Saturday Star 08-05-03 – Job Opportunities

May 5, 2008

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

  • Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (Sabic) is looking for Technical Advisors (Operation). There is  a walk in interview on the 8th, 9th, 10th and 11th May (tempting, tempting) at the JW Marriot, between 0900 to 1700. You can apply via email here.
  • Bumi Armada is looking for Lead Process, Marine, Instrumentation Engineers. Apply via email here.
  • Titan Chemicals is looking for Senior Engineers (Mech/ E/ I / Process/ Production/ Steam). Walk in interview at MS Garden Hotel (ah, brings back memories of … 2 weeks ago when I was there), Room MS1 & MS2, Mezzanine Floor, Lorong Gambut Off Jalan Berserah, Kuantan, Pahang. Oh, on 10th May between 9 to 6.
  • I think there was an ad for Oryx, but I don’t have the paper any more.
  • And of course, IGL Process Solutions is looking for high paying work, preferably of a 6 month duration.

Happy hunting. Let me have some feedback if you find this list useful. Even better, spread the news. PayPal donations welcome.

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

Engineers on Retainer Fees?

May 4, 2008

Attorneys and lawyers may get retainer fees, that is ‘a contract between two people or companies where one pays to reserve the other’s time’ (Wikipedia entry).

Now, are there opportunities for engineers get paid for ‘reserved time’? Well, examples are:

  • The client wants certain engineers to work on the next phase of a project, but they currently don’t have work to stop the engineers seeking other jobs.
  • The client has work coming up which is not guaranteed, and the consulting company wants compensation to keep grunts on the back burner, ready to leap into action once the PO / LOI / gentleman’s agreement kicks in.

What can a company do with their engineers on retainer? Unless they can get full compensation (40 billable hours a week), you need to have the engineers earn their supper.

  • Have the engineers based in the office, don’t second them out on 3/6/9 month sessions. Maybe have them contribute but not lead in-house projects.
  • Make sure there is sufficient time between the request for engineering support and when the bodies have to be handed over. One week should be sufficient.
  • Make sure your accounting systems can handle retainer fees. If not, you will probably have more than 100% reimbursability, infinite return on investment, income coming in without a cost centre to park them, you get the idea.

 

 

9 Comments | business opportunity, engineering, oil and gas | Permalink
Posted by Wata

IEM OGMTD Talk – Instrumentation Systems on Offshore Facilities

May 3, 2008

On Friday, 11th April 2008, there was a small delegation from my company who went and attended the afternoon tea talk arranged by the Oil, Gas and Mining Technical Division of the IEM, of which I am the SecTreas. The talk was entitled ‘Talk on Instrumentation System on Offshore Facilities’. The speaker was Ir. Mohd Hazman Che Ali, currently Lead Instrumentation Engineer, Ranhill WorleyParsons, and a committee member of the Malaysian National Technical Committee (TC31) fro International Standards IEC 60079 – Equipment for Explosive Atmospheres.

My colleague, Hui Hin, wrote up a summary of the talk. Visit her site to read her write-up.

Leave a Comment » | engineering | Permalink
Posted by Wata

49th Annual IEM Dinner – Recording of Speeches

May 1, 2008

I have the honour of attending the above dinner, held at the Subang Sheraton on 19th April, 2008. I recorded the following two speeches:

 

Leave a Comment » | engineering, Malaysia | Tagged: , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Wata

Engineering an Entrance

April 30, 2008

My employers have rented the office next to ours. As the annex is meant to contain senior management and regional services, while engineering grunts are in the main office, you could have said that, well maybe having two different offices coincidentally on the same floor would be acceptable.

Us being engineers, wanted to created a direct route between the two offices without mixing with the riffraff in the corridors, so our solution has been recorded for posterity on video

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

Saturday Star 08-04-26 – Job Opportunities

April 29, 2008

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

  • Scientige is looking for a mess of engineers: structural, foundation, IT, naval, Ops and Maint, Noise and Vibr, Pipeline, E&I, Mech, Process (my favourite!), flow assurance, Mat and Corr, Metal and Weld, Risk. One of the company owner’s a good friend of mine, so you should be in safe hands… or complain on this blog. Letters to MD, Scientige Sdn. Bhd., Suite 8-11, Wisma UOA II, No. 21, Jalan Pinang, 50450 KL (attn: Manager, HR&Admin) or email here.
  • Nippon Oil is looking for a whole mess of people. I guess they want to staff up a project management team (PMC) for new developments. Engineering positions available: contract, facility, senior production, senior reservoir, civil, senior opns, senior process, senior maintenance, HSE. Snail mail before 15th May, 2008 to Human Resources Section, Nippon Oil Exploration (Malaysia), Ltd, Lot 1168, 3rd Floor, Wisma Interhill, Miri Waterfront Commercial Centre, 98000 Miri, Sarawak.
  • And I thrown in for free, my employers.

