Inclusion Factory Annual Report 2021

In March 2022, the Inclusion Factory celebrated seven years of existence, having common prosperity and solidarity as it’s core values.

We are proud to present you with our 2021 achievements, alongside a brief view of our past and a glimpse into our exciting future!

Over the years, what started as a small workshop hiring 12 people, working on very simple assembly and sorting tasks, has evolved into a highly advanced Automotive supplier, equipped with technologies and Automation that are in line with the vision of smart manufacturing.

We created and certified the Social Inclusion Academy – a comprehensive program for the qualification of trainers working with People with Disabilities; and we’ve stayed tuned to the market needs as we established the Inclusion Advisory, a consulting and implementation service which supports companies to hire, train and retain People with Disabilities.

We remain adaptive and agile, adjusting ourselves and our goals to the ever-changing Chinese landscape, as we further position the Inclusion Factory as a nationwide leader in the field of Inclusion & Equality.

We would like to take this opportunity and express our gratitude to our multiple customers and supporters who believe in our social mission and join efforts with us to make a diffrance.

The final, most important thank you goes to our team, for their dedication & hard work, and to our dear employees for seizing this opportunity with both hands, proving society that they can and want to contribute, that they belong, and that they deserve equal rights for employment and fulfillment in life.

This is really about them – and for them.

Click here to read the full report

The “Employment Transition Programme – Trainer’s Manual (Chinese Version)” was released!

We appologize that this news entry is only available in Chinese at the moment.

 诞 生 缘 起 

在2013年，为了提供持续就业机会给自闭症青年，马来西亚金务大启动了“多元人才”项目 (Project Differently Abled)。此举的成功激励了金务大在2017年创立赋能学院。
金务大希望通过赋能学院提高人们对自闭症的认识，吸纳更多公司成为合作伙伴，为高功能自闭症人士提供行政类或其他专门岗位的工作。因此，赋能学院旨在执行就业转衔项目，培训自闭症人士的就业技能，让他们能进入多元化和包容性的公司中工作。
《就业转衔项目培训师手册》是为2017年5月首批赋能学院的学员制作的，在过去的三年时间里，它经历了五轮更新迭代并经过了六批赋能学院学员的测试。在中德融创工场和融爱融乐的共同努力下，如今手册的中文版终于面世。
金务大非常乐意与相关组织或机构及其职员分享本培训手册，也希望通过本手册中的资源，让更多心智障碍者能受益于就业转衔项目，掌握工作相关的软技能和实用技能，从而在职业发展和独立生活方面更上一层楼。本手册的出品，可谓是一本支持自闭症谱系障碍者就业的指南，也是金务大多年来致力于包容和支持自闭症人士的经验结晶。

 内 容 简 介 

课程内容分为两部分：
课程 I: 促进持续性就业的个人发展
本课程的重点是开发学员的软技能，涵盖两个模块：个人发展和职业发展。培训采取课堂授课的方式，运用创造性教学方法，鼓励学员积极参与课堂，使学习更加有效。在课堂上所学习的知识，都将在实践培训中学以致用。
课程 II: 职业技能发展
本课程旨在培养学员的职业技能，采用仿真化模式，设立模拟办公室，为学员提供在公司中工作的环境、以及行政类和IT相关岗位的工作。除了工作实践培训外，还将以实践学习的方式学习沟通技巧、职责担当、团队合作和时间管理等基本工作礼仪。

 谁适合这本手册？

 它适用于所有心青年。
虽然此就业转衔项目是为有意求职的自闭症人士 (特别是高功能自闭症人士) 设计的，但这个项目的理念和内容契合了一般心青年从校园过渡到职场的部分需求，因此对其他人也同样适用。

 中德融创工场 

 为什么参与此项目？

中德融创工场是一间致力于推动心智障碍者融合就业的社会企业，如今已经雇佣了41名全职残障员工，支持超100名残障者进入公开的劳动力市场工作。
随着中国进入从工业经济向数字经济转型过渡的大变革时代，数字化技术和实体经济的结合越来越紧密。在这种社会背景下，面对着心智障碍者就业率低，就业机会小的社会难题，中德融创工场创建「融合办公培训中心」，以培养数字化残障人才，支持其进入主流企业工作。
这本手册为融合办公培训中心提供了宝贵的经验参考和指引，也能促进行政办公领域心智障碍者就业的本土经验积累，为心智障碍者创造更多可持续的就业岗位。

