HCM City handicraft, wood industries target supply chain self-reliance

The Handicraft and Wood Industry Association of HCM City’s executive committee for 2024-28 presented at its congress on August 8. — Photo courtesy of HAWA

HCM CITY — The Handicraft and Wood Industry Association of HCM City plans several measures to elevate the local industry, including increasing its self-sufficiency in the supply chain.

The association held its congress for 2024-28 on August 8 to review its activities in the preceding term and make plans for the new one.

Nguyễn Quốc Khanh, its chairman for the previous term, said, like most other economic sectors, the handicraft and wood industry has also experienced many challenges.

But HAWA has helped create a comprehensive ecosystem for the wood and furniture industry, helping businesses connect with customers, partners and accessory suppliers worldwide.

They include, notably, renovating its furniture fair model to make HawaExpo an annual destination for international buyers, and helping businesses attend specialised fairs in the US, Europe, Korea, and China.

HAWA has determined that its operating goal in the next four years will be “self-reliance in the supply chain.”

Businesses would aim to be self-sufficient, including in raw materials by exploiting sustainable indigenous sources and other resources, by improving labour productivity and designs by shifting from OEM (original equipment manufacturers) to ODM (original design manufacturing), in trade promotion to take more Vietnamese products to the global market through the D2C (direct-to-consumer) model and e-commerce, in promoting the profile of Vietnamese furniture through branding and marketing, and in technology and digital transformation and green transformation, it said.

Attracting younger generations to the industry and developing products using unique materials to achieve high profits are other targets.

Phùng Quốc Mẫn, HAWA’s new chairman, said the goal of supply chain self-reliance is built on HCM City’s strengths like being the country’s leading hub for research, training, application and technology transfer, having an outstanding logistics system, and being home to young, creative and high-quality human resources.

With its location enabling direct links with major production areas such as Bình Dương, Đồng Nai, Long An, and Tây Ninh provinces, the city plays a leading role in the country’s furniture industry, he said.

To promote that role, the association would continue to move in a dynamic and creative direction, he said.

The association’s new executive committee comprises 25 members, with nearly 40 per cent of them born since the 1980s.  

As of May 31, 2024, HAWA has 634 members nationwide, an increase of 22 per cent from the previous term. — VNS