GineersNow Engineering Magazine March 2017 Issue No 013

WORLD’S FIRST ENGINEERING NEWS 

FOR YOUNG ENGINEERS 

MARCH 2017 

ISSUE NO. 013 

JACK MA: 

Re-Engineering the Online 

Distribution and E-Commerce 

SPOTLIGHT ON MANAGEMENT: 

• 6 Skills Young Engineers Must Have 

• Which Engineering Jobs Have The Highest Salaries 

• 10 Qualities Top Engineering Companies Look For In An Engineer 

• 7 Mistakes Engineering Leaders Do When Leading A Team 

SPECIAL FEATURE 

ARTICLES BY: 

MCDERMOTT / PETROCHEM 

DAIKIN / VEOLIA / KÄRCHER 

ITRON

2 E-Commerce, Online Distribution and Management • March 2017

E-Commerce, Online Distribution and Management • March 2017 

3

SPONSORED CONTENT 

12 WAVE #05 

Bacchus 

Veolia Water Technologies 

secures key partnership in China 

Leading Alcopop manufacturer becomes Veolia’s anaerobic technology reference in Chinese food 

and beverage market 

Veolia Water Technologies China 

is proud to announce its latest 

contract with Shanghai Bacchus 

Limited Company (Bacchus), 

which will see Veolia design and 

build full turnkey 

wastewater 

treatment 

plants for two of 

Bacchus’s new 

greenfield factories 

in Tianjin and 

Chengdu, China. 

The plants will 

integrate several of 

Veolia’s innovative 

technologies 

– including 

the Biothane® 

Advanced Upflow 

Anaerobic Sludge Blanket (UASB), 

AnoxKaldnes Biological Activated 

Sludge (BAS), as well as tertiary 

and sludge treatments. 

Established in 2003, Bacchus 

manufactures the popular RIO® 

Alcopop series, and is wholly 

committed to developing, 

producing, and expanding its 

leading product to meet market 

demand. Upon project completion, 

both the Tianjin and Chengdu 

factories will join Bacchus’s existing 

production facility in Shanghai to 

boost the company’s production 

capacity to meet growing domestic 

demand. 

Due to the nature of the Food & 

Beverage industry, wastewater 

generated from processing 

operations contains high 

concentrations of biological oxygen 

demand (BOD), chemical oxygen 

demand (COD), and suspended 

solids. To mitigate Bacchus’s 

wastewater challenges, both 

projects feature Veolia’s highperforming 

anaerobic reactor, the 

Biothane Advanced® UASB. 

Renowned for its high organic 

loading capacity and superior 

sludge retention characteristics, 

the Biothane Advanced® UASB 

reactor is particularly 

suitable for the treatment 

of food and beverage-type 

effluents, ensuring that 

local regulatory standards 

for wastewater discharge 

are met. In addition, the 

compact solution supports 

biogas production, which 

serves as an alternate 

energy source, maximizing 

renewable energy utilization 

for Bacchus. 

James Peng, Solutions Director, 

Veolia Water Technologies in 

China, concluded, “As a leading 

global provider of innovative water 

and wastewater solutions, Veolia’s 

knowledge of local 

discharge limits 

has benefitted our 

clients, who have 

had to mitigate 

wastewater 

challenges in 

an increasingly 

environmentally 

conscious market. 

This is our first 

partnership with 

Bacchus in China. 

Our suite of water 

and wastewater 

solutions offers maximum technical 

advantages for our clients, and we 

look forward to recommending our 

anaerobic technologies to more 

Food & Beverage manufacturers 

operating in this region.” ● 


5 

CREATING VALUE FOR INDUSTRY 13 

SPONSORED CONTENT 

Jack Link's 

Creating environmentaly sustainable waste/ 

wastewater treatment system 

methane-rich biogas, while UF membranes 

create a high-quality effluent that is 

discharged into the municipal sewer system. 

THE CHALLENGE 

Jack Link's, a leading protein snack producer, 

was in need of a water treatment solution 

at its facility in Alpena, South Dakota. Jack 

Link’s previous wastewater treatment system 

consisted of a Dissolved Air Flotation (DAF) 

system for FOG (Fats, Oils, & Grease) and 

TSS reduction. Effluent from the system was 

discharged directly to the sewer system, 

and the city municipal treatment plant 

was becoming overloaded as a result of the 

facility’s production increases and high BOD 

loads. 

THE SOLUTION 

Veolia Water Technologies partnered with 

Jack Link’s to develop a process that would 

solve the facility’s high BOD discharge issue, 

while simultaneously creating biogas as a 

byproduct to reduce the plant’s energy costs. 

Veolia’s treatment process utilizes 

Memthane® Anaerobic Membrane Bioreactor 

(AnMBR) technology combined with a 

Sulfothane Biogas Desulfurization System. 

Memthane pairs anaerobic biological 

treatment with ultrafiltration (UF) 

membranes to create an industry-leading 

anaerobic membrane bioreactor system. The 

bioreactor converts the plant’s waste into a 

Biogas from the Memthane system is then 

treated by Veolia’s Sulfothane system. This 

treatment step removes sulfur compounds 

from the biogas, which are highly corrosive 

and can damage downstream equipment. The 

scrubbed biogas is then sent to a Combined 

Heat and Power (CHP) Generator, creating 

onsite electricity and offsetting energy costs. 

THE RESULT 

The Memthane and Sulfothane systems 

have exceeded performance and client 

expectations. Final permeate discharge from 

the Memthane system averaged less than 100 

ppm BOD for greater than 98% BOD removal 

rates. Membrane operation during the first 

24 months of operation was stable, with flux 

rates ranging from 9 to 18 lmh. 

The Sulfothane system was able to reduce 

the biogas’s H 2 

S levels from 6,000-8,500 ppm 

to less than 10 ppm, which is well below the 

generator’s manufacturer specifications. 

Due to sustained process stability and 

consistent high quality effluent, the city 

treatment plant operation has improved 

greatly. 

ENERGY POSITIVE WASTE/ 

WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT 

The system is not just energy efficient, it 

is also energy positive when operating at 

full flow. The biogas byproduct currently 

produced in the anaerobic reactor generates 

more electricity than the system consumes. 

The result is a fast return on investment for 

the capital purchase. ● 

E-Commerce, Online Distribution and Management • March 2017

4 WAVE I WETEX 2016 SPECIAL EDITION 

Innovative 

Water Solutions 

© Veolia Photo Library 

WATER TECHNOLOGIES 

Through its innovative solutions, Veolia Water Technologies enables industry, local authorities 

and citizens to optimize their use of resources for more efficient, environmentally-friendly and 

socially responsible outcomes. 

We understand the importance of increasing the value of water and we do so by supplying high 

quality water, treating and reusing wastewater, producing and/or recovering energy, extracting 

raw materials and capitalizing on valuable byproducts. 

www.veoliawatertechnologies.com 

Contact us: sales.vwsgulf@veolia.com 


7 

Being an engineer is already hard enough. Taking on a leadership role makes 

it harder. The further we progress in our careers, the more responsibilities are 

handed down to us. As leaders, we initiate action, motivate the people we work 

with and find the most efficient way to get things done. The work load makes it 

too overwhelming especially for those who never had an experience in leading 

a group of people anywhere. Sometimes, we are excited for the challenge while 

for others, there is no choice but to take on the job. 

In this month’s issue, we’ve prepared the best leadership articles to prepare 

you as you take on the lead and guide your team at work. It’s no easy task but 

we’re here to help you out! From pointing out mistakes engineering leaders 

do at work to listing down the important skills one must have to excel at work, 

there’s an article waiting for you here. 

Editor's 

Note 

On the cover of this month’s issue is Chinese business magnate, Jack Ma. 

Known as the founder and executive chairman of Alibaba Group with a net 

worth of $22 billion, we explore how his methods have re-engineered the 

online distribution and e-commerce industry. His story about accepting 

rejection and finding success in his career has inspired thousands of people. 

Now, here’s a chance to get to know the first mainland Chinese entrepreneur 

who appeared on the cover of one of the most prestigious maga-zine, Forbes. 

Apart from Jack Ma, leadership stories and professional news, get to know 

more about different com-panies featured this month. These companies 

are leading in their respective fields, so take a look at what each company 

has done to take one step further in achieving a new milestone in different 

industries. 

So sit back and relax. Get your monthly dose of engineering and technology 

with GineersNow! 

Engr. Alice Hernandez 

Senior Editor-at-Large 


John Vauden 

Senior Editor 

Asia-Pacific 

Hina Sapra 

Senior Editor 

South Asia 

Therese Matheren 

Senior Editor 

North America 

GINEERSNOW TEAM 

Ems Bagatsing 

Sales & Marketing Director 

Ems@LincolnMartin.com 

Robert Bagatsing 

Editor-In-Chief 

editor@GineersNow.com 

Engr. Alice Hernandez 

Senior Editor-At-Large 

Charity Bagatsing 

Senior Editor 

North America 

Engr. Dion Greg Reyes 

Junior Editor 

Engr. Cielo Panda 

Junior Editor 

Raymond Gerard del Valle 

Junior Editor 

Goran Ćulibrk 

Marketing and IT 

Manager 

Carl Duffrey Bartolome 

Video Editor 

Creative & Layout 

GineersNow is a subsidiary of 

Lincoln Martin Strategic Marketing 

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Downtown Dubai, UAE 

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Disclaimer: The publishers regret that they cannot accept liability for error or 

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Readers are advised to seek specialist advice before acting on information 

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9 

10 20 42 44 46 

CONTENTS 

10 

16 

20 

24 

26 

28 

29 

30 

32 

33 

34 

35 

36 

Daikin continues to lead Invention and 

Innovation in HVAC since 1924 

ITRON:On A Mission To Create A More 

Resourceful World Through Talent and 

Technology 

Jack Ma: Re-Engineering The Online 

Distribution and E-Commerce 

6 Skills Young Engineers 

Must Have 

Which Engineering Jobs Have The 

Highest Salaries? 

Want A Healthy Life? Engineers, Don’t 

Work Over 39 Hours A Week 

Here’s The Facebook Employees 

Salary Survey 

10 Qualities Top Engineering Companies 

Look For in an Engineer 

How Do You Help An Unmotivated 

Enginner At Work 

Bring Out The Engineering Genius In You 

With These Simple Exercises 

Future Engineers: Guide on How to 

Survive the Year 2035 Jobs and Skills 

We Need More Female Engineers... 

And That’s The Truth 

7 Mistakes Engineering Leaders Do 

When Leading A Team 

37 

38 

39 

40 

41 

42 

43 

44 

45 

46 

48 

49 

5 Attitudes That Engineers Need To 

Develop In The Workplace 

Most Difficult Engineering Interview 

Questions From Companies 

Take The Stress Out Of Engineering 

Work By Following These Tips 

15 Things Effective Engineering 

Leaders Do 

How Google Engineers Learn 

Management 

Millenial Engineers Are Changing The 

Global Work Practice 

Why Kärcher Is The Expert in Cleaning 

How Kärcher Became The Superbrand 

That It Is Today 

McDermott Obtains A Construction 

Vessel Amazon and A Deepwater Pipelay 

McDermott Releases Its Financial and 

Operational Results For The Year 2016 

McDermott Achieves 50M Man-Hours 

Performed With No Lost Time Incident 

How Petrochem Middle East Built A 

Strong Reputation As A Global Chemical 

Distributor 


Tuna Gulenc 

General Manager, Daikin Middle East 

and Africa 

Tuna Gulenc is in charge of Marketing 

in Daikin Middle East & Africa since 

October 2016. Prior to joining to Daikin 

Middle East & Africa, in the last 10 

years, he served in several regions and 

responsibilities in the EMEA region for 

Daikin. He was Deputy General Manager 

and Board Member of Daikin Turkey 

between 2011 and 2016, Sales Planning 

& Marketing Manager in Daikin Middle 

East & Africa in 2009 and 2011, Business 

Analyst in Daikin Europe EMEA Office 

in Brussels between 2008 and 2009. 