 如何得到这本手册？

长按下方二维码

即可获得

http://inclusionfactory.mikecrm.com/rSZMSIY

 特 别 鸣 谢 

自2021年3月以来，中德融创工场和融爱融乐心智障碍者家庭支持中心共同完成了初步的翻译和校对，以下是需要特别感谢的贡献者：

职员：梁锋 杨雪佳

志愿者：何品轩 梁佩淇 朱金玲 李锦霞

总干事：李红

志愿者：赵文涛 孙佳楠 陈柯颖 雷歆艺

肖慧丹 林梅 罗蝶 李慧杰

职员：倪震 高新利 郑晔

4 Years of Cooperation Won Us the “Social Responsibility Award”

On October 19th, the 2021 Schaeffler Greater China Supplier Conference was held in Xiangtan. Simon Chen, the production manager of Inclusion Factory, attended the conference.

▲On the left: Simon Chen, the production manager of Inclusion Factory
On the right: Daniel Weber, Chief Operations & SCM Officer Greater China at Schaeffler Greater China

At this meeting, Inclusion Factory won the Schaeffler Social Responsibility Award. As a supplier, it is our highest honour to be able to have earned Schaeffler’s trust and affirmation.

This year is the fourth year of cooperation between Inclusion Factory and Schaeffler. So far, we have produced a total of 8,338,071 parts for Schaeffler. This project has directly enabled us to hire seven employees with intellectual disabilities.

As a leading global supplier of automotive and industrial products, the Schaeffler Group is committed to building a sustainable supply chain. They have thousands of suppliers around the world and provide production materials and services to more than 70 factories in 50 countries around the world. Schaeffler’s advanced business philosophy, well-developed system, strong sense of innovation and excellent corporate culture makes them an inspiration to their partners and suppliers. We are very proud to have such a partner. We are always grateful for this win-win platform as it allows us to advance with confidence.


The long-term cooperation between Schaeffler and Inclusion Factory has promoted the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals through responsible production, creating decent work positions, and empowering people with intellectual disabilities to use their own labour, leading to no poverty and equal, effective participation in society.

In the future, Inclusion Factory will uphold the principles of providing customers with high-quality products and services, creating value for customers and working hand in hand with customers to promote the integration and employment of people with disabilities.

Translation is supported by Inktale Shanghai.

Inclusion Factory Awarded with the 2021 European Chamber Sustainable Business Award

On September 14, 2021, the 5th Sustainable Business Awards Ceremony initiated by the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China was held in Shanghai. Inclusion Factory won the “Sustainable Business Award” for its outstanding development in the field of corporate diversity and inclusiveness. General Manager of Inclusion Factory, Nadav Ben Simon attended the award ceremony.

▲On the right is Nadav Ben Simon, General Manager of Inclusion Factory.

2021 is a turning point in the cause of sustainable development. More and more companies are realizing the importance of CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) and building a sustainable business model for the future development of enterprises. The European Union Chamber of Commerce in China has always emphasized fulfilling corporate social responsibility in a strategic and innovative way to achieve sustainable corporate development.

The application for the sustainable development award includes five categories: Advanced Performer in Decarbonisation; Navigating Diversity and Inclusion; Outstanding Environmental Performance; Pioneer in Advancing Rural Revitalisation; and Resilient Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure Leader.

Since its establishment, Inclusion Factory has always taken promoting the integration and employment of people with intellectual disabilities as its corporate mission. So far, we have created 70 decent jobs for people with disabilities. Among them, 37 people with intellectual disabilities are directly employed by Inclusion Factory, and the remaining 33 are hired by other companies with the support and help of Inclusion Advisory.

Inclusion Factory has been actively promoting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. We believe that more companies will integrate the concept of sustainable development and innovative spirit into their strategy in the future. We also hope that more companies and social organizations will promote the integration of people with intellectual disabilities into employment so that people with intellectual disabilities can realize their own social values.

Translation is supported by Inktale Shanghai

Changing the Environment and not the Person

Transforming our brand~strengthening our identity!

