The rail technology leader Bombardier is seeking a stronger presence in Asia through its headquarters in Bangkok, says the company's vice-president for Asia Pacific.
The Canada-based company, which installed the signalling system in the new Purple Line connecting Nonthaburi province to the heart of Bangkok, is now scaling up efforts to turn Thailand into the rail gateway of the region.
"We will continue developing our work in Thailand, but not only for Thailand, since Thailand is a centre of Asia and Thailand has a strong leading role to play in Southeast Asia to develop the railway industry to suit regional environmental conditions," said Gregory Enjalbert, vice-president of Asia Pacific for rail control solutions.
An engineer works on the floor of a Talent 2 before it is delivered to a customer at Bombardier's German factory, where the commuter-train engines are made. Prangthong Jitcharoenkul
Speaking to Asia Focus at InnoTrans, the world's largest rail transport trade fair held in Berlin, Mr Enjalbert said his company was now considering bidding to supply the electrical and mechanical (E&M) systems for the Yellow and Pink mass-transit lines under the public-private partnership (PPP) model as another way to strengthen its presence in Asia.
"We are very interested and intend to do more work on the vehicle side and [compete to supply] rolling stock for Thailand's Pink and Yellow lines," he said, adding that Bombardier also wanted to play a role in the Orange Line subway in Bangkok.
In March, the cabinet approved a rail project worth 111 billion baht (US$ 3.14 billion) under a PPP model to build the Pink and Yellow lines. The 34.5-kilometre Pink line will run from Bangkok to northern Nonthaburi, while the Yellow line will run from Bangkok to eastern Samut Prakan for 30.4 kilometres.
The great interest shown in infrastructure development by Bombardier reflects the importance of the country as an engineering hub to serve potential rail projects in the region.
"Our company will continue committing to develop rail technology for the rest of Asia Pacific and the rest of the world from Thailand," said Mr Enjalbert.
Bombardier Transportation Signal (Thailand) Ltd was established with Board of Investment (BoI) promotion in 1997. It currently employs 415 Thai staff, mostly engineers.
Mr Enjalbert said the company wanted to manage the whole solution system for Thailand's upcoming transit routes, including electronic interlocking, automatic train protection, waysides, rolling stock, platform design, infrastructure installation, ticketing, traffic management, commercial development, maintenance services and telecommunication.
In addition to an interest in mass-transit routes, Mr Enjalbert said the company was interested in installing an Automated People Mover (APM) system to deal with passenger congestion at Suvarnabhumi airport, expected to kick off by mid-2017.
Bombardier, also the world's third-largest aircraft manufacturer after Boeing and Airbus, is also considering introducing its CSeries jet family to the Thai market shortly.
Two Asian visitors inspect the interior of a rail car made by Alstom of France at the InnoTrans exhibition in Berlin. Prangthong Jitcharoenkul
"We are also a very active plane maker, but there are relatively few aerospace products made by us entering service in Thailand," Mr Enjalbert said, adding that he hoped to see more local interest in buying some jets from his company soon.
According to Mr Enjalbert, key features of the CSeries include greater fuel efficiency, lower emissions and a geared turbofan engine that makes the aircraft quieter than comparable engines.
The low-cost carrier Nok Air is the latest Thai airline to purchase the Bombardier Q400 NextGen aircraft, capable of accommodating about 80 passengers, with wider cabin space and overhead luggage storage.
To help promote and develop rail engineering education, meanwhile, Bombardier is collaborating with local academic institutions under a memorandum of understanding signed in March to offer internships for Thai engineering students. From next year onward, they will have an opportunity to work at Bombardier headquarters in Bangkok where a rail laboratory exists.
"To develop Thailand's local expertise, the pact aims to provide a chance for both Thai undergraduates and graduates to join on-the-job training at our company," said Mr Enjalbert, who has been based in Bangkok for five years.
Thai engineers also work with the Bombardier team beyond the Kingdom's borders. "Their skills and ability have been well recognised by our clients," he said.
Participants in the new agreement include Bombardier, Navamindradhiraj University, King Mongkut's Institute of Technology Ladkrabang, Krungthep Thanakorn, Bangkok Mass Transit System Plc (BTS) and AMR Asia. The first pact was signed between the company and Kasetsart University in 2010.
At the InnoTrans fair, about 150 Chinese exhibitors were also represented, including the China Railway Rolling Stock Corp (CRRC) for the first time this year.
Asked if competition from rail and aircraft suppliers from China worried his company, Mr Enjalbert said it was a fact of life that all businesses had to adapt to.
"I agree that there is competition from China, but I think the competition now is from everywhere. It also comes from Japan. We cannot avoid it," he replied.
Even though Bombardier is the biggest non-Chinese aircraft manufacturer in China and has worked closely for decades on joint rail projects with CRRC throughout China, the Canadian company needs to keep expanding elsewhere in the region, according to president Laurent Troger.
"Bombardier retains close relations with China, but we've been a key local player in bringing solutions for infrastructure and trains in Southeast Asia. So, it is very important for us to remain a strong player here," Mr Troger told a news conference at the introduction of Bombardier's new Movie Maxx metro platform and Talent 3 train.
His comment came one day ahead of a deal signed between Bombardier and CRRC for rolling stock cooperation during Chinese Premier Li Keqiang's first visit to Canada in 15 years.
"Our next step is to continue expanding our presence in the region," Mr Troger stressed.