HCM CITY — Enhancing supply chain linkages is one of the key measures for the sustainable development of industry, including supporting industries, an expo heard in HCM City yesterday.

Nguyễn Phương Đông, deputy director of the city Department of Industry and Trade, told the “Sourcing fair for connecting supporting industry with buyers (SFS 2018)” that in implementing the Government and city’s policies on developing supporting industries, his department’s efforts include connecting components suppliers with product manufacturers as a long-term strategy.

The two-day SFS 2018, which ended on Wednesday, sought to “enhance direct connections between FDI and other manufacturing firms and Vietnamese parts suppliers.”

This is expected to create opportunities for the parts suppliers to gradually join the global supply chain, Đông said.

On the second day 17 local and FDI firms in the electronics, automobile and mechanical engineering sectors displayed more than 250 components and parts clusters used in producing telephones, photocopiers, elevators, trucks, buses, special purpose vehicles, and electrical appliances for which they were looking for suppliers.

More than 80 Vietnamese parts manufacturers had registered to take part and more than 230 business-to-business meetings were arranged yesterday between part suppliers and buyers, Đông said.

Phạm Tuấn Anh, deputy director of the Ministry of Industry and Trade’s industrial department, hailed the efforts made by the city to boost supporting industries.

“The ministry would always support the city’s programmes to promote supporting industries,” he said.

Speaking to Việt Nam News, Nguyễn Quốc Anh, chairman of the Rubber - Plastic Manufacturers Association, said some local firms have invested in technology to produce high-quality products.

“But because they are still new they have not yet found businesses to supply to. On the other hand, producers of downstream products have not yet heard about them.”

Organised by the city Department of Industry and Trade, the Saigon Hi-Tech Park and the HCM City Export Processing and Industrial Zones Authority, the event had held two seminars on the Supporting Industry in Industry 4.0 and Enhancing Linkage Opportunities in the Electronic Supply Chain on March 13. — VNS