Is anyone busy???

[murphybrent]

If you are all that busy in the commercial sector let me know im a subbie ( with standards ) and i could give you a hand cause here in the South West at the moment its very dire cheers

[glenn1340]

Most of my work is on industrial air compressors, it`s not really been affected yet although sales of new equipment is very slow. We were really hit by the decline in manufacturing, most of the big industrial sites are now retail parks. I `spose that`s where you guys come in.

Glenn

[sparkatan]

Deathly quiet in Leeds. Was the same all last year

[sparkatan]

Anyone need any repairs doing up here?

[hillbillywillie]

here in this part of USA it's too bloody quiet. Below forty hours last week and this. I need hoursssssssssssssssssss

[multisync]

Going to get worse

http://www.summitskills.org.uk/publi...ry%20Feb09.pdf

Predicted job losses 2009

Sector ............................................2008 ......................Best case....................Worst case
Electrical Trades and Installation .........196,810 ..................35,490 ........................82,125
Plumbing .........................................90,424...................... 16,306...................... 37,731
Heating and Ventilation ......................55,645...................... 10,034...................... 23,222
AC and Refrigeration .........................27,821........................ 5,121........................ 11,621

[superswill]

Going to get worse

http://www.summitskills.org.uk/publi...ry%20Feb09.pdf

Predicted job losses 2009

Sector ............................................2008 ......................Best case....................Worst case
Electrical Trades and Installation .........196,810 ..................35,490 ........................82,125
Plumbing .........................................90,424...................... 16,306...................... 37,731
Heating and Ventilation ......................55,645...................... 10,034...................... 23,222
AC and Refrigeration .........................27,821........................ 5,121........................ 11,621

a grim read

[coolhibby1875]

absoulute rubbish i checked that link out and all the figures are based on assumption and we all no the saying about assume its likely to make a ass out of u and me at the end of the day the fridges and a/c out there dont worry about the credit crunch.so as long as they keep breaking we will always be in a job.
also there are always jobs out there for good fridge guys.

[multisync]

absoulute rubbish i checked that link out and all the figures are based on assumption and we all no the saying about assume its likely to make a ass out of u and me at the end of the day the fridges and a/c out there dont worry about the credit crunch.so as long as they keep breaking we will always be in a job.
also there are always jobs out there for good fridge guys.

What is in question is how many of the 27k aren't good fridge guys
All forecasts assume. That is a given. It is also a given we are in a huge slump of economic activity. This will impact on all trades and there will be casualties. All trades are suffering, ours will as a result.

if you honestly expect the fridge industry to sail through then you asking a lot. Also if you were in the last recession you would know that when a fridge broke the owner would often leave it off and rely on the remaining ones. Only when it became absolutely necessary did he get it fixed. Then he wouldn't pay and went bankrupt owing thousands. Tesco will be squeezing harder and harder whilst looking for their next victim to take down

You would be a fool to ignore the warnings

[marc5180]

absoulute rubbish i checked that link out and all the figures are based on assumption and we all no the saying about assume its likely to make a ass out of u and me at the end of the day the fridges and a/c out there dont worry about the credit crunch.so as long as they keep breaking we will always be in a job.
also there are always jobs out there for good fridge guys.

I agree 100% with this, Multisync is always doom and gloom i think he needs to change for a new job

[beagle]

What is in question is how many of the 27k aren't good fridge guys
All forecasts assume. That is a given. It is also a given we are in a huge slump of economic activity. This will impact on all trades and there will be casualties. All trades are suffering, ours will as a result.

I like to think of it as survival of the fittest. Bad engineers are going to be found out very quickly. Likewise, companies that have been doing a little too much jugglig of their figures are probably going to come into trouble. On one hand it's going to make it harder for everyone, on the other it could very well 'trim the fat'. That is of course as long as we don't sink into a full on depression, if that happens we're all going to be in the smelly brown stuff.

