Surachai Chetchotesak, chief executive officer of RS, said the company is the first in the world to have an MPC strategy. Under the strategy, it uses its media platform to maximise business growth, which generates revenue and profit, Surachai said. “The company is using its Channel 8 TV platform as a department stores by managing time between selling airtime to clients and selling its own products on television and this achieved effective and fruitful results,” Surachai said.

“We plan to aggressively penetrate the industry by launching LINE@COOL Anything, a new community that would turn radio listeners into buyers by offering own-brand and partners’ quality products from health and beauty to home and lifestyle items to listeners of COOLfahrenheit.

“It has been Thailand’s No 1 radio station for 18 consecutive years and has 5.3 million listeners in Bangkok and main cities who have high purchasing power. The listeners are divided into four million via online and the remaining 1.3 million via on air.”

Based on economic and business forecasting from the University of Thai Chamber of Commerce, sales of health and beauty products have been rising over the past six years, with an overall market value of Bt250 billion.

Euromonitor International, a global research company, said that the supplements market is worth over Bt518 billion “as the medical industry has proven that medicine and treatment are only to solve the problem at the end-result, which is the incorrect way to solve health problemS”.

Sales of supplements have enjoyed a strong trend in Europe and the US, as well as in Asia including Japan and Thailand, “as they protects and nourish the health from the upstream and are combining with technology innovations”.

“Now there are various food extracts, so selecting the right and appropriate supplement has been a choice in the market for many decades. However, the trend only started in Thailand five years ago as a result of the boom in social media networks, which has driven the popularity of such products,” Surachai said.

“To accommodate this global trend, the company plans to offer another 15 categories of high-standard quality products and innovations which include seven categories of owned-brand; consisting of four categories of skincare and health organic products; one category of haircare products; two categories of supplements along with eight categories from partners.

“During the first half of this year, the response from customers has been beyond expectations, especially on Magic Skincare, Revive Haircare and S.O.M. supplements which resulted from their high quality ingredients and extracts as well as international standard production process from upstream to downstream with a pre-test before sales and distribution.”

The company said it is confident of achieving its Bt5.8 billion revenue target.

Working individuals, business travellers and businesses of all sizes in Thailand can now enjoy a redefined collaborative working, connected vibrant and dynamic communities offered by JustCo in open, conducive and creative work spaces.

JustCo’s presence in Bangkok marks its first step in regional expansion across Southeast Asia and other Asian markets. It also stands for the first milestone achievement of Sansiri in pursuing its Everyday Visionaries growth chapter with ambition to shape next-generation living and how people live, work, play and discover.

Kong Wan Sing, founder and CEO of JustCo, said that “Over the recent years, co-working space business around the world has seen a significant growth. Co-working space goes beyond the physical space and facilities as it has become a symbol of community, connectivity, efficiency, and networking. Currently, JustCo is Southeast Asia’s largest and most successful premium provider of co-working spaces. We are not just a space provider. What sets us apart from other co-working spaces is our large community where members can tap into to seek new connections and explore new business opportunities. JustCo also has a strong network of long-term partners where members can leverage to access to regional markets, gain business insights, or enjoy preferential packages for business services.”

“We are so delighted to announce our first JustCo centre in Thailand. Our partnership with Sansiri, a key player in Thailand real estate sector, is instrumental in helping pave the way for our accelerated growth in Thailand and Asia, through Sansiri’s in-depth expertise and experience in Asian markets and also connect JustCo to a large number of Sansiri residents.

Thailand is one of the key business hubs in the region and its favorable geographical location coupled with infrastructure readiness make the country a key market for JustCo, as well as gateway to our regional expansion across Southeast Asia markets. We are here to create a powerful ecosystem where working individuals and businesses of all sizes can harness the benefits of the network effect through meaningful interactions, participation and partnerships among members at JustCo to bring many new opportunities and great success,” added Kong.

