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Published on February 26, 2008

Apichai Sakulsureeyadej set out with a desire to use information technology to make Thai businesses more efficient and to promote the country's information and communication industry. That was eight years ago, when he formed MSL Software (Thailand), after graduating with a bachelor's degree in science from the University of Melbourne, in Australia.

He believed that business and industry should adopt information technology and software solutions should be developed to increase their efficiency and create competitiveness, both local and international.

"Before I came back to Thailand I collected experience by working with a software company in Melbourne, developing software solutions to support the textile industry in Australia," he says.

He decided his company, MSL Software, would focus on developing enterprise software solutions for Thai industries, such as textiles and tourism. The aim would be to increase their management and operational efficiency.

As a result, he began working with the Thailand Textile Institute to develop software solutions tailor-made for that industry. The result of that collaboration was software applications that won merit awards in the industrial-applications section of last year's Asia Pacific ICT Awards in Singapore.

"The award has helped us to realise that our quality, our innovations and our experience are up to global standards," Apichai says. "Moreover, we offer flexible metrology to provide transparency to our client textile companies so that they can run their businesses to support customers needs and changing requirements."

Apichai and his team have also developed software solutions to support the tourism industry.

"Our software will enable hotels and tourism enterprises to use computer and information technology to support their businesses and increase their management and operational efficiency," he says.

One of the first clients for his new tourism software was his own family's hotel business. Then he realised that to help the tourism industry as a whole to develop, government agencies and private operators should be cooperating in their use of information technology.

He approached seven organisations, including the Tourism Authority of Thailand, Software Park Thailand and the Thai Spa Association and created the Tourism Technology Exchange Programme, a forum that provided an opportunity for IT vendors to learn from tourism operators about their business practices and their demands for technology.

At the same time, the Tourism industry learnt about the latest technologies that could be practically utilised for more efficient management of their businesses.

After the success of the forum, an exchange programme was formed called the Tourism Technology Consortium, from which sprang the Tourism Technology Association. Last year Apichai became the association's first president and co-founder.

He believes the association will create more opportunities for the IT industry as well as allowing tourism operators to develop new technology-based marketing and reservation networks, resulting in more business and greater efficiency.

"Team work and people are key strategies for companies wishing to achieve success, because people are vital to business management, both inside and outside the company," Apichai explains.

In the middle of this year, Apichai plans to take his software business overseas. He has his eyes set on Asia-Pacific markets, including Australia, China and Hong Kong.

Jirapan Boonnoon

 The Nation