Industrial City schools under the theme of “Thinking Skills”. The lecture focused on providing detailed information on the modern thinking methods, the factors that help develop it, how it is related to the surrounding environment, and their impact on raising the recipient’s level of thinking. Al-Wakeel expressed

In the presence of Marafiq CEO, Engineer Abdullah Khalifah Al-Buainain and a number of the management members, the company celebrated graduation of employees from various departments from the PDP program upon successful completion of the program requirements and getting officially appointed to their jobs.

The company CEO, Abdullah Al-Buainain, welcomed the graduates in his remarks, and highlighted the importance of the program for engineers and trainees, and its impact on the plant operation and productivity. He also urged them to exert more efforts, particularly in the beginning of their career life, and to advance the distinguished reputation of the company and its employees at

Marafiq celebrates graduation of some employees from the PDP Program

large in order to ensure a better work environment and a bright future.

Al-Buainain congratulated them on the successful competition of the program and joining their colleagues

at the company departments. He also commended the efforts they exerted during the training period and wished them all success in their career life.

Maher al-Wakeel gives a lecture on “Thinking Skills” to the students of Yanbu Industrial City schools

his thanks to all who contributed to the organization of this lecture from Marafiq or the Educational Services of the Royal Commission. He promised to repeat these lectures supported

by the collaboration between the company and various government and private sectors in order to exchange expertise and information and enrich the recipient’s culture.


Highlights

Marafiq holds its annual leadership conference in Yanbu

Out there on the beautiful Red Sea coast of Yanbu Industrial City, Marafiq held its annual leadership conference, featuring an intensive workshop, which was facilitated by the strategic development expert, Prof. Gordon Hewitt. Marafiq CEO, Engineer Abdullah Al-Buainain gave the opening remarks, welcoming the attendees and saying: “Here we are once again with the annual leadership conference, which is held this year in Yanbu Industrial City at a carefully selected time. The pleasant whether is energizing. The air is fresh and helps open the mind. It stimulates your thoughts and sharpens your senses, making you keenly receptive to new ideas. Coming together in this beautiful environment, away from the office, will leave our minds free to generate fresh new ideas for the year ahead.”

The annual conference program was then started by Prof. Gordon Hewitt’s lecture. It took the form of a distinguished and engaging two-day workshop on strategic growth, and development, aiming to boost the role of leadership in enhancing work efficiency and productivity.

Prof. Gordon had his audience of 50 hooked with his energetic style and positive messages. He made the lecture engaging and full of enthusiasm by engaging all attendees in groups to discuss relevant topics and exchange information with other colleagues. Eventually, they got the optimal results from this meeting with such a capable person with extensive managerial experience in different fields.

The first evening, the leadership team gathered in Al-Nawras Island on the beautiful beaches of Yanbu Industrial City. It was one of Marafiq’s best nights, where all attendees had dinner in the open air. Under a clear, star-

studded sky, they all enjoyed the fun-filled and cordial gathering, which helped increase harmony and brought them together as a one big family.

On the second day, Prof. Gordon continued the workshop, where he shared with the attendees a lot of experiences and studies on strategic development and growth. He took many notes and answered his audience’s questions, which enriched the event. The way all participants engaged in the event helped them reach feasible plans to implement the program for enhancing the service-oriented culture at all levels in the company.

29

Highlights


Marafiq hosts the “Effective Safety Leader” training program in Yanbu

Marafiq, represented by the Industrial Security Department in Yanbu, hosted the “Effective Safety Leader” training program, where a number of industrial companies and representatives of the related government sectors took part under the supervision of the branch of the High Commission for Industrial Security in Al-Madinah Al-Munawarah Area.

The program was held at Yanbu II Training Center, and the lecturer was the Manager of Industrial Security Department at Natpet Company, Engineer Abdullah ibn Ja’ari Al-Zahrani, in the presence of a big delegation from companies and security and government agencies in Yanbu. The lecturer gave detailed information about the effective leader and the traits that make him a safety

leader, including those related to the work environment and others required for the leader. He also highlighted the need to put these traits into action, especially wisdom, patience, the work culture at large, and the safety

culture in particular, as well as the administrative and teamwork culture, and the scientific rehabilitation. It also requires a big deal of practical experience.


