Newsgroups: soc.culture.thai
Date: Wed, 12 Aug 1992 13:31:02 -0400 
From: Schitt Laowattana <sl2k+@andrew.cmu.edu>
Subject: Part(4):Major Problems and Limitations in S&TD in Thailand 

    I hope that Thai professionals ,who have lots of experiences, won't
stand still when there is demand for their helps (, eventhough, it's not
publicly advertised).  Below is  a series of information on "Major
Problems and Limitation in S&TD in Thailand".  Please share your helps
and opinions in these important issues.
 
Your Respectfully,
Schitt(DJ)
 
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            Part(4): Raw Material Supplies and Supprtive Industries

    All the three groups of industries under study have extensive
backward and forward linkages.  The absence of upstream or downstream
industries create problems of lack of demand for manufactured products
or lack of supply of raw materials, parts or components.  This results
in the slowing down of technological capability development.  If the
demand is lacking or not sufficiently large, there is no point in
developing capabilities since it will only represent, a waste of
resource.  This is the typical problem of the resource-based industries,
including certain mineral processing and agro-industries.  If the raw
material supplies are poor, inadequate or of low quality, on the other
hand, it is also extremely difficult to increase the capabilities in
downstream industries.  Typical industries facing this problem are
machinery industries, electronics industries, and food industries which
need high quality parts, components, need high quality basic metal and
machinery in order to enable the production of quality products.

    In Thailand, some supporting industries do not exists at all. 
Examples include basic metal industries, and certain parts and component
industries based on relatively new technologies such as powder
metallurgy, ceramic coating, high precision electronic parts etc.  The
production of tool materials or componds or components based on
available resource such as tungsten carbide, tool steels, tin componds,
capacitors(from tantalite)  etc. is also wholly inadequate.  The quality
of products from existing parts industries, whilst acceptable to a large
number of downstream industries, are not acceptable to industries which
require high quality, high precision parts and components.  The
consistency in product or raw material quality is one of the major
problems.

============================================================================
Please stand by for Part(5) "Lack of Specialized Technology
Centers.........  ....in this net.

Posted by

Schitt(DJ)  Laowattana

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Current Address in USA:

Department of Mechanical Engineering
Carnegie Mellon University
5000 Forbes Ave.
Pittsburgh, PA 15217
USA
Tel. No. 268-8880
Fax. No. 268-3348
e-mail: sl2k@andrew.cmu.edu


Permanent Address in Thailand:

Center of Operation for FIeld roBOtics Development(FIBO)
King Mongkut's Institute of Technology Thonburi
91 Suksawasd 48  Ratburana  Bangmod
Bangkok 10140, Thailand

Tel. No. 428-3374, 427-4421 and 4270151-9 Ext. 461
Fax. No. 427-8077, 427-8787

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