Oil and gas, chemicals and utilities are the top three industries adopting 4IR in the country.

Naveen Menon, Cisco’s president for Asean, said that manufacturing is a core driver of economic growth for the region, contributing about US$60 billion (Bt192 billion) or around 21 per cent, to the region’s 2018 gross domestic product. He expected it to double to $1.4 trillion by 2028.

Asean has about $250 billion to $275 billion in incremental value at stake by 2028, a 35-40 per cent increase in manufacturing value addition (MVA) from gains in productivity and unlocking additional revenue stream such as new products and quality improvements by embracing 4IR technologies.

He added that Thailand is one of the top three countries behind Singapore and Malaysia at a stage of development for 4IR readiness in the areas of technology and innovation, human capital, global trade investment, institutional framework such as government policy and support, sustainable resources and environment.

However, there are five key technologies that help the manufacturing sector adopt and transform into 4IR: Internet of Things, artificial intelligence, 3D printing, advanced robotics and wearable augmented reality and virtual reality.

“The rise of 4IR technologies poses a major threat to Asean manufacturing and its growth potential. Manufacturers’ low cost competitive advantage is being eroded as competitors in advanced economies use new technologies to achieve significant improvements in cost, speed, quality and sustainability,” said Menon.

Vatsun Thirapatarapong, managing director for Thailand and Indochina at Cisco, said that Thailand’s manufacturing sector could see an incremental growth of $50 billion over the next decade by embracing fourth industrial revolution technologies. Oil and Gas, chemicals and utility are the top three industries that are ready to adopt 4IR.

Based in Singapore, he will be responsible for the European aeronautical giant’s overall strategy, industrial footprint and operations in the region, as well as for advancing the company’s “One Roof” policy to integrate its various business entities in key markets.

The area led by Nasr covers the whole Asia-Pacific region.

In addition, Nasr has concurrently been made head of regional sales Asia-Pacific, including China and India, for Airbus Defence and Space.

In this role, he will be responsible for sales of the company’s complete range of defence and space products in the area.

The French national was until the end of December head of regional sales for the Middle East, Africa, France and the UK for Airbus Defence and Space.

He joined the division, then EADS Defence and Security, in 2005 and has previously held key management positions leading the secure networks, integrated systems and cyber-security businesses.

The application, which is backed by Indonesia-based GO-JEK, will continue to offer motorcycle taxi and courier services within an 8-kilometre radius of the pickup point during the soft-launch period.

Last month, GET launched its Beta App in the districts of Chatuchak, Lat Phrao and Wang Thonglang, to test and fine tune its service.

Operating exclusively using licensed ‘win’ drivers, or drivers that hold the official licence for transporting passengers on two-wheeled vehicles, has proven successful in the initial testing areas, the company said.

The test garnered generally positive feedback from both drivers and riders, which is why GET is now rapidly expanding its service area to serve growing demand.

Pinya Nittayakasetwat, GET chief executive officer and co-founder, said: “We’re excited to soft-launch GET and offer an additional ride-hailing and delivery option to the people of Bangkok. We believe that two-wheeled rides are key to easing Bangkok traffic and helping to move people around more quickly and efficiently.

“We are soft-launching with GET WIN and GET DELIVERY first, before introducing a broader range of services in future. We are confident of offering the best experience to make city life more seamless.

“We’re deeply thankful to our drivers for putting their trust in us and joining our mission to make city life more convenient for all. GET is the first app with world-class technology that uses only licensed ‘win’ drivers for passenger transport. We recognise that it is hard for ‘win’ drivers to obtain their licence and we are committed to helping them join the digital economy and improving their quality of life.

“We believe that consumers will use ‘win’ driver services with more confidence as a result of the training and onboarding provided by GET.”

Nadiem Makarim, GO-JEK CEO and founder, said: “Our expansion is really taking off and more and more people are feeling the benefit of GO-JEK’s way of operating. We’ve launched ride-hailing and food delivery in Vietnam, our Singapore beta testing is already bringing massive benefits to thousands of people there, and now we are ramping up our presence on the streets of Bangkok.

“This is another great milestone for our company and we can’t wait for GET to become an established presence for the people of Thailand.

He added: “Thailand has great potential for growth, but is also unique. The GET team has worked hard to localise and optimise their app for the Thai market. I’m confident that the team can deliver a service that Thai consumers will use and love. GET is bringing choice back to the market, which will greatly benefit Thai consumers.”

GO-JEK Group is Indonesia’s leading on-demand multi-service platform technology group. Last year, the company announced that it would invest US$500 million (about Bt16 billion) into expanding operations into Vietnam, Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines.

 The company also announced a partnership with Foxit, a leading US-based software company, to have its PhantomPDF preinstalled as a Universal Windows Platform in all Nexstgo commercial PC products.

“Coming into 2019, we see great demand across Asia-Pacific markets for quality ultra-thin laptops at competitive prices. In this aspect, Nexstgo will continue to deliver breakthrough commercial and business-grade laptops that are innovative and suit changing consumer tastes,” said Alex Chung, CEO of Nexstgo.

“An example of this is our partnership with Foxit to provide in-built software to an emerging wave of younger business users who work on multiple formats and demand security and durability from their devices,” he added.

The Nexstgo PRIMUS NX301 was built to serve business users who value performance, durability and security.

The laptop features a 14-inch narrow bezel display and elegant design made with aluminium alloy.

The PRIMUS NX301 weighs only 1.25 kilograms, offers 13-hours of battery life and was engineered with a custom thermal and ventilation system to provide stable performance all-day.

Four Dolby Atmos DAX3 speakers deliver optimal surround sound, while a FHD 1080P, fixed-focus and IR camera provides clear visuals for virtual meetings.

The web camera also has a shutter to ensure privacy.