The ceremony was held at the Athenee Hotel Bangkok, and KBank was represented by Vichai Tangjetanaporn, Capital Markets Trading Management Head, Capital Markets Business Division.

There are two choices for selection. In Bangkok, GrabRent Eco fare starts from Bt1,200 for the first four hours of riding around the city and Bt2,500 for an inter-city trip from Bangkok. Each additional hour will be charged at Bt300.

For those seeking a premium ride experience, GrabRent Plus will provide a consistently high-quality service from Grab’s driver partners with a 4.8 and above star rating (out of 5 stars) as well as the comfort of travelling in a vehicle no more than 5 years old.

GrabRent Plus in Bangkok costs Bt1,600 for the first 4 hours of travelling within the city and Bt3,200 for an inter-city trip from Bangkok with each additional hour costing Bt450. Credit card payment via GrabPay is the only payment method accepted for the service.

Grab also offers safety features include a vehicle tracking GPS system; a ‘Share My Ride’ feature that allows passengers to share driver’s details, estimated time of arrival and real-time location with their loved ones; an in-app 191 button to ‘dial’ in times of emergency; and personal accident insurance coverage for both driver partners and passengers on every Grab ride in Southeast Asia.

For more information, visit Grab Thailand Facebook fanpage at www.facebook.com/GrabTH

DTC will establish Dusit Foods Co Ltd, a new subsidiary designed to leverage Dusit’s experience in food and beverage services, the company said.

The investment approval process would be completed at the end of March.

The investment forms part of DTC’s three-pronged strategy for sustainable and profitable growth. The investment in NRIP is considered DTC’s first outside the hotel business. It follows last year’s announcement of DTC’s investment in a mixed-use project in Bangkok, which will include a new Dusit Thani hotel at the heart of the project.

“With our expertise and experience in F&B, there is huge growth potential for our company in the food business,” said Suphajee Suthumpun, group chief executive of DTC. “With time, we hope to create a partnership with NRIP to develop a line of Dusit-branded, premium products for local and international consumer markets.”

The company reported 2017 revenue of Bt5.57 billion and a net profit of Bt267 million, rises of 2.7 per cent and 134 per cent, respectively, from the previous year.

Wiedmann succeeds Stefan Teuchert, who is now set to take up a new position as CEO of BMW Group Russia.

A 17-year veteran of the BMW Group, Wiedmann previously served as Managing Director and CEO at BMW Group Financial Services Australia in 2016 after having spent several years in South Korea to oversee the overall financial operations as CEO of BMW Financial Services Korea.

In his new position, Wiedmann’s responsibilities will cover the management of all BMW Group Thailand business divisions – including BMW, MINI, and BMW Motorrad.

Wiedmann joined the BMW Group in 2001 and has since served various functions in BMW Group in many regions across the globe – including Germany, Japan, Austria, Greece, South Korea and Australia. His previous roles have taken him to Thailand on two occasions – in 2003 for one year and again in 2011 for three years – to supervise financial operations at BMW Financial Services Thailand.

The event will be held in conjunction with MTA 2018 (Manufacturing Technology Asia) and SUBCON Thailand 2018, Asean’s largest industrial subcontracting exhibition and business matching, organisers UBM Asia (Thailand) Co Ltd said.

International pavilions from 10 countries and territories will be participating, including from Japan, Taiwan, Singapore, South Korea, and mainland China, while latest technologies from 45 countries will be on display.

Myanmar’s No 1 isotonic and hydration drink 100PLUS has launched its nationwide campaign titled “Keep Hydrating During Summer with 100PLUS”. The campaign, aimed at encouraging the public to stay hydrated as temperatures soar during the summer season, will see 100PLUS host sampling activities in 11 key cities across Myanmar. 100PLUS will give out 250,000 free 100PLUS bottles (390millitres) during the activities to refresh, re-energise and re-hydrate members of the public across the next two months.

During hot and humid weather, people are at higher risk of dehydration and heat-related illnesses, including cramps, heat exhaustion and heat stroke. People who spend more time outdoors during the summer season can easily become dehydrated which refers to the loss of water and salts from the body. Along with water, the body also needs electrolytes, which are salts normally found in blood, other fluids, and cells.

