ISSUE 19 • SUMMER 2010
USA THE PROMISE OF A NEW WORLD ROUND TABLE INTERVIEW: CREATING EXCITEMENT IN THE NORTH AMERICAN MARKET LEAN PROJECT: A PROCESS LEADING TO CULTURAL CHANGE ENVIRONMENT: TAKING ‘GREEN’ STEPS FORWARD
Contents
ISSUE 19 • SUMMER 2010 Editorial Editor-in-Chief Danny Yannaka Consulting Editor George Levounis
Business News
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Design & Production Peak Advertising Contributing Editors to this edition HEAD OFFICE Polina Atmatsiadi Stella Formozi Sakis Ganos Stamatis Karatzas Tolina Liaropoulou Alexandros Maniatis Theodoros Ntantos Paschalis Papagiannidis Lillian Phillips Nikos Vakalis Venia Zafolia George Zeris
Interview
INDIA Ravi Venkataraman
NIGERIA Wale Adediran Friday Adigbo David Milani Victor Okosun
Beyond Work
RUSSIA Elizaveta Muraviena
SOUTH AFRICA Glenda Maasburg USA Melissa Campbell Bill Egbula David Thompson
Find and Win
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Our People
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Social Activities
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ROMANIA Mihaela Opait Sebastian Palade
TURKEY Mahmut Tas Eren Recep
Feature Story
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GREECE Sotiris Kroussas
IRELAND Lana Mizun
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A Frigoglass Quarterly Magazine, “between us” is published by the Central Human Resources Function. Head Office: 15 Andrea Metaxa Str., 145 64 Kifissia, Athens, Greece, Tel: +30 2106165700 This magazine is only of general interest to Frigoglass employees and is not published for investment purposes.
Editorial
Athletics coaches say that successful players and winning teams always prepare with concentration to make the most of their talents. This is also true for successful companies. At Frigoglass, to sustain our winning spirit, we need to remain focused on our goals, understand how we can create value for our customers, stay positive, passionate and confident, always being aware of the challenges and opportunities ahead. In these times, when long-held assumptions and beliefs are reframed and re-evaluated, forward-looking organizations always find ways to change, adapt and evolve, retaining their willingness to grow beyond their comfort zone and stay empowered and energized. I strongly believe that we, at Frigoglass, have the expertise, know-how and resources to use today’s international economic environment as a catalyst for further advancement and innovation, fully leveraging our core strengths and key competencies to seize the future. Through the years, our company has always been conscious of building and enlarging this ‘inner reservoir’ of foundational strengths and competencies, which today gives us a clear and sustainable competitive edge. Capitalizing on our expanding global presence – as in our recent acquisition in the United
Our company has always been conscious of building and enlarging this ‘inner reservoir’ of foundational strengths and competencies.
States, insisting on the highest Quality standards in our products and services, carrying on our tradition of Innovation with 20 percent of sales coming from new products, incorporating Sustainability in our business model, offering a complete set of services and, above all, relying on dedicated people who love new challenges, Frigoglass is well positioned to sustain its growth momentum in the international market. I am particularly proud when Frigoglass receives recognition in the marketplace, such as the recent accolade in the European Business Awards for the Environment where we ranked in the top 3 out of 144 major European enterprises. Our precious reservoir of key strengths and competencies comes from our dedicated efforts to constantly improve and exceed our own expectations. As Pat Riley, one of America’s greatest basketball coaches said, “teams who stay on top know that excellence is the result of always wanting to do better.” Petros Diamantides Managing Director
BUSINESS NEWS Frigoglass maintains positive momentum 2010 First Quarter Results (IFRS) Financial Results (in '000 Euro)
Sales EBIT Net Profit EBITDA *
Q1 2010 93,213 9,987 4,711 16,005
Q1 2009* Y-o-Y% 73,629 5,384 618 11,290
26.6% 85.5% 662.4% 41.8%
Adjusted for change in accounting relating to Logistics Revenue and Costs
Managing Director Petros Diamantides commented: “The positive momentum that we experienced during the end of 2009 has continued into the first quarter, with higher Cool sales leading to strong profitability gains due to the success of our cost cutting initiatives of last year. The extensive global footprint that we have built over the years is providing an excellent base for long-term growth. We expect continued growth from Asia and recovery in Eastern Europe. While weak consumer sentiment in Western Europe and rising commodity prices give us reason to be cautious in the near term, we continue to believe that we have the skills, the business model and the capital structure to maintain our positive progression. As such, we expect to record further growth throughout the remaining quarters of the year, albeit at a more moderate rate, while maintaining our high level of investment in innovation as we seek to further build our international presence.”
Review Consolidated Net Sales increased 26.6% to €93.2m driven by Cool Operations Sales, which increased by 39.5% to €78.3m, partly offset by our Glass Operations in Nigeria, where Sales declined 14.8% in Euro terms. Sales at Cool Operations accounted for 84% of total Sales, compared to 76% in the prior year period. Gross Profit increased 53.2% to €21.8m, reflecting the positive operating leverage effect following the cost reduction initiatives undertaken last year. Consolidated Operating Profit (EBIT) increased 85.5% to €10.0m, due to strong sales and the company’s improved cost structure. In addition, the operational expenses to sales margin also improved (by 170bps), despite a 30.4% increase in R&D expenses, demonstrating our commitment to reinvesting in future organic platforms for growth. Net Profit increased significantly to €4.7m compared to €0.6m, benefiting from a €0.7m improvement in net interest expense and lower minorities. Net cash flow after operational and investing activities amounted to an outflow of €52.0m compared to an outflow of €31.0m in Q1 2009. Capital expenditure increased by €3.2m to €6.3m, 73% of which was related to the planned refurbishment of one of the Glass furnaces in Nigeria. In North America, the integration of Universal Nolin (recently renamed Frigoglass North America) continues according to expectations, providing the first contribution to Sales.
Performance
COOL OPERATIONS Sales increased 39.5% to €78.3m in the first quarter, demonstrating ongoing positive momentum in Asia / Oceania and Eastern Europe. Sales growth was driven by a 29.9% increase in volumes and an improvement in the average price per unit. The markets which provided the largest incremental contributions were Russia, Ukraine, Romania and Poland, driven primarily by sales to Coca-Cola Hellenic and breweries. Sales in Western Europe demonstrated signs of stabilization, declining 3.4% to €14.3m (compared to the 15.2% decline in Q4 2009), contributing 18.3% of Cool Sales. Germany posted a significant incremental reduction, which was partly offset by the substantial contribution from Belgium. Sales in Asia / Oceania increased 57.1% to €25.2m, representing 32.2% of ICM Sales. The markets that provided substantial incremental contributions were Indonesia, India, China and the Philippines. Sales in Africa / Middle East decreased 10.3% to €13.4m, accounting for 17.1% of ICM Sales, with a significant incremental reduction in sales in Morocco being largely offset by strong growth in Nigeria. Sales also grew across all customer groups, with Sales to Coca-Cola bottlers other than Coca-Cola Hellenic rising by 14.5% to €35.3m and the greatest incremental contributions from India and Indonesia. Sales to Coca-Cola Hellenic increased 96.5% to €9.9m, with the largest incremental contributions from Russia and the Ukraine. Sales to the brewery segment increased 38.2% to €18.1m, while sales to other customer groups increased 109.3% to €15.0m, with notable contributions from the dairy, water and tea segments. NIGERIA OPERATIONS Sales decreased 14.8% in Euro terms to €14.9m (equating to a 6.9% decline on a local currency basis), cycling growth of 17.3% in the comparable prior year period. Sales, which were impacted by the planned closure of one of the furnaces for refurbishment and by the significant increase in energy prices which led to delays in sales, increased to the soft drinks and cosmetics segments, but were offset by declines in sales to the breweries, spirits, exports and pharmaceuticals segments. Glass Operations contributed 16% to total Sales, compared to 24% in the prior year period. Glass Sales decreased 37.8% to €8.2m in Euro terms (32.1% in Naira terms), partly offset by a 56.7% increase in Other Operations (36.0% in metal crowns and 87.9% in plastic crates) to €6.7m.
Outlook The positive momentum in Q4 2009 has continued into Q1 2010, and we expect this to continue, though at moderating rates of improvement. Our successful early action on restructuring our cost base last year has left us in an excellent position
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Frigoglass at InnoBev to leverage our rising sales. Input costs have begun to increase, but we expect that the effect will be less than spot prices suggest due to some hedging initiatives. Therefore, overall, we expect margins to improve as we move through the year. Our expectations are that the emerging economies of Asia and Eastern Europe will drive growth this year, with Africa resuming its positive momentum. In addition, the US is beginning to demonstrate signs of recovery, with the pace of recovery in Western Europe expected to lag other regions. As such, we will remain focused on cost control and cash generation. During Q1, the strong sales increase led to traditionally significant working capital requirements; however we expect this position to reverse as the year progresses. Capex will be up on the previous year and R&D remains strong in order to capitalize early on our strong market position and growth opportunities. In addition, we expect to reduce our net debt position for the full year. Therefore, while significant economic uncertainty prevails in developed economies, we believe our broad based geographic presence, strengthening balance sheet, close relationships with customers and skill-set of employees leave us well placed for future growth and shareholder value creation. Note: Effective from first quarter 2010, Frigoglass has changed the way it accounts for Logistics items to more closely reflect its internal financial reporting systems. Previously, the company had included the net effect of Revenues and Costs attributable to Logistics within Selling Expenses (under Operational Expenses); however, from Q1 2010 the Company has separated these two items which now appear under Net Trade Sales and Cost of Goods sold respectively. Additionally, Frigoglass, effective from Q1 2010 has decided to consolidate 3P Plastics Operations within Cool Operations.
On March 9-11 2010 Frigoglass participated in the InnoBev 6th Global Soft Drinks Congress, the annual industry event for producers and suppliers held this year in Istanbul, Turkey. The event, under the theme of “Opening up the future,” was an opportunity for industry leaders, suppliers, customers and analysts to gain a complete overview of the latest trends and developments across all continents from top companies in each region, with extensive time for informal contact and discussion. Frigoglass was represented by ICM Marketing Director Panos Giannopoulos, who was one of the speakers, presenting our new range of Eco-Friendly cooling solutions, the world’s first complete environmentally-friendly range. As highlighted by our Marketing Director, global warming is a fact and beverage, brewery and dairy companies have all voiced their environmental concerns over commercial refrigeration. Responding to this trend, Frigoglass developed the complete EcoCool range of green solutions that offer significantly reduced energy requirements and costs, minimized environmental impacts and a greener way to drive sales and margins. On the occasion of our presence at InnoBev 2010, MD Petros Diamantides noted: “Core to our future growth is innovation, and as such we are delighted to be presenting here in Istanbul the Eco-Cool range of ICMs that was developed to facilitate an important step for the world’s largest beverage companies towards a sustainable future.”
First Quarter 2010 Net Trade Sales 84% Cool Operations 16% Nigeria Operations
First Quarter 2010 Net Income 64% Cool Operations 36% Nigeria Operations
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BUSINESS NEWS ICM Sales Meeting in Turkey
The ICM Sales Meeting was held on March 17-20 in Istanbul, Turkey at the Eser Hotel near our SFA plant. The meeting was attended by the ICM sales management team, including Regional Sales Managers, Sales Office Managers, the Heads of Coca-Cola Accounts, International Key Accounts Managers and ICM Sales MS&P representatives. Honored guests included Ed Ayoola, Strategic Global Procurement Manager /Sales & Marketing Equipment/ Cross Enterprise Procurement Group of The Coca-Cola Company, as well as Frigoglass representatives from Marketing’s Group Product Management, Manufacturing’s Group Planning, Frigoserve and Group Finance. Committed to maintaining our leadership in every market we do business in by responding quickly and effectively to evolving customer needs, the Sales Meeting’s main theme was “Selling ‘Hunting’ in a Systematic Way” through Team Building, Information Sharing, Alignment, Common Practices, learning from each other and discussing the way forward, all ment to support and motivate strong teamwork across our Sales Team globally. Aiming to consistently make the sales count, leave the competitors behind, “hunting” sales in a structured way and become world-class sales performers, our Sales team has started to develop its own Sales Toolkit (common for our entire sales force under a standardized process and software platform). The team’s kick-off presentation covered the approach used in developing the toolkit’s modules,
including Account Planning to understand the customer, then Generate Proposition followed by Negotiating and Closing the Deal. Meeting sessions covered reviews of consolidated results YTD at all sales territories, as well as updates on Key Accounts and presentations on new projects and models. Special attention was given to presentations and following discussions on “New Heights 2” projects, resulting in an aligned common sales proposal from Sales to Marketing targeting short and medium term growth. Ed Ayoola provided an innovative presentation that was actually a breakthrough on directly sharing information, enabling us to better understand this Key Customer and strengthening our ties with the TCCC system. From our Frigoglass guests, Manufacturing made a presentation on “Demand Planning”, showing the delivery challenges involved in aligning our next steps and actions, to be implemented in the coming April 2010 Year End Estimation. Improving our Sales Approach, Frigoserve, which has become an in-market added value action for us, provided an update on key issues including the way forward. Our Sales Team was also made aware of the “New Management Report” put in place as of this year by Group Finance. The project’s scope, objectives and process to be followed were analysed, as well as P&L, variance reports and critical data required for accuracy. Convinced that our success depends on our people and on how well they work as team members, a kick-off meeting also took place regarding the implementation of the Executive Coaching Program to the level of Sales Office Managers. The meeting also included team buiding activities during which our sales people had great fun. The Sales Meeting closed with a guided plant tour of one of the EFES breweries, where all participants had the change to taste the famous EFES beers.
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Awarded for our sustainability efforts At the European Business Awards for the Environment 2010, Frigoglass was shortlisted and distinguished as a runner up among four top companies in Europe for its Ecocool range. The European Business Awards go to companies that have developed a new product or service that makes an outstanding contribution to sustainable development by combining innovation, economic viability, environmental concern and social responsibility. Frigoglass, which was selected among 141 entries from 24 EU and candidate countries, won second place in the Product Award for Sustainable Development category for its Ecocool range of beverage coolers, which use natural refrigerants that significantly reduce the impact on the environment both in terms of greenhouse emissions and energy consumption. The prizes, awarded by the European Commission every two years, single out companies that have made outstanding contributions to sustainable development in one of four categories: management, products, processes, and international cooperation. The winners were announced at a ceremony on June 2nd during Green Week, the Commission’s major annual environmental conference and exhibition event, in Brussels. The awards were given to companies that boost economic growth by contributing to innovation and competitiveness while also protecting the environment. Marketing Director Panos Giannopoulos commented: “We are very honored to be recognized among the top four com-
panies in Europe that have made outstanding contributions to sustainable development. For Frigoglass sustainability remains a top priority and a continuous and long-term objective, and this distinction recognizes our efforts in creating innovative, environmentally-friendly products that offer even more value to our beverage customers.”
Press Conference in Turkey
Based on our consistent strategy to effectively communicate our organization’s core business priorities to all our stakeholders, on Tuesday, March 9th 2010 Frigoglass and the SFA team organized a press conference for Turkey’s trade media to update them on developments following SFA’s acquisition.
The key participants in this press conference were Managing Director Petros Diamantides, ICM Marketing Director Panos Giannopoulos and Lillian Phillips, our Head of Corporate Communication and Investors Relations. The members of the press attending included representatives from Turkey’s financial press, including the dailies Dünya and Referans, trade publications and supplements, as well as the television channel TEB/KOBI TV. Our Managing Director presented the Key Competencies of Frigoglass - quality, people, innovation, environment, service that certify our Global presence, and referred to the long-term potential of the global market, our market share expansion by region and our latest acquisition in the USA. Stressing innovation as our core capability, he underlined the fact that by investing around 10% of our Operating Profit on innovation and new product development every year, we consistently achieve more than 20% sales from new products. Panos Giannopoulos presented the development of the innovative Eco-cool range of environmentally-friendly products as part of our overall green strategy in response to industry trends, noting their energy cost, recyclability and carbon impact advantages. Finally, Lillian Phillips presented the company’s overview, history and milestones, along with our investment proposition and 5-year financial performance.
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BUSINESS NEWS LEAN project: a process leading to cultural change Frigoglass has a dream:To become our customers’ most valuable partner in refreshing millions of consumers with cold drinks, using environmentally friendly equipment produced with best in class quality features, at competitive cost and right on time delivery. And here’s our commitment:To continue growing our business, further establishing Frigoglass as a recognized world class manufacturer and a great place to work. Here are the basic facts as provided to us by Head of Engineering, Paschalis Papagiannidis, our resident expert on Lean and project leader of the deployment and adaptation of lean implementation management to Frigoglass’ operations.
