Chinese firm Hisense is building local workforce skills in Atlantis

“Since I joined Hisense, my life has changed. We’ve grown; I’ve grown with Hisense.”

For Hugh Stephens, the words capture more than a career spanning more than a decade at Hisense South Africa (Hisense SA) Industrial Park. They tell the story of how a new job opportunity in Atlantis grew into a journey of personal and professional development.

In 2013, the factory where Stephens worked pulled out of the town, leaving him facing an uncertain future. Around the same time, Chinese home appliance giant Hisense established its industrial park in Atlantis, a town about 50km north of Cape Town.

“I decided that I have to come check it out at Hisense,” Stephens said. He stayed.

More than a decade later, he has become a mainboard repair technician at the TV Factory in the park, taking on new responsibilities and developing skills along the way.

His story begins with a job. But it is also a story of growth – his own and that of a Chinese company growing alongside its workforce.

“When I got here, I started at the front of the (production) line,” Stephens recalled. “I learnt from the Hisense engineers, from the Chinese engineers … Now I’m working as a (mainboard) repairman and it’s very good for me because I’ve grown with the company,” he said.

Stephens said he had also seen improvements in his life, from expanding his home to enjoying better living conditions and a better lifestyle.

Like Stephens, Marlon Jacobs joined Hisense SA Industrial Park when it was established in 2013, starting out as a general worker with no experience in refrigeration. Today, he is an assembly and quality technician at the Fridge Factory in the park.

“Everything in my life has improved ever since 2013,” Jacobs said. “Thirteen years ago, I was unemployed. Not having a job means you’re not able to support your family the way you want to,” he said. “Today I’m standing here a better person, being able to support my family.”

His career has also been a journey of learning. Starting from welding, Jacobs went on to learn machine and product repairs, becoming the factory’s first welding repair person before moving to a team leader role managing two teams of more than 100 people, and eventually becoming a technician.

“I’m a refrigerator technician because of the skills that I’ve learnt through the Chinese,” he said. “It’s not only work; it’s skills also being transferred to local people.”

The skills transfer is reflected in the training provided on the production floor, Mou Xing, a Chinese process engineer at the TV Factory, said.

New employees receive training on the production process, hands-on instruction for their respective tasks, safety training and on-site observation before starting work.

They also receive ongoing guidance and checks during production. As employees gain experience, some take on greater responsibilities.

“After systematic training, South African employees can independently complete the main work of their departments and handle and provide feedback on problems,” Mou said. “For example, Minnies can take over the entire department’s work when I am on leave.”

The employee Mou referred to is Ayrton Minnies, a process technician team leader at the TV Factory.

“By working for all these years, I’ve made a lot of progress in my life,” Minnies said. “I would say there’s a lot of skills I’ve picked up. I’ve learnt how to make my own TV.”

Minnies said Hisense has also had a positive impact on Atlantis by providing jobs for residents.

Today, the two factories at Hisense SA Industrial Park employ around 760 residents.

“At the Fridge Factory, we have approximately 550 employees,” Lorenzo McKinna, the production supervisor at the factory, said, adding that the company provided on-the-job training.

Jiang Shun, the deputy general manager of Hisense SA and general manager of Hisense SA Industrial Park, said the park had created about 1 000 direct jobs and more than 5 000 indirect jobs.

Residents held about 70% of management positions.

The park had also helped drive employment along the supply chain, with nearby foam and carton factories among those supplying it. More than a dozen companies have been integrated into its supporting industrial chain, Jiang said.

For Africa, he said, the arrival of Chinese companies brought job opportunities and advanced manufacturing technologies and expertise. — Xhinua