At the time
that BOI was set up, Thailand had limited knowledge to produce
the products that our population needed. Because of consumer
demand, we had to import many products and that was not good
for our economy or for local investors and entrepreneurs. Our
focus at that time was to help create the environment and
systems of production inside Thailand and thus reduce the need
for imports. But because we did not have the knowledge or
technology at that time, we set out to attract foreign
investors to produce their goods in our country. This also
encouraged local investors to work with these foreign
companies, thereby acquiring new knowledge and expertise
The second
phase in the 1970s saw Thailand able to manufacture consumer
and industrial products by itself and to satisfy local demand.
So the focus of our responsibility shifted to encouraging the
export of our products to new markets.
Currently, BOI
is working harder than ever for both foreign and local
investors. The failure of our business and production
structures in 1997 created a negative image of Thailand as a
sound business and investment destination. The collapse of our
economy was very hard for our people, with some having to
retire and others losing their jobs as many companies and
factories failed. BOI therefore adjusted its priorities to
help all investors.
Our
responsibility can be summarised thus:
1. To ensure
companies have incentives to invest in Thailand by supporting
reductions in import taxes on equipment, machinery and raw
materials.
2. To help
create confidence among investors by offering a comfortable
business environment. To do this BOI must.
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Provide step by step
guidance on how to do business and invest in
Thailand;
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Coordinate with other
Government departments on the processing of work permits
and visas for foreign employees;
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Coordinate property
rights and the location of factories and buildings.
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 Preserving 40 years of data and
news
All 40 years of
data and news concerning Thailand's development created by BOI
must be preserved for reference and use in our library which
is located at our newer bigger premises at Vibhavadi Rangsit
Road, Bangkok.
At the
beginning all sources of information in English amounted to
about 200 pages. Investors had to photocopy it if they needed
a copy. Now we have more than 3,000 pages of information for
the investor in 6 languages -Thai, Chinese, Japanese, French,
German and English.
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Eight years
ago (1993), BOI created its own Website of
documents and information. Also available in six languages,
the most popular document on the Website is How to do business
in Thailand which includes:
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How to establish a
company
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Patents and trademarks
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Taxation
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The cost of doing
business including wages,
rental, buying a factory site and so on.
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The collections
in our library - journals, books, documents and pamphlets -
are in heavy demand. It is for this reason that BOI looked for
new technology to integrate the networking and searching of
our collections. It was at a conference that we first saw the
technologies for an electronic library developed in Thailand.
Elib.Web from Book Promotion and Service Co. Ltd. addresses
the solutions BOI needs for its library. We worked with Book
Promotion and Service to implement Elib.Web and on 13 July
2001 the BOI launched automated library services.
We make full
use of the modules in Elib.Web: OPAC, Catalogue, Circulation,
Journal Indexing and Web Gateway. The Web Gateway has been
integrated into the BOI home page allowing the public and
investors to access our services from any location at all
times. No more sitting in traffic jams or waiting your turn in
the library!
ELIB.WEB has
also lightened the work load of BOI officials. Staff can
better concentrate on providing personal assistance to patrons
and they can now efficiently locate the information they
require.
The main reason
why we chose ELIB is its scalability and so we can network
with other libraries. We plan to combine our records with The
Standards Industry Association of Thailand and other
institutes to form a union catalogue. ELIB can perform this
function well.
Ms.
Krongkanoke Managitjponggol is a Senior Investment Promotion
Officer at BOI and a member of the library automation project
team.
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