SHTP striving to overcome obstacles during Covid-19 pandemic

In the sensitive time of Covid-19 pandemic, Saigon Hi-tech Park (SHTP) sets a mission to stabilize operation and attract sufficient investment in order to fulfill assigned goals in 2020, with an estimated revenue of US$19 billion.

A TV manufacturing line in Samsung Electronics Ho Chi Minh Complex (SEHC), sited in SHTP. (Photo: SGGP)
A TV manufacturing line in Samsung Electronics Ho Chi Minh Complex (SEHC), sited in SHTP. (Photo: SGGP)

SHTP Management Board reported that its Research and Development Center has successfully commercialized the two products of hand soap based on Nano Ag technology, and mouthwash & hand sanitizer gel DR OH. The Center also received an industrial design patent for ‘Manufacturing Equipment for Cooling Materials’ to produce cooling panels for electric and electronic devices. In addition, it signed an agreement with Korea Institute of Industrial Technology to form a Vietnam – Korea Training Center in SHTP.

In April 2020, when the first wave of Covid-19 pandemic hit Vietnam, SHTP Management Board proposed that Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) People’s Committee allow businesses sited in SHTP and the two largest factories there, namely Intel Product Vietnam Co. Ltd. and Samsung Co. Ltd. to continue their operation despite the social distance order. The proposal received a green light from the municipal authorities, along with proper healthcare support to help these factories stabilize their work.

Therefore, the export value of SHTP in the first 6 months of 2020 reached nearly $9.400 billion, an increase of 18.8 percent compared to this time last year and 46.9 percent of the target. Companies in SHTP offer employment for over 42,000 laborers, a sad decrease of nearly 3,500 employees compared to the first 3 months of 2020.

To attract more investment, SHTP organized direct meetings with 26 investors (15 domestic and 11 FDI ones while accepting 12 documents of technology explanation and 4 applications for investment certification, including two sent to the Ministry of Science and Technology for project selection.

Despite various difficulties posed by Covid-19 pandemic, businesses in SHTP actively re-allocated employment positions to ensure their smooth operation and minimize negative effects to employees themselves.

HCMC People’s Committee allowed enterprises in SHTP to perform work-related tasks only if they are able to maintain health safety conditions in their sites and avoid infections of Covid-19, in accordance with Direction No.16 and related rules for pandemic fight issued by the Ministry of Health.

All companies in SHTP also strictly observe the criteria to evaluate risk factors introduced by the municipal authorities, welcoming regular checking of state officers.

Until now, 63 businesses in SHTP have submitted their commitment regarding Covid-19 prevention tasks while 58 businesses have handed in their report on disease infection risk.

HCMC Center for Disease Control (HCDC) paid visits to 10 organizations with over 1,000 employees and 12 with less than 1,000 laborers in SHTP. Reports reveal that 17 businesses have a low infection risk (with the risk rate of 10-30 percent) and 5 have a mid-scaled infection risk (risk rate of 30-50 percent).

From this report, SHTP Management Board delivered suitable detailed instruction for enterprises to re-structure their manufacturing process and submit solutions to improve the situation to HCDC. The Board is also monitoring 10 businesses with less than 200 employees here.

Obviously, SHTP is trying its best to protect members from Covid-19 effectively while maintaining and boosting production activities in order to reach the target of $19-billion revenues in 2020, accounting for 95 percent of the plan.

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