`

Internship Report

METP Number AND Name_ CHEN Jin 1446__ _ ___

From _ _ July 27, 2009__ To__ September 18, 2009_____

Place and Date __ Corneliano d’Alba (CN), Italy 2009 __ ___

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 Executive Summary
1. Name, Surname and METP Number:

CHEN Jin 1446

2. Education Degree

MBA

3. Position within the Home Company

Senior Project Manager

4. Host Company:

ICA s.r.l

 Address:
Via Monviso N. 31, Corneliano d’Alba (CN), Italy

 Sector of Activity:
Manufacturing: paper products: tissue, towel paper and paper pallet

Service: international trade

5. Internship Period:

From July 27, 2009 to Sept. 18, 2009

6. Personal Project focused on:

Marketing and sales

7. The provided training related to my personal project:

Rather related

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8. Was the internship I carried out at my host company related to my personal project:

Rather related

9. Was the Host Company aware of my personal project:

Yes

10. Have I felt the support from my Host Company in carrying out my personal project:

Yes

11. Have I reached, in my opinion, the expected results for my internship:

Yes

12. Have I reached any other unexpected results:

Partially

13. Have I revised or better defined my project as a consequence of the internship:

Partially

14. Have I established new business or cooperation relations with my Host Company as a
direct consequence of the internship:

Partially

15. If Yes, in which of the following areas:

Production
R &D
Commercial
Others

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 Main Contents
8 weeks of my internship in ICA s.r.l. at Corneliano d’ Alba passed so fast that I even had no
time to say thanks and farewell to every colleagues in the company. It was really a very special
and precious experience in my life and will certainly be a treasure in my future career.

I prefer to write this internship report in a more vivid way. Therefore, I will try to contain the
following key points in my report, but not answer them one by one just like answer the
questionnaires.

The key points are as follows:

Part I: Details of the internship

1. Brief Description of the Company
1) Industrial sector of the company (manufacturing, services, media, NGOs…); size or
volume of the company; number of employees, address…and other relevant information
2) Company Background: (branches, partnerships…
3) Internship Department: brief description of the department where the internship has been
served
4) Position in the company and name of the internship supervisor

2. Overview of the Internship

1) Content of the internship: Duties and responsibilities assigned
2) Activities / tasks performed
3) People I met and worked with
4) Contributions given
5) Future possible business opportunities between China and Europe, if possible

Part II: Personal Evaluation of the METP Program

1. Brief Personal Project Description

2. Personal Project/Expectation before the internship and Experience gained on the field

3. Lessons learned from training sessions and internship served

1) What did I learn? How this learning did affect my thinking?
2) What and how do I intend to use this learning when you return to China?
3) Eventually what do I expect the outcomes and benefits of this change plan to be?
4) What resistance to change might I experience? How would I overcome resistance?

Part III: Comments and Suggestions

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 Ondalba’s Secret
Of cause, I was not intending to investigate Victoria’s Secret, everyone knows. My internship in
Italy was not just as simple as to apply the knowledge I learned from METP and my previous
experience to the work in the marketing and sales department in ICA s.r.l., but also to open out
the unbeknown-secret of Ondalba Group.
(Content of the internship)

Specializing in manufacturing paper products, Ondalba Group is a perfect example of enterprise

gaining good profits in a highly-competitive traditional industry, especially during the period of
world-wide economic recession.
(Industrial sector of the company)

How Ondalba group come into being? What’s its history? What’s its status quo? What’s its
relationship with ICA? I was so curious about those. However, the most interesting thing to me
is to detect the management secrets that lead Ondalba to success.

 My Homework
(Relevant information of the Company)

ICA s.r.l is an important client of one of our

corporation partner. It is a leading firm in the
European market in processing paper for
hygienic and sanitary purposes. ICA s.r.l has
specialized for more than 20 years in
manufacturing industrial rollers, rolled-up and
interleaved towels, jumbo and mini jumbo toilet
paper, sheets and facial tissues. ICA provides
high quality products all around the world, of course, Including China. Our company’s
corporation partner acts as ICA’s forwarding agency in
Asia.

