Demo flights of the Russian aircraft were conducted on Monday at the U-Tapao airfield in Rayong province.

In the course of the presentation, Rostec’s specialists told Thai operators about the key advantages of its Mi-171A2 and Ansat helicopters, and about their after-sales service system.

“The holding company is proactively strengthening business relations with commercial and public-sector customers from Thailand. By the end of the year, we are going to make the first supply of Ka-32А11VC helicopters to this country.

“Potential operators are also interested in Ansat and Mi-8/17-type helicopters in various modifications. Therefore, this demonstration of our aircraft is especially relevant here,” said Andrey Boginsky, chief executive officer of Russian Helicopters.

Russian helicopters are highly praised by public-sector and commercial customers in Southeast Asia, with the medium-sized, multipurpose Mi-17V-5 already successfully operated in Thailand, he said.

In addition, the holding company is working to establish a maintenance centre in the Kingdom.

“In February 2018, we signed the memorandum of intent with Datagate. Assistance in the organisation of a centre for maintenance of Russian-built helicopters in Thailand is among the cooperation areas listed in that document. It is expected that this centre will provide any types of routine maintenance and repair, troubleshooting and component replacement,” the CEO added.

Organized by the Asian-International Trade and Investment Association (AITIA), the fair aims to strengthen connections and boost trade, investment and cultural cooperation between Thailand and China and is expected to generate trade worth more than Bt500 million.

Wu Zhiyi, chairman of Asian-International Trade and Investment Association (AITIA) , notes that his association has joined hands with Thai and Chinese officials in hosting the eighth ACIEC 2018 at Hall 1 of Impact Muang Thong Thani.

Phusit Ratanakul Sereroengrit, deputy director general of Commerce Ministry’s Department of Business Development will chair the opening ceremony from 9.30am to 11am on November 16. Officials from Thai and Chinese government agencies including on the Thai side the Department of Business Development and the Office of Small and Medium Enterprises Promotion (OSMEP) and, from the Chinese side, from Zhumadian and Xuchang cities in Henan province, Lanzhou city in Gansu province, Nanchang city in Jiangxi province and the Guizhou Board of Investment will attend.

Highlights of the three-day event include the well-known “Lanzhou Lamian” cultural show from Lanzhou city, Gansu province, free retro photo shoots in a Thai village and three major seminars. Two of the seminars, “Thai-Chongren Trade and Investment Cooperation towards Asean Markets” and “Thai-Lanzhou Trade and Investment Cooperation” will be held on the opening day. The third seminar, “Know first, Prosper first and Attach knowledge towards Chinese Market”, is scheduled for November 17.

The event will also feature a free Investment Forum and Business Matching with Zibo city in Shandong province in the areas of agriculture and processed agricultural products, electricity and electronics, machinery, packaging and cosmetics and spa products. These will take place on November 17.

Phusit Ratanakul Sereroengrit, deputy director general of Commerce Ministry’s Department of Business Development, says that Sino-Thai relations are fraternal in nature and that the two countries have long and excellent ties. Trade has developed rapidly since the establishment of the ASEAN-China Free Trade Area, she noted, adding that Thailand’s geographical location at the centre at ASEAN has helped attract investors from China.

This has coincided with continuously increasing levels of Thai product consumption in China particularly in agricultural and processed agriculture products, the most popular of which are Hom Mali rice, mangosteens durians, mangoes and rubber pillows.

China is one of three most important markets for Thai exports with an export volume in 2017 of about Bt998 billion or 12.5 per cent of overall Thai exports. The list of exports confirms that agricultural and processed agriculture products including rubber, rice and tapioca have the biggest potential on the Chinese market and act as a driver of Thai exports.

Thailand, meanwhile, imports about Bt1,500 billion in products from China or about 20 per cent of overall imports. The major products include machinery, electrical appliances, iron and steel.

