What's your work situation ?

Mark · Post by **Mark** » Wed Feb 04, 2009 9:44 pm

Engineering is not good at the moment, our company laid off two people this week and put us on a four day week

I will use the extra day to do some machining for my V8 project, but the novelty will soon wear off and there are next to no jobs about if any of us get fed up with the reduced pay.

Mark

john 215 · Post by **john 215** » Wed Feb 04, 2009 11:10 pm

Hi Mark,
Not too good

I work as a tech at a BMW dealership and they have made several people redundant, one from the worshop, a couple out of accounts and one out of parts plus another two techs who left in the last couple of months, one went to retrain at British Gas the other went to Oz, but neither will be replaced. All overtime has gone

so on flat money. Survived a few off these 'down turns' but the worst i have seen!!
Got to get better one day but who knows how long ???? our goverment dont thats for sure!
Cheers John

ppyvabw · Post by **ppyvabw** » Wed Feb 04, 2009 11:46 pm

Come on mate, to be honest engineering hasn't been like it used to be for 50 years. (although I'm only 26 so what do I know

)

If you don't wear a pinafore and have a limp wrist you don't stand much chance of a job nowadays.

Sorry to hear about your work situtation though. That's a bit of a shithouse. Thankfully I think my position is fairly stable being a postgrad student. My step mum has been made redundant though, and a few close friends.

More V8 time though, just less V8 money.

Ian Anderson · Post by **Ian Anderson** » Thu Feb 05, 2009 8:34 am

Our company seems to be bucking the trend at the moment!
We are looking at increasing our sales by 20 - 25% this year but the costs have skyrocketed in lines with the USD exchange rate so margins are as tight as a Gnats twat.

That said we sell fashion accessories to the high street chains and every day there are rumours about X, Y or Z being in financial difficulty - if a couple of big ones go then we're in the sh1t.

Still if everyoine sends there Mrs out shopping we'll be OK and lets face it the Mrs population loves doing the retail therapy bit!

Ian

Post by **Coops** » Thu Feb 05, 2009 8:46 am

we had to take a 15% pay cut back in Jan this year along with losing our company sick pay,
which has hurt the car build fund big time,
and we made a few redundant,
things still are iffy

Ian Anderson · Post by **Ian Anderson** » Thu Feb 05, 2009 11:25 am

I just re read my post and it seems that I am being snobbish!
Certainly not the way it was ment and I feel for you guys - I was made redundant twice in late 1990 / mid 1991 and it sucks - real kick in the teeth.

But please if it happens to you do whatever you can to get noticed.
I did my CV in dayglow yellow paper for that reason and each agency I went into remembered me because of the bright CV - - they could not get me a job but it definately stuck!

What type of engineering do you do and perhaps through the website here work can be channeled in the right direction to assist other V8ers

I know I for one will spend some cash on my car this year and being an accountant tend to farm it out. Things likely are to fit a quieter exhaust and a Webber instead of EFi.

John you mentioned you were MOT registered - mine will need done in June for the first time so look far a call then - not much but as I say keep it in the "family"

Ian

Alley Kat · Post by **Alley Kat** » Thu Feb 05, 2009 2:10 pm

It saw off my small co last year though we'd weathered the dot com crash. Me and the dog made each other redundant. After the .com crash I remember this girl rang up checking her contacts, she said out of the 96 she'd rung, I was only the 6th still in business. But this time round is worse, because all sectors are hit pretty much.
Got a permie job just in time, but took a few months. A year before there was lots of contracts to choose from, lately, often none at all per week.

Mark · Post by **Mark** » Thu Feb 05, 2009 6:11 pm

Ian Anderson wrote:
What type of engineering do you do and perhaps through the website here work can be channeled in the right direction to assist other V8ers

Ian

I'm a toolmaker / CNC programer, been making plastic injection mould tools for the last 24 years, China have undercut the industry so much that it was on its knees before the credit crunch

http://www.v8forum.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=951

Mark

Post by **Coops** » Thu Feb 05, 2009 6:22 pm

Im a senior fitter for a company building ambulances for wheel chair bound people,

i do the hydraulic lowering suspenssion, exhaust, fuel and braking systems make and install the wiring looms (make the looms for the other fitters too) and do fault diagnostics on new and old vehicles,

john 215 · Post by **john 215** » Thu Feb 05, 2009 6:30 pm

Hi,
Mark, thats what i wanted to do when i left school, my dad was a tool maker but in 1982 no one was taking people on, and he said it was a dying fast

so ended up working on cars. Very intresting finding out what other do for a living.
Ian, no problem if you dont mind a drive up to Luton, handy for 'The Pod'

and i am still employed!!! The good thing about the MOT thing is quite often see jobs advertised wanting a tester. There is a indipenent BMW / Merc guy who is waiting to see if anyone else goes from our place, with a job offer fairly certain. He is really busy, no supprise with labour rates half ours!!
Cheers John

topcatcustom · Post by **topcatcustom** » Thu Feb 05, 2009 8:49 pm

We do cranes, diggers, dumpers, crushers, access equipment (my side!) and general engineering and I can say that the hire industry isn't great so far this year, though none of use can say its not mainly the weather at the mo as I personally had a seriously busy end to last year up to christmas but not got busy so far this year!!!

I personally don't bother watching or listening the news as its the same depressing stuff and I'd rather ignore it and just keep doing the work I get when I get it!

I think the media have far too big an influence on the world and people have an unfortunate habit of being hypnotised by them!!!

Stuball · Post by **Stuball** » Thu Feb 05, 2009 9:10 pm

We overhaul Jet Engines for cargo planes and the military. (747s, DC10s etc)

We seem to have plenty of work, but im not holding my breath as we had lots of work this time last year and then they went and made 1/3rd of the company redundant

Just soldiering on for now, with fingers crossed.

Stu

JSF55 · Post by **JSF55** » Thu Feb 05, 2009 9:38 pm

Aluminium smelter doing recycled stuff and dross, were 50% down with only 1 furnace running, about a 1/3 of the staff have gone and there still looking for one to go from the maintenance department, job includes working with molten metal, running furnace, fixing furnace, fixing all breakages, fork trucks and machinery, PLC stuff, electrics, computers .... blah blah .. the list gets added to weekly, still it keeps the pop on the road, or in the garage at the mo

chodjinn · Post by **chodjinn** » Thu Feb 05, 2009 9:39 pm

Luckily I work in civil engineering and the company I work for has the main consultancy contract with a utilities company

. Havent really noticed the crunch as yet, but unfortunately a few of my friends have been laid off, and a couple are facing reduced hrs/pay etc

Really feel for the guys in industry etc at the moment tho. A friends of mine's survey company is also feeling it a bit. Times are hard man, let's hope it picks up sooner rather than later

dnb · Post by **dnb** » Thu Feb 05, 2009 10:40 pm

I'm being run off my feet at the moment. Sounds good, but I don't get paid overtime so I get no time for the many projects and precious little time to spend with my daughter.

That said, the company operates on a "cliff edge" approach to forward load, so one day I'll arrive at work and there will be nothing to do. It could be months or years away - who knows what the state of the MOD defence budget is? Exports are looking up though thanks to the weak pound and the company has a plan for getting in as many 10 year service & update contracts for out products as possible which should help.