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https://www.nationthailand.com/business/corporate/40023998

Electric tuk-tuk innovator MuvMi to triple fleet as demand soars

FRIDAY, JANUARY 13, 2023

Nongluck Ajanapanya

Thai startup MuvMi will nearly triple the number of its electric tuk-tuks this year from 350 to 1,000 due to rising demand for rides in vehicles, said the CEO of its parent company, Urban Mobility Tech.

Krisada Kritayakirana, who is also the co-founder of Urban Mobility Tech, told a press conference on Friday that demand for rides in electric tuk-tuks is growing in tandem with the rising popularity of electric vehicles (EVs) in Thailand.

“Our initial goal is to provide environmentally friendly vehicles for city dwellers who struggle to find public transportation after departing skytrain, subway, and bus stations,” he said.

“The majority of our MuvMi customers are working people and university students who take tuk-tuk to and from their homes to shopping malls, offices, restaurants, and universities nearby,” he added.

Customers can book an electric tuk-tuk through the MuvMi app for 10 baht, with the price rising in tandem with travel time and distance.

Krisada said the company would increase the number of electric tuk-tuks in the first half of this year, while the second half would focus on expanding service to cover all of Bangkok and other major cities, such as Chaing Mai, and the resort island of Phuket.

“We are currently available in 12 main areas in downtown Bangkok, including Sukhumvit, Chulalongkorn University, Samyan, Silom-Sathorn, Ratchada-Rama 9, and Chidlom-Lumpini,” he said.

The company’s strength is the technology it invented and developed, Krisada said.

Krisada Kritayakirana

Krisada said the company owns the designs of the electric tuk-tuk body and the EV charging points using solar energy. Both designs are protected by patents, he said. Artificial intelligence is also used to control the current to achieve a long-term competitive advantage, Krisada said.

He said the company’s expansion plan would cost between 600 million and 700 million baht. As the company is a startup business, some funding will be from venture capital and partners.

“We expect to expand both domestically and internationally as a 100% Thai EV ride-sharing service with its own EVs and platform. We are committed to further developing our technology, ” he said.

MuvMi has had about 3.7 million passengers since its inception in 2018. However, as demand increased and some customers complained about long wait times, Krisada said the company decided it was time to expand.

Urban Mobility Tech is a success story for Thailand’s National Innovation Agency, which helped launch the company in 2016. It took nearly two years to develop and manufacture its electric tuk-tuk before launching the service five years ago.

According to Vichian Suksoir, deputy executive director at the National Innovation Agency’s Innovation Development, the agency wants MuvMi to be a role model for other Thai EV startups and related businesses, such as EV charging stations.

They can seek support from the agency, he said.

EV and related technology will be one of the six key sectors the agency will allocate funding to this year, Vichian said.

“This year, we allocated 100 million baht to support EV and EV-related technology. Interested startups must submit a business plan for our consideration. We plan to award 10-15 startup grants this year,” he said.

The National Innovation Agency’s strategy coincides with the government’s efforts to propel the growth in the digital economy. The EV industry is contributing to the effort. Currently, the Thai government is implementing a number of measures to attract investment from both foreign and domestic investors. At the same time, it is implementing measures to increase demand for EVs in the country.

According to TTB Analytics, Thailand’s EV industry continues to surge in both production and demand. The number of new EV registrations at the Department of Land Transport was 15,423 during the first 10 months of last year. The total number of EV registrations in the previous decade (2012 – 2021) was 11,749.

Nongluck Ajanapanya

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https://www.nationthailand.com/business/corporate/40023995

National Telecom reports 1.3-billion baht profit as revenue edges up

FRIDAY, JANUARY 13, 2023

Thailand’s state-owned telecommunications company National Telecom Plc (NT) exceeded its own targets and reported a net profit of 1.3 billion baht for 2022, NT president Colonel Sanphachai Huvanandana said on Friday.

The company’s estimated revenue at the end of 2022 totalled 91.5 billion baht, compared to costs of 90.2 billion.

