SK Automation America Inc.
SK Automation America Inc.
I joined this company on Oct. 13, 2025 as an On-site Field Engineer, to assist the project manager arrange the team.
I promoted to the Project Manager on Nov. 10, 2025, to lead the hand over work of HVDB assembly line in Rivian Normal factory, Illinois, the United States.
I joined SK Automation America Inc. as an On-site Field Engineer. The duty of my position was assist the project manager of Pack Configuration Production Line (Pack Config) to set daily tasks for technicians to reach preserved milestones on time in Rivian Normal Plant in Illinois, USA. This production line is designed to install high-voltage distribution boxes onto automotive battery packs and test whether the assembled unit meets quality standards.
The same time, because the project engineer who I assisted doesn't speak English, I learnt much from him about being a project manager when I'm talking with client's PM and engineers. In a sense, I may be seen as the project manager for this project by some client's engineers, instead of the one I assist, because I can answer their questions about technician tasks as well as project arrangement and status.
The challenge of this position includes:
Making daily plan workable. Thanking the training from Hymson, I have the ability to do nearly everything in automation industry on my own. That means, technicians in my team would work with less pressure with reasonable schedule.
Appointing suitable technician team leaders to reduce my workload. Though I'm able to do all the work, I can't handle everything. Then, those team leaders who understand the work much will help me to order daily tasks more efficient.
Selecting the best people for each job. Assigning the most suitable tasks to each worker is the key to be highly efficiency. There's no shortcuts to be a professional on this. I need time to understand my team member from daily work.
In the same factory, Rivian Normal Plant, my company, SK Automation has another project, High-Voltage Distribution Boxes assembly line (HVDB). Compared to Pack Config, HVDB is smaller in station quantity but better place of practicing for a new manager, like me, to familiarize myself with the company's workflow. Because, small as it may be, HVDB is fully equipped with all the necessary part as a production line. Also, I need to serve as both project manager and field engineer because all other management team are focusing on Pack Config. That means that my job is not only controlling project status and reporting it to the client's PM, but also managing my team's daily tasks to reach milestones on time.
There are other two colleagues who joined the company with the same position and the same month with me. But they are still assistance of project manager after this structure change. My on-site supervisor Mr. Ziven Lai told me the reason promoting me was my performance in the past weeks were impressed on him, the PM I assisted, and client's engineers.
The challenge of this work includes:
Understanding the production line quickly. Unlike my experience at Hymson, I joined the HVDB project from the late stages of production line installation on client's site, rather than from the initial assembly phase at the company's factory. Time for learning step by step is much less.
Communicating with client's team. Be calm all the time is the first thing to talk with the client. Understanding the needs quickly and precisely is very critical. What clients want on earth is getting service good and cheap.
Pressure release. Even I want to fight with client with incredible requests, moving the anger to my team is definitely prohibited. I believe that people need a happy emotion to hand in good works. Playing War Thunder and Enlisted are my way to release the pressure. Hours of 3D game playing could let me forget unhappy issues, and focus on project timeline itself instead of being a slave of emotion.