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Mr. Vo Quang Diem.
Reporter: One of the important issues that makes non-fired bricks difficult in the market, is that people still wonder about product quality? What is your view on this issue?
Mr. Vo Quang Diem: The concern of the people is due to a number of construction works using non-fired building materials (NFBM) in recent years with occurred cracks, moisture, causing economic losses, reducing aesthetics, causing inconvenience for living, making users not really satisfied with the quality of construction works using NFBMs, leading to the reluctance to use these materials. Causes of cracks and moisture when using NFBMs are many, but it may be due to one of the following three reasons: Unqualified NFBMs; Not detailed calculation, design, instruction in the use of NFBMs; Improper construction, acceptance. However, I can affirm that, if the non-fired brick (NFB) products are manufactured, cured, strictly controlled, strictly in accordance with the technical process, only bring the products of full age to the use in construction sites that can eliminate the causes of brick cracking due to the bad quality. In other words, if the NFB products are old enough (28 days) to be put into use, when the NBFs have volumatric stability, reach the designed strength, construction works are calculated, designed in a systematic manner with detailed instructions for use of materials, construction and acceptance are implemented properly, that will not occur cracks and moisture.
Regarding the quality of NFBMs, many production businesses have invested in modern, fully automated production lines, mastered the technology, and controlled the quality of products during the strict production process, especially applied proper curing process, controlled and released the products at the right age, the quality of NFBs reached TCVN 6477:2016 and QCVN 16:2017/BXD. However, in reality, there are still many businesses using small-scale production lines with weighing, measuring mixtures manually, using low technology, not being able to master production technology, and not paying important attention to controlling the product quality, making products of poor quality, releasing products of underage age with unstable volume into construction works, that is one of the causes of cracks, moistrure, causing the hesitation to use, affecting market share of NFBMs. This is caused by the lack of knowledge about NFBs and lack of material experts. In addition, the quality control of products of state management agencies is not strict, the appraisal of designs, cost estimates and handling of violations of the regulations on use of NFBMs have not been thoroughly implemented.
In general, the awareness of NFBMs has been changed with better understanding from state management officials, manufacturers, investors of construction works, design consultants, construction contractors to people. NFBMs are increasingly used widely for projects using state budgets, FDI projects, other capital sources and even houses, many contractors have used NFBMs for high-rise apartments. Economic and environmental benefits of using NFBMs are very clear: Saving mortar for building and plastering with fast construction, high labor productivity, mechanizing construction, reducing masonry costs, sound and heat insulation (For light weight bricks), increasing floor area ... I think, using NFBMs is an inevitable trend of Viet Nam in line with the general trend of the world, they already used for a long time with high rates.
Reporter: So, in your opinion, in order for NFB products to be more widely used, in the future, which solutions should be focused on?
Mr. Vo Quang Diem: In my opinion, it is necessary to continue consistently implementing the solutions: Completing mechanisms and policies to encourage investment, encourage use, strengthen management, especially to promote propaganda on economic, social and environmental advantages and benefits of using these environmentally friendly materials, to disseminate knowledge and contents related to the production and use of these materials to investors, contractors, design consultants, supervisors and people to change and deepen awareness of NFBMs.
- Incentive investment policies are stipulated in the Law on Investment, Decree No. 118/2018/ND-CP and Articles 38, 39 and 40 of Decree No. 24a/2016/ND-CP, however very few investors enjoy these incentives regretfully. In the coming time, it is necessary to promote the widespread dissemination of these regulations, detailed guidelines, and create favorable conditions for NFB production investors to enjoy incentives under the provisions of law.
- Regarding investment, investment projects on NFB production with high technology level, full automation, using solar energy to cure concrete bricks should be encouraged as effective models to be replicated.
- Regarding incentive policies for use, it is necessary to improve and promulgate consistent standards, technical regulations, design guidelines, use guidelines for NFBMs, construction and acceptance processes, norms of masonry blocks, to create the most favorable conditions for the safe and effective use of these materials in construction works.
- Need to propagate, disseminate and thoroughly grasp the regulations on the use of NFBMs according to the Circular No. 13/2017/TT-BXD of the Ministry of Construction. Reorganize and strengthen the appraisal of designs, cost estimates, strengthen the checking, inspection and sanction of violations of the regulations on using NFBMs according to Decree No. 139/2017/ND-CP. Besides, it is necessary to thoroughly implement the roadmap to eliminate manual brick kilns, improved manual kilns, continuous kilns and ring kilns using fossil fuels to produce fired clay bricks, limit and should have a roadmap to stop new investment, investment in expanding tunnel brick kilns, flat ceiling kilns, rotating tunnel kilns...
- Training of human resources, especially training of technical workers for using NFBs should be strengthened. The compilation of training curriculum for NFBMs knowledge for students of universities and vocational colleges is very necessary. Guidelines for the use of NFBMs, guidelines for building and acceptance of construction works using NFBMs should be widely disseminated in various forms.
- It is necessary to strengthen quality control of NFB products of small-scale production facilities, to prevent unfair competition.
When the above solutions are implemented consistently and regularly, the quality of NFB products always meets the requirements, the quality of construction works using NFBMs is guaranteed. Need to demonstrate to people that the use of NFBs brings many economic and environmental benefits, then the awareness will change and the use of NFBs will be their choice.
