We have to adjust our strategies to suit the current landscape while maintaining our position. If we do not open up and continue to learn, we will not be able to lead our business to accomplish its targets,” Merceline Pattrarakornvorakul, Executive at M.K.T. Magnetic, told Sugar Asia.

M.K.T. Magnetic Co., Ltd. is a manufacturer and distributor of industrial magnets, especially for the sugar industry, as well as metal detectors, magnetic conveyors, and automatic checkweighers. Having been in the business over 20 years, it is the company in Thailand to own a laboratory equipped with cutting-edge certified instruments, including the state-of-the-art high-accuracy frequency core metal detector, which is easy to operate and maintain. The company also offers unparalleled aftersales services.

Stepping up to the plate to take on this mantle of leadership is Ms. Merceline Pattrarakorn- vorakul, a Business and Law graduate from Leeds Business School in the U.K who garnered experience through site visits during her school years. With support and advice from the executive team of a corporate in the Netherlands, she has adapted some factory improvement and management plans to Thailand, especially M.K.T. Magnetic Co., Ltd. She has also learned the ropes from her father, the previous executive, enabling her to take on the challenge of managing the organization while remaining in touch with the current state of the industry with confidence.

For over 20 years under her father’s leadership, the company was always a family business in its management structure. However, Thailand later saw an economic expansion and greater openness to new cultures and beliefs that led to fiercer competition. Also, the current digital age has played increasingly greater roles, swiftly altering the media and making presentation of information more vibrant. The company has thus realigned its vision to the current era while maintaining its position. If executives do not open up and continue to learn, they will not be able to lead their business to accomplish its targets.

“Taking up the baton as a successor during the current economic climate is challenging. Although it can be disheartening that many question how femininity will play out in the management of businesses in the sugar industry or other industries in general, what my father has taught me and the experience I accumulated during my years in school and overseas excursions have quelled my concern about adapting. Also, the challenge has been a good motivator for me. With my unique ideas and conviction in fostering human resources, coupled with our intention to use teamwork-based management and give opportunities to younger generations in the organizations to express their opinions fully, the company will successfully introduce new approaches to our operations and enable the company to run on its own. We will also develop the company by inviting experts to share their knowledge with our employees.”

“The company’s policy focuses on quality control and aftersales services, with emphasis on sincerity towards our clients. At the same time, the company is also developing itself constantly. In addition to having obtained a certificate from Japan, M.K.T. Magnetic has joined forces with quality suppliers from other countries such as South Korea, China, and India and continuously expanded its business bases. Furthermore, because of stronger competition, we have to focus on quality control and keep developing new products. M.K.T. Magnetic is the only ISO 900:2015-certified company in Thailand and provides calibration services, in which we use cutting-edge calibration instruments that have been certified and constantly updated by overseas organizations. These calibration services also answer the needs of the Thai sugar industry.”

As both an OEM and a trading company, M.K.T. Magnetic is trying to create business assets that cater to both existing client groups and related groups. It enjoys the upper hand over its competitors thanks to its comprehensive product presentation through both offline and online channels and a wide range of delivery options for the convenience of the clients. The company also monitors its clients’ needs and develop the organization and personnel by both inviting experts from overseas to host training sessions in Thailand and sending its employees to train abroad to improve their service. Furthermore, M.K.T. Magnetic also branches out to new business asset lines every year to ensure a comprehensive range of products in higher demand.

Currently, M.K.T. Magnetic is in the top two of Thailand’s magnet industry. For certain products that the company does not have such as metal detectors used in X-ray, the company will represent Korean companies that do as it has deemed that these X-ray machines and other equipment are indispensable for production lines in the sugar industry.

“In sugar mills, products must always go through an X-ray machine, a metal detector, or a magnetic detection process before they are packed into bags. This process is required right from the first step, which is cane crushing. Cane plants that are dumped into hoppers might contain stray metal pieces from the equipment used to cut or snap them such as hoes, spades, and wrenches. These metal fragments may remain in the cane plants fed to the cane juice extraction and the milling process, and our electric magnets are used to detect these contaminants here. We still offer these machines, which are indispensable in every mill, for sale.

However, smaller magnets that we sell are used more widely. Using 3D AutoDesk Inventor with genuine license, we design magnets to the needs of our clients and work to ensure ease of installation. For example, we can take measurements of the magnet that our clients need and design accordingly, so that the resulting product will perfectly fit their specifications and consume less time.