No Good to Skip Class

In the first week of this semester, I skipped the first class of this Monday morning, the internship is contracted until the end of Nov. When I started to modify my resume, I was startled that I got nothing to add, ok, I think I have to make a decision, stay or not, if stay, then I can focus more on my courses, if not, then I have to take effort to find a good job, people say that the first job is critical, a good start usually means a good path, vice virca.

From this week on, I will not update this blog everyday, maybe once a week, or once a month, maybe this post is the last update. I have to admit that sometimes I'm sentimental, I may think what are we living for, why should be positive? There is no pure equity in the world, never ever, Didier tried to let me understand or convince me that China has the lower tech, but that doesn't mean lower profit, Valeo's profit rate is 3%, but most of Chinese private or jointed venture's have a profit rate more than 10% percent, 20-30 percent is very normal. China has cheap labor force, that's true, the profit created by low cost labor are mainly shared by price breakdown and management, that's why Made-in-China products are always cheap and Chinese medium-sized enterprise management mostly drive Benz or BMW, that's hard to imagine in Europe? China is a ridiculous country, most foreigners may say that, I don't know how to convince them that it's not.

Full Time Internship Over

   So tired last night, so the weekly summary was only few words. This week Didier was not in the office until Thursday, but my job needs his instant feedback, if any action is taken without his instant feedback, once mistake detected, rework will take much more time than initial work. Until now, my assignments are almost done, after next week, new assignments may be given. Pang will not be there in the next week. She will take care of her Baoyan things. Baoyan is a popular program in many universities in China, senior undergraduate students don't have to take the national exam, if they have an excellent academy record during the first three years in college, and they can enter the master school directly without any further tests. Similar program also exists for doctorate study.

 

   Review of what I have done/experienced/learned during these two months in Vlaeo:

 

1. Filing

 

  This is the main assignment. Its essence is simple, even a primary school student can do that, but the pre-condition is all the rules and detail instructions are given explicitly. I still remember the first day when I was in the office, my boss Didier gave me some docs to read, I finished in no more than three hours, but actually I didn't get much of the meaning, I just scanned through those simple words and made a general understanding. After that, my boss started to give me assignments, he talked for about 2 hours and wrote the main points on a A4 paper (I put it in my internship report). Those 2 hours were the most terrible hours in my life, I was still not used to Didier's accent and there were so many glossary terms in his talk, I thought I could understand what he said from that A4 paper, but I was wrong, his hand writing was also a big trouble for me, if you can see the scan of that paper in my internship report, and you are a Chinese, you will understand. My boss was always busy, when I have a question, I may hesitate before asking him, I doubt if he would shout at me when bothered. The fact is he is very nice and never shouted at me, but he would ask me to try to solve the problem by myself first, if I'm not capable to handle, he is right beside me.

Ok, though there is absolutely no idea in my mind how I can get my job finished, work have to be done. My boss's only rule is the filing system has to be standard and known to everybody use this system. That reminds me of the information management system in MIS class, my team built a library information management system using Access, to build a system like that, we have to first understand how the system works, the process of the whole operation and files could be used at each stage or procedure. In the first week, I did nothing but asking questions and read materials in those messy folders, the purpose is to understand the procedure of purchasing. Valeo is a big group corporation, there is no way you can understand a function department without understanding the group structure and culture first. After asking hundreds of questions and reading or skim through all the files, I started to make proposals, of course the first few proposals are crappy and pathetic or even stupid, but after improving again and again, finally I made a feasible optimal one. The following work is just make sure everybody deal with docs and file according to the system standard or rules I established, the first time I do it myself, the second time I do it my self, the third time I do it with others., the forth time I do it with others, the fifth time others do it by themselves, that's the way how it works, Didier told me yesterday, it's a hundred percent right.

After dealing with files and documents for almost two months, I learned that no matter how messy things are, if we just keep do it, keep improving, any problem will eventually be solved. Doing is much more valuable than hesitating about how to do. Initiative is a good thing, try to solve problem first by yourself, if you are not capable to do that, never hesitate to make your problem everybody's problem, don't forget to say thank you after other's help. 

