TDIA TO NAVIGATE THROUGH CRISIS IN MOLD & DIE CLUSTERS
“During COVID-19, mold & die industry is very much impacted by the decreasing number of orders, but the industry is still able to export,” Mr. Boonlert Chodchoi, President of the Thai Tool and Die Industry Association (TDIA) and Managing Director of C.C. Auto Parts Co., Ltd. told Reed Tradex team on the day we paid him a visit. “During Tom Yum Kung crisis in 1997, C.C. Auto Parts experienced a temporary shutdown due to the pause of the assembly line. At the time, we were still 100% OEM provider, which was not stable in the long run. If we insisted on doing only OEM and relying on product order from others, uncertainties would have definitely brought us down.” The lesson learned has led C.C. Auto Parts to expand their business, changing from an auto parts manufacturer to brand owner of dental equipment, electronic part, agriculture machine & component, and industrial machinery, as well as being a longtime exhibitor of METALEX.
“The problem faced in mold & die industry is that industrialists have to work single-handedly and tend to overinvest, resulting in the high capital cost. As the president of TDIA, I am aiming to upgrade industrialists’ productivity to be more international. We’ll start off by establishing clusters of start-up companies and assigning large-sized companies to lead tasks acquirement and distribution. For small-sized companies, we will let them work based on their specialization. This new business model will increase quantity of work per month,” Mr. Boonlert explained his project and emphasized his determination to materialize it during his term as the association’s president.
TDIA is the knowledge sharing and supporting center for mold & die industry that currently has a total member of 362 companies. Mr. Boonlert mentioned the supporting measures for those industrialists impacted by the crisis “We have cooperated with various organizations to lend a helping hand for those in need. One of them is the banks, which will assist in holding the principal payment and allowing industrialists to be entitled to special lower interest rate. We have also petitioned the government consideration to subsidize 50% wages for those with a base salary of 15,000 baht.”
“To establish the cluster, we will choose 10-15 companies to join this model. We will provide know-how and advice on machinery investment to equip industrialists an ability to design and assemble mold & die on their own, so it will help industrialists get through this crisis.”
FOR MORE DETAILS ON THE TDIA’S PROJECT AND C.C. AUTO PARTS, PLEASE VISIT MR. BOONLERT AND HIS COMPANY AT METALEX DURING 18 - 21 NOVEMBER 2020 AT BITEC, BANGKOK
NEW PERSPECTIVE CAN REVEAL OPPORTUNITY IN CRISIS
“Toyota President talked about the COVID-19 crisis that, because of the situation, the company now has a better time management, spending less time but has better productivity. The company has adapted to the situation and has relied almost 100% on technologies in its business operations,” Mr. Somwang Boonrakcharoen, President of Thai-German Institute (TGI), told METALEX team on the day we paid him a visit.
“The pandemic has resulted in him spending 80% less travel time, 85% less in face-to-face contacts, and a 30% reduction in time spent on internal meetings which has saved 50% paper used in the meetings for the company.”1
“Opportunity lies in every crisis. In Chinese language, the word ‘Crisis’ holds a great depth to it because the first character of the word comes from the first character of the word ‘Danger’ while the second character of the word comes from the first character of the word ‘Opportunity.’ That is why the way we look at each situation is of paramount importance. If you see only the word ‘Danger,’ you see only dead-end, but if we change our point of view, widen our perspective, we could see an opportunity that awaits us.”
And opportunity is what industrialists can receive from TGI, a leading organization focusing on upgrading target industries’ productivity by enhancing technology, innovations, and human resource in automation system and robotics as well as machinery and mold and die, so that industrialists will be able to compete in the Industry 4.0 era.
Mr. Somwang said that, apart from knowledge sharing in seminars, TGI also provides consultation to industrialists wanting to revitalize their business after COVID-19. Industrialists can contact TGI to work with them on creating a new business model (shown in picture). The institute will analyze both existing factors and gaps; e.g. Customers, Products, Processes, Tools, and Teams, and create a business model that can assist industrialists in rising above the crisis quickly and effectively.
Mr. Somwang mentioned a concept that Associate Prof. Wilert Puriwat, Ph.D., Dean of the Faculty of Commerce and Accountancy, Chulalongkorn University, raised during “Digital Social Responsibility (DSR),” a pilot project aimed to provide support to the society through digital. Dr. Wilert said that the current situation had led to the emergence of 4D 1H, which stands for Digital Life, Data, Distance, Health Conscious, and Domestic. The last D emphasizes the importance of local business collaborations.2
“During this time of crisis, we need to collaborate because it is difficult to find a practical direction alone. Thai-German Institute will be the one to help industrialists get through this crisis together because having different point of views from different people; be it from our team at TGI or from peers in exhibitions to exchange experiences, knowledge, and ideas, all can be very beneficial,” said Mr. Somwang.
Facing and carrying the weight from the crisis may make you see only the negative aspects of the situation. A helping hand from someone like TGI can widen your perspective and allow you to see a different point of view. This will make the positive facet of the situation or the answer to the problem become more visible and easily accessible.
“To achieve the change needed, first you must change your point of view. Those who see opportunity will cross over to the other side faster. At TGI, we have new perspectives to offer industrialists, so come visit us at TGI or at METALEX exhibition in November,” added Mr. Somwang.
[ Sources: Bangkok Biz News | Kom Chad Luek ]
TGI has many other projects in store for the improvement of society and industry. Follow their updates at METALEX
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