Mainland visit sheds light on manufacturing

My classmates and I recently visited the mainland to see how factories and companies are run.

This is important for students because there will be many opportunities for us to work in China.

Our first stop was Guangzhou University. The university, established in 1983 and with more than 4,200 students at present, offers a wide range of courses.

After a brief introduction to the university, we chatted with some students and exchanged views and experiences on school life and other topics.

Through this exchange, we learned to get along with different people.

Our next stop was Guangzhou Shipyard International, one of the largest ship-building firms in China. The company guide showed us around and explained the various manufacturing processes, from design to installation.

We then went to the famous port of Huangpu. We learned a lot about stock management, such as unloading, issuing and handling methods.

On the last day of our trip, we went to Huang Tian Airport Cargo Terminal. We had seen pictures of 'giant' handling equipment in books, but now we had a chance to see the actual operation and the flow of cargo.

We also visited Konka Group which produces electronic goods.

Its high-quality goods were on display at Shenzhen Industrial Exhibition Hall, along with products made by other manufacturers, including computers, telephones, medical equipment and toys.

The visit was interesting and educational. Not only did we gain valuable knowledge about purchasing but we also learned a lot about mainland trade. This knowledge cannot be obtained from textbooks.

The trip also broadened our horizon and gave us a better understanding of the mainland.

Hon-wai is studying for a diploma in purchasing and stores supervision at the Hong Kong Institute of Vocational Education (Sha Tin)