The Ministry of Industry and Trade and Samsung Electronics Vietnam on October 19 organised in HCM City the closing ceremony for the third training course for Vietnamese consultants in supporting industries.

The course had begun on July 23 with 25 participants, who were taught quality control and production management theory for four weeks followed by eight weeks of practical exposure at five companies, where they together with Samsung’s experts assessed the operations and business situation of the enterprises and advised them on how to renovate their production process, quality management and distribution of products.

The participants said the advice provided by the South Korean experts and Vietnamese consultants has helped improve their productivity, quality and human resources management, increasing their competitiveness.

Nguyen Minh Tuan, chairman of Nghia Nippers Corporation said he was honoured to be selected for the programme, which took place at a time when his company attempted innovations to improve its production, cut costs and increase employees’ incomes.

Between August 15 and October 17 its management team had received both theoretical training and practical experience in production stages under the programme, he said.

Tran Minh Khai, director of Thai Duong Company, said following the consultancy, his company had rearranged equipment and applied the 5S system (which represents Japanese words that describe the stages of a workplace organisation process), and productivity has obviously increased.

Khang Thanh JSC reported similar results.

Truong Thanh Hoai, director of the Ministry of Industry and Trade’s Industry Department, said the industrial sector played an important role in the country’s economy.

But its competitiveness and value addition remain low, with accessories and parts used in the industry reliant on imports due to limited capacity, modest management and poor technologies of local companies.

But the Government was implementing programmes to help firms improve their capacity, he said.

The training programme was carried out under a memorandum of understanding signed by the ministry and Samsung.

The programme, comprising eight modules until 2019, is aimed at equipping Vietnamese consultants with the knowledge and skills required in supporting industries.

The first two courses were held in northern provinces.

Hoai hailed the results of the course and hoped the Vietnamese consultants joining the programme and acquiring experience and knowledge from the South Korean experts would then pass on their knowledge to local firms.

He believed the programme would enable Vietnamese business to achieve international standards, increase the number of Vietnamese suppliers and promote their sustainable co-operation with Samsung as well as other multinational groups.

Kim Dong Hwan, deputy general director of Samsung Vietnam, said he was very pleased with the training outcomes.

“We are working with industry experts to develop training programmes more systematically and efficiently.” — VNS