Highlights

Marafiq participates in the Future of Utilities Conference in the UK

Engineer Mohammed ibn Asmaí Mandeeli, General Manager of Operations and Maintenance, Yanbu II, and Engineer Saad ibn Muraizeeq Al-Mutairi, General Manager of Customers’ Relations and Networks participated in 2018 Future of Utilities Conference, which was held in London during the period 20 to 21 March 2018. The global conference attracted more than 300 participants from experts and professionals in various fields related to the provision of power and water services and the regulatory bodies. During the event, several papers where discussed with a view to exchanging expertise and thoughts in order to raise the level of services provided to customers.

MaSa employee’s annual gatherings were held Jubail in February 2018 and Yanbu in March 2018. The events brought MaSa employees together to socialize and celebrate the achievement of the year before. Marafiq CEO and MaSa EGM attended both gatherings and shared inspiring messages with the audience in which they thanked everyone for their dedication and commitment through the successful journey of MaSa. The speakers stressed on the core values of both organizations specially the safety and wellbeing of all employees and contractors, and the ethical and honest behavior in conducting all aspects of our businesses. They also spoke about the existing new challenges and opportunities the company will embark on in the year ahead.

MaSa employees annual gatherings

31

Highlights


Marafiq takes part in the support and establishment of “Wasl and Tawasul” Charitable Program

Marafiq, represented by its CEO Engineer Abdullah Al-Buainain along with other officials, executives, media people and activists in the field of charitable work and volunteering, participated in the educational activities and launching of the new social program “Wasl and Tawasul”. The event was attended by HH Prince Saud ibn Abdullah ibn Thunayyan, Vice Chairman of the Center Board, General Supervisor of the project of “Wasl and Tawasul” program and members of the Centerboard at the hall of Prince Saud ibn Abdullah ibn Thunayyan in Riyadh.

HH Prince Saud ibn Abdullah ibn Thunayyan reiterated that the Center establishment was based on the idea of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman ibn Abdulaziz Al Saud, May Allah protect him, at the time he was Amir of Riyadh Area. It is one of the ideas he thought of over more than 20 years; however, due to his busy schedule and commitments it was postponed for many years.

He added that the program aims to achieve a number of goals, most important of which are maintaining effective communication with the community while using modern technology to build a vibrant society committed to the values of our previous generations, a society capable of meeting the development requirements, bridging the gap between generations at the scientific, cultural and knowledge

levels, maximizing benefit from the experiences of previous generations and transferring them to the younger generations, unleashing the latent positive energies in the consecutive generations, and instilling the concept of good example away from the imported concepts, which do not belong to our traditions or our religion.

HH Prince Saud also explained that the program coincides with the beginning of a new phase, which the Kingdom started with its Vision 2030. It embodies our leadership’s vision and aims to achieve the aspirations of our ambitious society. This vision seeks to establish a country based on maintaining the principles of our moderate religion and the development of our nation in all fields.

HH Prince Saud extended his thanks to all those who participated

in the support of this ambitious social program be it with thought, encouragement, financial aid, efforts or prayers to Allah. He also commended the blessed efforts of the board of King Salman Social Center, which hosted the program, as well as SABIC and Marafiq for adopting the program idea from the very beginning and supporting it morally, financially or by providing the good example and feasibility of the social responsibility.

At the end of the celebration, HH Prince Saud ibn Abdullah recognized the agencies supporting the Center and “Wasl and Tawasul” program. He presented documents of appreciation to the President of the Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu, Dr. Musleh Al-Otaibi, SABIC Chairman, Dr. Abdulaziz Al-Jarbou’, and Marafiq CEO, Engineer Abdullah Al-Buainain.


Highlights

Yanbu Director of Education expresses his appreciation for Marafiq

Yanbu Water Production Department conducts a drill

The Director of Education in Yanbu

expressed his thanks and appreciation

for Marafiq for the constant

collaboration with Yanbu Education

family, particularly the Gifted Students.

