Updated by the ICE office in Bangkok in January 2007

Italian companies are mostly present in Thailand with representative offices for commercial activities. Very few make direct production investments.

Regarding the direct investments, the main channel of promotion is through the BOI (Board of Investment), which approves and grants funds to projects that the Thai government considers strategic for the country and for South East Asia. The BOI's objective is to ease investment Start Up costs, boost imports of raw material and know how. Their main concern is to favorite investments that introduce qualified labor force, technology and innovation or that contribute to developing specific clusters and industrial estates.

From 2002-2005 the value of Italian investments, approved by the BOI amount to 29 million $ US for 7 projects. The investment sectors are textile, jewelry, electronic device manufacturing and chemicals.

In 2005 the BOI has approved 8 Italian investment projects for 10.037.165 $ USA dollars. The projects have not Started Up yet but they involve textile, jewelry, chemicals, lighting, interior design and furniture and will all be strongly export oriented.

In the first 5 months of 2006 the BOI has approved 3 Italian investments in the jewelry sector, machinery and manufacturing of metal and services for 3.7 million $ USA dollars. There are a number of medium-large Italian companies in Thailand such as:

ITALCEMENTI, a joint venture partner of Ciment Francais, have two important cement production firms (Jalaprathan and Asia Cement).

PANATRADE started up a direct investment in the Industrial Estate of Amata City at Rayong province for the processing of seafood for export.

SAIPEM is in Thailand, in the oil drilling sector,

IVECO Spa in the commercial vehicles sector,

ABB Sace Spa and ANSALDO in the electric plants and engineering,

BTicino (Thailand Limited) in electrical materials,

ARNEG and FRAMEC Co., Ltd, in refrigeration show case,

OLIS in catering equipment,

COVER ASIA Co., Ltd in the ceramic compounds,

SOLARLENS Co., Ltd, manufacturing sunglasses' lenses,

POLY SUN Co., Ltd, lenses,

DANIELI , has a new plant in Rayong working in the iron and steel sector,

VITTORIA LYON TYRES, bicycle tires

QUICK PACK PACIFIC Co., Ltd, packaging,

PERMASTEELISA (Thailand) Ltd, structures in alluminium and glass, 1992.