Diary of a CEO: 12/16/2007

2007/12/20

China life CSR CEO

2007/12/17

LCPC day 2

A very early breakfast at the hotel, we were told it can be serve by 6:00 am, so I became the first customer, however, the kitchen not yet stated until 6:30 pm, this is a basic communication breakdown issue. take the window retruning to my room and wash hair. be at the restaurant again and everyone move to Lutu factory by 6:45 am, we arrived around 7:20 pm, and prepare for the Quaterly Review - Leeling is nice to me, as the head of IT, she join the company slighterly over a year, from the late dinner we did last night, I learned that Bengo is organize his new management team - a new cabinet to run the empire in the future - Leeling share with lot lot of information, of course, some are bias, some are fair, to learn as many information as possbile in a short period is critical to my success in the manufacturing industry - especially in such a traditional firm - paper manufactuer - it last for thousands of years.

Doing the psysical exercise with all the manufacturing people and factory employee by 7:50 am, this is anothe routine I learned, according to Leeling, this exercise format is developed by Bengo himself, and after the 5 minutes more strech, everyone need to read -- Monday is Bengo's management belive, rest of the week, everyone should read the message from the founder - Bengo's grand father, it's like the credo of the compnay.

Joint the pilot Quality 9 am meeting - another routine developed by Bengo himself ( or Toyota Consultant ? ), at Luthu factory I learn a great deal by Tech head's input and leeling's question asked, it really arose my curiosity a big deal, as I know I can learn, understand, and to contribute, it really make me think to relocate to Luthu factory at least for 2 weeks after Chinese New Year, without hesitation, calling wife for this brighten decision, to make myself available in the factory and relocate for 2 weeks can make a difference.

Leeling continue share with me some dispute occure between China operation and how the margin erode due to lower margin product was asked by the customer ( the same parent company, from paper mill to corton maker ) what interest is the mill didn't making profit and the corton company loss money - 78 cutomer out of 80 are not profitable, in Taiwan, if the gross marfit is less than 7%, the company will lost money. and some power play also, my observation is Leeling is relatively new but win some trust from BOSS, those old guard and or senior executive are batteling - all the company are the same.. and talent are shame or hide away, according her opinion, no talent in the company is the critical issue.

Accompany Manger Chen Lung Chen to his prepartion check, this is for finding the safty inventory and the re-ordering machenism, check the sales office at Luthu factory, eyeing at the wall with the sales / customer map - curious about the black - dot / half black -dot / circle , asking the sales manger, he didn't know what it means. it posted just behind him and he is no new to this factory, something intersting also.

Strolling the carton production line - intersting, one senior employee - an aged one see me as a stranger who join the reveiwing crew, when approching him and check the monitor he is watching, he told me this is not corrent meter or figure, he said Boss is coming today , and someone should tell him about this, follow the line, the noise level is very hight, I should watch my hearing also.

Have the desire to raise or asked question, good and bad, good is I do have some interesting in this company / industry, bad is it may break the rule of " Crude but fast is better than Beauty but slow ", I should RESERVE, LEARN MORE, KNOW MORE, PREPARE MORE, FINE MORE ,before Bengo - be prepare, think hard, much harder than him.

Now, I should do :
1. collection Impoving Team Head's document and check / ask.
2. don't re-assemble job to myself, have the bottom taking care of their own issue.
3. find a qualified secretary to follow my steps. or have someone to share it with me.
4. welcome by the new mangement team while gaining the respect from old staff.
5. build the trust from Technology Heads

Lunch box is no good -- the rice is too hard to swallow -the restaurant provide lunch for employee and ' Forigen Nationality ' in one corner - I didn't know if the price is different, maybe only the taste.

Attending the weekly sales meeting now, this is a weekly sales meeting islandwide using the tele-conference, this company use is at the ultmost - Tawian, Cross Strait. it can scale up and saving a lot of time and money, now I am wondering is they are in an IP base soultion.

VP Wei is concerning about BOSS's unhappy with the meeting room layout - he asked to re-shape it and it delay the sale meeting for 20 minutes, everything have to follow SOP is good, but to think how the BOSS think maybe wrong, there's no GOD in the world except God himself, all the space can pre-think how to accomodate all the meeting function and have the layout.

