10 Dec 2024
Recently, IBSS Work placement, Employability and Career development (WEC) team successfully held manufacturing industry sharing event as part of the "Explore the Corporate World" series. This event brought together senior executives from the manufacturing industry, IBSS faculty, and excellent IBSS alumni to provide a comprehensive analysis of the career development opportunities in the manufacturing industry for business students.
The event was chaired by Ms. Hailu Hou, IBSS career counsellor. The roundtable featured four excellent speakers, including Mr. Jiayuan Han, CEO of Suzhou ETRON Co., Ltd., Mr. Rui Yin, Global Supply Chain Director of FLEX (XJTLU external mentor), Ms. Sarah Tian, Marketing and Communication Manager of Calderys China Co., Ltd. (IBSS IMBA alumna), and Mr. Zhiqin Ni, IBSS Associate Professor of Practice (PD for MSc Project Management) . They discussed the core business, capability requirements, and development trends of the manufacturing industry from their respective professional perspectives and provided valuable career development advice to our students.
Mr. Jiayuan Han, CEO of Suzhou ETRON Co., Ltd.
Mr. Jiayuan Han began by using ETRON as an example to introduce the organizational structure of the general electronic manufacturing service industry and job positions suitable for business students. He emphasized the importance of supply chain standardization and cross-departmental coordination in project management, and reminded students to focus on developing language and cultural understanding, business knowledge application, and the ability to filter information and learn quickly. Especially in the trend of enterprises going global, excellent language skills and cross-cultural communication abilities are crucial.
Mr. Rui Yin, Global Supply Chain Director of FLEX
Mr. Rui Yin then delved into the job responsibilities and career development paths within the supply chain department of the electronic manufacturing service industry, emphasizing the importance of career planning and interdisciplinary learning. He believes that as a manufacturing powerhouse, China will have many new opportunities in the future and advises students to take the initiative in innovative activities, integrate information and resources, establish their own knowledge systems and frameworks, and maintain a positive and optimistic attitude towards future career.
Ms. Sarah Tian, Marketing and Communication Manager of Calderys China Co., Ltd.
Ms. Sarah Tian shared her valuable working experience in B2B manufacturing foreign enterprises from a marketing manager's perspective, covering market analysis, content planning, social media operations, event organization, and public relations. She advised students to always maintain curiosity in the fierce industry competition, actively summarize and review, improve logical abilities, and believes that choosing the right track/ industry, focusing on company strategy (such as risk resistance), and continuous learning are key elements for career development.
Mr. Zhiqin Ni, IBSS Associate Professor of Practice
Mr. Zhiqin Ni analyzed the differences between supply chain management and project management, emphasizing that project management focuses more on achieving certain goals within a limited time, while supply chain management is concerned with long-term resource integration and planning. He advocated for students to cultivate systematic thinking and critical thinking abilities, emphasizing that the core competitiveness of the manufacturing industry lies in the ability to handle complex problems and have market insight, thus, systematic thinking and resource integration play a key role in personal career development.
The manufacturing industry sharing event received many positive feedbacks from the students, saying that they had a clearer understanding of the organizational structure and work content of the manufacturing industry and a more defined career planning. Ms. Hailu Hou, IBSS career counsellor, said that the WEC team is committed to bridging the gap between campus learning and corporate employers. Through career counselling, career activities, soft skills trainings, CV clinics, mock interviews, and other projects, they help students gain a deeper understanding of future career development possibilities and the skills needed to enhance. In the future, WEC will continue to support students with their career development and help them better achieve their dreams.
News contributed by: Taiyan Huang
Photography: Xin Meng
News translated and edited by: Ms. Hailu Hou
10 Dec 2024