Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1088168
64 SMT007 MAGAZINE I MARCH 2019 Zhou: Another philosophy of this facility is that we don't have operators in it—just techni- cians and engineers. They are responsible for managing the equipment. We require them to be capable and have an adequate education- al background; only qualified employees can work there. Their salary is much better than regular employees, but they are less busy. Barry: One of the core advantages of a smart factory is that it can optimize the work that is going through your factory. We plan well to use our resources as well as possible. Aside from that, what other benefit are you realizing? Zhou: The most obvious one is profit. Efficien- cy, yield, and labor force combined also con- tribute to this profit improvement. The same product manufactured from our older factory and smart factory has a 5% profit difference today. As the labor cost is still rising, we ex- pect the difference will continue to expand. Barry: How many part numbers can you man- age to process monthly? Zhou: Four to five thousand. Mr. Chen Yong, the brother of the founder [Mr. Chen Tao], started as a salesman. Now, as the VP of operations, he shares his insights about running a business this size, some of the lessons he has learned and shares important advice to young people who might be starting a business. Barry: What is it like from your point of view running a company of this size? Chen: PCBs are the basis for all electronics, and it will still be in use in the future for some time. I am very passionate about my line of work, and I work hard every day to make the busi- ness run smoother, add new customers, and sell more prod- ucts. Being able to see our product in things around the world is very satisfying for me. Barry: When you are running a business of this size, what are your greatest concerns? Chen: We have some concerns about the mar- ket landscape. Overall, the market was not the best in 2018. If we can maintain good man- agement both inside and outside, we are very confident that we can tackle any problem in the way. I am very positive about our future. We have a very good product portfolio, and as PCBs are inside a wide range of electronics, I would say this market will thrive. Barry: The investment that you are making in- to this smart factory is very tuned to modern manufacturing. Chen: Yes, the owner sees things quite far ahead. Chen Yong Victory Giant Technology campus overview.