Publication Code: A68
Foreign investments which had increased significantly since the middle of 1980's, with the highly diversified products for both domestic and export markets. Machinery sector has become increasingly important to the development of basic industry in Thailand. The growth of this metal-working industries has been attributed to the high growth rate of automobile, electrical appliances, industrial machinery and agricultural machineries at this period. As a result, the machinery sector has enjoyed comparative advantage in metal-related, and construction industries, which enabled to productivity improvement of Thai workforce.
Sub-sector and products in the machinery sector are either competing or complementary industries in ASEAN countries, and their presences in each countries are prime concerns in this study.
The objectives of this study are to;
(a) Determine external factors explaining the comparative advantages of machinery sector in Thailand, which lead to production efficiency in the region.
(b) Select products in machinery sector, whose existences and /or scales of production are significantly observed in Thailand.
(c) Determine the policies and measures favouring the development of machinery sector in Thailand.
(d) Determine levels and sources of technology which determine product cycle of machinery sector, and measures to improve productivity in Thailand.