Japan pneumatics firm SMC eyes expansion in Dong Nai province

Japanese pneumatic instrument producer SMC Corp is seeking to invest more in Dong Nai province, a southern industrial hub of Vietnam, said SMC executive Maruyama Susuma.

At a Tuesday working session with local authorities, the executive said the firm is looking into investment policies and strengths for business expansion in the southern province.

In reply, Nguyen Huu Nguyen, director of Dong Nai's Department of Planning and Investment, said SMC’s investments match the province’s high-technology and eco-friendly policies.

Dong Nai also focuses on training a capable workforce and can meet SMC’s need for 3,000 additional workers, Nguyen added.

Nguyen Hong Linh, chief of the provincial Party Committee, said Dong Nai is a key magnet of FDI in Vietnam and the province will continue developing its industrial parks to lure more investors.

"A strength of Dong Nai is easy access to Cai Mep Terminal and under-construction Long Thanh International Airport, which facilitate good delivery to European and American destinations. Another advantage is under-construction expressways in the southern region with Long Thanh district of the province as the focal point," he added.

SMC Corporation entered Vietnam in 2008 with the establishment of SMC Vietnam as a representative office. In 2011, it became a wholly foreign-owned establishment, also a subsidiary of SMC Corporation.

SMC currently runs a 26-hectare factory in Dong Nai to produce tubing equipment, solenoid valves, and actuators. In March, Dong Nai granted an investment expansion certificate to SMC to raise its investment by $100 million to $549.4 million.

As of April 2023, the southern province had housed 1,835 FDI projects with total registered capital of $35.64 billion, the fourth-highest figure in Vietnam, behind Ho Chi Minh City with $56.68 billion, the southern province of Binh Duong with $39.99 billion, and Hanoi with $39.1 billion.