Thailand 4.0 ‘needs urgency’

[webfact]

Thailand 4.0 ‘needs urgency’
By KWANCHAI RUNGFAPAISARN
THE NATION

 

Professor Methi Wecharatana, head of structural engineering division at New Jersey Institute of Technology.

 

BANGKOK: -- THE THAI government needs to have a sense of urgency in initiating the Thailand 4.0 scheme, which should deliver a substantial result to the country in a certain period of time, say academics.

 

Professor Methi Wecharatana, head of structural engineering division at New Jersey Institute of Technology, said that in his view, Thailand 4.0 would deliver nothing to the country in the next five years because of the lack of a leapfrog strategy and a clear timeline to accomplish the scheme.

 

“Thailand 4.0 is a good economic scheme as at least it has a target about what the government would like to achieve through the scheme. However, the government has no sense of urgency and a clear timeline for Thailand 4.0,” said Methi, adding that the scheme needed to deliver something to the country within a certain period or in the next three to five years.

 

“I have not seen any concrete process to lead Thailand 4.0 to its objective. There is also no strategy to implement the scheme,” Methi said.

 

Methi said that in order to make Thailand 4.0 successful, the scheme should be deliverable and measurable.

 

Thailand 4.0 is an economic scheme aimed at developing a value-based economy and pull Thailand out of the middle-income trap.

 

The Thailand 4.0 development plan is focused on 10 targeted industries, which can be divided into two segments, developing existing industrial sectors by adding value through advanced technologies for five industries: next-generation automotive; smart electronics; high-income tourism and medical tourism; efficient agriculture and biotechnology; and food innovation. 

 

The government has also targeted five additional growth engines to accelerate Thailand’s future growth: automation and robotics; aerospace; bio-energy and bio-chemicals; digital; and medical and healthcare.

 

Methi said the government should appoint a key player or so-called ‘Czar’, who will be in charge of each of those 10 targeted industries. Such key business players would set the plan and direction for their responsible industries and what they will deliver in the next three to five years. They would be able to identify stakeholders to be involved and make those targeted industries to be successful within the timeframe.

 

To make Thailand 4.0 successful, Methi said, the country’s key research body and federal lab, National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA), should be overhauled. With its duty is to produce innovations to the country, the NSTDA however has delivered nothing to the country over the past 30 years since it was set up.

 

“The NSTDA should not do all things, but focus on the development of particular strategic products, such as energy storage for electric vehicles or sensors for robots,” said Methi.

 

He said that universities had to get rid of the ‘Mafia’ people by allowing outsiders to become the president. They should give up academic services to raise money. Thailand should have educators, who will be in charge of the layout of an education foundation and plan and the grooming of students and university graduates to meet the demands of local businesses and industries, especially scientists and engineers.

 

Professor Surapongse Sotanasathien, a lecturer at Thammasat University’s Faculty of Journalism and Mass Communication, said that as an initiator of Industrial 4.0, the German government in cooperation with the business sector had launched the revolution in 2012 and want the scheme to be completed by 2020.

 

The model of Industrial 4.0 today has been applied by many countries. However, this scheme cannot be enhanced and successful in just a short period of time. 

 

Surapongse said that Industrial 4.0 is the industrial model that focuses on three key ideas, which are digitalisation, networking, and automation. Under Industrial 4.0, intelligent ICT-based manufacturing system and related facilities will work together into digital network, from local to global level. Industrial 4.0 will focus on full automation of the production process and the management of information by giving significant attention to network creation at every level. 

 

“To achieve Industry 4.0, we need both long-term study, short-term training, and the evaluation of all supportive and encouraging factors, as well as the integration of production management to be in line with Industry 4.0 scheme,” he said.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/news/business/EconomyAndTourism/30317792

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2017-06-12

[gk10002000]

when I first saw the title, I thought the post would be about Thailand's recent danger rating

[JAG]

Thailand 4.0 needs defining.

[ChrisY1]

Prof. Methi knows his stuff.....and probably why he's head of the engineering division.

