Thai Son Group: Soldierly Epidemic Prevention Coupled with Economic Development

In 2020 - 2021, the prolonged outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic adversely hurt the manufacturing, business and investment of Thai Son Group. With a soldierly spirit, all officers, soldiers and employees of the corporation united and devoted themselves to overcome difficulties together to restore business development on the one hand and ensure safe production, prevent the epidemic and successfully complete all assigned tasks on the other. Our reporter has an interview with Colonel Pham Gap, President and General Director of Thai Son Group, on these matters. Thanh Tung reports.

Could you please briefly introduce the difficulties and challenges that Thai Son Group has faced in recent years?

The fourth wave of the COVID-19 outbreak in Vietnam has seriously affected production and business of the corporation and the entire political system has joined efforts in the fight against the epidemic. Up to now, the epidemic has been basically controlled and companies have started to resume production. Looking back on nearly six months of social distancing at different levels, the health of businesses in general and Thai Son Group in particular have already changed. We are confronting a lot of difficulties and challenges in production, business and investment due to supply and production chain disruptions, labor shortages and unfavorable access to customers and to capital. Worse, production interruption, output reduction and rising costs during the social distancing period became a big challenge.

Struggling with challenges and obstacles that directly impacted its business, under the leadership of the Party Committee and the Board of Directors, all employees were united and determined to overcome all hardships in the way to realize all goals and plans. So far, the corporation has basically completed its business targets assigned by the Ministry of Defense, maintained stable operations and ensured employees’ livelihoods.

It is said that “there are always opportunities in hard times.” Placed in the context of complicated and prolonged COVID-19 epidemic development, what solutions has Thai Son Group adopted to flexibly adapt to the epidemic, gradually overcome difficulties, and maintain and develop production and business activities?

Without doubt, the COVID-19 pandemic has exposed numerous hardships and challenges to businesses in general and Thai Son Group in particular. However, this tough time has also reportedly opened up many opportunities, suitable business methods and projects to adapt flexibly, effectively and safely in production and business activities.

Anticipating hardships in its core business activities, Thai Son Group has eagerly worked with domestic and foreign partners to expand trade, import and export operations to better serve domestic market demands; used digital technology to enhance advertising; invested in technological equipment for digital transformation; focused on training employees in technology solutions to put forth innovative and creative business ideas suitable for this period. Thereby, we have also striven to strengthen its brands in the domestic market and reach out to the world market to cooperate with foreign partners, and join more deeply in global supply chains.

Thai Son Group’s business investment strategy for the coming time is to adapt to the "new normal context" where the company will restore and promote production and business activities while ensuring safety in disease prevention and control. Would you be kind enough to tell us about this?

A quick online survey of more than 100 businesses by the Ho Chi Minh City Business Association (HUBA) showed that during this fourth COVID-19 epidemic outbreak, up to 84% of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) confronted difficulty. According to data from the General Statistics Office (GSO), more than 80,000 businesses left the market in the first eight months of 2021. However, this figure might be only the tip of the iceberg because a lot of companies became inactive, went bankrupt, laid off workers and terminated operations as a result of the very unpredictable epidemic.

In order to adapt to the "new normal", restoring and promoting production and business activities while ensuring safety in disease prevention, Thai Son Group has applied online working, meeting and branding. To make preparations for advancing total digital transformation such as big data, internet of things and cloud computing in management, leadership, working process and corporate culture to slash operating costs, reach more customers and launch a timely and transparent reporting system, the corporation has managed to improve its operational performance and competitiveness in various business lines and fields. At the same time, it has built and operated e-commerce for military-run companies to expand business development and create a distribution channel for Vietnamese exporters, especially military-run firms, to generate a driving force to boost trade and bring high-quality Vietnamese products to domestic and international markets in a convenient and effective way.

While being determined to deal with adversities and maintain stable production and business, how has Thai Son Group tried to fulfill his social responsibility, especially to its employees and the community, and siding with the Government in COVID-19 epidemic prevention. Could you please tell us more about this?

The COVID-19 epidemic broke out and spread with complicated and unpredictable developments, severely hurting all aspects of social and economic life and human health and safety. In that context, the Party Committee and the Board of Directors of Thai Son Group have taken good care of all employees. In addition to dividing working shifts to ensure health safety as guided by the Government in the time of physical distancing, the corporation vaccinated all employees, properly assigned personnel to keep regular and continuous operations, and ensure absolute safety for employees. Besides business, the Party Committee and the Board of Directors gave top priority to supporting, motivating and ensuring well-being and taking care of employees’ livelihoods and welfare.

In response to epidemic prevention with the nation, Thai Son Group has provided material and spiritual contributions to repel the epidemic with practical actions. Specifically, the corporation's employees donated one-day salary, deducted the welfare fund, and called for other benefactors to support people affected by the pandemic. Its actions partly showed its determination, solidarity and effort to keep the epidemic at bay and foster socioeconomic development, community development and community health protection.

Despite complicated epidemic developments, believing that nothing is impossible, all employees of Thai Son Group are always resolute to fulfil their tasks, enabling the company to outdo its business plan set for 2021 on all four criteria: revenue, profit, tax payment and employee livelihoods. The group was awarded the Emulation Flag by the Central Military Commission and the Ministry of Defense for excellent performance in 2021.

In the coming time, Thai Son Group’s employees will continue to assist and carry out solutions to prevent the epidemic with the Government, the army and localities and boost soldierly economic development. We will always be ready, in any situation, to side with the people and community to expel the epidemic and strengthen economic development, social stability and national defense and security.

By Vietnam Business Forum