He said the company’s operating results last year were better than in 2021 – when it was established – and exceeded the targets in its business plan.

The NT president attributed the improved results to more revenue from its digital services, larger business alliance, reduced costs, and greater corporate efficiency.

NT was established and corporatised in 2021 following the merger of state-run telecom operators CAT Telecom and TOT Plc.

Sanphachai said on Friday that most of NT’s revenue – 50.8 billion baht or 55% – came from its mobile business, 19.9 billion (22%) from fixed line and broadband and satellite business, 9.4 billion (10%) from telecom infrastructure, and 3.9 billion (4%) from digital and IDC (internet data centre) and cloud-computing business.

He said the company’s main business involves mobile networking and broadband internet, which has high investment costs and tough competition in the market.

The president said that the company was working harder to further cut costs that stem from the repetition of the separate legacy telecom networks of its two predecessors. Also, NT was restructuring the organisation in a bid to reduce its work force, particularly those redundant following the merger.

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https://www.nationthailand.com/business/corporate/40023985

Company created by merger of telecom giants to retain True Corporation name

FRIDAY, JANUARY 13, 2023

The newly formed entity after the merger of two telecom giants will be called True Corporation Plc.

The Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) was informed on Friday of the decision of the boards of Total Access Communication Plc (DTAC) and True Corporation Plc.

The decision to retain the current name of True lays to rest earlier rumours that the merged entity will be named True D Plc.

The merger of Thailand’s second- and third–largest mobile network operators was first announced in November 2021.

The deal, which would make the combined entity the largest mobile network ahead of current market leader AIS and reduce the mobile service provider market to a duopoly, has been strongly opposed by academics and civil society groups as detrimental to the interests of consumers and the general public.

Telecom watchdog National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission acknowledged the merger in October last year but set certain conditions, which included True and DTAC retaining their brands without sharing their frequency for three years.

The boards of True and DTAC and their shareholders will meet on February 23 to vote on the new board of directors of the merged entity. The proposed list comprises 11 executives from both companies. They are: Suphachai Chearavanont (chairman of the board), Joergen Christian Arentz Rostrup, Kittipong Kittayarak, Kamonwan Wipulakorn; Kalin Sarasin, Pratana Mongkolkul, Adhiruth Thothaveesansuk, Tongqing Gao, Tone Ripel, Lars Erik Tellmann and Teerapon Tanomsakyut.

The companies have also nominated Manat Manavutiveth, the current co-president of True, as the chief executive officer of the new company, and Sharad Mehrotra, the current chief executive of DTAC, as his deputy. Meanwhile, DTAC’s Nakul Sehgal and True’s Yupa Leewongcharoen were nominated as co-chief financial officers.

A news source said on Friday that some DTAC employees were shocked and disappointed with the board’s decision to abandon the brand name, as the company had been making profits under its own brand for several years.

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https://www.nationthailand.com/business/corporate/40023972

UOB’s 2022 Smart Business Transformation Programme helps over 250 SMEs

FRIDAY, JANUARY 13, 2023

Digital adoption, sustainability practices and better people management were among the favourable outcomes for Thai SMEs who participated in UOB Thailand’s 2022 Smart Business Transformation Programme.

UOB and The FinLab, UOB’s innovation accelerator, assisted over 250 Thai small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to undergo digital transformation as part of the bank’s 2022 Smart Business Transformation Programme (SBTP).

SMEs achieved various positive outcomes through the programme, including improved business efficiency, lower operating costs, better organisational management, and improved readiness to integrate sustainability into their businesses.

These outcomes are consistent with the findings from UOB’s ASEAN SME Transformation Study 2022, which found that while 55 % of SMEs in the region are optimistic about their business recovery, 50 % of Thai SMEs remain concerned about the need to transform their business models, particularly in the areas of digitalisation, sustainability and customer engagement due to shifts in consumer preferences. 

