“ส.อ.ท. เร่งฟื้นฟูอุตสาหกรรมจากน้ำท่วม ผลักดัน Buy Thai–เชื่อมทุน SMEs พร้อมเพิ่มสิทธิประโยชน์สมาชิก ขับเคลื่อนอุตสาหกรรมไทยสู่ความยั่งยืน”“FTI Accelerates Recovery of the Industry from Floods, Promotes Buy Thai—Connecting Capital for SMEs, While Enhancing Member Benefits to Drive Thai Industry Toward Sustainability”

On Monday, October 26, 2026, the Federation of Thai Industries (FTI) convened the 8th/2026(6) Board Meeting, led by Mrs. Pimjai Leeissaranukul, Chairman of the Federation of Thai Industries (FTI), along with Mr. Sakchai Unchitikul, Senior Vice Chairman of FTI, Mr. Isaret Ratanadilok Na Phuket, Registrar of FTI, Mrs. Ketmanee Lertkitcha, Treasurer of FTI, and Mr. Panitarn Pavarolavidya, Secretary-General of FTI, who participated in the meeting with FTI Board Members from across the country at Meeting Room 109, 1st Floor, Queen Sirikit National Convention Center.

Before the meeting commenced, new member benefits were announced through FTI e-Privileges along with information on the academic seminar “Eco Innovation Forum 2026” and an invitation to participate in the FTI Golf Tournament under the concept “Uniting the Industry Towards a Sustainable Future” for the Prime Minister’s trophy on Friday, December 11, 2026, at Riverdale Golf Club, Pathum Thani Province.

During this Board Meeting, important agendas beneficial to the driving of the industrial sector were presented, including:

1. FTI received the Climate Action Leader Award while pushing the Thai industry towards sustainability. On September 24, 2026, Mrs. Pimjai Leeissaranukul, Chairman of FTI, represented the award acceptance at the CSCAP-2026 stage at the United Nations Conference Centre, Bangkok, while advocating the “SSAB for SCP” approach to facilitate operators in initiating sustainability efforts, reducing redundancy in information, and connecting with buyer demands to increase opportunities for Thai SMEs to access orders, funding sources, and global markets.

2. FTI collaborates with TCEB to use the MICE platform to create business opportunities and promote Thai SMEs internationally. On October 20, 2026, Mrs. Pimjai Leeissaranukul, Chairman of FTI, and Dr. Supawan Teerarat, Director of TCEB, signed a cooperation agreement to drive Thailand's target industries through MICE mechanisms, including meetings, exhibitions, and business matching, aimed at increasing competitiveness, generating trade and investment opportunities, and business networks, especially promoting Thai SMEs in international markets, alongside supporting environmentally friendly MICE industries and events aiming for net-zero greenhouse gas emissions.

3. FTI established the FTI War Room to expedite assistance for entrepreneurs affected by flooding while promoting an early warning system. Monitoring the flooding situation in 14 provinces revealed that over 2,000 establishments were impacted, with an estimated initial damage of 6 billion to 7 billion baht. Consequently, the FTI War Room was set up, chaired by the FTI Chairman, to monitor the situation daily, dividing work into three teams: prevention, recovery, and relief teams to continuously assist entrepreneurs, while recommending an upgrade of early warning systems for greater accuracy, timeliness, and local data connections to prepare the business sector and mitigate damages in advance.

4. FTI collaborates with SME D Bank to connect funding sources, enhancing the capabilities of Thai SMEs. On October 7, 2026, FTI and SME D Bank signed a cooperation agreement for the project “Connecting Capital, Connecting Industry, Driving Thai SMEs” aimed at assisting SME member access suitable funding sources, enhance liquidity, and support expansion investments, coupled with improving productivity and developing technological, innovation, management, and marketing capabilities to enhance competitiveness and promote sustainable growth.

5. FTI convened discussions with the Minister of Industry to urgently address pressing issues and elevate the Thai industry. On October 7, 2026, Mrs. Pimjai Leeissaranukul, Chairman of FTI, and executive members welcomed Mr. Varawut Silpa-archa, Minister of Industry, for the MIND x FTI Discussion, focusing on speeding up the recovery of factories from flooding crises, addressing the pick-up truck industry, and enhancing industrial waste management while promoting Buy Thai and Made in Thailand (MiT) to encourage the purchase of Thai products alongside developing targeted industries, as well as improving laws and approval processes to facilitate business operations.

6. FTI actively drives Reinvent Thailand to elevate the Thai economy to a high-income country. On October 20, 2026, FTI participated in discussions regarding 7 target industries under the Reinvent Thailand project in cooperation with the advisory team of the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance to track the progress of the proposed action plan, aiming to enhance the national potential to achieve high-income status by 2037, with an anticipated GDP growth of 5.5% annually or creating an economic value-added of over 1 trillion baht.

7. FTI showcased Thai creative economy at the IMF–World Bank 2026 stage, presenting the sculpture “ONE THAILAND” by Mr. Yuttana Anothaisintavee, FTI Board Member and Chairman of the Creative Handicrafts Industry Club, at the IMF–World Bank Annual Meetings 2026, while advocating for the creative economy as a new growth opportunity. On October 13, 2026, Mrs. Pimjai Leeissaranukul, Chairman of FTI, participated in the event “CREATIVITY AS CAPITAL” hosted by CEA in collaboration with Netflix at One Bangkok. The Thai creative industry has a value of 46 billion USD, accounting for 8.78% of GDP and has a creative goods export value of 13.4 billion USD, reflecting its potential to attract investment and further develop Thai businesses.

