A group of 10 Vietnamese companies participated in Industrial Transformation ASIA-PACIFIC (ITAP) 2022, the region's leading exhibition for Industry 4.0, taking place in Singapore on October 18-20.

Opening ceremony of Industrial Transformation ASIA-PACIFIC (ITAP) 2022 takes place in Singapore on Oct 18-20. Photos: Linh Pham

Vietnamese firms' participation aims to equip advanced technologies as the industry eco-system continues to evolve post-Covid at the event organized by Constellar with international partner Deutsche Messe.

Joining approximately 18,000 attendees from more than 70 countries and regions during the three hybrid event days, the Vietnamese representatives expect more understanding of trends and developments from three main aspects: Digitalization, Talent & Workforce Development, and Environment Sustainability.

The Hanoi Times has talked with representatives of the Vietnam Electronic Industries Association (VEIA) and Vietnamese executives who attended the three-day event that presented the newest innovations in sustainable transformation, additive manufacturing, and digital twin.

Do Thi Thuy Huong, VEIA’s Executive Board Member, Deputy Chairwoman of the Vietnam Association for Supporting Industries (VASI), and Editor-in-chief of Vietnet24h, at ITAP 2022.

Giving some inflections on the expo, Do Thi Thuy Huong, Hanoi-based VEIA’s Executive Board Member, said she expected some partnership inked between Vietnamese companies and foreign partners at the leading regional event, especially after two years of disruptions by Covid-19.

She said on-site meetings at ITAP 2022 will enable Vietnamese companies to seek solutions while staying ready for recovery in the global supply chains.

Vietnamese firms would have multiple choices for their partnership at the hybrid event with roughly 1,000 business meetings, Huong noted.

Dr Nguyen Thi Nhu Phuong, Head of the VEIA Representative Office in Ho Chi Minh City, at the tradeshow.

Sharing the same idea, Dr Nguyen Thi Nhu Phuong, Head of the VEIA Representative Office in Ho Chi Minh City, said the expo would be a good chance for Vietnamese companies in search of potential collaborations with leading solution providers, manufacturers, and technological enablers.

With the ITAP Roadshow held in Binh Duong, the southern manufacturing hub of Vietnam, participation at ITAP 2022 would connect companies of south Vietnam with critical players in the industrial transformation, Phuong said.

The roadshow in Vietnam and the in-person tradeshow in Singapore, which featured a variety of industry sectors and markets, would assist Vietnamese businesses in addressing their various demands, degrees of awareness, and adoption, Dr Phuong said, emphasizing that VEIA Ho Chi Minh City will work as a bridge to connect businesses.

Wendy, General Manager of ITO Vietnam and Deputy Head of VEIA's Communications Department, at ITAP 2022.

Taking her company as an example of a successful connection with foreign partners, Wendy, General Manager of ITO Vietnam, said the well-organized event included in-hall tours that offered a concise overview of the topics and a selection of I4.0 displays, cutting-edge pilots, and deployment concepts in the field.

Wendy, Deputy Head of VEIA’s Communications Department, believed Vietnamese companies would bag some partnerships for their sustainable business development like the way gained at the event, like the Vietnamese arm of Ito Group, a multinational company originated from Japan.

Tran Duc Tung (L), Deputy General Director of Hanel Production and Import-Export JSC (Hanel PT), in an on-site tour at ITAP 2022.

Tran Duc Tung, Deputy General Director of Hanoi-based Hanel Production and Import-Export JSC (Hanel PT), said his company is seeking solutions for both hardware and software at the event, which displays nearly 200 exhibitors from 20 countries and regions, including those from France, Germany, Japan, Indonesia, Singapore, and South Korea.

Seeking solutions that help streamline production and improve efficiency becomes one of Hanel PT’s priorities, and ITAP 2022 provides a chance to get connected with the latest advances in manufacturing technologies at the integrated platform, Tung said.

The diversified display of state-of-the-art technologies at the tradeshow will offer suitable choice and investment in digital transformation for Hanel PT, he stated.

For Hanel PT, the decades-long company widely known for its electronic manufacturing, applying advanced technologies to a company amid fierce competition becomes indispensable.

Pham Thanh Ha, Head of Digital Transformation, DNP Holding, at the three-day event.

Pham Thanh Ha, Head of Digital Transformation at DNP Holding, shared another view on the need for digitalization, which is in high demand in Vietnam. In this regard, ITAP 2022 offers an arrow of suppliers, including German manufacturers that are good at heavy industries and Singapore-based producers whose technologies are their strengths.

He stressed the importance of digital transformation in the context anticipated by the latest national development strategy adopted by the Government of Vietnam, which views the digital sector as one of the country’s growth engines in the coming decades.

Because of this, advanced solutions will enable Vietnamese companies to address data-driven innovation and accelerate the uptake of I4.0. To that end, partnering with foreign businesses will help more than anyone else, leading regional companies to know how to produce the best products for better application at competitive costs.

Nguyen Thi Bich Ngoc, Director of Ngoc Hung Food Processing Co., Ltd, at ITAP 2022.

Nguyen Thi Bich Ngoc, Director of Ngoc Hung Food Processing Co., Ltd, said the on-site tour had provided her with what she is seeking for the company's processing and packaging chains. Technological enablers at ITAP 2022 can help Ngoc Hung select proper solutions for producing dried fruit.

Ngoc said advanced technologies would help the company improve dehydration methods. "Automatic processing lines will boost production capacity, which means a lot for local farmers who suffer from dumping prices once foreign traders announce sudden import," Ngoc shared.

From left: Thai Thu Phuong (1st of 1st row), first secretary of the Embassy of Vietnam in Singapore; President of SEMI Southeast Asia Linda Tan (1st, 2rd row); SEMI Southeast Asia’s Senior Manager Travers Lim; Chairman of ATIS George Cho; and representatives of the Vietnam Electronic Industries Association (VEIA).

For further engagement

ITAP 2022 marked the connection between dozens of Vietnamese and Singaporean firms thanks to the support of the Embassy of Vietnam in Singapore.

During the expo, VEIA’s representatives worked with Eileen Ang, Executive Director of the Association of Electronic Industries in Singapore (AEIS) and George Cho, Chairman of the Association of Telecommunications & Technology Industry of Singapore (ATIS) to set the foundation for further cooperation between Vietnamese and Singaporean members.

VEIA’s senior officials participated in both online and in-person meetings with representatives of US-based SEMI, which connects members to new business opportunities in high-growth markets, nurtures pre-competitive collaboration, and helps accelerate innovation. Talks with President of SEMI Southeast Asia Linda Tan and SEMI Southeast Asia’s Senior Manager Travers Lim focused on short- and long-term partnership that benefits businesses of both sides.

Notably, a trilateral online meeting was held in the attendance of VEIA Executive Board Member Do Thi Thuy Huong, Chairman of ATIS George Cho, and Xi Huiying from Shenzhen Electronics Chamber of Commerce (SZECC) to connect members of the sides and boost technological cooperation.

Apart from on-site business meetings, VEIA will provide some guidance and support to its members for further connection in the following editions, as Do Thi Thuy Huong and Nguyen Thi Nhu Phuong pledged.

The VEIA senior officials believed that ITAP is an ideal platform for many Vietnamese firms struggling to fully use industrial transformation for innovative manufacturing outcomes.