Reporter: In recent years, the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Ministry of Construction have implemented the Project “Promotion of None-fired Brick Production and Utilization in Viet Nam”, as the Project’s Specialist, please share about the support of this Project?
Mr. Vo Quang Diem: Objective of the Project is to reduce the annual growth rate of greenhouse gas emissions by displacing the use of fossil fuels and good quality soil for brick making through the increased production, sale and utilization of NFBs in Viet Nam, also to support the successful implementation of the "NFBM Development Program to 2020" under the Decision No. 567/QD-TTg dated 28 Apr 2010 of the Prime Minister. I can affirm that the Program 567 is successful, achieving the set objective with the utmost great contribution of this Project.
The Project has 4 main components, Component 1: Policy support for NFB technology application to promote the production and use of NFBs. The results of this component can be mentioned that the Project has contributed to supplementing and improving policies related to NFBs in Decree No. 24a/2016/ND-CP, Decree No. 139/2017/ND-CP, supported to develop and issue Circular No. 13/2017/TT-BXD on the use of NFBMs in construction works to replace Circular No. 09/2012/TT-BXD, supported to review and issue 03 TCVNs on light weight concrete, supported to research scientific and practical base as a basis for developing 03 TCVNs on reinforced AAC wall panels. These supports have gradually contributed to removing barriers to the wide use of NFBs in construction works.
NFB production line.
It should also be emphasized that the Strategy for the development of the market of NFBMs compiled by the Project has an impact and is a positive and effective contribution both in method and content, contributing to helping Vietnamese experts in successfully building the Viet Nam’s Building material development strategy to 2030, vision to 2050.
Component 2 is one of the important contents of the Project, which is to improve knowledge and technical capacity for business leaders producing and using NFBs, organizations providing technical services, and investors, design consultancy organizations, supervision consultants, construction contractors and local construction management agencies through the Project's training program. 5 sets of materials on knowledge of NFBs have been compiled; 1 set of training materials and 1 video on the process of building and acceptance of construction works using NFBs have been produced; 26 training courses for nearly 1,800 participants from 63 provinces and cities on the following contents have been organized:
- NFB basic knowledge, policies and standards;
- Building and acceptance of masonry blocks using NFBMs;
- Technology of producing AAC;
- Technology of producing CBB;
- Preparation of investment projects and loan documents for NFB projects.
In the framework of the implementation of Component 3, the Project has supported 36 businesses with concessional loans from the Viet Nam Environment Protection Fund and commercial loans to invest in and produce NFBs with a total loan capital of 567.5 billion dong.
Finally, the development of demo projects and replication projects to disseminate advanced and effective technologies to businesses, including 3 demo projects and 21 replication projects according to the criteria: Support businesses to develop feasiblity study; Support in technical design; Support businesses to access and complete procedures to be able to borrow concessional loans from the Viet Nam Environment Protection Fund; Calculate, optimize the material mix, provide training, transfer technology; Prepare documents to obtain certificate of conformity of NFB products ...
In general, activities of the Project are methodically implemented and businesses affirm that the Project's support to businesses is very necessary and effective, not only economically but also open up a new technology direction.
Reporter: Using NFBs is considered an inevitable trend by bringing high economic and social efficiency. Could you tell about the market share of NFBs compared to current building materials in Viet Nam?
Mr. Vo Quang Diem: The objective of the NFBM development program approved by the Prime Minister in Decision No. 567/QD-TTg is to develop the production and use of NFBMs to replace fired clay bricks at a rate of 20-25% by 2015 and 30-40% by 2020. Since 2015, the implementation of the Project “Promotion of None-fired Brick Production and Utilization in Viet Nam” has created a new impetus, a change in common awareness thanks to widely mobilizing the whole society in the implementation of Decision No. 567, creating a remarkable growth in the market share of NFBM consumption. The most difficulty today is the competition between NFBs and fired clay bricks very fiercely. Although currently there are 35/63 provinces with the instruction of the People's Committee on eliminating manual brick production and increasing the use of NFBMs; 45/63 provinces have developed plans and roadmap to reduce production of fired bricks but the implementation is still very embarrassing, lack of resources and not thorough. Many localities licensed to invest in flat-ceiling tunnel kilns and tunnel kilns with large capacity, bringing to market very competitive fired brick products, causing great difficulties for the consumption of NFBMs.
Through the actual market survey, assessment of the Project “Promotion of None-fired Brick Production and Utilization in Viet Nam”, we found that the number of NFB production facilities has increased to more than 2,300 (Of which number of businesses with capacity of 7 million or more is over 360) with a total designed capacity (In 2018) of about 12.6 billion SBUs/year, accounting for about 35% of the total designed capacity of building materials. In 2018, the national output of building materials reached nearly 5 billion SBUs, accounting for about 25% of the total production of building materials (While in 2010 is only about 8%). It is expected that by 2020, the market share of NFBs will reach about 29-30% of the total amount of building materials, reaching the modest target set by Program 567.
The reason that NFB consumption is slow, as analyzed above, is due to many factors: Habits, conception of using fired materials of Vietnamese people, policies to limit the development of NFBs, some problems in management, production, design and construction, acceptance. But in the future, the market for NFB products will develop because NFBs have many advantages in environment, price, quality of construction works ... The use of NFBs in the world has long been with very high rate.
Reporter: Thank you!