BITI'S: Active in Building Image and National Trademark

On April 17, government leaders and the National Trademark Council awarded national trademark prizes for 30 Vietnamese famous product brand names. Binh Tien Consumer Goods Company (Biti’s) is one of them. In order to identify the role and significance of National Trademark and the criteria in choosing products titled national trademarks, for enterprises in general and Biti’s in particular, VIB Forum had a talk with Mr Nguyen Duy Thanh, Deputy General Director of Binh Tien Consumer Goods Company on this issue.

 

First of all, I would like to express our warmest thanks to all Vietnamese consumers, the National Trademark Council for voting Biti’s products to receive the national trademark prize. Many countries and territories such as Taiwan, South Korea, Thailand, and New Zealand in the region and in the world have developed recognition and trademark development programs for their products for long time. In Vietnam, when we have heard that the government would directly guide the Ministry of Industry and Trade to carry out the national trademark program, our company is very glad to be invited to join the program. We are fully aware of the value of corporate trademark and product brand names in the period of international economic integration, with severe competition. For years, Vietnamese consumers and relevant departments have assessed Biti’s brand name as a good trademark. That is the premise and confidence for us to continue investing in product quality to develop our trademark. The participation and recognition for national trademark is a good opportunity for our company to be in contact with and test ourselves in the international market. Although the company has exported products to more than 40 countries throughout the world, we believe that when Biti's joins the National Trademark Program and our products are titled “the national trademark product”, we will have a better chance to occupy the domestic market and reach out to the world market. As a result, we will help affirm the brand name of the Vietnamese footwear industry on the international market. However, we are also aware of that when we receive this noble award, our company has to continue innovating in production technology, raising productivity, ensuring product quality requirements, and improving designs to meet the criteria of a national trademark and have the chance to join a program sponsored by the government.

 

Although our products’ quality is highly appreciated by customers, we have not allowed ourselves to be satisfied with what we have. The three above factors are always existed and have a close relationship in any enterprise. For the past several years, we have invested millions of dollars to renew Korean and Taiwan shoes and sandals production chains and technique. We have applied scientific production models in the world such as self-contained production model of Lean to raise productivity, save time and production cost for our enterprise. The young human resources, even in the Board of Directors, is an advantage for us to have strategic thinking to renovate production and management. Biti’s company has a large number of qualified staff. About 70 to 80 per cent of members in the board of directors have masters or university degrees. This is important for us to found efficient management. However, management competence here is meant to be management competence in production scale. It means that the enterprise can empower domestic production. For example, not only our Biti’s company produces shoes and sandals, but other big companies also make this product in the Vietnam market. Those companies need to prove management competence in shoe and sandal production to attract the domestic and regional markets.

 

When a product has taken part in the national trademark program, it is protected and helped by the government. This product is advertised overseas through the national trade promotion programs by the government, thus it is not only the product of our company but also a Vietnamese product with regional and international standard. At that time, regional and international market will be familiar with the brand name of the product and its producer. This is an advantage for us in business, which will help raise competitiveness in the domestic and international market. We think that our products being selected as the national brand name will affirm the confidence of the Vietnam government and consumers in Biti’s product quality. It is an advantage for us in the competition. However, it is also a positive pressure to help us make more renovation, and raise the creativeness to maintain the quality of our products provided to the market.

 

As I mentioned above about the second significance of “leadership capacity”, we will continue applying national and international quality management criteria to ensure the best product quality for customers in the forthcoming time. We always consider Vietnamese consumers as “guests of honour” who deserve to receive the best quality products. Therefore, we plan to keep innovating production technology, raising our creativity and the professionalism and specialisation of workers, improving working productivity by applying scientific and proper production lines, and promoting and developing leadership capacity. We target to ensure the best input quality for “number one” output quality to serve foreign and domestic consumers. This target is also to ensure that our products meet the criteria, standards and requirements for a national brand name.