He started his Daikin career in 2006 in 

charge of establishment of the Turkey 

Office in Istanbul. 

“The HVAC Leader” 


11 

Daikin continues to lead 

Invention and Innovation 

in HVAC since 1924 

DAIKIN AS GLOBAL LEADER IN 

AIR CONDITIONING 

Daikin Industries is the World’s HVAC Leader 

with more than 60,000 employees worldwide. 

Daikin is engaged primarily in the development, 

manufacturing, sales and aftermarket support of 

air conditioning, heating, ventilation, refrigeration 

equipment, refrigerants and other chemicals, as 

well as oil hydraulic products. Daikin Industries is 

headquartered in Osaka, Japan, with more than 

80 Global production bases & presence in more 

than 145 countries. 

Daikin sells a full range of products, covering all 

Residential, Commercial & Industrial applications. 

A Total Solution Provider having full range of Split 

systems, Air Purifications, Ventilations, Rooftops, 

VRV systems, Air & Water Cooled Chillers, Air 

Handling Units, Fan Coil Units & Modular Chiller 

Plants. 

CHANGING THE GAME IN MIDDLE EAST 

AND AFRICA 

Daikin Middle East & Africa promotes and 

provides aftermarket support for a full range of 

air conditioning equipment and systems sold in 

UAE, GCC, Middle East and Africa region. 

More than 15 new products were introduced to 

this region lately, specially developed to meet 

the High Ambient conditions of the GCC Region, 

exceeding the minimum energy efficiency 

requirements set by regional regulators such as 

ESMA, Estidama, AD-QCC, SASO, MEW, QS- 

SASO, Bahrain SASO, GSO and others. In Africa 

& other Middle East countries, more products 

were introduced to the market, using Inverter 

Technology. Daikin has recently acquired Zanotti 

and together will be offering more commercial 

refrigeration products in this region. 

Daikin will continue to lead the market with new 

technologies & High efficient products across 

the full product range, and strengthen our 

Aftermarket & Service capabilities. 

Visit: www.daikinmea.com 

SHAPING THE NEW HVAC ERA 

Continuous growth in the HVAC innovative 

technologies and the consumer lifestyles in line 

with market growth of the construction activities 

had become a growing trend in the HVAC 

industry. Compliant, Efficient & Innovative are the 

key drivers currently. 

There is an increasing demand for smart home 

control and total control solutions for commercial 

systems. This includes integrating, centralizing, 

energy monitoring, predictive maintenance, smart 

apps and remote controlling of HVAC equipment 

along with all other the mechanical and electrical 

equipment. 

GCC governments are already lifting utility 

subsidies. Energy Efficient models can help 

reduce at least 30% of the conventional AC 

Energy Consumption rates without scarifying 

on the expected comfort levels. Our aim is to 

continue the development of highly efficient 

models. We have launched a new green 

refrigerant R-32 for residential products that 

will set a new milestone in Air Conditioning 

Sustainability for its low Global Warming Potential 

and Zero Ozone Depletion. 

In the pipe line of Daikin’s innovations, this 

refrigerant has been implemented in an inverter 

wall split which is considered the most efficient 

& greenest Air Conditioner in the market that can 

help to reduce up to 50% energy consumption, 

compared to conventional A/C. More and more 

regions are mature markets, opening the door for 

replacement business. 

Market & regulators are also pushing for the 

development of more Green & high efficient 

products & some industry bodies started to 

recognize and promote such products. 

EGBC (Emirates Green Building Council) had 

awarded Daikin VRV IV series, the Green Building 

award of Year 2016 last May. Earlier, our chiller 

product range had won Best Manufacturer of the 

year Award twice in a row in 2014 & 2015 in one 

of the HVAC Industry award events. 


ADOPTING AIR CONDITIONING AS 

SUSTAINABLE SOLUTIONS 

Problems such as climate change and changing 

demographics are presenting our advancing 

global society with many challenges. The Daikin 

Group aims to contribute to the realization of a 

sustainable society through business activities 

with new values. 

Through our business activities, we provide 

healthy and comfortable daily lives while at the 

same time contributing to energy efficiency 

and the reduction of greenhouse gases. 

Air conditioners consume large amounts of 

electricity, and the fluorocarbons they use 

as refrigerants deplete the ozone layer and 

contribute to global warming. Particularly in 

the rapidly developing economies of emerging 

countries, growing demand for air conditioners is 

expected to have an increasingly severe effect on 

climate change. 

The Daikin Group is focusing on alleviating the 

effect that products have on climate change 

through refrigerants with low global warming 

impact and energy-efficient technologies. 

In addition, we strive to reduce emissions 

of greenhouse gases during production and 

transportation, and we recover and destroy 

fluorocarbons during all stages from production 

to final product disposal. 

Find more about Daikin Sustainability and CSR: 

http://www.daikin.com/csr/summary.html 

NEW VALUE CREATION AS A CORE BASE FOR 

TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT 

Daikin Industries, Ltd. announced the completion 

of the Technology and Innovation Center 

(hereinafter referred to as “TIC”) at its Yodogawa 

Plant located in Settsu City, Japan. 

The new facility will function as the core base 

for technology development of the globally 

expanding Daikin Group. 

Daikin is building the world’s No. 1 technology 

center with core technologies that includes 

inverters, heat pumps, and fluorochemicals 

through the collaborative creation of innovation 

inside and outside the company and will leverage 

new and advanced technologies to expand 

business with differentiated products and create 

new value and business opportunities. 

The TIC facility is located in a six -floor building 

covering 49,000 m2 floor spaces with an 

investment of approximately 38 Billion Yen 

employing 700 people. TIC will help Daikin 

accelerate implementation of “collaborative 

creation” on a global level through alliances 

and collaborations with various companies, 

universities, and research organizations. Daikin 

already promotes comprehensive alliances with 

Kyoto University, Osaka University, and Nara 

Institute of Science and Technology and joint 

research and development with home builders, 

manufacturers of electrical appliances and 

materials, and architectural firms. 

To achieve this, a variety of design innovations 

were incorporated in the TIC office and laboratory 

areas to promote collaborative creation for 

engineers to overcome barriers. The building 

uses Daikin Technologies to achieve zero energy 

building aiming at 70% energy reduction with 

laboratories supporting core technologies. 

To know more use this link: http://www. 

daikinmea.com/about-daikin/news-pressreleases/news-technology-and-innovationcenter-in-japan.jsp 

\ 


13 

GOING GREEN! GOING SMART! 

R-32 is currently being used in more than 

15 million air conditioning units (estimated 

May 2016), distributed in more than 40 

countries worldwide, including Japan, India, 

Australia, Thailand and several other Asian, 

Middle East and European countries, including 

UAE, Oman & Saudi Arabia. Supporting 

sustainable development, Daikin encourages 

manufacturers globally to adopt the use of 

R-32 on air conditioners to contribute lowering 

the environmental impact. In that view, Daikin 

is sharing its knowledge and technology by 

offering worldwide free access to 93 patents, 

to encourage companies to develop and 

commercialize air conditioning equipment using 

this single component refrigerant. 

It is estimated that if all air conditioners in 

developed countries using the conventional 

R-410A were converted to R-32, the global 

warming impact from HFCs in 2030 can be 

reduced by 19%, or 800 million tons CO2- 

equivalent. Similar study has been conducted 

in India and estimates that 15% energy can be 

saved in residential segment by switching to 

R-32 over business-as-usual with R-410A. 

The studies here are only taking into account 

the shift of refrigerant and not the upgrade of 

technology. 

If you consider combination of R-32 with 

advanced technology like inverter against noninverter 

or windows, the environmental impact 

on our region can be even more significant! 

Next-generation refrigerant is a real key element 

in the effort of lowering environmental impact 

but in combination with the right technology 

like inverter, this will lead to real sustainable 

development for our region. 

To know more about R-32: http://www. 

daikinmea.com/about-daikin/daikin-technologies/ 

r-32-refrigerant/ 

Daikin Middle East had launched the first 

high ambient split AC developed using the 

Next Generation R-32 refrigerant and Inverter 

technology. The Inverter Technology constantly 

adjusts the compressor speed to precisely 

maintain the desired temperature, and 

contributes on reducing the energy consumption 

all year round, for a lower electricity bill. Whereas 

the repeated ON/OFF operation of traditional 

systems leads to wasted energy consumption. 

Find more about inverter technology: http://www. 

daikinmea.com/about-daikin/daikin-technologies/ 

inverter-technology/index.jsp 


As a result of this, the unit produces cooling 

as what it is required and when it is required, 

lowering the energy consumption, providing 

powerful cooling, quieter operation and Long life 

time. VRV IV is a system that utilizes multiple 

indoor units with one outdoor. 

Daikin’s VRV IV has become even smarter; not 

only is it especially equipped to handle the 

sizzling heat of the Middle East, but with its 

unique VRT technology, it constantly monitors 

ambient temperature and continuously adjusts 

not only the refrigerant flow like typical VRF 

systems, but also the refrigerant temperature to 

achieve maximum efficiency and minimum power 

consumption. 

Know more about VRV IV: http://www.daikinmea. 

com/commercial/vrv/index.jsp 

Designing HVAC units for the GCC region is very 

challenging and if not done correctly will result in 

equipment failure and a number of other issues. 

Factors like total annual run hours, temperature 

extremes, corrosive environment, dust and 

humidity levels; all need to be taken into 

consideration. 

Daikin GCC products are all designed and 

custom tailored specifically for GCC region. The 

market should be aware of non-high ambient 

products that are not suited for use in this 

region.The HVAC market in GCC and Middle East 

has also been witnessing the increasing use 

of energy-efficient HVAC systems. Standards 

on MEPS requirement (Minimum Energy 

Efficiency Performance Standard) are changing 

frequently and each country has slightly different 

requirements. 

Daikin is looking forward to enhance its full 

product range including Commercial and 

industrial applications for high efficiency product 

lines using Inverter Technology & New R-32 

refrigerant. 


E-Commerce, Online Distribution and Management • March 2017 

15

ITRON: 

On A Mission To Create A More Resourceful 

World Through Talent and Technology 

Over the years, demands for water and 

energy have been increasing due to 

flourishing communities and technological 

advancement. To keep up with this fastpaced, 

ever-changing lifestyle, Itron 

wants to help several communities make 

their world more resourceful. By taking 

advantage of what each community has, 

the company manages to lay a foundation 

where communities can be provided with a 

safe and reliable source of water, gas and 

electricity. 

Focusing on the availability of water 

resources, Itron has come up with solutions 

that allow several communities control, 

preserve and share among different people. 

In this exclusive interview with Itron, Imad 

Dahleh, the company’s regional manager 

for its Water & Thermal Energy division in 

Dubai, discusses how they manage the 

resources needed to improve a community’s 

way of life while conserving them and 

minimize their impact on the environment. 

Take a closer look at what really goes on 

in Itron and how they are making the world 

more resourceful using their own talent and 

technology. 

THE PERSON 

Introduce yourself. 

My name is Imad Dahleh and I work as 

a regional manager in Itron’s Water & 

Thermal Energy division based in Dubai. 

I’ve pretty much lived my entire life in 

Kuwait, Jordan, the US and the UAE. My 

hobbies are running, weight training, cross 

training, swimming and playing the drums. I 

performed with very big bands in the region 

such as Black Sabbath, Avenged Sevenfold, 

Epica and Nightwish. 

How many years have you been working in 

your industry? 

11 years. 

THE COMPANY 

Describe your company. 

