Holcim Vietnam, formerly known until 2002 as Morning Star Cement Ltd. was registered in February 1994 as a joint-venture company between Holcim Ltd. and then, Vietnam Cement Corporation (VNCC), now Vietnam Cement Industry Corporation (VICEM), a state-owned enterprise of Vietnam. In August 2008, Holcim Vietnam was re-registered under the new Law on Enterprises as a limited liability company with two members: VICEM and Holcim Ltd. which respectively contributed in the Company 35 and 65 of its charter capital.
Holcim Vietnam currently employs almost 1,500 people. Starting with commercial operations of the Cat Lai and Hon Chong plants in 1997 and 1998 respectively, the company added the Thi Vai grinding station in 2005, using an aggregate investment capital of US$441 million. By the start of 2008, Holcim Vietnam’s capacity rose, including imports, to 4.6 million tonnes per annum of cement and half a million cubic metres of ready-mix concrete. In October 2008, Holcim Vietnam strengthened its role and presence in Vietnam with the purchase of a cement-grinding asset in Hiep Phuoc Industrial Zone, Nha Be District, Ho Chi Minh City. This acquisition brought the capacity to more than five million tonnes per annum, including imported cement, to support Holcim Vietnam’s commitment to participate in a strong and sustainable cement and concrete industry in Southern Vietnam.
Presently, Holcim products launched in the market include Holcim Beton and Holcim Top Standard.
Holcim Beton is a leader in high quality ready-mix concrete, technical support and pumping service provider in the Southern Vietnam market. Holcim Beton works closely with developers, large, local and international contractors, architects and engineers to apply the most suitable concrete solution for our customers’ specific needs. Holcim Beton is proud to be the main ready mix concrete supplier for such remarkable projects as Richland Hill, Phu My Bridge, Saigon Pearl, Saigon Exhibition and Convention Centre, etc.
Holcim Top Standard (bag): a versatile Blended Portland Cement for foundations, columns, slab concrete, bricklaying/plastering and finishing works. The other Holcim products that are multi-purpose, including: Holcim Quick Cast, Holcim Ready Flow, Holcim Stable Soil, Holcim Extra Durable, Holcim Mass Pour.
The key factor to success for the Company is human resources. Mr Gary Schutz, General Director of Holcim Vietnam said, “We believe that people with strength, performance and passion are a key to make our company successful. To achieve this, we embarked on a people development journey, an important business initiative. Every year, we invest considerably in training, health and safety management and career development. As an established faster learning organization, Holcim Vietnam offers internal and external training opportunities focusing on both formal and on the job training”. To promote the right use of cement in all types of construction like individual houses, small apartment buildings as well as high-rise buildings and infrastructure projects, Holcim Vietnam often organizes workshops and seminars for key partners: retail network, ready-mix customers, contractors, home owners, designers and consultants.
To secure a sustainable future, Holcim Vietnam established the Sustainable Development (SD) Department in early 2008 to execute concrete projects focused on the preservation of the environment. SD has spent over VND1.2 billion to continue the focus on improving the livelihood of the workforce, their families and children and the communities around the company’s operational sites.
Aligned with the vision of a “greener” production, Holcim Vietnam is actively involved in sustainable environmental matters. Partnerships with international organizations such as International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and International Crane Foundation (ICF) have allowed the Company to conserve a robust ecosystem around its Hon Chong plant and to promote best practices across the cement industry and related sectors in Vietnam. Local community engagement is exercised through supporting progress for a modern education, improving rural infrastructure, people’s livelihood and community self-development. A five-year partnership agreement has also been signed with Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology and Can Tho University to grant scholarships supporting talents of tomorrow.
“We have a long term investment in Vietnam. We are as committed as ever to applying international best practices in minimizing our environmental impact, while protecting all personnel and investors within our sites through rigorous occupational health and safety (OH&S) standards. We strongly believe that the actions we take today, even in the face of economic adversity, must have positive impacts on the world of tomorrow,” added Gary Schutz.
In past years, Holcim Vietnam has received awards from the Vietnamese government and other stakeholders for excellent achievements in environmental management and contributions to the Provinces People’s Committees like: Environmental Gold Cup, Silver quality Management Award, Corporate Social Responsibility Award, Golden Dragon Award, Supply Chain Award, Recognition on education development.
Phan Dong
Vietnamese
