●【Project Narrative】>>Reflections
During the time of this project, we realized that designing a website is not easy. Everyone had to put forth all efforts into research and homework. “Get the job done” was not going to bring us the best result. “There’s always next year,” this kind of thoughts did not stay with me for long once I started working with my teammates. From collecting information, software learning, interviews to being tour guides, made me understood that you cannot finished all the work on your own in group work. Only with cooperation we could overcome many obstacles. At the end of the semester, I found out we were behind the schedule, additionally we all had our own regular homework. If we were going to win anything in cyber fair, we really need to work on our time management.
From this project, I learned a lot more about Sheng Tai. A long running business has to pay attention to its own products. If a company only values profits and revenues but the quality of its products, it cannot have a sustainable operation. On the contrary, business which values design and production quality often has longtime supports from its customers. By our observation, Sheng Tai is a good company values product quality, but is the success so easily achieved? Of course not, ST not only pays attention to product quality, but also keeps on improving. Every product has its own story, every detail is carefully designed. You can learn this from all the awards ST has won. It is how they stay successful and on top of the industry.
Similar to how we conduct ourselves, if a man only choose the easy way or be opportunistic, certainly won’t lead to good result. Therefore we should learn more from Sheng Tai.
From this project, I learned a lot more about Sheng Tai. A long running business has to pay attention to its own products. If a company only values profits and revenues but the quality of its products, it cannot have a sustainable operation. On the contrary, business which values design and production quality often has longtime supports from its customers. By our observation, Sheng Tai is a good company values product quality, but is the success so easily achieved? Of course not, ST not only pays attention to product quality, but also keeps on improving. Every product has its own story, every detail is carefully designed. You can learn this from all the awards ST has won. It is how they stay successful and on top of the industry.
Similar to how we conduct ourselves, if a man only choose the easy way or be opportunistic, certainly won’t lead to good result. Therefore we should learn more from Sheng Tai.
After this project, my computer skill has really improved, such as drawing mind maps, graphic editing and audio/video recording, etc. I also learned how to get along with other people and proper manners. In addition, I realized that focusing on real social issues instead of gossips is very important. Although time on working the project is short, we put our whole selves into it and tried very hard to finish every progress.
With the progress of modern technology, the style and function of faucet become more diverse, and the new products gradually replace traditional Bib Taps. Even though traditional faucet gradually falls out of the market, Sheng Tai tries to reserve the tradition by creating the classical and kid-friendly Story Series faucet. It represents the original spirit and value while pursuing innovation. A faucet tells a history, a story and humanity. Thanks to all the hard work by its staff; creativity and innovation by its design team; and extraordinary leadership by operators, Sheng Tai is capable of making sorts of delicate faucets, bringing this dying industry back to the spotlight. |
Besides making many new friends during the time of cyber fair project, I learned how to cooperate within the team. It also taught me graphic processing and website design which were not included in computer class. If I would like to successfully finish the project, I could never being lazy or too casual. Dedicating on playing my role is the only way to do.
We usually have ordinary faucets other than stylish or fashionable ones unless there is a special need. Sheng Tai not only produces ordinary faucets, they also pursuit innovation with its own brand Justime to satisfy more customer demands. Walking into Sheng Tai product exhibition room and seeing those superb collections of product is really astounding. These products are the creations of hard work by various departments. Manager Zhao has said that their company emphasizes on design. Different people have different feelings through various designs, and emphasizing on design shows the core value of the company. This essential theory really helped me during campus introduction guides, and made me realized how to speak for the not very eye-catching faucet. |
During the project, I increased my Chinese typing speed and learned how to make a website. Otherwise, it gave me the opportunity to get in touch with the world outside school (like business interviews and plumbing exhibition). It also taught me some knowledge I cannot learn from textbooks.
Faucets nowadays are very different from the past. Sheng Tai is a company focusing on creativity. Through nonstop innovations they can satisfy customer demands. On the other hand, it also brings economy development in Dingfanpo. 
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I learned a lots of computer skills such as graphic processing and website design from this project. Besides, I found that Sheng Tai uses one stop production process to ensure their consistent production quality. From material, machining, electro plating to assembling, they do not assign their work to other companies. During the visit tour, their high standard quality control really impressed me and showed how much they care and persist on.
