After studies in China and Stockholm Meixin Xu joined the Coesia Engineering Graduate Program. As a part of the program she is doing a home-country assignment at FlexLink’s head office in Gothenburg, Sweden. I met with Meixin to talk about the program, her main tasks and what she likes most about FlexLink.

A trainee program offers many possibilities

“The Coesia trainee program has been very rewarding”, Meixin starts. “The first three out of ten months we spent in Bologna. The program is designed to give us as much work experience as possible so we got to meet, talk and learn from people from all of Coesia’s daughter companies”, Meixin says. “Since I was assigned to FlexLink I am now spending ten weeks at the headquarters in Gothenburg. Then back to Bologna to be relocated to a different country for the last few months. It’s amazing!” she continues.

“I got my bachelor’s degree at Beijing Jiao Tong University, where I majored in Mechanical Engineering and Automation, and my university co-operated with the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) in Stockholm. That gave me the opportunity to do my master in Production Engineering and Management there, which is where I first heard of the program. At the end of my studies, I saw a FlexLink trainee ad on KTH’s website. So I applied and here I am”, Meixin smiles.

A working place that fosters creativity and free thinking

“One of my main tasks here has been to compare FlexLink’s suppliers to make sure our products are manufactured properly. I have done several supplier visits to observe their production and quality controls”, Meixin explains. “I follow the production flows step-by-step to check that everything is done correctly. When I have done my comparisons I will write rapports on strengths, weaknesses and suggestions for improvement for the suppliers.”

“I have also been apart of Request for Quotation (RFQ) improvement project. We have analyzed the RFQ service, sent out surveys to our operating units to get their opinions and mapped the process flow. After that we broke down each part into detail to ensure we have an efficient process. In addition, I have had some minor assignments like comparing REACH-RoHS-Conflict Minerals regulations in Europe, US and Asia as well as doing research regarding future quality methods”, Meixin explains.

An open organization allows you to achieve your goals

Meixin describes FlexLink as an open organization without hierarchies. “You feel like you can accomplish things at FlexLink. No matter the role, your voice is always being heard and opinions valued. During this trainee period, I have worked with a variety of people with different responsibilities and from different departments, but I have always been taken seriously and my ideas have been considered. I have learned so much more than I could have dreamed of and my time here at FlexLink has been a great inspiration and boost for my future career”.