Q: Can you give us some points why is Lean so important for Frigoglass? A: It has become evident that the business model in our market is shifting dramatically from one characterized by small product variety and limited options, where differentiation was often based on branding, to one with an ever broadening product range that can accommodate customer growth needs for highly customized channel and product/brand solutions, targeting product life cycles of 5 to 7 years. If in addition we consider that Frigoglass’ growth depends on a drastic increase of its customer base while penetrating new markets, segments and geographies, it becomes obvious that traditional manufacturing patterns of bulky production batches based on credible sales forecasts can no longer be sustained.
Q: What should Frigoglass do to ensure future growth in this new market? A: O ur traditional manufacturing practices need to become sufficiently flexible and independent of market demand volatility in order to ensure efficiency and full alignment with the new
market conditions. Flexible responses to continually changing customer requests would reflect on our ability to produce small batches profitably and deliver them with short lead times while effectively managing and controlling our inventory levels. At the same time we need to develop new powerful products and penetrate new markets in order to enhance our competitiveness and grow our business further. This means listening to what our customers actually want and leading the industry with innovative ‘green’ solutions.
Q: How is Frigoglass going to adapt and succeed? A: In an intensely competitive market, our aim is to impress our customers with the quality, cost and delivery of our products - the right product, at the right time, at the right price. The aim of our Lean Manufacturing program is to enable us to do this. We have set ourselves an ambitious goal: we want our plants to be recognized and certified as World Class Manufacturing centers in three years time. This means that now, more than ever, we will need to fully utilize the skills and creativity of all our people. Everyone’s involvement is imperative for a successful Lean deployment. Everyone looking for small, daily improvements in all of our work routines constitutes the elemental building block for an entirely new corporate culture.
Q: You mean that Lean’s application will bring change to the company and what kind of change? A: It is obvious that Lean is a process that leads to cultural
Lean training at K-A plant
Romania plant celebrates Lean Day
change. Through its deployment, the Frigoglass Manufacturing System (FMS) will evolve, enabling our company to improve and become more profitable. We have absolutely no doubt that the program will deliver in terms of public recognition (Shingo Prize) for achieving world class manufacturing levels. We also understand that we need to do this by inte-
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SFA-Turkey celebrating the first Lean Day
grating “lean” into how our plants operate - every solution to every issue should be guided by lean principles, and this can only happen if everyone understands and internalizes the principles and practices of Lean. A key point in applying Lean is sustainability in terms of removing the root cause of problems rather than ameliorating their symptoms. Quite often, the temporary relief of symptoms, if only for a while, diverts us from looking for the deeper causes of existing problems. As a result, the problems persist and inevitably continue to result in troubling symptoms.
Q: Are there any plans on how Lean will be deployed ? A: O ur deployment approach is an attempt to reduce costs by improving the system of relationships that determines how our company consumes resources to meet customer requirements. More specifically, this means that we will define and “measure” continuous improvement in terms of a long-term
vision of how work should be conducted to best satisfy customer needs with the least consumption of resources. Viewing current operations through this lens will enable everyone in the organization to see the direction that change must take to move operations closer to our vision, and this will indeed constitute cultural change. In this respect, to maximize our benefits, we should view the financial performance of our business as the final outcome of complex interactions among the interrelated parts of our organization. That explains the necessity of expanding the “Lean” program deployment, in due time, to all disciplines of our organization. It must be stressed that the successful establishment of our Lean culture will largely depend on how our people -especially the ones working on the shopfloor- understand the process, principles and practices, appreciate the targets, are aware of the challenges involved and participate in improvement initiatives. Following that, the benefits, are expected to be impressive.
Short and long-term benefits 1. S hopfloor people motivation – Visual management (production and improvement boards) will offer shopfloor transparency and relate daily results to people’s efforts. Moreover, daily, weekly and monthly audits will bring management much closer to shopfloor employees. 2. P roblem solving will be routinized and the system will become self- sustained/contained (autonomation); we will create an environment that does not produce defects, i.e. whenever a defect occurs the process will stop and the following essential steps will be taken: a. Identify problem and set a target to resolve it, or to improve a given situation b. Perform a root cause analysis and find the root cause of the problem c. Develop countermeasures and apply them d. Measure the effect and if positive standardize the solution (revise all concerned SOP’s, processes, systems, etc.) to avoid problem recurrence e. Resume process The important thing here is that all this will be institutionalized via a system based on inspection, auditing and the continuous search for improvement, which is strongly dependent on the 5S technique, a highly effective tool for continuous improvement. The key aim is to institutionalize the improvement culture through idea generation sys-
tems and the direct involvement of shopfloor employees in improvement activities. 3. We will secure ownership of quality through skill control matrices and traceability. 4. Work will be standardized, a cornerstone of the improvement mentality. Standardized work allows for Value Steam analysis, the most essential method for eliminating ‘time’ waste. 5. We will maximize return on invested capital by maintaining equipment at high performance levels. Operators will have to follow proper maintenance routines, stressing the machineman relationship. As a result, training will become easier and labor will acquire flexibility. This is essential in the Frigoglass case, where seasonal personnel are involved during the productive periods. 6. L ast but not least is consistency; we need to establish a manufacturing discipline with a unique corporate identity that will ensure everyone that he or she is not isolated or alone but part of a greater organization striving for the same objectives. The sharing of best practices will not be an individual initiative anymore but a tool we all use, consciously and consistently, for the benefit of each one individually and Frigoglass as a whole.
BUSINESS NEWS Coaching for a strong corporate culture A solid, growing and resilient organization like Frigoglass requires a strong and healthy corporate culture. An important lever towards establishing the desired culture is the development of high-performing leaders across the organization. To this end, investment in executive coaching is an excellent means to attain certain work behaviors that will result in improved leadership, performance, employee accountability, teamwork, goal setting and strategic planning among others. Coaching is a confidential and professional goal-oriented relationship in which the role of the coach is to help employees explore their strengths, reflect on how they choose to operate in a business context and discover their own ways to change if it is needed. The Frigoglass coaching program was launched in mid 2008. Since then a lot of time has been spent on the program’s design, including the feedback from the main stakeholders, in order to create something that absolutely fits Frigoglass’ needs and meets our strategic business objectives, benefiting the entire organization and each one of our people individually. Coaching starts with a 360 evaluation with the help of which the coachees, each one individually, understand how they are viewed by the people they interact with in their daily work-routine. The 360 evaluation report reveals and identifies potential areas for improvement, since its results include feedback from the participant’s supervisor, peers and direct reports. Once areas for improvement are identified and agreed upon between the coach and the coachee, the developmental process begins. During this process, the coach certainly shares his insights and at times challenges the coachee when he thinks it is appropriate. However, the coach does not point out to the employee what to do or
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how to react or behave, but helps the coachee find his or her own answers that fit his/her personality and values. The coach’s focus throughout remains on helping the coachee articulate and achieve the goals that are important to him or her. The first team to participate in this coaching program was the Frigoglass ICM Manufacturing executive team, including Plant Managers, Regionals, Heads of Departments and the ICM Director, with individual sessions held over a period of six months. Results from the first coaching program were very encouraging. Providing positive feedback, the participants reported that one of the first things that surprised them was to find out how others see them -as indicated by the 360 evaluation. The participants were glad to discover that they could generate ideas and ways to improve by themselves with the help of their coach, that they could easily alter behaviors that were not in alignment with the practices helpful to them and, in some cases, adjust their self-image following these sessions. In November 2009, Frigoglass expanded the program to cover ICM Sales, initially including Regionals and then Sales Office Managers during the ICM Sales Meeting in Turkey. During this meeting, Nick Papadopoulos, an expert professional coach engaged by Frigoglass, described how coaching works and why it is effective and outlined the potential benefits of the program for Frigoglass and its structure. He was supported by the feedback provided by the Regional Sales Managers who had participated and had a first hand experience. The results of the Sales organization coaching intervention will be measured at the end of the program, around early 2011, in order to evaluate the way we move forward and, more importantly, to assess complementary interventions linked to Frigoglass systems like Talent & Succession Management.
Business News
Code of Business Conduct - Connecting with our Values When you think about what makes a company successful, culture is always an essential component. At Frigoglass, our culture is the foundation of everything we do, and it is based on the set of core values each of us follows. Several of these values, including integrity, shareholders value, quality, people, market leadership and social responsibility, remind us that preserving an ethical workplace is critical to our long-term success as a company. At Frigoglass, we hold ourselves to the highest ethical standards and we will not tolerate anything less. While collaboration and teamwork play an important role in our company’s growth and innovation, it is the responsibility of the individual, that is of every Frigoglass employee, to uphold high standards of conduct. The Frigoglass Code of Business Conduct (COBC) is a valuable tool to help us do just that. With information about our policies and procedures, guidelines for ethical decision-making and reallife examples of situations we may encounter on the job, the COBC serves as an important resource to guide us in applying our core values to specific situations of day-to-day business. If you are unsure of what to do in a particular situation or suspect that our COBC is being violated, you have an obligation to speak up. Please talk to your manager and also feel free to contact the Corporate Compliance Committee as described in detail in our COBC. Our commitment to our customers, partners, fellow employees and the broader global community requires us to not only be the “Best in the World” but also the “Best for the World.” Together, we demonstrate by our actions that Frigoglass is a company with strong values and a commitment to always do the right thing.
Compliance with the Code of Business Conduct is required of all Directors and employees. The ethical standards should also be followed by all third parties who are doing business with our Group (suppliers, agents, representatives, consultants etc.). The Group Senior Management is charged by the Board of Directors with ensuring that this code will govern, without exception, all business activities of the Group. The Frigoglass Group Audit Committee is responsible for ensuring that appropriate ethics and compliance policies and procedures are maintained. Finally, it is essential that you stay connected with the code. Read the code under the Corporate Governance section on the Intranet and if you have any questions do not hesitate to ask for help. Throughout the year, HO officials will deliver the code to all our global locations in order to update all Frigoglass colleagues on our COBC.
Moving ahead in South Africa Frigoglass SA is moving up the bar by another notch. During 2009, the company’s management team focused on systems like ISO 14001, ISO 9001, Lean implementation and 5S Housekeeping. With these systems well entrenched and well on their way, this year other priorities have come to light, especially the adoption of a one culture environment with complete employee satisfaction. Multilevel committees have been established to enhance Skills Development and Employment Equity for all. To ensure the safety of Frigoglass SA employees, the OSHAS 18001 was fully implemented up to the compliance phase, while in 2011 the company aims to be SABS certified on OSHAS 18001. With South Africa being one of the 56 countries in the Commonwealth, King III Corporate Governance became necessary because of the new anticipated Companies Act. To act in good faith, honesty, fairness and always in the best interest of the company has become part of the company’s daily existence. Conclusion: never confuse a mere bend in the road with the end of the line…
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BUSINESS NEWS Frigoserve meets in Athens
Frigoserve is a new business unit within the Frigoglass organization focusing on the evolution of our Customer Services. Established in December 2008, its key objectives are the improvement of customer satisfaction and loyalty levels and the profitable growth of our services business through best-in-class operational and financial performance. On May 3-5, the entire Frigoserve team, including Europe
Operations Managers and Supervisors, West & East Europe Operations Managers and the Frigoserve HO Team gathered at our headquarters in Athens for the first time to discuss various business issues that have come to the fore since the unit was established one year ago. During the 3-day meeting, the participants primarily reviewed first quarter 2010 Frigoserve results in Europe and went over year end estimates and projections, clarifying various points. The meeting also provided an excellent opportunity for the Frigoserve team to be briefed by HO’s Frigoserve supporting functions on strategic issues such as business development strategies, spare part management practices -in view of expanding demand and the upcoming deployment of the spare part demand planning and forecasting tool across Europe, as well as the CRM upgrade and introduction of new functionalities that will make CRM a more powerful tool in terms of monitoring Frigoserve services and improving customer satisfaction. Despite the long meeting hours and the packed agenda, at the close of the meeting the Frigoserve team enjoyed a few hours rest over a traditional Greek dinner.
Talking with future executives Frigoglass participated in the annual career forum organized by the Athens University of Economics and Business, one of the top-quality academic institutions in Greece. The event was held in the “City of Athens Technopolis� venue on May 12-13. A total of 50 participating companies representing the majority of Greek industries had the opportunity to meet the 500 participating students from the following AUEB Graduate
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and Postgraduate academic programs: Accounting and Finance, Economics, Business Administration, International & European Economic Studies, Marketing & Communication, Statistics and Information Systems. The forum provided a great opportunity to meet future executives, collect resumes and build a pool of candidates for current and future hiring needs. Also, it was a significant opportunity to present the career prospects that Frigoglass has to offer and cultivate a rich source of young talents who might contribute to maintaining the competitive edge and strong presence of Frigoglass in the international market.
Business News
New refurbishment line in Russia Since March 2010, Frigoserve has extended the range of post-Sales services it provides to our Russian customers by offering a new product: Heavy Refurbishment of ICMs. A new line has been set up at the Orel plant and Frigoserve Russia is responsible for the entire operation, which includes both selling the product and running the line. As of April, over 500 units had already been refurbished and based on existing orders the line will be fully occupied till year end. Following this expansion, Frigoserve will now be able to offer to its customers in Russia and nearby counties a full range of refurbishment services, including light refurbishment in market, medium refurbishment at warehouses and, now, heavy refurbishment at the Frigoserve line in Orel. The new line will enable Frigoserve customers to fully renovate old units with cooling, electrical and cabinet problems, transforming them into fully operational ICMs, increasing our customers’ ice cold availability and points of sales presence while enhancing brand awareness. The new line includes stations for washing, disassembly, cabinet body preparation for painting, diagnostic & repair of cooling and electrical systems, final assembly, cooling and safety testing, re-branding and, finally, packing for shipment. Moreover, customers will be offered the option of installing energy management devices during the refurbishment process to reduce the energy consumption of the refurbished units.
South & West Europe sales people share results and targets On May 4-6 the 1st South and West Europe Sales Region meeting took place at the Crowne Hotel in Athens. The meeting was attended by all sales people involved, including key-accounts and sales office managers, plus six guests from other functions. These were Tolis Karapiperis, George Alyfantis and Yannis Meliopoulos from Marketing, Yannis Christodoulopoulos from Frigoserve, Eleni Tzentzera from Manufacturing, Alexandros Panas from the Coca-Cola Account, Sakis Ganos from ICMs Methods and Systems and our ICM Sales Director Tom Aas who presented the Total Result full year forecast. The purpose of the meeting was for the whole team to share 2010 short term results and targets, look at the longer term OGSM (2010-2013), instill the feeling of being members of a bigger team and, time permitting, have some fun. The teambuilding part of the meeting focused on reinforcing messages such as how to think out of the box and how to support the team towards reaching a solution, as well as the importance of cooperation and of thinking positively. During the 3-day conference, attending SO managers presented their area’s results and perspectives. Marketing presented the key initiatives per customer group while Frigoserve discussed methods of efficient service and demand planning. Sales Tools presented their priorities while Inter-
national KAMs presented their accounts. The last day was dedicated to product training by George Gotsopoulos. At the close of the meeting everyone agreed that it had been quite successful. Team building was achieved, people got the bigger picture of what we are doing as a company, some answers or proposed solutions were provided and the short term targets were thoroughly discussed. As a result, ICM Sales plans to hold this meeting twice per year. Once official business was concluded, the entire South and West Europe Sales team visited the new Acropolis museum and all were highly impressed with this magnificent edifice housing a part of the heritage from the ancient Greek art and civilization.
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CAREER MOVES ASHRAF EL NAHAS Nigeria Operations Director
Ashraf was born in 1960 in Cairo, Egypt and holds a B.Sc. Degree in Electronics & Communications Engineering (Electrical Engineering) from Ain Shames University, Cairo. He joined Frigoglass as Nigeria Operations Director and brings with him 25 years of international experience with the Coca-Cola System in various positions ranging from Bottling Operations General Management, Technical, Projects & Production Operations Management to Global Procurement. In his last position, he was managing The Coca-Cola Company - Cross Enterprise Glass Procurement Program across Africa, Eurasia and the Middle East. Ashraf is married and blessed with a 17 year old daughter.
NIKOLAY KOLPACHKOV
Area Key Account Sales Manager - Sales Office Russia Nikolay was born in 1980 in Saint Petersburg, Russia and holds an Engineering degree from the Saint-Petersburg State University of Refrigeration and Food Technology and a Management degree from the Moscow State Institute of International Relations of MFA of Russia. His prior experience includes the position of Business Area Sales Manager at Danfoss, responsible for Commercial Refrigeration OEM. He joined Frigoglass Eurasia in 2010 as Area Key Account Sales Manager. Nikolay is married and in his free time he enjoys playing the guitar, ice hockey, traveling and fishing.
