(Tuoitrethudo.com.vn) OVERCOMING LIMITS, GETTING CLOSER TO SMART FACTORIES

Support from the electronics giant

During a tour of their manufacturing plant in Ha Nam, showcasing their intelligent management systems, Mr. Duong Nguyen Thanh, Deputy CEO of HAAST Vietnam Industrial Co., Ltd., proudly introduced us to this exceptional system. By implementing modern management software installed in each area, engineers at the factory can easily monitor the performance of various devices from different suppliers in real time on their laptops or tablets.

Experts visited and highly appreciated the improvement results at HAAST after participating in the smart factory development support project.

Thanks to the minute-by-minute data aggregation and the user-selectable hourly, monthly, quarterly statistics, engineers can identify which machines are performing well, which are causing production delays, and the reasons behind them (waiting for materials, undergoing maintenance, etc.), thereby improving efficiency. Mr. Thanh stated that this system is the result of nearly 12 weeks of the company's participation in a consulting project supporting the development of smart factories, jointly implemented by Samsung and the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

Mr. Thanh recounted that, before participating in the project, like many other Vietnamese businesses, HAAST still faced common difficulties such as system management, process standardization, and inventory control. The company also collected and managed data locally, and operational information was updated slowly, often on a daily or weekly basis, significantly impacting the speed and efficiency of decision-making.

"When participating in the smart factory development consulting project, we received training and guidance from Samsung experts to plan strategies and build a comprehensive roadmap towards a 'Smart Factory'," Mr. Thanh shared.

Mr. Thanh proudly showed us the admirable improvements that HAAST had achieved after participating in the project, such as: Improved production accuracy rate (80→90.4%); Increased inventory accuracy by 68%; Improved visual defects in molded products by 80.4%; Improved printing process quality by 75%; Increased machine efficiency through a 60% reduction in mold change time…

"Participating in the Project is a great opportunity for the Company to reorganize and standardize the factory under the guidance of leading experts in factory improvement from Samsung Vietnam,"  Mr.  Thanh emphasized.

Overcoming limitations

To achieve these results, HAAST had to change its mindset, upgrade its technical skills, and invest in technology to meet the requirements of improvement. According to Mr. Thanh, HAAST has built and implemented real-time data collection through various activities: Applying barcode scanning to manage production results and inventory status; Installing sensors on production machines to collect real-time production data; Installing monitoring screens at necessary locations to update real-time data tables (equipment errors, product defects, inventory, production status, etc.); and conducting periodic data analysis.

Samsung Vietnam leaders directly visited and evaluated the project implementation results at businesses participating in the smart factory project.

Throughout the improvement process, there were times when Mr. Thanh and his staff felt discouraged by the overly strict criteria set by Samsung experts. However, overcoming difficulties and limitations, HAAST remained determined to complete the project.

"Change is a process, and achieving outstanding results requires great effort and the concerted efforts of the leadership and all employees in the company,"  Mr. Thanh said.

Looking back at the achievements after participating in the smart factory project, Mr. Thanh is full of confidence that from here, HAAST has the full capacity to rise to become a leading unit in the field of manufacturing high-quality industrial machinery and components, actively participating in the global supply chain, bringing added value to customers and partners to meet the highest standards in the Vietnamese and international markets.

The project to support the development of smart factories in localities is part of the Smart Factory Development Cooperation Project, for which Samsung and the Ministry of Industry and Trade signed a memorandum of understanding in February 2022. The goal is to support the development of smart factories in 50 businesses and train 100 Vietnamese experts in smart factory consulting over two years (2022-2023).

Along with HAAST, by the end of 2022, 26 Vietnamese businesses had participated in this project.

“I am very happy and proud to witness firsthand the spectacular transformation of businesses after participating in the Smart Factory Development Support Project. These changes are the foundation for businesses to enhance their competitiveness to global standards across all processes such as research and production… From there, businesses have more opportunities to participate in the supply chain not only of Samsung but also the global supply network. Samsung will continue to strive to expand the program to more localities to support and accompany Vietnamese businesses, contributing to the sustainable socio-economic recovery and development in the post-COVID-19 era and promoting industrialization and modernization in the digital age,”  said Mr. Choi Joo Ho, General Director of Samsung Vietnam.