Press Releases
RS Components Boosts Stock to Tap Growth Opportunities in Fast Growing Automation & Control Sector in Thailand
Singapore, 27 July 2011 :
RS Components (RS) the world’s leading high service distributor of electronics and maintenance products and the trading brand of Electrocomponents plc (LSE: ECM), has announced that it is boosting its stock of automation and control (A&C) products in order to tap tremendous growth opportunities that are present in Thailand. With the stock enhancement, RS will have the most comprehensive A&C range readily available within Thailand and Southeast Asia with 15,000 leading A&C products.
The A&C market is a fast growing one. According to Frost & Sullivan, the total A&C market in Thailand alone was US$128.3m in 2009, and revenues from this sector are expected to reach US$212m with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.4% from 2009 to 2016. With an untapped base of almost 120,0001 production facilities in Thailand, RS is placing a strong focus on A&C as a key element of its growth strategies for the market.
“As production facilities become more automated, quick maintenance and replacement of A&C parts becomes ever more critical,” said Suthee Wetchapruekpitak, Country Manager for RS Components, Thailand. “With our expanded portfolio of A&C products, we plan to make RS Components the one-stop shop in Thailand for all A&C needs.”
Since beginning operations in Thailand in 2006, RS has gone from strength to strength, and is currently the leading distributor of electronics components in the country. The company recently reported a solid year of business growth in Thailand in FY2011, making it the fastest growing market in Southeast Asia.
RS now has over 3,000 customers in Thailand, spanning across key industries such as electronics, oil and gas, FMCG and manufacturing, and has plans to expand this base. The company has a robust distribution infrastructure in place with a strong team of approximately 30 local staff providing business and customer support in English and Thai. RS is planning upgrades to its call centre to provide a superior customer experience. “We are well placed to grow our business further as the market evolves,” said Mr Wetchapruekpitak.
Other growth plans include targeting key industries and working hand-in-hand with Thai organisations like NECTEC to spur greater innovation in ICT. The company is also setting in place a university programme to cultivate tomorrow’s engineers with easy access to its free DesignSpark design tool and discounted components for their coursework.
The company’s commitment to the Thai market extends beyond business through its active corporate social responsibility initiatives. Community engagement efforts by RS staff in Thailand include the following:
- 81,000 THB was donated to Operation Smile, a charity organisation that helps to fund reconstructive surgery for children born with facial deformities such as cleft lip and cleft palate.
- RS staff pitched in for the renovation of children’s bedrooms in Slum Klongtoey, Bangkok’s largest slum. They helped to paint and build furniture and installations, as well as contributing other housing amenities. In addition, RS staff set up a shop and taught the residents how to manage it, with the purpose of creating a sustainable source of income for the residents to support themselves.
- At the RS Southeast Asia Sales Conference in Pattaya, children from Pattaya Orphanage were invited to high-tea and an afternoon of fun and games at Dusit Pattaya Hotel. Donations of clothes, shoes and medicines were also organised.
1Source: Board of Investment Thailand (BOI) & Department of Industrial Works (DIW)
