Global Entrepreneurship Lab 2012

Coal Mines, Lorries, and (big) Pineapples

It doesn’t get any more hands on than this. We soon found ourselves in a coal mine with the Pro Energi delivery team, observing what they do on a daily basis as well as getting some direct input from their customers.

Day Trip to Merak - An Eye Opener

10th of January - we woke at seven for our trip to Merak. It was our second day of work at Pro Energi. Two Pro Energi Sales Managers, Isyanto and Rahmi were taking us to see some their loading facilities that served the Jakarta Region. They have storage facilities that receive products from ships which are later transfered to Pro Energi’s trucks for delivery to customers. Everyone we met was very professional and conveyed command of their work.
We learned intricacies of the handling of the petroleum products downstream supply chain. This visit was fun and brought us great perspective on Pro Energi’s business. It is otherwise difficult to understand the value that downstream traders like Pro Energi brought to the super majors (international oil companies) without seeing first hand the logistics involved in their business.

A note on China's Rise

Apparently I’m liking the blogging thing. This will be the last GLab one, but I do feel it’s a good outlet to churn out some of what I’ve been thinking about as I close out this China experience.

After we finished up in Guangzhou, Antonio and I headed up to Macau for a day. Then, I met Laura in Hong Kong starting a trip that would also include Shanghai and Beijing.

As I said in a previous posting, it is often said (wrongly) that Venezuela’s current revolution has a lot of Chinese flavor. So a lot has been on my mind throughout these days as I take on the tiresome task of expanding my understanding of China’s model for growth.

Balikpapan, Samarinda, and a lot of Rain

4am, and there is still traffic. There is always traffic in Indonesia. We wake up early to catch a 6am flight to Balikpapan in Kalimantan. Kalimantan makes up 73% of the island of Borneo, shared with non-Indonesian countries Brunei and East Malaysia. It is home to a variety of cultures including the indigenous Dayaks, but to us, it is the coal miner’s heaven and playground.

Day 19: Slum, Kawangware, is full of love and hope!

Day 18: Wear red for the Chinese New Year in Africa!

Day 17: “What’s in your life?”

Day 16: Foreigners (Americans) are jacking up prices everywhere!

The one with the kiss

It’s been a whirlwind trip with travels to Lima, Cusco, Machupichu, and to Lake Titicaca with its floating islands and alien encounter stories. Now I am in Buenos Aires at the GLAB client site and it’s been an interesting first week. The project scope was modified from enabling the client hire A players in Silicon Valley to helping them build their credibility and visibility in the valley before setting out for hiring. What was a HR project morphed into a marketing project!

3-in-1, Storage Tanks, and Protests around Merak

There is no wasting time here in Indonesia. We landed in Jakarta, and we’re on the road again one day later! First Jakarta, Merak by car, Balikpapan by plane, Samarinda by SUV, then back to Jakarta. Let me tell you, we have seen oil storage operations, mining operations, Indonesian traffic, Indonesian off-road traffic, protests with thousands of scooters, floods, and pineapples. Any more adventure and it would have been enough for a feature length movie!