Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1487920
56 DESIGN007 MAGAZINE I DECEMBER 2022 that? Because there are a limited number of people who speak English. We have more than 200 peo- ple in our China offices with Chinese, English and French speakers who work between Europe, the U.S., and Asia. ey bring added value in terms of logistical skills and the ability to answer technical questions from customers. Also, we bring the value of working between the suppli- ers, manufacturers, and customers. COVID restrictions make it very difficult to go to China, but because we have our office there, we are more able to help our customers. For example, we have done audits, even for big corporations that already have their own department for buying directly in China. ey asked us to make the audit for them because it was not possible for their quality inspectors to go there. is just adds more value to the mar- ket due to the pandemic and other global situ- ations. Johnson: is is more than just being a broker, this is advocating. It's not just connecting a job to a manufacturer but helping to solve prob- lems technically and solve issues administra- tively; audits are an administrative function. It's really becoming a part of the process for your OEM customers, isn't it? B i n g l i n g L i S e l l a m : Yes, exactly. We see ourselves as a service provider, not a broker. You are abso- lutely right: We are here to offer added value to the customer, to make them feel secure in their supply chain. It's not just about placing orders. Johnson: You must account for so much uncer- tainty in the supply chain and the economy, yet you are able to give peace of mind to your cus- tomers. Also, if they're trying to accomplish something in their design that they can't quite figure out, you have the expertise in manufac- turing to do that. at's also peace of mind for the customer. Sellam: Exactly. at's why I continue to enlarge our field application engineer (FAE) team worldwide, so that in different countries and different markets we have dedicated engi- neers working with customers not only in the design phase but also in manufacturing, help- ing them optimize their project from the very beginning. Johnson: How early does the field application engineer team get involved with the customer? Sellam: It depends on the customer's needs. When the customer comes to our engineers, most of them have already started the first ver- sion of the design phase. e first specification is out, and our customers have already con- sulted our engineers. We may even go to their side and hold a technical conference to discuss the project together. Our goal with this team is to help the customer have a better, more optimized design; aerward, of course, the customer comes to us most of the time for pro- totyping, implementation, and more. Some- times it's even before the design phase. at means that the customer has a rough idea of Yann Duigou Bingling Li Sellam