The company recently hosted a

delegation of gifted students, where

they gave a brief account of their

experiences and the stages of their

academic excellence. The company

gave them a detailed presentation

on the work progress at its facilities

and phases of water production and

power generation, in addition to the

company’s new projects.

It is worth noting that Marafiq has

ongoing collaboration with the Gifted

Students in the form of financial and

moral support, as it deems them

the cornerstone of the entire society

and all current and future hopes and

aspirations are pinned on them.

Yanbu Water Production Department, in collaboration with the Industrial Security Department, conducted a drill at the Thermal Desalination Unit No. 8. These drills aim to verify the readiness level of the operation staff to deal with such incidents, in case they occur. The Manager of Water Production Department, Engineer Hasan Al-Sobhi, commended the efficiency of the operation team, who participated in the drill supported by industrial security men. They all showed a high level of competency and readiness for such incidents, in case they occur at any of the company facilities. He added that such drills reflect the company’s focus on boosting the safety culture and creating a healthy and professional work environment to be among the top companies, which are committed to the highest safety and professional health standards.


O u r Ta l e n t e d Wr i t e rs

Why Renewal Plan is required?It is very important for any organization maintaining water pipeline network to have proactive measures in repairing, rehabilitating and replacing activities in order to minimize the maintenance cost as the pipes deterioration will increase with time.

What are the data sources, methodologies and tools used?Analyst would require comprehensive and accurate data source in order to use it in the statistical analysis. In the water utilities’ business, we can consider Geographical Information Systems (GIS) as one of the most comprehensive, accurate and ready for analysis source of information. This is because the data are organized in GIS geodatabase in an environment with easy retrieval along with efficient analysis tools. All key information about each pipe segment have to be recorded along with failure history. Usually, the literature use the key information to predict future pipe breaks probability. Statistical models such as linear or logistic regressions are used to develop the required model after preparing the format of the raw data from GIS.

What are the parameters?Many parameters related to the pipes are recognized internationally. Some of the parameters are dynamic (time-based) while others are static (do not change overtime). Static factors are factors such as pipe diameter, pipe length and pipe material. On the other hand, pipe age, water pressure, water velocity, temperature, soil corrosively Potable Water Network 5 Years’ Renewal Plan Methodology

Ali Madan Al-AliSupervisor, GIS - CPO Department

Developing Prediction Models

for Pipes Renewal Planare examples of the time dependent factors (dynamic). Other factors, such as rehabilitation methods, cathodic protection, water quality and break history are also identified as essential factors for water mains deterioration. Usually, the break history (number or rate of pipe breaks) is used as dependent variable to be predicted in the statistical model.

How the model Equation is useful within GIS?After getting significant statistical effect from any variable or from its transformation and interactions, the equation of the model will be developed and will run inside GIS or will have at least a link to GIS for each pipe segment in order to be able to do mapping of the annual renewal plan based on the scores of each pipe segment properly. Doing so, will allow generating proper annual replacement plan by prioritizing critical areas. Implementing the renewal plan will increase efficiency and reliability of the network, which consequently will reduce failure of service to the end customers.

How are we doing?It is now possible to do this type of analysis in MaSa because many of the key data are registered in the CPO department (GIS data, events data through planning and scheduling, etc.). Currently, CPO and TSD are progressing to finalize the methodology in order to prepare a five years renewal plan for the potable water network in the community areas of Jubail industrial city. Finally, it is expected that implementing the renewal plan of 8.5% of the network during five years will reduce network failure by around 31%. Similar methodologies can also be developed and customized for other types of networks such as wastewater and seawater cooling.


• Digital transformation is a continuous journey that changes the way businesses operate, respond to market forces and engage with customers

• A digital culture leads with customer experience, deploys agile methodologies and leverages analytics to evaluate success

• Achieving digital maturity is a collaborative enterprise exercise that uses technology as an enabler

We live in a world where phrases such as digital dragons and digital icebergs are no longer imaginary concepts. They have become an integral part of enterprise leaders’ active vocabulary, as they try to beat digital Darwinism and try to keep up with the latest technology tools.CXOs across the board, whether adaptors or laggards, are waking up to the fact that digital is more than just a knee-jerk reaction or a one-off initiative. Leaders must understand that digital is not merely investing in a certain product or solution

Five simple steps to survive in the digital world

Ghulam Qadir Ghulam RasulTechnician, Protection - Power Transmission & Distribution -Y Department

that promises to ‘digitalize’ their operations.

