PALFINGER Around the Globe: Welcome to Hanoi, Vietnam
Where engineering excellence takes shape in high-quality lifesaving appliances and beyond.
In an interconnected world, the strength of a leading technology and mechanical engineering company such as PALFINGER is not only defined by its portfolio of exceptional solutions, but also by its sprawling network of international production facilities. These locations are more than mere dots on a map – they are veins running with innovation and quality. Join us on a journey exploring our marine-related production sites to find out how their distinct expertise continually contributes to our long success story.
The next stop on our journey takes us to our production site in Hung Yen, just outside Vietnam’s capital Hanoi, which is renowned not only for its historical heritage and architecture but also for its vibrant social scene. To gain a deeper understanding of the plant's operations, we spoke with Binh Thi Tran, Operations Plant Manager and Managing Director, on-site.
Welcome to Hanoi
With an impressive 20-year career at PALFINGER, Binh began as a management assistant and worked her way up to her current role. Her extensive experience spans nearly every aspect of operations, and she is eager to share insights about the Hanoi hub. “Over the years with PALFINGER, I have handled everything from HR and administration to finance and supply chains – giving me a comprehensive understanding that I now draw on in my current role. Today, I am responsible for managing Vietnam’s marine team in the manufacturing of boats, davits, winches, container skidding systems, spare parts, and services.”
Managing the Vietnam operations is no small feat. The production site covers an impressive 14,700 square meters, and its nearly 200 dedicated employees process 900 tons of raw material annually. “Our production volume averages 130 boats, 160 davits, and 90 winches yearly,” Binh explains. “Our busiest period is typically during winter, when we handle urgent end-of-year orders, along with large orders for the new year.”
Maintaining excellence
How does Binh ensure the quality of production? “There is no simple answer to this question. Rather, an array of factors must come together to maintain the high standards we uphold,” she explains. A key element is the highly dedicated and experienced team. “For one, we adhere to PALFINGER’s rigorous quality standards regarding tools, guidelines, employee training, and procedure certifications. We achieve this through the implementation of a Quality Control Plan, which is enforced using multiple quality gates, annual audits, and a continuous improvement strategy. We also ensure our certifications are always up to date concerning specialist training, testing practices and ISO standards,” Binh points out.
She also highlights the importance of maintaining close collaboration with customers: “We continuously collect feedback from clients to follow up and adjust processes as needed.“ The final piece in the quality puzzle is the materials themselves, ensuring that all components from suppliers meet the highest standards.
The importance of testing and customized production
At the site in Vietnam, testing is an integral part of PALFINGER’s end-to-end production process and a key driver of product quality and reliability. All products are subject to Factory Acceptance Testing (FAT), carried out in-house or with certified third-party partners, ensuring full compliance with customer requirements and applicable marine regulations. “In addition to standard FAT, we perform functional, load, and stability tests to verify performance under defined operating conditions. For new products and design modifications, structured prototype testing is implemented to ensure technical robustness and stable industrialization,” Binh adds.
The marine business is highly customized, with each product built to specific customer and regulatory requirements. Key challenges include working with ice-class materials, meeting explosion-proof standards, applying corrosion-protection coating systems, and integrating complex solutions such as fire-fighting systems. “We have successfully delivered advanced davit systems with large configurations, as well as high-capacity lifeboats for up to 150 persons,” Binh notes. “These products have undergone comprehensive validation, including load, impact, and drop tests, and are now part of our regular production scope.”
The production site in Hanoi reflects the company’s strong operational capabilities in delivering high-quality marine solutions. With a clear focus on quality, execution, and customer requirements, Binh and her team ensure consistent performance across a complex and highly customized product portfolio.
We hope you enjoyed this story about one of our production sites around the globe. Stay tuned – we’ll soon be celebrating 20 years of our Hanoi site and sharing more details.