Dutch decorative chocolate maker Dobla has recently opened a modern factory in the southern Vietnamese city of Vung Tàu. Royal Haskoning Netherlands' role included the planning, while its branch in Vietnam joined forces with local contractors to make the vision a reality.

Dobla has factories in the Netherlands, Belgium, the United States and now also in Vietnam. This makes it the world's largest manufacturer of chocolate decorations. The company devotes great effort to developing innovative products. Just over three years ago it introduced the Chef's Collection, featuring top-quality, partly hand-made decorations for applications in the premier segment of the market. Besides, in Europe and the USA, Dobla develops specialist equipment, including advanced dosing systems, to stay one step ahead of the competition. According to Dobla manager Wobbe Feenstra, there is no commercial incentive to place the work, much of which is hand-crafted, in Europe. 'So we decided to build a new factory in Vietnam. Anyway, wages are rather low there. Then we export the products to the rest of the world.'

Highest standard
Dobla relied on a Dutch architect to design the production facility. Royal Haskoning then assessed the design and adjusted it to local feasibility. Royal Haskoning also compiled the package of technical requirements for the advanced air conditioning installations for the different rooms, in consultation with Dobla. Then a local Vietnamese contractor built and fitted the installations. Feenstra stresses that the new factory meets the highest standards of hygiene. 'Here, too, Royal Haskoning played a key role, advising on how best to assure hygiene in the internal logistic flows, for example. This is one reason why the new factory has been certified to the highest standards since Day One.'

Speedy delivery
The Operations Manager was especially impressed by the unique combination of Royal Haskoning in the Netherlands and its office in Vietnam. 'That saved me some long journeys, though important discussions were held in the Netherlands. Then Royal Haskoning supervised the project on site.' One of the biggest challenges was to complete the factory to time. 'But we succeeded. Royal Haskoning has long experience in completing projects quickly. In September 2010 we started the first groundworks and the factory was operational by March. We have started with four production lines and a workforce of 100, but business is booming and we will certainly be able to add three more lines by the end of this year. In due course, I expect we will be able to create 400 Vietnamese jobs.’

Part of the local community
Dobla feels part of the local community and considers it important to give something back. The company is therefore planning to set up a Pacific Pastry Academy in co-operation with Rijn IJssel Vocational College in Wageningen, Saigon Tourism and Hospitality College. Top pâtissiers at the Academy will teach the Vietnamese the latest developments in their specialist field, so that the students can apply this knowledge to the country's growing tourist industry and in other sectors. Dobla is also supporting the orphanage in Vung Tàu, to ensure that children have access to clean drinking water and education to offer them a better future.

Netherlands Shipyard Group Damen, new partner SongCam Shipyards, a subsidiary of Vietnamese state owned Vinashin, will commence construction of a new shipyard in Vietnam’s Haiphong City in December. Occupying a 40 hectare site adjacent to the city’s River Cam, construction of the shipyard is boosting employment in the region, generating hundreds of new jobs and opportunity for international training. Project management and engineering consultancy Royal Haskoning, is responsible for design, support of the tender process and supervision of the shipyard construction.

Royal Haskoning’s design for the inner harbour incorporates a ship-lift that will offload Damen’s pre-constructed hulls for tugboats, high speed craft and aluminium catamarans, destined for the global market. Once the hulls are offloaded, they will be transported via an onsite rail system to the shipyard’s various outfit buildings for further processing,

Gerrit Jan van Ommen, General Manager of Damen, SongCam Shipyard, said:
"It as a great advantage to work with an international company from the Netherlands. Royal Haskoning has been active in Vietnam for some time now, and has a good knowledge of local regulations and legislation, which has been useful when applying for the necessary permits. Royal Haskoning has plenty of experience with large scale international projects of this type, which means it is able to combine the expertise of engineers and consultants effectively.

"We have been active in Vietnam for fifteen years, but this is our first joint venture with SongCam Shipyards. Our involvement is considered to be significant as it brings innovative ‘know-how’ from the Netherlands, and the opportunity to create new employment and expertise within the region. For example, a number of Vietnamese employees have been engaged on a training programme at our headquarters at Gorinchem in the Netherlands. Initially there will be 250 new jobs but we will require hundreds more employees in the future."

A great deal of attention is being paid to making the yard as efficient as possible. "Wages are relatively low in Vietnam, but if they start to rise, we will need to work as efficiently as possible. For example, we have designed special steps into the buildings where the vessels are processed. This will give workers quick and easy access to all the materials they need, make a difference to the numbers of staff required and is a much safer approach, as staff will not need to climb ladders or work on scaffolding. The yard is designed to meet European health, safety and environmental standards and we have taken future growth into consideration. This has involved focusing on a number of scenarios which we have developed together with TU Delft and Royal Haskoning."

