Located in a prime beachfront setting in Dien Ban Town near the ancient trading port of Hoi An – one of the most popular tourist destinations on Vietnam’s South Central Coast – the resort is set to open in 2021.

It will have 180 well-appointed guest rooms and 69 luxury villas, making it one of the largest internationally branded resorts in the area.

Dusit Thani Hoi An will be Dusit’s second property in Vietnam, following the opening of the upper midscale Dusit Princess Moonrise Beach Resort, Phu Quoc in May last year.

The company attributes the growth to its capital management, the strength of its MPC business, as well as Channel 8’s new schedule which is attracting more advertising. They also pointed to the savings resulting from the recent Section 44 proclamation that benefited digital TV operators.

Dam Nana, chief financial officer of RS Public Co Ltd, pointed to the quarterly performance as evidence the company continued to grow steadily and has the highest profit in the industry.

Its revenue and profits were strong despite the slow economy, with the revenue reaching Bt929 million and a profit of Bt110 million, an 8 per cent increase over the same period last year.

After being listed in the “commercial” category since March, the company’s management and employees are united as one and are moving forward, he said. This move has attracted new investment opportunities, both local and international, beyond that of a traditional media business.

The company has also shifted its business focus and fully entered the MPC business. Thanks to the company’s strengths and expertise, it is able to manage its capital efficiently in every business.

“Our growth in profitability proves our success in managing our capital efficiently and the success of our new business model, which supports our overall growth,” said Dam.

In the first quarter, MPC continued to be the biggest earner after the company expanded its sales channel through Thairath TV, a strong partner who is a leader in digital TV with a nationwide audience.

The company has also improved its sales on other channels while also strengthening the skills of its telesales team to ensure an efficient backend operation and encourage customers to place orders regularly.

Additionally, RS has added more variety to its offerings, with plans to launch more than 100 SKUs throughout the year, available through multiple channels. There were also exclusive items available through LSBIZ only, as well as special promotions in the first quarter, which stimulated steady growth.

As for its digital TV business, Channel 8 has more viewers compared to other older players, and attracts more advertisement, according to a company release. Channel 8 adjusted its schedule in May and will see more advertising income from Q2 onwards. With series like Aladdin, Phleng Lub Lae, other Thai series and variety programmes, Channel 8’s prime-time ratings will be strong every day of the week, said the release.

The government’s implementation of Section 44 to help digital TV operators also further reduced the company’s capital. Coupled with RS’s strong management, it is able to fill up 100 per cent of the advertisement slots by utilising the air time for MPC business, resulting in more growth, according to the company.

“We are committed to our vision to further grow our company and fully enter MPC business as well as maximise our capital. We are confident that our company will continue to generate great revenue and sustainable profits in the future,” said Dam.

Wareemon Purapati, managing director of GenSurv Co Ltd, revealed the birthing story of the tech startup. “We are a group of Thai robotics engineers who have a passion for robotics and had participated in Robocop competitions during our student years at university. We have continued our passion for mobile robots and developed them into real industrial robotic solutions.”

The company started by creating “unmanned boats” in order to speed up hydrographic surveys and increase their precision and cost-effectiveness. They also launched ROV, an underwater survey robot.

In 2017-18, the company received funding from Thailand Research Fund (TRF) and co-invested in research and developments of an autonomous forklift for transportation of goods within warehouses – the “AGV Forklift”, which has evolved to today’s Ply AGV.

They are now ready to commercialise this latest breakthrough.

Autonomous vehicles with laser-guided navigation are now hot products for use in smart warehouses. With the worsening shortage of experienced forklift drivers with the required licences, combined with the rising volume of products that need to be moved around and managed in warehouses and on production lines, there is a need for robotics and automation. Add in the need for increased speed and efficiency and the demand for real-time delivery and detailed digital tracking information in this era of online trading and real time data connection, and AGVs have emerged as the best available solution at the warehouse and factory level.

AGVs can move products efficiently, as well as connect transport information to warehouse and production systems. Moreover, they can receive, transmit and store real-time data about the status of goods, enabling them to capture how many items have been taken out and on which date and time. Companies can know the status of

inventory in a timely fashion.

The locally developed Ply AGV autonomous forklift is guided by a laser system, which makes it superior to typical AGVs, which follow a fixed route using wire or magnetic tapes.

That laser navigation allows it to be used to move goods on the ground or on the upper shelves of warehouses or product lines like a traditional human-driven forklift, but without the human errors and resulting product damage that can slow down processing.

“We converted a normal forklift to be autonomous,” said Wareemon. “For safety, the AGVs are equipped with world-class navigation and safety sensors to enable AGVs to work with high precision. The benefits of AGVs are they can work tirelessly, reliably and safely 24 hours a day and can send information about their work and location.”

Given the shortage of experienced forklift operators and the need to increase efficiency in moving goods around warehouses and production lines, AGVs present a solution. They also reduce errors and accidents, and address the need to connect work data, transportation and real-time status in a market which requires more rapid response.

Imported models are available in Thailand only at a very high price, she noted.

Ply AGV offers a wide range of models according to the needs of customers and users. They include the AGV Counter Balance forklift for handling heavy loads, the AGV Pallet Mover forklift for moving goods at ground level and the AGV Pallet Stacker forklift system that can lift items up to shelves. They all move freely without new structures or magnetic tracks and have a built-in safety measure with sensors to stop when encountering people or barriers. This is in compliance with international standards.

Another important advantage is that users of Ply AGV will gain confidence in the installation and maintenance services offered by engineers, manufacturers and designers who have expertise in Thailand, can closely design the system to meet customers’ requirements, and will provide after-sales services in a timely manner.

