BANGKOK: Thailand’s robotics imports are projected to increase by double digits in percentage terms over the next two years, thanks to the government’s new tax incentives and pressure from high labour costs, says the Thai-German Institute (TGI).
Epson Thailand recently spent millions of baht to open the Epson Robotics Innovation Centre in collaboration with the TGI. “Robotics imports should continue to grow in the next two years and we estimate they will reach 4,500 units by 2019, up from 3,700 units in 2014,” said Varin Rodphothong, vice-president for manufacturing automation and the robotics centre of the TGI. The TGI estimated the shipments could reach 5,000-6,000 units in 2019 as the cabinet approved tax incentives for robotics users in August because it is a high-growth sector that is part of the government’s S-curve scheme.
The forecast for higher imports is also bolstered by the government’s 20-billion-baht SME fund supporting robotics and automation use for small and medium-sized enterprises, dubbed “One robot one factory”. A drop in the price of basic robotics units, from over 1 million baht the past two years to about 600,000 baht, has attracted more investments in manufacturing in automation systems. In 2014, the market value of robotics units was at least 5.5 billion baht, and is estimated to reach 6.7 billion in 2019.
