ABB inaugurated its Robotics Technical and Service Centre – the first of its kind in Viet Nam – on Wednesday with the aim of serving global and local manufacturers operating in the northern region of Viet Nam.

The centre will act as a bridge connecting customers’ manufacturing goals with ABB’s global domain expertise, cutting-edge robotics technologies and strong local service team capabilities.

Located within the premises of the Viglacera Vocational College at Yen Phong Industrial Park in northern Bac Ninh Province, the centre has an area of approximately 500sq.m housing four main areas. A service workshop will offer a full package of repair, maintenance, overhaul and refurbishment for robots with a five-tonne overhead crane running the length of the workshop.

To support the workshop, a warehouse will store spare parts to support round-the-clock operations together with a demo and robot application solution development space and an office area.

With a fast-growing economy and young population, Viet Nam is shifting to a global manufacturing base. Although the need for robots is estimated to reach a million in 2020, most local industrial production firms are still lagging behind, with 61 per cent of enterprises still untouched by Industry 4.0 and 21 per cent just having started preparatory activities, according to a recent survey by the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

While striving to gain knowledge on new manufacturing technologies, businesses are facing a shortage of skilled workers in digital fields. The centre will support customers not only in implementing projects, but also in facilitating the adoption of advanced technologies in their plants.

An ABB robot used in the VinFast factory on display at the centre. — VNS Photo

“We are pleased to open the new Robotics Technical & Service Centre to support our customers with easier project implementation and to address the market need for advanced manufacturing technologies,” said Dr. Brian Hull, Country Managing Director of ABB in Viet Nam. “This investment reinforces ABB’s focus on strengthening its presence in Viet Nam and supporting the ongoing commitment to take local manufacturing to the next level.”

Employing a pool of around 30 engineers experienced in robotics technologies, the facility will develop robotics solutions to address users’ specific needs through ABB Connected Services, which features a wide range of Industry 4.0 compatible portfolios such as conditioning monitoring and diagnostics, fleet assessment, asset optimisation and back-up management. This will also ensure faster reaction times, higher efficiency and better service technician preparation for on-site calls and support, ultimately helping to keep robotic systems running at optimal performance.

In the near future, the centre will serve as a training facility to help lecturers and students of engineering universities to gain hands-on experience with advanced robotics technologies.

ABB’s robots are widely used in Viet Nam’s automotive, electronics, animal feed, food and beverage, chemicals and metal and brick fabrication industries. The company recently supplied around 3,000 robots to an electronics manufacturer and more than 1,000 to VinFast – the first Vietnamese automobile maker. — VNS