GenSurv can also boast its locally designed and produced unmanned survey vessel (USV) that is quicker, more accurate and economical than those with drivers.

The USV is ideal for use in exploration work in areas that are difficult for people to access, such as exploration for marine gas pipelines or large water sources.

It is also ideal for surveying water sources that are at risk of danger, water mapping, determining the volume of dams or sources of water for water management and waterworks, as well as underwater surveys and water quality monitoring in various areas.

The move is in line with Lopal Tech Singapore’s expansion of its lubricant business in Southeast Asia and eventually, it hopes, the global market.

Trisonic is a new global lubricant brand that was 100-per cent created and crafted in Singapore. The brand is owned by Lopal Tech Singapore, which is managed by a group of experienced professionals with decades of industry experience who have worked for some of the world’s biggest lubricants and performance additives companies.

Shi Junfeng, chairman of Jiangsu Lopal Tech Co Ltd, said the company sees great potential in Thailand for its Trisonic lubricant business.

“Thailand is our choice for the Trisonic global launch for many reasons. Thailand is the second largest lubricant market in Southeast Asia after Indonesia, with world-class lubricant manufacturing facilities,” Shi said.

“Thailand has a large vehicle population for passenger cars, pick-up trucks and motorcycles at 8, 6 and 20 million units respectively

“The estimated engine oil demand is at 110, 110 and 90 million litres respectively. Initially, we will focus sales and marketing efforts in these important vehicle segments to grow our fair share of market over the next five years. For confidential reasons, we are unable to disclose our sales targets,” said Shi.

He noted the lubricant market in Thailand has been dominated by PTT, but also includes competition from many global and regional lubricant players. The market has attracted new lubricant marketers because of its size.

“There are several major lubricant companies in Thailand such as PTT, Shell, ExxonMobil, BPCastrol which dominate the lubricants market. We believe the size of Thailand’s lubricant market provides opportunities for new brands like Trisonic. Trisonic products are positioned on a similar platform to global lubricant players. We will offer quality products to consumers that comply with API standards and Thailand Ministry of Energy approvals. One of our marketing strategies is to educate consumers on the importance of quality engine oils.

The consumers will learn to differentiate between high quality engine oils over price, and therefore select the right engine oil that provides optimal performance and protection for their vehicles,” he said. Shi said that the Thailand Ministry of Energy’s approval system for engine oils is one of the most stringent globally. “All Trisonic engine oils come with the Ministry’s approval number that provides quality and performance assurance to our global customers.”

He added that the total demand for lubricants in Thailand is at about 500 million litres per annum, of which 350 million litres are automotive lubricants.

“Another driving factor for the growth of the lubricant market in Thailand is the high vehicle population in the country. There is a total vehicle population of 36 million in the market, consisting of 20 million motorcycles, eight million passenger cars, six million pick-up trucks, and another one million trucks and buses. Thailand is also a regional vehicle production and export base for the world’s top carmakers, with annual vehicle exports exceeding one million units and the second largest pick-up truck market in the world behind the US. Thailand is also the fifth biggest producer of motorcycles in the world after China, India, Indonesia and Vietnam,” said Shi.

Sales of Trisonic-branded products have now commenced in Thailand and China, said Winston Fong, general manager of Lopal Tech Singapore. The company’s growth ambition for Trisonic is to expand the brand rapidly into Asia Pacific and Africa regions over the next five years, and to all potential markets around the world within 10 years.

“For Thailand, our initial manufacturing strategy for Trisonic is through contract manufacturing with a world-class lubricant manufacturer in the country to support local sales and export to other countries in the region. With business expansion, we will continue to expand our manufacturing footprint to bring us closer to our target markets and to better serve our customers,” he said.

Trisonic lubricants are designed to serve and meet the current and future vehicle technology around the world. Building on the latest technology in lubrication science, Trisonic engine oils are specially formulated to provide optimal power efficiency, outstanding performance and maximum protection to all engines, he claimed.

“We want all of our customers to be fully confident that using Trisonic engine oil will enable them to achieve a “Tri Sonic” experience,” said Fong.

“Trisonic represents best-in-class products and service, guided by global market trends and consumers’ needs and demands. Our products are developed through on-going new product research and development to serve and meet the current and future vehicle technology. Our top-tier Trisonic engine oil products are registered and approved by API and further supported with official approval from Thailand Ministry of Energy, which is one of the world’s most stringent government engine-oil approval system,” he noted.

As a “total fluid solutions supplier”, Lopal Tech Singapore offer a comprehensive range of products that enable vehicles and equipment to perform better and last longer, according to the company. Their product range includes engine oils, transmission fluids, brake fluids, coolants and diesel exhaust fluid.

Fong said that the initial launch of Trisonic products in Thailand will cover a full range of automotive lubricants from passenger car motor oils (PCMO), pick-up engine oils, motorcycle engine oils, and heavy- duty engine oils (HDEO), to automatic transmission fluids and automotive gear oils. The price range will be competitive with other global brands such as Shell and BPCastrol, he said.

“Our target customers are those who fully understand and are convinced that good quality engine oils provide protection to their vehicles, transmissions, catalyst and emission systems, resulting in optimal performance.”

He said that the initial key marketing objectives of Trisonic in Thailand are to focus on brand introduction, creating brand awareness and an emphasis on why using good quality oil is important to vehicle owners and consumers.

For the next phase, the brand will focus on rapid expansion of retail channels such automotive parts distributors or suppliers, and workshops through close co-operation with exclusive distributors, he added.

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