Nuttakit Boonyawisitpokin, vice president of Sales and Management, RMI Global Ventures said that Thailand is taking a step forward into a digital economy era along with other countries so the need for technology, especially software, is increasing, and organizations need to manage their software assets as well as other types of assets.

However, many businesses, from large to small businesses, SME, or even listed companies in the stock market, still use software with no license.

Today, there are several of what we call “Office Software” which have both freeware or Open Source, and paid ones.

What happens now is that the freeware is not good enough, and the good ones are too expensive. The market is looking for an alternative at a reasonable price.

When good software is too expensive, middle to small size organization or SMEs cannot afford them, so they tend to use pirate software instead of a license one. And they have been using them continuously until now that some people do not even realize that this office software needs to be paid for. Therefore, ThaiWPS has brought the office software to help solve this problem.

Nuttakit said that ThaiWPS software has a reasonable price because it is developed by Thai, enabling us to fully understand Thai users and is able to be customized. For example, we have a template for government agencies, so they can work more easily at saving price. The highlights and features of the ThaiWPS software are 3 important principles:

1. The user interface looks familiar so users can install and use immediately.

2. The software is smaller and faster and does not consume too many resources.

3. Special usage functions are available due to research and development, enabling users to work easier and faster.

Software license issues today is that copyright is a big problem for every organization, especially when it comes to budget and data security. Using licensed software will cost a lot, but using pirated one is vulnerable to viruses and hackers. At present, the number of unlicensed software in Thailand is still ranked third among the Southeast Asian countries, after Vietnam with 74% and Indonesia with 83%, while the unlicensed software usage for Singapore, Malaysia, and the Philippines is 27, 51, and 64 per cents respectively.

And using ThaiWPS office software will avoid this problem because it is inexpensive, secure and highly effective.

Meanwhile Kanokchana Petcharat, Vice President of Marketing and Strategy, RMI Global Ventures said that at present, we are offering customers a free 60-day trial.

In addition, if customers want to apply to other software such as ERP/Document Management, the software can be customized. ThaiWPS office software is developed by Thai and can be customized or modified based on the usage of Thai users to serve their needs.

The difference can be seen when comparing the software in an international version with ThaiWPS version since we study user behavior first by receiving cooperation from the government in introducing various standards such as using Thai fonts and various template that is used in government organizations.

We provide all that is needed and if the organization has different needs, special adjustments such as official seals are available. We want to emphasize the words “Office software for Thai people”, which offers many unique functions such as

1. Indent arrangement and paste various images

2. Automatically specify the color of the Eye Dropper when pointing Mouse to the color.

3. There are many other things because we care about the needs of Thai people particularly.

Kanokchana concluded that using unlicensed software has a negative effect on the overall economy because there will be a consequence of tax. The state will lose tax revenue from the licensed software.

And the damage from a cyber threat such as malware infection can cost up to US$10,000 per device, which organizations around the world have to spend almost US$359 billion US per year to fix the malware problem that comes with using pirated software.

Proper management of software usage and good software choice is the key to help reduce the cost of doing business, enabling the organization to save up to 30 per cent of the budget each year.

The goal is to replace 450 LPG Tuk Tuks with electric Tuk Tuks within this year, according to a Wednesday press release.

As part of its partnership commitment to bring about cleaner, safer and more efficient mobility solutions for Thais, Grab has launched SEA’s first GrabTukTuk Electric to allow locals and tourists to easily book transport through the Grab app.

The new service will also create better income-earning opportunities for GrabTukTuk Electric driver-partners as they enjoy up to 80 per cent additional savings in fuel costs. A LPG Tuk Tuk driver incurs total monthly fuel expenses of Bt6,000, compared to the Bt1,400 monthly cost of charging an electric TukTuk.

Drivers can also benefit from higher user demand for TukTuk services due to the convenience of booking through a mobile phone.

The GrabTukTuk Electric service will complement the existing wide range of on-demand services that Grab has been offering to locals and tourists in Chiang Mai, including JustGrab, Grab RodDaeng and GrabFood.

With the electrification of TukTuks in Chiang Mai as its start, Grab aims to drive the adoption of more electric transportation options in Thailand and support the Thai government’s efforts to drive a smarter and more sustainable mobility future for all Thais.

Grab will share insights on reduced carbon footprint resulting from the adoption of GrabTukTuk Electric service in Chiang Mai, and support the local government in their efforts to reduce the reliance on private vehicle ownership and drive the use of public transportation across the country. Based on statistics from the Energy Conservation Laboratory (EnConLab), KMUTT, one electric Tuk Tuk is estimated to reduce the emission of greenhouse gas by up to 4.18 tonnes per year.

