Bangchak Venture Pte Ltd has registered capital of US$100,000 (Bt3.07 million), according to company reports to the Stock Exchange of Thailand on Tuesday.

The new company will invest in startups related to business innovation, in order to support its business expansion in innovative businesses, the company said.

“Animal welfare directly contributes to morals and ethics that include food safety and quality,” said Dr Payungsak Somyanontanakul, DVM vice president and chairman of CP Foods’ Animal Welfare Committee. “Therefore, raising animals healthily and seeing to their well-being, taking into account their rights, definitely promotes consumers’ health and satisfaction.”

Payungsak explained that healthy animals produce better quality meat. The use of antibiotics is also significantly reduced in high welfare farms.

CP Foods is well aware that good animal welfare covers both animals’ mental and physical well-being, he said. Therefore, it is enhancing farming principles based on “Five Freedoms of Animal Welfare”, an internationally recognised principle, to ensure that all of its livestock farms are animal-friendly. Moreover, the antibiotics used at its farms as well as those by contract farmers are administered under veterinary oversight without compromising on animal welfare principles, he added.

“We have been focusing on improving the farming environment and providing enrichment to animals. They are free to eat, rest, and excrete as needed and can fully express their natural behaviour,” he said.

The company is transitioning its pig housing from individual stalls to group gestation pens for sows to give them the freedom to move and interact, helping them to feel more relaxed and stress-free.

Around 67.3 per cent of sow farms in Thailand and 14.9 per cent overseas will switch to group gestation pens this year. The global transition will be completed by 2028.

Payungsak added that the company has also built individual pens within a group pen for injured or ill sows.

“It is possible that some sows can be injured or ill. In these cases, the sows will typically be separated from the group and cared for in a different pen. However, once the sows recover, they could become reinjured as they might be restricted by the grouping behaviour of sows if they are returned to the same pen,” he explained.

Last year, CP Foods collaborated with Chulalongkorn University’s Faculty of Veterinary Science to develop tests for Classical Swine Fever and Aujesky’s Disease using swine saliva.

To date, the company has tested more than 13,000 samples of swine saliva for diseases, replacing the need to conduct blood tests on over 30,000 specimens.

In chicken farms, 100 per cent of the company’s broilers for producing meat have not carried any mutilations. CP Foods ensures that the average stocking density of broiler farming in Thailand and its overseas operations comply with European animal welfare directives and customer requirements, he said.

Cage-free housing for layer chickens is being piloted in Thailand, with the first batch of production from Wang Somboon farm in Saraburi province being launched in March 2019. Overseas, the company is implementing cage-free layer farms in Taiwan and Cambodia at 12 and 50 per cent of their production capacities, respectively.

Siri Ventures is collaborating with NSTDA to build 3D mapping to connect with autonomous cars and to launch the first test drive in this year’s fourth quarter. Meanwhile, the venture capital also plans to invest Bt600 million in targeted startups in the second half of 2019. The company continues its vision to drive change in the real estate businesses and create digital living innovations for Sansiri’s customers through proptech.

Jirapat Janjerdsak, the chief technology officer at Siri Ventures, noted that it sought collaborators after launching its sandbox last year as a test site for startup innovations to be used in Sansiri projects. In the second half of 2019, it has extended its collaboration with the National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA) and three potential startups to test three new innovations in the sandbox under the T77 project.

The first innovation to be jointly developed and tested is an autonomous car under a collaboration with developer AIROVR and NSTDA, one of the leading government agencies to research and develop vehicle technology. AIROVR will develop necessary infrastructure for an “electricity autonomous car” to transfer passengers from their accommodation to the Skytrain (first mile transportation) and from the Skytrain to their accommodation (last mile transportation).

Meanwhile, NSTDA will develop required technological infrastructure, including drive-by-wire (an integrated sensor), a navigation system, a command and control system, and high-resolution 3D map in the T77 Project.

“First Mile and Last Mile Transportation have already taken place overseas,” said Jirapat. “We see the opportunity to develop and promote such technology and make it happen in Thailand to provide more convenience for people’s lifestyle. The pilot project in T77 will start in the fourth quarter of this year, considered as the first commercial autonomous car test driving in Thailand.”

The second collaboration is with Fling, a Thai drone developer. Fling will provide drones for goods delivery from Habito Mall to Sansiri’s condominium in the T77 project. It is scheduled to kick off testing after it receiving all permissions from related agencies.

The third collaboration the SoundEye security system, the world’s first AI-driven smart building developer. SoundEye’s microphone sensor performs emergency detection, for example, people crying for help, water leakage and gun-shot sounds in some buildings in Singapore, including Changi Airport. SoundEye will commence the T77 in the fourth quarter of this year. This is the first time its system would be used in a residential project.

