This is one of the findings the Ambassador of Sweden in Vietnam Mr Staffan Herrström and the Trade Section of the Embassy got during their tour in mid October to some Swedish companies located in the southern Province of Binh Duong, which borders HCM City to the north and is one of the production hubs in the South of Vietnam.
The first leg of the tour was a factory of the Tellbe Vietnam Ltd., which has been operating in Binh Duong since 1998. Both Mr Fredrik Åberg, the Managing Director of Tellbe AB and Mr Lam Trong Nhan, the Vice General Director of Tellbe Vietnam briefed the Ambassador about the development of their business, their advantages and challenges. Originally, Tellbe Vietnam only produced steel made products such as workstations, advertising products, display stands and shop fittings. Todate it also produces by-products made from wood and plastics. The company is known in the Vietnamese market with high competitive quality and prices.
Mr. Fredrik Åberg shared with the Ambassador the key factors to the success of the company’s business in Viet Nam. He said : “Almost 90% of our products is for the European market, mostly Sweden. Tellbe Vietnam now has some 250 workers. We have given high quality the top priority in our business and therefore a lot of time and efforts have been made to raise the workers’ awareness of the importance of ensuring the quality of our products. That is the key to our success”
The next stop was Bucketman, owned and run by Nicklas Carlsson, a former IKEA’s technical expert. Bucketman’s steel manufacturer now has some 100 workers and about 90% of its products are exported. For Nicklas, the key factors to successfully run a business in Vietnam are to have a good working team, to be able to cut cost, and to deliver on time a big volume of qualified products.
When visiting Becker Acroma, the Swedish Ambassador Staffan Herrström was introduced to the technology applied by the company to provide wood coatings by using environmentally friendly water based varnishes. The company’s products also include paints for furniture industry i.e home furniture, office furniture, kitchen and baths, flooring, joinery, exteriors and board. Staffan Herrström also visited the laboratory where the technicians worked to adapt the products to the local conditions.
The Swedish businessmen shared the Ambassador their challenges, including how to attract more good engineers from HCMC to go to work in Binh Duong.
The tour provided Ambassador Staffan Herrström and his team with a valuable chance to learn both the opportunities and challenges that the Swedish businesses are facing in Vietnam. He also presented how the Embassy can support the Swedish businesses in different issues.