Before I came to Italy, I knew only a few about Ondalba:

ICA belongs to Ondalba Group. The enterprise located in
Alba area, Cuneo Province, close to the main port of Italy:
Genoa.

In order to have a better understanding of the enterprise, I

collected some information about Ondalba.

Ondalba s.p.a was founded in 1954. At that time in

Baldissero d’Alba, Caesar Allasia reconverted his
production of wooden packaging in a new type of lighter,
sturdier and cheaper material, which had only just come
out at the time: corrugate cardboard. He saw a future in
manufacturing of corrugated. Ondalba was the product of
this idea. Starting the business as a firm in a room of just
200 m2 with two workers, the company was growing in

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popularity penetrate new markets and became an important benchmark in the industry.

In 1960’s, the company started a strong expansion owing to an increase in demand. For the
purpose of increasing the production and meeting the needs of the market, a new 2000 square
meters plant was opened in Corneliano d’ Alba in 1963.

In 1977 the current industrial settlement was created with the construction of a new 7000 m2
plant in Baldissero d' Alba.

All the machineries on boxes production lines were replaced to the most advanced ones in1982.

Since 1991, the company further promoted the mechanization production and installed
corrugating lines.

1995 was a remarkable year because the company became one of the first in this sector to print
on four-color cardboard.

With the joining of ICA, the group started the hygienic and sanitary paper production and
business in 2001.

In 2003, Ondalba installed the line for digital printing directly on corrugated cardboard and
became the first in Italy.

Quality was further refined reaching a six-color flexographic print with varnish in year 2006.

Today, Ondalba is equipped with the most technologically advanced machineries as far as the
whole integrated production cycle is concerned, from cardboard corrugation to complete
packaging manufacture even in high definition.

Above information just gave me a general impression, but far less than what I needed to
conclude the key clues of their success. There were still many mysteries waiting to be revealed.

 Meeting Colleagues
(People I met and worked with)

The whole journey actually began on a Saturday morning when I arrived at Corneliano d’ Alba.

After entered the office in ICA, I was a little bit surprise to see six persons sitting in the small
meeting room waiting for me (because it was weekend), not only the bosses, but the colleagues
that I might work with in the coming next eight weeks were all there.

Franco Allasia (FA): Big boss of Ondalba Group

Franco Bonetto (FB): Partner of Franco Allasia, boss of ICA s.r.l
Mattia Bonetto: Director of Marketing and Sales
Bruno： Director of ECOPAL Pallet Production
Myriam: Administration Manager
Michela: Secretary

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Since I had many years experience in international trade, my job during the internship period
should be majorly concerning in marketing and sales. Therefore, Mattia was appointed as my
internship supervisor. Michela took the responsibility to prepare my presentence sheets and
contact with my DOC of this program. What inspiring me was the two bosses were all glad to
show me the managerial mode of the enterprise and prepared to answer my questions about
their ideas on the management “at any time” after they knew that I was interested in this area!
(Internship Department & Position in the company and name of the internship supervisor)

Anyhow, I decided to try to find Ondalba’s managerial secret by working with my colleagues and
observing the daily operation before ask the answer from the bosses directly.

 The Usual Pattern

(Company size, number of employees and background: branches and partnerships,
etc.)

Usually, the first working day in a company should be started at the introduction of the company.
In ICA, there was no exception.

Myriam was waiting for me in her office.

After a brief introduction on the history and development of Ondalba, she came to the business
and structure of the group. In order to help me understood, Myriam drew a simple chart on a
piece of paper:

ONDALBA
GROUP
BOARD OF
DIRCTORS

ONDALBA FLEET OF ICA ECOPAL

(s.p.a) VEHICLES (s.r.l) (s.r.l)

Ondabat
Digital Division Ondacor (Coating Stella ECOPAL
(Digital Printing) (Hives) Corrugated (Paper Tissue) (Cardboard
Cardboard) Pallets)

There are three companies under Ondalba Group: Ondalba, Ica and Ecopal. The Ondalba s.p.a
has three subsidiaries. Each company is specialized in a certain specific product line with its
own brand.

