It also announced plans to invest Bt350 million in building another cold-storage facility in Mahachai, upgrading its facility at Bang Na, installing additional racks at its JCS centre and adding 40 vehicles to its JWD Express fleet.

Company chairman and chief executive Charvanin Bunditkitsada said on Monday the construction was expected to begin soon and be completed early in 2019.

The general warehouse in Bang Na will also be turned into a 6,000-square-metre cold storage facility to meet increasing demand for space to store frozen products.

For example, PTT Plc has set aside an investment budget for 2018-22 of about Bt585 billion to expand its investment in both the energy sector and in new business.

Bangchak Corporation Plc has set aside a budget of Bt113 billion for the same period to expand investment in energy and alternative energy, along with new business.

PTT Plc’s president and chief executive officer, Tevin Vongvanich, said recently that the company has a five-year investment plan worth Bt585 billion for the next five years. This budget is separated into two categories.

The first portion of Bt340 billion is earmarked for investments tied to existing business plans.

The company, for example, has budgeted Bt130 billion to be spent on investments in PTT Oil and Retail Business Plc, which requires funds to buy some assets from PTT Plc.

The remainder of the Bt340 billion allocation – Bt210 billion – will be in investments for PTT Plc’s business.

Under the second category, Bt245 billion will be allocated to investments in potential businesses and new businesses as determined by the opportunities that arise, Tevin said.

“We cannot say what we will spend the Bt245 billion on at this time, but this budget prepares us for a new business model within five years,” he said.

Tevin said the business needs to expand in alternative energy and in a new business model to create sustainable income for the group in the long term.

An investment budget averaging US$3.1 billion (Bt99.2 billion) a year has been set aside, said PTT Exploration and Production Plc’s chief executive officer Somporn Vongvuthiporn-chai.

About $1.8 billion will go to capital expenditure to acquire, upgrade, and maintain physical assets such as property, industrial buildings or equipment.

And $1.33 billion will support investment in new businesses such as battery storage, along wit new businesses related to the electricity business.

Thai Oil Plc’s president and chief executive officer Atikom Terbsiri said the company is investing in a study for a potential clean fuel project (CFP), with a decision to be finalised in October. Under its business plan, the company set aside an investment budget of $150 million for 2018-19. For 2020-22, it is setting aside investment funds of about $4 billion subject to a final decision by the company’s board on whether to proceed with the CFP project.

Global Power Synergy Plc has set aside an investment budget of Bt28.63 billion for opportunities in alternative energy businesses, with a focus on energy storage and alternative electricity sources, said the company’s president and chief executive officer Toemchai Bunnag.

Green innovation

Meanwhile, Bangchak Corporation Plc and its subsidiaries have set aside a five-year investment budget of Bt113 billion until 2022, focusing on alternative energy, green innovation, and environment both domestic and overseas, the company’s president and chief executive officer Chaiwat Kovavisarach said recently.

Up to one-third of its budget – about Bt37.66 billion – would develop the group’s bio-complex at Chachoengsao province, located in the Eastern Economic Corridor. The complex will combine bio-based products, energy storage, food supplements, research and development, and bio-based materials, he said.

The group also set aside an investment budget of about Bt150 million a year or $5 million to invest in start-ups at home and abroad, especially in the US Silicon Valley, Tel Aviv in Israel, and China. This follows the group’s success in investing $37 million in Lithium Americas Corp in 2015, which will start to produce lithium in 2020, Chaiwat said.

Electricity Generating Plc has set aside an investment budget |of more than Bt12 billion for this year.

The funds will be directed towards three overseas power projects in the pipeline: the Xayaburi and Nam Theun 1 projects in Laos |and the San Buenaventura |facility in the Philippines, the |company’s president Jakgrich Pibulpairoj said.

The company also is studying whether to expand its investments in other countries in the Asia-Pacific region, especially in India, by focusing on electricity from both alternative energy and fossil energy sources, Jakgrich said.