“If we can develop these technologies and adopt them in the future, we will probably see autonomous cars and air-taxi drones disrupt living trends, so as to increase safety and convenience, as to enhance the transportation industry in Thailand,” said Jirapat. “Meanwhile, this will make a big change for the Thai property industry because customers will commute so conveniently that the location is no longer the main factor for choosing a property.”

Janekrishna Kanatharana, the executive vice president of National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA), points to its long-time research and development in advanced automobiles, from electric cars to autonomous cars. It has collaborated with the Transport Ministry to promote policies and regulations to prepare Thailand for autonomous cars in the near future. Moreover, it has prepared necessary infrastructure for automotive development, for example, the Focused Centre on Rail and the Modern Transport Centre, an Electric Car Battery Test Centre and the Autonomous Car Test Centre in the Eastern Economic Corridor of Innovation (EECi).

The collaboration with Siri Ventures and AIROVR is an important step to further develop NSTDA’s research into commercial use for the sake of the business sector and people in general. As well, 3D Mapping under T77 can be connected to the autonomous car of AIROVR and the drone delivery of Fling.”

“It is a good opportunity that we have joined Siri Ventures and startups to make this pilot project happen for the first time in Thailand,” said Janekrishna. “Autonomous cars and drones are no longer that far from becoming a reality. Many countries are seriously studying and developing them both to generate benefit for businesses and industrial sectors. If our first step is successful, it will change people’s living standard completely,” said Janekrishna.

Jirapat adds that Siri Ventures plans to invest Bt600 million in startups in the second half of this year. It will gives priority to ConsTech, sustainability, PropTech, and living tech and HealthTech.

Siri Ventures will devote 20 per cent of its investment budget to construction quality control. Another 30 per cent will go to technology that utilises resources smartly and treats waste efficiently, while some 20 per cent will go to PropTech’s futuristic lifestyle technology and tokenisation. About 30 per cent will be devoted to livingtech and HealthTech to enhance safety and comfort in residential projects.

Many startups have reached the proof-of-concept stage under Siri Ventures.

“We believe that the three main missions that Siri Ventures is focused on will be key factors to change the Thai property industry in a better way. We will work together with Sansiri to push lifestyle-related technology and innovation to be used in real life, to serve the changing lifestyle of the new generation, and to fulfill a futuristic experience for Sansiri’s customers,” said Jirapat.

Line Shopping highlights the concept of “Know well, know all about online shopping” by offering a wide variety of products from more than 15 distinctive market platforms including Lazada and Shopee.

The platform features not only a function for shoppers to search and select items from the Line Shopping collection but also a “wishlist” button, making it easier and faster for consumers to make purchases, the company said, adding that “Line Points Back” will be offered for every purchase made via Line Shopping.

The e-commerce platform aims to gain more than 8 million users or 18 per cent of Line users, hoping to become the No 1 online shopping platform that emphasises the company’s latest vision of “Life on Line” to create a seamless shopping experience.

The head of Line Thailand’s E-Commerce Business Unit Lertad Supadilok said Internet shopping in the country continues to grow rapidly.

According to the research, the online shopping market is expected to grow at an average rate of about 16 per cent per year and its value could rise to about Bt470 billion in 2022, Lertad said. Online shopping will also account for 8.2 per cent of the combined retail and wholesale market, while e-marketplaces will likely play a greater role as online platforms.

Despite double-digit annual growth and high popularity of platforms, Thais encounter a host of problems when they shop online, he said. These include difficulties in purchasing merchandise from online stores, ranging from challenging price comparisons to over-advertising.

Seeing these problems as an opportunity to create a better online shopping experience, the company launched Line Shopping to provide “the utmost worthiness and the right solutions that respond to consumers’ needs through its merchandise database and price comparison functions from various service providers”, the firm said in a press release.

There are currently more than 15 dominant platforms, the main ones being Lazada, Shopee, Advice, Makro, Asia Books, All About You, Aston, Beauticool, Beauty Plaza, TV Direct, Wellness Mark Shop, Nespresso, Missha and It’s Skin, offered in one place by partnering with Priceza, Thailand’s popular price comparison platform. Shoppers can easily compare prices and make a decision to purchase items based on their preferred choices.

CCSC provides checking and repairing services and also advises on general usage problems. Clients can be assured of excellent services with Canon’s international service certification standards. All 111 branches of CCSC are now in operation.

The expansion into the enterprise segment was strongly focused, led by CSL (previously CS Loxinfo) and 5G use cases continued to be conducted across the country. AIS reiterated a dividend policy of minimum 70 per cent of net profit and has announced it will pay an interim dividend of Bt3.78 per share on September 3.