(These are the types of people Thailand should retain.....but the top down systems here don't allow that......nepotism and patronage rule.)

 

Thailand has very little chance of achieving anything near 4.0 within the next 20 years......there just are not people here that can make this happen......as the Prof. stated.....there's no strategy!

 

[BEVUP]

2 minutes ago, ChrisY1 said:

Prof. Methi knows his stuff.....and probably why he's head of the engineering division.

(These are the types of people Thailand should retain.....but the top down systems here don't allow that......nepotism and patronage rule.)

 

Thailand has very little chance of achieving anything near 4.0 within the next 20 years......there just are not people here that can make this happen......as the Prof. stated.....there's no strategy!

 

Well the strategy here is all about 4 - thats 4G - so they can fit in more chat time on Face book whilst working, or are they actually doing buisness as this seems to be the way here as there are a lack of company websites when googling ( all face book )

[Dobredin Ghusputin]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

Thailand 4.0

[yellowboat]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

I have not seen any concrete process to lead Thailand 4.0 to its objective. There is also no strategy to implement the scheme,”

That pretty much sums up all the schemes since 2014.

 

1. New wireless technologies for IoT are not legal in Thailand.

 

2. There are some good electrical engineers in Thailand, but their software skills lag a bit.  There are not enough software people learning typical website building languages like PHP or JavaScript. 

[williamgeorgeallen]

quoting the middle income trap in relation to thailand is a joke. the tiny minority hold the majority of the assets and take most of the income. the majority basically own nothing and have small incomes. the army just needs to get off its arse and say they have achieved thailand 5.0 so happiness can be returned to the thai people. DTAC needs to announce 5G is operating so i can be happier with my internet service.

[Eric Loh]

But but it sound so good and makes the junta looks good and progressive.  

[Lupatria]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

“I have not seen any concrete process to lead Thailand 4.0 to its objective. There is also no strategy to implement the scheme,” Methi said.

So I was not all wrong when I misread the headline as: Thailand 4.0 ‘needs surgery’. It is quite common here to rename things after they failed. How about Thailand 0:4?

Edited June 12, 2017 by Lupatria

[dcpo]

In Thailand they want to be successful, but they also don't want to change what they're doing, so they compromise by talking about how successful they're going to be when the plan that doesn't actually exist is complete. To be fair though, they don't just talk about it. They talk about it a lot. They also like holding ceremonies and such like to celebrate how successful they already are, to the point where it significantly interferes with doing the things they're supposed to be proud of doing. 

[NCC1701A]

" With its duty is to produce innovations to the country, the NSTDA however has delivered nothing to the country over the past 30 years since it was set up."

 

A Thai friend did tell me that KFC was a Thai "invention". Does that count?

 

 

[Redline]

14 hours ago, webfact said:

He said that universities had to get rid of the ‘Mafia’ people by allowing outsiders to become the president. They should give up academic services to raise money. Thailand should have educators, who will be in charge of the layout of an education foundation and plan and the grooming of students and university graduates to meet the demands of local businesses and industries, especially scientists and engineers.

 

I like this comment.  I noticed they left out education in the segments of the plan.  Without "outside" help, the plan is doomed.  They don't have the expertise here.  It should be glaringly obvious!  The industries that are here will be moving out because of poor employment skills, poor infrastructure~congested dangerous roads, lack of law enforcement...

It will soon be too late (if it's not already) because the world is moving quickly, and Thailand is standing still

[YetAnother]

so much more thai show-over-substance ; try 3.0

[WhizBang]

Thailand 4.0 is nothing but a buzz word that Prayut and friends can talk about to make it seem as though they are actually doing something.  As the article states, there is no actual plan.  On top of that there are no skilled workers who could implement it if needed. and if anyone tried to implement it, the resistance they would meet to change would be overwhelming.

 

On top of the problems with even attempting to move towards Thailand 4.0, we have a junta that is actively moving Thailand backwards with draconian laws and rules that prohibit any semblance of a Thailand 4.0 ever being possible.