Everyone at Optimus Seventh Generation wishes you a very merry Christmas and a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year.

To view our eCard go to www.optimus-she.com/xmas

The Lunch and Learn Session by Antony Profili, due to take place tomorrow (30th November), has been postponed due to the weather conditions. We will reschedule this session for another time - watch this space for updates

Optimus Seventh Generation was featured in an article in the Brazillian Technology and Business Petroleum Magazine.

To view the magazine article please go to the following site. http://www.tnpetroleo.com.br/revista/webflip/edicao/74

Below is a english translation of the article


Behavioural Safety Requirement for Operational Excellence

After going through the process during the first half of the year of opening the Brazilian branch of Optimus with local offices situated in Rio & Sao Paulo we have also established partnerships with local accounting and legal offices, and are now in a position to develop relationships within the Oil and Gas sector.

In Brazil we foresee the similar growth potential and requirement for behavioral based safety within high hazard industries that we have seen & experienced throughout Europe the Balkans and Australia. Our aim is to work together with local talent to help with the drive that many companies are showing to improve safety performance in the Oil & Gas sector.

Founded in 2003 by brothers Steve and Dave Marples, the company employs around 70 people in five countries across three continents.

Optimus specializes in behavioral safety and helps our clients to implement significant change and deliver Operational Excellence with safety at the core. We use ‘Care’ as a catalyst to enable our clients to really make a difference and create the future they are striving for.  This is a future where people are valued, care is demonstrated and excellence is achieved.

After successfully expanding the business into Australia, Western Europe and the Balkans, Optimus decided to investigate the market in Brazil towards the end of 2008. It was decided that care was an important factor in the market and that there was a drive to improve safety performance in the oil & gas sector. Optimus believed that they could help make a difference and made the decision to set up a business during 2009, including a concerted effort to recruit the right people that were based in country. We are looking forward to showing the market that we can help to make a difference in Brazil and look forward to attracting and developing local talent to match our growth plans.

The business, which does much of its work in the oil and gas industry, saw turnover rise from £3m in 2008 to £4.4m in 2009 and it is projected to reach £5.5m in 2010. Optimus recently opened a new HQ and state-of-the-art training space in Westhill, Aberdeen.

Optimus have front page coverage in the Energy supplement of the Press and Journal dated 1st November 2010.

The article, entitled 'Still need to get safety priorities right - Dealing with critical backlogs more important than holding handrails' was written by Jeremy Cresswell 

To read the full article follow this link- http://energy.pressandjournal.co.uk/Article.aspx/1978232

Safety Culture - Are old habits preventing your organisation from getting it right?
presented by
Antony Profili
Research & Development Manager

The `safety culture’ of an organisation is often defined as `the way we do things around here’. Explore how you can move your organisation from ‘doing things the way they have always been done’ to ‘doing things the way they could be done'. 

Often people fail to explain why change is necessary. If you can motivate people towards why they are doing something, you have a better chance of influencing them to come on the journey with you.

The speaker

Antony is an experienced occupational psychologist with particular expertise in staff performance, work-related behaviour, corporate culture, and personnel development. He has provided tailored solutions to address a wide variety of people-concerns, workforce-problems, and performance issues in order to help organisations reach their business objectives and realise their corporate vision. He specialises in providing, Leadership Development, Organisational Development & Culture Change, Personnel Selection & Assessment. 

This is an excellent opportunity for up to 30 people who want to be inspired about safety to hear Antony and join in some lively discussion over lunch. This is our first of a series of lunch and learn sessions that Optimus Seventh Generation are planning through to Spring 2011.

To reserve your place, email: facilities@optimus-she.com stating your name, title and contact details. Act now to secure your place.This seminar is free of charge.

The Venue

The Optimus Academy, Optimus House, Pavilion 1, Prospect Road, Arnhall Business Park, Westhill AB32 6FE

Agenda

12.00 – 12.30         Lunch and network
12.30                    Seminar
13.00                    Discussion
13.30                    Close

Looking forward to seeing you here!

August saw the ASEAC team take part in the APPEA (Australian Petroleum Production & Exploration Association) Safety Conference. With a booth at the inaugural APPEA Safety Exhibition and as the sponsor of the Conference Dinner, we launched Optimus Seventh Generation into the consciousness of the Australian oil and gas industry.

The event was very well attended by key industry stakeholders and has already produced some great results for us in terms of new business, and helped launch our new name and brand to people who know us already. The ‘Seventh Generation’ branding certainly created interest and has been very well received in this fine country.

Overall a successful event and one that we shall aim to repeat!

Over 70 clients and friends enjoyed an unforgettable twilight event to mark the opening of Optimus House, on Thursday 16th September.

From 8.30 am onwards the open plan area of the training and meeting facility bustled with activity as it was completely transformed to accommodate a beautifully curtained off stage.  Throughout the day, some staff just couldn’t resist using the stage to practise what may have been their audition pieces for a future X Factor.  The overall conclusion was that everyone should stick to their day jobs!   As the day progressed, previously bare walls acquired framed prints, themed flowers decorated tables and the cafe bar was converted to a wine bar.

