Siemens’ Alma finds Charleston good fit for project cargo logistics

Henk Alma, manager of transportation and logistics for the Americas for the world-leading energy solutions sector of Siemens, may be based in Orlando, Fla., and a native of the Netherlands, but, when it comes to shipping huge cargo units, he has a particular liking of the South Carolina Ports Authority’s Port of Charleston.

Not only is Charleston proximate to Siemens’ gas turbine manufacturing plant in Charlotte, N.C., but, according to Alma, South Carolina officials are uniquely assertive in promoting their facilities. In an exclusive interview with the American Journal of Transportation, Alma, in typical Dutch candor, shares his thoughts on this and other topics, from project cargo logistics challenges to culture shock regarding the American way of life. What are some of the greatest challenges you face in handling logistics for such large units of project cargo, and how are you and your company responding? Our biggest challenge is always the cargo size and availability of suitable transportation equipment. These are very expensive operations. Not only expensive, but also, from the risk perspective, they are quite delicate. You have to look at the safety factors from all sides, having your lifting plans in order, making sure you have included your surveyors… Those are challenging moments, to line everything up, because everything is so big. We’re talking about weights from 50 tons up to 400 tons each for exports. For imports, we have module boxes that weigh up to 250 tons each and could be 27.5 meters [90 feet] long, 4 meters [13 feet] wide and 4.5 meters [14.8 feet] high. And on a project, you could have 30 of these modules, and I’m not even talking about your generators and steam turbines, which also apply to this same project. So you have these huge quantities and volumes and weights which need to be shipped everywhere, and, of course, we have to meet the deadlines in our schedules. For myself, on behalf of our company, it is vital to have good close contacts in the ports of export who will advise me about the latest developments, innovations and so on from which we could benefit. This also means that we will meet face to face with the various stakeholders in the port to discuss opportunities and also see things for ourselves. As, in addition to being the project cargo edition of AJOT, this also is the South Carolina ports edition, can you fill us in on how Siemens avails itself of South Carolina port facilities and what advantages you find in doing so? The Port of Charleston has the infrastructure that Siemens needs to successfully execute their projects. They are also really good in their networking. They will simply not let go in promoting the facilities and infrastructure they have to offer, which I find absolutely great. They are the only one that does that, and I really appreciate that kind of initiative. I have not seen any of such behavior from any other port authority in the U.S. We are definitely using the Port of Charleston, and, based on the developments and plans I am seeing and hearing, I believe there is potential to utilize the ports of the state of South Carolina more. We have, for example, the Panda Patriot and Panda Liberty natural gas power plant projects at job sites in Pennsylvania to which we could not transport our gas turbines and generators via rail or road, so we had to barge them from Charleston up to Albany [New York]. The material comes from our [Siemens gas turbine] factory in Charlotte to Charleston by rail and, from there, by floating crane, is being placed on these barges. What happens in Albany is that it’s picked up by these special railcars, which were arranged by our customers, from Albany going down south into Pennsylvania. Having the factory in Charlotte also explains why we utilize the Port of Charleston. With the focus in recent years on eco-friendly technology, how has Siemens been involved in deployment of “green” solutions, and what has this meant in terms of logistics? Siemens has a robust and well-developed environmental health and safety program, what we call EHS. This program encompasses all aspects of our products, services and project sites and factories. We take EHS very seriously and are always looking at ways to drive an EHS culture within Siemens. In terms of project logistics, all suppliers must pass a rigorous EHS audit as part of their qualification or requalification with health and safety being our top priority. We are always looking at new innovative ideas or suppliers that provide eco-friendly alternatives, such as alternative fuels, use of nonhazardous material and so on. As, I believe, you’re originally from the Netherlands, can you tell me about the culture shock you experienced in moving to the United States early last year? When I was in the Netherlands, I was used to traveling to the USA a number of times. But living and working over here is definitely different than the short business trips I was used to. The main thing that surprised me was the indirect approach in communication. In the Netherlands, we are very direct, which in the U.S. can be regarded as rude, while this is absolutely not the case. Dutch people do not beat around the bush. I really had to get used to that approach, and they had to get used to me. We found a way, but things are completely different. Over time, I have learned that the Americans are very polite in the first encounters, either if it is in a grocery store or in business, and that is something the Dutch could learn from. Another shock was the American food. I still have to get used to the fact that you have so many dining places. I try to stay away from it as much as possible and just get and cook my own type of food. Another pleasant culture shock was the cars. I love the American cars. In the Netherlands I had a small car, paying a lot of money on purchasing it, plus the gasoline is almost $10 a gallon, and there are all sorts of taxes. Over here, you have beautiful big cars which, for European standards, are relatively cheap. I believe another surprise has been the small number of Americans engaged in the project cargo business, and you’re involved in efforts to change that, are you not? Especially in project logistics, and you can see it in Houston a lot as an example, you will find a lot of Europeans in the industry. It surprises me that there are not a larger amount of U.S. personnel in project logistics. There is very little education in the United States in terms of project logistics. We need to pass the knowledge we have to the next generation. Let’s pull them into this exciting and complex profession. I’m planning to offer two Siemens internships for students so they can come over here to Orlando and participate in the work and see what we do. Who are your role models – both professionally and personally – and why? Personally, I believe my role model would be definitely [former U.S. First Lady, Senator and Secretary of State] Hillary Clinton – a great lady operating in the bigger politics of the world and yet having eyes for women’s rights worldwide and actively supporting various grassroots organizations. There’s a message there, in that, whatever you have become, do not forget the smaller, very important things in life. Always have your eyes open for that, and she does that. I have deep respect for Hillary Clinton. As far as my professional role models, that’s an interesting question, because there are so many of them. I have no great captain within the industry as a role model. In my career, I have met so many interesting people who I’ve looked up to, and this is actually still the case. I am still learning from these people in my daily life. My role models can be the colleagues who surround me. That’s how I’ve learned my work, by learning from others. Assuming you occasionally get at least a little spare time, what pursuits do you find most enjoyable? I enjoy driving my Jeep Grand Cherokee and especially to the oldest city in the U.S., St Augustine. I enjoy this city as it has beautiful buildings, interesting art exhibitions and museums, and, of course, I like to walk through the streets of the old town. Although my family lives in the Netherlands, the love of my life lives in Asia. We have no kids, but who knows what the future might bring.