| Thailand’s infrastructure development is the responsibility
of the Ministry of Transport. In recent years, the Ministry
has attempted to develop many infrastructure projects to make
transportation as convenient as possible, with roads being the
major focus of most development. Over the past few years, there
have been many road construction and development projects.
Additionally, waterway facilities have been developed, such
as digging deeper water channels and building higher bridges
to allow easier ship passage.
The Ministry has not resolved the issue of rail
transportation, which continues to lack a procurement
and investment budget. One factor that could be causing
this is the continuing loss in the business performance
of Thailand’s railways. There are currently not enough
locomotives or wagons to meet demand resulting in delays
and poor performance. Many Thai cargo companies in the
South prefer to ship to Malaysia, which offers a more
economical alternative to shipping to Bangkok. The lack
of efficient and reliable train service hurts the development
of an efficient and complete logistics infrastructure.
It is therefore important that every mode of
transportation be efficient and support the
other modes to ensure a complete logistics system.
The government is eager to make progress on this and
is attempting to push forward with new logistics development
projects.
Additionally, human resources play an
important role in logistics development.
Presently, there are many organizations
that hold logistics training, including
the BSAA. In February 2007, the Cabinet
approved the Thailand Logistics Development
Strategic Plan (B.E. 2550-2554). The purpose
of this plan is to lower the logistics cost
per GDP from 19 percent in 2005 to 16 percent
in 2011.
Established in March 2005 with 16 founding organizations,
the Thai Logistics Federation acts as a mouthpiece for the
private sector. However, the association’s rules state that
the association cannot be a member of any federation; so,
many associations including the BSAA have had to withdraw
from the membership.
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