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Published on February 26, 2008

The world's top manufacturer of camera shutters, Nidec Copal, is establishing a design centre in Bangkok, president Shigeru Izawa said.

Izawa said it would take more than a year to open the centre, but the company was determined to do so and had been planning the move for three years.

"There are still some difficulties, such as communications. Local designers have to work with customers who speak Japanese," Izawa said.

Nidec Copal aims to establish a design centre in Shanghai as well, but Bangkok will be first, he said. For each of the past three years, the company has trained two of its Thailand staff in design at its Japan HQ.

The company claims a 70-per-cent share of the world's camera-shutter market.

Its largest manufacturing presence is here in Thailand, although it has expanded into China, Vietnam, Malaysia and the Philippines recently.

Izawa said the company had put Thailand at the top of its growth plans, followed by China and Vietnam.

"China may be growing fast, but there are some risks ... after the Olympics, the economy may fall. Vietnam is facing higher costs of living," he said.

"However, the baht is too strong and it has affected profitability. As an investor, we hope the government can soften or stabilise the baht." Izawa said Thailand had advantages in terms of its friendliness towards foreign investors. However, the country's workforce needed to be more determined to compete in world markets.

"Six years ago, we tried to create internal competition within group subsidiaries, but Thais have not been aggressive. I don't know why. Probably Thailand is too jai dee in its culture and against being aggressive," he said.

The company's Thai factories produce shutters, lens units and micro motors for digital cameras and mobile phones. They employ about 7,000. This accounts for more than 40 per cent of its total workforce worldwide. The subsidiary has annual revenue of Bt10 billion.

Its China plants employ 3,200. They make precision metal parts and shutters for digital cameras, mobile phones and printers. In Vietnam, 4,500 people make electronic components like micro motors.

Izawa was president of the Thailand subsidiary between 2001 and 2005.

"At the time, Thailand was not yet No 1 in shutters. It was producing only 700,000 units a month and employed 5,000. Now, production has increased by 10 times to 7 million units," he told those attending last week's opening of the company's Bt600-million fourth factory at the Nava Nakorn Industrial Estate in Pathum Thani.

"From Thailand to president of the group - this is a feeling that's very hard to explain."

Izawa said the Thailand operations were always being improved and upgraded.

The operation has increased 10-fold to 200 the number of university graduates it employs.

Despite a huge increase in production, staff numbers are down on a peak of 10,000 two years ago, he said.

The company introduced automation, reduced production losses and improved manufacturing systems. It increased in-house production of parts and components, he said.

The company recently commenced production of Blu-ray drive components for Sony Playstation consoles.

Pichaya Changsorn

The Nation