coulson group - The Coulson Group of Companies

COULSON GROUP
August 2016
July was quite a month as we have spent the last seven days at
Oshkosh, WI with the Hawaii Mars at the Experimental Aircraft
Association Air Venture celebration.
This is the biggest air show in the world with over 500,000 attendees
and over 4,000 aircraft.
I can't say enough about the people we met and worked with at EAA
and how welcome we all felt with the kind hospitality.
Our crew were nothing short of outstanding and worked long days
doing tours, manning our Display booth, keeping the aircraft
airworthy and flying the Mars throughout the show.
We did have a slight setback when the Mars grounded out on the
bottom of the lake; however, it was an incredible experience.
We are now faced with picking a direction with the aircraft and will
work the many opportunities in front of us.
Wayne
CORPORATE NEWS
By Neil Allatt, Chief Financial Officer
The year continues to race by, and now we are at the end of July and in the middle of summer. I hope everyone
enjoyed the long weekend.
It only seems the other day that I started work here, but I have now been with Coulson for almost six months. There
has been, and still is, a lot for me to learn.
In the finance department, we are now pretty much finished with 2015 reporting. The financial statements have been
completed and audited, and the tax returns filed for another year, for all Coulson Group companies in Canada, USA
and Australia.
The next exercise will be the compilation of our second quarter 2016 results, which we present to our bankers and
other financial providers, so that they have an update picture of our performance.
I recently completed the annual performance reviews for the finance team, with Susan’s input and guidance.
Preparing for these reviews does take some time but I believe that they are important for both management and staff
to give feedback on current performance and to set expectations for the year ahead.
As always, I am impressed by the hard work and diligence of the admin and accounting team. I have been fortunate
enough to work in a number of companies over my career, and I would say that the finance team at Coulson is among
the best I have seen. This is credit to both them and to Susan who has built the team up over a number of years.
The recent award of the USAF tanking system will require us to upgrade our operational procedures, and we will
shortly be registering for AS9100, the leading quality management system within the aerospace industry.
Gaining this standard is going to take a lot of hard work in the coming months. To support the admin side, we are
looking to hire on a temporary basis (90 days initially) a person with good skills in typing and use of Microsoft
products (Word, Excel, etc). If anyone knows of someone who would be interested in this role, please ask them to get
in touch.
“Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning.”
– Albert Einstein
“A boat doesn't go forward if each one is rowing their own way.”
– Proverb
AIRCRANE
By Matt Ralph, General Manager
As we wrap up July everything is south of the
border and picked up on contract. After the
Fort McMurray fires, things have become quiet
on the helicopter operational side so it’s a
good feeling to have everything in
place. Here’s a pic of MAY getting put to bed
in Salmon, Idaho. Here’s hoping things stay
warm for the next while to keep everything
generating revenue..
The C130’s have been running well and even the pilots have been getting into cleaning action! In all seriousness, cleanliness is
something the Coulson Group takes a lot of pride in and is a full time job on the C130’s. After a day of flying, the red retardant
really sticks to the aircraft and can stain the paint, so our guys make sure it doesn’t stay on long. Great Job by the C-130 crew to
always make time to stay caught up on it. Below are some shots of the guys putting the aircraft to bed and plugs in at the end of
the day.
In the hangar there has been a lot of movement on the manufacturing side
of things to stay caught up on the USAF tank requirements. A full
implementation of the AS9100 quality system has consumed a lot of
manpower and will continue into September. There will also be the addition
of 4 inlet air barrier filters to start turning out for our customers operating in
Africa. So things are not slowing down for the manufacturing crew.
I would like to welcome aboard Etienne Veilleux to the AS9100 and quality control
team. We look forward to adding your skill set, and I’m sure Jeff and Ian will agree
that August 2nd can’t come soon enough. As well, I would like to welcome Denise
Olsen to join us out at Aircrane in the Tech Records Department. Your knowledge of
the crew already will be a huge advantage from the start, and I’m sure Ivan and Karen
are equally as happy to have you here to ease some of the load they have helped with
over the last few months.
Enjoy the rest of your summer and make the best of it.
ICE BLAST
By Norm Fisher, Senior Ice Engineer
PHOTO 1
Ever wonder how the soft and cushy interior of your car
is made? Me neither, but I’m going to tell you
anyways…
Most of the soft interior surfaces of your car are made
from a material called polyurethane foam.
