UN-backed technical assistance program for SMEs launched

The “SME Cluster Development“ programme, kicked off at a recent workshop in Saigon 2 Garment Co, aims at upgrading 18 and 16 selected garment enterprises in the capital city and its neighbour Hung Yen province and Ho CHi Minh City respectively.

The first actions of the programme, two workshops on marketing for fashion industry and two on pattern making and product development for men’s garment, will be held in Hanoi and the second city July 20-August 12.

Individual, in-factory consultancy on product development will also be delivered, by senior Italian designers.

These actions start a long-term assistance program which will be deployed along one year and will be focused on four main upgrading areas: design, product development and pattern making, marketing and branding, production planning and costing systems.

Assistance actions will be implemented through practical workshops and tailored, individual in-factory consultancy, mobilising high level international experts and building capacity of local experts, said Anita Travaini, international project advisor of garment sector.

Additional upgrading actions will cover areas as HR management, corporate social responsibility, environment and energy saving, finance and costing, product labels, international standards and certifications.

Beneficiary enterprises have been selected among those applying to a project’s public call for applications launched in March 2011, and the upgrading program has been designed based on enterprise audits run by teams of international and national consultants.

A core component of the assistance program is the promotion of business partnerships with international companies, Italian SMEs in particular, as a vehicle for knowhow transfer and market integration.

Partnerships will be facilitated through business missions to Vietnam and study tours to Italy, which will enhance market penetration into ASEAN and EU markets by the two sides, Francesco Russo, Chief Technical Advisor, told Tuoi Tre.

A first important initiative will be a workshop promoted within the International Convention planned in Ho Chi Minh City on September 8-10 by International Association of Clothing Designer and Executives (IACDE), which will bring to Vietnam representatives of around 100 international garment companies.

An innovative feature of the project’s industry upgrading programme is the cluster development approach, fostering business linkages, cooperation and joint initiatives among enterprises and with supporting institutions as a key to achieve higher competitiveness and overcome individual limits of SMEs.

It will also run a first feasibility study aimed at upgrading a national service centre supporting garment and textile enterprises. The project is also working with national institutions to develop a proposal for introducing cluster development policies within national industrial promotion strategies.

The project also works in close cooperation with sector industry associations, including AGTEX and VITAS for garment, HAWA for furniture, SLA and LEFASO for footwear, will involve local consultants, education and training institutions in its upgrading programmes in order to build local capacities.

Upgrading plans for the footwear and the furniture sector are going to start in September.

The 3-million euro project, funded by the government of Italy and implemented by UNIDO together with the Enterprise Development Agency under the Ministry of Planning and Investment, was launched in July 2009 with duration of three years.