Apichart Chutrakul, chief executive officer, Sansiri Plc, said that “The opening of first JustCo co-working space in Thailand is our first accomplishment in the new chapter of growth – Everyday Visionaries we set forth in 2017 by investing in six leading global technology and lifestyle businesses, with shared vision to shape the ways that we’ll live, work, learn and play – for the better.

As we all know, the nature of work today has expanded beyond traditional office. The shifting economy has also sparked huge growth in start-up ventures and entrepreneurship, creating demand for new kinds of flexible, collaborative workspaces. Moreover, co-working is already catching on among large companies as they are seeking ways to energise and enhance work capabilities of their staff by adopting creative and collaborative ambiance. Therefore, the arrival of JustCo is just in time to capture the potential growth of co-working space phenomenon in Thailand.

We foresee that JustCo is our strategic partner not only as a co-working space provider but also a trusted alliance to create new spaces for Sansiri’s residences and partners in the near future. The partnership also works towards the sharing of resources, know-how, technology and customer base. This also benefits Sansiri’s customers and residents by offering them a new, unique privileged access to JustCo’s co-working space network.”

JustCo offers a special promotion for Sansiri residents – free access until the end of 2018 and special 20 per cent discount on membership package from January 2019 onwards.

The company says the campaign to encourage consumers to seek out the logo comes under what it calls its MongTra campaign.

The three partners say that that by choosing cartons with the Tetra Pak logo, consumers will get products made from environmentally sound materials – paper sourced from responsibly managed forests, and also support local farming. A talk session with a Thai farmer who owns a Forest Stewardship Council-certified commercial forest in Ratchaburi shows how making the right choices can make a difference in his life. Jeffrey Fielkow, vice president – environment of Tetra Pak Asia, said that the original MongTra campaign was launched in March to urge consumers to look for the Tetra Pak logo before purchasing food and beverages in carton packaging.

“The Tetra Pak logo is a mark of safe, convenient, and environmentally sound products that deliver on the brand’s promise ‘Protects What’s Good’m” he said.

“In this new follow up project, Tetra Pak draws attention to another logo on packs – the FSC label issued by the Forest Stewardship Council.

“FSC is an international non-profit forest certification and labelling system which assures that forest products come from responsibly managed forests.”

Fielkow said Tetra Pak has achieved full FSC chain of custody certification for all converting plants and market companies, so the company can now supply FSC-labelled packages from anywhere in the world. The certification enables wood fibres to be traced at every stage of the supply chain.

“Tetra Pak introduced the FSC certification system to the liquid food carton industry in 2007. Since then, the number of Tetra Pak cartons bearing the FSC label has increased steadily each year to reach 54 billion in 2015,” Fielkow said. “At the end of 2017, Tetra Pak has delivered around 300 billion FSC-labelled packages with 3,300 brands in over 93 countries.

In Thailand, prior to 2016, the percentage of Tetra Pak carton with FSC label was around 4-5 per cent. Working with customers closely, the company has reached 90 per cent at the end of 2017. This means that, out of 100 cartons delivered to customers, 90 cartons are labelled with FSC.”

Collaboration

For this project, Tetra Pak collaborated with FSC Organiation and WWF-Thailand, both international environmental organisations, to increase among Thai consumers the awareness of the FSC label and its benefits on the environment, society and economy, as well to share the knowledge of responsible forest management according to the 10 criteria set by FSC.

“Although the wood fibre used to produce Tetra Pak carton comes from different parts of the world, In Thailand, the FSC criteria and standards have been successfully applied to the management of both local planted forests and commercially planted forests for other products by few companies,” Fielkow said.

Panomsak Pornsuksawang, a farmer and owner of FSC certified commercial forests in Ratchaburi, started growing eucalyptus tress in 1992.

After a severe drought, he found out that eucalyptus is drought tolerant, easy to grow and salable. He decided to plant around 150 rai of eucalyptus trees and sugarcane.

He admits that he did not understand the FSC standards at first.

He had gone through a process of trial and error and faced various problems, such as abnormal growth and diseases, until he started working with the Siam Forestry Co Ltd., a packaging subsidiary of SCG.

