Vivablast

INDUSTRIAL

ASSETS

FUSING ASIAN CULTURE AND VALUES WITH WESTERN TECHNIQUES

LIFE

SOLUTIONS

VIVABLAST

2 | Asia Outlook issue 41

CONSTRUCTION

PRESERVING INDUSTRY EMPOWERING PEOPLE A business epitomising the meteoric rise of Vietnam and ASEAN during the past two decades, VIVABLAST successfully fuses Asian culture and values with western techniques to deliver excellence in industrial asset preservation Writer: Jonathan Dyble | Project Manager: Donovan Smith

T

he 20th century was largely a period of hardship for Vietnam.

Categorised by a combination of French colonial rule (1858-1945), the First Indochina War (1946-1954) and the Vietnam War (1955-1975), decades of conflict had left the nation in a state of disrepair. Yet, despite the odds, the country began to turn a corner during the 1990s.

Political reforms brought about by Doi Moi beginning 1986 saw an agricultural overhaul and influx of foreign

direct investment, allowing its previously untapped potential to blossom.

By the turn of the millennium, more than 30,000 private businesses had been created, poverty had been nearly halved and GDP growth rates were peaking at seven percent.

Fast forward to the present day and prosperity remains steady. The country’s economic output has risen from $31 billion to over $233 billion over the past 19 years – a growth record described as remarkable by the World Bank.

Asia Outlook issue 41 | 3

VIVABLAST And similarly, the future looks bright. The Vietnamese construction industry, for example, a central facet of the country’s fast-paced economic development, currently benefits from annual investments double that of global averages. Meanwhile, estimates suggest that $25 billion per year will be required in order to meet the country’s sustainable infrastructure needs moving forward.

Resultantly, opportunities for local industry stalwarts are currently abundant.

“For Vietnam, and for the ASEAN as a whole, the demand for construction activities and asset maintenance has been steadily growing during the last 20 years,” affirms Boris Vivares, General Manager of VIVABLAST, a native industrial assets life solutions specialist.

“Today, we are witnessing further dynamism and growing investment and FDI within modern infrastructure developments. There’s a very strong push to meet power generation needs,

REPUTABLE, RESPONSIBLE VIVABLAST has built its success on the foundations of numerous esteemed corporate values.

VISION: To be the most preferred and trustful solutions provider for industrial asset preservation.

VALUES: Safeguard health and safety, deliver service excellence to customers and leverage the power of a united will to reach its goals.

COMMITMENT: Conduct business through transparency, loyalty and integrity for the benefit of all stakeholders, striking a balance between economic growth, corporate social responsibility and sustainable environmental performance.

4 | Asia Outlook issue 41

with a notable institutional focus on renewable energy and energy optimisation.”

A French citizen, Vivares himself arrived in Vietnam for the first time in 1998 owed to the positive climate, joining his father Jacques who had moved to the country four years earlier to help solve an ongoing management crisis at a declining French construction business.

“My father always has the ambition of developing his own construction specialties business with me,” Vivares states. “1994 is ultimately the year that this dream began to take shape.

“At that time, the situation was extremely bad for the French firm, but there was still an outlook of strong potential fuelled by Vietnam’s rapid economic development.

“Not long after I arrived, my father entered into a discussion concerning the orientations for the future of the business with the existing owner. We received information that the corporate decision was to pull out of Vietnam in view of the struggles, despite the positive results he had brought about that had helped to keep the business afloat.

“My father and I discussed the present situation and ended up proposing to acquire the business. Conditions were discussed, an agreement was reached, and in 2000 VIVABLAST was officially born.

“It marked my full-bodied venture into the industrial construction business – a leap of faith into the 21st century.”

A THREE-PRONGED EVOLUTION Two decades in the making, VIVABLAST’s history can be defined by three major milestones – landmark periods that have moulded the business into what it is today.

From the crucial kick-starter period to a series of recent diversifications, Vivares maps this evolution out: “Our first milestone was within the development of our health, safety and quality

Ningbo Haishu Shengerjie Scaffold NINGBO SHENGERJIE COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGES: TIME & MATERIAL SAVINGS (Below data is from actual yard test comparison) • The actual hours for the Ringlock build were 59 percent less than the estimated tube and fittings • The Actual hours were also 35 percent less than the Hi-Vis estimate for the Ringlock, adjusting the assumptions with site norms and agreed trends can tighten up these variances.