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3 workers work for digital division; 12 workers work for Ondacor and ICA’s orders; 7 workers
work on the Ondabatproducts;7 workers for cardboard pallets.

Drivers in the fleet are 7 in total.

The total number of employees is 10.

Not so much workers, eh? But the production of corrugated cardboard cartons increased from
30,000 pieces per year in 1954 to 48,000,000 pieces per year in 2008.

Only for the 3 workers working for digital printing, they can help the group gain an annual profit
around 1,000,000 Euro.

The turn over of the group in 1998 was 15,000,000 Euro with 20~25% gross profit. Even in the
bad economic situation in 2008, the group also made a turnover of 25,000,000 Euro with 8%
gross profit.

 “What’s Your Expectation?”

(Brief Personal Project Description & Personal expectation before the internship)

“Boss’s waiting for you.” After been implanted the basic knowledge of Ondalba group, I was led
to FB’s office.

“What’s your expectation on the internship in ICA?” FB asked me directly.

I had prepared. My personal project before leaving China was to help my company establish a
Strategic Planning and Development Department which aims to offer the decision-makers
reliable, quality information and proposals for business development, market development and
channel development that will reduce risks and maximize business development. To fulfill the
mission, one needs at least the following skills:

1. A good understanding to different markets, culture and characters.

2. Communicate effectively.
3. Regard the decision-makers and the concerning business departments inside the
company as the customers and continually communicating with them. Try to
achieve 100 percent customer satisfaction.
4. Develop entrepreneurial flair: continuously keep abreast of new trends and
competitors, create and maintain inside and outside information collection channels.
5. Keep the strategies based on the current market situation but rotated around
Company long term developing goals.

Thus, in ICA, I can improve my understanding towards different markets; challenge my

communication skills under a different culture background; learn from them how to achieve
customer satisfaction; try to get some experience on how they make the development strategy,
manage operation, control risks and so on.

Then I answered fluently, “Generally, I am interested in three aspects:

“Firstly, although I have done business with Europeans before, I have never had the experience
of working together with Italian. It will be a good chance for me to know your business culture

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and characters, as well as the concerning procedures in Europe. If I have a better
understanding on your way in doing business, I suppose we can find some potential cooperation
chances in the near future.

“Secondly, I am curious about your profit model and managerial tactics of Ondalba. How can it
manage to remain invincible in a very competitive area while keeping the price at a
comparatively stable high level?

“Thirdly, before turning to a new entrant of Ondalba group, ICA has engaged and got succeed in
the tissue world for many years. Why join the group? It must be a fascinating story on your
cooperation for bilateral benefits. If you don’t mind, I’d love to know the whole story, from the
initial thinking to the following-up operation methods.”

FB laughed, “Vivienne, I will try my best to help you find all the answers. ”

 Working Assignment
(Internship Department & Duties and responsibilities assigned)

To be a qualified intern, only express my own expectation was not enough. I must try to utilize
my merits and ascendancies, as well as all my knowledge and experience to achieve the host
company’s expectation to me.

Mattia, the director of Marketing and Sales just wanted me to do market researches, find and
make some contacts with their potential suppliers and customers in China and south-east Asia.

The tasks were:

1. Find some paper mill manufacturers in China and make inquiry on certain
specifications;
2. Make market researches on Chinese market volume for cardboard pallet,
especially in south-west China;
3. Investigate production costs and sale prices of some certain types of the paper
products in China and compare with the similar products made by Ondalba;
4. If possible, try to provide information for hygienic and sanitary paper market in
Myanmar and access.

Those missions were not very difficult. Because during more than 30 years operation on
international trade in Asia, my company has its own channels and network. Part of the work
could be done by myself. And my pals in China and Myanmar may help me finish the rest part.
But, to complete those missions perfectly was not easy. It would need time, concentration,
relation (sometimes) and careful investigation.

