Upon joining SHL in late 2013, Andy found himself on a team brimming with opportunities for self-development. His discovery led him to focus attention on team cohesiveness and effective communication. After working for 3 years and becoming a manager, Andy came to realize his abilities to inspire teams to change for the better: “I spend a lot of time understanding people, such as discovering where their talents lie, and how they collaborate with others. That way, I would know how to motivate them to make the best of their talents,” Andy said.
Andy currently leads the Manufacturing Excellence department, situated in the Liufu office in Taiwan. He spearheads a team of 19 people that focuses on how to better the manufacturing processes for SHL devices. On a day-to-day basis, Andy spends much of his time aligning people and resources so that progress and process control move forward efficiently and cost-effectively. When asked to describe his department in a single sentence, he made a reference to an old car company tagline: “Moving forward”.
After completing his bachelor’s degree in Taiwan, Andy ventured abroad to Texas, USA, in quest of a higher education in industrial engineering. Upon completion of his Master’s, Andy stayed two more years in the US where he headed two production lines at an electronics company. “I think being at a US company really opened my eyes on how managers can influence people and bring teams together to work effectively,” Andy said.
Although having a solid technical background is essential for a job well-done, Andy believes people skills are the core elements for excelling in performance. He believes strongly in the importance of communication skills. “The fate of a project lies solely in what the people who are involved think. It is the people who decide project lead times; the people who decide how a project is run; and the people who decide what the processes look like. Therefore, communication skills become top priority if your goal is to achieve a smooth production,” Andy said.
“I interviewed with a lot of companies, but in the end, I chose SHL because it promised growth.”
– Andy Wang, Manager of Manufacturing Excellence
Prior to joining SHL, Andy had made a decision to pass on routine, cubicle jobs. “I interviewed with a lot of companies, but in the end, I chose SHL because it promised growth. At other companies, employees are encouraged to follow orders, but that also means you can’t contribute to change,” Andy said.
As someone who persists in self-improvement, Andy also found SHL’s global presence and environment a great place to learn and grow as a person. “In the medical industry, a product might last 20 years on the market. This means carefully planned-out development processes and better-executed product lifecycle management. This is unlike my previous experiences working for consumer electronics, where market demands change so fast that you are constantly on the move to develop the next new product and don’t really have time to maintain the quality of the products. Working on medical devices has motivated me to dig deeper into product development and train to become a more thorough engineer,” Andy said.
Outside the office, Andy is by all measures a true family man, explaining how – like for many – having children changed who he is. “I focus a lot of energy on my family. Everything I plan, all the trips and vacations, are for my daughters. Other priorities just sort of fade away into the background when you start a family,” he said.
When asked how he balances family life with managing a department, Andy explains, “The flexibility at SHL has made it possible to combine the two.” Further highlighting his way of helping people work together, Andy continues, “Becoming manager also means training your teammates well enough so that you feel confident to let go on some parts. In my team, I always promote leadership, trust, and responsibility. I know I can count on the team without me being involved in every single step.”