Digital transformation is a continuous journey that goes beyond technology to fundamentally change the way businesses operate, respond to market forces and engage with customers.

Let’s look at five simple steps:

Always Lead with Customer ExperienceBefore you roll out any digital initiative, do keep in mind that everything an organization does must ultimately address an existing customer need, challenge or frustration. Focus on what your customers prefer, and how

you can improve their experience. Your digital success will predominantly be dependent on this single factor. This can be as much an art as it is a science and is will serve as the key to maximizing your digital Return on Investment (ROI).

Fail Fast, Learn Fast and Succeed Faster Although digital investments can increase your profitability quickly, as cited by more than 55 percent of CEOs, you may not be as successful as others in the first few attempts. It is imperative that you treat your digital investments like you do any other, like a series of experiments. You can almost never completely de-risk digital projects. Any failures encountered



can serve as learnings for subsequent initiatives. Instead of spending extended periods of time perfecting a solution, use agile methodologies to prototype solutions quickly and then refine them over time.

Cultivate a Digital Culture“Culture eats strategy for breakfast, lunch and dinner.” As one of the top challenges faced by organizations embracing digital transformation, digital initiatives are usually owned by specific departments, resulting in competing priorities when enforced on other teams that do not have a ‘digital first’ mindset. In order to overcome this, establish a core team that liaises effectively with all departments to roll out digital programs. Your entire workforce must be sensitized and trained on all aspects of a digital enterprise, including customer centricity, agility, innovation and

aligned goals. A workforce with a culture that is open to change and innovation will naturally increase your chances of ‘first time right’ in the context of digital transformation. And, don’t forget to recognize and reward entrepreneurial employees willing to take calculated risks and drive forth change.

The Right MetricsWhat cannot be measured cannot be managed or improved. This, of course, applies to digital investments and the associated ROI as well. You must maintain an enterprise-wide perspective on digital investments, and constantly monitor their impact on business. Each digital experiment must be tracked using a specific, pre-determined set of metrics, including both quantitative and qualitative parameters. Do deploy an analytics engine to model the change in probability caused by digital action.

This will play a crucial role in improving the probability of your digital programs’ success even before you invest in them.

Build a Partnership Model that Works for YouAs you focus on overhauling your business model to become more digitally driven, partnering with the right technology and solution providers will become critical. However, you would also want your existing operations and technology landscape to be able to support any such partnerships. To optimize this experience, look for platforms that naturally support integrations with most of your business systems or those that extend or create customized integrations. Also, determine whether to build or buy and select suitable partner models for implementations using metrics like the total cost of ownership and cost of change.



Highlights

We all want to ensure we leave a greener planet to our children & grandchildren. To do this we have to take steps now to ensure sustainability. Whilst more than two thirds of the earth is covered by water - less than 1% of that water is freshwater – 97% is salty and the remaining 2% is ice. It is important that everyone make an effort to conserve water.

Water conservation has two aspects:1. Using water efficiently so that

there is enough for the needs of all living things.

2. Keeping freshwater clean, so that it can continue to support life on earth.

Your water bill shows the amount of water you use which is a great starting point for improving your understanding of your water use & how you can make improvements by monitoring your usage.

We can save water in many different ways, but to understand how these ways help save our environment, we must understand that all things can be linked together. For example, by planting trees, we can reduce the amount of soil that enters and pollutes our waterways. Saving water is not difficult and we can all make a

Save water --- It will save you laterMuhammad IshfaqTechnician, ProtectionPower Transmission & Distribution -Y Department

difference by changing our habits at home and in the garden. There are various simple ways, which we can use on daily basis and save gallons of water daily. Following are save water techniques which we must use to save water at home and other places - you will be amazed how much water - and money - you could save each year. Water saving tips

• Turn the tap off between washing your face, brushing your teeth or shaving.