ADARSH DEWAN
Accounting Supervisor - Frigoglass India Adarsh was born in 1965 in Mumbai, India and holds a Master’s Degree in Commerce and Management from Sikkim Manipal University. His extensive career of 23 years includes accounting positions with Fosrol Chemical and C.T. Cotton Yarn & Steelbird. He joined Frigoglass India in 2010 as Accounting Supervisor. He is married to Priya and they have a daughter, Aakriti, aged 13 and a son, Aayush, aged 10. During his leisure time, Adarsh prefers reading, listening to music and playing indoor games with his children.
RON MYERS
Regional Manager - ICM Sales Ron was born in 1949 in Lancashire UK and holds a Diploma in Sales & Marketing Management from Lancashire UK Technical College. During his 30-year career with the Coca-Cola System he held various Sales and Marketing positions, including Commercial Planning Director, Sales & Marketing Director and Consultant to TCCC for RTM Design and Commercial Strategy Development. He joined Frigoglass in 2009 as Regional Sales Manager for China, S.E. Asia and Oceania. Ron is married to Beverley and they have a daughter, Jasmine and two sons, Luke and Ryan. In his free time he enjoys playing golf and exercising. “Though new to Frigoglass I have been associated with them for almost 10 years, as a customer working with Coca-Cola AMATIL in Indonesia, so you could say I know Frigoglass quite well all be it from a different perspective. I have always been impressed by Frigoglass and their products and stayed in touch with members of the Frigoglass management team after I left Indonesia to take on a project role with TCCC’s Bottler Investor Group (BIG) in Singapore and Malaysia. At the completion of this project I was offered the position I currently hold and readily accepted. The China, S.E. Asia, & Oceania Regional Sales role is both very exciting and challenging and the opportunity is clearly evident. However, as with life, nothing is achieved without effort. The realization of this opportunity will take a good deal of effort and commitment. Fortunately I have inherited a team of capable people who have demonstrated their commitment and willingness to work hard. We are now adding to the team to move us closer to achieving our objective of “delighting” our customers.”
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Career Moves
MARK PHILLIPS
UK & Ireland Sales Manager - Consumer Appliances
Spot News
Mark was born in 1968 near Liverpool, England. He started his career in his father’s family business which manufactured and installed fitted kitchens before joining one of his suppliers as an Area Sales Manager. He then progressed to Regional, National Sales and Trading management roles with different leading distributors in the kitchen and bathroom industry. He joined Frigoglass in January 2010 as UK & Ireland Sales Manager for Norcool Consumer Appliances. Mark is married to Gill and they have two children, Tom who is 22 and Hannah 14. During his leisure time he enjoys rugby league and reading.
Mihai Adam, till now Maintenance Supervisor at our Romania plant was promoted to Supply Chain Manager.
ANDY ZHANG
Natalia Bukreeva, till now Sales Representative at SO Russia was promoted to Key Account Manager - Russia.
Key Account Development Manager - Sales Office China Andy was born in 1972 in Luoyang, China and holds a MBA degree from Sun Yat-Sen University. He started his career as design engineer with Fost Motorcycle and then moved to Munters Air-Treatment Equipment as sales engineer and was later promoted to Branch Manager. In 2002, he joined the Frigoglass Guangzhou Sales Office as a Key Account Development Manager, responsible for sales and marketing in southern China. Andy is married to Linda Chen and they have a 6-year old daughter. In his spare time he enjoys playing basketball and swimming.
MUKESH SHARMA
Plant Manager - Delta Plant, Nigeria Mukesh was born in 1960 in New Delhi, India and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Technology-Mechanical Engineering from the National Institute of Technology, Calicut. During his extensive 25-year career in the Glass industry he has worked for companies such as Samtel Glass, Saint-Gobain Glass India and Piramal Glass in key managerial positions. He joined Frigoglass India in early 2010 as Plant Manager. Mukesh is married to Bharti and they have a 19-year old daughter, Surbhi, and a 15-year old son, Akshat. In his free time he enjoys watching cricket, football and other sports events as well as movies.
John Athanassopoulos, till now Engineering Projects Manager in ICM Manufacturing HO, was assigned the position of Purchasing Manager in the Supply Chain Central Function. Ilhami Ayun, till now Quality Manager at our plant in Turkey was assigned the position of Services Manager.
Antonis Chatziantoniou, till now Deputy Plant Manager of our Indonesia plant was promoted to Plant Manager of the same plant. Radu Cotuna, till now Deputy Plant Manager at our Romania plant was promoted to Plant Manager of the same plant. Panagiotis Manzolelli, till now Deputy Sales Office Manager at SO Greece was promoted to Sales Office Manager - Greece. Hodja Rares, till now Purchasing Project Manager at our HO was promoted to Business Unit Manager at 3P Frigoglass in Romania. Vana Tatsi, till now Supply Chain Manager in K-A was promoted to Purchasing Manager in our Supply Chain Central Function. Costas Theodorakopoulos, till now Finance & IT Manager at our Indonesia plant was promoted to Plant Manager of our China facility.
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ENVIRONMENTAL NEWS Taking ‘green’ steps forward From water blown foaming to Cyclopentane As a leading global manufacturer of green technology and based on its objective to continuously enhance customer services, Frigoglass has launched a high capital investment project in India involving a switch from a water blown (CO2) foaming system for ICM cabinets to a cyclopentane (C5) based system, a practice already initiated at all the other Frigoglass manufacturing hubs. Although CO2 is a natural substance with minimal direct impact on the environment (ODP=0, GWP=1), introducing C5, which is also natural (ODP=0, GWP <3), in its place has a considerable effect on indirect impacts associated with the energy consumption of our ICMs, simply because cabinets insulated with C5 blown foam are better insulated than those using CO2. Additionally, water blown systems provide poor foam dimensional stability resulting in high foam densities and prolonged cycle times, as a means to address this inherent deficiency. The lowest density in water blown systems has to be at least 38 g/l whereas using a modern C5 blown system we can go down to 31 g/l. Moreover, as mentioned above, besides the obvious foam quantity reduction and faster cycles, which reduce production costs, the insulating effect (lamda value - λ) of a C5 blown system is substantially improved compared to the CO2 one: λ in C5 starts at 18 mW/m K, whereas in water blown systems it starts at 22-24 mW/m K, when the foam is fresh. After complete aging of the foam, the λ value of CO2 foam will be 30-32 mW/m K, deteriorat-
2009 Carbon Footprint Summary As a responsible corporate citizen with a distinguished record of proactive initiatives aimed at reducing the environmental impact of its products, Frigoglass recently took another ‘green’ step forward by estimating its carbon footprint as part of its ongoing efforts to reduce all environmental impacts. For those not fully familiar with the subject, a carbon footprint is “the total set of greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions caused by an organization, most often expressed in terms of the amount of equivalent carbon dioxide (CO2e), or its equivalent of other GHGs, emitted. An organization’s carbon footprint can be measured by undertaking a GHG emissions assessment. Once the size of a carbon footprint is known, a strategy can be devised to reduce it, e.g. by technological developments, better process and prod-
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ing approximately 10% every year until it reaches the final value (tightly sealed foam within metallic enclosure). In other words, full aging becomes evident in less than 4 years time. On the other hand, C5 foam aging never exceeds 20-22 mW/m K. If we apply the above figures to energy consumption we come up with an approximate 3% savings for fresh C5 foam versus the CO2 one. The energy benefit increases to 6% in fully aged conditions. This improvement immediately offers our customers and end users the benefit of shorter running costs while at the same time consumers enjoy more consistently and properly chilled beverages.
“The energy benefit increases to 6% in fully aged conditions, offering our customers shorter running costs” This is an excellent example of Frigoglass ‘exploiting’ available technology and leading in the ‘green’ field in order to maximize the financial benefits to all stakeholders involved while respecting and sustaining our natural environment.
GHG Emissions By Source
Direct 54.48% Purchased Electricity 43.43% Business Travel 2.09%
Environment
GHG emissions by source Impact
Scope
Direct
Scope 1
Source Operations Vehicles Refrigerants
Tonnes of CO2-e 9,344.26 2,076.92 1,133.20 12,554.38 10,008.93 476.01 6.52 10,491.46 23,045.85
Total direct Scope 2 Indirect
Scope 3
Electricity Air Travel Rail travel
Total indirect Total direct and indirect
uct management, changed Green Public or Private Procurement (GPP), carbon capture, consumption strategies, and others. As part of this effort, Frigoglass has footprinted a sample of 10 sites across the globe covering 66.5% of the total full time equivalent (FTE) employees. Based on the fuel use, purchased electricity and refrigerant leakage of the selected sites, total GHG emissions amounted to 23,046 tones of CO2e. Extrapolating these total emissions to cover the global total number of FTE employees, the estimated global carbon footprint of Frigoglass equals 34,777 tones of CO2e. Direct emissions, arising from fuel use and refrigerant leakage account for the majority of overall emissions (54.48%). Emissions from purchased electricity (43.43%) are the second contributor to the total carbon footprint of Frigoglass.
% Contribution to total 40.55% 9.01% 4.92% 54.48% 43.43% 2.07% 0.03% 45.52% 100%
GHG emissions by site: Head office and manufacturing plants
Head office 3% Greece 8% China 10% India 8% Indonesia 18% Nigeria 2% Romania 10% Russia 9% South Africa 6% Turkey 26%
Site level GHG emissions by source Site Head office Greece China India Indonesia Nigeria Romania Russia South Africa Turkey TOTAL %
Operations 262.27 428.87 410.26 1,363.41 443.30 814.20 950.85 122.45 4,548.65 9,344.26
Direct Vehicles 336.11 172.93 96.29 48.42 364.73 36.27 498.67 210.61 57.68 255.22 2,076.92 54.48%
Refrigerants 168.03 108.60 732.16 5.43 50.68 21.83 46.48 1,133.20
Indirect Electricity Business travel 200.17 144.80 1,385.33 102.01 1,641.64 20.58 1,245.88 61.00 1,562.31 39.73 62.27 3.37 909.75 44.80 759.68 13.68 1,109.83 20.68 1,132.06 31.88 10,008.93 482.53 43.43%
TOTAL 681.08 1,922.53 2,355.40 1,874.17 4,062.34 550.64 2,318.11 1,956.66 1,357.11 5,967.81 23,045.85
2.10%
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UNITED STATE THE PROMISE OF A NEW WORLD
Feature Story
ES OF AMERICA I don’t care if you’re young or old Get together, let the good times roll B.B. King
Washington
Seattle Olympia
Spokane
Portland Vancouver
Missouri
Salem
North Dakota
Montana
Helena
Lake Superior
Minnesota
Bismarck
Montpelier
Idaho
Boise
Wisconsin
South Dakota
Minneapolis
Pierre
M
iss
iss
Cheyenne
Nebraska
Boulder Utah
Los Angeles San Diego
Omaha
Iowa
Lincoln
Denver
Kansas
Jefferson City
ado
Color
Santa Fe
Missouri
Dallas
MEXICO
Louisiana Texas
Houston
Jackson
Alabama
de an
Population 308,785,000 (82% urban, 18% rural), including an estimated 11.2 million illegal immigrants Population Density 32 persons/sq km Area 9,826,675 sq km Highest point McKinley, Alaska (6,194m)
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Norfolk
A t l a n t i c O c e a n
Charlotte
Montgomery
Spartanburg Columbia South Carolina
Georgia
Jacksonville
Tallahassee
New Orleans
Orlando Tampa
Gr
Languages English (de facto). There is no official language at federal level
Connecticut
Mississippi
Rio
Major cities New York (19m), Los Angeles (12.8m), Chicago (9.5m), Dallas (6.3m)
Massachusetts
Rhode Island
Raleigh
Greensboro
Atlanta
Birmingham
G u l f o f
Capital Washington DC
Boston
Providence
North Carolina
M e x i c o
Official Name United States of America
Virginia
West Virginia
Tennessee
Memphis
Baton Rouge
Austin San Antonio
Mississippi
P a c i f i c O c e a n
Erie
Charleston Richmond
Frankfort
Kentucky
Little Rock Arkansas
La
Ohio
Nashville
Oklahoma City
New Mexico
Detroit
io
Ontar
Albany Rochester Buffalo Hartford
Lake
Lansing
Louisville St. Louis
Oklahoma
Arizona
Phoenix
Michigan
ke Pennsylvania New York New Jersey Cleveland Trenton Harrisburg Pittsburgh Philadelphia Wilmington Columbus Ohio Baltimore Dover Indianapolis Annapolis Delaware Dayton Maryland Illinois Cincinnati Washington D. C. Indiana
Des Moines
Kansas City
Concord
Huron
Ann Arbor
Chicago
Springfield
Topeka
Colorado
U. S. A. California
i
Ames
Salt Lake City
Carson City Sacramento Oakland Nevada
ipp
Milwaukee Madison
Wyoming
New New York Vermont Hampshire
Lake
St. Paul
Lake Michigan
Oregon
San Francisco
Maine
Augusta
Florida
0 0
250 Miles 250 KM
West Palm Beach Miami
America is an astounding collection of natural and cultural wonders, from the wildly multicolored tapestry of urban streets to the mountains, plains and forests that cover vast swaths of the continent. It is home to Manhattan, Hollywood, Elvis Presley, the Yankees, and other world famous names that conjure a million different notions of popular culture and are integral to any understanding of the modern world. This ‘nation of nations’, a multiethnic and multicultural ‘melting pot’ as it was originally dubbed, was built on immigration and still annually attracts more than one million new immigrants from nearly every country. They add an amazing mix of cultures and languages to the diverse American character, aspiring to get their share of the ‘American dream’ -a concept that rewards bold ideas and hard work, no matter one’s place in society. This is a country that celebrates individualism and nurtures the spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship. From the historic flight by the Wright brothers to the Apollo moon landing, Americans have achieved ambitious goals, sharing in the belief that their country is a land of opportunity. Technological revolutions beginning with Thomas Edison’s light bulb and Henry Ford’s automobile continue today in the pioneering work of such innovative spirits as Bill Gates and Steve Jobs, who have changed the way people work, learn and interact across the industrialized world.
America is a place where big dreamers can triumph over adversity. Although 40 years have passed since Martin Luther King was assassinated, his message of hope lives on. No one in recent history has demonstrated that more clearly than President Obama. In the historic 2008 presidential election, this one bitterly divided nation with a legacy of slavery and segregation looked past its differences and elected a young African American to the highest office –the epitome of the American dream. America first articulated a vision of itself through its literature, which came full into its own in the early 20th century. Ernest Hemingway’s spare, stylized realism exemplified the era. F. Scott Fitzgerald dissected East Coast society life, while John Steinbeck became the great voice of the West’s rural and working poor. William Faulkner examined the South’s social rifts in dense prose. After WWII, American writers delineated ever-sharper regional and ethnic divides and often caustically repudiated middle class society values. Beat Generation writers Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg and William S. Burroughs celebrated nonconformity, while the recently deceased J.D. Salinger used humor to capture the ironic disaffections of modern life.
While literature helped America to develop a national voice, it was cinema that created its mythologies, both to itself and the rest of the world. Especially after 1927, when sound was first introduced, the magic of moving pictures enthralled the nation and glamorous stars such as Humphrey Bogart, Gary Grant, Rita Hayworth and Marilyn Monroe became American icons. Moviemakers and Hollywood studios shaped some distinctly American movie genres, such as the Western, which is a parable of America itself struggling to tame the rugged frontier, the Musical, which defined the golden age of movies from the 1930s to the 1950s, the Crime genre, where the outsider status of the urban gangster is an often explicit metaphor for the American immigrant experience, and finally Science Fiction, an inherently cinematic genre, which at its best employs a modern version of the wild western
FROM COLUMBUS TO OBAMA 1492
Italian explorer Christopher Columbus discovers America. He mistakenly names the inhabitants ‘Indians’, thinking he’d reached India.
1924
Unable to erase America’s indigenous cultures, the US invites them into the nation. The continent’s ‘first peoples’ are the last to become citizens.
1620
The Mayflower lands at Plymouth, Massachusetts with 102 English Pilgrims. Sick and starving they are saved by the Wampanoag tribe. Grateful Pilgrims throw a harvest festival, which today is celebrated annually as Thanksgiving.
1929
The stock market crashes leading to the Great Depression.
1932
Democrat Franklin D Roosevelt is elected president on the promise of a ‘New Deal’ to rescue the country from its crisis. New Deal programs establish Social Security and remain the foundation of US social policy.
1941
Japan launches a surprise attack on Hawaii’s Pearl Harbor, propelling the US into WWII and the allied fight against the Axis powers.
1945
US drops experimental atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki forcing Japan to surrender. World war ends, replaced with the Cold War between superpowers US and the Soviet Union in a competition to dominate the globe.
1947-51
US Marshall Plan financial aid helps Western Europe to recover from WWII and contain Soviet influence.
1756-63
In the Seven Years War, France loses to England. Britain now controls most of the territory east of the Mississippi River.
1773
To protest the British Tea Tax, Bostonians board East India Company ships and toss their tea overboard.