This foam is a mixture of two materials which foams up
when mixed to create either a hard, lightweight, soundabsorbing material, or, in a different formulation, to
create the soft, cushioned core of your car’s seats.
There are dozens of different foam components in any
automotive interior. These pieces are used to make
seat cushions, dashboard pieces, sun visors, door
panels, etc…
PHOTO 2
These hard or soft cores are created in a special mould
called a clamshell mould. These moulds are typically made from aluminum and consist
of many cavities which are used to shape the polyurethane as it expands within the
mould. The molds are often steam heated to “harden” or “cure” the foam.
Many of these moulds are grouped together on large carousels which move from station
to station within the factory as shown in photo 1. Each moulding station has a different
purpose in the manufacturing process. For example, the first station is often the “mould
PHOTO 3
release application” station. At this station, a large robot will spray a wax-based liquid
into the mould to prevent the finished component from sticking to the mould. After the
wax is sprayed, the mould is closed to heat up the surface while it moves down the line
to the next station. A few stations down the line, this clamshell mould is opened, and another robot sprays the two-part polyurethane
liquid into the mould cavities. The mould is then closed again while the polyurethane foam expands and fills the cavity. The heated
mould hardens the foam. After a few moments while the mould has moved to the next station, the foam is
ready to be removed from the mould. The clamshell mould is opened and the completed foam cores are
removed by a plant worker. The process then repeats itself.
After about a week’s worth of moulding, a mixture of mould release and polyurethane can build up within
the mould cavities (photo 2) and must be removed. Methods available for removing this contamination are
manual scraping, high-pressure water, chemical cleaning, dry ice blasting and Ice Blast. Needless to say,
the Coulson Ice Blast process is the best process. Photo 3 shows the CIB process in action cleaning these
moulds at a Ford Motor Company facility. The CIB process results in a very clean mould surface as shown
in photo #5 with no residual contamination, no chemicals, no dust and little waste products other than the
removed wax and polyurethane. The moulds are cleaned in the heated state, right in the line with no need
to disconnect them or remove them from the carousels.
Coulson Ice Blast is working to secure a larger portion of this important cleaning market share. In the near
future, we may be able to have a seat and relax on the results of our hard work.
PHOTO 4
LOGISTICS & OPERATIONS
By Mayco Noel, Operations Manager
LYL Support Crew: Left to right—Daryl Jones, Charlie
Watts, Jerry Rodgers, Glenn Pley, Chuck Bradshaw,
Mike Story & Pat Floyd.
July was all about Oshkosh. Some
photos of the Mars trek and the EAA
Oshkosh Airventure for you to enjoy.
Harrison Ford & Dev Salked!
LOGISTICS & OPERATIONS
Oshkosh 2016 Continued...
Harrison Ford stopped by to have a VIP tour of
the aircraft.
Two great Canadian Icons in the same photo,
the Mars & the Canadian Snowbirds.
Pilot Pete showing off
our show neighbour.
The first drop at EAA Airventure Oshkosh
2016!
The crowd was absolutely wowed by the
sheer size and ability of our beloved plane.
MANUFACTURING & LOGGING
By Gary Collinge, Manager
The Coulson Forest Products sector is currently quiet. It is very strange not to have an active logging job. There is opportunity
ahead for future logging projects. We have the equipment, for now, and an excellent nucleus of crew. The logging crew was
tasked with the final cleanup of TQ Bay dryland sort. They did a tremendous job in the time allotted. Sort / shop area have not
been that neat and tidy for years.
Some of our remaining equipment is doing preliminary site prep at the Airport for a new building.
The Shoemaker Bay shop area isn’t so neat, yet. We are working towards completion on the GY6 fire repair project. Paint will be
the final stage. We are planning to dress up the Off Highway logging trucks for their next work or FOR SALE. It is a slow process
but the equipment lists are shrinking.
Coulson Manufacturing continues to have substantial cut time ahead. There is a good flow of logs being trucked in, keeping the
log yard busy, mostly Fir and Hemlock. It is our hope to get a small amount of white wood cutting from this volume. There is a
lot of cedar coming by water, scaled and unscaled, and Probyn feels there is volume through 3 rd quarter at this time.
