Back row (L-R): Joe Cassin and Eddie DuPuis. Middle row. (L-R): Matthew Gilsenan, Danny Sheridan, Liam Wilson, Daryl Simpson and Paudie Hogan. Front row (L-R): Alan McFadden and Donna Gray.

When the Celtic Tenors performed live at the Ramada Plaza in Doha, Qatar on 8th December, Kentz was sure not to miss out on seeing this amazing talent.

After a lovely Irish buffet dinner, the trio of Matthew Gilsenan, Daryl Simpson and James Nelson who have made a name for themselves internationally as the Celtic Tenors, entertained the audience with a mix of classical, folk and pop music, as well as traditional and contemporary Celtic songs. The audience was also treated to the wonderful voice of soprano, Donna Malone.

Once the official performance was over, Qatar Kentz's own tenors managed to entertain the remaining guests until the early hours of the morning. It was a great night and lots of fun was had by all.

Gr8 Work to Date

The Integr8 strategic project is about to enter into a new phase in January with the commencement of programme development on the Project Cost Management System (PCMS), Procurement and Material Management System (PAMMS) and Document Control System (DMS). All of these systems are scheduled for beta-testing in July 2008.

The Construction & Completions Management System (CCMS) Phase 1, E&I Upgrade was completed in November and is currently being beta-tested on a project in Qatar. Programme development on CCMS Phase 2, Piping & Mechanical has started and is due for beta-testing in April 2008.

Joe has competed in a championship especially for these vintage cars and has won many awards. The events are held at venues like Goodwood, Brands Hatch and Brooklands. As the car was raced in the Ulster TT races, Joe was invited back there to commemorate the 75th anniversary of these famous races. The car is finished in bright orange just as it was in 1930. These cars are quite different to drive than a modern car especially at racing speeds; you have to admire the skill and courage of those who originally raced them.

Joe also has a 1969 Formula 3 single-seater car called a "Vixen", which won the British Hillclimb Championship in the 1980s. When he got the car it was unused for years with lots of parts missing. Over many years he found the correct parts and restored the car to its former glory. This season he has competed in a few rounds of the British Hillclimb and Sprint Championship. The car is of space frame construction, typical of racing cars of that time and is powered by a "Coventry Climax" engine.

The maintenance and race preparation on these cars is very time-consuming and Joe does all of the work himself. Well done on all your success in the past and good luck in the future.

Advanced EPC Project Management Course attendees

Further courses are planned in the Middle East and South Africa in the first quarter of 2008 and a second EPC Execution Course will also be launched in 2008.

In addition to the new manuals, the company IMS system is also being updated and reshaped early in 2008 to incorporate new EPC procedures and provide easier sourcing of applicable procedures.

Eamonn O'Hanlon

The key changes that have taken place in implementing the Kentz Middle East Regionalisation centred around how we organise and group our projects. While previously all projects within a country would report up to a single General Manager, now there are Business Unit Managers for the different business units including EPC, Construction, Support Services and SIPChem. The Business Unit Managers have responsibility for the projects under their specialty across the region. The re-arrangement of projects per business unit is recognition that each of our business units requires a different approach to project execution and management. This has allowed more focused attention on, quite often, uniquely different projects.

The second key change has been the introduction of the functional organisation to support the Business Units in the execution of projects. The functional organisation includes Procurement, Project Controls, HSE, QA/QC and HR. The functional organisation ensures that there are consistently high standards applied on all projects, by having common procedures, systems, standards, etc. The functional groups are also responsible for ensuring that the functional resources are identified, recruited and allocated on to projects when needed.

Country Managers are in place within each of our operating countries as the senior Kentz representative responsible for maintaining the legal structure, finance/administration, partner relationships, local HR activities, etc.

Some of the main achievements during the year included the:

• Formation of a Middle East holding company covering the Middle East operations
• Establishment of a regional office in Bahrain
• Appointment of all key regional personnel
• Transition of IMS procedures to cover entire Middle East operations
• Establishment of regional lines & limits of authority.

While the change to the regional structure has been a significant re-organisation of our business, the transition has been very successful to date and is providing the foundation to allow Kentz Middle East to achieve further growth in the coming year. Continued effort and attention will be required over the coming 12 months to complete the full transition to the regional structure during 2008.

As usual, Kentz South Africa celebrated their annual year-end function, held on the 24th November, in style. The chosen venue for the occasion was the "Coco Bongo" Restaurant in Montecasino, a Latin-American-style restaurant, complete with band and Latin-American dancers. The turnout this year was great, with staff from site and divisions attending.

Regional Managing Director Eoin Hurley spoke on Kentz South Africa's achievements through the year and its prospects going forward, after which he presented Long Service awards to a number of staff members, the most notable being Gertrude Mabizela (20 years), Brenda Carter (20 years), Albert Manyike (20 years), Les Harper (15 years), Chris Dumas (15 years) and Ntuthuko Shezi (10 years). The Safety Shield was presented to Roy van Graan, Site Safety Manager on the Moma Sands Project, for the outstanding 2,308,704 consecutive lost time injury-free man-hours achieved on the Moma Sands Project.

Trish Judson, Mechanical, Electrical, Instrumentation and Piping (MEIP) Executive Secretary, South Africa and Derrick Judson		Regional Manager Eoin Hurley presenting Les Harper with an award for his 15 years service		Heather and Michael Barnett. Heather is Financial Accountant in Kentz South Africa

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