Newsgroups: soc.culture.thai
Date: Sun, 23 Aug 1992 14:21:27 -0400 
From: Schitt Laowattana <sl2k+@andrew.cmu.edu>
Subject: Part(1): Absorbing Technology for Electronics-Based Industries


    There are many people requesting information on electronics-based
industries in Thailand.  I am voluntarily posting information I have in
my hands:Volume 5 "Capability Development for Electronics and
Information Technology-Based Industries(EIBI)" by Thailand Development
Research Institute.  My ultimate goal is, of course, to inform our human
resource aborad about the current situations of the national S&TD  such
that they can contribute to the progress of "Ban Rao" as much as
possible.

    I also would like to request all three national centers to appoint
some people for S&T information service.  Their main responsibility are
to provide S&T information to the net and to interact with other Thai
professionals. By this way, they can obtain S&T information in a
professional manner(quick and accurate).

    Most of the technological capability of the industry(EIBI) logically
lie in the factory: in the machinery and equipment, in the process, in
the documents, in the system and in the personnel.  However, there are
three kinds of institutions that can help the industry solve
technological problems and enhance technological absorptive capability,
namely:(1) R&D laboratories in the public and private sector, (2)
information services including libraries, information centers and the
proposed TIAC of STDB: and (3) consultancy services in the public and
private sector.

    Needless to say, all these three group of institutions are weak and
have few systematic linkages with industry.  Strategies to develop and
use these institutions to support the objective of enhancing the
technological capability of the industry are discussed below.

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    Part(1): Using R&D Laboratories to Absorb and Generate Technology
    ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

    R&D activities in electronics and information based industry are
found mainly in universities laboratories and a few private companies. 
Although these activities do not reach the standards of the developed
countries, they do cultivate a group of people who can follow the
current technology trends in their field.  For example, although the
solar cells developed in universities laboratories can never be
commercialized, the scientists and engineers who worked on them have the
foundation to absorb any advanced solar cell technology.  Since
technology transfer depends heavily on the absorptive capability of
recipient, the use of R&D activities to develop this capability is
deemed important.

    To actually generate technology requires a much higher technology of
input in terms of manpower, equipment and time.  There have been
instances of products that were developed in universities being
transferred to industry for production.  But the technology developed in
the R&D units of the industry itself.  To accumulate knowledge and
experience, we need dedicated electronics research and development
laboratories in the public sector.  Universities cannot fulfill the role
of a research institute due to the lack of continuity and the absence of
a "critical mass".

    In fact, the stock of R&D manpower in EIBI is very limited.  The
availability of research funds from STDB and NECTEC rapidly occupies all
the researchers in universities.  A research laboratory with some 30-40
research engineers should be established, perhaps under NECTEC id
sufficient flexibility can be guaranteed, along the same lines as the
Microprocessor Laboratory of the Hong Kong Productivity Centre.  In can
be absorb and transfer foreign technology as well as geberate
appropriate technology for local industry by organizing training
courses, developing products and providing consultancy service.  In the
future, this research institute should be expanded to reach the level of
the Electronic Research and Service Organization of Taiwan which
presently employs in excess of 1,800 research engineers.  A possible
model in Thailand that may be followed is that of the Energy
Comservation Center which is jointly sponsored by the Federation of Thai
Industries and the national Energy Administration.  A few thing to be
stressed are that the pay scale must be comparable to that of the
private sector, the government should not expect it to be
self-supporting in the early stages and, most important of all, it
should not be expected to produce world frontier technology in the first
10 years.

    For the private sector, the best way of simulating R&D is to provide
incentives such as

    1. The provision of import tax exemptions on research, measuring,
testing and analytical equipment and samples and research materials.

    2. The provision for accelerated depreciation of the above mentioned
equipments and,
    
    (3). The provision of tax benefitd to firms undertaking R&D activities.

**************************************************************************** 
Part (2) is on development of technical information service to support
industries.    


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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