1775
British troops skirmished with armed colonists in Massachusetts, and the Revolutionary War begins. George Washington, a wealthy Virginia farmer, is chosen to lead the American army.
1776
On July 4, the American colonies sign the Declaration of Independence.
1787
Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia draws up the US Constitution. Federal power is balanced between the presidency, Congress and the judiciary.
1791
A citizen’s Bill of Rights, including freedom of speech, assembly, religion and the press; right to bear arms; and the right to a fair trial, is approved to guard against the abuse of centralized power.
1803
Louisiana is purchased from France, extending US territory from the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains.
1823
1841-44
1849
1861-65
President John F Kennedy assassinated in Dallas, Texas.
1965-75
US military involvement in Vietnam War in support of South Vietnam against communist North. Ten years later, the US departs from the area, having failed to stop the communist takeover.
1968
Senator Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King are assassinated.
President James Monroe articulates the Monroe doctrine, seeking to end European military interventions in the Americas.
1969
American astronauts land on the moon, fulfilling President Kennedy’s unlikely 1961 promise to accomplish this within the decade.
First wagon trains and newly invented telegraph open the frontier to California. By 1845, over 3000 pioneers a year are emigrating to the West.
1972
The Watergate scandal breaks: a burglary at Democratic Party offices was tied to President Nixon, who became the first president to resign from office in 1974.
1980
Republican California governor and former actor Ronald Reagan wins the presidential election and launches the biggest peacetime military build up in history, daring the Soviets to keep up. By the end of the decade the Soviet Union collapses.
1989
The Berlin Wall is torn down marking the official end of the Cold War. The USA becomes the world’s lone superpower.
1990s
California’s Silicon Valley leads a high-tech revolution, with tech stocks driving the biggest boom since the Great Depression.
2001
On September 11, Islamic Al-Qaeda terrorists fly hijacked airliners into New York’s World Trade Center and the Pentagon in Washington DC, killing 3,000 people and prompting the US ‘war on terror.’
2008
Democrat Barack Obama becomes the first African American president, marking a symbolic milestone in USA’s 230-year history.
After the discovery of gold near Sacramento, an epic gold rush starts. San Francisco explodes from 800 to 25,000 inhabitants. American Civil War between the North (Union) and the South (Confederacy). In April 1865, Confederate General Lee surrenders to Union leader Grant. The war’s end is marred by President Lincoln’s assassination a week later.
1865
The South’s four million slaves are freed, following Lincoln’s 1863 Emancipation Proclamation.
1898
US annexes Hawaii.
1908
The first Model T car is built; Ford is soon selling one million a year.
1919
Prohibition banning alcohol leads to a heyday of organized crime. In 1933, Prohibition is repealed.
1920
Women win the right to vote.
1920s
1963
A massive African American migration to northern cities inspires a flowering of the arts and letters.
frontier to discuss issues of existential identity, otherness and cultural difference. After WWII, television, first introduced in 1939, undercut the movie industry and soon became the defining 20th century medium. The American identity was also largely shaped by the continent’s immense riches and raw beauty, which wove itself into the nation’s collective soul. Despite over 400 years of urban growth, of farming and mining, and sometimes raging conflicts over resources and environmental impacts, Americans regard the natural wonders of their land as a national treasure. THE LAND Continental USA is made up of 48 contiguous states, while Alaska, its largest state, is northwest of Canada and the volcanic islands of Hawaii, the 50th state, are 2100 miles southwest in the Pacific Ocean. In the conterminous US, the East Coast is a land of temperate, deciduous forests that contains the ancient Appalachian Mountains, a low range that parallels the coast along the Atlantic Ocean. This coast is the country’s most populated and urbanized region, highlighted by the powerful, stylish and iconic New York City. Fast paced and pulsating with energy,
but also peaceful, relaxing and generous, New York’s fabled Manhattan boasts a series of landmarks which have become not only potent American symbols but also icons of the modern world: from the 46m-tall Statue of Liberty, conceived as a great monument to the republican ideal and erected on a small island in the NY harbor in 1886, to Brooklyn Bridge, which remains a compelling symbol of US achievement to the classic Empire State Building, opened in 1931. New York also features the famous Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), one of modernism’s most prestigious institutions hosting more than 100,000 works of art, and the Metropolitan Museum, a veritable cultural city-state owning an art universe of two million objects. Times Square, which trumpets its reputation a the ‘crossroads of the world,’ Fifth Avenue, immortalized in both film and song, and Central Park, a 3.4 sq km plot of forested groves right in the middle of Manhattan, are familiar sites to millions of people around the globe who have never set foot in the ‘Big Apple.’ Located south of NY, Philadelphia, the nation’s original capitol, features the Independence Hall, the ‘birthplace of American government,’ where delegates from the 13 colonies met to approve the Declaration of Independence on the Fourth of July, 1776.
23
the soundtrack of the 20th century
BLUES, JAZZ, ROCK & ROLL Do you believe in rock ’n roll, Can music save your mortal soul? Don McLean, American Pie
No other American art has been as influential as music. From big-band jazz that was born in New Orleans, to the Memphis blues, Detroit’s Motown sound, hip-hop, country and rock & roll, America has invented a freewheeling multicultural feast in which genres and styles are mixed, matched, blended and blurred.
Blues The South is the mother of American music, most of which has roots in the troubled interplay of black-white racial relations. The blues developed out of the work songs, or ‘shouts,’ of black slaves and out of black spiritual songs, both of which were adaptations of African music. Improvisational and intensely personal, the blues remain at heart an immediate expression of suffering, hope, desire and pride. At the same time, African American Christian choral music evolved into gospel, whose greatest singer, Mahalia Jackson, came to prominence in the 1920s. At the turn of the 20th century, traveling blues musicians gained fame across the South; among them Bessie Smith who is still considered the best blues singer who ever lived. After WWII, the blues dispersed north, particularly to Chicago, in the hands of a new generation of musicians, such as Muddy Waters and John Lee Hooker.
Rock & Roll Most say rock & roll was born in 1954 the day Elvis Presley recorded That’s All Right. Musically, it was a hybrid of guitardriven blues, black rhythm and blues (R&B) and white country music. However, by celebrating youth and dancing freely across the US color line, rock & roll supported a social revolution far more significant than its musical one. Authorities worked so diligently to sanitize and suppress it that it might have withered if not for the early 1960s ‘British Invasion,’ whereby the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, emulating Buddy Holly and Little Richard, shocked American rock back to life. The 1960s witnessed a full-blown youth rebellion, spurred by the psychedelic sounds of the Grateful Dead and Jefferson Airplane and the electric wails of Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix and Bob Dylan, and epitomized by the famous 1969 Woodstock music festival, which remains ever since a shorthand for free love, peace, free expression and the political ferment of the 1960s.
Jazz A sibling to the blues, jazz developed concurrently out of similar roots. Congo Square in New Orleans -where slaves gathered to sing and dance in the early 19th century- is considered the birthplace of jazz. The first variation of African music was ragtime, so called because of its rugged, syncopated rhythms. The 1920s and 30s are known as the Jazz Age. Swing, an urbane big-band jazz style, swept the country, led by innovative bandleaders Duke Ellington and Count Basie. Singers Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday, as well as guitarist B.B. King, combined the blues with jazz. After WWII ‘bebop’ arose as a reaction against the smooth melodies and confining rhythms of big-band swing, featuring a new crop of musicians such as Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie and Thelonious Monk. Purist critics at first derided the genre’s permutations in the 1950s and 1960s, but such towering figures as Miles Davis, Charles Mingus and John Coltrane expanded this ever flexible art form.
New England, consisting of the states of Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine, is an appealingly diverse land with verdant valleys, forests and rolling hills, such as the famous Berkshires. The coastline, including prized Cape Cod, is sculpted into coves or bounded by dunes and long sandy beaches sprinkled by age-old fishing villages. Massachusetts’ story is legendary: Plymouth where the Pilgrims landed in 1620 and Boston, the birthplace of Benjamin Franklin, where the first shots of the American Revolution rang out in 1775. In the 19th century Massachusetts became the center of the world’s whaling industry bringing unprecedented wealth to the islands of Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard, whose ships once swarmed the oceans and ports are still lined with grand captains’ homes. Nantucket’s whaling dominance is captured in Herman Melville’s ambitious masterpiece Moby Dick (1851). In the 1900s Boston blossomed into a spirited college town, while neighboring Cambridge is home to academic heavyweights Harvard University, the nation’s oldest and wealthiest educational institution, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), America’s foremost tech campus. America’s smallest state, Rhode Island is home to the town of Newport, whose very name conjures up images of F. Scott
take me out to the ballgame!
BASEBALL AND AMERICAN FOOTBALL For all their differences and individual pursuits, Americans do share a common thread. What really draws them together, more than religion, politics or even family, is sports. It provides some kind of social glue, so whether one is democrat or republican, conservative or liberal, married or single, every Monday morning he or she chats about the weekend performance of their favorite team, along with everyone else. The fun and games go on all year long. In spring and summer there’s baseball nearly every day. In fall and winter, a weekend wouldn’t feel right without a football game on, and through the long days and nights of winter there’s plenty of basketball to keep the adrenaline going. Of these ‘big three’ sports, baseball remains America’s pastime, providing 162 games over a season. Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The goal is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot square, or diamond. For most Americans there’s nothing better than being at the ballpark on a sunny day, relaxing in the bleachers with an ice cold beer and hot dog and indulging in the game’s slow pace. Every year, the Major League champion is determined by playoffs that culminate in the World Series, which still delivers sheer excitement. The New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs and Boston Red Sox continue to be America’s favorite teams. The most storied grounds are Chicago’s Wrigley Field and Boston’s Fenway, while baseball heroes include such largerthan-life figures as Babe Ruth and Joe DiMaggio. Unlike baseball, football is big and physical and involves a great deal of strategy. The game’s objective is to score points by advancing the ball into the opposing team’s end zone. Points can be scored in a variety of ways, including carrying the ball over the opponent’s goal line, kicking the ball through the opponent’s goal posts, or tackling an opposing ball carrier within his end zone. With the shortest season and least number of games (16) of any of the major sports, every match takes on the emotion, thrill and agony of an epic battle. Football is also the toughest because it’s played in fall and winter in all manner of rain, sleet and snow. Different teams have dominated different decades: the Pittsburg Steelers in the 1970s, the San Francisco 49ers in the 1980s, the Dallas Cowboys in the 1990s and the New England Patriots now. Pro Football Hall of Famers includes such legends as Sammy Baugh, Otto Graham and Joe Montana, perhaps the greatest quarterback ever. The extremely popular Super Bowl, pro football’s championship match held in early February, costs America more than $800 million in lost workplace productivity as employees gossip about the game, make bets and shop for new TVs online!
to boldly go where no man has gone before
NASA AND THE CONQUEST OF SPACE
On July 20, 1969, the world held its collective breath until finally Neil Armstrong, commander of the Apollo 11 moon landing mission, said “Tranquillity Base here. The Eagle has landed,” testifying that the American astronauts had a safe touchdown on the surface of the Moon. Then, at 10:56 pm eastern time, Commander Armstrong stepped onto the lunar surface with the now famous words, “That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.” Soon afterwards, Buzz Aldrin joined Armstrong outside the Lunar Module to set up experiments and obtain samples, realizing humanity’s long-held dream of exploring another celestial body. Veteran Soviet cosmonaut Aleksei Yeliseyev, who had witnessed first hand the space race between the two superpowers throughout the 1960s, noted that this was a bittersweet moment for the Soviet cosmonauts, but one they celebrated with joy and vodka, saluting the historic achievement of their American colleagues.That day,Yeliseyev recalls, it became clear that the United States had achieved superiority in space. “We were aware that a moon landing was the greatest human accomplishment, a triumph of intellect, willpower and aspiration. It was more of a spiritual achievement - not material, not about money. It was a measurement of these people’s lives, a goal worth devoting their lives to.” Apollo 11, and the manned missions that followed in the next three years marked the peak of lunar observation and exploration and the culmination of NASA’s achievement. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration was established in 1958 by President Dwight D. Eisenhower, partially in response to the Soviet Union’s launch of the first artificial satellite the previous year. NASA grew out of the National Advisory Committee on Aeronautics, which had been researching flight technology for more than 40 years. President John F. Kennedy focused NASA and the nation on sending astronauts to the moon by the end of the 1960s, a challenge that was emphatically met five months before the decade was out. Through the Mercury and Gemini projects, NASA developed the technology and skills required for the journey. Meanwhile, NASA was conducting purely scientific research, using its cutting-edge know how to develop the first weather and communications satellites.
After Apollo, NASA focused on creating a reusable ship to provide regular access to space: the space shuttle. First launched in 1981, the space shuttle has had 120 successful flights and two grave disasters, the loss of Challenger in 1986 and Columbia in 2003, which virtually put an end to the program. NASA, however, continued its groundbreaking work. In 1997, Mars Pathfinder became the first in a fleet of spacecraft that will explore Mars and try to determine if life ever existed there.The Terra and Aqua satellites are flagships of a different fleet, this one in Earth orbit, designed to help scientists understand how our home world is changing. In 2000, the United States and Russia established a permanent human presence in space aboard the International Space Station, a multinational project representing the work of 16 countries. Today, NASA remains on the forefront of developments, pioneering the future in space exploration, scientific discovery and aeronautics research. Spirit and Opportunity, the Mars Exploration Rovers, are still studying the planet after arriving in 2004, the Cassini robotic spacecraft is in orbit around Saturn and the restored Hubble Space Telescope continues to explore the deepest reaches of the cosmos.
Feature Story innovators who changed the world
THOMAS EDISON AND HENRY FORD When it comes to inventive minds and restless spirits, only a few can match inventor Thomas Edison and industrialist Henry Ford, whose pioneering achievements in the field of electricity and the motor vehicle industry respectively had profound effects on the shaping of modern society and changed the lives of millions of people all over the world.
Fitzgerald’s Great Gatsby mansions and unbridled wealth. In the 1890s Newport became the place for rich New Yorkers to summer. Their opulent seaside megapalaces, such as the Breakers built for Cornelius Vanderbilt II, patriarch of America’s richest family, are so dazzling that people still flock to Newport just to look at them. Connecticut has blossomed into a state that fuses historic appeal with youthful energy. The city of New Haven is graced by Yale University, not only an atmospheric campus thick with Gothic buildings but also a prominent member of the exclusive ivy league of academic institutions (Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Princeton, U-Penn, and Yale) and the prestigious alma mater of five US presidents. Vermont is a blanket of rolling green with some eighty percent of the state forested and most of the rest given over to pretty farms, quaint villages and historic covered bridges, while Maine is home to dramatic Acadia National Park, an age-old unspoiled wilderness of coastal mountains and towering sea cliffs, which owes its existence to tycoon John D. Rockefeller, who donated the land to the National Park Service system to spare it from development. The Capital Region (Washington DC, Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, West Virginia) is where the country was born and where it runs itself. USA’s capital since 1790, when it was decided that the federal city would be a new entity carved at the 13 colonies’ midway point, Washington DC (District of Columbia – a piece of land donated by Maryland and Virginia) is packed with great monuments. Framed by the Lincoln Memorial, the Capitol Hill and the Smithsonian Institution museums, the 3-km long National Mall is America’s great public space, where citizens come to protest or soak up collective national symbolism. Perhaps no other symbol has housed the national ideal of massed voice affecting radical change so much –from Martin Luther King’s 1963 ‘I Have a Dream’ speech to environmental protests in the 1990s. DC also hosts a string of other landmarks, including the Capitol, where the legislative branch of American government -i.e. the Congress- assembles to write the country’s laws, the Library of Congress, the Supreme Court, and, of course, the White House, the official residence of the President of the United States since 1800 and a globally recognized symbol of America’s political power.
Thomas Alva Edison’s (1847-1931) crowning achievement was the invention of the incandescent electric light bulb which became an instant success when it was publicly exhibited in 1879. In 1882 he developed and installed the world’s first large central electric-power station, located in New York. In telegraphy, his most important achievement was his invention of machines that made possible simultaneous transmission of several messages on one line and thus greatly increased the usefulness of existing telegraph lines. In 1888 he invented the kinetoscope, the first machine to produce films by a rapid succession of individual views, and in 1913, by synchronizing his gramophone and kinetoscope, he produced the first sound film. Among his later noteworthy inventions was an alkaline, nickel-iron storage battery, the result of many thousands of experiments. Altogether, Edison patented more than 1,000 inventions with profound implications for modern technology. In 1893, while a mechanical engineer with the Edison Illuminating Company, Henry Ford (1863-1947) completed the construction of his first car and in 1903 he founded the Ford Motor Company. In 1913 he began using standardized interchangeable parts and assembly-line techniques in his plant. Although Ford was the first to employ such practices, he was chiefly responsible for their general adoption and for the consequent great expansion of American industry. In 1908 the Ford company initiated production of the celebrated Model T. Until 1927, when the Model T was discontinued, the company produced and sold about 15 million cars. Within the ensuing few years, however, Ford’s pre-eminence as the largest producer and seller of motor cars in the nation was gradually lost to his competitors, largely because he was slow to adopt the practice of introducing a new car model each year, which had become standard in the industry.
