Briefs

The Industrial Estate Authority of Thailand (IEAT) has teamed up with the Public Warehouse Organisation to develop logistics systems for some parks.
IEAT governor Verapong Chaiperm said yesterday that the two agencies would study the feasibility of setting up warehouses, industrial product distribution centres and related businesses in suitable industrial estates out of the 48 locations in 15 provinces.
WPO president Chanudpakorn Vongseenin said his agency also has a plan to form a subsidiary to seek a partner with experience in processing agricultural products.
IEAT also has a plan to enter into joint ventures with two Thai partners to open industrial zones in foreign countries to help local firms establish businesses there. IEAT will hold 35-40 per cent of the JVs.

COST OF LIVING ASSISTANCE
The Internal Trade Department is drawing up plans to help consumers who earn about Bt15,000-Bt20,000 a month after they complained that they have not gained any assistance from the government in the wake of the rising cost of living. Wiboonlasana Ruamraksa, director-general of the department, said yesterday that the average daily spending on food by middle-income earners is about Bt120.
The department is planning to negotiate with modern traders to reduce their prices of cooked food to help those consumers.
To continue its cheap price fairs and ease the cost of living for low-income earners, the department is budgeting Bt200 million to organise 938 fairs during the fiscal year starting next month.
Of these, 50 fairs will be in Greater Bangkok and the remaining 878 in other provinces. The target is to help reduce the cost of living by Bt1.03 billion.

NEW MEDIA DRIVES AD SPENDING
The Advertising Association of Thailand expects new media to help drive ad spending up 3-5 per cent to Bt125 billion this year.
New media influences media consumption behaviour.
On-Usa Lamliengpol, the association’s president, said yesterday that the arrival of new media, such as online, social media, and cable and satellite TV, as well as the coming of digital TV in the near future will draw some of the advertising budgets allocated by businesses.

“Although the influence of new media technology, especially digital media, will shape the way individual people consume media, one of the most significant concerns of marketing and advertising people is the creation of new trends, which will be a key strategy to communicate with consumers,” she said.

Kiattana Transport setting up biomass power subsidiary

Kiattana Transport Company will set up a new subsidiary, Kiattana Greenpower, to operate its biomass electricity-generating business after its board’s approval on Tuesday. The subsidiary will be established this month.

Kiattana Transport will hold 88.33 per cent in the company, while Choosak Southern Parawood will secure 10 per cent and Amornsak Benchaplaporn 1.67 per cent.

Tirathai grabs orders worth Bt592m
Transformer manufacturer and distributor Tirathai clinched orders worth Bt592.13 million during July and August, managing director Sumpan Vongphan said.
The company won a contract worth Bt266.47 million from the Metropolitan Electricity Authority (MEA) to supply transformers to the state agency and a similar deal worth Bt11.04 million from the Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA). It also won deals worth Bt124.27 million from private firms and export orders of Bt50.87 million.
Its delivery and backlog orders as of August stood at Bt2.970 billion, of which Bt503 million is from the MEA, Bt289 million from the PEA, and Bt268 million from the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand, more than Bt1.1 billion from local private customers, and Bt389 million from export orders.
The company has targeted total revenue of Bt5 billion by 2017.

TMB Bank, ICBC Leasing ratings affirmed
Fitch Ratings has affirmed TMB Bank’s long-term issuer default rating at “BBB-” and national long-term rating at “A+(tha)”. The outlook is stable.
The rating agency has also affirmed ICBC (Thai) Leasing Co’s national long- and short-term ratings at “AAA(tha)” and “F1+(tha)” respectively.
The outlook is stable.
The agency has also assigned ICBCTL’s upcoming senior unsecured bonds of up to Bt3 billion, to be issued in two tranches with maturities of up to five years, national long-term ratings of “AAA(tha)”. ICBCTL has an option to issue a further amount of up to Bt2 billion.
The proceeds will be used to fund the expansion of the company’s auto-loan portfolio and to refinance maturing debt.
The senior notes are rated at the same level as ICBCTL’s national long-term rating of “AAA(tha)” as they represent unsecured and unsubordinated obligations of the company.