Opas, who serves as chief executive officer and managing director of the listed developer, has created a business model under which can LPN can navigate the digital disruption that has been sweeping across the property sector.

Accordingly, 2017 was declared the Year of Shift and the company has now entered the Year of Excellence for 2019.

Since 2017, Opas, 57, has guided the company to maintaining its business growth in a period during which it has moved from a focus on condominiums to become an integrated property firm catering to all segments of the property market – from single detached house and townhouses to condominiums and office buildings.

Under LPN’s shift to cover all segments of the market it has also embraced digital technology, and operates a platform. The transformation has been achieved through Opas’ focus on driving the company to become a developer distinguished by a reputation for excellence. This entails building quality residences for LPN’s customers and providing them with the best after-sales service. Employees’ skills are also being upgraded to help drive sustainable growth over the long term.

“When I gained the appointment to the top management of the organisation, I had to think about the future of business operation for sustainable growth together with the need to drive business growth for the day-to-day operations,” Opas says in an interview with The Nation Weekend recently.

With this twin concern for the business’s future structure and its day-to-day operations, Opas has to contend with intense competition from existing rivals and newcomers to the market.

The business environment has also undergone change with the digital disruption buffeting the industry. Opas notes that the company has to navigate its way through these upheavals in the quest for sustainable growth over the long term.

“This year, our business strategy is to create the Year of Excellence under our business model and by doing so, we will create excellence for all of our business units,” Opas says.

Under this approach, the company is reviewing its product development in an effort to improve the design of its products and to better manage its production costs.

In tandem with this, the company’s after-sales service is being service improved to meet all the demands of its customers.

“Quality built-in is one of our business strategies to achieve quality control of the products before they are delivered to the customers,” Opas says.

“With the use of Big Data, we have created an application to improve our services and increase customer satisfaction.”

Opas say the company has fostered a mindset among the staff for the pursuit of learning. Staff are trained at the company’s academy on business philosophy and how to develop themselves to achieve both the company’s goals and their own goals for the future. The training covers all business units.

“All of these things are important for creating sustainable growth in the long term for LPN Development Plc. This is how we set up the system to drive business sustainable growth for after I have retired and when the new management come in,” Opas says.

Opas began working for LPN in 1995 when he joined the product development operation. He had graduated with a bachelor’s degree in architecture from Silapakorn University and went on to work in architecture with friends.

“When I started work at LPN I thought I would stay about two or three years and then return to the architecture world with my friends. But, once I got settled in at LPN, I found I enjoyed the work. And then I was given the opportunity, from the company’s directors, to become managing director in 2006,” Opas recalls of his start at the company 24 years ago.

Opas, pointing to the Bt3 billion in presales that the company posted in 2006 when he took that post, says the company had to endure the country’s economic crisis in 1997 and its aftermath. Less than a decade after the crisis, the company had to find a new direction for doing business by focusing on the development of condominiums aimed at the middle to lower-income market when Opas saw strong demand in this segment.

“The business direction in 2006 proved correct as we went on to boost our sales to Bt10 billion and even hit Bt25 billion in 2013 – that was our golden year at the height of the property market boom,” he says.

Then, in 2017, the property market began to undergo higher competition and disruption from innovative and digital technologies. The company had to change its business model to become an integrated property developer by focusing on both sales and recurring income.

“This is the way to survive the storm that we see coming in 2019,” Opas says.

“All of our moves since 2017 have been aimed at contending with the storm that is coming as a result of all the disruption in the country’s economy and the changes in the industry.

“This is the way that we have found to survive the coming crisis and, in this way, we can turn the crisis into a business opportunity and drive business growth into the double digits each year.”

For this year, the company expects total presales to come in at Bt16 billion, marking growth of more than 10 per cent from last year, Opas says.

Under the business strategy, Opas says his staff are the key to getting the business through the crisis that will impact the business.

“We cannot walk alone, as we need a good team to drive our business through all of the business changes coming,” he says.

Away from the office, Opas says he has the best of families, with a wife and son to act as supports in his professional life. In seeking to strike a balance in life, he values the time that he can spend with his family on weekends and holidays. He even fits in extra time with his son when he drives him to university.

“Family is essential when it comes to supporting my working life. I have to have time for my family every day and to do activities together,” Opas says. “This helps me to have the energy to carry out the company’s business at a time when we face ever more changes, especially this year.”

Teerawut also has to lead the company in coping with changes in with a “3Cs Strategy”. During the 2018 fiscal year (April 2018 – March 2019), Brother Commercial (Thailand) has even boosted its target growth from 5 per cent to 7 per cent.

