18 years has gone by, Vietnam has changed a lot, I feel so happy that the decision to make investments here turned out to be right. Vietnam is enjoying today’s achievements and I am enjoying my successful today! But there are many chances in the future waiting for us.

Vietnam’s admission into the WTO was a significant change in improving the business environment. Competition is now not confined within the country’s boundaries but must be raised to the international level. To do this, production and business management practices must reach international standards to ensure competitiveness. Only when enterprises owned with professional staffs who have professional skills, a strong desire to devote themselves, efficient working methods will have stand in the new business environment.

I have lived in Vietnam for 18 years, the most memorable date of which was August 26, 2003, when the People’s Committee of Long An province handed over the investment licence to GreenFeed Vietnam Co. Ltd., a Thai-owned company specialized in producing and trading feeds for animal, poultry and aquatic products represented by me. The company’s head office is located in an area of 12 hectares in Nhut Chanh, Ben Luc district, Long An province.

The Ben Luc – Long An factory, about 1 km away from Ben Luc bridge and next to Vam Co river, occupies a favorable place for 2 traffic lines: road and waterway. Taking advantage of this strength, GreenFeed has invested in building a wharf with a capacity of 120 tons/hr to transport goods to branches across the Mekong River delta to the Southeast region in conformity with ISO 9001-2000 standards. The factory produces feeds for animal, poultry and aquatic products at a capacity of 500.000 tons/year. With over USD 30 million invested in the factory and an advanced production line, GreenFeed’s products are highly appreciated by farmers – customers and distribution agencies, who put their trust in our business and label our feeds as “five star”.

Having obtained initial success in business, products from the factory were insufficient for the market’s demands, the Company increased its capital, set up the Hung Yen branch in the North in November, 2005 which occupies an area of about 2 hectares in the Pho Noi A industrial park, Yen My district, Hung Yen province. The total investment amounting to 4.000.000 USD, the factory puts out feeds for animal, poultry and aquatic products at a capacity of 80.000 tons/year.

A year later, another branch in Binh Dinh – in the Central region – was put into practice under licence No. 35112000001 issued on December 18, 2006. The factory is 5.309 m2 in area, located in the Nhon Binh industrial park, Quy Nhon city, Binh Dinh province. The total investment amounting to 3.000.000 USD, the factory puts out feeds for animal and aquatic products at a capacity of 80.000 tons/year.

I have spent 4 years working for GreenFeed. The company’s business has become larger and larger, which makes me very delighted.

With advanced equipment and facilities, professional staffs, well-oriented and determined personnel, GreenFeed has developed its brands throughout the country and even expanded to Cambodia, and begun to enter the Chinese market. The company aims to become a provider of effective solutions for the safe food industry.
GreenFeed is expected to change itself to the form of a joint-stock company in the first quarter of 2008, thus completing the operation chain of “Feed - Farm – Food”.

The company’s developments means a contribution to the country’s development. Vietnam is now my life. I have had a chance of working and learning extensively about the industry of feeds for domestic animals, and I believe the final product of the chain is the safe food for people.

For the last 4 years, GreenFeed have succeeded in introducing its products into Vietnam’s farming market and carried out many activities of great value to farmers such as improving farming methods, providing good breeding animals free of diseases and harmful chemicals… In particular, we have been providing pig semen Omega to improve the quality of breeding pigs, which is highly appreciated. Therefore, the breeding center GREENFEED – FINNOR was established under licence No. 47112000003 issued on December 8, 2006 to facilitate this activity. Located in Xuan Tay, Cam My, Dong Nai, the center is 3,37 hectares in area and raises 500 breeding boars. The total investment amounts to USD 1.159.243.

GreenFeed’s business objective is to treat farmers’ interests as the first priority, therefore the company has always focused on a solution that would help them obtain highest profits and minimize risks. This can only be done with the help of good breeding animals and high-quality feeds.

Cost prices offered must be acceptable both for the company to maintain its operation and for the farmer. The company’s staff always strive to reach highest productivity to reduce prices, the company itself attaches much importance to the upgrading of technology. Though the competion is harsh, the company does not intend to decrease the quality to reduce prices. On the contrary, it focuses on improving business effectiveness for farmers to bring the highest values to the end user. The company’s current prices are highest in the industry but it still gets the farmer’s support thanks to the fact that the added values of the products help the farmer control his business effectiveness.

The biggest problem facing GreenFeed now is to develop its human resources, train and educate personnel through practice to meet the demand for broading its business scope. To be more exact, GreenFeed lacks high-quality personnel that could undertake the tasks in the foreseeable future, therefore it pays much attention to investing financial resources and time to develop and improve its human resources.

Currently, the company has approximately 800 employees, the average age is 30, employees with education from College to University and above University constitute 36%, employees with technical college education and skilled employees constitute account for 37%, the rest is manual workers. 750 persons have signed labor contracts of the duration from 1 year and over in accordance with the law and, consequently, the company is responsible for covering all expenses relating to social insurance, medical insurance and income taxes for them.

The company strictly observes Vietnam’s Labor Code in terms of rest time, number of days’ leave and regulations applied to female employees. It also provides vehicles to carry employees living far from work.

Salary is paid according to work performance. The salary system is regularly updated and adjusted according to sizes of wages and salaries applicable in the market and annual inflation rates.

The company offers the 13th - month salary and bonuses based on achievements in work. All employees can obtain 24/24h accident insurance and get a comprehensive benefits package including vacation, support for family business (weddings, funerals…), allowances and grant towards house rent (for employees living far from home).

The company’s recruitment and training policies are aimed at building a professional staff that can effectively ensure the smooth operation and meet the demand for an expansion of the company in the near future.

GreenFeed’s policy is to develop and promote employees who have worked for the company for a long time, gained much experience and acquired many skills to key positions, and recruit new employees to train for work. The company maintains close ties with human resources providers such as universities, colleges, vocational schools; job centers, recruitment and job websites… to carry out the recruitment in accordance with the requirements of different departments/units.

Furthermore, the company also cooperates with specialized educational institutes to organize the “On-the-job trainee” program, takes part in research work, accepts final-year students for practice to complete their thesis, seeing them as a reserve human resource.

Special importance is attached to training. Employees can be trained both in Vietnam and abroad, depending on their work requirements. Annually, GreenFeed organizes training courses on law, safety at work, skills as well as national, regional and international standards systems.

Besides setting up the infrastructure, GreenFeed has been focusing on building and developing the corporate culture since the first days of existence. One of the commitments made to the investors is to build a GreenFeed characterized by a friendly, frank, whole-hearted and highly cooperative environment for all partners and employees.

That is all I have had and still have in GreenFeed!

PRASERTPHETMUNEE
General Director, GreenFeed Vietnam Co. Ltd.
(The contemporaries – Labor Publishing House)