4 IT'S A CORKER! n IT'SA CORKER WHATHAPPENEDIN MUNDU? I any dozens of employees of Heineken Technical Services in Zoeterwoude (Holland) are almost constantly travelling to our associated breweries to provide them with advice and I assistance when they ask for it. We asked one of those employees, Rolf Lans, a Dutchman whether he could tell us something about how one such journey went off. J* WW Getting back L* 1 i IT WOULDN'T SURPRISE US IF THE REST OF THE COUNTRY WENT GREEN WITH ENVY. Two new brewing kettles were installed in the brewery. That brought a 20% increase in the capacity. Four labelling machines were also replaced by one new one. That seems easy, but actually doing it was not simple at all. The brewing kettles arrived in Cameroun and had to be transported overland to Tchad. Across the river between both countries there is only one bridge. Just before the kettles were due to pass over it, the bridge broke in half. Then a floating pontoon was dug up from somewhere and the kettles were loaded on to it. That's how they were ferried across. The labelling machine was also supposed to arrive by land, but that plan fell through. A military transport-plane had to be called in to get the machine to Mundu. Despite these setbacks everything was ready on time in the end. A superb achievement by the local personnel and by the people of Heineken Technisch Beheer (Heineken Technical Services). OUT TO MUNDU AND BACK C A Some time ago he was asked to go out to Mundu inTchad. That's a country in Central Africa which has been in the news on several occasions because of the troubles thereThe brewhouse had just been expanded by the addition of two kettles. That meant that the brewers were faced with a different working method and in such cases it's useful to go along and lend a helping hand. That's just what Rolf Lans did. Setting out on such a journey is easy as pieYou board the plane in Amsterdam and land in Paris within an hour. But there's a strike on in France, and that's the start of the first delay. After a while though, you succeed in getting airborne again and fly direct to N'Djamena, where you touch down one day later. That city in Tchad is about 300 kilometres away from Mundu and there's no decent road connection. Rolf Lans was in luck, as a substantial quantity of Heineken yeast had to be transported to Mundu at the same time and there were also other businesses with freight for Mundu. So a Fokker Friendship was chartered from Air Tchad and, sitting in one of the only four seats in the back of the planeour man arrived in Mundu. For fourteen days he went about his work there. More than eight hours a day in temperatures of 35° C in the shadeHe slept in a guesthouse where he was also served his meals. There are no hotels in Mundu. Going out at night is not a very wise move. From time to time he cooled off by going for a swim in the pool at a neighbouring cotton- processing plant. Did he return to Amsterdam by the same route? No. he'd been asked to travel via Douala in Cameroun, because the brewery there in which we recently acquired an interest of 34% had just started operating its new brewhouse. Samples of the wort had to be picked up for control in Holland. Not a simple trip, as you first have to fly back from Mundu to N'Djamena. There you get into a four-wheel-drive pick-up truck. And off you go towards Garoua, some 500 kilometres away. Along a sand track full of potholes. It's early afternoon. Driving is rather difficult. The other drivers seem to have the same problemsas oftenvery Rolf Lans pictured with the pick-up truck that took him unscathed through his African trip. often you pass overturned vehicles alongside the road. And you have to watch out all the time for herds of animals and solitary animals crossing. There's another accident just happened. People waving their arms. The pick-up truck grinds to a halt. Would Lans please take along a couple of casualties? It's not advisable to do this. You never know what may happen. Luckily, some help turned up the truck and his passenger as if they were made of very fragile porcelain. At last, there's Garoua and a hotel with all the creature comforts. And there's also an airport, from which a plane will be leaving for Douala the next day. That's the adventure over for our employeeThe brewery is not far away, the samples are soon collected together. Then: into the plane which leaves for Paris at midnight on Saturday. At half past nine on Wednesday night the plane carrying Rolf Lans touches down in Amsterdam. Mission accomplished. One óf very many. The proud team who undertook the renovations in the Mundu brewery, pictured with the operators of the new equipment. from the nearby village. And the journey continued, without casualties. Nightfall. You have to drive very slowly; it's impossible to estimate the width of the oncoming vehicles. Constantly slowing to a halt until they have passed. Lans is still grateful to his very cautious driver for treating both TCHAD TSJAAD MUNDU N'DJAMENA MOUNDOU DOUALA /lU, KAMEROEN Br# CAMEROUN 1 Lyy U GAROUA V Festive scene during commissioning of the new equipment. At our Pedavena brewery in Italy we spotted these signposts' on a wall. They certainly put their message across well, even for people standing at some distance away. A good idea, and original as well. Tkarü rsAcforc li-u ;r> r\rnr;oH o r* rdot L r»rl/ I hp utArrlc Art tko cptYtnH nACfPT These two posters have proved a great success for our Murphy's Brewery in Cork (Ireland). The long arm holding the glass makes it clear that Murphy's is a beer from Cork. The words on the second poster refer to the green Irish countryside. "It wouldn't surprise us if the rest of the country went green with envy".

Jaarverslagen en Personeelsbladen Heineken

Heineken International Magazine | 1985 | | pagina 4