Anyhow, I saw the possibilities that my company and Ondalba to explore and develop jointly
Asia market on the aforesaid projects.

 Discovery 1: Secret on Common Material

(Activities / tasks performed & Lessons learned)

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In order to let me understand Ondalba’s business, FA arranged me to go to different plants
under the Group. The first station was the cardboard pallet (ECOPAL) plant.

ECOPAL are made from common material: cardboard. Seems nothing special? But, when
comparing with the traditional wooden pallet, ECOPAL demonstrates extraordinary:

ECOPAL is a produced industrially in various configurations to suit different needs from

products handling and storage. For special uses, the pallet of cardboard will save the
customers’ cost up to 50%.

Thanks to its light weight and minimum space, ECOPAL also reduces the cost of both land and
air freight. The absence of nails, splinters, and contaminants minimizes the possibility of
damages to products and people. It has already become a solution reduces the costs of
management.

In merchandising and modern distribution, ECOPAL fits well in the store. It can be printed,
colored, and form a single submission with the display and the pal box for an effect of high-
impact merchandising. In addition, when considering of the manageability, customers may find
that the materials of ECOPAL can be easily recovered as waste paper.

ECOPAL is also resistant. The actual size of the pallet is determined by several variables:
however, static testing on the 80x120 model has indicated a capacity of approximately 37
quintals of evenly distributed weight.

ECOPAL resists water and humidity and is immune to contaminants and mould; its continuous
surface also ensures a better protection of the products from damages during shipping.

Cheaper，lighter，stronger, easier to retrieve and less contamination, Ondalba was keen to

find the business opportunities from the common material. ECOPAL has been regularly used
to transport goods from Italy in Europe, in Arab countries, USA, Australia and New Zealand.

 Discovery 2: How to Make It Better and Faster?

(Activities / tasks performed & Lessons learned)

“If you can make it better and faster than your competitors, half of the battle is at hand.” FA said.

But how? The mystery was revealed at the Digital Division of Ondalba.

Ondalba introduced a new technology for large format digital printing directly onto corrugated
cardboard.

Ondalba was the first in Italy to apply six-color flexographic print on their own production of
corrugated cardboard sheets in just one step (printing – drying – plastifying become a
completely no-break procedure), up to a dimension of 160 cm x 300 cm.

Thus, the just-one-step technology made the following possible:

Zero fixed start-up costs
Zero fixed prepress costs
Zero fixed cut and die cutting costs.

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With these production lines, short runs can be carried out on the day. And the Digital Division
accepts orders on the design and production of packaging, visual signs, product exhibitors,
promotional material, vertical floor stands, Images for stands, fairs and sales points, displays
and signs for cinema, theatres, entertainment venue, exhibition booths, indoor and outdoor
advertising.

The printing can be implemented immediately from files provided by the customers. Ondalba
can design starting from a customer’s idea, taking care of the graphics and the prototype, up to
the finished product; provide printed samples for complex projects, which require actual size
prototypes. No film, no plates are needed.

The equipment cost on digital printing line is higher than the offset line printer. But compared
with the offset line printer, the digital printing line achieves lower cost, higher efficiency (because
less procedures are needed) and higher quality.

Immediate delivery became available. And even one-piece-only requirement can be satisfied.

The use of new technologies and the investment on the advanced equipments allowed
Ondalba provide better service faster and more flexible. Big companies like Dove, Nestlé, and
Carrefour etc. all became Ondalba’s clients.

(one digital printing line and it’s products)

 Discovery 3: Quality, Always Quality

(Activities / tasks performed & Lessons learned)

Standing in the plant of ICA, I asked Michela, why used the star as the logo mark for the tissues
and paper towels. She explained the Brand Connotation to me: “The STAR, a small dot in the

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universe of paper maybe small but not less shining than others infinitely bigger. Who learnt to
recognize and follow this STAR could reach his destination with firm steps. That means，we do
not intend to be a giant in this area, but we should concentrate on out products and service,
make STELLA become the symbol of high-quality. When people see the STAR, they will
associate it with good quality and guaranteed service.”

