`Korat isn't a disadvantage', NATION

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In this interview with Pichaya Changsorn, Brent Bargmann, vice president of Thai operations for US firm Seagate Technology, tells of life and work as a Korat-based executive of the high-tech company in Thailand. Here is the second part of the series.

I'm definitely above the average. My professional background is as an electrical engineer and computer scientist so just that aspect itself would lend me to be a little bit more into technical gadgetry. I spend a lot of time on the Internet, on the computer.

I like technologies on the professional side, whether it's being able to work in the car or being able to be at home and able to do a videoconference or a teleconference. Those are the things that allow me to better utilise my personal and professional time.

But in my personal time I still like to be somewhat free of things that I deal with every single day on the professional perspective. So I try to draw the line.

How do you spend your time in the car?

I'll download all of my e-mails. I can go through all of my e-mails in the car. I can compose messages as soon as I log into the network (and thus) when I connect to the factory, or when I get home, those messages are automatically sent. I can do all of my telecommunication. Because I'm confined in the car for three hours, I can use them as productive time.

What do you consider your best achievements?

The thing that I have to say, that strikes out most in my mind, is the start-up of operations in Korat. I was there since the beginning with a small group in a very delicate management team. We worked from almost nothing, all the way through to what you see in Korat today, which is one of the most im-

portant facilities that we have in the world.

I don't look at that as a one-time accomplishment. That's accomplishment that continues to evolve over many years.

What was your hardest decision?

I don't ever consider decisions to be hard. What I think is the most challenging thing for me, to manage on an ongoing basis, is the ongoing management aspect of performance. Because what we as managers or leaders have to do on a continuing basis is `performance manage' our people. And one of the things that most challenges is being able to provide those continuous inputs in regard to being able to sit down constructively with employees on an ongoing basis - if you're meeting expectations, [or] if you're not meeting expectations, what're the things that we need to do collectively so you can meet expectations?

Business decisions come and go and I don't personally look at business decisions as being difficult or not difficult. Within Seagate we do a job of determining what're the criteria that we need to make a business decision, and to do that effectively then the decisions really make themselves.

If you get the inputs that you need to make a business decision, then a business decision should logically lead you to a conclusion. As opposed to performance management, that's very subjective. That has a lot of involvement in personalities and individual differences can play a big part.

How do you evaluate the development of the hard-disk industry in Thailand over the past 14 years?

When I just came to Thailand, there were quite a few players here. The industry at that time was very fragmented. There was not a lot of interaction, [or] collaboration.

It was a very isolated activity, very company-centric. Now the industry has broadened. There're many more [firms], with almost all of the key players. There is cohesive collaboration of activities among players. [And] even if I go back a few years ago, there was not a lot of activities that tried to support the entire industry within Thailand.

We've got an industry body here that represents the entire industry (Idema or International Disk Drive Equipment and Materials Association, which Bargmann is the current chairman of).

Recently we concluded talks with Nectec (National Electronics and Computer Technology Centre) in regard to [the development of ] a hard-disk drive cluster. It's really helping to foster the industry within Thailand to be a stronger player in the [global] disk drive industry, as it is today.

Does the future look bright for the disk-drive industry here?

I can't speak for the entire industry. For Seagate, we have a long- term commitment here. We're very happy with our operations here. We made a significant expansion in Korat and from that aspect I think the future for Seagate here in Thailand is very bright.

We wouldn't make a commitment similar to what we've done in Korat if we didn't believe that as a company.

Living in Korat, do you feel your children are at a disadvantage compared to other people who live in more developed places in the world, like in the US or Europe?

No. I think it's more a question of how an individual (is) developed or the opportunities that an individual has. I definitely do not believe - at least at this stage - that he'll be at a disadvantage compared to anyone. I'll explain a bit of my personal background ..

For example, in my high school graduating class there were only 22 people. I graduated from a small Mid-west university.

I had a humble beginning. [To think that] simply just where someone was located is somehow going to be disadvantage [for their future], I don't agree with that. Because, there are so any other elements that lead to an individual's development beyond their physical location.

The first part of this interview appeared in yesterday's paper.

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