Inside a 4.0 mechanical factory

“We have to get permission from the authorities to import this machine because it can make very sophisticated products. Now, if you want to move the position of the device a little bit, you must also apply for permission. With it, you just need to put in the raw materials and press the button to get the finished product tomorrow morning. The engine gearbox is the most complex, it’s fully automatic.”

This is an introduction by Mr. Nguyen Vuong Long – Deputy General Director of Vietnam Precision Industry Company (VPIC) about a modern prototyping machine in a “special” occasion for strangers to visit.

The machine is half the size of a 16-seater car with 40 sub-machines inside, operating completely automatically by computer software. Mr. Long said that the machine not only creates models but also produces real products.

Few people know that this company is a supplier of frames for two leading motorcycle lines in the world, Ducati and Harley Davidson.

“Harley is a brand that has never taken any of its production out of America. However, there are currently two units in Myanmar and Vietnam that receive that privilege. And we are one of two”, Mr. Long said proudly.

85% of the company’s customers come from the world’s top names in the US, Canada, Japan and Europe. In addition to the two leading motorcycle manufacturers, this unit is also a supplier of Yamaha, Honda, SYM, Suzuki, Toshiba, etc.

“This line needs very few workers” is a saying that Mr.Long often repeated when leading people to visit. At the welding line, one worker manages 2 robots. In the mold workshop, one person can operate 10 machines. In the CNC line, a worker runs 4 machines at the same time, but for more complex products, they run 2 machines.

“This powder coating line has 333 product hangers. I just hang up the product by myself. If the product is larger, it takes up to two people”, said a male worker quietly working in a large space at one corner of the workshop.

The 205,000 m2 factory area in Giang Dien Industrial Park (Trang Bom, Dong Nai) of VPIC has a total of 600 employees, including the office block. The workers also work in shifts. The factory is always quiet, thin, clean and has almost no noticeable smell. Industry 4.0 gradually appeared when Mr. Long declared: “Here the working machines are the main ones, but humans only supervise and control”.

Intelligent Manufacturing (Intelligent Manufacturing) with automation platform is the basic factor driving the Industrial Revolution 4.0. According to Oxford University estimates, 47% of today’s jobs will have an automation rate of 75% in the next 20 years.

The atmosphere ‘4.0’ everywhere

More than 90% of employees at VPIC are Vietnamese. They are evaluated by Mr. Long to have undergone very thorough training and skills improvement. This company’s impressive automation prowess comes from a fairly straightforward reason. This is a company with 100% capital of Taiwan (China). In the field of mechanics, the Taiwanese FDI sector is somewhat more agile than domestic firms in advancing to new industries.

“Industrial Revolution 4.0 is being focused, not only for the Vietnamese Government or the world, but we also have to follow it ourselves. However, it is not all. Depending on the process, level and value of the product that we apply appropriately, ”Mr. Long said.

“Automation” is a phrase reminded regularly by the leadership of Solar Rich when taking reporters on a tour of the factory.

However, the example of the mechanical industry does not mean that domestic firms are inferior to access to 4.0. Mr. Ngo Minh Triet – General Director of Solar Rich Company, specializing in designing and manufacturing engine spare parts, said that this unit has two groups of customers.

One is the large foreign corporations investing in Vietnam such as Toshiba motor, Foxconn, Sumitomo, Honda, Yamaha, Samsung, Sanyo, Canon, Brother, etc. The other is a group of domestic enterprises in the construction and consumer industries. , agricultural machinery, training … Both of these customer groups are fertile markets, and are willing to invest in new generation of machines with high degree of automation.

According to Mr. Pham Minh Thao – Deputy Director of Viet Thang Company, which specializes in distributing imported machine tools, if the level of automation of enterprises within the mechanical industry is low, in other industries, especially there is no shortage of consumer goods or light industry such as Duy Tan Plastic or Hoan Cau Inox, etc.

At some domestic factories, the silhouette of ABB robots – a Swiss brand – is no stranger. This robot is in charge of loading and unloading beer for beverage lines at Hanoi Beer Company, Viet Ha Beer and Hue Beer. Hai Ha Motorbike Spare Parts Factory, Huu Toan Generator Factory, Hong Thinh Electric Cabinet Factory, etc, apply ABB welding robot.

In the field of information technology, Industrial Revolution 4.0 started to appear with the applications of smart cities. Mr. Lam Nguyen Hai Long – Director of Quang Trung Software Park (QTSC) said that many automation applications of smart cities have been and are prepared to be widely deployed in this park. For example, the system of intelligent parking and finding, identifying people in and out, automatic lighting on and off, etc.

In November 2016, the Government began assigning the Ministry of Science and Technology to be the focal point to coordinate with other ministries to study and evaluate the status of the Industrial Revolution 4.0. It is expected that, at the end of this year, government agencies will re-evaluate the situation and orient this revolution.

Race in the same area

About 1,500 km from Vietnam, or about 3 hours of flight time, the Industrial Revolution 4.0 of Taiwan (China) is not just as strong as what businesses in these territories deploy in Vietnam.

An action program called Productivity 4.0 Development Program to assist the machine tool industry to engage in manufacturing parts and components for the space industry has been approved by Taiwan. This program consolidates the value chain of smart manufacturing, mechanical products and services for the aviation industry to reach $ 5,200 billion.

The Precision Machinery Research Development Center (PMC) has connected four leading machine tool manufacturers here to establish a specialized laboratory to develop software. Smart service for online production system monitoring. These software are embedded in the monitoring and control systems to improve machine tool performance by at least 20% and increase the total value by at least NT $ 10 billion.

Meanwhile, China’s level of automation is on the rise. Last year, China produced 72,400 industrial robots, up 34.3% from 2015. According to the International Data Group (IDC) forecast, the country will continue to be the largest robot market and fastest growth in the world. By 2020, China will invest about $ 54.9 billion in the robotics industry and related services, accounting for over 30% of the total global investment in this sector.

The report on the career future of the World Economic Forum in 2016 predicts that the “storm” 4.0 will cause the demand for labor in manufacturing – manufacturing, computer – mathematics, architecture – engineering industries in the area. decline in ASEAN region.

Challenges of Vietnam

Many predictions are in consensus, FDI from other countries and territories will continue to pour into Vietnam. Currently, the Government is gradually tightening investors’ requirements on environment and technology level. In terms of objectivity, the enterprises of the era of Industrial Revolution 4.0 in Vietnam themselves also choose the way of automation.

These two factors mean that job opportunities for workers will become more and more difficult and higher qualifications are required. A recent report by the International Labor Organization (ILO) predicts that robots will replace 85% of workers in the Vietnamese textile and garment industry in the next few decades.

For owners, not everyone is able to overcome the challenges that were said many times on forums to reap success from this trend.

Mr. Thao said that there are still many challenges for domestic mechanical enterprises to advance to the top level of technology.

“The technical level and professionalism of our business are not high, so the reliability of receiving large foreign orders is not much. We still have some big problems such as the poor sense of labor and industrial style. Loan support calculation is very low. Businesses may be subject to interest rate pressure of up to 22% per year. Therefore, businesses that are profitable must worry about paying interest first. If a business is very large and has a long-term plan, it will be sustainable and it will not lose money”, Mr. Thao said.

Productivity and Quality Office