Việt Nam emerges as new component production hub for SpaceX
Driven by SpaceX’s demand for resilient supply chains, suppliers of components for Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite internet equipment are shifting production from Taiwan (China) to Việt Nam.
Wistron NeWeb Corporation (WNC), a Taiwanese (China) company supplying parts to SpaceX, is believed to be producing routers and network devices for the Starlink satellite internet system at a factory in Hà Nam.
The company's latest annual report in April stated: "In response to geopolitical risks and the ever-evolving needs of customers, WNC has continued to expand its global production capacity."
Wistron’s factory is located in Đồng Văn Supporting Industrial Park in Duy Tiên Town, Hà Nam Province.
The firm plans to at least double its current workforce of 3,000 employees. Hiring banners have been visible outside the factory since mid-October 2024, according to Reuters.
Universal Microwave Technology, another supplier and manufacturer of satellite components for SpaceX, has also invested in a factory in Việt Nam this year.
In April, Shenmao Technology, a solder paste manufacturer for printed circuit boards and another SpaceX component supplier, announced that it would invest US$5 million to build a production facility in Việt Nam.
SpaceX is a US-based provider of spacecraft, satellite launch services and satellite communications.
On September 25, Party General Secretary Tô Lâm met with Tim Hughes, Senior Vice President for Global Business and Government Affairs at SpaceX.
Hughes said he appreciates Việt Nam's potential for SpaceX's satellite internet plans, adding that the group aims to inject $1.5 billion into the country in the near future.
Ming-Kuen Lai, CEO of Acter, a Taiwanese (Chinese) construction company, stated that the company's business in Southeast Asia grew by 50 per cent last year.
Acter specialises in constructing electronics factories and clean rooms for technology companies, including Foxconn, Delta Electronics, Wistron and ASE Technology.
Currently, Southeast Asia contributes just over 10 per cent of Acter's revenue. However, Lai said that Thailand, Việt Nam and Malaysia are experiencing strong growth.
"Việt Nam is undergoing an electronic assembly boom, while Thailand is seeing an increase in new printed circuit board factories, and Malaysia is attracting semiconductor packaging businesses," he noted. — VNS