Stella Products has tissue products in a wide variety of styles for different application types.
Different colors indicate different materials and applications. Take the rolls for example. The
RED STAR line is made of virgin pure pulp. It is available in the following products: kitchen
towels, industrial roll, medical sheets, toilet paper for industrial and domestic use. The BLUE
STAR line is made of mix. This is the suitable term to indicate a mix of virgin fiber and selected
recycled. It is available in: industrial roll, hand towels, medical sheets, and toilet paper for
industrial and domestic use. The GREEN STAR line is made of 100% recycled. It can keep the
same characteristics of the best papers and winks at the ecology. It is available in industrial roll,
medical sheets and industrial toilet paper.

The subdivisions of the tissue and paper towel products just showed part of emphasis ICA put
on the quality of service. Ondabat place heavy emphasis on quality as well. Covered Facilities
of 7000 s.q.m, equipped with a case-maker line and automatic flat puncher, Ondabat can
quickly supply American boxes, punched boxes, and both anonymous and personalized printed
packages with up to 4 colors. Of the five lines available (all with four colors and can produce
about 200,000 pieces a day) in detail and used to die cutting and printing quadricomia, for a
development of 1600 mm x 2800 mm. The production is diversified in U.S. boxes, die-cut,
cranes, bottom snap and hives.

Ondalba always puts in first place the quality factors; whether the supply of raw materials or
finished products. It provides the most important domestic and foreign paper mills (with UNI EN
ISO). The raw material tests are carried out blast CMT-CCT and the finished product testing
compression. Strict quality tests ensure the quality standard.

 Discovery 4: Not Secret, But…(Cost Control)

(Activities / tasks performed & Lessons learned)

“What do you think is the most efficient way to surpass your competitors in a mature business?”
FB suddenly asked me when I was assiduity in cutting my fish pizza at lunch time.
“Reduce the cost”, I answered with a ready tongue.
“Exactly. There’s no secret in Ondalba, but just cost control.”

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Ondalba did nothing very special, but just a set of effective cost control methods:

1. Ondalba preferred to purchase raw materials directly from the

manufacturer but not the distributor.

2. Established long term relationships with qualified supplier, stable

purchase quantity brought about lower purchase cost.

3. New technology helped reduce the labor cost. Take Ondacor for
example. When the production of traditional corrugated and non-corrugated
beehive-flute card board were totally changed to be implemented by automatic
lines, the same staff could increase their output three times than that of before.

4. Ondalba owns a fleet of vehicles, so that it can better meet customers’

needs and deliver the goods directly to the appointed warehouses or ports without
overstock. Meanwhile, when purchasing the raw materials, the fleet provided high
flexibility, punctuality and convenience to the Group. Owning the fleet of vehicles
enabled Ondalba to use Just-In-Time management technology. Thus, the
business’s return on investment was improved by reducing in-process inventory
and associated carrying costs.

5. In order to integrate the resources and make full use of each

subsidiary’s advantages, the internal affiliate transaction within the Ondalba group
were encouraged.
For example, ICA purchased the materials for tissue and paper towel (sometimes,
ICA bought cardboard and boxes from Ondabat as package materials). Then
Ondacor provided the processing service to ICA from cutting to packing until the
final products ready to be delivered. Ondabat, Ondacor and Ecopal used the sale
channels of ICA to promote their sales and expand overseas markets.

6. Installed new plant in low labor cost south-east Asia country.

Every step in development should concern on the cost control; but cost control is not the
target, it’s the secret ingredient in keep the enterprise alive and live better.

 An Informal Interview (Caution & decisiveness)

(Activities / tasks performed & Lessons learned)

FA and FB were not always in the office. But that day they were just there, just saw an important
client off and in high spirits. Therefore, I got a chance to know more about what they thought,
just like making an informal interview.

