Under the plan, BMTA will lease 300 new Natural Gas for Vehicle (NGV) buses and 400 rental hybrid buses, as well as purchase 2,300 new buses including 489 NGV vehicles, 1,453 hybrid buses, 35 electric vehicle buses. It will also spruce up its existing 323 NGV buses.

Meanwhile, BMTA will set up an e-ticket system and also a QR Code transport fee system, enabling it to reduce its staff from the current 13,000 to 6,000 in 2022 under an early retirement program.

The event being held from June 4-5, 2019 is the final stage after the two-month application and review process. Schaeffler received 46 applications from startup companies across 20 countries and it has shortlisted 15 projects for the selection process during the event.

Schaeffler Asia Pacific is global innovation hub for Urban Mobility and Robotics

Dr Tomas Smetana, Chief Technology Officer at Schaeffler Asia Pacific said “Schaeffler views the diverse and growing region of Asia Pacific as the living lab for research and development for its focus areas of urban mobility and robotics.

The company has designated Schaeffler Asia Pacific as the global innovation hub for these focus areas. “Yokohama R&D Center is the biggest R&D facility in the region with over 125 research engineers with extensive knowledge and experience for robotics, e-mobility and urban mobility.

These areas are closely linked to the Schaeffler Group strategy – “Mobility for tomorrow”. This event creates a unique opportunity to explore creative ideas and build new partnerships that develop technologies of the future.”

It is a step further from the company’s long-standing research collaboration with universities across the region. With the aim to deepen this partnership and explore new research areas in the field of urban mobility, in 2017 the company set-up the Schaeffler Hub for Advanced Research (SHARE) at the Nanyang Technological University in Singapore.

Schaeffler also began as a start-up

Schaeffler knows the great potential offered by young companies with convincing business ideas. The company began as a start-up itself more than 70 years ago. In 1946, Dr Wilhelm Schaeffler and his brother Dr.-Ing. E.h. Georg Schaeffler started the Industrie GmbH in an old airman’s barracks in Herzogenaurach. Georg Schaeffler had the ground-breaking idea for a cage-guided needle roller bearing in 1949. The INA needle roller cage was patented in 1950 and has been an indispensable component for vehicle manufacturing, mechanical engineering, and plant construction since then.

Finalists pitching for projects in 4 technological focus areas

Prof Tim Hosenfeld, Senior Vice President Corporate Innovation at Schaeffler AG. said “Schaeffler is looking for partnering with startups for four focus areas: i) Mobile Platforms, ii) Robot Arms, iii) Control & Perception, and iv) Energy Solutions.

The 15 startups, who were shortlisted for new ideas in these areas, will participate in the final selection process which will include a 10-minute pitch presentation, Q&A and roundtable discussions with an audience comprising Schaeffler experts from around the world.

Our aim is to find the startups that will become Schaeffler’s new partners to develop new, sustainable technological solutions for our automotive and industrial customers.

Delta highlighted its smart manufacturing solutions that integrate communications and devices including robots, vision inspection system, HMIs, PLCs, servo motors and drives to over 85,000 industrialists in Asean seeking to empower their manufacturing.

Speaking at the event, Stan Li, Delta sales director for industrial automation, said: “Delta is supporting manufacturers in Asean to use automation to leapfrog from traditional processes to smart production. Our automation solutions are specifically for helping business owners boost manufacturing productivity, optimise costs and spur competitiveness.”

Delta highlighted its smart manufacturing solutions in a unique demonstration that combined its process devices, robots and control products on a mini automated production line. Customers can implement Delta’s automation solutions like this on their production lines to make massive gains in productivity, optimise costs and be competitive in the rapidly globalising and technology-driven manufacturing landscape, the company said.

At the Delta booth, Kasemson Kreuatorn, Delta’s senior regional manager for industrial automation, used the demonstration and product displays to explain to visitors how Delta’s innovative portfolio including the industrial cloud router, HMIs, PLCs and high-performance compact drives seamlessly integrate with robots and sensors to offer Industrial Internet of Things solutions.

Users can leverage these solutions for precise and energy-efficient control in metal and plastic processing, assembly, inspection and packaging applications.

Delta’s Industrial Internet of Things solutions give business owners maximum control over factory operations, which ultimately drives growth in productivity, efficiency, speed and quality.

The DX-2100 and DX2300 3G cloud routers and DIACloud make it easy for factory managers and operators to manage production tasks via wireless control and communication, Delta said.

In addition, Delta displayed its industrial power supplies, including its latest DIN Rail power- supply series and UPS ranges.

Visitors could also explore Delta’s three-axis linear actuator solution and energy-efficient smart press machine, which allow precise and consistent automated processing.

This new digital platform offers “Exact Comparison and Budget-to-Plan” features, which enable customers to purchase schemes based on their budget. The company expects Bt200 million in motor insurance premium in the first year.

“With our commitment to comprehensively answer the needs of automobile users, the company is always looking for opportunities to offer different aspects of lifestyle-related services. We realise that, apart from auto finance services, motor insurance is another necessary product. To better fulfil the needs of automobile users, the company aims to offer enhanced insurance services through Krungsri Auto Broker’s business strategies,” Pairote Cheunkrut, chairman of Ayudhya Capital Auto Lease Plc, said.

