ABB partners with Ministry of Science and Technology to accelerate factory of the future

The Letter of Intent (LoI) was exchanged by the two parties under the witness of Vietnamese President Nguyen Xuan Phuc and his counterpart, Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Löfven during a high-level breakfast roundtable in Stockholm, Sweden. The roundtable was part of the Sweden-Vietnam Business Summit which took place between May 27 and 28 in Sweden on the occasion of the 50^th anniversary of the two countries establishing diplomatic relations.

The partnership highlights ABB’s long-term commitment as a strategic partner to the Vietnamese government in advanced robotics and smart manufacturing technologies, and in realising the potential of Industry 4.0 for the country.

The scope of the partnership includes a capacity building programme and accelerating the deployment of advanced technologies in the manufacturing sector. The capacity building programme will foster leadership of domestic businesses and startups to gain hands-on experience of advanced robotics technologies via ABB’s Robotics Technical and Services Center – the first centre of its kind in Vietnam. In addition, with its domain expertise, ABB will also support the realisation of the “factory of the future” model and offer expert recommendations for the adoption of robotics technologies.

Speaking at the LoI exchange ceremony, Phung Bao Thach, director general of the department of International Co-operation, Ministry of Science and Technology, said: “Vietnam and Sweden have enjoyed a profound relationship over the last 50 years. ABB, as a global leader in cutting-edge digital and robotics technologies with a long history in Sweden and a well-established presence in Vietnam over the last 26 years, is a great partner for the Ministry’s strategy to realize Vietnam’s manufacturing goals in the context of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. I firmly believe that this co-operation will be effective and beneficial for both parties.”

“At ABB, we see the growing importance of capability building for the social and economic development of Vietnam in the field of digital technologies and application of advanced technologies into manufacturing. We believe that this partnership together with our ongoing investments in the country will reinforce ABB’s commitment to take local manufacturing to the next level,” said Johan Söderström, managing director for ABB Sweden.

ABB started operations in Vietnam in 1993. In the 25 years since, it has grown to be a reliable partner in the field of technology, providing turnkey solutions and services in the market. ABB has recently installed and commissioned robots in the automotive, electronics, animal feed, food and beverage, chemicals, as well as the metal and brick fabrication sectors to drive efficiency and quality. ABB will be opening the second robotics center later this year in Ho Chi Minh City to enable faster response nationwide to support its customers to meet manufacturing goals of today and tomorrow. In addition, the ABB Ability^TM control systems are ensuring several new solar farms and factories across the country’s food and beverage, automotive, water, and wastewater sectors to ensure their operations with the highest possible efficiency.

ABB (ABBN: SIX Swiss Ex) is a pioneering technology leader with a comprehensive offering for digital industries. With a history of innovation spanning more than 130 years, ABB is a leader in digital industries with four customer-focused, globally leading businesses: electrification, industrial automation, motion, and robotics and discrete automation, supported by its common ABB Ability™ digital platform. ABB’s market‑leading Power Grids business will be divested to Hitachi in 2020. ABB operates in more than 100 countries with about 147,000 employees.