• Number of components in the SEJ Ringlock build is 40 percent less components VALUE ADDED SERVICES • Design and engineering • Product development COST SAVINGS • Direct sourcing of material from the manufacturer and and increased reliability of supply • Reducing waste and reworks

www.sjscaffold.en.made-in-china.com

system and multi-discipline service orientation, with specialities in protective coating, thermal insulation and passive fire protection.

“VIVABLAST’s safety inclination and culture is seeded from British Petroleum’s esteemed Golden Rules, focused on upholding safety to the highest standards, and the opportunity to undertake and be selected in our field of expertise for BP’s first Vietnamese gas plant development in Dinh Co under Australian EPC specialist McConnell Dowell.”

Indeed, this project was a landmark for the entire country, welcoming the footprint of one of the world’s leading oil and gas players, but simultaneously acted as a flagship for improved safety cultures in Vietnamese construction.

“Our second major milestone was then within the development of our ISO system and the addition of new professional trades,” Vivares adds.

“This included scaffolding, thermal insulation, and subsequently allowing

CONSTRUCTION

We provide our customers with premium products, reliable supply, comprehensive service and competitive commercial choice on a global scale. Continuously improvement of our products quality and new product development capabilities make us stand out of the industrial scaffolding market, occupying broad markets. With our extensive experience in the industrial market, we specialize in: Oil, Gas & Chemicals, Power & Energy, and Mining & Refining projects. Our products are mainly sold to North America, South America, UK, Australia and Southeast Asia Etc.

Ningbo Haishu Shengerjie Scaffold In 2008, Ningbo Haishu Shengerjie Scaffolding Co., Ltd was established in Ningbo City, Zhejiang Province.

Ningbo Shengerjie covers an area of 20,000 square meters. After more than 10 years of development, we have become an Integrated Company for scaffolding R & D, Production, Sales, Rental, Scaffolding training, meanwhile we provide Complete Scaffolding Solutions Service for clients. Our main products include complete Ringlock Modular System Scaffolding products and wedge clamps. We can produce 1000 1200 tons of all kinds of scaffolding products every month.

China

Malaysia

Australia

Contact Name: Sam Chai Mobile: 86 133 9674 9919 86 180 1400 7770 Email: Sam@hcscaffold.com Wechat: 13396749919 Web: sjscaffold.en.made-in-China.com

MKRS BUMI (M) SDN BHD

COBRA ACCESS PTY LTD

Contact Name: Dato’ Dr Saravanan Karrupayah Tel: 6038736 4851 Email: saravanan@mkrs.com.my

Contact Name: James Novatscou Tel: +61 419 999 990 Email: jnovatscou@yahoo.com.au

“My father and I discussed the pres­ent situation and ended up proposing to acquire the business. Conditions were discussed, an agreement was reached, and in 2000 VIVABLAST was officially born”

Asia Outlook issue 41 | 5

VIVABLAST

VIVABLAST to ventures into the Vietnamese power generation construction sector through the successful participation in several combined-cycle power-plant (CCPP) projects and build-operate-transfers (BOTs) projects.”

During this period, Vivablast began working towards its ambition of expanding its capabilities to encompass all sectors of the construction industry, from manufacturing, shipbuilding and mining to the power generation and oil and gas midstream and downstream market with a full array of professional services.

Vivares then points to the firm’s latest operational breakthrough: “Most recently, we’ve focussed on and developed our brownfield mechanical works capabilities, again for the power generation and oil and gas refining and petrochemical segment.

“We have developed our steel fabrication expertise, with specialties in 6 | Asia Outlook issue 41

“I can honestly say that our achievement and long-term growth are the outcome of the commitment of our long-term employees – their daily dedication, in-depth motivation and continuous efforts” piping fabrication, power generation equipment, gas exhaust system and several types of handling equipment since this phase kickstarted in 2016.”

Owed to this three-stage evolution, VIVABLAST’s industrial assets life solutions services are now housed in four well managed business units, respectively focusing on power generation, oil and gas, manufacturing and shipbuilding, operating across the ASEAN region.

“We’ve had to develop and adapt to market demands, but we’ve retained our versatile advantage, ensuring VIVABLAST provides quality work-

manship, unrivalled health and safety and reliable services on schedule with a clear comprehension of projects,” Vivares adds.