Itron is a technology company that focuses 

on solutions that help utilities measure, 

manage and analyze energy and water, 

headquartered in Liberty Lake, Washington 

State, USA and listed on the public stock 

exchange. 

How big is your company? 

Itron is a global company with more than 

8,000 employees. We have offices and 

manufacturing facilities all over the world 

with more than 75 key locations in 35 

countries present in 8,000+ utilities in over 

130 countries. 

Describe your mission, vision and values. 

Our mission, vision and values are around 

creating a more resourceful world. Itron 

empowers utilities to responsibly and 

efficiently manage energy and water 

resources. 

In today’s resource-hungry world — where 

infrastructure modernization, new CO2- 

neutral energy generation and clean water 

for everyone are essential — resource 

management is more critical than ever 

before. 

We all need to be more mindful of resource 

utilization and conservation. Itron is 

dedicated to developing solutions that 

address these challenges through more 

efficient measurement, management and 

analysis of energy and water resources. 

The values we bring are: 

- Manage and conserve resources 

- Balance supply and demand 

- Lower costs 

- Address energy-water nexus 

- Deliver grid awareness and connectivity 

- Integrate renewable energy sources 

- Enable energy efficiency 

- Provide foundation for smart cities 

- Increase reliability of service delivery 

- Enhance customer service 

- Connect smart grid applications 

- Engage consumers 

Where is this company headed? 

To help build a sustainable future with the 

latest innovations, a commitment to quality 

and a shared passion for responsible 

resource management. 

THE ORGANIZATION 

How many engineers do you have in your 

company? 

I don’t have the answer to this question, but 

we are an engineering company in principle. 

How do you motivate your employees? 

Recognition of their dedication and hard 

work. 

THE PRODUCTS 

What are the most successful products that 

you have launched and why were they a 

success? 

We provide accurate and reliable state-ofthe-art 

electricity, water, thermal energy and 

gas meters, communication modules, meter 

data collection & management systems and 

data analytics software globally. 


17 

Can you give us a trivia about your 

company or product that no one really 

knows? 

Since I speak for water, the most successful 

product we supplied in the Middle East is 

the Itron’s Intelis / ECHODIS+ ultrasonic 

type smart water meter due to its advanced 

functionalities, eco-friendly design and long 

lifetime specifically designed to be adapted 

to our markets and installations conditions. 

TRENDS IN ECONOMIC, 

PRODUCT & COMPANY 

What are the latest trends in your industry? 

Water is a key challenge in every country 

in the world as water scarcity is growing 

everywhere and population & urbanization 

grow exponentially. 

Smart metering is at the heart of water 

resource management and helps reduce 

leakages. 

What products that you are working on right 

now? 

a. What technologies do you use in your 

latest equipment/machineries? 

Ultrasound. 

b. What kind of support do you offer to 

your clients? Quick and prompt aftersales 

support technically and commercially. 

c. Where are they made/manufactured? 

In France 

Water solutions industry is using more and 

more innovative and advanced technologies 

to create, measure, all key data from the 

field. Then the collected data have to be 

stored, managed and analyzed. This is 

where the trends are... in the computing 

world, using the benefits of cloud storage 

and big data analytics software. 

What do you think will the future of your 

industry look like this year and by year 

2020? What kind of service experience do 

you see by 2020? 

The main evolution will be in how data are 

easily collected and actions taken in 

the field. Having the right features 

in our tools so that utilities can 

immediately transform information into 

action. 

SOCIAL IMPACT & 

CORPORATE SOCIAL 

RESPONSIBILITY 

Does your company have 

a CSR history? What is the 

philosophy of the company? 

We do not have today a 

global CSR organization 

and action. The latest 

“local” action we developed 

was to create a complete 

set of e-learning modules 

about water and energy 

nexus to be distributed in 

high school in USA in STEM 

programs. 

We designed this in collaboration with 

Dr Michael Webber from Austin (Texas) 

University. We strongly believe that 

education is key in creating a more 

resourceful future. 

In addition, our technologies and solutions 

help communities to better manage their 

precious water resources. By measuring, 

you can control, preserve and better share 

among the population. Managing properly a 

water network and using metering data to 

precisely measure consumption and detect 

leakages allow to offer water to the largest 

number of persons, safely and regularly. Our 

solutions are by themselves a support to the 

community. 

ADVICE TO THE YOUNG ENGINEERS 

Energy and water management are at the 

heart of all governments and international 

organizations. This is a growing issue but 

also one that drives many innovations 

and create tons of opportunities. 


Your Partner in Creating a More Resourceful World 

THE CHALLENGES WE FACE 

30% 

water lost or 

unaccounted for globally 1 

50% 

increase in global natural 

gas demand between 

2005 and 2030 2 

61% 

of energy is wasted 

in the US economy 

each year. 3 

74% 

of utility executives view 

the changing business 

model as an urgent or 

growing concern. 4 

8bn 

estimated world 

population in 2025 5 

1 

IBNET Water Supply and Sanitation Blue Book 2014 

2 

U.S. Energy Information Administration 

3 

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, July 2013 

4 

2016 Itron Resourcefulness Index 

5 

United Nations 

TECHNOLOGY TODAY FOR A BETTER TOMORROW 

In today’s resource-hungry world — where infrastructure modernization, new CO2-neutral energy generation and clean water 

for everyone are essential — resource management is more critical than ever before. We all need to be more mindful of resource 

utilization and conservation. Itron is dedicated to developing solutions that address these challenges through more efficient 

measurement, management and analysis of energy and water resources. Utilities trust Itron’s technology and people to help build a 

sustainable future with the latest innovations, a commitment to quality and a shared passion for responsible resource management. 

The Value We Bring 

Manage and conserve resources 

Enable energy efficiency 

Lower costs 

Improve system integrity 

Manage distribution assets 

Increase system reliability 

Deliver grid awareness and connectivity 

Enhance utility customer service 

Modernize the grid 

Connect smart grid applications 

Enable distributed intelligence 

Deliver business outcomes 

ITRON | A GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY COMPANY 


19 

Delivering on the Promise 

No other company offers the same breadth and depth of products and solutions as Itron. 

We are leading the world in solving utilities’ specific business challenges. 

ELECTRICITY SOLUTIONS 

» Smart grid and IoT solution with distributed intelligence and adaptive communications 

» Standards-based smart grid network with true interoperability 

» Smart grid analytics for demand response, distributed generation, outage detection, 

transformer load management, revenue assurance and theft detection 

» Advanced metering automation via radio, cellular and wired technologies 

» Smart payment for electricity 

» Electricity measurement technologies 

» Streamlined operations and business outcomes with managed services 

GAS SOLUTIONS 

» Smart gas IoT solution 

» Gas monitoring technologies to improve safety, system integrity and asset 

management 

» Gas analytics for enhanced customer service, district metering, revenue protection 

and cathodic protection 

» Advanced metering automation via radio or cellular communications 

» Smart payment for gas 

» Gas measurement and regulator technologies 


WATER SOLUTIONS 

» Smart water IoT solution 

» Water efficiency solutions to manage water scarcity, droughts and non-revenue 

water regulations 

» Water analytics for enhanced customer service, revenue protection, conservation 

management, district metering, flow analysis, and trending and forecasting 

» Advanced metering automation via radio or cellular communications 

» Water and heat measurement technologies 

» Heat cost allocation solution 


SMART CITIES SOLUTIONS 

» Unified, secure, multi-service network IoT and smart city solution 

» Interoperability of sensing technologies and dynamic applications at the device level 

» Energy and water management expertise 

» Smart city application and communications network management using 

managed services 

“The Kalgoorlie smart water 

metering trial, which uses 

Itron technology, has been an 

outstanding success because 

over the two years of the trial we’ve 

managed to reduce the water 

supply to Kalgoorlie by over 800,000 

kilolitres (more than 210 million 

gallons), which is a savings 

of around 10 percent.” 

Garry Peach, Service Customers 

Strategy and Support Manager 

Water Corporation 

“Itron is collaborating with 

CenterPoint Energy to apply 

technology to deliver reliable service 

to our customers and reduce our 

environmental footprint.” 

Kenny Mercado, Division SVP, 

Grid & Market Operations 

CenterPoint Energy 

“Itron’s gas prepayment system has 

helped the State Oil Company of 

the Azerbaijan Republic (SOCAR) 

improve revenue collection, recover 

old debt and improve customer 

service.” 

Akbar Hajiyev, Managing 

Director SOCAR 

ITRON | A GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY COMPANY 


Source: South China Morning Post 

Jack Ma: 

Re-Engineering THE 

Online Distribution 

and E-Commerce 


21 

It’s rare to see Asians dominate the tech 

industry, where competition is very tough and 

has been dominated by white men already. 

But things are slowly starting to change with the 

start of Jack Ma entering and dominating the 

Billionaire’s club. 

If you’re not familiar with Jack Ma, it’s time you 

should be. 

As the founder and executive chairman of Alibaba 

Group, the 52-year-old Chinese billionaire from 

Hangzhou, China is currently Forbes’ 8th richest 

man in the tech industry and the 33rd richest 

billionaire in the world. Ma was also the first 

person from mainland China to be featured on 

the cover of Forbes. His company, the Alibaba 

Group Holding Limited, is an e-commerce 

company that provides transactions between 

consumers and businesses. Aside from that, 

the company also provides data-centric cloud 

computing services, a shopping search engine 

and electronic payment services. As of last 

year, it is considered one of the largest internet 

companies and has already surpassed Walmart 

as the world’s largest retailer in the world. 

Before Jack Ma started dominating the 

e-commerce industry in mainland China and 

became a multi-billionaire, his journey started out 

with full of struggles and challenges. His career 

started with full of rejections which included 

an application to work for the police, Harvard 

and KFC. In an interview with Charlie Rose, he 

shared, “I even went to KFC when it came to my 

city. Twenty-four people went for the job. Twentythree 

were accepted. I was the only guy…” 

While it may have been rough for Ma, he 

persevered and on 1995, his introduction to 

the internet eventually led him to an idea that 

would change how businesses will be operated 

around the world. During his trip to the US as a 

translator in early 1995, he was curious as to 

why no information comes out about China from 

the internet. 

For a country so big and so rich with history, it 

is a wonder as to why there are no information 

available, but that was in the 90s and the 

internet we all depend on now is relatively new 

for the public back then. 

It was in that encounter that led Ma and his 

friend to create a website that was related to 

China. On the day the website was launched, he 

received emails from his countrymen to find out 

more about him. Ma realized that the internet 

really had a good potential and later on, started 

his first company “Chinapage” with his wife and 

his friend with USD$20,000 as capital. 

It wasn’t easy for Ma when he started his 

company. Before he did it, most of his friends 

suggested he should drop the idea because the 

internet was unfamiliar to everybody. He shared, 

“When I first started Alibaba, I was immediately 

met with strong opposition from family and 

friends. Looking back, I realised that the biggest 

driving force for me then was not my confidence 

in the Internet and the potential it held, but more 

of this: “No matter what one does, regardless 

of failure or success, the experience is a form of 

success in itself.” You have got to keep trying, 

and if it doesn’t work, you always can revert back 

to what you were doing before.“ 

“No matter what one 

does, regardless of 

failure or success, 

the experience is a 

form of success in 

itself” 


So despite the challenges and doubts he met 

in starting the company, Ma started his first 

company and created websites for different 

Chinese companies. Unfortunately, majority of 

the management’s control of Chinapage was 

by the government when Ma decided to partner 

with them. Ma was left frustrated and decided to 

leave the company and work for a short period 

at the ministry of foreign trade and economic 

cooperation. In this job, he was able to meet 

prominent people, including Jerry Yang, the 

founding member of Yahoo! 

After leaving his job, he founded Alibaba with the 

goal of joining international trade for small and 

medium ventures located in China. 

