Promoting small business with digital technology
Play
As part of its digital economy policy, the Department of Industrial Promotion announced this year plans it called ''Digital SMEs'' and ''DIP Digital Knowledge.''
It will spend Bt170 million – including Bt100 million for the DIP digital knowledge project – while spending Bt70 million on ‘‘Digital SMEs’’. The move is in line with the government’s policy for a digital economy policy.
Arthit Wuthikaro, director of the Department of Industrial Promotion, said the department plans to promote SMEs through digital technologies. This year, DIP’s Digital SMEs will have four main projects: the New Digital Entrepreneur; IT for Smart SMEs; Digital for OTOP (One tambon, one product); and the Digital Service Provider.
Arthit said New Digital Entrepreneur is a project to incubate SMEs to become digital SMEs within business and technology. This year DIP expects to build 500 new digital SMEs through this project. Meanwhile, he added, the department also plans to help create 1,000 new entrepreneurs across industries.
IT for Smart SMEs is an existing project of DIP. This year, it will continue to provide technologies, training and consultancy, to help SMEs increase their business performance and competitiveness with the use of IT, aiming to help more than 580 SMEs.
Digital for OTOP is a project designed specially for Otop businesses. It also offers training and consulting on the use of IT to improve doing business. It aims to assist around 340 Otop businesses nationwide this year.
Digital Service Provider is a project to empower IT service-providers to further help to SMEs and Otop. The department aims to build 60 IT service providers this year.
Arthit said the department also plans to offer DIP’s digital services under the DIP digital knowledge plan. Under the plan, all services of DIP such as e-information, e-seminar, e-learning, e-best case, e-consult, and media services will be available in digital format, allowing SMEs and Otops to access them remotely.
“DIP’s digital services will serve all 3 million SMEs instantly and efficiently, instead of assisting 12,000 SMEs, 6,000 manufacturers and 5,000 people through offline services.
“Our plans are in line with the government’s digital economy policy, helping SMEs to become digital SMEs or intelligence SMEs,” said Arthit.
Meanwhile, Industry Minister Jakramon Phasukwanit said the
digital economy would lead to change in the social system – and interactive change in the competition platform and business model. The role of the Industry Ministry is to help Thai industries, especially SMEs, to have digital capabilities providing competitive advantages in the
digital era.
“We can help SMEs to take advantage of digital technologies in many ways, such as to help them reduce costs of operation while increasing competitiveness.
“For example, we can instantly start educating SMEs to benefit from doing e-commerce. We can empower SMEs by helping to transform them to be digital SMEs,” said Jakramon.