As guests arrived, they were welcomed by a mystery Maitre d’ ‘Melors’ who proceeded to baffle both the catering and entertainment staff, each of whom denied ever employing him!  The magical duo, Bill Duncan and Jeff Burns dazzled the early bird visitors with some close up magic.

Before the entertainment got going Steve Marples, Group CEO Optimus Seventh Generation took to the stage to  share  a  poignant personal experience that was his  trigger to establish a company that values personal safety above all else.

A fatal accident was not averted even although the corporation had recently achieved industry recognition for HSE.  Steve realised that there had to be more to creating a safe place of work than just following procedure and ticking boxes.  A culture of care has to be established and nurtured.   Steve could see that changing behaviours wasn’t going to happen overnight and so the Optimus journey began.

Following Steve, guest of honour Malcolm Webb, CEO Oil and Gas UK acknowledged the value that Optimus Seventh Generation brings to the industry and endorsed the vision for a safer future.   Malcolm officiated in cutting the ribbon and declaring Optimus House open for business.

Guests from Aberdeen City Council, Aberdeenshire Council, Aberdeen University, BP, BG, Britannia, Centrica, Chevron, Deloitte, Endeavour, Northsound, Subsea, TAQA, The Energy Institute, Total, Trend Magazine and Wood Group were then treated to an eclectic range of local entertainment.

Sian Ross, our sparkling MC introduced two wonderful young acts - a high energy trio from Danscentre followed by the delightfully talented new girl band AB15.

Afterwards Sian joined her professional partner Stephan Vincent (who looked strikingly similar to the Mystery Maitre d’) to surprise guests with a rendition of Cab Calloway’s Minnie the Moocher.  A couple of other numbers included a shock guest appearance from Sir Cliff singing ‘Congratulations’. 

Astonished guests retired to the buffet where they enjoyed some fabulous locally sourced fare before act two. 

It was Melfort Campbell’s first social event with Optimus since becoming Chairman in June. 
 
Steve and Melfort Campbell, Chairman Optimus Seventh Generation               
A fabulous magic show from Fifth Dimension, some extra time from Danscentre, AB15 and Sian and Stephan followed.

Eddie McCullough, Group Director Optimus Seventh Generation had the last word of thanks to all and bid guests a safe journey home.  Optimus House off to a great start with a housewarming to remember.

The 2010 Offshore Northern Seas (ONS) conference in Stavanger in late August was the most popular ever with a record 49,735 visitors. Although not quite that many visited the Optimus Stand in the Scottish Pavilion Steve, John and Bill Leighton from the Stavanger agreed the investment was well worth it. The new Optimus Seventh Generation Branding was unveiled for the first time at ONS.

John Colley, Operations Manager reflected on the trip ‘ONS provided some real insight in to what we need to do to build our business in Norway. We made some terrific contacts that are key to growing our business in the Norwegian Sector over the next couple of years’.

Steve, John and Bill attended several excellent networking events whilst at the conference including a reception with Simmons & Company International (independent investment bank specialising in the energy industry) and a reception with Jane Owen (British Ambassador to Norway).

Optimus hosted a table at the ONS Safety lunch where Director-General of the Norwegian Petroleum Safety Authority (PSA) was guest of honour. Guests at the Optimus table included Marathon, Shell, Eon and Det Norske.

Optimus grabbed number three in the Scottish Insider prestigious Sprint 100 listing, which represents Scotland’s fastest growing profitable SME’s.

The Sprint 100 survey now in its seventh year sets out to reveal companies on the fast track to success.  The survey identifies the stars of tomorrow.   Aberdeen companies took the top three spots, with Flexilife who deliver flexible pipe projects and Offshore Products International, a manufacturer and stockholder of pipeline products.

“Aberdeen-based training company Optimus Seventh Generation, whose turnover has grown by 313.3 per cent over three years. Founded in 2003 by brothers Steve and Dave Marples, the company employs around 70 people in five countries across three continents.

The business, which does much of its work in the oil and gas industry, saw turnover rise from £3m in 2008 to £4.4m in 2009 and it is projected to reach £6.5m in 2010. It recently open a new HQ and state-of-the-art training space in Westhill, Aberdeen to coincide with its rebranding - it was previously named Optimus Safety Management”

For the full article online www.business7.co.uk/insider-magazine/2010/09/03/fast-out-of-the-blocks-sprint100-97298-22536009

The print version has the list which is missing from the electronic version.  There is also a mistake in the electronic version – the paragraph on Optimus begins with a line which should be part of the previous paragraph. This does not occur in the print version.

  Malcolm Webb, Chief Executive of Oil and Gas UK will officially open Optimus House   and launch Optimus Academy on Thursday 16^th September.   An eventful afternoon is planned to mark the occasion.