Despite being denied for funding by several 

companies in Silicon Valley, Ma eventually got 

USD 5 Million from Goldman Sachs and USD 20 

Million from Softbank. Other companies thought 

that Ma’s business model was too risky and 

unprofitable. 

The company started achieving profitability by 

2001 and started expanding their services in 

2003 with Taobao, a consumer e-commerce 

platform. 

Ma was the chief executive officer of his 

company for its first 10 years but stepped 

down on the position to become the company’s 

executive chairman. 

For over two decades, the Alibaba Group Holding Limited has expanded its business to 

create several subsidiaries: 

Source:Getty Images 

alibaba.com 

The largest online businessto-business 

trading platform 

for small business 

Ant Financial 

Operates Alipay payments 

AutoNavi 

Chinese map supplier 

Taobao 

China’s largest consumer-toconsumer 

online shopping 

platform 

Tmall.com 

An online retail platform 

Juhuasuan 

A group shopping website in 

China 

eTao 

Online shoppers use this to 

search results from most 

Chinese online shopping 

platforms 

Alipay 

A third-party online payment 

platform that requires no 

transaction fees 

Alibaba Cloud (Aliyun) 

A cloud computing service 

platform 

AliExpress 

An online retail service where 

small Chinese business sell 

products to international 

online buyers 

Yahoo! China 

Formed a strategic 

partnership with Yahoo! back 

in 2005. 

Aliwangwang 

An instant messaging 

software service for online 

selling 

Laiwang 

A messaging application and 

service 

Alibaba Pictures 

Renamed as the Alibaba 

Pictures Group, it’s a media 

company that checks the 

potential opportunities in 

online entertainment 

Youku Tudou 

A company that broadcasts 

popular television programs 

and other videos over the 

internet 

Alibaba Group R&D 

Institute 

Focused on research and 

development and has filed 

several patent and utility 

model applications 

Xiami 

An online music service 

provider 

365fanyi.com 

A domestic crowdsourcing 

translation platform that small 

and medium enterprises can 

use to participate in several 

transactions 

South China Morning Post 

Provides media coverage on 

China 

Ali Health 

Alibaba’s flagship health care 

unit that provides buyers 

a selection of health and 

pharmaceutical products 

available in China 

UCWeb 

A mobile internet software 

technology and services 

company that aims to 

give better mobile internet 

connections to its users. 

Lazada 

An e-commerce company 

that operates its sites on 

the Philippines, Singapore, 

Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, 

Vietnam and Thailand. The 

company sells different 

products ranging from 

household items to consumer 

electronics. 


23 

Source: Vulcan Post 

Source: Rediff 

Having started a small business that transformed 

into one of the world’s biggest business empires, 

there’s no wonder that Ma would receive several 

acknowledgements. Back in 2004, he was 

chosen as one of the “Top 10 Business Leaders 

of the Year” by China Central Television. He was 

awarded an honorary doctoral degree by the 

Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. 

He was also awarded by Forbes Asia as one 

of Asia’s Heroes of Philanthropy. He has been 

recognized as one of the best businessmen in 

the world by several international establishments 

already. Last year, Forbes made him the 28th 

most powerful person in the world. 

Fun fact about Jack Ma: He wants to be 

remembered as a Tai Chi master as well. He has 

been studying the Chen style of Tai Chi Chuan, a 

Chinese martial arts since 2009. 

Together with several tournament-winning Tai Chi 

players, they teach regular classes at Alibaba, 

where employees are required to attend. 

Despite having no experience in coding or using 

computers, his faith in the internet’s potential 

made him one of the world’s richest billionaires. 

His story has inspired thousands (or even 

millions) that rejection and failure shouldn’t stop 

a person from pursuing things they believe in. For 

Ma, it all started with his first encounter with the 

internet on 1995. 

More than two decades later, the Alibaba Group 

has made a record of $463 billion of business 

transactions in 2016. With the aim to create 

100 million jobs and around 10 million profitable 

businesses in the next 20 years, there is no 

doubt Ma and his company will soon rise and 

dominate the tech world. 

Source: ZeroHedge 

Source: TNooz 

Source: Vulcan Post 


6 Skills Young Engineers Must Have 

You should probably consider this if you want to stand out and be the kickass young engineer you want to be. 

Nowadays, taking engineering seems to be a norm 

that many young people consider in order to keep 

up with the society’s demands of rapid changes, 

innovations and advancements in technology. Many 

specialized engineering courses are also introduced 

and the population of people taking career paths 

in engineering fields gradually grows. Competition 

is getting tougher, especially to young engineers 

who are newly grads. Several countries produce 

millions of engineers where most end up in nonengineering 

fields or obliged to settle in entry levels 

they don’t deserve. Even if you’re an engineering 

graduate, you may not be competent enough. 

But don’t lose hope just yet. Here is a checklist for 

you to stand out and become a kickass engineer 

you want to be. 

1AUTOCAD SKILLS 

We are in the age that engineering design 

is not confined on 2D blueprints or sketches 

alone. Designs of components, structures and 

architectural plans now heavily depends on 3D 

CAD designs especially for intricate objects in 

manufacturing. The ability to design with Auto CAD 

is really a must for engineering and architecture 

people in these fields. Having proficient CAD 

skills certainly gives you an advantage over other 

candidates. 

If your institution does not offer learning to use 

CAD software, there are crash courses offered in 

other technical schools for a certain number of 

sessions. There are CAD software programs and 

tutorials online so you can study it yourself too. 

BASIC PROGRAMMING / IT SKILLS 

2 At this point, hard sciences are now converging 

with the digital world to be more efficient and 

productive. There are now industries that depends 

on heavy database management and automated 

components in industrial plants (Computerintegrated 

manufacturing). Learning how to use 

programming languages and algorithms is also 

a plus. Even if you’re a computer engineering 

major, not all programming languages are 

taught in school. There are also crash courses 

for this such as learning SQL, Mathlab, COBOL, 

C#, .NET, Python, Java or Ruby. Online tutorials 

and downloadable software programs are also 

available if you plan to self-study. 

COMMUNICATION SKILLS 

3 As an engineer, our science and mathematical 

knowledge or technical skills are given. But 

presenting and relaying it effectively is another 

aspect. Being a persuasive presenter gives us 

opportunities to be an exceptional engineer. 


25 

We must learn how to stride the right balance 

between technical and communication skills as 

they are the keys to a successful professional 

career. There are programs and workshops that 

can help us enhance speech communication and 

presentation skills. 

4PROJECT MANAGEMENT 

In our profession, we always coordinate 

with others or work as a team in a department. 

Engineers also become project managers and 

learning how to manage a project and a team 

gives you a successful career. Having project 

management skills enables you to lead project 

or program teams and will eventually master 

the dynamics of a project. From there, you can 

handle more complex projects and be appointed 

in leadership positions. You can also draw other 

professionals and open opportunities for business 

and personal growth. There are institutions 

offering Project Management as an elective and 

also a Project Management Professional (PMP) 

certification. 

5PROFESSIONAL LICENS 

As they say, licensure is the mark of a 

professional. It means you are at the top of 

your game and your profession. It is a standard 

recognized by the government, the clients and 

companies assuring skills and quality. It has now 

become a requirement in a number of engineering 

firms and corporations. Having a professional 

license gives the public approval to perform 

engineering work. It is also seen as a commitment 

to your profession and gives more opportunities in 

your career. 

GRADUATE DEGREES 

6 (MSc / MA / MBA / Engg D / PhD) 

Today, a number of professional engineering 

societies are considering to make graduate degree 

the mandatory credential for would-be engineers. 

They require master’s degree in finance, business 

administration or industrial engineering in order 

to advance in managerial positions. Millennial 

engineers opt to take master’s degree units and 

certifications while working in order to raise their 

credentials and value of being a professional 

engineer. Some high positions need a certain 

of depth of knowledge and expertise in that 

engineering field so that’s where these graduate 

courses come in as an advantage. Engineers must 

not be limited to their majors but must continue to 

learn and diverse into different fields. 

Source: MinnPost 

Source: University of Toronto, College of Engineering 


Source: Giphy 

WHICH ENGINEERING JOBS HAVE 

THE HIGHEST SALARIES? 

Mechanical? Chemical? 

Electrical? Check which 

ones enjoy lucrative pays! 

Everyone knows for a fact that engineers are 

among the highest paid professionals in the 

world. Each one of us knows at least one 

engineer, and for that it’s a common observation 

that he or she lives with relatively lesser financial 

struggles. Due to the difficulty and the global 

demand of the job, engineering remains to be at 

the top when it comes to median salaries. 

This is one of the many reasons why many 

are motivated to pursue this career – because 

of the lucrative pay. But among the long list 

of engineering courses offered in universities 

worldwide, there are fields that offer way higher 

pay than the others. Here are six of those as 

evaluated from reports and statistics of reputable 

sources including the U.S. Department of Labor 

Bureau of Labor Statistics. 

PETROLEUM ENGINEERING 

As the global demand for energy increases, 

the need for petroleum engineers goes with it. 

That’s because these engineers are responsible 

for the production of oil and gas. The median 

salary for new petroleum engineers is estimated 

at $74,240, the highest across all engineering 

fields. Later, this increases to $132,320 during 

mid-career, and even $186,520 when there is 

ample work experience. 

Because the petroleum engineering industry 

is slated to have employees that will retire in 

the next decade, this is a recommended career 

choice to fill available positions. 


27 

ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING 

The descendants of Nikola Tesla, the electrical 

engineers, get one of the highest engineering 

median salaries. Their job mostly revolves around 

the design, testing, and supervision of electrical 

equipment, but could work in related industries. 

Starting electrical engineers could earn a median 

salary of $57,330. With enough experience for a 

mid-career engineer, they get a median salary of 

$89,180. Take note that this sector’s job growth 

is expected to be around 6%, which is a rate 

lower than average. This will go on until 2020. 

COMPUTER ENGINEERING 

Computer engineering is divided into two main 

areas: hardware and software. The former deals 

with physical computer systems and components 

while the latter involves application of engineering 

discipline to the creation of software. But the 

two have a relatively similar median salary, with 

software seen to become more in demand in the 

future. For starting computer engineers – either 

hardware or software – the pay is estimated at 

$63,970. This goes up in mid-career at about 

$150,130. 

AEROSPACE ENGINEERING 

Planning to take a degree in aerospace 

engineering? The time is now. This field which 

studies the development of aircraft and spacecraft 

has one of the highest paying jobs. Fresh 

aerospace engineers can expect a starting salary 

of $65,450, which will become $103,720 over 

time upon reaching the middle of the career. Due 

to the cutbacks in space exploration, it is most 

likely that the job growth for aerospace engineers 

is only at 5% over the next few years, which is 

lower than the average job market. 

CHEMICAL ENGINEERING 

Usually employed in the areas of manufacturing 

and research tasked to produce, transform, 

transport and properly use chemicals, materials, 

and energy, chemical engineers enjoy high-paying 

jobs. The median starting salary for chemical 

engineers is approximately $94,000, while the 

mid-career salary is estimated at $154,840. 

However, a caution: the market for chemical 

engineers is expected to be reasonably flat 

over the next few years. What is set to pull this 

trend up is the related industries like biomedical 

engineering, which is expected to have a much 

faster average job growth. 

MATERIALS ENGINEERING 

As the name suggests, materials engineering 

deals with the development and testing of 

materials mostly used in the production of 

industrial and consumer products. Engineers in 

this field are responsible for opening doors to 

new technologies across the industry. The median 

starting salary of materials engineers is $52,900. 

As time goes by, it increases to $85,150 during 

mid-career. Job growth in this sector is seen to be 

at around 9% until 2020. 


Source: Huffington Post 

Want a Healthy Life? 

Engineers, Don’t Work 

Over 39 Hours a Week 

Putting extra time at work may yield you 

good impressions at work, but be wary that 

this may harm your health in the long term. 

