Q&A

Temuramah oleh Horizon Thailand dengan Ketua Pegawai Eksekutif Western Digital Corporation dan Komander Perintah Yang Maha Terpuji daripada Direkgunabhorn.

Bagaimana anda rasa mengenai menerima The Royal Thai Decorations, Commander (Third Class) Most Admirable Order daripada Direkgunabhorn?

Saya sangat teruja khususnya bagipihak kakitangan kami di Thailand. Kami telah pelabur di sini untuk beberapa tahun dan kami telah menerima sokongan padu daripada kerajaan dan Lembaga Pelaburan Thailand (BOI). Tetapi yang paling penting, kami mempunyai sokongan yang sangat kuat dari semua kakitangan kami. Jadi saya rasa bahawa saya menerima anugerah ini benar-benar bagi pihak semua kakitangan syarikat yang cemerlang di Thailand.

Apakah rancangan Western Digital bagi Thailand?

Sejak beberapa tahun lepas, industri kami telah terpaksa berhadapan dengan kelembapan dalam pasaran komputer peribadi (PC) yang menjejaskan operasi kami. Kami tidak mempunyai apa-apa rancangan untuk mengembangkan operasi kami di sini di Thailand. Tetapi apabila yang kita melihat kepada pelaburan masa depan dan jangka panjang, Thailand kekal di bahagian teratas senarai kami untuk melabur.

 

Apakah faedah melabur di Thailand?

Ada beberapa faedah. Satu, seperti yang saya dinyatakan sebelum ini, bahawa kita mempunyai pekerja yang sangat baik dan berkelayakan. Perkara yang lain adalah bahawa kita terus mencari kawasan yang mana kita boleh membawa kerja-kerja kejuruteraan lanjut di sini. Thailand sentiasa menjadi tempat yang sangat baik dan mudah untuk menjalankan perniagaan. Ia adalah persekitaran perniagaan yang sangat mesra dan yang benar-benar kembali dengan sokongan kukuh daripada kerajaan dan khususnya BOI. Yang membuatkan kita bukan sahaja yakin dalam pelaburan yang telah kami buat di Thailand, tetapi juga untuk terus mencari dan membuat lebih banyak pelaburan serta bergerak ke hadapan.

Bagaimana anda melihat industri komputer di Thailand?

Dasar kerajaan Thai bagi ekonomi digital meletakkan keutamaan ke atas keupayaan perkhidmatan IT tambahan menggunakan “cloud”. Saya rasa kerajaan sangat progresif dalam pendekatannya dengan keperluan infrastruktur IT sendiri secara tidak langsung menyokong industri kami.


Adakah kesan kepada dasar syarikat anda akibat dari kejadian pengeboman di Bangkok baru-baru ini?

Realiti dunia hari ini adalah terdapat banyak ketidakstabilan di tempat-tempat yang sangat berbeza di dunia. Kami bimbang tentang keselamatan kakitangan kami di Thailand, tetapi ia tidak mengubah pandangan kami untuk melabur di Thailand. Saya telah menghabiskan banyak kerjaya saya di Thailand dan saya sentiasa mendapati ia tempat yang sangat selamat.

 

 

 

Pengarah Inovasi, Reka Bentuk Penyelidikan dan Pengurusan di Peakchanexplains bagaimana syarikat itu bertukar jut dan kenaf ke dalam produk eksport hi-end.

Bagaimana Peakchan ditubuhkan?
Pada mulanya saya menerima Anugerah Bakat Thai dari Jabatan Penggalakan Eksport (DEP), Kementerian Perdagangan pada tahun 2005 untuk permaidani jut. Anugerah ini memberikan peluang yang besar untuk seorang gadis muda pada masa itu dengan pesanan dari pelanggan di seluruh dunia yang bernilai 20-30 juta baht. Dari permulaan, Peakchan telah berkembang sehingga ia telah menjadi sesuatu di pasaran sekarang.

Apa yang anda fikir tentang keistimewaan Peakchan?
Saya rasa ia adalah reka bentuk kreatif dan teknik yang unik. Produk Peakchan ini terutamanya dibuat dari jut dan kenaf. Selama beberapa dekad, produk ini tidak diubah dari keunikannya yang menggunakan guni. Kami mula mewujudkan satu persepsi baru terhadap orang Thai. Jut dan kenaf, Produk kami dengan batu-batu indah ditenun dalam telah dilancarkan di pasaran beberapa tahun yang lalu, dan telah menjadi tanda perniagaan kami. Sehingga kini, produk kami adalah unik.

 

Produk yang manakah mendapat jualan yang terbaik?
Ia berbeza bergantung kepada negara-negara. Di Amerika Syarikat, mereka suka barangan gaya hidup dan fesyen kami, manakala di Perancis dan Itali, mereka suka perabot dan barangan hiasan rumah kami. Hampir semua produk kami adalah mahal dan dianggap sebagai barangan mewah.

Bolehkah anda menyebut beberapa projek-projek masa depan anda?
Kami merancang untuk menghasilkan nielloware [kemas]. Kami juga merancang untuk mencampur bahan-bahan baru seperti sutera dan kapas dengan bahan-bahan yang sedia ada. Projek ini bukan sahaja menyediakan barisan produk baru, tetapi ia juga mengukuhkan reputasi negara. Apabila orang di seluruh dunia lihat 'Made in Thailand' pada tanda harga, ia bermakna Thailand menjerit bahawa kita benar-benar pembuat kraf terbaik di dunia.

