Sumipol enters a new era as “Company of Agile Technology”
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Mr. Thongpol Oulapathon, Executive Director of Sumipol Corporation Limited and Director of Sumipol Institute of Manufacturing Technology (SIMTec), shared his vision for the company’s new era as an agile technology company.
Today's customer needs are diverse and changing rapidly. Upon the arrival of digital technology that will change the manufacturing process and the world after COVID-19, manufacturers need to adapt to produce products that can meet these needs, focusing not only on the final product, but also the whole manufacturing process.
Sumipol Corporation Limited is one of the companies realizing that these needs will lead to the future of manufacturing: agile manufacturing.
“Agile Manufacturing is a form of manufacturing that equips a company with the manufacturing capabilities, tools, and skills to respond quickly, nimbly, and flexibly to the ever-changing market demands while maintaining product quality.”
According to Mr. Thongpol Oulapathon, "agile" is a term that has been used frequently in start-up and technology businesses over the last five years because agility and adaptive speed are critical for a business. More importantly, there must be both agility and sustainability. In fact, every change necessitates caution. As a result, this concept has both advantages and disadvantages. Some businesses are so afraid of change that they don't change at all, while others change too quickly.
Sumipol was once a small business. We identified issues based on our interactions with customers. Many factors contributed to the need for change, including technology and various drawbacks. So, prior to the coronavirus outbreak, Sumipol has been adapting to provide solutions that could help customers remain competitive in the market.
As a result, Sumipol has been prepared to lead the way into the new year of 2022 as "the Company of Agile Technology."
Sumipol offers a comprehensive range of machinery, manufacturing tools and equipment, as well as automation and robotics integration. We provide one-stop service by introducing new technologies for increasing efficiency and lowering production costs, assisting customers in their transition to Industry 4.0 and digital transformation for long-term growth. We concentrate on selecting and developing service innovations to meet changing customer needs following the COVID-19 crisis, upgrading work processes, and developing personnel to work effectively in the following ways:
- E-Commerce: Increase sales, meet real demands, maintain high standards, build trust and satisfaction, expand customer base to other industries, and launch online channels for convenience in accordance with modern procurement.
- Production Process by Visualizaton: Demonstrate the superiority of products and services for all applications. Aim to benefit and support customer success through integrated services organized into three major work groups: machining solution, measuring solution, and factory automation & IoT solution, as well as general factory equipment and productivity engineering presentation with real-time process diagnostics.
- Manage logistics and inventory systems using technology to track deliveries accurately, on time, and efficiently while reducing inventory as needed.
- Digital Transformation: Develop technology and promote the use of digital tools to improve work efficiency and customer service. The new ERP system and online sales system are being implemented to support the company's growth.
- Sumipol Institute of Manufacturing Technology collaborates with manufacturers in each field to create new respectable courses that meet higher standards. It also offers personnel development training to customers and target groups such as teachers, instructors, trainers, and students in order for them to gain knowledge and skills in the use of modern manufacturing technology. It also works with both public and private organizations to provide a variety of services.
- Support operations with its affiliates, P1 Automation Limited and Technimal Company Limited, the smart manufacturing systems businesses, branching out to the automation era in accordance with the industrial sector's development guidelines, particularly for system integrator products within the integration of manufacturing automation toward Industry 4.0.
The origin of “Company of Agile Technology”
Mr. Thongpol revealed that during the COVID-19 pandemic, Sumipol saw a variety of business and industrial sectors, including factories that recovered quickly and those that did not. We assisted many entrepreneurs and discovered that technology enabled us to help them significantly improve their situation.
These encounters sparked the idea that technology is essential in all manufacturing processes, which led to our main concept of being a "Company of Agile Technology" in order to reinforce our value to customers and industry. We are a company with specialists in various fields of the manufacturing industry, not just a company that sells products. We understand how to apply technology to each situation in order to make the production line as efficient and competitive as possible.
We currently have around 10,000 customers, the majority of whom are in the automotive, mold, and electronics industries. Some of our clients work in other industries.
However, we plan to grow our company in order to broaden our primary customer base. Our efforts will be focused on the medical device, food, and agriculture industries. As a "company of agile technology," we are able to seek solutions for customers in a variety of fields using technology that is not limited to products sold in the past, such as:
#Factory IoT (Lean)
Factory IoT (Lean) is a system that collects data, tracks values from various machines or sensors, and displays machine status over the Internet in real time. The information is accessible from any location using a variety of devices such as computers, tablets, and smartphones, allowing productivity to be developed and improved for better performances. It can also be designed to achieve a stable operation while maintaining a manageable investment.
