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“I would like to further learn how to manage projects successfully to operate more efficiently.” --Interview with an executive vice president of an industrial deep well drilling company in the Philippines--
2019/12/9（Mon）14:00
(Philippines/フィリピン)
AQUA HAUS INC.
Ms. Maria Kristina Velasco (Executive Vice President)
Philippines
Many business people from abroad including the emerging countries have participated in AOTS training programs. Positions of the targeted participants vary with the programs. Some programs are for the top executives.
We interviewed an executive vice president of an industrial deep well drilling company in the Philippines.
Well Drilling Constructor Providing an End-to-End Service
AQUA HAUS INC. was established in 1988 as a water utility contractor and a family business with 48 employees. We construct industrial deep wells and assemble pumps and motors to install in the wells. We also install motor controllers, as the brain of the whole automation process, which connect pumps and motors to automate all the systems, and then ensure our clients know how to operate the system.
We consider our employees as our strength and the lifeblood of our company since we rely on their labor and skills as an end-to-end service provider.
Documenting and Reporting to Decide the Next Action
Since we put much value and focus on our human resources, in-house and outside training are both essential. New employees need to acquire intricate mechanical skills, so mentors or seniors are assigned to instruct them through on-the-job training. Then, the ones who have a great potential, give a great performance, or contribute to the company are recommended to proceed to the specialized training such as advanced electrical design or mechanical skills, etc.
Every employee in my company has training once a year as an ISO certified company. For example, last year, they took safety training and this year they are going to take advanced safety training.
While making our HRD policies, we strive hard to balance between employees’ needs and the company’s profit. We have specified policies regarding employment, behavior and attendance, timekeeping and pay, and safety and health.
Whenever issues or concerns arise, employees are supposed to document and report them so that we can decide the next action to be taken in response to what happened. We hold a meeting and find solutions.
To Fulfill the Current High Demand without Compromising
Currently, there is a high demand for deep well construction, due to the water crisis that occurred in 2018 and heavily affected communities within Metro Manila and nearby provinces. Therefore, there are many competitors as well drillers and pump and motor suppliers, but our edge is our more than 30 years of experience and expertise.
Our customers are larger communities such as villages with 30 to 50 households or golf courses instead of individual households, and besides the existing clients, we have more new clients coming. To fulfill the current demand without compromising on our quality of service, we need more people, therefore, our veteran employees have been trying to pass their skills and knowledge to the younger generation and that is quite a challenge. We are planning to hold a more formal type of training, better process documentation and process standardization for a smoother transition.
Our company balances a lot of projects at a time, especially now that there’s high demand for water services. As a purpose of my trip this time to TKC, Japan, I would like to further learn how to manage projects successfully in order to operate more efficiently and thus yield better and more favorable business results in terms of sales and client satisfaction.
Q. Please tell us about business culture in your country.
In the Philippines, personal relationships count for a lot in business. This means we get to know our clients and suppliers on a personal level to earn more trust from them as well as to build a network. If we provide service that satisfies our clients, they will introduce us to new clients and our network grows bigger. Filipinos are also very skilled workers and faithfully follow instructions. Filipinos honor one’s word as well as acknowledge and appreciate help or service.
Speaking of our business relationship with overseas company, we have had a business relationship with AuCom (New Zealand) and Ebara (Japan) for about 10 years, as we import some parts for our products and pumps from them. We are definitely considering more business relationships with Japanese companies. We can import their products and hopefully distribute them in the Philippines.
Q. Lastly, what would you have wanted to become before you started your current job?
A tour guide.