EMPLOYEE AND PARTNER POWER An agile market mover, this latter point is testament to the company’s workforce.

As the enterprise has evolved, so too have its employees, embracing the opportunity to diversify their own skillsets across a multitude of verticals.

This is not been lost on VIVABLAST either. The organisation emphasises

CONSTRUCTION the importance of providing a good working environment and culture that nurture ambition and empower staff at every opportunity.

“We focus on the strong development of our management skills at all levels for white and blue collars, as well as employee accountability within our decision-making process and the CSR PROGRAMMES

GIVING BACK VIVABLAST’s workforce empowerment extends beyond upskilling, the company’s corporate social responsibility programmes largely centred around uplifting their livelihood in wider ways.

“Much of our social investment activities are oriented around our employees,” Vivares affirms. “We grant them long term, interestfree loans, helping them to buy, build or repair their homes, pay for weddings and funerals, and offer a hand in dealing with the hiccups that everyone experiences in life.

“We see it as our duty to provide the right level of protection cover for our employees, beyond what the labour laws here legally necessitate as these requirements are minimal.”

In addition, the business takes time out to support orphanages on an external basis, repainting buildings and upgrading facilities for children.

execution of projects and services,” Vivares adds.

“Jacques and I have been in Asia and Vietnam for over 20 years now, and I can honestly say that our achievement and long-term growth are the outcome of the commitment of our long-term employees – their daily dedication, in-depth motivation and continuous efforts.”

These brand champions are not the sole proponents of the business’s success, however. Equally, the MD also highlights the role of its extensive network of suppliers and partners that uphold activities spanning protective coating, passive fire protection, scaffolding systems, mechanical works, steel fabrication and more.

“These relationships are significant.

We are dependent on our suppliers to both meet our own requirements and provide flawless delivery to our customers,” he states. “Right now, for example, we hold more than 4,000 supply entries in our database.

“Our standards are high. We ask them to abide by key quality guidelines within our ISO/OSHAS process, ensure they are all approved and properly registered within our database, and demand continuous improvement across the board. And they respond, repeatedly offering better technical support and expertise, and ensuring all materials and commodities are readily available.”

BLENDING ASIAN CULTURE WITH WESTERN TECHNIQUES Leveraging this expansive partner base, further upskilling its esteemed employees and maintaining its progressive ethos moving forward, VIVABLAST is well positioned to capitalise on a season of opportunities ahead.

Not entirely Vietnamese, nor French, the business’s core differentiator is its standing as a fusion company, successfully blending Asian culture and values with western techniques and methods such as an extensive, modern investment programme.

“We are aware that any enlargement of VIVABLAST’s integrated turnkey solutions and array of services in maintenance and construction will require additional financial backing, particularly as we look to sustain our expansion and meet market demands across Southeast Asia,” Vivares states, eluding to its goals of upholding both world-class offerings and a panASEAN outlook.

“This will likely translate into equipment acquisition and the addition of technology monitoring systems and optimisation means. We will also further invest in technical training and international standard certification with the ambition to develop a professional and certified training school next year in our growing trades.”

Combining this willingness to epitomise industry modernity with the backdrop of widespread regional prosperity, it is undoubted that this modus operandi will bear fruit in the long term.

For this reason, the MD is staunchly optimistic. He concludes, once again citing the upward curve referenced at the beginning of our conversation: “As mention earlier, the ASEAN region is certainly the most dynamic part of the world nowadays and the requirement in terms of infrastructure development and energy needs will only grow further.

“There are already clear project commitments set for the petrochemical, power generation, renewables and manufacturing sectors, and we are excited about expected growth, notably in countries such as Vietnam, Myanmar and other fast developing economies in the area.”

INDUSTRIAL

ASSETS

LIFE

SOLUTIONS

VIVABLAST Tel: +84 28 38 965 006/7/8 vivablast@vivablast.com www. vivablast.com

Asia Outlook issue 41 | 7

INDUSTRIAL

ASSETS

LIFE

SOLUTIONS

VIVABLAST Lot B1, Street 2, Binh Chieu Industrial Zone, Binh Chieu Ward, Thu Duc District, Ho Chi Minh City 700000, Vietnam Tel: +84 28 38 965 006/7/8 vivablast@vivablast.com www.vivablast.com PRODUCED BY ASIA OUTLOOK MAGAZINE