July 31, 2025 • 18 mins
Thailand is positioning itself as a new hotspot for semiconductor and microelectronics manufacturing, building on existing infrastructure and establishing key partnerships throughout the region. Managing editor Jillian McNichol shares insights from her recent trip to Thailand where she toured facilities and interviewed industry leaders about the country's ambitious plans.
• Thailand has been involved in assembly and test operations since 1996 through the Thai Microelectronics Center
• Currently Thailand is the 10th largest automobile exporter in the world, with a strong focus on power electronics
• Tariffs present significant challenges, with Thailand currently facing a 36% tariff rate for exports to the US
• The Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) is a key region for manufacturing, with industrial parks, universities, and port facilities
• Sustainability is a major focus, with Thailand aiming for net zero emissions by 2050
• Thailand is addressing talent shortages through university partnerships that prepare graduates for industry needs
• Strong alignment between government, companies, and educational institutions is driving Thailand's semiconductor strategy.
Learn more in Jillian's article, Thailand: An Emerging Force in the Semiconductor Supply Chain.
Learn more about the Thailand Board of Investment
Contact Jillian McNichol on LinkedIn
Become a sustaining member!
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Interested in reaching a qualified audience of microelectronics industry decision-makers? Invest in host-read advertisements, and promote your company in upcoming episodes. Contact Françoise von Trapp to learn more.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Francoise von Trapp (00:08):
Hi there, I'm Francoise von Trapp, and
this is the 3D Insights Podcast.
Hi everyone.
Now, if you read the 2025 3DInsights Yearbook, you may
recall the cover was abouthotspots and advanced packaging
around the globe, and we hadstories from the US, such as
(00:29):
Arizona and New York.
We had Europe, of course.
We had Southeast Asia,including the Philippines,
singapore and Vietnam, and thatwas just focused on advanced
packaging, and we know thatsemiconductor manufacturing
happens all around the world.
But did you know that Thailandis getting into the game and
positioning itself as a hotspotin semiconductor and
(00:51):
microelectronics manufacturing?
Recently, our managing editor,jillian McNichol, was invited by
the Thailand Board ofInvestment to tour Bangkok and
the surrounding region to learnabout the country's investment
in its infrastructure and visitsome of the key microelectronics
companies involved in thistransformation.
She just published an articleabout it on 3D Insights, and we
(01:12):
thought it would be great toexpand on that in a podcast
interview.
So here we are.
Welcome to the podcast, jillian.
Hi, thanks for having me.
I can't believe we haven't donethis before We've talked about
it and we never have but I thinkit seemed like a good time,
since this was something thatyou experienced and I have a lot
of questions about.
So let's just dive in.
(01:32):
But before we do, can you startby giving us a little bit of a
background on yourself?
Jillian McNichol (01:37):
Yeah, so, like you mentioned, I'm the managing
editor at 3D Insights.
For the last year or so, I'vebeen going to a lot of the
industry focused events and,other than that, I write a lot
of high level content that'sfocused on the semiconductor
industry, as well as some mildlytechnical articles that are
kind of geared more towardssupport roles like sales or
(02:00):
marketing or people who arenewer to the industry.
Francoise von Trapp (02:05):
And, of course, you focus a lot on AI or
what's being developed tosupport that.
Yeah, okay, so how did thistrip to Thailand come about then
?
Jillian McNichol (02:15):
Yeah, the Thailand Board of Investment
reached out to 3D Insightsasking if we wanted to be part
of their upcoming media trip inBangkok and the surrounding
regions, and it was a reallyquick turnaround.
I think I had about 10 days ofnotice.
So I agreed to the trip and Iwas super excited and 10 days
(02:37):
later I was in Thailand and Ihad a really great time.
So tell us about the trip whendid you go and what did you see?
Yeah, so we traveled throughBangkok, we traveled through the
EEC, the Eastern EconomicCorridor, we went to Pattaya
Beach and then we went back toBangkok.
So we were there for a wholeweek and we visited a mix of
(02:59):
places and companies, so largecompanies like Hanna
Semiconductor and KimballElectronics, and then local
companies like Silicon Craft,which didn't make it into the
article, unfortunately, but it'sThailand's first and only
semiconductor design company.
Francoise von Trapp (03:14):
Why do you think Thailand is suddenly
jumping on the semiconductormanufacturing bandwagon?
Jillian McNichol (03:19):
I wouldn't say that it's sudden.
