$1 bln. Intel chip factory to open this month

Intel Corporation has announced its factory to test and assemble semi-conductors will open in Ho Chi Minh City by the end of this month.

The first large corporation making a high-tech investment in Vietnam has spent US$1 billion in building the new factory, construction of which begain in 2007.

The 500,000-square feet plant is expected to employ around 4,000 workers. This will be the seventh factory of its kind invested by Intel outside the US, with the others located in Malaysia, the Philippines, China and Costa Rica.

Navin Shenoy, Intel general director for the Asia-Pacific region, said the investment would help the corporation tap growth opportunities in the emerging Asian market.

“We expect Asia’s PC market to continue to grow by more than 20 percent annually in the next few years. We definitely will continue to invest in Asia where we see growth,” Shenoy told the Dow Jones Newswire in a recent interview.

He said the US and European consumer markets have showed weak sentiments while  “Asia has a young population and a low PC penetration rate. China, India, and Southeast Asian countries like Indonesia and Vietnam are important markets.”

Intel reported more than $11 billion in quarterly revenues in the third quarter, and 58 percent or $6.40 billion of this came from the Asia-Pacific region, a 20 percent increase from $5.32 billion the same period last year.

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First wind energy turbine factory opens

Vietnam ’s first wind power turbine production factory was
inaugurated at the Nomura industrial zone in the northern port city of
Hai Phong on October 15.

The 61 million USD project, invested by the US-based GE group, rolled
out over 200 turbines for export in the past five months of test run.

In the first stage the factory will produce 1.5 MW turbines for
export and is scheduled to mass produce some 10,000 parts and assorted
turbines annually. Its products will be forwarded to GE production
facilities worldwide to be assembled into end products.

The factory now provides stable jobs for over 250 local workers and
contributes to domestic production and daily life as well as for export.

John Krenicki, Vice President of the GE Group and
President cum General Manager of GE Energy operations in Vietnam ,
hailed Vietnam as an ideal destination for investment and expansion
of production capacity thanks to its skilled workforce and the bright
prospects of the regional energy industry.

The
US giant unveiled a plan to upgrade and expand the factory into a
complex specialising in power equipment for clean energy production to
meet national and global demand./.

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Vietnam Airlines add 20 domestic flights

HA NOI — Vietnam Airlines plans to add six additional flights to the Ha Noi - Nha Trang route, four flights to the HCM City - Nha Trang route and ten flights to the HCM City - Phu Quoc link.

This move aims to meet the greater demand on travelling during the National Day holiday.

The carrier will use larger planes for the extended routes, including Airbus 320/321 and AT7, which will provide more capacity during the busy holiday period.

Gas prices rise by VND14,000-15,000

HA NOI –- The retail price of cooking gas on the domestic market increased yesterday by VND14,000-15,000 to VND258,000 per 12-kilo canister.

This is the second time domestic cooking gas prices have increased within the last ten days, due to a US$55 per tonne price-rise on the global market last month.

Thai-Viet Company to build $50m factory

NINH THUAN — Thai-Viet Bio-ethanol Company received a license early this week to build a factory to produce ethanol, fertilisers and animal feeds. The factory, located in the central province of Ninh Thuan, has an investment capital of VND950 billion (US$50 million).

It is slated to start construction in 2011 and come into operation in early 2013. The plant is expected to produce 60 million tonnes of ethanol per year for export and domestic demand.

The company also plans to establish an R&D centre in the province's Phuoc Nam Industrial Park to support the factory's construction and operation.

SP-PSA Port reports record productivity

HCM CITY — The SP-PSA International Port in Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province has gained record productivity for one container vessel, with an average discharge rate of 106 containers per hour.

The port discharged a record 5,174 TEU from a container ship called the APS Iris, which belongs to APL-NOL, a US marine transport company. The ship has direct weekly service from and to West Coast and Vung Tau.

Managers of APL-NOL and the port expect that the high productivity rate will raise the confidence of both the port's and ship's customers.

The province's Cai Mep Thi Vai estuary has many deep seaport development projects in progress. SP-PSA port, the first deep-sea container terminal operating, has a 600m-berth and a sea depth of 14.5m. — VNS

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