Cat Van Loi's products are packed in containers for export to Japan. Photo: CVL

To export, there must be standards

That is the affirmation of enterprises exporting goods to foreign countries, especially high-end markets such as the US, EU, Japan, Korea, and Australia.

Therefore, the standard is considered a passport for Vietnamese goods to international markets.

Aware of that, the development of standards has been identified by many enterprises as the first preparation before putting goods on the market to take strong and sustainable steps.

Seagull ADC Co., Ltd. is a typical story.

Established in 2012, Seagull ADC puts nutrition and safety first, so the company's farm was oriented to organic production in Hau Giang. At that time, high-tech agricultural production and organic production were still very new, but the company said no to chemical fertilizers and toxic pesticides.

In 2018, Seagull ADC obtained the certificate of Vietnamese high-quality goods. Next, in 2019, the company progressed to a higher level when it obtained two international certifications, GlobalG.A.P and Organic JAS of the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.

Mr. Tran Phong Lan, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Seagull ADC, said: “Initially, we just wanted to make clean products, no certification required. But a Japanese company searching for the market came to my farm in Tay Ninh, they were surprised by the farm's implementation process. Those are the methods left by his father, and the knowledge from complying with VietGAP, GlobalG.A.P processes. Seeing that, they helped us carry out the procedures to achieve the Organic JAS standard.”

Meanwhile, Tan Dat Cooperative (Vinh Long) has achieved three leading standards in the world, which are EU organic quality standards of the European Union, USDA of the US Department of Agriculture and Organic JAS.

In which, conquering the Organic JAS standard of Tan Dat Cooperative is a 10-year journey with 65 members and 100 hectares of production land.

For the non-food industry, the success story of Cat Van Loi Industrial Electrical Equipment Manufacturing Co., Ltd., a company specializing in the production of steel pipes for threading electric lines and electromechanical materials, from the journey of learning. to achieving international standard conformity certifications.

Mr. Le Mai Huu Lam, Director of Cat Van Loi Company, said when the company was established, it only operated in the commercial sector, but when building the factory, the company determined to standardize products immediately.

Accordingly, the company registered to participate in a series of consulting and training programs for technical support. In 2014, Cat Van Loi was selected by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to support training and technique in the development of the supporting industry for Japanese M&E contractors.

In addition, there are many other programs that the company participated in such as support from the German Federal Ministry of Economy and Energy and the German Agency for International Development Cooperation; the productivity and quality improvement program implemented by the cooperation of the Ministry of Industry and Trade and Samsung Vietnam.

Currently, Cat Van Loi owns a "collection" of national standards of the United States, Japan, and standards of the World electrical engineer Association.

The "ticket" to the global supply chain

The result after a lot of efforts to build standards for products of enterprises is the enthusiastic reception of consumers, especially in international markets, and the profit level is much higher than conventional production. Organic rice sold by Tan Dat Cooperative is 1.5 times more profitable than conventional high-quality rice.

Similarly, green-skinned pink grapefruit cultivated according to GlobalG.A.P standards of Ben Tre Green-skinned Grapefruit Cooperative has also been successfully exported to Canada and Singapore.

Mr. Le Mai Huu Lam also said that Cat Van Loi's products had a high price, but they were not difficult to sell. In the domestic market, a series of key projects had used Cat Van Loi's electromechanical products such as Metro Line 1 (Ben Thanh - Suoi Tien), Van Phong Thermal Power Plant (Khanh Hoa), Thai Binh thermal power plant, and Long Son oil refinery (Ba Ria - Vung Tau).

This enterprise is also promoting exports and has joined the global supply chain by becoming the main supplier of electromechanical materials for Toshiba Industrial Corporation, JESCO and exporting to many countries such as Singapore, Philippines, Laos, and Cambodia.

Enterprises are gradually affirming Vietnamese brands in Asia and ASEAN regions. In 2021, despite the heavy effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, the company's export sales recorded a more than double increase compared to 2020, reaching about US$2 million.

Lam said: "Thanks to the preparation of standards, Cat Van Loi is now very confident when entering foreign markets.”

Ms. Van Thi Thuy Tien, Marketing Manager, Qui Phuc Manufacturing, Trading and Service Co., Ltd. also said the set of criteria for Vietnamese high-quality goods – with integration standards built by the Enterprises Association of Vietnamese High-Quality Goods – had helped Qui Phuc standardize production and business according to Vietnamese and international standards, improving product quality and competitiveness when penetrating and conquering foreign markets.