SABECO’s spirit of never giving up

SABECO is placing even more focus on collaborating with others to help society

The woes experienced by most last year could not destroy the spirit of some companies in never giving up.

“As a brand that has been with the Vietnamese people for more than 145 years, we deeply understand the effort the country has made to overcome all those difficulties to be stronger together,” said Bennett Neo, general director of Saigon Beer-Alcohol-Beverage Corporation (SABECO) in the lead-up to the Lunar New Year.

This spirit of solidarity for a prosperous Vietnam has become a core commitment of the brewing giant to always stand alongside the government and people of the nation in the fight against the pandemic and any other challenges that come their way.

The beverage industry was one of the hardest hit over the last two years when restaurants, hotels, and points of sale were forced to close. However, according to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, beer production of all kinds in 2021 was expected to reach just over four billion litres, reaching nearly 93 per cent of 2020’s total.

It is an exceptional figure considering the summer’s pandemic peak in Vietnam and some inconsistencies with stay-at-work regulations which stretched many difficulties for businesses.

Companies have also been facing challenges in adapting to other impacts of the pandemic, such as ensuring medical and occupational safety at work, and the ability to quickly adjust cost structures to meet demand. The beverage industry typically uses a large workforce, and the cost of testing workers has become a big burden for some businesses without the proper support.

However, SABECO has continued to record a strong position in the Vietnamese market and overseas with endless efforts. The brewer was recently named as one of Vietnam’s 50 best-performing companies in the TOP50, a prestigious annual ranking developed by Nhip Cau Dau Tu magazine in tandem with Thien Viet Securities to honour the most effective companies on the Vietnamese stock exchange. The ranking process took counsel from many economists and business experts, including Harvard Business School graduates.

To objectively assess the management capacity of enterprises, TOP50 evaluates businesses’ results over three consecutive fiscal years, based on the three indicators of revenues, return on equity, and earnings per share.

SABECO also won other high-profile awards, including being named in the top 50 listed companies last year by Forbes Vietnam, marking the fifth year in a row.

The company has again been honoured with various meaningful awards

Monitoring the situation

With its leading position in the market, SABECO immediately activated a business continuity plan throughout the system at the outset of the pandemic to mitigate the corporation’s operational risks and damages while ensuring business performance and safety for all employees.

The resilience of the SABECO supply chain is aided by five elements – coronavirus containment, superior supply chain assets, harnessing the power of technology, a competent and motivated team, and an efficient and effective process.

“We conduct weekly sales, operation, and planning meetings in order to balance the demand, production, and delivery of our products,” Neo explained.

At the same time, the dispatch management team has closely monitored market fluctuations in all regions to flexibly coordinate supply in the system of factories. Beer transporters have been strengthened to closely monitor compliance with current safety regulations, and the whole system has applied strict prevention and control measures.

In addition, the SABECO 4.0 project was launched in 2020, helping to transform business processes and organisational structures, harness data, and improve the information flow in order to make better decisions, improve governance structures, and automate the business with digital technologies wherever possible.

In 2021, the company continued to promote its development through improving brand recognition, distribution, and consumption systems. This included initiatives to further develop Lac Viet and Saigon Chill, two product lines that were launched last year, as well as the launch of Ban Sac Viet – Bia Saigon’s 2022 Lunar New Year collection, which consists of 63 beer cans featuring the signature scenery, culture, and customs of a city or province.

The maintenance of business management practices at SABECO has also helped maintain jobs for its employees, partners, and customers in the same supply chain.

For a prosperous Vietnam

During its long journey, SABECO has arranged activities to develop and honour Vietnamese culture as well as tourism values. Through the signing ceremony of a cooperation agreement between the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism and SABECO, the two partners have organised long-term activities that have contributed to turning the country into a safe and attractive destination for tourists.

“We always strive to improve product quality, and at the same time constantly offer new initiatives to bring value to the community and spread the Vietnamese identity to domestic and international friends,” Neo explained. “We are committed to promoting and honouring the beauty of Vietnam, actively contributing to the development of the culture and tourism of the country.”

Meanwhile Bia Saigon, the leading brand of SABECO, officially became the diamond sponsor for the 31st edition of the SEA Games. Its branding is no stranger to the country’s sports and culture, after also sponsoring the Tien Phong National Marathon in 2020 and other international sporting activities, including the AFF Suzuki Cup in 2018. That same year, Bia Saigon became the first Vietnamese company to sponsor a team in the English Premier League, when Bia Saigon became the official sleeve sponsor for Leicester City.

Two community campaigns called “Supporting Vietnam” and “Collecting A Million Stars” have also been implemented by SABECO with the desire to work with the Vietnamese government in the fight against COVID-19. The campaigns called on the community to share positive messages to encourage and thank the frontline staff who are working to prevent disease and save lives.

In the lead-up to the Lunar New Year, when people in all parts of the country look back to their roots and reunite with families, the Communist Youth Union and Bia Saigon also provided 270 plane tickets, 1,530 coach tickets, and 200 train tickets to 2,000 workers and university students in Hanoi, Bac Ninh, Bac Giang, Ho Chi Minh City, Binh Duong, and Dong Nai through a community initiative called “Tet – One Home”.