EEC targets automation of all 10,000 factories

By The Nation

 

EEC Office secretary general Kanit Sangsubhan

 

The Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) has set a new target for all 10,000 factories in the zone to adopt robotics and automation.

 

Of the total factories in the EEC, about 1,000 are large, 2,000 medium-sized and 7,000 small.

 

The target will see 3,000 large and medium-sized factories pilot the robotics and automation systems from next month, said Djitt Laowattana, EEC special adviser on education/human capital and technology development.

 

He added that the EEC Office and SMEs Promotion Office would fund half of the Bt500,000 automation cost for each of 50 small and medium-sized enterprises.

 

The SMEs will take three months to complete the transition and another three months to test whether the system can help them boost production capacity and reduce costs.

 

Djitt added that the EEC Office will produce 50,000 workers with robotics knowledge over the next five years to support the EEC’s automation switch.

 

The EEC will also coordinate between manufacturers and Thai and Japanese developers of automation and robotics systems.

 

The manufacturing sector must adopt advanced technologies because Thailand was facing a labour shortage as it became an ageing society, he said.

 

EEC Office secretary general Kanit Sangsubhan said robotics and automation was already extensively deployed in the corridor’s automative, petrochemical and food business sectors.

 

The EEC has also adopted 5G technology to support the new systems. It will launch a campaign to encourage all 1,000 factories to utilise 5G to support their adoption of automation and robotics.

 

Last year, Thailand ranked 14th in the world for adoption of industrial robotics, he said, adding that much more had to be done before the country entered the top 10 or top five.

 

Source: https://www.nationthailand.com/business/30399710

 

 

-- © Copyright The Nation Thailand 2020-12-17

 

- Whatever you're going through, the Samaritans are here for you

- Follow Thaivisa on LINE for breaking COVID-19 updates

20 minutes ago, webfact said:

Djitt added that the EEC Office will produce 50,000 workers with robotics knowledge over the next five years to support the EEC’s automation switch.

Excellent, but how about the 100,000's that will lose their jobs to automation ?

No different than in other countries 

sign of the times

its called becoming more proficient and profitable 

1 hour ago, Ron jeremy said:

No different than in other countries 

sign of the times

its called becoming more proficient and profitable 

If you think only profits matter fair enough. Since those who would lose their jobs don't get a mention in the article it is reasonable to ask what the consequences are for them.

Seem to recall that the EEC project was going to create tens of thousands of jobs for 'people' but now seems such jobs are just for 'Robots' !

And who will be selling them their robots? Their Mekong blocking  friends methinks.

I can see robotics reducing costs in a country that actually pays a living wage but how many 10,000bahts to 15,000bahts will it take to pay for these robots that replace the abused thai or immigrant workers? And, who will maintain these advanced robotics?