“Today, not only telecom companies but also other businesses need to transform themselves to cope with digital disruption. Key elements including professionalism, planning, and employee competency are crucial to sustaining the impact from external forces. In the second quarter, AIS continued to work relentlessly to ensure that we could deliver best products and services to our customers. We always look for new opportunities in digital businesses and collaborate with other industries while maintaining good rapport with every stakeholder,” said chief executive Somchai Lertsuthiwong.

AIS reported continued growth in revenue and profit with total revenue increasing 5.8 per cent over last year. The improving competition in mobile market resulted in its ARPU (Average Revenue per User) rising to Bt263 Baht/month. The overall mobile business grew 5.3 per cent compared to last year with AIS securing its leadership by owning 41.5 million mobile numbers nationwide. 4G users were recorded at 66 per cent of total subscriber base while data usage rose from 8.9 gigabytes last year to 11.5 gigabytes in the second quarter.

AIS Fibre performed well with 26-per-cent revenue growth as a result of a superior network and excellent service. More importantly, AIS strategy in Fixed-Mobile Convergence attracted quality customers with total subscribers now standing at 855,400 and coverage present in 57 key cities. AIS Fibre is maintaining its target to achieve 1 million subscribers this year. In summary, with ongoing cost control, AIS posted a net profit in 2Q19 of Bt8,234 million (excluding one-time item), growing 2.9 per cent from last year and 8.1 per cent from last quarter. The given guidance of mid-single digit revenue growth for the full year was maintained and an EBITDA margin remained stable from last year (around 42-4 per cent) with targeted investment of Bt20 billion to Bt25 billion to enhance 4G and fixed broadband.

In addition, AIS has been putting crucial elements in places in preparation for 5G technology. These include:

1) Enhancing competency in 5G technology through collaborations with multiple partners including government agencies, companies, and educational institutes across the country for further researches and trials.

2) Allocating 700MHz spectrum license for 5G development. This operation will be able to start in October 2020. The 700MHz spectrum, a low-frequency bandwidth, is a standard 5G band that inherits outstanding wide coverage. This is expected to support the success of 5G services in the next 2-3 years.

3) Expanding into enterprise market as a result of the synergy between AIS Business and CSL, which holds expertise in becoming a one-stop and full-scale ICT service provider. The focus is on 3S strategy including Solutions, Services, and System Integration. CSL is also competent in serving end-to-end solutions especially in data centre and cloud service for corporate business.

4) Continually developing IoT (Internet of Things) to enhance competency of Thai business. For instance, AIS works with Thai Wiwat Insurance to implement the NB-IoT Motor Tracker, a first in car insurance operations.

“There are more important things than business success. AIS as a member of private sector recognises its social responsibility in jointly moving Thailand forward and enhancing the living quality of Thai people in the digital world. We introduced Aunjai Cyber program to offer cyber protection and education to children as well as adults under the concept of “Be a Part of Network.” The Aunjai Cyber program is proud to present world-renown DQ: Digital Intelligence Quotient as an important learning tool to teach children how to be responsible digital citizens. The “AIS Academy for Thais: To the Region”, a symposium offering thought provoking and knowledge sharing for businesses as well as individuals, received high praise in Bangkok and Chiang Mai and is now on the way to Khon Kaen in mid-August,” Somchai said.

The company has a market capitalization at its initial public offering (IPO) of over Bt14.4 billion (approximately US$464.5 million).

SET senior executive vice president Manpong Senanarong said that DOHOME would list and start trading on SET in the Services industry group, Commerce sector.

DOHOME is engaged in retail and wholesale construction materials, home decoration and renovation products and services. Currently the company operates 11 stores, consisting of nine super stores and two smaller Dohome To Go stores, as well as a distribution center in Pathum Thani province. The company offers more than 135,000 stock keeping units (SKUs) in the stores to serve customer demand across all sectors.

DOHOME has a registered paid-up capital of Bt1.86 billion, consisting of 1.4 billion existing common shares and 456.16 million newly issued shares, with a par value of Bt1 each. It offered 521.20 million shares to general public via IPO, consisting of 456.16 million newly issued shares, 8.88 million shares from existing shareholders, and 56.16 million over-allotment shares, at Bt7.80 each, for a total of Bt4.07 billion (including over-allotment shares). Phatra Securities and Kasikorn Securities are its financial advisers and underwriters.

DOHOME managing director Adisak Tangmitrphracha said the funds raised would be used to expand its business including the opening of super stores in major cities nationwide, as well as expanding Dohome To Go branches to provide more flexibility and accessibility to retail customers. The funds would also be used to invest in information technology development as well as for loan repayment to financial institutions and as working capital.

