Forging a guiding star
We’ve been about getting off the beaten track from the get-go. Convinced we must dare to improve, innovate, experiment, and put people first, to be the change we know needs to happen. And our employees embody this mentality. Because when you embark on a journey with a car manufacturer that doesn’t take the easy road, you won’t either.
By sharing our collected experience, we’re committed to creating a chance and a change for our people.
At Polestar, we don’t believe in fancy titles and hierarchies. We employ a flat organisational structure, elevating employees’ responsibility while eliminating excess management layers, aiming to improve communication and coordination.
In our Chengdu production centre, where a total of 200 employees work, our human-centric focus is particularly noticeable.
“Employees can go to department heads directly if they need any support. This makes things move much more efficient and is highly appreciated by our people,” says assistant general manager Leo Xie.
To create an agile workplace, project teams are built with competence, not position in mind. The approach also allows employees to explore roles outside of their original scope of work.
Chosen employees from different departments are given a large-scale project within an area they are new to and asked to take up the leading role. Ultimately, the aim is not only to recognise these employees, but to build them up, help develop their skills to a point that allows them to pursue new career goals with full support.
For Chao Wang, who on paper is a process engineer, this meant being asked to write a book about carbon fibre reinforced polymer (CFRP). Prior to the project, Chao Wang had never worked with CFRP. And he’d certainly never written a book. But as a true Polestar, he didn’t shy away from the challenge.
Now Chao Wang has quite literally written the book on CFRP, becoming the author behind the production centre’s inaugural publication.
“We encourage our people to continue to learn and study, utilising the latest concepts and tools. By sharing our collected experience, we’re committed to creating a chance and a change for our people,” says Benoit Demeunynck, managing director.
At the Chengdu production centre, we’re accelerating the change to a more sustainable automotive industry, always looking for ways to gain new ground. By providing the opportunity to grow and develop through unorthodox challenges, so are our employees.
Because it takes stellar people to run a state-of-the-art production facility.
