Nattavuth Mathayomchan, Chief Residential Development Officer, said Rangnam is considered a rising residential area located right in the heart of Bangkok and has a lot of potential for new condominium developments. The EXTRO Phayathai-Rangnam is excellently located next to Santiphap Park, a rare opportunity to stay close to the 20-rai park in Rangnam, and well connected to many areas in Bangkok via mass transit systems and expressways.

Singha Estate has developed the EXTRO Phayathai-Rangnam around the “Extraordinary Living” concept which provides extraordinary features that fulfill the needs of a dynamic younger generation looking for ever-changing experiences. The project focuses on design and living innovation with construction materials carefully chosen to deliver superior living standards.

“We have designed the EXTRO Phayathai-Rangnam to serve the younger generation wishing to buy a condominium with astonishing and enjoyable features coupled with design excellence. We created extra-wide room layouts and duplex-style units with double volume living room (6.15m). Curtain walls in every unit ensure owners enjoy a panoramic view of the beautiful 20-rai park,” claimed Nattavuth.

On Wednesday (January 22), MEA deputy governor Wanchai Jiarawattanawi and Uthai Uthaisaengsuk, chief operating officer of Sansiri Pcl, launched the “MEA Smart Life Platform” to improve convenience at Sansiri’s property projects starting with the The Line Phahon-Pradipat condominium.

Wanchai said that the MEA, as an agency responsible for providing electricity and related services in Bangkok, Nonthaburi and Samut Prakarn provinces, realises the importance of improving its services to suit the needs of modern people and the urban lifestyle.

“We will not only install charging stations at Sansiri projects, we will also integrate parts of our services on the Smart Life application with Sansiri’s Home Service application to allow users to seamlessly access services of both parties anytime,” he said.

“The integration should finish by mid-February, when app users can check their electrical bills via mobile phones, pay the bills by scanning the QR code, and check their bill history for a maximum of six months.”

The smart-charging station is part of a pilot project by MEA to manufacture high-quality charging stations for electric vehicles that are certified with MEA safety standards, he said. “We are also planning to expand the project to cover other residential properties in Bangkok and its perimeter in the future,” Wanchai added.

For further information about smart life application and smart charging station, contact MEA’s application development department on Tel 022890151 ext 5579.

The board of Thai Airways International (THAI) appointed Air Chief Marshal Chaiyapruk Didyasarin as chairman of the board of directors, Air Chief Marshal Chanyoot Sirithumakul as vice chairman, and Chakkrit Parapuntakul as director, at a meeting on January 16, effective immediately.

Air Chief Marshal Chaiyapruk Didyasarin, 62-years old, holds a Bachelor of Science (Aeronautical Engineering) from the Royal Thai Air Force Academy (Class 25); Flying Training School, RTAF (Class 72); Air Command and Staff College, RTAF (Class 37); Oversea Joint Welfare (Australia); Master of Business Administration Program in General Management, Ramkhamhaeng University; the National Defence College Course (Class 53); Asia-Pacific Centre for Security Studies (Hawaii), USA; Logistics Technology for Executives at Institute for Defense & Business, University of North Carolina, USA and the Executive Programme in Energy Literacy for a Sustainable Future, TEA (Class 12).

He previously held the position of Deputy Director of Operations, Director of Intelligence, Director of Operations, Deputy Chief of the Air Staff, Assistant Commander-in-Chief (Support Services), and Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Thai Air Force.

Mostly recently, he was vice chairman and acting chairman of THAI.

MEA governor Keerapat Jiamset said on Friday (January 17) that the authority had signed a memorandum of understanding with Forth and Yip In Tsoi in a joint venture to undertake the “Smart Metro Grid” project with a budget of Bt1.149 billion.

“This project aims to improve electrical services to fully support the modern lifestyle of people in metropolitan areas using digital technology,” he said.

“It is expected to be completed by 2022. The project includes installation of smart meters and two-way communication devices that will enable the MEA to monitor electricity usage in real time and pinpoint the locations where power malfunctions occur so as to deploy corrective measures as quickly as possible.

“Data collected by smart meters will be analysed to increase efficiency and minimise malfunction occurrences for future planning of the power grid system, with the focus on creating a foundation for the government’s smart city development plan.

“Furthermore, the smart meter will be more effective in preventing stealing of electricity by third parties as compared to a traditional meter,” the governor said.

In the first phase of the project, MEA aims to install 33,265 smart meters for electricity users in selected areas of Bangkok, Samut Prakarn and Nonthaburi provinces free of charge. “The smart metro grid in the second phase will continue to cover the entire metropolitan areas after we evaluate the effectiveness of the first phase and make necessary adjustments,” Keerapat added.

Aeon Thana Sinsap (Thailand) Pcl together with partners opened the new platform branch at CentralWorld in Bangkok to advance the future of financial innovation.

Among the experiences the new smart branch offers is an Aeon Virtual Teller Machine that enables customers to apply and receive a new Aeon card while visiting the branch, as well as process “Digital Your Cash”, a new type of personal loan service. It is a credit line in the form of a virtual account that facilitates cardless cash withdrawals using the Aeon Thai mobile application QR code scan, that can be used at Aeon’s ATM and K-Bank immediately after accepting loans.

Customers can apply for instant card issuance for both credit cards and membership cards, allowing them to access Aeon’s many financial offers and promotions within an hour.

Customers can also enjoy access to the Aeon Lounge using face recognition technology, after a one-time registration, with snacks, beverages, free Wi-Fi and tourist tips for travelling in Japan on offer.