• We should use showerheads with low-flow (also called as energy-efficient shower heads), low-flush toilets and composting toilets (instead of conventional western toilets as they use large volumes of water) or dual flush toilets (it uses very less water than others) and water-efficient washing machines.

• Avoid flushing the toilet unnecessarily. Dispose of tissues, insects and other waste in the trash rather than the toilet. Every time you flush the toilet, 12 liters of water is used.

• Use a bucket rather than a hose

to wash your car. If you have to use a hose, use a sprayer that can be turned off in-between spraying the car. Using a garden hose could use as much as 30 litters of water per minute.

• Always water your plants during the early morning hours or in the evening, when temperatures are cooler.

• Between 10:00 and 15:00 one can lose up to 90% of water to evaporation.

• Every time you boil an egg, save the cooled water for your houseplants. They will benefit from the nutrients released from the shell.

• Focus on indigenous and non-water- consumptive alien plants (but not invasive alien plants)

• Collect rainwater during rainy season to use in toilet flush, watering plants, sprinkle in garden, etc. Using raw water like seawater or non-purified water in toilet is also good.

• We should be habitual of reusing or recycling wastewater.


37

Highlights



• Use “grey water” — used water from baths, washing machines and other safe sources to flush your toilet.

• Farmers must ensure that they keep toxic insecticides away from water sources and streams.

• Factories should take care of how they discharge mercury and other heavy metals into wastewater.

• People living in rural areas should be careful not to use the river or riverbank as a toilet.

• Water saving techniques should also be given priority in the commercial areas, as it is a big area where gallons of water can be saved on daily basis.

• Water saving techniques in the business areas are like waterless urinals, waterless car washes, infrared or foot-operated taps, pressurized water brooms, cooling tower conductivity

controllers, water-saving steam sterilizers (in hospitals and health care units), rain water harvesting, water to water heat exchangers, etc.

• Agriculture field is also a vast area where we can save more water on daily basis if we follow water saving techniques. We can use overhead irrigation for crop irrigation (using center-pivot or lateral-moving sprinklers), minimize evaporation, runoff or subsurface drainage, etc.

• Water saving techniques is also promoted at the social and community level by the municipal water utilities or regional governments through the use of common strategies like public outreach campaigns pay higher price for increasing water use, restrictions on use of clean water for outdoor activities like lawn watering, floor cleaning, car washing, etc.

• There should be universal metering for water supply to each home just like electricity, as water metering is an effective technique, which alone can reduce water consumption by 20 to 40% on daily basis.

• The growth of more water-efficient crops adopting less irrigation should be promoted as only crop irrigation takes around 70% of the world’s fresh water.

Water saving techniques should be promoted among people living in the societies, communities, villages including business sections, as they are the main water users in rough manner. Farmers, children, and women should be taught properly about how to use and save water in efficient manner. They must understand the value of water in their life. Clean water scarcity is not a problem of one country or continent; it is a global issue which needs to be solved globally by increasing awareness about it among people worldwide.


Cell phone is quite an amazing device. No matter where we are, it is with us. But unfortunately, this incessant affiliation has started hurting us deeply inconspicuously. Devices like Cellphones, Wi-Fi and microwaves emit radiofrequency energy, a form of non-ionizing radiation that transforms energy in the form of heat, with frequent exposure to this radiation against the skin could affect our brain cell activity. In 2011, the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer published a review stating that cellphone radiation is “possibly carcinogenic” Despite the fact, the amount of radiation emitted form cellphones or Wi-Fi devices is well below safety standards set for consumer products.

Syed Shafiqur RahmanSpecialist I, SCADAGas Distribution Department

Surrounded by the Unseen Danger

Later during a research about the potential health risks of these devices by the US National Toxicology Program (NTP), a part of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, they exposed male rates to very high levels of the kind of radiation emitted by cellphones, developed tumors in the tissues around their hearts.

