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Board of Investment supports two Phuket ventures

By CHALIDA EKVITTHAYAVECHNUKUL

THE NATION

Published on December 26, 2009

Phuket OEM plans build a Bt76-million surgical-mesh factory in that province now that it has won tax incentives from the Board of Investment.

Surgical mesh is used to help surgical wounds heal better and more quickly. BOI senior executive investment adviser Hirunya Suchinai said the company had been successful in turning research on synthetic fabrics done by a Swedish company into a commercial project.

The company is collaborating with a vocational college in Phuket to devise courses on medical equipment, in order |to solve a shortage of human resources |in this field. Hirunya said it would also commit to recruiting those students |once they graduated.

"So far, no approved projects have boosted cooperation with academic institutes like this company has. This is a good sign for Thailand, which wants to promote research and development (R&D) and high-value businesses," she said.

The plant will have an annual production capacity of 250,000 pieces.

Meanwhile, the BOI also granted tax privileges an Bt80-million project to expand the Phuket Boat Lagoon's capacity.

Hirunya said the project was aimed at meeting rising demand for rental berths and accommodations for boats and their owners in Phuket.

"Presently, 1,000-1,500 boat owners come and rent places in the port to accommodate their boats in Phuket for about 60 days on average. The rising demand has made the port's capacity too tight," she explained.

This project will be able to provide the service to 80 additional boats. The Phuket Boat Lagoon now handles 250 boats and has 116 rooms for their owners. It also offers boat-repair facilities.

Hirunya said the two projects were promoted in line with two of the BoI's target industries: tourism and R&D-based enterprises.

-- The Nation 2009/12/26

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