By David Nakayama - Published March 09, 2021
Interview with DET female Production line leaders
Text and Photos by David Nakayama, DET Corp Comms
Translation by Chernika Lam, DET Marketing
Among the thousands of women working at Delta Electronics Thailand there are those who dare to stand above the crowd and hold the line in our Production. These brave women take responsibility and push themselves and their teams to achieve excellence every day. They may have different backgrounds, but they all share an uncompromising passion to do whatever it takes to satisfy our customers.
In second part of our special Delta Women at Work series, we look at the women on the lines of Delta Production who dare to lead. Their determined leadership helps our products keep the power on for data centers and telecom infrastructure connecting us with our loved ones and provides the fans and power systems in our cars.
Today we talk to two of our Production women leaders. Ms. Churreporn Srimuang is a prodigy on a fast track to success and Ms. Chanidaporn Pernha is a tough but caring veteran of the line (left to right in the above photo). Both women share with us about their personal journey to leadership and how the built a life of purpose right on the Delta line.
Can you tell us about your background and current role at Delta?
Chanidaporn: After graduating from technical college in Sakon Nakhon Province, Issan I came down here to work. I worked at a manufacturer in Quality Control (QC) before joining Delta 16 years ago. I started at Delta Plant 5 as an operator and have been a line leader for the last nine years in our Industrial Power Supplies (IPS) production.
Churreporn: I’m from Chachoengsao Province in the east of Thailand. I studied computer science at a technical college but after graduating it was difficult to find office work so I began working in production at a major car manufacturer in Amata City, Chonburi.
I was there a couple of years before joining Delta Plant 6 in Wellgrow Industrial Estate in my home province. During my first two years at Delta, I was a sub-contractor operator and three years ago I became a full-time employee and line leader in our FMBG automotive fan production.
How did you join Delta, and what makes you stay here?
Churreporn: I’ve always wanted to stay in my home province near my family and there are many factories around. So when a friend of mine who was working at Delta told me about the good working conditions, I decided to try working here.
I enjoy the working atmosphere in Delta because it’s a lot less tiring and stressful than in automotive manufacturing. We can work in air-conditioned factories without the deafening noise of press machines and burning heat of metal processing ovens.
Because I work at the Delta Wellgrow plant, I can spend more time with my family. My husband also works in the area and we have one 6-year-old daughter. After work and on weekends I study online for my 2-year undergraduate degree in Accounting at Ramkhamhaeng University.
Chanidaporn: I joined Delta because a college friend who works here recommended the company to me as a good place to build a career. From the time I joined I enjoyed the fact that we're free to choose to do overtime (OT) on our own terms if we want. It’s a very flexible shift system here and even today we still have a lot of OT opportunities open for those who want it.
After so many years I feel everyone here at Delta is like my family. In my team, we get along but mainly focus on our work when we’re on the job. I’ve also settled and started a family down here so I prefer to live in this area because there are better jobs than back home in Issan.
Can you share more about your job, and what part of your work makes you most proud?Chanidaporn: I lead an IPS production line with 37 operators. I report directly to a supervisor as there is no foreman in our section. Every day I support my team of operators to reach our production targets, manage the shift and arrange OT. I supervise and train new operators in every process including hand insertion, hand soldering, case assembly and finishing work. I also work with all production departments including ME, TE, QC and PE.
I’m proud of my team and how they all grow. It’s very tiring to teach new operators and it takes a lot of time to train each one individually at their stations. Once I had to train 30 new line operators at the same time. I lost a lot of weight from the ordeal but it was worth it to see the women become professionals. Every morning we have a 5-minute standup meeting with the team around our work process Kanban board to make sure everyone knows their duty for the day and any issues are addressed.
Right now we don’t know much about how our products are used because we don’t meet the customers or even see our products once they leave our line. If we could know more about how our products are helping our customers in real life then we could definitely feel even more motivated in our day-to-day work.
Churreporn: I lead a fan production line with nine operators and industrial robots manning eight workstations. Every day I assign and supervise our team’s daily work and make production documents like reports. I also manage the shift by applying OT requests and making the day/night shift schedule. The members of our day/night shift teams switch every two weeks.
Being a leader is a big responsibility. If I take care of a team of 20 then I need to understand each of them individually and try to help them do their best as a team. Sometimes I even supervise men who work more on machine maintenance tasks. We need them to handle technical tasks on our line with machines that the women don’t want to work on.
My team always pushes to perform well, so I feel very happy and proud when our team gets more jobs for our line. This means we get more machines and resources and of course more OT for everyone. Now I spend a lot of time checking on our new machines to see if everything is working well. I report to our factory foreman and work with the technicians and engineers who do machine maintenance.
What are your future plans and what is your advice for those looking to succeed and be happy at Delta Production?Churreporn: Right now I’m studying for a better future and to expand my career whether as a supervisor or in another role. My older sister works in HR and she advised me to choose Accounting as my major so I will have more varied career growth opportunities. I prefer to stay in production because I enjoy working in this field. I’m also working to renovate my house and provide a good education for my children.
I’d advise newcomers to learn from trainers and listen to instructions from your leader. Follow the OI carefully. Everyone has different skills and aptitudes so you can discuss with your leader to find the right station and role for you on the line. So please don’t be shy to speak up if you need help or advice.
Chanidaporn: I’d like to keep growing in my role and learn how to be a better leader. Every day we are learning new things and facing new challenges so it’s never boring on the line. Of course, becoming a supervisor would mean a lot more responsibility and this brings more stress. I also want to buy a house and a new car and make sure my daughter graduates from university. I hope one day she will become an engineer.
I think it’s important for new operators to learn the rules for their own safety and to do a better job. If you have an issue, report it right away to your leader. When you start you should watch and learn how we work at each station. And please try to have a service mind. Try to solve problems for the team and support others to get things done. Remember, we’re here to help each other. So let’s be part of the solution!
Are YOU ready to be a leader?
Looking for a motivating team and a goal to work towards in your life? If you believe a woman can break free from the limiting forces of negativity and boldly build her own career, then Delta is here for you.
Here you’ll find an equal opportunity workplace and brave women leaders who dare to stand out from the conformist crowd. We support and celebrate your unique success. Contact our HR recruitment today to start developing your career and be part of our sustainability journey.