VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY HO CHI MINH CITY

INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY

DEPARTMENT OF INDUSTRIAL AND SYSTEMS ENGINEERING

INTERNSHIP 1 REPORT

STUDENT: ĐINH CẢNH THỊNH- IELSIU15012

INSTRUCTOR: MR. DƯƠNG VÕ NHỊ ANH
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Contents
I. Introduction..........................................................................................................2
II. Companies’ overview.........................................................................................2
III. Observation.......................................................................................................6
III.1 – Ajinomoto Vietnam......................................................................................6
III.2 – Saigon Newport Corporation......................................................................9
III.3 – TBS Group.................................................................................................12
III.4 – Acecook Vietnam.......................................................................................15
IV. Reflection, suggestions & conclusions............................................................16
V. Advisor Evaluation............................................................................................17
VI. Additional comments:.....................................................................................18

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I. Introduction

For the first two years of Industrial and Systems Engineering students, specifically Logistics &
Supply Chain Management major, students have been introduced many concepts of the industry
that has been used around the world through subjects like Production Management, Import-
Export Management, Engineering Economy.

To know more about how those concepts are put into work in real life, a specific course named
Internship 1 is designed. It gives student the chance to visit and learn about how some companies
operate. In the past month, we have visited 4 companies in Ho Chi Minh City, Dong Nai and
Binh Duong, which are Ajinomoto, Saigon Newport Corporation, TBS Group & Acecook.

From the information obtained in each trip, this report is written to summarize all what we have
learned and how we see the concepts of the industry is applied, alongside huge steps in applying
new technology.

II. Companies’ overview

II.1 – Ajinomoto Vietnam

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Founded in 1991, Ajinomoto Vietnam is a member of Ajinomoto Group, a Japanese food and
chemical corporation which produces seasonings, cooking oils, TV dinners, sweeteners, amino
acids, and pharmaceuticals.

After 26 years, Ajinomoto Vietnam now has two office headquarters in Ha Noi and Ho Chi Minh
City alongside two production plants: Ajinomoto Bien Hoa, opened in 1991 and Ajinomoto Long
Thanh, joined the chain 17 years later. Moreover, Ajinomoto Vietnam has 5 big distribution
centers in Hai Duong, Da Nang, Khanh Hoa, Dong Nai & Can Tho. The total number of
employers for Ajinomoto Vietnam is now around 2,350 people.

In Internship 1, we had the chance to visit Ajinomoto Vietnam’s production plant in Bien Hoa
City.

II.2 – Saigon Newport Corporation

Founded in 1989 and took the name of Saigon Newport Corporation in 2010, the company has
had almost three decades of experience as a professional container terminal operator, topping
Vietnam in this field.

The company offers their customers a wide range of service like: loading/unloading goods,
logistics, shipping, multimodal transportation, etc. 85% of Southern Vietnam’s container

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importing/exporting market belongs to Saigon Newport Corporation, which equals almost half
the whole country’s market.

Saigon Newport Corportation owns many big terminals like Tan Cang - Cat Lai, Tan Cang –
Hiep Phuoc (Ho Chi Minh City), Tan Cang – Cai Mep (Ba Ria – Vung Tau), Tan Cang – 189 &
Tan Cang – 128 (Hai Phong), etc. Besides developing the terminals’ infrastructure , the company
also pays attention to the system of logistics, which includes ICD Tan Cang – Song Than, ICD
Tan Cang – Long Binh or Depot Tan Cang – Nhon Trach. A waterway route for transporting
goods by barges has also been established to connect Cambodia, Mekong Delta, ICDs and
terminals.

II.3 – TBS Group

II.3.1 – TBS Footwear

With 25 years of experience, TBS Group is one of Vietnam’s leading footwear provider. TBS’s
footwear business is known for its large-scale production capabilities, reliably high-quality
products, and a network of manufacturing facilities which meet international standards.

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Through innovation, technology, competitive pricing and diversified product lines, TBS’s
footwear business aims to solidify their position as a preeminent international footwear
manufacturer, reaching a production milestone of 39 million pairs of shoes by 2020.

Skechers, Wolverine, Decathlon and many other world-renowned brands are on TBS’s growing
list of long-term customers. The group owns and operates a large network of factories in
Vietnam.

