Luke Judge

‘I normally employ active listening in my management style regardless of whether I agree with an issue. When it comes time to make a final decision, the ultimate goal is the benefits accrued to the organisation itself and society at large,” says Dr Prasarn Trairatvorakul, governor of the Bank of Thailand.

Dr Prasarn is not a new face at the central bank. he served there from 1983-92 before moving to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) as a deputy secretary-general. he then headed the SEC as secretary-general from 1999 to 2003 before moving to Kasikornbank (KBank) to serve as president, then back to the central bank last October after being appointed as its new governor.

“I always consider both the ‘hardware’ and the ‘software’. The hardware is what’s tangible such as organisational direction, targets and performance. such systematic and scientifically measured items are useful for management. A good value system is one piece of software, very important for sustaining an organisation,” he says.

Taking away the punchbowl: “Three core values – being principled, having foresight and acting down-to-earth – were introduced before my time by the previous governor, Tarisa Watanagase. On my first day as governor, I sent out a letter to all the central bank staff reiterating these values and including a fourth – reaching out. We’re doing fine on the first two values but still have room to improve on the other two.”

To be more down to earth, Dr Prasarn believes the Bank of Thailand must think more in terms of “practical policies”. that entails vigilance and allowing staff to acquire broader experience such as by working with outside organisations for a while and then returning to the central bank.

He referred to a famous quote by William McChesney Martin Jr, the longest-serving chairman of the US Federal Reserve (1951-70), who said the job of a central bank is to “to take away the punchbowl just as the party gets going”.

“Our work involves other parties, so we must reach out to the others. This way, we can expect good cooperation if we have to make some tough decisions,” says Dr Prasarn.

Recognition and rewards: A good value system is the foundation of good human resource management, and that of the central bank is crucial in achieving its goals. To this end, Dr Prasarn has adopted a “balanced score card” to as his measurement tool.

“Our board last December approved a variable pay scheme that will take effect this July. such recognition will be the first of its kind and very rewarding. Staff performance evaluations including for the governor will be made every six months,” Dr Prasarn boasts proudly.

He is one of only a few senior executives who have been at the top of powerful public and private organisations alike, as witnessed by his tenure as KBank president.

“Managing a public organisation is certainly different from running a private enterprise. Performance cannot be measured as clearly since there is true competition in the private sector but not on the public side. Being process-driven is the one similarity. Unfortunately, a process culture does not encourage people to be flexible or aware of changes in the environment,” says Dr Prasarn.

Leading with a coaching mindset: “Human skills capability is at the top of the list of leadership qualities. Understanding basic management needs such as an incentive system and what drives people to perform is no.2. The third quality leaders must have is coaching skills and the ability to provide feedback; leaders must be brave enough to accept reality and give feedback that will improve poor performers,” says Dr Prasarn.

A strong people-oriented executive, he was a key figure at a critical juncture in Thai history – the 1973 student uprising, when he was the student body president at Chulalongkorn University.

“My student activities developed a sense of human resource management in me, taught me how to delegate authority. My personal leadership approach tends to be consultative with some degree of a participatory style. I prefer to articulate and make myself crystal clear so that others will understand the issues. Buy-ins from my team members are important, but there may be a critical moment in which it falls to me to take a position and decide,” concludes Dr Prasarn.

Sorayuth Vathanavisuth is a former chief executive of the Thailand Management Association and now teaches at Mahidol University’s College of Management. he can be reached at .

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Articulated front end loaders are designed by engineers from the ground up to push hard into earth and lift heavy loads at the front of the loader and also to be extremely versatile in the field.

The following article illustrates 8 points of difference between an articulated front end loader and a front end loader fitted to a tractor generally after purchase.

1. Maneuverability. Articulated front end loaders allow you to work in very tight areas – places where tractors can’t even begin to access. Articulated steering is similar to having two very short machines attached together with a rod, so really you are operating a very short machine and the other chassis follows behind. Tractors on the other hand have a rigid chassis and are no-where near as maneuverable as a modern articulated front end loader. This ability to operate in confined areas of articulated front end loaders allows you to gain access to places you couldn’t with your tractor. The higher utilization rate of articulated front end loaders pays off with less jobs having to be performed manually. Often maintenance that has been done for years by hand, now gets done rapidly with a compact articulated front end loader! The much better all around visibility in a compact articulated front end loader also makes productivity in confined areas much higher as the operator isn’t concerned about damage to buildings, machinery, personnel or animals constantly on the job site.