I think they've been sort ofbuilding up to this for a while.
I know that they've been aplayer in assembly and test for
a while, and the ThaiMicroelectronics Center that I
did mention in the article.
They've been around since, Ithink, 1996.
But I will say that I do thinkThailand's government really is
starting to understand thatsemiconductors and other
(03:41):
advanced technologies are thefuture and they do want to be
competitive with other SoutheastAsian nations like Vietnam and
Indonesia, who are reallypropelling forward right now.
Francoise von Trapp (03:52):
It seems like a good time for them to get
involved.
In what way?
Jillian McNichol (03:55):
So they are really focused right now on
manufacturing in general.
So they do have a lot ofmanufacturing operations out
there that I was surprised tosee.
They're actually the number 10biggest exporter of automobiles
in the world and they do a lotof car manufacturing, and I
didn't really touch on that inthe article because I wanted to
(04:17):
focus it more on semiconductors.
In terms of specific thingsthat they're focusing on, power
electronics is a really big one.
Many of the really largecompanies like Delta and
Benchmark, who I didn't actuallyget to visit, they're leaders
in this area and they do have apretty strong presence in
Thailand.
And then I was also doing somedigging on this on my own and I
(04:39):
found a press release from theBOI from 2020 that actually
highlighted how investments inpower electronics were actually
higher in 2020 than they werebefore COVID, and it's
Thailand's most popular sector,so it's something that they're
really invested in.
Francoise von Trapp (04:58):
So do you think that's because automotive
electronics, especially aroundthe time of COVID, when there
was suddenly a shortage,electronics, especially around
the time of COVID, when therewas suddenly a shortage, it was
on the map for everybody andthey were able to ramp up.
Jillian McNichol (05:10):
Yeah, I think so.
Francoise von Trapp (05:17):
Okay, but in your opinion, after visiting
these places, what do you thinkare some of the challenges they
need to overcome to compete inthis industry?
Jillian McNichol (05:21):
I think right now, from my visit, I would say
that the tariffs are reallyimpacting them.
I know when I went, nobodyreally seemed that concerned
about tariffs.
Their strategy at that time andit's still their strategy now
but they were going to complywith the Trump administration to
(05:41):
ensure a favorable tariff rate.
But they're still at a 36%tariff rate as of today.
I just checked.
So that's really challenging,especially because the US is
their biggest export market.
I think it's about 18%, sothat's really tough on them.
So I think they understand theimportance of maintaining a
positive relationship with theUS despite these challenging
(06:05):
conditions and I think thetariff rate is really going to
impact a lot.
Francoise von Trapp (06:10):
And these are tariffs on power,
electronics, on everything.
Jillian McNichol (06:13):
On everything.
Francoise von Trapp (06:13):
I think yeah.
So they're exporting from aperspective of the semiconductor
industry.
They're exporting their powerelectronics to automotive
manufacturers.
The US isn't their only market.
Jillian McNichol (06:25):
No, not at all .
They export a lot allthroughout Asia and Europe as
well.
Francoise von Trapp (06:31):
Of all of the companies that you visited,
were they all based in Thailand,or were some overseas companies
that just have a presence there?
Jillian McNichol (06:39):
Some were based in Thailand.
So obviously the ThaiMicroelectronics Center is based
in Thailand.
The university is based inThailand, hanna Semiconductors
based in Thailand.
So obviously the ThaiMicroelectronics Center is based
in Thailand.
The university is based inThailand, hanna Semiconductors
based in Thailand, delta isTaiwanese and then Benchmark,
who I mentioned but did notvisit, is based here in Arizona.
Francoise von Trapp (06:59):
Right, and then there was also Kimball.
Jillian McNichol (07:01):
Kimball's, based in Indiana.
Francoise von Trapp (07:02):
Indiana.
In terms of the tariffs andtrade strategies, did anybody
say anything about companiesthat weren't based there having
a presence there and how thetariffs are going to impact them
?
Jillian McNichol (07:16):
Yes, kind of.
So a lot of the companiesreally did not seem concerned at
all whatsoever back in May withtariffs.
They thought that if theycomply they'll get a favorable
rate, it'll be fine,everything's good.
But you know, two months later,keeping up with the news, that
doesn't seem to be how it'sshaping up.
(07:37):
I did find an article and thisis not information that I
gathered myself, it'sinformation I found online their
Japanese and Chinese customersmoving over to a country like
Vietnam for manufacturinginstead, because Vietnam did get
(07:59):
a more favorable tariff rate.
