Google helps SMEs online | Bangkok Post: tech

Google Thailand is helping Thai small business operators do business online.

The Office of Small and Medium Enterprises Promotion (Osmep) plans to conduct business training courses and provide financial support to SMEs this year.

The plan is aimed at producing new entrepreneurs and strengthening SMEs ahead of Asean's integration in 2015.

Google Thailand is providing free training and websites, plus a choice of partners, said Pornthip Kongchun, the marketing head of Google Thailand.

It aims for another 100,000 companies to go online via its programme this year, compared to 65,000 last year.

Approximately 100,000 companies out of 1 million go online.

"Thailand is the first country in Southeast Asia and the second in Asia Pacific to successfully launch this programme," Ms Pornthip said.

"Thailand will become a model to other countries to roll out the programme including Malaysia, Indonesia and the US," she added.

Jakkarin Permsin, secretary-general of the Thai e-Commerce Association, said the online programme in partnership with Google could double the number of SMEs doing online business to 40,000.

"We expect the country's e-commerce revenue on business-to-consumer (B2C) to grow by 25% this year, up from 70 billion baht in 2011," he said.

The government gave Osmep a 2.1-billion-baht budget this year, up from 615 million last year.

"We aim for SMEs to generate up to 40% of the country's GDP by 2016," said Yuthasak Supason, the Osmep's director-general.

He added that Osmep plans to spend 60 million baht on the "AEC Connect" project, which matches local well-established small and medium-sized cross-border traders. It also matches companies producing furniture, agriculture and machinery equipment with international traders.

The office will also join hands with 11 organisations to work on the "AEC Ready" project under a 40-million-baht programme. The project aims to provide skill training courses to local SMEs to enhance their competitiveness.

Mr Yuthasak said the government approved 1.3 billion baht to set up the Tang Tua Dai (self-sustained) fund, one of Pheu Thai's policies. The fund is expected to add at least 20,000 entrepreneurs.

SMEs make up 99.6% of businesses in Thailand, contributing 28% of the country's exports. Some 82% export their products via e-commerce.