 

2. Training in SVES

 

Shanghai Valeo Electrical System, Co. LTD. Twenty minutes from the office, at the end of metro line No.2, in there, I experienced a zero distance view of mass production/ industry age/ total quality management/ quality culture/ logistics management, any theory learned in classroom about industry engineering can find a match of practical application there. There were so many to learn, but only one week's training was arranged, it's a pity.

Valeo use QRQC tool to implement total quality management, and force their suppliers implement QRQC, with the same quality management system, Valeo take efforts to control defective PPM within one figure. There are lots of aspects with quality, I don't want to mention it here, it's not interesting if you are not a quality engineer.

 

3. Business visit to Valeo suppliers

 

I have two colleagues from Brazil division, they will be in China for half a year to solve some quality and productivity problems with Chinese supplier. I accompany them visit several suppliers in Shanghai. When visiting a supplier, we may do a quality evaluation with supplier if necessary, there are 8 aspects to assess, each aspect we have several index. After doing a evaluation, we get a comprehensive knowing of the situation in our supplier and decide if we can develop new business/hold current business or not. Our suppliers' quality level are mostly in low level, usually inspection department have more workers than machine operator. But quality anyway has to be guaranteed, that's why we are pushing our suppliers to buy new equipments and instruments.

Weekly Summary

Last full time week in Valeo, the most boring week.

LCC Rating Analysis

Nothing to do, so I extract the purchase amount from 2005 to last month and analyzied the rate, made some trend chart with Excel.
Didier came back from Taiwan this afternoon. He said he will be back next week, I left my internship report on his desk. After tomorrow, life will be slightly different. From next week on ,I will be in the office on Monday and Friday, the other three days will be in the classroom.

This morning Viviane complained about the fake money she received days ago, she said it may came from the ATM machine, I don't suspect that. Some time ago, there were a hot argement about the fake money from the ATM in the campus. My roomate got the cable Nestor needs, but only two lines, I thought there would be three lines, but the shop owner said there is no mistake, one for audio, the other for video, ok, let's just believe he is right. God bless it works.

Product Board Rework Done

Corrected those backside lables.

Coordination Meeting

Didier delegated me to participate in the stamping coordination meeting at 2:30 this afternoon, buyers from different branchs and VEM director David are invited to the meeting, it's purpose is to share information about suppliers respecting stamping. Different branches have different products and different parts, but the category of the parts are similar,most of the parts may belongs to a category like die casting parts, plastic parts, stamping parts, turned parts, a supplier for one branch may have the ability to supply similar parts to another branch. That's why coordination meeting is held.

During the first section, action plan implementation status was checked and then started share information with specific supplier from sub category traditional stamping to fine blanking and fast cutting/stamping, for each sub category we have suppliers on business and potential suppliers. After basic information of all suppliers were shared, projects with suppliers in panel are checked if there is any news or problems exit.

It's my fist time to participate a formal business meeting, and my knowledge of our suppliers and projects are limited, most of the time I am a listener or audience. The essence of the meeting is in fact simple and easy, once your are in charge of some suppliers and projects, you can do it well.

Finished my internship report today, I made two copies, then I can keep one after the original is hand in I can still keep one for memory or other usage.

WangQiang is Back

It was raining heavily when I got on my bike at the Dongcuam station, when I rode with one hand on the wheel and another holding an umbrella, I just wanted to get to the dorm as soon as possible, Bing has bought dinner for me, I imagined that I can start my supper immediately after I step into the dorm as usual.But the fact is that I was deeply disappointed. When I was still meters away from the door of my dorm, I smelled a very strange and disgusting smell, then I reallized that WangQiang is back, maybe I should have known that and get prepared so that I won't be so surprized and disappointed. Now the fan is on its full running, though it's a little cold even the fan is still. I don't know when will that disgusting smell be gone, but I'm sure that tonight will be a tough night. Hey ,buddy, can't you just care about others a little bit?