Sirinun Jiradilok, Head of Digital Engagement and FinTech Innovation, UOB Thailand, said, “The concept of sustainability has influenced the way SMEs think about their operations in addition to digitalisation. Two-thirds of Thai SMEs (65 %) surveyed indicated that sustainability is now an area of importance and concern to their businesses.”

“Since the launch of SBTP in 2019, we have helped around 900 SMEs in Thailand to innovate and transform digitally. We equipped SMEs with relevant digital skills and tools for them to stay relevant and competitive. They also learnt to integrate sustainability into their business strategy and were introduced to green finance alternatives for long-term success.”

During the three-month programme, Thai SMEs embraced digital solutions, business and sustainability practices under the supervision of UOB Thailand and its ecosystem of partners as they progress to make changes to their business models and adapt to new challenges.

The adopted solutions, particularly those related to data management, addressed various business challenges such as managing and analysing collected and internal data to better understand existing and new customers and improve digital marketing, and for optimising business processes and better cost management.

SMEs reported positive outcomes from the Smart Business Transformation Programme 
The SMEs participating in the 2022 SBTP reported higher productivity and customer engagement from business process optimisation, increased sales from using digital marketing tools, as well as lower operational and marketing costs. They also achieved a better understanding and willingness of the business owners and key decision-makers to embrace sustainability across their organisations.   

Chonlawat Ruengpreechavech, Chief Executive Officer, of Clinton Intertrade, a wholesaler of electrical supply and water pumps, said “The 2022 SBTP has tremendously accelerated our digitalisation journey. We deployed SAP B1, one of the key software applications to manage and optimise collected data, which improved our documentation process while real-time data allowed incidents to be addressed immediately. In addition, one of the partners from the programme provided consultation on managing generational differences in the workplace, which I believe will eventually help boost our productivity and performance.”

Khunakorn Dhanasarnsombat, Managing Director of Thailand Knitting Factory Co. Ltd., the owner of the Double Goose brand, said, “We have participated in the SBTP for two years and have seen positive impacts since. Especially in the second year when we started implementing tech solutions like SAP B1, which has improved our cost management and business data collection. With the data gathered, we were able to produce more recyclable products from our production line, contributing to our green manufacturing journey. Additionally, we adopted business solutions such as UOB mCollect to ease our collection and reconciliation processes, freeing up more time for front-end staff/sales officers to provide customers better services.”

Pitiphat Mongkolariyanan, Deputy Chief Executive Officer, KMP Partner, a construction consultant company, said, “We have learnt to adopt the concept of customer centricity in our application development process, and by doing this, our application was able to address our customers’ needs. Our user base has consequently increased from 20 users to 700 users. Also, thanks to the SBTP that connected us to Zaviago, a CRM solution that gathers data and optimises the targeting process of online media, this helped us reach our targeted customers at lower costs.”  

Jakkadej Asavasopon, Chief Executive Officer, A Ramen said, “Business and customer data has always been our top priority. The programme helped us to successfully install a data management tool, providing us with the ability to analyse the customer data, allowing us to save costs and increase sales, all while providing better experiences to our customers. Moreover, the programme has led us to pursue zero waste in managing our food business, which aligns with our sustainability goal of becoming a Zero Waste entrepreneur by launching a central kitchen in 2023.”

Paulovatchara Yuvanasiri, Managing Director of RainForest Green Community, said, “Our goal is to build our community mall to be recognised as a ‘green community.’ We not only gained insights from the experts but were also introduced to UOB’s sustainable financing solutions like U-Solar where I see opportunities in adopting renewable energy for our community mall. The SBTP connected us to ecosystem partners, which I strongly believe will reduce energy consumption and expenditure once the installation is complete. On digitalisation, we have seen an improvement in cost management, corporate taxation, and operational process due to the adoption of PEAKaccount, the online accounting and cost management solution that mandates data management.” 

The SBTP is open to SME business owners or decision makers who are keen to explore new ideas, adopt technology and invest in digital tools, and can commit their time throughout the three-month programme.

