SPOTLIGHT 42 | JNA May/June 2022 adopted new sales and marketing channels, reduced work hours, implemented work-from-home policies and trained staff in new areas to sustain business. To expand their market, they explored online shopping platforms and established jewellery brands to directly target consumers. Operational challenges Travel restrictions hampered the movement of employees across provincial borders, putting significant pressure on recruitment of skilled manpower to craft goods of high quality, Sirikietsoong noted. Unpredictablemanpower shortages likewise hindered operations at Regal Jewelry. To cope, it introduced multi-skills training to increase staff flexibility and keep production running in case of multiple absences due to Covid infections. It also strengthened its digital communication infrastructure for stakeholder updates and work-from-home arrangements. “As the shortage of qualified staff still leads to manufacturing challenges, we have further automated some manufacturing processes to assist our employees,” said Chinnapornsombat. Thailand’s silver jewellery sector was not spared either from manpower issues. With demand now revving up, silver jewellery exporters are hard-pressed to find workers to fulfil orders. “We lost many valuable and skilled craftsmen during the pandemic. Every company is having difficulty restoring its capacity, rebuilding its workforce, training existing staff to diversify and preparing new workers to support upcoming production,” explained Udomdangaram, who is also managing director of silver jewellery manufacturer Silver Bar Co Ltd. Drivers of recovery Strategies implemented during the pandemic have become pillars for efficiency and growth in the postlockdown era, stakeholders asserted. Omni-channel distribution, which was accelerated in 2020, remains a key focus for Pranda. Sustainability has likewise become a top policy for the company, according to Tiasuwan. The Pranda Group official said minimalist gold and silver jewellery is highly sought after this year by the US and European markets. At the height of the pandemic, jewellery with many diamonds and gemstones fell out of favour, he added. “We observed pent-up demand from the middle of 2021 all through the beginning of 2022. Barring continued fallout from the Ukraine conflict, 2022 should be a great recovery year,” Tiasuwan said. Sirikietsoong credited the Premier Group’s recovery to the growing branded luxury sector. Demand for highend fine jewellery – particularly from Japan, China and the US – quickly returned at levels surpassing historical highs in 2016, she noted. “An important shift in the market is the rising demand for branded products of exceptionally high quality and premiummaterials alongside the decline for commercialquality goods. We also noticed an inflow of orders for diamonds, loupe-clean blue sapphires as well as rubies with deeper tones and vivid saturation. These goods are in short supply though, as reflected by the swift price recovery since the pandemic,” she pointed out. Regal Jewelry, for its part, sees a strong clamour for products with recycled materials, especially from Western markets. Opportunities also abound in the sustainable jewellery segment as more consumers value social responsibility and environmentally sound practices amid the pandemic, according to Chinnapornsombat. Stud earrings, ear cuffs, jewellery that can be layered such as stackable rings, and pieces with minimalist, daily-wear designs for Millennials and Gen Z consumers are in favour too, she added. Udomdangaram believed simple, elegant jewellery will drive growth across markets for silver jewellery producers. Pieces with lucky symbols and meaningful, spiritual designs are especially popular among Asian customers, he noted. Source 资料来源: Global Trade Atlas, compiled by GIT Information Center 泰国宝石及珠宝研究所信息中心编制的《全球贸易地图》 Thailand’s gem and jewellery exports, January-December (in US$) 泰國1月至12月寶石及珠寶出口（以美元計） 2019 2020 Y/Y change 2021 Y/Y change Articles of jewellery 珠宝首饰 3,693,313,493.45 2,622,986,466.82 -28.98% 3,376,681,306.65 28.73% Precious stones and semi-precious stones 贵重宝石及半宝石 1,439,492,287.68 549,379,998.71 -61.84% 689,507,464.82 25.51% Diamonds 钻石 1,523,701,518.46 946,336,232.39 -37.89% 1,260,576,993.00 33.21% Pearls 珍珠 17,588,639.43 10,825,395.05 -38.45% 22,631,907.32 109.06%
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NjAxOTU=