Training Supply Chain Management: understand and manage your supply chain

As part of the CBI Food Ingredients Export Coaching Program (ECP), Fresh Studio provided a two-day workshop on Supply Chain Management (SCM) in both Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City for pre-selected high potential food ingredient business ranging from honey, spices to tea.

The aim of the SCM workshop was threefold:

1. to create awareness of the importance of SCM in order to become successful in the EU market
2. to increase the knowledge of workshop participants on supply chain management
3. strengthen the capacity on the requirements of European markets.

The workshop was in collaboration with Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency (Vietrade) and the Center for the Promotion of Imports from Developing Countries (CBI).

During the workshop Mr. Siebe van Wijk (Managing Director of Fresh Studio) provided insights in the flows, forces, dynamics, evolutionary path and the key functional processes in SCM. The subjects were illustrated with different case studies in the field.

Important message of the presentation was: “Companies who want to export to EU market need to understand their chain and they should be able to control it.”

 “This workshop was a good chance for me to learn about supply chain and value chain methodically. The games and case studies during the course were very meaningful and applicable. I will bring back and apply these useful knowledge to my company”

Ms. Nguyen Thi Truc Loan – BaseaFood Hochiminh Branch.

In order to adapt the information and to improve the SCM of each participating business the flow of information was interspersed with (group) assignments. By analyzing their own supply chain, companies were challenged to identify and share their strong and weak points and to turn issues into working solutions.

Besides insights in SCM, Mr. Richard de Boer (Managing director of Control Union) provided information about his company services: certification, inspection and warehouse monitoring services. A much appreciate presentation for the food ingredient businesses, since quality is a frequent issue and the standards of the EU market for agricultural products is high.

The workshop was an effective platform for the food ingredient businesses to gain knowledge about SCM, to make the issues in the chain more transparent and to learn from each other.

“I hope that the knowledge I gained in these 2 days will help my company to become successful in the CBI program and to penetrate the EU market”

Mr. Bien, Hagimex JSC.