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NTT Communications' Enterprise Cloud comes to Thailand
NTT Communications Corporation (NTT Com), a wholly owned subsidiary of NTT Group, on Wednesday announced the global availability of the NTT Communications Enterprise Cloud, with coverage area including Thailand.
It now has data centres in the United States, the United Kingdom and the Asia-Pacific region. NTT Com launched its Enterprise Cloud, which uses software-defined networking (SDN), via data centres in Japan and Hong Kong last June. The addition of data centres in Singapore, the US states of Virginia and California, and England broadened availability of the Enterprise Cloud. NTT Com anticipates opening three more data centres in Australia, Malaysia and Thailand next month.
“NTT Communications’ Enterprise Cloud is a full-layer, self-manageable virtual private cloud that is now global, and growing to incorporate virtualised networks in eight countries and nine locations by March,” said Motoo Tanaka, senior vice president of cloud services at NTT Com.
Anantara’s second property in China
Anantara Hotels, Resorts & Spas is opening its second property in China – Anantara Xishuangbanna Resort & Spa in Yunnan province – after the first one in November.
The property comprises 80 deluxe guest rooms and 23 pool villas. “Xishuangbanna is a key new destination on the tourism trail for both local and international travellers, giving the opportunity to experience a unique blend of spectacular scenery, history and culture,” said Dillip Rajakarier, CEO of Minor Hotel Group, Anantara’s parent company. “China is a key strategic focus for Minor Hotel Group, both for Anantara and for our other brands, and we already have five further properties in the pipeline.”
Travel agents invited to Kiwi Link
Tourism New Zealand is inviting Thailand’s travel agents to attend Kiwi Link South and Southeast Asia in Bangkok. The event, developed specifically for product managers from Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, India and Thailand, will host a special open session for Thailand travel agents at the Grand Millennium Sukhumvit Bangkok on March 5.
It will allow travel agents to meet with tourism operators from New Zealand who have established businesses in South and Southeast Asia.
Mischa Mannix-Opie, Tourism New Zealand’s regional manager for South and Southeast Asia, said: “We will have 38 New Zealand tourism operators at this event, from inbound operators, regional tourism operators to hotel chains and attractions. so it’s a great opportunity to spend some time with New Zealand without having to travel too far.
“We saw this opportunity as one too good to miss to showcase New Zealand to the wider Thailand travel-agent network,” she added.
Registration with [email protected] before February 25 is necessary.
Fujita Kanko office in Singapore
Japanese hospitality company Fujita Kanko will open an office in Singapore tomorrow to accelerate the globalisation of its business. The company intends to use its four overseas offices, including the new one in Singapore, to promote its 50-plus properties in Japan and build recognition for its business among travellers and other stakeholders overseas, especially in Asia. The company opened its first overseas office in Shanghai in 2010, followed by Seoul and Taipei last year.
“Opening an office in Singapore, one of key global hubs, helps us reach out to all Southeast Asian markets, including Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and Vietnam, where new opportunities are increasing for us,” said Kazumasa Suezawa, Fujita Kanko’s president and CEO.
Greenlam plans Bt50m marketing campaign
Greenlam Asia Pacific (Thailand) Co, a distributor of high-pressure laminates, has budgeted Bt50 million for a marketing campaign to boost its sales to Bt750 million this year.
The company is holding a lucky draw for its customers with a Toyota Vigo and other prizes worth a combined Bt6 million, president Distakarn Tipwan said yesterday.
Easy Buy issue rated
Tris Rating has assigned a “BBB+” rating to the proposed issue of up to Bt1 billion in three-year senior debentures of Easy Buy with “stable” outlook.
Tris has also affirmed Easy Buy’s company rating at “BBB+” with a “stable” outlook.
The “stable” outlook of the issuer and senior debenture ratings reflects the turnaround in performance as a result of improved asset quality and careful control of operating expenses.
Easy Buy delivered strong earnings in 2010, 2011 and the first nine months of 2012, which generated strong internal growth of its equity base and strengthened its credit ratings.
