ABSTRACT

Thailand is located at the center of the Greater Mekong Sub-region and is surrounded by Cambodia, Lao PDR, and Myanmar. This chapter focuses on survey results from a joint workshop of the Thailand Development Research Institute and NRI Consulting & Solutions (Thailand) held in March 2014. Thailand-plus-one is a new production strategy adopted by Japanese companies with factories in Thailand. The "one" in Thailand-plus-one means Thailand's neighboring countries. Thailand-plus-one will enhance their businesses by linkage with Cambodia, Lao PDR, and Myanmar. The position of Thailand in the business strategies of Japanese companies has changed from production plants to regional headquarters, research and development centers, mother factories, and sales and marketing. Thailand-plus-one can strengthen the international competitiveness of Thailand because it provides a solution to issues pertaining to Thailand's economy, such as its economic growth, shrinking labor force, and increased minimum wage. Thailand-plus-one will give a competitive advantage to Thailand and neighboring countries.