Marking its sixth anniversary, IMPACT Exhibition Management Co., Ltd. spearheaded its first R2i initiative in 2019, fostering significant employee engagement by encouraging employees to submit their sandbox projects to the company's R2i competition to drive growth and innovation.
Thamita Chongswatvorakul, Director of Human Resources, emphasized that today's job seekers increasingly look beyond competitive salaries and benefits. They value employers that invest in learning and development, enabling employees to strengthen their skills, foster creativity, and advance their careers. She added that a positive workplace culture is equally important as it boosts productivity while improving employee satisfaction and retention.
With this vision in mind, the company has continuously organized the Routine to Innovation (R2i) competition since 2018 to cultivate a culture of innovation throughout the organization. The initiative encourages employees to think creatively, take initiative, and develop new ways of working by transforming challenges and experiences into practical innovations. It also provides employees at every level and across all departments with the opportunity to contribute ideas that can enhance operational efficiency and create long-term value for the organization.
"The R2i program is more than just an innovation competition. It serves as a platform for learning, knowledge sharing, and employee development. More importantly, it plays a key role in reinforcing our new Core Value of an Innovative Mindset. Through the program, employees learn to identify opportunities for improvement, experiment with new ideas, solve problems creatively, and gain valuable insights from real-world experience—behaviors that we aim to embed throughout the organization," said Thamita.
The 2026 competition marked the sixth edition of the R2i program, with the winners announced in early June. This year, a total of 33 teams participated across three competition categories. The System and Process category attracted 21 entries. The winning project, IT Services Web Portal from the Information Technology Department, is a centralized platform that brings together IT services in one place.
The Equipment and Machine category received six entries. The winning project, Muangthong Smart Pump from the Facility Management Department, is an intelligent monitoring system designed to enhance the operation of water pumps throughout Muang Thong Thani. The solution helps reduce operational risks while improving drainage efficiency and overall water management.
This year also introduced a new Improvement category, allowing teams that had previously participated in the R2i competition to further develop and resubmit their existing innovations. Six teams entered the category, with two projects sharing the top honor.
The first winning project, Asset ProNext, developed jointly by the Finance & Accounting, Procurement, and Corporate Human Resources departments, utilizes RFID technology to streamline asset management. The system enables real-time asset tracking while providing accurate information on asset quantity, location, status, and history.
The second winning project, LinenFlowX, developed by the Operations Department, is an online platform for managing the issuance, return, and inventory of linens. By consolidating linen tracking, inventory levels, usage records, and cost management into a single system, the platform helps reduce repetitive tasks and improve operational efficiency.
Beyond improving operational performance, many of this year's projects also demonstrated a strong commitment to the company's sustainability goals. Several initiatives focused on reducing energy consumption, conserving resources, minimizing waste, improving water and waste management, and applying digital technologies to monitor and optimize resource utilization. These innovations considerably solidify the organization's long-term sustainability strategy and carbon footprint reduction efforts.
Building on the success of the R2i initiative, the company has further integrated innovative technologies into its corporate culture through its new core values by introducing the Core Values Recognition Awards, which recognize employees who exemplify the organization's values. This year also marked the inaugural presentation of the IM of the Year award, honoring an individual who has demonstrated an outstanding innovative mindset. The winner of the IM of the Year 2026 award goes to Mr. Preeda Malatri from the External Works Section, Facility Management Department.
"Six years ago, many people viewed innovation as something reserved for a select group of individuals or associated solely with technology. What we have witnessed this year reflects a significant shift. Employees are more confident in proposing new ideas, and participants now come from various departments. This demonstrates that innovation is no longer limited to any single department. More importantly, our employees believe that everyone has the ability to contribute to the organization's development. Many ideas submitted in previous years have already been further developed and successfully implemented, creating tangible value for the company. Ultimately, the success of the R2i program is not measured by the number of projects submitted, but simply by our ability to inspire employees to recognize that innovation can begin with the work they do every day. Today, an Innovative Mindset has become an integral part of how our people think and work.”
“Several promising projects from this year's competition also demonstrated strong potential for further development. To help transform these ideas into tangible solutions, the company has selected a number of high-potential projects to enter the R2i Sandbox program. Through this initiative, participating teams will receive support in the form of expert guidance, technical knowledge, and funding to further develop their innovations, maximize their organizational impact, and create sustainable long-term value,” concluded Thamita.
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