Industry News

Flowserve Corp has integrated its Flowserve Pump Division and the Flow Solutions Division into the new Flow Solutions Group.

The new group will be led by senior vice president and president of the Flow Solutions Group, Tom Ferguson.

Flowserve says the move is part of the company’s strategy to drive an enhanced customer facing organization and to further leverage best practices and capabilities across the two organizations.

“This integration is designed to drive business growth and provide increased value to our customers, while we continue to focus on operational excellence and cost efficiency,” said Mark Blinn, Flowserve president and chief executive officer.

The global economic downturn affected virtually all of Sulzer’s key markets and led to an adjusted¹ decrease in order intake of 24.3% (nominal 26.7%) to CHF 3 017.6 million in 2009 compared with the record levels of the previous year. Sulzer does not anticipate a quick recovery in its key markets. Overall, order intake in 2010 is expected to be lower than it was in 2009, but some markets are likely to stabilize.

The order intake of Sulzer Pumps decreased significantly compared with the prior year to a volume of CHF 1 684.5 million. This is a decrease of 22.9% on an adjusted¹ basis and 27.0% on a nominal basis. Demand in all of the division’s key markets decreased significantly compared with the extraordinary levels of 2008. Activity in the oil and gas industry was particularly low as end customers postponed projects. With utilization ratios of many refineries at historical lows, project activity in the hydrocarbon processing industry also decreased notably. Demand in the power generation industry remained comparatively strong but started to soften toward the end of the year. The pulp and paper industry remained weak. Market activities were low on a global scale except for some emerging markets, which developed at comparatively robust levels. In a challenging environment, the division succeeded in maintaining its strong market position. In 2010, Sulzer Pumps anticipates a further decrease in order intake.

Most employers now use social networking sites to screen candidates with almost half claming that what they had viewed on such sites had caused them to think twice about hiring a candidate, according to a survey from CareerBuilder.co.uk.

The survey of more than 450 employers found that 53% used social networking sites to research job candidates, while 12% plan to do so.

Around 43% of employers said what they had seen on social networking sites had caused them not to hire the candidate.

The top reasons were:

• Candidate lied about qualifications – (38%)
• Candidate displayed poor communication skills – (31%)   
• Candidate used discriminatory comments – (13%)   
• Candidate posted content about their use of drink or drugs – (10%)   
• Candidate uploaded provocative or inappropriate photographs or information – (9%)
• Candidate bad-mouthed their previous employer, colleagues or clients – (9%)
• Candidate shared confidential information from workplace – (8%) 
  
  

Half of employers said they had found content on social networking sites that caused them to hire the candidate.  

The top reasons were:

• Profile substantiated candidate’s professional qualifications – (61%)
• Candidate displayed good communication skills – (41%)   
• Candidate seemed well-rounded – (37%)   
• Profile gave a good feel for the candidate’s personality and fit – (28%)
• Candidate was perceived as creative – (24%)
• Candidate gave off a professional image – (22%)
• Candidate had received awards and accolades – (15%)     
• Contacts had posted good references about the candidate – (15%)
  
  

Oil & Gas UK, a representative organisation for the UK offshore oil and gas industry, has launched its first business confidence index.

The third quarter index shows that while there are signs of recovery in certain parts of the UK offshore oil & gas industry, business confidence in the supply chain remains fragile, with some way to go before it is fully restored to levels last seen some 18 months ago.

Confidence among exploration and production (E&P) companies appears to be more positive than businesses in the supply chain. Confidence in the E&P sector gained 10 basis points across the year to reach 63 in Q3 2009, while across the supply chain it rose from 41 to 47.

On employment, the supply chain companies are still feeling the impact of reduced activity and postponement of investment; however, the whole industry is intent on retaining its skilled workforce and is only resorting to job cuts where no other solution prevails.

Malcolm Webb, Oil & Gas UK’s chief executive, says: “Oil & Gas UK remains keen to work alongside government to help restore business confidence within our industry for the future.

“This vital industry is one of the UK and Scotland’s most important employers, tax payers and wealth creators. It can help lead our country out of recession and it is vital that it receives the backing and encouragement from government through the tax and regulatory regime to enable it to do so.”

As the economy picks up in many parts of Europe, international provider of software and services for the staffing industry StepStone predicts the jobs market will be reignited next year as companies start recruiting again and people look for more satisfying jobs.

The StepStone study reveals that nearly two-thirds of the 1,600 organisations surveyed are planning to increase recruitment within the next year and one fifth will be creating new positions.

Employees are also planning their next moves as many are frustrated in their current positions: more than 40% of the almost 2,500 respondents cited a lack of career development opportunities as their reason for looking for a new job.

The way jobseekers are looking for work has changed, with many shying away from traditional methods in favour of online tools. The data present a changing picture of how people across Europe look for jobs:

• 91% of StepStone candidates surveyed said online job boards were the most important tool for them

• more candidates used search engines (51%) than agencies (30%) when looking for a job

• too few advertised positions and out-of-date job offers were cited as the main reasons for not using traditional media during the job search

The survey also highlights major differences between the information employees look for in advertisements and the content employers actually provide. 

While both candidates and recruiters acknowledge that detail on the role itself is most important, much of the information candidates want is not published by employers.

Colin Tenwick, StepStone chief executive, says: “Companies will suffer if dissatisfied employees head for the door, and weak job adverts don’t attract the right talent for new vacancies.

“Although we see more employers engaging with target candidates via the most popular channels, it is vital they get the content right to recruit the best people. Comprehensive information and good employer branding make a huge difference in the quality of response.”