
Ask the expert
October is generally a month of travel for me. It’s a time of the year when I chose to visit our factories in Asia, partly due to the region’s clement weather and it’s also when Shanghai plays host to PTC Asia. This exhibition is one of the industry’s leading events for power transmission and control technologies; here chain manufacturers from around the world can network and meet over 77,000 potential customers.
October is also a time of the year when my family and I try to get away and see a bit of the world. This time, we decided to incorporate our holiday into my business trip to PTC Asia, so after the conference was over my wife and children flew out to Shanghai and we spent 10 days exploring some of this fascinating region. While we were there I was able to put a tick next to a life-long wish to walk along the Great Wall of China!
The age-old dilemma of too much to do and not enough time to do it in meant we opted for tour guides who could help us maximise our time in Shanghai and Beijing. In my opinion, this was the best way of seeing the two cities. The guides were full of knowledge and expertise, and their specialist understanding gave us an insight into the cities that would have been unattainable had we tried to approached them alone.
This made me think about the experts who help us get the most out of our business. Just like the tour guides, our IT, PR and graphic design consultants lend us their knowledge and specialist skills to help add value to FB Chain. Internally, also, I would like to see FB Chain invest in quality training and resources to help our employees become industry specialists.
Measuring the value of an IT, PR or graphic design investment, or the value of staff training, is often one of the things that often holds a company back from seeking guidance and support in these areas. However, I am committed to making the most of the resources on offer, both internally and externally, as FB Chain can only be successful if our employees have the skills and support they need to move our business forward.