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Workshop for SMEs on penetrating AEC
The Trade Negotiations Department will next Wednesday hold a workshop for small and medium-sized enterprises on how to penetrate the regional market under the upcoming Asean Economic Community.
Director-general Piramol Charoenpao said the workshop would focus on helping SMEs seek opportunities in neighbouring countries, especially Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. With Indonesia’s emerging growth, the department will also highlight that market.
The workshop will be held at Swissotel Le Concorde in Bangkok.
LPN’s Q2 net jumps 440%
LPN Development recorded revenue of Bt4.3 billion in the second quarter, up 290 per cent from the same period last year, and net profit of Bt800 million, up 440 per cent.
For the first half, the company reported revenue of Bt6.7 billion, up 109 per cent on the first six months of 2012, and net profit of Bt1.16 billion, up 161 per cent. It also recorded presales worth Bt15 billion in the first half of this year.
Thaicom profit rises 65.2%
Satellite operator Thaicom posted second-quarter net profit of Bt190 million, up 65.2 per cent year on year. First-half net profit was Bt521 million, up 231.8 per cent year on year, mainly to the growth of its satellite business and efficient cost controls.
Its areas of growth over the next 12 months will include its new broadcasting satellites, Thaicom 6 and 7. Thaicom 6, with pre-launch sales already at 66 per cent, will capitalise on the region’s high demand for broadcasting services. Thaicom 7, which will follow next year, will expand the company’s fleet capacity and market coverage over the Asia-Pacific region.
To rev up its revenues, the company has provided an interim satellite to offer services from the 78.5 degrees east orbital slot in advance of Thaicom 6’s launch this year.
Tris upgrades Central Plaza
TRIS Rating has upgraded the company and senior debenture ratings of Central Plaza Hotel to “A” from “A-” with “stable” outlook, thanks to its improved ability to generate cash flow after expanding in the hotel and quick-service restaurant (QSR) portfolio.
The ratings reflect the company’s strong market position and diverse sources of cash flows, along with the support from the Central Group, TRIS said.
Sugar, rice, maize expo next week
The “International Sugar Rice Maize and Agriculture Expo Asia” (ISRMAX Asia 2013) and “ISRMAX Horti & Agri Asia 2013” will be held from August 14-17 in Bangkok. The event at Hall 5-6 of Impact Exhibition and Convention Centre, Muang Thong Thani, aims to attract manufacturers, dealers, and domestic and foreign advisers on agricultural industries including corn, rice, sugar, and vegetables and fruits in Asia. It will also feature production technology and agricultural machinery.
During the event, the ISRMAX Cogen Conference will be held. Discussions will be held on solar-pump systems, the advancement of technology for rice and cotton production, hydroponic plants, quality evaluation, and control and preservation technology for rice, maize and grains.
The event will by hosted by Impact Exhibition Management Co and Pixie Consulting Solutions Co of India.
US Federal Reserve may put off QE tapering
The US Federal Reserve may not decide to carry out a quantitative easing (QE) taper at its September meeting, given the fragility of the economic recovery, TMB Analytics said.
The research house of TMB Bank said that though the US unemployment rate had narrowed to 7.4 per cent, the recovery pace was not solid enough to support the tapering.
The US economy expanded by only 1.7 per cent in the second quarter, while the first-quarter growth rate was revised down to 1.1 per cent.
However, the 7.4-per-cent unemployment rate could be distorted, as it does not include those who have stopped searching for jobs.
Given the growth in non-farming jobs by only 160,000 a month (since February 2010), employment figures are expected to return to normal later than expected.
“This is in line with our forecast that the QE tapering should take place very late in 2013,” TMB Analytics said.
It added that current inflation of below 2 per cent could also encourage the Fed to maintain the easing policy until inflation picks up.
App for auto registration fees
The Department of Land Transport said it was planning to launch a service that would allow payments of annual auto registration fees to be made via mobile-phone applications.
The service, which is expected to be launched at the end of this year, would be an alternative payment option for car owners – in addition to existing online and counter-service methods.
The department’s director-general Somchai Siriwattana-choke said it was in talks with three cellular operators on collaborating with the service. The department said it was aiming for a service for which cellular operators would not impose service fees. However, if they needed to charge users, the price would be minimal, Somchai said.
The age of vehicles eligible for the service must not exceed seven years. The pilot service will cover private passenger cars not exceeding seating for seven passengers, plus vans, motorcycles and trucks.
Expansion of free Wi-Fi planned
The Information and Communications Technology Ministry estimates that the number of users of its free Wi-Fi service will reach around 15.5 million within a few years.
Currently, there are about 8 million users of free Wi-Fi under a project provided by seven parties –True Corp, Advanced Info Service, Total Access Communication (DTAC), CAT Telecom, the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC), and 3BB. There are about 1.6 million users of TOT’s free Wi-Fi service.
TOT yesterday announced plans to extend its Wi-Fi project for another three years (until 2016), targeting a total of 7.5 million new users. The service will be launched in the fourth quarter of this year and TOT will set up 150,000 access points for the service nationwide next year.
Of TOT’s total number of access points, 30,000 were funded by the NBTC. Of the total 150,000 points, 16,220 will be in Bangkok and the rest in the provinces.
Invite for bond payment
Holders of Thai Khemkhaeng bonds, which will be redeemed on July 13, 2014, are invited to register for the redemption payment.
The Bank of Thailand said in a statement that pre-registration would facilitate payment transfers to bond holders’ bank accounts. After registering, holders of Thai Khemkhaeng bonds would be entitled to normal interest payments until the redemption date.
‘Sustainable Industry’ continues
The Industry Ministry’s Department of Industrial Promotion has joined forces with Dow Chemical Thailand to launch the second phase of “Dow Chemical for Sustainable Industry”, covering 2013 and 2014.
The programme will promote sustainable environmental management and pollution prevention and “Lean Management for Environment” principles to create a wider awareness of environmental issues.
The first phase, which took place over 2011 and 2012, achieved 33 training sessions; organised 2,300 certified participants from 843 organisations; and involved 778 industrial and private organisations and 65 government organisations, said Sophon Pholprasit, director-general of the department.
