Vietnam: Very potential building materials market

Following the success of Gyproc Gypsum and Cement Plate with DuraFlex brand, the opening of the Weber plant in Vietnam confirms the commitment of the Saint-Gobain Group to its strategic focus on business development in countries with strong growth potential. On this occasion, Mr. Javier Gimeno, Asia-Pacific Regional Chief Executive Officer and CEO of Saint-Gobain Group, shared a few things with us.

Saint-Gobain is one of the world's leading multinational conglomerates for many years, please sharing with us the status of  Saint-Gobain development process for Saint-Gobain?

Founded in 1665 by King Louis XIV, Saint-Gobain has just celebrated its 350th anniversary by 2015. We are one of the oldest companies in the world, present in 67 countries around the world with approximately Nearly 200,000 employees, sales reach over 40 billion Euros by 2015. In Asia alone, we have 15,000 employees and earn a turnover of 3 billion euros annually.

Saint-Gobain has been voted 5 times by the Reuters news agency to be among the top 100 most innovative companies in the world.

Owning many reputable brands in the building materials industry such as Gyproc, Pam, Norton, Weber, what is Saint-Gobain's global goal in the coming years?

The first goal is to expand the market. In Southeast Asia, after Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia will be Myanmar, Philippines, Laos ... then to Africa. Second, we want to create new values for consumers with new, new technologies.

As for sales, we always try to have annual growth rates that are higher than average global, regional and national GDP growth. In new markets like Vietnam, we set our ambitious growth target of 25%.

What do you think about the Vietnamese building materials market, Saint-Gobain's strategy in this market?

First, Vietnam's economy is growing healthy. Second, the process of urbanization in Vietnam is taking place very strongly. Third, the number of Vietnamese who join the middle class develops rapidly. Saint-Gobain wants to take advantage of that. We want Vietnamese consumers to see all Saint-Gobain products as leading, comfortable, energy-saving and environmentally friendly products. I think the future of Saint-Gobain in Vietnam is very bright.

Could you share more about Weber and the construction of the first Weber plant in Vietnam?

The construction of the first Weber plant in Vietnam shows that the Saint-Gobain Group believes in the potential of Vietnam's construction materials market in general and its adhesives in particular. We are committed to providing the fastest and most effective innovative and innovative products for the domestic market.

In the near future, the factory will focus on producing adhesives, adhesives and waterproofing products. Estimated, the annual factory capacity reaches 100,000 tons of products. With long-term development goals, we plan to build more Weber factories in Vietnam, producing more new products to serve the domestic market.

Corporate Social Responsibility is what people care about when multinational corporations open their manufacturing plants in Vietnam. What do you think about this?

Everywhere, Saint-Gobain thinks about social responsibility. All of our products, innovations, technology solutions aim to save energy, reduce CO2 emissions. Our factory is built and operated in strict environmental standards and energy use.

We also have the Saint-Gobain Foundation providing financial support for many charitable organizations and programs. And of course, social responsibility is about helping your employees live happily. In 2016, Saint-Gobain received the best employers in France, Europe and worldwide from the Top Employers Institute.

Thank you for this interview.