Thailand urged to make move into smart production

Thailand must accelerate its transformation towards Industry 4.0, from traditional manufacturing to a regional hub for smart production, to remain globally competitive through the integration of artificial intelligence (AI), semiconductors, and photonics technology, according to a leading manufacturer of optical and photonic products.

- SUCHIT LEESA-NGUANSUK

"Thai manufacturing cannot remain anchored to traditional methods, or it will fall behind in the shift to Industry 4.0," Prong Kongsubto, senior director — chief of staff and external affairs, at Lumentum, said yesterday at a seminar at Nepcon Thailand 2025, an electronics manufacturing event being held in Bangkok.

Industry 4.0 does not involve just Internet of Things or automation, but is also about connected intelligence systems, data analytics, real-time decision-making, and the convergence of digital systems with production systems, he said.

"Industry 4.0 is a survival path for Thai manufacturing. This transformation requires the integration of three critical technologies: Al serving as the brain for learning, analysis, and decision-making; semiconductors, functioning as the nervous system to detect signals and control machinery; and photonics, acting as the circulatory system that transmits data at the speed of light to enable seamless connectivity," said Mr Prong.

If these three technologies can be effectively integrated, Thai factories will evolve beyond production lines to think, analyse, and respond in real time, he said.