Season's Greetings from Atlas Copco Phils

Season's Greetings!

Our sincere thanks for your loyalty.

Wishing you and your family a happy and prosperous new year

From the Compressor Technique Management Team of Atlas Copco Philippines Inc!

Atlas Copco Philippines holds 2 legs of the 2008 Technical Symposium Series

With the aim of sharing knowledge on Compressed Air Systems to the country's technical community, Atlas Copco Philippines just successfully held 2 legs of the 2008 Technical Symposium Series: Preventive Maintenance and Proper Care. The Technical Symposium Series is one of the largest technical training series the company holds annually.

Participants from different companies and industries attended each free 2-day Technical Symposium. Lunch and Snacks were provided to all participants.

The CAMANAVA leg was held last November 13 and 14, 2008 from 8:30am to 5:30pm at the Penthouse, Aberdeen Court (Great Eastern Hotel), 1403 Quezon Avenue, Quezon City.

The Isabela / Northern Luzon leg was held last November 6 and 7, 2008 from 8:30am to 5:30pm at the Queen Jennifer Hotel, Cauayan City, Isabela.

This two-day technical symposium aims to refresh – if not to educate – the knowledge and the skills of different companies' Technical Teams on Quality Air Products, Operating Principles of Air Compressors, Parts Ordering and Stocking, Proper Preventive Maintenance and Basic Trouble Shooting Techniques. Participants also had the chance to see demos of actual units in action. All of these are aimed to achieve savings on operating and maintenance costs and eventually maximizing the profit for your company.

The symposium facilitators were:

Mr. Jonnie F. Regis – Philippine CT General Manager
Mr. Danny A. Talaugon – After Market Business Line Manager
Mr. Eric F. Alfonso – Industrial Air Division Business Line Manager

Congratulations to the winner of the 2008 Customer Satisfaction Survey raffle

Congratulations to Easy Victor of Texas Instruments for winning a Samsung mobile phone in the 2008 Atlas Copco Philippines Customer Satisfaction Survey raffle draw! The survey was recently held last September.

We would like to thank you, our customers, for the great opportunity you have given us as part of your business as your Compressed Air Solutions provider. Atlas Copco Philippines truly embraces our commitment to provide you the best solutions, products and services.

The survey has given us the chance to hear your thoughts and concerns to help us serve you better. Rest assured, we are in the process of addressing the concerns you raised.

Thank you and happy holidays!

Atlas Copco Philippines Hosts Swedish Students under International Workplace Training Program

From October 13 to 31, 2008, Atlas Copco Philippines Inc. hosted 3 Swedish students to 3 weeks of actual on the job training. Erik Winblad von Walter, Philip Johansson and Oskar Johansson (in the photo, left to right) got to experience how different facets of work are done locally.

All 3 were under the Student International Workplace Training program of ABB Industrial High School in Västerås, Sweden. All 3 are graduating students. Under the training program, the students are given the freedom to choose which country to go to and which company to work for.

When asked why they chose the Philippines and why Atlas Copco, Oskar Johansson said, “We chose Atlas Copco because it is a well known international brand. In fact, it is one of the biggest industrial companies back in Sweden. We believe that the Philippines has one of the most dynamic economies in Asia, and this will give us the opportunity to observe and learn these dynamics. This also gives us a chance to immerse ourselves in the colourful Filipino culture.”

Training Program

“For the past 3 weeks, each of these students was rotated to different departments, such as Supply and Logistics, Service, Sales and Marketing, and Credit and Collection. They each had significant time learning the ropes of the business from the local staff,” Hector Melencio, CT Marketing Specialist, said.

Jonnie Regis, Philippine CT General Manager, added, “In times of internationalization with greater cross-border contacts and globalization, we hope to help them achieve a stronger connection between education and working life.”

“We hope to sponsor more foreign students in the future. Not only will this give them a chance to learn how we do things, this will also give them the opportunity to enjoy Filipino hospitality and our world-famous tourist spots. In fact, they went to Boracay Island after the training.”

Immersion

To totally immerse themselves in the Philippines, they opted not to stay in any hotel. Instead, they rented a house near Atlas Copco Philippines’ Laguna Technopark office.

After their training program was completed, Philip Johansson said, “After 3 weeks here in Laguna, we learned many things about the local work processes. But I guess the more important thing is that we learned more on how life is in the Philippines. We learned how to ride the jeepney and the tricycle. We’ve already been to malls in the area. We’ve eaten the local foods. We also had to chance to sing videoke and party with the locals. We really felt welcome.”

Atlas Copco Oil-free Air Division President visits the Philippines

Binan, Laguna - On September 29, 2008, Chris Lybaert, Atlas Copco Oil-free Air Division President, visited the new Philippine Head Office as part of a tour of duty to visit all sales companies worldwide.