For the last 6 months, Inclusion Factory management and our branding partner JungleFish have been working on updating and consolidation the branding for Inclusion Factory. 

While most clients might barely notice the changes, we want to explain the reasons for this step and how it can help us grow.

Formulate the Brand DNA

Everyone has a slightly different understanding about the company/brand they work for. However, to help unify this brand perception and to align on the fundamentals of the brand we needed to identify our brand’s DNA and the core elements, that make this brand unique.

Brand DNA

China Pioneer

Inclusion Factory is one of the first private companies in China that stands at the forefront of a social movement for inclusion. Other than foreign NGOs, the Taicang Inclusion Factory is a wholly Chinese enterprise and firmly rooted in China.

Business-minded

While we subscribe to a higher social purpose, our approach is business-like: we aim to understand our customers and deliver state-of-the-art quality in consulting and production. Other than state-run entities with the objective to facilitate inclusion, the Inclusion Factory is also a working enterprise that has to “earn its keep” – this helps us to better understand our clients. We adhere to industry-standards such as ISO 9002 and employ professional tools and methods such as SAP software and international management principles.

German roots

Founded by a group of German businesspeople, the Inclusion Factory is heavily influenced by a practical and solution-oriented mind-set. While the Inclusion Factory now serves multinational and domestic clients, the German flag colors in our brand identity remind us of our origins.

Better integrate and explain the expanded service offer

Since 2016 Inclusion Factory expanded their scope considerably: in addition to the Inclusion Factory workshop that provides assembly for industrial clients, the Inclusion Advisory (IA) offers consulting services to businesses for inclusion related topics and the Social Inclusion Academy (SIA) conducts seminars & workshop with the goal of educating professionals & the wider society. When these “business units” started in 2017 and 2018 we added logos to identify them but there was no guideline for the whole offering.

One of the key objectives of this branding was therefore, to define how this wider offering can be integrated in all corporate and marketing communication.

The most crucial step before going into design is to define the message: we needed first to understand the offering and then to define it verbally in both Chinese and English. The same tone of voice should be used when introducing one or more of the Inclusion Group entities. This task is of utmost importance. In our past work we found that many times, messaging was recreated each time for a new publication. Different versions co-existed, and it was up to the presenter which one they preferred. The result was work overload and miscommunication. 

With the new branding, we now introduce a clear messaging guideline, as well as a shared motto and objective. This avoids prevents confusion for both, clients and internal team and helps to establish the Inclusion Factory as a brand.

Simpler and clearer messaging and design

Apart from the consolidated messaging we also cleaned the house visually: the color blocks, which were a signature design element in past communication materials are gone as their playfulness conflicted with the increased professionalism of the organization.

Instead of managing 5+ colors, we have only to consider 2 now: a friendly muted green tone and a strong warm gray. This change makes a huge difference in perception, possibly bigger than changing the logo(s) would have made.

Say it with confidence

The typographic concept underwent a major change: a new corporate font with more confidence and character expresses the solidified standing of Inclusion Factory.  

The typesetting is, in general, much larger to highlight the message and also to make texts easier to read for people with visual impairment. On business cards, for example, the names are now set in 15pt font size compared to 8pt font size. Similar changes have been made to our presentation and website.

Growing pains

Changing a company’s branding is never easy and often is met with considerable resistance. New templates must be installed, new rules observed. And why? Because somebody didn’t like a specific color or font? Ideally the new branding not only better reflects who this company now is, but also makes it easier for the company to do business, and to convey its messages.

With the clear and confident communication of the integrated offering, Inclusion Factory can reach more potential clients and bring more People with Disabilities into the labor market.

 

This project is funded by

with design support by

Our new official certification: Excellent Social Enterprise

Inclusion Factory successfully obtained the China Social Enterprise Certification, and now we can proudly say that we are a Social Enterprise!

Our company went through a comprehensive assessment consisting of four dimensions: social mission, social stakeholders, value creation, profit distribution, and sustainable development.We reached a high score of 393, which granted us the title of “Excellent Social Enterprise of China”.

 

What is a Social Enterprise?

A social enterprise is a business that aims at solving social issues, such as poverty alleviation, environmental protection, and creating employment opportunities for marginalized groups. The social mission of Inclusion Factory is using employment to promote the inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities into the society. The profi earned by social enterprises are used to develop their own business in order to maximize their social influence. Their goal is not to maximize the interests of shareholders.