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More than any other part of the country, the South has an identity all of its own –a sense of regional pride, a musical way of speaking, a troubled history and a shared culture that cuts across state lines. Historic cities such as New Orleans and Savannah are virtual shrines to the ‘good old days’, celebrating period architecture, a traditional food culture that’s arguably unsurpassed in the USA and a kind of gentility rarely found in other parts of the country. The South is the only American region identified by its own strain of music history, running all the way from slave spirituals to 21st c. hip-hop. Blues, jazz and rock & roll were all born in the South (see tinted article.) Georgia, the largest state east of the mighty Mississippi River, vaulted to national prominence thanks to the wildly popular film Gone with the Wind (1939) and state capitol Atlanta’s rise as a global media and business center culminating in the 1996 Summer Olympics. A sprawling metropolis with friendly neighborhoods alongside multinational corporations such as CocaCola, Atlanta is also the home of the world’s biggest news organization, CNN. Georgia’s past is more gracefully preserved in Savannah, a grand historic town featuring gorgeous mansions, cotton warehouses and colonial buildings. Home to gorgeous country roads, shabby juke joints, crispy catfish and acres of cotton, the state of Mississippi offers a glimpse of the real South. It lies somewhere amid the Confederate defeat at Vicksburg, the literary legacy of Nobel Prize winning author William Faulkner in Oxford, the birthplace of the blues in the Mississippi Delta and the humble origins of rock & roll king Elvis Presley in Tupelo. In the rolling hills and pine forests of northern Louisiana, the population shares similar traits with other neighboring states. But the world becomes a different place amid the swamps of southern Louisiana and the streets of New Orleans –where jazz and Afro-Caribbean sounds color the thick sultry air and succulent kitchen aromas betray a rich mix of cultural influences. Although in August 2005 hurricane Katrina lashed the city and left residents scrambling for their lives, the town’s pervading motto remains Let the good times roll. Especially during Mardi Gras, a pagan rite which evolved into pure, generalized bacchanalia, parades roll all over town for four whole weeks. The action is usually more intense around the charming and iconic French Quarter with its cobbled streets, wrought-iron balconies and noisy bars lining the notorious Bourbon St.
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A crazy protuberance of land, Florida is an endless parade of the superlative and the bizarre, from alligator farms to mermaid shows. However, beyond the playful delights of manmade attractions, this sunshine state features some serious natural wonders. The Everglades, an incredibly unique ecosystem, is the largest subtropical wilderness in the US, boasting an amazing biodiversity and supporting a number of endangered species, including the American crocodile and the bottlenose dolphin. Florida is also home to NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) and the Kennedy Space Center, the only spot in the US from which humans have been hurled into space. The Florida Keys are no less spectacular. Before a railroad connecting them to the mainland was completed in 1912, this 200km garland of islands was accessible only by boat. The southernmost island, the notorious Key West, has a funky vibe which has long attracted artists, renegades and free spirits. Back to the mainland, state capitol Miami has got the sun, sand and surf of a tropical island, coupled with the avantgarde art, modern architecture -featuring a string of graceful art deco gems-, gourmet food and exclusive entertainment of a sophisticated urban center. Way up north and a world apart from the Keys -both geographically and culturally- are the Great Lakes, the greatest expanse of fresh water on planet earth. These five lakes (Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie and Ontario), which the US shares with Canada, are huge like inland seas, offering beaches, islands, dunes, resort towns and lots of lighthouse-dotted scenery. Dairy farms and fruit orchards blanket the region, while several microbreweries maintain a German-influenced tradition of fine beer crafting. The Great Lakes region, also known as the Midwest (formed by the states of Ilinois, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota) is the USA’s solid, conservative heartland where regional pride manifests at every turn in the road. Illinois is dominated by Chicago’s sky-high architecture, lakefront beaches and superlative art institutions. Following the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, the city planners rebuilt with steel and created space for bold new structures, like the world’s first skyscraper, which popped up in 1885, eventually turning the city into an open museum of modern architecture. Besides being the birthplace of inventor Thomas Edison as well as seven American presidents, Ohio has the densest Amish concentration in the country. Descendants of conser-
Feature Story life, freedom and the pursuit of happiness THE
DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE AND THE AMERICAN CONSTITUTION
The Constitution is the supreme law of the United States, defining the three main branches of government: a legislature, the Congress; an executive branch led by the President; and a judicial branch headed by the Supreme Court. Adopted on September 17, 1787, by the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia and amended twenty-seven times (the first ten amendments are known as the Bill of Rights), the US Constitution is the shortest and oldest written Constitution still in use by any nation in the world today, maintaining a central place in the country’s political culture. Like the Declaration, it starts with a famous sentence:
“We the People of the United States, in order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.” On July 4, 1776, a group of prominent intellectuals finalized and signed the Declaration of Independence. Largely written by Thomas Jefferson, it elevated the 13 colonies’ particular gripes against the monarchy into a universal declaration of individual rights and republican government. It was so moving it helped inspire revolutions elsewhere, and famously begins:
“We hold these truths to be self-evident: That all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” One of the best-known sentences in the English language, this sweeping statement of human rights came to represent for many people a moral standard for which the United States should strive. This view was greatly influenced by Abraham Lincoln, who promoted the idea that the Declaration is a statement of principles through which the United States Constitution should be interpreted.
In the eyes of its makers, one of the Constitution’s main tasks was to create a political system in accord with the eternal human nature. Its shaping started from this question: how does one achieve a “more perfect union” with men who are essentially imperfect? Humans are dominated by passions but society must be governed by reason.This contradiction is perhaps the heart of the matter. The key trait of the American Constitution is its refusal to accept any pre-established harmony between man and society or between the state and the federal Union. In the view of the Founding Fathers, man is by his nature divided by conflicting passions, just as society, by its nature, is divided into factions of all kinds. For a sovereign authority to attempt to resolve the differences among these divergent groups would be to go against the nature of things and to induce despotism. Union and concord among men or among the states should not be achieved by imposing consent on them but by establishing a system in which no one possess any overwhelming degree of power. The continuing interaction of parties, interests, opinions and authorities, all on the field of play at once, is the basic idea of freedom that has so intimately shaped the American character.
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vative Dutch-Swiss religious factions who migrated to the US in the 18th century, the Amish have resisted modernity for centuries, insisting on traditional clothing and horse-drawn carriages, often going as far as prohibiting the use of electricity, telephones and motorized vehicles. The very opposite is true for Indiana, which features a superlative motor speedway, home of the Indianapolis 500 motor race, and Michigan, which has long been synonymous with cars. Starting in the 1920s, car-making became inextricably linked to Michigan
economy. Once the pride of the nation for its cool GM, Ford and Chrysler beauties, the city of Detroit fell to pieces when the American automobile industry declined in recent decades. On the contrary, Wisconsin maintains a secure place in US industrial history. In 1903 two young schoolmates in Milwaukee, William Harley and Arthur Davidson, built and sold their first motorcycle. A century later, HarleyDavidson superbikes are an enduring symbol of American manufacturing pride.
I have a dream
JOHN KENNEDY AND MARTIN LUTHER KING November 22, 1963 was a warm sunny day in Dallas. President John F. Kennedy accompanied by his wife Jackie had come to Texas to do a bit of pre-election work. The reception seemed promising as did the future. At 11:50 a.m. the motorcade with the presidential limousine left the airport on its rendezvous with fate. Its plastic bubble top was removed and the bullet-proof side windows were rolled down because the weather was so favorable and this is how President Kennedy preferred to ride. The fatal shot rang out at 12:30 p.m. John Fitzgerald Kennedy, often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, the youngest elected to the office, at the age of 43, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963. During his administration an inspiring rhetoric revivified the promise of America. In his inaugural address he sent the message that the torch has been passed to a new generation: “Now the trumpet summons up against the common enemies of man: tyranny, poverty, disease and war itself. Will you join in that historical effort? And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country. My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.” Kennedy trumpeted a new frontier premised on America’s historical greatness and future potential. With new determination, the USA went out into the world offering educational, economic and military assistance. Science and technology assured boundless resources,
limitless expansion and space exploration also became a national priority. His assassination tarnished the American dream and brought the issues of crime and justice to the forefront of national and international attention. Like the Kennedy assassination, civil rights violence turned cracks in the American dream into ruptures. Black Americans had been given the right to vote in 1870, but the issues of racial equity and injustice remained largely unexamined and segregation remained a way of life. The Southern Christian Leadership Coalition, led by Martin Luther King Jr., aimed to end segregation and realize color-blind justice and fairness in economic opportunity. King’s powerful “I have a dream” speech, given on the steps at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. on August 28, 1963, inspired new hope. Merging the age-old theme of the American dream with clear statements of the black agenda, King intoned a new vision for the nation that remains alive, long after his assassination in Memphis, Tennessee, on April 4, 1968: “I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave-owners will be able to sit down together at a table of brotherhood. I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”
the American skyscraper
SYMBOL OF THE MODERN AGE Beauty or beast? The rise and eventual establishment and omnipotence of the skyscraper, this most American of building types, reflects an unquestionable technological triumph and a controversial sociological impact. The advent of the tall building, assertive symbol of modernity, technological prowess and business competency, prompted debates concerning material advancement to the detriment of human priorities and the expansion of cities at the expense of the land. Simply, the skyscraper was an anathema to those who sought to preserve traditional lifestyles and a pinnacle of ingenuity and progress to nationalists and modernists. Alfred Stieglitz, one of America’s greatest photographers, once said that the New York’s Flatiron Building, the tallest skyscraper in the world when built in 1902, was as important to America as the Parthenon was to Greece! Until the 20th century, Americans adopted European architectural styles and followed revivalist trends. In the 1850s, however, internal iron frame buildings, which fist appeared in Manhattan, freed up designs. After the 1880s invention of the Otis elevator, American architects were encouraged to design really tall buildings and the Chicago School produced the skyscraper –considered the first ‘modern’ architecture and America’s most prominent architectural contribution to the world. Its soaring verticality, solid massiveness, regularizing patterns and functionalist aesthetic premised on a nononsense geometric rigor, became an emblem of order, clarity and efficiency, the pride of American modernism and the archetype of urban American life. Interestingly, the first true skyscraper is in neither Chicago nor Manhattan but Buffalo, NY: the 13-story Guaranty Building, designed by the great Louis Sullivan in 1894. Influenced by art deco, which became instantly popular in the US after the 1925 Paris exposition, urban high rises soared, becoming symbols of America’s technical achievement and
affinity for modernism. Design emphasized the structural grid and surfaces of concrete, glass and steel, denoting strength, dedication and success. Notable examples are the 1930 Chrysler building and the 1931 Empire State Building, both in New York City. Chicago’s Sears Tower (442m), once the tallest building in the world, remains the USA’s tallest, but when and if completed, the Chicago Spire will rise 610m and twist like a drill into the new millennium.
Flat as a board and drained by the mighty Mississippi, the Great Plains region (Missouri, Oklahoma, Kansas, Iowa, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota) retains its raw, frontier edge. This is, after all, the land where cowboys shaped their myth, 60 million bison ran wild, covered wagons blazed trails west and the heroic Plains Indians fought overpowering forces. The people who settled the Great Plains usually faced difficult lives of scarcity, uncertainty and isolation. Only fiercely independent people could thrive in those conditions and that born-and-bred rugged individualism remains the core of Plains culture today. Home of the Great Plains’ two largest cities, St. Louis and Kansas City, the state of Missouri boasts the world’s largest beer plant, the historic Anheuser-Busch Brewery that makes Budweiser and controls 50 percent of the domestic market. North Dakota is celebrated for quite a different reason. Some
of the most arresting scenery in the entire country is found here, tucked away in this remote and wild state: the weirdly lunar formations of the Badlands, the fabled Black Hills, full of forests and canyons, and one of the USA’s most recognizable monuments: Mount Rushmore. Looking like they’re either emerging from or being absorbed by the mountain, the stony faces of past presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt -carved 18m tall in the granite of a Black Hills outcrop- impress with their sheer scale and the massive physical effort of the artists that created it between 1927 and 1941. In Dallas, Houston, Fort Worth, San Antonio and all across the great state of Texas, nicknamed the ‘Lone Star State,’ two things seem to be indisputably true: football is sacred and BBQ is divine. People take these things pretty seriously around here. The Dallas Cowboys football team, the most valuable
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get your kicks on Route 66
BEATNIK AURA AND HIGHWAY CULTURE If you ever plan to motor west, Travel my way, take the highway that’s best. Get your kicks on route sixty-six. America is a country of road trips, expansive vistas and great open skies, where four million miles of highways lead past redrock deserts, below towering mountain peaks and across fertile wheat fields that roll off towards the horizon. The highway system joins metropolitan centers and suburban enclaves as a prime element of the manmade American landscape, signifying the promise of a utopian future. In a cover story, Time magazine boasted that road building was a genuine form of American art and thatWhirling the highway Dervishes was a true index of the American culture. The No other road in America enjoys such legendary status as U.S. Route 66 (also known as the “Mother Road”), one of the original U.S. highways established in 1926 and immortalized in popular culture by a 1946 hit song. The famous highway originally ran from Chicago, Illinois, through Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California, before ending at Los Angeles, encompassing a total of 3,940 km. It soon became a major path of the migrants who went west and supported the economies of the communities through which it passed. John Steinbeck, in his 1940 novel Grapes of Wrath, chronicled the migration along Route 66 of thousands of farmers leaving the “dust bowl” of Kansas and Oklahoma during the Great Depression, trying to reach a better land in California. Later representations of the road were a little more upbeat. Although Jack Kerouac only mentions Route 66 briefly in his book On the Road -a defining work of the jazz-inspired postwar Beat Generation, the highway acquired something of the aura of the Beatniks, who had developed a reputation as new bohemians rejecting mainstream values, celebrating non-conformity and spontaneous creativity, and glorifying cross-country driving. On the Road has been a huge influence on many poets, writers, actors and musicians, including Bob Dylan and Jim Morrison, and inspired such acclaimed road movies as Easy Rider, Paris Texas, even Thelma and Louise. In the 1980s, the aging highway was decommissioned. Much of its stretch had been overlaid or routed around by broader, newer interstate highways. But the embedded idea of Route 66 still captures the imagination, as thousands of kicks-seekers continue to follow the remnants of the road from Chicago to Los Angeles, paying tribute to one of America’s 20th century icons.
