The drop was mainly related to conditions in the petrochemical and refining businesses, as well as the oil business from higher stock loss in the second quarter of this year. That followed a lowering of the crude oil price from US$67.2 per barrel at the end of the first quarter of this year to $64.9 per barrel at the end of the second quarter.

Additionally, most petroleum crack spreads and petrochemical spreads, both olefins and aromatics, decreased in the second quarter. Nevertheless, performance of the gas business group increased when compared with the last quarter, mainly from PTT’s natural gas sales and marketing businesses (S&M) and the gas separation plant (GSP) business following higher sales volumes. Also contributing was the performance of petroleum exploration and production business, which improved with the rise in both average sales volumes and selling prices.

As well, the performance of technology and engineering businesses increased mainly from the better performance of Global Power Synergy Plc (GPSC) from the full recognition of Glow Energy Plc (GLOW)’s performance in the second quarter of this year.

In this quarter, PTT and its subsidiaries incurred additional compensation from the new Labour Protection Act for its affiliates. In this regard, net income in the second quarter of this year was Bt25.93 billion, an 11.5 per cent or Bt3.37 billion decrease from the first quarter of this year’s Bt29.31 billion in line with the drop in EBITDA as aforementioned. In the meantime, depreciation and amortisation of technology and engineering businesses, and income tax expenses of petroleum exploration and production business also rose.

In addition, there were higher gains on derivatives from PTT Exploration and Production Plc (PTTEP), PTT International Trading Pte Ltd (PTTT) and affiliates in petrochemical and refining businesses, as well as higher unrealised gains on foreign exchange rates from foreign currency loans due to higher Baht appreciation when compared to the previous quarter.

In the First half of 2019, PTT and its subsidiaries reported EBITDA of Bt154.32 billion, a 19.1 per cent drop of Bt36.48 billion – or 19.1 per cent from the first half of 2018 of Bt190.81 billion. This was primarily due to the softened performance of petrochemical and refining businesses from the decline of most petroleum crack spreads, especially gasoline spreads, as well as lower stock gains that resulted from the rise in the crude oil price in the first half of 2018 compared to the first half of 2019.

Olefin and aromatic spreads also decreased. Likewise, the gas business group recorded softened performance due to lower gross profit of PTT’s GSP business following lower selling prices referenced to a significant drop in petrochemical prices and higher natural gas costs. Nevertheless, the recurring profit improved from the performance of petroleum exploration and production businesses, which increased from the rise in average sales volume and selling prices, as well as, in technology and engineering businesses’ performance, mainly from GPSC’s acquisition of GLOW in March 2019.

In the first half of this year, PTT and its subsidiaries recorded higher selling and administrative expenses. In this regard, net income in the first half of this year was Bt55.25 billion, a Bt14.56-billion drop, down 20.9 per cent from the same period of last year of Bt69.81 billion. This was in line with the decline of EBITDA as aforementioned and higher depreciation and amortisation expenses from PTTEP and GPSC.

Nonetheless, there were lower income tax expenses following decreased net incomes, a loss on derivatives, as well as higher foreign exchange rate gains. Those gains were due to the appreciation of the Thai Baht against the US Dollar in the first half of 2019 when compared with the depreciation of the Thai Baht in the first half of last year, according to the company reports to the Stock Exchange of Thailand on Wednesday.

Those smart farmers will then play an important role in communicating the information to their community, thus helping to safely maximise the yield and support sustainable agriculture in Thailand, say proponents.

“Nowadays, the rice farming process is confronted by the challenges of high production costs and excessive factors of production, especially the misuse of crop protection which endangers humans or the environment,” said Prasong Prapaitrakul, director-general of the Rice Department. “Therefore, it is important to encourage knowledge sharing and awareness of safety in growing rice.”

The result was a decision to work with Bayer to launch the Rice Safe Use Ambassador Project.

“The Rice Department has a major mission to enhance knowledge for farmers to increase rice productivity. We organised the Smart Farmer Training to ensure that farmers received the essential information and to generate smart farmers which will be the key success in developing their community through passing on the knowledge in GAP certification and safety in agriculture.”

Under the programme, 200 farmers were selected from across the country and closely trained by experts from the project partners.

Agrochemical company Bayer has joined experts in the joint training programme, entitled “Safe Use Training”. The experts also shared assertive communication tips for farmers to draw on while passing on the information to their community as Rice Safe Use Ambassadors.

