Hong Wei Quan and Guo Xizhen, two employees from who work for Unisteel in Nantong (CN), are currently enrolled a two-year exchange program at SFS in Switzerland. They spoke to us about their experiences so far.
Knowledge transfer in a learning organization
SFS is a learning organization that is constantly advancing its business development. The resulting constant change is anchored in our guiding principles (“we want change”) and actively embraced. The objective is to expand the learning and knowledge potential of all employees and thus the entire organization to improve the company’s performance. Employees are the cornerstone of sustained knowledge transfer and management and they are actively engaged in these processes through internships or exchange programs, for example. Internships or exchange programs are important instruments for this.
"What crossed your mind when you heard about the two-year exchange and training program in Switzerland?"
"We were immediately thrilled when we heard about the possibility of doing a two-year training program at our parent company, SFS in Switzerland. Here in Heerbrugg we are receiving training to become machine tool designers. We were very excited to be accepted for the program because acquiring new skills also improves our career prospects in the technical field and we looked forward to traveling around one of the most beautiful countries in the world. We still vividly remember the feeling we had when we saw the first lush fields and the snow-covered Alps. That was a magical moment."
"What is the main focus of your training?"
"The program is mostly focused on processes and technologies and on knowledge transfer. At the moment we are receiving training in process development and tool construction for cold forming technology. The exchange program was carefully planned with an emphasis on acquiring technical knowledge and versatility. The overall environment here is ideal for acquiring knowledge thanks to our competent colleagues, who are always willing to answer our questions, the very efficient work processes and the high-end machines."
"What difficulties or challenges did you have to overcome at the beginning?"
"There are a lot of differences between the work culture here and in Asia that we had to get used to, but we were able to quickly adapt to the concentrated and quiet environment (hardly any chatter and people don't talk on the phone except during breaks), having breakfast together, and to the flexible working hours. We’ve also helped to interpret when the company receives a visit from China or our Unisteel colleagues from the Electronics division."
"How would you describe your exchange experience so far?"
"We are gathering exciting and valuable experience and are very grateful for this opportunity. We’ll be leaving Switzerland in less than a year and we’ll definitely make the most of our remaining time here to learn and discover as much as we can, to ensure that we return to China with a backpack full of experiences."