Between heaven and earth
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sports franchise in the United States and second in the world behind England’s Manchester United, is a treasured Texan institution, while BBQ -brisket, sausage and other meats smoked on huge pits with hardly any side dishes or sauces, is a cherished tradition stemming from the dry barbecue of German and Czech meat markets in the 1880s. Teeming with stunning natural beauty, from towering peaks to wide-open alpine tundra and grassy meadows, the jagged Rocky Mountains is home to four gorgeous, bright and sunny states: Colorado, Wyoming, Montana and Idaho. Shrouded in mystery, Mesa Verde in Colorado is a fascinating national park. It is here that a civilization of Ancestral Pueblo Indians appears to have vanished in AD 1300, leaving behind a complex civilization of cliff dwellings. Equally stunning is Wyoming, the so called ‘Cowboy State,’ where the pioneer past comes to life through spectacular rodeos and colorful frontier pageants. Wyoming’s greatest bounty lies in its north-western corner, home to Yellowstone, one of the country’s most magnificent national parks. Packed with alpine lakes, rivers, geysers and waterfalls and featuring an incredibly diverse concentration of wildlife, this park is truly one of Mother Nature’s most fabulous creations. Called the ‘live and let live’ state, neighboring Montana is a beautiful amalgamation of big skies, big bears and big rivers. However, this wild, untamed state’s most beautiful and revered attraction, the Glacier National Park, has now become another victim of global warming. Home to 150 glaciers in 1850, today the park only has 26 named ice fields left. And those that do remain are shells of their former selves, climatologists say, and melting quickly. West of the Rockies lies the country’s Southwest region (Nevada, Arizona, Utah, New Mexico.) Cut to dramatic effect by the Colorado River, this arid land is iconic America, the luscious backdrop of movie Westerns and the red-rock land of limitless horizons. Time has etched itself on these yawning landscapes, carving white-water canyons, soaring buttes and formations of psychedelic sandstone. The first state to legalize gambling, Nevada is loud with the chime of slot machines and the glitter of cavernous hotel casinos. Las Vegas, its legendary ‘sin city’ of bacchanalian reverie, is a neon-clad desert oasis, an opulent, fantasyland in the middle of a ravaged frontier. Speared into the modern era by the completion of a railroad that linked up Salt Lake City to Los
Angeles in 1902, Las Vegas boomed in the 1920s thanks to federally sponsored construction projects. Arizona’s ultimate destination is Grand Canyon, a natural wonder of dramatic grandeur and sublime beauty that epitomizes the romantic wilderness ideal. Cleaving a mile deep into the earth and averaging 16km across, it inspires awe. Snaking along its floor runs Colorado River, which has carved the canyon over the past six million years and exposed rocks up to two billion years old - half the age of the Earth. No less impressive is Monument Valley, which has one of the most stunning scenery in America. With flaming-red buttes and slender spires bursting into heavens, the landscape has starred in countless Hollywood Westerns and looms large in all roadtrip fantasies. Strewn with earth-tone adobes, New Mexico has an undeniable style too. Ancient pueblos, 300-year-old haciendas and modern buildings stand in close proximity, surrounded by wild open spaces. For centuries, Native American markets have drawn thousands lured by famed black-on-black pottery or Navajo weavings. Celebrated in song, film and legend, California stands apart from most of the rest of America, and perhaps no other culture anywhere in the world has such an enormous effect on how people work, play, learn and consume. Ever since it became the 31st US state in 1850, following the gold rush of 1849, California has been a pioneer in social trends thanks to its size, confluence of wealth and heavy immigration. Since the 1930s, Hollywood has mesmerized the world with its dreams and fashions, while San Francisco reacted against the banal
forever in blue jeans AN
AMERICAN TRADITION THAT SWEPT THE WORLD
Money talks / But it don’t sing and dance and it don’t walk. And long as I can have you here with me / I’d much rather be Forever in blue jeans Neil Diamond
From 18th century gold rush to 1960s Woodstock and from macho farmers to college nerds, blue jeans have been witnessing historic moments and shifting cultural trends, signifying both tradition and rebelliousness, relaxation and a hard day’s work. Jeans are more than just clothing; to many people they are an attitude, a state of mind, a philosophy of life. To borrow the lyrics from another song, Baby let’s sell your diamond rings, buy some boots and faded jeans. The concept isn’t about getting rid of the money so much as acquiring an attitude of simplicity and unpretentiousness. Jeans are for working outdoors, taking a walk, shopping for groceries, taking the subway, touring a city, or cocooning at home. Of course, designer’s jeans can be a very convincing -and expensive- fashion statement, but that’s beside the point. Blue jeans have French origins and the word ‘jeans’ comes from the French phrase bleu de Gênes, literally the blue of Genoa, while jeans fabric, or denim, originated in the French town of Nimes, to which denim owes its name. However, the first blue jeans were created by the man whose name is often interchanged with the term, Levi Strauss, a young Bavarian immigrant, who arrived in San Francisco in the 1850s during the California Gold Rush. Strauss’ purpose was to sell canvas used for wagons and tents, but soon found that the real need was in strong durable clothing, especially pants. One of Strauss’ best customers was a local tailor named Jacob Davis, who came upon the idea of attaching copper rivets to the pants to reinforce the points of strain, such as at the corners of pockets. The new riveted pants were an instant winner, so Davis wrote to Levi Strauss, suggesting the two of them apply together to patent the product. Strauss agreed and in 1873, the patent was confirmed. From ‘waist overalls,’ as they were originally called, to ‘denim’ to ‘work pants’ to ‘jeans,’ these rugged pants were a huge success and eventually took America and the rest of the world by storm. After James Dean popularized them in the movie Rebel Without a Cause, wearing jeans by teenagers and young adults became a symbol of youth rebellion during the 1950s. Because of this, they were sometimes banned in theaters, restaurants and schools. During the 1960s the wearing of jeans became more acceptable and by the 1970s they had become a general fashion not only in the United States but across the western world. To give an idea of its enormous global appeal, it’s enough to say that approximately 20 million tons of indigo dye are produced annually for dying blue jeans to their blue color, though only a few grams are required for each pair of trousers!
pope of pop art
ANDY WARHOL In the wake of WWII, the traditionally figurative and largely conservative American art underwent a sea of change at the hands of New York school painters, such as Jackson Pollock and Mark Rothko, who explored abstraction and its psychological potency through imposing scale and gestural handling of paint. This style, called abstract expressionism, is widely considered to be the first truly original school of American art, promoting individualism and freedom vis-à-vis the conservative socialist realist styles favored by Soviet regimes. As a revolt against the high rhetoric and lofty idealism of abstract expressionism, Andy Warhol (1928-1987) and other 1960s pop artists drew inspiration from consumer images -billboards, product packaging and media icons- that had flooded the American cities as a result of the postwar economic boom. Warhol suggested that standardization rather than expressionism was the key American trait. Employing mundane mass-production techniques to silkscreen paintings of movie stars, Coca-Cola bottles and Campbell soup cans,Andy Warhol helped topple the myth of the solitary artist who lives above and beyond the cultural reality of his time. At a time when America was becoming a superpower,Warhol’s endlessly repetitive Marilyn Monroes, dollar signs and soup cans signified both the superiority and superficiality of American lifestyles and consumer culture.
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complacency of postwar suburbia by spreading beat poetry, hippie love and gay pride. The inherent revolution, initially spurred by the high-tech visionaries in Silicon Valley, rewired the country and led to a 1990s gold rush in the stock market. Bold and beautiful and a beacon of hope for countless dreamers, fortune seekers and daredevils, Los Angeles is a bon vivant that never takes life too seriously. Such names as Beverly Hills, Sunset Boulevard, Rodeo Drive, Long Beach and Malibu kindle the imagination and conjure images of affluence, fame and a carefree lifestyle. The place, however, where childhood fantasies run wild is Disneyland, the mother of all theme parks, which lures youngsters into a magical world of excitement and joy. Similarly alluring are the world famous attractions (the Zoo, Sea World and Legoland) offered by San Diego, a coastal destination often referred to as America’s finest city. The ‘Golden State’, however, is not only about casual coastal lifestyles. Further inland lurk vast, remote and unfriendly desserts, such as Death Valley, whose name itself evokes a punishing, barren and hellish place (56°C measured in 1913!) Yet closer inspection reveals a pretty spectacular natural show with water-fluted canyons, singing sand dunes, palm-shaded oases and plenty of endemic wildlife. Back to the coastline, Hwy 1, also known as the highway to heaven, seems at times to clutch at the cliffs above the ravenous Pacific Ocean, before subsiding to the friendly shores of San Francisco. In 1849, gold found in the Sierra Nevada foothills turned a waterfront village of 800 into a port city of 100,000 prospectors almost overnight. In 1866, San Francisco was way ahead of its time when it decided to turn 1017 acres of sand dunes into the world’s largest city park, the famous Golden Gate Park. In 1937, the city unveiled an engineering marvel, the awesome and irresistibly attractive Golden Gate Bridge, a single span suspension bridge spanning the opening of the San Francisco Bay into the Pacific Ocean. In the 1960s the city became a testing ground for civil rights and free speech, while in 1972, the notorious island prison Alcatraz, once home to such infamous inmates as Al Capone and “Machine Gun” Kelly, became a national recreation area. Across the Golden Gate Bridge, Northern California is green and mild, with fog seeping in from the coast and burning off over the vineyards in Napa and Sonoma counties -America’s blessed Wine Country. To the west soars the mighty Sierra Nevada, a 650km phalanx of craggy peaks chiseled by glaciers
traditional American recipe and cradling spectacular Lake Tahoe, as well as two stunning national parks, often referred to as ‘Nature’s forest masterpieces’: Yosemite, where heights are dizzying, and Sequoia, where the famous giant trees, the so called ‘kings of the forest,’ are bigger than anywhere else in the world. Located on America’s rain-lashed Pacific Rim and characterized by its vibrant economy, the Pacific Northwest region has stamped its mark on the modern world. Culturally speaking, the manifestations are everywhere, from Starbucks coffee or grunge music, to such ingenious innovations as Microsoft and Amazon.com, which have hijacked the globe’s technological highways. But it’s not all about technology and entrepreneurship. Immortalized by their spectacular mountains and vast primeval forests, the states of Washington and Oregon are as spectacular as they are economically vibrant, measuring time in ancient trees and rugged mountain peaks. The snow capped Cascades, which run like a spine from Canada to California punctuated by a string of magnificent volcanoes, are juxtaposed against glittering Seattle, a thriving urban core amid spectacular natural beauty. Far away and rurally isolated, yet beautiful and wildly bountiful, Alaska is an amazing land and America’s ‘last frontier.’ Sixteen tidewater glaciers spill from the mountains and fill the sea with icebergs around the famous Glacier Bay National Park, while the Chilkoot trail, the route used by the Klondike gold miners in the 1898 gold rush, offers both a wilderness adventure and a valuable history lesson. Alaska’s breathtaking natural wonders includes Mt McKinley -the highest mountain in the US, a magnificent pyramid of rock, snow and glaciers rising from the valley floor. Hawaii, this string of emerald islands in the cobalt-blue Pacific Ocean over 3,000km from any continent, is an expression of nature at its most luscious and an enchanting multicultural world whose roots lie in Polynesia, Asia, North America and Europe. As befits a tropic paradise, the ‘Aloha State’ has a decidedly casual personality. Except in cosmopolitan Honolulu, beachwear is acceptable for any occasion, while socializing revolves around food and family. In local sensibilities, caring for the environment and caring for the community are integral and intertwined. Hawaii’s many wonders include two active volcanoes: majestic Mauna Loa and young Kiauena, which has been erupting almost continually since 1983, testifying to the fact that USA is still a country in the making.
COUNTRY-STYLE APPLE PIE Ever since the Wampanoag Indians helped the Pilgrims stave off starvation over the winter of 1620, Americans have happily incorporated myriad food cultures to create their own, based on the rich bounty of the North American continent. Over the years, massive waves of immigrants have greatly enriched American gastronomy by adapting foreign ideas to local cuisines. Although they are more familiar with the world’s food cultures than any population on earth, it’s true that most Americans still love their hamburgers, long-cooked stews and homey apple pies. flaky pastry 2 cups sifted flower 1 teaspoon salt 2/3 cup vegetable shortening or lard, chilled 4-6 tablespoons ice water filling 6 medium-size tart cooking apples 3/4-1 cup sugar 2 teaspoons lemon juice 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg 1/4 teaspoon salt 2 tablespoons butter or margarine glaze (optional) 1 tablespoon milk 1 tablespoon sugar preparation Preheat oven to 425° F (220° C). Place flour and salt in a shallow mixing bowl and cut in shortening with a pastry blender or a fork until mixture resembles coarse meal. Sprinkle water over surface, 1 tablespoon at a time, and mix in lightly and quickly with a fork, just until pastry holds together. Shape gently into two balls on a lightly floured surface, then flatten one ball for the bottom pastry into a circle about 1” thick, evening up rough edges. Using a lightly floured rolling pin and short firm strokes roll into circle about 2-3” larger than the pan you plan to use (recommended: 9” piepan). Transfer bottom pastry to pan and press lightly. Seal any cracks or holes by pressing dampened scraps of pastry on top. Do not trim edge. Roll top crust, cut steam slits in center and cover with cloth while you prepare filling. Peel, core, and thinly slice apples, taste and sweeten as needed with sugar; add lemon juice, spices and salt and toss gently. Pile or arrange apple mixture in pie shell and dot with butter. Brush pastry rim lightly with cold water, fit top crust over apples, trim, seal and crimp edges. For a shiny crust, brush with milk and sprinkle with sugar. Bake 15-20 minutes with a piece of foil or pan on rack below to catch drips, reduce heat to 350° F (180° C), and bake 25-30 minutes longer until crust is lightly browned. Cool 5-10 minutes before serving. Serve hot or cold with heavy cream or vanilla ice cream 8 servings, Nutrients per serving: 400 calories, 10mg CH, 370mg S
SOUTH CAROLINA
Warm Southern Charm Crossing the border of South Carolina is a plunge back in time, the beginning of the Deep South, where the air is hotter, the accents are thicker and traditions are clung to with more fervor. Starting at the Atlantic Coast with its glorious marshlands, white-columned colonial plantations and palm tree-studded silvery beaches, the state climbs westward towards the Blue Ridge Mountains, unfolding a wealth of old towns, wild state parks and black-water
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swamps. Along the coastal isles one can hear the sweet songs of the Gullah, a culture and language created by former slaves who held onto many West African traditions through the ravages of time. South Carolina may be the smallest of the Southern states, but what it lacks in land area it makes up for in diversity and enthusiasm. People here like to celebrate and every month of the year thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a local festival that turns on regional pride.
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historic port city, which has survived three centuries of epidemics, earthquakes, fires and hurricanes (the last one being Hurricane Hugo in 1989), is today one of the South’s loveliest and best-preserved cities. Many of its treasured homes are fine examples of antebellum architecture (neoclassical style of the American South before the US Civil War) and authentically furnished house museums. Thoroughly drenched in Southern charm, Charleston is a city where residents walk down cobblestone streets, have long dinners on the veranda, and tend their famous gardens in much the same way their ancestors did 300 years ago. Spartanburg once produced the state’s largest peach crop. Lovely country drives in the area meander through peach orchards, which delight with fragrant blossoms each spring and juicy treats at roadside stands each summer. Although it’s still part of the state’s largest peachproduction area, today the town is better known as an international business center. Many foreign corporations have industrial facilities here, including the BMW Zentrum plant, the company’s only one in North America.
More than 28 separate tribes of Native Americans once lived here, many of them Cherokee who were later forcibly removed. The English founded the Carolina colony in 1670, with settlers pouring in from the royal outpost of Barbados, giving the port city known as Charles Towne a Caribbean flavor. South Carolina was the first state to secede from the Union, and the first battle of the Civil War occurred at Fort Sumter in Charleston. This
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Frigoglass North America In 1958, entrepreneur Herman Buffington founded Beverage-Air, a company that manufactured refrigeration equipment for the beverage industry, in Spartanburg, South Carolina. Towards the end of the decade, Beverage-Air transitioned from ice-cooled to air-cooled equipment. The 60s saw the development of glass-door merchandisers. In the 70s, the company introduced the Marketeer line of coolers that would become the industry’s standard for over 30 years. During the 80s and 90s, the company had expanded its geographic footprint, adding new customers, such as Pepsi, Dr. Pepper, 7-UP and other new-age brands, and introduced innovative cooler lines, such as the Breeze line of open-front coolers. The factory was expanded several times to its present size of 110,000 sq m, at one time employing 1400 people and producing over 90,000 units (1997).
Nick was born in Orhomenos, Greece, and holds an Electrical Engineering degree from the University of Patras. He was a research engineer at Patras University for five years before joining Frigoglass Greece in 1993. In his 17-year tenure with the company he has been the Head of Purchasing and has held production and supply chain management positions. His wife Eleni is a chemical engineer, and they have an 8-year old son Panagiotis, who along with Nick loves soccer. Nick misses soccer very much and is trying to fill the gap by watching American football, basketball, and baseball. NICK DOUMAS Plant Manager
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The USA market changed significantly in the 2000s as many new competitors emerged. As a result, BeverageAir’s cooler business contracted considerably. Manufacturing operations were relocated abroad, and the Spartanburg facility served only as a distribution center from 2006 to 2008. Despite the industry’s competitive environment, the company continued to focus on innovation, developing a cassette-based line of products in 2006 and launching the Miracool brand. Eventually, Universal Nolin Company was established in December 2008 and the Spartanburg facility was revived. Today, the factory employs 95 people and has an annual capacity of 50,000 units. In December 2009 Frigoglass acquired 100% of the shares of Universal Nolin and in April 2010 the company was renamed Frigoglass North America.
Nikos was born in Athens, Greece and holds a Mechanical Engineering degree from the National Technical University of Athens and an MBA from the Athens Laboratory of Business Administration. His career began with Kraft Foods Hellas where he worked as a Project Coordinator on New Product development and as a Brand Manager. He has been with Frigoglass since 2006 serving in the roles of Product Manager, Senior Project Manager, Group Product Manager, IC and Group Product Manager, Coca-Cola. In his free time, Nikos enjoys cars, sailing, and basketball. NIKOS KONTOS Marketing Manager
Anil is a Chartered Accountant and he has worked with Cap, Gemini, and Ernst & Young as a Consultant before joining Frigoglass in 2004. His most recent position was Senior Manager in the Corporate Development and Strategy department where he was closely involved with the acquisition of Universal Nolin. Anil is married to Sirisha and can usually be found with his nose buried in a book whenever possible. In his free time he also enjoys traveling. ANIL RAO Senior Finance Manager
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David was born in Memphis, Tennessee, and holds two degrees in business: a Bachelor’s degree from Christian Brothers University of Memphis and an MBA from the University of Tennessee. He started his career with Carrier Corporation and since 1990 he has held senior leadership positions in manufacturing, quality, and engineering. He joined Beverage Air in 2002 as the Vice President of Operations and served as General Manager of the ICM business in 2008. In 2009 he joined Universal Nolin and has transitioned to Frigoglass North America as Vice President of Operations. David and his wife Tricia have three children and three grandchildren. In his free time, David enjoys reading, attending local sports events and hiking in the mountains of North and South Carolina.
