The Sourcing Fair for Supporting Industry with Buyers that opened in HCM City on Wednesday seeks to enhance supply chain linkages in supporting industries, enhance direct connections between foreign and other manufacturing firms and Vietnamese parts suppliers.

Nguyen Phuong Dong, deputy director of the city Department of Industry and Trade, said the fair has attracted 26 foreign manufacturing companies such as Samsung, Daeyong Harness, GST Viet Nam, Backer Heating, Minamida Viet Nam, Hanel PT, Daeyong Vina, Bosch, Nipro, Panasonic, and Datalogic Viet Nam.

They are displaying more than 220 component and part clusters used in the electronics, mechanical, automation, aviation, auto, and medical fields and seeking suppliers for those parts, he said.

More than 70 Vietnamese parts manufacturers in HCM City and elsewhere are also taking part and around 300 business-to-business meetings were arranged between them and buyers, he said.

The SFS will also feature a seminar on “Market opportunities for supporting manufacturing industries” today (September 12) and a study tour of Japanese-owned Semitec Electronic Vietnam Co, Ltd to help local parts makers learn about 5S and Kaizen models.

Dong said SFS was held for the first time last year with 17 foreign companies in the automobile, electronics and mechanical sectors taking part and linking up with 80 Vietnamese supporting industry enterprises.

As part of its efforts to implement Decision 2869 of the city People’s Committee this year on the supporting industry development programme his department organises the annual fair, he said.

The expo is meant to help parts vendors tie up with manufacturing enterprises, helping increase the rate of local parts in products made in Viet Nam, he said.

Ngo Khai Hoan, deputy dorector of the Ministry of Industry and Trade’s Industry Agency, hailed the department’s efforts to link parts suppliers with product manufacturers.

“SFS is considered a very crucial activity to connect businesses and boost supporting industry growth.”

It helps local parts makers understand the needs of foreign manufacturers and meet their demands, and gradually participate in the global value chain, he added.

Organised by the city Department of Industry and Trade, the Saigon Hi-Tech Park and the HCM City Export Processing and Industrial Zones Authority, the event, which is held at Convention Centre 272, ends today (September 12). — VNS