Staff magazine 4/2012

Great task: surveying special purpose vessels

Great luxury: TÜV UK verifies hotels in Las Vegas

Great pleasure: Korean theme park is OK for Kids

Great acclaim: Smart Grids Forum in Brussels

2 internord 4/2012

TÜV NORD Czech has a new General Manager: Jan Weinfurt has been appointed to suc-ceed Dr Milos Kužvart, who has left the company. Weinfurt has been working in the field of certification in the Czech Re-public for 20 years. “Working with such a highly qualified team is a great challenge to me,” says Jan Weinfurt. “I’m very impressed by how com-petent our staff are.”

Jan Weinfurt is the new General Manager of TÜV NORD Czech

Dr Hans Strauss (2nd from right) and Wolfgang Wielpütz (2nd from left) are the General Managers of TÜV NORD Austria. The two General Managers of TÜV NORD International, Ulf Theike (left) and Dr Ralf Jung, are pushing ahead with the Group’s growth strategy.

TÜV NORD Austria has now been formally established. The new company is headed by Wolfgang Wielpütz and Dr Hans Strauss as General Man-agers. Strauss has many years of experience in the certifica-tion business in Austria; he previously worked for one of

TÜV NORD’s major competi-tors. Wielpütz is at the same time a General Manager of TÜV NORD CERT, alongside Ulf Theike. “I’m looking for-ward to working for the top-ranking brand TÜV NORD,” Strauss declares.

TÜV NORD now has a company of its own in Austria

Jan Weinfurt is the new General Manager in the Czech Republic.

Frank Kuske has been appoint-ed the new General Manager of TÜV NORD Material Testing, with effect from 1 August. In addition, he has also been made a General Manager of the material testing company GWQ Gesellschaft für Werk-stoffprüfung und Qualitäts-sicherung, alongside Günter Jakert. Before joining TÜV NORD Group, Frank Kuske was the head of the depart-

ment of Non-Destructive Ma-terial Testing at Dekra Material Testing. TÜV NORD Material Testing, which is based in the Rheinhausen district of Duis-burg, offers a broad range of testing and certification ser-vices that are of benefit to companies seeking to enhance their quality assurance, mini-mise downtime risks and opti-mise their material and operat-ing costs.

Frank Kuske is the new General Manager of TÜV NORD Material Testing

TÜV NORD AG is expanding its Management Board as part of its ongoing international growth strategy. Dr Dirk Stenkamp will take up his appointment on the Board on 1 February 2013. Dr Stenkamp is aged fifty and stu-died physics at RWTH Aachen University and also at the re-search institute Forschungs-zentrum Jülich. Following this, he completed his doctorate at Aachen. From 1997 to 2009 Dr Stenkamp held various po-sitions within the CARL ZEISS GROUP. As from 2007 he was a member of the Management Board of CARL ZEISS SMT AG.

Since 2010 he has, among other responsibilities, held the post of Chief Operating Officer and Member of the Manage-ment Board of the international company CENTROTHERM PHOTOVOLTAICS. This listed company works in the areas of process technology as well as machinery and plant construc-tion for the semiconductor and

solar industries. Dr Stenkamp is married and has two child-ren.

With Dr Guido Rettig (Chair-man), Dr. Elmar Legge, Dr Klaus Kleinherbers and Harald Reutter, the Management Board will therefore consist of five members in future. The su-pervisory board of the AG will decide on allocation of the TÜV NORD business areas to the board members in its Decem-ber meeting.

Dr Dirk Stenkamp appointed as Member of the Management Board of TÜV NORD AG

Dr Dirk Stenkamp is on 1 February 2013 new member of the Management Board of TÜV NORD Group.

internord 4/2012 3

“Compliance” means observ-ing to the full all binding cor-porate regulations, which in-cludes everything from Group directives to the Corporate Guidelines and the Code of Conduct. These are the foun-dations on which our funda-mental values of integrity and independence are built. Every member of staff is required to take account of this. The Board of Management is un-derlining its clear and consist-ent policy with regard to any infringement of the rules by implementing a Group-wide Compliance Project, which also encompasses amnesty provisions. internord asked Dr Robert Wagner, Chief Compli-ance Officer of TÜV NORD, about it.

internord: Dr Wagner, why does TÜV NORD Group need a compliance project?

Dr Wagner: The project is an important module in our com-pliance management system, which has been in place and working successfully since 2008. Serious failures of com-pliance within the Group are

unearthed at an average rate of one a month. This is some-thing we will continue to work on, because breaking the rules in this way can have an ex-traordinarily negative impact on our commercial success. This is a good opportunity for individual members of staff to come clean about any issues they may be aware of, and possibly to benefit from the amnesty provisions. I’m very pleased that both the Board of Management and the Group Staff Council have put their weight behind the project.

What kinds of breach of compliance are covered by the amnesty offer?

First of all: there is no general amnesty. The amnesty scheme covers offences such as brib-ery and corruption, and also violations of tax law, for exam-ple. It is particularly important to TÜV NORD Group that ac-creditation rules should be complied with; breaches of compliance such as slanting expert opinions in favour of the party concerned or failing to carry out any part of a pre-

scribed test expose the com-pany to particularly high risks.

Who is the amnesty offer aimed at?

Any member of staff may fur-nish information that leads to the discovery of previously un-known breaches of compli-ance. Under certain condi-tions, the Group may waive sanctions, in whole or in part, if members of staff reveal im-proper behaviour that they themselves have been guilty of by 15 December, and so con-tribute towards such occur-rences becoming known.

