Detailed Analysis Of Kuwait Oil Company And Role Of Engineers In Oil Manufacturing

Introduction to Kuwait Oil Company

Write a report on Kuwait Oil Company.

Kuwait Oil Company is a subsidiary of the Kuwait Petroleum Corporation. It is a government-owned company. This report presents a detailed analysis of the background of the company and the role of the engineers in this oil manufacturing organization. The entire report comprises of a reflection of the situation where an individual had to visit the organization and had to supervise the entire team. The report ends with the strategies that would help in the development of the Engineers Australia Competencies. The Kuwait oil company was founded in the year 1934. The development of this industry was found to coincide with the end of the rule of the British Raj in India. It was during that incident that many engineers were transferred from there to Kuwait (Kockw.com, 2018). The Company deals with exploration, drilling and production of oil and gas within the entire state of Kuwait. Apart from this the company is involved in the storage of the crude oil and the delivery of tankers for export. The Kuwait petroleum corporation was established to bring together the corporations of oil under one umbrella. My role in that company is to guide the entire team and act as a team leader. I had the experience of being a senior process engineer. I had to work there for many weeks and therefore I was able to gain a lot of experience. In one of the weeks I had the opportunity to meet the Engineers of export operations. I understood from them the way the team works in this particular organization. There are different pedagogies that are followed in the organization. The team that deals the export operation and the planning of the effective execution of the same they also conduct the geophysical activities that is required to explore for the hydrocarbons onshore and offshore of Kuwait. However I received knowledge from the engineers of the export operations who were the major part of all types of operation that were carried out in the company. After this from I was accepted by the Kuwait Oil Company to attend the North Pier Pumping Metering Skids which is the export facility. From this I understood that KOC is the process of achieving Crude Oil Custody Transfer during Vessel Loadings through their North Pier Pumping Metering Skids. I further came to know that the crude oil is allowed to settle in the tanks for the separation of the water. I gained the experience that the water which was accumulated and was drained out before it was allocated to the respective tanks. They would be drained out for the purpose of export to the ships and for the supply to the refineries. There were challenges that I faced. I came to know a lot of new things regarding the system that was followed in the company. I had to learn the technical things and the technical processes. These were few glimpses of my experiences in the site of the company.

Role of the Engineers in Kuwait Oil Company

The company has a separate HSE team that is the Health, Safety and Environment team. This is one of the major parts of the company. I had a personal experience with the company regarding this and I had a lot of personal experience. This was the first time I learnt about the works that the Health, Safety and environment team conducts. This area was unknown to me. This was my first hand experience with the team of HSE team. I was aware of the background of the company but was not aware of the function of the HSE team. They have taken care communicating the Health, safety and environment policy of the company to the employees and the contractors. This is done absolutely for the improvement for the entire group. The unique feature that I found was the development of an action plan that could mitigate the high and medium risk elements which often is a common factor in the company. This includes the evaluation of the group preparedness and performance during the emergency drills. This can include the land and the marine oil spills. I personally felt that this was important as this acted as a channel of keeping the employees in touch with the organization and to motivate them. The team conducted the training session and I personally was motivated by this. This enhanced the culture of the organization and created a comfortable place for the employees. The training sessions and the campaigns proved to be helpful for the employees and the contractors. This adds up to the positive aspect of the background of the company.

 I actually performed the job of checking the pipelines, to check the functions in the control room, to supervise the systems of the laboratory and to check the shifts of the engineers and to motivate the entire team of junior engineers. I first had to understand the operation of the pipelines. I had to work on checking the pipeline in the site of the company. I initially had to check ten to fifteen pipes a day. I had to mainly check the connections of the pipes. The controller settings were complicated. My first job was to check the parameters of the controller. To make the work easier I made a drawing of the controller. It would make the next design project easier. In case of any problem or technical fault I had to report it to the operators. I had the experience in the export of the technical services. It entirely depends on the operability of the new projects. I had to do the technical review and evaluate the documentation of the vendor. Apart from this I learnt the preparation of the budget and had to conduct the follow-up sessions of the contracts that were handled by the engineering groups. I learnt to prepare the daily stock and I learnt to coordinate with the third party inspection agency. These are the export services. These activities are tedious and they are time consuming. They are technical in nature as I had to deal directly with the agencies or the people related to the export job.

Export Operations and Geophysical Activities

Moreover I observed the running of the operations. In this course of my work I got the opportunity to explore many new things and work on it. As an engineer I got the opportunity to witness the practical sides of the operation. In the control room I witnessed the entire operation system. I went through all the instruments and the functions of the same. I had to spend almost 5 hours in the site. The working of the labors was another interesting site that I experienced. The theories like the theory of the chemical and mechanical engineering were applied. The major qualities that were required in this particular field were good communication skill and they must have good knowledge. The site lab uses the wet chemistry of which I had little knowledge.

