Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has asked the Vietnam Cement Industry Corporation (VICEM) to work out a concrete strategy for a regional and international VICEM trademark.

The Government leader made the request at a working session with VICEM on March 26, urging the corporation to achieve the status of a national cement industry group.

“It is imperative to put on additional 18 cement factories into operation this year, capable of producing over 20 million tonnes a year. VICEM has therefore to take care of marketing in the vested interest of both distributors and manufacturers, thus increasing both production outputs and market shares,” Mr Dung said.

He called on the industry to cut overheads in all production chains and promote marketing in an effort to maintain profits and ensure stable incomes or wages for employees amid soaring input costs.

To deal with the industry’s low productivity and waste caused by delay in a number of investment projects, the Prime Minister asked the national giant to increase investment in key products, step up personnel reshuffle and apply information technology.

“For immediate future, VICEM should map out a development strategy till 2020, while speeding up the tempo of underway investment projects and in some cases providing financial support for those projects which need to meet deadlines,” Mr Dung concluded.

The PM and his deputies Truong Vinh Trong and Hoang Trung Hai all recognised VICEM’s contributions to the national construction, especially its success in stabilizing prices over the past decade while continuing making high profits amidst soaring material prices such as electricity, coals and paper.

They also lauded the corporation’s efforts in securing high wages for employees at VND5.5 million per month.

VietNamNet/VOV