Interviewing a Thai Sprocket manufacturer

Wichai Suwankhajit, 35, the Managing Director of D.D. Sprocket (Thailand) Co., Ltd and Sprocket Specialist (Thailand) Co., Ltd., runs one of Southeast Asians leading motorcycle sprocket factory and is regarded to be in the top list of motorcycle spare parts manufacturers in Thailand.

He started in the sprocket manufacturing business about 11 years ago, with a relative small budget, which he saved while working with his fathers construction company. In that time motorcycles where in Thailand a very popular transportation and he was thinking that it was a good idea to start a business to supply motorcycle spare parts.

While researching the market, for information about motorcycle spare parts manufacturers. He was introduced to an established motorcycle sprocket factory what was for sale by one of his friends; Mr. Wichai studied the possible domestic and exports market to analyze the market potential. Mr. Wichai believed that buying an established sprocket factory would create market advantage over building a business from scratch.

Also doing an in-depth review of possible competition from other sprocket manufacturers in Thailand and Southeast Asia, reviewing all this findings, he came to one conclusion that there was more then enough market share for an aggressive marketing and sales orientated sprocket manufacturer in Thailand.

After coming to the conclusion, that none of the already established sprocket factories where actual following the market developments, or where listening to feedback from there customers. Mr. Wichai didn't needed much time to decide to buy the sprocket factory.

At first, the business was hard, engineers and workers at the newly bought factory where weary of a construction worker telling them how to produce export quality motorcycle parts. But Mr. Wichai couldn't give-up; better giving up would be the end, all his money was invested in this new factory.

After he had studied and made himself able to operate all machinery in the factory, he decided that additional investment into modernizing machinery was necessarily to become the sprocket-manufacturing exporter he had dreamed of and dominate the Thai domestic sprocket market.

Now processing, machinery and packing are all to the clients specifications, products of D.D. Sprockets are now exported all over the world from North to South America from East to West Europe and the sandy desserts of the middle-east you can find products of D.D. Sprocket. Most motorcyclists are totally unaware that they also using D.D. Sprocket products, as some of largest names in the international motorcycle industry market D.D. Sprocket products under there own brand name.