AEC Feed

Indian steel giant Tata Steel on Thursday said it had reached an agreement to sell two of its facilities to the Scottish government that would keep the factories open, in a rare glimmer of hope for Britain’s ailing industry.
The deal involves the sale of its Clydebridge and Dalzell steel facilities to the Scottish government, which would then sell them on to Liberty House, Tata Steel said in a statement.
The Gupta family, which owns metals company Liberty House Group, will take responsibility for reopening, operating and investing in the two sites as part of its wider strategy to build an integrated and sustainable steel business across the UK.
Tata Steel, which last year restarted a steel-rolling facility in Wales, is set to acquire the plate mills in Motherwell and Cambuslang, south of Glasgow.
Last October, Tata Steel said it would mothball the two facilities, which have roots dating back about 130 years, with the loss of 270 jobs.
Rather than closing the facilities, Tata Steel has continued to maintain them to enable plate production to potentially restart in the future, the statement said. – The Statesman

Malaysia Venture, Gobi focus on region

Gobi Partners, one of the first Chinese venture-capital firms to make inroads in Southeast Asia, is looking to invest in as many as three dozen start-ups with a new US$14.5-million (Bt510 million) fund that will target emerging technologies.
Malaysia Venture Capital Management, the country’s largest venture firm with $300 million in assets under management, announced the SuperSeed Fund with Gobi yesterday.
They will seek to invest in 25 to 35 early-stage start-ups across Southeast Asia over the next three years.
Gobi’s interest in the region represents a broader appetite among investors who are seeking to capitalise on the region’s rising incomes and mobile Internet boom.
The number of venture-backed deals in the region almost doubled to 71 in the fourth quarter of 2015, even as funding cooled across the globe, according to reports by KPMG and CB Insights. – The Star

E-Biz exhibition scheduled for June

NCC Exhibition Organiser Co (NEO), a Thai organiser of international trade and consumer exhibitions, will hold “e-Biz Expo”, an exhibition dedicated exclusively to all aspects of e-business and online technology, from June 9-11 at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre.
Held for the second year, the theme of e-Biz Expo 2016 is “Digital in Your Hand: Gateway to Asean e-Commerce & Digital Business”, highlighting the importance of the “digital economy”.
Visitors will have the opportunity to visit more than 100 booths providing products and services from leading Thai online and IT companies, representing three essential elements of the online commerce business: local and cross-border e-commerce; e-payment; and e-logistics for business.
In addition, this exhibition will feature e-commerce seminars and workshops hosted by local and international speakers and experts, business-matching activities, and the opportunity to network with people in the e-commerce business.
More than 10,000 people are expected to participate in this event. – The Nation

New airport taxi ride takes off in Malaysia

A new one-way direct airport taxi service has come to Kuala Lumpur, with flat-rate trips beginning at 18 ringgit (Bt160) per person.
Called airport2u, the app is created and run by two former taxi drivers.
Riders can book trips to Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) or KLIA2 from a set place and can share that ride with two other passengers in the same cab. – The Star