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Finding the Right Engineering Team to Grow With at the Delta International Exchange Program
By David Nakayama - Published September 14, 2021
Interview with DET International Exchange Program Interns
Text and Photos by David Nakayama, DET Corp Comms
Bangkok, Thailand, June 24, 2021- COVID-19 is disrupting regular studies for students around Thailand. Yet during these challenging times, Delta Electronics Thailand continues to offer an opportunity for local talents to get world-class engineering training with its annual international intern exchange program.
*Note: In 2021, travel restrictions make it necessary for this year’s class to do most of their training at Delta’s Thailand plants.
Today we get insights from two Thai engineering students, Panarin Benjachaya and Siddha Srivarasas (left and right in the above photo), about their experiences training in an international workplace in our Delta Thailand International Exchange Program.
Please tell us a bit about yourself. Where are you from? What are you studying, and why did you choose this major/field of study?
Panarin: I’m a third-year student from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at King Mongkut’s University of Technology North Bangkok. When I was in 8th grade, I was so lucky to get a chance to attend a youth electronics camp at my current department and also at Mahidol University.
Then, I got into the Thai-German Pre-engineering School and continued studying in this field until joining my current program. Throughout these years, I have met many great people and was inspired by them.
Siddha: I’m Siddha but you can also call me Ton. I was born and raised in Chiang Mai, North Thailand. I’m a Mechanical Engineering student studying at King Mongkut's University of Technology North Bangkok.
I chose this major because Mechanical Engineering is a very broad field. This type of engineering is very useful. We can control the flow of water or control heat and temperature too. This is fascinating to me.
How did you find out about the Delta International Exchange program, and why did you join?
Panarin: I found out about the Delta International Exchange program from a billboard at my university, an announcement on my faculty webpage, and when the company came to promote the program at my university campus. By then, I knew I had to register for it.
Personally, I believe that a chance to experience something before I begin my career is good preparation for me. I have been longing to know what it's actually like to be an engineer and I want to understand the systems and sequence of workflow.
I also believe that the most effective way to learn is to learn from the best, and this program provided me with just that opportunity.
Siddha: I found out that Delta has an international exchange program because Delta HR came to my university to promote it.
I’m interested in this program because Delta is a big company here and it operates in many countries around the world.
How long is your internship at Delta, and where are you training?
Panarin: My internship at Delta Electronics Thailand will be for six months. I am here as an intern from May 17, to November 13, 2021. I’m now training at Delta Plant 5 in the test engineering division for custom power supply production.
Siddha: My internship is only four months. I am training at the Delta Automotive Plant in the Mechanical Engineering department.
What are your main roles as a Delta Thailand Intern, and what is the most interesting part of your work?
Siddha: My main roles at Delta are creating drawings for parts and 3D models to support machines. The interesting part of my work is that I have to make everybody understand everything clearly in my drawing.
This is because drawing is like an entire engineering language. It can make everything much easier when we have a good drawing.
Panarin: My main role as a test engineer intern is supporting my team. For me, this position is interesting because it confirms that the products under the company’s brand name will perform perfectly.
We don’t test each product before shipping just to make sure it meets standards or our customer’s requirements. Rather, we do more to ensure that it’s the best product on the market.
What do you think are the most valuable skills you can gain from your internship at Delta Thailand, and how will it help you in your future career?
Panarin: The project I’m doing now is pretty challenging. I get to try to be creative onsite and take things a step further from my regular university classes. In class, I got complete guidance from our instruction books or already had an example to follow.
Here I also got an amazing mentor and other colleagues to help me out, so being here helps create new neural pathways in my brain to think like an engineer.
Siddha: In my opinion, the most valuable skill that I gained from this internship is communication skill. In my roles here, I have to communicate with many people to make everybody see things the same way.
By communication, I don’t just mean talking. There’s also a lot to learn about making good documentation too. So this internship will help me a lot to practice this skill and make me ready for my future career.
How is your supervisor supporting your internship experience, and what are you learning about working with others?
Panarin: My supervisor is Mr. Sumate. He is an awesome mentor. My experience after several weeks of working here is that I don’t have to be afraid to ask something I never knew before. He really helps me fill in those knowledge gaps. More than that, he made the workplace and the team comfortable.
Solving product failures day-in-day-out can be depressing, but he always keeps the optimistic vibes going. I never feel like I don't want to go to work in the morning or feel bad at the end of the day.
Everyone in the factory office is friendly to each other. With their teamwork, it’s been one of the most effective groups I've worked with.
Siddha: This is a good question. In the past, I did many part-time jobs and the main problem I always had was getting along with the people that I worked with. But this place is different. My supervisor is very kind.
Once I made a mistake in my work but my supervisor didn’t get angry and explained things in a polite voice. He taught me with kindness, always telling me the right way to do things.
I have learned many lessons about working with others here. The main one is that we have to use logic rather than emotion if you want to be a professional.
What do you find unique about Delta Thailand?
Panarin: My mom is a teacher. I grew up in her department office. There, I learned that balancing physical and emotional health is necessary. Also, good relationships with others and collaboration is a significant strategy to get quality work done.
It’s the same kind of workplace environment here at Delta. We don’t come to the office with an attitude, like at other companies, where you just mind your own business and I mind mine. We are all friends with each other here, from my supervisor to the youngest employee, we all get along well.
Siddha: Delta is an amazing company because Delta works on products that we use in daily life and machines in the factory here are more modern than what I think is typical for Thailand.
What are the most important factors for you when choosing a company to work at after graduation?
Panarin: For me, the most important factor for choosing a place to work is the potential to grow and make progress in the role that I get.
Also, a company with a system that is clear enough to see the big picture and support people thinking out of the box.
Siddha: To be honest, salary, the atmosphere at work and colleagues are the most important factors for me when I choose a company to work at.
First, a salary has to be enough for my daily life. Second, if you want to get good results, a good working atmosphere is really important. Finally, your colleagues have to be professional.
Can you share your next plans, and do you have any ideas to make the internship experience better?
Siddha: After I graduate, I would like to work at Delta and study for a master's degree at the same time if this is possible.
As for recommendations or ideas to improve the program. In my opinion, it would be great if we have more study first at Delta before we go to do practical training in the factory.
Panarin: After my internship, I will go back to study at university for one or two semesters to finish my degree.
Meanwhile, if I still have time I might take some short courses to upskill myself and then I plan on coming back to begin my career here at Delta.
Find a team where you can grow at Delta
Are you a budding Thai engineering student who wants to find a challenging but welcoming place to develop your professional skills? Find out more about the Delta International Intern Exchange Program from our Delta Thailand Careers Page or contact our HR today.
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