Career portal of GEA Group

Jasmin Buhl, an apprentice and BA student in Bönen, embarked in mid-May on a four-week adventure. She traveled to our subsidiary in Shanghai where she supported our local team and helped to prepare our booth for the World Dairy Expo \ China’10. The report below summarizes her Chinese experience.

I felt good in Shanghai immediately because the assistant of the managing director and the human resources manager were always available to answer the numerous questions I had. I was very happy about these contacts as it takes courage to go to a distant foreign country without knowing anybody. I realized during my first working day, though, that the four weeks ahead of me would be great. My colleagues and the jobs I was assigned made my life both enjoyable and exciting.

I was asked to handle a wide range of tasks. The key part of my work was to serve as a coordinator between GEA Farm Technologies Shanghai and our headquarters in Bönen. It was one of my main responsibilities to ensure the compliance of the booth design for the trade show and all advertising material with GEA Group’s corporate design code.

I also participated in the trade show. Together with my colleagues, I went by plane from Shanghai to Qingdao 750 kilometers away. In Qingdao, we purchased material for our booth, transported the material, served as contacts for trade show visitors, prepared documents for customers and took care of our booth.

At the fair, I became a little “celebrity”. Customers who had received a children’s book entitled “Karla’s Carousel Ride” written and layouted by the trainees of GEA Farm Technologies had recognized me on the last page of the book. I was invited to autograph copies and “my fans” even asked for photographs.

The use of chop sticks was another adventure. I hardly managed to eat anything at the beginning, but when I left, I was even able to handle peanuts. I was surprised by many new foods during my stay as the regional cuisines in China are very different.

It was interesting to gain an insight into exhibition stand construction and preparations for an exhibition. I could even imagine working in a marketing department after graduation. I am also happy about my stay in China because I met my Chinese colleagues and became familiar with their mentality. I was forced to use English every day and improved my English notably. It was a gratifying experience to solve language problems together with my Chinese colleagues who provided guidance through patience, queries and encouragement. I was pleased to hear that my Chinese colleagues rated my work as “very autonomous”. They are now examining whether their staff should be given more responsibility.

My period in China will remain unforgettable. Shanghai is unbelievable. I was also astonished by the warmth and the friendliness of my Chinese colleagues. It is good that I plucked up my courage to take this step into this extraordinary country. A new project in Shanghai is certainly not excluded.