Ricky Ho, who specialises in regulatory science within Bayer’s crop science division, said the project “attaches great importance to farmer safety, and we really believe that the contribution from our experts can raise the farmers’ confidence to pass on the knowledge to their community as well as create a smart farmers network. Moreover, we believe that the success of this project will help promote and support sustainable agriculture in Thailand”.

The company has launched a new product line, an innovative interactive whiteboard, to serve consumers’ needs when they have a meeting. Upgrading the venue into a smart meeting room, the altron interactive whiteboard will maximise the efficiency of any companies,, including small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and startups, which need a tool to enhance their operational capacity and help them brainstorm ideas and make a presentation, the company said.

It not only allows better collaboration among various technologies and devices but also saves time and resources. Its 4-in-1 intelligent feature seamlessly replaces the electronic whiteboard, 4K projector, computer and tablet with one device. With Write Smart feature, users can easily write on the whiteboard while touch screen technology supports the users to simultaneously write at 10 touch points.

Moreover, the users can edit, erase the text with the palm or the back of the hand, and rewrite without changing any tool, and eventually save information on the screen for their notes or next time meeting. All the written notes can be shared at a fingertip by creating a QR code and saving notes on the smartphone, with support for iOS and Android. The screen size ranges from 55 to 86 inches, starting from BT89,000. Its distribution channels include OfficeMate, Office Hero and Dealers nationwide.

Narindej Thaveesangpanich, deputy managing director of Thai Habel Industrial Co., Ltd, said: “altron TV never stops developing innovative, value-for-money products to best serve the lifestyle of the new generation and especially Thais. We foresaw a new opportunity and channel for the B2B market. altron, as a Thai manufacturer, has the potential to develop products thanks to strong production line and innovation. The result is the right product that serves B2B demand.

“With significant growth, we decided to launch the Interactive whiteboard to approach corporate customers in any types of businesses. Since corporates always adapt to emerging technologies in response to the digital era, we strongly believe that altron interactive whiteboard will turn their venue into a smart meeting room, which will help them keep all records, yield a better result, and professionally share the colleagues’ presentations. This whiteboard can even securely and conveniently share notes from the board via QR code. It also serves as a projector, tablets, and computers in the meeting room to effectively meet the organisation’s needs.”

“In addition to the core product, altron interactive whiteboard comes with accessories such as a wireless dongle that shares the screen on IWB and is available for Windows and Mac operating systems. Three styles of Stand include Eco, Motiv, and Modern, which are mobility and practicality. To reinforce the image of Thai brand, the company is honoured to have Krit Phutpim, co-founder and director of Dots Design Studio, to design Motiv tripod. He is a Thai designer from Dots Design Studio and recently won the Red Dot Design Award at the global level.”

Natiya Saul, director of Robert Walters’ Bangkok office and Robert Walters Recruitment (Eastern Seaboard), said on Thursday that the competition among companies in EEC in wooing mid to high level management candidates is as fierce as in Bangkok.

The salary base for mid level roles there is between Bt80,000 and Bt150,000 and senior positions start from Bt150,000 to Bt500,000.

Besides strong English and leadership skills, they also look for mid to high level talents with a mixture of operational and commercial experience, mechanical and electronic skills, digital skills, and aircraft and engineering management skills and skills in automation and robotics.

Natiya added that there is a shortage of candidates in the aviation and engineering management skills and skills in automation and robotics.

Robert Walters opened its Robert Walters Recruitment (Eastern Seaboard) office in April this year in Laemchabang, Chonburi to get closer to clients there who are looking for competent job candidates. Aside from Chonburi, the EEC covers  Chachoengsao and Rayong.

Its office focuses on seeking mid-level and senior roles in a variety of industries, covering every aspect of supply chain management, procurement, engineering, accounting and finance, as well as sales and marketing and human resources.

“Thailand’s Eastern Seaboard is transforming into an important hub for technological manufacturing and services and is home to global digital players, connecting the Asean Economic Community. With this dynamic change comes the challenge for businesses to secure talent within diverse yet highly skill-specific fields. In our new office, Robert Walters offers the services of specialist consultants who are experienced in providing this up-close attention and meeting specific requirements,” Natiya added.

She said that to attract candidates to move into the EEC, hiring companies need to focus on investing in training programmes and career development as well as compensation and employee benefits to succeed.

