Our trip to Dongguan was primarily to visit with Bernhardt Furniture, a company with strong ties to ASU and with operations in China. The Bernhardt office is located in the Sofitel resort, ultimately making it feasible for us to stay there, as well as very convenient to meet with them. After a wonderful, relaxing night with the MBAs poolside, we woke up and enjoyed the most extensive breakfast spread ever. Calling it a buffet would not do this breakfast justice because there was fresh juice, homemade yogurt, and an array of my favorite cheeses accompanied by fresh bread. Great start!
We met up with our host, Steve, and boarded the bus to go visit the factory where Bernhardt furniture is manufactured. Lacquer Works is a Taiwanese company that operates in Dongguan and is rented by Bernhardt to do its manufacturing. They also produce other notable North Carolina brands. I never previously considered manufacturing interesting, however visiting the plant was a very cool experience. I definitely have a new interest in and appreciation for the manufacturing process. Maybe that’s in my future?
After the tour, we had a spicy lunch provided by Bernhardt, which was delicious and interesting as usual. As someone considering working abroad, it was nice having the opportunity to talk with professionals about their experiences landing a job and working internationally.
We also had our first free night, which was awesome as there had hardly been a moment to spare up until this point. Chinese food is delicious and unique, however after a week of solid Chinese food everyone agreed that a change was in order. While it was hardly the BEST choice, we ended up at some sort of Tex-Mex restaurant with overpriced, mediocre food (but it was totally perfect). It turns out that the place is owned by a guy from High Point, NC, small world huh? We had hoped that this connection would have landed us some free drinks, but alas Mr. High Point was not overly nostalgic about his old stomping grounds. To try and experience a little bit of Dongguan we went out to a club where there was a super cool chick DJ and we were the only non- Chinese. It seemed like a totally great place but Alex and I were pooped so we called it an early night and I enjoyed a wonderful night sleep back at the hotel.
Despite these safety precautions, we used no safety equipment nor did any of the workers
I know we are all used to seeing this in the States, however I did see a lot of 'made in the USA' in China
Alex and I at a pretty site in Dongguan
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