Tianjin – Boeing Tianjin Composites, John Deere

Today was our first day of corporate visits. We started off with an early breakfast (really good – it was a mix of American and Chinese food) and then headed to Boeing Tianjin Composites Co., Ltd. (also known as BTC). We heard a presentation from Doug Gisselberg, an American expatriate who has worked in Tianjin as the Product Services Manager since 2005. He talked about how BTC is a subsidiary of Boeing with a 12% stake owned by AVIC, another Chinese supplier. I found it interesting that BTC gauges its success based on Boeing Corporation’s exclusive (or lack thereof) use of its products in new projects like the 787 Dreamliner. He also discussed the strict quality control standards in place for the factory floor workers.

After the presentation we saw a lot of what we talked about on an actual tour of the factory floor. It was very apparent that labor is a lot cheaper in China, as a lot of the finishing work that would normally be automated had actual people working on it instead. Overall it was very evident that the cultural work ethic and drive to succeed positively affects BTC’s dependence on human capital in the Chinese market.

For lunch we went to a great seafood restaurant and interacted with Daniel St. Martin, another expat (and Illinois alum!) who is the general manager of the John Deere joint venture in Tianjin. He talked a lot about the challenges of managing a business in China as well as what we can do to distinguish ourselves as we enter the workforce. Most people agreed that he was very well-spoken and extremely successful for his young age. After lunch we visited the John Deere tractor factory, which was not operating due to the slow summer season. However, we still got a feel for the assembly line procedures which produce tractors for Chinese agriculture.

Following our visit we said goodbye to Tianjin and departed for Beijing, our destination for the next three days. After arriving we stopped for dinner at a Hong Kong-style café. It was interesting to note that this was the first time we ate at a restaurant with a menu and traditional server style in China. I discovered I love the Hong Kong-style tea with milk, even though most people thought it tasted weird. So far Beijing looks like a really interesting city, and I can’t wait to see more of it in the coming few days.