Hola,
My name is Oliver, and I am the Global Operations Graduate from the 2023 batch. In the end of March 2024, I embarked on my 2nd Rotation within Demant’s Graduate Programme which included relocation to Demant in Mexico from which I will support ERP Implementation in North America for Global Custom Operations (GCO). I hope this blog post will enlighten you on the opportunities you get as a Graduate at Demant as well share my experience/reflections from Mexico and how it has felt being the first-ever graduate working out of Demant’s Mexico Production Plant.
Being the first-ever Graduate in Mexico for Demant
In the Autumn/Winter of 2023 the initial talks of my 2nd rotation began, and I strongly emphasized I wanted to go abroad. After several discussions with VP from GCO, host manager and colleagues with previous experience from our MX site, I went to my host manager and pushed for my rotation to be in Tijuana, Mexico. This desire was heavily fueled by what was in the pipeline for the site, and hence the possible work scope sounded very interesting to me. The was followed by many questions such as “How do we do it?”, “What about VISA?”, “What about accommodation?” & and most importantly, “What about safety?”. To put it short, there was so many unknown factors as this has never been done before for a Graduate. Eventually, every unknown factor turned known factors with an extensive effort from great colleagues at HQ and in Mexico. So, a big “High-five” and extended thank you my great colleagues which made this transition possible and seamless😊
Demant’s MX office is in Tijuana, Mexico with close proximity to San Diego & Los Angeles in the US. This, of course, also made my move to Tijuana, MX more appealing as I knew I could spend weekends in the south of California and beyond. I am staying in a nice area of Tijuana, in an apartment with a great view overlooking TJ. Additionally, I have gotten a car as you’re heavily dependent on to commute to work, for safety-reasons and due to TJ have quite bad public transportation opportunities. This of course, also enables me to explorer other cities in Mexico and US (and find the best tacos in town!!).
Exciting work opportunities
As mentioned, I am supporting a new ERP implementation in North America, specifically in regard to how the Mexican site is operating. The learning curve has been steep both in the sense of cultural and organizational differences, and since this is my first time covering Custom Production this thoroughly. Coming from HQ with quite a distance to work hands-on with production, I now have that opportunity which extensively supports my professional development. In other words, my previous rotation did revolve more on Strategic/Tactical level to now a more tactical/operational level. My work is a mixture of local assignments and undertaking specific interests from HQ, being this “extended arm in MX” for some of my colleagues at HQ. This turns to a diverse range of work assignments which naturally requires me to interact with a wide range of stakeholders spanning from Senior Management to Production Floor. In the latter, I have faced quite some language barriers which makes it sometimes a bit difficult but is also a way to learn as you’re enforced to practice a bit of Spanish and by being open-minded you come a long way.
The first two-months ‘down here’ have been very interesting. I have spent a total of 3 weeks in our US Office in Somerset, New Jersey due to the ERP Kick-off & Conference Room Pilots. This has given me the opportunity to understand local operational differences between US & MX Sites and provided an understanding of the US Market and Customer requirements as this is quite different to EMEA. Lastly, this opportunity has also given me an extensive network within North America Operations which, without doubt, will strongly support my continuous work within Demant.
Lastly, my transition to Mexico has been seamless. I have been welcomed very nicely by my colleagues here in TJ. They have ensured a high degree of inclusion from day one and always been willing to help out. Whether it has been with translation, practicalities, cultural learning, or work I have never faced any resistance. Generally, all office-workers do speak English which help a lot in my day-to-day work and feeling included. In this sense, my great MX colleagues have been inviting me to activities in- and outside of work which is very nice as well. I report to Michal Aksamit who is the site director in Tijuana, and he has been very supporting from day one and a strong focus on my personal well-being and professional/personal development.
What’s Next?
I am sure the next 4-months will be packed with professional and personal development and exciting adventures privately. This is really a great opportunity which I do encourage current / future graduates to embark on. At the time of writing, my host manager and I are working on extending my time abroad by an additional 6 months in the US. So, in the end of September, I might relocate to Somerset, New Jersey to continuously work on the ERP roll-out and dig more into US operations. This is still maturing, and right now it is not fully finalized however it shows if you’re willing and open about your own development, Demant takes it seriously and tries to match your interests and business needs the best possible way. Nevertheless, the future is very exciting!
Feel free to reach out if you have any questions.
All the best,
Oliver
ovel@demant.com