Value Chain Management of Original Equipment Manufacturing Business Supplement Products in Thailand

Abstract

This research aimed to study: 1) the conditions and problems of original equipment manufacturing business supplement products in Thailand; 2) the competitive environment; and 3) propose guidelines for managing the value chain. This research is qualitative. The main informants were 21 experts, using the principles of the Delphi technique and purposive sampling. The data collection involved in-depth interviews, analyzing the content, and describing it. The results of the research found that: 1) The original equipment manufacturing business of supplement products uses a strategy to create differentiation by selecting raw material suppliers that have developed important extracts that are used as new innovative ingredients; there is sufficient budget for product research and development, but there is a lack of personnel in this area; and there is a standard operating system controls quality to meet the standards of ISO, HACCP, GMP, and GHP. 2) The business competition is high because the number of new and existing competitors is likely to increase. It is a business that can generate a high income and is easy to set up, with access to funding and the use of production technology, using online media that can reach customers quickly and on a larger scale than in the past. 3) Guidelines for the value chain are: creating a system for inspecting raw materials before receiving them according to specific criteria according to the standards of each type of raw material; focusing importance on the quality inspection process throughout the process; and having a dedicated marketing expert who is responsible for giving advice both within the organization and to customers who wish to request advice in various areas.