Derek Ong, Electronic Industrial Software Solutions manager, Keysight Technologies Squeezing every last drop of productivity from invested manufacturing equipment on the factory floor was the goal, and hence a lot of focus was on downtime and throughput. Predictive maintenance and asset utilisation are important business outcomes from any successful Industry 4.0 implementation. Then COVID-19 happened. Other than the race to 5nm chips, 5G, and cloud computing, some sectors of the electronics manufacturing industry have seen a drastic drop in volume, leading to a surplus of production assets on the floor. For some, machines have idled. For others, COVID-19 has caused massive supply chain disruptions. The necessary steps taken by governments around the globe to manage and halt the spread of this epidemic, has restricted movement of factory employees and subsequently lowered productivity and output. The trade situation between the US and China has forced manufacturers to shuffle … [Read more...] about Manufacturing analytics in electronics industry – Pivot to quality in the “New Normal”
Manufacturing
HCMC to pilot bus priority lane
The HCMC Department of Transport shared that the city aims at possessing a multi-means public transport system, including 8 metro lines, 3 tram lines, 6 bus rapid transit lines (BRT), and 200 regular bus lines, in order to meet the traveling demands of the community. Due to the dense population in HCMC, leading to the large number of private vehicles, urban traffic at the moment has to shoulder a heavy burden, and the average velocity of vehicles in the downtown is just 20-25km per hour. To tackle this problem, the municipal authorities have adjusted the planning of the urban transport system to implement the Transit Oriented Development (TOD) model. This model maximizes the link between residential, business, manufacturing areas and the existing public transport system. HCMC is going to apply this model along Metro Line No.1 (from Ben Thanh in the downtown to Suoi Tien in Thu Duc City), Metro Line No.2 (the first phase: Ben Thanh – Tham Luong in District 12; the second phase: … [Read more...] about HCMC to pilot bus priority lane
11 priority groups eligible to first COVID-19 vaccination in Vietnam
The groups include health professionals, the pandemic prevention and fight task force (members of steering committees, people working in quarantining areas, reporters and others), diplomats, and customs and immigration staffs, military personnel, police force, teachers, and the elderly aged over 65. Others include those working to maintain the supply of essential services such as aviation, transportation, tourism, electricity and water supply, as well as people with chronic diseases,people going abroad on a mission, to work, or study, and those in pandemic-hit areas. The Ministry of Health (MoH) has announced the plan on the reception, preservation, distribution, and use of COVID-19 vaccines during 2021-2022 with the support of the COVAX Facility – the global procurement mechanism of COVAX. Vietnam aims to have 80 per cent of its population get vaccinated against COVID-19. However, due to the limited supply, the rate can hit 20 per cent in 2021-2022. COVAX is co-led by the … [Read more...] about 11 priority groups eligible to first COVID-19 vaccination in Vietnam
Which sectors in Vietnam are dominated by Thai companies?
In the last decade .their investments in Vietnam swelled by an average of 13 percent a year. By the end of last year their total investment was only around $13 billion, not enough to put Thailand in the top five list, but still managed to have large market shares in several sectors by concentrating their investment in a handful of sectors. In the retail sector, some leading supermarket chains are controlled by two Thai companies, Central Group and TCC Group. Central Group, Thailand’s leading retailer, which belongs to the Chirathivat family, started off in Vietnam as a fashion merchandiser in 2012, distributing products from brands such as SuperSports, Crocs and New Balance. In 2015, it acquired a 49 percent stake in electronics retailer Nguyen Kim through its subsidiary Power Buy. In the same year, it bought out supermarket chain Lan Chi, which operates mainly in northern rural areas. In 2016, it bought supermarket chain Big C Vietnam from France's Casino Group for over $1 … [Read more...] about Which sectors in Vietnam are dominated by Thai companies?
AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine batch lands in HCMC
At around 10:45 a.m. Wednesday, the flight carrying Covid-19 vaccine doses arrived at HCMC's Tan Son Nhat Airport. They're the first batch of Covid-19 vaccines produced by British-Swedish firm AstraZeneca in collaboration with Oxford University and imported by Vietnam Vaccine JSC (VNVC). After landing, the plane carrying the vaccine is guided to its berth. Employees at Tan Son Nhat Airport prepare to receive the vaccines while wearing protective suits. The first vaccine batch leaves the plane. A VNVC representative said the batch is part of an agreement last November with AstraZeneca. Truong Quoc Cuong, Deputy Health Minister, at Tan Son Nhat Airport on Wednesday said Vietnam and Thailand are the first two ASEAN countries to receive Covid-19 vaccines produced by AstraZeneca. Vaccine containers are loaded onto special vehicles at the airport. They would be transported to VNVC cold storage units kept at between two to … [Read more...] about AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine batch lands in HCMC