In terms of employment demands, the EEC Office of Thailand (EECO) forecasts a requirement of 475,000 hires between 2019 and 2023. Of those, vocational level is needed for 250,000 jobs, followed by bachelor level for 210,000 jobs and post-graduate level for 10,000 jobs.

The sectors in urgent need of high-skilled labourers include digital, aviation/logistics and intelligent electronics.

Headquartered in London, Robert Walters is one of the world’s leading specialist professional recruitment consultancies and focuses on placing high-calibre professionals into permanent, contract and temporary positions at all levels of seniority.

Natiya Saul, director of Robert Walters’ Bangkok office and Robert Walters Recruitment (Eastern Seaboard)

Current SHREIT assets include IBIS Saigon South Hotel and Capri by Fraser Hotel in Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam where RevPAR (revenue per available room) growth has been sustained and is considerably higher than during the same period of the previous year. At the same time, the assets in Indonesia following the presidential election and the quick improvement in the political situation have resulted in a rapid recovery, and the year-end performance is expected to meet the target.

The Board of Directors has therefore approved the distribution payment as realised from the second quarter of this year to shareholders at the rate of Bt0.19 per share with the posting of XD mark on August 30 and payment to be made on September 20. Combined with the distribution from the first quarter of this year of Bt0.19 per share, the total distribution of the SHREIT for the first half of this year paid to shareholders will be Bt0.38 per share.

“The trend for the second half of the year from SHREIT investment in is expected to show good growth both in Vietnam and Indonesia, especially Indonesia that has been promoted in the S&P rating from BBB- to BBB reflecting the trust among international investors who want to invest in this country.”

In addition, the SHREIT is in the midst of considering additional investment in the ASEAN region especially in countries that can produce high return on investment. Acquisition of new assets is expected to be concluded soon.

All major mobile operators in Thailand gradually started to phase out the generous fixed-speed and unlimited prepaid data plans that were launched in 2018 during the second quarter of 2019. Nevertheless, sector EBITDA could remain flat in 2019, as expected revenue growth will be offset by an increase in network-related costs.

Fitch expects Advanced Info Service Plc’s (AIS; BBB+/AA+(tha)/Stable) mobile service revenue growth to improve in the second half of this year as the company continues to move its subscribers with fixed-speed and unlimited data plans to higher-priced plans.

The ratings agency stated that AIS still has a lot of prepaid subscribers left under these unlimited data plans, which will gradually expire in the second half of this year. In the second quarter of this year, AIS’s mobile service revenue grew by 5.5 per cent year-on-year, compared with 1.2 per cent growth in the first quarter of this year.

Meanwhile, Fitch expects mobile service revenue of Total Access Communication Plc (DTAC; BBB/AA(tha)/Stable) to continue to drop in 2019, but at a slower rate of 1 per cent-2 per cent, compared with the 5.8 per cent fall in 2018.

The more rational price competition, its recent spectrum acquisition and an ongoing network investment should help improve DTAC’s service and network coverage and revenue growth in the second half of this year. In the second quarter of this year, DTAC’s service revenue declined by 5.3 per cent year-on-year, compared with a 7.1 per cent drop in the first quarter of this year.

Fitch expects Thai telcos’ operating profit to remain under pressure due to an increase in network operating costs as operators continue to expand their networks.

DTAC’s EBITDA is likely to drop by 10 per cent-11 per cent to Bt24.5 billion in 2019 from Bt27.6 billion in 2018. DTAC’s earnings will also be affected the payments to CAT Telecom for equipment rental and to TOT for use of the 2.3GHz spectrum.

In the first half of this year, DTAC’s proportion of network operating expense to service revenue increased to 25.9 per cent from 18.4 per cent in 2018. DTAC’s EBITDA margin is expected to decline to 34 per cent-35 per cent in 2019 from 37.8 per cent in 2018 (The first half of this year: 35 per cent).

AIS should continue to benefit from its strategy to diversify its telecoms business into fixed-line broadband. Its fixed-line broadband has shown greater stability and growth prospects than mobile over the past few years. However, EBITDA is expected to be flat at around Bt74 billion in 2019 (2018: Bt73.8 billion), as its service revenue growth could be offset by an increase in costs.

In the first half of this year, AIS’s network operating expense increased by 19 per cent year-on-year, outpacing the service revenue growth of 6.1 per cent, while its EBITDA margin dropped to 42.7 per cent in the first half of this year from 43.5 per cent in 2018.