So if something like that doesactually happen, it could really
impact Thailand's manufacturingindustry.
However, personally, from myexperience being there, I don't
think that will happen.
Francoise von Trapp (08:15):
But it seems like moving that stuff is
complicated, it is.
Jillian McNichol (08:19):
It is.
They did talk to me about thatat Kimball electronics, because
they do a lot of medical devicesand moving a medical device is
very, very difficult, and theydid highlight that.
If they have to find alternateroutes, um, they will, but it's
not ideal, it's not favorable,and if a life-saving device
(08:41):
needs to make it in America,then we're going to pay the
tariff anyway.
Francoise von Trapp (08:45):
Because I'm thinking Kimball is a US
company.
They're manufacturing inThailand and shipping the
devices to the United States, sothey still have to pay the
tariff, even though that they'rea US-based company.
I believe so, but I can't sayfor sure, it's very complicated.
Jillian McNichol (09:04):
It is, and it changes every day.
Francoise von Trapp (09:06):
You talk about in your article,
Thailand's Eastern EconomicCorridor as one of the keys to
Thailand's success.
Jillian McNichol (09:13):
Yes, so the EEC is actually a region within
Thailand and I did get to visitand there's a lot there.
So I didn't get to seeeverything there, but I did get
to see a lot.
I visited two industrial parkswithin the EEC that do have a
lot of manufacturing there, butit's not just semiconductors or
(09:35):
even electronics, it's cars,it's consumer goods, it's food.
We drove past the Biscoffcookie factory, which I guess is
in Thailand.
Did you bring any samples home?
I did not.
That wasn't a big part of ourtrip but yeah, I thought that
was really interesting.
And we also visited a localuniversity there that had the
(10:00):
first semiconductor R&D program.
And then we visited the ThaiMicroelectronics Center, which
has been there since, yeah,about 1996.
What else?
We visited Lam Chabang Port andwe attended a conference and
two industrial parks.
So what was the conferenceSubcon Thailand?
(10:22):
It was this conference thatbasically helped match
businesses with contractors.
So it was focused on multipledifferent technology
applications.
But we did go to the keynotesessions that were led by
prominent leaders in the Thaigovernment and we learned a lot
about their strategies for thesupply chain and for trade.
(10:42):
So that was one of my favoriteparts of the trip.
Francoise von Trapp (10:46):
So what did you learn, then, about their
supply chain approaches?
Jillian McNichol (10:50):
So their approach to their supply chain.
They have a very strategiclocation within Southeast Asia
because they basically are ableto connect China with the rest
of Southeast Asia just due totheir natural geographic
placement.
So what they're trying to do isexpand their infrastructure and
we did get to visit Lam ChabangPort, which is their biggest
(11:12):
port, and they're currentlyundergoing phase three expansion
right now.
So once they're able to do that, they'll be able to qualify to
be one of the top 10 busiestports in the world with the
amount of cargo that port willbe able to support Um.
So that was another really keypart of the trip that I really
enjoyed.
And they also have plans tobuild a land bridge to connect
(11:36):
Um.
That's Southern Thailand.
I didn't get to see that orvisit, I don't think they've
even started that yet, but theyhave plans to connect East
Thailand to West Thailand tokind of make the supply chain a
little bit easier, especiallybecause I understand the traffic
in that region is crazy, sothis will help bypass that.
Francoise von Trapp (11:54):
Wow, okay, two of the main semiconductor
industry pain points these daysincludes sustainability and also
the talent shortage, and in thearticle you talked a lot about
how Thailand is addressing thesechallenges.
Can you talk a little bit aboutthat?
Jillian McNichol (12:07):
Yeah.
So something that I was reallyinspired by when I went was how
so many people seem so excitedabout the possibilities of
renewable energy, and I thoughtthat was amazing and I loved
learning about that.
It's a huge focus for them,like they understand that in
(12:27):
order to develop their industry,they need to do it as
sustainably as possible, andthey do seem to have really
great alignment between theirgovernment as possible, and they
do seem to have really greatalignment between their
government, their companies andeven the university as well that
we visited seemed very on topof that.
So I think in the article Imentioned that they're trying to
(12:49):
reach net zero emissions by2050.
And I think that they willachieve that.
Francoise von Trapp (12:54):
In your article.