2. Steering under load. Articulated front end loaders utilize strong rams to pivot the whole front chassis which steers the vehicle in the required direction. The powerful steering is required as under load the centre of gravity shifts approximately 2/3 of the whole machine onto the front axle, making it heavy under load if the steering isn’t suitable. Tractors however are designed to tow – this is the reason the big wheels designed for heavy loads, are mounted at the back and the small wheels, which are easier to steer, are mounted at the front. When a front end loader is added to a tractor and the operator loads the bucket, the tractor’s centre of gravity shifts onto the front wheels and axles, making it very hard to steer as they aren’t designed to turn under such a heavy load. As the centre of gravity shifts when a load is picked up with the front end loader a massive amount of pressure transfers onto the front axle and CV joints in the tractor. Tractors really are designed to tow and when loaded on the back of the three point linkage when towing, pressure is actually reduced on the front wheels as the centre of gravity shifts backwards taking pressure off the CV joints! Tractor front axles aren’t designed for the constant loading when working with a front end loader and may not last. Front wheel assist has now been included by some tractor manufactures to help with the steering when the front end loader takes a full load but it still has difficultly under full load as the CV joints are loaded up and under stress. Articulated front end loaders however have rigid axles so they don’t have any CV joints to get damaged under when the centre of gravity shifts forwards when loading – the steering is controlled via articulating the whole front chassis – just another reason showing that articulated front end loaders are truly designed from the ground up for loading, particularly in the long run when maintenance costs are taken into account.

3. Loading speed. Many farmers load their trucks with tractors, however when you load with a big tractor you waste a lot of diesel compared to an articulated front end loader. When operating a big tractor you need a lot more space to get in the right position to load and then to dump into the truck. The truck must be parked much further away from the pile of material to be moved as the tractor has limited maneuverability.

On the other hand articulated front end loaders operate easily in very confined areas so they don’t need to travel as far to dump and get in the right position to load again. This is due to the very tight steering angle – one of the greatest advantages of an articulated vehicle. The most efficient compact articulated front end loaders on the market now have articulation angles of 47 degrees. Smaller articulated front end loaders, generally under 1750kg, have articulation angles of 60 degrees as they don’t incorporate a drive shaft so the articulation angle can be made much higher.

4. Transmission advantages. Most modern articulated front end loaders utilize a clutchless hydrostatic transmission which gives you smooth power transfer when digging constantly into soil or hard materials. The hydrostatic transmission makes articulated front end loaders much faster in speed than tractors in loading situations, allowing the operator to perform more work in less time. As articulated front end loaders use a fluid hydrostatic the operator isn’t wearing out mechanical clutches or gearboxes with friction as you would need to constantly shift between gears with a manual gearbox like in a tractor.

The hydrostatic transmission that is used in the most modern articulated front end loaders allows the driver to concentrate solely on loading the bucket rather than having to change manual gears all the time to maximize speed against the torque required for loading. The hydrostatic transmission means that the articulated front end loader can be driven into a pile for loading and the hydrostatic pump is load sensing and automatically senses the power required and adjusts torque as necessary for the most efficient loading. The speed in the hydrostatic articulated front end loader is controlled just by pressing the accelerator pedal down more or less, the same as operating an automatic car.

5. Low operating height. Some modern compact articulated front end loaders are built with very low operating heights. This allows you to go inside buildings and perform more work. Tractors are designed for towing with large rear wheels and so are much higher and could never access such low areas. This allows many intensive farming operations such as small horse stables, cow sheds, chicken pens and greenhouses to be quickly cleaned out. Compact articulated front end loaders are also generally much narrower than equivalent tractors and allow access up the side of residential properties, building sites, and vineyards. A big advantage of compact articulated loaders is that the low height and narrow width allow access into building and demolition sites for construction and removal of debris.

The low height and relatively narrow width of articulated front end loaders when further coupled with the extremely tight turning circle gives even more accessibility in confined spaces. The low operating height of a compact articulated front end loader also gives another benefit not realized at the beginning – the easy access for personnel to the cabin area means they get used constantly for all jobs as they are so convenient. Tractors, due to their high wheels at the back must have high cabin heights and constantly getting in and out can be chore, particularly for smaller tasks and where one has to get in and out of the cabin frequently and so often the job is just done by hand. Another advantage of the low height of compact articulated front end loaders is when trucking machines about the total transport height is lower and permits don’t need to be obtained.

