Florian Sommer - Japan

What made you decide to apply for a grant at the Leading House Asia?
Both personal experiences by travelling as well as academic experience through a student exchange during my Master degree studies at Seoul National University in Korea have fostered a strong affinity with Asia. I had spent extended time in Japan before for learning Japanese at a language school.

How did you secure a research partner?
As I did an internship with a company, establishing the contact was very easy. They advertised the position in collaboration with the Leading House Asia. I could apply directly through the Leading House Asia which then facilitated the communication with Azumi Techno. The further steps were the usual interview process for an internship which were held over skype. The company was supported by the Great Nagoya Initiative which mainly consisted of language support during the interview process. With the acceptance of Azumi Techno to take me as intern, I automatically was granted the scholarship by the Leading House Asia, ETH Zurich.

How would you describe your experience of the programme?
During the internship I became fully part of the Azumi Techno and could get an insight into the various departments. Through this I could not only learn technical aspects of their manufacturing methods but also gain a deeper understanding of Japanese business practices. As the company is very small, I had plenty of opportunities to befriend my colleagues, which allowed me to improve my language skills immensely. In general, the English language ability in the company was rather limited but everyone tried their best to communicate and was patient with me. My role consisted of supporting the CEO in his business communication with foreign companies, designing electrodes for electric discharge machining and contributing with my engineering knowledge to development projects.

What role did the Leading House Asia play in the programme?
The Leading House Asia collaborated with the Greater Nagoya Initiative (GNI) which promotes the economic development of the area. This collaboration allowed the Leading House to advertise the internship opening on its homepage and forward my application. Furthermore, the Leading House supported the internship with a scholarship, consisting of an allowance to cover the basic necessities as well as the flight to Japan.

What were the impacts you made through the project/partners/individual?
My impact focused on the company’s business. Nurturing contact with customers proved to be the biggest and most immediate contribution that I could provide as it did not require special training or extensive experience. During my internship I learned more about the design of electrodes for EDM so I could support in this regard as well. Besides the daily business, I joined my boss for various events such as a career event at Mie University in Tsu, Japan where I added an international flair for other interested students, another Greater Nagoya Initiative member’s company anniversary as well as GNI meetups. These events allowed me to raise Azumi Techno’s profile as well as to promote ETH Zurich as a world class university. The interest in ETH Zurich was immense and acting as an ambassador in person clearly helped making an impact. I also pulled me out of my comfort zone as I was asked to hold a presentation on myself as well as ETH in a mix of English and Japanese in front of a room full of company CEOs.

Testimonial: what were your personal experiences/thoughts on the bilateral cooperation experience?
I highly enjoyed my time with Azumi Techno in Japan. So far, my experiences abroad have only been for travelling or studying, the internship introduced me to the Japanese work environment as well. I learned a lot about the company’s production methods but also about the unique aspects of their work culture. This, for me, was one of the key ideas of doing an internship abroad. Being in a completely different culture requires you to open your mind and break with your own habits as they might not fit the problems you face anymore.
Thankfully, everyone at Azumi Techno was incredibly patient with me and helped me understand and learn. Eventually, many of them became my friends.
The company’s remote location was a bit of challenge at times as I am more of a city person. But the internship period was limited so I tried to make the best of it and enjoy experiencing a part of Japan which I otherwise would most likely never have visited. The result was one of those lifetime experiences that I will always cherish.