Media visits EEC area to examine digital success

Reporters were able to look closely at how digital technology and innovations were improving product development, production processes, services and marketing, upgrading capabilities effectively and adding value to both agricultural and industrial sectors supported by depa.

Dr. Natthaphon Nimmanacharin, the agency’s president and chief executive, noted that depa is promoting digital entrepreneurs by providing support and funds and took the media to visit entrepreneurs and start-up groups funded and subsidised through the digital transformation fund, digital coupons and mini transformation vouchers. Stops included Suksomboon Palm Oil Industry, which manufactures and distributes palm oil, and Tevada Corp, an expert in agricultural unmanned aircraft technology or drones. Both offered a demonstration of how digital technology was being applied in business management to develop efficiency.

Chachoengsao province-based Tevada Corp is a start-up that uses unmanned aircraft technology for a complete range of services such as a high-precision agriculture and intelligent air transport. The company has some 14-years expertise in small aircraft and drones as well as in electrical systems, electronics and software and provides agricultural drones services, including drones for various spraying of liquids, sowing seeds and fertilizer and the surveillance of plant health with a multispectral camera.

The company also provides plant health analysis services with drones, agricultural measuring instruments and a weather station monitoring service that uses ambient weather conditions such as temperature, humidity, wind direction and air pressure for data analysis through software and cloud server systems. It also offers a comprehensive agricultural management program, Farm Style, and air transportation system development services with drones. Depa’s support comes through the mini transformation voucher project.

Suksomboon Palm Oil Company, meanwhile, is a manufacturer and distributor of palm oil that uses digital technology. Its Palm Oil and Plant Management System, RSPO and Intelligent Transportation Digital Platform: Smart RSPO Palm Oil Plantation and Logistic Management for Palm Plant Management from upstream to downstream is an app that manages the maintenance garden, cuts production, summarizes the amount of production and forecasts the next production cycle and uses a smartphone to store data in the palms.

All farmers have to do is walk to the palm tree and print information through the application. Various data will be collected before being sent to the central hub at the company's head office. Through its digital technology, the company helps solve problems for farmers in many areas such as lack of record of palm plantation management, problems with the extraction plant and lack of (FFB) raw material input to the production system and can also help farmers to receive higher returns since they are able to lower the cost of palm production and also reduce labor costs at the same time. The company receives funding from depa under the depa digital transformation fund project.