Roles of Technology in the Development of Ceramic Industry for Export

Abstract

Technology has been playing a very important role in almost every business. Its meaning involves all the techniques that we use to accomplish our objectives and goals. Ceramic technology is among of those which we try to transform raw material or non-living things to become useful ceramic products. The objective of this research is to study its market and exportable potential, the possibility of relying on its own technology and the appropriate of the current technology as well. New ceramic which needs the high technology in order to produce the industrial products such as automobile’s parts, machinery and equipment is also a great concerned. Besides, all the problems in producing, developing and exporting are studied and that will be proposed to the government in order to promote ceramic industry for export. The method used for researching is to collect and analyse primary and secondary data by interviewing twenty-one ceramic industrial producers in four areas; Bangkok, Pathum Thai, Lampang and Chiang Mai. It is proved that ceramic has become more and more important as being a very good exportable product. The most one is floor-tile and wall-tile. The second is kitchen utensil, sanitary-ware, souvenir and ornament. Our markets are U.S.A., Australia, Singapore, West Germany, France, Hong Kong, Canada and Japan. The production technology of ceramic is being considered relying on itself by gaining from their ancestor, experience or being trained by the government’s expertise. There are two different opinions about the possibility of developing into a new ceramic. The high technology industrial producers believe that it is more likely to be possible, while the lower technology industrial producers think that it may be or may be not due to the lack of high quality raw material, capital, market and the skillful labor. Other problems for ceramic industry are machinery, technology, competition and the product quality. When we look at those problems existing in ceramic industry, we may say that the government should play a very important role in giving the big support and help to this kind of industry.