Factory A32 is tasked with repairing, restoring, extending the lifespan of fighter aircraft, and producing spare parts and aviation technical supplies for the Air Defence - Air Force (AD-AF). To fulfil its mission, the Factory consistently strives to overcome difficulties, implementing a comprehensive and effective set of measures. Among these, the Factory’s Party Committee and Board of Directors attach importance to innovating and enhancing the quality and effectiveness of the movement to promote initiatives and technical improvements. This movement aims to mobilise internal strengths, intelligence, creativity, and proactiveness in aviation technical maintenance and has yielded notable results.
The efforts in scientific research, initiatives, and technical innovations have brought practical benefits, enabling proactiveness in technical supplies, significantly reducing dependence on imported materials and foreign experts, and eliminating the need to send equipment abroad for maintenance, thus saving tens of millions of dollars. Additionally, it helps enhance the quality and accelerate progress to bring aircraft back to units for training and combat readiness.
Moreover, the successful implementation of projects and initiatives has directedly enhanced the technical skills and proficiency in new scientific and technical advancements for officers and staff. This not only improves their professional and technical skills but also their ability to master new scientific and technological innovations. Besides, it fosters a spirit of self-reliance, creativity, and the courage to innovate in production and maintenance processes. These efforts have reduced the time needed for product intervention, directly created jobs, and increased income for those involved in projects and initiatives and for all officers and staff.
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| Maintenance of fighter jet at the factory |
To establish a regular practice of the movement, the Factory’s Party Committee and Board of Directors regularly puts emphasis on leading, directing, and implementing the movement extensively across all levels and forces. Thoroughly grasping Resolution No. 20/NQ-TW, dated 1 November 2012, of the Party Central Committee (11th tenure), the resolution of the Central Military Commission, and other directives and resolutions of the AD-AF regarding scientific and technological work, the Factory’s Party Committee and Board of Directors have translated these into specific targets and integrated them into leadership resolutions and annual, quarterly, and monthly plans. They gather all resources to promote the emulation movement “Excellent workers, creative workers”, encouraging initiatives and technical innovations in conjunction with Campaign 50 “For the efficient, durable, safe, and cost-effective management and utilisation of weapons and technical equipment and traffic safety” and the Factory’s Determined-to-win Emulation Movement. Annually, 100% of the officers, staff, and workers register to emulate according to the content of the movement to promote initiatives and technical innovations and the “Excellent workers, creative workers” movement. Additionally, each department and unit has at least one prominent project, product, or technical innovation initiative that achieves high economic efficiency when applied to production.
The implementation of the movement to promote initiatives and technical innovations has always involved vigorous participation from all sectors, departments, and units. The Technical Department plays a crucial leading role as it works closely with other departments and units and proactively advises the Factory’s Party Committee and Board of Directors on leading and implementing specific plans tailored to the Factory’s requirements, tasks, and actual situation. The execution process involves a clear assignment of responsibilities, close monitoring, and effective direction. Based on this foundation, party committees and commanders at all levels can implement the movement in a synchronised and in-depth manner. Moreover, departments and workshops closely follow their tasks, develop plans, assign officers to guide, encourage, support employees in registering and carrying out scientific projects and technical innovation initiatives.
With a determination to master major maintenance technologies, extend the lifespan of new-generation aircraft, and successfully complete the technical tasks assigned by higher echelons, leaders and commanders at all levels have adopted a correct understanding and made appropriate investments in the movement to promote initiatives and technical innovations. Each workshop, department, office, centre, station, and public organisation closely adheres to the requirements, tasks, and specific job characteristics, actively researching measures, initiatives, and technical innovations to enhance productivity and maintenance quality. This is particularly crucial for solving difficult technical problems, accelerating progress, and improving the quality of products on the Factory’s production line. To avoid spreading efforts, the Factory’s research, initiatives, and technical innovations always follow a rigorous process. From the inception of ideas to the final results, each stage is thoroughly discussed and evaluated by various levels to ensure the research direction, feasibility, and high applicability. The Factory also regularly surveys and compiles statistics on typical failures and scarce material types to guide research and promote technical innovation initiatives. Faced with the practical demands of maintenance tasks and ensuring aviation technical support for units under conditions of scarce replacement materials and components, the Factory intensifies its research and design efforts. Consequently, this has led to the successful management of the technology to produce hundreds of critical modules, materials, and components, thereby creating a proactive stance in repairing new generation aircraft.
