FRIDAY, March 29, 2024
nationthailand

WHA Group positions itself for growth despite fallout of Covid-19

WHA Group positions itself for growth despite fallout of Covid-19

WHA Corporation Public Company Limited (WHA Group) said it sees signs of recovery across its four core businesses by the end of this year.

“Despite the challenging situation, we are confident we can consolidate and grow across our four business hubs, and prepare to capture opportunities for sustainable growth both in Thailand and in Vietnam,” said Jareeporn Jarukornsakul, Group CEO of  WHA Corporation Public Company Limited.

With the anticipated return of foreign investors, the group expects to conclude several warehouse and factory rental contracts and land sale deals, as well as see an increased demand for water, electricity and digital platform services, she added.

WHA Logistics has also been doing well thanks to fast-growing demands in the e-commerce sector. It has also signed deals for ready-built factories and warehouses, and has several in the pipeline with customers in the e-commerce, food processing and third-party logistics sectors.

Meanwhile, WHA Industrial Development (WHAID) has affirmed its leadership in Thailand by completing the 2,200-rai WHA Eastern Seaboard Industrial Estate 3.

The construction of the group’s 11th industrial estate in Thailand – WHA Rayong 36 – will start in the fourth quarter of this year.

With more land available in the Eastern Economic Corridor, WHAID is getting ready to welcome customers who want to relocate due to the US-China trade tensions or other supply chain disruptions.

Expansion plans of the industrial estates in the Eastern Seaboard and Saraburi are scheduled to commence as planned.

In response to the fallout from Covid-19, the group has revised its industrial land sales target this year to 900 rai, comprising of 600 rai in Thailand and 300 rai in Vietnam.

Last month, WHAID signed a joint venture with Bangkok Industrial Gas (BIG) as part of its strategy to partner with industry experts. The new BIG WHA Industrial Gas will initially build a gas-separation plant and a pipeline to supply nitrogen to the Eastern Seaboard Industrial Estate and the adjacent WHA Eastern Seaboard Industrial Estate 1. In the long term, the venture will seek to serve the industrial gas demands in other WHA industrial estates.

WHAID has also established WHA TUS, a new joint venture with China’s Tus-Holdings, a leading science and technology park developer. WHA TUS will build TusPark WHA, an innovation and incubation centre for start-ups, which will promote science and technology cooperation between China, Thailand and other Asean countries. The park will be located in the Chulalongkorn University campus.

The WHA Industrial Zone 1 - Nghe An in Vietnam is also gaining strong traction with new customers from China, Japan and Thailand.

WHA Utilities and Power (WHAUP) also foresees an improvement by yearend driven by an improved drought situation, gradual resumption of manufacturing as well as incremental consumption from new customers.

WHAUP will continue to launch and offer high-value solutions such as wastewater reclamation, demineralised water, as well as develop renewable energy solutions.

By the end of this year, WHAUP should have a total installed equity of 592 megawatts, divided between conventional power 547MW, solar rooftops 42MW and 3MW generated using industrial waste at the Chonburi Clean Energy plant.

WHA Digital Platform will also continue offering fibre optics (FTTx) in all 10 of its operating industrial estates in Thailand.

Another key milestone is the completion of the 25-storey WHA Tower on Bang Na-Trat KM 7, which will be ready for occupancy in December. The office building will offer 52,000 square metres of flexible office space for corporates, multinational corporations, SMEs and start-ups.

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