Flood-damaged machinery replaced

As the inspection, repair & replacement of flood-damaged machinery begins, Berli Jucker Company (founded in Bangkok in 1882) to play important role.

Photo above of one of the many flooded industrial estates that have many machines in need of repair. 

Click button to listen to Berli Jucker Engineering to download

Berli Jucker's moment, The venerable engineering firm is helping flooded factories retool by Nanchanok Wongsamuth

The floods are finally fading, and now the clean-up at the factories begins.

Of the flood-hit plants at the seven industrial estates that were inundated, many face machinery cleaning and, in the worst case, machine replacement.

This is where BJC Engineering, a division of Berli Jucker Public Co Ltd, sees an emerging area of opportunity.

"When the floods started, everyone was thinking about [their machinery], especially those that are Japanese-owned," said Phonphatra Techakanokrak, assistant vice-president for engineering at Berli Jucker.

"Some factories started moving their equipment right away, such as the auto manufacturers that have two production locations," he added.

The hardest-hit industries, he says, are those with many electronic and automated machines, while the worst-hit in terms of value is the food and beverage industry, mindful of contamination.

While mechanical parts can mostly be fixed by removing the parts and applying lubricant, Mr Phonphatra recommends that electronic machinery be replaced in order to avoid further damage from an electrical short.

Factories in general have a main distribution board for providing electricity that will definitely need replacement if inundated.

Truck scales, which can cost millions of baht, may be reparable if they were not submerged for a long period.

Large warehouses have 20-30 dock levellers costing 150,000 baht per unit that may be damaged, while doors too may be weakened from water pressure.

Factories with insurance covering all risks will want to replace all damaged equipment, while small and medium-sized enterprises will have to go it alonefor the time being.

"There is also the issue of lead time, as some of the new machines need time to construct and cannot be imported within one or two months," Mr Phonphatra said.

More than 50 BJC customers were inundated, mostly in the Hi-Tech Industrial Estate with its many electronic parts factories.

BJC is providing free inspection for the main equipment of factories affected by flooding, including advice on the status of machinery and whether it needs to be repaired or replaced.

"In future, preventive measures should be set up around machinery in order to prevent specific areas from being flooded," Mr Phonphatra said.

BJC Engineering expects a 60% rise in its sales as a result of the flooding.

The company's annual sales growth normally varies according to the country's gross domestic product. Revenue topped 26.42 billion baht last year.

Founded in 1947 as the engineering division of the parent company, BJC Engineering is well-recognised in the Thai industrial market. Products and services include material handling, logistics, warehousing, industrial equipment and automation.
 
(Source: Bangkok Post, Berli Jucker's moment, The venerable engineering firm is helping flooded factories retool, 6/12/2011, The floods are finally fading, and now the clean-up at the factories begins, Nanchanok Wongsamuth, link)

Engineering Business Vocabulary

Berli Jucker - a major Thai import and export firm with over 5,000 employees, founded in Bangkok in 1882, one of the Thailand's earliest and most successful trading companies, the largest producer of tissue in Thailand and a leading producer of glass bottles,  produces its own brands such as: Tasto potato chips, Dozo rice crackers, Cellox tissue paper products, and Parrot soap productsm, also represents many international brands providing marketing, sales, distribution services and managing several manufacturing operations, the company's long illustrious history: "The company originally engaged in rice milling, mining, timber, shipping, importing, and other activities. Over the year it continuously growed to become a major Thai import and export firm. After World War II, Berli Jucker diversified its operations into manufacturing, packaging, and distribution. In 1965, the company was changed into a majority-owned Thai Limited Company. Due to its services, King Bhumibol Adulyadej granted the Royal Warrant in 1967, allowing the company to use the royal Garuda emblem. Berli Jucker Co. Ltd. was one of the first seven companies to be listed on the Stock Exchange of Thailand in 1975. In 1993, the company changed its status into a Public Company Limited. Thai Charoen Corporation Group (TCC Group), one of Thailand's largest conglomerates engaging in alcohol beverage and related businesses, commercial trading, industrial production, property and financial services, became in effect the majority shareholder in Berli Jucker in 2001" (See Wikipedia and website)

division - one part of a large organisation
BJC Engineering, a division of Berli Jucker Public Co Ltd

moment - a very short period of time; a particular time or occasionชั่วขณะ, โอกาสสำคัญ
Berli Jucker's moment - the short period of time when a person (organization, thing, etc) becomes very important

venerable -  something that is worthy of respect because of its age (an old wise person or an organization that is historically important)  น่าเคารพนับถือ,  ซึ่งควรแก่การยกย่อง, น่ายกย่อง
retool - replacing or changing the tools and equipment in a factory so that they can do new tasks, produce new or better goods:

firm - a business or company บริษัม

the venerable engineering firm is helping flooded factories retool

fading - disappearing, going away 
the floods are finally fading, and now the clean-up at the factories begins

plants - factories
industrial estate - a special area for factories with special infrastructure such as transportation, ports, railway, electricity and water supply, as well as waste disposal, also called "industrial park" (See Wikipedia)

flood-hit plants at the seven industrial estates

inundated - flooded ถูกน้ำท่วม, จมลงใต้น้ำ

worst - most + bad
in the worst case - the situation if everything goes wrong, worst possible (to plan for)

replacement - someone or something that takes the place of another ผู้การทำหน้าที่แทน, การทำหน้าที่แทน
in the worst case, machine replacement

opportunity - a situation when it is possible to do something that you want to do (See glossary)
emerging - appearing, starting to exist and come into existence
an emerging area of opportunity - an business opportunity that is beginning to exist (ready for business people to seize the opportunity)

