Chilean Businesses and Thriving Industries (5/12)

This was our first day of company visits which was the most anticipated part of the trip for most of us. At Codelco (the smelting company), there was an introduction about business aspects and the industry. It was fun to reflect on what was discussed and what I had learned in classes. For example, the presentation discussed the capacity of the plant and breakeven analysis (costs of raw materials were included). Some of it was in Spanish (such as the tour), which made it harder to understand. However, when translations were given, it was easier to communicate. I feel that Codelco meets my interest of supply chain management, but it is too engineering oriented for me.

At Centauro, the tour was very relevant to my career interests. We discussed the Porter Analysis for a new product and how it gets to the market. This led to discussions on supply chain management and made me reconsider the industry of agriculture. It was interesting to discuss how geography affects the industry and cultural perceptions of the industry. We received free samples of packaged products straight off the assembly line, which was a unique experience. We also discussed how Centauro intended to start making a new product at the facility and how it would need to expand the size of the facility to meet the capacity and how the startup costs of making that new product were high.

In lectures at the university, we discussed taboo topics. This was interesting, as they would never be discussed in a business setting and likely not between locals and foreigners. We discussed how centralization affects business and how punctuality is not stressed. We learned this first hand, as our company visits were running late so our lecture times were pushed back. This is considered socially acceptable and is often expected. In the United States, we are expected to be on time and often early (such as for job interviews and luncheons). We had empanadas twice that day, and I understand why Chileans like them so much. They are filling and relatively cheap.

During our third salsa lesson, I learned that I made very little progress. Couples salsa became a little easier, when we continued maneuvers from the last lesson. However, when new steps were incorporated, it was hard to keep up. At night, we went to the rooftop of Camilo’s apartment. It was a large area, had an outside grill, and was designed for parties. My favorite part was looking out into the city. Nonetheless, this opened up another opportunity to interact with locals. Many spoke English, but I tried to interact by speaking Spanish so it was not as obvious that I was a foreigner. After the rooftop, we went out to the bar and talked to Chileans on a balcony.