Eastern Seaboard wins work safety record

Story and pictures by Peter Cummins

Morrison Knudsen (Thailand) Limited (MKTL) is part of the hugely diverse Washington Group International Inc., the US-based conglomerate operating in over 40 countries world-wide, with some 39,000 employees and an annual turnover of USD 5 billion.

Just recently, the Washington Group held its first-ever Automotive Division Integrated Supply and Services Management (ISSM) meeting in Thailand, at the Royal Garden Resort, Pattaya, with a field day at the Rayong site.

From around the world, they came to Pattaya to network

One of the highlights of the three-day intensive workshop was the award presented during the opening night’s welcome dinner, to the Thailand Division for an outstanding safety record, regarded as a world record. “The ISSM Year 2000 Safety Award” was presented for “365,869 hours, with no lost time”.

The Washington Group’s concern with environment, safety and health translates into a vision, “To create a working environment that places the highest value on the welfare of the individual, to instill a sense of ownership and to embrace excellence in all aspects of performance”.

Although MKTL has been operational in Thailand since the 1960s, it was incorporated as Morrison Knudsen in September 1992 and has been undertaking maintenance operations at the General Motors plant on the Eastern Seaboard since July 1998.

Sparks fly from the welding robots at GM

Hosted by MKTL, the seminar aimed, “To provide specialized training to the managers, as well as to interface with others who are providing similar services to their automotive clients world-wide”.

Besides a big MKTL contingent from General Motors stationed at the Eastern Seaboard Industrial Estate, managers flew in from Boise (Idaho), Cleveland (Ohio) and Troy (Michigan) in the United States, as well as from Brazil, Hungary and Singapore.

MKTL has some 150 employees providing full maintenance service for the massive GM complex, through maintenance of all the facilities, the production and utility equipment. This last includes the entire electrical distribution system, compressors, boilers, water treatment systems and chillers. MKTL also operates the General Stores which receive, hold and issue all indirect material used on the site.

GM is located on a 160-acre (approx. 640,000 sq metres) site at the industrial estate and comprises six buildings covering some one million square feet (approx. 330,000 sq m.): the Building House, the Press and Body Shop, the Paint Shop and the General Assembly where the finished vehicle is completed.

MKTL caters to some 1,000 GM employees, working two shifts, and staff amenities include the Utility Building, Administration, Social Building with the canteen, a First Aid Office, training rooms, a gym and locker rooms.