At A Glance

Energy Minister General Anantaporn Kanjanarat has presided over a ceremony to select the finalists in the second round of the Smart Cities-Clean Energy project. 
The seven finalists are: the National Institute of Development Administration (smart university with energy conservation and sustainable development); Chiang Mai University Town (smart university with clean energy); Muang Chula (smart university); Thammasart University’s Rangsit campus (prototype of a smart university); Wisdom One-O-One; Khon Kaen Smart City (Phase 1) with mass-transit project; and Baan Chang smart city.
The projects will receive funding at a maximum of Bt10 million each from the energy conservation and promotion fund of the Energy Policy and Planning Office to develop business models for their smart-cities ideas.
 
Mozilla improves browser security 

Mozilla has launched several initiatives and product features for its Firefox browser aimed at boosting security.
Mozilla chief marketing officer Jascha Kaykas-Wolff said the non-profit organisation had been making strides towards achieving its goal of building the next-generation Web and fuelling the movement for an open Internet. 
“Launched in April this year, the latest version of Firefox, our flagship browser, is the culmination of Mozilla’s efforts over the last two years to deliver a next-generation browser that can meet the demands of tomorrow’s Web,” he said.
“Mozilla is built on the principles of online privacy, data protection and user trust. Besides being faster and more stable, Firefox version 53.0 also offers users greater privacy and security and facilitates the move towards a healthier Internet.”

Foremost takes milk campaign to fourth year

FrieslandCampina (Thailand) has extended a marketing campaign for its Foremost dairy brand to a fourth year.
The “Drink. Move. Be Strong” campaign promotes dairy consumption and exercise.
Among the marketing efforts will be a sales promotion for World Milk Day 2017 and a partnership with Big C Supercenter.
The company will also hold what it calls a year-long edutainment roadshow on the benefits of cow’s milk. At least 3 million milk samples will be distributed to Thai consumers this year.
 Pimjan Vimuktanonda, marketing director of FrieslandCampina (Thailand), said that according to a report from the Health Department, Thais drink an average of 14 litres of milk a year – one-fourth the Southeast Asian average and one-seventh the global average. A newer study is being conducted by the government, which is expected to reveal a slightly higher milk-consumption rate. 
Findings from the Southeast Asia Nutrition Survey showed that 60 per cent of Thai children are deficient in essential nutrients for growth and development. Levels of calcium, iron, vitamin A and vitamin C were found to be below the benchmarks set by the World Health Organisation. 

Chevron names oil rig for Gulf drilling

Chevron Thailand Exploration and Production has held a naming ceremony for the Krathong drilling rig at the Mahidol Adulyadej naval dockyard in Chon Buri province. The rig will start drilling activities next month to support Chevron’s operation in the Gulf of Thailand.
Also at the ceremony were representatives of Chevron’s partners Shelf Drilling and Lamprell.
Chatit Huayhongthong, Chevron Thailand’s asset development general manager, said: “The new rig demonstrates our continued commitment to deliver energy safely and reliably in support of Thailand’s energy security. Additionally, it will help create new jobs and increase revenue to the government.”
 Kurt Hoffman, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Shelf Drilling, said: “Our new-build campaign has been completed on time and without any incidents – a truly collaborative effort [among] Chevron, Shelf Drilling and Lamprell over a several-month period.
“We are excited about the potential of this rig and its predecessor Chaophraya, which is already in service, to optimise well construction in the Gulf of Thailand.”
 The Krathong rig has been designed to suit Chevron’s operation in the Gulf of Thailand and to meet the challenging drilling environment due to complex geology in the gulf. Chevron says the rig will “optimise drilling capability and efficiency as well as ensure safe, environmentally friendly operations”.

Sensus discusses smart grid needs at meetings

Sensus, a provider of clean technology services, has held meetings in Thailand this week as the company prepares its offer for a smart-grid pilot project in Pattaya.
Garry Cox, vice president for the strategic customer team for Europe, the Middle East and Africa and Asia-Pacific, led the Sensus team at the meetings. This project, scheduled to begin next year, would provide wireless meter technology to 100,000 homes and small businesses in Pattaya in cooperation with the Provincial Electricity Authority. 
Sensus recently won a tender in the United Kingdom to outfit 10 million homes and small businesses with wireless meters, and executives of the company hope to duplicate this success in the Asia-Pacific region. 

Tesco Lotus recruits Disney characters

Tesco Lotus Express has brought the Disney Tsum Tsum characters to Thailand to front a stamp-collection campaign. In Thailand, the Disney Tsum Tsum Line game has recorded the third-highest number of downloads in the world, Tesco Lotus Express says.
 The cartoon characters will be used in premiums that customers can redeem using their stamps collected each time they make a purchase at Tesco Lotus Express stores.
Mark Roughley, customer director for Tesco Lotus, said: “Stamp campaigns have consistently [proved] to be a winner with our customers, since the launch of our first campaign with Doraemon. 
“Since then, collection and redemption rates have consistently gone up. For our latest campaign, we have chosen Disney Tsum Tsum characters. With every Bt50 a customer spends at Tesco Lotus Express until September 27, they will receive one stamp. Once enough stamps have been collected, they can then be redeemed for a variety of premium products.
“Disney Tsum Tsum has a huge following in Japan, the USA and Korea. The Line game bearing these characters have been downloaded more than 65 million times worldwide. Thailand is the third-largest market for the game, with 3.7 million downloads. 
“This shows that there is already a strong fan base of the characters. We hope that our customers will enjoy collecting the premiums bearing these lovely characters.”
Disney Tsum Tsum originated in 2013 in Japan. The characters are popular cartoon figures from Disney, such as Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck and Winnie the Pooh. The toys were also sold at Disneyland Paris, in the US and in South Korea. 
“We are confident that Tesco Lotus Express customers will love Tsum Tsum, especially female customers aged 20 and above,” Roughley said.
“Our premiums are not only cute, but high in quality and useful. For this campaign, we have partnered with our suppliers to offer extra stamps to help our customers collect and redeem faster than ever.”