The move followed a relaxation of requirements for bidders, big and small, for the government’s multibillion-baht infrastructure projects – big and small firms alike.
“The new requirements … allow the company to have an opportunity to take part into the bidding for large infrastructure projects worth more than Bt10 billion,” said Pasan Swasdiburi, senior vice president of the new business and strategic planning department.
NWR is one of more than 10 contractors that have bought the bidding documents for three electric train projects – the Yellow, Pink and Orange lines. The projects’ combined investment value is Bt180 billion.

Bidding for Yellow, Pink lines
The bidding documents for the Yellow and Pink lines were set to be submitted by November 17 and the Orange Line by October 31.
In the past, there were only four contractors that were qualified to participate in the bidding for the government’s mega-investment projects.
“We’re trying to focus on contracting any larger scale jobs … Our new jobs will be electric train projects,” Pasan said.
He added that if the company had a source of funds and good partners, it could get big jobs |even though it was not a big contractor.
He said that the company was |in talks with foreign partners, forming a team to bid for the |train projects. He declined to |name the foreign firms.
Pasan said if the bidding rules were more open, the environment would be more competitive. He said the company currently had a backlog of jobs worth about Bt13 billion and potential jobs worth about Bt40 billion.
“If we get the new jobs [the train projects], this will be supplementary income,” he said.

Varied expertise
Apart from constructing the buildings, NWR also has expertise in the construction of seaports, airports, power plants and roads and bridges, including the installation of transmission lines.
Pasan said the company was trying to balance its jobs between small to large-scale government and private sector projects. Currently, 60 per cent of its jobs are with the government sector and 40 per cent with the private sector.
Of that total, about 90 per cent are construction jobs.
NWR develops house and condominium projects via both its subsidiary and joint ventures and it produces pre-cast concrete systems for the construction industry in its factories in Chon Buri and Yangon.
The company’s income from construction business accounts for 80 per cent of the total.
About 95 per cent is domestic income.
“Our vision is to become one of the top five contractors among listed companies in the next three to five years,” Pasan said, adding the country was currently in eighth or ninth place in the sector.
The top five contractors have |75 per cent of the market currently.
Pasan said NWR expected its sales this year to exceed the target of Bt7 billion.

Eligible athletes will be able to fly to any of the more than 120 destinations within AirAsia and AirAsia X’s extensive network in Asia, Australia, the Middle East and Africa.
“I was blown away by the performances from Asean athletes, such as Thailand’s Sukanya Srisurat and Sopita Tanasan, Indonesia’s Tontowi Ahmad and Liliyana Natsir, as well as Joseph Schooling and Hoang Xuan Vinh, who won Singapore and Vietnam’s first ever Olympic gold medal,” CEO Tony Fernandes said recently.
“They proved we can achieve anything as long as we believe in ourselves and work tirelessly towards our dream. This is the least we could do for them,” he said.
“Asean athletes in Rio have shown they can not only compete but excel in top level competitions.
“We hope this will encourage others in the region to follow in their footsteps, and I look forward to seeing more medals from Asean in future games.”
AirAsia is Asia’s largest low-cost carrier by passengers carried and jet fleet, with unmatched frequencies.
It is also the only airline to fly direct to all 10 Asean countries, including some 60 unique routes in the region.

At 86 per cent, Anantara Siam sets the benchmark for all other hotels across all assessments including social, cultural, environmental and operating best practice.
In the heart of one of the world’s most enigmatic capitals, Anantara Siam offers discerning travellers a luxurious retreat to enjoy life’s finer pleasures and engage in soulful, original journeys.
As ethical tourism continues to grow, certifications like this allow travellers to feel more confident that they are not only getting their money’s worth, but are also leaving behind a better chance for younger generations to enjoy the same liberties.
“Sustainability is very important to us at the hotel and throughout the brand.
“We worked hard to comply with the Green Growth standards and we are thrilled with the result of 86 per cent.
“The work doesn’t stop there, and it is important we maintain these high standards.
“We’ve already identified other areas to expand our practices, including planting more produce on our fourth floor garden, consumed in our staff canteen,” Patrick Both, general manager, said recently.
In achieving gold certification, Anantara Siam implemented a range of innovative sustainability initiatives including transitioning the hotel to glass water bottles in the rooms and related front of house areas, eliminating the use of PET plastic bottles.
The hotel also used reclaimed, treated and filtered water in its air-conditioning cooling towers, saving about 100 kilolitres of water each day.

