VinFast factory will have 1,200 remote-controlled robots operating on nights and weekends. Võ Quang Huệ, Vingroup Deputy CEO-Automotive, shared with local media some thoughts about VinFast amid the technology revolution 4.0 on the sidelines of the Industry 4.0 Summit in Hà Nội last week.
Please tell us how VinFast is applying the achievements of the 4.0 technology revolution.
Vingroup chose to go straight in order to increase investment efficiency. Therefore, right from the beginning, we chose large-scale production investment by building new plants with modern technology on the basis of applying technology 4.0, meeting international standards.
We have selected leading companies from Europe, mainly Germany, as the main partners in designing and manufacturing production lines for two Sedan and SUV models. They will provide us with data collection and management systems, business planning systems, product lifecycle management systems and production management systems, as well as with designing and installing five factories, including stamping, welding, painting, engine production and final assembling.
The welding plant is equipped with about 1,200 robots and is expected to be the most modern fully-automated car body welding factory in Southeast Asia when operational.
With the first automobile engine factory in Việt Nam, we have applied advanced technology solutions, which can be started remotely, to operate the plant both at night and on weekends.
Investing in 4.0 technology will cost a lot of money and require a high quality staff to operate the equipment. How does Vingroup solve this problem?
In order to produce quality cars, the investment will have to be intense. VinFast has a big advantage as it is stepping into the automobile industry when the 4.0 revolution is in the development stage.
German companies selected by VinFast have implemented solutions involving 4.0 technology in production.
Therefore, we take advantage of technology transfer from the world’s leading companies, so that VinFast can own the modern technology in production.
As for human resources, besides leading domestic and foreign experts, Vingroup has established the VinFast Training Centre offering training in the two main fields of industrial machinery and mechatronics.
The training centre is not only the cradle for skilled technicians, but will also become the largest supplier of human resources for production in accordance with industry 4.0 in Southeast Asia.
To assess if the application of technology 4.0 is successful or not, the core question is whether the firm owns the technology. What are VinFast’s strategies to own the technology in the future?
VinFast understands this problem, so we have set up the Research and Development Institute to bridge the technology transfer from the world’s leading partners, contributing to the training of highly qualified personnel who can operate our factories.
The institute has gathered leading experts in the fields of software and hardware to participate in projects related to the development of new products, manufacturing and production of electric cars and automobiles.
VinFast’s recruiting model also has a clear strategy. Besides new people, we have a core team of experienced professionals to help Vietnamese technical workers and engineers cultivate skills and master the technology in the future.
In the future, experts at the research centre and VinUni University, which belongs to the Vingroup ecosystem, will also provide research projects for VinFast to apply in practice.
With this strategy, I believe Vietnamese engineers at VinFast can own the 4.0 technology in operating an automobile and electric car production factory.
How will Vietnamese industry benefit from the moves of VinFast in the application of revolutionary achievements 4.0?
With a strong investment orientation for the production process with the application of 4.0 technology and close co-operation with leading German partners, we believe that the VinFast automobile plant complex will be a modern project in the region and moreover VinFast will raise the position of Việt Nam’s automobile industry in the world, creating a spillover effect to boost the development of other industries in the direction of “smarter - more creative - more effective". — VNS