Mengapa anda berfikir Thailand mempunyai kelebihan dalam jenis produk?
Ia adalah kerana kini lebih ramai orang kembali kepada produk mesra alam. Mereka akan mencari sesuatu yang semula jadi, seni dan buatan tangan. Thailand pasti memperoleh kelebihan kerana kita mempunyai sumber asli yang banyak dan tukang mahir. Anda tahu, sebaik sahaja jut dianggap sebagai produk eksport negara-negara miskin, tetapi kini apa yang kita lakukan dengan jelas menunjukkan bahawa ini tidak berlaku lagi.

Photo courtesy dari Peakchan

 

 

 

Issue 36

Apirat Boonruangthaworn, founder and design director of the furniture brand +SENSE, talks to Horizon Thailand about the future of the brand.

Can you tell us about how you created the brand +SENSE?
After working as a freelancer for five to six years, I was introduced to Niran Atisantisilp, owner of a factory that manufacturers products from bronze and brass. He asked me to work with him, and by that time I had enough experience and was ready to explore more. That’s how the brand was established.

What’s the characteristic of the brand?
+SENSE is contemporary outdoor furniture. It’s the combination of Thai craftsmanship and aluminum, known for being sturdy, weather resistant and an enduring material that is suitable to use outdoors.

Issue 37

 

Ruomwadee Lakakul, marketing and sales director of 4Care talks about the benefits of Thai hom mali rice and the innovative products that have made their way into Thai hospitals around the country.

Can you tell us something about 4Care?                           
The company was founded in 2003 to create quality health food. Our products are made from Thai rice and we have cereal drinks, rice drinks, a coconut cream alternative and non-dairy cooking cream. We have won the merit award at the Rice Innovation Awards from the Thai Rice Foundation and we are certified by the Thailand Trust Mark.

Why did you choose to use Thai rice as an ingredient?                                                              
For our products, we use organic hom mali rice and rice berry from Yasothon province in the northeastern region. We want to encourage more farmers in Thailand to grow organic rice which is better for the environment and for their health in the long-term. Thai farmers shouldn’t rely on chemicals so much.

Which product is made from brown rice?
Our Balance Organic Rice Drink is made from organic Thai rice. It’s gluten, lactose and soy free; great for people with lots of allergies as it’s free from the top eight allergens.

What is the coconut cream alternative made from?
A lot of Thai food has coconut cream, which can contain up to 95% saturated fat. The coconut cream substitute is a healthy natural cooking cream made from rice bran oil and soy protein. The alternative contains four times less saturated fat than traditional coconut cream and has the right balance of fatty acids as well as antioxidants.

What is the feedback from customers so far?
About 90% of all hospitals in Thailand like Rajavithi Hospital and Phra Mongkut Klao Hospital use our coconut cream alternative for Thai food instead of coconut cream. The alternative cream made from rice has no cholesterol, and is certified by the Thai Heart Foundation and the Faculty of Public Health Mahidol University, that it does not increase the risk of heart disease. We have also had very good feedback about other rice products from pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers because the products have no milk or soy and are gluten-free.

What are your plans for the future?
We are an innovative company so we are looking for other grains that can be used to make healthy food alternatives. Now we export 4Care products to Dubai and we already have the Halal certificate. We have also been contacted by importers in Singapore, the Philippines and Indonesia. For some countries, rice drinks are quite new to them but they trust in the benefits of hom mali rice because the rice is fragrant and considered to be high-quality.

For more information, visit www.4care.co.th

 

Issue 35

Mosstories designer, Chatkeo Srisuwan, talks to Horizon Thailand about the success of her business and how Thailand is a leader in the fashion industry.

How did you get into the fashion business?
It all started as a hobby. I have always been interested in designing accessories, and, together with my friends, we started selling them on a roadside stand. Soon, we had many customers and that led me to establish the brand Mosstories in 2006. We opened our first two stores in the Jatujak Weekend Market and Suanlum Night Bazaar. Later we opened at Zen department store and Siam Square. We started selling accessories first then expanded the product line to clothing, bags and shoes in 2007. The feedback was really positive, and I decided to pursue my education in fashion and design in order to improve my knowledge of clothing, bags and footwear.

What challenges did you face when you first started?
It was all about management systems. Personally, I think most designers would focus on their products rather than having a good operational system in place, and I can only say it is crucial to have an effective management system to ensure that the business operates smoothly from production to marketing and selling.

What sets your brand apart from your competitors?
I’d say uniqueness and the style. Most of my products have stories behind them hence they have originality. They are a mixture of various raw products and crafted with detail. The inspiration to create items comes from many things, such as travel, art, architecture, culture and people. In addition, we have a variety of products to cater to the demands of different customer groups.

Who are your main customers?
At first, we thought it would be teenagers and working people but the trend has changed and we can now say that it’s about lifestyle rather than age. Mosstories’s customers show a sense of self-confidence, are unique and want to be different from the crowd.

What are your main export markets?
Our international customers are mostly from Asia. Currently we export to Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan and Singapore.

How do you maintain the quality of your products?
The business started with me selling products directly to customers, which gave me a chance to obtain direct feedback from them. They let me know what they liked and what kind of products they are looking for. Each time we come out with something new, we think whether the products will meet customers’ needs. Often I test the products on myself to ensure the quality, for instance, I try on new footwear to see if it is comfortable enough.

What are the strengths of the Thai fashion industry?
Thailand has so many advantages compared to neighbouring countries. Firstly, we have an abundance of natural resources, which certainly helps reduce manufacturing costs and enhances production capability. Secondly, Thai designers are extremely creative and they are encouraged to show their talent through their work. Lastly, skilled craftsmanship – Thai designers adopt a detail-oriented approach at each stage of their work from designing to manufacturing the products.

For more information, visit www.mosstories.com

 

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