Headline expo to feature leading industry players

Chainarong Limpkittisin

With Vietnam Manufacturing Expo 2011 coming up in September, the managing director of the event’s organiser Reed Tradex Company, Chainarong Limpkittisin, explained to VIR how Vietnam's most comprehensive industrial parts manufacturing and supporting industries show will help the country attract more foreign direct investment.

How would you compare the upcoming Vietnam Manufacturing Expo 2011 with its Thai version held very successfully in Bangkok from June 23-26?

It is true the Thailand Manufacturing Expo 2011 was a great success. By bringing together a broad range of machinery, technologies and industrial parts in its exhibitions as well as new knowledge and business networks, that event could be described as a milestone in the event's history. It involved 1,500 exhibitors from 30 countries and a record 44,770 people visited, which was beyond the expected 42,000 and 25 per cent more than last year. Trade value generated during the show was over 4 billion Baht. Certainly Vietnam’s market is smaller than Thailand’s but at the Vietnam Manufacturing Expo 2011 we expect 200 leading brands from 20 countries to join our “3-in-1 Serving All Industrial Needs!” exhibitions.

I think these exhibitors also believe, as we do, in Vietnam’s huge potential. Despite Vietnam having faced some short-term problems related to inflation and the exchange rate, foreign direct investment continues to grow and there is still a promising market of 85 million consumers. So this is very important opportunity that industrialists, manufacturers, and businessmen in Vietnam should not miss. People involved in Vietnam’s manufacturing and supporting industries will discover tremendous business opportunities as three quality trade exhibitions are joining forces. Parts makers can meet new buyers from Japan and other countries and enhance their productivity with new machinery and technologies in “Industrial Components & Subcontracting Vietnam 2011”, “SI Exhibition: The 4th Vietnam - Japan Exhibition on Supporting Industries in Hanoi” and “Vietnam Manufacturing Expo 2011”. The involvement of these three quality trade exhibitions will make this the ‘largest’ and the ‘most comprehensive’ manufacturing exhibition in Hanoi.

What were the main features of Thailand Manufacturing Expo 2011? Will they be applicable to the upcoming one in Vietnam?

The Manufacturing Expo in Thailand was a one-of-a-kind event which provides a unique one-stop shop for the latest machinery and technologies for key industries with supporting elements such as automotive, electronics, plastic, moulds & dies. The concept was a bigger show which focused on one industry; this time around it was the automotive industry. We also tried to balance exhibitions and content by creating more activities such as an exclusive forum for people who want to get information they may not be able to get elsewhere. Those are key elements that helped us differentiate ourselves from competitors. The same ideas will also apply for the Vietnam Manufacturing Expo 2011. A series of forums and workshops will be held within the event’s framework to provide visitors with added value. For example, the Vietnam Manufacturing and Supporting Industries Forum “How could Vietnamese Supporting Industries Increase their Efficiency to Support Japanese Company?” will be held on Thursday, August 11 in Hanoi before the Expo. This will be one of a number of pre-show activities providing strategic guidelines for effective business and industrial planning in Vietnam to maximise opportunities that the economy is presenting.

Why do you think the upcoming expo will help Vietnam attract greater foreign direct investment?

Just look at Japan. After the tsunami and earthquake hit Japan earlier this year, Japanese manufacturers began looking for diversified investment destinations overseas. Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia now have a good chance to attract those Japanese investors.

I believe each country has its own advantages. Vietnam has a sizeable population and a large market. Car sales may hit 1.6 million cars per year in ten years from now, equalling Thailand’s current car sales. The question is how to prepare Vietnamese manufacturers for the coming large orders from foreign investors like Japanese firms. The expo will provide part of the answer by linking Vietnamese industrial parts manufacturers with exhibitors’ state-of-the-art technological innovations.

Green and clean technologies are often showcased at your exhibitions. Could you elaborate on this?

I believe most of the exhibitors at our events are concerned about green technologies. A key issue when launching news products is often energy efficiency. Less energy consumption means less carbon emissions. This is one of the clean factors we can highlight.