Aug 26 2019
The IoT is not only integrating devices and services, it is also bringing businesses together – particularly in the safety, security and fire sectors. This fact was demonstrated last week at a busy edition of Secutech Vietnam, where a record 380 exhibitors (2018: 310) and 14,239 trade visitors (2018: 13,800) converged to do business and learn about the latest products. Brands from 21 countries and regions lined up at the show, with many commenting that the market for smart solutions is becoming increasingly competitive.
With a population of almost 100 million and construction projects taking place across the country, exhibitors were pleased to find opportunities not just in Ho Chi Minh City and the south of Vietnam, but across the entire country.
At the conclusion of the show, Ms Regina Tsai, the Deputy General Manager of Messe Frankfurt New Era Business Media Ltd said: “This 12th edition of Secutech Vietnam has delivered concrete business results. Apart from serving the smart city sector, the concurrent Fire & Safety Vietnam and SMABuilding events have helped industry players to collaborate, solve pain points, and take advantage of growth potential in the factory, residential and commercial property sectors. Through its concurrent events and fringe programme, we are proud that Secutech Vietnam continues to orient the regions’ safety, security and fire sectors towards a bright future.”
Taking place at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Centre from 14 – 16 August 2019, the mood inside the exhibition hall was positive as exhibitors displayed their latest IoT, surveillance, fire safety, access control, cloud computing, and artificial intelligence technologies to trade buyers from across Vietnam.
Exhibitors aim to excel in growing market as competition intensifies
Because of the increasingly competitive business environment, many brands decided to boost their presence at the fair by exhibiting at a dedicated booth, having previously been represented at Secutech Vietnam through local distributors.
“The market is growing so fast that we need a platform to meet the right customers,” said Mr Charly Wang, the Regional Sales Director of Merit LILIN, a supplier of IP surveillance and video analysis solutions. He continued: “We are aiming to find more partners in Vietnam, and so far we have met a lot of project owners and system integrators at the fair.”
Apart from LILIN, other well-known brands in attendance included Avigilon, Bosch, Hanwha Techwin, Hitron, Kedacom, Nha An Toan (a Hikvision and ABB distributor), and ZKTeco.
Organised by the Shenzhen Circular Economy Association and the Shenzhen Municipal Commerce Bureau, the Shenzhen Pavilion was one of four international pavilions at the trade fair. Hosting 20 leading suppliers including ANJIA, DOPHIGO, Feyond, GoldenVision, Harvest Kang and Jeas-Union, the pavilion showcased the latest solutions in smart building, smart home and transportation. The show’s international contingent also included nearly 40 companies in pavilions from Singapore, the Korea Fire Institute, and the Japan Fire Pavilion.
Aiming to meet trade visitors from across Vietnam, Hanwha Techwin were introducing their surveillance and service centre solutions for smart city, smart factory, and retail at the show. Mr Ta Quang Huy, the Country Manager of the company said: “We have exhibited at the show for four consecutive years because of the wide variety of visitors that come here, not only from Ho Chi Minh City, but also from major cities such as Danang, Hanoi, and Central Vietnam. Compared to last year, the visitor flow has increased, and clients seem to be focusing a lot on smart city.”
At the fair’s concurrent SMABuilding event, exhibitors also painted a favourable picture of market prospects: “According to reports that we have read, the smart building market in Vietnam is expected to grow by 20 to 30 percent until 2030,” said Ms Bui Thi Huong Lan, the CEO Assistant at TechPro. “Our main objective at the fair is to promote our new biometric security solutions to the market. We are really satisfied with the results. In just one day we have received more than 100 potential clients at our booth that are relevant to the smart building and home markets, including contractors.”
Construction projects signal bright future for fire safety market
With a record-breaking scale of display, up 21% from 2018, visitors to the concurrent Fire & Safety Vietnam event were able to locate extinguishing systems, alarms, valves, personal protection equipment, CPR solutions, and fire dust detection systems from well-known brands such as D&C Vina, Funayama, Himax, Masflo, Nittan, Secom, SFFECO, Yun Yang, VT Plus, Quoc Nam and many more.
According to an exhibitor at the event, Mr Radwan Halabi, the Export Director of NAFFCO, new construction projects have opened up a gap in the market for internationally certified products: “We manufacture a wide range of firefighting equipment, including specialised vehicles and ambulances. In the Vietnamese market, new projects are looking for internationally certified products, especially high-rise buildings and shopping malls. The results of our participation at Secutech Vietnam have been really good. The visitors here are very unique, and we have not met any visitors that are unrelated to our products.”
Buyers salute show expansion and evolving technology
With so many internationally renowned brands exhibiting at the fair, Secutech Vietnam 2019 proved itself to be the ideal destination for trade buyers to identify new trends and find appropriate products for their businesses.
New at the show this year, the business matching service hosted more than 530 tours and meetings with more than 85% expressing their satisfaction with the service as an efficient way to target solutions of interest and establish new business connections.
“I have been visiting the show for eight years, and I can see that there are more brands joining each year. Almost all the key brands in the industry are present,” said Mr Dao Anh Dung, the Sales Manager of Sao Nam An. “So far, I have noticed that there are more CCTV solutions which are highly flexible and can be adjusted to customer needs. The AI technology is becoming more mature too.”
Other visitors noted that there is increased interconnectivity between devices. Mr Nguyen Van Huynh, a Product Designer from Cty TNHH PCCC Sao Viet, said: “We are a fire alarm system developer for commercial and residential uses. We are working on a new system and I am one of the technicians in the team. I am here to learn about market and industry trends so that we can adjust our products to fit market needs. I have noticed that there is increasing adoption of IoT and connective technologies to integrate systems. This is something that we are also working on.”
Fringe events spotlight high market potential
In addition to networking and sourcing opportunities, the trade fair also provided an information exchange platform that helped sector players learn about important growth areas.
One of many sectors primed for future growth is smart factory, however the sector is still in a nascent stage. “At the moment there are not a lot smart factories in Vietnam but many manufacturers are expressing serious intentions to set up smart factories,” said Mr Long Nguyen, the CEO of Houselink and a speaker at the Smart Factory Conference. “A lot of the topics that we discussed at the conference are very practical for these manufacturers, and some attendees asked for further information after my presentation. Attendees can also find related products in the fairground, so bringing this conference to the show is really useful for the local industry.”
Some of the key themes of the conference ranged from market updates, government policy, security, management efficiency, IoT applications, and fire safety.
For fire safety professionals, there were plenty of industry insights on offer at a seminar dedicated to fire protection solutions. Speakers included representatives from the Vietnam Fire and Rescue Police Department and the Korea Fire Institute, who discussed regulations, UL certification, fire prevention in mixed-use buildings, intelligent alarm systems and more.
Secutech Vietnam is jointly organised by Messe Frankfurt New Era Business Media Ltd and Vietnam Advertisement and Fair Exhibition JSC. The next edition will take place from 20 – 22 August 2020 at SECC, Ho Chi Minh City.