Yeah, you mentioned a quotefrom the head of marketing for
Delta.
Can you share that here?
What did he say?
Jillian McNichol (13:04):
He said that if ESG isn't top down then it's
greenwashing, and I rememberwhen he said that I was
viciously writing it down I waslike that is such a great quote
and it's so true.
And it just was reallyinspiring to me because, you
know, it's something that I careabout personally making sure
all of this is as sustainable aspossible, because we have to
(13:27):
consider the impact that all ofthis technology is going to have
on future generations.
And to hear that passion comefrom somebody who you know is
part of such a big company likethat, I thought that was really
special.
Francoise von Trapp (13:42):
And by top down meaning from the CEO.
Jillian McNichol (13:45):
Yeah, from the CEO, from the government down
to everybody else.
If they're not prioritizing ESG, then it's just marketing.
It's just marketing, it's justgreenwashing yeah.
Francoise von Trapp (13:54):
Yeah, and we do see a lot of that and we
hope that that's not going to bethe case.
Jillian McNichol (14:06):
Okay, and the other thing that we talk a lot
about is the talent shortage.
How are they handling that?
So a big way that they'rehandling the talent shortage is
through their university system.
So the one that we visited,ktiml.
It had the first eversemiconductor R&D center and
it's one of four universities, Ibelieve, that support
semiconductor manufacturing inThailand.
And something I found reallyinteresting about their programs
(14:27):
was how they work with thecompanies in Thailand to get a
sense of, okay, what does thiscompany need and how can we
prepare our graduates for realemployment within the Thai
microelectronics industry.
So I do think they're really ontop of that and their strategy,
in my opinion, seemed verysimilar to the one that ASU was
(14:49):
taking with the governments here.
It's still a challenge.
They did mention that it ishard to inspire Thai students to
go into engineering fields anda big reason for that is because
they don't fully understandwhat to do with their
engineering degrees and theytend to favor humanitarian
(15:09):
fields and go into that.
So there is kind of a pushright now to promote STEM
education to build the workforce.
Francoise von Trapp (15:16):
It sounds like a lot of places Mm-hmm.
How about the participation ofthe industry there in supporting
that?
Do they have companies workingin partnership with universities
, like we do here?
Jillian McNichol (15:29):
Yeah, that's a big part of the curriculum,
especially at KTIML.
I know that Delta mentionedthat they really like their
graduates because they're wellprepared for careers at Delta
Electronics, and I know HannaSemiconductor also works with
them as well, and a lot of thelocal companies do?
Francoise von Trapp (15:49):
Do they have internship programs that
they offer or anything like that?
I?
Jillian McNichol (15:52):
know that that's a big reason that the
Thai Microelectronics Centerexists.
It's actually agovernment-funded company that
provides sensor innovations andthey recruit master's and PhD
students to have that real-worldexperience Right.
Francoise von Trapp (16:11):
So what did you learn about Thailand by
visiting the country that youdidn't know before you went?
Jillian McNichol (16:17):
I mean, I think most of it is stuff that I
didn't know before you went.
I mean, I think most of it isstuff that I didn't know before
I went.
I guess Thailand was neverreally a country that was top of
mind for me in terms ofsemiconductor industry.
It has been a top of mindcountry for me in terms of
tourism.
I've been wanting to go to thebeaches in Thailand for, you
(16:38):
know, as long as I can think of.
I was really, you know,inspired and I don't know if
impressed is a good word to usebut I really enjoyed my time
there and I would love to goback at some point.
Francoise von Trapp (16:52):
And you were there for how many days?
Seven, a whole seven days,that's pretty good.
I mean, when I went to Japan, Iwas there for two and a half.
Jillian McNichol (16:58):
Well, it took me one day just to get there,
and one day to get back.
Francoise von Trapp (17:04):
So yeah, it was worthwhile for you then.
Jillian McNichol (17:07):
Oh yeah, for sure.
I mean, I think Thailand isreally on the right track.
I think they're doingeverything right.
I think they're doingeverything that they need to do.
They're aligned, which I thinkis the biggest thing that
alignment between the governmentand the companies and the
schools.
That's crucial because evenhere in Arizona, we've seen how
(17:29):
far that alignment can reallytake this industry.
And I think that alignment isso necessary because advancing
this is hard.
There's so many moving parts,especially, you know, to meet
the world's demand for AI, whichonly gets more aggressive by
the day, it feels like.