#Robotics & Automation Design
Robotics & Automation Design is a service that creates an automation system that is appropriate for manufacturing problems and the customer's budget. Assembling, installing, and connecting mechanical operations, automation, and robots to the manufacturing control system are all part of it. Its purpose is to increase manufacturing capacity.
#In-Line Inspection
In-Line Inspection assesses the current manufacturing process, including problems of machine operation, cutting time, wear and tear, and service life. It prioritizes the issues and builds cost-effective plans for manufacturing improvement and development.
#Cloud Manufacturing ERP
Cloud Manfuacturing EPRis managed with the most recent version of CLOUD ERP (ST1) (Enterprise Resource Planning), which is constantly updated to plan the variety and inventory based on manufacturing trends and customer needs. It is capable of responding to the manufacturing process in a continuous and efficient manner, as well as managing manufacturing and storage costs.
#Smart Cold Chain Storage
Smart Cold Chain Storage is a project that aims to transport special items or materials that must be kept at a specific temperature. This solution ensures transport quality by connecting IoT devices and sending an immediate alert if a problem arises.
#Smart Water Management
การบริหารจัดการน้ำในภาคอุตสาหกรรม ช่วยเพิ่มความแม่นยําในการตรวจสอบคุณภาพน้ำแบบ Real-time ให้ตรงตามความต้องการของแต่ละโรงงาน และสามารถพัฒนาแผนจัดการคุณภาพน้ำได้อย่างมีประสิทธิภาพ
โดยที่ผ่านมาทีมวิศวกรรมได้เข้าไปดําเนินการและให้คําปรึกษาในเรื่องระบบการเชื่อมต่ออุปกรณ์ IoT การวางระบบ IoT เพื่อดึงข้อมูลจากเครื่องจักร และนําข้อมูลมาประมวลผลดูประสิทธิภาพในการผลิต และระบบ ERP System ให้แก่หน่วยงานต่าง ๆ อาทิ โรงงานสกัดน้ำมันปาล์มดิบ ธุรกิจผลิตและจัดจําหน่ายเครื่องจักรกลทางการเกษตร ธุรกิจผลิตสินค้าอุปโภคบริโภค ธุรกิจผลิตชิ้นส่วนยานยนต์ อะไหล่รถยนต์ การผลิตชิ้นส่วนและอุปกรณ์เสริมอื่น ๆ สําหรับยานยนต์ เป็นต้น
"Human" is an important tool for achieving success with technology
In addition to finding solutions to customers' problems, human resources or personnel who are knowledgeable about how to use technology to solve problems, such as digital technology, automation, and so on, are essential. The process of identifying problems is just as important as the use of technology. Each customer who manufactures the same product at the same capacity may not be experiencing the same issue.
At Sumipol, we focus on developing five qualities in our employees: trust, customer centricity, growth mindset, productivity, and unity.
Agile technology is primarily concerned with the development of our workforce. As a result, we provide training on necessary skills such as sales and service, which we have been doing on a regular basis. Another critical component is to increase every sales and support employee's knowledge and understanding of products and services so that they see the benefits of teamwork and become a force that will help promote and support the entire sales system's effectiveness.
Because people are the driving force behind businesses and industries, "personnel development" is critical now and in the future. So it is our mission to establish the Sumipol Institute of Manufacturing Technology (SIMTec), which represents a significant investment by the company.
Mr. Thongphol stated that, despite the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020-2021, SIMTec continued to carry out their mission and collaborated with government agencies such as the Digital Economy Promotion Agency (DEPA) and the Association for Overseas Technical Cooperation and Sustainable Partnerships in Japan to develop SIMTec courses to meet the needs of the industry, with a total of 3,216 participants.
- SIMTec จับมือ Depa และ TNI เปิดอัพสกิลสาย Digital manufacturing & IoT Program
- คนว่างงานมีเฮ ! เปิดโอกาส Upskill ด้าน Digital manufacturing & IoT Program เพื่อก้าวสู่ industry 4.0 (ฟรี)
Mr. Thongpol emphasized that the main issue for Thai entrepreneurs moving forward in the midst of change is "personnel." They will be able to focus their efforts if they can identify the company's strengths and weaknesses. After that, they will need to expand on their ideas. Of course, the ideas will come from the personnel.