As the company followed the FSC forest management standards, it educates farmers and helps them improve their practice, leading to better management and higher-quality produce.

“Both FSC and SCG have given me useful information and worked with me. During the early stage, foreign authorities visited and evaluated the farms,” Panomsak said. “When I started off, I had no plan. However, once I adopted the FSC principles, I realised that I needed a feasible plan determining what needs to be done and when. As a result, I was able to grow better produce although it cost slightly more. For example, I had to apply two rounds of fertiliser, but the significant increase in the amount of produce made it worth the investment.

“In terms of quality of life, it has certainly changed for the better. I can now make plans and manage time more effectively and I also have time for other activities and rest. In the past, I only have a small tractor that could not mow grass around the trunks of eucalyptus trees, so I used herbicide.

“After I learned the FSC principles, I replaced the use of herbicide with human labour.

“I am healthier because I do not use chemicals. In the past, there were neither bees nor insects in my farm, but they are here now and we also see some bigger animals as well. So the new practice is better for me, my people and the environment.”

Fielkow said: “Today, we can see that farmers, organisations and entrepreneurs are ready to together protect and take care of forests and the environment; however, in order for this intention to become a great and sustainable force, consumers also have to be attentive to the choices they are making in their daily lives, such as choosing products in FSC labelled packages which guarantee that the products come from responsibly managed forests.

“This helps reduce negative impact on the environment, take care of the society and promote sustainable economy.”

MK Restaurant yesterday said the joint venture, known as M-Senko Logistics, will cash in on the projected high growth potential of the food service industry in Thailand.

The new firm will primarily target companies engaged in business to business (B-to-B) activities in the food and food-related business sector, including operators of restaurant franchises of all sizes, large food producers, and food retailers such as convenience stores, supermarkets and mini-marts.

The company has set aside Bt1.3 billion to Bt1.5 billion for investment in the first phase of the operation, which covers fully integrated logistics services including warehousing, transport, forwarding, and trading. But the main focus is on full-service cold chain logistics complete with reefer trucks that provide high-quality transpiration services with nationwide origin-to-destination capabilities. The company’s central logistics facility, including a cold and dry warehouse, will be on Bangna-Trad Road km.21, covering 53,000 square metres.

Somchai Hanjitkasem, executive vice president of MK Restaurant Group Plc, said MK saw an opportunity for business expansion with a logistics spinoff. At present, Thailand has no operator of a full-service cold chain logistics of considerable size.

Expanding market

“Thailand’s food chain segment is now valued at about Bt230 billion but, together with restaurants, the market will be between Bt410 billion and Bt420 billion in total, with an estimated growth rate of 3 per cent per year,” said Somchai.

He said that the key driver of the food industry is the increasing number of e-commerce activities in the market.

“The e-commerce drive witnessed in Thailand and overseas has been extraordinarily intensified,” Somchai said. “Consumers have changed their behaviour and a larger number have frequently used e-commerce. More online orders have been filed as this sparks higher demand for home delivery services. This is a growth opportunity for MK Group. Having been in the restaurant market for years, we have extensive experience and capability in nationwide home delivery services for restaurant chains.

“We consider ourselves the No.1 player in this business. Our strength can be extended. We can initiate a cold chain logistics service to serve other food businesses. They just propose to us their business ideas and plans and we will complete a logistics plan for them.

“The logistics business, which is valued at about Bt100 million, has shown continuous growth.”

Somchai said that Thailand can comfortably become a logistics hub with the right infrastructure. “Senko’s plan is to turn Thailand into our regional hub, probably in the next three years,” he said.

Somchai said that in the first phase, the company plans to achieve Bt800 million in annual revenue in 2019, and to reach at least Bt1.8 billion within three years when the company provides full-service logistics at full capacity. This will be achieved through four new services.

“We will kick off the transport service in July. We also plan to launch trading and forwarding services next year and our warehouse will be opened in 14 months,” Somchai said.

“All the four services are expected to be fully operational next August.”

He added that MK Restaurant Group has extensive experience in production and delivery as its business involves a wide range of raw materials which must be delivered to 600 outlets across the nation.

