STORY 1137 — DECISION MAKING

There is a saying: “Time is gold.”

It reminds us how valuable time really is. In an industrial environment, time is not merely money. Sometimes, a delay in making the right decision can lead to accidents, loss of property, enormous financial losses, and even loss of life.

As a manager of a plant operating 24/7, making the right decision at the right time is extremely important. Every decision—or failure to make one—can affect many people, especially those working at the operational level.

Some managers choose the safest option for themselves: they simply avoid making a decision.

Unfortunately, problems do not disappear just because we refuse to decide. Instead, they grow bigger and bigger until they become what I would describe as a “time bomb.”

The 200 MT Problem

One day, at a palm oil mill, there was a long-standing problem involving almost 200 MT of oil mixed with sludge.

The issue had existed for many years.

The material was stored inside a huge 2,000 MT storage tank, and because of the sludge contamination, the tank could no longer be properly utilised for CPO storage.

When a new manager took over, he decided to solve the long-standing problem.

After some discussions, the sludge oil was eventually sold at an agreed price and quality specification.

The buyer then started sending tankers to collect the oil from the tank.

But there was a problem.

Because the tank was huge, with a very large internal area, a significant amount of material would inevitably remain at the bottom after pumping. The remaining sludge, dirt and old oil amounted to almost 70 MT.

Once the pumping level became too low, the remaining sludge began to cool and solidify. It could no longer be pumped into the tanker.

And that was when the drama began.

RM2.7 Million—or RM270,000?

From the Marketing Department's perspective, the remaining quantity represented significant value:

70 MT × RM3,000/MT = RM210,000.

Therefore, the instruction was clear:

The tank had to be emptied as much as possible.

From the perspective of the mill supervisor, however, the situation was completely different.

He opened the tank manhole and inspected the remaining material.

What he saw was not simply oil.

It was a mixture of sludge, water and dirt, already partially solidified. It could not be pumped, and removing it manually would be extremely difficult and unpleasant.

And he was absolutely right.

I was also there and witnessed the situation myself.

Speaking Up for the Workers

I felt a responsibility to speak up on behalf of the workers who would eventually have to carry out the work.

So, I went to see the manager and discussed the situation with him.

My hope was that he would bring the matter to a higher level of management and find a safer and more practical solution for the workers.

Unfortunately, the value of the remaining oil appeared to become the main consideration.

The instruction was given:

“Get it out—by whatever means necessary.”

And so, the workers had to do it.

The Human Chain

According to the Mongana work published in the 1980s, moisture and impurities are important parameters in maintaining the quality of crude palm oil. The commonly referenced specification of around 0.25% moisture and impurities became an important quality benchmark for CPO.

When moisture and impurities are high, deterioration and FFA development can occur more rapidly.

But our immediate problem was not even the chemistry.

It was the physical condition of the sludge.

It could not be pumped.

Therefore, the only option left was manual removal.

We formed a human chain.

One shift of workers was assigned to carry out the job.

Small buckets were used to transfer the sludge, one by one, from inside the tank towards the tanker.

Imagine the scene.

The heat.

The smell of oil.

The sludge.

The mud.

The exhausting physical work.

And, most painfully, the faces and morale of the workers.

Watching them made my heart sink.

It was heartbreaking.

Almost a Full Day

Because the work had to be done manually, the despatch operation was severely disrupted.

It took almost the entire day.

Yet after all that effort, only a few tonnes of sludge had been transferred into the tanker.

The tanker driver noticed what was happening.

He subsequently reported the situation to his company.

Then came another unexpected instruction.

The buyer was not satisfied.

They did not agree with the condition of the material being loaded and requested that the sludge already transferred into the tanker be removed again.

We were shocked.

But another instruction came from above:

“Take it out.”

So the workers had to enter the tanker and remove the sludge using the same small buckets.

Another round of exhausting manual work.

At that time, confined-space safety requirements had not yet been fully enforced as they are today, and entering such spaces had unfortunately become something considered routine.

I could not do much.

The instructions came from above, and as workers, we were expected to follow them.

But deep inside, I kept thinking:

This is what happens when a wrong decision is made at the beginning by people who have the authority to make decisions.

The consequences are often not carried by the decision-maker.

They are carried by the people at the bottom.

The Lesson I Never Forgot

Since that day, whenever I am faced with an important decision, I remember this incident.

It taught me something that no management textbook could teach me:

A decision is not just about money.

A good manager must consider the people, safety, time, quality, operational impact, cost, and long-term consequences of every decision.

Sometimes, making no decision is also a decision.

And sometimes, the decision that appears to save money today can create a much bigger cost tomorrow.

Most importantly, when we make decisions from the comfort of the office, we must remember the people who will eventually have to execute those decisions on the ground.

Think before you decide.

Because one wrong decision at the top can create a nightmare at the bottom.

And in a 24/7 operation, sometimes…

the cost of a delayed or wrong decision is not measured in ringgit.

It may be measured in human lives.

That is my story today.