Staff Spotlight: Min Wang

Next up for our staff spotlight series is Min Wang! Min has a unique and crucial position at Associated as our IT manager:

1) How long have you worked at Associated?

In September, it will be ten years, so almost a decade!

2) Describe your journey at Associated so far.

When I moved to this country, my background and education were related to IT, and I had no experience with the labels or packaging industry. However, my first job here was with a label company, and I worked in production as a rewinder, helping out with IT here and there. When I left that job to look for another, I found out Associated Labels and Packaging were looking for a rewinder, and I was so excited to apply, knowing that they were leaders in the industry When I interviewed, we discussed my IT background, but there was no availability for me at that time. After I got the rewind job, I moved on to the Digicon a year and a half later and then, a year after that, I was able to work as an IT assistant. Five years after that, I became the IT manager, and that’s where I am now.

3) How would you describe the work environment?

It's so friendly. No matter where you’re coming from, as long as you’re here you’re a member of the ALP family. There are lots of opportunities to bring your ideas to management as well, it’s one of my favourite things about working here. If you work hard, have ideas, and can back your ideas up, it’s likely that management will give you an opportunity to try it out.

4) What is your favourite thing about working here?

The people. It's a very friendly environment and, again, when you work here, you know you have an opportunity to bring your ideas to the table.

5) What's been your best day at work so far?

The first project assigned to me when I started as an IT assistant at ALP was to improve our inventory system. At that time, it was paper-based and took so long to maintain, taking 3-4 days to do inventory across the warehouses. I created a dynamic system that allowed the team to check inventory dynamically and also reduced the time it took to manage inventory to only a few hours. This was a great feeling to be able to contribute in a big way and make things much more efficient, especially for my first project at the company.

6) What are you most proud of since working here?

Being able to act as a resource. I love being able to use my knowledge to help people, making processes run more smoothly, and even helping make our team’s lives easier when it comes to technology 

7) What is the biggest challenge you've had since working here?

Technology changes so rapidly that you’re always catching up or having to move quickly to adapt. A big example of this was at the beginning of the pandemic when we quickly had to shift our office employees to remote work. This had to be done so quickly and with a system that was efficient and secure, which was a challenge. Also, everyone had to be trained on the system to make it a smooth transition from the office to home, so that was tricky too.

8) Do you have a particular moment or memory at Associated that stands out for you?

Last year, I was working in one of our production buildings and broke a compressed air conduit, which exploded and scared everyone in the building. Unfortunately, it shut down production for a few hours, so that was not a great memory!

9) What does a typical day look like for you, and what are you currently working on?

So many of us are working from home so I start the day by checking my company phone to make sure there are no pressing issues and that no one needs help. After that, I check our system to make sure all of our files are fully backed up, check my email, and continue to help people out.

Right now, I'm working on a few projects, but the biggest one is the upgrade to our ESKO system.

10) How does Associated support professional development?

I love this quote from Shaun:

"The sky is the limit. A lot of people started on the production floor and worked their way up; there's a lot of room for growth.”

This is so true. In the last ten years, I've seen so many people working their way up. Associated really does offer equal opportunity, no matter where you're from.

11) What is on your wish list for the next 5 years?

I want to continue to bring in new technology to help the company and be able to reach customers all over the world. 

12) Given the chance, who would you be for a day?

When he was alive, Steve Jobs! I think the impact he left was amazing, and his idea was to change the world by thinking differently. I love that he always said, “you only live once, so make it count.”