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