LCPC enrollment Day 2007 Dec. 17

Day after YPO X'mas party, to me, I take it as a farewell party to me, playing the circling for gift at the belcony Saturday at Charles Chen's Private gardon, the venue where YPO party take place, I win 5 bottles of red wine, which is abnormal to me, and surprise to many others. I cut off the party and returning home by 8:30 pm, it's inconvenience to get taxi outside the private gardon, I am the ONLY members who don't have a driver-car and car, this is abnormal too, however, beening drifting for 2 years, this is how my situation is. so, when the decicion made, I annonced my commitment at my Forum meeting, a lot of commets and opinons flowing - in, today, all the comments realized one by one, I am not saying everyone's prophet or genius, but I believe most of them going through what I am expecting to experience or learn now.

Do my housekeeping on Saturday morning, this is a behavior change the first step, as a change agent or promote myself, but now I have to be the changer, or the person sitting on the hot seat, the growth should be significant and should be impactful - for me especially.

Taking the second earliest THSR to Taichung on Sunday morning, a pre-caution and alert in mind, I didn't falling in sleep quite deep, so, woke up by 5:30 am without any alarm, clean up and washing, taking taxi to Railroad station -- the taxi to station wan't a good start - going the wrong route, bumping to a big hole and had my head bang to the roof, and terriblly the driver don't keep any changes with him, I need to pay additonal 65 dollors and his tips ...

Arrving at the Sheng Kwang Papar Manufacture by 8:00 am, one hours earlier than the meeting time, I was told this is a monthly technology committe meeting, but when the meeting started, I find it is a " Monthly Reviewing meeting " based on TPS ( Toyoto Production System ) or the Toyota Way - from finanical performance review, productivity review, machinecal performance review , man power review , JIT project review and Kaishen case presentation, in the morning session is for the Paper Product portion ( cartoons so to speak ), the afternoon session is for the Industrial Paper Mill, both lead by the technology head, Bengo is a belivers in Toyoto Way, I was giving the bible ( book ) the first day, the envolope of my package shows how prudent this company or this boss is ( everyone call Bengo's name - BOSS ), since I am here to learn , to grow and to change, compensation means less than before, however, the machnism make Meiling so upset, she advise me how to take a proactive attitude to this learning process, to win everyone's truth and to earn my value from Bengo.. I know this is a taugh mission. as I am volunteering to take it, I should be inspired to the change, but force to be changed.

Thanks God for my six sense, it warning me to resign from the Shung Shang Fundation borad member seat, because on the last course of the meeting, Beng accuse YFE for not response for a good paper company and bring everyone to hell from Nov. this year, and he curse the company firiencely. so, every boss perform exact the same, If I run a factory, I will one day turn myself to the person I hate maybe.. how to balance my inner heart with the enviroment outside is a learning ahead.

The meeting ended by 6:30 pm, we - the delegation were late for our train to Tainain, Bengo sent his first SMS to me by 7:00 am, appreciate my staying for a day, my response is positive too, the only problem to me is how to get rid of the " Sleeping warn", no coffee at office, bad air in the meeting room, very long and non experience related topic, no matter how concentrate I am, the sleepoing devil keep calling my name, this is the bug I need to fix and bail my out of this unprofessional situation. we arrvied at Tainan Station by 8:15 pm, arrving at a good new hotel - Justwin Grand Hotel around 9'oclock, everyone's hungry, so gatheirng by 9:10 pm and go for a very simply dinner, taking with wife for the first nigh. she cry for me, for the fortune in front of me and for the unfair ( this is too early to judge ) treatment from BOSS - now I shoud never call him Bengo , but Boss.

I won't write down too much of the technical process from the orientation, but more address on the nature of manufactor, the mindset of a BOSS, the people work on the company, the trend developing to a paper industry and my mental and physical changing in the process... a very rare and unique journey stared.

2007/12/16

First morning at LCPC

Taking the earliest THST to Taichung this morning, we arrived at the SengKuang Factory ( Paper ) by 8 am, one hour earlier than than the monthly technology meeting, on the train, one of the senior diretor from the company greeting me with GM, I am a little bit confused, taking a nap, then gathering by the platform with greeting of director of the boards, it ease me better, Kay - the lady next to Bengo send me an envelop with the package from the company, I take a glace and learn the nature , a very slice feeling, however, it won't change my mind of working and learning here.

Kay send me the TOYOTA way in the office, the bible from the company and I am access to the net for my first blogging.

Diary of a CEO