We often use the “Double bottom line” (fiscal performance, positive social impact) to illustrate the unique value of social enterprises. The relationship between the double bottom line is actually a positive feedback loop. Unlike general social services, social enterprises need to have a clear business model to maintain their operations. At the same time, unlike conventional enterprises, the social objectives of social enterprises are the driving force behind their sustainable development. Therefore, “social objective”and “business model” are indispensable elements for a social enterprise.

 

Background of The Social Enterprise Certification

The Social Enterprise Certification which started its operation in 2015, originated from the China Charity Social Enterprise Certification Centre. It is the first non-governmental and industry-based social enterprise certification organization in China. China Social Enterprise Certification Centre (CSECC) was responsible for the implementation of the specific evaluation. As of January 2020, 283 social enterprises have been identified by them, covering 16 fields, including accessibility services, education, and employment for marginalized groups.

 

Thriving for  “Gold Standard Social Enterprise”

Next step, we will continue to perfect the company’s self-management system, create more and more employment opportunities for people with intellectual disabilities, increase the quality of our service for our customers, and reach for the “Gold Standard Social Enterprise” title!

 

Translation is supported by Inktale Shanghai
Reference material ：A Practical Guide of Setting Up a Social Enterprise

3-sided cooperation between the Civil Affairs Bureau, the China Disabled Persons’ Federation and the Inclusion Factory

Echoing the key tasks set out in the State Council’s 14th Five-Year Plan for the Protection and Development of the Disabled. “Helping people with disabilities live better and more dignified lives through productive labour.”

On July 15th and 19th, the ‘2021 Annual On-site Training for Persons with Disabilities program was held at the Inclusion Factory’. This program was hosted by the Civil Affairs Bureau of Taicang, co-hosted by the Taicang Disabled Person’s Federation and undertaken by the Taicang Xincheng Social Work Service Agency.

30 front-line social workers from Taicang attended this program. They have deepened their understanding of equal employment for people with intellectual disabilities by attending interactive workshops, sharing personal opinions and group discussions.

Our next step is to launch a series of career empowerment seminars on different employment models, personal development and incentive methods for employees with intellectual disabilities, and partner and stakeholder management.

This is the first time that we have provided training for the local workers of the Disabled Person’s Federation. Our Inclusive Employment Model origins in Germany, and rooted in China. In the future, we hope that we can share our philosophy and experience with even more enterprises, and together, we can advance the social integration of persons with disabilities in China.

 

Translation is supported by Inktale Shanghai

 Inclusion Open Day, Inclusion China Special Session Review

On July 9th, 2021, the second session of the Inclusion Open Day was successfully held at the Inclusion Factory.

This Open Day event was planned for the family group  members of the Inclusion China Network, which is part of the Beijing Geng Foundation, an organisation that endeavours to help people with disabilities. Through a day of on-site exploration and discussion, they learned about Inclusion Factory’s experience in the field of inclusive employment. Our aim was to facilitate inclusive employment in their respective fields.

During the Open Day, we had the honour to invite the head of Inclusion China Network and 11 of their representatives to Taicang.These experts in the field of intellectual disabilities come from many different cities, including Beijing, Shanghai, Hubei, Zhejiang, Ningxia and Anhui. We also invited the families of employees of the Inclusion Factory to exchange ideas with the participants.

 

Into the Inclusion Factory

We led everyone through our factory and introduced various partners as well as their contributions. They are the reason we are here today.

Then everyone learned about our SAP Intelligent Shift Management System and its application to the employment of people with intellectual disabilities. This system helps us solve many pain points in the operation of our factory and helps our employees increase efficiency.

The participants observed the production line up closely, watching the workers carefully assembling on the work platform. They admitted that it was quite different from what they had imagined. Looking at the employees so focused on work, the Open Day participants were all deeply touched.

A Common Goal in Taicang

Wangli, Program Development Manager of Inclusion Factory, showed everyone the application of Work Redesign. She emphasized that what we want to change is not the employees, but the work itself.What’s hard is not work but to change one’s mindset to redesign work.

In the group discussion session, everyone spoke freely and were so focused on learning from each other that they almost missed lunch time.

