"We have some customers in Thailand already, but we work with them from Shanghai and Singapore. We have now decided to have an office in Bangkok later this year," sales director Marc Buettgenbach said recently.

He said the firm was attracted by Bangkok's strategic location, the convenience of flight connections and the city's modernity.

 "Bangkok is a city which has all the innovations from Asia. It's also where Western companies and [international] retailers are located. So it's a very important market, so much so that it's also important for us to have a sales hub there," said Buettgenbach. Bizerba also sees the Thai market, economy and currency as more stable than other countries.

 Bizerba's plan is to have its smart weighing machine-cum-cashier as the market-entry product. Its latest generation of the machines not only measures weight and calculates price, but also provides additional information such as which wine goes well with the meat a customer buys, a recipe on how to cook the food and the ingredients needed.

 The machine, which is equipped with Microsoft software and two touch screens - for both sellers and customers - can also operate in the Thai language and is therefore ready for the Thai market, said Buettgenbach.

 "Our product is very innovative, and I believe it will suit Bangkok. From what I've learned, people in Bangkok will like that because they like innovations, they like the modern atmosphere," he said, adding that he saw the supermarket at Siam Paragon as a perfect place for Bizerba's machines.  The company will also approach Western retailers such as Carrefour and Tesco, which are already Bizerba's customers in Europe.

 While the machine is rather expensive, Buettgenbach insists it is very competitive, giving the several functions it can perform as well as its durability.  Bizerba also offers industrial solutions for the meat processing industry and labels equipped with the world's most advanced TTI (Time Temperature Indicator) system, which guarantees the product's freshness.

 From May 5-10, Bizerba exhibited at IFFA Frankfurt, the world's leading trade fair for the meat-processing industry, where it launched the world premiere of "OnVu" - developed in cooperation with Ciba Specialty Chemicals.

 Unlike the usual printed date on a package, which does not reflect temperature infringements during transportation, the OnVu label contains technology which relies on the properties of organic pigments that change colour over time with temperature fluctuation.

 It is a user-friendly label, which allows producers, retailers and consumers to check at a glance whether consumable goods have been stored properly.

Sopaporn Kurz

The Nation

FRANKFURT, GERMANY