CNS: Gradually Optimizing Operations

With the close support and direction of Ho Chi Minh City leaders, policies and solutions for industrial and supporting industrial development have been revised to be more practical and suitable. Many companies have capitalized on opportunities, enhanced production capacity and product quality, and made significant contributions to industrialization and modernization, with Saigon Industry Corporation (CNS) serving as a prime example. Our reporter conducted an interview with Mr. Nguyen Phuong Dong, General Director of CNS, about these efforts.

After nearly two decades of development, CNS is known as a strong industrial brand of Ho Chi Minh City. Could you introduce some outstanding achievements?

Saigon Industry Corporation (CNS) was established through the restructuring and reform of key state-owned industrial enterprises in HCM City. Thus, its operations are involved in the city's key industries. After nearly 20 years of development, CNS has promoted its manufacturing advantages and attained notable achievements. Its products and services hold a strong position in domestic and international markets and are supplied to partners in the automobile, water supply and drainage industries in major markets such as the United States, Europe, Australia and Japan. Its cigarette production pays over VND3,000 billion of tax annually to the State Budget.

These achievements largely result from the joint efforts across the parent-subsidiary system, as well as the close direction of HCM City’s leaders and the guidance of relevant agencies. In recent years, despite facing general economic difficulties during the COVID-19 pandemic as well as challenges arising from world political and trade uncertainties and its own difficulties, CNS has focused on activities to consolidate, maintain and stabilize production; promoted innovations; upgraded techniques, machinery, equipment and working methods; improved corporate legal affairs; and paid attention to arranging and perfecting the organization and apparatus. As a result, the corporation has always fulfilled annual financial targets assigned by the HCM City People's Committee.

The marketplace is highly competitive. To thrive sustainably, a company must have effective strategies. How has CNS developed its goals and solutions for this?

2025 is the last year of the current administration term of carrying out the resolution of the National Party Congress and the 5-year CNS development strategy and plan in the 2020-2025 period. In this important year, the corporation will organize the Party Congress and build development strategies and plans for 2025-2030.

Nonetheless, in 2025 and the coming years, domestic and global economic challenges are forecast to affect its business operations. The consumer market is facing difficulties, and market competition is becoming increasingly fierce. The demand for technological innovations is growing in the current period of rapid technological development. This context requires the corporation’s business restructuring and personnel reorganization. This is also completely appropriate when the firm is building a restructuring project, to be submitted to the HCM City People's Committee for approval, arranging and streamlining the apparatus in line with Resolution 18-NQ/TW of the 12th Party Central Committee on “Some issues on continued reform and rearrangement of streamlined, effective and efficient apparatus.”

The corporation gradually optimizes its operations by shifting its production focus and developing profitable and promising business areas. It also focuses on improving labor productivity and making targeted investments in areas where it has competitive advantages, such as machinery, equipment, infrastructure, governance systems, and human resources, to meet its upcoming development needs. These issues will be focused on in the coming time.

Corporate culture is key to sustainable development. How does CNS nurture and enhance this factor?

In my opinion, one of the core factors in building corporate culture in any organization is ethical training. We believe that human resources should be the foundation and center for development. Then, we focus on enhancing corporate culture through training, improving the working environment, promoting mass movements, taking care of material and spiritual life, and ensuring income for employees. Typical activities include Tet care (CNS buses take employees home to enjoy Tet holidays, giving Tet gifts to employees affected by serious illnesses, suffering workplace accidents or living in hardship), vacation, teambuilding, healthcare, support for poor employees, emulation and employee movements. These activities have helped build a corporate culture characterized by dynamism, creativity and innovation for development.

Thank you very much!

By Van Luong, Vietnam Business Forum