ส.อ.ท. ชื่นชม “ทีมสุดซอย” ก.อุตสาหกรรม ปราบโรงงานศูนย์เหรียญ ผิดกฎหมายFTI Commends “Soodsoi Team” from the Ministry of Industry for Combating Illegal Coin Production Factories

On Thursday, May 29, 2025, Mom Luang Pikthong Thongyai, Vice Chairman of the Federation of Thai Industries (FTI), announced the results of the FTI CEO Poll No. 45 conducted in May 2025 under the topic "How Much Do Coin Production Factories Affect Thai Industry?" The majority of FTI executives believe that the influx of foreign investment groups to operate factories that do not provide economic benefits to the local area, known as coin production factories, has a significantly negative impact on the Thai industrial sector, particularly regarding issues of non-compliance with the law. The problem of coin production factories in Thailand arises from loopholes in Thai law, as well as the impact of trade wars that accelerate the relocation of production bases to exploit the export goods of Thailand to evade origin specifications. Additionally, the ministry's dedicated efforts to manage non-compliant industrial factories and coin production factories were praised.

The survey found that the influx of foreign investment groups to operate factories that do not contribute to local economic benefits, referred to as coin production factories, is viewed by the majority of FTI executives as having a severely negative impact on the Thai industrial sector, particularly due to issues of evasion and neglect of legal compliance such as illegal operations, production of substandard goods, unauthorized employment, and illegal imports. It is believed that the root causes of the problem of coin production factories in Thailand are due to loopholes in Thai law, as well as the impact of trade wars that trigger the relocation of production bases to exploit Thai export goods to evade origin specifications.

Consequently, FTI executives proposed that the government enforce stricter regulations on factory operating licenses and integrate proactive inspections to combat misconduct, including the use of shell businesses operated by foreigners or nominees and the use of dummy accounts through data linkage and the development of monitoring systems to analyze the behavior of corporations that may fall under nominee categories, such as tax payments, employment, imports and exports, electricity usage, etc.

Moreover, FTI executives also expressed their appreciation for the efforts of the Ministry of Industry in managing non-compliant industrial factories and coin production factories, with most providing a satisfaction rating of "high" for the performance of the Soodsoi Team, which is regarded as a good and effective model for addressing the current issues related to coin production factories.

From the CEO survey of 145 executives covering 47 industrial groups and 76 provincial industrial councils, the summary of the results from the FTI CEO Poll No. 45 comprises 6 questions as follows:
1) To what extent does the presence of coin production factories have a negative impact on Thai industry?
Rank 1: High          86.9%
Rank 2: Moderate    11.0%
Rank 3: Low       2.1%

2) What types of products will be affected by the presence of coin production factories?
Rank 1: Electrical appliances 70.3%
Rank 2: Construction materials  46.9%
Rank 3: Processed foods, dietary supplements, and cosmetics    26.2%
Rank 4: Textiles and garments      25.5%

3) What causes the problem of coin production factories in Thailand?
Rank 1: Loopholes in the law present opportunities for investment in Thailand     74.5%
Rank 2: The relocation of production bases to evade the impact of trade wars 58.6%
Rank 3: Investment promotion measures and various benefits in Thailand     26.9%
Rank 4: Strict environmental policies and pollution control laws    24.8%
             of the exporting country.

4) What concerns does the industrial sector have regarding the impact of coin production factories?
Rank 1: Legal non-compliance issues such as illegal operations 52.4%
             producing substandard goods, unauthorized employment, and illegal imports  
Rank 2: Importing goods from abroad to exploit Thai export rights (Re-Export)    50.3%
            to evade origin specifications
Rank 3: Using Thailand as a production base in pollution-producing industries     49.0%
             that affect the environment and communities
Rank 4: Competitiveness in terms of cost and market share     22.8%
            in the domestic and export markets.

5) How should the government implement measures to address the issue of coin production factories?
Rank 1: Enforce strict licensing regulations for factory operations      52.4%
             and integrate proactive inspections to combat misconduct  
Rank 2: Crack down on the use of shell businesses by foreigners or nominees and dummy accounts 51.7%
Rank 3: Link data and develop tracking and behavior analysis systems for corporations 31.7%
             such as tax payments, employment, imports and exports, electricity usage, etc. 
Rank 4: Improve the criteria for issuing certificates of origin Form C/O for monitoring products and ensuring production processes are scrutinized 29.7%
             for watch-listed items.

6) How do industry executives rate the performance of the “Soodsoi Team” from the Ministry of Industry in managing non-compliant factories and coin production factories?
Rank 1: High 35.2%
Rank 2: Very High     29.0%  
Rank 3: Moderate     24.8%
Rank 4: Low   9.0%
Rank 5: Very Low      2.0%

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Published by the Corporate Communications Department of the Federation of Thai Industries (Tel. 0-2345-1051)
Compiled by the Economic and Academic Department of the Federation of Thai Industries (Tel. 0-2345-1111)