He conducted a business review meeting with Jonnie Regis, the Philippine Compressor Technique (CT) General Manager, and Nelson Roque, Philippine Business Line Manager for Oil-free Air. Chris Lybaert has already visited 80% of all global sales companies.

In the picture are (from left to right), Hector Melencio, Jonnie Regis, Chris Lybaert, Nelson Roque.

Jonnie Regis added, “It’s an honor to have someone of Mr. Lybaert’s caliber visit the country. Even with his short stay, we have learned a lot from our meeting. What make Chris Lybaert’s visit to the country more special is that he is the first Oil-free Air President to visit the country.”

Together with Sverker Hartwig and Ludo Van Nederkassel, Chris Lybaert developed the Variable Speed Drive (VSD) air compressor, something the team was honored with the John Munck Award for. The John Munck Award is presented each year to a product developer or designer, or a team, for outstanding contributions to the overall quality of an Atlas Copco product.

Atlas Copco Philippines extends aid to Typhoon Frank victims

What was expected to be a run-off-the-mill typhoon that most Filipinos were used to became a force of nature that wreaked havoc across parts of the country. On June 22, 2008, Typhoon Frank battered the Visayas with very strong winds and heavy rains, leaving in its wake destroyed houses, damaged buildings, and devastated families.

Entire provinces did not have power, communication lines nor drinking water, days after the Typhoon struck. Some of the hardest hit areas were in Iloilo.

Atlas Copco (Philippines) Inc donated aid to those severely affected by the typhoon through ABS-CBN Foundation’s Sagip Kapamilya program. Jonnie Regis, Philippine Compressor Technique General Manager, said, “We want to help our brethren who were hit fiercely by Typhoon Frank. We coursed our donation through Sagip Kapamilya. We feel that they can truly help these people in these dire times. We know they can bounce back from this calamity.”

ABS-CBN Foundation Sagip Kapamilya

Sagip Kapamilya is the emergency humanitarian assistance program of ABS-CBN Foundation, Inc. They provide food and non-food relief to affected communities of disasters, as well as engage in rehabilitation and disaster risk reduction projects. Recently, Sagip Kapamilya has been involved in disaster preparedness programs which seek to equip schoolchildren with necessary skills and information regarding disaster risk reduction.

Atlas Copco PhilippinesAtlas Copco (Philippines) Inc. is part of the global Atlas Copco group of companies with headquarters in Sweden. Atlas Copco’s Philippine Head Office is at Laguna Technopark, Binan, Laguna. The company is a world leading provider of industrial solutions, specializing on Air Productivity among others. Their products and services range from compressed air equipment/compressors, generators, to related aftermarket and rental. Backed by more than 135 years of experience, they innovate for superior productivity. For more details on products and services, please visit www.atlascopco.com.

Atlas Copco AIP Technical Service Course 2008

Wondering why we have a big tent/machine display in front of our Head Office?

We have an ongoing AIP Technical Service Course 2008 with participants from Atlas Copco - South East Asia. The seminar started last October 6 and will end on October 10, 2008.

The first 3 days were held at the Dusit Thani Manila Hotel. The last 2 days is a practical session and this will be done at Atlas Copco Philippines Head Office compound at Laguna Technopark.

Toyota Autoparts Philippines choose Atlas Copco Tensor ST

In their pursuit for excellence and quality, Toyota Autoparts Philippines has decided to use the Atlas Copco Tensor ST for production of the R-type transmission model, produced in their Santa Rosa plant.

The R-type consists of 160 parts and weighs 50 kg. It has a torque capacity of 392 Nm which is twice the torque of the current model being produced. The R-type will be used in Toyota’s 4x4 models with the IMV project (Innovative International Multi-Purpose Vehicle), Fortuner and Hi-lux to mention a few.

The R-type will be exported to other Asian countries such as Japan, Pakistan, India, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia. The Tensor ST was chosen because of accuracy, durability, less vibration, noise and maintenance compared to an ordinary impact wrench.

There are currently 17 units of Tensor ST and Power Focus 4000 on the R-type line and 2 in the repair area. Toyota Autoparts also plans to adapt the process to their G-type transmission line. This project is the first to use Atlas Copco Tensor ST on this type of lines and will be used as a benchmark for other countries manufacturing Toyota transmission units. Congratulations to Dennis Subida and his team in the Philippines!

Atlas Copco's PET blowing compressors first to be certified Class 0

The importance of 100% oil-free air

Oil contamination is an invisible enemy in all bottling installations and aseptic environments. Even the slightest traces of oil can result in altered or toxic product batches and health hazards for the consumers, recalls and reputation damage, as well as costly production downtime and cleanup. Atlas Copco's 40-bar ZD compressor eliminates the risks of oil contamination by virtue of the design itself.

