ATCI to encourage use of ICT in six industries
The Association of Thai ICT Industry (ATCI) has set a plan to encourage the adoption of ICT in six industrial sectors to enhance competitiveness for small and medium business and expand the local market for the ICT industry.
ATCI president Jumrud Sawangsamud said the association this year will encourage more ICT adoption in six strategic industries - healthcare, food, tourism, automotive, retail and logistics. Most entrepreneurs in these areas are medium to small size who need technology to enhance their business. ATCI will work with industry partners, both government and private organisations, to promote the use of ICT and software through several activities such as biannual seminars, exhibitions, and trade visits. "These six industry sectors represent the grass roots business of the country where ICT is expected to be crucial to improving business processes and increasing performance," said Jumrus. He said the association does not yet have current information about how much these six industries spend on ICT investments per year, but they are core to the economy of the country. The move is expected to benefit both the demand side from the six industries and the supply side from ICT and software vendors. "The move is to raise the local ICT industry to meet the target of Bt493 billion by this year," said Jumras. It estimates that Thailand's ICT market would be worth Bt590 billion next year and Bt735 billion in 2008. The average growth rate of the ICT market is 21 per cent. Jumras said that ATCI will work with the Association of Thai Software Industry (ATSI) and the Software Promotion Agency (Sipa) to promote the software industry. "Due to software being the foundation of the ICT industry, the association needs to consider a software strategy. Today software plays the key role with ICT adoption as the key driver," said Jumras. It is also developing a job description for local ICT workers to build an industry standard according to skills and experience along with salary arrangements. The job description study will help the country assess its readiness and be a guide for the country's ICT policy development. "The study is expected to be complete in the next three months," said Jumras. It is also to promote the local ICT industry on the global stage with an application to host the World Congress on Information Technology 2012.
asina@nationgroup.com Asina Pornwasin The Nation
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