ALP Trip 2019 Day 3: Learning @ 环力科技; Huanli Technology and Development Corporation (Part II)

5 June 2019

Brief introduction of our day:

Today we got a tour of a few departments at Huan Li: 
Research and Development department,

Testing is carried out on prototypes and new products before they are mass produced

Finance, Admin and HR department,

Ming Xia Jie Jie telling us about her job scope as the Admin and HR manager

and the most eye opening, Manufacturing department. Visiting the factory really challenged our perceptions of what a factory looks like and taught us how technology not only increases productivity, but ensures safety and quality as well! 

 What a privilege it was for us to see how the people in the factory work together to put the product together

After our morning at Huan Li, it was time for some cultural appreciation at Shang Tang Jie, Suzhou's old street. This picture perfect spot has been touted the Venice of China and it was like walking through a different era! What a wonderful cultural experience. We then got to experience local transportation and had a ride on the MRT at Suzhou! To our surprise, it felt familiar as it was not much different from Singapore's MRT system and so convenient for getting from place to place quickly. 

The Venice of China

Moments with our friends we will remember forever!

Riding 2 stops on the Suzhou MRT!

Here are some of our reflections for the day:
(Based on my experiences at 环力科技, what do you think you know about managing a business, what puzzles you, what would you like to explore further?)

What do you think you know about managing a business?

Managing a business requires a lot of manpower for the business to continue to prosper. Having a business is not just about selling the products that they create, it is also about creating connections around the world through the selling of their products. In addition, treating one's employees with care is extremely important for company morale. 

What puzzles you?

What puzzles me is the fact that there are very few employees that work in Huan Li and yet the company is one of the top companies in China. How do they achieve this with such a small number of employees? 

What would you like to explore further?

I would love to explore the research and development aspect of Huan Li because personally, I want to know more about how they get all the information that they need to develop a new product.

                                                             (Tan Xiao Wei Priscilla, 3A5)

What do you think you know about managing a business?

Managing a business requires many departments where each department communicates with the others for the company to operate smoothly. It also requires a large sum of money/ capital to start up a company and pay the employees.  

What puzzles you?

Huan Li Technology has many overseas partners and customers. A lot of the products made are exported overseas. How do they maintain customer satisfaction and maintain quality control to ensure high quality products reach the customers? How do they handle goods that are not accepted and returned back to the company? 

What would you like to explore further?

I would like to see the software that the R&D department use to create their prototypes.

                                                                       (Yeo Jun Jie, 3A7)

What do you think you know about managing a business?

Managing a business is difficult because capable employees are needed and machines cost a lot of money initially. It is also challenging to ensure employees and machines work well and that everyone works together as a team. 

What puzzles you?

How is it possible for machines to work for 24 hours a day? When do they perform maintenance works?

What would you like to explore further?

I would like to further understand how the mechanisms in the water pump work.

                                                               (Soo Yong Kang, 3A1)

What a wonderful day of learning and exploring it has been! Looking forward to more new experiences this week!

ALP Trip 2019 Day 2: Learning @ 环力科技; Huanli Technology and Development Corporation (Part I)

4 June 2019

Brief introduction of our day:

Today was an exciting day as we finally got a glimpse into what it's like to work in company focused on manufacturing, sales and research & development during our visit to 环力科技. We were warmly welcomed by our friendly mentors who even organised a tour of Suzhou University's cultural centre, an afternoon stroll at stone lake and a grand banquet for us!

A very warm welcome by Huan Li's team, including Chen Dong and our mentors

Paying full attention to the video presentation on 环力科技's development as a company

Our mentor explaining to us some of the products proudly made at Huan Li

 Time to reflect on what we have learnt!

Exploring the grounds of Huan Li, what a nice ambience with plenty of fruits for plucking, geese to say hello to and pond with a grapevine!

Taking a tour at Suzhou Cultural Centre, with our knowledgeable guide, Frank!

Fun shots and family shot at Suzhou University's Cultural Centre

Thank you to Suzhou University Cultural Centre for having us!

Enjoying the scenery at Stone Lake!

Tucking into a scrumptious meal with our mentors (:

Here are some of our reflections for the day:
(Based on our experience at 环力科技, three things I have seen, three things I am thinking about, three things I wonder…)

Three things I have seen are…

- the hospitality of the employees; they were very welcoming and offered us many fruits and snacks and treated us very warmly,  

- the mindset and goals of the company; even though they are already a top company, they are not satisfied with just stopping there, instead, they continue to strive for the better,  

- things we usually don’t encounter around residential areas in Singapore, such as goose, chickens and even fruit trees such as loquat, apples, etc. 

Three things I am thinking about are…

- how the company strives and perseveres to achieve so much recognition and respect as a top company in the world,

- what is their source of inspiration to develop such innovative products to cater to their consumers’ needs, 

- how their products function.