Last September 15, 2008, Atlas Copco announced in Belgium that its ZD high pressure compressors are the first in the world to offer PET packaging production the security of 100% certified oil-free air with a Class 0 certification. Risk of any contamination by oil is effectively eliminated during PET bottle blowing for the bottled water, soft drink, fruit juice and beverage industry.

Testing of ISO 8573-1 Class 0 certification was carried out by the renowned independent
Technische Überwachungs-Verein (German Technical Monitoring Association, or ‘TÜV’), using the most stringent test methods available, simulating realistic industrial environments. At all test conditions, no traces of oil could be detected and the compressed air was certified to be in the category 'Class 0' in terms of oil content. Atlas Copco is now the only compressor manufacturer to have all of its oil-free air technologies certified ‘Class 0’.

”The ZD reflects what Atlas Copco calls ’Reliability by design,’” explains Ronnie Leten, Atlas Copco's Business Area President, Compressor Technique. “The ZD's unique combination of oil-free rotary screw technology for the first two stages and piston technology for the last two stages has resulted in the best-in-class product in terms of safety, energy efficiency, reliability and flexibility.”

Reducing energy costs

The Atlas Copco ZD remains the most energy-efficient and silent 40 bar compressor available, while maintaining the flexibility and reliability required by the high-volume PET blowing market. Another innovation is the offer for an integrated variable speed drive (VSD), which is particularly useful if bottle sizes change frequently. With the VSD, up to 35% energy savings can be achieved.

Reliability

The high volumes of PET production lines and their continuous operation mean that the reliability of PET blowing compressors is extremely important. Atlas Copco produces high-pressure air in four stages, achieving lower pressure ratios per stage. This means less wear-and-tear and reduced maintenance costs.

Reduced installation costs

With a model at 76.4 dBA , the ZD is the most silent high-pressure compressor available. Atlas Copco was the first company to fit all of its ZDs with silencing canopies as standard, therefore eliminating the need and cost for a separate compressor room. The ZD is delivered with a concrete base-plate to absorb vibrations, so no foundation or fixation bolts are required; handling is via forklift.

The flexible ZD can simultaneously deliver both high-pressure air for blowing needs and medium-pressure air for labeling, instrumentation and capping; this eliminates the supplementary investment in a standalone medium pressure compressor. Both segments of the ZD can be installed directly adjacent to the blower. With the ZD, Atlas Copco has innovated to provide the safest, most energy efficient compressed air solution for the PET blowing industry.

Answer the 2008 Atlas Copco Philippines Customer Survey and you may win a brand new cellphone!

We would like to thank you, our customers, for the great opportunity you have given us as part of your business as your Compressed Air Solutions provider.

Atlas Copco Philippines truly embraces our commitment to provide you the best solutions, products and services. To help us serve you better, we are conducting a 2008 Customer Satisfaction Survey (2nd half) to help us develop some of our areas for improvement.

Click on this link or copy it to your web browser: http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dd8knrgw_50gv9wqpgz to get the survey form. (If the form does not properly show or if you do not have access to the form, please call us so that we could fax you the form)

Please email this form upon completion to ph.atlascopco@gmail.com or to acpi@ph.atlascopco.com. Or you may fax the completed form to (02) 843.0242 or to (049) 544.0537.

Send back the survey form on or before September 18, 2008, and get the chance to win a brand new cellphone! All survey forms received before the cutoff date will be part of a raffle for the phone.

Thank you for your constant support and attention. We look forward to be of better service to you soon.

Best regards,

Marketing and Sales Support Team

Atlas Copco (Philippines), Inc.
North Main Ave., Lot 12, Blk 2
Laguna Technopark
Binan, Laguna

Call us at: (02) 843.0535 to 39

Fax us at: (02) 843.0242 or (049) 544.0537

Visit us at : www.atlascopco.com

http://www.atlascopcoph.blogspot.com/

We are committed to your superior productivity through interaction and innovation.

Up for the challenge? Join the Atlas Copco Sales Team

To further strengthen our TEAM towards the achievement of our ambitious goal, we are looking to infuse our Sales Team with new blood.

We have 4 job openings available:

• two (2) Sales/Product Engineers (Industrial Air Division)

• one (1) Product Engineer (Portable Air Division)

• one (1) Multibrand Business Development Specialist

Be part of the winning TEAM and enjoy very attractive compensation and benefits which are considered to be above the industry standards.

