A Logician with Leadership Qualities

There is hardly another game on this planet that has a history as rich and a philosophy as deep as the board game ‘Go’, invented in China. The game, which is several thousand years old, seems easy at first glance, however, the game's true complexity quickly becomes clear, which is why some players spend a lifetime honing their playing style. In addition to strategic and logical thinking, a fundamental reason that many people play is that it encourages you to meditate, as well as analyze yourself and your personality. Hao Chen, Manufacturing Manager at BENTELER Automotive in the Chinese city of Shanghai, has been playing this game since he was six years old. He sees many parallels to his job.

“My father taught me how to play this game. ‘Go’ teaches you to think about solutions. It encourages logical and tactical thinking. In my job, this is particularly useful in situations where I have to find the root causes and finally solutions for current problems. I think about the surrounding circumstances, too, that have led to this situation and that are linked to the problem.”

It was also Hao Chen's father who awakened a great passion for technology in his child, in a simple way. As a young boy, Hao occasionally spent time in the company kindergarten at his father's place of work, which allowed him to see where his father worked. His interest in machines was born there, and later led him to study automation at the University of Shanghai. He completed his degree in 2004. He then joined a Joint-Venture (Chinese-English) automotive supplier.

Why BENTELER?

When Hao Chen decided to join BENTELER in 2007, the company had just begun to establish itself on the Chinese market with its own plant. In this proverbial green field, he was able to play an active part in the future of the site. As an originally German company, BENTELER already had a reputation for quality and technological innovation.

“I saw a great deal of potential for my professional development at BENTELER. I started as a Project Manager and worked my way up to Manufacturing Manager be in charge of Production, Engineering and Maintenance for the Chassis Product Group. BENTELER works closely with international standards and processes. This creates a lot of opportunities to work with other international locations. This is one of the great things about the company, which means we worked as multinational team.”

Positive thinking and taking responsibility

For this man in his mid-thirties, the glass is always half-full rather than half-empty. He prefers positive thinking when it comes to mastering challenges and overcoming difficulties. He is also a family man who is always open to suggestions and has no problems communicating with his colleagues. Incurably inquisitive, he is always interested in learning something new.

“I am responsible for approximately 200 people at my plant. We have to meet high standards and expectations, which means we all have to sing from the same song sheet. That is what I expect and really try to develop the people internally. Of course, mistakes happen – because we're all only human – but it's important to me that I know the employees are enthusiastic and always try their best.”