Three things I wonder are…

- in what way will I be able to apply what I’ve learnt here to my life, e.g. perseverance?

- what were the difficulties the company had to overcome in order to be successful? 

- what did the CEO have to do to create the company and reach such a successful position in the market?

                                                                                (Ho Jia Huey, 3A7) 

Three things I have seen are…

- many models of their products, their individual designs and features,

- the comfortable and relaxing environment that Huan Li built specially for their employees to provide them with a better working experience,

- a variety of plants and animals all around the factory like geese and ducks roaming around.

Three things I am thinking about are…

- that Huan Li cares a lot about their employee’s well-being, 

- that they are proud of the journey and progress they have made as a company by detailing the company's history at the foyer,  

- that Huan Li focuses on being environmentally friendly, not only with their products but by also keeping fruit trees and animals on their land to achieve a balance with nature.

Three things I wonder are…

- how do they manage if there is a large demand of products with differing needs and specifications? 

- why have they not open another factory overseas? 

- what motivated them to continue to achieve and succeed?

                                                            (Berinne Quek Hui Yuin, 3A5)

Three things I have seen are…   

- different types of water pumps with different purposes and functions, 

- water pumps that have fixed and variable pressure,  

- the surroundings and environment they work in.  

Three things I am thinking about are…
- what did the company have to experience in order to achieve so much recognition? I think they must have striven and persevered through many challenges as I think that it is very hard to come up with different ideas for water pumps. 

- that they care about the needs of their customers as they produced different water pumps to cater to different needs. - that the employees are genuinely happy to work for the company and their hospitality is very heartwarming.   

Three things I wonder are…
- if their working life somewhat similar to those in Singapore?  

- how long do they take to develop one water pump?  

- how do they come up with ideas for the different series of water pumps?

                     
                             (Amatul Musawar Binte Muhammad Ashraf, 3A7)


What a fruitful day! Stay tuned for more!

ALP Trip 2019 Day 1: Arrival in Shanghai and journey to Suzhou

3 June 2019

Brief introduction of our day:

We began our journey to China bright and early, with a heartwarming send-off by our parents, families, Mr Foo and Mdm Sutinah! 

Group check-in in progress!

Thank you to our parents for sending us off! <3

Thank you to Mr Foo & Mdm Sutinah for sending us off too! :D

We then spent most of the day travelling; 5 hours on the plane, an hour in the customs line, 2.5 hours on a bus ride to Suzhou, before finally having our first meal in China and checking into our hotel!

Waiting to board the plane

Enjoying the bird's eye view

After landing safely at Pudong International Airport!

A change in the scenery as we made our bus journey to Suzhou

Our first meal, the famous Suzhou noodles! 

Night scenery near our dinner place before we made our way to the hotel

Here are some of our reflections for the day:
(Compare and contrast three new experiences encountered today)

Today is the first time I am travelling overseas without my parents as usually I would travel with my family. Surprisingly, it wasn’t as intimidating as I thought it would be! 

The scenery of China’s landscape is very different from Singapore's. Instead of HDBs scattered across the land, my eyes were met with gorgeous Victorian modern style houses which was aesthetically pleasing.  

On the journey to Suzhou, I was not able to use my phone as much as many handphone apps are restricted in China. Usually, my friends and I would be glued to our phones throughout the whole bus journey, but this time we got the chance to interact with each other much more instead of being cellphone obsessed and that was nice!

                                                                                             (Ong Yi Qing, 3A7)

We have stepped out of our comfort zones by deciding to embark on this trip to China with our school mates. The flight was excellent and the food was amazing as well! Our group is very enthusiastic and lively so we are really looking forward to tomorrow’s experiences. We feel very happy today!

Normally, we travel with our family and they take care of us all the time, but it is different now. We are travelling as a big group of 19 with our teachers and schoolmates, so we have to be more independent, disciplined and responsible for our buddies and own small groups. For example, when we move from place to place, we have to remember to be vigilant and look out for each other by checking total strength.  

We feel that we did quite well in managing ourselves and presenting a good image of Broadrick Secondary School. For instance, we did our best to keep our volume down in public areas and we were always punctual about meeting times. We feel a great sense of satisfaction from our journey today!

                 (Nguyen Tran Minh Phuong and Nguyen Ngoc Yen Nhi, 3A6)

Today I have learnt that Shanghai’s Airport is vastly different from Singapore’s airport, mainly in terms of how the airport welcomes and helps tourists. Today's experience made me grateful to be in Singapore. 

One thing that I was pleasantly surprised about is that Suzhou and Shanghai has much more beautiful scenery and that Singapore's scenery is not as eye-catching probably due to limited land space. 

Lastly, I was also pleasantly surprised by the food, even though we had a simple dinner of noodles, it was simply amazing and something I have never had before. Overall today's experiences were refreshing! 

                                                                               (Chee Yong Choon Javen, 3A3)

That's all for today! Stay tuned for more updates over the week!