Due to the urgency of this requirement, you are requested to send or email your comprehensive resume not later than September 7, 2008 to:

- ATLAS COPCO (PHILIPPINES) INC.
- L12 B2 North Main Ave. Laguna Technopark, Biñan, 4024 Laguna

- E-mail: acpi@ph.atlascopco.com
- Subject: Job application

For Jobstreet.com members, just click on the link below for the our Jobstreet.com account, then select the job postings:

http://siva-ph.jobstreet.com/_profile/previewProfile.asp?advertiser_id=28370&dept_id=0&src=a

For Jobsdb.com members, click on

http://www.jobsdb.com.ph/PH/EN/V6/JS/JobSearch/JobSearch.asp?PN=JobListing&FullTextKeywords=atlas%20copco&JobAreasU=&SelectedLocations=&AdsListDuration=&KeywordSearchFields=Companies&KeywordOption=ALL&SrcTrack=HeaderSearchBox

to see the postings.

Or simply go to Jobstreet.com or Jobsdb.com and enter Atlas Copco in your search field.

2008 Atlas Copco Philippines Preventive Maintenance & Proper Care Seminar a huge success!

The 2008 Atlas Copco Philippines Preventive Maintenance & Proper Care Seminar held at the Head Office Training Room was a huge success! Turnout for the seminar reached 115 guests. Due to the large number of participants, the number of seminar days was increased from 2 to 4 slates. The whole day seminars were held on August 7, 8, 12 and 13. Each date had around 29 participants from different customers packing the training room.

Jonnie Regis, Philippines CT General Manager, said, "We weren't expecting such a huge turnout. But this is a testament on how important Preventive Maintenance is to every factory's operations. With properly maintained machines, customers avoid spending a big amount on fixing problems that could have been prevented by periodic preventive maintenance."

Deo Ybarrita, the technical training manager, with Danilo Talaugon, CT-Service Aftermarket Business Line Manager, taught them the ins and outs of proper PM. Raymond Buenaventura, Oil free Air Product Engineer, chipped in his knowledge on quality air accessories.

Joeben Garol of Star Motors said, “With this, we’ll definitely improve the performance of our machines, cut costs and save more in the long run.” Renato B. Caballero of PTGI Laguna Gas was grateful that he was invited. He added, "The seminar was very informative. I just hope Atlas Copco Philippines would hold this every year!"

Count on it.

Aside from the valuable knowledge, each participant was also given Atlas Copco special gift items.

Strike! Atlas Copco to hold the 2008 ACEC Bowling Tournament

This coming Friday, August 15, expect the Atlas Copco employees to slowly wind down their work as early as 430 pm. Then expect all of them to shut down their computers and race to their cars at the strike of 5. This doesn't normally happen unless something big comes up. And something big is coming!

All of them will be heading to Gameworx, Festival Mall in Alabang, Muntinlupa for the 2008 Atlas Copco Employees Club (ACEC) Bowling Tournament.

Every year, Atlas Copco Philippines holds a Bowling Tournament for its hardworking employees. Bowling is huge in this company. There's no better way to have fun, bond with the rest of the crew, and yet be competitive at the same time.

For the next 4 Fridays (from August 15 to September 12, except August 26) from 6 pm til 11 pm, the halls of the Gameworx will be rocking with close to a hundred Atlas Copco bowlers and their families (8 colors/teams). Raffles, prizes and giveaways will keep participants on their feet even when they were not working on their Strikes and Spares.

See you at the lanes!

2008 Atlas Copco Philippines Preventive Maintenance & Proper Care Seminar on August 7 and 12

We are cordially inviting you to the 2008 Atlas Copco Philippines Preventive Maintenance & Proper Care Seminar, one of the largest technical trainings our company holds every year. To accommodate as many participants as we can, we are holding this year’s seminar in 2 batches: the first batch on August 7, 2008; the second on August 12, 2008. Each session would last from 8:30am to 6:00pm. The venue will be at the Atlas Copco Philippines Head Office in Laguna Technopark, Binan, Laguna.

This FREE technical seminar will cover the following topics: Quality Air Products, Operating Principles of Air Compressors, Parts Ordering and Stocking, Proper Preventive Maintenance and Basic Trouble Shooting Techniques. Aside from the hands-on sessions, the seminar’s interactive nature allows all the participants to spend time and exchange ideas with domain experts and their peers.

The objective of this seminar is to nurture a strong technical community. More importantly, we want to arm your technical staff the skills to effectively increase the working life of your compressed air systems, helping you cut down on costs.

For further details you may contact us at (02) 843.0535 to 39, look for Melchor Bullanday, Dennis Deinla or Danilo Talaugon. Please confirm on or before August 5, 2008. We look forward to seeing you all again.

Laying the groundwork towards 1B

Binan, Laguna - Atlas Copco Philippines' Compressor Technique laid down the groundwork in its ultimate goal to reach 1B(Php 1 billion in sales by end of 2008) last July 1 & 2, 2008 where employees trooped to Taal Vista Hotel, Tagaytay.

