Jean-Noël Daguin

Job Title: Asia-Pacific - Controller for Manitowoc Cranes

Jean-Noël Daguin started working for Manitowoc in 2001 at our Zhangjiagang, China facility in a program equivalent to the VIE. Today, he is the controller for Manitowoc Cranes Asia-Pacific.

What were the main benefits of your VIE mission?

My VIE experience gave me the opportunity to work abroad in a foreign environment where I was able to learn about another culture and their way of working. It was challenging at the beginning, but with time, became more and more interesting. I also learned I needed to be self-sufficient, proactive and accountable for my work at a much faster rate than if I had not taken advantage of the VIE program. The true value of my VIE is certainly that I developed myself faster due to the environment, situations I faced and challenge of being in another unfamiliar place.

What advise would you’d like to share with a future Manitowoc VIE?

I would encourage any VIE to be open-minded and positive. There may be a time when you are not sure about your decision, but in the end, you will be proud of your accomplishments.

Do you have a funny or memorable experience you’d like to share about your time as a VIE at Manitowoc?

During my interview for the VIE position in 2001, I met with Eric Etchart, then President of the Asia region. As we talked, Eric Etchart did everything he could to discourage me from joining the team in Zhangjiagang by highlighting the fact that the facility was 4 hours away from Shanghai by car and in a remote location. He proceeded to describe a less than perfect situation for me and told me that this job would not be easy. However, I ended up accepting the assignment for 16 months. I found out later that it was his way of testing my motivation for the position. Now 7 years later, I’m still in China and I often laugh with Eric when we speak about this.