What is it exactly that you do here?

For starters – My sincerest apologies for the lack of blogging lately, I have had some very important …umm… meetings and documents to attend to.

Anyways – People always ask me what I actually do at my job, I mean, the fact that I am working in Barcelona just isn’t enough to satisfy their needs. Well, if I am answering in Spanish I usually play it simple and say something along the lines of… I am working at a company that makes industrial robots, not like Terminator, but used to assemble cars and what not.

neat side note – The industrial robots I work with were actually used in the newest Terminator movie in a few scenes to assemble the human-like robots.

But, if I have the chance to answer in English I take full advantage of my knowledge of the language (sounds ridiculous, but you never know how much you rely on something until you have been without it for an extended period of time). Usually my answer varies, but in jist it is – nothing but everything. I know what your thinking, huge plot killer, right?!? Well, unfortunately the economy has taken a huge hit on the industry I work for and there just isn’t much for me to do… but there is an abundance for me to learn.

Unlike all of the other internships I have had, I have not been given projects, responsibilities, daily tasks, etc. to be completed. I have been given something completely different, the key to the company. My boss and co-workers have said “Kevin, if there is something you want to do or something you want to learn than just find the right person to talk to and do it”… quite the offer indeed. Some of the most interesting things I have had the chance to do/learn about are:

• Worked with the engineering division helping to assemble a cell consisting of 5 robots doing tasks such as spot welding, material handling, and laser cutting.
• Completed a basic programming course on the software and hardware used with the robots (manipulators)… and got my certificate to prove it!
• Worked with colleagues as well as customers and suppliers around the world

Helping to make documents and work as transparent as possible

Helping to establish future working terms between customers and suppliers

• Learned about the sciences and technologies behind a brand new hot-stamping/forming process being implemented within the next year.
• Worked with the press automation division to get a test-cell consisting of 3 robots to be able to significantly reduce the cycle time of a manufactured part.

Looking back on my summer, I probably could have been more proactive with my time and opportunity, but I have enjoyed my experiences here and have gained a lot.  I have two more weeks left and I hope to make the best of them. I am planning on working a bit with the purchasing group to learn a little about supply-chain and how it is implemented in the global industry as well as a more about the new hot-stamping/forming process. If you have any last minute ideas or suggestions I should look into before I leave, I would be interested in hearing them.

High Tensions

This morning, the people I work with in Spain were informed that there would be cut backs in the next month. Approximately 1/3 of the workers in Spain whom work for the same company as I do will lose their jobs. I know that for most of you reading from back in the states, this is probably a common “dinner discussion” topic. One thing to note before I get into further detail is that it is very uncommon for companies in Spain to make such significant cut-backs (compared to a few people being fired here and there). This caused the tension in the office to be very high…luckily I’m considered a student and not an employee or some of that tension would be directed my way.

Late last month, the unemployment rate in Spain was determined to be 17.4% and I have heard that within the next year, the unemployment rate will be above 20%. Compare that to the unemployment rate of the United States, which is currently 8.9% or the state with the highest unemployment rate in the US currently (Michigan – At least we are #1 at something!?!), which clocks in at 12.9%. As most of us know, the economy is not well (I will leave the details out for sake of length haha). Knowing that the unemployment rate is a good way of judging an economy, imagine the economy if the unemployment rate in the US or even just in Michigan was as high as it is in Spain (that is 2 times and 1.5 times the current percentages respectively).

But I regress…Back to Spain – Surprisingly, the reasons for the poor economy are not so different from those of Michigan. I was told (in Spanish of course, so I apologize if I didn’t catch all of the details) that there are three main causes for the current economic situation Spain is having.

Construction – The main cause of the poor economy is that Spain is very heavily involved in construction and for the past few years the industry has been booming. However now, nobody is purchasing/renting buildings or apartments so the industry has crashed. What this does is cause several problems; those construction workers whom used to be working around the clock to build the newest apartment complex, strip mall, etc. are now unemployed. The other main problem it causes is that it floods the market with property, driving down the prices of all property and land (yet no one has money to spend because they are unemployed…spiraling black hole of economic failure). Sound familiar – notice any freshly built unoccupied buildings near where you live lately? Or have to listen to your parents complain how they are stuck in Michigan for the long haul??

Tourism – A major source of revenue in Spain is tourism. Due to the fact that the economy of the entire world is hurting, people are not spending money and traveling as much as they usually do.

Automotive – Spain is heavily involved in the automotive industry (this was all new to me); some parts more than others. The auto industry in Europe is similar to the global auto industry/economy. This is one of the main reasons for Michigan being “ahead” of the unemployment game, because as a state we are very concentrated in one industry and when that industry took a big hit, we felt the majority of the blow in a sense.

For a more positive/uppity ending (because I don’t want anyone to feel bad after reading any of my posts), listen to and watch the video below it will surely bring a smile to your face… 🙂

Preliminary Thoughts

Since I am going to be focusing the work writings on the similarities and differences of what I experience in Spain as compared to the US, an appropriate way to start is by examining that of which I am familiar with in the US with my perceptions and preconceived notions of the Spanish workplace currently.

These may not be true for every case; they are solely my thoughts and opinions. If you have any input feel free to post a comment, I would be very interested to read it, add it to the post, and discuss it. 

US

• Hard workers
• Professional work atmosphere
• Diverse chain of commands/workplace
• Older workforce
• Top 4
  1. Work
  2. Family
  3. Wealth
  4. Personal Life

Spain

• Leisurely workers
• Professional work atmosphere
• Not much diversity in the chain of commands/workplace
• Younger workforce
• Top 4
  1. Family
  2. Personal Life
  3. Wealth
  4. Work

I have added something I call the Top 4 which are 4 key parts of people’s lives and how I believe the general public in each respective country concerns themselves with those points (note – It is slightly harder to pin-point the Top 4 for the US due to the fact it is much larger and diverse than that of Spain. That being said, I believe that the first 3 are interchangeable in the US).

Globalization

As we are all aware (…or at least should be), we live in a global economy. People from all different backgrounds and walks of life are being unified into a single society and are having to function together. The workplace is no exception; businesses are placing strong emphasis on relations abroad. 

The work category of this blog will focus on the similarities and differences between the United States and Spain, with a strong focus on the following topics:

• Workplace Cultures
• Business Ethics/Customs
• Social Cultures

The Prelude…

Only 5 and 1/2 days until I leave for Europe… I am flying into Frankfurt, Germany then into Barcelona, Spain in what shall turn out to be 2 long days of flying, layovers and time changes. As I start to wrap things up here in Michigan in preparation for a “new chapter” in my life I am beginning to feel some nerves kicking in; even though I am a little nervous, I am also very anxious and excited to embark on this adventure.

This blog is meant to be very open to anyone who comes across it; I am going to attempt to gear it towards engineering systems analysis (depending on the work I will be doing) as well as updates of travels and short stories for family & friends. If anyone has any questions/comments/suggestions, I would love to hear them and adjust the posts to a more in-depth discussion of the topics. Thanks for reading!

To wrap up this first post of my hopefully flourishing blog, I am attaching a picture from my adventures last summer in New Zealand. This picture was taken on my hike up Mt. Luxmore (elevation of 4,800 ft.); it reminds me that great things do not just come to those who wait around for it…it is realized by those who seize it.