A ceramic plant in Binh Duong province. Ceramic firms have stepped up investment to bolster their competitiveness in the domestic and export markets (Photo: VNA)HCM City (VNS/VNA) - The fierce competition in both the domesticand export markets is forcing ceramic producers to improve their productionprocess and product quality.
Vietnam has 14 traditional pottery villages like Bat Trang, Phu Lang, DongTrieu, Thanh Ha, Phuoc Tich, Bau Chuc, Bien Hoa, Tan Phuoc Khanh, Chanh Nghiaand Lai Thieu.
According to the Binh Duong Ceramics Association, the province has nearly 300ceramic production facilities supplying 130-150 million pieces of products ofall kinds to the market each year.
Binh Duong is one of the provinces with a developed ceramic industry, and itearns some 150 million USD from exports and 70 million USD from domestic salesannually.
Ceramic are among the province’s main export products with high value addition.
Many producers there are investing in new technologies to improve productivityand quality and reduce costs to improve their competitiveness.
Vuong Sieu Tin, Director of the Phuoc Du Long Company, told online news sitebaohaiquan.vn that Vietnam’s ceramic products face severe competition both athome and in export markets from those from China and Thailand.
This requires producers to diversify their products, invest in technology toensure quality and cut back costs, he said.
Ly Huy Cuong, Deputy Director of the Cuong Phat Co., Ltd, said exports accountfor 80 percent of his company’s sales.
Diversifying products by mixing traditional Vietnamese or Asian features withwestern ones is the basic trend in many countries, he said.
Besides investing in factories and equipment, his company has also adoptedadvanced quality management systems to ensure the entire operation is alwayscontrolled and constantly improved, he said.
It has adopted the Japanese Kaizen quality control programme, he said.
It has collaborated with customers to set up a set of quality andsocial-environmental policies based on international standards to become anenvironmentally-friendly and sustainable producer, he said.
Exports were up 20 percent last year to 10 million USD, he revealed.
The company has signed export contracts with partners in 50 countries andterritories around the world, including fastidious markets such as the US andEU, he said.
For this year it has export orders that would last until nearly the end of theyear, he said.
Many other famous ceramic firms in the province such as Phuoc Du Long and MinhLong I have orders until the middle of the year after export demand increasedby 15-20 percent and local demand by 20-30 percent. — VNS/VNA
VNA
