Proactively transforming in the face of competition

After thirty years with Vietnam Fumigation Joint Stock Company (VFC), Mr. Đào Xuân Trọng – Deputy General Director in charge of the Fumigation – PCO Division – and his team have proactively transformed themselves to adapt to new realities.

A journey of growth 

Right after graduating from university, Mr. Trọng decided to join VFC. At that time, the company had just separated from the Plant Protection Department to become an independent business entity. Although he applied for a position at VFC’s Hanoi branch, he was assigned to Ho Chi Minh City for a six-month training program. However, after the training period, the company decided to keep him in Ho Chi Minh City as part of the technical team, with the orientation of building a future successor generation.

Recalling 1994, when he first joined VFC, the Ho Chi Minh City office had barely 50 employees, and the company had fewer than 100 staff nationwide. Today, VFC has more than 1,500 employees, yet its identity has never changed.

According to Mr. Trọng, in terms of internal relations, the interactions between superiors and subordinates and among colleagues at VFC are always grounded in mutual respect and appreciation. In their work, each individual strives to fulfill their responsibilities to the best of their ability, and career development and promotion – whether for middle management or junior positions – are evaluated in a fair and transparent manner. This has significantly contributed to VFC’s sustainable development.

For him, the first reason to remain with VFC for 30 years was the stability of his job and livelihood. But beyond that, what truly bound him to the company was the collegial affection, mutual respect, solidarity, and the selfless sharing of responsibilities and mutual support between generations.

At VFC, employees regard one another as siblings in a large family. As part of the successor generation to the company’s pioneers, while at the same time being a leader and senior figure for younger colleagues, Mr. Trọng has steadily built strong professional expertise in fumigation and pest control.

On that foundation, he has not only fulfilled his own responsibilities but has also mentored, trained, and developed the managers directly reporting to him.

People as the core factor

The fumigation sector is characterized by the need to respond to customer requirements at any time of the day and to overcome all difficulties to complete the job in the best and most timely manner. As a result, it is normal for VFC staff to start work very early or finish late at night, and to work hard in warehouses, port yards, or hot and cramped ship holds.

Given these working conditions, recruiting new personnel for fumigation services is not easy, and maintaining long-term commitment among young employees poses a considerable challenge to management. Nevertheless, the vast majority of VFC staff continue to demonstrate strong effort and responsibility in their work, supported by the solidarity and mutual sharing among colleagues.

Changes in the socio-economic environment have also led to shifts in workers’ attitudes towards work and expectations regarding benefits, requiring managers in this new phase to adjust their approaches to align with reality.

From a management perspective, he shared that VFC is always flexible in assigning tasks, assessing work performance, and designing compensation and benefits in the fairest and most reasonable manner. This ensures that all employees – whether long-tenured or newly joined – can fully demonstrate their responsibility and contribution.

“The willingness to share workloads, to work together to complete tasks without distinction of rank or age is the glue that binds people’s relationships at VFC,” Mr. Trọng affirmed.

Closely associated with VFC’s history and tradition, the Fumigation and Pest Control Division plays a crucial role in shaping and developing the company’s corporate culture. One of its most outstanding qualities is the spirit of mutual support at work, with colleagues treating one another as family.

Whether still working at VFC or having moved on, many former colleagues remain in regular contact and are always present at company events. The most important task of the division today is to continue strengthening, maintaining, and developing a workforce that loves the profession, is honest, resilient, and committed to long-term attachment with the company.

Never resting on its laurels

VFC is one of the largest and longest-standing fumigation companies in Vietnam, with a nationwide network. In addition to having the largest number of customers and market share in the country, VFC also enjoys the loyalty of many clients who have been with the company for decades. This is both a source of pride and a competitive advantage, but it also places a responsibility on the VFC team to remain worthy of such trust and support.

However, VFC is now facing significant challenges from competitors, particularly in terms of price competition. Naturally, lower prices often go hand in hand with lower quality, but helping customers fully understand this is not an easy task.

Under pressure from competition and financial constraints, some of VFC’s long-standing customers have requested lower service fees while their expectations for quality continue to rise. This creates considerable challenges for VFC’s management, who must find solutions to retain customers while still ensuring improved business performance.

According to Mr. Trọng, VFC’s strengths lie in its leading experience, deep expertise, scale, and extensive nationwide network, which enable the company to meet almost all customer requirements, including technical consulting and market information.

In the coming period, as the person in charge of the Fumigation Division, he plans to further promote the application of digital technology into operational management processes through dedicated software, enabling more rigorous, systematic, and easily accessible record management, and more timely interaction with customers.

In terms of corporate management, VFC has used management software for many years, which has significantly improved both administrative and operational efficiency. On a personal level, Mr. Trọng has also proactively equipped himself with additional management knowledge through training courses and other learning resources, allowing him to manage the division’s activities more effectively.

At the same time, this approach helps retain key personnel through close engagement, open sharing, sincerity, fairness, and objectivity.