To stabilize against the storm of the pandemic, improving the quality of products and services is indispensable to create sustainable development in a competitive market, as well as marking the outstanding maturity of a business. It is also a strategy that a leading enterprise in the construction field is implementing, with the goal of improving the quality of work and optimizing value for investors.

Upgrading capacity - New trend during the epidemic season

Since the beginning of the epidemic season, the 4th wave of Covid-19 has left the strongest impact on the domestic economy. Most of the business's activities were stalled due to the long and dangerous epidemic, which has led to a new transformation trend. To overcome the crisis, businesses have actively enhanced core competencies during the lockdown.

As a large and dynamic enterprise, Ecoba does not lose this golden period in order to upgrade itself and build a solid foundation to be ready for stronger growth after the pandemic. One of the many activities of Ecoba's strategy to strengthen the system is the quality improvement program, specifically coordinating with Haseko to run the Quality Improvement Committee.

Sharing about the program's purpose, Mr. Nguyen Trong Thong - representative of Ecoba's Quality Improvement Committee mentioned a story: The Japanese think that construction products are like a car company. The more users use it, the more they like it, love it for its durability and reasonableness in use, they will pass it on to each other without businesses having to invest in promotion. “Amid the trend of increasingly sophisticated customers and high demands, it is inevitable that businesses must change to meet superiority. The only way to improve product quality can satisfy and retain customers.”

Haseko - Ecoba quality standards - Promote quality improvement of works

According to Mr. Nguyen Trong Thong, the implementation of the quality improvement program has been implemented by Ecoba for a long time. However, during this time, Ecoba focused more on improving quality control methods, improving material quality to match the project operating model (general contractor model, Design & Build model). Construction stages from bidding, project implementation, project closing to warranty handover are also integrated.

Haseko and Ecoba are researching and releasing a set of specific standards VHPS (Vietnam Version Haseko Performance Standard) which is integrated from Vietnamese standards combined with JIS (Japanese Industrial Standard), ASTM (America Society for Testing and Materials)), BS (British Standards) in a selective way, ensuring to cover the requirements of domestic and foreign investors.

The two main activities in the area of quality improvement are R&D  and operations. When starting to deploy, the top principle that Ecoba focused on was "stopping water upstream". Instead of repairing and overcoming construction errors, Ecoba will evaluate and analyze the current status, the core causes to make recommendations and appropriate material and construction solutions to prevent risks from the very beginning. design paragraph.

During project implementation, control is applied to the Centerline model of management according to vertical specialized functions combined with the core process system to control and monitor the process step by step through many rounds. "With that approach, the quality of the project will inevitably be improved" - Ecoba representative affirmed.

Not only helping businesses improve their capacity and position, partners also directly benefit from the application of VHPS standards: “Ecoba's customers are often large and professional investors. Therefore, when analyzing the advantages and the long-term according to the long-term strategy, the investors are willing to accept the proposal according to Ecoba's criteria in terms of quality." Mr. Nguyen Trong Thong added that the cost issue is also willing to change by investors when rationally analyzing the optimal costs. It can be said that being proactive and responsible to partners is the key to helping Ecoba retain customers and stay firmly in the market.

“Due to the epidemic, most businesses are facing difficulties. For Ecoba, the time of the epidemic and the distance is also an opportunity for us to look at the whole picture." Although some projects were delayed, businesses still received positive signals when some programs, which were planned to be implemented in the whole year, were shortened to completion in a few months because the staff had quiet time for careful review.

“Like other members of the Quality Improvement Committee, I am envisioning a post-pandemic scenario, where all enforcement work will be carried out in a more methodical manner because the personnel have clearly understood the output requirements and how to do it when it is improved, communicate and practice smoothly during the pause" - Mr. Nguyen Trong Thong shared.

In the context that the government is showing its determination to control the epidemic situation and plan for economic recovery, Ecoba's steps to strengthen and build a solid system are a bright spot in the field of construction in Vietnam, creating momentum to help businesses gain a strong bounce after the epidemic.