Phongsak Lamoonkit, the deputy governor of Metropolitan Electricity Authority (MEA), along with MEA executives and partners from National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC), Royal Thai Police and related agencies began the campaign in Phetchaburi Soi 20 in the capital.

“The campaign follows the government policy to enhance public safety and improve the urban landscape by removing unused telecommunication lines and tidying up the rest,” he said.

MEA assistant governor Prasong Khumpradit, who joined the event, revealed that the MEA had surveyed 318 routes in Bangkok, Nonthaburi and Samut Prakarn provinces covering a total distance of 2,200 kilometres. He said they planned to remove all unused telecommunication lines on MEA’s utility poles along these routes within June this year. “The first phase of 211.8km should be finished by the end of this month,” Prasong said.

The MEA’s tidying-up operation will be carried out in four steps as follows:

1 Telecommunication companies survey their own lines on designated routes and put a company name tag on each line that is still in use.

2 MEA removes untagged lines.

3 MEA installs new cross arms on the pole for telecom lines currently in use as well as future lines.

4 MEA records data of all telecom lines using Geographic Information System (GIS) as reference database and to prevent future violations.

“The tidying-up process will not interfere with usage of telecom network customers,” said the deputy governor. “This campaign will help improve stability in electricity distribution, enhance the view of the city’s skyline as well as prevent any parties from installing their lines on utility poles without permission from the MEA.”

If you find cluttered or unsafe telecom lines, you can call NBTC hotline 1100 or Line: @nbtc1200

This is a flagship programme of Deloitte Private, which focuses exclusively on serving private clients of all sizes.

The programme enables the executive teams of private businesses to benchmark themselves against some of the best private companies in the world.

First established in 1993 in Canada, the programme is now present in 17 countries worldwide, and is a global symbol of organisational success.

Businesses that meet the five criteria listed below are eligible to apply for the Best Managed Companies program online (https://bestmanaged.awardsplatform.com) by 28 February 2020, at no cost.

Applicants will need to:

Have an annual revenue of at least US$50 million in the most recent accounting year,

Be in operation for at least five years,

Have majority shares privately-held in Thailand,

Be headquartered or incorporated in Thailand; and

Comply with all prevailing legal, tax and ethical frameworks within Thailand.

The program applies a sound and proven evaluation process to assess the businesses’ quality of management in areas including strategy, capabilities and innovation, culture and commitment, and governance and financials.

This evaluation is based on 25 years of observed practice from the global Best Managed Companies awards.

During the programme, shortlisted companies will receive professional tailored support from Deloitte specialists, who will assist in the undertaking of a detailed analysis of the companies’ businesses focusing on strategy and operations.

This analysis is done by benchmarking these companies against the 1000-strong global community of best managed private companies.

Business leaders will also learn of practical solutions that existing Best Managed leaders apply to drive initiatives within their business to sharpen strategies and optimise company growth.

At the end of the programme, a judging panel consisting of business and academia representatives will review applicants based on the best practice, and determine the Thailand Best Managed Companies for 2020. Winners will be recognised at an awards ceremony in May 2020 and invited to a regional symposium in June 2020.

They will also be given professional development opportunities, and will be able to network with existing Best Managed leaders through programme events.

Winning companies may apply and receive the certification of “Best Managed Companies” on a yearly basis if they continue to meet the selection criteria every year.

The efforts will help reduce the emission of greenhouse gases and mitigate the effects of climate change, the bank said.

The bank also intends to implement related corporate-wide concrete actions, starting from setting strategies, adjusting work processes and services while promoting the knowledge and understanding of employees in order to change their behaviour.

This year, KBank has policies and work plans on waste management, steady reduction of plastic use, efficient energy consumption and other environmental conservation efforts to transform itself into a zero-carbon organisation.

The measures include lowering water pressure and postponing some unimportant activities which use large amounts of water, as well as setting up a wastewater recycling system in four stores to bring the total to 17 stores. This will enhance its wastewater recycling capacity by 20 per cent.

President & CEO Preecha Ekkunagul said CPN is concerned about the dire drought situation.

He added that the urgent measures will save about 10 per cent of water, or 840,000 cubic metres, in 2020.

The direct flight is expected to accommodate the tourism growth in Chiang Mai and the route expansion planned by the airline in close collaboration with Thai Airways International.

THAI Smile chief executive officer Charita Leelayudth said the airline had adopted a strategy to expand its international routes, particularly to China and Taiwan, to facilitate Chinese and Taiwanese leisure and business travellers.

So far, the airline flies four routes to China – Bangkok-Zhengzhou, Bangkok-Chongqing, Bangkok-Changsha, and Bangkok-Kaohsiung.

As the second largest city in Taiwan, Kaohsiung is waiting to be experienced and explored. Kaohsiung’s charm is its beautiful nature, a variety of delicious dishes, peacefulness despite being a port city, and an affordable cost of living.

The Chiang Mai-Kaohsiung route offers four flights per week – Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. Outbound flights leave Chiang Mai International Airport at 12.40 hours and arrive at Kaohsiung International Airport at 17.30 hours. Inbound flights leave Kaohsiung at 18.30 hours and arrive in Chiang Mai at 21.30 hours.

All flights offer seats in two classes – Premium Economy or 12-seat Smile Plus Class and Economy or Smile Class of 150/156 seats.

This route uses the Airbus A320-200, fully equipped with facilities, inflight entertainment, and full service including free in-flight meals, advance reservation and free baggage allowance of up to 40 kilogrammes, according to the airline.

Special return fares to celebrate the new route start from Bt5,300 per person (net). The reservation period is from January 7-14 for travel between January 15 and March 28, 2020.