Boeing wants to expand supply chains in Vietnam: director

On the side of the Boeing Aerospace Industry Forum on Thursday, Michael Nguyen, general director of Boeing Vietnam, said that in the next 30 years, experts believe Southeast Asia would need 4,000 planes, with Vietnam in a leading position to satisfy such a demand.

Boeing would like to become a strategic supplier for Vietnam, he added.

On the other hand, Boeing wants to look for local manufacturers and suppliers, as well as seeking out with universities in Vietnam for education and training cooperation. Boeing currently has seven suppliers based in Vietnam, but there is only one Vietnamese company among them. In the long run, Boeing wants to directly work with Vietnamese suppliers as it is currently working with mainly South Korean or Japanese partners, Nguyen said.

“We really want to directly work with Vietnamese companies, but domestic businesses need to learn to walk before they can run. We really want to help Vietnamese businesses to walk fast and run fast,” Nguyen said, adding that Boeing would like to cooperate with universities to train their personnel in the sciences.

Craig Abler, who leads Boeing’s Supply Chain Asia team, said he had introduced to Vietnamese partners the criteria to become a supplier of Boeing, including product quality and delivery time. The firm would also visit potential factories and have teams to develop suppliers in Vietnam.

Michael Nguyen (R), general director of Boeing Vietnam, and Craug Abler, head of Boeing’s Supply Chain Asia team, at the Boeing Aerospace Industry Forum in Hanoi, August 25, 2022. Photo by VnExpress/Anh Tu

Nguyen said Boeing planes all have parts made in Vietnam, such as doors or door handlers. Boeing believes Vietnamese workers and experts would grow well with the right guidance, so Boeing would like to expand operations in Vietnam.

Do Nhat Hoang, head of the Foreign Investment Agency under the Ministry of Planning and Investment, has requested Boeing and other U.S. companies to continue with cooperation, investments and technological transference with Vietnam regarding fields like infrastructure and production.

He also wished for Boeing to look into developing a training center for pilots, experts and engineers in aerospace, as well as aircraft production facilities in Vietnam.

Boeing has been operating in Vietnam since 1995. The firm has had several contributions to Vietnamese aviation, including technical help in defense and commercial aviation.