8. FTI proposed pathways for energy transition, focusing on assisting SMEs to invest in reducing energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions while pushing for E20 and B10 as base fuels, furthering biofuels into high-value products, and promoting the procurement of Made in Thailand energy products. Additionally, the establishment of a national Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) working group was suggested to plan the development of materials, standards, investments, and markets while fostering cooperation within ASEAN and promoting international recognition, aimed at creating added value from agricultural products, reducing dependence on imported energy, and increasing business opportunities for Thai entrepreneurs.

9. FTI proposed amendments to the industrial waste management legislation to ensure clarity and alignment with practices while recommending the use of AI with transportation tracking systems for increased transparency and traceability, coupled with pushing for End-of-Waste criteria to safely return waste as raw materials, proposing Map Ta Phut as a pilot area aiming to reduce landfill disposal, lower costs, and create economic value-added while advocating for legislation and measures supporting a circular economy through the GTF mechanism.

10. FTI, in collaboration with TDRI, developed proposals for the Buy Thai project by selecting initial products from 7 categories totaling 793 products while studying tax reduction methods alongside market promotion to incentivize consumers to buy domestically made products, aiming to increase sales and revive production capacity. Preliminary assessments based on tax reduction assumptions for actual purchases up to 40,000 baht are expected to contribute approximately 123 billion baht to GDP, with proposals and evaluations still under study and mutual consideration.

11. FTI proposed postponing the collection of the accumulation and matching contributions to the Employee Welfare Fund by 2 years while reviewing the necessity and redundancy with existing labor guarantee systems to alleviate financial burdens, especially for SMEs. The report indicates that the Cabinet has agreed to defer the collection start date to January 1, 2027, with employers and employees each paying a contribution of 0.25% of wages for the first five years.

12. In the election of the Social Security Board, 1,003,615 voters participated, with 12,200 employers and 991,415 employees. The report documented the candidates with the highest scores, 7 from each side, to serve as representatives in determining the direction of fund management and overseeing the benefits of employers and the insured.

13. FTI discussed with the Ministry of Labor regarding standards for inspecting imported goods at risk of forced labor, to support investigations under Section 301 of the U.S., proposing a transparent complaint screening system to mitigate impacts on entrepreneurs, and requesting members to expedite the review of the supply chain while coordinating with sellers to prepare certification documents for relevant standards.

14. The government is considering an MOU U-Turn pathway for Myanmar workers who completed a 4-year employment term, totaling 92,740 individuals during 2026-2027, agreeing in principle to exempt the return travel condition for 30 days to reduce employment gaps and maintain production continuity. This still requires submission to the Labor Committee and Cabinet for further consideration.

15. FTI summarized the results of the Innovation Fund Project with 32 projects approved, covering Startups, SMEs, and specific industry development, totaling a support and matching budget from the private sector of 1,596.10 million baht to promote the application of innovations and enhance competitiveness. FTI is preparing to close the project per agreement and return remaining funds and interest to the National Science and Technology Development Agency, amounting to approximately 438.48 million baht, while continuing to monitor and manage contracts for ongoing projects.

16. FTI monitors issues faced by industry groups and provincial industry councils, totaling 15 matters as of October 22, 2026, with progress on 6 matters, 7 matters under process, and 2 matters awaiting progress reports, covering issues related to energy costs, taxes, permits, labor, and international trade, while coordinating with relevant agencies to push proposals through the IMC mechanism, particularly for the liberalization of industrial-grade ethanol to ensure entrepreneurs can access materials under clear and equitable control and supervision criteria.

17. FTI will hold the New Year gathering of the Board of Directors for the year 2027 on Monday, December 21, 2026, from 18:00 to 22:00, following the conclusion of the FTI Board meeting (GSC), to meet, socialize, and welcome the New Year.

18. FTI is preparing to hold the FTI Board meeting (on-site) in Udonthani Province from January 22 to 23, 2027, along with a visit to the World Horticultural Expo and a continuous study program from January 24 to 26, 2027.

19. Approval of fee reduction measures for MiT certification to promote the issuance of MiT certifications.

20. Approval of the extension of the “FTI Membership Credit Cashback 30%” program for the year 2027.

21. Approval of new member admission, member resignation, and membership status transfer for September-October 2026, with a total of 16,824 members, including 10,060 regular members and 6,764 associate members, an increase of 757 members from the end of 2025 (as of October 27, 2026).

22. Approval of the waiver of the initial registration fee and reduced membership fees for the year 2027 to 500 baht for entrepreneurs in 3 southern border provinces and 4 districts of Songkhla Province, namely Thepa District, Chana District, Sabai Yoi District, and Natwee District.

23. Approval of income and expense budgets for August-September 2026, with total revenues of 279.71 million baht and total expenses of 267.40 million baht during the period of January-September 2026, resulting in revenues exceeding expenses by 12.31 million baht.

Atmosphere of the meeting
https://shorturl.asia/ucbmec
Documents from the meeting
https://service.fti.or.th/KSmeeting-2