Autodesk aims to revolutionise manufacturing sector

With negotiations on the Trans-Pacific Partnership recently concluded and the ASEAN Economic Community due to be established at the end of this year, how will the field of manufacturing be affected?

Trade agreements, such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), have the potential to boost exports, support jobs, and increase access and collaboration with international players. Vietnam is well-positioned to become a manufacturing powerhouse as more companies are shifting their production bases to Vietnam from other

countries because of the comparatively low wage rate (compared to China), better infrastructure (compared to Indonesia and Philippines), and an investor-friendly regulatory environment.

However, the bigger-picture opportunity for Vietnam is to move up the value chain to become a base for high-end manufacturing like precision engineering, instead of low-end manufacturing fields like textiles and consumer electronics. Not only will this increase revenue from exports, it will also create more skilled jobs and expand the base of high-income professionals, fuelling greater demand at home for those same goods.

Recent technology trends such as the Internet of Things (IoT) are changing the manufacturing industry. How do Autodesk’s products help companies adapt to these changes?

As one of the leading design technology companies in the world, Autodesk’s role in IoT will be covered in three key areas, namely education, partnership, and access to technology.

First of all, designers must now consider how to build devices for a dynamic environment. Autodesk will provide the knowledge and tools to help our customers manage this complexity. Secondly, Autodesk is partnering with other industry leaders to develop a robust ecosystem of solutions for the connected future. Our partnership with Voxel8, for example, allows us to accelerate innovation around 3D printed electronics that can be embedded into connected devices.

Last but not least, by putting design capabilities in anyone’s hands through programmes like free access to Fusion 360 for students and startups, Autodesk can help democratise the creation of tomorrow’s connected devices.

Aside from IoT, cloud, mobile, and social technologies are also important game changers that can help new companies leapfrog established players. How do Autodesk’s products help companies capitalise on these new technology trends?

Autodesk’s PLM 360 provides a centralised workspace that helps our customers tackle the challenges faced when bringing innovative new products to the market: everything from managing Bills of Material, Change Management, and Supplier Collaboration, to handling issues around Quality and Compliance. One of our typical customer’s case studies is Quirky, an invention platform that connects inventors with companies that specialise in a specific product category. Their partners include General Electric, Mattel, Harman, and PepsiCo. By using PLM 360, Quirky has grown to 250 employees and developed more than 350 products since the company launched in 2009. PLM helped Quirky drive new product launch cycles to 30 days and moved from 20 to 45 new products per quarter.

What are your plans for growth in the Vietnamese market in 2016?

Vietnam is one of the fastest growing markets in Asia and we see great potential in the years ahead. It is the third largest market worldwide in adopting the Autodesk 360 Cloud rendering tool, just behind the European and US markets, and ahead of Australia and India.

In 2015, we have received a very strong response from the Vietnamese market since the subscription model was officially applied. Also, Autodesk has provided consultation services to a lot of customers in Vietnam. We will continue to offer the most advanced technologies such as 3D design and printing to help enterprises make the impossible possible, and thus enhance competitiveness in the market. We are lowering the access barriers to subscription since economies of the cloud are undeniable. In addition, we will continue to push free software for education, and the Cleantech

Partner Programme in which we grant our software to clean tech innovators.