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Make our World a Better Place: DET VP of HR & Administration Shares Lessons from 30 Years of Challenge at Delta Thailand
By David Nakayama - Published July 14, 2021
Interview with Mr. Vichai Saksuriya, Delta Thailand VP of HR & Administration
Text by David Nakayama, DET Corp Comms
Photographs by Cindy Huang, DET MRO
Samutprakarn, Thailand, June 29, 2021-Over the past three decades, Delta Thailand has grown from a small electronics production team to a regional center for manufacturing, business and R&D with operations spanning Southeast Asia, India and Australia.
In this issue of 360, we feature an exclusive interview with one of the original Thai members, Mr. Vichai Saksuriya, Delta Thailand VP of HR & Administration. We hear his first-hand account of the growth of Delta Thailand during his over 30-year career and his lessons learned while overcoming challenges and managing complex operations.
Can you share with us about your background, and how you came to your current role at Delta Thailand?
I returned to my home country Thailand after graduating from university in Taiwan 30 years ago. Here I joined the newly-established Delta Thailand as one of the first team members. At Delta, I started in design engineering.
Over the years, the company gave me many opportunities to learn in different departments and gain a lot of experience. According to my work achievement and results, I had the chance to grow my career step-by-step until I reached my current role overseeing operations at Delta Thailand.
As one of Delta Thailand’s original team, what are the biggest changes you have seen in our operations and culture over the past three decades, and how has our role in Delta Group transformed?
In the past three years, our company’s operations and culture have undergone great changes. Our company is becoming more standardized and we are listening to the voices of employees more as we hope to transform into a more competitive international company.
In this ever-changing industry, our company must truly embrace change to achieve the highest level needed in a “survival of the fittest” hyper-competitive global marketplace.
Managing the complex operations in all of our Thailand manufacturing sites is a huge responsibility. What are the key areas you focus on most, and how do you and your teams best support the company in reaching our goals?
At Delta, we base our operations on an organizational division of labor model. We focus on how to let all our employees best do their duties to complete the mission given by our company.
Our company sets five-year long-term strategic goals and regularly reviews our achievement rate according to each indicator and then implements our improvement measures mechanism to achieve the best success rate.
Although COVID-19 seems like one of the greatest challenges of our time, there are certainly many ups and downs in work and in life. Can you share with us the key tests you have faced at Delta and how you and your team worked together to overcome and grow stronger?
We’ve all faced the impact of COVID-19 in the last one and half years. Our whole life and work have now become abnormal. But in order to let everyone get through this difficult period, I want to show that everyone's leadership ability together can overcome any difficulties.
Together with a positive attitude, everyone can work together for our shared goals. We cannot be afraid of problems, whatever they are. The most important thing is not to be defeated by this epidemic.
We talk a lot about sustainability at Delta, but how does this affect our company’s business decisions? Can you give your opinion on why investing in new facilities or upgraded technology helps Delta to provide more stable work to many Thais over the long term?
When any company develops to a certain extent, we will consider the topic of sustainable operations. Our company must have long-term goals and strategies and let all our employees know what they are. Everyone should know what our company’s mission is and how we can accomplish that mission together.
For any company to have consistent success, there must be business growth. So investment in our factory equipment and improvement of our employee capabilities are necessary conditions for our growth. Investment planning and personnel training programs must be in place so that we can protect more people’s jobs here in Thailand.
What are the best life lessons you learned at Delta, and how has it changed your management style or outlook on success in life?
In the past 30 years, we have faced many challenges and trials here at Delta Thailand. There were two major incidents and crises that I had to face personally. One was a major product recall, and another one was a serious building accident that tested us almost beyond our limits.
To be honest, I still have to overcome challenges. But each one lets me learn and teaches me that as long as we have a firm will, nothing is impossible. We must have an outlook on life where we believe that there is nothing we cannot accomplish as a team.
What are you looking for in the next generation of Delta leaders, and how do you delegate and empower leaders to support Delta’s continued growth?
I feel that the learning foundation of the new generation is better than ours because there are more technology and advanced education methodologies they can learn in class, practical training and even online.
So as long as Delta’s culture and firm foundation established by our predecessors remain, I think they can continue to develop our company far into the future.
Who are some of the most memorable people you’ve met at Delta, and why?
There are a lot of noble people in our company, and their work and behavior are examples for me to learn from. If you ask me to propose the most memorable person, that should be my ex-boss, Stronger Wang.
He is a sincere person to everyone, selfless, enthusiastic, and serious. He treats everything with care, guiding and coaching me as my role model to this day.
How do you balance your career and home life? What are some things you like to do during your free time?
Although my career is important, I still take plenty of time to care for my family. In my free time, I will interact with them and we share our collective life experiences together as a family so that my children can face the changes that will impact our future society.
Finally, is there anything you would like to share with your Delta colleagues in Thailand and around the world?
I would like to say: Let yourself be fulfilled in life, make your family happy, make our company and business thrive, and make our world a better place.
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