Do breaches of compliance by individual members of staff have a direct impact on the Group’s commercial success?

Undoubtedly. A major breach of compliance could, for exam-ple, lead to TÜV NORD losing accreditations. This could give rise to an enormous financial loss. TÜV NORD’s most im-

portant asset is the confidence its customers have in it. That must on no account be put in jeopardy. And each and every member of staff has a particu-lar responsibility for making sure that it isn’t.

Who can staff turn to?

We are very much aware that it is no easy step for anyone to make a disclosure of this kind. We have nominated three peo-ple that any member of staff can turn to in confidence. Apart from myself, these are Wiebke Jasper and the TÜV NORD Group’s ombudsman, the solicitor Dr Carsten Thiel von Herff of the law firm Streit-börger Spreckmann in Bielefeld.

Information on compliance can be found on the intranet under Corporate News: “TÜV NORD Compliance Report 2012”. The relevant regulations, guidelines and codes of conduct are also to be found there.

Compliance Project 2012:

“Preserving our customers’ confidence in our integrity”

Any willingness to accept bribes could put the Group’s commercial success in jeopardy.

Dr Robert Wagner is Chief Compliance Officer at TÜV NORD. The Group’s commercial success is extraordinarily dependent on the fundamental values of integrity and independence.

4 internord 4/2012

Every ship, tunnel, building or other complex system needs to have a complete file with up-to-date manuals and tech-nical drawings in order to guarantee safe and efficient use or operation. Apart from manuals, technical drawings are an important part of this file. “We make sure that all the documents in such a file re-flect the actual situation,” says Grigori Konijn, a health, safety and environment consultant at Verebus. “By doing so we help our customers to manage them and to keep them up to date.”

One such customer is Heere-ma Marine Contractors (HMC), a leading marine contractor in the international offshore oil and gas industry. HMC excels at transporting, installing and dismantling offshore facilities. The company’s heavy lifting vessels are able to carry out complex deep water infra-structure and pipeline projects and have sufficient lifting ca-pacity to install fixed platforms.

One speciality of Verebus is the provision of so-called As Built Services, involving a sort of inventory-taking of all sys-tems and machines plus the computer-aided processing of data. Verebus has done this work for two HMC vessels: the Thialf and the Baldur.

Work on the Thialf off the coast of NorwaySome of the work, such as analysing technical drawings, could only be done on-shore; other tasks, including as built

services such as inspections and surveys, only on board the Thialf. While the team was on board the Thialf, the crew continued doing their usual jobs. Activities included dis-mantling oil platforms in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea. Platforms are dismantled piece by piece, starting with the modules on top of the platform and followed by the

steel base on which the plat-form rests on the sea bed.

If necessary, special remote- controlled equipment is used to cut the base up and lift the parts to the surface.

Grigori Konijn is team leader of the As Built Services Thialf project. Usually, Grigori is in-volved in rail projects as a

health, safety and environment consultant, but he has the necessary skills to take on a leading role in this project too.

Ship with ten storeysThe team first travelled out to Stavanger, Norway, and from there they flew out to the Thialf by helicopter. “What struck us most when we arrived was the size of the ship; it was more

Manuals and technical drawings must be kept up to date

Verebus team surveys heavy lifting vessels on the high seas

The heavy lifting vessel Thialf was the workplace of a Verebus team.

internord 4/2012 5

like to a platform than a ship. It has ten storeys, offering space for a cinema, swimming pool, sauna, fitness room and 350 twin-bedded cabins,” Grigori Konijn explains. “At the time, there were more than 400 em-ployees on board, working in two shifts. One shift from noon till midnight, and the other from midnight till noon. We worked from six in the morn-ing till six in the evening.”

During the weeks that the Ver-ebus team is engaged on the Thialf, they work every day in-cluding weekends. “In fact, you do not really notice. True enough, you work long days, but there is nothing else to worry about. There is no need to cook or to pick the children

up from school, so there is nothing else on your mind.” Outside working hours, the team would go to the bar – non-alcoholic of course, be-cause the work on board is bound by strict safety rules. “Or to the games room, where you could, for instance, play table tennis or surf on the In-ternet.” Sometimes it was diffi-cult to keep track of the days, since you work every day. “It is only when you do not get a response to your e-mail that you realise it may be the weekend,” Konijn says.

More work on the way to SpainAfter two periods in Norway, when the ship was in full oper-ation, two other periods of surveys followed, during which the ship sailed from England to Spain and back. “During the first period the crew was busy dismantling a drilling platform. The ship was chained up to it and the engines had to keep the vessel in its place,” recalls Konijn. “During that time we could not open many electrical cabinets, because of the risk of engines and electrical sys-tems going down.”

While the Thialf was being serviced in Rotterdam, the Verebus team finished final works.

This is Verebus

Verebus Engineering has been part of TÜV NORD Group since 2007. The Dutch engineering consultancy company has its roots in en-gineering, technical docu-mentation and asset informa-tion management. One of the main segments is railway en-gineering services. The com-pany offers support during the complete life cycle of technical systems and instal-lations and works for clients in the market segments of defence, infrastructure

including rail infrastructure, marine & offshore, aviation and the energy and construc-tion sectors. Among the clients are large companies and organisations such as ProRail, NedTrain, the Dutch Ministry of Defence, Huisman Equipment, Damen Shipyards and Heerema Marine Con-tractors. Kees Aling is Gener-al Manager and also Regional Manager Western Europe. Based in Rijkswijk near The Hague, Verebus has more than 100 employees.