II.3.2 – TBS Handbag

Though being relatively new to the handbag business, joining in 2011 after striking a partnership
deal with Coach, TBS is gaining a global reputation for producing high-quality products.

With a strong, innovative workforce under a visionary, strategic leadership team, TBS aims to
achieve sustainable growth for Vietnam’s bag industry in the global marketplace. By the end of
2017, TBS will expand every facet of their production scale, increase the number of employees
to 13,500, and achieve their annual production target of 10 million bags and 13,000 models.

For the handbag business, TBS has a highly skiled, well-trained workforce; two modern, well-
managed factories with 6,700 employees and a production capability of 4 million bags and 6,800
models annually and also high-tech, advanced sewing technology and production facilities.

Besides Coach, TBS Handbag is also the strategic business partners of many world-wide famous
brands such as: Decathlon, Vera Bradley, Tory Burch, Titleist and more.

II.4 – Acecook Vietnam

Founded in 1993 and started its production process in 1995, after two decades, Acecook Vietnam
Joint Stock Company has made big leaps to become the leading instant food producer in
Vietnam.

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Achieving impressive results throughout its development process, Acecook’s products are highly
trusted by both local and foreign consumers. With the aim to bring happiness, satisfaction and
assurance for customers, Acecook Vietnam always considers the product quality, food safety and
nutrition the most important factors in their business strategy.

Over 20 years of growth and development, at present, Acecook Vietnam operates 10 factories
throughout Vietnam. Products of Acecook Vietnam are sold in over 40 countries throughout Asia,
Europe, America, Africa and Middle East such as pouch, cup, bowl and tray of instant noodles,
instant vermicelli, instant rice noodles, etc.

III. Observation

III.1 – Ajinomoto Vietnam

* Ajinomoto MSG:

The production process for Ajinomoto’s MSG can be described as follow:

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Raw material: For different countries, Ajinomoto uses different raw materials to produce MSG.
In Vietnam, there are two main sources:

+ Buying molasses from sugar mills: needs further processes to eliminate calcium, using high
concentration sulfuric acid.

+ Buying starch (from sugarcane or cassava): will then be processed to create simple sugar
solutions by hydrolysis enzyme.

Transportation: Calculated to minimize cost, mainly two methods: by waterway

(wherries/barges) or roadway (trucks).

Ferment: the step that makes the difference in the quality of MSG, also viewed as “secret
technology” of each company. From what we know, yeast will be brought to Vietnam from
Hokkaido (Japan) in small tubes, preserved at -850C. After fermentation, they will get glutamic
acid, the main ingredient for MSG and some other chemicals, which are then separated to
produce Ami Ami fertilizer, another product of the company.

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Neutralize: Glutamic acid will now be neutralized using soda in powder form to get monosodium
glutamate, the raw form of their final product.

Color-filtering: Due to the reddish-brown color of molasses, monosodium glutamate must go

through the color-filtering process, using 3 layers of charcoal for decolorization, thus getting a
crystal-clear MSG liquid.

Refine: The refining step is processed in a stirring tank. After stirring the liquid, Ajinomoto will
get the MSG crystals to deposit. They divide the final products into 5 types: too small, small,
medium, large, too large. For the too small and too large types, Ajinomoto will dilute them and
use the liquid for Aji-ngon seasoning powder production. Afterwards, they go through the
packaging process, which must follows strict standards about hygiene and food safety. Metal and
weight check are also done in the packaging process.

* Ajinomoto’s sewage treatment:

Having invested 100 billion VND to buy the sewage treatment technology from Japan,
Ajinomoto’s final processed sewage is of standard A according to Vietnamese government’s
scale.

Not only make sure the production process is environment-friendly, Ajinomoto takes it to the
next level by producing Ami Ami fertilizer from sewage, which is then transported to Mekong

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Delta to take part in the production of raw materials like sugarcane or cassava, which are then
brought back to Ajinomoto to produce their main products.

III.2 – Saigon Newport Corporation

Tan Cang- Cat Lai Terminal is now the biggest and most modern international container terminal
in Vietnam in District 2, Ho Chi Minh City. It is located near the Industrial Parks and Processing
zones in the North of Ho Chi Minh city and those of Binh Duong & Dong Nai provinces. The
total area of Tan Cang - Cat Lai Terminal is nearly 800,000 sqm.