Apart from this I had to supervise the engineers and their shifts. I motivated them to do the work efficiently. I made sure they were punctual and they were regular at their work place. In case of any collision in the team I made efforts to resolve the issues that were there in the team. I applied many theories of motivation and to some extent they were effective. I however found that the issues that were there in the team of the engineers were resolved. I used to take weekly trainings that helped the engineers to attain their goals willingly on their own. I had to regularly communicate with my supervisor over the phone or on video call. Apart from the works I was made of the Health and Safety aspects that were there in the work place. I came to know that the projects were carried out in different places like in many rural areas and in many urban areas. Therefore this made me to generate a project plan and timeline of carrying out the job. At the end of the project we presented a proposal to the interested investors and the other stakeholders. This was my experience in the site and the glimpses of the jobs that I had to do.

Lessons learnt

I learnt a lot of things from all the incidents or job that I had to perform. The first and foremost lesson that I learned was about resolving the issues in the team work. There had been many such occasions where the team members had different opinions about the options related to the project. In such case I learned to resolve the issues by the applying effective theories that proved to be effective. There were arguments and the major lesson that I learned was to clear somebody`s own point of view. There was one point of time when I felt that all the team members were not contributing to the creative idea of carrying the job. In such case our supervisor allocated us with different roles and responsibilities. This to some extent created a heated situation. This friction however was resolved and on the whole it worked in a good manner and we were able to keep a record of who all were doing what. I faced some problem in the communication. I faced the lack of confidence while presenting the final project. I had to present it over a video call which I felt could be better if it not on video call. However I learned to answer all the quarries with confidence. I learned new techniques as an engineer and new methods to deal a project. The research was done in systematic manner and it was new to me. I learned to conduct the project and to present the same to all the stakeholders in an impressive manner.

Functioning of the HSE Team

I further learnt about the export oil movement and measurement. This includes the data reconciliation, oil loss, maintenance inspection, tax claims, yield reconciliation, cost reduction and integration. These are important considerations in the automating refinery oil movement and storage system. I learned to recollect the data, to learn to keep tracks of the data regarding the tax claims and to keep a record of the accounts. I had to keep an entire track of the amount of export which is actually the measurement of the export of the oil.

The most important aspect that I learnt was about the Health, safety and environment policy that were ensured to the employees and the contractors of the company. The factors like evaluation of the preparedness of the groups should be there while emergency drills which can be both land and marine oil spills. The health and safety policy needs to be conducted in the organization to avoid any dangerous incidents that can be harmful for the employees. This can be conducted through any campaign and by generating posters and brochures. For this the company can provide a team of HSE-E&MO who would be responsible for communicating this to the employees

Uncertainties of the project

 In spite of my new learning I had some challenges and some uncertainties in this field. The process is absolutely new to me and they are sometimes challenging. The research process is a lengthy process and it is time consuming. Patience is the biggest quality which is required in this case. Therefore, I found this was less in me and I had to work on this. This was the problem in my role. The project was a lengthy and complicated process and it needed some training. Without holding proper knowledge this could not be conducted. This was the biggest uncertainty in case of the conduction of the process.

In order to avoid the uncertainties I would prefer to take a proper training on the process and on the techniques to work in a team. I would further take training on the way to improve my role as an engineer and to be a responsible employee.

Effective methods to solve the problems

I have observed that being an engineer it is obvious that I may face various challenges regarding flexible working hours which are mostly noticed in team work. According to my point of view, employees should work in teams in order to remove obstacles of employment. I have observed that people working in teams can complete the assigned work in time as the task is divided within them. I have noticed that due to flexibility in work schedules employees are benefitted because in this way they will be able to complete the assigned work according to their time schedule which would be free of errors. I have observed that due to such flexibility in my work I had the opportunity of maximizing the benefits available from flexible working. However I have tried to overcome such problems during my tenure as an engineer in a reputed company. I have paid attention on different working arrangements and how these arrangements would influence the operation of a team.

Supervision and Review of Technical Processes

The leadership approach which I undertook in order to overcome the challenges of flexibility and work related problem is the team leadership approach. I have observed that with such approach I will be able to communicate with the individuals in a team more effectively. In this way I will come to know about their progress and their problems. The team leadership approach will help me organizing the team in a better way by providing inspiration to the team with a strong sense of purpose and direction. I have observed that in order to lead a team it is necessary to read the minds of the team workers involved. I have recognized that team work is not always depended on trust and cooperation. I have considered the most challenging aspect in such cases that the work culture of the team may fail due to lack of effective leadership qualities.

