Sophie Huang
PPM Manager, Wenzhou Brewery
Class 2019 SET
ONLINE APPLICATION
Budweiser APAC Supply & Logistics Excellent Trainee program is designed to attract and employ outstanding recent graduates by helping them grow into our future experts and leaders in the Supply & Logistics field. SETs will be supported by comprehensive and effective training, broad career development opportunities and the highest attention paid by our management team. According to personal preference and business needs, the company provides two career paths of Experts and Management to help find the most suitable development directions and career paths. Foreign students (who have work-permit in China) who join our program can choose to work in South Korea, Vietnam, and India after training in China.
1-year paid training
Cross-functional rotation and challenging project opportunities
Support from Senior Managers & SETs as mentors & buddies
Rapid career development
International career development platform
In the first year of the program, SETs will receive an induction to the Supply & Logistics function and go through cross-department rotational training.
Experience life on the front-line of a brewery, while working with our technicians over 6-12 months to make the great beers we're famous for. But you won't just be observing. You'll make a direct impact – you'll address real challenges, create innovative solutions and help grow our business. Impress us and you'll soon be leading a team of your own.
Following the program, SETs will start their new journey in our breweries across Budweiser APAC and gradually grow into future experts and leaders in Supply & Logistics.
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"We are here for the beer, and for the dream to brew a better world. The first aim may sound negligible while the second one may sound too ambitious. However, it is my firm conviction that by crafting the finest beer in the world, we can help to make a better world."
After graduating from the University of Manchester with a Master degree in Management, I joined Budweiser APAC Supply and Logistics in 2019 as a member of the SET program. Within one year, I have already been involved in the PPM works of various breweries in China, Korea, and Vietnam. As for now, I am still part of the SET programme but I have been taking over the PPM manager's work in a brewery.
Since the January of 2020, I have been working as the PPM of the newly built craft brewery in Korea, while the business of another Chinese brewery also rested on my shoulder. Making sure that the two breweries can run well was the biggest challenge that I have met since I joined the company. The work in the Korean craft just commenced, which meant that I had to work from the ground up with no data for my reference. Time was pressing; uncertainties were emerging; and I needed to get familiar with the structure, system and business convention in the Korean brewery in no time.
Fortunately, with the support from PPM team and the cross-function cooperation, I could build up a work flow at the early stage. In mid-June, Korea craft brewery will officially start its operation, and my mission is accomplished.
I have to say, in Budweiser APAC, there are new opportunities and challenges waiting for me every day. They enable me to stay curious and stay sharp, to be a better me and to make a better world.
As 2015 SET, I started my career as TS process engineer. Then I was promoted to Supply Head Quarter as Zone Water Manager, Energy & Fluids KPI/Cost Manager, and currently I am working as a ZBS Utility Sustainability Associate Director. I have faced lots of challenges along the way, however I also gained full sense of achievement and boundless confidence.
"A job full of challenges can always keep the desire to fight". After I moved to Zone Brewery Support (ZBS) team, the most challenging goal was to reduce net water usage for zone, and be Global No.1 for net water usage.
As zone function, we needed to manage more than 37 different breweries with different facilities and production backgrounds, and need to face the unique challenge of other zones. "Be The Best" is our DNA. We reviewed detailed processes, communicated cross functionally, developed benchmarking and consumption models, and then organized workshop by Region/BU.
The results were encouraging. In 2018 and 2019, the net water usage was decreased by 4.52% and 4.95% consecutively, ranked globally no.1 and 7% absolute ahead of second place. With the growth and the teams that came together, I gained lots of knowledge and was awarded for being excellent functional manager for consecutive two years along with the 2018 APAC Owner award and Global Technical Manager Training – Excellent Certification.
Budweiser APAC has been sparing no efforts to fulfill the love for beer and the beer culture. In Supply Team, "Safety First, Quality Always, Efficiency Must, VPO forever" is never just a slogan. "Passion for the Beer" bring us together, "To be No.1" drive us forward, and "For a better world" makes me proud of my work and career here at Budweiser.
In the past few years, the company has been continuously developing, growing and achieving milestones after milestones, and I have been fortunate enough to experience the infinite platforms, opportunities and challenges brought by various rapid changes.
In my second year in the company, when the Harbin flagship brewery was being built, I accepted a big challenge. As the Brewing Supervisor, I led a team of 12 people to participate in the construction and production of this new plant. I still remembered that winter the lowest indoor temperature was -9 ℃. We stayed warm by cotton quilts, backed by our strong dreams. In order to ensure the quality and quantity of the construction work, we did not fear to work in the noise and dust. Fight against difficulties, fight against pressure, come rain or shine, we overcame all difficulties. Only in 3 months, we successfully achieved our first brew milestone.
During the last years, I experienced the construction of Harbin flagship brewery and zone brewing headquarters work in Wuhan. I served as the Brewemaster of Ziyang, the Brewmaster of JSB, the largest craft beer brewery in China. Now, I am the senior Brewmaster of Putian, the BEP no. 1 in the world and also a Partner in the company. I have received several of the most valuable honorary: owner, global excellent Brewmaster, first certified corona foreign Brewmaster, best partner of Asia Pacific university, and partner of the company.
In my eyes, the company's culture will never cease to exist, unwilling to be in front of the eyes, like a fast and progressive ship, which pushes everyone to constantly break through themselves. It will give you a huge platform and accompany you with almost unimaginable challenges along the way. My experience in Budweiser APAC is that of being very happy, lucky and fulfilled, at the same time, and letting myself grow rapidly.
There is no miracle in life, only the a result of efforts. From the ice city Harbin to the enthusiastic Wuhan, to the land of abundance in Sichuan, and then to the coastal city of Putian, my growth steps are everywhere. Thanks to Budweiser APAC for speeding up my dream, my steps will never stop!
"Challenge accepted mentality" is embedded in the everyone's DNA of the Supply Chain and Logistics function. It reminds me to always step out of my comfort zone and hence grow faster.
In 2009, as the first generation of SET, I was fortunate to join Budweiser APAC. In these 11 years, I went through one year of training, one year as Shift Leader, two years as Process Engineer, two years as Manager in the Technical Services department, one year as Full Support to one of our Indian breweries, one year as Baoding Brewery Plant Manager and almost three year as Tangshan Brewery Manager. I am also currently a Partner in the company. Every position has been full of challenges and each role presents broad range of opportunities for young people with head full of dreams and who willing to fight for it.
When I look back at my impact on the SET project, I am particularly proud of my support contributions to the Indian brewery in 2016. I along with a support team went from China to India, worked at the shop floor together with the local colleagues, used VPO tools, opened the gap in the production process, found opportunities & the root cause of the problems and formulated actions to solve the problem. Post which, new standards were set to ensure the stability of subsequent productions and stable cycle of SDCA. We overcame cultural & environmental differences and achieved the goals supported by our business unit in India. All KPIs of safety, quality and efficiency improved drastically that year and finally the Indian brewery got VPO (excellence program) certification by the end of the year.
At Budweiser APAC, the spirit of ownership drives us to work hard and achieve results. Stepping out of our comfort zones, working hard in the spirit of the ownership, focussing on execution, continuing to challenge, finding best benchmarks, opening gaps and finally surpassing the best benchmarks to form a new ones motivates Supply Chain and Logistics function to take every challenge bravely as it comes and achieve the goal of "Challenge accepted" each time.