During the studies, about 6 percent male rats were exposed entirely to the highest level of cell phone radiation and it developed a rare type of tumor schwannomas in nerve tissues near their heart, while no evidence of schwannomas found in animals that were not exposed to such radiation. During an interview Mr. John Bucher, a senior scientist with NTP said, “The

intriguing part of this is the kind of tumors we saw were similar to tumors noted for quite some time in some epidemiological studies in heavy duty cellphone users, Of course, these were in the nerves in the ear and next to the brain, but the tumor types were the same as we saw in the heart”

However, it is the most comprehensive assessments of health effects and exposure to radiofrequency radiation in rats and mice to date. These 10 years, US$25 million studies- do raise new questions about exposure to the ubiquitous devices. Now it is time to rethink about our relation with these devices as it’s excessive use and too much closeness has started affecting our health and life as well.




Working together with kindness, compassion and acceptance are the lost pieces of humanity’s fast and frantic trajectory into separation and division. It’s also becoming palpable that we cannot create solutions from the same consciousness level that’s creating the problems. Levitating our consciousness frequency for drawing peaceful solutions is an undertaking that calls for kindness, forgiveness and an inclusive love that respects our differences.

The term vibration is being profusely used in reference to the quality of thoughts, feelings, emotions and attitudes that are generated and influenced by our beliefs, memories, choices, environmental stimuli and more. For example, you often hear people say, “I had to leave that job, the vibes were so low it was exhausting my energy”, or, “I felt a lift from being in his positive vibration.”

The harmonics of our moods, attitudes, thoughts and feelings can rise and fall throughout the day, based on our actions and reactions to others, ourselves, or to life’s issues. The vibes we emanate to others and to the environment vary, based on our resilience for balancing our mind,

Fundamental Frequency of Kindness Muhammad Hamza BokhariEngineer I, Rotating EquipmentTechnical Services – YII Department

emotions and disposition – especially in today’s dynamic emotional climate.

Phase shifts can occur at every turn in connection with frustration, anger, disappointment, sadness, judgment, comparisons and much more. These sentiments are part of being human, but it is within our influence to jump out of these debilitating feelings into higher vibrational levels and perceptions.

A simple way to maintain a greater amplitude is to interweave the qualities of our heart in our connections and interactions. These qualities include love, care, compassion, kindness, appreciation, forgiveness, and more. Someone who possess these qualities knows their power to lift their feelings into a kinder and more stress-free perspective.



EBITDA stands for Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization, one of the most popular metrics of financial performance. It is used to evaluate a company’s operating performance without factoring depreciation, financing cost and the impact of taxation. In other words, EBITDA indicates the cash generated by the operations of the business without the influence of financing decisions and the tax environment.

In other words, EBITDA provides a good measure of the ‘Controllable’ part of the costs and how they can be optimized to improve profitability of the business. EBITDA is an important factor to gauge the performance of O&M business in any company.

Greater the EBITDA the more valuable the company is!

Mohammed FedaManager PGD - Y1Power Generation - Yanbu

Syed Shaukat AliCoordinator I, Planning & Efficiency PGD - Y1

E B I T D A

The EBITDA formula:EBITDA= (Gross Revenue- Operating cost)• Where gross revenue is External

Revenue of the company. While calculating the EBITDA of a particular service line, the external and internal revenue are reckoned.

• Operating cost is Variable Cost, Direct Fixed Cost and Cost of Common Services.

Cost of Common Services (Cost of services departments like HR, Finance, Admin Services, IT, ISD, Warehouse etc.)

• Variable cost remains constant per unit but varies proportion to Production

• Direct fixed cost remains constant with volume (as it is a period cost) but varies unit wise.



Syed Shaukat AliCoordinator I, Planning & Efficiency PGD - Y1

Multiple ways to improve EBITDA:The multiple ways to improve EBITDA is illustrated in the map.

EBITDA improvement strategy are as follows.• For existing asset: Cost reduction,

improve asset utilization, improve product sales, Retain/increase price.

• For change in asset: If the existing asset are unable to meet objective, identify where a change in asset would be beneficial (New equipment, technology etc.)

• Market penetration: Improve product & service quality to meet customer requirement to retain & grow customer.

• Market Development: Identify new products or services that leverage existing capability, evaluate resources & cost implication of new products.