The conversation in that afternoon gave me the answers in three aspects.

1. Strategies should be differed in different markets

Ondalba focused on different superiorities of different countries, then made different strategies
in different markets. Ondalba provided products to European market (which was its tradition
market) with persistently high standard; Chinese enterprises were the major supplier of Ondalba,

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because it could purchase high standard materials with comparatively lower price; it has
installed a tissue plant in Vietnam, of which the products were sold to Vietnam, China and
Australia markets.

The sales volume kept increasing in Australia recent years. Ondalba opened a company in
Brisbane to operate the business in that land. It did not sell directly to the end users. Actually, it
gave the same price on the same product to wide-spreaded local distributers. Most of sales
came from away-from-home consumption, such as schools, restaurants, hospitals and other
public places.

2. Caution & Decisiveness

Ondalba has a strong orientation towards innovation and the development of all systems to
succeed in being competitive and offer a constantly improved service to their customers.

Over the long term, advanced technique would bring benefits to the enterprise. So, never
hesitate when you were capable to pay for the technology innovation. That means, you need to
have foresight and decisiveness. On the other hand, any investment may have risk. Caution
should be of equal importance.

A good decision maker is the one who can balance caution and decisiveness and make
right judgment at the right time. And the good judgment comes from your familiarity to the
developments and trends in this industry and the experience (good or bad) you gained before.

3. Philosophy Decided the Scale

Ondalba kept on developing during the past fifty year but not grew too fast. Its philosophy was
based on constant improvement and concentration towards the interested parties:

- Improving quality, rationalizing work and tasks of the whole company’s personnel.
Everyone’s aware and assured contribution is the essential premise for reaching our
targets.
- Improving living and working relations both with colleagues (internal and / or external to
the company) and customers, granting them a central role in strategy and processes.
- Reducing the “non quality” costs, which are present in all operating stages, be they
indirect, evident or hidden. All this increases the overall cost of the finished products and
must therefore be eliminated.

 The Early Bird Catches the Worm

(Activities / tasks performed & Lessons learned)

The working time in Ondalba is from 8:00 to 11:50 and from 14:00 to 18:00. But let’s see
Mattia’s work timetable on a common day in August.

4:30 call for Eversail Logistics Co. (in China)，discuss an urgent delivery for new
batches of raw material
5:20 make conference call with the sales conference call with the sales agency in
Brisbane, Australia
7:30 arrived at the office; check the sales report of last quarter

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 8:15 make phone call to the partner in Vietnam about the new tissue products’
marketing in south Vietnam
9:45 go to Turin to meet two French clients
12:15 have lunch with Mr. Nicolello (a local customer)
14:50 check my progress on the cardboard pallet research project
15:00 arrange the payments before the two-weeks’ summer vacation
15:40 arrange the preparation for the exhibition to be held in Saluzzo in four weeks
16:20 receive new customer from Spain, meeting in the office (together with FB)
17:55 discuss with Bruno about the new order
18:45 leave the office
20:00 attend a dinner party held by a client in Alba.

Not every day was arranged as full as that one. But actually that was a typical day for the young
sales director.

In hot August, almost everyone in Italy took the summer holidays. The workers in Ondalba were
no exception. They could have two weeks to three weeks holiday. All the workshops in Ondalba
were closed during this period. However, the office was still running. “Because our business are
keep moving in other parts of the world”, FB said. “The machines in Vietnam are running, the
sales in Australia are going, and our clients in China are still working”.

“Goal, motivation and passion. Setting your goal, and always focus on it, you’ll have the
strong desire and willingness. This strong desire and willingness will become your motivation,
which may help you keep passion in your job. ” FB said. “If you can clearly define your goal, use
your passion to reach it. Early bird catches the worm, diligence gets its reward. ”

The higher is the position, the more is the responsibility, and the more industrious one should be.
That seemed an unwritten rule in Ondalba.

 We Are the Family

(Activities / tasks performed & Lessons learned)

No, I would never describe the management in Ondalba as callous and grim. Never. They
implement strict quality control on work but human-based management on employees.