Happy hunting. Let me have some feedback if you find this list useful. Even better, spread the news. PayPal donations welcome.

4 Comments | engineering, Malaysia, oil and gas | Tagged: , , , | Permalink
Posted by Wata

Can’t See Forest for the Trees

April 27, 2008

Here’s an interesting photo I took while on my way to Kerteh:

Open truck with HAZMAT label

 I’ve never seen one on an open truck. We usually see these labels on bulk purpose built road kings.

If you can’t see, the truck is said to transport natrium hydroksida (sodium hydroxide or caustic acid to non-native speakers). You don’t move that stuff around in open trucks if you don’t mean to strip the flesh of passersby or spray lye along the roadway if it rains.

I guess they use the truck to move drums of the stuff around, and decided that the risk warranted the application of the sign. Very conscientious of them.

2 Comments | engineering, Malaysia | Tagged: , , | Permalink
Posted by Wata

IEM presentation write-up

April 26, 2008

On Thursday, 24th April 2008, there was a small delegation from my company who went and attended the afternoon tea talk arranged by the Oil, Gas and Mining Technical Division of the IEM, of which I am the SecTreas. The talk was entitled ‘Talk on Upsteam Activities in Oil and Gas Industry.’ The speaker was En. Meor Shahrin Mahmood, currently Manager of Domestic, South-East Asia and Australasia regions, Basin Analysis & New Ventures Department, Exploration Division, PETRONAS Carigali Sdn. Bhd (PCSB), what a mouthful.

My colleague, Hui Hin, wrote up a summary of the talk. Visit her site to read the presentation notes.

4 Comments | engineering, Malaysia, oil and gas | Tagged: , , , | Permalink
Posted by Wata

Expectations and Standards – Read, don’t Assume

April 25, 2008

Here’s an interesting question. If you wish to indicate whether a valve is open or close, which one of the following would you use:

Valve Indicator - Red and Green
Here’s an example where the same company uses a red valve to indicate both open and closed status. Let’s get the obvious out the way: a given facility has a standard method of indication. For the company in question, onshore facilities have red indicating open valves, offshore facilities use green.

Now, why two different standards be used? You have to see ‘certain points of view’ (since we’re using Star Wars cliches here):

  • If you were an electrical engineer, red means energized and equipment is in its working state. For a valve, this would mean the valve is open.
  • If you were a process engineer, you’d choose green for go.

So, the colours chosen for your mimic panel or basic process control system (BPCS) display would be whether the process or electrical engineers spec’ed out the system.

Engineers, RTFM.

 

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

The Star – credit-rating blacklist for PSD student loan defaulters

April 24, 2008

Quoting from the Star:, Saturday 12th April 2008:

“AFTER trying just about everything to recover payments for study loans and still not making any headway, the Public Service Department has come up with a last-gasp measure – to put defaulters on the credit-rating blacklist to bar them from getting any more loans.

“The PSD has consulted legal experts and has been given the go-ahead to implement the plan.

“In the past, the department and other agencies had embarked on measures which included:

  • Deducting the salaries of its own employees who had defaulted in repaying the loans.
  • The Higher Education Ministry tabled a Bill in Parliament last year to allow it to seize passports of loan defaulters who tried to escape overseas.
  • It was also announced last year that hardcore study loan defaulters serving in the civil service would not be considered for promotions. This meant that those blacklisted by the PSD, National Higher Education Fund Corp (PTPTN), MARA and other government-linked corporations would not be promoted until they settled their loans.
  • The names of study loan defaulters to be forwarded to the Attorney-General’s Chambers so that legal action can be taken against them.
  • PSD decided to revoke the 75% discount given to 1,200 hardcore defaulters and blacklist them as well as their spouses and children (if any) so that they would not enjoy a similar loan facility in future.”

Why is this article here? I’ve paid of all my dues, so I can comment without shame. If you are considering a career in engineering, make when looking at a renumeration figure that you count in the amount you owe during your student times (I was paying 4 figures back monthly at one time), or be good at avoiding the various legal issues that can crop up.

If it was me, I would also consider the following options on defaulters:

  • Declare defaulters as bankrupt: stops you from starting a business.
  • Consider commercial debt collectors: hey, if you can pay federeal / local government bills using Visa/Mastercard, why not use your local friendly repo man.
  • Prevent registration as Professional Engineers: yeah, that’s a real scary thing. Though, it does stop aspiring engineers from forming their own engineering companies.
  • Practice garnishment of employees’ pay in the private sector: I can see the hate mailing just piling up.
  • Instead of giving money directly from the Government coffers, how about getting the money from commercial banks, and having the Government paying the interest / profit on these loans? That way, when the loan is due, the full force of commercialism will hit the loanee?

 

2 Comments | engineering, Malaysia | Tagged: , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Wata

« Previous Entries
Next Entries »