Greg was born in 1948 in Hanover, Indiana and holds a B.Sc. in Business Management from Indiana University. His extensive experience in the Coca-Cola System over 29 years included many management positions, the last being Procurement Director at Coca-Cola Amatil. He joined Frigoglass North America in 2010 as VP Sales and Marketing. Greg is married to Deborah and they have two sons, Seth and Zachory, both 21-years old. GREG FIELDS VP Sales and Marketing
Bill was born in Akampa, Nigeria, and his family immigrated to the United States in 1976. He attended Indiana University’s Kelly School of Business where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting and has been a Certified Public Accountant since 1997. He began his career with Deloitte & Touche and then he moved to the Sara Lee Corporation. In 2005 he joined Carrier Corporation, where he eventually became Director of Financial Planning and Analysis for the Beverage-Air Division. He was appointed Chief Financial Officer of Universal Nolin shortly after its inception in 2008, and he continues in that role today for Frigoglass North America. Bill lives with his wife Tonya and their four daughters, Riley, Devi, Camille and Gorgi in Simpsonville, South Carolina. Their family is very active in youth sports, which Bill enjoys attending in his free time. His other hobbies include golf, chess, and tennis. BILL EGBULA Chief Financial Officer
DAVID THOMPSON Vice President of Operations
Joao was born in Sao Paulo, Brazil and holds a Mechanical Engineering degree from the Universidade Estadual Paulista. He started his career working with Firestone Bridgestone as a Senior Product/Quality Engineer and then spent six years in Senior and Quality Consultant and Training roles while earning a Master of Science degree from Universidade Metodista. Joao then joined Lear Corporation as their Quality Manager before joining Benteler Automotive Corporation as Quality Manager in both Brazil and US locations. He joined Universal Nolin in 2009. Joao and his wife, Noema, have three adult children, and in his free time he likes to discover new places with his family, read, and get involved in social work in his community. JOAO MOLACINAI Quality Manager
Melissa was born in Savannah, Georgia, but has lived in South Carolina her entire adult life. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Biological Sciences and a Master’s degree in Packaging Science, both from Clemson University. She began her career in 2003 with Holopack International as a Process Control Manager and then continued in 2005 in a Quality Control/ Assurance role with Mars Petcare US before transitioning to an HR position in 2007. She remained on the HR path upon joining Tindall Corporation in 2008. Melissa is married to Jon and they have a 7-month old daughter, Riley. In her free time, Melissa enjoys keeping up with Formula One, reading and spending time with her family. MELISSA CAMPBELL HR Specialist
Ron was born in Shelby, North Carolina and completed two years of mechanical design training at LeTourneau College. He has 30 years of experience in the commercial refrigeration industry. He was with Beverage Air for 22 years with his last position being Product Development Engineer. He joined Carrier Commercial Refrigeration in 2001 as the Senior Product Development Engineer, a role he continued upon joining Ali Group in 2007. He joined Universal Nolin in 2009 as the Vice President of Engineering. During his career, Ron has been granted 12 U.S. patents. He is married to Alice, a Quality Engineer, and they have two children, Nicholas and Tiffany, as well as two grandchildren, Kirsten and Ava. In his free time, Ron enjoys golf, fishing, motorcycles, and sports cars. RON UPTON Engineering Manager
Tom was born in Wiesbaden, Germany. He attended the US Military Academy in West Point, after which he served as an officer in the US Army for eight years. In his post-military career, Tom spent 1993 with Kimberly-Clark as Production Supervisor and then joined The Coca-Cola Company. In his 10 years there, he worked as a Field Service Manager, Market Operations Manager, Operations Manager, and Customer Operations Manager before becoming the Wendy’s Operations Manager. From there, he joined United Technologies as a National Account Executive/Customer Service Team Manager before becoming Director of Sales under the Universal Nolin ownership in 2009. In his free time, Tom enjoys golf, traveling, crossword puzzles, and reading. TOM JEZIOR Key Account Director
Round table interview
Creating excitement in the North American market... What has been the dynamic and growth vector driving the company to date and what are the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s future prospects now that it has joined an international group?
Universal Nolin was acquired by Frigoglass in December 2009 and was subsequently renamed Frigoglass North America in January 2010. In this issue we are hosting, in a roundtable type of discussion, three key company executives, David Thompson (VP Operations), Greg Fields (VP Sales & Marketing) and Bill Egbula (CFO), who are on the front line striving to boost the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s growth, along with the Frigoglass integration team comprised of Nick Doumas, Nick Kontos and Anil Rao. We believe that their answers will clarify certain important issues and provide additional information on Frigoglass North America, the US market and our new colleagues, who we welcome to the Frigoglass organization.
David Thompson: I believe the cassette refrigeration design in conjunction with employees focused on our customers was the basis of the growth impetus through 2009. Frigoglass North America is creating excitement in the local markets and introduces a market driven company with global presence, driven by innovation, environmentally friendly products and an intense focus on the customer. Frigoglass North America will be a game changer in the North America market. Greg Fields: When Universal Nolin came under the Frigoglass umbrella, it gave the company immediate recognition within the North American market place. Frigoglass will provide the resources required to compete within a very competitive market based on innovation and a quality product range. Bill Egbula: At Universal Nolin, the recipe for success was still under construction. As part of Frigoglass, we have the advantage of a proven formula. Therefore, the path to success is clearer and we can focus on long-term objectives with much bigger ambitions. During this period you have been working closely with three Frigoglass executives towards the full integration of Frigoglass North America (FNA) into the mother companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s systems, procedures and processes. How well and how quickly is this effort proceeding? David Thompson: I think overall the integration process is moving along at a good pace. To fully integrate
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Interview
a company properly, focus must be directed to the foundation that will be built upon. Our initial focus has been on implementing business systems, supply chain initiatives and product development. We are six months in and acting, talking and looking more like a Frigoglass company. Greg Fields: The integration has been at a rapid pace and much has been accomplished. This pace could not have been maintained without the assistance and full support of Frigoglass’ Senior Management, who have devoted much of their time over the past 6 months. Bill Egbula: There is still much work to be done, but we are moving along nicely. How do you get along with your FNA colleagues and have you found any FN strong points or comparative advantages that could be adopted by Frigoglass and integrated into the Group’s systems? Nick Doumas: I really enjoy working with our FNA colleagues. They are very helpful and supportive and since the very first days I feel like a member of the team. I really hope that my work here will meet all their expectations. Working at FNA is a great experience. I already have learned a lot and I keep learning. There are several best practices which could be adopted by Frigoglass. Typical examples are the disciplines related to the MRP every-day function and workplace safety. Nick Kontos: Our North America colleagues are very experienced with many years of exposure in the commercial refrigeration market and good relationships with our key customers. I think we couldn’t find a better team to work with in our first steps in North
America. More than that, they are professionals that like working as a team with a very systematic decision making approach. Being in a meeting of the North America team is quite a different experience than the meetings in the rest of the Group. I think we can learn both from the North American ‘way of doing business’ and their team work approach on certain issues. Anil Rao: I would like to echo both Nick’s sentiments. We’ve been made to feel very welcome here by the management team and indeed all the employees. The atmosphere has been very warm and welcoming. As a bigger company, we can learn adaptability, quick decision making and flexibility from a startup company like Frigoglass North America. The challenge is to retain these advantages inherent in a smaller company setup while bringing in the structure and systems which are Frigoglass’ strengths. Are there certain issues that should be given priority and pushed in order to speed up the integration process? David Thompson: I believe integration priorities now should be directed to business planning, HR, factory configuration, and manufacturing systems. The second phase of integration will move along with greater velocity.
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Round table interview
...combining local flexibility with a global presence Greg Fields: The number one Sales priority is to obtain plant and equipment certifications from the beverage companies, which will enable Frigoglass NA to become a mainstream supplier within the market place. We have the cassette based equipment to which the US market will begin to converge within the next 12 to 18 months. Bill Egbula: The Frigoglass manufacturing and supply chain systems are clearly superior and they are central to winning in the marketplace. The Finance and HR team has the task of concurrently implementing company policies and procedures. But we recognize that operational excellence is the priority and we are doing what we can to support it. Nick Doumas: I fully agree with David. Integration in Business Planning, Human Resources and Manufacturing are our top priorities. Procedures and systems would be part of the second phase of integration. Nick Kontos: Also, our focus should be on bringing the right product range to the market. Even though through the acquisition of Universal Nolin we got access to a relatively complete product range, our focus should be on adjusting this range to our Group’s key competitive advantages which are Quality, Innovation and Environment, all at the right price. Anil Rao: For us in Finance, systems and operating procedures are a major priority. Being a standalone company, Frigoglass North America did not have major requirements regarding reporting and could adapt its procedures to circumstances. As part of a larger company now, we have commitments to our Board of Directors and shareholders. This requires better systems and strict compliance with operating procedures and guidelines.
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FRIGOGLASS is a new name in the US market as opposed to those of Europe, Asia and Africa. How do you see your own experience and background contributing towards making Frigoglass a competitive brand and, eventually, a top player in the US market? David Thompson: I am very excited about the Frigoglass name! It brings a whole new dimension of competitiveness to the North America market. When presenting the company to customers, prospective employees, suppliers or local officials, I have been able to share a strategy of investment, innovation, growth and excitement. My personal focus will be on assuring that the factory in North America will be a center of excellence in order to supply the market with products of the highest quality, competitively priced and delivered on time. Bill Egbula: Again, Frigoglass has a proven formula that will work in North America as it has all over the world. We will use our knowledge and experience in the local business environment to execute a North American version of the same overall strategy. How does the US commercial refrigeration market compare to those of Europe, Asia and Africa? Greg Fields: The US is a mature market, but has lagged behind its European counterparts in creativity and marketing exposure of their sales equipment. Frigoglass’ innovation will bring a “new look” to sales equipment within a very short time. Also, on the environmental aspects of the industry, Frigoglass is well positioned to be the market leader in this very important period in our industry.
Interview
Nick Kontos: The US commercial refrigeration market is the second largest in the world. Despite its size as well as its geographic diversity, products tend to be rather uniform, focusing on large size (the smallest unit in the US product range is similar to the S5), robustness and trouble free operation. Characteristics like innovation, customization, and environmental focus have only recently started becoming more important. I strongly believe that Frigoglass will become a leading player in this market by highlighting the importance of innovation, environment and customization, as well as a strong catalyst in increasing competition in the market. How did the employees of Universal Nolin react to the acquisition by Frigoglass and how ready and willing are they to adopt Frigoglassâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; systems, procedures and processes?
David Thompson: All of the employees were and remain very excited about Frigoglassâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; acquisition of the business. All immediately saw that Frigoglass was energized about being in the North American market, was planning on making significant investments and would be an employer that cared about employees. The employees also realize that Frigoglass is a world class organization and is an expert in manufacturing Ice Cold Merchandisers and are eager to learn and adopt the best practices that are instilled in the Frigoglass organization. Greg Fields: Everyone is excited to join the Frigoglass Team. Bill Egbula: Our employees have always been highly motivated and eager to do the work that is necessary for success. With the arrival of Frigoglass, we now have the resources, systems and strategic vision to match our ambitions. Our employees recognized the potential and have been very excited from the beginning.
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OUR PEOPLE DIMITRIS KOUNIAKIS 1950-2009 in memoriam
It has already been over a year since Dimitris Kouniakis left us. Born in 1950 on the island of Lefkada, Greece, Dimitris started his career with the company in 1997 as Pool Purchasing Director and in 2008 took over the position of Director of Corporate Governance. Throughout his years with us he distinguished himself by his integrity, sterling character, unmatched professionalism and dedication to the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s vision. Above all, he distinguished himself by his spontaneity and endearing ability to tirelessly stand by all of us as both counsel and friend. His exceptional and even unique qualities become more evident as time goes by. His solidity and strength, combined with his sincere emphasis on the human factor, evident in the respect he demonstrated towards his colleagues â&#x20AC;&#x201C; never at the expense of work performance, were some of his rare character traits. He was always able to maintain a fine balance even when faced with a crisis, which he always handled with great mastery. Such was his impact that his coworkers often mention him to this day. Dimitris built strong relationships, both professional and personal. His family stands as proof of his constant striving, his humanity and his ultimate success. He was a fighter to the end; he never gave up. For us who were fortunate to know and work with him he will always be in our memories, as a shining example to be followed by all.
MAHMUT DEMIRKOL SFA - Turkey
Mahmut was born in 1969 in Istanbul, Turkey. He joined the SFA family in 1997 and in the 13 years he has been with the company he has gained the wholehearted approval of his coworkers. He started out as a screen printing foreman and still continues in this job successfully. His main duties include screen printing and digital printing. At times he has also worked at various production posts. Mahmut is married and has two children, a daughter 15 years old and a 9-year old son. He likes spending time with his family and keeping track of global news.
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ABIMBOLA OGUNBA Frigoglass Nigeria
Abimbola was born in Lagos, in 1977 and holds a Second Class Upper Division Degree [Hons] in Management and Accounting from the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife and is a member of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria and the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria. He started his career as an audit assistant with auditing firm Akintola Williams Deloitte before moving to PricewaterhouseCoopers where he rose to the level of Senior Associate. He joined Frigoglass Nigeria in May 2009 as Finance Manager, Shared Service. Abimbola is married to Olufunmilola and his hobbies include playing chess, soccer, swimming and meeting people.
Our People
ECATERINA DUMITRU 3P Frigoglass
Ecaterina was born in 1980 in Adjud, Romania and currently lives in Iasi. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics and Business Informatics and a Master’s degree in Accounting and Auditing from the Al.I.Cuza University in Iasi. She is also certified in Professional Management from CODECS (OU Business School) and is currently studying to be certified as a Chartered Accountant. She started her career working as an accountant with different companies in Iasi and joined 3P Frigoglass in 2005 as a Budgeting and Costing Supervisor. After a year she was promoted to Financial Manager, a position she currently holds. Ecaterina is married to Ionut and likes to spend her free time playing with her pets, reading, traveling or watching Science Fiction movies.
OLUKUNLE IDOWU Frigoglass Nigeria
Kunle was born in Lagos Nigeria in 1970 and holds a Master’s Degree [Hons] in Managerial Psychology from the University of Ibadan. He started his career in sales management working for over 13 years for Chellarams and Linland. He joined Frigoglass in 2007 as Key Accounts Manager - Breweries. Kunle is married to Titilope and they have a lovely son, Omobolaji. His hobbies include reading, travelling and meeting people.
CRISTIAN BURLACU 3P Frigoglass
Cristi was born in 1972 in Iasi, Romania. He holds a Technician in Economic Activities degree from the Business Economics College in Iasi. He started his career at 3P Frigoglass in 1994 as a Purchasing Agent and in 2002 he was reassigned to the position of Sales Agent, which he considers to be very challenging. Cristi is married to Monica and they have a young son named Andrei. In his spare time he enjoys staying close to his family or traveling to the beautiful mountains of Romania.
FUNMI LAWRENCE Frigoglass Nigeria
Funmi was born in Kano state, Nigeria in 1971 and holds a Final Diploma in Chemistry/Biochemistry from the University of Agriculture Abeokuta. She started her career in 1998 with Procter & Gamble West Africa as Senior Treasury Accountant and rose to the position of Treasury & Insurance Manager. She joined Frigoglass Nigeria Lagos office in March 2009 as Treasury Manager. Married to Timothy, they have a 3-months old daughter named Tumininu. Her hobbies include reading and listening to music.