In conclusion, Phusit emphasized that the ACIEC 2018 is a propitious event that will promote trade and investment cooperation as well as strengthen relations between the two countries. It will also act as a bridge connecting trade, investment and culture between Thailand and China.

Wu, chairman of AITIA, added that the fair wouldshowcase products from more than ten Chinese provinces spread over the 5,000 square metres of the exhibition space. More than 1,000 Thai products that meet export standards from some 300 firms have been selected for the event. This fair is an important stage for Thai and Chinese businessmen to meet and get know each other, exchange opinions and share knowledge. In addition to the Thai products, more than 200 booths will be devoted to products with high export potential from neighbouring Laos and Cambodia to support and open business opportunities and connect trade and investment between Thailand and China as they move forward to expand trade to Asean markets.

It is expected that orders will exceed past years and reach Bt500 million and that the event will draw some 10,000 attendees. The fair is the only event that brings together the government sector, businessmen and members of the Chinese public, Mr. Wu concluded.

For 2019, targets have been set to bolster loans to Bt3 billion, deposits to Bt2 billion and trade finance transactions to Bt18 billion.

KBank has exhibited outstanding operating performance in Laos over the past four years without any NPL customer and is also set to expand the customer base in Laos, as well, the company said.

Pattanapong Tansomboon, KBank First Senior Vice President, said the performance of KasikornThaiBank in Lao PDR, is based on three strategies to expand businesses within AEC+3. They include the opening of branches or offices in the forms of a locally incorporate institutions (LII), foreign bank branches (FBB) and representative offices.

The bank has established LIIs in Laos and China, a branch in Cambodia and representative offices in Indonesia, Myanmar, Vietnam and Japan, as well as strategic partnership with Bank Maspion. The other two strategies are the expansion of the digital platform, focusing on providing services via digital channels, and the establishment of strategic partnerships with local financial institutions.

Lao PDR is one of the most important targets to enhance a service linkage under KBank’s strategy to create a service network of this region, the company said.

KBank in Laos, registered as a locally incorporated institution, has been in business for four years. The first branch – Pone Si Nuan Branch – was opened in 2014 with 13 officers, before the Headquarters official opening in 2017 at Lane Xang Avenue, now having more than 60 officers.

The company said those offices have reported continual growth in their performance, including the annual growth of loans, deposits and trade finance transactions at 73 per cent, 29 per cent and 17 per cent, respectively, over the past four years.

In 2018, the targets for loans, deposits and trade finance transactions are Bt2.4 billion, Bt1.6 billion and Bt13 billion, respectively. As a result of the efficient risk control and management, there is no NPL customer at all, the company said.

Pattanapong added that due to the opportunities granted by the Laotian government for domestic and foreign businesses to take part in a number of important projects, the economy of Laos has flourished.

Given the country’s growth potential, KBank has set up the targets of loans, deposits and trade finance transactions to reach Bt3billion, Bt2 billion and Bt18 billion, respectively, in 2019. KBank’s lending structure in Lao PDR consists of diverse customer groups, namely the sectors of government, agriculture, construction, commerce, transport, hire-purchase, and food and beverage at 33 per cent, 19 per cent, 15 per cent, 10 per cent, 10 per cent, 8 per cent and 6 per cent, respectively. Lending portions to local, government and Thai business sectors stand at 38 percent, 33 percent and 29 percent, respectively.

In addition, the company said KBank has expanded services for The Wisdom customers, with a minimum of Bt10 million, six-month fixed deposit, which has received positive feedback. Being the first and only commercial bank that provides such services, KBank has gained a larger number of these valued customers.

Despite the uptrend in global rates, IVL – one of the world’s largest chemical manufacturers – has managed its financial risks well, he said.

About 60 per cent of the debts carry fixed rates, with the balance under floating rates, said Agarwal, adding the company had issued debentures in the local market.

IVL borrows money in the local market where it operates. For instance, our business unit in Europe borrows funds in euro at low interest rate while its counterpart in the US goes for US dollar-denominated loans, he said. If an opportunity for another merger and acquisition arises, the company would not have problem with funding.