This is what a new research by the Australian 

National University has found, saying that people 

who work more than 39 hours a week are putting 

their health at risk. 

A study like this hits close to engineers as we are 

usually overworked and yet underpaid. Contrary 

to the international limit set about 80 years 

ago which is 48 hours per week, this research 

drastically reduces the number of work hours. 

That is if you are after going a healthy life. 

The research involved 8,000 Australian adults, 

conducted as part of the Household, Income and 

Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey. 

Two in three Australians in full-time employment 

worked more than 40 hours a week, with long 

hours a bigger problem for women who do more 

unpaid work at home, according to Dr Huong 

Dinh, lead researcher from the ANU Research 

School of Population Health. “Long work hours 

erode a person’s mental and physical health, 

because it leaves less time to eat well and look 

after themselves properly,” he says. 

If considering other commitments of women, Dr 

Dinh tells that the previously set limit for healthy 

work is at 34 hours per week. For men, it was 47 

hours a week because of the lesser involvement 

on care or domestic work compared to women. 

Dr Dinh adds, “Despite the fact that women 

on average are as skilled as men, women on 

average have lower paid jobs and less autonomy 

than men, and they spend much more time on 

care and domestic work.”no matter what it is. 

He goes on to say that given the extra demands 

placed on women, it’s impossible for women to 

work long hours often expected by employers 

unless they compromise their health. 


29 

Here’s the 

Source: Glassdoor 

Employees Salary Survey 

Just How Much do 

Facebook Employees Earn? 

Ever dreamed of working at Facebook? Here’s 

the Facebook Employees Salary Survey. Most 

engineers who want to work in the computer 

or software engineering field would want to work 

at Facebook, after all it seems like an awesome 

place to work at. Here’s an idea of how much you 

can expect to earn if you work for them. 

ENGINEERING MANAGER 

SALARY: $166,561 

The engineering managers are the team leaders 

who manage a specific group of people who are 

working on a specific product. To be able to get 

this position you should not only know how to 

code, but have good leadership skills as well. 

SENIOR SOFTWARE ENGINEER 

SALARY: $160,638 

When you have proven yourself to Facebook, and 

they know you’re good at what you do, you could 

climb up the career ladder and become a senior 

software engineer. 

PRODUCT MANAGER 

SALARY: $147,469 

These people collect outputs from different teams 

and incorporate all the products together. 

DATABASE ENGINEER 

SALARY: $141,635 

These engineers focus on dealing with massively 

large amount of data, and constantly keep track of 

their highly complex databases. 

PRODUCTION ENGINEER 

SALARY: $134,775 

Product engineers ensure that their products 

are working properly, and whether they can be 

updated or improved. 

PRODUCT DESIGNER 

SALARY: $133,810 

Product designers need to have experience in app 

building and front-end programming. However, 

they say the most important designs still come 

from Zuckerberg himself. 

SOFTWARE ENGINEER 

SALARY: $125,515 

These engineers are one of the most vital 

employees of the company. They make sure 

everything runs smoothly and new developments 

are implemented immediately. 

SOFTWARE ENGINEERING INTERN 

SALARY: $77,544 

Are you graduating soon and are looking for 

placements? Facebook is a good option, especially 

if you see the salary rates. 

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE 

SALARY: $62,617 

Account Executives run the advertising of 

Facebook and all other business-related events. 

RESEARCH SCIENTIST 

SALARY: $137,134 

The research scientists are Facebook’s analytics, 

they use data analysis to tell what’s working and 

what’s not. 


10 

Qualities Top 

Engineering Companies 

Look For in an Engineer 

If you want to land your dream job and easily climb your way up the 

corporate ladder, these qualities will help you succeed. 

There are several attributes that top engineering 

companies are looking for in a candidate 

during the recruitment phase. There are 10 

specific qualities that engineers should mold and 

develop during the course of their engineering 

careers. No one is perfect – that is a universal fact. 

We can never recruit that one person who fits all of 

the qualities an employer looks for without a flaw or 

two. However, it still helps that we know what kind 

of qualities we need to land the job of our dreams 

and boost our careers. 

So if you want to land the job of your dreams and 

start paving your way to a successful career life, 

here are the top qualities your future employer may 

need from you: 

YOU KNOW YOUR ENGINEERING STRENGTHS 

AND WEAKNESSES 

Employers usually ask you what your strengths and 

weaknesses are. So our advice is to be honest and 

tell them what you’re really good at. Then, you can 

explain what your weaknesses are in a way that 

you can use it to your advantage. It’s pretty tricky 

but give this a lot of thought before you head to the 

interview. 

YOU KNOW YOUR ENGINEERING SUCCESS STORIES 

They would ask you for a success story. Usually, 

employers would want to know what problems 

you’ve faced in the past and how you were able to 

overcome it. That’s how they’ll judge you on your 

ability to handle stress. 

Don’t give a dramatic effect to it. Keep it 

professional and don’t shed a tear. 

No, you don’t have to pretend to 

have these. You don’t have to fake 

anything because employers know 

how to detect someone who really 

has the qualities they are looking 

for from someone who just likes to 

pretend in a desperate attempt to 

get the job. 

YOU KNOW WHAT KIND OF PATH YOU WANT TO 

TAKE IN YOUR ENGINEERING CAREER 

If you want to work for big engineering companies, 

recruiters would ask you what kind of path you 

want to take once you get the job. Would you like to 

eventually be promoted to a managerial position? 

They would surely ask you that. They’d want to 

know if you’re the type who wants to stay in the 

company for a long time. Companies want loyalty 

from the people they hire. 

YOU CAN WORK UNDER LIGHT SUPERVISION 

No one needs a burden so they need to hire 

someone who can easily understand the job 

description and knows how to do it. Your supervisors 

would hate it if you keep bugging them if you’re 

doing the job right or not. So as much as possible, 

avoid annoying them. 


31 

YOU LIKE TO SOLVE PROBLEMS 

When they ask you about a challenging situation 

where your problem-solving skills are tested, they’d 

want to see how you handle those tasks and if 

you can fix the problem. We all know that our jobs 

require us to solve problems all the time, so expect 

that you’ll be asked these kinds of questions all the 

time. Hey, engineering school trained us very well 

for this so this shouldn’t be a problem anymore. 

YOU ARE ACTIVE IN YOUR WORK 

As soon as you get the task done for the day, 

your employers would appreciate it if you offer to 

help with other tasks. If you end up as the perky 

employee who’s always game to get a lot of job 

done, you’d be one of the most favorite people in 

the company. 

Don’t be too perky though. Some employers might 

think you’re a goody two shoes. 

YOU CAN WORK WELL WITH YOUR COLLEAGUES 

When they check your resume, they would ask you 

what kind of organizations you worked with during 

college. They’d assess how well you perform in 

group activities. That would play a crucial part on 

how your boss would assess you. So if you’re the 

type who can easily work well with other people, 

this is no problem for you. 

Your future boss would appreciate you even more if 

you show enthusiasm in learning new things. Share 

to these people that you like to read a lot of things 

to widen your knowledge on a certain topic. You can 

also tell them you’re very willing to learn something 

new for the job. 

YOU’RE A RESPONSIBLE ENGINEER 

Anybody wants to hang out with the responsible 

ones inside the company so if you’re that type, 

there’s a higher chance that your employers would 

hire you for the job. So if you’ve had experiences 

when you’ve proven yourself responsible, go 

ahead and tell everyone about it. But don’t sound 

arrogant though. 

YOU HAVE AN AMBITION 

Employers look for someone who has the drive 

and determination to succeed with their job. In 

short, they want someone with ambition. So go 

ahead, show them that you are that engineer. 

YOU ARE ALWAYS OPEN TO LEARN NEW 

TECHNOLOGIES OR ENGINEERING METHODS 

If you’re the type who hates change, then that 

would be a disadvantage for you. Being part of a 

company really requires you to learn new things to 

improve your skills. 

Source: Giphy 


Source: Digital Trends 

HOW DO YOU HELP AN 

UNMOTIVATED ENGINEER 

AT WORK? 

There are different reasons why the engineers at your workplace 

don’t show up to work with a goal to accomplish great things for 

the day. 

There are days when you observe the people 

you work with are not motivated enough to 

do their tasks at hand. You see them feeling 

uninspired to achieve good results at work. Then, 

you find yourself asking if the problem comes 

from the people they work with, the specific work 

assigned to them or that the company is failing. 

There are different reasons why the engineers at 

your workplace don’t show up to work with a goal 

to accomplish great things for the day. As a leader 

in your team, you must properly identify what the 

problems are and find the best possible solution 

to fix these problems. Here are some ways to 

help unmotivated engineers have better work 

performances at work: 

YOUR ENGINEERS DON’T SEE THE VALUE 

IN WHAT THEY ARE DOING. 

In most cases, unmotivated engineers often feel 

that way because they don’t see the point in what 

they are doing. This is why you have to explain 

your vision for your company. It is important that 

they know what and why they are doing these 

things. Let them know the value of their jobs 

and how they can help achieve the goals of your 

company. Give them something to believe in 

and involve them in things that will get everyone 

excited about when achieving certain tasks for 

your company’s vision. 

GIVE YOUR ENGINEERS AN OPPORTUNITY TO 

DISCOVER. 

Most often than not, engineers do not like jobs 

that are boring. They hate taking jobs that doesn’t 

allow them the opportunities to improve and grow 

as a professional. 

As a company, provide time for each of your 

engineers to explore new things and give them 

new tasks every now and then. For a profession 

that taught them to practice critical thinking in the 

field, it is best if you give them challenged that will 

help them apply what they learned in engineering 

school and actually have the chance to discover 

more about their work. 

MAKE THEM FEEL THEY’RE PART OF THE 

SUCCESS OF THE COMPANY. 

This is probably the hardest thing to do. One 

success of the company doesn’t necessarily 

mean everyone can be happy about it, especially 

for those who are not personally involved in the 

project. You have to find a way to let the people 

at work know that each one contributes to the 

success of the company. It is better to even give 

them validation every now and then. Help them 

understand what kind of impact they can have on 

the company. 

While it is always challenging to keep your 

engineers motivated at work, as the leader, you 

have to come up with ways to keep them inspired. 

If you don’t want to have internal problems at 

work, it is best to keep them motivated and feel 

valued at work. 

As Sir Richard Branson once said, “Clients do 

not come first. Employees come first. If you take 

care of your employees, they will take care of the 

clients.” 

Keep them motivated. Keep them inspired. 


33 

Bring Out The Engineering Genius In You 

With These Simple Exercises 

Geniuses aren’t always one in a million. 

by Cielo Santos 

People often believe that geniuses are a rare breed 

and that they are born, not made. They appear so 

rarely that you can make a safe guess that only 

one or two appear in a million people. But did you 

know that there are actually exercises which help 

you build up the genius in you? 

Roberta B. Ness, MD, MPH, dean at the School 

of Public Health, and vice president of innovation 

at the University of Texas Health Science Center 

at Houston, talked about her findings in her book, 

Genius Unmasked. Ness talked about systematic 

tools that Marie Curie and even Einstein used to 

make their scientific discoveries. 

To start of, geniuses always ask the right 

questions. They base off their hypothesis on past 

theories while observing their environment. For 

example, American engineer Paul Baran related a 

“web of computers” to “neurological pathways”. 

They also try to work on different points of view, 

as per Ness, stating that Darwin once imagined 

himself as a plant while Einstein was visualizing 

traveling at the speed of light. 

If you’re looking for exercises to help you think like 

a genius, here’s a few things you can do to think 

like one: 

CONTOUR DRAWING 

Think of doing still life drawing without looking 

at your own paper. It’s going to help you be more 

observant of what you’re doing and forces you to 

be careful before each stroke. 