While the team was on board the Thialf for the first time, the crew continued doing their usual jobs.

For an operation, more than 400 workers are on board.

Grigori Konijn gladly recalls his time on board.

6 internord 4/2012

The heavy lifting vessel Thialf was more like a platform than a ship.

With a helicopter like this, the Verebus team headed from Stavanger, Norway, to the ship off the coast of Norway.

When the vessel was on its way to another task, not all the machines were in opera-tion, so it was possible to car-ry out other surveys. “It was much quieter on board then, because only the crew to sail the vessel to Spain was pres-ent,” Konijn explains.

The work on board was com-pleted while the Thialf was in the Netherlands for mainten-ance. Now the Verebus team is busy bringing the technical drawings up to date. This work has to be completed some time this autumn.

“I would be glad to join in again”“There was a lot of hard work to do. It is important to com-ply with the procedures and safety rules.” Grigori Konijn gladly recalls his time on board: “At the same time, you must be able to act swiftly, but with a reasonable amount of freedom. Heerema made sure that there was always some-one to sort things out for us, so that we were able to do the job we had come for. If another such opportunity pre-sents itself, I would be glad to join in again.”

Four questions to ...

... Kees Aling, General Manager of Verebus and Regional Manager Western Europe.

Where do your customers come from?

Verebus is a 65-year-old en-gineering consulting organi-sation with 150 employees, active in the Marine & Off-shore, Rail and Defence In-dustries, primarily in The Netherlands. Amongst our clients are large companies and organisations like Pro-Rail (DB Netz), NedTrain (DB), the Dutch Ministry of Defence, Huisman Equip-ment, Damen Shipyards and Heerema Marine Contrac-tors. Verebus Engineering has been part of TÜV NORD Group since 2007. Our am-bition is to further internation-alise our services. How has Verebus benefited from being part of TÜV NORD Group?

Over the past three years we have worked with Dr Ger-hard Dreier from TÜV NORD Systems to acquire a market position in the area of power plants. In The Netherlands there are several newbuild

power plant projects, and on the back of these and with the help of our TÜV NORD colleagues, we are trying to win new customers.

What opportunities do you see in the future?

In the near future we are looking to expand our cor-poration particularly in the field of railway engineering and wind power. In my role as Regional Manager I am excited to contribute to the accelerated growth ambi-tions of TÜV NORD Group. In my opinion there is good business potential within the Group which is waiting to be unleashed.

How can other TÜV NORD companies take advantage of Verebus as a member of the Group?

Verebus has a lot of exper-tise in the field of technical documentation. We see that in capital-intensive industries such as power plants, pro-cess and petrochemical in-dustries the regulations for safety and maintainability are a driver of growing demand for technical documentation. Verebus is the market leader in The Netherlands, and we want to spread our know-ledge and activities world-wide. We invite all colleagues to make use of our experi-ence and to involve us when customers have questions in the field of technical docu-mentation.

internord 4/2012 7

FAHSS/TÜV Saudi Arabia has organised training for people who are to act as lead asses-sors during audits of Respon-sible Care Management Sys-tems (RCMS). Such audits are required if a company wishes to obtain certification that its management systems are in line with both ISO 14001 and RC14001 requirements.

This training was accredited by BEAC USA, a non-profit organisation, which itself is

active in training and certifying environmental, health and safety management systems auditors.

FAHSS/TÜV Saudi Arabia and TÜV Middle East will offer these types of certification. Originally this standard was developed for the chemical industry in the USA, but companies from other busi-ness sectors can also apply for certifications according to this standard.

FAHSS/TÜV Saudi Arabia

Lead assessor-training for Responsible Care Management

Lead assessor training in Saudi Arabia, organised by FAHSS/ TÜV Saudia Arabia.

DMT involved in Yangtze research project

DMT is joining with research teams from several universities in a project, scheduled to last until 2015, to research environ-mental risks associated the Three Gorges Reservoir in Chi-na. The investigations will cov-er the effects of changes in land use, erosion, substances infiltrating the water and move-ments of geological masses at the Three Gorges Reservoir on the Yangtze River, all with an eye towards the sustainable utilisation of the reservoir. DMT’s role in the project is pri-marily to monitor the potential hazards for the affected area of the seasonal changes of over 30 metres in the depth of water in the reservoir, and to investi-gate the interactions between the various factors. The highly sophisticated Summit M Vipa seismographs developed by DMT are to be used in the pro-ject.

Through the good offices of the Indo-German Chamber of Commerce, Ankita Moghe and two of her fellow students had the opportunity to spend two months on a training place-ment with TUV India. She gave internord an account of her im-pressions.

“Let me rewind the time to January 2nd, 2012, Monday. It was exactly 7.50 when I board-ed the Churchgate bound train to go to the desired destina-tion. I was constantly keeping in touch with my classmates, who are also with me as train-ees at the same company, to ensure that we met at the unanimously decided spot. As decided, we met and headed towards the office. At 8.40 sharp we reached the office, to match the German discipline of punctuality. We were cordially greeted, guided through the of-

fice and formally introduced to the business heads, executives and staff members. Very soon I was introduced to my project in-charge, Kau-stubh A. Korde, Chief Cor-porate Officer at TUV India, a great person with extensive industry experience and vast knowledge. I was provided

with the details, information and support as a starter to my project about custumor satis-faction, market research and communication. I have learnt to ask for what I need to perform my work satisfactorily. Until then, things took their course as per my whims and fancies. But now is the time to turn rock solid and run pillar to post to get things in place.”

