At Nagase Vietnam, innovation isn’t just a concept – it’s becoming a reality in everyday operations. Since 2023, office staff from Accounting & Customer Service Department – most with no prior technical background – have successfully built automation robots to improve work efficiency and reduce manual workload. This is part of a bold digital transformation initiative driven by the company’s commitment to empowering its people and optimizing internal processes.

As Vietnam leads Southeast Asia in digital growth, with a projected digital economy value of USD 45 billion by 2025, Nagase Vietnam recognizes the urgency of adopting smart, efficient, and scalable solutions to stay competitive. Among these, Robotic Process Automation (RPA) has emerged as a powerful tool to streamline repetitive tasks and free up employees for more valuable work.

Rather than outsourcing or spending lots of money to buy system, Management made a strategic decision: to develop in-house digital capabilities. We invested in building a Center of Excellence (CoE), an internal team of “citizen developers” – non-IT employees trained to design and deploy automation bots.

With support from a consulting partner, Nagase Vietnam launched its CoE through a phased approach: Train – Pilot – Expand. Just 10 weeks after the initial training, 5 selected staff members had already built the company’s first 2 operational bots. Within 1 year, the number of bots grew to 44, automating tasks such as entering SGA costs into SAP, verifying MSDS documents, and generating chemical reports. These bots now save the company over 2,000 working hours annually – a significant cost saving that also allows more time to focus on business development.

More than just a technical success, this transformation has reshaped the company culture. Employees across departments are now actively proposing and implementing digital solutions, creating a more collaborative and innovative workplace. Looking ahead, Nagase Vietnam plans to expand its internal capabilities further by exploring Power Platforms, OCR, and Generative AI.

This initiative reflects a core belief at Nagase Vietnam: “When you invest in your people, you invest in the future. And that future is digital, empowered, and built from within.”