Thailand, Bangkok & Pattaya Edition
Group photo with the wai (handclasping) pose, a traditional Thai greeting
Travel guide
Representative:Kato Kenichi
He is from Yokohama City, Kanagawa Prefecture. He came to Vietnam in 2017 to start a factory in Vietnam. After leaving his previous job, he joined IAPEX Vietnam in 2020 and is currently serving as the representative. His hobbies include cooking, golf, and driving. He will soon turn 60, but he is passionate about his work and wants to continue his current lifestyle.
Address: Lot 44G, Quang Minh industrial Park, Me Linh, Hanoi
Phone: 024-3203-5000
The Japanese-standard factory employees are highly satisfied with the hygienic working environment, and boast a high staff retention rate.
Our main business is the manufacture of packaging. Our relationship with major Japanese medical device manufacturers is particularly deep, with a history of over 50 years of business with the Japanese head office. When manufacturers expand into Vietnam, they usually send packaging products for their medical devices from Japan. However, the manufacturers were seeking production in Vietnam. Therefore, my predecessor, the General Manager, established our factory in 2018, and I am responsible for expanding the business on that foundation.
Our unique strength is our ability to provide clean rooms suitable for the manufacturing of medical products. Many of Vietnam’s factories lack adequate hygiene conditions, so having equipment that can be trusted by customers in the medical and food industries is a major advantage. Therefore, in addition to medical packaging, we are also challenging to create boxes for Japanese food restaurants’ Osechi and cake packaging.
In 2024, we made significant moves and relocated our factory. Thanks to this, our business is doing well; we previously lacked space in our previous factory, making it difficult to accommodate new projects. We found a rental factory with triple the space within the same industrial park, decided to relocate, and this expansion has enabled us to serve not only existing customers but also new projects. Recently, we have also, thankfully, seen an increase in business with local companies within Vietnam, especially from non-Japanese companies.
What I aim for at this company is not just expanding the business. One of our core principles is also to create a working environment that enables employees to work for a long time with peace of mind. Vietnam has a highly mobile workforce, and the high salary often becomes the deciding factor for job changes. However, to be honest, we are still not a large company; we cannot increase salaries to the limit. Instead, we aim to provide a working environment and benefits that are easy to manage.
There are currently 40 Vietnamese employees, and in March 2025 another 5 new employees will join us. However, employee retention is also a major challenge. In Vietnam, there are quite a few employees who quit within the first month of joining the company. On the other hand, after six months, most of them remain with the company for a long time. In our size, the compatibility between employees is also important, and by being aware of cultivating a close-knit group of colleagues, we have created a good working environment. As a Japanese person, I am alone in this situation, but I am not worried about it. On the contrary, I feel that being able to operate the company with a level of familiarity with the faces and names of employees and to build a good work environment is a fun thing. My role is to create good work and a system where employees take responsibility for ensuring quality and producing products thoroughly. To do this, I give employees responsibility and positions based on their hard work, and I have a policy of rewarding them only for their efforts.
In the future, my goal is to raise my successor from among the Vietnamese people. I plan to work hard for another 10 years, until I turn 70, but after that, I want to leave the company to them.
We took a boat from Pattaya to Coral Island. All the staff were impressed by the clear blue sea.
When visiting Pattaya, the beach is definitely a must-see spot, but Wat Khao Chee Chan is also an unforgettable filming location.
Experience of company trips directly impacts work efficiency. We are committed to creating an environment where employees do not want to leave.
Of course, we believe it’s important to broaden our employees’ horizons not only through their work but also through their experiences. That’s why we take group travel very seriously. In 2024, we went to Thailand and enjoyed a four-day tour that included Pattaya and Bangkok. We visited the sea, visited temples, and did some shopping. Basically, it was a group activity, but we also provided time for the group to move around freely. I think that exposure to different cultures and languages outside of their usual routine was a good experience for the employees as well.
Previously I used to go to Da Nang and Hoi An, but last year I went abroad, and my travel level has gradually improved. I also considered going to Phu Quoc and Nha Trang from within Vietnam, but since many Vietnamese people go on family trips, I compared the travel time and budget and decided to go overseas instead. That’s because of the commitment to go once every two years and the number of people being less than 50.
I am thinking of going overseas next time too. And I want to go to Japan for the 10th anniversary of the company’s founding! I keep saying that, and I hope it will boost the motivation of my employees. It would be great if that can actually happen. Since the company has a headquarters in Japan, I plan to make it not just a tourist trip but a learning opportunity that includes factory tours and interactions with the company’s employees. It’s my responsibility to create that budget, and I have a daily gratitude and strictness towards my Vietnamese employees.
For Vietnamese employees, traveling abroad is more than just entertainment. For them, traveling abroad is still a special experience. No matter how much information is available online, there are still many things that you can’t know unless you actually go there. What you feel and learn will definitely have a positive impact on their lives in some way. Additionally, one of the goals is to deepen the bonds between employees. Knowing aspects of each other that are not seen in everyday work situations will deepen mutual understanding and improve the work environment. Through this experience, work efficiency will also improve. I intend to continue growing alongside my employees while balancing work and benefits. This is the kind of company I aim to build, where the company grows not only by itself but also by creating an environment where each employee feels “I’m glad I work here.”
Everyone was free to move around within the hotel. There were many staff who wanted to spend time relaxing by the pool.
A stall-based restaurant that serves crocodile meat dishes. I realized that the food culture in Southeast Asia is very different from one place to another.
In Thailand, there are many places that are illuminated even at night. There were also staff who went around the city until late at night.
