Today we visited a factory of the TTT Corporation, one of Vietnam’s leading interior design and architecture companies. In the factory, we observed the process of building furniture in different materials such as metal, glass, and wood. I expected much of the procedures to be more automated as they would be in America; however, almost everything was done manually and with much attention to detail. It is incredibly impressive how a factory that is so manual has created such luxurious end products. Immediately, I was surprised by the safety standards. All workers were found wearing open-toed sandals and no protective eye gear. We were able to get extremely close to the production line, in which we were never told to stay a certain distance. Workers who were painting furniture with aerosol spray guns were wearing disposable masks as well. I found this to be most striking because it directly opposes my expectations of entering a factory, considering how different safety regulations are in America.
Additionally, there was an obvious divide in gender roles. Only men were found in the section of the factory requiring dangerous machinery and manual labor. Furthermore, women were found in the sections in which the procedures required precision and small details. These gender differences were something I was aware of when coming to Vietnam; however, it is very interesting to how these exist in different situations.
It is obvious that the company has adopted procedures to practice environmental sustainability. For example, one of the Project Managers described that they do not extract wood from large trees, rather they use many smaller scrap pieces of wood. They adapted to this sustainable practice by compressing many smaller pieces of wood into one using glue. He also spoke on how the company commits to using paints of low VOCs. Additionally, flowing water was found along the walls within the painting section of the factory. The water’s purpose is to absorb paint aerosol particles from the air, which is returned to a tank of wastewater that is treated and filtered. This process limits the air pollution by these paint products while also maintaining wastewater creation. Although more sustainable techniques exist, such as advanced air filtration/exhaust systems and chemical recovery, I found that the company is overall still quite committed to sustainability. It was even stated by the Project Manager that they are willing to raise prices to ensure sustainability. I believe this is an opinion every company should have, even when considering the economic and social effects.