Leon Xue has been part of the Smiths Family for 13 years, joining in October 2010. He is now based at Smiths Interconnect China as MFG Engineering and Facility Manager.
What is the key reason for you to stay at Smiths for 16 years?
For me, it is being able to achieve a good work-life balance.
What is your proudest achievement at Smiths?
At Smiths Interconnect we have a business that tests microchips which are used in industries including gaming, automotive and manufacturing to ensure they are fit for purpose. I am the team leader for our automation projects at our Suzhou site. The Suzhou site’s focus is on the SEMI test market, and our main product is a test probe and test socket. Before automation was developed, they were made by a fully manual process. It is a big challenge for our product cost, production capacity and delivery time. We spent about 3 years looking for the right supplier all over the world and finally found the most cost-effective supplier in China. The 1st probe automation machine passed the evaluation in 2017 and after years of iteration and development, the Suzhou factory now has machines for probe assembly.
The Suzhou factory has doubled our production capacity and has greatly improved our production efficiency and capacity, making our products more competitive in the market.
What makes Smiths company culture stand out?
Smiths truly puts safety first. The employees can voice their concerns if they think any processes are unsafe and their concerns will be listened to.
What makes Smiths a great place to work?
At Smiths, everyone’s views are taken into account, meaning that colleagues can get along well with each other on an equal footing.
What advice would you give to colleagues who have just started their career at Smiths?
- Most importantly, I would suggest becoming familiar with our company and products as soon as possible.
- Secondly, if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to seek help from your colleagues. In our site - Suzhou - our colleagues are always very happy to help.
- Always keep your passion and let it guide your creativity.
- Finally, as a new joiner to Smiths, don’t keep quiet about anything you think can be improved. Please ask your question - this could be an opportunity for improvement at Smiths that hasn’t been spotted before.
What advice would you give your younger self?
I would encourage myself to spend more time studying. It would make things much better in the future.
What makes you excited about your future at Smiths?
For me, it’s the chance of growth for the Group. Based on market expectations, the semiconductor market will recover in 2024 and usher in a new era of rapid growth.
