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DECEMBER 2024 I PCB007 MAGAZINE 39 land was KCE, which also manufactures its own laminate. is has changed in the past few years, as ailand has become a major car manufacturer in the ASEAN region. For example, BYD, one of the largest EV manufacturers in the world, opened its first factory in ailand in July 2024. Subsequently, the ai Government's Board of Investment started making huge efforts to promote and facilitate foreign direct investment (FDI) into ailand in high-tech industries such as electronics. To further promote the planned growth of the PCB industry, in May 2024, ailand's Board of Investment (BOI) declared a series of further incentives for businesses engaged in the manufacture of PCBs, includ- ing exemptions from: • Corporate income tax (up to eight years) • Import duties on machinery • Import duties on raw materials used in export production ere are additional non-tax benefits, includ- ing the right to hire skilled workers and experts for investment-promoted activities and the right to own land. e extended scope of PCB-related busi- nesses in ailand includes parties engaged in: • Production of raw materials for PCB manufacturing (such as copper-clad laminate, flexible copper-clad laminate, and prepreg) • Support services for PCB manufacturing, including lamination, drilling, plating, and routing • Manufacturing of materials like dry films, transfer films, and backing boards is modification of the definition of quali- fied types of business covers the entire supply chain 5-7 . As of 2024, there are 163 PCB factories oper- ating in ailand, varying in size from very large KCE to very small prototype shops. In addition, around 50 PCB factories are in plan- ning stages or currently under construction in ailand. According to the ailand Board of Invest- ment, from January 2023 to June 2024, invest- ment applications for PCB plants totalled over $3.9 billion. Not all those applications were foreign investment, however. Some of that investment also includes existing ai PCB companies. Foreign shareholders usually have a supervisory role in production and manage- ment to comply with joint venture agreements. For this huge investment, the ai industry will need more than 70,000 workers in the next two years, including 50,000 technical workers and 20,000 engineers. Bangkok's Mahanakorn University of Tech- nology (MUT) is therefore working with the ailand Printed Circuit Association (THPCA) and the Microelectronics Tech- nology Center (TMEC) to train these work- ers through short-term programs that focus on upskilling and reskilling. e output of these new factories will be gradual. e first phase is expected to produce 40,000-50,000 m² PCB/month, using upward of 300 employees per factory. In addition, sup- pliers—such as laminate manufacturers—have made use of the same tax incentives to start building factories. Figure 3: A PCB plant under construction in Thailand 7 .