Q1: How is work being redesigned for people with intellectual disabilities in the bakery?

Mr Dong Feng, chairman of the Inclusion China Project Management Committee: For the bakery project, the employees may not be able to adapt to the taste of the fermentation process. Therefore, we need to transform the facilities. In the ingredient’s preparation process, the measuring cups are modified so that employees can achieve operability.

In addition, we work on accessibility hardware facilities, visual prompt systems, employment counsellors, R&D and transformation of equipment tools, assembly line hygiene, and more.

 

Q2: How can we design a 3-5-year growth plan for employees with intellectual disabilities to help them get employed by the mainstream workplace?

Zhuo Qu, Beijing Rongai Rongle Supportive Employment Project Manager: There is a process of four steps. Start by leaving the house, then attending handcrafting workshops, thirdly trying out integration workplace, and finally mainstream inclusive employment.

In the integration workplace, the working abilities of employees are improved while their professional literacy is enhanced through communication, collaboration, and self-management. At the same time, the collaborative help of enterprises, institutions and parent organizations is needed so that employees have a sense of autonomy to achieve self-advocacy.

 

How would you design it if it were you?

 

The Past and Future of the Inclusion Factory

At the forum in the afternoon, Marina, Director of Training and Development at Inclusion Factory, narrated how the project is completed practically, step by step, from start to finish so that participants could gain an in-depth understanding of our development history, employment situation, accessibility facilities and equipment as well as the operation model.

In the exchange, everyone gained new understanding, ideas and inspirations. It has created new possibilities for the inclusive employment of people with disabilities.

 

Family Group Exchange

 

Finally, Fei Liu, head of the Inclusion China parents’ group, shared with the families of several key employees of the Inclusion Factory the activities and experiences of parents in organising past activities. Through the exchange, the families learned the importance of family support groups, how they brought together families of different people with intellectual disabilities and enabled them to help each other grow together.

After the event, many of those who attended posted pictures on their WeChat Moments and wrote:

We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to realize their abilities，and to live a full participatory life.We look forward to seeing you next time.

 

Translation is supported by Inktale Shanghai

Why Did They Come from a Thousand Miles Away to Attend Our Workshop?

On June 30th, Inclusion Factory held a Disability Equality Awareness Workshop to promote awareness on the integration of the people with disabilities in various cities and industries.  

12 integration promoters gathered in Taicang. They come from as far west as Xinjiang, as far north as Qingdao, and as far east as Shanghai. The farthest participants came from Urumqi, 2,485 miles away.

Some of them are from enterprises preparing to launch disability inclusion groups to integrate the concept of disability inclusion into their corporate culture. Some are from social enterprises that use disability-focused communication methods to serve their clients and enhance the service level for employees with disabilities.

In the workshop, we reflected on the relationship between each person and person with disability.  

What different experiences do persons with disabilities have in transitional, medical, and social model?

What is the mechanism behind this difference? How can we break this impasse?

If you are to design an accessible restaurant, what elements would you put in as the owner?

When it comes to an inclusive society, what changes do we need to make? Everyone thought deeply about these questions.

After a fruitful discussion, now let’s look at the practical side. From idea to action, this is the commitment made to the disability integration by our participants today.

• Equal treatment instead of overtly specialised treatment.

• Remove barriers to people with disabilities in the work environment.

• Acquire more knowledge to help identify and solve the problems of persons with disabilities around them.

• Gather more resources, join hands with the public to gradually optimise the environment for disability integration.

 

Translation is supported by Inktale Shanghai

Inclusion Group

Resources

Inclusion Factory

Inclusion Advisory

Social Inclusion Academy

Annual Report

Inclusion Videos

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Contact us

China Science & IT Park, 88 Beijing East Road, Suzhou, 215400 Jiangsu, China
中国江苏省苏州市太仓经济开发区北京东路88号 中科软件园 邮编：215400
t: +86 (0) 512 5386 3602

Financially supported by KFW DEG

KFW DEG (Deutsche Investitions- und Entwicklungsgesellschaft mbH) finances private sector investments in developing countries in accordance with the economic cooperation and development policies of the Federal Republic of Germany. DEG financially supports the Inclusion Factory in recognition of our social mission.

苏ICP备15023013号-1   Design: JungleFish