Workplace reviews and discussion: 興聖機械股份有限公司

1. You can learn design, manufacturing, installation, and commissioning—broad exposure, though not in depth, making it suitable as a stepping stone.

2. Colleagues are generally easy to get along with privately.

3. Experience engineering and job-site culture

1. The responsibility-based system provides no overtime pay (I previously raised this with the vice president, but it was ineffective).

2. Salary increases are slow, typically only NT$1,000–2,000 per year. (Salaries are relatively low compared with the industry.)

3. The year-end bonus is equivalent to 3–5 months of full salary, but considering the lack of overtime pay and other factors, it is actually just average. Traditional-industry engineering companies generally offer very good year-end bonus bases, so don’t be fooled by sales talk during the interview XDD.

4. The turnover rate is extremely high. The company cannot retain new graduates at all, and experienced employees are constantly leaving as well. Nearly all the talent in the mechanical design and instrumentation/electrical departments has left.

5. The projects lack professionalism. Poorly planned budgets lead the company to pressure subcontractors or use Chinese-made products to reduce costs, indirectly increasing the burden on site engineers (all modifications can only be made on site).

6. The company’s procurement practices and culture are poor. As mentioned above, modifications are carried out on site, but the company also likes to cut modification quotations, leaving no contractors willing to do the modification work. The entire company focuses on saving costs without considering urgency, importance, or long-term relationships with contractors.

7. The company’s project-acquisition strategy is chaotic. The extremely high turnover rate leaves many tasks understaffed and causes abnormal handoffs between projects, but the company continues taking on projects. As a result, only 2–3 people (including mechanical, instrumentation/electrical, and project staff) may be responsible for projects worth hundreds of millions. The company completely ignores whether employees’ workloads are excessive.

8. Work assignments are unreasonable. When engineers travel for work, they must find accommodation, sign the contract, and pay the rent themselves. Procurement says, “I’m busy; the engineer should handle it themselves,” so engineers can only waste time looking for landlords. But seriously… if you spend the entire day traveling between job sites, how are you supposed to find a place to live? 👎

9. Benefits at job sites are poor. Water and even lunch boxes must be arranged personally; the only option is to ask subcontractors for help.