Tales from the Engineering Floor – What Cheap Flight?

April 13, 2009

Here’s a quick one. SOGE was trying to get some consulting staff from Indonesia quickly. Of course wanted the most cost effective (read cheap) fare.

Well, it turned out that for the period we wanted to send people across, if you added less than 5 USD to the cost of the AirAsia flights we were looking at, you can someone across on business class.

And no, we didn’t send that person on business class. Can you imagine the uproar it would cause:

“The got WHAT class?”

“But pak, when XXX went across, they said that they got shrimp and mango salad onboard…”

What do you think we are, some posh company listed on the Helsinki Exchange?

1 Comment | engineering | Permalink
Posted by Wata

The SOGE Office – A Fuller Office

April 7, 2009

Another Photosynth view of the office. We’re getting a bit more fuller, and I suppose we have enough money to pay for the rent and the lights. We’d like some more work during these trying times.

Sorry for the lack of news. Been kinda distracted, and out of the country.

3 Comments | engineering, Malaysian election, oil and gas | Tagged: | Permalink
Posted by Wata

Saturday Star 2009-04-04 – Job Opportunities

April 6, 2009

Another week, another scan of the Saturday Star newspaper. Here’s a list of job ads in the paper:

  • None for O&G engineers.

So, it’s an employers’ market. I’m thinking of paying SOGE’s next engineer a pound of salt, and some garlic-flavoured peanuts.

On a separate note, congratulations to Husni Sulaiman, Business Development Manager of Pöyry Energy KL. Wonder what happened to Scientege?

1 Comment | engineering | Permalink
Posted by Wata

Ergonomics

April 4, 2009

In all industries, you require your equipment to be designed ergonomically, so that there is:

  • less physical stress on the operator.
  • less chance of the operator not operating a critical equipment because he can’t find it or it’s too difficult to reach.
  • less chance of the operator swearing at engineers, and saying that we design equipment for 5 foot tall blokes with 4 foot arms.

Now, the same principle applies to consumer interfaces. What do you think of this example, where the photo was taken at eye level:

Elevator Menara Public Bank

Elevator Menara Public Bank

All polished metal, labels bending into the wall… you have to go down to figure out which one the ‘close door’ button is.

Please don’t employ this company to do your DCS interfaces, SOGE can inject some common sense

9 Comments | engineering, Malaysia | Permalink
Posted by Wata

How ChemEngs Do It

April 1, 2009

Maybe I should run a contest, and get you readers to decide which phrase I should print onto t shirts. Send your votes to tshirt@igl.com.my, and if you can come up with more interesting phrases, put them in the comments! Join the IChemE for to satisfy your head and your inner child.

How Chem Engs Do It

How Chem Engs Do It

Leave a Comment » | engineering | Permalink
Posted by Wata

Saturday Star 2009-03-28 – Job Opportunities

March 30, 2009

Another week, another scan of the Saturday Star newspaper. Here’s a list of job ads in the paper:

  • ExxonMobil is looking for Instrumentation, Electrical, Mechanical, Prodution Trainee Technician. By applying and graduating from the course, you will add to Malaysia’s bank of trained O&G personnel, as rumour has it most people leave after getting all knowledge they can, and as soon as they realise more money can be got elsewhere, though I suspect the current eco situation might put a damper in that plan. Apply  here, or snail mail to Recruitment, Human Resources, Level 17, Menara ExxonMobil, 50088 KLCC, KL.
  • Optimal (tagline Optimise your Career Potential) is looking for a Test & Inspection Engineer. Visit their website, or apply here.
  • RasGas is looking for field operators. CVs to be submitted here. You can phone the local recruiters at +603 2078 1918. I believe RasGas is a JV, one of the partners being ExxonMobil.

Sigh, since I have moved with Synergy out of KL, will you patronise Chee Meng in my memory? I’ll probably be there next Wednesday.

1 Comment | engineering, Malaysia, oil and gas | Tagged: , , , | Permalink
Posted by Wata

Tales from the Engineering Floor – Using the Force

March 28, 2009

I’ve been on drugs for the last couple of days (okay, I’ve got a cold, and lost my voice) so I have been in a semi-conscious state due to the effects of cough and cold medication.