Bt1 ice ceam cone at McDonald’s

Hester Chew, centre, chairman of executive committee & chief executive of McThai Co Ltd, Jin Woo Lee, left, chief executive officer of Rabbit LINE Pay and Ratchanee Saensinchai, right, managing director of Bangkok Smart Card System Co Ltd jointly kick off a promotion for Bt1 McDonald’s Ice Cream Cone, available to consumers using Rabbit Card, Rabbit LINE Pay or LINE Gift Shop.

The promotion runs until April 30 at participated McDonald’s restaurants.

The company also gained from cost and productivity initiatives and asset divestment to the Digital Telecommunications Infrastructure Fund (DIF), True said.

Its board of directors approved a dividend of about Bt1 billion (Bt0.031 per share), subject to approval by shareholders at the annual general meeting in April.

Consolidated 2017 service revenue grew more than 10 per cent year on year to Bt97 billion due to significant growth of both the cellular and broadband businesses while EBITDA surged 59 per cent to reach Bt39.9 billion in 2017.

Excluding the effect of the asset divestment to DIF, EBITDA grew 36 per cent year on year to Bt34 billion. This, combined with corporate-wide cost and productivity initiatives as well as the asset divestment to the DIF, resulted in a net income of Bt2.3 billion in 2017, paving the way for True to achieve sustainable profitability and dividend payments.

Co-president for operations Vichaow Rakphongphairoj said that its ongoing commitment to improving customers’ service experience and building the best telecommunications networks nationwide “utilising world-class standards and cutting-edge technologies” have been important factors contributing to the group’s solid revenue and subscriber growth.

“We have also put relentless efforts on cultivating a digital mindset and creativity within the company which will enable us to always keep pace with changes in consumers’ behaviour and advancements in technology,” he said. “All these developments, together with the Group’s wide range of cost and productivity initiatives, lay a solid foundation for us to continue growth in 2018 and beyond.

Kittinut Tikawan, the group’s co-president for commercial, said: “Our determination to provide high-value convergence offerings and digital services to consumers enhances their engagement and matches their needs toward digitalisation.”

He said that in 2017, the group’s cellular business significantly outgrew peers as it was the only operator recording positive net adds of 2.7 million while the other two major players reported combined net subscriber loss of 2.8 million.

This drove TrueMove H’s service revenue up 17.3 per cent year on year while the industry’s revenue grew 5.7 per cent, the highest yearly growth rate since 2014, he said.

TrueOnline’s broadband business also grew well with consumer broadband revenue and subscriber base increasing at a solid double-digit rate resulting from its focus on upgrading speed and services through fibre campaigns, he said.

“All of our broadband customers are now on our FTTx network,” Kittinut said. “TrueVisions continues to provide high-quality content, which can be enjoyed across multiple platforms, reinforcing the Group’s convergence leadership. As we continue to add more value to consumers while emphasizing on digital content and privilege programs through TrueID, IoT and other innovative offerings, we are well positioned to amplify growth and stay at the top of consumers’ mind in the Thailand 4.0 era.

Preeyanart Soontornwata, president of B Grimm Power Plc, said that the company recorded a turnover of Bt31.4 billion for fiscal year 2017, an increase of 14 per cent year on year. The main contribution was the income from new power plants, namely Amata B Grimm Power 5 (ABP5) in Amata Nakorn Industrial Estate and B Grimm Power (WHA) 1 (BPWHA1) in Hemraj Industrial Estate. The power plants entered commercial operation on June 1, 2016, and November 1, 2016, respectively.

The company recorded an earning before interest taxes and depreciation (EBITDA) of Bt8.72 billion, a 16 per cent increase year on year with its EBITDA margin increasing to 28 per cent. Net profit of the year is Bt3.59 billion, a 55 per cent increase year on year and normalized net profit stood at Bt2.91 billion, a 40 per cent increase year on year, mainly attributable to the high efficiency of the new power plants, well-managed operations and a repayment of corporate loan with IPO proceed. The company recorded normalized net profit attributable to parent of Bt1.72 billion, an increase of 48 per cent compared to the same period last year.

“The performance of 2017 exceeded our expectation, and there are a number of contributing factors. Firstly, our latest power plants have been performing exceedingly well. Our effective cost management is also a significant factor. Lastly, a key contribution is a repayment of corporate loan amounting to Bt5.96 billion, allowing us to save financing cost and reduce the net-interest bearing debt to equity ratio to 1.4 times as of the last quarter of 2017. This is in line with our fund-raising plan to ensure we have enough funding to develop the projects, for which have we already secured the Power Purchase Agreement (PPA),” said Preeyanart.