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This interview was first published in Vietnamese by Tu Dong Hoa Ngay Nay (Automation Today) magazine in January 2021.
In recent years, any discussion of robotics research and manufacturing in Vietnam inevitably mentions Robot3T and its founder, Truong Trong Toai. What began as a personal plan written while he was studying abroad has become a line of industrial robots built in Vietnam and used both at home and in international markets.
Starting a business in his own field, driven by passion and a wish to make a concrete contribution: that is how Toai described the journey of building Robot3T when he spoke to Automation Today on the eve of 2021.
Automation Today: First of all, why did you name your product Robot3T?
Truong Trong Toai: The idea for Robot3T (“3T” is the founder’s initials) took shape while I was doing my master’s degree in biomimetic robotics at Korea University of Technology and Education. A British labmate and I each drew up a personal 30-year plan and critiqued each other’s plans as we went. Each plan set out a concrete roadmap, the results to be achieved and the value we wanted to contribute to our countries.
Automation Today: Startups can choose from many robot platforms. Why did 3C choose to develop an industrial robot platform for small and medium-sized enterprises?
Truong Trong Toai: For me, professional knowledge and passion are the two basic ingredients of a robotics startup idea. Beyond that, I really wanted to contribute something concrete and help solve challenges facing the country. That third factor set the boundary conditions for the idea – in other words, it told me which product to build and which market to serve.
Many Vietnamese SMEs want to bring modern technology into their production, but imported technology solutions are too expensive, while local high-tech products did not yet meet real application needs. That is a major barrier for SMEs that want to automate.
To address this, I set out to develop an industrial robot platform for SMEs called Robot3T. Robot3T focuses on optimizing industrial robots for each application group, in both cost and technology, so manufacturers can confidently upgrade their technology and production capability.
Automation Today: Robot3T was successfully developed in mid-2015. What have been the key milestones over the past five years?
Truong Trong Toai: Robot3T started in early 2015, focusing on research and development of the core technologies and platform of industrial robots. Mastering these technologies gives Robot3T a solid technical foundation and the capability to create innovative, high-performance products, which in turn gives our industrial robots a technological competitive edge.
In early 2019 we began commercializing our first main product line: light-payload industrial robot arms for applications that take over manual tasks. Over the past two years we have deployed more than 100 industrial robots at Vietnamese SMEs, and we now offer around 10 different industrial robot configurations.
Automation Today: In October 2018 you raised USD 500,000 on Shark Tank Vietnam. Was that a turning point for Robot3T’s results today?
Truong Trong Toai: The greatest value of Shark Tank Vietnam was the exposure: it helped us reach many new customers and partners and expand Robot3T’s domestic market. It was certainly a highlight in Robot3T’s development.
Automation Today: What is the current local content of Robot3T’s robots?
Truong Trong Toai: Steadily increasing the local content of our industrial robot lines is a key, long-term goal. That is why we run our research and development systematically and scientifically, with active support from a network of experts in Vietnam and abroad. Our project to research, design and manufacture industrial robots for automated machining at SMEs, targeting 70–80% local content, was accepted by the National Technology Innovation Foundation in December 2020, which rated the technical and economic performance of the Robot3T platform highly.
Automation Today: In which sectors is Robot3T most widely used, in Vietnam and internationally?
Truong Trong Toai: The Robot3T platforms target basic, highly repetitive tasks currently done by hand. Our products are widely used in electronics, household goods, metalworking, garments and education.
Automation Today: With SMEs making up most Vietnamese businesses, Robot3T must be playing an active role in their digital transformation?
Truong Trong Toai: Digital transformation and robotics are two key foundations of Smart Manufacturing and Industry 4.0. They boost creativity and product diversity and let companies respond quickly to customer requirements and market changes. Today, many products – especially high-tech ones – need flexibility in design, styling and function to meet diverse customer and market needs. That is the theory; in practice, SMEs are limited by capital and technological capability, so moving from exploring to actually deploying takes considerable effort. Working alongside SMEs, Robot3T keeps developing new solutions to remove these barriers and bottlenecks and contribute to their digital transformation.
In terms of sustainable development and impact, the Robot3T platform will continue to be developed and refined in Vietnam, integrating the latest technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), big data and the Internet of Things (IoT) to make Robot3T products safer, more reliable and smarter.
Building on our core technology and the Robot3T ecosystem, specific applications will be gradually completed and extended to areas such as Smart Manufacturing and Telehealth & In-home Healthcare.
Automation Today: Many young people today are passionate about tech startups. What advice would you give them?
Truong Trong Toai: Starting a business in any field is good, but it is easier in your own area of expertise. Don’t chase trends; stay clear-headed and have a thorough vision of the field you choose. For a tech startup, innovation is a matter of survival – your creativity decides how far you can go.
Something very basic that often doesn’t get enough attention is drawing up a concrete plan and goals before you start. If experts and mentors contribute to and challenge the plan from the beginning, it becomes even more valuable and feasible. Review and adjust it every three months to keep up with change. Do this throughout the journey to stay on track toward your original goals and avoid “losing the steering wheel”.
And a startup is a hard, challenging journey. Resilience is something anyone who wants to succeed has to build. Luck comes at the crucial moments, when we have proven our ability and determination through tireless effort.
Automation Today: Coming back to the personal plan you and your friend wrote ten years ago, what have you achieved so far?
Truong Trong Toai: Besides the domestic market, 3C Machinery’s export revenue grows well every year. Our products are now exported to many countries, including the United States, Germany, Canada, Japan, Mexico, Indonesia and Australia. Exporting to many countries played an important part in helping the company get through the difficulties of Covid-19. It is at times like these that you see the value of technological capability.
Compared with the original plan, today’s results are still modest, but they keep my motivation and determination high to overcome the many difficulties and barriers along the way.
Thank you for sharing, and we wish Robot3T even more success in 2021.
Tra Giang – Tu Dong Hoa Ngay Nay (Automation Today)