SOGE is running a series of interviews, so I attempt to turn up and give the candidates an opportunity to sell themselves, seeing they have taken the time and effort to travel from their abodes, which in some cases is very far. Kudos for their dedication.

Anyhow, as I breeze through the interviews in silence, there was one point where I was jolted awake. While interviewing a candidate on how to size a CSTR, the candidate mentioned that they ‘guessed’ the size.

Exsqueeze me? A ChemEng student, doing their final year project, guessed the size of a piece of equipment that has a fundamental sizing parameter? What are they teaching in universities these days? Using the force and insight to come up with solutions? What, they ran out of textbooks and slide rules, not to mention common sense.

If the student’s supervisor accepts this piece of equipment sized as it is and I find out about it, I promise you that I will make the name of the supervisor and the university public for all to see, and complain to the BEM, IEM and IChemE to boot.

4 Comments | engineering, Malaysia | Permalink
Posted by Wata

Saturday Star 2009-03-21 – Job Opportunities

March 23, 2009

Another week, another scan of the Saturday Star newspaper. Here’s a list of job ads in the paper:

  • Dialog (tagline Further your Ambition in the Oil & Gas Industry) is looking for a senior project engineer, civil engineer. Send an email here or snail mail to Human Resources Department, Dialog Group of Companies, 109, Block G, Phileo Damansara 1, No. 9, Jalan 16/11, 46350 Petaling Jaya, Selangor. Submissions before 23rd January, 2009.
  • Qatar Immediate Industries Holding Company Limited is looking for Eng Support Manager, Lead Mechanical Engineer, Lead Struct Eng, Mat Eng. Apply here , or visit this and that website.
  • Change of Pace: ExxonMobil is looking for Instrumentation, Electrical, Mechanical, Prodution Trainee Technician. By applying and graduating from the course, you will add to Malaysia’s bank of trained O&G personnel, as rumour has it most people leave after getting all knowledge they can, and as soon as they realise more money can be got elsewhere, though I suspect the current eco situation might put a damper in that plan. Apply  here, or snail mail to Recruitment, Human Resources, Level 17, Menara ExxonMobil, 50088 KLCC, KL.
  • Talisman in looking for an Offshore Integrity Engineer. Apply here, and visit their site.
  • Thank you for all your applications to Synergy. Short listed applicants have be contacted. BTW, if you have been talking to Synergy Oil & Gas International for engineering positions and haven’t figured it out yet, please don’t waste your time talking to us.

Sigh, since I have moved with Synergy out of KL, will you patronise Chee Meng in my memory? Or invite me to meetings around Bukit Bintang at lunchtime? Is he doing packet specials?

6 Comments | engineering | Tagged: , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Wata

IEM Shout Out – Talk on ‘Introduction to Airborne Contamination on Control for Operating Theatre’

March 22, 2009

This is a shout out for the IEM. My Technical Division will be having a talk on the 26th March as titled above. It’ll be at 5:30 pm (makan-makan at 5:00) at the IEM , Bangunan Ingenieur, PJ.

Something a bit different from the IEM. The operating theater mentioned is in Prince Court Medical Centre, a subsidary of PETRONAS, so there is some relationship to the Oil, Gas & Mining Tech division.

Sec/Treas OGMTD 2009-2010

Council Member, Chemical and Others (who the heck are others).

Leave a Comment » | engineering | Permalink
Posted by Wata

Tales from the Engineering Floor

March 18, 2009

My car has a problem. My spouse heard sounds coming from the car yesterday, and asked me to have a look today. I drive the car around, driving from SOGE to KL and back, playing with the accelerator, opening the windows and turning off the eight track to see if my car is giving further audible sounds. No dice.

So, I take it to my trusty mechanic of many years experience. After listening to the symptoms and lack of, he says:

Fill it up with two tanks of premium fuel, and come back if the problem crops up again.

He had a tech reason to give the instructions above, but man…

1 Comment | engineering, Malaysia | Permalink
Posted by Wata

« Previous Entries
Next Entries »