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| Conducting on the job training |
Recognising the decisive role of human factors in deepening the movements to promote initiatives and technical innovations, the Factory’s Party Committee and Board of Directors have consistently emphasised leadership and direction in building and training human resources, particularly high-quality personnel. In addition to effective recruitment practices, the Factory focuses on training and enhancing the comprehensive capabilities of its staff and workers. Besides, it directs efforts towards sourcing and sending personnel for retraining and advanced education at military and civilian institutions based on annual quotas. To improve the professional competence and expertise of its staff, the Factory not only supports and facilitates all aspects to encourage self-learning and active experience accumulation among its officers and workers but also strengthens the leadership and direction of training quality enhancement within the Factory. Emphasis is placed on cross-training and reclassification of personnel according to the programmes of the Ministry of National Defence, the AD-AF, and the specific requirements of each position. Additionally, the Factory has established a Young Technical Science Team, comprising individuals with doctoral and master’s degrees and young engineers, who directly participate in different stages of the maintenance line. This initiative nurtures and builds a pioneering force of the movement to promote initiatives and technical innovations, thus directly assisting the Factory in resolving major technical challenges. It also provides a platform for these individuals to research, share experiences, exchange new ideas, and find solutions to complicated issues. This environment fosters the origin of a plethora of creative ideas and serves as the cradle for dozens of projects and initiatives on an annual basis, which are successfully implemented and yield significant results.
In order to arouse passion and excitement for creativity among officers and staff, the Factory always assigns tasks, encourages, and promotes the sense of responsibility, proactive creativity, and self-reliance among its staff, enabling them to fulfil research targets. Besides, the Factory adopts an appropriate reward mechanism to create motivation for individuals to be creative to devise initiatives and topics of high practical value. Furthermore, it builds a democratic and friendly working environment within agencies and units while having adequate policies to support and create favourable conditions in terms of time, funding, materials, and documents so that officers, staff, and workers are determined to devote their intelligence and enthusiasm and to promote their strengths, proactiveness, and creativity in research, initiatives, and technical improvements.
The Factory attaches importance to investing in modern facilities, equipment, and technology, boldly advancing to make breakthroughs in development goals. To realise this, the Factory promotes cooperation and establishes the Sukhoi Aircraft Technical Service Centre to connect domestic and international resources. It also enhances technology transfer and invites foreign experts to provide specialised technical advice and assistance. Additionally, the Factory actively collects, translates, and compiles necessary materials and technological processes to support research and training within the Factory. Specialised training sessions, industry-specific workshops, and visits to other units and countries with developed aviation industries are organised to enable workers to access new technical equipment and the latest achievements of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. The gradual application of artificial intelligence is also implemented to help officers and staff improve their professional skills and expertise, meeting the requirements of repairing new-generation aircraft. Moreover, the Factory consistently focuses on concentrating all resources to implement the movement to promote initiatives and technical innovations with a targeted and focused approach. This not only aims at developing immediate technical solutions but also involves deep and sustained investment to ensure robust and long-term development in scientific research, initiatives, and technical innovations.
With a proactive spirit and the harnessing of internal strengths, the “Worker Soldiers” of Factory A32 are always passionate and creative in doing research. They strive to master advanced science and technology, determined to “heal” the “steel swallows”, hence contributing to building a modern AD-AF that meets the requirements and tasks of firmly protecting the Fatherland’s airspace.
Senior Colonel PHAM NGOC BON, Political Commissar of Factory A32