Green and Smart Factories: The Answer to Manufacturers' Cost and Compliance Challenges

Mandatory 24-hour shipment traceability data requirements, combined with rising labor cost pressures, are forcing manufacturing enterprises in Ho Chi Minh City and surrounding areas to accelerate their factory digitization and greening roadmap.
 

Changes in the legal framework for goods management, along with requirements from export markets, are creating a significant shift for manufacturing enterprises, particularly in food processing and supporting industries.
 

The Law on Product and Goods Quality No. 78/2025/QH15, effective January 1, 2026, combined with Decree 37/2026/ND-CP issued January 23, 2026, mandates traceability for high-risk goods and requires data connection to the National Traceability Information Portal.
 

Following this, Circular 31/2026/TT-BCT, effective July 1, 2026, sets January 1, 2027 as the deadline for traceability requirements prior to goods circulation.
 

The most critical operational requirement under these regulations is that enterprises must be able to produce shipment traceability data within 24 hours of a request—a standard nearly impossible to meet using only paper records or disconnected software systems.
 

For exporters, this deadline coincides with the rollout timeline for the EU's Digital Product Passport (DPP) and the GS1 Sunrise 2027 standard. Failure to extract batch data and production logs in time exposes businesses to the risk of customs clearance disruptions or rejection from retail supply chains.
 

Beyond regulatory pressure, rising labor costs and difficulty recruiting skilled workers mean that expanding output by adding headcount is no longer an effective model.

Green factory solutions were introduced at Long Hau Industrial Park on September 16. Photo

To address this challenge, integrating three technology layers—automation, data digitization, and energy management—is becoming a practical direction for factories. At a solutions-connection event held on September 16 at Long Hau Industrial Park (Can Giuoc commune, Tay Ninh province, adjacent to Hiep Phuoc commune, Ho Chi Minh City), real-world machinery models and software demonstrated clear application results.
 

At the production-floor automation layer, solutions from Kyouwa Vietnam—a member of Japan's Kyouwa Group with over 60 years of experience—showed that raw material pre-processing can be reduced from 6-8 workers to just 1-2.
 

The forming and processing stage can reach speeds of 10,000-20,000 products per hour with only 2-4 supervising staff instead of 8-12, while high-speed automated packaging lines cut line-staff needs by 60%-70%.
 

At the data digitization layer, Auto-ID recognition technology from Sato Vietnam (part of Japan's Sato Group) enables machines to connect with automated barcode and QR code printing and scanning systems. Quantitative data, batch codes, GTIN codes, and GS1 SSCC pallet codes are recorded in real time and standardized under GS1 Digital Link. This direct connectivity allows factories to extract shipment data in under a minute, meeting the 24-hour requirement.

At the energy optimization and sustainability layer, a solution from Hong Kong-based consulting group Arup applies AI through its Neuron platform to adjust cooling systems based on actual load, saving around 10% in electricity consumption with a payback period of 2 years, while also monitoring factory emissions through its Conductor platform to meet emissions requirements set by international partners.
 

Alongside technology infrastructure, factory location and transport connectivity play a decisive role in supply chain efficiency.

The completion of key transport projects in 2026—including the full opening of the Ben Luc–Long Thanh Expressway, Ho Chi Minh City's Ring Road 3 connecting at the My Yen interchange in Ben Luc, and preparations to bring Long Thanh International Airport into commercial operation in Q4 2026—is reshaping the position of satellite areas such as Can Giuoc.
 

Locating factories at these transit hub points helps food processing enterprises optimize cold-chain costs, providing both access to raw materials and fast last-mile delivery to Ho Chi Minh City's market of over 14 million people, according to a representative of Long Hau Corporation.

Mr. Bui Le Anh Hieu, Marketing and Business Director of Long Hau Corporation, at the September 16 event. 

Mr. Bui Le Anh Hieu, the company's Marketing and Business Director, noted that investors' criteria for selecting facilities have clearly shifted. Rather than focusing solely on rental rates or floor area, businesses now prioritize whether an industrial park's infrastructure can support automated production line connectivity, digital data infrastructure, and green standards.

Source: DanViet.vn
16/09/2026