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https://www.nationthailand.com/business/corporate/40023960

Samsung aims to be Thai market leader for all appliances in three years

THURSDAY, JANUARY 12, 2023

Nongluck Ajanapanya

South Korean corporate giant Samsung has set the ambitious goal of becoming the market leader for all types of electrical appliances in Thailand within three years.

Jennifer Song, president of Samsung Electronics Thailand, said on Thursday at the Consumer Electronics Press Conference 2023 that she intended to introduce more than 100 new models and products to Thailand this year with many more to come in the following years.

Samsung Thailand is already the market leader in television and one of the top five in air-conditioners, refrigerators, and washing machines.

“All Samsung electronic product categories would be at the top of the Thai market in the next three years,” Song asserted.

She said Thailand’s economy would continue to recover with the help of the gains in the tourism industry.

Despite the flat economic situation last year, the company was able to maintain 5-6% growth, she said, adding as the Thai economy improves and people have more purchasing power, she expects sales of Samsung products to more than double from 2022.

“This year, we will continue to focus on the premium segment. However, we will also be interested in the mass market because we have a diverse range of products at an affordable price with Samsung’s quality,” Song said.

She explained that having its own manufacturing plant in Thailand allowed Samsung Electronics Thailand to save costs, enabling it to offer prices that most consumers can afford.

Jennifer Song

Meanwhile, the company aimed to also attract the premium market segment by continuing to develop and innovate its products with a deep understanding of consumer lifestyles, she said.

“Samsung has launched new technology and innovations every year,” Song points out.

Recently Samsung entered the business-to-business market. Song believes that this will help increase Samsung’s sales.

Song highlighted three key product strategies in order to be the market leader in Thailand: personalisation, connectivity, and sustainability.

“Samsung’s products will not be limited to home appliances. They will reflect your preferences, serve as your smart assistant, assist you in saving money, and protect the environment,” Song said.

Although demand for electrical appliances in Thailand is now low due to people prioritising tourism, Song is confident that demand will gradually increase, paving the way for Samsung to become number one.

(From Left) Aphiradee Phaholvech, Roengboon Klongkumnuankarn, Jennifer Song, Suwin Kooseeumnuay, and Paramee Thongcharoen

Nongluck Ajanapanya

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https://www.nationthailand.com/business/corporate/40023948

AirAsia Aviation Group named one of safest low-cost airlines for 2023

THURSDAY, JANUARY 12, 2023

AirAsia Aviation Group has once again come out on top after recently being named one of the top 20 safest low-cost airlines in the world for 2023. 

AirAsia Malaysia (AK), AirAsia Thailand (FD) and AirAsia Philippines (Z2) as well as medium-haul affiliate airlines – AirAsia X Malaysia (D7) and Thai AirAsia X (XJ) received this significant recognition for their robust overall safety procedures and comprehensive Covid 19 mitigation plans through a recent announcement by the safety aviation experts at airlineratings.com – achieving the top 7/7 stars for both areas. 

Bo Lingam, Group CEO of Airasia Aviation Group Limited said: “Safety is a key deciding factor for travellers and is also a key factor affecting any airline’s reputation. This is now more important than ever post-pandemic. 

“We maintain a strict focus on upholding the highest standards of safety at all times and wish to thank the aviation experts at Airlineratings.com for their recognition of this. During the downtime in flying over the past two years, we also introduced numerous innovations and contactless procedures to make flying more seamless and hygienic. Travel is now bouncing back and all these measures help restore confidence in air travel and stimulate consumers to get back on board in the skies with us.”

Geoffrey Thomas, Editor in Chief and Founder of Airlineratings.com commended AirAsia Group for continuing to put safety and Covid mitigation measures at the forefront. The airlines which we have acknowledged have also continued to pass the major International Air Transport Association (IATA) safety audit – IOSA, which covers more than 1,060 parameters and is the global benchmark for maintaining the highest safety standards. 

“We look forward to seeing AirAsia continue to soar to new heights in the future now that air travel is back in a big way.”