machine - a piece of equipment that does work driven by electrical power (electrical motor) or gasoline (gasoline engine) (See Wikipedia)
machinery - Same as "machines"

mechanical - a device with moving parts that move and are driven by an electrical motor or gas engine
mechanical parts  

lubricant - a substance such as oil that reduces friction between moving parts in a machine or vehicle, making the parts move more smoothly (See Wikipedia)
apply lubricant - put lubricant on the parts of a machine
fixed by removing the parts and applying lubricant

electrical short - a "short circuit" or "short", often used to describe any electrical problem or malfunction, but exact definition is: "an electrical circuit that allows a current to travel along an unintended path, often where essentially no (or a very low) electrical impedance is encountered" (See Wikipedia)

recommends that electronic machinery be replaced in order to avoid further damage from an electrical short

automated (adjective)- done by machines or equipment instead of peopleปฏิบัติการหรือควบคุมโดยขบวนการอัตโนมัติ
automated machines - machines that are not operated by humans (run by computer)

automation (noun) - machines and robots doing the work of humans

the worst-hit in terms of value - suffered the highest baht value of damage (damage in terms of business lost, damage to equipment, etc)

beverage - a drink of any type เครื่องดื่ม

contamination - made dirty and dangerous to use or eat after exposure to dirt, germs, chermicals, or radiation
mindful of contamination.

distribution - 1. sending something to different places (example: electricity distribution); 2. giving or delivering things to many people การจำหน่ายออกไป
distribution - giving something to all the people in a group

distribution board for electricity -
factories in general have a main distribution board for providing electricity

warehouses -  "a commercial building for storage of goods. Warehouses are used by manufacturers, importers, exporters, wholesalers, transport businesses, customs, etc. They are usually large plain buildings in industrial areas of cities and towns. They usually have loading docks to load and unload goods from trucks. Sometimes warehouses are designed for the loading and unloading of goods directly from railways, airports, or seaports. They often have cranes and forklifts for moving goods, which are usually placed on ISO standard pallets loaded into pallet racks. Stored goods can include any raw materials, packing materials, spare parts, components, or finished goods associated with agriculture, manufacturing, or commerce" (See Wikipedia)

handling - the activity of storing, packing and moving goods
material - things needed to do an activity such as manufacturing and producing goods
material handling - moving the things needed to do some activity (such as goods production) from place to place (See Wikipedia)

logistics - moving goods from place to place (transportation), coordinating movements, and storing goods in warehouses until needed or sold (See Wikipedia)  การขนส่งสินค้า การขนส่งและจัดจำหน่ายสินค้า
warehousing - the activity of storing goods in warehouses (coming from factories, going to stores)

submerged - under water จมน้ำ อยู่ใต้น้ำ
submerged for a long period

scale - weighing scale, a device for measuring the weight of an object, for "weighing" an object (See Wikipedia)
truck scale - a weighing scale for trucks (to find out how heavy a truck is, once goods are placed in it) 

truck scales, which can cost millions of baht, may be reparable if they were not submerged for a long period

dock - 1. a loading dock; the part of a factory where finished goods are put on trucks to bring them to warehouses and stores to sell (See Wikipedia) ; 2. an enclosed area of water in a port, where ships stay ท่าเรือ

dock leveler - "a height-adjustable platform used as a bridge between dock and truck, can be operated via mechanical (spring), hydraulic, or air powered systems" (See Wikipedia)

pressure - the force of a gas or liquid in a container pressing against the wall of the container  ความกดดัน, ความดัน, การกด, แรงกดบนพื้นผิว
water pressure - แรงดันน้ำ
weakened from water pressure

insurance - a system of protection against loss, a person pays money every month (premiums) for a guarantee that the company will pay them money if they or their property is damaged or lost (See Wikipedia) การประกันภัย  

insurance coverage - all the accidents, damage, injury, etc that your insurance will protect you against
insurance covering all risks - when your insurance protects you against everything (all kinds of damage, from all kinds of events) 

replace - to get rid of something, and put a new thing in its place เลิกให้และนำสิ่งใหม่มาใช้แทน
replace all damaged equipment

factories with insurance covering all risks will want to replace all damaged equipment

enterprises - companies
small and medium-sized enterprises - SMEs

go it alone - solve their problems by themselves without help (from the government, for example)
for the time being - right now, for the near future (situation might change sometime in the future)

small and medium-sized enterprises will have to go it alone for the time being

lead time - the time from receiving a customer's order to delivering the product or service ordered to the customer
issue - a problem that needs to be considered; a subject that people discuss or argue about ประเด็น
the issue of lead time  

there is also the issue of lead time, as some of the new machines need time to construct and cannot be imported within one or two months

inspection - an official process of checking that things are in the correct condition or that people are doing what they should การตรวจสอบตรวจตรา การตรวจสอบอย่างละเอียด

free inspection for the main equipment of factories affected by flooding

status - the state, condition or situation at a point in time สถานะ สถานภาพ
the status of machinery - the condition of machinery
advice on the status of machinery and whether it needs to be repaired or replaced

measures - actions taken to solve a problem มาตรการ
preventive measures - actions taken to stop some bad event from happening in the future (examples: preventive measures against floods, earthquakes, tsunami, banking crises, etc)

annual - happening once a year ประจำปี
annual sales growth

domestic - within the country ภายในประเทศ
Gross Domestic Product (GDP) - the total value of all the goods and services produced by a country in one year (See Wikipedia)