Sheng Tai is deserved to be called the leader of Dingfanpo faucet industry. When many companies relocated to China or other countries one after another, Sheng Tai hold to their convictions in Taiwan. From OEM to ODM, they kept on bring the plumbing industry in Dingfanpo to international stage. After the project, I realize finishing a job is not enough. I have to try my best no matter the result like Sheng Tai. |
Instructor Ming-Huan Li speaks from the heart
>> Instructor Ming-Huan’s reflections：
- Hsinchu is famous for its rice noodles which are mostly made in Changhua. Shetou is known for guavas and socks. You don’t have to ride a bicycle to know that Merida is from Changhua, and the best headlights on sports cars are made here too. It shows that “Bawan” and Mountain Pagua Grand Buddha are not the only famous things from Changhua. I discovered and understood all those low profile products from every cyber fair.
- Changhua is my hometown, but also the most unfamiliar place. If not for the researches and discovery activities in cyber fair, I would not have noticed these inconspicuous but extraordinary businesses. This cyber fair brought the attention to the easily-ignored faucets since the biggest production area is Dingfanpo in Changhua. Award-winning “Sheng Tai” is hidden inside thousands of plumbing factories.
- What is so special about faucet? I can start with the verb “produce.” Ordinary factories only produce functional faucet. Sheng Tai cares more than its functions, but also gives it “story” and “style.” Injecting it with Chinese culture and ideology makes faucet more than a machine controlling water flow. It also makes customers want to stop in front of faucet for a few seconds and contemplate its value. This value comes from the origin of production- design.
- The major difference about Sheng Tai is their big design department. This adds the most values other than function in their products. Secondly, Sheng Tai demands its products to be the best for the customers. Good manufacturing is all about the nitty-gritty details. ST transcends the word “manufacture” into more than production, OEM and design.
- There is an english phrase, “The devil is in the detail.” Foxconn chairman Terry Guo once quoted it to encourage itself. Any company which executes every process elaborately is a great model for children to learn from. Furthermore, these models are inside our hometown community. Changhua county, please keep surprising me!
>> Influences and Impacts：
- It is my first time working with an award-winning teaching team, the experience alone is very precious.
- Though it is my first year since transferring to Her-Ren elementary school, this is my fourth cyber fair project. At previous schools, I tried to let students make their own decisions apart from those problems they could not handle. Two out of three projects won county awards for excellence. I always contemplated about how to attract more attentions to the project. Her-Ren teaching team has won international silver award, it is a great honor to work with them.
- Her-Ren teaching team first uses related resources to teach and train students, then let them spontaneously conduct interviews and create website. Complete process is accord with the ambassador spirit of cyber fair. Making local children the ambassadors prompt them to discover the authenticity, kindness and beauty of their hometown. Through cyber fair, they can have deeper understanding about Changhua other than Buddha and Bawan. They will also proudly declare the love for their hometown.
- I saw the same spirit as Sheng Tai from the teaching team, attention to detail and procedures. From core concept development and systemic training to orderly stage process, every procedure makes children closer to their hometown and finishes the project. This is a well constructed team who take their responsibilities about education activity, local business and core value very seriously.
- In the future, I hope to make more contributions on leading different groups of kids to discover the beauty of local land.
>> Discoveries, Lessons, Surprises：
- Mundane thing in our daily life could be a well-seasoned masterpiece, and faucet is one of them. Just image that, it probably takes ten or twenty years to change a new faucet. Replacing with a stylish faucet hardly comes to mind. We usually take it for granted in our life. In fact, making a single object requires many procedures and different components. The company dedicates manpower and resources to create these ordinary necessities. This Cyber Fair project lets us to discover the extraordinariness in everyday life. This is the first discovery.
- We would not have realized there are so many plumbing companies here in Changhua area were it not for manager Zhao. About one third of accredited plumbing and OEM industry are situated in Changhua Dingfanpo area. In other words, about one third of faucets in Taiwan come from Changhua County. For us Changhua children, it is our pride and a big surprise. This is the second discovery.
- During the mentoring process before interviews, we told students to ask more questions about design. After all, an award-winning company not only has quality assurance, but also fashion sense which a great design requires. However, children have different point of view from adults. With the surging green thoughts, kids realize environmental issues are essential for us, especially how to deal with sewage sand wastes. I learned there is a fine line between guidance and free thinking, properly apply in the lessons can help these children walking on their own. This is the third discovery.
- At last, surprise me again, the beauty of my hometown! Greatly appreciated I have the chance to be in awe of different cyber fair project every year.