75 per cent of Thai industries are of Industry 2.0

BANGKOK, Oct 4 (TNA) -- A research has found that 75% of Thai industries are of Industry 2.0, especially those of small and medium-sized enterprises that are seriously lacking skilled technicians. Arthit Kritpithat, general manager for business support of Chevron Thailand Exploration and Production Co, said the finding came from a research on challenges of the Thai government’s Thailand 4.0 strategy. The company assigned Chisholm Institute, a polytechnic institute in Australia, to conduct the research. The research showed that 75% of Thai industries, especially SMEs, were applying technologies below the Industry 2.5 level due to financial constraints, he said. The operators who are able to meet Industry 4.0 are mostly those with large-scaled businesses. The research also found that Thailand seriously lacks technicians with knowledge on mechatronics, robotics and materials technology. Besides, its people lack working disciplines. The Australian institute also reported that the use of robots among Thai industries is less than that in other Asian countries. According to the research, Thailand needs workers with ability to solve complicated problems and skills in work processes and systems. The Australian institute recommended Thailand develop curricula on science, technology, engineering, mathematics, communication and working attitudes. The research is part of the Chevron Enjoy Science Project. It is a US$ 30 million, five-year, public-private partnership (PPP) project to strengthen economic development and improve Thailand’s competitiveness by refining science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education and technical and vocational education and training (TVET) across the country. (TNA)