“Digital platforms are becoming increasingly a vital part of today’s shopping experiences. The same applies to motor insurance products. According to [global management firm] Bain and Company, approximately 60 per cent of Thai non-life insurance customers use mobiles for product research. However, most customers are still hesitant about choosing motor insurance schemes online, because the premium doesn’t match their budget and the selections are limited,” Pairote added.

Apart from offering product based on budget, the new website will also provide a wide range of schemes for both cars and big bikes from top insures. Customers can simply choose their vehicle specifications, provide their annual budget, insurance class and coverage details, such as sum insured or deductibles, and the system will display comparisons and highlight recommended conditions to assist customers in their decision making.

The last step is filling in personal contact details, so staff can follow up. Soon, the website will also offer the option of renewing existing policies.

“The Krungsri Auto Broker website reflects our dedication in responding to the needs of automobile users, in addition to providing auto-finance services. We expect 300,000 visitors per month and Bt200 million in digital motor insurance premium within a year. The company strongly believes the platform will be a key milestone in building the Krungsri Auto Ecosystem, bringing together various lifestyle services for automobile users, and boosting the standard of Thailand’s auto finance industry,” Pairote said.

The partnership will see Razer’s financial technology arm, Razer Fintech, join Visa’s fintech fast-track programme, which is designed to make it easier for fintechs to access the global Visa payments network.

Razer Fintech and Visa will develop a virtual Visa prepaid solution to be embedded in the Razer Pay e-wallet, which will allow up to 60 million Razer users to make payments wherever Visa is accepted at 54 million merchant locations worldwide.

Chris Clark, Visa regional president, Asia Pacific, said on Tuesday: “We are pleased to partner with such a forward-looking and innovative company that understands the value and importance of expanding access to digital payments. This announcement reaffirms Visa’s commitment to the fast-growing and digitally savvy Southeast Asia region.

“Together, Visa and Razer Fintech have the opportunity to transform the payments experience for not only the gaming community but many of Southeast Asia’s unbanked and underserved consumers as well.”

Min-Liang Tan, co-founder and CEO of Razer, said: “Razer Fintech is a core growth initiative for Razer as we continue to empower digital payments across emerging markets, starting from Southeast Asia. We are incredibly excited with the opportunities that this innovative payment solution serves to millions of consumers, connecting them to an extensive network of merchants globally.

“This partnership with Visa significantly extends Razer Fintech’s position as the largest offline-to-online digital payment network in the region.”

These 25 aircraft will join the Airbus fleet at the airline currently comprising 23 A330s and 14 A350 XWBs.

With the A321neo, China Airlines will be able to operate single-aisle flights with unmatched levels of efficiency and comfort.

The A321neo is a member of the best-selling A320 family, incorporating the latest technologies, including new-generation engines and Sharklets, which together will deliver at least 20 per cent fuel savings by 2020.

As of the end of May, the A320neo family had received more than 6,500 firm orders from 100 customers.

Vero is a Southeast-Asia-based PR, social, digital and creative agency with offices in Thailand and Myanmar and another planned in Indonesia later this year.

“In Vietnam, earned attention remains at the core of what we do, and we are seeking to generate impact for our clients through great creative and great digital capabilities,” said Raphael Lachkar, director in Vietnam. “We are pleased to announce a wide array of digital services in addition to the existing public and media relations offering we have in Vietnam.”

Vero has already commenced several research projects in Vietnam to gain insights and better serve clients.

One research project focuses on the impact of influencer marketing on millennials in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. The study reveals that nearly 60 per cent of millennials are more likely to trust a brand after seeing an influencer post about it.

The outreach team in Vietnam can match influencers, both macro and micro, to suit brand identities and key messaging and to reach a wider, yet niche audience.

“The importance of Vietnam as a market in the region cannot be underestimated,” said Brian Griffin, managing director. “There are a lot of really talented people in Vietnam, and the market forces are all headed in the right direction.

“Our goal is to provide clients with the most comprehensive marketing services offer in the large, fast-growing region markets. And Vietnam is a very important part of this.”

Vietnam’s economy is expected to grow at more than 6.5 per cent through 2020. Foreign direct investment is projected to surge this year, with a significant increase in quality investment.

And Vietnam’s young, educated and tech-savvy workforce continues to attract Fortune 500 companies.

POPS also points to its use of highly experienced teams to professionally run the campaigns, along with using a customer-centric approach with right target selection. And it touts its proven accomplishment in achieving 50 per cent growth, trebled sales growth and over 200 campaigns in 2019.

Bani Tan, regional director of POPS Thailand Co Ltd, says that the company is the leading digital entertainment provider of the current era, using YouTube and other social media platforms with a focus on influencer marketing. This approach involves taking a person, net idol or celebrity who already has fame, credibility and a large following on their own online platform, and then bringing them to endorse the product or promote the brand on social media such as Instagram, Facebook or YouTube.