These elements include giving precise service times at the beginning of service; updating customers about the service status; and providing thorough explanations of the work performed and charges at the end. Overall satisfaction was 831 (on a 1,000-point scale), an increase from 826 in 2018.

The study also found that a higher proportion of customers (20 per cent in 2019 vs 16 per cent in 2018) indicated that the service time experienced was better than expected. Satisfaction among vehicle owners who experienced better service than expected came in at 858, while satisfaction for those whose service time was worse than expected was 731. A higher percentage of customers (85 per cent in 2019 vs 62 per cent in 2018) said they were kept updated about their vehicle status. Improvements were also seen in post-service explanations about the work performed (98 per cent in 2019 vs 97 per cent in 2018) and service charges (97 per cent in 2019 vs 96 per cent in 2018).

“Customers are increasingly more sensitive to the time it takes to service their vehicles,” said Siros Satrabhaya, Regional Director for Thailand at JD Power. “Dealers and automakers play a pivotal role in making the on-the-ground experience more efficient by improving operating procedures and processes to shorten service time. At the same time, dealers should be encouraged to go the extra mile. Washing and vacuuming, for example, add great value to the quality of service.”

More customers whose cars were completely serviced within the hour rose to 45 per cent in 2019 from 36 per cent in 2018. However, only 67 per cent of customers said their car was washed and vacuumed post-service, down from 69 per cent last year.

Additional key findings of the 2019 study include:

More awareness of internet scheduling tools: Among customers who did not make appointments using the internet or apps, almost one-fourth (24 per cent) said they were not aware that appointments could be made via these channels; an improvement from 36 per cent in 2018. However, 23 per cent of these customers found the online booking system difficult to use, up from 14 per cent in 2018.

Addressing customer requirements at facilities in Bangkok and beyond the capital: For customers who reside outside the capital, perks that help satisfaction improve the most are free meals (+31 points above the factor average); a cafe on the premises (+31); and tablets or video games on offer (+22). For customers in Bangkok, availability of tablets or video games (+12) and devices with internet access (+8) have the greatest influence.

Empathise with customers when recommending additional work: Fewer customers (29 per cent in 2019) accept recommendations for additional work (down from 33 per cent in 2018). Customers who accepted recommendations had higher satisfaction (839 points) versus those who did not (830 points). Service advisers must avoid being pushy and instead suggest only additional work that enhances customer satisfaction.

Study Rankings

Nissan ranks highest in after-sales customer satisfaction with an overall satisfaction score of 838 and performs well on three of the five factors: service adviser, vehicle pick-up and service quality. Isuzu ranks second with a score of 837 and Toyota ranks third with a score of 836.

The J.D. Power 2019 Thailand Customer Service Index (CSI) Study measures overall satisfaction among vehicle owners who visited an authorised service center for maintenance or repair work during the first 12 to 36 months of ownership, based on five factors (in order of importance): service quality (27 per cent); vehicle pick-up (20 per cent); service facility (18 per cent); service initiation (18 per cent); and service advisor (18 per cent).

Now in its 20th year, the study is based on responses from 3,050 new-vehicle owners who purchased their vehicle between February 2016 and June 2018 and took their vehicle for service to an authorised dealer or service centre between February 2018 and June 2019.

Shine, who is chairman of NMG’s executive committee, said in an interview with Krungthep Turakij newspaper that with the disruption caused by technology, media was one of the first businesses to be severely impacted as people increasingly became consumers of online media. This resulted in advertising revenue moving away from traditional media, such as newspaper, radio, or even television which became a victim of intense competition due to the high number of channels and the battle for eyeballs with the digital media.

“We will fully penetrate the potential of digital media, which will be our major cash-cow business to generate revenue for the group over the next 10 years and make up for the slide in revenue of traditional media,” he said.

Shine said that he aims to increase the revenue contribution from digital media from 15 per cent at present to 25 per cent in the next two years through two newly established business units — ‘Digital’ and ‘Digital Intelligent’.

“The new Digital business unit will combine all online platforms of the group under one roof so that we can synergise our strengths. We found that today our online media have combined page views of about 10 million a day, which is one of the highest in Thailand’s media industry. Our online platforms, however, plan to increase the number of page views to about 20 million a day within the first six months of establishing the new business unit, which will kick-off in September,” he said.

Shine said that 10 million page views is the group’s database and the “new crude oil”, which is a high-value asset and the group’s community will create more value addition.

