Working abroad as a production engineer

In this article, I will talk about what happens when a production engineer is assigned to an overseas factory.

Many Japanese companies have been expanding overseas for a long time now. Some companies send young people, even those in their 20s, to their overseas factories to train them. Working overseas and coming into contact with different cultures will allow you to gain experience. Above all, in the manufacturing industry in Japan, there will be no such thing as a desire to work only in Japan.

The environment surrounding Japan is severe with high labor costs, corporate taxes, energy issues, foreign exchange problems, and shortage of human resources. It is better to go abroad at young age with the idea of gaining experience by being active overseas. Although you may be reluctant to do so at first, I believe that experiencing a variety of things while you are young will ultimately be useful to you in the future.

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Production Engineering Jobs Abroad

A production engineer's job at an overseas plant is simply to support the production line. It is often the case that the production engineer is assigned at the same time as the start-up of a new product or production line to provide support for the production line. If only a production line is suddenly set up in an overseas factory, the local people will be troubled. Maintaining a production line itself is not possible without technical capabilities. For this reason, a production engineer is assigned to the overseas plant to serve as an expert on the production line.

In return, you take full responsibility for dealing with any problems that occur on the production floor (quality issues, equipment problems). There is no one else to solve the problems that occur on production line every day, and no one else to solve tough problems that cannot be handled. No matter what the problem is, you can't run away from it. That's the position you are in. Sometimes you get called out in the middle of the night to go to work, and sometimes you would go to work on holidays.

Advantages of resident abroad

It's a hard work, but here are some of the benefits of resident abroad

1. more authority and discretion

If you are working in Japan, you may be a normal employee in Japan, but you will have more responsibility in an overseas factory, so you will have to work in management. You will be able to communicate with more people in senior management.

You will have more opportunities to communicate with people you never had a chance to talk to when you were working in Japan (for example, the general manager of business division), but in overseas, you will be able to communicate with your superiors. You will have more opportunities to have dinner with them when they visit. When they visit the country, the expatriates will host them. It's interesting to talk to those people.

2. you can experience in building organizations

When an expatriate is assigned to an overseas factory, it is important that the expatriate takes the lead in getting the job done, but you are also expected to develop local people. You have to create a structure that allows the organization to function even when the expatriate is gone.

There is an end to the expatriation period. Unlike working in Japan, you are not expected to work in semi-permanent relationship. You are expected to transfer your skills to the local and create a system that functions with local people.

3. you can be active

However, working abroad is not so easy. Most of the time it's more of a struggle. In my experience, if you are a new expatriate, it will take you about two years to get used to it. Even in that situation, you have to work at your job. If someone is lazy and neglects their work, things won't get done.

You are expected to take action as you manage the entire operation, including other departments. When you are an expatriate, there is no excuse for " not doing your job because he or she is not doing his or her job". It becomes the expatriate's responsibility to include that.

4. you can acquire technical skills

When a production engineer takes care of the production line at an overseas plant, there are usually few (or no) technical people to rely on. Basically, you are in the position of being the most knowledgeable in the group, so you have to solve everything by yourself. The process of researching and solving problems on your own is repeated. Some of them are difficult.

Repeated experiences like that will raise your level of technology. There is a lot to think about, why this equipment is built this way, how to improve machine time, how to reduce defect rates, how to improve shop floor management, and so on.

Disadvantages of resident abroad

The following are some of the disadvantages of expatriation.

5. more job responsibilities

If you are not mentally strong, you may be crushed.
The behaviors I've seen in others can be divided into two patterns. One is a pattern of working hard and growing as an individual. The other is the pattern of living abroad, making excuses for themselves, not getting results, and not knowing what they're doing here.

If you fall into the second pattern, you will be treated as someone who has no presence at work and is not necessary to be there. People around you, including the locals, look at you that way.

I wasn't going to instruct them on every single detail because everyone has their own way of thinking, but that's just the way people are. It was just a failure to choose the right people. Things don't go on in an optimistic way. Unfortunately, that's the way it is with companies.

If you are labeled as useless, you may have to return to your country early. You will not be trusted by the locals, and you will lose the trust of the head office in Japan. The company pays a lot of money to send someone to work abroad, so it is better to hand the position over to someone else.

6. It's stressful to deal with people who speak different language

It's not for people who don't understand other cultures or who love Japan. Working with a Japanese mindset can be quite stressful, as things don't always go as expected. I had a good understanding of other cultures, but I was also under a lot of pressure at work, so I was often frustrated.

Work after return from abroad

When you return to Japan after successful career abroad, you will be promoted in the near future. This is true everywhere.

When you return to Japan after living abroad, your position may increase, but you will have much less discretion in your work. Up until now, you've been an expatriate with special treatment dispatched by the head office, but once you return to the head office, you'll be back to your corner of the pyramid. You will have less discretion in your work, and you will find your job boring.

I think the reason why so many people leave their jobs after returning from overseas is because they feel unsatisfied with their work after returning to their home country.

Resident abroad is more of a hardship, but it is a challenging and rewarding job. It can be an interesting experience that you can enjoy, even with the difficulties. I have experienced several overseas assignments, and although each place was different and difficult, I am glad that I did it.

*If you want to know more about expatriate life, please read "Career Change Engineer"

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