Pros
- Nice coworkers - Flexible work hours when needed - Safety was paramount
Cons
- No work-life balance - Mediocre compensation (average salaries are typically 20% under market, no matter what Ecolab/Nalco tells you) - No company culture whatsoever - No training - Zero delivery on promises This company can best be described as a stepping stone. I would not recommend it to anybody. There is no emphasis on technical/manufacturing excellence: - It is very difficult to keep production equipment (reactors, pumps, piping, etc.) in top shape if there is little support from the company in terms of financial resources and maintenance personnel for repairs. There are no reliability engineers, maintenance engineers, rotating equipment engineers, etc. Yet management cannot connect the dots as to why equipment keeps breaking. - There isn't an adequate project department to execute projects within a set timeframe and within budget. The term "front end engineering" is not known here. And if somebody has heard of it; they don't actually know how to actually carry it out. Most projects are carried out on the back of a napkin and designed as its being constructed (instead of designed in detail before constructed). Management is shocked every time a project falls on its face. - There is a corporate engineering department, but it is downsized by nearly 75% of its former glory days. So there aren't many subject matter experts or senior resources for advice. If you are a high-performer (what the company would call "top talent), I would recommend that you pass this company up entirely. Just cross it off your list. They are not equipped to develop and mentor "top talent". I was recruited as a high-performer at this company and was promised many things when I started. None of these promises ever materialized. I was distinguished by an award for being in their top 1% and received several 10% annual pay increases. I hated working here so much, I would not stay if they doubled my salary. There are many much better employers in the market to join, instead of falling into the Ecolab/Nalco sink hole. Several top engineers left the company at the same time I did, and we are all much happier (both professionally and personally) where we are now. Never start to believe that what you see at Ecolab/Nalco is "normal" or "industry standard". It is not. Avoid this company at all costs (no matter what they promise, or what salary they offer you). It was the worst years of my life.