Designed to train executives and organisation leaders in Thailand to keep abreast of changes and challenges in the business world, the programme also trains participants on the right approach to stay in the game. SEAC will fly the organisation leaders participating in the programme to learn directly from professors at Stanford, the world’s No 1 university in innovation and they will be taken on a field trip to Silicon Valley, the technology and innovation hub which is home to some of the world’s leading technology companies in the United States for five days between Monday, April 30 – Friday, May 4.

Arinya Talerngsri, SEAC’s chief capability officer and managing director, said that this is the third ‘Leading in a Disruptive World (LDW)’ programme organised by SEAC in collaboration with the Stanford Center for Professional Development (SCPD) of Stanford University in the US.

The programme was initiated due to the urgency to keep up on a timely basis with the rapidly changing business environment where new technologies have become an important factor driving change overnight in many industries and in consumer behaviour. Unlike before, it has become almost impossible for organisation leaders to pinpoint which of their competitors are better equipped to meet consumer needs, and who will eventually win the game. Our ‘Leading in a Disruptive World (LDW)’ programme will help prepare leaders to keep pace with changes in the business world and give them guidance to strategically manage, adapt or re-build to stay ahead in any situation of change.

“The third edition of ‘Leading in a Disruptive World (LDW)’ programme will widen the frame of mind and perspectives of the participating organisation leaders. It will unlock their mindset to look at the business world from a new perspective and allow them to recognise problems and point out the blind spots in their organisation. By looking at their business with a fresh perspective, they will be inspired to find ways to cope with the changes and challenges in terms of customers, competitors and people in their own organisation.

This programme also teaches leaders to evaluate opportunities to aggressively take their businesses to the next level as well as to expand by leaps and bounds. It will train them to solve problems in ways that suit a particular context of each market so that in the end they will be able to develop innovations to effect change in their organisations and meet the precise needs of consumers today while also anticipating their target group’s future needs,” Arinya added.

The first and second editions of ‘Leading in a Disruptive World’ programmes were well received by senior executives of leading organisations in Thailand. Among the participants in the previous two classes were Anuphong Assavabhokhin, CEO of AP (Thailand) Plc; Yuthachai Charanachitta, CEO of Italthai Industrial Co Ltd; Vitoon Sila-On, president for operations and human resources at S&P Syndicate Plc; Krit Chitchaeng, deputy managing director of Kasikornbank Plc; Pimjai Wangkiat, corporate organisation development director at Siam Cement Plc; and Chairat Panthuraamphorn, marketing director and CEO of Samitivej Plc.

It is the third Think Space in Thailand with a new twist: the NExploration space, a space for learning of Digital 4.0 for all members of a the family. It is brimming with new experiences outside the university or school classroom waiting to be discovered, with the aim of becoming a family playground.

There have been collaborations with leading partners to enhance the business. It is divided into five inspiring spaces – Lifestyle Book Space, Lifestyle Stationery Space, Play & Learn Space, Lifestyle Space, Art & Craft Space and Free-Style Learning Hub, on 1,000 sqm of Level 6 in Central Plaza Rama 3.

Somchai Tawonrungroaj, Managing Director of B2S Company Limited, said, “For the past 18 years with our customers, B2S has been just a book, music and stationery store with art supplies and entertainment products sold in a functional manner to meet customers’ needs.

“However, consumer behavior has changed, and B2S will continue to develop new alternatives. We want to be more than just a book store. We are ready to transform B2S into a lifestyle hub that is in tune with modern life styles.

“In books we have the target to become a global aggregator, joining both global partners and local publishers as a neutral party distributing content via both books and e-Books. We have joined meb Corporation, part of COL Group, in a strategy for the art & craft stationery product group, to develop products as exclusive partners with leading Asian and European brands, to import collections that are available exclusively at B2S.

“Meanwhile, Play & Learn products are being strengthened with the e-Learning platform to build a Life Planning programme for children aged six and upwards to develop all-round skills with the e-Learning application, in cooperation with world class partners and Hytexts, a unit of COL Group.

“We currently have 105 stores and this year we intend to add a further 11 stores, while revamping our main stores in Bangkok and provincial centers to become Flagship Stores in the B2S Think Space Format. We have already opened Think Space in the following stores, comprising Central Festival Eastville in 2016, Central Nakhon Ratchasima in 2017, and this year at Central Plaza Rama 3.