But I do think that the countryhas a really bright future
(17:51):
ahead of it and I'm so excitedto see how its industry shapes
up over time.
Francoise von Trapp (17:55):
Well, maybe they will have you back for an
update.
Maybe, That'd be great.
Okay, where can people go tolearn more?
Jillian McNichol (18:03):
They could visit the Thailand Board of
Investment website.
Francoise von Trapp (18:06):
We can put a link to it in the show notes
and we'll also put a link toyour article.
Perfect, yeah, okay, well,thanks for your time.
Well, thank you.
There's lots more to come, sotune in next time to the 3D
Insights Podcast.
The 3D Insights Podcast is aproduction of 3D Insights LLC.
Hi there, I'm Francoise von Trapp, and
this is the 3D Insights Podcast.
Hi everyone.
Now, if you read the 2025 3DInsights Yearbook, you may
recall the cover was abouthotspots and advanced packaging
around the globe, and we hadstories from the US, such as
(00:29):
Arizona and New York.
We had Europe, of course.
We had Southeast Asia,including the Philippines,
singapore and Vietnam, and thatwas just focused on advanced
packaging, and we know thatsemiconductor manufacturing
happens all around the world.
But did you know that Thailandis getting into the game and
positioning itself as a hotspotin semiconductor and
(00:51):
microelectronics manufacturing?
Recently, our managing editor,jillian McNichol, was invited by
the Thailand Board ofInvestment to tour Bangkok and
the surrounding region to learnabout the country's investment
in its infrastructure and visitsome of the key microelectronics
companies involved in thistransformation.
She just published an articleabout it on 3D Insights, and we
(01:12):
thought it would be great toexpand on that in a podcast
interview.
So here we are.
Welcome to the podcast, jillian.
Hi, thanks for having me.
I can't believe we haven't donethis before We've talked about
it and we never have but I thinkit seemed like a good time,
since this was something thatyou experienced and I have a lot
of questions about.
So let's just dive in.
(01:32):
But before we do, can you startby giving us a little bit of a
background on yourself?
Jillian McNichol (01:37):
Yeah, so, like you mentioned, I'm the managing
editor at 3D Insights.
For the last year or so, I'vebeen going to a lot of the
industry focused events and,other than that, I write a lot
of high level content that'sfocused on the semiconductor
industry, as well as some mildlytechnical articles that are
kind of geared more towardssupport roles like sales or
(02:00):
marketing or people who arenewer to the industry.
Francoise von Trapp (02:05):
And, of course, you focus a lot on AI or
what's being developed tosupport that.
Yeah, okay, so how did thistrip to Thailand come about then
?
Jillian McNichol (02:15):
Yeah, the Thailand Board of Investment
reached out to 3D Insightsasking if we wanted to be part
of their upcoming media trip inBangkok and the surrounding
regions, and it was a reallyquick turnaround.
I think I had about 10 days ofnotice.
So I agreed to the trip and Iwas super excited and 10 days
(02:37):
later I was in Thailand and Ihad a really great time.
So tell us about the trip whendid you go and what did you see?
Yeah, so we traveled throughBangkok, we traveled through the
EEC, the Eastern EconomicCorridor, we went to Pattaya
Beach and then we went back toBangkok.
So we were there for a wholeweek and we visited a mix of
(02:59):
places and companies, so largecompanies like Hanna
Semiconductor and KimballElectronics, and then local
companies like Silicon Craft,which didn't make it into the
article, unfortunately, but it'sThailand's first and only
semiconductor design company.
Francoise von Trapp (03:14):
Why do you think Thailand is suddenly
jumping on the semiconductormanufacturing bandwagon?
Jillian McNichol (03:19):
I wouldn't say that it's sudden.
I think they've been sort ofbuilding up to this for a while.
I know that they've been aplayer in assembly and test for
a while, and the ThaiMicroelectronics Center that I
did mention in the article.
They've been around since, Ithink, 1996.
But I will say that I do thinkThailand's government really is
starting to understand thatsemiconductors and other
(03:41):
advanced technologies are thefuture and they do want to be
competitive with other SoutheastAsian nations like Vietnam and
Indonesia, who are reallypropelling forward right now.
Francoise von Trapp (03:52):
It seems like a good time for them to get
involved.
In what way?
Jillian McNichol (03:55):
So they are really focused right now on
manufacturing in general.
