The Cal-Comp & CCAU Industry 4.0 Open tennis tournament has been a fixture on the former Thai capital city’s vibrant sporting calendar for six years now. The tournament was created to spotlight the area’s market potential and encourage a new wave of tourists. In the middle of plans to expand its appeal as one of the Thai people’s favourite holiday destinations to a hotspot with wider appeal for international travellers, the pandemic could not have come at a worse time or so you might think.
As the largest Electronics Manufacturing Services (EMS) Company in Thailand and Southeast Asia, rolling out advanced manufacturing solutions, including communication products, computer peripherals, data storage, semiconductors, vertical integration, 3D Printing and consumer products such as smart beauty products, healthcare and wearable devices and robotics, Cal-Comp Electronics Thailand (CCET) is a driving force behind the Kingdom’s evolution towards its new economic model, Thailand 4.0
Drilling down into the future of Hua Hin’s tourism industry and how automation and digitalisation are at the bedrock of the country’s future as a vital component of Thailand 4.0, Emily Chiu, CCAU Sales Manager and Cal-Comp Electronic Public Relations Manager, explained how the thriving electronic and tech business began sponsoring sports events in Hua Hin.
“CCET understands very well the importance of developing sports tourism in the area because it adds value to Hua Hin and helps stimulate the economy locally and nationally. This is why we have supported all of the tennis tournaments organised by the Proud Group, one of the leaders in lifestyle real estate development that transforms Hua Hin into a Lifestyle, Entertainment and Sports Destination. Proud Group organises national and global tennis tournaments to develop Hua Hin into a locally and internationally renowned resort town.”
“Cal-Comp has seen the importance of developing sports tourism, since the ITF Pro Circuit 15K, an international tennis tournament held in Thailand at True Arena Hua Hin Sports Club - A comprehensive sports complex with 11 world-class tennis courts and the venue for the International tennis tournament, as well as most of the big tennis tournaments in South East Asia. With the Thailand Open 2019 – 2020, hosted within the world-class WTA 250K women's tennis arena, CCET hoped to push the Kingdom’s standing as a world-class venue for international tennis tournaments.”
“As a foreign organisation operating in Thailand with a factory in Phetchaburi, most of our employees live in and around the Phetchaburi and Prachuap Khiri Khan provinces. By helping to develop national and international activities here we can boost tourism in the region and provide extra income for the families of our teams who help put the events together.”
As well as acting as a boon to young Thai talent and the Hua Hin economy Ms. Chiu is keen to assert CCET’s green credentials.
“CCET has a factory in Phetchaburi, so we feel responsible as a leading electronics manufacturing service (EMS) and original equipment manufacturer (OEM) and local employer to support and celebrate talented Thai youths and promote Hua Hin as a beautiful tourist location.”
“Furthermore, we would like to make people aware of CCET as a smart solution provider that utilises those solutions to keep its environmental impact to a minimum. We also have smart solutions and products that are not just limited to factory-use such as our Smart Building solutions.”
How did the pandemic affect Cal-Comp’s business and how did it overcome these challenges?
“The impact was minimal; we maintained production as normal thanks to our smart solutions. Most of our factories and facilities are both semi-automated and fully automated without humans, so when the first and second waves hit, our management quickly arranged quarantine areas inside our factory, as well as field hospitals we also provided free vaccination for all of our employees.
Seamless evolution
As the pandemic continues, there has been a rush, across all industries, to speed up the process towards digitalisation and automation, so how will the tourism market in Thailand, and Hua Hin specifically, benefit from this?
“Digitalisation and automation will enable contactless transactions and also bring in more robotic and smart solutions. This transformation would be beneficial to everywhere in Thailand, not just Hua Hin.”
“Thailand 4.0 is already in progress and we imagine Hua Hin as a smart city where people could go out, enjoy the beautiful beaches and vistas without having to worry about the pandemic and restrictions imposed by traditional, analogue ways of doing things. Imagine that, with just a click of a button or a swipe on your phone, you could be transported virtually to the happy lifestyle of Hua Hin.”
Which products Cal-Comp products will contribute to the new normal?
“CCAU has the latest model of its automatic guided vehicle (AGV) which we call SLAM currently under development. Also, we already have a prototype to use in Taipei and another model at TRUE WorldTechX in Thailand. The AGV can navigate on its own and is suitable for use in hotels, hospitals and other business spaces not just in factories.”
Which services or roles, usually performed by human beings, can be replaced by technology in the coming years?
“Routine work, tedious tasks and simple repetitive jobs that don't require complex logic or critical thinking would be a start. For example, at our Phetchaburi factory, we have robotic arms packing finished products into boxes and AGVs carry those packages to the warehouse – all done without humans. Current technology is perfectly capable of these tasks.”
“For the hotel industry, providing digitalised check-in and AGVs to deliver guests' baggage to their room is something we can already do. Not to mention the potential for a wide variety of hospitality service solutions. Along with introducing a seamless and futuristic experience to guests, automation eradicates human error and unnecessary contact, which is especially useful during a pandemic. “
Last but not least, how does Cal-Comp see automation and digitalisation fit into the Thailand 4.0 strategy?
“Automation and digitalisation are at the core of industry 4.0. Automation, Robotics, AI, AR/VR and all the emerging IoT technology are the engines that enable the Thailand 4.0 strategy.”
“CCET provides total solutions to transform traditional manufacturing systems into smart factories embedded with IoT capabilities. Its portfolio of smart factory solutions includes developing automatic system lines, customising and connecting data collection systems, building data storage centres, and developing visual interface solutions.”
