First-ever digital transformation review toolkit for manufacturing, supporting launched

Delegates launch the Digital Transformation Review Toolkit for Manufacturing and Supporting Industries on Friday in Hà Nội. — VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — The Việt Nam Industry Agency and IFC launched the country’s first-ever Digital Transformation Review Toolkit for Manufacturing and Supporting Industries on Friday in Hà Nội.

As a critical resource for the industrial manufacturing sector in Việt Nam, the toolkit would help fast-track the local manufacturing and industrial supporting enterprises’ journey towards smart and sustainable production models to boost international competitiveness.

“Digital transformation is fundamental for manufacturers to continue to grow and integrate deeper into global value chains, and to develop a strong and modern national industry sector,” Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Đỗ Thắng Hải said.

Digital transformation is fast emerging as a game-changer for enterprises, as it offers the potential to gain efficiencies, improve sustainability, and upgrade capacity from streamlined operations and automated processes. Through leveraging advancements in analytics, artificial intelligence, and the Internet of Things, enterprises can optimise supply chains as well as accelerate innovation and product development.

This is specifically critical for Vietnamese producers joining global value chains as their multinational firm clients have raised the bar on suppliers to meet increasingly stringent standards in technical compliance, traceability, connectivity, and transparency.

“Amid the slow adoption of digital transformation by small and medium enterprises constrained by investment costs and knowledge gaps, this practical toolkit will allow enterprises to effectively implement digital solutions based on their capabilities and resources,” Hải stressed.

Jointly developed by IFC and the Ministry of Industry and Trade’s Việt Nam Industry Agency as part of the Digital Transformation Pilot Programme, the toolkit incorporates international and regional best practices across seven dimensions of digital transformation, including Strategy and Leadership; People and Culture; Customers; Operations; Production; Digital Technology and Security; and Sustainability and Inclusion, to help manufacturing firms develop tailored plans of action to address manufacturing ‘pain points’ and competitiveness constraints.

“The toolkit represents an important step for Việt Nam’s manufacturing sector on its journey towards digital transformation with an increased focus on sustainability, which is increasingly important to further integrate with global value chains and improve FDI linkages,” said Thomas Jacobs, IFC Country Manager for Việt Nam, Cambodia, and Laos.

This toolkit is also unique in Việt Nam as it features a pillar focused on assessing enterprises’ digitalisation of their green transition and realising environmentally friendly business practices. Through adopting digital transformation towards sustainability, suppliers can achieve efficient processes, increase decarbonisation and become compliant with environment, social and governance (ESG) requirements of governments and customers.

These will enable local suppliers to effectively track and measure their carbon footprint to meet their climate commitments and those of their multinational company customers.

The Digital Transformation Pilot Programme is implemented in partnership with the Japanese government, following the successful Supplier Development Programme, which helped improve supply capabilities and long-term competitiveness for local manufacturers. As a result, they could expand their business with international buyers and share of added value. This IFC-supported three-year pilot has now been scaled up and rolled out by the Ministry of Industry and Trade. — VNS