Once so short of money she considered splitting a steamed bun between two meals, Chi is now the largest shareholder and chairperson of Chaheng Precision Co., a manufacturer of aero-engine parts based in southern Taiwan’s Kaohsiung City. The company counts some of the world’s top aerospace firms among its clients including U.S.-based GE Aviation and London-headquartered Rolls-Royce.
“I grew up in a single-parent household. My mother, influenced by patriarchal culture, treated my younger brother a lot better than she treated me. She thought it wasn’t necessary for girls to get an education, even though I was doing quite well at school. That meant I needed to support myself through college. At one point, when I was taking night classes, I was working nine jobs at once. I often didn’t finish until 4 in the morning.
I got married when I was 22. At the time, I just wanted a reason to leave my family and I wanted to feel loved. But the marriage turned out to be a disaster. I was the one paying all the bills including the expense of raising two children. I didn’t dare file for divorce until my kids had grown up and gone off to university because I didn’t want to fight a custody battle as I was worried my husband would win. Money was so tight in those days. Sometimes I’d consider making a single steamed bun last for two meals. I’ve run out of tears now. It feels like I’m telling someone else’s story.
About 20 years ago, I started working as an accountant for a mold maker [Chaheng]. The company had been operating at a loss for years. Because the government was promoting the aerospace industry at the time, arguing it had promising growth prospects, I suggested to the shareholders that we venture into the sector. I worked relentlessly and we managed to win a number of tenders from Aerospace Industrial Development Corp. [AIDC]. Competition during the bidding process was very intense, making profit margins slim. After doing business with AIDC for eight years, the shareholders were reluctant to continue investing. But I didn’t want to give up, so I sold my house and borrowed money to buy out the business, becoming chairperson in 2005.
For us to make a decent profit, I realized that we needed to bypass AIDC and secure orders directly from major players. So I flew to France to visit the aviation giant Safran, eventually convincing it to give my company a chance. To reduce production costs, I bought locally made machinery and recruited several AIDC retirees. It took our company just 18 months to complete product development and commercialization and obtain the technical certification required by Safran. Our business with the French group helped us establish ties with other leading aircraft engine makers such as GE Aviation and Rolls-Royce.
(Photo by Chen Mei-ling)
Our three manufacturing plants, including a fully automated production facility equipped with state-of-the-art cyberphysical systems integrating big data, cloud computing and robotics, are running at full capacity and are even struggling to fulfill orders. We’re building a second automated factory that will open by the end of the year. At current levels of business, we’ve secured at least a decade’s worth of orders.
Chaheng employs fewer staff compared with many other high-tech firms. We have about 200 workers, but they’re all experienced and highly skilled professionals. I hire lots of women, around two-fifths of the workforce are female. My company probably has more women than any other aerospace firm in Taiwan.
I’ve endured immeasurable suffering in my life and I’m stronger, braver and more determined because of it. I believe I can achieve anything I set my mind to. I’ve traveled to about 100 countries on business. Every day, I’m busy attending meetings, receiving guests and visiting customers. The only time I have left to review corporate documents is at night, so I work until late. I’ve been taking sleeping pills for seven years. To relax, I catch up on sleep, take a bath and watch TV.
Because I don’t have to worry about money anymore, I feel content with my life right now. My two children are a great comfort to me. My daughter is independent, smart and well-educated. She’s been working at my company for eight years and she’ll become CEO this year.
The most memorable day of my life was Sept. 19, 2018. It was the day my company received an outstanding commitment award from GE Aviation, the world’s top jet engine manufacturer. We were one of three award winners out of hundreds of suppliers from around the globe. It’s been my greatest accomplishment so far. It felt like my dream had come true.
My whole life has been full of challenges. I’m an optimistic person, otherwise how would I have gotten to where I am today? I consider myself very lucky because hard work doesn’t always guarantee success.”
—interview by Kelly Her
Write to Kelly Her at kher@mofa.gov.tw