By the by, I'm now working for my fourth company in two years due to cutbacks, having previously only worked for two employers in ten years, my CV is starting to read like a who's who of cowboys, won't be sad to see any of them go under

[coolhibby1875]

i think we are over the worst of the slump yes there will be companies come and go but my point is if you are 1 of the good engineers out of the 27km then you need not worry.Any way i would love to know where the people that got that surrvey done got there figures as a surrvey i saw recently said there was only 13k people employed in the refrigeration a/c sector

[multisync]

i think we are over the worst of the slump yes there will be companies come and go but my point is if you are 1 of the good engineers out of the 27km then you need not worry.Any way i would love to know where the people that got that surrvey done got there figures as a surrvey i saw recently said there was only 13k people employed in the refrigeration a/c sector

Few obvious things here -

one: why do you feel we are over the worst when all the forecasts are for the recession lasting the rest of the year and the IMF has stated the UK will be the only major economy to remain in recession in 2010.

second: The 13k is the amount of businesses in the trade: (and guess what- you are quoting SUMMITSKILLS

http://www.summitskills.org.uk/aboutsector/77

61,000 businesses in the sector:
23,000 electrotechnical
13,000 heating, ventilating, air conditioning & refrigeration
22,000 plumbing
3,000 consultants



Third: if you own a business and you go bankrupt then the engineers are out of work. So engineers (good and bad) end up on the market looking for work, But few are employing due to the recession. This is what happened in the building game last time and history is repeating itself.

I love your optimism -if only life was that easy.

[Scramjetman]

I think we have to be realistic with this. The IMF are looking at a global economic retreat of 0.5% this year. That's a lot of money and jobs disappearing.

It's also a time when those who are switched on and thinking outside the box can really get up.

I'm working for a company that saw this coming late last year and moved to shed the dead wood and keep a core of good quality guys. They then merged with another company who were servicing a different sector of the market. The result is they are now hiring, on average, a new worker every two weeks and are picking up an enormous amount of work. We have enough now to last us for 18 months without taking on any more.

The word is getting around business that this is happening and as other companies are falling over, their clients just call us and ask if we'll pick up their work. We don't even have to bid for it. Who ever would have thought....? The guys who were working for them phone up and ask for a job and next thing they are back at work unless they are doing really stupid stuff.

But it proves the point. There are ways and means of riding this out. We do have to work smart and look for solutions that are not necessarily considered the norm. That may mean that if we are a business owner, we consider the possibility that even though it is "my business and I'm going to fight to the bitter end", and end up going down with the ship, that the old saying "a live coward is better than a dead lion" applies here. Emotions have to be put aside in survival situations and focus on solutions and keep trying until we jag one.

[tonyhavcr]

I'm waiting for the global warming to kick in, they keep saying for the past 15 yrs or so.
ha ha

[Karl Hofmann]

I'm waiting for the global warming to kick in, they keep saying for the past 15 yrs or so.
ha ha

Doh!! You have to try to keep up with the times Tony... It is no longer global warming, It is climate change... Reason is some years it is hot and other years it is cold... Kinda like it always has been.

Focus groups for the Chicken Little society have concluded that the term "Global warming" did tend to confuse normal people when they are standing in knee deep snow.

[scs1471]

Very busy on industrial fridge, far too much service work, not enough guys, anyone want a job?

My wife runs her own engineering recruitment company so for you guys who are lloking for work or people to do the work let me know

[scs1471]

we are almost 12 months behind in maintenance visits and now boss has taken on all ac and chillers in a local hospital over 300 pieces of kit we need another maintenance engineer and quick

Can any of us who are having a quiet time of it be of any help?

[coolhibby1875]

in scotland right now Honeywell,TRS,and WR are all looking for good engineers right now so if anyone is looking for a change of scenery move to scotland there are plenty of jobs/hours to be had also the the water is better too!

[jelectric]

very slow in the usa

[jelectric]

[p_p]

in scotland right now Honeywell,TRS,and WR are all looking for good engineers right now so if anyone is looking for a change of scenery move to scotland there are plenty of jobs/hours to be had also the the water is better too!

I presume when you said water, you mean 'rain water' and what about the language barrier ( lol )

Don't work too hard

PP

[multisync]

Ben Hall26 Mar 2009
Leading building services specialist Haden Young is looking to make job cuts in the UK as the mechanical and electrical engineering sector continues to be hit hard by the downturn.

A spokesman for the Balfour Beatty owned company said: “We can confirm that Haden Young has consulted a number of employees regarding possible redundancies in the UK.

“Where possible the company is seeking to find alternative positions within Balfour Beatty.

"Consultations are underway with our employees and representatives. Until this process is complete we cannot make further comment.”

Haden Young is one of the UK's most respected building services firms and was established in 1816. It is a member of the HVCA, ECA and APHC and had a turnover of £289million in 2007.




http://www.hvnplus.co.uk/page.cfm/ac...2/EntryID=1282

[eggs]

I don't know if this is light at the end of the tunnel for some but.....

