The Signal Workshop under the Armoured Corps was founded on June 3rd 1989 and tasked with carrying out small and medium-scale repair and maintenance of signal equipment on armoured vehicles, taking part in designing, building, and innovating signal works within the Corps, and giving instructions on using new signal equipment. Over the past 30 years of construction and development, the Workshop’s generations of cadres and repairmen have always actively, proactively, creatively overcome difficulties to fulfil the assigned task and opportunely provide the technical support for armoured units. It was given many noble awards by the State President, Government, Ministry of National Defence and the Armoured Corps’ Command.
In recent years, the Workshop’s task has witnessed new developments and faced higher requirements. The amount of signal equipment on armoured vehicles to be repaired and synchronized is large. Meanwhile, the Workshop’s number of staff members is limited; its personnel frequently have to manoeuvre for various tasks; its technical staff’s capability has yet to meet the rapid development of signal technology and equipment. Fully aware of difficulties and challenges, to fulfil the assigned task, the Workshop’s Party Committee and Directorate have drastically taken many feasible measures, with priority given to training and improving its technical staff’s professional competence and skills on a par with their mission. While sending its cadres and technical staff to attend intensive training courses, the Workshop has promoted the in-service training courses and built a contingent of cadres and technical personnel with great professional competence as the core force in the task. To achieve the effectiveness, the Workshop has focused on developing the training plans in accordance with each group of troops, selected good, experienced cadres and technical employees to be in charge of training courses, sufficiently prepared lesson plans and training documents, aids, and materials, built a team of role models, and practised teaching under the plans. In addition to the contents related to the exploitation, maintenance and repair of the existing signal equipment, the Workshop has concentrated on grasping the technical features and the procedures for maintaining and repairing normal malfunctions of the signal system on the tanks T90S and T90SK. In the training process, the Workshop has adhered to the motto of “basics, practicality, and effectiveness” and classified groups of learners to select proper contents. Great value has been attached to practising skills, combining training with self-study and revision of documents, and training technical staff during the process of equipment maintenance and repair. Moreover, the Workshop has held contests and organized teams to take part in technical contests held by higher echelons, considering this an important measure to improve its staff’s hands-on experience, and contributing to enhancing their professional competence. In 2016, the Workshop won the second prize in the Workshop and Station Contest held by the Signal Corps’ Command. In 2017, it won the second prize in the Technical Contest held by the Armoured Corps. Up to now, 100% of the Workshop’s technical cadres have been bachelor holders; the Workshop has been capable of carrying out 100% of small and medium-scale repair and maintenance of signal equipment on the Corps’ existing armoured vehicles as well as giving repair support to the armoured forces within the whole military.
 |
| The Jury of the Corps’ Technical Contest of 2017 inspecting the Workshop’s work of preserving signal equipment |
In addition to the manpower building, the Workshop has improved the quality of on-spot maintenance, repair and preservation. It is worth noting that signal malfunctions on the armoured vehicles are very diverse and typical. Thus, to meet the demand for repair, the Workshop has attached importance to advising the Corps on modernizing equipment and technologies, especially the equipment for vibration measurement and test. Since 2014, it has built 3 repair rooms, 1 room for signal equipment test, and 14 repair stands. Moreover, it has proactively cooperated with units in grasping their demand for repair and advised the Corps’ Signal Department on building the plan on deploying broken-down equipment for repair. Based on that plan, it has cooperated with units in testing and receiving the broken-down equipment and temporarily allocating equipment so that units could maintain the work of training and combat readiness. In spite of the fact that the budget and materials for repairing broken-down equipment are limited, the Workshop has counselled higher echelons to rebuild the list of materials and budget estimate in accordance with supply resources and prices in the market. It has proactively cooperated with units in developing projects/plans properly. At the same time, it has encouraged its staff to bring into play a sense of responsibility for studying and receiving technologies and speeding up the process of repair and maintenance. It also promoted the movement on technical initiatives and innovations, with a focus on dealing with the technological issues and the issues arising from repair and maintenance as well as improving productivity and saving labour and materials. Since 2014, the Workshop has repaired 1,680 pieces of signal equipment of all types and 2,575 spare parts, preserved thousands of pieces of equipment and spare parts of all types, put 7 technical initiatives to use and developed 24 initiatives; 9 initiatives won the second and third prizes at the Corps-level while 4 initiatives won the third prize at the Ministerial level.
Signal equipment on armoured vehicles are organically connected with the main equipment and synchronized with other parts of the vehicles; thus, the work of inspecting and appraising repair must be carried out while the vehicles are active. To minimize the movement of equipment and vehicles, the Workshop has concentrated on raising the quality of mobile repair. Yearly, it has proactively studied the profile, condition and operating environment of each system of machine and cooperated with units in grasping their demand for maintenance and repair. It has advised the Corps’ Staff and Technical Department on formulating the standards for technical signal maintenance on armoured vehicles within the whole Corps as well as making the plans and the budget and material estimates for repair at units. Besides, it has actively conducted surveys, developed plans, selected good staff members to take charge of technical support at units. At the same time, it has closely cooperated with units under the approved plans. Taking proper measures, it has always fulfilled the work of technical support at each level. Between 2014 and 2018, it organized 10 mobile repair missions, inspected, installed, maintained, and repaired 130 signal systems on armoured vehicles, and cooperated with the Viettel Military Industry and Telecoms Group in inspecting, installing and trialling the new signal system on 26 signal command vehicles and 150 armoured vehicles.
In addition to the above-mentioned measures, the Workshop has attached significance to improving the quality of technical management and standard order. Over the past years, it has decentralized technical management, well performed the work of inventorying weapons, equipment, and materials, and updated records in an accurate, timely manner. At the same time, it has closely inspected and supervised the quality of maintenance, repair and acceptance under the regulations. To do so, it has modernized and provided the measurement and test equipment for the force in charge of inspecting product quality, actively supplemented the regulations and built the system of quality management and the procedures for maintaining, repairing and accepting the products. As a result, its quality of maintenance and repair has always been good and highly appreciated.
Promoting the results and experience in the past 30 years of construction and development, the Signal Workshop under the Armoured Corps will strive to better perform the task of maintenance and repair to deserve the tradition of “being united, disciplined, timely, qualitative, and effective” and make contributions to the Armoured Corps’ fulfillment of all assigned tasks.
Lt. Col. Hoang Van Phi
Commissar of the Workshop