The new MD’s predecessor, Tomoyuki Fujimoto, explained the principles of “change” that Brother plans to implement for growth.

“Brother is trying to adapt and improve, so we can grow continuously in every business group. The company aims to provide customers with a high level of satisfaction in terms of innovation and product quality. No less important, the quality of after-sales service has always been at the heart of Brother’s business operation,” Fujimoto said.

Fujimoto said the major success factor is the company’s philosophy of “at your side”, in which it places customers at the centre in every dimension.

In his 10 years as sales and marketing director, Teerawut has helped turn the company into a market leader by applying his experience to the team, providing working methods and adopting marketing strategies to change Brother from a small brand to a familiar name for printers in Thailand.

“I believe teamwork is the key to success. The fact that each team knows its role and responsibility, and that they have an opportunity to think outside the box. It inspires us to come up with a new way of working, and dare to try different things. This is the spirit that makes Brother stand out. The last factor is cooperation of partners, which is an important energy that makes us grow faster. We have never stopped ‘transforming’ our marketing games as the fast-changing consumer lifestyle prompts us to always be prepared and to respond faster with each step forward,” the new MD said.

After a successful brand collaboration with “Bar-B-Q Plaza”, the brand also releases the new “Bacon Grilled with Bar-B-Q Plaza Sauce” to convenience stores and more distribution channels.

Titiporn Thammapimookkul Marketing Director – Food and Beverage, Singha Corporation said that Masita’s marketing direction for 2019 is to focus more on product strategy, releasing new products and modifying existing ones to continuously excites the market and to respond to target consumer’s ever-changing consumption behaviours.

Recently, the company has modified the ingredients for all five flavours of Masita into a 0% MSG (monosodium glutamate) recipe but with the same taste as always in a 100 per cent grade-A quality Korean seaweed and Masita is the first Thai seaweed brand to gain an international level recognition of taste and flavor from The International Taste & Quality Institute (ITQI).

Also the packaging has been entirely revamped with a more enticing and exciting colour to create brand differentiation and positive first impression among target consumers once they see the products on shelves.

Masita is one of the very first seaweed brands to hire Kyuhyun from SM Entertainment, five members of the up-and-coming boyband NCT.

This year, Masita employs a similar strategy by unveiling Park Ji-hoon, ex-member of the legendary K-Pop idol group Wanna One, to reach the core target consumers from age 12-18 years old. This brand strategy will bring Masita to new heights and emphasise the brand’s leadership image by using Korean artists and idols as presenters to trigger more brand awareness, engagement and eventually an increase in sales.

Moreover, the company had invested more than Bt50 million in numbers of marketing campaigns and activities to reach millennial audience such as an online activity, for example, who’s is the new presenter for the brand in order to increase social engagement among the brand fans and the artist’s fans while also informing the market about the new product recipe with no MSG through above the line and below the line channels.

“In the age of a rapid change in consumption and lifestyle behaviours, it’s essential for brand to catch up the upcoming trend and be able to on it to respond to the target needs.

“Currently, with the rising trend of health consciousness among our consumers, Masita decided to go 0% on MSG with no compromising on the taste. Furthermore, the brand also refreshed the product’s image by unveiling new presenter Park Ji-Hoon, K-Pop star from South Korea to reinforce the brand as the first seaweed brand to utilise a K-Pop brand presenter campaign to reach teenage consumers.”

The non-MSG Masita will be distributed brick&mortar in both traditional trade and modern trade channels.

“Masita seaweed brand is aimed to gain 20% of the total market share with all these strategic marketing executions,” the company said.

The company said in a press release on Friday that is recreating HomePro Visa Platinum Credit Card and unveiling new credit and personal loan card products – Krungsri HomePro Corporate Card, HomePro First Choice Card and MegaHome First Choice Card.

The new cards target both individuals and commercial corporate customers offering unprecedented privileges including automatic corporate reports, discounts, cash back credit, and 0 per cent interest instalment for up to 12 months for every single purchase at HomePro and MegaHome.

With its plan to penetrate all segments in its client base, Krungsri Consumer forecasts an annual growth of 10-20 per cent in the number of new cardholders and the total volume of personal loan and credit card spending, hoping to achieve Bt14 billion target within this year as the cooperation will keep the businesses of the two partners sustainably expanding.

Thakorn Piyapan, Chairman, Krungsri Consumer, said: “Krungsri Consumer firmly believes in building and growing our business along with our partners’ and as always we put great emphasis on utilising latest technology to bring about exciting financial innovations for the benefits of our consumers.

