Display Technology
CLIENT DESCRIPTION
This client is a start-up company focused on the development of electronic materials for the display industry. Their proprietary nanostructured materials can be deposited using existing production equipment to achieve enhanced performance of display devices and components at lower manufacturing cost. The company’s first product, a directly patternable, wet-processable transparent conductive film, is poised to replace the industry standard of sputtered indium tin oxide (ITO). Subsequent products will leverage this technology to produce other functional films for display and thin films applications.
They are based in Sunnyvale, California.
The client despite being in a start up phase in their home country was looking to hire their first full-time employee for Japan, as initial research conducted by an outsourced consultant had shown tremendous interest in their solution in this market. Part of the reason for this high interest and demand was due to the large numbers of display manufacturers here and also the high reliance on touch panel displays in everyday life in Japan.
Initial tests for potential clients and for potential production partners had proven very successful for the firm, indeed they had gained a firm investor and partner company in Sumitomo and they were eager to conduct and continue business here. Their issue however was that their outsourced consultant who had handled the preliminary work was due to return home with no possibility to extend his stay in Japan and in a very limited time period the company needed to find someone skilled enough to continue the work he had begun.
This was not an easy challenge for the company as their product is highly technical and requires someone with a PhD Level of understanding of Nano-Technology and display manufacturing techniques. The candidate also had to have a very high degree of fluency in English and Japanese to communicate with their non-Japanese speaking HQ and non-English speaking clients and partner companies.
The other challenge for the company was that they had no full-time employees in Japan to lead the recruitment process and no experience to hire someone in this country. The company had however established in Japan with a K.K. but there was no infrastructure in place to facilitate the hire or to work with.
ADEPT SOLUTION
Adept was introduced to this client through a mutual acquaintance and Governmental body. The initial step was to listen to the current business situation of the company including their set up in Japan and timeline. In the first meeting Adept outlined and clarified a target list of candidates for the role, based upon the desired criteria and suggested a hiring process that would effectively screen the candidates.
The initial point of contact for the search in Japan was to be the Consultant currently representing the client. Once initial first round interviews had been conducted by him the process would be taken over by the VP of Business Development in the US who would arrange meetings with the Director of Business Development in the US, members from Sumitomo, their main investor and business partner as well as with key technical people from with the client's corporation in HQ.
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Adept was very quick to identify a short-list of potential companies where candidates might be working. It was not easy as the people with these skills would be coming from very traditional Japanese companies who focus on the manufacture of LCDs. At this time however it was announced that Sony would be closing off several of its teams in the LCD manufacturing area and this was where Adept focused most of their attention.
Adept introduced about 8 people to the company, 4 of whom met for interviews and one was hired. The process ran smoothly with initial communication flowing between the consultant based in Japan and then to the VP based in California. Adept effectively maintained rapid response to questions and communication despite the awkward time-zone, with much of the work being conducted by Adept late at night in Japan. The selected candidate was a bilingual candidate coming from a background in LCD manufacture and had a PhD in Nanotechnology.
The process continued smoothly until the final stage when it was announced that the successful candidate would be given a very large redundancy pay out if he were to stay and work at his current company for a further 3 months. This was an unacceptable time to wait for the company as the loss of their consultant was imminent, however the candidate was reluctant to lose out on the redundancy pay out that was due to him.
Adept after many phone calls to both the candidate and the client proposed that the company accept the candidate's commitment to come and support them during the days off during the time he remained at his former company to fulfill his time and earn his redundancy pay. The number of days was agreed upon and fulfilled and the candidate remains in the company to this day breaking new grounds into the future of Touch-Panel Displays.
CONCLUSION
Through a proven ability to listen, flexible working approach and Adept Search Methodology a very difficult and challenging search was filled within the time limits desired by the company.