The investment environment in Viet Nam has appeared more attractive than China, even though there is a lack of qualified local suppliers, the head of copier and printer maker Fuji Xerox recently said.

Fuji Xerox President Tadahito Yamamoto was in Viet Nam to visit the company’s facility in Hai Phong Province, which was commissioned in November 2013.

He commented on Fuji Xerox’s operations in Viet Nam in comparison to China, where the company has two plants in Shanghai and Shenzhen, during a media meeting held after the visit.

The Fuji Xerox Hai Phong plant

Headquartered in Tokyo, Fuji Xerox is a joint venture between Japan's Fujifilm Holdings and Xerox Corp of the United States.

Yamamoto admitted that the Fuji Xerox Hai Phong plant has trouble finding the input materials for its production, but underscored it is one of the company’s key facilities in Asia and the world, according to The Saigon Times Online.

The Fuji Xerox plants in China are already operating in full swing, whereas the production expenses, especially labor costs, keep rising and the end of the government’s incentive period is approaching, according to the Japanese president.

Viet Nam has more advantages in these regards than China, he added.

Viet Nam is a member of ASEAN, which Yamamoto said is a giant and fast-growing market, plus the infrastructure in Hai Phong also meets the company’s demands.

Expanding the Hai Phong plant is thus the top choice of Fuji Xerox, Yamamoto concluded.

Yamamoto said Fuji Xerox still respects and needs the China market and its plants there. But the Chinese facilities will focus on serving the domestic market, while the made-in-Viet Nam products will target the ASEAN and global markets, he added.