“There are three B2S Think Space projects in the pipeline at Central Plaza Lad Prao, Central World Plaza and Central Plaza Pinklao under the concept of Co-Lifestyle Space. These are integrated with coffee shops, leading Thai restaurants and many other services to bring a new shopping experience to customers.

“Our target for this year is to transform the retail store into a community hub, aiming to develop knowledge and creativity for customers of all ages and genders,” said Somchai.

The Mall, The Emporium, EmQuartier and Paragon Department Store has invested Bt150 million on its Made in Summer campaign at the three branded shopping complexes from March 1-18.

Chamnarn Maytaprechakul, executive vice president, The Mall Group, said: “The retail market this summer is expected to be much livelier than last year’s. With new product launches, marketing spend on those items are higher, especially items related to summer such as beverages, air conditioning, cosmetics and swimwear. This summer’s marketing spend should be no less than Bt20 billion.

“For The Mall Group shopping complexes alone, the marketing spend on Made in Summer campaign is Bt150 million. The campaign offers many discounts and activities.

“The summer activities differ from that of previous years because activities are aligned with each shopping complex’s character. The experiential marketing approach helps boost spending by way of traffic. Different areas in the shopping complexes are transformed into summer paradise zones with activities for customer to become involved in special co-summer moments.”

Synda eyes 15% lift in sales

Synda (Thailand) Company Limited, a mattress, bedding products and home linen manufacturer and distributor under Synda, expects sales growth of 15 per cent to Bt650 million by the end of the year. The company plans to launch two products to tap the super-premium market comprising Synda Hygienatic, Thailand’s first mattress that is 100-per cent anti-dust mite and washable; and Herva, the first C-curve cooling gel mattress which can adjust the sleeper’s body temperature.

Suphat Pantisoontorn, chief executive officer, Synda (Thailand) Company Limited, said:

“The company has extensive experiences of over 22 years in creating and developing innovative mattress with excellent quality to help raise the quality of consumer’s sleep and life as one-third of people’s life is spent sleeping. ‘The best mattress is a mattress that gives a good night’s sleep.

“According to Synda’s research, consumers pay much attention on health and body than ever. Amid the changing of urban lifestyle with a hustle and bustle and a lot more of activities, they tend to sleep very late, yet wake up earlier in the morning which has an impact on quality of sleep. Consumers are looking for products that meet their requirements and selecting the best to fulfil quality of life.”

Grab drivers treated to Singapore trip

Grab Thailand took 20 GrabTaxi driver-partners and their family members to Singapore from March 2-4 to reward the winners from the GrabTaxi Smiles campaign.

The company said the move strengthened relationships among Grab driver-partners members.

“As part of the trip, they also visited Grab’s Singapore new office building at Marina Bay where Grab CEO and co-founder Anthony Tan, welcomed them,” the company said.

“The Singapore reward trip is part of the GrabTaxi Smiles campaign, which offers numerous benefits and incentives to improve the livelihoods of taxi driver- partners and encourage them to continuously provide quality service to passengers.

Thai Vietjet puts on all-female crew

Thai Vietjet celebrated International Women’s day on March 8 with a flight operated by an all-female crew – including pilot, first officer and four stewardesses – from Bangkok (Suvarnabhumi) to Phuket.

“After taking off, passengers were surprised by mid-air fashion show by female models in Thai and Vietnamese traditional dresses to highlight tight relation between Thailand and Vietnam, together with women’s role as the representative of the nations,” the airline said.

“Female passengers on-board this flight were treated with special high quality skin care gifts from Elynn Paris, and lucky draw activity to win hotel voucher in Phuket. The activity aims to celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achievement of women.

“Not only an interesting Vietjet’s famous on-board activity, the first 1,000 female passengers buying airfares on the website on March 9 also received the promo code for ticket discounts.”

Kanitsanan Thanthitiwat and her friends began exploring how to develop their business idea in 2013. Now, with their products brought to the market this year under the Entopowder brand, they are aiming for sales of up to 312,000 euros (Bt12.14 million) for 2018.

