Briefs
Hemaraj net income down 24% in Q3
Hemaraj has reported net income for the third quarter of Bt477.9 million, a decrease of 24 per cent compared with the same period last year.
Earnings per share were Bt0.049, a decrease of 24 per cent.
The industrial-estate company’s normalised net income for the third quarter was Bt462.9 million, a 32-per-cent decrease. The figure excludes an unrealised foreign-exchange gain of Bt14.9 million.
For the first nine months of 2014, Hemaraj reported total net income of Bt2.5 billion. Earnings per share were Bt0.261, an increase of 22 per cent compared with the same period of 2013.
Over the same period, Hemaraj’s recognised share of the profit from its power and utility associates – excluding forex unrealised translation gain/loss – was Bt1.3 billion, an increase of 182 per cent year on year.
There was an unrealised forex translation gain from power investments of Bt77.6 million, compared with a loss of Bt109.5 million in the same period of 2013.
Therefore, the company’s normalised net income for the first nine months was Bt2.4 billion, an increase of 12 per cent year on year.
KCE announces good Q3 performance
KCE Electronics, a producer and exporter of printed circuit boards, has announced that its third-quarter result was its best of the year.
During that period, the company marked a new sales and profit record for the fifth consecutive quarter – with total sales revenue rising to Bt2.9 billion for a net profit of Bt611.1 million.
That was an increase of 18.1 per cent and 86.6 per cent respectively after it recorded Bt2.5 billion in sales revenue for a Bt327.5 million net profit for the same period last year.
Its sales revenue also increased as a result of a spike in unit shipments, which the company said was due to substantial improvements in its manufacturing efficiency that enabled its factory to increase production.
KCE’s gross margin as a percentage of sales increased from 31.44 per cent to 31.76 per cent year on year, which it said was due to the increased productivity and foreign-exchange effects.
It said the significant year-on-year improvement was also the result of increased utilisation of capacity and stabilised manufacturing costs.
The company’s normalised operating profit in the third quarter was Bt496.0 million, or 16.5 per cent of sales, which was primarily attributed to the revenue growth and an increase in the gross-margin rate.
In September, subsidiary KCE Technology booked its final compensation from an insurance claim of Bt101 million. As a result, it posted at Bt611.1 million net profit in the third quarter.
For the first nine months of the year, the group’s consolidated sales increased from Bt6.8 billion to Bt8.5 billion and its net profit rose from Bt796.8 million to Bt1.5 billion.
Year on year, its basic earnings per share increased from Bt1.73 to Bt2.86.
Inheritance tax bill goes to Cabinet on Tuesday
The inheritance tax bill will be proposed for Cabinet approval on Tuesday after being delayed from this week, Finance Minister Sommai Phasee confirmed yesterday.
The inheritance tax is expected to have a fixed rate of no more than 10 per cent to be imposed on heirs of estates worth more than Bt50 million.
Legislation for a land and building tax may be proposed to the Cabinet in December or January, as it needs more work, he said.
Sounds, smells to be copyrighted
Thailand will extend trademark protection to the sound and smell of a product soon.
The Intellectual Property Department is re-submitting a draft law to the Cabinet aimed at ensuring that these specific innovations benefit the makers of such products. Similar attempts to get such protection on the books have been made for years.
Malee Choklumlerd, director-general of the department, said the wider trademark protection would help Thai enterprises and promote investment.
The draft law would allow innovators of sounds or smells with a unique quality to register their trademarks, but it does not involve patents, something over which non-government organisations have raised concerns, Malee said.
One example of how the law would work is the tunes ice-cream companies play to attract customers to buy their treats. If their trademark sound is copied, they will enjoy protection under the law.
AirAsiaGo mobile app to boost online sales
AirAsiaGo yesterday launched a mobile application to boost online sales.
AirAsiaGo, which is operated by AirAsiaExpedia, said the innovation would help consumers book flights and hotel packages via the mobile Internet.
Consumers can also enjoy mobile-exclusive deals saving up to 40 per cent on a hotel reservation.
“This application will come in very handy when [booking] a sudden trip such as business trip or weekend getaway, as it will allow consumers to book on the go and still get the mobile-exclusive deal,” said Darren Goh, general manager of AirAsiaGo.
By launching the app at this time, the firm expects the new feature to simplify planning for people’s year-end holidays.
Korakot Ekthanutt, head of marketing for Thailand, said the app was developed by top engineers at Expedia.