Good credit risk management and stronger capital will help mitigate expected risks from adverse changes in business and the operating environment in the consumer-finance industry, Tris said.
TFEX contracts triple
Trading in the Thailand Futures Exchange year to date has increased to 33,175 contracts per day, triple the average of 8,849 contracts per day last year, thanks to the buoyant stock market.
Kesara Manchusree, managing director of TFEX, said yesterday that outstanding contracts had reached 385,424.
The stock market gives high returns and investors see that stock futures can help manage their portfolio and reduce the risk from stocks, she said.
TFEX has also adjusted the conditions for holding stocks from a limit of 20,000 contracts for underlying securities to in line with the size of underlying securities. The condition enables investors hold stock futures at a suitable ratio with the size of underlying securities.
There are 30 underlying securities for trading through stock futures.
TFEX plans to expand trading in underlying securities in the SET100 next month.
Hotel of the Year
The Budgie$ & Travel Awards, held at the Marina Bay Sands in Singapore this month, named Dusit Thani Maldives as the Asia-Pacific Hotel of the Year.
The awards celebrate the leadership efforts, accomplishments and ingenuity of Asia’s low-cost aviation and travel industries. The awards are held in conjunction with Travel Distribution World Asia, the leading platform for Asian travel suppliers, travel intermediaries and industry partners to assess and access best practices in the travel industry.
AirAsia plans joint venture in India
AirAsia through its investment arm, AirAsia Investment, has entered a joint venture in India, with the plan to launch an Indian airline.
AAIL is seeking regulatory approval to invest 49 per cent in a proposed Indian JV with Tata Sons and Arun Bhatia of Telestra Tradeplace, it said in a statement.
“We have carefully evaluated developments in India over the last few years and strongly believe that the current environment is perfect to introduce AirAsia’s low fares, which stimulate travel and grow the market,” said Tony Fernandes, AirAsia founder and group CEO.
Auto output forecast
The Federation of Thai Industries maintains the target of 3.92-per-cent growth in automobile production to 2.55 million units this year, of which 1.1 million units are expected to be exported, up 7.67 per cent.
Of the remaining 1.45 million, 700,000 were backlog orders under the first-car-buyer scheme.
Thailand was ranked the world’s ninth-largest car producer last year.
Output last month was 236,025 vehicles, up 158.5 per cent year on year.
Bangchak fuel flows
Bangchak Petroleum plans to sell 414 million litres of fuel per month this year, up 9 per cent from last year.
President Vichien Usanachote said yesterday that this year its refinery would produce 105,000-110,000 barrels per day with no stop for annual maintenance. Its refining margin is expected to be US$7 per barrel. It plans to set up about 20 filling stations in Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia this year.
MINT dividend
Minor International’s board yesterday declared a dividend of Bt0.3 per share, or no more than Bt1.2 billion in total.
The dividend is payable on April 30.
Drive for ships
Toyota Motor Corp’s success in selling Thai-made vehicles to the Middle East and Latin America is fuelling a boom for car-carrier ships.
Exports of Hilux pickup trucks and Fortuner sport-utility vehicles helped Thailand overtake China as Toyota’s third-biggest global production hub last year. That growth helped spur Nippon Yusen, the world’s biggest operator of roll-on, roll- off ships, to forecast it will carry 3.45 million vehicles this fiscal year, the most in five years.
Toyota has three factories in Thailand, and Honda Motor and Nissan Motor plan to spend a combined US$850 million (Bt25.4 billion) to boost capacity here. All of them use Thailand as an export base for other developing countries, in contrast to China, where they produce predominantly for the domestic market.
That has Nippon Yusen, which counts Toyota as its biggest customer, adding ships and Mitsui OSK Lines also predicting record volume for cars.
“Thailand is a flourishing market for shipping lines,” said Ryota Himeno, an analyst at Barclays Securities Japan. “Its ports have been upgraded. It’s also close to emerging economies in Asia.”
Auto-makers including Ford Motor Co and Hyundai Motor Co also use low-cost vehicle-production hubs in countries such as Thailand and India, boosting the need to ship vehicles to import markets such as Australia and New Zealand. – Bloomberg
