Lei Shing  Hong Machinery

Ruchi Singh, 2011

The New Year was off to a good start as I began my one-month internship in China last month. I interned at Lei Shing Hong Machinery, Shanghai- the dealers of Caterpillar Inc, a ‘Fortune 500′ American multinational that manufactures heavy earthmoving and mining equipment. Lei Shing Hong is Caterpillar Inc’s dealers to one of their largest markets in Asia- China. Lei Shing Hong Machinery’s headquarters are located in Kunsan, a small city about an hour drive from Shanghai. The kick-start of my internship program happened in Kunsan where I was briefed about the firm, its motto and work ethics. Following this ‘mini-orientation’ I moved to intern at the Shanghai office. During my four weeks there, I worked in the Business Development department. My main role was to provide analysis for four different projects- CRM-SFM Process, KPI and Performance Indicators followed by Customer Survey and International Trade Contracts.

My first project was to look at Customer Relations Management through which I studied Sales Funnel Management. I also researched and worked out the financial utilization of the firm’s products to prepare yearly reports. After studying these business strategies, I had to create a report for each of these processes based on my critical analysis of them while identifying the advantages of these processes and providing suggestions to improve them. Since I was required to present and discuss my reports before a management team, I chose to create them in the form of a power point presentation. My internship also included field work as I had a chance to go out and interact with the local Chinese customers to conduct a market survey to establish customer needs for the New Year. For my last project, I studied terms of international trade and looked at how firms design contracts of involving international sales. Although not directly related Economics like finance and investment are, it was still very interesting to note that these strategies are applicable to many different businesses.

Working here was a learning experience, since it was my first time working in a professional business environment. It was a chance to become familiar with the business industry and to see how companies cope with the stressful environment, especially during this time of economic recession. I am very satisfied with my performance during this internship. All the work and projects that I was involved with at work, was completely new for me. However, my supervisors and colleagues at work were also very supportive and helped me with research for background information to study.  I was happy to be given guidance by skilled individuals, but at the same time also be granted a good level of independence which gave me a chance to understand and apply new concepts as per my capability.

During the course of my internship, I was lucky to attend and also been offered the chance to present at the Lei Shing Hong 2009 Kick-Off Meeting. Preceded by sales and six-sigma training, the focus of the meeting was to look at a review of 2008 and 2009 business and budget plan. Additionally, the meeting also tracked the progress of the recently opened Cat Rental Store, which is still in its infancy stages in China. Held in Shanghai from Jan 10 to Jan 11, the fifty people audience included staff and officials from the Shanghai and Kunsan Office and Caterpillar, China. Through this presentation I showcased my analysis of the first two projects that I had worked on. Although I was definitely nervous about undertaking such great responsibility, I think I fared well and was very optimistic to see that the board appreciated my efforts and suggestions, and thought that they worth considering and possibly implementing. Through this experience I realized that what made my entire internship truly an opportunity through which I learnt and built on strong fundamentals was the fact that it was based on strong communication. I learnt from my supervisors and colleagues, who were my guides through this time, but at the same time, they too valued my input and thoughts.

Through this internship my goal was not only to learn about business but also get a chance to enhance my Chinese. I did indeed achieve this goal since living in Shanghai, going in and around the city and interacting with the locals; Chinese was the only language of communication. So although initially it was intimidating with my limited Chinese vocabulary, after about a week, it started to feel normal to communicate in Chinese most of the time. Shanghai is a huge city with a lot of local and international diversity. Having local friends was a bonus since they were my expert tour guides showing me around and giving me a taste of its rich history and culture. From food to shopping, art galleries and museums to ancient temples, Shanghai has a tremendous amount to offer if one is willing to explore. For me, while doing so, my Chinese came in very handy. I learnt a lot in terms of the Chinese culture and history, and picked up on a lot more new vocabulary too.  All in all, I think spending one month in China very helpful in providing me professional exposure to one of the largest growing markets in the world while at the same time, making me more determined to continue studying Chinese.

Contact the Career Services Office for more information on this internship.