Plant to help research to be proposed
To support local research and development of innovative textile technology, the Thailand Textile Institute is planning to propose to the government that it to set up a pilot plant where textile-technology concepts can be tested.
The plant will be a place where researchers or local textile manufacturers can use the facilities to do lab-scale production to test their technology, said the institute's executive director Virat Tandaechanurat. He said the institute planned to propose the plant's establishment to the Science Ministry. As the plant will directly support local textile research, Virat said the government should allocate a budget. He estimated that the budget for the plant would be about Bt500 million. All production processes in textile manufacturing will be tried out at the plant on a small scale to offer sample textile production. Once the technology-development project is complete, researchers can test their concepts at the plant to discover whether the technology can work in a practical situation. "Researchers can follow the trial-and-error method here before launching the technology into production. If the technology does not work well, improvements can be made before re-testing the concept at the plant," he said. Having these facilities, he added, would boost local research and development on textile technology, while creating more confidence in local manufacturers when they come to adopt new technology to use in their production process and sample products.
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