“We are already focused on finding the right solution for our customers”

As someone who has been with HELUKABEL Vietnam since its early days of establishment, Mr. Prapan Angsuthasawit, Director, shared specifically about the formation and development process of the business in the Vietnam market in the episode 5 of HELUKABEL Podcast – The Series. At the same time, new perspectives about HELUKABEL Vietnam will also be revealed in this episode.

To find out more information about Mr. Prapan, you can read the article HERE.

1. HELUKABEL Group was founded in 1978 in Germany, and our subsidiary was officially established in Vietnam in 2016. Do you think this is the right timing for HELUKABEL to have a subsidiary in Vietnam?

We have been present in Vietnam before 2016 but through distribution. From that point on, we learned about the market potential. We have learned about market demand. We also learned about the rigors of market competitiveness. We wanted to be here sooner, but it is not too late to be here in 2016, especially with the solar energy market, HELUKABEL is known as one of the pioneers in this market in Vietnam.

2. What was your first goal in 2016 when HELUKABEL Vietnam was established? Is this goal still the same or has it changed now?

Surviving is the first goal I set when we first established HELUKABEL Vietnam. I think that is not only our own goal but also the goal of newly established businesses in a new market with many challenges. And it's great because we have achieved this goal to be present in the market up to now.

3. During the development journey of HELUKABEL Vietnam, there have been ups and downs. What story or moment do you remember the most?

I have had many impressive moments during my time in Vietnam, but the most memorable moment was in 2020. I think that year we were very young. We were not prepared well enough for a "storm" like the COVID-19 pandemic. Every day, we received bad news, not only about business but also about life. At that time, we were worried.

However, thanks to many factors, 2020 was our best and most memorable year to date. First, it is impossible not to mention everyone's efforts, but the explosion of the solar energy market in Vietnam is an essential reason for our success currently.

Next, I think we are prepared to work remotely. Therefore, during the social distancing period, people can still work from home effectively. And for me, the most important factor is the people. They worked tirelessly. For instance, one of the people is Thanh – who is our Warehouse Supervisor. At that time, the city was blockaded, and Thanh volunteered to stay at the warehouse for several months. Thanks to this, we can ensure we meet what our customers need. So, this is a moment that I will never forget.

4. Regarding the electric cable market in Vietnam in the first 6 months of this year 2023, from your perspective, how is it going?

The demand for control cables in Vietnam is quite stable compared to last year. Not too good and not too bad. However, what I have noticed is that there is a change in customer perception. Previously, when cables were introduced to customers, they only had two common questions: price and origin. But now, customer perception is changing. They pay more attention to the applications of cables and services. To me, this is a good sign for industries in Vietnam because technology requires much more complex products. Therefore, choosing the right product will bring long-term benefits to customers, for example, process efficiency and downtime reduction.

5. Our market for control & signal cables is known as a niche market in Vietnam. What are the opportunities and challenges have you seen in our market?

I think that happens not only in the European cable market but in every sector. We are living in a new world order. There are many uncertainties, the most obvious one today is inflation, which directly affects investment psychology. We are also facing a global supply chain crisis. And this pushes us to source raw materials from European countries for a longer period. Therefore, we consider it our job to optimize and find solutions for customers.

Regarding opportunities, there are some big trends that we believe will come to Vietnam shortly. For example, electric cars in Vietnam, VinFast is known for this. It's about data centers and it is also about modern agricultural technology. And in the future, we are ready to propose solutions in these areas to customers.

6. What are the misconceptions about HELUKABEL among our Vietnamese customers?

The customer's first impression of HELUKABEL is that I really like German cables, I love German technology but it's too expensive. That is the most common perception we receive from customers. I cannot say that we are providing cheap products because that is not what we aim to do. What we believe in is finding the right solution for customers. This is what we stand for. Of course, the product price must be reasonable, but our orientation is to find the optimal solution for our customers.

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7. In marketing, we consider a brand as a person with personalities, characteristics. So, to define HELUKABEL as a human, how would you do that?

I think HELUKABEL is a person, who is full of energy, young, and thoughtful but also has a sense of humor. In the long run, I want our customers to remember us as a Channeling Power company, that's our mission. This means we are committed to delivering energy and communications reliably and consistently to our customers.

8. What are the important keywords that you always aim for in customer service? What benefits will customers get from this?

The keyword for customer service is customer-centric, which means we put the customers at the center of design processes within the company.

In 2021, we implemented the CRM platform. When we set up our order fulfillment process, we considered what we could inform every stage of order processing. Therefore, if our staff are informed about the location of the customer placing the order, they can respond to the customer more effectively. Therefore, we believe that a customer-centric mindset will lead us to achieve our goal, which is customer satisfaction.

Many factors go into the quality of customer service. And we're not perfect, although we try and that's true. As for the CRM platform, I think we're in a good spot. We invest heavily in IT infrastructure to ensure that our customers are receiving high-quality services.

9. Human resource management is one of the key factors in any enterprise. With our current team at HELUKABEL Vietnam, how do you lead the company?

In my opinion, leading people in the company is quite simple. I am surrounded by good people. Typically, I focus on leading by example. I need to do what I ask people to do. I think this is essential. Second, I also believe in empowerment, which means I encourage people to do difficult things or make their own decisions. The third thing is we're trying to create a learning environment that requires people to learn new things. Learning is for everyone. For instance, I am also learning Vietnamese now. And finally, I think my direct responsibility is to promote corporate culture to all employees.

10. Recently, we can see that we have been expanding our product portfolio. Originally from the key category of cables and accessories, now we have had even more: drag chains from EKD Systems, intelligent lighting from Sangel Systemtechnik, cable winding technology from Kabelmat, and most recently smart cable measuring solution from Aufmaster. What benefits does this bring to our customers in the Vietnamese market?

There is a difference in providing multiple solutions to customers instead of selling a single product. I'm not saying that just selling cables or accessories is a bad thing. But cables and accessories cannot stand alone. They must be operated and installed with other devices. So, if customers can find suppliers with a wide variety of products, I think it will be a huge benefit for customers. Because they don't need to do much research on each product. They just need to tell us what they need and then it's our job to find the right solution for the customers.

11. HELUKABEL Vietnam is already 7 years old and has reached some key milestones during our journey. Then, what’s next?

Channeling Power is a long-term goal, we are only at the beginning. So, there is a long journey for us to achieve this goal. So, we have tried to provide our solutions in more industries and more territories in Vietnam. Currently, we have an office in the South, 1 employee in the North, and 2 employees in the Central region. Our main goal now is to provide solutions to more customers. And one more thing is that we commit that we will constantly develop to ensure that customers can safely experience the products we provide.

12. Before we end the show, could you share the advice you want to give to the younger generation?

Life is short, enjoy it while you can. I know life is not always as smooth as expected, but let's learn to appreciate the smallest things, so we can have a better life. You should always boldly experience new things, even if it is difficult or makes you uncomfortable, the result of this, whether failure or success, is worth appreciating. You should also be proud of yourself for having the courage to do it, no matter how big or small.

Thank you for Mr. Prapan Angsuthasawit's meaningful sharing in this Podcast episode. We wish you good health to continue your journey of building and developing HELUKABEL Vietnam, bringing quality comprehensive electrical connection solutions to the Vietnamese market.

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For more information, please contact:

HELUKABEL® Vietnam

54, Street 1, Cityland, Ward 7, Go Vap District, Ho Chi Minh City 700000, Vietnam

Tel. +84 28 22536441 | info@helukabel.com.vn | www.helukabel.com.vn

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