Ground preparation of the site is now in full swing.

On 21 June 2011 Royal Haskoning Vietnam (RHV) awarded scholarships to seven junior and senior
qualified students in the Port and Coastal Engineering Department (PCEd) of Ho Chi Minh City
University of Technology.

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Ho Chi Minh City, May 30, 2011 – Royal Haskoning Vietnam’s Hanoi office moves to a new office on May 30, 2011. Royal Haskoning Vietnam is located in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Due to the increasing number of clients in Hanoi, the worldwide operating engineering and consultancy firm has decided to move to a new and larger building. 

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Royal Haskoning Vietnam (RHV) is part of Royal Haskoning - a leading, independent engineering consultant group from the Netherlands. Royal Haskoning has been operating in South East Asia for more than 40 years and is recognized as one of the most prominent leading consultants in construction in Vietnam with a unique track record of successful large-scale projects. RHV has been building ports, plants, and buildings and providing solutions in the field of water management for more than 20 years in Vietnam. On the occasion of the official visit of the Royal Prince and the Princess of the Netherlands to Vietnam, Vietnam Business Forum talks with Mr. Bernard Schiphorst - Managing Director of RHV. 

Source VCCI - complete article

Vietnam has the same problem as the Netherlands: threat of flooding. Both countries are densely populated and located largely below or at sea level. That’s why climate changes and potential sea-level rises are serious threats for Vietnam and the Netherlands in the future. For years, Vietnam, especially Ho Chi Minh City has reaped benefits from the Dutch water management expertise. Royal Haskoning is proud of playing an important role in providing valuable assistance to Vietnam with respect to improvement of flood control and waste-water treatment.  

Source VCCI - complete article

The President of Royal Haskoning, Erik Oostwegel, said the group is building ports, workshops and high-rise buildings in the framework of the Netherlands-Vietnam initiative to control climate change. The group has been operating in Vietnam for 20 years.

Source VOV News - complete article

On 30 March 2011 Sabeco officially inaugurated the Saigon-Quang Ngai brewery plant phase 1 in Quang Phu Industrial Zone, Quang Ngai province, Vietnam. The plant located on the area of 15,4 ha has the total investment value of 1.085 billion Vietnamese Dong (VND).

The plant‘s designed capacity is 100 million litres beer per year and will be increased double within next few years. The main buildings consist of utility building, equipment building and filling hall with the filling line‘s capability of 60.000 bottles per hour.

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On 10 March 2011 Sabeco officially inaugurated the new Saigon-Song Lam brewery in Nghe An, Vietnam. The total project value of phase 1 is about 1.045 billion Vietnamese Dong (VND).
To one-year construction time, the project is constructed with the fastest performance schedule in the system of Sabeco brewery plants nationwide in particular and similar brewery plant projects in Vietnam in general.  

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Deputy mayor Nguyen Trung Tin of Ho Chi Minh City and alderman Alexandra van Huffelen of the city of Rotterdam signed an agreement yesterday to make Ho Chi Minh City climate-proof. The two cities are going to work closely together over the next few years to create a delta plan for the further development of Ho Chi Minh City and the extension of its harbour. Royal Haskoning played an important role in drawing up the plan of action.

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Nijmegen/Rotterdam, 20 March 2011 – Consultancy and engineering firm Royal Haskoning achieved a worldwide turnover of 335 million euros in 2010. The net profit rose by over 60 percent in comparison with 2009 to 7.6 million euros. Its healthy solvency and liquidity positions constitute a solid basis for the future of the company.

The Board of Management of Royal Haskoning feels generally positive looking back over 2010. Unfavourable economic conditions did reduce Group turnover by 6 percent to 335 million euros in 2010. However, at the beginning of the year, a much sharper decline (14%) had been expected. Despite the loss of turnover, earnings before interest, tax and depreciation amounted to 25.4 million euros (against 23.2 million euros in 2009). Savings on operating costs and improvement of internal processes have contributed to the more favourable results. In the end, the results after tax and profit distribution to staff, amounted to 7.6 million euros (4.7 million euro 2009). Cash flow from operational activities amounted to 29 million euros (against 15.6 million euros in 2009). At the end of 2010, work in hand stood at 5.8 months (end of 2009: 6.7 months).

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With an illustrious history that dates back to 1881, Royal Haskoning, a leading and independent engineering consultant group from the Netherlands, and its subsidiary, Royal Haskoning Vietnam, have played pivotal roles in the construction industry. Vietnam Economic News' reporter Hai Yen spoke with Bernard Schiphorst, the managing director of Royal Haskoning Vietnam (RHV).

Read full interview (PDF) - Vietnam Economic News