With the sustainability lessons conducted in collaboration with the Institute for the Promotion of Teaching Science and Technology (IPST), the schools were part of IPST’s science, technology, engineering and mathematics educational projects.
They were Darakam, Anuban Phibunwes and Sainamthip schools in Bangkok, and Anuban Chonburi and Anuban Wat U-Tapao schools in Chon Buri.
This is the second year for the programme.
“Everyone can and should contribute to a more sustainable future.
“Our objective is to educate young children about simple, daily actions that are effective in conserving the environment,” Erik Edelmann, president of Henkel Thailand and one of the sustainability ambassadors who taught the sustainability lesson at Darakam, said recently.
The Henkel Sustainability Ambassador School Outreach Programme was launched in 2012.
More than 80 per cent of Henkel’s managers in Thailand are qualified sustainability ambassadors.
They are encouraged to visit elementary schools and teach students what sustainability means and how they can practice the principles of reduce, reuse and recycle in their homes and communities.

Company president Shinsuke Yuasa said that the medical-food-product business would continue to grow. Thanks to these growth prospects, the company has researched and developed products to accommodate the needs of consumers, particularly health-conscious people.
The company aims to become the No 1 brand of this type of food products in Thailand just like in Japan, where it is a leader in the segment.
Its new low-GI product can be consumed as an alternative to normal food.
The product provides all types of nutrients recommended for daily intake but has a GI index of only 27.29, which means it will release sugar content slowly. It has high protein with monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs), reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease. It is the only product that contains fish-oil supplements for diabetics.
“Medical food with a low glycaemic index is the premium product for diabetes and weight control. The company targets consumers who have medium to high income because they are health-conscious and select high-quality products for them and their families,” Yuasa said.
“The company’s marketing strategy for medical food with a low glycaemic index focuses on providing information to medical personnel who provide health recommendations to patients. The company aims to make healthcare professionals who specialise in diabetes and obesity aware of at least 30 per cent of the total medical food products with low glycaemic indices in Thailand.
“The company has been researching and developing new recipes to suit the needs of consumers, covering all segments including senior people with kidney problems, people who can eat [only] small portions and those who have problems with absorption.
Because of its strategy to cover all segments, the company is confident that it will become No 1 in the Thai market for nutritional products for diabetics by 2020, up from the current market share of about 30 per cent. In addition, the company expects sales to grow by more than 300 per cent next year.

Teeradet Dumrongbhalasitr, head of Tesco commercial for Southeast Asia at Dunnhumby (Thailand), said yesterday that the project had begun with the roll-out of iBeacons in Tesco Lotus stores.
This technology uses a Bluetooth signal to notify customers near the beacons of special deals.
The technology will also enable the company to gain a deeper understanding of Tesco Lotus’ customers’ purchasing behaviour in order to offer the right promotions to target buyers. Teeradet said the iBeacon technology would be a key component of a complete online-to-offline communication system from the beginning to the end of the customer’s journey.
“Under the two-year milestone [project], we aim to create an integrated link among our in-store media, online channel and social media – such as Facebook and Line and Tesco Lotus membership – through the investment of about Bt300 million to Bt400 million, starting from next year,” he said.
The company believes that digital channels and platform synergy are becoming increasingly important in empowering customers’ shopping experiences and targeting individual customers.
“But we should also not neglect the ability of point-of-sale media and advertising on the sales floor to influence customers at their moment of truth,” he stressed.
Dunnhumby is also developing new formats of in-store media to encourage customers to make a purchase at point of sale.
The company claims that not only are cutting-edge in-store media equipped with a well-planned communication strategy able to boost sales, but they also help brands retain their existing customers and draw new prospects.
Teeradet said this development reflected that today’s brand owners were seeking effective and measurable media while experiencing an economic slowdown.
In the first eight months, Dunnhumby (Thailand) posted 29.8-per-cent year-on-year growth in gross revenue to Bt920 million.
By the end of this year, revenue is expected to exceed Bt1.2 billion from in-store media management at Tesco Lotus’ network.