Improving the productivity and quality of defence and economic products is an important, long-term, and decisive solution to the task accomplishment of the factory. Good product quality is a solid foundation for the sustainable development and prestige of the unit in particular, and at the same time makes an important contribution to improving the defence potential of the country. Grasping that spirit, over the past years, the Party Committee and commanders of the Z183 Factory, under the General Department of Defence Industry have always closely adhered to the requirements and tasks of the Army, the General Department of Defence Industry, focusing on leading the factory on the right track, with productivity and quality of defence and economic products are considered as of utmost importance. Promoting the 40-year tradition of construction and development, generations of cadres, employees and soldiers have always united, strived to overcome all difficulties, and produced several products for national defence and economy. To date, the factory has become one of the leading technical establishments of the entire army in terms of defence and economic combination, as both manufacturing, repairing shells for the Army and producing economic products for export to foreign countries, contributing to enhancing economic and defence potentials.

The Factory has been hornoured as Top 10 notable businessess in Asia-Pacific region in 2020

To achieve the set target, the factory focuses on improving the technical and professional qualifications of staff, employees and workers. Facing the fact that its technology, equipment and factories are backward, the investment and development resources are low, and the qualifications, capacity, knowledge and expertise of the staff are somewhat limited, the Factory’s Party Committee and commanders have proposed many practical and synchronous guidelines and measures for: restructuring in a reasonable manner; proactively proposing two more defence production lines; reviewing and streamlining payrolls, ensuring a streamlined and efficient indirect apparatus that meets requirements and tasks in the new situation; strengthening internal management; supplementing, amending and building new regulations; managing and using labor effectively, adjusting work shifts, rearranging the technology ground to improve production efficiency; attaching importance to fostering, training and retraining the contingent of technicians, especially fostering business administration skills, building soft skills for managers at all levels. Every year, the factory organises skill examination to raise the level of employees; encourages and promptly rewards those with high level of competence and replicates the exemplary ones. As a result, the staff of the Factory has seen an equal development in terms of qualifications and skills. They have become more dynamic and creative in absorbing new knowledge and technology; developed a high sense of responsibility, enthusiasm and commitment to their work and the Factory.

Improving productivity and quality of products for defence and economic production, and implementation of investment projects. First of all, in defence production, the factory focuses on directing workshops to manufacture and repair defence products, ensuring quality and efficiency according to plans from special budget sources. Proactively propose to the superiors and effectively implement defence production contracts from budget sources; successfully test a number of defence products; propose solutions to stabilise technology, improve product quality; production is  carried out in a scientific and effective manner; technical and economic norms are strictly reviewed. Thereby, the factory's products are always highly assessed by the acceptance board of all levels with increasingly higher quality and reliability.

In economic production, thoroughly grasping the viewpoint of combining defence production with economic production, the Factory Party Committee has determined that economic production development is an important task in the strategy of production and business, hence issuing a Resolution to lead the task of economic development and export of defence products to 2020 and beyond. At the same time, it changes thinking, forecasts and orientations for economic production development; quickly shifts the structure of production in which reduce the proportion of small and low-value goods and services, while increasing the proportion of mass-produced and high-value products; promotes research and development, makes the most of idle equipment and machinery in defense production lines  for producing export goods, develops business strategies, enhances the development of new products, innovates product designs, registers industrial designs and international  quality certificate and Vietnamese standards, participates in domestic and international trade fairs and exhibitions. Maintain and develop domestic market; give priority to mass-produced products and traditional products; focus on improving productivity and product quality, reducing costs, lowering product price; building customer trust and business culture, etc. With that way, up to now, the factory has produced many products exported to more than 10 foreign markets, such as: Germany, Italy, America, Japan, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Greece, Czechoslovakia, etc. Since 2015 to date, it has always enjoyed positive economic growth rate with average revenue increasing by 22%/year, securing stable jobs and income for officers and employees, and opening up development opportunities for the factory in the coming years. In 2020, despite difficulties caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, the factory still earned 501 billion VND in revenue which was an increase of 20% compared to 2019, in which, defence and economic products accounted for 330 billion VND and 171 billion VND, respectively (including 85 billion VND from exports).

In implementing investment projects, the factory always actively creates sources, purchases additional equipment to solve production bottlenecks; attaches importance to the quality of projects, investment equipment and project progress. Therefore, the invested equipment and projects have been exploited efficiently, ensuring required production capacity; infrastructure, environmental landscape and working and living conditions of officials and workers have been remarkably improved.

The management of product quality and the application of science and technology to production have been promoted. The factory strengthens management, saves costs, improves labor productivity, reduces overtime hours; attaches importance to improving the productivity and quality of key products, such as: improving the technology of fire protection products and various types of iron boxes; applying innovations and technical improvements to production with high efficiency (from 2015 to 2020, the factory has over 360 technical innovation initiatives applied in production, benefiting over VND 05 billion). Besides it attaches importance to quality management, especially the management, exploitation, use and repair of equipment; thoroughly carry out self-inspection, ensure safety in production, especially in production and repair of ammunition; pays attention to investing and improving working conditions and environment for employees, ensure good environmental monitoring parameters; applies Kaizen and 5S principles with good initial results. The factory has successfully completed the assigned technical topics and tasks and contributed to the effective implementation of topics and tasks with research institutes. In the past 5 years, the factory completed 03 topics and tasks at ministerial level, 01 tasks at the General Department level, and 07 tasks at grassroots level; coordinated in the implementation of 09 topics for institutes; conducted research, design, and improved the models of the new three-door water cylinder; successfully tested and put into stable and efficient production of a number of new economic products.

In addition, it also ensures financial resources, pays attention to improve the material and spiritual life of employees. The factory has actively exploited different sources of capital, timely ensured financial resources for production and business, investment in capital construction, factory renovation, equipment procurement, full and timely payment of wages, bonuses, and other policies for employees; managed and exploited capital and assets strictly, effectively; implemented the Military financial management mechanism renewal Scheme; fully implemented the State budget collection and remittance regime; promoted the program of thrift practice and waste prevention. At the same time, it has fully and thoughtfully implemented the rear army policy according to the issued regime; paid attention to and improved the life of employees, thereby, creating the best conditions for officers, employees, the Factory to dedicate and work.

In 2021 and the following years, the Party Committee and Commander of the Factory will continue to lead and direct to better the implementation of production tasks, improve productivity, quality of defence and economic products. In particular, it focuses on training and retraining to improve professional and technical qualifications; pays attention to implementing well regimes and policies for its employees to meet the requirements of the Fourth Industrial Revolution; increases the application of science and technology to production to improve product quality and ensure high competitiveness, thereby, making a practical contribution to building economic and defense potential of the country.

Senior Colonel VUONG CHI TOAI, Factory Manager