Currently, Vietnam is facing a population explosion. The population density in our country is increasing, especially in major urban areas. According to forecasts from the United Nations, the urban population of Vietnam will reach nearly 56 million people by 2050, with an urbanization rate of 54%, higher than most developing countries. Along with this trend, an increasing number of large projects are being invested in. In such a project, there are typically two main parts: the Construction (Structural and Finishing) and the M&E (Mechanical & Electrical) part, which accounts for about 30-50% of the total project volume. Therefore, the M&E business is an important sector in the economy and is closely related to the construction industry, particularly in infrastructure, commercial and industrial investment, and real estate development, all of which are linked to construction activities. It can be seen that this is a specialized business sector that is considered to have great potential but also carries many risks and challenges.
M&E stands for Mechanical & Electrical (in Vietnamese, it is referred to as Cơ khí & Điện, commonly abbreviated as the field of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering).
The M&E system is divided into four main categories:
- Ventilation and Air Conditioning System (Heating Ventilation Air Conditioning, abbreviated as HVAC).
- Water Supply and Sanitary Equipment (Plumbing & Sanitary, abbreviated as P&S).
- Electrical System (Electrical).
- Fire Alarm and Fire Fighting System (Fire alarm & Fire fighting).
Among these four categories, the Electrical system accounts for approximately 40-60% of the M&E workload (depending on the project, it can even reach 70-80%). The Electrical system is further divided into heavy electrical and light electrical.
Heavy Electrical includes:
- Main power supply: This is the primary power supply system, including medium voltage panels, medium voltage cables, 24kV/0.4kV transformers, and main switchboards (MSB). It may also include an Automatic Voltage Regulator System (AVR).
- Distribution boards: Submain power supply (including power for motors, production, lighting, sockets, etc.).
- Lighting system: General lighting.
- Socket outlets: Power outlets.
- Emergency lighting system: Emergency lighting (exit lights, emergency lights).
- Earthing system: Grounding system.
- Lightning protection system: Includes earth rods and lightning rods, distinct from the grounding system.
Light Electrical includes:
- LAN and Internet system: Data network system.
- Telephone system: Telephone system.
- Security and Surveillance system: Security & Supervisory system.
- Public Address (PA) system: Public announcement system.
The Mechanical part consists of the remaining three categories. This part of the work is generally more time-consuming and challenging than the Electrical part, requiring contractors to have sufficient experience and expertise to design and execute the work in the most efficient and cost-effective way, while still meeting the needs of the project.