The average annual staff turnover in Ondalba had been kept under an extremely low ratio (2%)
for many years. Skilled operators are hot everywhere in this field. How to make them keep the
loyalty to the company? FA just took four simply and effective ways:

Firstly, develop the salary slightly higher than the industry average level.

Secondly, provide training opportunities to keep up with the new technologies.

Thirdly, create a friendly working environment. At 10 am and 4pm, there were coffee breaks.
The boss, managements, and workers all gather together to a small corner to take a break.
People here were all familiar with each other (or even their family members) and willing to give a
hand to his/her co-workers. They made jokes towards each other, the employer and employees
were no difference. Show respect to clients and show appreciation to co-workers who work
closely created warm and good emotions in Ondalba.

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 (a manager, a client and an employee at break time. Guess, who’s who?)

Last but not least, carefully set posts. If ten years should be a circle in this area, there’s always
7 good years and 3 bad years. Ondalba cut the working hours short instead of cut jobs
when the economic turn down. On the other hand, Ondalba expand carefully during the
economic prosperity period. It never expanded too much and set new posts carefully. This
step helped Ondalba keep the stability of the skilled staff and gain the reputation of good
employer in this field.

Use the words of one old operator in Ondacor, who had worked for the company for twenty
years, “Why leaving? We are the family! Good times and bad times, we spend together!”

 When in Rome Do As the Romans Do

(Activities / tasks performed & Lessons learned & Contributions Given)

Before I came to Corneliano, I was exciting with a little bit nervous. Because it was the first time
that I should worked alone in a totally different culture environment. But I believed an old Italian
saying: when in Rome, do as the Romans do.

The basic rules in working field were also applicable in every company around the world:
faithful, honest, responsible, punctual, dedicated, confident, modesty, Integrity,
cooperative and friendly, etc.

Most Italians I met were all friendly and warm hearted. The family oriented Italians preferred to
spend their spare time with their families and friends together. So, if a Chinese girl showed the
same friendly and warm hearted, with a bit humor and showed concerns towards people
around her, she may easily accommodate herself to new circumstances. I did so, and my life
after work became easier and more colorful. During the whole summer, I attended numberless
dinners, family parties and picnics with my colleagues and their families and made many new
friends.

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I also noticed that the many people from North Italy seemed ambitious, diligent and struggling at
work. Mattia was just a good example. Anyhow, he was satisfied with my progress on the tasks
he assigned to me: We had got the quotations from Chinese paper mill manufacturers; The
market researches on Chinese market volume for cardboard pallet was carrying on with
the support of my colleagues in China; collected data on some certain types of paper
products has almost finished…Working together with diligent persons, you yourself
must also try your best.

Sometimes, after FB or Mattia ended a telephone conversation with someone in China, they
would tell me what that person just had said. Then asked me what was hidden behind the words.
Sometimes they asked me to make the phones. That was funny. Due to the culture difference,
the Orientals express their ideas and attitude in a very euphemistic way and that makes the
Europeans completely confused. Once I knew the exact situation, I tried to explain their Chinese
partners difficulties to them in a more direct way. I was always willing to explain what we
usually think and do under certain circumstances, what will be the normal response and
how people speak of or refer to by means of a euphemism. I was happy to help them to
get a better understand about Chinese business culture and markets. Meanwhile, I learned
a lot on how Italians would response in the same situation.

 Windfall at Dinner in Bruno’s House

(Activities / tasks performed & Future possible business opportunities)

Monday morning, Bruno invited some colleagues to take supper in his house. It was just at the
beginning of September. And I was still wearing my summer skirt. The temperature dropped
sharply in the afternoon because the cold spell came.

I was nearly frozen when I ringed his doorbell. But inside the house, I felt just as warm as in the
early summer.

“Your air conditioner’s quite good.” I said.

“Oh, no. I use wooden pellets to heat the water and warm the house.” Bruno smiled.

