For SMEs, choosing the right software can be as important as finding the right location, ERP provider Netforce aims to make this both affordable and accessible.

Software is supposed to make doing business easier, but sometimes it’s not so easy to discover the right software for your business. At least that’s the view of Roby Janssens, the director of Enterprise Resource Planning [ERP] software solutions provider Netforce.

“I always wanted to have a software which was suitable for this part of the region, for SME companies,” he says, adding that Thailand has very specific requirements for tax reports.

Four years ago, the Belgian national, who has lived in Thailand for around a dozen years, established Netforce to provide the software that his son David develop. Although the software is available as a Cloud application, it can also be run on a local server.

While large companies might be able to pay for bespoke software, Thailand’s SMEs require easy-to-use systems that don’t break the bank. That’s where Netforce comes in.

“The basic idea was to make a software that was affordable to SME companies,” explains Janssens, adding that around 90% of Thai companies are SMEs. “A lot of those companies don’t even use ERP software, they use Excel or Word.”

Netforce started with a simple accountancy module, but now has “everything you can imagine in a business,” says Janssens.

Not only is there no expensive development costs, but regular updates allow Netforce to pass on the benefits of its continuous development to clients. “Whenever we get a generic solution [to a problem] we actually put that in the standard software,” Janssens says.

The business model has proved successful, with Netforce having over 1,000 users, for its packages that are now available in nine languages. As the bandwidth required to run it is small, you can even access it in countries, such as Myanmar.

One benefit of the Cloud system, according to Janssens, is that it is much less likely to be hacked than if stored on an individual business’ server, as Netforce stores the information on major, safeguarded servers in Hong Kong and Singapore.

Indeed, Janssens believes that Cloud storage allows greater flexibility. “There are so many opportunities if it is online,” he says. “You can use your phone to connect to your accounting software, because our software is responsive. So I can look at a profit and loss report on my phone anywhere in the world.”

Like many foreign businesspeople in Thailand, Janssens is looking forward to the advent of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) at the end of the year. “The AEC will be positive for us,” he says. “In the AEC there is so much pressure on companies to improve their efficiency.”

Janssens welcomes the Thai government’s move to provide ICT training for 12,000 SMEs by the end of the year, which he believes will create greater opportunities for the company.

“The government is pushing SME companies to improve their use of technology in business,” he says. “They really want to support SMEs, and that was in our mind when we created Netforce.”

Words by Mark Bibby Jackson 

To facilitate overseas trade for ASEAN businesses, Thai logistics companies are offering services and systems that are better than ever.

Leading logistics providers joined the TILOG-LOGISTIX 2015 in September to exhibit the latest technology from the logistics industry. The fair, which was held at the Bangkok International Trade and Exhibition Centre, saw logistics companies from more than 25 countries participating to enhance the logistics network in ASEAN +6.

“The objective of the fair is to push Thailand to be the regional logistics centre, providing logistics and supply chain services which will help companies to undertake market expansion smoothly and effectively,” says Sittisak Anantaprayoon, managing director of Reed Tradex, organiser of the TILOG-LOGISTIX 2015.

Among the wide range of activities at the fair were the ASEAN +6 Trade Logistics Connectivity Symposium 2015, business matching services and the presentation of the Excellent Logistics Management Award (ELMA) to the best in the industry.

Jitchai Nimitpanya, CEO of ELMA winner Pacific Cold Storage, explained the company’s success and its plan on expanding into ASEAN countries.

“I’m very happy [to win the award] and I would like to thank the DITP for giving Pacific Cold Storage this chance,” said Nimitpanya, “As for the selection process, the award committee carefully went through our report and inspected our warehouses. It took around a month for the entire judging process. We will take the comments from the committee to develop our business to provide better services to our clients.”

Nimitpanya revealed that though Pacific Cold Storage started out as a small company, it now has a warehouse capacity of 40,000 tonnes and offers a wide range of warehousing and logistics services including quality control systems, room-temperature, chilled and frozen storage, and warehouse management system technology using barcode scanning and radio-frequency identification (RFID).

According to Nimitpanya, another driving factor behind the company’s success is its committed workforce. “Our team is very strong and they are always ready to respond to clients’ needs,” he says.

To align with the DITP’s strategy of promoting Thailand to become a logistics hub in ASEAN +6, the company began its expansion into neighbouring countries two years ago.

“The company is building warehouses in Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar,” says Nimitpanya. “We have plans to sign a joint venture with companies in the Philippines and India as it’s a good opportunity for Thais to send products to these countries. However, our main focus for exports is still in ASEAN.”

Words by Sirinuch Borsub

Starting with a passion for creating handmade stationery, Sinee Dumrongkitkarn has successfully brought Zequenz to the world market.

Sinee Damrongkijakarn founded Zenith Enterprise, the company behind Thai hand-crafted stationery brand Zequenz, in 1989. From the start its mission was to deliver high quality products to its customers.

Almost three decades of non-stop development have reaped awards and certifications from many institutions in Thailand and abroad. The Zequenz brand has been recognised at international fairs such as Maison & Objet and Paperworld. In 2012 it received the Thailand Trust Mark (TTM), and is now exported to Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, China, Brazil, Ukraine and the United States.

Its distinctive design, high quality materials and meticulous production process have made Zequenz stand out from its competitors.

“Detail does make a difference,” says  managing director Sinee Damrongkijakarn “Although our products are quite costly, the hand-crafting and selection of the best materials make customers sense the quality and feel it’s worth paying [the price].”

In this ever-changing world, Damrongkijakarn knows that Zenith has to continue creating new designs and products to meet people’s needs. “I always research to see what the new trends are,” she adds.

Damrongkijakarn believes that the company’s products combine international quality with that quintessential ‘Thainess’.

“Our products convey ‘Thainess’ through international design,” she says. “As a small company, we can’t compete with the larger ones. But what we can do, is to deliver high quality products to our customers and endear them to us.”

Zenith adheres to the 3Rs environmental principles – reduce, recycle, reuse – an essential component of the TTM. It selects eco-friendly materials such as mulberry paper that is made from weeds rather than trees, thus reducing deforestation, and the leather it uses is biodegradable. All raw materials are sourced from certified suppliers.

In addition to having an efficient wastewater treatment system, the company’s also employs non-toxic, eco-friendly manufacturing processes.

So, the combination of premium products and eco-friendly production help Zequenz remain strong in this competitive market.

“What makes me truly happy is when I joined the Paperworld 2015, Frankfurt, Germany, the customers came to congratulate me for still being alive in this market. I think our products are good enough to be here and, of course, Zequenz will be one of the top brands in stationery in the world market in the future,” says Dumrongkitkarn.

For more information, visit:www.zequenz.com

Words by Patcharee Taedangpetch, Photo courtesy of Zequenz

Issue 37

Focusing on intelligence and innovation, Silicon Craft Technology is ready to make the connection between the digital and the physical world via the Internet of Things – IOT.

Silicon Craft Technology (SIC) was established in 2002, offering customised and standard design microchips for Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) applications and developing products that carry high-value added features and advanced systems performance.

“Intelligence and innovation play a very large part in our identity,” says Manop Thamsirianunt, CEO of SIC. “We have been delivering the full-range of RFID products from low frequency to high frequency and ultra-high frequency to worldwide customers. Moreover, we specialise in mixed-signal and low-power Application-Specific Integrated Circuit (ASICs) design, which has proved to be a strong and healthy business over 13 years.”

Read more ...