ASEAN industry website launched<\/p>\n
BANGKOK (DPA): The Association of Southeast Asian Nations
\n(ASEAN), somewhat lacking in tangible economic cooperation these
\ndays, will in early April launch a regional project you can put
\nyour finger on, at least in cyber-space.<\/p>\n
On April 7 Thai Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai will preside over
\nthe official launch of the ASEAN Supporting Industry Database
\n(ASID) website (http:\/\/www.asidnet.org).<\/p>\n
The website includes the addresses and product descriptions of
\nmore than 6,000 companies from the nine ASEAN countries engaging
\nin the automotive, electronics, food processing, jewelry and
\nhandicrafts industries.<\/p>\n
ASEAN comprises Brunei, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar
\n(Burma), the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.<\/p>\n
Thailand's Board of Investment (BOI) originally proposed
\nsetting up a regional industrial database at a conference of
\nASEAN investment promotion agencies about five years ago, said
\nApirux Wanasathop, chief of the BOI's industrial liaison unit.<\/p>\n
\"The main idea of this website is to help parts and components
\nmanufacturers to find buyers or potential partners, especially in
\nthe automotive and electronics sectors,\" said Apirux.<\/p>\n
About half of the current website listings are from Thailand.
\nThe BOI's main form of promotion is in terms of tax incentives to
\ncompanies engaged in priority industries.<\/p>\n
The BOI has already spent 4 million baht (US$108,000) on
\ndeveloping the website and will spend about 6 million baht on
\nadvertising it in regional publications this year.<\/p>\n
\"We thought an ASEAN website would be more attractive and a
\ntangible example of ASEAN cooperation,\" said Apirux.<\/p>\n
The website, which allows for 3 megabytes of information per
\ncompany at present, is free for listed companies, something
\nparticularly appreciated by ASEAN's less-developed members such
\nas Vietnam, Laos and Myanmar.<\/p>\n
Thailand's BOI has allocated another 10 million baht to
\nupgrade the website by 2000 to allow companies to include their
\nproduct drawings.<\/p>\n
\"The next step is to make it three dimensional for parts and
\ncomponents so the buyers can download the design to try in his
\nCAD\/CAM,\" said Apirux.<\/p>\n
Industry sources said that instead of a technical upgrade the
\nwebsite might be better improved by adding more specific company
\ninformation.<\/p>\n
\"The website's a good idea, but maybe what's more inviting is
\nto encourage companies to show more of their hand,\" said Michael
\nDunne, director of Automotive Resource Asia, a consultant on the
\nASEAN automobile sector.<\/p>\n
\"Buyers want to know the state of a company's finances and who
\ntheir current customers are before making contact with a
\npotential supplier,\" said Dunne.<\/p>\n
Such information may be more easily available on private
\nsector websites.<\/p>\n
At least one private company in Singapore has set up a similar
\nASEAN industrial website but Apirux said it had reportedly run
\ninto problems trying to make a profit from it, especially during
\nthe regional recession.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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