The network was hailed by the deputy governor of Chiang Mai,

Wirun Panthewee. “As one of Thailand’s pilot smart cities, Chiang Mai has initiated several projects aimed at transforming city management in all spheres in response to the Smart City vision,” said Wirun. “Over the past year, we have improved the infrastructure in the Nimmanhaemin area under the Smart Nimman project where the development of transportation has been our top priority, so as to increase the efficiency of public transportation, reduce air pollution, elevate the quality of life for the people and move towards Smart Mobility.

“The Chiang Mai Smart Mobility Alliance Network will thus be key to unlocking the full potential of both the public and private sectors to drive Chiang Mai forward and become one of the first smart cities in Thailand.”

The country head for Grab Thailand, Tarin Thaniyavarn, said, “We are committed to invest in the smart mobility future of Thailand and bring about cleaner, safer and more efficient mobility solutions for Thais. In partnership with the Chiang Mai government and industry partners, we want to actively contribute towards Chiang Mai Smart Mobility Alliance Network’s goal of a less-polluted and less-congested Chiang Mai city.

“With today’s launch of GrabTukTuk Electric in Chiang Mai – a first in Southeast Asia, we are not only making it easier for locals and tourists to book this well-loved public transportation mode through one Grab app, but also driving the adoption of electric transportation options in Thailand,” he said.

The plant, located in Xaisomboun province, is among a batch of new power stations being developed by BGRIM.

“Nam Che is now up and running, achieving its June 1 commercial operation date smoothly,” said BGRIM CEO Preeyanart Soontornwata.

She confirmed that BGRIM’s solar photovoltaic schemes in Vietnam, with a combined generating capacity of 677MW, are due for commercial launch this month as planned.

BGRIM is investing in additional power generation projects both in Thailand and abroad to raise its overall capacity to 5,000MW by 2022.

New power projects brought on stream this year will boost BGRIM’s 2019 revenue by 15-20 per cent and raising profitability, according to Preeyanart.

BGRIM is expected to finalise investment plans for wind power in South Korea and Vietnam soon.

Plans are also afoot to invest in several power projects in Cambodia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Laos.

In Thailand, BGRIM is pursuing new power generation investments in line with the country’s power development plan 2018.

“With all the works being undertaken strenuously, we are confident of achieving the 5,000-MW landmark capacity by 2022,” Preeyanart said.

Last year, the bank made a profit of Bt30.8 billion and aims to maintain the same level this year, president and chief executive officer Chatchai Payuhanaveechai said on Monday.

The first strategy, titled “Save before Loan”, will allow members in the grass-roots economy to take out home loans if they have saved money consistently with the bank for at least one year.

The second method involves the GSB working with property developers.

Under this strategy, Chatchai said, property developers can act as the middle-man and take out loans for their customers.

The customer then pays the mortgage interest to their developer as rent for two years, before the residential ownership is transferred to them and they start paying the interest to the bank directly.

The third measure involves calculating the future income of the bank’s customers, so that those with low income can take out mortgages if their earnings will likely increase over the coming years, the CEO explained.

For the first quarter of this year, the GSB reported a profit of Bt6.08 billion, with interest revenue of Bt13.9 billion.

Its non-performing loans stood at 2.83 per cent, a slight increase from the fourth quarter of 2018, when they came in at 2.81 per cent.

The initiative aims for business co-creation via knowledge sharing, the provision of advice along with the support of Kbank’s various departments and partners.

Currently, more than 600 Thai startups have registered with the National Innovation Agency (NIA, a public organisation). In 2017, 31 startups received US$106.10 million (Bt3.35 billion) in venture capital investment, compared to 35 startups with $61.25 million (Bt1.933 billion) in venture capital investment in 2018. The trend shows a slowdown, attributed to the fact that the growth of Thai startups has failed to catch up with the market.

 KBank hopes the project will help develop and strengthen the potential of Thai startups, enabling them to attract both domestic and international funding and propel them to the regional and global stages in the future, she said.

Last year saw Tokio Marine Holdings, Inc acquire insurance businesses in Thailand and Indonesia under Safety Insurance Plc. And now, both Tokio Marine Insurance (Thailand) Plc (or Tokio Marine) and Safety Insurance Plc (or Safety) have announced they have a roadmap to integrate under one company name – Tokio Marine Safety Insurance (Thailand) Plc.

The process should be complete in early 2020 subject to approval from the Office of Insurance Commission (OIC).