He said the company has US$1.8 to $1.9 billion in liquidity and an operating cashflow of $1.1 billion.

He played down the impact from the China-US trade war, saying IVL has facilities in both countries.

He said the global economic slowdown expected next year will not affect the company’s performance, pointing to the need for drinking water contained in plastic bottles made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET).

However, he is concerned about the bad publicity for plastic.

The company has tried to promote the recycling and reuse of PET bottles, he said. Authorities in Europe and the US allow private firms to recycle PET bottle for food packaging, but Thailand has yet to follow the lead, Agarwal said.

IVL announced earnings of $7.95 billion for the first nine months of the year, mainly due to diversification of product portfolio and the strengthening of its polyester value chain as well as high-value-added business.

Indorama Ventures’ global expansion continued over the period with acquisitions in the US, Brazil, Egypt, Portugal, Israel and the Czech Republic.

Meanwhile, the company’s CEO Aloke Lohia, expressed confidence in the outlook for next year. “We are well-positioned to benefit from margins and volume expansion in 2018 and 2019, thanks to the company’s unique, global portfolio of assets across the value chain,” he said.

IVL foresees continuous demand for chemicals in line with the economic expansion in many countries.

The company’s core earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation is expected to increase to $1.75 billion next year, an increase of 74 per cent from 2017, according to a company statement.

The TCP Group will invest Bt4 billion in Vietnam in the next three years to boost its marketing capabilities.

The group opened its first wholly-owned overseas office in Vietnam “TCPVN Company Limited” earlier this year, and plans to invest heavily in market research, sales, product development and distribution capabilities.

The company manufactures several brands of energy drinks, including Krating Daeng (Red Bull), Som Plus, Sponsor, Puriku, as well as “Warrior”, its latest product geared for the Vietnamese market.

“We are the first foreign company in Vietnam to hold full ownership of our business,” Saravoot Yoovidhya, chief executive officer, said during a seminar at their office in Ho Chi Minh City on Saturday.

“The opening of this office in Vietnam is part of a five-year plan announced in 2017 to triple our total group sales to Bt100 billion annually,” he said

“The reasons Vietnam was chosen as the location of our first overseas office was because of the lifestyle of the Vietnamese and the country’s economical potential,” he said.

Vietnamese consume energy beverages on a more regular basis than Thais, Saravoot explained.

They tend to consume energy drinks with ice in a glass along with their food, as opposed to drinking them straight from the can, he said. Saravoot even took a group of reporters to a market in the city to show how consumer behaviour towards energy beverages in Vietnam is different from that in Thailand.

This means that the consumption rate of energy beverages is much higher in Vietnam than in Thailand. Moreover, the company’s products are not required to carry warning on over-consumption, as opposed to Thailand where the company faces this regulatory challenge, he explained further.

The high consumption rate also means that the energy drink market in Vietnam is highly competitive, he says.

Saravoot revealed that TCP’s energy beverage brands have a combined market share of up to 42 per cent in Vietnam and expects total sales revenue in the country to reach Bt10 billion by the end of this year.

“We aim to increase our market share to more than 50 per cent in the next 5 years,” Saravoot said.

The Vietnamese economy is the other reason leading to TCP’s entry into the country.

“It is a commonly known fact that Vietnam is one of the fastest growing economies in the Asean region as well as in the Asia Pacific,” Saravoot said

“This is reflected in our sales, which has been growing by 25 per cent annually in the past three years,” he said.

Vietnam’s economy has a gross domestic product (GDP) of $223.9 billion, and is estimated to grow by up to 6.8 per cent in 2018. The energy drink market in Vietnam has a total market value of Bt25 billion with a growth rate of up to 6 per cent.

“Our investment in Vietnam is part of a larger vision of making our business organisation an entity which brings pride to Thailand on the global stage,” Saravoot said.