The wife works for a large civil engineering company, before Christmas, everyone in the offices was asked to volunteer to go on a 4 day week and take 1 days per week unpaid leave. In addition to this they also took a 10% pay cut on the remaining 4 working days.

The lads on site, agents, drivers and engineers etc were sent home on half basic pay.

This week they all got a letter thanking them for their help, telling them to go back to work full time, full pay with overtime and bonuses back on. They are also recruiting more employees.

So, if the civil engineers are getting back on song, next the builders, then it's M&E. Hold tight guys, keep your heads down, things are on the up.

Cheers

Eggs

[richardb14]

have saw no downturn in trade whatsoever, we have been working weekends and nights just to keep up, we also worked right through Christmas to install 10x cassettes, we managed it in 5 days, all in tray and with copper drains.

I left my c.v on monster a few months back and I'm inundated with job offers, I really cannot understand where all these so called redundancies are happening. I have heard that spec heat paid off a few guys but lets cut to the chase here, I have to agree with coolhibby - it gives the companies an opportunity to get rid of the dead wood, good engineers will always be in demand.

some of the salaries on offer at the moment are laughable, most are offering between 22k and 26k, I was earning more than that in 2000. most of the guys I work beside are clearing 30k basic, so why would anyone move for a drop in wages?

the answer is simple: monkeys will work for peanuts

[slingblade]

have saw no downturn in trade whatsoever, we have been working weekends and nights just to keep up, we also worked right through Christmas to install 10x cassettes, we managed it in 5 days, all in tray and with copper drains.

I left my c.v on monster a few months back and I'm inundated with job offers, I really cannot understand where all these so called redundancies are happening. I have heard that spec heat paid off a few guys but lets cut to the chase here, I have to agree with coolhibby - it gives the companies an opportunity to get rid of the dead wood, good engineers will always be in demand.

some of the salaries on offer at the moment are laughable, most are offering between 22k and 26k, I was earning more than that in 2000. most of the guys I work beside are clearing 30k basic, so why would anyone move for a drop in wages?

the answer is simple: monkeys will work for peanuts

Good point, well made. However not everyone has the luxary of awarding a massive salary to decent engineers given their ability. In this time of global bankruptcy the smaller firm or family buisness, is feeling the pinch and can not depend on the underwriting of a parent company.
The benifits of a smaller company are massive as you are treated like a human being and not a number who follows orders.
I guess time will tell, but there are monkeys out there working for a better future rather than peanuts.

[slingblade]

have saw no downturn in trade whatsoever, we have been working weekends and nights just to keep up, we also worked right through Christmas to install 10x cassettes, we managed it in 5 days, all in tray and with copper drains.

I left my c.v on monster a few months back and I'm inundated with job offers, I really cannot understand where all these so called redundancies are happening. I have heard that spec heat paid off a few guys but lets cut to the chase here, I have to agree with coolhibby - it gives the companies an opportunity to get rid of the dead wood, good engineers will always be in demand.

some of the salaries on offer at the moment are laughable, most are offering between 22k and 26k, I was earning more than that in 2000. most of the guys I work beside are clearing 30k basic, so why would anyone move for a drop in wages?

the answer is simple: monkeys will work for peanuts

Added to that, having re read that post. You earnt 26k+ in Scotland in 2000 fitting splits (with tray and drains). Nope , dont get it. Have you ever had ammonia up your nostrils. dont take me wrong but we can all overplay our own status.

[richardb14]

Added to that, having re read that post. You earnt 26k+ in Scotland in 2000 fitting splits (with tray and drains). Nope , dont get it. Have you ever had ammonia up your nostrils. dont take me wrong but we can all overplay our own status.

I fitted the splits at christmas this year and not in 2000. in 2000 I was working in Aberdeen in the oil industry - doing air conditioning and refrigeration onshore and offshore.

maybe you should take it to PM if you want any more info?

[slingblade]

I fitted the splits at christmas this year and not in 2000. in 2000 I was working in Aberdeen in the oil industry - doing air conditioning and refrigeration onshore and offshore.

maybe you should take it to PM if you want any more info?

Sorry mate no offence intended, you just dumped inabilaty on anyone who earns less than 25k. which i found offensive.

[richardb14]

That was not my intention, I meant the trade as a whole is undervalued, I feel we all deserve more in relation to other trades

[richardb14]

why should we work for peanuts?