I came across various strengths and weaknesses of the individual team members while evaluating their potentiality towards the attainment of organizational goal. However during such process I recognized some of the weaknesses that were faced by me during my approach as a team leader. I observed that in certain circumstances I might discourage the flow of independent among the team workers and in such cases they can increase their dependencies on their team leader. The most important point of weakness which I witnessed was that the team leadership approaches do not work effectively with large teams and organizations. However one of the biggest strength of this approach was creating motivation and empowerment among the team members. However apart from the leadership approach I would adopt different strategies in order to solve the problems arising out of flexibility in workplace. In such cases at first I would change my perspectives according to the changing environment and find new solutions accordingly. It is important that I should deal effectively with changing priorities and deadlines.

personal understanding

According to me, engineering is not only a profession but I think an engineer is a character, a personality and an aspiration. I believe that engineers have the capability of changing the world in a new way. My understanding regarding the concept of engineers has changed. I think that engineers have curious minds and they are curious to learn new things and know how these things would work. According to me, engineers are passionate and aspiring as they like to make things better by inventing new methods of implementation. In my career I came across many engineers however I met a person who proudly described himself as a successful engineer by stating that he has spent hours for human beings by designing and thereby building a bridge for communication purposes of millions of people. Engineering is about making practical inventions and that is why I choose to be an engineer. For me being an engineer is about personal satisfaction of solving audacious problems.

I have described the concept of engineering in real world by describing reasonable facts. I have mentioned various facts that engineering schools do not follow in educating its students. I have observed that in the real world it is essential to encounter the obstacles and issues which is important part of the real world in the process of engineering. I have observed that engineering schools have provided me with the basic degree and theoretical training. However I lacked in professional and technical skills. I came to know about the engineering disciplines in my graduation school however it did not provide me with real world experiences. Engineering schools do not prepare me to be a better communicator however it taught me the process of working in groups. In order to combat these challenges I have selected a mentor who has guided in achieving my goals. I have examined that my assessment priorities have changed to a certain extent. I started to break down my priorities in each area and was able to see where certain priorities restrained others. I realized that positive attitudes are required in creating successful projects however maintaining positive attitude is not an easy task especially when working on a major project. I found that clear communication is an essential tool in ensuring clear communication during any project. I understood that clear communication is required in order to overcome the potential problems arising between the working groups.

Observation of Running Operations and Working of Labors

Final reflection

Having completed my three years degree in engineering, I developed an interest in highly technical core chemical engineering work. I wondered that how the graduation degree would help me in achieving my goals because till now I do not have any industry experience. I then decided to test myself and took a step towards industry experience. It exposed me to both aspects- to a professional environment and in improving my soft skills. I secured an opportunity in Kuwait Oil Company and worked closely with the engineering associates. However my communication and collaboration skills were improved while working in teams at the university. When I was going to apply for the project at Kuwait Oil Company I had a doubt that whether I will be selected or not. I had no professional experience before this. However I learnt a lot during the project work at Kuwait where I discussed the strategies and recommendations that I developed in graduation school. I am now confident in my ability to learn and make contribution to the industry where I will be working in future.

The language and communication skills helped me to develop the Engineers Australia Competencies. I have seen that my proficiency in English both verbally and in writing has helped to improve my communication skills in teams. I have developed efficiency to deal with ethical by appraising and responding appropriately to ethical dilemmas in areas of practice. I have the ability to practice competently by maintaining concise description and carrying out engineering work within the boundaries of my known areas of competence. I have extensively carried on my engineering activities by providing constructive feedback so that other team members could improve. Seeking peer reviews I made improvement on my work based on their suggestions. I have developed safe and sustainable solutions in order to provide safety of workers in manufacture, construction and in removal and disposal of plants. I have been successful in managing engineering activities in order to enhance social and economic prospects of future generation. I have engaged myself with the stakeholders and have considered safety and public health issues which are relevant to the engineering activities. I have adopted the reliance of other engineering expertise while engaging with the stakeholders. In this process I have identified and managed various projects and products which could be caused by economic and social factors. I have followed a systematic method while working closely with the stakeholders and informed the workers associated regarding various threats and uncertainty that could influence the outcomes. In consultation with the stakeholders I have devised ways to influence the consequences to minimize costs and maximize benefits.

I have developed basic understanding of the laws and regulations and various other legal formalities. Most importantly I was able to communicate with different people by maintaining collaborative relationships by gaining their trust, confidence and respect. I have conveyed new ideas to the technical stakeholders. I have delivered written and oral presentations on various engineering activities and problems in an appropriate language. I have been successful in evaluating ongoing projects and products in order to identify any deficiencies and propose suitable solutions. In this way I have developed my ability to analyze problems. I have accurately determined the main issues while analyzing various problems related to process and product. I have adopted appropriate research methods to overcome the problems. I undertook the creative approach in order to develop effective ways to create clients, investors in projects, products and processes. I have developed new concepts in order to meet the requirements and contribute to the process of verifying and validating engineering processes and products. Above all I learned the fact that being an engineer was not only to construct any buildings or any monuments or to look after the internal and external designs of any house. It was a big responsibility. Being an engineer was about building somebody`s dream. It was about interacting with many people and to give new dimensions. The work needs to be done in an innovative and creative manner. The new research methodologies were part of the new innovations. This was all that I could extract from my experience. Therefore, I would like to conclude by stating this that the journey of being an engineer was something that will remain as a good exploration in my life.

Supervision of Engineers and Shifts

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