Saard Jaroenthangsaksri (R), assistant general manager of New Thai Wheel Manufacturing Co., Ltd (NTW), talks with workers in the factory of NTW at Thai-Chinese Rayong Industrial Zone in Rayong Province, Thailand, Oct. 28, 2019. (Xinhua/Zhu Wei)
by Mao Pengfei, Wang Jin, Ren Qian
BANGKOK, Nov. 5 (Xinhua) -- Nine years later, as he enters the gate of New Thai Wheel Manufacturing Co., Ltd (NTW) everyday, Saard Jaroenthangsaksri still remembers the distant sunny morning on Nov. 28, 2010 when he set foot on this field for the first time.
"It was the day that opened a new chapter of my life," said 46-year-old Saard, assistant general manager of NTW in the Thai-Chinese Rayong Industrial Zone (TCRIZ) in flourishing Rayong Province of Thailand.
Grown up in Chiang Rai, Thailand's northernmost province, Saard is a second generation Chinese-Thai, speaking both Chinese and Thai as native languages. In 2010, when NTW started its first plant in TCRIZ, Saard grasped the opportunity and was recruited as a translator in the new company.
"530002 is my staff number, meaning I'm the second employee in NTW," said Saard proudly, "now, I'm the longest-serving one in our company."
Located in TCRIZ, which is two hours' drive from downtown Bangkok, NTW, with the annual production capacity of 2.4 million wheels, built its garden factory with modern workshops, tropical trees and flowers. A board hanging on the wall in the administration building says, "To be a company respected by Thai people and government".
"Working in a Chinese company makes me understand the importance of efficiency. But the most precious thing I got here in the past nine years is trust," said Saard, "trust from both Chinese and Thai colleagues."
With his intelligence, hard work and dedication, Saard has been promoted and entrusted with more and more responsibilities. On the back side of his current badge, he still keeps the original sticky note with the handwritten number of "530002", which witnessed every step of his progress here.
"In the field of external relations, I'm responsible for communication with local government bodies. Speaking of internal affairs, I'm in charge of KPI management, localization, recruiting, training and etc.," Saard said, adding that he mainly serves as communication channels between Chinese and Thais thanks to the company's "trust and respect".
Liu Ke, general manager of NTW, is Saard's leader as well as his good friend.
"In order to win respect from Thai friends, we respect them first," said Liu, "as a Chinese company operating in Thailand, we attach great importance to our local staff, and treat our Chinese and Thai employees equally."
"Providing a promising career path for local staff is one of the most important parts in the localization of our company," said Liu, adding that NTW has a total of around 900 staff, with over 700 of them being Thais. "We've been working hard to build a local management team for our company and now 20 percent of the mid-level managers are Thai employees."
Jointly established in 2006 by Holley Group (China) and Amata Group (Thailand) for Chinese investors, TCRIZ hosts 120 companies, supporting around 30,000 jobs. In the long run, there will be another 70,000 jobs to be created when construction of the zone is finished.
The fast development of TCRIZ has attracted more and more Thai people to work here and chase their dreams.
"From a translator to an assistant general manager, Saard is an encouraging example of how a Thai employee can make a difference to his life in this industrial zone," Liu said. "I'm really proud of him."
Nine years of working in the Chinese company has brought tremendous changes not only to his career development, but also to Saard's family.
"I bought a new house nearby the TCRIZ met my wife in NTW and now I have two adorable kids," said Saard, with a beam of happiness. "I have achieved my life's dream here."
