FPT : Software and Smart Holdings launch joint venture

Vietnam's leading IT services provider FPT Software (Subsidiary company of FPT) on Wednesday announced the launch of a joint venture with Smart Holdings, a Japan-based IT solutions provider specialized in the manufacturing domain. The new entity - FPT Smart Technologies - aims to provide digital transformation solutions to smart cities with a focus on their key drivers: manufacturing, automotive, and construction industries.

The joint venture is headquartered in Vietnam's central coastal city of Da Nang, the country's third-largest city. FPT Software holds 51 percent of stake in the new entity.

FPT Smart Technologies is headquartered in Da Nang - Vietnam's third-largest city. (Photo: Shutterstock)

The move takes place at a time when Japan is moving towards Society 5.0 - a super-smart society fueled by the development of smart cities and innovations across industries. In response, the country's automobile industry has entered a period of profound transformation represented by the trend of CASE (Connected, Autonomous, Shared, Electric), urging local businesses to accelerate the adoption of digital technologies to stay ahead of the curve.

FPT Smart Technologies looks to facilitate the innovations in manufacturing, automotive, and construction industries by combining technological expertise, experiences and domain knowledge of the two companies. FPT Software operates globally with a strong base in Japan, which contributes more than 50 percent to its total revenue from overseas markets. Meanwhile, Smart Holdings is a corporate group specialized in system development and implementation specific to the manufacturing sector, especially the automotive industry in Japan.

'By joining forces with Smart Holdings, we want to make a revolutionary change to the automotive and manufacturing industries. With extensive experience and cutting-edge solutions tailored for automakers, we are confident in this new partnership. We do hope it will help shape the future of the automotive and manufacturing industries by leveraging emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, Internet of Things, Internet of Vehicles (IoV), and so on.', said Nguyen Duc Kinh, FPT Software's SVP, Head of Automotive & Manufacturing Vertical Industries.

Automotive technology is one of the spearhead capabilities of FPT Software. With a large pool of talents including 4,400 automotive experts and engineers, the company has been offering numerous services and solutions to the world's top automakers, OEMs, Tier-1 suppliers, and semiconductor manufacturers. FPT Software's solutions and processes conform to AUTOSAR, Automotive SPICE Level 3, and other global standards for the automotive industry.