• Compliance & Sustainability: There are regulatory and HSE compliance, Quantify cost of compliance and take measure

A stretched target of 50% planned for EBITDA margin for current year 2018. This is only possible with the optimization of heat rate by planning to run the units on almost full load &

for its improvements, carry out sustainability and other initiatives.

EBITDA Margin: Measure of company Profitability

One way to get a more realistic profit picture is to calculate EBITDA margin. To determine EBITDA margin, a business must first calculate its EBITDA and then divide that number by total revenue.

EBITDA Margin = EBITDA ÷ Total Revenue

• EBITDA margin measures how much cash profit a company made in a given year.

• The higher the EBITDA margin, the less operating expense eat into company leading to more profitable operations.

• Also helpful for investors in deciding whether to buy stock in a particular company.

• Marafiq, Power Yanbu has consistently achieved EBITDA margin at 40% during last 5 years as depicted below.

prioritizing the unit operation based on fuel prices in the production plan.Limitations:• Although the EBITDA margin is

a good indicator of a company›s

financial health, it has a few drawbacks. EBITDA is not regulated by generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP).

• The EBITDA margin is an ineffective indicator of financial performance for companies with high levels of debt or for companies that consistently purchase expensive equipment’s for their operations

• Other financial ratios, such as operating margin or profit margin and Return on Capital Employed to be used concurrently with the EBITDA for such cases.

References:Investopedia.com, Profit Accelerator Map, Marafiq Finance Report



Choosing Correct Performance Indicators for Water Loss

Water loss is a fundamental factor for not only judging a water utility’s efficiency but also its commitment to economic and environmental sustainability. This necessitates selection of suitable performance indicators (PIs) to give a true picture of water utility’s efficiency in terms of water loss. Unaccounted for water (UFW) and Non-Revenue Water (NRW) are the two terms often interchangeably used for quantifying water losses in a water utility and

Fig. 1

Fig. 2

Tauheed Ahmad Farooqui SheikhEngineer I, HydraulicTechnical Services - Jubail Department

are traditionally represented as a % of total water supplied or total system input volume (SIV). However, lately, academics and water experts in many countries are arguing that the volumetric percentage indicators

often don’t give the correct picture of leakage health of a water utility and hence should no longer be used. Alternative PIs like Infrastructure Leakage Index (ILI) are proposed by International Water Association (IWA) and American Water Works Association (AWWA) and are being adopted in increasing number of countries including Australia, New Zealand, North America and most of the European countries.

As discussed by Kunkel of ‘Water Efficiency Consulting’, following simulated examples clearly demonstrate how % of SIV indicator can fail to represent deterioration or improvement in real water loss and how they could favour a system with high per capita consumption.

As demonstrated in Fig. 1, the particular utility had no active water loss reduction programme and its water loss increased from nearly 21% of system input volume in the year 2001 to 24% in 2007. In 2007, a major industry connects to the existing network and this results in a sudden decrease in the % loss to 16% due to a huge increase in total consumption, despite the fact that the real losses in terms of absolute volume were growing upwards and increased from 3 million gallons per day (MGD) to 6 MGD in 2014. A reverse case is depicted in Fig. 2, where a utility was having 6 MGD of real losses in the year 2001. It started

an active leakage control programme and its real losses started declining. However, in 2007 a major industry reduced its intake drastically by switching to treated wastewater and this resulted in a sudden jump in the % water loss of the network, despite a decrease in the real losses from the network. Thus, these two examples demonstrate, how the % based PI could give an incorrect picture of the network leakage health. Due to such shortcomings of expressing water loss as % of SIV and the fact that it does not take into account system parameters such as per capita consumption, network length, connection density and operating pressure etc., AWWA and IWA don’t recommend its use for performance evaluation and target settings for a utility.

