PUBLISHER’S MESSAGE
PUBLISHER & EDITOR-IN-CHIEF DWIGHT A. CHIAVETTA dwight@logistics-manager.com STAFF WRITERS PHUBET BOONRASRI phubet@logistics-manager.com SARANYA APICHAIPAISAN saranya@logistics-manager.com PANTHITA PHENSAWANG panthita@logistics-manager.com CHATCHAYA JIANWATVATANA chatchaya@logistics-manager.com CONTRIBUTING WRITERS DANNY GILL danny@logistics-manager.com
AEC’s Initial Year to Bring About Much Needed Changes WITH THE ADVENT OF THE AEC THIS YEAR, THE SOUTHEAST ASIAN REGION IS IN FOR SOME CHANGES AHEAD. The end goal of this pact is economic integration. To reach that goal, many steps must be taken beforehand. One of the largest and most transformative changes will be the modernization of the customs regulations between countries. Currently, each country’s regulations can vary wildly from one to the next. This only brings about further challenges to a shipper that has to deal with unpaved roads, one-way highways, transferring cargo and switching drivers at the border, amongst other obstacles. Tariffs between some of the countries have thankfully already been eliminated, besides a few stragglers still having not made the appropriate changes. As the AEC countries develop, problems with regulation and infrastructure will likely be reduced. Supply chains are already beginning to interconnect as well. The slogan “made in AEC” has become a reality, to some extent. For example, Mazda began assembly of one of its cars in Thailand with parts made in the Philippines and Indonesia. They are able to lower costs by utilizing neighboring countries for labor-intensive steps to some of the region’s lesser-developed nations. Thailand is still poised to be one of the largest beneficiaries of the AEC, becoming an even more attractive and competitive production base. The entire region could eventually take over for China as the new factory of the world. Ready or not, the economic union that the AEC hopes to become can be an engine of change and growth for the region, and in turn transform the business and face of the Southeast Asian region as we know it.
ART & DESIGN DIRECTOR PRAPAKORN SONWONG prapakorn@logistics-manager.com GRAPHIC DESIGNER SURALAI KHONSALAD suralai@logistics-manager.com FINANCE DIRECTOR ORAWAN WONGTAN orawan@logistics-manager.com ACCOUNTING ASSOCIATE KANJANA MESUB kanjana@logistics-manager.com ADVERTISING TRAFFIC COORDINATOR SUPATTRA PRAPAIBOON supattra@logistics-manager.com CIRCULATION ASSOCIATE NAREENART WANNAPIRUN nareenart@logistics-manager.com INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY MATTHEW GALLYER matthew@logistics-manager.com
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