She was obviously successful in this: “Ankita Moghe demon-strated commitment,” Korde said; “her management studies gave her considerable ability to do her work.”

Ankita Moghe will have further opportunities to showcase both her commitment and her competence next year. She will then join a trainee programme at TÜV NORD Group in Ger-many.

Ankita Moghe spent a summer as a trainee with TUV India

Getting things in place

Manish Singh (left), Ankita Moghe and Viraj Kapadia spent a month on a training placement with TUV India.

8 internord 4/2012

TÜV NORD is certifying an off-shore wind turbine made by the Chinese manufacturer Si-novel. The 6 MW turbine will be one of the first turbines de-veloped in China for offshore use to receive internationally recognised type certification. “We are registering a high level of demand in China for inter-nationally recognised certifica-tion,” says Dr Lars Sitzki, head of the Wind Energy Depart-ment at TÜV NORD. “It en-ables manufacturers like Sinovel to demonstrate their quality in accordance with in-ternationally recognised stand-ards. This is a decisive factor in being able to participate in tenders for wind farm projects all over the world.” The Sinovel Wind Group is one of the leading Chinese manufacturers of wind tur-

bines; in 2011 it was respons-ible for more installed turbine capacity in China than any other vendor. “We are very

pleased to be entering into this first joint project with Sinovel,” Dr Sitzki says. “Together with our TÜV NORD colleagues in

China we will be closely asso-ciated with the development of this multi-megawatt tur-bine.”

Contract won for offshore project

TÜV NORD certifies its first Chinese turbine

Meeting in Beijing to sign the contract: (from left) Zuohui Liu, Director of R&D at Sinovel, Dr Lars Sitzki, Head of the Wind Energy Department at TÜV NORD, Christian Hering, Head of Wind Certification at TÜV NORD, and Zhiyan Qin, General Manager of TÜV NORD Tianjin China.

Cost studies validated

TÜV NORD EnSys Hannover has validated the costs of de-commissioning nuclear power stations in Switzerland on behalf of the Swiss Nuclear Safety Inspectorate ENSI. The plant operators had presented cost studies which TÜV NORD EnSys Hannover assessed for plausibility, from both the tech-nical and the mathematical point of view, and compared with other similar projects. “This has enabled us to strengthen and expand our position on the Swiss nuclear safety market,” says General Manager Bernward Hartje.

TÜV NORD Group’s outstand-ing reputation in the field of material testing in nuclear en-gineering is now paying off in the conventional field as well: five Group companies with more than 150 staff are in-volved in the non-destructive testing of materials. Such tests allow assessments of the quality and condition of plant and plant components to be made quickly and effectively; because a failure to identify defects can lead to major damage and interruptions in operations. “We have a high level of know-how, good test-ing techniques, and good

people,” says Detlef Schom-bach, who is responsible for developing concepts for non-destructive material test-ing services and coordinating them throughout the Group. “Our advantage is our close-ness to potential customers,” he explains; “our experts are out and about testing every day of the week, so they have plenty of opportunities to spread the word.” “Our greatest asset is our good reputation in the sector,” Schombach says. That is why the bodies that develop new standards and the German Society for Non-Destructive

Testing (DGZfP) are always glad to see TÜV NORD ex-perts participating in their de-liberations. They are active in a very broad range of fields, which include pressure equip-ment, wind turbines and pow-er stations. Frequent start-ups and shut-downs of equipment put a strain on the materials, particularly in those power sta-tions that are only required when the wind is not supply-ing enough energy. Material testing is offered by TÜV NORD SysTec, TÜV NORD EnSys Hannover, MPA Leuna, GWQ and TÜV NORD Material Testing.

Material testing

“Our greatest asset is our good reputation in the sector”

internord 4/2012 9

Three new Kia models have received certificates testifying to their environmental friendli-ness, after having all their eco-logical aspects subjected to intensive scrutiny by TÜV NORD CERT. “Our work helps to promote the further devel-opment of environmentally friendly vehicles,” says Wolf-gang Wielpütz, General Man-ager of TÜV NORD CERT. “The certification procedure showed that Kia is particularly distinguished by its efficient engines and modern produc-tion processes.”

The new Kia cee’d and also the new mid-range saloon car, the Kia Optima Hybrid, and the Sorento SUV have now been certified under ISO Standard 14040. This strict environmental standard in-volves a life cycle assessment (LCA) of a product extending

to all environmental impacts during its entire life cycle - from the choice of materials and the production methods to emissions of pollutants dur-ing the vehicle’s useful life, and going on all the way to its final disposal.

In addition, TÜV NORD CERT confirmed that the second generation cee’d model had been developed in an environ-mentally friendly manner, in accordance with ISO Standard 14062, which determines De-sign for Environment (DFE) cri-teria. These cover a number of environmentally relevant fac-tors, including weight reduc-tion, the use of recyclable ma-terials and fuel efficiency.A year ago, TÜV NORD certi-fied the Picanto, Rio and Opti-ma models in accordance with the environmental standard ISO 14040; the number of Kia

models granted certificates has now reached ten. The original cee’d, a compact model developed specially for the European market, received its environmental certificate from TÜV NORD in 2008, be-ing the first car from a Korean manufacturer to do so.

TÜV NORD undertakes life cycle assessments of three new Kia models

One of the three vehicle models now certified is the Kia cee’d.