It is all the rage in 2019, with 50 per cent usage growth. Many brand managers and marketers have seen a noticeable shift to this new alternative, preferring content creators on YouTube for their strategies. Influencer marketing can not only create brand awareness among consumers but also build brand credibility and persuade consumers, leading them to purchase at last. Using such trends has allowed POPS Thailand to grow three times, with over 200 client campaigns from various industry including fast moving consumer goods (FMCG), tourism, airlines and other sectors.

With Facebook and Instagram changing its terms and regulations, as well as decreasing ad reach, YouTube’s popularity has increased, and its traffic and views has shown increased consistency. That has led many influencers to shift from other social media platforms to YouTube, especially actors and celebrities who previously use Instagram as their main channel. The payment rate for a YouTuber or content creator has thus escalated, especially for a top-tier YouTuber who can early around Bt1.2 million per video. Mid–tier YouTubers, are meanwhile the focus of a price war in the market right now. The record as of March 6, 2019 shows six channels with 10 million subscribers and 200 channels with 1 million subscribers. Statistics show that every three days one channel reaches 1 million subscribers. There are currently 2,500 channels with at least 100,00 subscribers each, with another three channels added daily. However, despite the rise in the industry’s payment rates, the top-tier YouTubers remain popular and are in high demand. This is because it the investment and cost per view is still low compared to video production and advertisement costs.

Bani noted that brand managers and marketers make “conversions” their priority, rather than reach or views by target consumers. Identifying and selecting the right influencer is the key factor in the campaign in order to create a conversion when applying the influencer marketing strategy. The brand must be able to choose a high-quality content creator who knows how to create branded content, an influencer whose image and position align with the brand’s communication direction, an influencer with a sizeable audience of followers and who has the same profile with the brand’s target consumers, and an influencer who is highly popular.

Lastly, an experienced and expert management team is another important factor. That is because working in this market is not all about understanding the demographic of each influencer. The best way to use influencer marketing is a deep understanding that goes beyond demographic analysis. For example, developing a strategy for the “kid segment” is complicated due to age restrictions on some social media platforms. Kids might use their parent’s account instead. Solely analysing demographics will definitely mislead target selection. But an experienced and expert management team that thoroughly knows the target audience of each influencer is able to identify and select the right influencer for each brand and campaign.

“Though influencer marketing is a highly competitive marketing approach, POPS Thailand continues to invest heavily in resources to ensure a high-quality branded campaign execution and delivery,” Bani concluded. “We are actively working to ensure ‘brand safety’ and ‘kid-safe’ in our POPS kids channels. As a result, 65 per cent of our clientele is our long-time clients who come back for more of our service.”

Boasting above 800 branches in 50 countries in the world, including 12 in Thailand so far, the company’s copyright has been owned by Primo Food and Beverage since 2007. Billing itself as a “premium grade” coffeehouse, Gloria Jean’s uses only “specially selected” Arabica varieties.

The pattern on its ceramic coffee cup was co-designed by renowned artist ML Chiratorn Chirapravati.

Rojana Homsin, the director of operations for Primo Food and Beverage Co Ltd, said Gloria Jean’s Coffees is a coffee-house brand of a world class premium standard, with its origins in Australia.

“Customers have a passion for the art of coffee, a brand that is dedicated to getting the best coffee with the story of travel in search of speciality coffee beans of only 100-per cent Arabica varieties from all over the world to get a quality coffee in their hands,” she said. The coffee shop business in Thailand has a high growth rate, with coffee having become a well-known beverage here a long time ago.

But the characteristics, popularity and behaviour of Thai coffee drinkers differ from that of foreigners. But they can have confidence in the quality of the Gloria Jean’s Coffees brand, which has the same quality control standards throughout the world from the selection of species to the roasting process under the control of a coffee expert, to imbuing the coffee beans with a unique flavour to being vacuum packed to avoid spoilage, said Rojana.

“Consumers can be confident that every coffee, every cup you drink, delivers freshness and is to the same standard as that for everyone around the world.”

Gloria Jean’s Coffees has also collaborated with the Rainforest Alliance to support the conservation and protection of wildlife, natural vegetation, ecology and environment, as well as to promote the creation of housing and to provide career education in coffee production to for local communities in many countries. Under the collaboration, Gloria Jean’s Coffees choose to source more than 85 per cent of their coffee from farms that have been Rainforest Alliance certified, which can be seen from the symbol that is attached to every package.

She said that in addition, the company has expanded its business.

“We see the premium coffee shop business as an investment business, with the business opportunities still opening up. Looking just at the premium coffee shops, it can be see that the sales volume continues to increase with the behaviour of consumers turning to drinking roasted coffee instead of instant coffee and their more meticulous selection of products. Plus there’s the quality of our brand’s products, therefore ensuring that the premium fresh coffee business will definitely change Thai coffee consumption behaviour. With an initial investment of Bt2.1 million, prepare to be the owner of a Gloria Jean’s Coffee business immediately,” said Rojana.

By the end of this year, she said, the company will have rolled out two franchise lines. The first will be the premium coffee-shop format, while the second will be “Expresso by Gloria Jean’s” outlets in partnership with Caltex.