“We took five years to research and develop a protein-intensive product line made from bugs by focusing on crickets,” Kanitsanan, co-founder and chief executive officer of Global Bugs Asia Co Ltd, said in an interview with The Nation recently.

“We began a pilot project on a site of 400 square metres in Prachuap Khiri Khan province. The project comprises a closed-end cricket farm, a research and development centre, and a processing plant for whole crickets and cricket powder.”

The plant under the pilot project has a total production capacity for 12 tonnes a year of both whole crickets and cricket powder, she said.

Kanitsanan said that among her friends who collaborated on the project are Swedes, who are experts on innovative ways to produce a protein source from bugs, and another partner who had more than 10 years’ experience in breeding crickets in Thailand, and had been exporting whole crickets to Europe for more than five years.

The friends worked together over the years to study how to produce a powder from the processed insects.

The partners aimed to tap rising demand for an alternative, rich source of protein in markets such in Europe and the United States.

To back their research and development efforts, Kanitsanan and her friends set up a joint venture firm with Sweden-based Global Bugs AB, which holds a 49 per cent stake in Global Bugs Asia Co Ltd, with the rest held by Kanitsanan and her friends. The joint venture was established with registered capital of Bt22 million in 2013.

“We spent five years on research and development into how to feed crickets in a closed-end farm and on developing products from them, until we succeeded in developing our pilot project for the processing of whole crickets and cricket powder that enabled exports to begin this year,” she said.

According to the company’s research, the market value of protein sourced from bugs will grow by up to 7 per cent this year, compared with last year. This would see the global market value for this niche sector reach about US$400 million this year, before hitting US$700 million in 2024.

The main markets for insect-based protein are the Asia-Pacific, with a share of 33.7 per cent, the Middle East with 28.4 per cent, Latin America with 19.4 per cent, and Europe 12.3 per cent.

Demand for this form of protein in Europe has shown impressive growth.

As a result, the company is focusing on sales to that region, including the Scandinavian countries, Kanitsanan said.

“We expect to sell about 6 tonnes of the whole crickets and cricket powder in our first year of operations, priced at between 40 and 52 euros per kilogram, by focusing on the Europe market,” she said.

Kanitsanan said the company also is looking into developing protein-rich food from others types of insects and as a food source for animals. These expanded product lines could come in later stages of the company’s development, she said.

Also, Petch Wanglee and Krisada Lamsam have been appointed members of the board.

Suebtrakul has been a director at Loxley since 1993. He has a master’s degree in business management from Curtin University.

In a ruling dated Dec. 6, 2017, the Tenggarong District Court in East Kalimantan found PT Indominco Mandiri — a subsidiary of coal producer Indo Tambangraya Megah (ITM) that is controlled by Banpu Group Thailand — guilty of illegally dumping two types of waste, fly ash and bottom ash, which were produced at the firm’s coal power plant.

Fly ash is a powdery material made by burning ground coal, while bottom ash is formed at the bottom of a coal furnace.

The Environment and Forestry Ministry has categorized fly ash and bottom ash as hazardous toxic waste. If not managed, the two can pollute waterways, ground water, drinking water and the air.

Indominco had a temporary waste disposal site for fly ash and bottom ash produced by its power plant in Santan subdistrict, Kutai Kartanegara regency, according to the ruling. But due to overcapacity, the company dumped the waste at an illegal open dump inside the firm’s power plant area, the court found.

Indominco did not increase the capacity of the temporary waste disposal site and the amount of machines to produce paving blocks, which use coal waste as a material, even though the amount of waste generated from its mining activity and power plant had increased, the court found.

In a statement released on Thursday, NGO Mining Advocacy Network (Jatam) criticized the ruling for not sentencing the directors of Indominco to jail.

Articles 60, 104 and 116 of the 2009 Environment Protection and Management Law state that a person who illegally dumps waste faces two years in jail and a maximum fine of Rp 3 billion.

Jatam national coordinator Merah Johansyah said the court should have revoked Indominco’s mining business permit.

The open dump had caused several environmental problems in the surrounding area, according to locals quoted in Jatam’s statement. “We’ve had of enough of pollution in the Santan River. Please don’t add to our problems by polluting the air and the ground water as well,” said Romiansyah, a Santan resident.