Tokio Marine Safety Insurance (Thailand) Plc sees opportunity ahead as it aims to be a leading industry player in the Kingdom, with a GWP target of Bt21.7 billion and a net profit of Bt 1.1 billion in three years. To do that, it will provide various products and services meeting a global standard and offer service locations nationwide, says its chief executive Suteechai Santivarakum.

The company has already submitted its OIC application for the integration process and expects the legal process to be completed by early 2020. It strongly believes that merging the two companies will result in each a coordination and maximisation of each of their competitive advantages for the greater benefit. This “synergising for the future” will benefit both individual customers and Thai society, according to the company.

“We aim to achieve GWP target Bt 21.7 Billion with a net profit Bt 1.1 Billion. In moving toward the premium and profit targets for 2022, the company expects to grow both the top line and the bottom line by 4-5 per cent every year.

“Our business goal is to be one of the most selected insurers with the trust of customers as our foundation, followed by our ‘to be a good company’ vision,” Suteechai said.

Tokio Marine Safety Insurance (Thailand) Plc leads the integration rationale by maximising competitive advantage and build synergies as ‘One Team’, he added.

The two companies have different key strengths. Tokio Marine has strong J-Biz (Japanese business clients) partnerships and is a leader in the marine insurance business. Meanwhile, Safety is one of the Thailand’s leading insurers long-time achievements, and is one of the leaders in the motor insurance business with a claims service network nationwide and solid retail customer relationships.

As a consequence, the integrated business will be more comprehensive and deliver products and services to customers conveniently, in accordance with the customer’s needs and at affordable prices, the company argues.

Hironori Kiryu, president of Tokio Marine Insurance (Thailand) Plc said the company believes in the synergy concept of “1+1 is greater than 2”. Working as one team, there will be a lot of great benefits and opportunities for Thai society, customers, business partners and employees from both companies, he said.

Being part of Tokio Marine Group, Tokio Marine Asia as a regional headquarters will communicate with Tokio Marine Holdings Inc to share knowledge and global expertise in the area of digital to extend the most benefits for Thai customers, said Shinkichi Mike Miki, the managing director of Tokio Marine Asia Pte Ltd.

Tokio Marine Safety Insurance (Thailand) will consist of five pillars of business: 1. The branches, numbering over 100 and the service network coverage nationwide; 2. Japanese business clients who, along with companies operating in Thailand and other Mekong countries, have a solid trust relationship with the company; 3. Agents and brokers taking advantage of global and local expertise; 4. Dealers and OEM supported by strong relationships with OEMs and a broad dealer network; and 5. Alternatives, the opportunities that present through B2B2C, affinities, and leveraging digital tech in Tokio Marine Group.

AOT executive vice president Wichai Bunyu said AOT had approved the three contenders’ qualifications after inspection.

A fourth potential bidder, Central Department Store Co Ltd (and DFS Venture of Singapore), that had previously purchased the bidding envelope, did not submit a bid.

“The next step is to get their technical proposals on June 5 and their proposed financial returns on June 10. Then, the selection committee will come to a conclusion about which will be forwarded to a committee that will review income together with the duty-free shop project and the commercial areas at Suvarnabhumi Airport on June 12,” Wichai said. AOT has scheduled 3pm on June 5 for presentations of the technical proposals.

The bidding result will be proposed to the AOT board on June 19.

Wichai declined to elaborate on the bidding, saying only that all projects details would be disclosed publicly after the board meeting on June 19.

King Power Duty Free scored the highest in its bids for the duty-free shop project at Suvarnabhumi Airport.

Vitavas Vibhagool, chief executive officer of Grande Asset Hotels and Property Plc and a representative of the Royal Orchid Sheraton (Thailand) bidding consortium, came in person to submit their bid. The consortium includes WDFG UK Ltd, which is No 1 in the world’s duty-free shop sector.

“We’re confident about this bidding. We will talk to our partners in detail about the AOT’s pick-up counter project, which will be launched next. We’ll participate in [bidding on] all projects,” Vitavas said.

Both King Power Duty Free and Royal Orchid Sheraton have asked AOT for detailed scores of the previous bids for the duty-free shop project at Suvarnabhumi Airport.

Of the three contenders, King Power Duty Free was the only stand-alone bidder. The other two bidders were consortiums. The first, the Bangkok Airways-Lotte Duty Free consortium, includes Bangkok Airways (49 per cent), Hotel Lotte Co Ltd (49 per cent) and Bangkok Airways Holding (2 per cent).

The third bidder, a consortium headed by Royal Orchid Sheraton (Thailand), includes Royal Orchid Sheraton (36 per cent), Empire Asia Group (15 per cent) and WDFG UK Ltd (49 per cent).