Reaction from Vietnam

I'd like to share the following comment from a former colleague who is now an expat working in a galvanizing plant in Vietnam.



This is his reaction to my post about Vietnam.

Nono,

I had a look at your other blog in "steelconnect". Unfortunately, there was no mention of any details on your visit with the other steel plant (presumably Phu My Flat Steel) near BlueScope Steel which Antit Macatol and yours truly worked.

Anyway, just to give a little perspective on the status of the steel industry in Vietnam, the following are some of the latest updates:

1. Korean owned POSCO Vietnam located within the general area of the Phu My 1 industrial zone which you visited is currently commissioning a continuous pickle line dovetailed to the 5 stand 6-high tandem cold mill, continuous annealing line and a recoiling line. The reported capacity of this new 5-stand cold mill is 2 million tonnes per year (MTPY). Target commercial run will be on September 2009.

2. A single stand reversing cold mill is currently being put up beside the Phu My Flat Steel in partnership with Vietnam Steel (owner of Phu My Flat Steel) and 2 other investors. The capacity is about 350,000 tonnes per year.

3. Another hot mill & cold mill complex is planned to be put up by an Indian investor (the company name escape me at this time) with about the same capacity as POSCO Vietnam of 2 MTPY.

Why am I enumerating this? This just shows how far the Philippines has lagged from other Asean neighbors. If others are "naghihinayang" about what happened to the erstwhile NSC, I am very deeply disappointed. Whatever happened to our plan to put up an integrated steel plant is now nothing but a dream and continues to become a nightmare as we regressed our development. It won't be long when we really will be the sick man of Asia.

Should there be a gathering of former NSC colleagues soon, I'd certainly try to be there.