BEUP — Digital Tools for Manufacturing Trade with Viet — Global Supply Chain Access
Prepared for Jim D’Agostino, CEO — April 2026
Jim, thank you for your time today. I have two distinct capabilities to share with you -- each one maps to a different challenge your manufacturers face. The first is digital: tools and automation that make Lean improvements stick. The second is global: connecting CNY manufacturers to Vietnam's supply chain as an alternative to China.
About Me
Trang Nguyen
Operations & Trade Strategist
Two companies. Two capabilities. One goal: help CNY manufacturers compete better.
BEUP
Digital tools & process automation for manufacturers
TRADE WITH VIET
US-Vietnam trade consulting & sourcing for American companies
Quick background. I came to Syracuse on a Fulbright scholarship and chose to build my career here. BEUP is my digital company -- we build custom tools and process automation for manufacturers. Trade with Viet is my trade consulting firm -- we help American companies source from Vietnam and navigate that market.
TDO — Train Develop Optimize
38 Years of Manufacturing Excellence
$265M
Economic Impact
$184M
New & Retained Sales
$11M
Cost Savings
1,574
Jobs Created & Retained
Team: ~10 senior engineers, LSS certified
Model: Direct delivery — no subcontracting
Funding: Congressional MEP (NIST)
Source: TDO published data (5-year contract period)
I've studied TDO's work closely. These numbers are exceptional -- $265 million in economic impact, nearly 1,600 jobs. What stands out is that your team delivers directly. Senior engineers with real manufacturing experience. That's credibility you can't fake.
Where TDO Is Heading
“A premier destination for modern manufacturing and technology-driven businesses”
🤝
Long-Term Performance Partner
From isolated projects to ongoing relationships
📊
Digital Integration & Industry 4.0
Data analytics into Lean methodologies
🏭
Policy Alignment
Positioning firms for the investment wave
Source: Jim D’Agostino, “TDO’s Vision for 2026,” CNY C-Suite, Winter 2026
Your 2026 vision describes three shifts. Moving from project-based consulting to long-term performance partnerships. Integrating digital tools with Lean. And positioning manufacturers for the investment wave coming into CNY. Today I want to show you how I can help with all three.
Two Challenges. Two Solutions.
Challenge 1
Digitalization
→ Production data lives in spreadsheets
→ Manual re-entry between systems
→ Lean gains erode after projects end
→ Decisions made without real-time data
Solution: BEUP
Challenge 2
Supply Chain
→ Tariffs reshaping cost structures
→ Concentration risk in sourcing
→ Customers demanding supply chain diversity
→ New markets hard to evaluate alone
Solution: Trade with Viet
Your vision identifies five challenges. Today I'm focusing on two where I add the most value. Digitalization and supply chain. BEUP addresses the first. Trade with Viet addresses the second. Let me start with digital.
Act 1
Digital Tools & Process Automation for Manufacturing
TDO designs the process. BEUP builds the system that sustains it.
BEUP builds digital tools and process automation specifically for manufacturing operations. TDO's consultants are world-class at optimizing processes. But when the project ends, there's often no system to hold those improvements. That's what I build.
The Pattern
Every Factory, Same Story
What TDO delivers
✓ Lean Six Sigma ✓ Toyota Kata ✓ Value Stream Mapping ✓ TWI / Workforce Training ✓ Quality Systems
What’s missing underneath
✗ Digital systems to sustain improvements ✗ Real-time production tracking ✗ Automated data collection ✗ Digital documentation & compliance ✗ Connected information flow
When the project ends, the binder goes on a shelf. What if every Lean project left behind a living digital system instead?
Here's the pattern. TDO delivers excellent Lean consulting. The client improves. But the documentation goes into a binder. The KPIs get tracked for a month, then people get busy. The improvements erode. What if every Lean project left behind a living digital system?
Case Study
Manufacturing IT Audit & Modernization
140-Employee Printing Factory — 12-Step Value Chain
Inquiry ✗
Quotation ✗
PO ✗
Sample ✓
Approve ✓
Plan ✓
Production ✓
QC ✓
Delivery ✓
Settlement ✓
Analysis ✗
Improve ✓
Gaps Found
• 3 critical steps with ZERO coverage
• 200+ legacy files — no framework
• Data re-entered at every transition
What Worked
• Formula management — excellent, kept it
• Production & QC modules solid
• Mapped every data flow & handoff
I was hired to audit the IT systems for a 140-employee manufacturing plant. 12-step value chain, 24 modules, but 3 critical steps had zero coverage. Data re-entered manually everywhere. I documented every gap and designed the modern system to fix it.
Case Study
Production Workflow Automation
Project-based business — multiple active jobs
Before
Purchase orders: PDF files
Vendor quotes: retyped manually
Project tracking: paper & email
Status updates: phone calls
After
→ Parsed automatically
→ Data extracted in seconds
→ Synced to management platform
→ Real-time tracking sheets
Non-technical team. No code. No training. Runs in production daily.
A client with PDFs, Excel quotes, paper tracking. I built automation that parses documents, extracts data, syncs to project management, generates live tracking. Non-technical team uses it daily. Let me show you this running. [LIVE DEMO]
Partnership Model
BEUP + TDO: How It Works
1. TDO identifies client need (normal engagement)
↓
2. TDO introduces BEUP as digital specialist
↓
3. BEUP delivers Digital Assessment (data flows, gaps, ROI-ranked interventions)
↓
4. BEUP builds custom tool (4–6 weeks)
↓
5. Digital system keeps TDO connected — long-term
TDO identifies client need. Introduces me. I run assessment, build tool. Digital system generates ongoing data keeping TDO connected. New capability, no new hire, stronger impact metrics.