Cat Lai terminal includes 7 berths with the total length of 1,189 meters which have been
equipped with 17 Modern Panamax Quayside Gantry Cranes. The new terminal management and
operation software system namely TOP-X provided by the RBS (Australia) and the
corresponding hardware of the terminal allow the container management in the real time as well
as optimize the terminal capability, reduce the cargo receipt/delivery time and create the utilities
for the customers. Tan Cang- Cat Lai is the first choice of the consignees and shippers of the
south thanks to its best service quality and the advantageous location.

Tan Cang – Cat Lai now has 13 main areas, which are:

 Gates area: 4 gates, control the flow of traffic inside and just outside the terminal

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 Container yard: includes areas to store containers, RTG crane, using top lift & side lift
trucks, internal trucks.

 Berths’ bridge system: include STS Gantry Cranes, work effectively to handle the number
of ships that come in and out of the terminal.

 Barge area 125: receive goods for exporting/importing locally, using single or dual
conveyor, combined with crawler cranes.

 Scanner area: owns 3 of the 5 scanners of Ho Chi Minh City, which area Gantry CXG6-
I.3 (sponsored by Japan), HCVP 6030 Smiths and HCVM 3528L Smiths (sponsored by
Vietnam’s General Department of Customs).

 Manual inspection area: for containers that have to be 100% inspected.

 Cold storage area: for containers with goods that have to be stored in cold condition, area
equipped with huge number of power outlets.

 IMDG goods’ area: for handling of dangerous goods or hazardous materials, including
explosives, liquified gas, oxidizer, radioactive substance, corrosive substance, etc.

 Control tower: direct every single thing that happens inside the port - the registration of
containers that are stored in the port, how long will they be in there before shipment,
where to put them, how and when to handle ships that come in, optimize the amount of
time for them to load/unload goods before getting them out for other ships to come in.

 Port’s business area: for payment procedures, can be done online or offline.

 Customs’ supervision board: supervise the goods/ships/barges/etc. that are under

management of the customs, for both exporting and importing.

 Specialized examination centers: includes 6 centers to test the professional ability of

employees according to plan.

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During its development, the Corporation pays high attention to build the enterprise culture. The
traditional beauties in the characteristics of the Saigon Newport’s officers and staffs as being
professional, responsible, committed to the customers, well- disciplined, dynamic, creative and
loyal to the customers have become the most important factors to make the successful
achievements and prestige of the brand name “Saigon Newport”.

Thanks to the excellent achievements, Saigon Newport was awarded the title “Labor Hero of the
Renovation Period” by the President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam in 2004 and many
Medals, Competition Flags and other certificates of Merit such as First Second and Third Labor
Medals, Victory Medals and the noble prizes for the Strong Brand -Name and top trade services.
Especially, in 2010 &2012, Saigon Newport is one among 43 enterprises in Vietnam awarded the

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“Vietnam value 2010 and 2012”. This is the most prestigious symbol of the brand value in
Vietnam selected by the National Brand Board.

As the leading terminal operator in Vietnam, Saigon Newport is trying its best efforts to perfect
the service quality and commits itself to provide customers with the door- to -door services with
the motto “Come to Saigon Newport, Come to the best quality services”.

III.3 – TBS Group

* Handbag production process:

Most workers in TBS Group’s handbag & footwear production process are assembly workers,
carefully trained to adapt quickly to new products and the working environment. TBS Group’s
working environment is clean with logically arranged sets of machines and worker lines.

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* Footwear production process:

As some reports stated, TBS Group is getting more orders with world famous brands such as
Decathlon, Skechers, Wolverine, etc... for the footwear industry; Coach, Decathlon, Vera
Bradley, and Tory Burch ... for handbags. This is a testimony to the sustainable development and
correctness of TBS leadership.

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While Vietnamese companies in the same industry are not paying enough attention to the
research and development (R&D) work, TBS has invested a lot in this, having opened many
R&D centers alongside developing the supply chain & logistics system. TBS is the only
company in the industry to have an R&D department that participates in the first stage of the
product development process of the supply chain. In the visit, students had the chance not just to
have a look through the whole production process but also the R&D center of TBS, where they
store many new models that haven’t even been approved for wide-scale production.

