On December 5th seven CITO members together with several students from Linköping University packed their bags and headed for Tesla’s campus in Taipei for an introduction of the fascinating company and a walkthrough of the campus. Bruce Chao, Head of Marketing Taiwan, hosted the event and guide us through all the interesting details about Tesla. The event started of in Tesla’s showroom where we could have a look at several of their models. After the showroom introduction, Bruce presented what Tesla is doing and the purpose of the company. Also Tesla’s marketing strategy was introduced which was very interesting to hear about. Especially about the latest event where the Cybertruck was introduced, and if Tesla broke the glass on purpose or not. After the presentation, Bruce walked us through the campus showing us the service center and the office spaces. It was really amazing to see how clean the service center were compared to ordinary workshops. The tour ended with a test run with some Tesla cars. CITO and its members would like to take the opportunity to thank Tesla and Bruce for hosting this wonderful visit. We would like to address a sincere gratitude for the efforts made by our host. The visit was highly appreciated among all the CITO members and Linköping students, we all gained new insights.
On November 29th, the members off the Chalmers International Taiwan Office were invited to Ericsson’s office in Taipei for some presentations and a Q&A session. Seven out of the ten CITO members joined the meeting with one of Sweden’s most interesting companies. The meeting started of with a presentation by Chafic Nassif, CEO at Ericsson Taiwan, about Ericsson and their view on communication, now and in the future. Then the technical details of Ericsson’s technology were introduced and we learned a lot about the base stations and 5G. Also the opportunities for young talent at Ericsson were introduced and discussed which was motivating. The visit ended with some pizza and a Q&A session which invited to lively discussions about communication, 5G and work experience in different countries. Ericsson shared their insights and also gained the perspective from the CITO members which was really appreciated. CITO and its members would like to take the opportunity to thank Ericsson Taiwan for hosting this wonderful evening. We would like to address a sincere gratitude for the efforts made by our hosts. The visit was highly appreciated amongst all the CITO members and we all gained new insights.
The 6th of December it was time for Sweden Day, an annual event arranged by the Swedish Chamber of Commerce and Business Sweden. Sweden Day is a fair where Swedish companies operating in Taiwan get to show their work for everyone interested visiting the fair. CITO, as representative from Chalmers, had its own booth at the fair. We got the opportunity to meet a lot of people both visiting the fair but also people from different Swedish companies operating in Taiwan who also had a booth at the fair. Christmas is getting closer and to show the Taiwanese people how we celebrate Christmas in Sweden and also create some Christmas feeling for the Swedes in Taiwan, most of CITO’s members joined a “Luciatåg” on the VIP evening. CITO enjoyed signing Lucia songs so much that we had a “Luciatåg” at NCTU as well. People looked at us like we were aliens but it was also very much appreciated from others.
On the 22nd of November, the CITO members were invited to Atlas Copco’s new facility in Taoyuan for a study visit followed by a case competition, together with the Young Professionals of the Swedish Chamber of Commerce Taipei. Atlas Copco is a Swedish industrial company that was founded 1873 in Stockholm and has been serving the Taiwan market for nearly 60 years. As a world-leading provider of sustainable productivity solutions, Atlas Copco offers innovative compressors, vacuum solutions and air treatment systems, construction and mining excavation equipment, power tools and assembly systems. During the evening, Atlas Copco presented the business and the different technologies they are developing. Also, the purpose and future of the company were explained. Later on, we were shown around the new facility in Taoyuan and the FIKA-area was introduced. The evening ended with a case competition regarding expansion in Malaysia and an Q&A where you could ask questions to multiple people from the staff. Snacks and drinks were served throughout the evening as well. We would like to thank Atlas Copco and the Swedish Chamber of Commerce for this fantastic evening. We learned a lot and had a great time! Thank you!
Last Tuesday Cito arranged the first sport event for this autumn. We played a sport called burnball or brännboll in Swedish. Brännboll is a game that Swedes play in school or during summertime. It’s like a mix of baseball and cricket, but easier. We had a really fun time and looking forward to more events like this!
Now it is time for a new gang form Chalmers to manage CITO. We have been here for six weeks now and we are starting to adapt to the Taiwanese way of living. We are really looking forward to this exchange year! A week ago we had he Opening Ceremony of the office for this autumn. We combined this event with the release of Asia Magazine #33. We would like to thank everyone who participated and we are looking forward to seeing you again! The office opening hours will be: Monday 12:15 – 13:00Wednesday 12:15 – 13:00 Come and hang out with us, eat your lunch in the office or just grab a coffee! Follow our Facebook page and have your eyes open for the upcoming events this autumn!
On May 24th CITO headed to the newly opened IKEA in Xindian, excited to meet with Hugo Asplund, the Deputy General Manager of IKEA Taiwan. IKEA was founded 76 years ago and is today present in 37 countries and divided into 10 franchises. The IKEA Group is by far the largest one while the franchise operating in Taiwan, Dairy Farm, is the second largest. Dairy Farm is a retail company that owns more than 100 brands spanning over several industries. Hugo has spent all of his professional carrier within IKEA and has been working at IKEA in Taiwan for around two years. During our visit, we talked about IKEA and specifically about working with franchising as business format. Today almost all IKEA stores operate under franchise agreements. A choice made to enable their global expansion, whilst at the same time live up to the vision to create a better everyday life for the many people. For a long time, the IKEA Group was equated with IKEA, until the IKEA concept was opened up for other franchises in recent years. This enables testing of new formats and allowance to find own solutions that works in particular domestic markets. In Taiwan, where space is limited, many of the IKEA stores are smaller and more city-centered compared to what we are used to in Sweden. For example, a 100-NT$ store opened up in 2018 in Taipei. We got insight in the differences you encounter when selling furniture in Taiwan compared to Sweden. E-commerce is increasing in Taiwan but is lagging significantly compared to the tremendous increase in Chinese market, and people are still willing to visit the physical stores to a high degree. Taiwanese people are generally quite price sensitive when it comes to buying furniture, which makes IKEA a great choice. The […]
On May 16th, the Swedish Chamber of Commerce Taipei arranged a wonderful evening event at Tesla’s office and showroom in Taipei. Six members of CITO tagged along and joined the many other Swedes and Taiwanese attending the event. Tesla was founded in 2003, and has grown to become one of the most hyped and recognized car brands in the world. With the world-famous Elon Musk as CEO, Tesla stands out by only offering electric cars. Many people might see them as only a car company, but they are much more than that. Tesla is all about energy , technology and sustainability. By offering both solar panels and energy storage, they are the only complete solution provider of personal transport. The panels convert sunlight to energy, batteries store it in your house, and finally that is used to charge the car during the night. The main goal of the company is to accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy. They still consider themselves a startup, able to adjust their operations to achieve their goal. In the impressive complex in Taipei’s Neihu district, we got a presentation containing the technologies and goals of the company, as well as a walkthrough of the different buildings on the grounds. Of course, we were also allowed to explore both the Model S and X in the showroom and were in the end treated to a demonstration of the technical capabilities of the cars. The evening ended with a mingle where we could ask questions to the employees and enjoy some snacks and refreshments. We would like to thank the Swedish Chamber of Commerce and Bruce Chao, the Head of Taiwan marketing, for arranging the evening. It was very informative and fun, we had a great time!
This Friday, we had the pleasure of inviting the NCTU students going to Chalmers on exchange in the fall to dinner! we had a great time and we wish them good luck on their exchange. See you in Gothenburg in September!
The Easter event was a huge success, as we were also able ro release the Asia Magazine #32. Thank you to everyone who came out and spent time with us! To see more photos, follow the link: Facebook page!
