Today, we got to start our day by getting back to our company visits with Coherent. Coherent develops many pieces of technology, from lasers to chips to so much more. Essentially, Coherent works to design and develop all the technology that will be in new products two years from now. Coherent’s products can also be seen in a broad array of devices, from medical to military, from phones to cars; there really is no part of the technology sector that they do not branch out into. We also got to walk around some of their production floors, where they were working on coating lenses, to developing wires, to building computer chips. Overall Coherent really works with a lot of the science that I learned in Physics 2 which most of the engineering students just look so we were all equally aware of major aspects of the science behind what they are working on.
On our tour, we were also able to learn a large amount about the work culture and environment at Coherent. We were able to learn about how much the production workers earned, and while initially they sounded low, they happened to be very high in Vietnam due to the cheaper cost of living in the area. We also heard about the gym they had in their other nearby site, which shows how they care about employee health by giving them easy access to it. We also learned how they have allowances and shuttles to help the employees get to work and buy meals and other work-related necessities. This shows how Coherent wants their employees to work hard, but they do not want to make life harder for them. However, we did not have the opportunity to cover issues like the new tariffs instituted by the United States. Since Coherent is working to expand its production in Vietnam, this can be very important to them, but I do not believe they regret their decisions. These tariffs are likely a temporary issue, and this is already being seen by how China’s tariffs have already been lowered by a great margin, and many nations will likely follow. Also, the United States population had a large backlash to the tariffs due to the negative impact on the stock market and potential price increases, so I believe Coherent saw the likelihood of the tariffs decreasing sooner rather than later. The production cost is also still far lower in Vietnam compared to the U.S. which is another large factor that could help Coherent feel confident in their expansion.
Then, after the company visit, we ended our day with some sports with the UEF students. First, we played a twenty-minute game of men’s soccer against the UEF team, then a women’s game, and then we repeated. Personally, I had never played a lot of soccer, so I just treated it like it was basketball and covered one openent. I had a lot of fun, but everyone I talked to said this was the most they had ever sweated, so we were putting a lot of effort into the game. It was always amazing when we scored against the actual soccer team, and it was so exciting when we beat them in the second game. I also had a great time cheering on the girls’ team and my team. When I was not playing, it was really just a lot of fun with the students. After soccer, we played a time-based game where we had to pass a shuttlecock and then carry a teammate who would throw a ball in a basket, and then everyone would army crawl under the team while they planked. Overall, I was very tired after soccer, but the second game was a lot of fun and while they did not announce a winner, I know my team won.
