Taking the Reins as PAT’s New Director General

“One of the best things about having the top job at a large organization is the great view you’re able to get of the surrounding landscape. But one of the key components to turning your time on top into a success story is realizing that you’re supported by a wide array of subordinates; everyone, from your right-hand-man to the guys on the very bottom, and they look up to you for guidance, advice and leadership”, thus quipped Mr. Chalermchai Meekun-iam, the new Director General of the Port Authority of Thailand (PAT). Since taking over the role in early January from Mrs. Sunida Skulratana, he has wasted no time in continuing efforts to cement Thailand’s position as the best and fastest gateway for (vessel-laden cargo) distribution throughout Thailand and into neighboring countries. In addition to the primary ports in Laem Chabang and Bangkok, PAT oversees four smaller ports throughout the country, all of which contribute to the expanding network within Thailand.

When the time came to find a replacement for Mrs. Skulratana, Mr. Meekun-iam was a natural choice – he has worked for PAT nearly his entire adult life, starting as an engineer for the expanding organization in the early 1970s. “My father was a doctor at the port hospital, and he wanted me to follow in his footsteps, I think, so he could keep an eye on me,” says Mr Meekun-iam. However, after he graduated from Bangkok’s Chulalongkorn University with a degree in engineering, his parents suggested he join PAT. “At the time, my salary was about 1,800 baht (USD$54) per month. After a year, I was able to take leave to attend graduate school in Texas, where I received my Master’s degree in civil engineering.”

At the time, the country’s primary Bangkok Port was struggling to keep pace with the growth of the capital city, with pollution, noise and traffic congestion becoming increasingly hot-button issues. Once back in Thailand, Mr. Meekun-iam went to work as part of the team drawing up plans for a new deep-sea port in the little town of Laem Chabang, which authorities hoped will allow Thailand to maintain its pace of growth.

Since those early days, Mr Meekun-iam worked his way up the ranks, first in the engineering side of things, and then into operations. “I never dreamed that I’d be awarded the role of PAT’s Director General,” he says. “I used to think that I may become a department head, but for some reason I was able to go beyond that, for which I am very thankful.”

His engineering background has undoubtedly helped him as he has seen the organization – and the assets it operates – thrive and grow over the years, coming from behind to emerge as a pace-setter in cutting edge port operations. “There’s no specific course you can take in Thailand to be a port engineer. I studied something similar in Japan for a few months, but the rest has been on-the-job training.”

Mr. Meekun-iam got his new job at a critical juncture. After a punishing 2009 for the global logistics industry, economies worldwide are slowly starting to emerge from the fog, and many are looking to Asia to define how it plays out. A recent statement by Dominique Strauss-Kahn, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, forecasts that the overall Asian economy (excluding Japan) may expand by 7 percent this year. Although Thailand’s growth may not exceed 3 percent in and of itself, it is nonetheless a part of a small group that many see as leading a return to trend growth by 2011.

But as uncertainty and trepidation continue, Mr. Meekun-iam has no time to sit back and relax, especially with so many people relying on his organization in so many ways. “Some people would like to see Bangkok Port closed and the land used for something else, while others balk at the idea because of the convenience its location provides shippers and forwarders,” he says. The issue is still being debated in many circles.

Since Laem Chabang began operations, running and developing two main ports with their own unique set of attributes and development policies have been a challenging endeavor. Although Laem Chabang was designed as Thailand’s gateway port, Mr. Meekun-iam will continue to operate Bangkok Port as efficiently as possible until a decision is made as to its ultimate fate.

“With Laem Chabang Port, we assist terminals by developing policy improvements that allow them to expand their operations and stay ahead of the curve to ensure adequate capacity for Thailand’s needs. At Bangkok Port, we are focusing on an investment in infrastructure, equipment and training in order to increase efficiency. Government regulations mandate that Bangkok Port stay below a certain number of TEUs, but we still aim to maintain the level of efficiency that our customers have come to expect”, Mr. Meekun-iam emphasized. Indeed, Bangkok Port continues to be upgraded with new equipment and resources, with four new gantry cranes on their way to replace older models and consistent upgrades of security and service equipment.

As he begins his tenure, Mr. Meekun-iam is looking at both short- and long-term goals. “There are several projects which will be getting special attention this year. First is improvement of the electronic port (ePort) system. Another is continuing to develop support of the logistics businesses that rely on Bangkok Port. Logistics costs are 20% of our GDP, and most of this is eaten up by transportation costs. We want to address this by acquiring new equipment, such as rail-mounted gantry cranes, and further development of coastal terminals and associated support infrastructure, providing customers with greater options. We’re also constantly refining our staff training programs to ensure safe and efficient operations”, Mr. Meekun-iam remarked.

In addition, PAT is undertaking a feasibility study to take account of its assets and see how their network can be improved further down the line. It is the first step in ensuring Thailand’s distribution networks remain at the fore of Southeast Asia’s logistics operations.

But for now, Mr Meekun-iam is taking it one step at a time running an organization that may not get its due credit. “Traditionally, ports are not seen as sexy or cutting edge,” he says, noting that the general public rarely thinks about the fact that nearly everything they use, from the shoes they wear to the food they eat and the computers they work on come via seaports. “It’s not an overstatement to say that ports are the doorways to a country’s population and a vital part of the economy and infrastructure”, added Mr. Meekun-iam.

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