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.