“After 17 years of mutual trust since HomePro has chosen us as their financial partner, Krungsri Consumer and HomePro today join forces once again in revamping the model of our financial service business in line with the ever-changing environment by using the in-depth customer information analysis technology to develop innovative products, services and privileges to create the kind of experience that better serves our individual and commercial corporate clients.

“The online and offline customer behaviour data we have all points to the opportunity to expand our client base. We then further extend our partnership with HomePro accordingly.

“Apart from the modernised HomePro Visa Platinum Credit Card with more benefits for customers with a family who can now manage their home decoration expenses more worthy, we also come up with three new co-branded cards namely Krungsri HomePro Corporate Card for commercial clientele preferring reliable expense reports on a regular basis for a more efficient financial management, HomePro First Choice and MegaHome First Choice cards designed to meet the demands of HomePro customers as existing financial products fail to do so.

“These are the personal loan cards offering 0 per cent interest instalment for up to 12 months and suitable for new generations and first jobbers who are keen on home or condominium decoration and in need of a clever financial management plan. We invested over Bt100 million in the development of these new card products and marketing promotions we proudly launch today.”

Khunawut Thumpomkul, Director, Executive Director and Managing Director, Home Product Center Public Company Limited or HomePro, said: “Home Product Center, reaffirms our standpoint as Thailand’s Home Solution and Living Experience forerunner.

“This year we are more focused on adjusting our business strategies in accordance with the ever-changing environment, deploying the customer-centric approach and further networking with our partners to develop innovative products and services, while expanding our sales channels through HomePro and MegeHome brands to make sure we will create a better user experience and thus encouraging consumers to decidedly make a purchase via any of our omni channels whose number clearly reiterates our position as the leader in home solutions and retail business for construction.”

“HomePro currently has approximately 3.8 million Home Card members, 43 per cent of which are Bangkokians while the rest 57 per cent are upcountry residents, who contribute to 92 per cent our sales value. Each year, approximately 63 per cent of our members, or around 2.4 million Home Card holders, buy some products at our locations, with an average spending of around Bt22,000 per person annually. More than 65 per cent of these spenders use credit card and more than 20 per cent of which prefer instalment payment.

“Given this useful information, we see a chance to grow our client base both in Bangkok and other provinces to better meet the demands of our consumers based on their specific lifestyles. Krungsri Consumer uses their technology to create new financial innovations which can fulfil consumer needs in today’s cashless society – hence this new exciting synergy.

“We are extremely pleased to expand our partnership with the leader in financial business like Krungsri Consumer with whom we have formed a great bond for 17 years. I strongly believe that these new credit and personal loan cards will be able to meet the different demands of both commercial and individual customers of HomePro and MegaHome, with more than 100 branches among them, and create a better user experience for consumers,” he said.

Thakorn added: “With multiple financial products perfectly designed to better serve consumers in all market segments, the support we always have from our strong partner like HomePro with more than 100 branches, coupled with the use of new technologies and the in-depth information analysis to offer new products and services with unprecedented benefits and privileges to meet the demand of customers in every segment, Krungsri Consumer expects overwhelming response for these credit and personal loan cards.

“We target 120,000 new members for HomePro Visa Platinum Credit Card and Krungsri HomePro Corporate Credit Card and 50,000 new members for HomePro First Choice and MegaHome First Choice cards, with the total volume of personal loan and credit card spending of 14 billion Baht for all four cards this year and an annual 10-20 per cent growth rate of both spending and the number of members. Krungsri Consumer and HomePro have also planned to jointly offer new services in the future such as information-based lending which uses consumer behaviour data as the key information for loan approval analysis to allow those groups of customers, who have no fixed income documents, easy access to financial products.

“This data will also be used for automatic credit limit increase consideration or for selecting more appropriate marketing promotions for each particular customer to create a better and innovative user experience for both Krungsri Consumer and HomePro customers, and to build a sustainable business development for both companies,” concluded Thakorn.

Bangkok – Suntory PepsiCo Beverage (Thailand), a producer and distributor of beverages under global brands such as Pepsi, Mirinda, 7up and Lipton, wished to cool off Thai consumers  during summertime with the all-new “Lipton Ice Green Tea Honey Lemon” ready-to-drink tea.

According to its press release, it is a finest combination of well-sourced green tea leaves and natural honey, with a slight and exciting note of lemon.

Certified with a “Healthier Choice” label, it appeals to health-conscious consumers with a rejuvenating yet low sugar recipe as sugar quantity is lowered by 55%1 or at less than 6 grams per 100 ml.

The new and thirst-quenching Lipton Ice Green Tea Honey Lemon is exclusively available at every branch of 7-Eleven nationwide in a 445 ml bottle and a retail price of Bt20.