6. Centre of gravity. Articulated front end loaders are built from the ground up to maximize the efficiency of the weight they can lift at the front of the machine. The placement of counterweights and the longitudinal centre of gravity on an articulated front end loader is designed completely differently to that a tractor. Articulated front end loaders have a very heavy chassis and the most efficient designs incorporate weight as far behind the rear axle as possible to make lifting at the front as efficient. Significant weight as far out the back of the rear axle as practical makes it possible to lift higher amounts at the front of the articulated front end loader due to the simple lever principle – the more counter weight out the back, the more effective it will be. Articulated front end loaders when unloaded have approximately 2/3 of the total machine weight resting on the rear axle, however when loaded the centre of gravity shifts to 2/3 of the total weight on the front axle.

Tractors on the other hand are built completely differently to an articulated front end loader – all their weight is mounted as far forward as possible to give the best stability and capacity when towing – counterweights are even designed to hang off the front of the tractor! Their longitudinal centre of gravity of a tractor is approximately 50/50 on the front and rear axles, with a shift towards more weight on the front axle in bigger tractors. A quick look at any tractor shows that the engine has been mounted as far forward as practical which gives great stability at the back of the machine and allows the tractor to maintain weight on the front wheels for traction when towing a heavy object – the opposite of an articulated front end loader.

7. View of front end when operating. Compact articulated front end loaders are built from scratch to have a great view of the front end as this is where all the work occurs and the driver must have a great view if they are to perform work quickly and safely. The front chassis on an articulated front end loader is minimized in size so maximum visibility is created for the driver. The mast is also designed to be as streamlined as possible so no interference occurs to the drivers view and anything unnecessary is put behind or underneath the driver such as the engine.

The view of the front end of a tractor is totally different – tractors are designed for towing so the engine is put as far forward as possible and then a front end loader mast added afterwards. The tractors engine totally obscures the front end of the tractor so it is very difficult to see the working face and more guess work and less precise work has to be performed with a tractor than an articulated loader. The tractor is thus can only be used for very rough work and all finishing must be performed by another machine or done later by hand. It is very easy to see which machine is built for heavy duty work – an articulated front end loader or a tractor with a loader, pay careful attention to the size of rams, pins and the strength of the mast and it is quickly apparent that only a good quality articulated front end loader is built for an industrial life.

8. Towing Vs pushing. Articulated front end loaders are built for constant pushing. However, tractors are designed for towing; they are not designed to develop the pushing force which is needed for loading and shifting. Generally everyone understands that the bigger the wheel, the less the torque that can efficiently generated from it. The massive rear wheels of big towing tractors make the ability of developing a lot of torque an impossibility, however big tyres at the back create a lot of stability and the ability to have massive loads on the rear utilizing the three point linkage perfectly. The front wheels on tractors however are very small and not designed for the same loading as the rear – hence their small size. Articulated front end loaders however have the same tyre size all around which are much smaller than tractors so it is easy for the axles to generate much higher torque which is required to dig into hard materials when loading or cutting into bare earth.

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From the shadows of the Mos Eisley Cantina to the pages of comic books, the Star Wars underworld sports some facinating characters. I’ve began work on a series of figures which I find most interesting…Bounty Hunters, Smugglers and Pirates. If you’re at all educated in expanded universe lore, you’ll find plenty of scum and villainy to choose from! LOL!

We’ve all heard of Boba, Bossk, IG-88 etc…

How about Furlag?….Check him out on star wars wiki. I believe I introduced you to the early stages of this sculpt with my last posting…well, suffice to say I’ve been busy Check out the update…

The arms and legs are unnaturally long and lanky and he’s a bit taller than your usual 1:18 figure – I will take some scale shots when completed. Still have to complete his utility belts and various other details. Some images showed Furlag sporting a bandolier which I will include as an accessory. He is completely articulated and a solid build – very happy how this guy is turning out.

I hope to improve on Hasbro’s take with Aurra Sing….Below is the first glimpse of a very early (and very creepy) WIP shot….kinda remingds me of the skinny alien from Close Encounters…

So you see how I basically begin a piece – I build the skeleton, then begin to add on one piece at a time…in Aurra’s case, I intend on shortening and articulating the forearms. I’ll then begin to sculpt from the neck down while working on the head seperately. Aurra will represent a real world sculpt, not animated – I think Hasbro will have a great version in the Clone Wars animated style.

Speaking of the The Clone Wars, it brings me to my next piece…and it is unusual for me get so excited about a new character that I get right into working on a sculpt…I am speaking of the Kyuzo Bounty Hunter, Embo. Below is the completed skeleton -again, Embo will be representing a real world sculpt, not that of the animated version – so expect him to be a tad bit “thicker” in the legs and arms, and a bit around the waist…but not much.

