Thailand
Cambodia: Thai companies seek local partners in networking event
About 20 Thai firms specialising in home appliances, auto parts, electric components, and electronics took part in a business matching event in Phnom Penh yesterday.
Representatives of the companies travelled to the Kingdom to find local partners at the ‘2019 Bangkok Refrigeration, Heating, Ventilation and Air-Conditioning’ and the ‘Bangkok Electric and Electronics Show’, which were held yesterday.
Speaking at the event, Witt Maneenetr, deputy director general of Thailand’s general directorate of international trade promotion, said that about 20 Thai companies attended the event to invest and find partners in Cambodia.
Mr Maneenetr said that in the face of growing uncertainty in global trade, Thailand is eager to strengthen trade cooperation with fellow Asean member states. He said Thai firms are not only bringing quality products into Asean countries, but are also introducing new technologies into these markets.
“We export air-conditioners, refrigerators, electronics, and auto parts, aiming to produce high-quality goods that meet the needs of Cambodian customers and the globe,” Mr Maneenetr said.
From January to November 2018, Thailand exported $5 billion worth of air-conditioners and refrigerators to the global market, of which about 25 percent ($1.2 billion) was sent to countries in Southeast Asia. Cambodia alone imported $16 million in air-conditioners from Thailand last year, Mr Maneenetr said.
In 2017, Thailand produced 12.4 million air-conditioning units, 85 percent of which were sent abroad. It produced 6.1 million refrigerators, with 75 percent being exported.
Thara Yoon, president of Thai Asco Brake, a Thai manufacturer of master cylinders for vehicles, told Khmer Times that he hopes the event will help his company find a local partner that can distribute their products, which are not available here yet.
“This is a big market for us, but Cambodians are not familiar with our products yet.
“We don’t have plans yet to set an office in Cambodia. We are only seeking partners and distributors,” he said.
Siriluck Vongsurbchart, export sales manager at Sinsomboon Trading, a supplier of home appliances, said demand in Cambodia for their products is high, adding that last year the company exported about $2 million worth of products here.
“We are now looking for partners in Cambodia,” Ms Vongsurbchart added.
Source: https://www.khmertimeskh.com/50569628/thai-companies-seek-local-partners-in-networking-event/