The company also announced its commitment to create an inclusive and sustainable eCommerce ecosystem in the region and champion opportunities in technology and logistics infrastructure to benefit its ecosystem of sellers, consumers and local communities, according to press statement.

Also, a new supporting program is introduced to empower environment for women entrepreneurs in the region.

James Dong, CEO of Lazada Thailand said that Lazada will assist SMEs to digitise their businesses and gain better access to Internet-savvy and mobile consumers; make it easier for sellers to create their own brands on Lazada; while leveraging the company’s logistics network to facilitate the transfer of goods.

“Having overcome the early challenges of building up the business and industry in a nascent landscape, we now want to lead our ecosystem through the era of robust digital transformation. Our focus is on creating a trusted platform connecting sellers to the Southeast Asian consumers. By enabling sellers with our technology and logistics capabilities, we want to help sellers flourish, to become sustainable businesses that will contribute to Southeast Asia economic growth in the long run.”

As the region’s leading online shopping and selling platform, Lazada is committed to establishing eCommerce as a prolific facet of the evolving digital economy. Healthy and flourishing SMEs are key components of a thriving eCommerce ecosystem – their existence helps unlock the full potential of Southeast Asian nations, allowing the region to digitize. To help sellers reach more customers, Lazada has developed various initiatives, comprehensive tools and dedicated trainings that enable sellers of all sizes to attract, engage and convert more consumers into sales.

According to Dong, SME entrepreneurs in the region face many limitations such as a lack of access to financial and support services, as well as a need to develop capacity in e-payments and eCommerce.

In Thailand, Lazada has overcome the challenge by partnering with the Siam Commercial Bank offering Digital Lending program for SMEs entrepreneurs on Lazada platform. The program, which is developed with the advanced Artificial Intelligence (AI) Technology by SCB Abacus, offers online loans for e-commerce for the first time in Thailand.

The solution facilitates sellers by enabling instant credit approval on Lazada platform without additional paperwork. It helps online SMEs to increase liquidity and expand their business on Lazada.

Dong added that ‘logistics’ remains a huge challenge for eCommerce players big and small across Southeast Asia. The business is faced with limited fulfilment players, a small and fragmented transportation sector, as well as vastly different infrastructure landscapes. According to a recent study conducted by the Economist Intelligence Unit or EIU, logistics is one of the challenges, particularly in archipelagos like Indonesia and the Philippines. Road networks, as well as the retail and distribution network, came up as higher-risk areas for eCommerce firms.

With Southeast Asia’s heterogeneity, data and technology are the two key factors that will dynamically evolve the experience for online shoppers. Those eCommerce businesses that can leverage data to navigate specific local consumer tastes and direct consumers to take desired actions are well-poised to succeed.

By allowing SMEs to tap into Lazada’s logistics network to facilitate the transfer of goods across countries, businesses will be able to deliver to customers anywhere.

Dong said, the eCommerce sector also presents tremendous opportunities for local talents and communities. A new generation of entrepreneurs are becoming increasingly prominent given wider access to social media and new innovative tools. In particular, the flexibility of maintaining an eCommerce business has attracted many female entrepreneurs to start their businesses while taking care of their families at home.

“When you consider how female shoppers will be key demand drivers as ASEAN economies develop, it makes business sense for large eCommerce players to cultivate female entrepreneurship, particularly in certain eCommerce categories, like cosmetics and children’s products, that will be fuelled by female-driven growth.

Women play a significant role in the digital economy, and an inclusive eCommerce ecosystem is one that creates an empowering environment for women entrepreneurs.

In supporting the local female community, Lazada has rolled out a few initiatives. For instance, our Mompreneurs programme provides stay-at-home mothers with free training and assistance, so they are equipped to run an online store while juggling family responsibilities.

The programme is currently available in the Philippines, and we are looking to expand this initiative to other markets in Southeast Asia,” said, Dong.