As demonstrated in Fig. 1, the particular utility had no active water loss reduction programme and its water loss increased from nearly 21% of system input volume in the year 2001 to 24% in 2007. In 2007, a major industry connects to the existing network and this results in a sudden decrease in the % loss to 16% due to a huge increase in total consumption, despite the fact that the real losses in terms of absolute volume were growing upwards and increased from 3 million gallons per day (MGD) to 6 MGD in 2014. A reverse case is depicted in Fig. 2, where a utility was having 6 MGD of real losses in the year 2001. It started



an active leakage control programme and its real losses started declining. However, in 2007 a major industry reduced its intake drastically by switching to treated wastewater and this resulted in a sudden jump in the % water loss of the network, despite a decrease in the real losses from the network. Thus, these two examples demonstrate, how the % based PI could give an incorrect picture of the network leakage health. Due to such shortcomings of expressing water loss as % of SIV and the fact that it does not take into account system parameters such as per capita consumption, network length, connection density and operating pressure etc., AWWA and IWA don’t recommend its use for performance evaluation and target settings for a utility.

AWWA and IWA now recommend a set of ‘fit for purpose’ PIs, depending upon specific operational condition of different utilities, as depicted in Table 1. As can be seen indicator have been classified into two functions - financial and operational and three levels – basic, intermediate and detailed. A brief overview of the objectives serves by these PIs are also listed in the table.

The most detailed operational PI is Infrastructure Leakage Index (ILI), which is recommended to be used for comparison between different

utilities/systems, in addition to self-performance tracking.

I L I = C A R L / U A R L

CARL is Current Annual Real Losses (in m3/year) and represents the actual losses obtained from a water balance of the system. UARL or ‘unavoidable annual real losses’ (equation 2) is a term coined by IWA on the basis of international data sets and is best fit for the utilities with more than 3000 connections and having average network pressure of more than 25 m. For best managed utilities, having less than 3000 connections, it is possible to achieve CARL lower than UARL.

UARL (in m3/year) = [6.57x(length of water mains in km) + 0.256xNc(number of service connections) + 9.13xLc(total length of underground connections up to the customer meter in km)] × P (average operating pressure in m).

Table 2, below, depicts overview guidelines for water loss management based on ILI values.

This article thus concludes that due to its inherent shortcomings of a bias towards a system with few customers but high per capita consumption, % of SIV indicator could give misleading results, hence it is not recommended to be used for performance evaluation or target setting for a utility. IWA recommended operational performance indicators as given in table 1 take into consideration real system parameters such as connection density, network length and pressure and thus give a more holistic picture of the system and hence are more suitable for performance evaluation and target setting. In particular, ‘NRW by cost’ could give a better picture in terms of total financial impact of the water loss and ‘ILI’ could serve as a robust tool for water loss benchmarking and comparison between different utilities and/or countries.

(* - if service connection density < 20/km)Table 1 – IWA Recommended indicators for physical losses and NRW

Table 2 - World Bank Institute’s banding system for developed and developing countries



Benjamin Franklin once said, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” Clearly, preventing illnesses is better than fighting them, but to what extent can we protect ourselves from illness?

This is where our company doctors come into the picture and provide their expertise to evaluate any employee complaining of minor sickness in order to give first aid that would ease discomfort or immediately identify life threatening cases where hospitalization is recommended.

Dr. Hossam Gabr is managing the company clinic in Yanbu while Dr. Yasser Mohammed Kamal is responsible in Jubail.

The table shows the number of visits to consult medical professionals in Jubail and Yanbu from January to June 2018.

Total Visits From Jan-June 2018

January 377

February 322

March 304

April 363

May 297

June 238

Total 1901

Description JUNE YTD

Clinic Visits YANBU 1 502 3,170

YANBU 2 141 497

Hospital Admission (No. of Employees) 4 47

Hospital Admission( No. of Days) 33 375

Escort Leave (No. of Employees) 3 30

Escort Leave (No. of Days) 4 49

Sick Leave (No. of Employees) 9 83

Sick Leave (No. of Days) 18 230

Early Leave(No.of Employees) 1 6

Early Leave (No. of Days) 1 7

Light Duty (No. of Employees) 0 16

Light Duty (No. of Days) 0 199

Pre-Employment 0 14

Total Number Of Sick Leave Days 51 605

The Doctor is in

Yasser Mohammed KamalCompany PhysicianISD Department

Dr. Hossam GabrSr. Physician-Yanbu I

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