“We will follow the behaviour of these 10 million viewers in the digital world for who they are, and what their preferred interests are. Such valuable data will be used for our content production as well as ad sales, which will directly target the consumers, which are currently fragmented. That is the duty of the new Digital Intelligent business unit, most of whose staff have been recruited from the technology field,” he said.

Shine said the group’s change in direction has been necessitated by the digital game and the media disruption. It will be goal of the digital media to generate sustainable revenues and to promote credibility, which is the heart of the media business.

“I want our ad buyers to be able to measure their ad campaigns banking on our media. Our media people will also work independently and not worry about the impact of their written work on revenue,” he said.

Shine said advertising revenue from the group’s television business will be flat or slow down, as younger consumers aged below 30 watch less TV and spend more time with alternative media to view their preferred content, such as re-runs of soap operas and variety programmes.

“The golden age of the television business is over, similar to print media,” said Shine. He added that despite not being disrupted by digital technology, NMG’s business of hosting events, including trainings and seminars, is not able to generate enough income to support the whole group. We need to find other sources of revenues,” he said, noting that the group’s business plan of setting up two new business units will transform NMG into a business that covers total media solutions. “We will become a content provider with strong credibility, and be able to cater to digital advertisers with creative services.”

Shopee chief executive officer Chris Feng said that e-commerce is fast becoming the new norm in Thailand with more and more people shopping online or preferring e-commerce to fulfil their daily needs.

Meanwhile, FMCG e-commerce is expected to grow by 134 per cent before 2022 and be worth $505 million in Thailand.

There are various traditional off- line industries expanding into e-commerce including Insurance, property and automobile.

He said the factors that will drive the next step of e-commerce into a new level are bridging online and offline as the next wave of e-commerce and traditional businesses are finding new opportunities through e-commerce and online players are establishing their presence offline to provide a seamless, integrated customer experience.

He said that to leverage demand of online shoppers, the firm has created a promotion campaign called “9.9 Super Shopping Day” and named football star Cristiano Ronaldo as its brand ambassador.

Ronaldo will work with Shopee in a wide range of initiatives including 9.9 Super Shopping Day, which is Shopee’s signature annual shopping event, to engage and inspire people in the region. “We are delighted to announce our partnership with Cristiano Ronaldo. Ronaldo will join a series of initiatives as Shopee brings users and fans across the region closer to the global football icon,” said Feng.

Shopee has also teamed up with industry players like Bangkok Airways, KTC, DTAC, Grab, PTT Blue Card, Eatigo and many others to provide users with exclusive privileges worth more than Bt9.9 million.

True Corporation (TRUE) reported a profit of Bt1.8 billion for the second quarter, excluding the one-time impact from the amendment of the Labour Protection Law related to employee benefits.

This was achieved as TRUE’s service revenue rose to Bt26.2 billion, driven mainly by TrueMove H’s growth of 6.3 per cent year-on-year, while its cost optimisation programmes continued delivering positive results affirming the company’s confidence for full-year profit achievement.

Kittnut Tikawan, co-president of TRUE, said the company continues to enhance subscriber growth and customer engagement. The 1Gbps and FTTH network upgrade, combined with a wide range of digital content and offerings, as well as engaging customers with privilege platforms, has helped drive TrueMove H’s growth, he said.

“We are committed to building a comprehensive ecosystem that serves the increasing needs of consumers and businesses in this cashless and digital era. These, together with improving synergy with our partners should further accelerate our growth and improve financial performance,” Kittinut said.

Fellow co-president, Siripoj Kunakornphan, said TRUE’s focus on micro-level strategies with targeted marketing campaigns and operations as well as digitisation has become more efficient and is contributing to profits this year. Apart from strengthening its network quality thanks to 76,000 base stations and 100,000 TrueMove H Wi-Fi hotspots, TrueOnline has also passed the 15-million household mark in terms of fibre-optic network connections.

“We believe we are on the right track and our relentless efforts in innovating and developing value-driven products will push our growth higher in the second half,” Siripoj said.

TrueMove H earned Bt19.5 billion in revenue in the second quarter thanks mainly due to a strong growth in the post-paid segment and average revenue per user growth of more than 3 per cent from the previous quarter. This solid performance was put down to TrueMove H’s targeted marketing campaigns and synergy with device partners, while this position as top network provider continues to gain traction with consumers.