Dien Bien Cement JSC: Icon for Local Industry

Since he decided to invest in the Dien Bien cement plant six years ago, Director Nguyen Van Thinh has never had a day of true repose. His ideas and determination run continuously as he desires to play a part in this mountainous province of Dien Bien. He came to Dien Bien, brought his family and career to this northwest province with a strong determination to bring Dien Bien industry to a new high.

 

He was a successful cement producer in the northern port city of Hai Phong. In 2001, Director Nguyen Van Thinh shocked all his colleagues when he decided to spend VND27 billion to build a cement plant in Tuan Giao district, Dien Bien province. However, that was only a tentative step before his bigger move in 2005. He spent VND750 billion to build a reverter cement factory with an annual capacity of 370,000 tonnes in Sam Mun commune, Dien Bien district. In 2008, he brought his wife and children to live in Dien Bien.

 

Speaking of his bold decision, Director Nguyen Van Thinh said, “Many people have asked me why I had decided to invested in this difficult place. I simply think that Dien Bien is a land of history and culture and each person must carry responsibility for this land. From my cement investment project in Tuan Giao, I knew more about why his historical land was still poor. Then, I decided to make investment.”

 

In a long-term strategy, investing in Dien Bien brings many advantages. The province is not only a big material supplier but also a huge market. The distance from Dien Bien to Son La, Lai Chau or even northern Laos is within 180 km while this vast region has no other cement plants. A tonne of cement shipped from lowland agents usually costs VND1 million more. Hence, a factory with a rational capacity is profitable and competitive in this market. Besides, the company’s factory receives strong support from local authorities because this is the largest cement producer here.

 

Then, all difficulties and hardships eased when the first tonnes of Dien Bien-branded cement were produced in October 2009. Powered by European technologies and modern production lines, the cement products meet Vietnamese standards such as TCVN-6260: 1997 and TCVN-2682:1999 granted by the Directorate for Standards, Metrology and Quality (STAMEQ) under the Ministry of Industry and Trade. With localised advantages, the price of Dien Bien-branded cement is VND500,000 per tonne lower than similar products from elsewhere.

 

With its assertion and commitment to quality, Dien Bien cement is found not only in Dien Bien, Lai Chau, Son La and Vinh Phuc provinces, but also reaches to northern Lao provinces. Apart from building civil works, Dien Bien cement is also supplied to six hydropower plants in the region, namely Nam He, Nam Na 1, Nam Na 2, Nam Na 3, Ta Co (Son La province) and Nam Muc. Its clinker is supplied to Son La hydropower plant. In 2011, the company was assigned by the Government to supply all cement for the 1,200-MW Nam Nhun hydropower plant (Lai Chau province). This underlines its reputation and position on the market.

 

Following robust investment in modern equipment and technology, Director Nguyen Van Thinh attaches special importance to training staff to take over and operate equipment and technologies most effectively. All nearly 500 employees have been trained in different specialisations like economic management, electricity, mechanics, chemistry and silicate. The company maintains annual training policies and programmes to ensure the sustainability of human resources for production and business activities.

 

At present, team by team of cement trucks is evidence to the right decision of Director Nguyen Van Thinh. He said “We must trust in whatever we do. My project not only generates a handsome sum of taxes to the local State Budget and creates jobs for nearly 500 workers, but also reduces social expenses for extraction of local resources. The current success is laying the groundwork for the company to expand its capacity to 800,000 tonnes a year.