The skeleton (a mix-match of 6 different figures) is taller than that of the usual 1:18 scale – lanky, with a long upper torso and neck. The figure will feature basic articulation – I will attempt to introduce soft goods…I haven’t decided yet…but I found a shell for the hat!! It may be a tad large but I will scale it down before details are added. Very excited to begin work on him!

A final Bounty Hunter update is that of Mika, a Farghul hunter from the Rupublic comic series. I completed the facial sculpt and some of the upper body – still have some details to finalize before moving to the lower body. She is going to be a challenge to paint!

Alright – Pirates/Smugglers….unfortuately I have only one to show you right now. I hope to get some more working in the next couple months.

Here is a 90% complete sculpt of Lumbra from the comic series Dark Times. I lack the ammo belt and holster – and a few other details. The figure has basic articulation but for the first time, no ankle joints…I hope to possibly go back in and facilitate the additional articulation. Why didn’t I do this before you ask? Because at the time I felt no need for it with this character – but after the fact….bad decision. LOL!

The shoulder armor is strapped – which allows the plates to rest freely on the shoulders without being glued or sculpted onto the frame. Similar to what I am doing with the New Republic Shocktroopers…

I promise more pirates/smugglers to come!!! I have my eye on a few speeder bike pirates as well as some of Talon Carrde’s friends!

You can’t be speaking of Bounty Hunters and Pirates without throwing in a few Mandalorians right? I’ve got a couple that are nearing completion….the first being a Twi’lek Neo-Crusader Mandalorian from the pages of Dark Horse’s Knights of the Old Republic.

Now the helmet has been resculpted several times – the first one was too small….the second, too large….this one is just right. If you think it still looks large, please consider the Twi’lek’s cranium size and lekku that will protrude from the sides of the helmet… I think once the shoulder armor is attached and the additional accessories have been added, the helmet will fit in nicely. His boots need sculpting, and I may lower his “utility” belt a bit along with his crotch plate LOL!

I will include an alternate head without his helmet…so I will be taking on a little creative license. This guy has been a WIP for a long time and it is time to wrap him up – more updates coming soon and hopefully he will have company…

How about the ultimate mando….Mandalore the Ultimate! I began working on him around the time I completed Rholan – His sculpt represents a mix of different takes on the character by different artists, but mostly from Dustin Weaver’s vision…

I’m still working on the upper body armor – the shoulder armor is complete (not shown) and will attached to the upper arms through the material I wish to use for his robes. The second photo shows some additional abdominal armor as well as a crotch plate. His waist can move freely but the wrap around armor will remain stationary attached to his hips. His rifle will be attached to a ring just below this new armor – that weapon is currently being worked on. I am currently working on the forearm armor which will be seen in future updates. He’s taller than my other mandalorians which is to be expected.

Alright – How about we throw a woman into the mix! Below are some updated images of my Morrigan Corde sculpt from the Star Wars Legacy comic series.

I’m basing my sculpt on the artwork of Colin Wilson.

The trick with sculpting Morrigan is to create a middle aged woman (she is Cade’s mom by the way) who shows her age a bit but still looks strong and sexy…and she must appear to be ready to kick ass at a moments notice LOL! So far I feel the sculpt is working out fine – she is strongly articulated, and holds balance well. I may thin out her upper thighs just a touch but other than that she’s movin’ right along…I am planning on sculpting her alter ego, Nyna Calixte to compliment the set.

Deliah Blue is coming along but not much to show….I am struggling to decide which outfit I should feature her in. Her original is a sure bet but so many others to choose from. The original sculpt was scrapped a few months ago…the one that used the microman body. She looked “strange” – the jointed arms and legs look natural for this characer. So this time around I am using a GI Joe frame – no complains so far. The head sculpt is almost complete – I plan on adding hair draped over the shoulders as well as som additional strands draping the forhead over the eyes…I may produce a couple more versions of the character sporting the different attires but for right now there is only one Blue…

Finally an update on my New Republic Shocktroopers….These guys are a challenge but I am close to completing two out of the four troopers – the below shots show the additional packs and ammo accessories I will be including with each – and each will be unique! Each will have a semi-working visor and multiple alternate head sculpts. Weapons will vary as well…

So again a post with NO FINISHED PIECES…believe me, I know! I need to get on the ball and finish some of these guys right? Next post – PROMISE! LOL!

Please, I appreciate your questions and comments – don’t hesitate. I will post any answers to questions here or via e-mail.

Till then Take care and check out my photostream on FLICKR at flickr.com/photos/sith_fire30/

I will have a bunch of “old school” customs I will be posting soon.

articulate comic books, piece at a time