Pros
Great people -- I mean truly wonderful people. Xyratex management doesn't deserve people this good. The commute is beautiful but hazardous. Hwy 17 is exceedingly narrow, fast, slippery and deer are a perpetual hazard (but especially so in fall and spring). Always use the bathrooom before you commute because you have no idea how long the commute will be -- it could be 30 minutes, it could be three hours. Take a blanket, and make sure you have plenty of gas. Anti-lock brakes are necessary, period. The Scotts Valley facility is beautiful, though very otten foggy and wet. The people are just incredible, though.
Cons
Xyratex has a very narrow customer base, so business is extremely volatile, and planning is exceedingly difficult. As a result, senior management has pushed production offshore to Malaysia, where the effects of volatility are less onerous. The cost of living in Malaysia is lower, but so are wages, so I wonder how this is thought to mitigate the volatility? What I see is essentially a racist pattern -- we're not laying off white folks, after all. There are major difficulties making overseas production work, in large part because of a general lack of cohesion between divisions and locations. Each division is a separate fiefdom, and there is little cooperation or even communication between divisions. This is particularly true of standards of work, which varies enormously between locations.