STORY 1127 — OWNERSHIP

One day, the mill broke down.

The single-line EFB Scrapper Conveyor chain snapped, forcing the mill to stop. It happened just two hours after the morning operation had started.

Everyone was at the scene.

The Engineering Team, Mechanical Foreman, mill supervisors, and even the Mill Manager were there. The manager observed the situation and occasionally gave instructions.

At that time, I had only been a Cadet Engineer for three months.

There was not much I could do. I simply observed and watched everyone coordinate the repair activities.

A spare chain was taken from the store. The broken chain was removed and the replacement installed. LOTO was applied before any repair work began — both mechanical and electrical isolation.

Once everything was confirmed safe, the workers entered the EFB Scrapper Conveyor to carry out the repair.

It was a long process.

More than an hour had passed.

While the work was still ongoing, I started moving away from the scene and headed towards the Boiler Station. I spoke with the boilerman and, as usual, spent some time with him.

Not long after that, I saw the Mill Manager walking through the boiler area towards his office.

When he saw me, his face changed.

“What are you doing here?”

I was nervous and could not answer.

He continued:

“Everyone is busy at the EFB Conveyor, and you still have time to sit here and relax? Go back there!”

I said nothing.

I immediately returned to the EFB Conveyor and stayed with the team until the repair was completed.

The mill was eventually restarted and operated safely.

Only after the mill was back in operation did I leave for lunch — almost 2:00 p.m.

That happened in 2004.

Today, that memory reminds me of one word:

OWNERSHIP.

Today is Sunday.

I came to the mill to supervise a critical lifting operation involving an 18 MT load using a 100 MT capacity crane.

The HSSE Manager was there.

The Lifting Supervisor and riggers were there.

The Project Manager was there.

And, of course, the contractor team was ready — after waiting for almost two weeks for the opportunity to carry out this critical work.

This lifting operation is critical.

And I need to be there.

It does not matter whether it is a weekend, at night, or a public holiday.

When the responsibility is yours, you show up.

Nobody needs to shout.

Nobody needs to remind you.

Nobody needs to ask, “Where are you?”

Because you understand that the job is yours.

That is ownership.

Twenty-two years ago, I needed a manager to remind me.

Today, I remind myself.

Ownership is not about being told to be there.
Ownership is knowing that you need to be there — and showing up.

That is my story today.

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