CREATE “OUT OF THIS WORLD” IDEAS 

Geniuses suggest that creating ideas off of a 

problem and making each more absurd than the 

other enable people to think outside the box. Think 

of a problem, create ideas for a crazy solution, 

then make crazier ideas. Then think of what makes 

that idea work and use it to formulate a more 

practical solution. 

THINK FROM ALL THE ANGLES 

There isn’t only one way to get to an answer. 

People created knives to slice and cut, but never 

for the purpose of spreading butter on bread. 

Always think of all the angles to help yourself 

formulate a solution. 

THINK OUT OF THE BOX 

Engineers have this talent naturally, so it’s good to 

hone it more. As the saying goes, to get something 

you never had, you have to do something you’ve 

never done. So, sometimes thinking crazy gets 

results, after all, most inventions in our world today 

came from crazy ideas. 

Take Niel Bohr’s response of the nuclear physics 

community to Wolfgang Pauli’s 1958 presentation: 

“We are all agreed that your theory is crazy. The 

question that divides us is whether it is crazy 

enough to have a chance of being correct.” 

According to Ness, Goodman and Dickerson in 

Creativity in the Sciences, they suggest these: 

#1 Create a list of crazy ideas about a problem, 

then making the next idea more absurd than the 

one before. 

#2 Choose one of these crazy ideas. 

#3 Then take the basic premise of the idea – what 

makes this idea stand out 

#4 Next, list down the component parts or features 

of that particular idea. 

#5 Then take one of the component parts of that 

idea and use it to create a practical idea.” 

Geniuses make use of different cognitive tools to 

make their incredible discoveries. Thankfully, we 

can harness these tools for our own creations as 

well. 


Future Engineers: Guide on 

How to Survive the Year 2035 

Jobs and Skills 

A guide for the future engineers out there. 

An Australian report predicted that in the next 

20 years, a huge chunk of employees will act 

as remote controls to unmanned vehicles, some 

will be personalized preventive health helpers, 

and others as online chaperones due to cyber 

security. 

This report, authored by Commonwealth 

Scientific and Industrial Research Organization, 

indicates that new skills will be required for the 

workforce to learn as we move along with the 

Fourth Industrial Revolution. 

Unmanned vehicles have started their era and by 

2035, all we need are pilots, ship captains and 

drivers working on their vehicles even a thousand 

miles apart. Personalized preventive health 

helpers will emerge as well, who need to have 

great people skills, and the ability to interpret and 

understand health and well-being data. 

As people around the world age, this kind of jobs 

will be significant. Online chaperones will be a 

job title as well in the next 20 years because 

of the risks imposed by cyber-crime. They will 

provide protection and support for online activity. 

Transitions within the workplace due to 

innovation also mean transition with skills. By 

2020, World Economic Forum listed top 10 

skills needed in the future workplace, in the 

following order as listed in their Future of Jobs 

report: complex problem solving, critical thinking, 

creativity, people management, coordinating with 

others, emotional intelligence, judgment and 

decision making, service orientation, negotiation, 

and cognitive flexibility. 


35 

Source: University of Washington 

We Need More Female Engineers… 

and That’s the Truth 

The statistics of women in engineering is quite alarming. 

Source: UCL Engineering 

Source: Newcastle University 

More Female Engineers Please. 

According to the US Department 

of Commerce, women hold 

only around 24 percent of the STEM or 

Science, Technology, Engineering, and 

Mathematics jobs in the USA. When 

compared to the other jobs that women 

hold, it accounts to around 48 percent of 

all jobs in the country. It has also been 

noted that only 20 percent of women 

in the country have bachelor’s degree 

in engineering, physics, and computer 

science. This is also one of the reasons 

for backlog in the field of new technology 

innovation. 

Throughout the country, the experts are 

commenting that the women are the 

minorities in the field of STEM. This is 

what is hampering the country’s ability 

to develop new arenas of addressing 

technological and scientific challenges. 

Gradually, there are universities, colleges, 

and educational institutions that are 

encouraging female students to take part 

in studies and career related to STEM 

disciplines. 

Are you planning to get into engineering? 

You’d be making a positive change in the 

scenario of female versus male engineers. 

Even though the total number of female 

engineers in the United States has 

increased, there is still a big difference in 

the ratio of men vs women engineers, and 

serious efforts are being made to bridge 

that gap. There is also a serious dearth of 

female role models in engineering. Having 

role models in the field of engineering will 

encourage more girls to accept the field of 

study and to be engineers. 

If engineering ideas need to reach the 

common mass, it is very important to 

promote female role models in the field. 

This will in turn curb the fears of women 

to enter the field of engineering. According 

to the experts, there is a sufficient number 

of women in the fields of medical and 

law. So, why are women lagging behind in 

engineering? If they try, they definitely can 

compete with men in this field as well. 


7 Mistakes 

Engineering 

Leaders Do When 

Leading A Team 

And here’s how to correct them. 

If you are currently leading a team of genius 

employees or a bunch of technical wiz guys, you 

must read this. These are common mistakes 

engineering leaders do and how to avoid them. 

You do not follow the rules you want your 

colleagues to follow. 

If you don’t want your colleagues to lose respect 

for you and if you want them to follow the company 

rules, you should be the first one in the team to 

follow rules. If you end up breaking them, your team 

will only do the same things. You are the leader and 

the team just follows what a leader does. 

You say you’ll do something, but you end 

up not doing it at all. 

Learn to keep your word so that your teammates 

will learn to trust you as a leader. Don’t disappoint 

them with words you know you couldn’t keep. Talk 

the talk. Walk the walk. 

You do not admit you’re wrong. 

Don’t believe that saying about being weak 

whenever you admit you are wrong. If you find 

yourself in situations where you really are at fault, 

don’t be afraid to admit it. 

Not only will that help correct a mistake, but it also 

helps improve your relationship with the rest of the 

team. 

You cannot keep promises. 

Never make promises that you know you cannot 

keep. A habit a lot of leaders make, doing this will 

only end up with you disappointing everyone in your 

team. So be careful with the promises you tell to 

them. 

You think you’re the most important 

person in your team. 

Don’t steal the spotlight on anyone. Remember, 

your job is to lead and guide everyone in your team. 

You’re not supposed to be the most important 

person in your team. 

You cannot handle criticism. 

As a leader of your team, you are obliged to give 

constructive criticisms to each of its members. 

However, you have to be reminded that you are 

growing as a leader as well. Keep yourself open to 

criticisms and don’t take any of them as insults. 

Learn how to handle criticisms like a good leader. 

You only believe yours is the right way. 

In order for you to help improve every member of 

your team, you should know that the right way isn’t 

limited to only one approach. More importantly, 

the right way doesn’t exactly mean your way. So 

brainstorm different approaches to the challenges 

your team faces, then choose which is the best 

solution that could work for everyone in the team 


37 

ATTITUDES 

that Engineers Need to 

Develop in the Workplace 5Stuck in a rut? Turn it around by doing these. 

5 important leadership attitudes for engineers to 

harness. There will a point in your engineering 

career that feels like you’ve been stuck in a rut. 

You’ve been doing the same tasks everyday and 

going to your workplace in your usual self. But 

each day, you notice that you are slowing down 

and less motivated. 

Before you slip further to that downward spiral, 

there is still one thing you can do about it: change 

attitude so that you will get the career boost you 

deserve. You can only get ahead if you are willing 

to step out of your regular attitudes. Try cementing 

these in your mind: 

ENTHUSIASM 

There should never be a dull moment at work. 

Always face every task or project with energy, by 

sparing yourself from all of the excuses that drags 

your feet. An engineer’s work is worthwhile is he 

or she enjoys what is being done. Prove to yourself 

that you still love what you do. Start by being 

enthusiastic with everything! 

EFFICIENCY 

In engineering, you are expected to yield results 

with the least wasted time and effort. This is what 

is exactly meant by efficiency. You need to strive 

for faster yet productive results. 

EXCELLENCE 

Beside the efficiency is excellence. It will give 

yourself some pressure, but that’s okay. That’s part 

of it. Never settle for less – that’s what excellence 

means in engineering work. Do not be contented 

with good and always go for great. You are leaving 

a lifelong service and settling for mediocrity should 

never be an engineer’s attitude. Always, always try 

to exceed expectations. 

BEING EARLY 

The early bird catches the worm. This proverb says 

it all. If you do something early at work, which of 

course requires you to report in early, you will do 

more and hence be more successful with what you 

do. This is the practice of productive people who 

maximizes time at work. 

MAKING IT EASY 

This does not mean compromising everything 

mentioned above, but make the effort to become 

the easiest to work with at your workplace. After 

all, it’s never that the engineer does his work 

alone, but always a collaboration. Try not to 

complain and nag, because those are infectious 

attitudes that don’t help with work at all. 


Can you answer these difficult engineering 

interview questions? 

Do you have what it takes to be a kickass 

engineer? Top companies like Google, Apple, 

Microsoft and SpaceX, of course, only hire 

the top engineers and employees. Aside 

from undergoing credentials checking, they 

also do tough screening interviews to get the 

cream of the crop. Sometimes, according 

to former interviewees and employees, the 

CEOs themselves even conduct the interviews 

personally. Let’s see if you have it. 

Try these actual tough interview questions from 

these top companies. 

Most Difficult 

Engineering Interview Questions 

From Top Companies 

You’re really a kickass engineer if you can answer these mind bending questions. 

By Farrel Pinto 

Dropbox Engineering Job Interview 

Question 

1. You work on the 60th floor of 100 

story building. You walk into your office 

and find a bomb sitting on your desk. 

It reads 90 seconds and is counting down. 

What do you do? 

Microsoft Engineering Job Interview 

Question 

2. You are on a game show. There are 

three doors, behind one of which is a 

prize and the other two is a chunk of 

coal, and the host knows which door holds 

the prize. You choose door #1. Before it is 

opened, the host opens door #3 and reveals 

a lump of coal. You have the choice to stick 

with the door you chose originally or switch 

to door #2. What do you do? 

Google Engineering Job Interview 

Question 

3. Pretend 1% of the population 

has a disease. You have a test that 

determines if you have that disease, 

but it’s only 80% accurate and 20% of 

the time you get a false positive. Your test 

comes back positive. How likely is it you 

have the disease? 

SpaceX Engineering Job Interview 

Question 

4. If you walk 1 mile south, 1 mile west 

and 1 mile north, you are exactly back 

where you started. Where are you? 

– (CEO Elon Musk’s Favorite Question) 

Intel Engineering Job Interview 

Question 

5. Can you design a spice rack for the 

blind? How will it look like? 

Apple Engineering Job Interview 

Question 

6. If you are in a boat in the middle of 

the pond and drop an anchor, how 

does the water level vary with respect 

to shore? 

Wanna know the answers? Click here! 


39 

Take the Stress 

Out of Engineering 

Work by Following 

These Tips 

This is a short stress management course 

for engineers. 

Is your engineering work stressful? Engineers are 

already so immune to stress that it has become part 

of our everyday life. There are so many stressors at 

work and at home that may already be detrimental 

to the engineer’s emotional and physical aspects. 

While that is happening with or without our 

consciousness, there are sure ways to reverse the 

damage. 

A research by Yale University found out that stress 

reduces the volume of grey matter in the areas of 

the brain responsible for self-control. This means 

that future situations that put us in stress will be 

dealt with a lesser control of the situation if we 

cannot control our present stress. The solution? 

Control our present stress, of course. Here are 

strategies: 

SAY NO 

The ability to say no is almost always difficult for 

engineers. The tendency of engineers is to hoard a 

lot of responsibilities, which means more work to 

do. And this gives us a lot of stress. So learn to say 

no sometimes. 