This isTÜV NORD CERT

Both in Germany and abroad, the “TÜV tested” label is associated with safety, reliability and quality.

TÜV NORD CERT assesses and certifies the fulfilment of statutory requirements and voluntarily adopted standards. Its inspectors are synonymous with the highest level of compe-tence in the certification of systems, staff and prod-ucts.

Impartial certification by TÜV NORD CERT enables customers to furnish their staff, business partners and consumers with an objec-tive and highly regarded demonstration of their qual-ity; it is thus of benefit to them with regard not only to their external image, but also to the optimisation of internal processes.The Picanto model was awarded its certificate in 2011. Nils Jansen of TÜV NORD CERT

and Yang Seung Wook, President of the Hyundai and Kia R&D Centre in Rüsselsheim, were both pleased about the PR impact this would have.

10 internord 4/2012

Europe needs TÜV NORD Group as a competent partner for the energy infrastructure of tomorrow. At an event held in Brussels, more than 80 guests listened to speeches and tech-nical lectures and took part in a discussion on the theme of Smart grids made in Europe – is Europe ready to expand its networks? The principal speak-er was the EU Commissioner responsible for energy issues, Günther Oettinger. The conclu-sion drawn from the event is that Europe is not yet ready for smart grids, but it does have the experts and companies required to get it ready – for example TÜV NORD. Oettinger named security of supply, sus-tainability and affordable ener-gy for industry and consumers as the most important objec-tives of the process of restruc-turing Europe’s energy sector. Binding standards needed to be laid down for intelligent net-works and their financing se-cured, Oettinger said. Equally important was effective data protection.

Dr Guido Rettig declared that TÜV NORD Group supported the European Commission’s plans: “But the fundamental political and economic factors have to be right,” he said. “On the long road to a ‘smart’ ener-gy system, all those involved need to pace themselves prop-erly,” he went on. “Those who overestimate themselves and try to push ahead too quickly are likely to find themselves out of breath. This could result in bottlenecks in supply and un-acceptably high energy costs in Europe.”

The Smart Grids Forum underlines competence in future-orientated energy supply

TÜV NORD can help to get Europe ready for smart grids

Dr Guido Rettig, Chairman of the Board of Management of TÜV NORD Group, talks to Günther Oettinger, the EU Commissioner responsible for energy issues.

Three questions to ...

... Johannes Berg, head of TÜV NORD’s Corporate Representative Office in Brussels

What part is TÜV NORD playing in the consultative process taking place in Brussels on the future of energy supplies?

We are giving our support to the people who make the po-

litical decisions in Brussels. In this way, we are playing our part in determining the shape of future energy supplies. We are assisting in the legislative process, and we are prepared to make our technical know-ledge available to EU Commis-sion staff and to members of the European Parliament. In a Brussels landscape dominated by legal, economic and political issues, our technical compe-tence is particularly highly prized, especially in connection with a topic such as energy supply.

How helpful are such events to TÜV NORD in positioning itself as a service provider with comprehensive know-how and visions?

First and foremost, our sym-posia provide a neutral dis-cussion forum on the issues of the day. But we can of course also contribute our own know-how to the de-bate.

In what other areas besides energy supply is TÜV NORD’s expertise valued in Brussels?

At our Brussels office we ap-ply ourselves to those issues that feature in the European Commission’s programme of work. This year, the main focuses of our supporting activities are the areas of the digital agenda, the European Commission’s natural re-sources initiative and renew-able forms of energy.

internord 4/2012 11

Visiting the internord editorial office

Lina Vivek: Companies are responsible for their staff

Lina Vivek has been with TUV India for more than 13 years. internord talked to the Product Manager, Social Accountabili-ty, about certifications accord-ing to the international stand-ard SA 8000 (Social Account-ability).

internord: When did compa-nies start gaining interest in certification according to the SA 8000 standard in India?

Lina Vivek: Companies started demanding the standard in 1999. Complying with the SA 8000 standard, companies are better off when exporting goods to Europe or the United States. Although organisations find it difficult to implement, due to the stringent require-ments of SA 8000, more and more companies are neverthe-less opting for the certification as it is a mandatory require-ment imposed by most buy-ers. Many employers under-stand that they can only achieve their objectives if they offer humane working condi-tions. We as a certifier focus on the textile and garment in-dustries, but now every indus-try is approached.

What is so special about certification according to this standard?

SA 8000 provides a procedure for improving working condi-tions where local laws are lacking or the poor enforce-ment of local laws results in workers’ rights being abused. So we spend most of our time interacting with workers. As we make workers feel com-fortable, we have them inter-

acting with the auditors very freely without inhibitions about their concerns. But there are also times when we do not re-ceive much response due to the fear of being reprimanded by the management.

In which other countries are companies also interested in being certified according to this standard?

Initially many certificates were issued in China, and then Italy. But recently the trend has changed due to the question of sustainability in China. Companies in Africa also seek SA 8000 certification. The ma-jority of companies adopting SA 8000 are in the retail sec-tor or manufacture clothing, shoes and toys.

What’s your personal motiva-tion to do your job?

It’s interacting with people, and I personally feel that em-ployees are an integral part of any business and are needed if the organisation wants to succeed. Essentially they are the ones who drive a busi-ness. If you’re not going to take care of them the compa-ny will never progress. They are actually a building block for any business.

