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Employee Interview: 1

Employee Interviews

Shin-Etsu Challengers

1

I want to take on the challenge of contributing to creating win-win solutions with customers to further my career

A.H.
Smelter Superintendent, Simcoa Operations

Joined Simcoa Operations Pty. Ltd. in 2006.
In 2014 became Assistant Smelter Superintendent and took charge of the operation of furnaces producing metal silicon. Became Smelter Superintendent in February 2023.

Contributing to stable operations as Smelter Superintendent

I graduated with a degree in metallurgy and joined Simcoa Operations in Western Australia as a new graduate. Simcoa produces metal silicon, which is the main raw material for semiconductor silicon, silicone resins and synthetic quartz. After joining the company, I was mainly in charge of analyzing data from the manufacturing process. Later, I became Assistant Smelter Superintendent and was entrusted with the operation of three furnaces in cooperation with the Superintendent. I progressed in my career at Simcoa and now serve as Smelter Superintendent, managing not only safe operations, but also production targets, exceptional product quality, and maintenance to maximize plant uptime.

Solving problems with cooperation and empathy

When I first joined Simcoa, I was the only woman in the department I was assigned to. Today, however, women occupy a variety of key positions, including responsibility for efficient production planning of raw materials suitable for silicon grade, and many women are also employed as operators. They often come to me for advice, perhaps because I'm a woman, and even though I’m now in a management position, I try to maintain natural and open communication. There are also many male employees with mechanical engineering degrees or extensive operator experience, and I think they tend to approach problem-solving by making use of their expertise and past experience. Meanwhile I, as someone with a different background, approach problem-solving in a collaborative and empathic way by treating them with respect and engaging them in constructive discussions. Perhaps that is my unique way of working, but I am getting good results.

Building good relationships with customers to mutually solve problems and concerns

I hope to continue to grow and advance my career at this company. In particular, I believe we can contribute more to the company by gaining a deeper understanding of how customers use our products. When I mentioned this to the company, I was given the opportunity to visit an end-user customer together with the sales manager. Since then, I have sat in on several meetings with the customer, and now when I have to fine-tune the furnace or face process challenges, I have a very good understanding of what is important to consider with the customer's product in mind. We were also able to gain the customer's full understanding of the difficulty of meeting their requests and the large cost burden, and we were able to build a good relationship in which we could mutually resolve the problems and concerns of both sides. This has led me to participate in meetings with other end users, and I hope to continue to take on the challenge of contributing to creating win-win solutions with our customers.

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