“Senko will complement our business by finding us new customers as well as advanced logistics know-how,” said Somchai, adding that the joint venture will provide M-Senko with solid foundations for taking the market’s leadership mantle in full-service cold chain logistics.

“Each partner of the joint venture, Senko and MK, would hold 50 per cent stake each. The joint venture marks an important milestone for MK’s business expansion for future growth.”

Hiroshi Yamamoto, managing director of M-Senko Logistics Co Ltd, said that Senko Group Holdings Co Ltd. is Japan’s second-largest logistics company. “Its strength lies in its specialisation in cold chain logistics. The company has been engaged in transport and distribution services for over 100 years, with operations in the US, South Korea, China, Central Asia and Asean (Thailand and Myanmar),” Yamamoto said.

Senko earlier reported full-year operating revenue of Bt103 billion.

In the next three to five years, M-Senko plans expansion in the Asean market – particularly Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam – by developing new types of logistics services to meet the demands of consumers (B2C) in the future.

The event at Central Silom Complex included company representatives encouraging the public to quit smoking and offering tools to help make the transition easier.

Pharmacists and celebrities were also on hand to share their experiences and offer advice and encouragement.

The campaign, launched in 2017 with support from Boots Retail (Thailand) Limited, has already been successful in encouraging smokers to seek information, support and professional advice to quit smoking and maintain a smoke-free lifestyle.

Now in its second year, new initiatives and tools to encourage more smokers to quit include helpful handbooks, various stop-smoking tools and consultations offered by pharmacists and specialists at 281 Boots stores nationwide.

As part of the project, Honeywell UOP will provide licensing, design, key equipment and state-of-the-art catalysts and adsorbents. When completed in 2022, the complex will produce 1.2 million metric tonnes per year of paraxylene used to make plastic resins, films and fibres. It also will increase its benzene production capacity from 114,000 to 495,000 tonnes per year. Benzene is a fuel additive and ingredient in plastics, lubricants, rubber, dyes and detergents.

“This complex will enable IRPC to significantly convert its available intermediate feedstocks to higher value aromatics products such as paraxylene and benzene,” said John Gugel, vice president and general manager, Process Technology and Equipment, at Honeywell UOP. “This is the latest in a series of aromatics projects using advanced UOP technologies that have low capital and operating expense.”

The project will include a Honeywell UOP CCR Platforming unit, which converts naphtha into high-octane gasoline and aromatics, and an LD Parex unit, which recovers high-purity paraxylene from mixed xylenes and uses a new, more energy efficient light desorbent. The complex also will include Honeywell UOP Sulfolane technology to extract aromatics from the feed; Isomar technology to convert xylene isomers into more valuable paraxylene; and Tatoray technology, which converts toluene and C9 aromatics into mixed xylenes and high-purity benzene, which more than doubles the yield of paraxylene from the naphtha feedstock.

“Now Robinson has partnered with Central Group to spend over Bt5 million to provide the best offers until July 8 at 46 Robinson department stores nationwide.

Anawat said: “There are up to 80-per-cent discounts, redeem the 1Card points in the same amount to secure an additional discount of 12.5 per cent, win a chance to win a new Toyota Yaris Ativ, worth more than Bt600,000, redeem a Cuizimate electric kettle at the special price of Bt399 when spending over Bt1,000 and receive up to Bt8,000 in cash back on your The1 Central credit card.

“With World Environment Day on June 5, Robinson invites all shoppers to help the environment through June by encouraging customers to bring their own shopping bags through the ‘refuse the shopping bag’ campaign. 1Card members will receive 10 points for free.

“The campaign’s focus is to stimulate spending, to create a conducive shopping atmosphere, and to generate shopping momentum at the stores and throughout the industry.

“We expect this campaign to be a part of the efforts in establishing Thailand as one of the best mid-year sale shopping destinations in Asia and the shopping hub of the future,” said Anawat.