Personal satisfaction comes from knowing there are initia-tives taken by organisations to ensure humane working con-ditions. As a social outcome, the standard has led to greater respect for the workers, both from the management and staff, and it seems that work-ers are more satisfied with their jobs, which has led to a decrease in labour turnover in certified organisations. “Would you discriminate against your

children?” – that’s a question which has made top manage-ments think in the right direc-tion.

Lina Vivek of TUV India (right) talks with Anna-Lena Simon, who worked for some weeks as a trainee in the corporate communications department.

This is TUV India

TUV India, established in 1989, was one of the first organisations in India to offer inspection services as well as being a pioneer in certifications according to the ISO 9001 standard. Today, a team of more than 500 experts work in 25 locations within India.The company offers ser-vices in different fields such as energy, industry, auto-motive, product testing, management systems, food safety, information technology, training and others.

12 internord 4/2012

Danny Kil of TÜV UK verifies greenhouse gas emissions for two luxury hotels in Las Vegas

A dream has come true for Danny Kil of TÜV UK: together with a team he examined the greenhouse gas emissions of two luxury hotels in Las Vegas. TÜV UK recently got a new accreditation from the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) in the context of the corporate greenhouse gas verification service.

This year the hotel operating company wishes to follow this up by appointing a contractor to verify the greenhouse gas emissions of all its other hotels worldwide. Danny Kil is confi-dently looking forward to this process and hopes to win the contract.

In January, together with over a dozen other service provid-ers, TÜV UK was invited by Las Vegas Sands (LVS) to par-ticipate in bidding for their 2011 Global Greenhouse Gas emission inventory, reporting and verification project. “To

ensure independence, we made it clear from the begin-ning that we would only be able to bid for the verification part of the request for propos-al and that the inventory need to be prepared by the client or a consultant separately,” says Danny Kil.

One of LVS’s objectives in vol-untarily seeking independent verification of their last year’s greenhouse gas emissions was to obtain maximum marks in the verification section of the 2011 disclosure of the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP); this will result in a high-er ranking in the CDP’s league table, providing a distinct mar-ket advantage. Being a market leader within their industry makes this New York Stock Exchange listed corporation more attractive to institutional investors including banks, pension funds, asset manag-ers and insurance companies. Verification provides credibility,

which reduces the risk inher-ent in the investment.But TÜV NORD UK suggested that a smaller-scale project would be sufficient to achieve this major objective. “We pro-posed a cost saving approach without jeopardising their posi-tion in the CDP’s league table by verifying the emissions of their Las Vegas based head-quarters The Venetian and The Palazzo only instead of verify-ing their global corporate emissions as originally re-quested. Due to the smaller scope of the project and the fact that the entire corporate sustainability team would be present on-site, this proposal is less complex.

“At the end we had a strong advantage in competition: we have a strong corporate part-nership with the CDP, and I was personally involved as a verifier in developing the CDP’s verification strategy,” says Kil.

After some preparatory work Danny Kil went to Las Vegas. Down into the cellars to the water and electricity supplies. “It looked just like in any other good hotel,” Kil said; “we didn’t see any beaten gold.”

Three days he spent in the catacombs of the luxury ho-tels, then a draft verification report had to be prepared and presented. One month later, the final verification report in-cluding a positive verification statement about LVS’s 2011 greenhouse gas assertion was presented. “With that we met all deadlines,” says Kil. It took Danny Kil just three minutes to get to his workplace in the morning. He had to stay in a hotel on the opposite side of the road, the Treasure Island Hotel. He got a hot coffee at Starbucks on his way. The two sites he was verifying were ful-ly booked.

Pure luxury: The hotels The Venetian and The Palazzo now have a validated greenhouse gas emission statement.

This is TÜV UK

TÜV UK was founded as long ago as 1979. Main working fields include verifi-cation of CDP projects, cer-tifications of quality, envi-ronment and labour protec-tion management systems. Furthermore, the company with more than 30 mem-bers of staff offers a range of technical services in the fields of steam and pres-sure and welding tech-niques. The company is based in Croydon, just south of London.

internord 4/2012 13

This is TÜV NORD in Korea

TÜV NORD Korea was estab-lished in 1996, and offers sound know-how in all areas of system, product and vehi-cle certification, as well as technical inspections and comprehensive engineering services.

INCOK was founded as long ago as 1964, and is one of the biggest independent in-

spection service providers in Korea. The company em-ploys more than 170 people. INCOK is a recognised expert in the fields of the inspection and certification of steel-works, petrochemical plant, refineries and offshore plat-forms, and also in energy generation and environmental protection.

The offering of the Samsung Everland theme park to the south of the South Korean capital is OK for Kids, as TÜV NORD Korea has now confirmed.

Contract won off a major competitor

Korean theme park Samsung Everland is OK for Kids

It was on National Children’s Day of all days that the boss of Samsung Everland, Jin Yong Kim, received the OK for Kids certificate for his theme park. This makes Everland the first amusement park in Asia to be awarded such a distinc-tion. For TÜV NORD Korea it was the first contract of its kind: the company had never certified an amusement park before.

“We are very proud to have won this contract; in the past, this theme park has drawn services from one of our major competitors,” says James Lee, General Manager of TÜV NORD Korea.

He also sees considerable op-portunities for INCOK, the oth-er Korean member of TÜV NORD Group, which could take over responsibility for monitoring safety and for engi-neering tasks in the park.

OK for Kids is a quality label developed by TÜV NORD Group jointly with the chil-dren’s protection agency in

the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It is award-ed to businesses whose offer-ings are particularly child- friendly.

