Hello Family and Friends:
A very busy week at work. Sometimes 12 hour days just aren’t long enough. On Tuesday a meeting was scheduled from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm to go over the SAP project. That’s not too long but at 8:00 it was still going when dinner is usually served. The decision was made not to break for dinner but just finish the meeting and get it over with. So the meeting that was scheduled to be over at 5:00 pm, ended at 11:15 pm. Give me a break. If it’s going to be an all nighter at least let me know so I can plan, I wouldn’t mind it so bad. But going over 6 hours is ridiculous.
There were a number of meetings to review the capital requests that will be presented to the board of directors. The first meeting will be held this week with the final one, the official one, next week. It should go well. When the plant was built, it cost at least 100 million dollars; then there was a “remediation project” where additional money was spent. The remediation project was completed in 2009. That project was in the 10 million dollar range. The remediation project improved many of the design problems with the plant but quality and productivity still don’t meet design expectations. The amount of money being requested this time in the 5 million dollar range. So after all the other money that’s been spent, if the plant can be turned around and made profitable with an additional 5 million, the board will approve. Kind of like a last ditch effort, production costs exceed selling price, so the situation has to change or the plant will be shut down.
I still don’t know if the employees understand how tenuous the situation is. They ask for a 25% wage increase and received a 9% increase and continue to request more employees be added to census. It’s almost like a nanny state where they expect the company to provide everything regardless of the business situation. Speaking of adding employees, there will be census reduction in the manufacturing area of about 80 employees over the next few months. Even after that reduction, there will be more over the next year or so.
The drive to Nairobi is always exciting. The drivers there are nuts. They drive on the shoulders, median, sidewalks and it doesn’t matter which direction they travel. They go either way in either lane. There are no traffic police so it’s anything goes. Speed bumps are all that slow people down. I get a sick sense of satisfaction when I see a crazy van in the ditch, serves them right. Today there was one on its side in a ditch and another ran into a rock wall. I just hope the passengers are ok.
Today in church, there was a young woman that spoke that had only been a member for about three months. Most of the people have a good understanding of the bible so when they join it isn’t too difficult for them to add the Book of Mormon to their scriptural data base. I’m amazed at the understanding of some of the members here. When one young man speaks, I listen intently. I have difficulty putting into words many concepts and thoughts, but he is a master at explaining gospel principals. It is obvious he has spent a great deal of time searching the scriptures. He spoke in church today so it was an interesting meeting.
Yesterday for excitement we climbed up a hill just outside the plant area to where there are a number of native huts. We were climbing to prepare for Kilimanjaro. There was a couple from India that went with us. They have a 5 year old son and another lady was with us from India (Suman). Suman works for the consulting firm working on developing the plan to be presented to the board. When we arrived at the village the whole community came out to see who was visiting. Little children came out to wee the strange looking people and to shake our hands or to look at us and run crying to their mothers. I couldn’t figure out what toddlers in Africa did for diapers in the back country. I figured it out yesterday – they don’t wear them. Most toddlers wear a shirt and that’s it. Maybe they get potty trained quicker than the kids in the US. Krista, Cherry, you might want to try that; the no diaper approach.
Debi took a lot of pictures so if you want to see them check out her Facebook page. I can’t put all of them in a letter but she is good at putting our Africa pictures on her FB page. So those of you who aren’t on FB now is the time to get on. Most of your kids are, maybe they won’t laugh at you if you don’t tell them you are signing up. When we were taking the pictures many of them wanted to have copies so we will climb back up there next week and give them the copies. It only takes about 1 minute to gain an appreciation for the blessings of growing up in the US. These people don’t have electricity or running water. Just think of all the things you would throw out of the house if you didn’t have electricity or running water
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So much rambling, count your blessings and be grateful for what you have. I would say 99% of those in the US that claim they live in poverty have it better than those people we visited yesterday. But guess what, they’re happy. It isn’t what you have that brings happiness.
Love you all
Paul/dad
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