DISCONNECT 

Some engineers resort to a lot of smartphone usage 

as a way to release stress. But this isn’t always 

the case, as work now is already integrated with 

social media, including interacting with workmates 

on Facebook or reading headache-inducing emails 

at home. It’s better to relax the mind by being 

disconnected and just read a book or two. 

DON’T LET TOXIC PEOPLE GET IN YOUR HEAD 

There will always be engineers or staff at work that 

are the ultimate cause of stress, for reasons that 

vary. Do not let them get into your system. 

They are the kinds of people that keeps you drained 

at work, and you can shrug them off by approaching 

the situation rationally. 

DON’T HOLD GRUDGES 

If someone at work makes you hate him or her so 

much, stop that. A study by Emory University said 

that holding onto stress contributes to high blood 

pressure and heart disease, and that includes 

holding grudges. Negative emotions also induce a 

stress response. Take note now that some people 

are not just worth the stress. 

BE MINDFUL 

People who see to it that they are mindful in 

work situations are the ones who are focused in 

accomplishments rather than focused in being busy. 

It is also a form meditation to gain control of unruly 

thoughts and behaviors. 

PUT THINGS IN PERSPECTIVE 

Some say that it’s just a matter of how we look at 

things. A certain perspective sometimes yields a 

stressor, when there are other views that might not 

do the same. For example, you should be thinking 

of the positive side of things instead of the negative 

– it should “everything will go just right” instead of 

“what if this will fall apart?”. It’s all about keeping 

your cool. 

SEEK HELP FROM YOUR SUPPORT SYSTEM 

Engineers also have friends, right? Keep them 

handy when you feel stressed. Sometimes all it 

takes is just a talk over a couple of beers to set 

things back in their un-stressful state. 


15 

Things Effective 

Engineering 

Leaders Do 

Here are things you can do to be the effective engineering 

leader that you can be. 

By Ninez Hernandez 

So what engineering leaders do everyday to make them successful? 

Being a leader in engineering company is never easy especially when you have to lead hundreds (and 

thousands) of people at work. Every decision you make will affect the people you work with. It will even 

affect your relationship with your customers. So, in order for you to be successful at work, you have to be an 

effective engineering leader. 

1. Know they don’t have the answers to everything 

While they are assigned as the leaders at work, 

they know that they don’t have the solutions 

to everything. They keep themselves open to 

suggestions from everyone at work. 

2. They think before they react As soon as problems 

arise, they think of the best possible solutions 

immediately. They avoid letting their emotions rule 

them. 

3. Show people how it’s done, not tell. Talk is cheap. 

Actions say more about a person’s leadership and 

can be more productive for the company. 

4. Find solutions, not blame While some leaders 

like to play the blame game, effective engineering 

leaders focus on solutions. They know blaming 

someone or something will not help fix the problem. 

5. Plan and prepare Instead of getting things done 

without having a look at their strategy, engineering 

leaders are more effective when they plan things 

over and prepare their strategy. 

6. Don’t want instant success They know that 

instant success isn’t going to help the company in 

its long-term goals. 

7. Focus on the details While it’s good that people 

focus on the big picture, effective engineering 

leaders know that in order to achieve that, they have 

to focus on the details as well. 

8. Focus on strengths Instead of not assigning 

someone because of their weaknesses in certain 

areas at work, these engineering leaders assign 

certain tasks to employees based on their strengths. 

9. Know when to give and when to take They know 

that success means one must give and take. It’s not 

all about “taking”. 

10. Work well with others They don’t command. 

They work side by side with their colleagues. 

11. Trust colleagues They don’t micro manage. They 

trust their colleagues they know how to get things 

done on their own. 

12. Don’t make excuses Instead of finding excuses 

on why they can’t achieve certain task for the day, 

they focus on what can be done instead. 

13. Praise for the right reasons They don’t praise 

the people they work with just to make them feel 

better about themselves, they praise when their 

colleagues achieve success. 

14. Give constructive criticisms They want their 

colleagues to improve so they give constructive 

criticisms. They make sure though that they don’t 

embarrass them in public 

15. Never distracted easily They know what they 

want and they will not stop just so they could 

achieve them. 


41 

HOW GOOGLE ENGINEERS 

LEARN MANAGEMENT 

Google helps its engineers become capable managers, which make a huge 

difference to their success. 

Everybody knows that Google is one of the biggest 

names in the tech sector. That raises some pretty 

big questions like how the heck did they manage 

to become so great and what is it about their 

engineers that make the company achieve success 

after success. In order to understand these things, 

we need to take a closer look at their hiring as well 

as management policies. 

For starters, Google does not look for your average 

manager. What they require in a manager is 

different from what other companies tend to look 

into. The second thing, which is rather interesting 

by the way, is that Google does not really care much 

about formal education. 

The fact is that engineers and managers tend to 

have a pretty brought relationship. The majority of 

engineers find managers to be a bother. They would 

rather concentrate on their work such as coding 

instead of coordinating with managers and bosses. 

When Google was still in its infancy, its founders 

tried using a flat approach by eliminating all 

managerial posts. Of course, that experiment 

existed only for a few months. After all, 

managers do have an important role to play in an 

organization’s setup by improving efficiency. 

Now Google is known for hiring the best. However, 

instead of choosing guys based on their marks, they 

go for cognitive abilities and skills. Google gives a 

lot of freedom and leeway inside its organizations. 

It ensures that managers and engineers are able to 

respect the skill set of the other side. Nonetheless, 

the question remains as to how to get these guys to 

value management so as to ensure efficiency. 

This caused Google to try out Project Oxygen where 

a special group analyzed and tested people to find 

out their managerial capabilities. In other words, 

Google used data to find out which of their great 

engineers could become exceptional managers. 


Millennial Engineers 

Are Changing The 

Global Work Practice 

Here are some of the benefits for the evolving 

workforce. 

By Cielo Santos 

Source: Coventry Telegraph 

TELECOMMUTING 

Soon, employees may have the convenience of 

working away from an office environment. Since 

everyone is on the internet nowadays, they can 

connect to an employer’s office network. 

JOB SHARING 

This is when flextime workers share the 

responsibilities that are usually given to a full-time 

employee. 

FLEXTIME 

Employees could work at different hours, rather 

than the traditional 8-5 office time. It could 

comprise of compressed workweeks. 

GLIDING 

Employees will still have the traditional eight-hour 

work day for five days a week, but they have the 

flexibility to choose what time they work. 

Source: Warwick University 

PHASE-OUT OR PHASE-BACK HOURS 

This is a temporary alternative work schedule that 

lets an employee transition in or out of their usual 

working schedule. Phase-out privileges are usually 

used by parents who are preparing for a new born 

child, or for retiring workers. Phase-back privileges, 

on the other hand, are used by parents with young 

children who are ready to come back to work. 


43 

Why Kärcher Is 

The Expert in Cleaning 

Being the leader in innovative cleaning technology, the company 

makes sure that all of its services, machines and products can 

really do the job! 

When people think of cleaning, most of them 

end up thinking they’ll hire others to do it. 

Who could blame them? Cleaning requires a 

lot of hard work and given the busy lives we 

live, it feels like wasting time to spend hours 

getting elbow grease from doing the chore. 

This is exactly what Kärcher put in mind 

when developing cleaning products for its 

customers. 

Being the leader in innovative cleaning 

technology, the company makes sure that all 

of its services, machines and products can 

really do the job! When it comes to modeling 

its products and machines, it follows the 

Sinner’s Cycle in the cleaning technology, 

which comprises of four factors: time, 

temperature, chemical action and mechanical 

action. 

Mechanical action refers to the type of 

machine used for the cleaning process. It 

is important to take note which machine is 

used to remove stubborn dirt on the surface. 

The chemical action puts importance on the 

type of detergent used to clean the surface. 

Chemicals may be acidic, alkaline or neutral 

– with each type having specific instructions 

users should take note of. The wrong choice 

of chemical may lead to scarring of the 

surface. 

Temperature affects how the materials 

and methods used for cleaning react on 

the surface. Heat may or may not be good 

when cleaning surfaces. Lastly, the time is 

important to observe since some chemicals 

take more time to be more effective in 

cleaning than others. 

Kärcher knows that most consumers would 

make an error in using the type of machine 

and detergent for cleaning. To remedy such 

errors, the surface for cleaning should be 

considered. Knowing what type of surface 

is involved will make cleaning quicker and 

more effective. It is important to identify if the 

surface is soft or hard. Soft surfaces include 

carpeted or other fabric surfaces. Hard 

surfaces include artificial and natural stones. 

Once identified, know whether it needs a fast 

reacting chemical detergent or a medium 

strength detergent. 

Over the years, Kärcher has devoted its time, 

budget and effort in focusing on research 

and development to come up with the best 

machines, products and services. Following 

the Sinner’s Cycle, machines developed put 

emphasis on each of the four factors to be 

taken in for different uses. 

One of its recent developments, a product 

range the company is very proud of, is its 

machines with eco!efficiency mode. In a 

society that is conscious of how products and 

services can affect the environment, Kärcher 

designed products with environmental 

sustainability. Using these products allow 

consumers to save water and electricity by up 

to 20 to 40% compared to regular machines. 

While the company is already at the top of its 

game, its people have no plans in stopping 

anytime soon. Innovation will always be 

a priority and expect more products that 

efficiently solve cleaning problems will be 

developed in the coming years. Karcher may 

have gone a long way already but it still has 

more plans to be better than what it is now! 


How Kärcher Became 

The Superbrand That 

It Is Today 

When it comes to cleaning technology, there’s only 

one brand that embodies innovation and high quality 

performance: Kärcher. 

When it comes to cleaning technology, there’s 

only one brand that embodies innovation and 

high quality performance: Kärcher. It is known 

to be the global market leader in the cleaning 

industry and has served the professional and 

consumer world over the years. With more than 

100 products under the brand, people trust 

Kärcher and rely on its innovative solutions to 

several cleaning problems. 

The company was founded back in 1935 

by Alfred Kärcher with hopes that he could 

produce reliable products in the heating 

technology industry. He built the “Kärcher salt 

bath surface” that could be used for tempering 

steel and light metals, which he patented later 

on. The company eventually produced more 

products such as heating devices for cabin 

heating systems and aircraft engines. When 

the Second World War was over, Kärcher 

shifted its attention to products for everyday 

use: handcarts, small cookers, round stoves 

and trailers for tractors. Alfred Kärcher made 

it in the cleaning technology scene when he 

developed the first European hot water highpressure 

cleaner, which eventually became the 

basis for all burners today. Over the years, the 

company has been passed on to one generation 

after another – leading it to the successful 

endeavors it has accomplished for decades. 

A family-owned business, Kärcher was built 

based on its founder’s focus on innovation, 

creativity and entrepreneurship. As the business 

grew, the company has put in more effort in its 

research. It aims to provide innovative solutions 

for its costumers. Around 900 personnel were 

employed for its research and development. 

Proving its innovative prowess, the company 

has over 1,300 patents and gained recognition 

and awards from different institutions. 

Each product developed were designed for 

sustainability, user-friendliness and ecofriendliness. 

Kärcher has made a conscious 

effort to reduce the company’s carbon 

emissions by 20% this 2020. 

Just in case you didn’t know, Kärcher has 

dedicated itself in preserving of historical 

monuments and buildings for more than two 

decades already. Some of their projects involved 

cleaning of Mount Rushmore in the US, the 

Burj Al Arab in the UAE and the Luxor in Egypt. 

Following strict quality controls, the company 

complies with ISO9001 and ISO14001 

certifications. In its observance in helping the 

environment, Kärcher uses recycled materials 

and products carry a badge that has eco!logic 

or eco!efficiency on them. These products have 

specific cleaning functions that help save water 

and power consumption, which helps reduce 

carbon dioxide emissions. 

What makes the company successful in its 

industry is how it focuses on its customers. 

