Workplace reviews and discussion: 協禧電機股份有限公司

The company's policies are clear.

Benefits are average for Kaohsiung.

The story of a certain independent R&D group at the company

1. This R&D group has no ability to plan or evaluate projects. Project initiation, resource allocation, and staffing are extremely poor. There was even a fan project that continued for years without business involvement or customer demand, yet was never closed.

2. This R&D group spent tens of millions on ineffective design, optimization, simulation, and other software. Not only could they not produce viable designs, but the software was restricted to this R&D group, while R&D colleagues in the R&D department could not use it.

3. In an era when 2.5D and 3D scanning are everywhere, this R&D group spent millions buying a probe-based measuring instrument. The time it takes just to calibrate the instrument would be enough for a 2.5D scanner to complete countless scans...

4. Members of this R&D group have to wear multiple hats. For example, a motor design engineer must also handle drive systems and electronics, while a fan design engineer must handle mechanical design and vibration analysis.

5. None of this R&D group's projects follow a normal process or direction. For example, one project was said in February to be closing by the end of the month, but it was still being said in July that it would close by the end of the month. Another project underwent several design changes within a single week, and every change required resources to be wasted making and testing samples.

6. Almost every time samples are made, vendors are told it is urgent, bypassing the company's formal purchasing, requisition, and reimbursement procedures. The group's engineers themselves often have to drive or ride motorcycles under the hot sun to pick up the items, then work overtime to test them.

7. As mentioned above, because every project is chaotic, the group's various functions lack the ability to communicate and coordinate, and its internal cross-functional collaboration is extremely poor.

8. You have to write a work log every day and report the day's progress after work. In addition to review meetings twice a week, on Tuesdays and Fridays, progress review meetings are also held irregularly. There is also a monthly review meeting.

9. The company's scheduled end of the workday is 5:30 p.m., and the R&D department is usually cleared out by 7:00 p.m. at the latest. However, this R&D group almost always leaves around 9:00 p.m., and employees are even forced to fill out a voluntary overnight-stay... I mean... voluntary overtime consent form.

10. Four people left this R&D group in just six months. Flip the table... I mean... the turnover rate is extremely high.

That said, the company's official R&D department is fairly reasonable overall and does not have the problems described above.

All I can say is, when applying, be very careful not to be assigned to this particular group.

Trust me, you won't last long.