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BEYOND WORK
Helping yourself by help There is certainly life beyond work and Cosmin Olaru is proof that you can successfully combine work, hobbies and social activities. Born in Sibiu, Romania, Cosmin completed his course work at the School of Geography and is now studying for a Master’s degree in Marketing at the University of Sibiu. He joined 3P Frigoglass in 2005 and is a Sales Agent during work hours and a motorcyclist and activist the rest of the day. “It all started when I saw how people reacted to motorcyclists in traffic. The car drivers were reticent, at times aggressive with the ‘motor riders’. As a result, in 2007 together with a friend we started Avatar R.C., a ridding club aimed at changing the perceptions and behavior of traffic participants, and at improving personal transformation. The club is focused on educating people, helping them to adopt an attitude of collaboration in traffic, in order to maintain civilized relations between drivers. Furthermore, the Avatar R.C. members (four at the moment) launched a number of environmental campaigns, designed to protect nature, especially the forest around Sibiu. This club gave us the opportunity to organize various campaigns intended to prevent motor accidents, to promote traffic awareness and much more. In partnership with the Association of Romanian Motorcycles (AMR), we started our social activity with ‘Give it a chance’, a nationwide campaign launched on April 25 2009 and promoted on television and by the local press. In addition to the ‘traditional’
46
Beyond Work
ping others motorcycle rally meant to draw car drivers’ attention on the existence of two wheeled vehicles in traffic, the Avatar Ridding Club successfully distributed 1000 thematic flyers in Sibiu’s main crossroads. The feedback provided by the press,
“we organized various campaigns intended to prevent motor accidents and promote traffic awareness”
wheeled vehicle. The action had the support of Sibiu’s Traffic Police Department. At the moment Cosmin is working on a new campaign designed to change the mentality of future drivers concerning the participation of motorcyclists in traffic. Named ‘Learn to give a chance’, the campaign targets driving schools and young drivers. The Avatar Club is also engaged in several charity events during Christmas, on Children’s Day and other religious holidays, in association with the local community and different benefit foundations. As Cosmin says, pursuing our hobbies is something we choose to do, and the satisfaction derived from them is worth all the sacrifices and compromises that we have to endure in order to achieve balance in our professional and personal life.
local authorities and Sibiu’s Police Department indicated that the campaign was a total success. ” Over 150 motorcycle riders participated to this rally in Sibiu. Many of them had lost family members and friends in terrible traffic accidents, and this campaign was a form of protest against irresponsible driving and driver ignorance. The ‘Give it a chance’ campaign meant a great deal to Cosmin because he had lost a 25-year old friend in a serious motorcycle accident a year before. In 2009 there were 70 reported deaths as a result of motorcycle accidents in Romania, of which seven took place in Sibiu County, leading to 7 injuries and one death. According to Cosmin, the campaign had two main goals: to encourage motorcyclists to obey traffic rules and wear protective clothing and equipment when riding because every mistake can be deadly, and to remind car drivers of the existence of motorcyclists in traffic. As he noted, the fact is that it doesn’t really matter whose fault it is but if an accident should occur the motorcyclist is always much more vulnerable than the car driver. Avatar R.C. has already initiated a series of traffic oriented campaigns that have spread to high schools and driving schools and have involved Sibiu’s local community. Cosmin was fully involved in the ‘Seize the life not the moment’ campaign, which consisted of communication sessions regarding the risks and implications of mastering a two
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SOCIAL ACTIVITIES Frigoglass India awards long service employees December 22nd 2010 was a day of joy at Frigoglass India, especially for the twelve employees who completed ten years of service with the company. During a town hall-type meeting held in the production area, Plant Manager Sudhakar Kaushik acknowledged their dedicated service and presented each one with a memento commemorating the occasion. The people of Frigoglass India who reached the 10 year milestone included seven from Production, four from Quality Control and one from Human Resources. They were respectively Raj Kumar Rawat, Anchal Kumar, Brahm Pal Singh, Puran Singh, Mahesh Kumar, Anand Shankar Shukla, Inderjeet Gupta, Prabhu Nath Maurya, Sanjay Singh, Parnesh Kumar, Deepak Rana and Harinder Kapoor.
A New Year’s party to remember!
Environmental initiatives In February 2010, ICM Manufacturing Director Aristidis Pappas and Regional Manager Vassilis Fragakis visited the Frigoglass India plant to head the Objectives Review in India and participate in scheduled meetings. Once official business was concluded, inspired by the company’s ‘Green Drive’ the visiting executives planted trees in the green area surrounding the plant in the presence of all Departmental Managers and a large number of employees. Their example was emulated in April by Supply Chain Director Dimitris Bostanis, who also took the opportunity during his visit to plant trees and expand on environmental protection in the presence of all Departmental Managers and employees. In March 2010, as part of our Group’s effort to reduce our impact on the environment, the India plant commenced work on the cyclopentane project. To mark this occasion, a modest religious ceremony was held on site, attended by all the Departmental Managers and a majority of the employees.
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On February 3rd our Headquarters organized a New Year’s party with quite a different feeling from those of previous years. In Psiri, one of the most picturesque neighborhoods of downtown Athens, a small but cozy tavern welcomed our Head Office employees with live Greek music, red wine and plenty of traditional dishes. Our Managing Director Petros Diamantides thanked all the employees for their hard work during the challenging previous year. Likewise our Chairman Harry David expressed his appreciation to all and raised his glass to a more healthy, prosperous and happy New Year. Soon after, Chairman David headed the traditional pie cutting and then the stage was given over to the Head Office employees, who teamed up to dance and sing their favorite Greek tunes till late in the night. It was a perfect chance for all to have a relaxed and entertaining evening out with their colleagues and friends and everyone agreed that it was a New Year’s party to remember!
Social Activities
Love and wildlife on Christmas! December is a month looked forward to by all but especially by children who enjoy the holidays and gift-giving. So it was a very happy occasion when all the children of our HO employees flooded the Attica Zoological Park for the Christmas party organized for them by the company. Though only five days from Christmas, the sun was shining on a wonderful Sunday morning, inspiring everybody to have a great time. The kiosk especially prepared for the party was decorated with cheerful garlands and contained gifts for all the kids present. Combining happy time with an occasion for knowledge and a closer approach to nature and wildlife, the children had the time of their life visiting the wild and not so wild animals living in the park. Led by expert staff, they had a chance to see up close lions, cheetah, zebra, panthers and many other animals they had only seen in books previously. They also had the opportunity to give carrots to the resident giraffes, pet a rare Greek otter, feed fish to a family of bears and learn about the fragile habitats these animals live in and how best to protect them. The happy event included awards for the top ranking students and a lot of playing, music and dancing by the day’s protagonists who left with wonder in their eyes, probably counting down to next Christmas.
Nigeria’s Coach visits Lagos Offices On December 21st 2009, the coach of Nigeria’s National Football Team (the “Super Eagles”), Coach Amodu Shaibu paid a brief visit to our Lagos Nigeria Head Office at Iddo House. Coach Shaibu posed with excited Frigoglass staff in a white longsleeve shirt and white trousers as shown in the photograph. He was happy to be in our office, wished all of us Merry Christmas and promised that Nigeria’s “Super Eagles” will excel both at the African Continental Championship in Angola and in the World Cup Finals in South Africa. Our staff informed him that his picture will feature in the next edition of our company’s magazine “Between Us” and he was very pleased with the prospect of appearing in it. The coach’s visit was an exciting interlude for all football fans at Iddo House who returned to work with renewed spirit.
Annual Party in China On February 26, 2010, Frigoglass China held a huge annual dinner that was attended by all plant employees. It wasn’t just a grand banquet, but also a great party. All departments prepared and presented wonderful shows. The funny games that followed turned the party into an ocean of happiness.The shows, interesting activities, party atmosphere and general feeling of camaraderie made all our colleagues feel closer to the company and helped strengthen their team spirit and sense of belonging.
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SOCIAL ACTIVITIES 28th April: World Health and Safety at Work Day Maintaining health and safety at work is one of the fundamental principles Frigoglass adheres to throughout its worldwide operations. Aiming to demonstrate our awareness of the extent and consequences of work-related accidents and support the international World Safety and Health at Work Day we created a series of posters that include the following messages: Main Poster (showing our support of the World Safety and Health Day at work) Foot Protection (industrial boots), Vision Protection (safety glasses), Hearing Protection (ear plugs), Head Protection (hard hats), Respiratory Protection (masks), Hand Protection (gloves), Body Protection (uniform). In the morning of April 28th the employees in every Frigoglass site worldwide were made aware of the importance of risk and accident prevention at the workplace. Similarly, related actions were organized to celebrate the World Health and Safety at Work day. HO organized a training session, during which safety officer Thanos Athanasiadis reminded all employees of the risks we face in our workplace and of the safety measures we must follow to prevent them. He also demonstrated the safe use of fire-extinguishers and other risk prevention procedures in case of fire or earthquake. Our Kato Achaia plant organized two important actions: a building evacuation drill, so that all employees and safety offices are kept familiar with which exit to use in case of an emergency, and a presentation by plant safety officer and Pro-
duction Supervisor Makis Filippatos, who reviewed the issues of the day and stressed the need for all stakeholders involved, including management and employees, to remain vigilant on all issues involving workplace health and safety. His message was clear: by investing in prevention we invest in the right to safe and healthy work and in workplace quality, all necessary elements of a competitive economy and a lawful society. The OHS posters were up on April 28th at Frigoglass South Africa and the reaction of our people was very positive. The continuation of this initiative is expected to have a lasting positive effect and also help to empower staff. Frigoglass SA will also try to boost awareness on health and safety issues by distributing pamphlets (which were received free of charge courtesy of South Africaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Health Department), by displaying posters from time to time, and by having their resident occupational Sister discuss relevant topics on an individual basis. SFA in Turkey put up the posters translated into Turkish, provided related training to 50 new workers and communicated the importance of risk prevention to the entire staff. The messages were well received and all employees were made fully aware of the importance of the issues involved.
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Social Activities
Caring for the children in need Children represent the future and their educational development is the key to a cultured society. That’s why our children’s learning process and knowledge content are a primary concern on which any society’s future and wellbeing depends. In a period of economic difficulties, 3P Frigoglass, hand in hand with the Avatar club, tried to bring some joy to the children attending a school near the town of Sibiu, an area hit with considerable economic and social problems. In March 2010, the company along with the club donated school supplies and additional aid to help them purchase the necessary materials needed for a productive and healthy school year. The campaign was a success, not only because 60 children received notebooks, water colors, geometry kits, and other school supplies necessary for
their proper education, but also because the people of 3P Frigoglass experienced the moral satisfaction of being able to help the young ones who deserve a better chance in life.
Headquarters goes bowling Something was very different that Wednesday morning at the office. There was a sense of anticipation in the air, of something different about to happen. Talk in the halls was pleasant and light, people were dressed informally, smiling faces all around and strange unbusiness-like things, like “head pin hunters”, “the discounters”, “snow white and the 7 dwarfs” and “we’re going for 10 strikes” were often heard. It was December 4, 2009 and the first “Fri-Go Bowling Championship” at our HO was about to start. The entire day was a unique experience for all of us. It started off with a short presentation by Frigoglass Managing Director Petros Diamantides, who reviewed the tough previous year, noting that thanks to the loyalty, dedication and winner’s attitude of its people, Frigoglass managed to overcome the year’s obstacles and now gazes at the future with greater optimism. Inspired by his praise and positive outlook, the various HO department teams got together and drove to the Kifissia Bowling Center where the championship was to be held.
There, the passion for winning could be felt in the air. The games were on and all did their best. Everybody was in a great mood, clapping for strikes, groaning for spares or gutter shots, high fives all around. At the end everyone was happy, having experienced a joyful event in the company’s truest team building spirit. The championship went to the Marketing team and the top scorers were Tolis Karapiperis, Panos Tambourlos and Thanos Svoronos.
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SOCIAL ACTIVITIES Frigoglass South Africa celebrates with Year End Party After a fantastic year, Frigoglass South Africa ended it with a huge bash. The year end party was a joint social affair attended by employees, contractors, security and management. The event started off with Plant Manager Roger Metelerkamp thanking the employees for their hard work, commitment and dedication throughout the year. He provided feedback on achieved targets as well as all events that took place during 2009 and then presented awards to employees who had excelled throughout the year. In the Employee of the Year category, the Wages Staff Employee of the Year award went to Jonathan Tshikolokolo while the Staff Employee of the Year award went to Stephen McInnes. In the Improvement Idea of the Year category, the Wages Staff Improvement of the Year award went to Bernard Mpinga while Stephen Mazibuko got the Staff Improvement Idea of the Year award. Roger Metelerkamp also spoke about the donations the company had made in 2009 (see relevant article) and thanked staff members for getting involved. The people of our SA plant said goodbye to Paulus Lethlake, who retired after 41 years of loyal and valuable service and will be missed by colleagues
and management alike. His fellow employees awarded him a grill and camping chairs with a message to go home, sit back, put his feet up and live the life of contentment! After the presentations, it was time to enjoy a delicious meal. The “Spit Braai” was prepared by qualified chefs and was enjoyed by all. On a note of food aplenty, drinks, jokes and lots of laughter, everyone felt that the year had ended very successfully.
School students visit the Frigoglass plant in Timisoara Frigoglass Romania has initiated an open doors program aimed at strengthening the company’s ties with the local community. As a first step, on April 29th our plant organized a visit by students attending a public school in Timisoara. Twenty five children from the 2nd grade along with their teacher toured the plant and got a first hand experience of our production facility. One of our special guests was Radu Cotuna’s daughter, who noted in her diary the special day in which she met her father’s colleagues and got to watch all the “machines” in the cooler factory. As a thank you gift, the kids gave the plant a hand-made book with personalized
wishes for Easter and lots of big smiles, expressing the hope that one day they’ll come visit Frigoglass again.
Frigoglass South Africa supports local benevolent organizations As part of Frigoglass South Africa’s socio-economic development in 2009, the plant contributed to six non-profit organizations. One of these, the Kopanya Children’s Home was nominated by Melanie Williams, a production line employee. This home was started by a very warm hearted lady that helps women and children from abused backgrounds. Located in a very poor area of the Eldorado Park community, it has barely adequate facilities. Using containers as classrooms, they brighten them up with pride as much as they can, but the love and support they provide to the women and children sheltering there more than make up for their sparse means. A fact that became clearly evident when the plant’s representatives handed over the donation. The joy and excitement on the children’s faces was a very humbling and uplifting experience.
Social Activities
3P Frigoglass celebrates Christmas Christmas is a holiday of joy and happiness, a magical time spent with family and friends, but for children it’s more important than that, in big part because of Santa, his expected gifts and the joyful atmosphere that surrounds this special time of year. The children of 3P Frigoglass employees aren’t an exception and, like every year, they gathered at our 3P plant with
their parents and had a great time playing games, singing and reciting poems, all in the company of Santa Clause, who had plenty of presents for all. Attending parents all agreed that in the end our children deserve all the work and sacrifices we make as individuals, as a team and as company. Closing a year full of work, challenges and gratifications, the people of 3P Frigoglass all asked Santa to bring a better year to match their high professional and personal expectations, both for them and for the children they so love.
New Year’s party in Orel On December 26 2009 the Frigoglass Eurasia plant gave a New Year’s party at the Grinn Hotel - a beautiful location loved by Orel’s citizens. The party was particularly well organized and full of original ideas. There was a show performed by employees, who presented the plant as an organism, evolving since it opened back in 2001, and departments as parts. For example, the production department was the “heart”, while others were the “lungs” and the “hands”. At the end of this wonderful show each department and the plant as a whole received New Year congratulations. After that the party went on with dancing and celebrations for the upcoming year, with everyone hoping that it will be successful for the plant and everyone that contributes to it every day.
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Find and Win
QUIZ WINNERS We would like to thank all of our colleagues from across our organization who participated in the previous Find and Win quiz. For this very exciting prize, we received 282 correct entries. The magazineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s committee met on March 5th to draw the lucky winners. The Grand Prize went to Jacob Onokpasa from our Delta plant in Nigeria, who won a trip to South Africa for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Each one of our 10 runner-up winners (listed below) won a modern Digital Camera. Sebastian Palade
Romania
3P Frigoglass
Felix Iriemi
Nigeria
Cool plant
Victor O Fikivben
Nigeria
Crown plant
Edwin Anigboro
Nigeria
Delta plant
Osiobe Manday
Nigeria
Delta plant
Kumar Sunil
India
Guinea plant
Hutagal ung Erwin
Indonesia
Crown Division
Julius Ufuoma Inonoje
Nigeria
Guinea plant
Soniran Adewale
Nigeria
Iddo House
Kukka Asimakopoulou
Greece
Sales Office
The correct answer for quiz no. 18 was: ISSUE 07
Thank You Notes from our Grand Price Winner We received this kind letter of appreciation from the Grand prize winner of our 18th edition: On behalf of my son, to whom the prize was dedicated, I use this venue to express my profound gratitude to the management for being the winner of the grand prize in the quiz of the last edition of our BETWEEN US magazine, in which I won a CANON digital camera. I also send my gratitude to the magazineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s organizing committee for giving me the great chance of winning the prize and for not being biased in the selection of the winner. I am very grateful, and I pray that the wheel of Frigoglass keeps on rolling. Long life Frigoglass worldwide, long life Frigoglass Africa, long life Frigoglass Cool Division Nigeria, Amen. Regards, Bello. A. Kazeem
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FIND AND WIN
What famous American pop artist created these repetitive images of Marilyn Monroe?
A. Jackson Pollock B. Andy Warhol C. Mark Rothko Find the right answer and you may win an Apple iPAD [Grand Prize] or an iPOD Shuffle [10 runner-up prizes] Hint: the right answer is somewhere in this magazine Contest winners will be determined by draw. All entries must be received by August 31, 2010. Fill in the answer slip provided.
In our next edition...