Six Thai SMEs on Forbes' "Best Under a Billion" list
Six Thai companies have been included in the list of Forbes' "Best Under a Billion", the ranking of 200 best publicly traded small companies in Asia Pacific.
The companies are ; Lanna Resources, Master Ad Qualitech, Sub Sri Thai, United Palm Oil Industry and Workpoint Entertainment. They deal in, respectively, coal production, outdoor advertising media, engineering services and construction, warehousing services, crude palm oil production and TV programme production
They are among 900 companies that generate annual revenue between US$5 million and $1 billion, have positive net income and have been publicly traded for at least a year. From that pool of candidates, Forbes then weighs sales growth, earnings growth and return on equity in the past 12 months and over three years. Those that are thinly traded and those with accounting or major legal troubles are excluded.
In a statement, Forbes said that against the backdrop of a fragile global economy, the makeup of its Best Under A Billion demonstrates why small and medium-size enterprises are considered essential to Asia-Pacific.
Sales of this year’s 200 SMEs from 15 countries grew an average 48 per cent last year and generated $47 billion in revenue while employing 370,000 people. But despite their size and rapid ascent, these are not flash-in-the-pan businesses.
The average age is 24 years — publicly traded for 9 years. Among the 200 there are 46 making their sophomore appearance, another 17 returning after a gap year. In total, 72 have appeared at least once on the list in the last decade.
“The Forbes Best Under a Billion list demonstrates why small and medium-sized companies continue to be the lynchpin of Asia’s economic growth. Their diversity and dynamism bode well for the region particularly at a time when the global economy is faltering,” said Tim Ferguson, editor of Forbes Asia.
The growth of listed entities in China has been fastest in the world in the years since the financial crisis, with 72 companies in China and Hong Kong on the list, from 65 last year. India’s total on the list fell to 23 from 35 last year.
