SUPPLEMENT: INDOCEMENT

SUPPLEMENT: INDOCEMENT Publication: Monday, May 20

Genuine Bridges that enhance lives

The scene is the village of Leuwi Karet in Bogor regency on Nov. 14, 2001. The event is the inauguration of a brand new vital piece of infrastructure for the isolated village.

"For years we have been expecting this kind of bridge, because previously we had to use one made of coconut wood and bamboo. Thanks to Indocement, we can now reach Citeureup market in just 10 minutes. It used to be more than one hour," said Eman, a senior village resident.

That is one of the many benefits given by the 50-meter long bridge built by the country's second largest cement producer, PT Indocement Tunggal Prakarsa Tbk, which spent Rp 600 million on its construction.

Not only does the bridge link and shorten the distance between the villages of Leuwi Karet and Tajur, it also provides the residents greater access to the outside world, thus boosting both their social and business activities.

The Leuwi Karet bridge and its connecting roads illustrate one recent example out of numerous other life-improving projects provided by Indocement to prove their true commitment and concern to community development.

Many kinds of bridges and roads have been built by Indocement: Concrete and steel bridges and asphalt roads that give the surrounding community easier access and a smoother path to enhance their quality of life. These bridges and roads refer to the company's sincere efforts in providing care to various aspects of life in the community, such as health, education, socio-religious and cultural, as well as economic empowerment.

This bonding of relationship with the community and its development has been continuous since PT Indocement Tunggal Prakarsa Tbk first operated in 1985. It further indicates the company's consistent attitude in maintaining the values of good corporate citizenship by not letting its community development mission remain merely a slogan.

On the health aspect, a 24-hour emergency clinic has been made available. Mobile health service units visit the villages according to the daily schedules. During outbreaks of disease, required vaccination and vitamins are provided. Circumcision for the villages' boys usually take place on the company's anniversary. To increase the villagers awareness on matters concerning hygiene and health care, regular meetings are held. Cleft lips plastic surgery and cataract operations are frequently executed.

On the education side, in line with the company's Foster Children program, it has provided donations for thousands of students. Scholarships have also been given to hundreds of students, including university students. Recently, 34 students of Gadjah Mada University have also been awarded such scholarships. School buildings are renovated and reconstructed and new ones are built. The latest are two junior high schools that have been built in the villages of Puspanegara and Bantarjati in Citeureup district. Training schools are also available to enhance the technical skills among villagers.

As for religious and cultural aspects, village mosques have been restored and funds for maintenance provided. Donations to the needy are regularly given. Sufficient numbers of cows or buffalo for sacrifice are provided by the company on certain Islamic religious days. The company also provides prizes and other assistance for Qur'an reciting competitions. Routine meetings are held with both formal and informal village leaders to get a better understanding of local issues. Funds for celebrating Independence Day are also given.

The communities' economic empowerment refers to Indocement's efforts to establish small-scale businesses, such as the construction of pavement blocks, and providing training and support in its marketing. Certain spare parts for the plant's equipment at highly set standards are also purchased from local shops. Members of the company's workforce for construction and cleaning services, as well as in the packing and loading department, come from the villages. Training in agriculture is also provided, which includes technical guidelines to improve crops and the provision of related seeds.

Drainage construction and rehabilitation are also on the list, along with providing a clean water supply by building deep wells and pipelines.

Security is also covered by the company, as it provides funds for the salaries of the village security personnel plus their uniforms.

Environment and health are other matters of prime concern to Indocement.

"At Indocement we treat each issue with equal seriousness, including those related to safety, health and the environment. We have recently added state-of-the-art equipment -- costing US$10 million -- to our modern plant to minimize dust emissions even further," said Oivind Hoidalen, the company's technical director.

He was referring to Electrostatic Precipitators, consisting of sophisticated filters, which now reduces the dust emission to a much lower level than the newly required standard of 50 mg/cubic meter. The company has also been successful in reducing the dust fall and for the past three years, since 1999, has managed to keep it much below the required government standard of 10 tons per square kilometer.

At Indocement, the Safety, Health and Environment Management System (SHEMS), is an internal organization that, just like its name, oversees and strictly supervises relevant issues both within and outside the company.

Safety Program and Facilities include policies and rules, training, planned inspection and maintenance, accident/incident investigation and analysis, safety audit and personal as well as group communications.

A health program and related facilities cover pre-placement and periodical checkups, ergonomic treatment, health promotion and education, diagnoses and treatment, rehabilitation and compensation.

Environmental programs and facilities comprise hazard control of the air through the Blue Sky program and of noise through the Hearing Conservation Program. Hazard monitoring is also conducted on the acceptable levels of noise, heat, dust, drinking water and waste water.

Measurement and achievement charts are regularly made to see how all these programs are performing.

For the Safety Program, for instance, the frequency and severity rates are being significantly reduced. The chart for the Health Program on the occurrence of various diseases indicate a pattern lower than the set national standard.

Through all these efforts, Indocement is preparing for another goal to crown their achievement this year: the ISO 14000.

That will certainly be a feather in their cap, but this major producer of 15.8 million tons of cement annually, currently with 12 plants (nine in Citeureup and two in Palimanan, West Java, plus one in Tarjun, South Kalimantan) takes greater pride in building countless "Bridges of Welfare" that contribute to the lives of both its 6,600 employees, as well as more than 100,000 people in its vicinity.