In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted textile and garment manufacturers, including Corporation 28. In that context, the corporation adopted many consistent solutions to deal with difficulties and managed to seek input sources and consumer markets to ensure manufacturing and employment for employees. These efforts have helped the corporation get through the devastating pandemic in a spectacular way, with no employees left unemployed or unpaid a single day - something that is inherently difficult for labor-intensive businesses.

Fire proves gold, adversity proves men

In the past year, Corporation 28 has successfully completed its business tasks assigned by the General Department of Logistics, with revenue and profit fulfilling 105% of the plan and excellently manufactured military supplies. To fulfill its orders won through public tenders in a short delivery time, the corporation has mobilized all available production resources to satisfy quantity and quality requirements and deliver products on schedule. When some orders were delayed or canceled, Corporation 28 actively shifted to produce facemasks used against coronavirus infections, thus ensuring full employment and stable income for their employees. The corporation has also actively sought all measures to minimize the damage caused by the pandemic: rearranging facilities and restructuring products and customer base to restore production soon.

In business, the corporation has actively and quickly responded to all market fluctuations, and taken full advantage of opportunities to have more fabric and uniform customers for both textile and garment businesses. Particularly, it manufactured and supplied more than 2 million square meters of antibacterial fabric for making masks for the market, signed contracts to make 10 million antibacterial cloth masks for the Department of Industry and Trade of Ho Chi Minh City through the Saigon Co.op supermarket chain, contributing to the success of Ho Chi Minh City in disease prevention. This also uplifted the corporation’s brand and reputation. Another encouraging success is its Belluni fashion brand - an upmarket fashion product line for office workers, businesspeople, successful people and middle-aged men. The brand is increasingly popular with consumers.

Petroleum trading and warehousing infrastructure services have been stable, helping the corporation to complete its business tasks and guarantee income and jobs for employees. In 2020, the parent company made a total revenue of VND3,324 billion (127% of the plan), a profit of VND105 billion (105% and an average monthly income of an employee of VND11.6 million.

The corporate culture of Corporation 28 features solidarity and devotion. The more difficulty the corporation faces, the more united the employees become to surmount every difficulty. In addition, communication is focused on by the Board of Directors to keep their employees more confident and assured at work. It also regularly launches emulation movements, engaged by all departments, to boost productivity, product quality and exports; constantly takes care of the material and spiritual life of employees to ensure policies for employees; pays good motivational rewards and bonuses to employees at the year’s end; supports workers in difficulty with their families affected by natural disasters, storms and floods; and presents New Year gifts to all employees. These noble activities also partly explain why all the employees have always seen Corporation 28 as their second home, and devoted themselves to the development of the corporation, helping uplift Corporation 28 to a strong position in the Vietnamese textile and garment industry and in the eyes of customers and partners.

Grasping opportunity

Since the beginning of 2021, the domestic textile and garment industry has made a positive recovery, shown by increasing orders and soaring export value in the wake of global COVID-19 vaccination deployment that built up the trust of consumers. Moreover, the sector is seeing great opportunities for development from free trade agreements (FTAs), thereby not only creating a driving force for growth but also enhancing its appeal to foreign investors. According to the leadership of Corporation 28, the wave of foreign investment will increase business cooperation, especially when foreign investors seek input sources in Vietnam to reduce dependence on China. This will give a strong boost to the corporation’s textile business.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, in 2021, Corporation 28 will exert all its effort on business operations; ensure productivity and product quality; fully complete all business plans, with revenue, profit and income rising by over 5% over 2020, and ensure jobs and incomes for employees. The corporation is determined to complete all tasks with respect to manufacturing fabrics and military equipment ordered by the Military Supplies Department; advertise the Belluni fashion brand and textile trade, especially uniforms in the domestic market to increase the value; and promote digital marketing and online marketing according to modern consumer trends.

By defining its competitiveness elements, including facilities, human resources and technologies, in the coming time, Corporation 28 will also give priority to developing human resources and technologies to meet digital development requirements; using technology investment as the foundation for training and developing highly qualified human resources to adapt to the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Given that the COVID-19 pandemic is still developing complicatedly across the world and posing potential outbreaks in the country at any time, the corporation has figured development scenarios for 2021 to actively respond to any situation. It will try its best to keep the pandemic at bay and keep itself safe and sound in all aspects. “It is important that, in any situation, we always give top priority to ensuring jobs and income for employees, because people are a precious asset, a key to the success of every business,” a top executive of Corporation 28 stressed.