Opportunities in Non Contracting Environments

1. Opportunities in Non Contracting Environments Dr Abdullah Malik

2. Non-Contracting Environment? Process Plant Monitoring Plant Operation Maintenance Process Optimisation Commercial Research Academia and Research

3. Conventional Engineer’s Role • Process design • Mechanical Design • Procurement • Fabrication • Customer Services • Innovations • Technology development

4. Engineer’s Role in the World After Two years of Employment

5. Useful Skills Desired • Theoretical Understanding • Practical application • Technical breadth • Creativity and innovation • Communication • Team-working • Business skills

6. Values of an Engineer

7. Values of an Engineer • Holistic values • The whole is greater than the sum of its parts. One should be able to see connections between disparate parts and integrate them into a combined value greater than the sum of individual components. This ability is acquired by an acquired knowledge and creativity developed over time.

8. Values of an Engineer • Leadership • To recognise the need for change and have vision for the future. The challenge for the engineering community is to create and nurture leaders. • Continuous learning • ‘the illiterate of the new millennium will not the be those who can not read and write but those who cannot learn, unlearn and relearn’ • Creativity and Innovation • Businesses strive to continuously innovate their processes and products to create new opportunities in a complex, ever changing environment

9. Values of an Engineer • Business acumen • Great engineers will have an ability to transform ideas into reality. Need action oriented engineers. • Social Responsibility • It is important for engineers to appreciate ethics and social responsibility in a cross-cultural and international context.

10. Future Changes and Challenges • Focusing on Solutions: • Providing customer solutions rather than pre-specified components • Complexity in Technology: • From one device to an electro-mechanical device to 6-7 technologies led to ‘Electrification of products’ • Increased complexity in systemic terms requires engineers to not only work in an environmental with multiple technologies but also to understand social and commercial dimensions some times systems engineering

11. Future Changes and Challenges • The Global Industry • Setting up of local operations by employing graduates with local knowledge including language and cultural skills – ‘off-shoring’ • Sustainability • An important issue in energy, infrastructure and manufacturing companies and engineers need to apply science to find solutions • The Innovation Imperative • To compete we will need more creativity, innovation and excellent technical skills ‘Experience is important but it does not correct for innovation’

12. Manufacturing Industry under Change • Decline of Multi Nationals • Post 80’s transformation of chemical industry began due to safety regulations, liability concerns as well as market forces. Major players now operate on specialised sites with flexible production facilities to concentrate on ‘core’ activities • The Rise of Engineering Contractor • Gap created by Multinational divestment is filled by outsourcing the intermediates on contract basis

13. Manufacturing Industry under Change • Globalisation of Industry • The above growth in chemical contracting increased the number of small flexible batch-production units across the world in the emerging markets of Eastern Europe,, Asia and Latin America. • Advances in Technology and Methodology • Technological developments in the use of automated ‘micro-reactors’ allow large quantities in relatively small plant.

14. Integrated Engineering • Automotive Engineering • Mechatronics • Medical Engineering • Overlapping Engineering Domains • CIM, CAM, CAE Incubation of new technologies

15. International Collaboration for Non Contracting Areas Low Tech • India, South East Asia – Cost effective opportunity, Already developed technology; Weather; Culture High Tech • China and West

16. Chemical and Allied Products Consultants Education/University Food and Drink Oil/Petrochemical Pharmaceuticals and Toiletries Energy – Gas, Coal, Nuclear Process Plant and Equipment Water and Waste Water Engineering Sectors

17. Future Markets and Technologies • Chemical Industry – Petrochemicals, Fertilizers, Dyes and intermediates, Pesticides, Plastics etc. • Mechanical Industry – Automotive, Electromotive, Aeronautical, Weapon etc. • Electronics – Power, Instrumentation and control, Computer and micro electronics, Fibre optics, Laser, telecommunications etc. • Metallurgy – Composites, Non Ferrous Alloys etc.

18. Concluding Remarks • The future is bright for all engineering sectors as long as certain skills are developed such as flexibility, adaptability, and communication to meet the all time changing world of engineering. • “Europe is begging to find good engineers” a quote from European Engineering Journal.