Inauguration of the new Wärtsilä workshop in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Mr Clas-Eirik Strand, Chairman of the board of Wärtsilä Vietnam, cuts the ribbon.
Wärtsilä Corporation opened a new, fully-equipped service workshop close to Saigon port in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. This is part of Wärtsilä's development of its business activities in the Vietnamese shipping, shipbuilding and power industries. Wärtsilä recently opened a new branch office in Hanoi.
Wärtsilä has had a permanent presence in Vietnam since 1994 when it set up a representative office in Ho Chi Minh City. In 1998 Wärtsilä obtained a business licence to operate as a 100% foreign-owned service company and founded Wärtsilä Vietnam Co Ltd.
The renovation work and installation of the workshop equipment was begun in mid 2006. Commercial operation started in January 2007 on a small scale and the volume has since steadily risen. The 850 m2 service workshop has facilities for a variety of work on Wärtsilä products and other brands of engines. Particular mention can be made of the facilities for reconditioning fuel injection equipment. In addition, it is the authorized workshop for Vietnam and the Indochina area for overhauling Metaldyne viscous fluid vibration dampers for reducing torsional vibration forces in engines.
Wärtsilä in Vietnam has 15 employees of which eight are engineers who carry out repairs in the workshop as well as onboard ships or at power plant sites. The nucleus of this workforce has been trained at Wärtsilä in Singapore for eight months in the skills needed to run the new workshop.