Bank of Thailand Upgrades Headquarters with Shure DIS Systems

Bangkok, April 2015 – The Bank of Thailand (BOT), formerly set up as the Thai National Banking Bureau, was officially established in 1942 with the responsibility over all central banking functions and the mission to provide a stable financial environment for sustainable economic growth in the country. Situated on the bank of the Chao Phraya River, the central bank is located on the grounds of the Bangkhunprom and Devavesm Palaces, which had been converted to the original Bank of Thailand headquarters several decades ago. After having moved their operations to a newly built building in 2007, the BOT subsequently decided to fully renovate and modernize its former head office, making it ready to support the institutions growing tasks and operational needs. 

Vichai Trading, system integrator and authorized distributor for Shure DIS products in Thailand, had already provided A/V solutions for the newly constructed headquarter building in 2007, including a customized DCS 6000 Conference System for the main conferencing facilities. As trusted long-term supplier, Vichai was brought in again for the system upgrade in the recently renovated building, handling the installation of discussion and conferencing systems in 26 rooms across 8 floors.

90% of these conference rooms are frequently used for internal operational and departmental meetings. To facilitate structured discussions in these setups, Vichai opted for the DDS 5900 Digital Discussion System. Over 290 discussion units were installed across 23 meeting rooms. Easily and quickly configurable as either chairman or delegate units, the DC 5980 P Discussion Units feature exchangeable button overlays to match the desired functionality, and the built-in, high quality loudspeakers provide clear, individual sound reinforcement for each meeting participant. The units are controlled by a CU 5905 Central Unit in each room, which can also connect the system to external AV systems or recording equipment.

Further to the internal meeting rooms, the modernized building also comprises a large conferencing chamber featuring a 32-seat round table in the center of the room, and an additional 20 seats in a surrounding semi-circle table. The venue is frequently used by the Bank of Thailand Governor to host meetings with economic leaders at both local and international levels. For these purposes, the BOT required an advanced conferencing solution with the capability to add software-enabled functionalities like speech flow control, electronic document sharing, voting, etc. Offering a comprehensive, all-in-one solution, Vichai installed the DCS 6000 Digital Conference System.

Connected in a daisy-chain via CAT5e cabling, each seat is now furnished with a DC 6990 P Conference Unit with built-in loudspeaker and integrated 3.5-inch LCD graphical color touch screen for user interaction. Delegates, secretarial staff or the chairman can use any of the digital units by simply logging in with a code or by inserting a personal chip card. Once signed in, the user is greeted with a tailored welcome screen. Marking a quantum leap in conferencing, the DCS 6000 system combines established conferencing capabilities with latest PC technology. With add-on SW 6000 Conference Management Software and customizable functionality, the system offers great flexibility for the meeting organizer to tailor each and every meeting. Users can be given the ability to see the active speaker list, request list, and speech time, or view agenda, messages, and other conference information on the screen of their conference unit. The units can also be used for voting, offering either 3 or 5 voting buttons, and later display of the voting results.

To cater for international meetings where simultaneous interpretation is required, Vichai further provided IS 6132 P Portable Interpreter Units. Delegates are able to select the audio channel with their preferred language using the touch screen on their conference unit, and listen to the interpreted audio through the comfortable and light-weight DH 6021 stereo headphone connected to the unit.

Working closely with the BOT’s internal engineering department, mechanical and electrical consultant together with the architect and interior designer ensured Vichai Trading could perfectly execute their plans within the allocated timeframe. With a full suite of modern AV resources, the Bank of Thailand has now been future-proofed and is fully equipped to support crucial decision making within the financial institution.