Nha Be Garment JSC: Sewing to New High

Nha Be Garment Joint Stock Corporation (NBC) has made significant contributions to the success of the Vietnamese garment and textile industry. In 2009, the corporation’s export turnover reached US$240 million, a rise of 17 % from 2008, its total revenue was VND1,880 billion and payroll for employees climbed 12 %. Vietnam Business Forum has an interview with Mr. Pham Phu Cuong, Deputy Director of NBC, on the successes of NBC.

In 2009, we were still greatly affected the global economic crisis. Therefore, each enterprise had to determine its own direction to sustain and develop. NBC soon knew and quickly introduced proper measures and objectives to suit the new condition. Especially, as regards export market, NBC determined market conditions to apply timely measures. For example, we anticipated that the US market would meet with many difficulties and risks; so we restructured sales, either raised or lowered, to this market in specific periods of time in relation to European and Japanese markets.

 

NBC managed to stabilise its production output, continue to promote investment to create prerequisites for the accelerating development of NBC after the crisis is over. Respecting production, we always regard human resources as the foundation for development; thus, our leaders attach much importance to ensuring that spiritual and material life of employees, especially in the time of price escalation. Besides, we review all stages of production and business activities to improve efficiency and enhance productivity.

 

In the past two years, NBC has sold new products and brands onto the Vietnamese market. NBC’s increasing presence on the domestic market is not resulted from shrinking export markets but it is in the corporation’s strategy created 5-10 years ago. We has promoted and improved an overall picture of the corporation as well the image of secondary brands. NBC combines western modernity and Vietnamese tradition in its costumes. We understand that it is right to strongly develop domestic market during this period but it also requires long-term investment. Because fashion cannot be perfect immediately when it make a debut on the market, we must listen to customers and adapt social trends to produce perfect products for customers.

 

After Vietnam joined the WTO and pledged to open its market to the world, NBC was aware of the importance of rapid integration into the regional and international economies. Hence, since late 2008, after receiving the corporate model transformation permit from the Vietnam National Textile and Garment Group (Vinatex), the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Ministry of Planning and Investment, the Prime Minister and the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Planning and Investment, NBC signed a contract with a professional design company to proceed with building the branding standard to be registered and protected globally. This is one of important plans in the roadmap we created years ago. In fact, we do not make much change to my old diamond-shaped logo, only replacing "NB" with "NBC" which stands for Nha Be Corporation. NBC logo is created in handwriting style where two letters, N and B, are bonded together to reflect the solidarity, stability, activeness and modernity. The theme colour, green, is kept unchanged, carrying the meaning of faith and optimism. The red upward stoke at letter ‘B” symbolises the rising, success and prosperity.

NBC hopes that the change in the brand identity system will help the corporation to be more perfect, not losing its beloved image we have sown deeply in the heart of customers. The change has shown the higher stature of the corporation and the desire to move toward the world of Nha Be Garment Corporation, a leading garment company in Vietnam. This is reflected in the corporation’s slogan: Reach to the world.

 

As mentioned above, the change in the NBC logo is part of the corporation’s development roadmap. Therefore, when the corporation meticulously prepared for the official announced of this change. From the beginning, NBC determined to focus on export first and the corporation conducted studies and surveys on technologies in developed countries which are centuries ahead of Vietnam in fashion. In addition, we have procured modern equipment to scale up production to meet the increasing demand of customers. An indispensable and decisive factor of fashion is design. We also cooperated with several Italian designers and world-acclaimed designers to create products of both European style and Vietnamese culture and character. From the above factors, NBC has provided top quality, fashionable and trendy products for the market.

 

When NBC makes inroads into the domestic market, it has determined to prepare a strong enough financial resource to be a dominant. The fashion industry cannot make a swift success as customers need time to use and feel new products and they will form the trend. We have launched high quality products onto the Vietnamese market with the new NBC logo. After that, we have conducted preliminary surveys and found out that NBC products have drawn deep interest of customers thanks to its product quality and suitability to Vietnamese character and climate, especially reasonable prices.

 

To maintain good and sustainable development, in the coming time, NBC is still consolidating and expanding export markets and strengthening the domestic market to increase the popularity of NBC brand. We will continue to invest in more modern technologies than other companies and enterprises in Ho Chi Minh City to step into higher grade products. In addition, we will increase investments in factories many provinces and cities in the country to boost good production capacity and grasp new opportunities when the economy recovers completely.