ABB know-how aiding future-thinking firms

Noel Hupont, newly-appointed managing director and head of electrification for ABB Vietnam

What are some positive and negatives aspects of working in Vietnam compared to elsewhere?

My experience here in Vietnam has been very positive. From personal perspective, my family and I have enjoyed living here in Ho Chi Minh City, a very beautiful city. Vietnam is peaceful country with many beautiful landscapes. The country has young and hard working population, great vitality and a promising future.

From business perspective, I feel very fortunate to be in one of the best markets, in a very favorable moment of growth. My company has everything to succeed, the economy, the market, the technology and particularly a strong team here in Vietnam.

Digitalisation is not a new theme for ABB globally. How are Vietnamese operations supporting this shift and what are some of the innovations across the main business verticals here in Vietnam?

Vietnam is the place to be, to do business and especially with a company like ABB, where we can share our global experiences to local partners, suppliers, and customers. This is done with our new technologies in smart buildings and smart power to improve, thanks to digitalisation, energy management, asset management, and building automation for better productivity at a lower cost.

To name a few, in the pulp and paper industry, ABB’s complete electrification and automation solution is helping Dohaco achieve energy efficiency and productivity goals. We also helped Viettel build its headquarters into a green and modern facility with our state-of-the-art building automation ABB i-bus® KNX system.

Most recently, we have helped Tan Thang Cement incoporate the latest Industry 4.0 technology into their new plant with ABB Ability™, ABB’s a cross-industry digital offering, to integrate the entire plant system for efficient, safe operation and a reliable electrical supply for all processes.

In other manufacturing projects, ABB AbilityTM Energy Distribution Control System is helping our customers to get visibility of the entire electrical system to optimise energy efficiency and costs in Vietnam.

In the coming time, ABB will also collaborate with Ericsson to explore opportunities in creating wireless industrial automation powered via 5G networks in Vietnam.

ABB’s innovative building solutions have transformed Viettel’s headquarters into a smarter and greener facility

How big are digitalisation prospects in Vietnam and what are the barriers in its adoption by industry and government agencies?

The government is really supporting Industry 4.0, and every day more and more industries understand what the benefits of digitalisation shifting are. Digitalisation is all about data and algorithms, and through this we start to have immediate benefits. This is the role of a company like ABB to promote those new technological trends to the market and to explain them all the benefits they can obtain.

Digitalisation is not a cost. It is an investment for industrial firms which may not be made in one move but step-by-step. Even though digitalisation will present costs, these investments bring value very quickly in the form of energy efficiency and productivity.

Apart from digitalisation, what are the areas driving your revenue growth in Vietnam?

The accelerating pace of urbanisation in Vietnam is presenting new business opportunities for ABB in helping government and city management to address challenges such as water leaks, environmental impacts, exceeding power consumption, and more.

These require new technology application to achieve sustainable development through reduced carbon emissions. New investment in more sustainable infrastructure such as electric vehicles, railroads, ports, airports, water, power, and energy will be our growing drivers in the coming year.

Besides that, Vietnam’s middle class is growing by around a million people per year. This means that the need for better living standards and services such as healthcare and diversified consumer demand are drivers for ABB in particular.

The need for technologies that ensure operation availability, energy efficiency, product quality, hygiene, and traceability are reliant on ABB’s core business.

How does ABB see the advantages arising from the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) and what are ABB’s preparations as international firms work to expand to and in Vietnam?

Vietnam has been receiving strong inflows of foreign direct investment thanks to its competitiveness to other countries in the region. I believe that EVFTA will be a catalyst for more investments into Vietnam from EU and for local business to expand their export markets.

ABB supports investors in every lifecycle of their business from the early phase such us initial design to building and commissioning, down to maintenance. We bring customers peace of mind from an established digital company that has know-how in industries, products, and solutions.

We have been helping customers for decades and have a huge number of connected services through our ABB AbilityTM digital plaform so taking these connected services and applying digital technologies and expertise can further help customer to achieve manufacturing goals and to maintain competitiveness in the market.

We have been focusing more in growing our teams and channel partner network as well as expanding our operation to serve our customers better.