On 24 September 2008, AIT President Said Irandoust led
an AIT delegation comprised of officials from the institute’s
central administration, schools and AIT Extension to the Amata Nakorn
Industrial Estate in Chonburi, which is located about 50 kms from
Bangkok. http://www.amata.com/eng/
The AIT team met with Mr. Viboon Kromadit (Director
and Chief Operating Officer, Amata Corporation PCL), Ms.
Somhatai Panichewa (Chief Business Officer and Director, Amata
Vietnam), and Mr. Kamjorn Vorawongsakul (Vice
President, Business Development). Amata is one of the leading
industrial organizations in Thailand, with offshore operations in
Vietnam. The total sales of Amata clients are estimated at 570 billion
Baht or approximately 7% of Thailand’s GDP.
Co-branding opportunities were discussed such as setting up an AIT
Research Center based in Amata. This initiative will allow Amata to
conduct researches and tap on AIT’s expertise, experience and networks
in the areas of “innovation” and “incubation of technologies”. Through
education and human resource development and capacity building support,
AIT can help Amata promote and encourage a move towards more research
based industries in Thailand.
AIT and Amata have also begun plans on co-designing professional
master’s programs with a possibility of specialized bachelor’s degree
programs, which could be conducted within the Amata premises in
Thailand, Vietnam, and other future locations. These tailor-made
degrees may possibly be labeled as “Amata Programs”.
Amata has also invited AIT to create presentations to introduce such
concepts to their industrial partners through “dinner talks” and other
social events which they regularly organize. Amata has also offered to
help promote and market (in several languages) once these professional
programs are ready to industrial clients and partners. This approach
could also entail short-term training programs being run at
Amata.
Amata expressed a willingness to give back to the community, and AIT
suggested an “Amata-AIT Climate Change Center” as part of future
collborations.
The AIT delegation also invited Amata as a partner to the upcoming
“CSR Asia 2008 Summit” which the institute will be hosting in November
2008. Amata offered to organize a half-day field visit and host either
a dinner or lunch for the participants.
Members of the AIT team also visited the Thai-German Institute (TGI)
and the Kasetsart University Laboratory School. TGI concentrates on
professional training and education to not only meet the needs and
demands of Amata clients but to also address the needs of industry in
Thailand in general as well. The Kasetsart University Laboratory School
also located within the Amata premises, offers schooling from nursery
to year 12. The school currently employs a multilingual program.
Exploring partnership opportunities with the AIT Community School as
also discussed.
AIT and Amata agreed that Mr. Kamjorn Vorawongsakul
(Vice President, Business Development) from Amata, and
Professor S. K. Rakshit, Vice President for Research,
will serve as the focal or contact persons.