The Samsung Everland Park to the south of the Korean capital Seoul has been in ex-istence for more than 35 years; it contains a zoo and a wide range of fairground rides,

and has repeatedly been ex-panded. Almost seven million visitors come every year. The most famous attraction is the steepest wooden roller coaster in the world.

The amusement park close to the capital Seoul is divided into five differently themed areas. It is visited by almost seven million people every year.

14 internord 4/2012

“Damaged”: Michael Hess joggles a step of a step ladder. It is loose – which it shouldn’t be.

TÜV NORD Akademie trains international team at Enercon in Aurich

Rigging experts wait for the crash

The crash ought to come at any moment. But there is no crash. The defective brake in the chain hoist holds. It is mounted in a three-metre-high test rig with a red frame. Twen-ty eyes are directed expectant-ly towards it, here in the ware-house and workshop building of an Enercon site in Aurich, above which an air force jet is just thundering past once again. From up there, one would be able to see a large number of 20-foot containers and a lot of people in yellow jackets. They are being trained to inspect all the things known collectively as rigging: shack-les, flat sling belts, round slings, crane baskets, chains – in fact everything that can be used for hanging loads onto cranes. Heinz Böcker of TÜV NORD Akademie in Oldenburg has organised this seminar, an

in-house event like seventy others that take place every year: Enercon, Germany’s big-gest manufacturer of wind tur-bines, is one of the academy’s biggest customers. “About 60 Enercon staff have already done this course,” Böcker says, and more such courses are planned, including some

abroad. But even today, the course can only be conducted in English, since the partici-pants come from Belgium, France, Italy, Lithuania, Poland, Portugal and Turkey. The train-er is Michael Hess, who has been doing seminars for TÜV NORD Akademie for more than 15 years now.

But at the moment, nobody is talking: many are simply watching the experiment, tak-ing pictures with their mobile phones, while the Belgian Ro-main Guiot turns away a bit in anticipation of the crash. But it doesn’t come. The pressure exerted on the chain by the test rig has now risen to 40 bars; it is supporting a load of 1.24 tonnes. Everything would appear to be perfectly in order. Yet on the previous day the participants had themselves tampered with the brake in the chain hoist. In the days before they had learnt in theory about the equipment their colleagues use that needs to be tested. Today, there are plenty of things around on which they can try out what they have learnt. Hess joggles the steps of a step ladder, which offer little resistance. “Damaged. All damaged.” A pause. “Made in Belgium.” There’s amused laughter di-rected at Romain Guiot, the Belgian in the group. He laughs too.

Everything in its proper placeA few minutes later, in one of the containers. It is full of lifting slings hanging from the walls; there are also chains, ropes and shackles, all in their proper places, and a ladder in several sections is fastened to the ceil-ing. These containers are transported from building site to building site, but they come back again and again to Au-rich, where the content has to be inspected. Someone has done some good work: this container filled with rigging is

Michael Hess explains the testing of a lifting sling to Marius Mili-auskas from Lithuania (left).

internord 4/2012 15

ready to be used again at one of the many projects that Ener-con is currently carrying out globally. The company has manufactured and installed more than 20,000 wind tur-bines all around the world.In another container, things don’t look as good. Here, the rigging still has to be inspect-ed. Are these items still func-tional, or do they need to be disposed of?

Taking a refresher courseThe chain hoist on the test rig is now being subjected to a loading of 45 bars or 1.55 tonnes. The brake is designed to withstand a load of 1.2 tonnes. But there’s still no crash. Faruk Ecevit can’t take his eyes off the machine; he’s waiting to see what will hap-

pen. The man from Turkey is himself responsible for instruct-ing staff, but also inspects the equipment in the containers. Every year he takes a refresher course in order to make sure that he remains sensitive to safety issues. As does the Frenchman Marc Dauchez, who is refreshing his know-ledge of how attention has to be paid to every tiny detail; in France, he says, the regula-tions are “strict, harsh, draco-nian”.

Careful inspections prevent “megadisasters”“These people here bear great responsibility,” says Hess. They have to make visual checks and also perform practical tests, as they are doing at the moment with the brake. He

again increases the pressure on his test rig; the winch is now being subjected to a load-ing of 50 bars. The brake still holds. But if it were really in use, it could in principle break down at any time, leading to a “megadisaster”. But even at a pressure of 60 bars, with a weight of 1.87 tonnes hanging from the brake, it doesn’t budge. All that is to be heard is a slight clicking noise from the chain. A few other chains are lying about four metres away, diagonally behind the men who are still waiting for the crash. They look used, but are they still okay? There is a vernier calliper lying ready to be used to check the pitch of the chain links. If the pitch – the distance from the centre of one link to the centre of the next – is as it

should be, then everything is all right, the chain can be re-greased and put back into use. If any defect is found, the chain will have become scrap metal from one moment to the next.

A stunning insightAnother chain has done its work for today: the chain at-tached to the hoist in the test rig. Hess gives up at a pres-sure of 65 bars: nothing has happened to the brake yet. So you see, Hess says, you have to look inside such a chain hoist, you have to take it apart. A mechanical test on a test rig is not enough. This is quite a stunning insight for the partici-pants; but not as stunning as the big crash would have been that they have been waiting for so expectantly, but in vain.

This is TÜV NORD Akademie

Over the past 25 years, TÜV NORD Akademie has become one of the biggest providers of training services in Germany. At more than 20 locations in Germany and Austria, more than 100 mem-bers of staff organise 5,000 seminars and in-house

events every year, at which more than 40,000 partici-pants successfully complete training courses in manage-ment, management systems, technical safety, environmen-tal protection, occupational health, industrial safety and logistics.