So they do have a lot ofmanufacturing operations out
there that I was surprised tosee.
They're actually the number 10biggest exporter of automobiles
in the world and they do a lotof car manufacturing, and I
didn't really touch on that inthe article because I wanted to
(04:17):
focus it more on semiconductors.
In terms of specific thingsthat they're focusing on, power
electronics is a really big one.
Many of the really largecompanies like Delta and
Benchmark, who I didn't actuallyget to visit, they're leaders
in this area and they do have apretty strong presence in
Thailand.
And then I was also doing somedigging on this on my own and I
(04:39):
found a press release from theBOI from 2020 that actually
highlighted how investments inpower electronics were actually
higher in 2020 than they werebefore COVID, and it's
Thailand's most popular sector,so it's something that they're
really invested in.
Francoise von Trapp (04:58):
So do you think that's because automotive
electronics, especially aroundthe time of COVID, when there
was suddenly a shortage,electronics, especially around
the time of COVID, when therewas suddenly a shortage, it was
on the map for everybody andthey were able to ramp up.
Jillian McNichol (05:10):
Yeah, I think so.
Francoise von Trapp (05:17):
Okay, but in your opinion, after visiting
these places, what do you thinkare some of the challenges they
need to overcome to compete inthis industry?
Jillian McNichol (05:21):
I think right now, from my visit, I would say
that the tariffs are reallyimpacting them.
I know when I went, nobodyreally seemed that concerned
about tariffs.
Their strategy at that time andit's still their strategy now
but they were going to complywith the Trump administration to
(05:41):
ensure a favorable tariff rate.
But they're still at a 36%tariff rate as of today.
I just checked.
So that's really challenging,especially because the US is
their biggest export market.
I think it's about 18%, sothat's really tough on them.
So I think they understand theimportance of maintaining a
positive relationship with theUS despite these challenging
(06:05):
conditions and I think thetariff rate is really going to
impact a lot.
Francoise von Trapp (06:10):
And these are tariffs on power,
electronics, on everything.
Jillian McNichol (06:13):
On everything.
Francoise von Trapp (06:13):
I think yeah.
So they're exporting from aperspective of the semiconductor
industry.
They're exporting their powerelectronics to automotive
manufacturers.
The US isn't their only market.
Jillian McNichol (06:25):
No, not at all .
They export a lot allthroughout Asia and Europe as
well.
Francoise von Trapp (06:31):
Of all of the companies that you visited,
were they all based in Thailand,or were some overseas companies
that just have a presence there?
Jillian McNichol (06:39):
Some were based in Thailand.
So obviously the ThaiMicroelectronics Center is based
in Thailand.
The university is based inThailand, hanna Semiconductors
based in Thailand.
So obviously the ThaiMicroelectronics Center is based
in Thailand.
The university is based inThailand, hanna Semiconductors
based in Thailand, delta isTaiwanese and then Benchmark,
who I mentioned but did notvisit, is based here in Arizona.
Francoise von Trapp (06:59):
Right, and then there was also Kimball.
Jillian McNichol (07:01):
Kimball's, based in Indiana.
Francoise von Trapp (07:02):
Indiana.
In terms of the tariffs andtrade strategies, did anybody
say anything about companiesthat weren't based there having
a presence there and how thetariffs are going to impact them
?
Jillian McNichol (07:16):
Yes, kind of.
So a lot of the companiesreally did not seem concerned at
all whatsoever back in May withtariffs.
They thought that if theycomply they'll get a favorable
rate, it'll be fine,everything's good.
But you know, two months later,keeping up with the news, that
doesn't seem to be how it'sshaping up.
(07:37):
I did find an article and thisis not information that I
gathered myself, it'sinformation I found online their
Japanese and Chinese customersmoving over to a country like
Vietnam for manufacturinginstead, because Vietnam did get
(07:59):
a more favorable tariff rate.
So if something like that doesactually happen, it could really
impact Thailand's manufacturingindustry.
However, personally, from myexperience being there, I don't
think that will happen.
Francoise von Trapp (08:15):
But it seems like moving that stuff is
complicated, it is.
Jillian McNichol (08:19):
It is.
They did talk to me about thatat Kimball electronics, because
they do a lot of medical devicesand moving a medical device is
very, very difficult, and theydid highlight that.
If they have to find alternateroutes, um, they will, but it's
not ideal, it's not favorable,and if a life-saving device
(08:41):
needs to make it in America,then we're going to pay the
tariff anyway.