With the help of consultants from Guthrie Jensen, division managers rallied the support and commitment of their staff with a perfect mix of fun and business. In these 2 days, everyone worked hard to define the operational goal and the key areas of commitment, while having fun doing it.

Jonnie Regis, Country General Manager, said, “A lot of effort was put into making sure that all commitments in our operational plan are the right ones. We made sure everyone had a deep understanding of the business environment. We also identified obstacles to be overcome on the way to the goal. Finally, we made sure that everything, including our sales targets and expectations, were logical. Php 1 billion in sales is no joke.”

But it doesn’t stop there. Managers from Oil Free, Industrial Air, Rental, Portable, After market, and Support will be conducting frequent checks with and coaching to make sure the company reaches 1B!

Caring Beyond Air sticker drive

Binan, Laguna - We continued our “Caring Beyond Air” sticker drive for Compressor Technique (CT) last week. We removed the old faded stickers from CT vehicles and replaced them with the new clear stickers.

Choose the color

These clear vinyl stickers come in two colors – royal blue and light blue. With most of our CT Service vehicles painted white, the royal blue stickers look good on the vehicle body. On the other hand, the light blue stickers are perfect for the CT Sales cars. The contrast of the tinted windows and the light color of the stickers really stand out!

If you want to put these fine-looking stickers on your cars, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us.

Caring Beyond Air

Caring Beyond Air (CBA) has become Atlas Copco Philippines’ way of life. It is the company’s vision to become and remain First in Mind – First in Choice of both external and internal customers by going beyond business and building on relationships with fellow employees, customers, business partners, shareholders, to society and the environment.

(By the way, that's Romel Tamayo, Marketing and Sales Support Officer, in action.)

2008 Portable Air Roadshow shows how to "Revolutionize Your Productivity"

Binan, Laguna - We successfully held the 2008 Portable Roadshow last June 25, 2008 at our Atlas Copco Philippines Head Office in Laguna Technopark. The Roadshow aims to show guests and participants how to “Revolution Your Productivity.”

Everybody welcome

More than 75 guests from different fields were there. Visitors from construction, utilities, manufacturing, mining and even students were treated to the latest innovations and technologies in the field of Portable Compressed Air Applications and Power Generation.

After being personally welcomed by Jonnie Regis, the Country General Manager, the guests had the opportunity to be taught by the best in the industry.

Albert Cantuba, Portable Air Business Line Manager, gave an overview on the Portable Air industry. He said, “We treat our customers as partners. And as partners, we want to give them the best available solutions for their specific Portable Air needs.”

He was followed by Rainier Javier, Portable Air Senior Product Engineer, who showed them “Innovations in Compressed Air Technology and Applications” that were aimed to maximize benefits for the users’ superior productivity. Jet Paningbatan, Portable Air Senior Product Engineer, then delved on “Revolutionizing Productivity in Action,” where he presented best practices and customer testimonials that have gone from productivity to profits.

Beat Marbacher, Southeast Asia Business Development Manager, capped the session by explaining Atlas Copco’s total portable air solutions. From financing terms to energy conservation, he showed partners how to get the full Atlas Copco Portable Air experience.

Building a foundation

We invited students and faculty from different technical schools to learn more about air compressors and to give them a crack at hands-on experience. Dr. Manny Belino, Mapua Institute of Technology Mechanical Engineering Department Chair, brought some of his students over. He said that the Roadshow gave them an opportunity to know more about compressed air theory. But more importantly, it gave them the chance to get out of their classrooms and see theory in action.

Realizing the importance of real world and practical applications, he added, “I am pleased to meet you and the rest of Atlas Copco's staff during your roadshow. I am interested for Mapua to forge an MOA with Atlas Copco for our OJT requirements, plant visits and other similar activities.”

Hopefully, this would be a start of a productive partnership not just between Atlas Copco and Mapua, but also to other schools.

Worth the effort

We’ve got to admit that Laguna may be a bit far from Manila. So to make things more worthwhile for our guests, we raffled off 10 Caltex pre-paid fuel cards worth P1,000 each to ease the fuel crunch. For our coffee lovers, we also gave away 8 Starbucks gift checks worth P500 each, and 5 Starbucks mugs. And for the main prizes, we gave away 2 Apple 3rd generation 4 gig Ipod Nanos!

To complete the Roadshow, we had a Machine Expo, where the guests had the chance to view and actually operate the air compressors, generator sets and tools.

Saving the planet one compressor at a time

Quezon City - One Atlas Copco’s main thrusts is to innovate products and services for our customers and partners. We want to share these innovations so that we could give them efficient and powerful air power solutions to choose from.

