2020 marks a milestone for a Bruneian company as the ink dries on a contract between Brunei Shell Petroleum (BSP) and Petrofes, further generating In-Country Value in the local supply chain. With the agreement, Petrofes is now the go-to provider for Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for BSP, providing fire-retardant coveralls, headscarves as well as balaclavas.
This is a huge milestone not only for Petrofes, but for the local capabilities’ scene. Behind Petrofes, driving the business from planning all the way to production, are our very own Bruneian talents. What started as a humble team of four has now expanded to a group of 18 highly driven employees by 2022.
At the time of the interview, it is interesting to note that not all staff are cut out from the same material.
We have Hazlim, who oversees the overall day-to-day operations; Hafiz, who ensures the quality of each PPE produced; and Adibah, who has an important role of a seamstress.
Interestingly, Hafiz did not start in production – but rather, in safety.
This got us asking Hazlim, the General Manager herself.
“It is because we want our people to expand their knowledge here in Petrofes,” she says, as we stand amidst cut fabric, humming sewing machines and muted K-Pop tunes. “While we look for a certain criteria during recruitment, we make sure that they have room to grow in the company. That’s why some of them go into rotation,” she motions to Hafiz as an example.
However, the group of all-female seamstresses are on a different development path. As the skill lie in the woman-hours put into the work, the team of seamstresses began their journey with a 3-month training period. But of course, going above and beyond, the talented group of ladies managed to complete their training half of the time needed. Since then, they have produced 451 (as of end of March 2022) pairs of coveralls, on top of the 675 headscarves and balaclavas ready to protect the 4000 something Brunei Shell Petroleum employees.
Adibah, who is coming to her first year in the company shares, “We have all grown and learnt a lot since our start at Petrofes. Our strategic production model has helped us produce more than what we aim every month.” At only 19 years old, Adibah is steadily and surely building the skills to master the art of cutting and sewing.
But while the people play an integral role in making sure the business runs, Hazlim also stresses the importance of being agile and having a learner mindset in managing Petrofes. Feedback is particularly important for Petrofes’ improvement journey and in making sure they remain competitive in the market. They have been sensitive and intuitive to customers’ feedback and queries.
“We make sure to listen not only to responses and feedback from our contract holder,” Hazlim explains, “But also those who dropped by our branch and make their opinions known.”
These inputs have been instrumental in helping Hazlim and the team shape their planning, from cutting adjustments all the way to product evolution – this is how fire-retardant headscarves came about as part of their line of product.
On top of that, it is also about learning from experience. The COVID-19 pandemic has posed a challenge in the supply chain for fire-retardant fabric in 2020, but they quickly take the learning as a reason to re-assess their business plan and fabric orders. By 2021, Hazlim and the team are familiar with what are needed to keep the business going.
Despite the outstanding success so far, there is still an aspiration to grow for Petrofes.
“We wish to expand our product line – perhaps one day to produce complete Personal Protective Equipment, and we also want to grow our people, in numbers and capabilities,” Hazlim shares.
They also endeavour to create more local employments opportunities in the near future, and considering the success they have left in their path, we are sure this will be realised soon.