Francoise von Trapp (08:45):
Because I'm thinking Kimball is a US
company.
They're manufacturing inThailand and shipping the
devices to the United States, sothey still have to pay the
tariff, even though that they'rea US-based company.
I believe so, but I can't sayfor sure, it's very complicated.
Jillian McNichol (09:04):
It is, and it changes every day.
Francoise von Trapp (09:06):
You talk about in your article,
Thailand's Eastern EconomicCorridor as one of the keys to
Thailand's success.
Jillian McNichol (09:13):
Yes, so the EEC is actually a region within
Thailand and I did get to visitand there's a lot there.
So I didn't get to seeeverything there, but I did get
to see a lot.
I visited two industrial parkswithin the EEC that do have a
lot of manufacturing there, butit's not just semiconductors or
(09:35):
even electronics, it's cars,it's consumer goods, it's food.
We drove past the Biscoffcookie factory, which I guess is
in Thailand.
Did you bring any samples home?
I did not.
That wasn't a big part of ourtrip but yeah, I thought that
was really interesting.
And we also visited a localuniversity there that had the
(10:00):
first semiconductor R&D program.
And then we visited the ThaiMicroelectronics Center, which
has been there since, yeah,about 1996.
What else?
We visited Lam Chabang Port andwe attended a conference and
two industrial parks.
So what was the conferenceSubcon Thailand?
(10:22):
It was this conference thatbasically helped match
businesses with contractors.
So it was focused on multipledifferent technology
applications.
But we did go to the keynotesessions that were led by
prominent leaders in the Thaigovernment and we learned a lot
about their strategies for thesupply chain and for trade.
(10:42):
So that was one of my favoriteparts of the trip.
Francoise von Trapp (10:46):
So what did you learn, then, about their
supply chain approaches?
Jillian McNichol (10:50):
So their approach to their supply chain.
They have a very strategiclocation within Southeast Asia
because they basically are ableto connect China with the rest
of Southeast Asia just due totheir natural geographic
placement.
So what they're trying to do isexpand their infrastructure and
we did get to visit Lam ChabangPort, which is their biggest
(11:12):
port, and they're currentlyundergoing phase three expansion
right now.
So once they're able to do that, they'll be able to qualify to
be one of the top 10 busiestports in the world with the
amount of cargo that port willbe able to support Um.
So that was another really keypart of the trip that I really
enjoyed.
And they also have plans tobuild a land bridge to connect
(11:36):
Um.
That's Southern Thailand.
I didn't get to see that orvisit, I don't think they've
even started that yet, but theyhave plans to connect East
Thailand to West Thailand tokind of make the supply chain a
little bit easier, especiallybecause I understand the traffic
in that region is crazy, sothis will help bypass that.
Francoise von Trapp (11:54):
Wow, okay, two of the main semiconductor
industry pain points these daysincludes sustainability and also
the talent shortage, and in thearticle you talked a lot about
how Thailand is addressing thesechallenges.
Can you talk a little bit aboutthat?
Jillian McNichol (12:07):
Yeah.
So something that I was reallyinspired by when I went was how
so many people seem so excitedabout the possibilities of
renewable energy, and I thoughtthat was amazing and I loved
learning about that.
It's a huge focus for them,like they understand that in
(12:27):
order to develop their industry,they need to do it as
sustainably as possible, andthey do seem to have really
great alignment between theirgovernment as possible, and they
do seem to have really greatalignment between their
government, their companies andeven the university as well that
we visited seemed very on topof that.
So I think in the article Imentioned that they're trying to
(12:49):
reach net zero emissions by2050.
And I think that they willachieve that.
Francoise von Trapp (12:54):
In your article.
Yeah, you mentioned a quotefrom the head of marketing for
Delta.
Can you share that here?
What did he say?
Jillian McNichol (13:04):
He said that if ESG isn't top down then it's
greenwashing, and I rememberwhen he said that I was
viciously writing it down I waslike that is such a great quote
and it's so true.
And it just was reallyinspiring to me because, you
know, it's something that I careabout personally making sure
all of this is as sustainable aspossible, because we have to
(13:27):
consider the impact that all ofthis technology is going to have
on future generations.
And to hear that passion comefrom somebody who you know is
part of such a big company likethat, I thought that was really
special.
Francoise von Trapp (13:42):
And by top down meaning from the CEO.
