The Story of Cat Van Loi – Bringing value to society through supporting industrial production

Is it true that starting a company is just about making money?

Established in 2007, our company at that time still had a short-term business mindset with the goal of profit always being the top priority. We (the company's board of directors) were fortunate to establish the company when the business environment was still in its infancy and in the early stages of international economic integration, when Vietnam had just joined the World Trade Organization (WTO) in January 2007, so the company's operations and development went quite smoothly.

But after a few years of business, our board of directors asked ourselves: Is the goal of an entrepreneur and building a company just to make money? Is the entrepreneurial spirit only measuring wealth and success with money? That big question has been lingering without an answer, after the first years of quite successful business and building the Cat Van Loi Company brand.

Journey to change business thinking

There is a saying that “The greatest luck in life is not finding money or winning the lottery, but having someone who can lead you to a new high.” This is exactly what we needed when we participated in the Keieijuku course for manufacturing business leaders sponsored by JICA.

Keieijuku Training Course for Vietnamese Industrial Entrepreneurs sponsored by JICA

After the course, we changed our perception of how to produce products that bring value and benefit to society, thereby bringing profits to the business. And the entire board of directors of the company began the journey of transformation, change... applying the knowledge learned to the business, although there were successes and failures in the time after that.

Established as a commercial enterprise, the company's board of directors determined to do something that would bring value to society rather than simply buying, selling and making a profit.

And we decided to establish a factory to produce mechanical and electrical engineering (M&E) auxiliary machinery to replace imported goods. The mechanical engineering industry is a highly competitive industry with high potential for production and export to foreign markets, contributing greatly to the gross domestic product and playing an important role in the economic development process.

In addition, electromechanical accessories and materials are also receiving attention and focus from the government , especially products that support direct construction or are installed in works and projects serving production in the industrial sector.

JICA – Japan sponsors OJT support for Cat Van Loi electrical conduit factory

“Every journey begins with the first step”

The lectures from the Monodzukuri production spirit course helped us “enlighten” the development path for the company that we had previously spent a lot of time searching for, giving us wings to realize the dream and ambition inspired by the Japanese teachers into action to build and launch the first Cat Van Loi factory (in 2016) and the second factory (in 2022), contributing to the realization of the “Aspiration to replace imported goods”.

Specifically, the 4 main product groups of Cat Van Loi Company are the core products including: Steel conduit pipes, Lightning rods - Lightning protection and grounding equipment for factories and buildings, Mesh trays and accessories for food factories and data centers, Unistrut bars & mechanical and electrical support systems (MEP). The first shipments exported to the markets of Japan, Myanmar, Cambodia, Philippines, Singapore... helped Cat Van Loi successfully participate in the global supply chain in projects in Asia.

Our products are present in many key projects: Metro Line No. 1 (Ben Thanh - Suoi Tien), Thai Binh 1 Thermal Power Plant, Van Phong Thermal Power Plant, Long Son Oil Refinery... and are the main supplier for more than 20 Japanese contractors in Vietnam.

Nearly 20 years of formation and development, with creative thinking, bold innovation and continuous efforts, Cat Van Loi has become one of the leading enterprises in Vietnam, actively contributing to the development of the country in general and the M&E mechanical and electrical materials industry in particular, bringing the Cat Van Loi mechanical and electrical materials industry brand to high positions on the global industrial mechanical industry map.

With these outstanding achievements, the company has been honored to receive noble titles and awards: Ho Chi Minh City Golden Brand 2021, High Quality Vietnamese Goods - Integration Standards, High Quality Vietnamese Goods voted by consumers, Enterprise with typical Industrial and Supporting Industry products of Ho Chi Minh City 2022, Typical Ho Chi Minh City Enterprise 2022...

Cat Van Loi Industrial Electrical Equipment Manufacturing Joint Stock Company