BANGKOK (01/26/2000) - Geographic Information System (GIS) solutions company Environmental System Research Institute (ESRI Thailand) Co., Ltd, a member of the GDG Group, has gone through significant restructuring to become a one-stop solutions provider for the geographical market throughout Indochina.
The company has switched from long-term partner Trimble to Leica and can now offer a wider range of geographical products and solutions. ESRI has also allotted 10 million baht (US$134,000) for investment in technology infrastructure and services.
"We are aiming to be a one-stop shop for geo-product solutions to benefit all our GIS customers in the long-term, as well as offering improved price performance," said ESRI's managing director Supavadee Phantumvanit. Supavadee added that in tandem with its new partner, ESRI was in the perfect position to offer such solutions.
ESRI is now offering four main services - GIS software, GIS consulting service, data services and survey equipment - in Thailand, Burma, Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. Thanks to its nationwide service centers and its experience in the market, ESRI is able to integrate its software (GIS) with Leica's survey equipment for all its customers.
As for its existing customers in Thailand and Indochina using Trimble products, ESRI will continue to provide services and related products, Supavadee said.
Meanwhile, Krairop Luanguthai, general manager of ESRI, said that the company has also been offering GIS (Global Information System) and GPS (Global Positioning Satellite) for several years. Its partnership with Leica Geosystems AG, will allow ESRI to provide a wider range of solutions for new and existing customers.
"We are also focusing on new markets, such as the construction industry, and are stepping up our sales and marketing campaigns in Laos and Cambodia," Krairop said.
"To meet Leica's world-class standards, ESRI is required to spend over 10 million baht to improve its service centers and to offer an enhanced level of service. Leica has a full geo-product line, leading technology and quality standards and has been in this market for many years," Krairop added.
ESRI controls over 90 percent of the GPS market here, and posted revenue of 600 million baht in 1999.
Its customers include such household names as the Metropolitan Electricity Authority, the Provincial Electricity Authority, the Department of Town and Country Planing, the Bangkok Metropolitan Authority, the Department of Forestry, the Land Development Department, the Department of Transportation, Siam City Bank, Siam Commercial Bank and Chulalongkorn University.
Asked why Leica decided to change partners, Neil Ashcroft, a regional integration specialist from Leica, said that it is due to corporate strategy in order to expand its business.