Have been with EMRE for 15 years, and have seen the overhead growing year after year, especially after the last reorg: FPO has one supervisor for 5 employees, PTD has 8 high-paying, doing-nothing "advisors" (two just recently announced retirement, six to go). How can the corporation justify this heavy overhead in current cost environment?
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The statement about overhead being larger than the maintenance budget of a site is absolutely true. I am not from the site where the plant manager mentioned this but at my refinery in the Northern US HQ allocations are 50% higher than the plant maintenance budget. And these allocations dont currently include all of EMRE and GP.. I would venture a guess its closer to 180% of maintenance budget with those included. That being said - remember, Exxon site maintenance budgets only include contractor work and not maintenance (i.e. mechanical department) SWB overhead.. my rough math says that with this included the overhead would be roughly 20% higher than the maintenance budget.
@vya+177ABnN5 - I take exception to that sweeping statement. I'm a PhD and was one of the "worker bees" as you call them. I worked my butt off as an individual contributor and still got NSI'd, mostly because I've butted heads with my last two managers, who were both Grade A a$$holes who didn't do anything except attend meetings.
Sites believe that they know everything (your sentiment) but they literally act as every other manage in EM. They THINK they know everything and THINK they are always right. Or latest issues perpetuated at our site is iron contamination in carbon steel piping. (f—ing managers don't realize iron is in carbon steel....)
Me thinks that when TMTS is through, sites will be begging for some technical support. But I guess if you only keep the pipestills running to boil oil and shut everything else down you should be okay.
True about too many supervisors/managers in EMRE and huge overhead.
Solution: create technical and management careers paths within Refining/Chemicals and rank separately. Have all the useful technical people support and report directly to sites. Fire all the extra managers, GTS, DTL, advisors. Eliminate KL, useless. Eliminate R&D organization. No step out work being done inside anyway. Sell Clinton campus. Lease wing of Spring campus to another organization. Done, huge efficiencies
@1iyo+177ABnN5, I've been hearing about emre and chem tech merging literally since 2007! Not saying that it won't happen. But at this point its more legend than reality. True for everything we do though. My head hurts.
Our refineries 'boil oil', it was said below by the boilerman.
So true. Century old facilities that are cracking on down.
Why capture that last carbon atom, when the ooze itself combusts?
EMRE is done.
Not because it has no value (use to be the 'life-blood'), but the value is tapped, pipped in EM.
EM is not a technology company and never has been. Never will be.
It sounded good, but that field is drained and it's nothing but flares now.
Maybe a few more years for the regulatory-compliance groups, but we'll be out of Europe soon.
Jest imagine, boilerman. No more mask-fittings, sweaty gloves, etc.
Just the boils on your productive arse and forehead.
That said - EMRE is done. Research is unnecessary. Engineering is complete.
Similar to other restructuring, EMRE and Chem Technology will merge. GP separating from EMRE. Chem Tech will have separate groups as well.
What? You think I just made that sh– up?? I’m not educated enough. You a—holes that think y’all know everything. We had a TOWN HALL TODAY. This is what was said by site management. They also said they were highly disappointed by the lack of transparency from HQ. Again, I am not educated enough to come up with this c-ap. I just fix stuff and keep the plant running! This is what was said. You people really need to come down a few notches and get a grip on reality. Empires are about to crumble. Y’all have been bleeding us dry for years!!! Just because your EMRE doesn’t mean your valuable. You were forced on local sites! We never wanted your involvement. Everything you touched went to sh– and cost 4 times more!!! I’m a 35 year technical employee, I know what I’m talking about! Refineries boil oil!! We don’t need a PHD to tell us how to do that!!
Yeah right..
Our Plant manager was complaining today in a town hall that the annual overhead from Spring and Dallas that is charged to The site is more than the ANNUAL MAINTENANCE SPEND at the site! In their words, somewhere we have lost our way…..
@OP, You know much of EMRE is already in KL and more will move there and BTC, right? There will be changes, especially in Manufacturing Support. R&D not so much, the greenwashing they do is worth every penny, cannot be outsourced (seriously). Monetizing their reputation for the end game.
EMRE has always been proud of hiring PhD and they don't do anything. The rest of the work are done by worker bees.