Latest news and information of “Lipton Ice Tea” can be accessed online at http://www.facebook.com/LiptonThailand and http://www.suntorypepsico.co.th.

The ceremony was attended by 130 people including Insee Kerdmanee, Deputy Governor of the Rayaong Province, Aran Jaitang and Prasan Boontem, both Deputy Mayor of Maptaphut Municipality, MapTa Phut public officials, citizens of the Nong Fab Village and PTT, PTTGC, Thai Oil and Samsung Engineering.

According to the Samsung Engineering, the new Thailand “Hope Library” was built in 13 months in partnership with Plan International. Beyond building the library, Samsung Engineering fully equipped it with 5,000 books, electronic devices such as TV and DVD player and further donated IT equipment including computer, printer, and software, library supplies such as book cart, desks and chairs.

Additionally, Samsung Engineering hired and trained librarians to provide a long, prosper and sustainable library operation. Around 700 children, youth, teachers living near the library including from 222 children from the Nong Fab School will be the major beneficiaries of the library. Furthermore 2,000 community members in or near the village will also benefit from Samsung Engineering’s “Hope Library”.

Samsung Engineering started the “Global Hope Library” campaign in 2012 and donated libraries in counties such as Iraq, Bolivia, Azerbaijan, Algeria, Nepal, etc.

The chain plans to open five Louisa Coffee outlets in the Kingdom over the next three years. The expansion will be handled by local joint venture Louisa Coffee Thailand Co Ltd, set up by two individual partners – Chris Huang, founder and general manager of Louisa Coffee in Taiwan, and Thai businessman Wongphun Laothamatas, who is also executive director of Louisa Coffee Thailand. Huang will own a 49 per cent take, while Wongphun has the majority 51 per cent stake.

Huang said Louisa Coffee the Thai venture is the brand’s first overseas market.

“We aim to open a total of five Louisa Coffee outlets [in Thailand] in the next three years, as coffee culture in Thailand has been booming in recent years,” he said.

Thailand is considered to have a high growth potential, and both local and foreign cafe chains continue to bloom across the country. The value of the cafe sector alone reached Bt21.22 billion in 2017, and up to Bt23.47 billion last year. The industry is expected to reach Bt25.86 billion in value for this year, according to the Food Intelligence Centre, Thailand.

Thai Coffee Association/Asean Coffee Federation calculated different figures, that put the cafe industry in Thailand at Bt17 billion, of which Bt9 billion is from the general coffee-house segment, and another Bt8 billion represents premium coffee houses.

“Thai people consume an average of between 0.5 and 1.0 kilogram per person per year, while Americans and Scandinavians consume 3.5 kilograms and 10 kilograms of coffee respectively per annum,” said Huang. “Furthermore, coffee consumption is expected to grow at least three-fold to more than 300,000 tonnes per year,” he noted.

“According to the statistics [drilling down] on the population of coffee drinker, Europeans drink an average of 1,000 cups of coffee every year. Meanwhile, the United States, Canada and South Korea are at 500 cups a year on average, with about 4-5 cups for China. For Thailand and Taiwan, consumers drink almost 100 cups of coffee annually.

“We expect Taiwan and Thailand markets will double the growth of coffee consumption in the future,” said Huang. In the meantime, he said the company not only projects the coffee-market potential, but also provides a new-style space for the marketplace. For example, the first Amarin store in Thailand will be set up for customers to experience a coffee journey.

Louisa Coffee was founded in 2006 in Taipei, the capital of Taiwan. Stemming from the founder’s passion in coffee, the coffee-house chain has established itself as experts in quality coffees.

“We spent more than a decade crafting the best coffee, from roasting the beans, controlling the temperature to brewing each cup,” he said.

“Louisa Coffee operates over 450 coffee houses across Taiwan at the moment, and will expand to more than 550 stores by the end of this year. Louisa Coffee has officially beaten Starbucks and become the No 1 largest coffee-house chain and the most popular brand in the Taiwanese market,” said Huang.

“Our expansion strategy is to open over 100 stores every year, both in Taiwan and in potential markets abroad. Louisa Coffee has been true to the traditional coffee culture process, using scientific production to ensure every cup of coffee is of the same excellent quality,” he said. In addition to Thailand, Indonesia is seen as a potential market for expansion within Asean region.

In Taiwan alone, about 20 per cent of Louisa Coffee stores are under the company’s owned investment, while 80 per cent are franchised outlets, Huang said. Every franchise owner in Taiwan now owns 1.8 Louisa Coffee stores.

“We will deliver the same system from Taiwan to the Thailand market,” said Huang.