Wooden pellets? I knew that is a new kind green alternative energy fuel. It can be made from
wide range of raw materials, such as residues of forestry production, sawdust, wood shavings,
bark, sanding powder generated during the bamboo processing or wood-based panel
production, straw, waste papers and other typed of combustible coal. Before I left for Europe, I
heard that my boss (in China) intended to invest on a wooden pellet production plant in
Myanmar. Therefore, I was interested when I heard that wooden pellets were popular in
common families in Italy.

Before the dinner finished, I had already known that wooden pellets had many advantages:
large proportion, high calorific value, burning full, cheap, easy to use, clean, easy for storage
and transportation, etc.; the calorific values and continuous burning time differed between white
ones and black one, as well as their prices. I was sure, my boss would be interested in that.

In the next few days, with the support of FA, FB, Bruno and Michela, I collected some
information of the wooden pellets market in Italy then wrote a brief report and sent back to
China. It indicated the major pellet suppliers (countries) in Italian market, the market access
conditions and the sales prices of different producers, etc. Also, I mentioned the possibilities to

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cooperate with Ondalba, because my host company had known some sales channels in Europe.
That report was praised by my boss and both companies were willing to take the chance to
cooperate in the coming near future.

 Ondalba’s Secret
(Lessons learned)

Eight weeks had elapsed in a flash. I counted this period well spent. Ondalba’s success secret
unveiled gradually. I tried to sum up as follows:

 Have keen vision in finding business opportunities

 Take advantages of new and advanced technologies
 Focus on quality improvement
 Implement firm cost control measures
 Caution and Decisiveness are both important
 Never advance rashly
 Goals, motivation, and passion generate positive working attitude
 Use human-based management increase the employees’ loyalty
 Improve the client’s satisfaction persistently

Just as simple as that? Yes, Indeed. Using those simple rules, Ondalba developed step by step.
It seemed those rules would be applicable in many situations.

 Attitude Is Most Important

(Overcome resistance)

However, knowing the rules is one thing, knowing how to implement those general rules in a
different environment is another thing.

I suddenly remember once when I felt frustrated about my work, FB told me:” Everyday you may
have ten problems, but you will find eleven solutions everyday. Meet the problem, then solve it.
Life’s not complicated. Be positive is the most important thing.”

My plan had been accepted by our company’s management. In this way, it would not be difficult
to gain the financial and personnel support. But no one knows what other barriers might be. I
believe, attitude is most important in overcoming resistance. Be positive towards difficulties,
show the willingness to cooperate and communicate with people may play a large role in
promoting the project progress.

 “I will always cherish this unforgettable experience.”

(comments)

The time had come to say goodbye. In summary, I must say “I will always cherish this
unforgettable experience”.

I felt 7 weeks study and 8 weeks (first) internship fulfilled and fruitful. It condensed management
courses at prestigious European business schools internship European companies. METP4 just

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gave me the chance to broaden my outlook and advance my abilities. I obtained the latest
managerial concepts from first-class European business schools and improved my managerial
skills through the training. This experience helped me enhance the understanding towards
European business culture and strength the interpersonal skills. Also, I applied what I learnt
from the business schools and my past experience in Ondalba. The internship in Ondalba
helped me have a better understanding towards different markets under a different culture
background; learn how to achieve customer satisfaction; think more about the core of
management and how to put the conception into practice.

There were so many memorial moments in my study and the first internship. I was so glad that
my colleagues now have a more direct and intuitionistic understanding about the common
business culture and behaviours in China. And both of my company and my host company in
Italy are willing to keep closely connection in future to search more possibilities in exploring and
developing both markets in China and EU and find cooperation opportunities to obtain mutual
benefits.

As a saying goes “The dream of yesterday is the hope of today and the reality of tomorrow.” The
whole experience in METP 4 just showed me how we can have my feet firmly on the ground but
still hold passion and dreams. I felt grateful to all those persons I met in this program. As the
third internship successfully ended, I realized the new journey in my life would start. I am
mentally and physically prepared.

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