Seminar on Thailand: Opportunities in ICT, software and electronic Industry

Business Seminar on
Opportunities in the ICT, Electronics and Software Industries in Thailand
to promote Thailand as a strategic location for expansion in Asia

at the Rainier Club, Seattle, WA and at the Arlington Club, Portland, Oregon

The Royal Thai government's Board of Investment (BOI) and the Consulate of Thailand in Portland, Oregon, arranged a series of seminars in the Pacific Northwest, including seminars in Seattle, Washington and in Portland, Oregon on July 19, 2004 and July 21, 2004 respectively. The seminars entitled Opportunities in the ICT, Electronics and Software Industries in

Thailand

, introduced opportunities in

Thailand

as a strategic location for company’s expansion in Asia. The high level delegation from Thailand was led by Deputy Secretary General of the Board of Investment, Mr. Satit Sirirangkamanont, and Senior Advisor to Ministry of Industry, Mr. Wattana Supornpaibul, Senior Advisor, Ministry of Industry. They were greeted and introduced by H.E. Nick Stanley, the Honorary Consul of the Royal Thai Consulate in Portland, to the seminar attendees. This seminar was one of three seminars that the Thailand Consulate and Runckel & Associates, a Portland based international consulting firm, helped arrange in a one week period.

Thailand seminar
(above) At the seminar in Seattle, the Honorary Consul of the Royal Thai Consulate, Nick Stanley, welcomed the participants.

Deputy Secretary General of the Board of Investment, Mr. Satit Sirirangkamanont, presented to the technology companies in Seattle, Washington, information on Thailand and its increasingly growing role in high tech industry. In Hard Disk Drive manufacturer, Thailand is number two globally with four of the five biggest players, all with factories in Thailand. The same is happening in the printed wiring board (PWB) or printed circuit board assembly (PCBA) sector where Thailand is becoming a bigger player. In 2003, Thai output of PWB or PCB components exceeded $700 million, making it the fifth largest in the Asia Pacific after Japan, Taiwan and South Korea and the largest in Southeast Asia for this product having just tipped out Singapore. Further, new factories in this sector are increasingly choosing Thailand, plus factories established over the last two years are just now coming on line and Thailand will soon pass the one billion mark in sales and could soon move into the number three spot in Asia for this item. The BOI Deputy Secretary General also announced a new incentive for investor in ICT, software and electronic investors (for more detail, please view a slide show of his presentation at http://www.business-in-asia.com/slide_boi_presentation.html)

(above) Deputy Secretary General Satit Sirirangkamanont of the Thailand Board of Investment presented information on opportunities and incentives for ICT, Software and Electronic investment in Thailand to technology companies in Seattle, Washington

Christopher Runckel, President of Runckel & Associates, then presented why Thailand’s location is considered the center of Asia and compared investment in three countries: Thailand, China and Vietnam. Mr. Runckel also stressed Thailand's stable government, economic and business policies, the long term pro-business outlook of succeeding Thai governments, the progress in improving transportation with neighboring countries and the number of preferential trade agreements with various countries (for more information on Mr. Runckel's presentation, view a slide show at http://www.business-in-asia.com/slide_runckel_presentation.html). The presentation was followed by a useful Questions and Answers Session.

(above) Phillip Allison of Open Interface North America talks to BOI Deputy Director General Satit, while Dr. Himanshu Misra of Cray, Inc. chats with Mr. Chitawon Worasak, BOI Director of Electronic and electrical Industries Division..

In Portland, Oregon, the delegation was led by Mr.Chitaworn Worasak, Director of Electronic and Electrical Industries Division of Thailand Board of Investment. Director Chitaworn presented and investment presentation and later the delegation answered questions from participants for one hour.

(above right) Ms. Vasana Mututanont of Thailand Board of Investment in New York introduced Mr. Chitawon Worasak to the participants in Portland seminar. (above left) Mr. Hue Le, CEO of Picojet asks question while James Davies, Vice President of Timberson, Christa Hensen, Director of University of Oregon American English Institute (AEI) and Leslie Opp-Backman, Senior Instructor and Technology Coordinator, look on.

(above) Chris Runckel, President of Runckel & Associates talks with Mark Tullis, Vice President of Learning.com

Reported by: Christopher W. Runckel, a former senior US diplomat who served in many counties in Asia, is a graduate of the University of Oregon and Lewis and Clark Law School. He served as Deputy General Counsel of President Gerald Ford’s Presidential Clemency Board. Mr. Runckel is the principal and founder of Runckel & Associates, a Portland, Oregon based consulting company that assists businesses expand business opportunities in Asia.

Until April of 1999, Mr. Runckel was Minister-Counselor of the US Embassy in Beijing, China. Mr. Runckel lived and worked in Thailand for over six years. He was the first permanently assigned U.S. diplomat to return to Vietnam after the Vietnam War. In 1997, he was awarded the U.S. Department of States highest award for service, the Distinguished Honor Award, for his contribution to improving U.S.-Vietnam relations. Mr. Runckel is one of only two non-Ambassadors to receive this award in the 200-year history of the U.S. diplomatic service.

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