SHIN Ca Phe: 'Fighting wars' at the epicenter of the pandemic

After 10 pm on July 23, 2021, after receiving news about changing production strategy, Mr. Huynh Phuc Hau - Factory Manager of SHIN Ca Phe quickly coordinated to prepare for "3 on-site" (3OS) at Lot 11A, Hiep Phuc Industrial Park, Nha Be, District 7, Ho Chi Minh.

At that time, the 3OS model proved effective in Bac Ninh and Bac Giang in slowing the spread of COVID-19. Therefore, when the 4th wave broke out, many southern provinces and cities decided to apply 3OS. It was the best solution at the time for businesses to maintain uninterrupted production. It's a difficult but necessary choice.

Fighting COVID-19 at the "3 on-site fortress"

The production team tried their best to complete the order on schedule.

In the last two years, the pandemic has never broken out as severely as in this 4th wave. The number of Covid patients increased rapidly. HCMC became the epicenter with thousands of new cases daily. At that time, SHIN Ca Phe's production was at its peak to finish orders for both the domestic and foreign markets. Most importantly is the order to produce and export coffee filter papers to China and Hong Kong.

This is considered an important strategic partner of SHIN Ca Phe in accessing the global market and enhancing Vietnamese coffee and agricultural products in the international markets.

"It is not easy to meet the quality standards for an export order during the pandemic. We always set strict requirements for input materials as well as packaging process," said Mr. Ho Minh Phu, Export Business Development Manager of SHIN Ca Phe.

For that reason, the company quickly built the "3OST fortress" to fight against COVID-19 and ensure orders were delivered on time.

Towards the realization of "dual goals"

Despite having a small team, each member strictly implemented the requirements of food safety and hygiene and social distancing guidelines.

Right when deciding to implement 3OST, Mr. Hau instructed the workers of the factory in Nha Be to quickly prepare personal belongings and food to start a "war in peacetime". Workers were provided with mats and blankets to sleep at the factory during this period. To separate the living area and the production area, the management team used the quality control room on the 1st floor as the resting place for workers.

The initial difficulty was to maintain the workforce. Most of the workers stayed in "red zones", so there was a limitation in the number of workers who could meet the requirements to participate in 3OS. Due to the reduced workforce, workers had to work overtime to be able to meet the order schedules. This led to an increase in production costs and affected the health of employees. However, with a high sense of responsibility, the team still tried their best to complete the orders on time.

Food and other necessities were ordered every 2 weeks and delivered to the site by a supermarket in the same district. Goods were disinfected before receiving to ensure strict compliance with 3OS. Among the "warriors" on duty at the factory, Vo Thanh Sang was considered the "big brother" despite being younger than other members. It is because Sang was responsible for cooking and maintaining the schedule of all members. During the war back then, there were "big brothers" who were beloved by people and comrades.

Now, at SHIN, there's a "big brother" who takes care of the wellbeing of the whole team. Never have all the workers in the factory experienced a "war in peacetime", nor lived together and "raced" to finish orders in such harsh conditions.

The company also carried out weekly COVID-19 tests for employees. Test results were reported to the HR department and the HR would take immediate actions if there was a positive test. Despite having a small team, each member strictly implemented the requirements of food safety and hygiene and social distancing guidelines.

SHIN's employees have been working tirelessly since the start of 3OS at the end of July. Due to the reduced workforce, each member had to finish their part while carrying out other extra duties. During a hot summer, workers had to work in a closed environment and must wear full-body protective clothing, gloves, and masks. However, Mr. Nguyen Duc Thang, Production and machine operation supervisor, spoke to us with a huge smile on his face.

"In the first days, because I had not adapted to the new living conditions, I couldn't sleep for days. Besides, it's also difficult to order food as shippers could not deliver on time. At such times, we had to temporarily eat instant noodles. Despite difficulties, I and all the people here still worked with our best efforts to complete the order and help the company overcome this difficult time. I also hope that the pandemic will soon be over so that everyone can return to normal life," he said.

The management team of SHIN drew up many scenarios to turn the situation around. All domestic orders were still processed from the current stock and materials sources. However, it's still difficult to get enough input materials for production as transportation has been halted.

Rise above crisis

In 2021, the COVID-19 pandemic continued to break out, causing a decline in coffee export volume from many coffee regions in the world to Europe, Hong Kong, and China. However, Vietnam's coffee industry is having a good signal, that is, the value of processed coffee products is increasing due to a lack of supply in the world. To meet the demand of the global market, many businesses such as SHIN Ca Phe have chosen to adjust production methods and improve the quality of raw material areas to improve the product value.

According to the General Statistics Office, due to the impact of COVID-19, many agricultural products of Vietnam need to be "rescued". Meanwhile, coffee exports have also decreased, but not significantly. In the first 2 months of 2021, our country's coffee export was estimated at 271,000 tons, equivalent to 474 million USD, down 18% in volume and more than 15% in value over the same period last year.

Therefore, export orders to Hong Kong, China are considered rare opportunities that SHIN Coffee must seize to create a foundation for a "resurrection" after the pandemic. During this period, Vietnam is suffering a "big storm" affecting people's lives as well as the country's economy. For enterprises in the agriculture industry like SHIN, the mission is to step by step protect the business and the economy by taking bold decisions and quickly seizing new opportunities.

A day in mid-September amid the relentless "fight", while Mr. Hau was busy managing the production progress, Mr. Thang, Sang and other colleagues all focused on diligently performing their tasks with great enthusiasm. Coffee packages were neatly packed into the box. The packaging process for safe transportation has been completed. Everything is aligned for the order to be shipped in time, to welcome a new normal that is coming.

Mai Huong - Thanh Thuy

SHIN Ca Phe