Today we had our first site visit at the TTT Corporation. A factory located 40 minutes from our hotel was located in the Binh Duong province of Ho Chi Minh. TTT Corporation designs furniture and creates architectural layouts for luxury homes and hotels. Over half of the five-star hotels in Vietnam are done by TTT. The cooperation acts as a private contractor and many hotels will reach out to them for projects. TTT works side by side with their clients to design and develop furniture that matches the client’s interest. The factory tour gave great insight into the process that raw materials go through in becoming luxury furniture. I’ve never been to a US factory and TTT was an interesting experience in learning about product development.
When looking at the sustainable side of TTT a few things came to mind. In the US I’m very used to strict safety guidelines throughout most jobs, and it seems that in Vietnam the regulations are looser. For example, many workers wore flip flops and in the US that would not be allowed. The differences between Vietnam and the US are interesting and gives great insight into how different countries go about safety aspects in say, a factory setting. At TTT sustainability does not seem to be a major factor in their business model. Sawdust and fumes clouded the air in the factory making one think this company is not considered “green”. It seems they aren’t too invested in creating a sustainable business model. One of things that TTT does well is that they meet the requirements to get government subsidies to help their business. They seem more focused on this than environmental issues. It’s very interesting to a corporation like this because in America we are constantly hearing about the environment and how to be more sustainable.