After the IPO, DOHOME’s major shareholder is the Tangmitrphracha family with 71.9 per cent of the paid-up capital.

The company’s dividend policy is to pay no less than 30 per cent of net profit after corporate income tax from the company’s separated financial statement and legal reserves. However, the company’s dividend payout may differ from this policy subject to the company’s performance, financial liquidity and necessity of using working capital on operations management, future business expansion plan, and economic environment.

But the OTCC let Tesco Lotus off the hook regarding complaints by rival supermarket giants Big C and the now-defunct Carrefour, ruling that it had not taken unfair advantage of them in three promotional campaigns eight years ago.

On the Osotspa case, the fine was ordered to be paid half by the company and half by company director Prathan Chaiprasit. Both paid their shares on August 1 and the OTCC deemed the case closed.

In the complaints lodged against Osotspa, wholesale purchasers alleged that it demanded they buy no other brands of energy drinks or else they would not be resupplied with Osotspa’s M-150.

The OTCC verified the allegations and ruled against Osotspa, citing violations of the 1999 Trade Competition Act.

In the case of Tesco Lotus versus Big C and Carrefour, both complainants said Tesco Lotus ran three voucher campaigns in 2011 that showed them in an unfavourable light.

The OTCC found, however, that Tesco Lotus did not violate the 1999 law.

The dissolution of M-150 was part of Osotspa group’s corporate restructuring before the company was listed on the Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET). The information was disclosed in the firm’s prospectus, which was submitted to the Office of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the SET prior to the firm being listed, the company said in a press release, adding that the matter was also disclosed in the firm’s annual registration statement.

The company said it would like to further clarify that in 2012, M-150 received a notification from the TCC stating that the commission had received a complaint against M-150 alleging it had violated Trade Competition Act BE 2542 (1999) – now repealed by the new Trade Competition Act.

M-150 had been fully and truthfully cooperating with the TCC in its investigation until the new Trade Competition Act BE 2560 (2017) came into effect in October 2017, according to the company. This act empowers the TCC to impose a fine to settle a case. This resulted in M-150 agreeing to pay a fine to resolve the case, which would allow M-150 to complete its liquidation and wind up its operations in accordance with legal procedures, the firm said.

M-150 paid the fine on August 1, 2019, according to the provisions of the new Trade Competition Act, which empowers the TCC to impose a fine in order to settle cases, and this resulted in the case being resolved. As a result, the criminal case was dropped, the company said.

“The settlement is not relevant to nor affects the business operation of the company and the M-150 brand, as M-150 ceased its operations since 2015 prior to the company being listed on the Stock Exchange of Thailand,” the press release stated.

The company also confirms that it has fully complied with the law and has taken precautions and preventive measures to establish and maintain a product distribution strategy that ensures integrity, regulatory compliance, fairness and efficiency, the release added.

Krungsri Motorcycle reported Bt10.6 billion in new volume in the first half of 2019, representing 19 per cent growth year-on-year.

Krungsri Auto recently launched the “Car for Cash Motorcycle” campaign offering comprehensive loan and aims to have Bt30 billion in outstanding loans by year-end.

“Despite the decline in the motorcycle sales and the finance market, which decreased by 4 and 3 per cent respectively in the first six months, we outperformed the market by delivering impressive results,” Kittiya said.

“The solid performance was a result of our 3D strategies – Dealership, Disruption and Diversification. Through close collaboration with our dealerships, Krungsri Motorcycle has gained insights into the specific needs of customers in diverse areas and regions. It helps us in offering loan features that are suited to their lifestyles.

“We also increased the specialised workforce, which resulted in the continuous growth of new volume per region. In the age of disruption, we built up our innovation capability and implemented the auto digital lending innovation Krungsri Auto PromptStart. This digital platform allows customers to check their credit appraisal via the mobile web before vehicle selection. The initiative does not only drive new volume growth via digital channels, but it also strengthens our position as the financial service provider that understand the needs and lifestyle of motorcyclists.

“Last but not least, we focus on diversifying our loan service offerings to capture broader consumer segments. In the latter half of 2019, Krungsri Motorcycle will continue to enhance our diversification strategy. With the recent launch of Car for Cash Motorcycle, we aimed to expand our portfolio through refinancing. Positioned as a source of funds for normal- and big-bike owners seeking financial liquidity, this new offering answers customer needs throughout different life stages.

“As for 2019, we target to achieve Bt20 billion in new volume and Bt30 billion in outstanding loan by the end of the year, 13 and 15 per cent year-on-year growth respectively. The performance will secure us a 40 per cent share of the motorcycle finance market.”