Providing the most efficient and effective 

solutions, customers can rely on its products to 

achieve the best cleaning results. Kärcher has 

also provided a very reliable technical support 

system. Each employee is trained to give the 

best service and consultation support to every 

costumer. Kärcher also provides an emergency 

hotline availability. To satisfy the costumers, it 

invests in each employee in the company. With 

11,230 employees, the company strives to 

take care of their needs as well. The company’s 

management adopts innovative methodologies 

and effective practices for everyone. By taking 

care of its employees, Kärcher gives better 

services to its customers and yields better 

results year after year. 

Source: Kärcher 


45 

Source: McDermott 

McDermott Obtains 

A Construction Vessel Amazon 

and A Deepwater Pipelay 

Vessel part of McDermott’s overall fleet strategy 

to extend technical capabilities of global 

fleet and grow subsea, umbilicals, risers and 

flowlines (SURF) market position 

The Company plans to upgrade the vessel to 

a state-of-the-art J-lay vessel to expand its 

ultradeepwater capabilities 

McDermott schedules vessel for work on 

existing construction and pipelay projects 

Dubai, UAE, March 01 2017: McDermott 

International, Inc. (NYSE:MDR) announced today 

it has acquired the newly built pipelay and 

construction vessel Amazon to better position the 

Company for ultradeepwater and SURF projects. 

“This is a great opportunity for the Company to 

expand the technical capabilities of our global fleet 

and grow in the Deepwater and SURF markets 

and greatly increase our ultradeepwater project 

coverage,” said David Dickson, President and 

Chief Executive Officer of McDermott. “Due to 

current market conditions and the opportunistic 

nature of the transaction, we were able to acquire 

what is essentially a new, enabling asset at a 

fraction of the original build cost.” 

McDermott plans to upgrade the vessel to address 

the ultradeepwater market with a state-of-theart 

J-lay system outfitted with the latest vessel 

technology. In the near term, the Company plans 

to make minor capital expenditure investments to 

bring the vessel up to Company standards. 

As McDermott finalizes its upgrade plans, the 

Company plans to use the vessel on existing 

construction and pipelay projects. Funding for 

the vessel acquisition has been secured through 

a sale and leaseback arrangement under which 

McDermott has control of the vessel in exchange 

for a daily charter-hire rate. 

The planned upgrade to the state-of-the-art 

J-lay system and related financing are expected 

to be considered in line with market conditions. 

Completed in 2014, the Amazon is equipped with 

49,514 square feet (4,600 square meters) of deck 

space complete with two 440-ton (400-tonne) 

cranes, a service speed of 12 knots and 

accommodation for up to 200 crew and service 

staff. 

For more information about the vessel acquisition, 

visit McDermott’sInvestor Relations web page. 


McDermott Releases Its 

Financial and Operational 

Results For The Year 2016 

Fourth Quarter Order Intake Maintains 

Leading Position in Middle East with 2016 

Book-to-Bill of 1.0x 

$4.3B in Backlog and Schedule 

Responsiveness and Flexibility Drive Higher 

Guidance 

Profitable Full-Year 2016 Result of Strong 

Execution and Focus on Cost Management 

Proven Success of One McDermott Way 

Strategic Investment in Amazon 

Dubai, UAE – March 01 2017, McDermott 

International, Inc. (NYSE:MDR) (“McDermott,” the 

“Company,” “we” or “us”) today announced financial 

and operational results for the fourth quarter and 

full-year ended December 31, 2016. 

FULL-YEAR 2016 OPERATING RESULTS 

Net income attributable to McDermott stockholders, 

in accordance with GAAP, for the full-year of 2016 

was $34.1 million, or $0.12 per fully diluted share, 

compared to a net loss of $18.0 million, or $0.08 

per fully diluted share, for the full-year of 2015. For 

the full-year 2016, adjusted net income was $89.4 

million, or $0.31 per fully diluted share, excluding 

restructuring charges of $11.3 million, impairment 

charges of $55.0 million, a gain of $5.0 million on 

the exit from our joint venture with THHE and a gain 

of $5.4 million non-cash MTM pension adjustment, 

compared to adjusted net income of $71.2 million, 

or $0.25 per adjusted fully diluted share, excluding 

restructuring charges of $40.8 million, impairment 

charges of $6.8 million, a legal settlement of $16.7 

million and non-cash MTM pension loss of $26.0 

million during the full-year of 2015. Our income 

tax provision for the full-year of 2016 included 

approximately $13.0 million of tax adjustments 

recorded during the fourth quarter of 2016 as 

a result of a change in valuation allowances 

associated with deferred tax assets recognized due 

to improving results in Saudi Arabia and Mexico. 

Additionally, we now operate under a tax holiday 

in Malaysia which further reduced income taxes in 

2016 and will also benefit future years. 

The Company reported revenues of $2,636.0 

million for the full-year of 2016, a decrease of 

$434.3 million, compared to $3,070.3 million of 

2015 revenues. The decrease was primarily due 

to lower activity on our INPEX Ichthys project and 

completion of the 2015 campaign of the Brunei 

Shell Pipeline Replacement project. Revenue for 

the full-year of 2016 was primarily driven by the 

INPEX Ichthys, Saudi Aramco LTA II and Marjan 

power system replacement, and the RasGas Flow 

Assurance and Looping projects. 

Our operating income for the full-year of 2016 

was $142.3 million, or an operating margin of 

5.4%, compared to $112.7 million, or an operating 

margin of 3.7%, for the comparable 2015 period. 

Our adjusted operating income for the full-year of 


47 

2016 was $203.1 million, or an adjusted operating 

margin of 7.7%, excluding the restructuring 

charges, impairment charges and pension MTM 

gain mentioned above, compared to $203.0 million, 

or an adjusted operating margin of 6.6%, for the 

full-year 2015, excluding the restructuring charges, 

impairment loss, legal settlement and pension MTM 

loss mentioned above. Operating income for the 

full-year of 2016 was primarily driven by marine 

activity on the INPEX Ichthys, Saudi Aramco’s LTA II, 

Marjan power system replacement, and 12 Jackets 

projects, as well as a pipeline repair project in the 

Middle East region. 

Our operating margin for the full-year of 2016 

was higher due to project execution driven 

improvements, final closeouts, change orders driven 

by alignment with customer needs and the full 

impact of our cost restructuring programs. Cash 

provided by operating activities in the full-year of 

2016 was $178.2 million, an increase compared 

to the $55.3 million of cash provided in 2015. 

Overdue payments received from Pemex during 

the first quarter, as well as steady collections in the 

Middle East, positively impacted cash provided by 

operating activities for 2016. 

MEA region 

In the Middle East (“MEA”) Area, fabrication 

activity in the fourth quarter was driven by Saudi 

Aramco projects and the KJO Hout jacket and deck 

structures. Marine operations continued in both 

Saudi Arabia and Qatar. Execution of the Saudi 

Aramco Lump Sum LTA II project, awarded in 2015, 

is progressing according to schedule, and is in the 

fabrication phase, with work being shared between 

the Jebel Ali and Dammam fabrication facilities. 

Cooperation and consistency between all facilities is 

driven by our One McDermott Way and as a result, 

a Middle East customer approved work share on 

a specific project for the fabrication of jackets in 

our Batam yard. The KJO Hout Jacket and topside 

will be installed and pre-commissioned in the first 

quarter of 2017; the project is more than 55% 

complete and is expected to be fully complete in 

the second quarter of 2017.The Marjan power 

systems project continued to meet key milestones 

in line with client requirements, as did the three 

Saudi Aramco jobs awarded in the second quarter 

of 2016. The three jobs awarded in the second 

quarter are in the preliminary stages of fabrication, 

with activity expected during 2017. Fabrication and 

installation of the Bul Hanine jackets is complete, 

with minor closeout work remaining. In Qatar, we 

focused on offshore work for the RasGas Flow 

Assurance and Looping project, which remains 

on schedule. The MEA area also continued to 

demonstrate McDermott’s Taking the Lead initiative, 

reaching an impressive 48-million man-hours lost 

time incident (“LTI”) free. 

Further information can be accessed at: http:// 

www.mcdermott-investors.com/phoenix. 

zhtml?c=96360&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=2247616 


McDermott 

Achieves 50M Man-Hours Performed 

With No Lost Time Incident 

“Safety isn’t just a procedure for us, it’s a culture 

deep-rooted within every function and division of our 

business. It is our number one priority.” 

McDermott International, Inc. is the 

global leader in offshore engineering and 

construction industry. Through its services, 

people are provided with innovative 

solutions that achieve the highest industry 

performance when it came to ethics, 

environmental, quality and safety. Recently, 

the company celebrated a new achievement 

when it reached 50 million man-hours 

performed that had no lost time incident in 

its Middle East division. 

According to Linh Austin of McDermott’s 

Vice President, Middle East and Caspian, 

“Everyone at McDermott had a part to 

play in reaching the 50 million man-hour 

milestone; it was achieved through mutual 

regard for each other and dedicated 

teamwork. 

Safety isn’t just a procedure for us, it’s a 

culture deep-rooted within every function 

and division of our business. It is our number 

one priority.” The new milestone was 

achieved back in January 27, 2017 as part 

of the company’s program, Taking the Lead. 

McDermott’s Operational Values (“MOVs”) 

were also implemented, which helped 

achieve excellent safety performance. MOVs 

helped the company’s employees identify 

key procedures and processes that were 

needed for safety success. 

As for the McDermott company as a whole, it 

reached one year with no lost time incident. 

It included two spool bases, 12 McDermottowned 

offshore vessels and offices located 

around the world and four global fabrication 

facilities. 


49 

How Petrochem Middle East Built 

A Strong Reputation As A Global 

Chemical Distributor 

With dynamic and qualified professionals working for Petrochem, this 

global Network company has revenues in excess of USD 1 billion. 

Petrochem Middle East has made a 

reputation as the largest Chemical 

Distributor in the Middle East. Established 

in 1995, it is currently ranked as the 13th 

largest chemical distributor in the world. 

The company offers marketing chemicals 

and specialties to different companies 

across the globe that can be used for paints, 

coatings, personal care, oil and gas and 

even on Pharma industries. With dynamic 

and qualified professionals working for 

Petrochem, this global Network company 

has revenues in excess of USD 1 billion. 

With offices located in Dubai, Taiwan, 

Singapore, Mumbai and Shanghai, the 

company exports over 800,000 MT of 

products. The public is assured that the 

company operates under the highest 

Operational Excellence standards, following 

ISO 9001:2000, ISO 140001:2004 . 

Under the leadership of Yogesh Mehta, 

Petrochem Middle East has earned a spot 

in the petrochemical distribution industry, 

making it the largest distributor in the Middle 

East and eventually reached new heights. 

The company has built a strong reputation 

with its buyers and sellers. Yogesh, who 

graduated with a Bachelor of Science in 

Chemistry degree from National College 

Bandra in Mumbai, India. After working for 

his father’s chemical manufacturing factory, 

he started his own business in chemical 

trading, then relocated to Dubai in 1990. 

He established Petrochem Middle East with 

David Lubbock, his friend and business 

partner. According to Yogesh, he considers 

his employees to be his business’s greatest 

assets. With his passion, mentoring and 

leading by example has led him and the 

company to great success. 

One proof of the company’s growth and 

excellence in its field, it has built a state-ofthe-art 

distribution terminal in Jebel Ali. Ever 

since then, the company kept expanding and 

has kept increasing its capacity in facilitating 

PME customers’ growing demands. The 

company has also set standards to prioritize 

the health and safety of its employees 

working for its terminal. With so many 

things going on for the company, it’s clear 

that Yogesh and his team have no plans of 

settling for anything that’s far from being 

excellent. The question for Petrochem 

Middle East now would be “What’s their next 

greatest achievement?” 



51 

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