How do you assess the significance of research in automation and the development towards a national modernised economy?

Automation is a high technology industry, encompassing various scientific disciplinaries of which engineering, electronic, robots, and information technology are key components.

Due to its high technological requirements, it is important to thoroughly understand its role in the country’s path to industrialisation and modernisation.

Automation will undoubtedly add value to the production market and transform the country from an out-sourcing nation to one that is recognised for its manufacturing and exporting abilities.

What’s the current status of the automation industry in the country?

I would say that about 40 per cent of enterprises and economic sectors have paid high attention to technology.

These enterprises operate in the fields of electricity, metallurgy, dairy production, brewery, cement, construction materials and others.

How do you respond to the comment that automation in the country has not met the demands of the enterprises or the nation’s development?

I agree. Automation is still lagging behind which is why it hasn’t met the demands of the country’s socio economic development.

Reportedly Vietnam has to spend nearly $10 billion on importing automatic engineering technology equipment. The sum is rather large for a country in the process of economic development.

Due to the low level of automation applications in production, we have to export raw materials while importing materials for processing.

I must concede that between 70-80 per cent of the key materials used in production have to be imported. This is the one of the main reasons behind our trade deficit.

Is there an opportunity for the industry to develop?

That 60 per cent of enterprises have not applied advanced technologies in their production shows how large the market potential is.

In addition, the $10 billion spent on the material imported should provide food for thought for Vietnamese scientists.

In my opinion if we can provide up to 50 per cent of the market demand, we can save a lot of money on imports as a result of helping the national economy develop healthily.

What are the difficulties the young industry could potentially face?

Automation industry may be new to Vietnam but many countries have far more experience in it. I think the problem at the moment lies in the lack of links between scientists and enterprises.

Although a number of scientists are now based in production entities in the hope of speeding up the process of automation in their production chain, the results have been very limited.

So while a lot of research has proved successful it is lying idle in the book-shelves, not having been applied properly.

Then there is the lack of a skilled work force. This requires enterprises focusing on human resource development.

What should the automation industry do to accelerate the application of technology and automation in their production?

The national strategy on the automation industry says that automation must be applied in the majority of enterprises, be they big, medium or small sized by 2010.

To meet this target, the links between the scientists and enterprises should be tightened while infrastructure investment and capital construction should be strengthened.

Research should be based on market driven requirements in order to raise the level of commercialised economic values of the research products.

Source: Viet Nam News