The workshop “Promoting SMEs’ Integration into GVCs in Services Industries-Logistics”(Photo: VNA)HCM City (VNA) – Global value chains (GVCs)development and cooperation, and promotion of small and medium-sizedenterprises (SMEs)’ integration into GVCs have been high on agenda andsupported by APEC member economies via a vast chain of initiatives andactivities, heard a workshop in Ho Chi Minh City on August 26.
The workshop on “Promoting SMEs’ Integration into GVCsin Services Industries-Logistics” aimed to help gain a deeper understanding oflogistics as an important service industry, and SMEs’ participation inlogistics as part of the GVCs in services industries.
Luong Hoang Hai, Director General of the Multi-lateralTrade Policy Department under the Ministry of Industry and Trade, said that goodlogistics management, from the perspectives of governments and businesses wouldcontribute to enhancing competitiveness and growth as well.
Logistics involves a variety of areas such as sourcingprocurement, order fulfillment, storage of raw materials, production planning,scheduling, controlling cost effective flow, assembly, packaging, maintenance,warehousing, distribution, finished goods and customers services, he said.
Hai added that there is a huge room for SMEs’involvement and their deep integration is inevitable.
The workshop was expected to contribute to empoweringpolicy makers and regional businesses to facilitate SMEs in logistics throughsharing challenges, experience and best practices, making recommendations onstrategies and policies to facilitate SMEs’ integration into logistics GVCs,and enhancing SMEs’ participation in logistics for their own sustainabledevelopment.
Tran Tri Dung, General Director of Logistics KnowledgeCompany Limited, told reporters that Vietnam has more than 3,000 logisticscompanies, of which up to 99 percent are micro, small- and medium-sizedenterprises.
There are a lot of enterprises in need of logisticsbut their mindset of these services remains ambiguous, Dung said.
Corazon Curay, CEO of XVC Logistics of thePhilippines, shared that poor infrastructure has been the barrier to PhilippineSMEs when integrating in the GVCs. But with the support of the APEC, thecountry has reformed policies to assist SMEs in joining the GVCs.-VNA