We did just that when we were guests at the 36th Metalcasters’ Convention: Annual General Membership Meeting and Elections of the Philippine Metalcasting Association Inc. (PMAI) last June 19, 2008 at the Sulo Hotel in Quezon City.

The PMAI invited us to give a presentation on how to “Protect your bottom line with air power solutions that protect the Earth.” Industrial Air’s Business Line Manager Eric Alfonso, and Product Engineer Leo Basilio showed the PMAI members how they could have the best of both worlds (taking care of the environment while taking care of business) by highlighting our Variable Speed Drive (VSD) compressors.

The VSD compressors can reduce energy costs by an average of 25% and overall compressor life cycle costs by an average of 22% by tuning compressor capacity to the air demand. The resulting savings have a substantial environmental impact, reflecting our dedication to safeguarding a healthy future for generations to come.

We're saving the planet one air compressor at a time, starting with the PMAI.

Atlas Copco on DZMM

We’re proud to have been featured in “Bago Yan Ah!,” a weekly award-winning program hosted by Angelo Palmones that educates and empowers listeners through science and technology, last June 8, 2008. The show is aired every Sunday, 4:30pm on DZMM 630AM, and on DZMM TeleRadyo.

Nelson Roque, Oil Free Business Line Manager, talked about our Variable Speed Drive technology. Hector Melencio, CT Marketing Specialist, elaborated on Adopt a School.

Variable Speed Drive Technology

We hope to educate not just engineers and technicians, but also students and teachers of engineering and science about the options available to cut on energy costs and protect the environment in turn.

Check the previous post for more details on Variable Speed Drive Technology.

Adopt a School

Also, in our drive to help not just the environment, but society as a whole, we have made a seemingly small but nevertheless important step. We are helping the children and teaching staff of Agpan Elementary School located at Barangay Imelda, Bunawan, Agusan Del Sur. This school may not be located in a metropolitan area, but we feel that in order to make a difference, we need to reach out to those in far places. We want to arm them with knowledge; knowledge that would help them make a difference in the future.

Know more about our Adopt a School program in the previous posts (June 5 to 7).

Protect your bottom line with air power solutions that protect the Earth

Most if not all forms of manufacturing and production, such as construction, semicon, packaging, even food and medicine processing, rely on compressed air power systems to drive their pneumatic devices and machines. With the rising cost of fuel and energy costs, it has become more and more difficult for manufacturers to produce the same products for the same amount or resources.

We at Atlas Copco Philippines may have something to help ease this burden.

Aside from being extremely reliable and efficient, our air compressors are equipped with VSDs (Variable Speed Drives). Although this is not an entirely new technology, we feel that what we have is economically and environmentally relevant to the current times.

With our VSD systems, you get the best of both worlds. The cost of compressed air can represent over 40% of your total electrical costs. We want to help you spend less.

Our VSD (Variable Speed Drive) compressors can reduce energy costs by an average of 35% and overall compressor lifecycle costs (LCC) by an average of 22% by tuning compressor capacity to the air demand.

The resulting energy and cost savings have a substantial environmental impact, reflecting your dedication to safeguarding a healthy future for generations to come.

For more details on the benefits of VSD, don't hesitate to call us.

Adopt a School part 3

Davao City - With Dr. Vic Salvado of Mindanao Philsaga Foundation, we then proceeded to Bunawan, Agusan Del Sur for the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) signing between the Department of Education and Atlas Copco Philippines.

We weren’t expecting anything at all. Maybe a quick photo op with Jonnie and the DepEd representative signing the document, and that’s it.

But what happened during the MOA signing was a complete surprise. The folks at the Agusan Del Note Regional DepEd office prepared a short program to celebrate the event, complete with invocation, singing of the national anthem, photo ops, giveaway distribution and entertainment! Ms. Crucita ZM. Taala – Schools Division Superintendent, Ms. Corazon A. Otaza – Bunawan District in Charge, and Ms. Victoria P. Chagas – Asst. Schools Division Superintendent represented the DepEd. Around 30 or so teachers and administrators present.

After the MOA signing, we went back to Davao with a sense of gratitude and pride. We were thankful for the chance to make an impact in the lives of our brethren. We felt that somehow, in our own little way, we have made a difference, no matter how small, in the lives of others.

Fast Facts

Did you know that Republic Act 8525 established the “Adopt-a-School” Program? Here are excerpts from RA 8525:

“Sec. 3. Adopt-a-School Program. — There is hereby established the "Adopt-a-School Program" which will allow private entities to assist a public school, whether elementary, secondary, or tertiary, preferably located in any of the twenty (20) poorest provinces identified by the Presidential Council for Countryside Development or any other government agency tasked with identifying the poorest provinces in, but not limited to, the following areas: staff and faculty development for training and further education; construction of facilities; upgrading of existing facilities, provision of books, publications and other instructional materials; and modernization of instructional technologies.

A Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) specifying the details of the adoption shall be entered into between the adopting entity and the head of the school concerned: Provided, That such MOA shall be subject to review and approval of the Superintendent of Schools of the province or district concerned: Provided, further, That the agreement shall last for at least two (2) years with the possibility of extension.”

- Hector Melencio, CT Marketing Specialist

Adopt a School Part 2

Davao City - We (Jonnie, Vic, Percy and me) left the hotel at around 6:30am. We’re on our way to Philsaga Mining Corporation, one of our loyal customers. We’re tying up with them for the Adopt-a-School program, through their Mindanao Philsaga Foundation.

Except for the near accidents we’ve had with pedestrians (Vic was driving), we had a relatively uneventful 3-hour ride to the Philsaga Mining site in Rosario, Agusan del Sur. With the country roads surprisingly wide and well paved, we managed to average a 100kph over the idyllic country side.

Upon reaching the site, we were greeted by Dr. Victor Salvado, the President of Mindanao Philsaga Foundation. Once we were all settled in their conference room, he proceeded to tell us more about the Adopt-a-School Program.

We were to “adopt” Agpan Elementary School, one of the most under-equipped schools in the area. Agusan del Sur is one of the 20 poorest regions in the country, and is experiencing some insurgency problems.

We then found out that to reach Agpan Elementary School, one has to travel around 2 hours on an improvised motorcycle (habal-habal” as the locals call it) through rough, unpaved and muddy roads.

Dr. Salvado continued, “Unfortunately, Agpan Elementary School is practicing a multi-grade system, where one teacher is handling multiple grade levels. Let’s take Grades 1 and 2 for example. The school just has 1 teacher for both these grade levels. To add to their concerns, both Grades are taught in 1 classroom due to the lack of classrooms.”

“With the help of the Adopt-a-School program, we’ll immediately spend on constructing an additional classroom. More importantly, we could improve to a mono-grade system. We’ll add one teacher so that each Grade level would have 1 teacher to guide and monitor their progress. But with the limited funds, we’ll focus on Grades 1 and 2.”

“So why do we need to focus on Grades 1 and 2? Simply because both these grade levels form the educational foundation. Studies show that no matter how good the teachers are in the later year levels, such as Grade 5 up to high school, the students’ overall performance all depends on how they were taught in Grades 1 and 2.”

Simply put, laying down the proper foundation is the key. It’s like constructing a building. If you’re constructing the building on a very poor foundation, it won’t matter even if you use the most expensive and best materials and designs for the building itself.

After meeting the president of Philsaga Mining, we set off to Bunawan, one of the bigger towns in the region, to sign the Memorandum of Agreement with the Department of Education to formalize the deal.

- Hector Melencio, CT Marketing Specialist

Adopt a School part 1

Davao City - Onboard a PAL flight, I touched down in Davao City earlier today amid the heavy downpour from the dark heavy clouds. Vic Enojo, our Mindanao Solutions Engineer, picked me up at the airport to take me to one of the best hotels in the city. But due to the very heavy rain, traffic was so bad due to flooding in a number of main roads. The drive from the airport to the hotel, which usually just took 15 minutes, stretched to more than an hour.

As grumpy as we were inside the car, I couldn't help but notice the joy of children playing and swimming in the flood, with pure bliss painted on their innocent faces, unmindful of the danger of catching diseases in the dark flood waters.

We eventually reached the hotel to meet up with Jonnie Regis, the country General Manager, and Percival Bualat, VisMin Operation Manager. Earlier in the week, both went to Cebu and Cagayan de Oro to see how the branches were doing. After a nice dinner at Jack's Ridge, we called it a night. We have to leave early for Agusan Del Sur tomorrow.

- Hector Melencio, CT Marketing Specialist

All About Compressed Air

One of the most taken for granted pieces of technology is the air compressor. In fact, when we ask friends who aren't engineers what they know about air compressors, most of them just shrug and say "I don't know."

Yet in many industries, such as manufacturing, construction, even food and medicine, air compressors are integral parts of their operations.

Air compressors in a nutshell

An air compressor is a mechanical device that increases the pressure of air by reducing its volume. Compressors are similar to pumps: both increase the pressure on a fluid and both can transport the fluid through a pipe. As air is compressible, the compressor also reduces the volume of a gas, resulting to an increase in the velocity of the gas.

To site an easy example, take a blowpipe / blowgun natives use. Once a person blows into a pipe, the air is compressed by the pipe, propelling the dart forward.

