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Thailand has a number of strong industry sectors that companies interested in doing business in this part of the world should take note of.
One is higher education. There are over 7000 Thais studying in the U.S., the most of any country. But the Australians, British and Canadians are working overtime to woo more students, realizing that they pay full tuition and develop connections for a lifetime. The soft power of the product\\'s producer is channeled through the graduate.
Americans, according to people here, are conceding their edge because their universities are reluctant to work with Thai agents, who often represent families in navigating the applicant through the process. The competitors have no such qualms, and have set up offices in Bangkok to reach out to the agents and their clients. It\\'s not that there\\'s anything underhanded about the agents; it seems that they are just agents.
Defense is also big here and the U.S. again has the edge, not just the big arms suppliers but hundreds of smaller companies that supply both lethal and non-lethal stuff. The coup caused a suspension of some U.S. Military aid, but in this part of the world policy pragmatism trumps principle, at least in the longer term.
Medical tourism is a $100 billion a year industry, with patients, especially from the Middle East, arriving for treatment of heart ailments and diabetes. Americans and Europeans come for cut-rate plastic surgery, long a specialty here. Such big business generates demand for medical equipment and associated services, in particular software that helps keep track of the influx of new patients.
A word of caution, and this applies to all sectors. The uncertainty created by the coup is reverberating down to purchasing decisions for non-critical product and service lines. Offers to sell may be met with a polite, but firm "Let\\'s wait \\'till things play out."
Some things are going ahead including a plan to build several new higher speed railway lines, one of which will reach near the border with China. Of course the Chinese are hoping to get the bid, but they\\'ll have to contend with the Japanese, French, Spanish and Germans, all of whom know a thing or two about high speed rail. The Germans were the last to score when Siemens got the order to build a rail line from Bangkok to the international airport, all of which is elevated and costs passengers a dollar to get back and forth.
While the U.S. is no longer competitive in building these systems, it can supply signaling, freight cars and associated hardware. Subcontracted engineering and contracting services also may be in the mix.
Three Advantages
For Americans interested in setting up shop here there are three advantages. First is the amity treaty between the U.S. and Thailand, which allows U.S. Investors to own 100 percent of the enterprise. For other nationalities, the max is 51 percent.
The second advantage is that Thailand is a founding member of ASEAN, a loose economic union for Southeast Asia. As such, goods exported from here and meeting rules of origin can enter member markets duty free.
A third advantage is the sizable diplomatic presence of the U.S. Government. At the embassy located on Bangkok’s Wireless Road, a misnomer considering it is criss-crossed with every kind of wire, U.S. companies can get information about government funded projects and can locate distributors and other buyers for their products and services.
So given the un-Buddhist penchant for turmoil plus a dollop of protectionism, corruption, and laizez faire IP protection, Thailand is not a market for the neophyte exporter to make a quick killing. But it has come a long way since your WPG correspondent first visited 40 years ago. About the only things that haven\\'t changed are the reverend King and Queen, both now in their 80\\'s but as opaque and consequential as ever.
| Product Model | Inside Diameter | Outside Diameter | Thickness |
| PBMF182516M1G1 bearing | 18 | 25 | 16 |
| PBMF182512M1G1 bearing | 18 | 25 | 12 |