Capabilities
What BEUP Builds for Manufacturers
🧪
Formula & Batch Management
Coatings, chemicals, food, printing Already built for a factory
📄
Document Processing
PDF → structured data → tracking Running in production daily
📊
Production Dashboards
OEE, defect rates, cycle times Replaces whiteboards
💰
Automated Quoting
Part catalog → instant quotes Days to hours
✅
Quality & Compliance
ISO docs, audit trails, inspections Paper to digital
⚙️
Custom Automation
Any manual process automated Fits existing tools
These are the categories. Formula management -- done. Document processing -- running. Dashboards, quoting, quality, custom automation. Key principle: I build tools that fit into whatever the client already uses. If they live in Excel, I give them better Excel.
Pilot Proposal
One Digital Assessment. One TDO Client.
Timeline
4 weeks
Cost
$6–10K
Deliverable: gap analysis + 3 digital interventions ranked by ROI TDO co-delivers and earns normal consulting fee
One Digital Assessment for one TDO client. 4 weeks, $6-10K. TDO introduces the client, participates in the assessment, and earns its normal consulting fee. If results speak for themselves, we expand.
Your Dedicated Team
The BEUP Team
Trang Nguyen
Project Lead
Fulbright ScholarPMP — Project Management ProfessionalLSSBB — Lean Six Sigma Black BeltCPIM — Production & Inventory MgmtFMVA — Financial Modeling & Valuation
Quan Vinh
Dev Lead · 10+ yrs
MS CS · Université Laval
Riley Nguyen
Marketing Lead
Digital Strategy · SEO
DN
Dee Nguyen
Automation Lead
n8n · Data Pipelines
A full product team — development, data, design, automation — without the overhead of hiring in-house.
This is the team. Trang -- project lead, Fulbright Scholar, PMP, Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, CPIM certified in production and inventory management, and FMVA financial modeling analyst. Quan Vinh -- 10+ years dev, MS Computer Science. Riley -- digital marketing and SEO. Dee -- automation and data pipelines. A full product team without the overhead of in-house hiring.
That’s the digital side.
Act 2
Trade with Viet
US-Vietnam Supply Chain Consulting & Sourcing
When your manufacturers need alternatives to China, I’m the bridge to Vietnam.
Trade with Viet is my second business -- completely separate from digital. We help American companies access Vietnam's manufacturing ecosystem. When your manufacturers face tariff pressure or need to diversify, this is the solution.
The Problem
The China Challenge
Current Pain
• 25% tariffs on many Chinese imports
• Single-source risk
• Customer mandates to diversify
• No in-house trade expertise
Why Vietnam
• FTA → near-zero tariffs
• Labor: 40–60% lower than China
• 100M workforce, growing fast
• #2 US import source (apparel, electronics)
Many manufacturers pay 25% tariffs on Chinese components. Vietnam's FTA drops tariffs to near zero. For a $500K annual spend, that's $125K in savings per year. One feasibility study pays for itself many times over.
• Connect with vetted Vietnamese suppliers
• Legal & compliance support (contracts, IP)
• Total landed cost & tariff analysis
• On-ground factory visits & QC
• End-to-end logistics coordination
Feasibility report · 6 weeks
Active engagements: medical devices, marine manufacturing, construction materials, food. We connect clients directly with vetted suppliers, handle legal and compliance, run cost and tariff analysis, coordinate factory visits and logistics. Feasibility report delivered in six weeks.
Partnership Model
Trade with Viet + TDO
1. TDO identifies client with supply chain pain
↓
2. TDO introduces Trade with Viet
↓
3. TWV delivers Feasibility Study (6 weeks)
↓
4. If viable: TWV manages sourcing (selection, samples, compliance)
↓
5. Client reduces costs, diversifies supply chain
TDO earns referral fee · Unique CNY service offering · Direct NIST cost savings impact · Zero expertise required from TDO
TDO identifies client with supply chain pressure. Introduces me. I deliver the study. If viable, I manage sourcing. TDO earns referral fee per engagement and offers a service no other MEP center in CNY provides.
Two Capabilities. One Partnership.
BEUP
Trade with Viet
What
Digital tools & automation
Supply chain access
TDO’s gap
No dev capability
No trade expertise
Client need
System modernization
Cost & risk reduction
Pilot
Digital Assessment
Feasibility Study
Timeline
4 weeks
6 weeks
Cost
$6–10K
Scoped per project
NIST impact
Cost savings, jobs
Cost savings, sales
Both require zero new hires for TDO. Both start with one client. Both prove value in 60 days.
Two capabilities, one partnership. BEUP fills the digital gap. Trade with Viet fills the supply chain gap. Both require zero new hires. Both start with one client. Both prove value in 60 days.
Next Step
A. Pick one client with a data or process gap. → We run a Digital Assessment together.
B. Pick one client exploring tariff alternatives. → We run a Vietnam Feasibility Study together.
C. Both.
One introduction. 2-page scope within one week. 60 days to demonstrate results.
Simple next step: pick one client. One with data or process gaps -- we co-deliver a Digital Assessment. One exploring tariff alternatives -- we co-deliver a Feasibility Study. Or both. I'll have a 2-page scope on your desk within a week. 60 days to show results.
Backup
The Wave Coming to CNY
$100B
Micron investment — Clay, NY
50,000
New jobs expected statewide
$200M
CNY ON-RAMP workforce program
330+
MACNY manufacturer members
New factories setting up in CNY need digital systems from Day 1, international supply chains, and TDO’s Lean expertise. TDO has 10 consultants. A partner lets you scale without scaling headcount.
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