showroom you might have the whole product range on display. From South Africa, North America, whether you want a Ford Fiesta or a Ford Ranger, you know exactly what you are getting.” The company has been operating in Thailand, mainly for exports, for 12 years. While Japan has been an important base in the hemisphere, the regional headquarters has been in Singapore. Now with more manufacturers establishing themselves here and Thailand and the surrounding region growing fast, there is impetus to expand operations locally, regionally and internationally. Auto customers with extensive operations here include Ford, GM and the Japanese manufacturers. And while the market is rapidly evolving here, growth is also marked in Indonesia, the Philippines, as well as in Myanmar, Cambodia, Vietnam and Malaysia. While Singapore remains important, Thailand is an ideal base for expanding operations in the region.
Playing into their hands is the fact the Wallenius Wilhelmsen provides services more specialised and technically involved than normal container shipping. “Cars are an important part of what we do, but perhaps even more important is what we call rolling equipment: construction machinery, agricultural machinery, trucks. We feel that in Southeast Asia there’s huge growth there. There are established manufacturers, loyal customers that we have contracts with in many other places in the world.” Cars and rolling stock comprise 41 and 47 percent, respectively, of ocean revenue, with breakbulk providing a further 12 percent. “Breakbulk,” Mr Befring explains, “is the high-value cargo that doesn’t fit in a shipping container.” This might include power generators, for example, or machinery for infrastructure development or mining, even yachts and trains. “The
Thai-Norwegian Business Review
37