Jillian McNichol (13:45):
Yeah, from the CEO, from the government down
to everybody else.
If they're not prioritizing ESG, then it's just marketing.
It's just marketing, it's justgreenwashing yeah.
Francoise von Trapp (13:54):
Yeah, and we do see a lot of that and we
hope that that's not going to bethe case.
Jillian McNichol (14:06):
Okay, and the other thing that we talk a lot
about is the talent shortage.
How are they handling that?
So a big way that they'rehandling the talent shortage is
through their university system.
So the one that we visited,ktiml.
It had the first eversemiconductor R&D center and
it's one of four universities, Ibelieve, that support
semiconductor manufacturing inThailand.
And something I found reallyinteresting about their programs
(14:27):
was how they work with thecompanies in Thailand to get a
sense of, okay, what does thiscompany need and how can we
prepare our graduates for realemployment within the Thai
microelectronics industry.
So I do think they're really ontop of that and their strategy,
in my opinion, seemed verysimilar to the one that ASU was
(14:49):
taking with the governments here.
It's still a challenge.
They did mention that it ishard to inspire Thai students to
go into engineering fields anda big reason for that is because
they don't fully understandwhat to do with their
engineering degrees and theytend to favor humanitarian
(15:09):
fields and go into that.
So there is kind of a pushright now to promote STEM
education to build the workforce.
Francoise von Trapp (15:16):
It sounds like a lot of places Mm-hmm.
How about the participation ofthe industry there in supporting
that?
Do they have companies workingin partnership with universities
, like we do here?
Jillian McNichol (15:29):
Yeah, that's a big part of the curriculum,
especially at KTIML.
I know that Delta mentionedthat they really like their
graduates because they're wellprepared for careers at Delta
Electronics, and I know HannaSemiconductor also works with
them as well, and a lot of thelocal companies do?
Francoise von Trapp (15:49):
Do they have internship programs that
they offer or anything like that?
I?
Jillian McNichol (15:52):
know that that's a big reason that the
Thai Microelectronics Centerexists.
It's actually agovernment-funded company that
provides sensor innovations andthey recruit master's and PhD
students to have that real-worldexperience Right.
Francoise von Trapp (16:11):
So what did you learn about Thailand by
visiting the country that youdidn't know before you went?
Jillian McNichol (16:17):
I mean, I think most of it is stuff that I
didn't know before you went.
I mean, I think most of it isstuff that I didn't know before
I went.
I guess Thailand was neverreally a country that was top of
mind for me in terms ofsemiconductor industry.
It has been a top of mindcountry for me in terms of
tourism.
I've been wanting to go to thebeaches in Thailand for, you
(16:38):
know, as long as I can think of.
I was really, you know,inspired and I don't know if
impressed is a good word to usebut I really enjoyed my time
there and I would love to goback at some point.
Francoise von Trapp (16:52):
And you were there for how many days?
Seven, a whole seven days,that's pretty good.
I mean, when I went to Japan, Iwas there for two and a half.
Jillian McNichol (16:58):
Well, it took me one day just to get there,
and one day to get back.
Francoise von Trapp (17:04):
So yeah, it was worthwhile for you then.
Jillian McNichol (17:07):
Oh yeah, for sure.
I mean, I think Thailand isreally on the right track.
I think they're doingeverything right.
I think they're doingeverything that they need to do.
They're aligned, which I thinkis the biggest thing that
alignment between the governmentand the companies and the
schools.
That's crucial because evenhere in Arizona, we've seen how
(17:29):
far that alignment can reallytake this industry.
And I think that alignment isso necessary because advancing
this is hard.
There's so many moving parts,especially, you know, to meet
the world's demand for AI, whichonly gets more aggressive by
the day, it feels like.
But I do think that the countryhas a really bright future
(17:51):
ahead of it and I'm so excitedto see how its industry shapes
up over time.
Francoise von Trapp (17:55):
Well, maybe they will have you back for an
update.
Maybe, That'd be great.
Okay, where can people go tolearn more?
Jillian McNichol (18:03):
They could visit the Thailand Board of
Investment website.
Francoise von Trapp (18:06):
We can put a link to it in the show notes
and we'll also put a link toyour article.
Perfect, yeah, okay, well,thanks for your time.
Well, thank you.
There's lots more to come, sotune in next time to the 3D
Insights Podcast.
The 3D Insights Podcast is aproduction of 3D Insights LLC.
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