Specifically, TBS plans to expand and develop three R& D centers in Binh Duong with a total
investment of nearly 5 million USD and more than 1,000 staffs. TBS Group “wishes to build a
strategic center model, research and development of products and human resources technology,
to meet the increasingly demanding needs of partners and global markets”. The center is
equipped with a system of next-generation technology in sample development and production.
The work of R&D centers helps reduce cost, increase labor productivity and also reduce risk for
workers in some stages of production.

To have such a professional team leading specific types of work in TBS, they also focus on
training human resources. Currently TBS Group is pursuing further direction in the training and
recruitment of talents. TBS have granted scholarships to Vietnamese-German University’s
Master's Degree Program, sponsored laboratory equipment for the International University,
organized an educational fund to encourage students to do scientific research, etc.

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III.4 – Acecook Vietnam

Acecook’s factory is equipped with modern equipment which can produce 600 packs of noodles
per minute, satisfying both requirements regarding large scale and high speed. Having only 10
factories nationwide but Acecook Vietnam can provide enough products to catch up with the
demand of domestic and foreign markets.

Possessing an automated production line imported from Japan, Acecook’s production process is
as follow:

The wheat flour is imported and stored in large tanks (9 meters high, 3 meters wide). Based on
the production plan and each specific product’s formula, the system pumps the right amount of
wheat flour into the line.

The powder additives and colorize materials are then added into a mass mixture with the flour in
the mixing mortar. What we get after this step is the “powder leaves”, which is then cut into pre-
determined shapes of noodle by the system.

The noodle is then gelatinized and steamed in the steam system. The heat source is completely
generated through the high-tech steam system, assuring standardized pressure and automatically
adjusted.

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The cutting machine then comes into play after steamed noodle is transported there. Noodle is
cut and fall into frying molds, shaping the final form of products before they go through the
drying process.

Drying makes it possible to preserve noodle in 5-6 months. For fried noodle products, new oil is
always automatically added to the line, heated indirectly by steam before getting to the pans. For
non-fried noodle products, they are dried by wind heat. All kinds of products are then cooled by
a system that uses natural wind, filtered by advanced technique. Finally, products are packaged
and stored in inventory.

IV. Reflection, suggestions & conclusions

Internship 1 gave me the chance to know more about many kinds of factories, ranging from food
companies to footwear/handbag manufacturer and of course, one of the biggest ports in Vietnam.

Having spent 2 years of studying in International University’s Logistics and Supply Chain
Management course, it was the first time that I had the chance to apply what I have studied
to reality. I realized I have to try even harder in the next 2 years to be able to work in the

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logistics and supply chain industry, specially the junior year before Internship 2, where I
have to work myself, for the first time.

I really appreciate the department, specially Mr. Nhi Anh for the hard work to give us the
chance to go to those companies. We know it’s hard to arrange visits to such big companies
and hope the department will continue the great to work to bring more chances for the next
batches of student, to see how theories are applied in real working environments.

V. Advisor Evaluation

Scoring Criteria Advisor Note

(Các Tiêu chí Đánh giá) (Hướng dẫn) (Ghi chú)
1. Personal Qualities (Phẩm chất Cá nhân)
Critical thinking, priorities setting
(Tư duy phân tích, sắp xếp công việc)
Enthusiasm for work
(Nhiệt tình công tác)
Willingness to ask for and follow guidance
(Sẵn sàng tìm hiểu và tuân thủ hướng dẫn/ nội quy)
2. Professional Abilities & Work Habits (Năng lực Làm việc)
Analysis, problem solving skills
(Kỹ năng phân tích và giải quyết vấn đề)
Ability to organize, plan and work well with others.
(Kỹ năng tổ chức, hoạch định và làm việc tốt với người khác)
Responsibility.
(Tinh thần trách nhiệm)
3. Job Performance (Hiệu quả Làm việc)
Report contents
(Nội dung Báo cáo)
Report timelines
(Thời hạn báo cáo)
Report frameworks
(Cấu trúc báo cáo)

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VI. Additional comments:

Advisor Signature (Chữ ký Người Hướng dẫn): Evaluation Date (Ngày đánh giá):

The intern’s signature (Chữ ký Sinh viên Thực tập):

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