The firm said the campaign offered 80-per-cent discounts in every branch, and over 1 million items, to support the economy through the “Thailand Shopping and Dining Paradise 2018” project, from the Tourism Authority of Thailand. The aim is to increase sales by 30 per cent and predicts a 20-per-cent increase of traffic to the department store and shopping centres, the firm said.

Voralak Tulaphorn, chief marketing officer at the Mall, said: “The overall picture of the customer’s spending power in the first five months has substantial growth due to the continuous large campaigns and marketing activities.

“In addition, the strong incentive from the government to support the economy is a good sign for continuous growth for the retail industry. The Mall Group has an increase of over 30 per cent for its tourist customer base, especially Chinese, Cambodian, Laotian, Burmese and Vietnamese tourists.

“We will use technology to assist in services and offer specific promotions that are timely and customised, such as the M Card and Stamp application which helps you collect points with the restaurants in the shopping centre.”

The plan covers all medical treatment, including check-ups, vaccination, dental care, maternity and vision up to Bt100 million per year.

Bryan Smith, CEO of Allianz Ayudhya Assurance PCL, said: “As the leader in life and health insurance products, Allianz Ayudhya continues to develop solutions that meet the needs of the consumers. Especially in the light of critical illness or even more complex diseases evolving in our world, quality medical treatment is required in order to help a patient get through this difficult moment.

“Allianz Ayudhya would like to take a more proactive role in offering a health protection in a holistic approach, from preemptive, to treatment and follow-up. And to achieve that, we need a partner that shares the same vision in delivering the best health care treatment and services. And it’s our great pleasure to have BDMS as our partner – the perfect combination.”

Dr Poramaporn Prasarttong-Osoth, the CEO of BDMS, said a commitment to excellence has earned the group a reputation as one of the most prestigious hospital networks in the Asia-Pacific region. As a consequence it won certification by non-profit patient safety organisation Joint Commission International (JCI) and professional affiliation with international medical institutions and medical schools such as the MD Anderson Cancer Center, the Cedars-Senai Neurosurgery and the Hannover Medical School, Poramaporn said.

BDMS has six major sites: Bangkok Hospital, Samitivej Hospital, BNH Hospital, Phyathai Hospital, Paola Hospital and the Royal Hospital, making it the largest medical group in the country.

NBTC secretary general Takorn Tantasith said that THAI had no need to apply for the broadcasting licence to air the matches on flights as the carrier’s planned broadcasting is not fallen into the broadcasting business category under the 2008 Broadcasting Act.

The World Cup tournament will begin on June 14 and end on July 15.

The NBTC board also acknowledged the plan of True Visions to telecast live the World Cup matches via Channel 1 of Royal Thai Army Radio and Television Station, Channel 34 of Amarin TV, and Channel 24 of True4U.

It also approved the company to air and rerun such matches via its satellite, cable, and Internet Protocol TV channels.

In a separate matter, the NBTC will meet with 20 terrestrial digital TV channels on June 7 to inform them about terms and conditions of their right to enjoy the three-year debt moratorium and the NBTC’s subsidy for their rental fee of the terrestrial broadcasting networks.

These 20 channels are the majority of a total of 22 digital TV channels that last week applied for such right at the NBTC. The NBTC broadcasting subcommittee has resolved that all 20 of them are eligible for the right to suspend the payment of the instalments of the licence upfront for three years. Also, they are eligible to gain a 50 per cent subsidy each from the NBTC for 24 months for their rental fee of the terrestrial broadcasting networks.

The move is in line with the National Council for Peace and Order’s invocation on May 23 of its special power under Article 44 of the charter to allow all existing 22 digital TV channel operators to suspend the licence upfront instalment payment for three years.

Half of their rental fee payment on the broadcasting networks will also be subsidised by the NBTC for two years. However, they are obliged to pay the annual interest rate of the upfront fee during the payment suspension period .

The 22 operators were originally scheduled to pay the fifth upfront instalments on May 23. Channel TV 7 and Workpoint channel paid the instalment.

Previously, there were 24 digital TV channels before two Thai TV channels exited the business and are still in legal dispute with the NBTC. – The Nation