The chain hoist that Michael Hess has in his hand has a defective brake. But this doesn’t show up on the test rig; it can only be seen if the pulley is dismantled.

The shackles on crane baskets are among the things that have to be regularly tested. Michael Hess (far left) points out possible weak points. Heinz Böcker of TÜV NORD Akademie (3rd from right) also looks on with interest.

16 internord 4/2012

Contents

Our cover picture shows the heavy lifting vessel Thialf, which was surveyed by a team from Verebus.

Dr Dirk Stenkamp appointed as Member of the Management Board of TÜV NORD AG ......................................................................................... 2Jan Weinfurt is the new General Manager of TÜV NORD Czech .................. 2Frank Kuske is the new General Manager of TÜV NORD Material Testing ... 2TÜV NORD now has a company of its own in Austria ................................... 2Compliance Project 2012: “Preserving our customers’ confidence in our integrity” ............................... 3Verebus team surveys heavy lifting vessels on the high seas ....................... 4FAHSS / TUV Saudi Arabia: Lead assessor training for Responsible Care Management ......................... 7Ankita Moghe spent a summer as a trainee with TUV India:Getting things in place .................................................................................. 7DMT involved in Yangtze research project .................................................... 7Contract won for offshore project: TÜV NORD certifies its first Chinese turbine ................................................. 8Material testing: “Our greatest asset is our good reputation in the sector” ... 8Cost studies validated .................................................................................. 8TÜV NORD undertakes life cycle assessments of three new Kia models ..... 9The Smart Grids Forum underlines competence in future-orientated energy supply: TÜV NORD can help to get Europe ready for smart grids ....10Visiting the internord editorial office: Lina Vivek: Companies are responsible for their staff ................................... 11Danny Kil of TÜV UK verifies greenhouse gas emissions for two luxury hotels in Las Vegas ................................................................ 12Contract won off a major competitor: Korean theme park Samsung Everland is OK for Kids.................................. 13Akademie trains international team at Enercon in Aurich: Rigging experts wait for the crash ................................................................ 14Varied, low-fat, high-vitamin: How to eat healthily ........................................ 16

The staff magazine of TÜV NORD Group

Published by: TÜV NORD AG, Am TÜV 1, 30519 HannoverIntranet: http://portal/c17/internord, Internet: www.tuv-nord.com

Publication dates:Four times a year.

Typesetting and printing:diaprint KG, D-30952 Ronnenberg-Empelde

Edited by:Corporate Communications, TÜV NORD Group Jochen May (responsible within the meaning of the Press Act), Tel. +49 (0)511 986-1324; internord@tuv-nord.com

Photo acknowledgements:AOK (16), Alexander Louvet (cover, 10), vario images (cover, 12)

Translation, International edition:Anthony Mellor-Stapelberg, Hemmingen-Arnum; Elizabeth Flint, Newcastle upon Tyne

The Editors are pleased to receive contributions of any kind. Please talk to the Editors before writing contributions. We cannot accept responsibility for illustrations or manuscripts submitted. Contributions bearing the name of the author do not necessarily represent the Editors’ opinions. The Editors reserve the right to edit manuscripts and to shorten readers’ letters.

Staff magazine 4/2012

Great task: surveying special purpose vessels

Great luxury: TÜV UK verifies hotels in Las Vegas

Great pleasure: Korean theme park is OK for Kids

Great acclaim: Smart Grids Forum in Brussels

Have you always got a choco-late bar with you, for when that attack of hunger comes? Does your lunch lead to a low point in the middle of the day? Stephanie Weyer of the Work and Health Competence Cen-tre gives tips that will help you to eat healthily and with enjoy-ment, and ultimately to keep on top of your daily tasks.

Go for variety in your dietEnjoy the wide diversity of dif-ferent kinds of food. A bal-anced diet is characterised by the variety of the foods cho-sen, by suitable combinations and by adequate quantities of foods that are high in nutrients and low in energy.

Cereals are a mustBread, pasta, rice, corn flakes and potatoes contain hardly any fat, but are rich in vitamins, minerals, fibre and secondary vegetable materials.

“Five a day”Eat five portions of fruit and vegetables every day, if poss-ible fresh and cooked only for a short time; one portion can be a glass of fruit juice with your meals.

Milk, fish and meatMilk and dairy products, fish once or twice a week, meat, meat products and eggs in moderation: these kinds of food contain valuable nutrients.

Low-fat is healthierToo high quantities of saturated fatty acids increase the risk of fat metabolism disorders, pos-sibly leading to cardiovascular disease. Give preference to vegetable oils and fats. Look

out for hidden fats, for example in bakery products.

Sugar and salt in moderationIt is better to season your food creatively with herbs and spices and to use only a small amount of salt. Sweet things are okay from time to time.

Drink plentyDrink more, 1.5 litres of liquid every day, preferably mineral water or other low-energy bev-erages.

Be kind to food when you cook itCook food at low temperatures wherever possible, and if pos-sible only for a short time and with little water and fat. This safeguards its natural flavour, does not destroy the nutrients it contains, and prevents the formation of harmful com-pounds.

Take pleasure in eatingDon’t just eat on the side, at the same time as doing some-thing else. Take time over your meals. You will feel more satis-fied afterwards.

Varied, low-fat, high-vitamin:

How to eat healthily

Fish forms an important part of a balanced diet.