As I am writing I am trying to get things organized for a holiday. I know that things will run fine in my absence and that you will
miss me.
Reporting of Uncontrolled Forest Fires
The Coulson Group of Companies will maintain a fire duty officer for the period from April to October 2016.
Any Coulson Group employee or contractor who observes uncontrolled wildfire in the forest must notify the Coulson
Group fire duty officer or their supervisor immediately. The duty officer will provide advice on required action and
will notify government agencies and Coulson executive.
Duty Officer Number: 250.731.7966
SAFETY STATS
DIVISION
CML
WORKERS
36
MED
0
LTA
0
MED
0
LTA
0
2016
0
339
CSL
0
0
0
0
0
0
801
HMP
0
0
0
0
0
0
810
MILLWORKS
AIRCRANE
CFT
RIMROCK
CFP – OFF
CFP – HELI
11
40
3
43
18
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
1183
2678
450
348
7584
CFP-CONV
KLITSA
TOTAL
2
4
157
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
1
3008
484
COULSON CEDAR
By: Darren Moore, Manager
Finally! Summer is here and its getting hot. A
reminder to everyone to stay hydrated and drink
lots of fluids.
The crew at Coulson Cedar have been busy filling
orders during the summer building surge. This
month we had some VIP visitors from Salt Lake
City, Matt Page and Carl Shelley, from our
distributor partner— Capital Lumber. They spent
a couple days visiting and touring the Coulson
facilities and were thoroughly impressed with
the operation and hospitality of all the Coulson
employees they met.
The Capital Lumber team has been doing a tremendous job, promoting our products and shared a couple of pictures of recent
jobs. Yes, we are on Starbucks…. and a beautiful custom home in Idaho, too. It’s always exciting to see our products placed on
projects.
This month, I want to give a shout out to CMW
employee Dave “Aquaman” Hodson. He is a
model employee, hardworking, appreciative and
always has a positive attitude. He has been with
the company for over 13 years and is someone
we can count on. Thanks Dave, we appreciate
the extra effort that you put in.
Enjoy your summer !
Available at Coulson Group Head Office, 4890 Cherry Creek Road, Port Alberni
History Book: “The Mighty Martin Mars” ($22. including taxes)
Children’s Book: “Martin Mars, The Mighty Water Bomber” ($25. including taxes)
Facing your fears: Overcoming a phobia
For some people it’s flying. For others it’s dogs. There are people who are afraid of going to parties, or of public
speaking. All of these are called phobias. The word describes any fear of a specific situation or object. And for some
people, they can be extremely limiting, getting in the way of living a full and happy life.
If you have a phobia, you probably already know it. If you always take the stairs and never ride in elevators, you may
be claustrophobic. If you wouldn’t dream of going on a trip to a rainforest for fear of spiders, you are likely
arachnophobic. It’s when these phobias begin to control your life that it may be time to find help to regain control.
Many people cope with phobias using drugs or alcohol. If you’re terrified of meeting new people, you might only feel
able to go to a party after a few drinks. Another coping mechanism is avoidance: if flying terrifies you, you’ll never
feel afraid if you don’t ever set foot on an airplane.
Unfortunately, these ways of coping only work in the short term, and actually just reinforce the problem.
Research shows that the best way to overcome a fear is by facing it. This may sound impossible, but with
professional help it’s within reach.
Exposure therapy, often called Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) is the process by which people are gradually
brought into contact with their phobia, effectively retraining their brain not to be afraid. It’s something best
approached with the aid of a professional, so speak to a counsellor if you think you might be interested in tackling
your fear.
Modeling is another way of learning to be unafraid. By closely watching people who aren’t phased by the situation or
thing that you’re scared of, you can follow their example and see that it isn’t actually frightening.
These are just some of the things you can do to free yourself of the fears that may be putting strain on your life and
work. Remember, it may be hard work to overcome the thing that scares you, but it will likely be some of the most
rewarding work you ever do.
For more tips and resources visit us at http://www. workhealthlife.com
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
AUGUST
RIMROCK:
Scott Mashchek
Sydney Davis
Yvonne Acland
MILLS:
Jason Seubert-Pascoe
David Ollech
Philip Lim
Wade Edwards
Tim Irwin
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AIRCRANE:
Wesley Flood
Michael Johnson
Daniel Kennedy
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