Taking the front seat to drive positive change
By Lu Xiaofeng and Xu Wei |
October 31, 2011, Monday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
FIVE years ago, Frank Engel acquired a chance from Volkswagen Group's German headquarters to participate in building of an overseas company. Then, he chose Shanghai. And now when the chance would come again, without any hesitation, he would prefer to stay in Shanghai for some more years. Soon after he signed a new contract to stay on, Engel got a surprise gift - 2011 Shanghai Magnolia Award.
The Magnolia awards are issued by Shanghai government to honor foreign nationals who have made a significant contribution to the local economy and social development.
Engel's affinity with China can be traced back to early 1990s, the second year after he joined the Volkswagen Group. Engel was temporarily sent to China to take part in a key program of Volkswagen China at that time. It was not until 2007 that the VW headquarters, seeing China's huge market potential, sent him again to China to work as the general manager of the Shanghai Volkswagen Powertrain Co Ltd.
Over the past few years, under his leadership, the company has undertaken historical development with its yearly output of engines soaring from 108,441 in 2007 to 390,737 in 2010. 2010 also witnessed the 1 millionth engine produced by the company.
Engel has not only brought the company new vitality, but also a concept of environmental protection as well. At the end of last year, he launched a new production project for the EA211 engine that weighs less, is more environmentally friendly, fuel-efficient and advanced in technology. With a huge investment, the company will build a new production factory with a capacity to produce 450,000 engines annually.
The new engine marks Engel's endless attempts to produce more eco-friendly products. His concept of environmental protection has also been applied to the daily work of the company. By using energy-saving lamps and a fresh air pretreatment system in the workshops, the company's energy consumption for every 100,000 yuan's (US$15,460) output value has decreased by over 10 percent compared with the previous year.
In addition to work, Engel has also deeply merged this environmental orientation to his daily life. Every year around Arbor Day, he launches tree-planting activities at his company and encourages the staff to use reusable bags and save water and electricity. In his eyes, environmental protection is a social undertaking that benefits all people. Every company should support it.
Engel can only speak a little Chinese. However, there is one Chinese sentence he put much focus, that is: "Staff is the most valuable treasure in an enterprise."
For every employee in the company, there is one thing they still bear in mind. When the financial crisis hit the world economy in 2009, Engel had planned not to reduce the staff. He even wrote an open letter to his staff with a commitment that no staff would be axed, and no salaries would be cut. In this letter, he also encouraged the employees to work hard together during this critical and difficult time.
Engel also attaches much importance to improving his employees' skills and expertise. He has set up a training system based on the requirements for different departments and positions at his company. Every year the company spends about 1 million yuan on more than 1,000 teaching hours for the staff.
To enrich the staff's leisure time, Engel has also rented special sports venues to organize football, badminton and basketball competitions.
In his words, a good company should not only supply high-quality products and services, but also take social responsibility. Engel and his company have offered helping hands to many needy people in the earthquake-hit Sichuan Province and the drought-hit southwestern Chinese provinces.
When talking about life here, Engel mentioned the word "interesting" almost every minute. It is because everything here is so interesting to him that he likes to stay here longer.
In 1996 when he came to Shanghai the first time, there were still farmlands alongside the Huqingping Highway near where he lived. But after only a few years, a mature community emerged there.
"On my first visit to China in 1992, I was impressed by the big number of bicycles on the street," he recalls. "It is so incredible that now China has become a big country of automobiles. The country with an amazing development speed also offers me a great many opportunities in my life. Of cause I like to stay here."
The Magnolia awards are issued by Shanghai government to honor foreign nationals who have made a significant contribution to the local economy and social development.
Engel's affinity with China can be traced back to early 1990s, the second year after he joined the Volkswagen Group. Engel was temporarily sent to China to take part in a key program of Volkswagen China at that time. It was not until 2007 that the VW headquarters, seeing China's huge market potential, sent him again to China to work as the general manager of the Shanghai Volkswagen Powertrain Co Ltd.
Over the past few years, under his leadership, the company has undertaken historical development with its yearly output of engines soaring from 108,441 in 2007 to 390,737 in 2010. 2010 also witnessed the 1 millionth engine produced by the company.
Engel has not only brought the company new vitality, but also a concept of environmental protection as well. At the end of last year, he launched a new production project for the EA211 engine that weighs less, is more environmentally friendly, fuel-efficient and advanced in technology. With a huge investment, the company will build a new production factory with a capacity to produce 450,000 engines annually.
The new engine marks Engel's endless attempts to produce more eco-friendly products. His concept of environmental protection has also been applied to the daily work of the company. By using energy-saving lamps and a fresh air pretreatment system in the workshops, the company's energy consumption for every 100,000 yuan's (US$15,460) output value has decreased by over 10 percent compared with the previous year.
In addition to work, Engel has also deeply merged this environmental orientation to his daily life. Every year around Arbor Day, he launches tree-planting activities at his company and encourages the staff to use reusable bags and save water and electricity. In his eyes, environmental protection is a social undertaking that benefits all people. Every company should support it.
Engel can only speak a little Chinese. However, there is one Chinese sentence he put much focus, that is: "Staff is the most valuable treasure in an enterprise."
For every employee in the company, there is one thing they still bear in mind. When the financial crisis hit the world economy in 2009, Engel had planned not to reduce the staff. He even wrote an open letter to his staff with a commitment that no staff would be axed, and no salaries would be cut. In this letter, he also encouraged the employees to work hard together during this critical and difficult time.
Engel also attaches much importance to improving his employees' skills and expertise. He has set up a training system based on the requirements for different departments and positions at his company. Every year the company spends about 1 million yuan on more than 1,000 teaching hours for the staff.
To enrich the staff's leisure time, Engel has also rented special sports venues to organize football, badminton and basketball competitions.
In his words, a good company should not only supply high-quality products and services, but also take social responsibility. Engel and his company have offered helping hands to many needy people in the earthquake-hit Sichuan Province and the drought-hit southwestern Chinese provinces.
When talking about life here, Engel mentioned the word "interesting" almost every minute. It is because everything here is so interesting to him that he likes to stay here longer.
In 1996 when he came to Shanghai the first time, there were still farmlands alongside the Huqingping Highway near where he lived. But after only a few years, a mature community emerged there.
"On my first visit to China in 1992, I was impressed by the big number of bicycles on the street," he recalls. "It is so incredible that now China has become a big country of automobiles. The country with an amazing development speed also offers me a great many opportunities in my life. Of cause I like to stay here."
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