—A Close Contact with the Group's Overseas Projects
by us respectfully. From preparing materials to applying for visas, from warm tips to the itinerary, from the introduction of mines to the arrangement of communication, Manager Ge and Zhang Chong helped us in every way, reflecting the care and consideration of the “Gold family”. For the next ten days of “Focus time”, our hearts flew away while our bodies were still not moved.
Headquarter of Focus in Perth
Walking into Focus
Foucus was founded in 2001 and it is a listed Australia gold company. In December 2012, approved by Shandong Provincial State Capital Commission and Shandong Provincial Development and Reform Commission, Shandong Gold International bought 51.27% of the company's stake, and its current shareholding ratio is 49.53%. Its core assets are Laverton mining area and Coolgardie mining area in Western Australia.
In the second year after the merger and acquisition, the cost increased sharply due to three factors, namely the decline in international gold price, the shortage of reserves for mining and the decrease of output. After resolution of the board of directors of Focus, the two mining areas were discontinued in March and July 2013 successively. Since 2015, with the rise of international gold price, the change of Australian economic situation and the accumulation of mines reserves, the company made an important decision on the resumption of production for the Coolgardie mining area.
During this travel to Focus, the duty for “Uncle Ge“, Deputy General Manager of Shandong Gold International and director of Focus, Ge Yuhuan, was to promote the resumption of production for Focus. And we will experience the mining work and daily life here as well as witness the rehabilitation of Focus after several years' preparation.
High Degree of Self-Consciousness under the Integrity Culture
Even though the hazy night outside and the long-distance hardship cannot offset our expectations on the initial visit to Perth. Along with the flow of people walking in the passage of the crossing, we had heard that foreign countries have strict rules for entrance, and the inspection for Chinese people is extremely careful, thus we had already prepared for it. When it turned to the inspection for our baggage, the “secretary-general“ pledged that we did not carry any prohibited items. “You should be responsible for your commitment“, the inspector said. After getting the confirmed response, the inspector chose not to open the box and then use the machine inspection directly. He gave us a thumbs-up sign while finishing the inspection. “You should be responsible for your commitment“ reflects that the western civilization puts a high value on integrity, and it is also a check for our Shandong Gold people to practice the core values of the company.
In Focus, the integrity culture can be felt everywhere. Employees should go to banks to handle their personal tax account as soon as possible after the induction. Only with the tax account can employees receive their remunerations, rent or buy houses. Everyone here would like to pay taxes consciously. By the end of the year, they would choose to pay more taxes to avoid tax evasion. They would receive refund rather than get their personal integrity influenced because of not paying enough taxes.
There is a slight difference on the contract working hours of employees. Some people have 9 working hours while others have 8 or 7 hours. However, everyone will abide by the signed working hours consciously. There is no work attendance checking system or supervision. If employees need to get off work earlier, they will start working in advance. At the frontline working site in the mining area, there are still no people checking on work attendance or monitoring. Everyone on duty move forward work according to their own work plan.
In Australia, integrity has become a subconscious way of thinking, a near-instinctive consciousness, which embodies the common progress of a group. In our corporate culture, integrity is also raised to the common understanding at humanity level: our Shandong Gold people adhere to their own distinctive character and bottom line, and integrity has truly become the cultural consciousness of everyone.
Regarding Professional Dedication as Normal Behaviors
In Perth, we arrived at the hotel in the wee hours of the morning. For both us who took the initial visit or the people who had lived overseas for a long time, we suppressed the rising excitement in our heart. The family-like feeling was just the same as we ever felt in any mine in China. The inner resonance was not cut off by the long distance, and we still felt the family-like warmth even though there was not too much understanding of each other.
After a night of rest and because of the curiosity of newcomers, we all felt refreshed in the morning. According to the working hours here, we arrived at the office before 8 o'clock and knew in casual chatting that after finishing the check-in procedures, “Uncle Ge“ communicated with the CEO of Focus Yang Wanghong on the resumption of production until 3 o'clock in the morning. They went into working situation at the first day of arrival and listened to the feasibility study report of Mining One on the resumption of production work for the Coolgardie mining area. We were deeply impressed by their professional dedication.
The professional dedication is not exclusive to Chinese employees. We knew that the outdoor workers in Coolgardie and Laverton mining areas carry out the work system of 9 days of work, 5 days off, and 12 hours per day. The summer temperature in Western Australia could reach to more than 40 degrees, and there are no shade trees or air conditioning to cool down in the naked fields. They just rely on some ice cubes and ice water to keep cool. We heard from James and Owen that, even in that situation, they get up at 3 or 4 a.m., email last day's on-site data to the company at 5 a.m., and get to the fields with their lunch at 6 a.m.. We were also moved by their professional dedication.
As for this professional dedication, the CEO of Focus Yang Wanghong, explained to me that comparing to the ambitious corporate goals, people in Australia and most western countries prefer focusing on their own post objectives, which reflects mostly the professionalism of a person. As I remembered, I once interviewed the national model worker Wang Xianliang, the safety leader of the Sizhuang branch mine of Jiaojia Gold Mine. For his legend of “Walking 108,000 kilometers underground in 33 years“, he just said “Safety inspection is my duty, and I should be responsible for my own job“.
Responsibility is in my mind. Only if everyone spares no efforts to do their own job can we achieve a community of great ideals.
