BANGKOK, Aug 19 (TNA) — The Office of Small and Medium Enterprises Promotion (OSMEP) and Thai Aviation Industries Co (TAI) are supporting local small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to supply parts for aircraft maintenance.
OSMEP director-general Veerapong Malai said the SMEs that were members of the Thai Subcontracting Promotion Association were improving their capabilities to supply parts for the aircraft maintenance business of TAI after their representatives had inspection trips at aircraft maintenance centers in Nakhon Sawan and Lop Buri provinces.
Parts from the SMEs would soon form about 30% of whole aircraft that TAI maintained and the percentage would be increasing, Mr Veerapong said.
OSMEP and TAI would propose a policy that would encourage governmental organizations to use the local parts for their aircraft maintenance and the SMEs would receive a special favor in vying for aircraft part supply contracts with the right to quote prices 10% higher than the lowest quotation in each bidding contest, he said.
The air force hires TAI 4.5 billion baht a year to maintain its aircraft.
TAI managing director ACM Siripol Sirisap said TAI and the Directorate of Aeronautical Engineering would transfer their technology and production expertise to Thai SMEs, especially those concerning the equipment that did not require high technology. (TNA)
