Cooperation to develop smart factories to help businesses optimise systems

Production linkage creates resonance for economic development

Leaders of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, leaders of provinces, and Samsung leaders visited and evaluated improvement results at businesses.

Recently, Samsung Vietnam coordinated with the Ministry of Industry and Trade and localities to summarise the project "Cooperation to develop smart factories" phase 1/2023 at 12 Northern enterprises participating in the project to summarise and evaluate the effectiveness of performance of the project.

The project has also supported the development of smart factory models for 12 businesses, including five enterprises in Bac Ninh province, one enterprise in Vinh Phuc province, two enterprises in Hanoi, three enterprises in Hung Yen province and one enterprise in Ha Nam province and achieved many improvement results.

Among 12 participating enterprises, 3 enterprises: Thang Long Packaging Production and Import-Export Joint Stock Company, Tien Thanh Joint Stock Company and Viet Nhat Electronics Co., Ltd. have recorded remarkable improvements in the optimisation of the system through the following activities: building an environment to collect/share real-time output, process quality inspection results; manage machine status and main parameters of the device; manage import/export and finished product inventory in real-time through barcode application; change line structure, ensure connection and transparency of line balancing data; Early prediction of abnormalities arising at the scene.

With five businesses, Ama Bac Ninh Joint Stock Company, Vinasaco International Company Limited, Cuu Long Packaging Technology Joint Stock Company, Duc Hieu Joint Stock Company, Quang Quan Company Limited, after the consulting process, has effectively deployed and built a basic foundation in real-time data collection through the following activities: applying barcode scanning to manage production results and current warehouse import/export status; Install sensors at production machines to collect real-time production data; Install observation screens at necessary locations to update real-time data tables (equipment errors, product errors, inventory, production status); Initially build a mould management system and periodically analyse data.

In addition, the project also provides consulting support for creating software application platforms for 4 businesses: An Mi Tools Limited, Idcast Vietnam Pressure Casting Joint Stock Company, A&A Green Phoenix Group Joint Stock Company, Hong Ha Printing Joint Stock Company, helping these businesses standardise software operation processes; improve data recording methods from manual to using google sheets to share widely; reduce process operation time; screening, arranging, optimising, creating a safe production environment.

A consultant from Samsung Korea, Mr Kweon Hyeogchel, commented that "During the implementation of the project, I have clearly felt the fierce spirit of business leaders towards the goal of developing the smart model factory, further improving their own competitiveness in the context of fierce competition and current economic difficulties. Each member assigned to the project team is willing to work late into the night, work overtime on weekends to learn, participate in building processes and define exactly the desired functionality in the software. This is the most successful point of the project."

Mr. Choi Joo Ho, General Director of Samsung Vietnam, said that the innovative results that businesses reap are not only thanks to the guidance of experts but also to strong investment determination and positive contributions of officers and employees in that enterprise.

After the project, advised businesses will continue to develop smart factory systems under the online advice of Korean experts to help improve competitiveness and increase capacity to participate in global supply chains, contributing to promoting the development of Vietnam's supporting industry.

The project "Support for smart factory development" phase 2/2023 will continue to be implemented in the southern region from September 2023 to advise 12 businesses.

The project to support the development of smart factories in localities is an activity within the framework of the smart factory development cooperation project, signed by Samsung in collaboration with the Ministry of Industry and Trade in February 2022 to support the development of smart factories in 50 enterprises and train 100 Vietnamese experts in the field of smart factory consulting in 2 years (2022 - 2023).

Since 2015, the Ministry of Industry and Trade and Samsung have coordinated to implement an innovation consulting program to improve the competitiveness of 379 Vietnamese enterprises. During 2018-2021, the Ministry of Industry and Trade and Samsung trained 406 experts in supporting industries in Vietnam. In addition, recognising the importance of the mould field in industrial production, the Ministry of Industry and Trade and Samsung continue to implement a project to train 200 mould technicians in the period 2020 - 2023. Through efforts to look for supplier businesses, the number of Vietnamese tier 1 and tier 2 suppliers in Samsung's global supply chain increased tenfold from 25 businesses in 2014 to 257 businesses by the end of 2022.