Workplace reviews and discussion: 同欣電子工業股份有限公司

Yingge Plant ─

The company is still about 1–2 years ahead of others in the industry.

It offers all the benefits one would expect (though they are constantly being cut).

Some of the junior- and mid-level managers, although somewhat unsophisticated and stubborn, are still fairly enthusiastic (promotion?).

The company has good prospects. Although it has some minor shortcomings, it is already much better than most companies in the same field and is willing to keep improving.

The plant’s emerging processes are mainly divided into two major processes, referred to here as A and B. A is currently the main focus. I worked in a unit within Process A, while I am not very familiar with the details of B. The assembly unit is an old department and is not as closely related to the other two, so I will not discuss it.

Process A was built entirely on experience. Even though there was data left by predecessors (including some excellent senior employees who were forced out), it was not continuously organized, so there was no logic to follow or use to assist with process improvement. Responsibility is also shifted onto employees who have already left (newcomers are easy to deceive). In the end, the company can only rely on suppliers to talk their way through problems, even though the supplier actually has a poor reputation in the industry, high turnover among technical staff, and a sales manager who relies on one very simple theoretical principle to handle everything.

Production-line personnel lack enthusiasm. Those of decent quality who stay mainly do so for family reasons or because their hearts are elsewhere. The rest are mostly odd engineers—more or less at the level of social outcasts, with little competitiveness if they leave. Many excellent employees in the process unit have also been driven away, or have left disappointed because superiors favored special individuals. Since the organization is oriented toward process-led R&D, the R&D unit always follows orders as well. Even when they have ideas they want to pursue, they are often restricted by the process unit’s workload or mood. This is closely related to the style established by the heads of the main units. In the manufacturing unit of Process A, engineers have extremely low status and must watch the technicians’ and line leaders’ reactions when doing their work. Newcomers should not expect anyone to come help them, nor should they expect rigorous training.

Process B is an area that has received attention in recent years. On paper, it appears to have good market-development opportunities, but I recommend learning about the composition and backgrounds of the personnel in that unit..... Basically, do not hold out too much hope. The R&D staff responsible for this process also seem to have a high turnover rate, with fewer than five core, driven employees remaining.

Regardless of whether it is Process A or B, being a technician is fine—there is an eternally understaffed need for them anyway. However, if you are applying for an engineering position, you may want to think carefully, as the roles and perceptions within the organization can differ greatly.

Overall, there are no major problems on the technical side. Although the patents are nearing expiration, suppliers are still pursuing them closely. However, the China-related aspect may become a major variable. In addition, if you want to move to a foreign company or another field, rather than choosing TONG HSIN as a stepping stone, it would be better to go to Unimicron, where there will be many more opportunities (I still recommend going into semiconductors~).

If you really plan to go, in order of preference: General Affairs >>> Quality Assurance >> R&D = Sales. All of them are hard work, but at least the managers are somewhat more humane (the newly appointed R&D manager in recent years also seems to have some issues, though this is uncertain).

The above shortcomings exist at every company, but how you evaluate them is up to you. These are all things one must endure and learn from.