Que Luo LUFONG CHUEH

Tell us about your role at Fenix.

A. I am from Taiwan and it has been 13 years since I came to Japan. After graduating from a fashion school, I headed the EC department of a designer brand. However I joined Fenix as I wanted to work in and environment that is close to the actual making of garments.

This is my third year at Fenix as a team leader within the production department. Amongst the teams assigned to each our four factories, my team has 2 other members and my task is to lead them in their role whilst improving the overall team's performances. On daily basis, I am at maintaining motivation, managing progress, predicting problems and solving them early. Moreover, being fluent in Chinese, I am also the team leader for the Chongqing-based KIK factory.

Production issues can arise regardless of the size of an order and of its delivery date, hence it is paramount for me to understand the work culture of the factory and the mentality of the craftsmen, so to prevent troubles from happening: this is why I travel to the Chongqing factory almost every month and share feed-backs with the rest of the team.

Please tell us what you want to challenge and what you are aiming for in your position.

Since the production department became an independent unit, I have realized my responsibility to establish work guidelines and effective training methods to enhance the overall performance of the whole department.

As a team leader, I am now trying to strengthen my management skills. Given my relatively short career in this field, I understand solid on-site experience is a key to enrich my knowledge and expertise of the whole production process. This is actually a task for the entire department, and we are now working on understanding what motivates a factory and setting common goals. Whilst communications with factories are never easy, I believe aiming for the same goals unitedly will ultimately show our strong team spirit.

Please tell us what you are trying to do outside of work, what you are looking forward to, and your hobbies.

Even on holidays I try to learn something useful for my work, as I have a feeling that communication and bargaining skills must be improved. Also, if I receive a call from the factory during my time off, I always return it as smoothly as possible.

Also, since i have a child last year, I cherish the time spent with my family, even for small things like talking a walk or visit a bakery in the neighborhood. Family is motivation number one for my work, hence I naturally work hard on weekends too.

How do you find working with Fenix's?

I think the Fenix it's not just a manufacturing company, but a brand that integrates planning and sales. I trust that the production department will help with that, and I will spare no effort to make this happen.
I also want to quickly overtake my boss Kita and reassure him (laughs). Personally I have high expectations for the corporate culture that makes me take on challenges. and I want to be actively collaborate with other Fenix departments.

During a recent trip to Taiwan with Mr. Wakisaka, he suggested "Please go see your family". Even though my family often come to Japan, I was so delighted to visit them in Taiwan as I could not take any day off lately. I don't think there is any other company like this, so I hope to be able to take on new challenges and to still work here for the foreseeable future.