My background: previous Nalco management, 10+ years oil and gas experience.
Nalco used to be a great company for employees and customers. However, somewhere between the fierce competitive pressures, misdirected R&D efforts, significant organizational bureaucracy and an aging workforce, Nalco has successfully bitten all the hands that feed them.
For employees, benefits have eroded, compensation has become stagnant and the chemical technology has become stale due to mismanagement in all departments of the company.
For customers, Nalco's myopic focus on increasing sales has led to a situation where the customer comes second. Questionable business practices coupled with inexperienced field reps and technical consultants that are spread too thin have diminished the value that Nalco used to bring to the table.
Nalco's business strategies are significantly out of touch with industry needs and are usually driven by a few individuals who take pie-in-the-sky ideas and arrogantly force their implementation.
A recent round of layoffs in Houston have seen multiple veterans let go as a result of streamlining efforts mandated by Ecolab, Nalco's parent company.
A number of employees have recently left the company of their own volition due to subpar working conditions and lack of opportunities for advancement.