Compressed air drives the pneumatic devices, automations and tools used in the making of almost anything - food, buildings, medicine, cars, and a host of other end products.

All because of Atlas Copco

With the trust placed in us by our partners and customers, we are validating their confidence with an ad we will be releasing in the 2008-2009 DPC Commercial and Industrial Yellow Pages. Be one of the first to check it out before the new Yellow Pages come out in June 2008.

New header

Laguna Technopark Cares Beyond Air with 10-K Fun Run

Binan, Laguna - In line with our drive to Care Beyond Air and go beyond our business, Atlas Copco Philippines partnered with Laguna Technopark Association, Inc. (LTAI) to successfully hold the 2008 LTA 10-K EKIDEN last May 24, 2008. 14 LTA-based companies or locators participated in the 11^th edition of the EKIDEN. Ekiden means “fun run” in Japanese. A team has 7 runners each.

Winners all of them

Running the 10K is no joke. But because of the scores of spectators and supporters that lined the course, these runners pushed themselves to the limit. Of the 14 teams that sweated it out in the cool Laguna morning breeze, Daiho won the overall championship with a blistering fast time of 36 minutess and 16 seconds. Coming in very close at second was a runner from Imasen with 36 minutes and 41 seconds. The third placer from Nikko Metals clocked in at 39 minutes and 33 seconds.

From 4^th to 14^th place, the other participants of this Ekiden were: Kito Phils, F-Tech, TS Tech Trim, Lamcor, JFE Shoji, Keihin Phils., Sunpower, Toshiba, Fujitsu Die-tech, Panasonic, and Surtec.

Everybody went home a winner. The top 3 teams were awarded with individual medals and custom-built wood trophies, plus special items from the sponsors. The rest also got special items from the sponsors.

Faster and faster

The starting gun fired at 7 am, and the race was expected to end at around 10 am. But with the very fast times clocked in, it all ended under 9 am. Ms. Anita Lauguico, LTAI Manager, said, “From what I’ve heard, most of the runners put in a lot of extra time and effort to make this race competitive. We’ve seen it in the amazing times the teams have clocked in. In fact, this year’s edition of the Ekiden is one of the fatest, if not the fastest, we’ve ever had! With this year’s success, we hope to see more teams battle it out next year.”

The 2008 LTA 10-K Ekiden is also co-sponsored by Pepsi Cola, Coca Cola, Mocha Blends, Yutaka, and Asia United Bank.

Caring Beyond Air

Caring Beyond Air (CBA) has become Atlas Copco Philippines’ way of life. It is the company’s vision to become and remain First in Mind – First in Choice of both external and internal customers by going beyond business and building on relationships with fellow employees, customers, business partners, shareholders, to society and the environment.

Caring Beyond Air Relaunch

Binan, Laguna - With colorful balloons, good food, and a fun & meaningful program, Atlas Copco Philippines just re-launched Caring Beyond Air with a bang last May 19, 2008 at the Main Office in Laguna Technopark. This event was gamely hosted by Raymond Buenaventura and Mariz Nunez, both employees of Atlas Copco Philippines.

Caring Beyond Air explained

What, you ask, is Caring Beyond Air (CBA)? CBA has become Atlas Copco Philippines’ way of life. Jonnie Regis, the country General Manager, explains, “We at Atlas Copco have a vision to become and remain First in Mind – First in Choice of our customers, potential customers, and our other stakeholders. This means being a leader. We should lead in the share of mind and in the share of business. We should be seen as innovators.

But we must realize we do not exist in a vacuum. All our actions, no matter how small and inconsequential they may seem, can and will affect others. This is why we must work on building relationships. We have to build on our relationships with our fellow employees, customers, business partners, shareholders, to society and the environment.

What sets us apart from others is that we have a commitment to be ambassadors of Atlas Copco, not only in sales and marketing, but more importantly, in every day lives.”

Simply put, Caring Beyond Air means going beyond business.

MaSS introduction

The event also featured the launch of Atlas Copco Philippines’ newest group – the Marketing and Sales Support Team (MaSS). Led by Hector Melencio and composed of Charles Salazar, Romel Tamayo and Mel Galvez, the team aims to consolidate the best and most suited employees into one group that would provide shared services to the Compressor Technique (CT) organization.

Committing to the vision

Another highlight of the event is the commitment setting led by CT’s Business Line Managers, where employees affirmed their commitment to uphold Atlas Copco’s core values of interaction, commitment and innovation. Everyone committed to do their part in the Atlas Copco family by pledging to build and strengthen relationships with fellow employees, customers, business partners, shareholders and to society and the environment. They finally committed to themselves to “Care Beyond Air.”

Expect more soon

Stay tuned for more upcoming events and other product updates in the next few days!