Jaymart Mobile CEO Narathip Wirunechatapant said the “Jaymart 30th Phase 2: Super Affordable Campaign” is designed to increase the satisfaction of customers who wish to trade in or trade up their mobile phones. Under this campaign, customers can avail of special deals like trade in an old mobile phone for a discount, trade up an eligible old mobile phone to get an on-top discount of up to Bt5,000, subscribe for a best-value AIS package for a chance to get up to 50 per cent discount on mobile-phone purchases. The discount is given when customers subscribe for the package (with a new phone number, switch their subscription from another operator, or change their mobile-phone account from prepaid to monthly post-paid type). The percentage of discount varies, depending on the mobile-phone model and package customers have chosen.

Enjoy Card holders can get up to Bt1,200 on-top discount and credit-card holders can enjoy on-top discount plus  zero-interest payment plans for up to 36 months or a cashback of up to Bt18,000 with participating credit cards. Customers without a credit card and university students may buy mobile phones on payment plans via J-Money.

“To celebrate our 30th anniversary, we will constantly launch special promotions to assure customers that they will enjoy unique protection and benefits when buying a mobile phone from Jaymart Mobile. We take care of both you and your device,” said Narathip.

Trinupab Jiratritarn, CEO at Creatus Corporation Ltd, said the company’s goal is to introduce new, sophisticated solutions to retailers in Thailand, so they can apply these solutions to boost their business and achieve maximum efficiency.

The Cash Infinity (CI) system offers both compact cash-management machines like the CI-10 and CI-50 as well as larger versions such as the CI-100 system that’s designed to handle large amounts of notes and coins, as well as provide change.

One of the key features of the CI system is that it helps with retail businesses’ front and back-office cash management by taking the strain out of retail cash processes. The system helps save cost, making cash and store-staff management more efficient in serving customers.

“A problem that most executives face at present is that store staff have to take charge of handling large amounts of cash. If the store is doing brisk business and the queue is getting longer, staff will feel under pressure, worrying over whether they’ve given the correct change. If they make mistakes on duty, then they have to stump up the difference,” Trinupab said.

Furthermore, at the end of the business day, if there’s a supervisor in charge, there will be an overlap between money-counting tasks, while without a supervisor, the shopkeeper will have to step in to complete the time-consuming task. If staff work in shifts, then there’ll be the need to sort through coins and banknotes of various denominations and prepare change for use the following day. There is also the threat of counterfeit notes as well.

Therefore, the CI solution helps reduce the burden of front-office cash processes, so the store staff can concentrate on providing the best customer service. This results in better business development as the CI system is designed to shoulder the burden of cash-handling activities.

The social media giant revealed on Thursday that it had removed several pages, groups and accounts on Facebook and Instagram and found that these organisations were located in Thailand, Russia, Ukraine and Honduras.

Nathaniel Gleicher, head of the company’s cybersecurity department, said several companies had posted misleading information about their real identities and activities.

As a result, he said, 12 Facebook accounts and 10 Facebook pages had been removed “for engaging in coordinated inauthentic behaviour” that was located in Thailand and primarily involved in cyberattacks on Thailand and the US.

The attackers’ offending behaviour included sharing content and comments that dissented with the majority on such topics as Thai politics, US-China relations, protests in Hong Kong and criticism of democracy activists in Thailand.

Facebook also found that some of these activities were linked to an individual based in Thailand who is associated with New Eastern Outlook, a Russian government-funded journal based in Moscow.

The US-based company has recently launched a crackdown after being criticised for not acting quickly enough to combat the posting of extremist content and propaganda.

The company’s net profit was Bt18.7 billion in the first half of the year, showing a 16 per cent slump from last year’s first half. In the second quarter of this year, the group reported a revenue of Bt109.09 billion and net profit of Bt7.04 billion, which was 9 per cent and 27 per cent less than the same period last year respectively.

Roongrote said judging by the market trends, the company has no choice but to revise down its revenue target.

SCG has also revised its investment plan this year by suspending some projects that will take more than three years to go into operation, but is continuing with projects expected to generate returns in one or two years, he said.

He added that the company had gone ahead with spending Bt20 billion to acquire a 55 per cent stake in Indonesia’s packaging firm Fajar in June.

Thammasak Sethaudom, SCG’s vice president of finance and investment, said Fajar is expected to start contributing to the group’s revenue in the third quarter of this year. Fajar reported a net income of 1.40 trillion rupiah (Bt3.1 billion) at the end of 2018.

“Initially, we had earmarked Bt60 billion for investing both locally and overseas, including the petrochemical complex in Vietnam. However, our plan to acquire a state in Fajar was not included, which later pushed the budget beyond Bt70 billion,” Thammasak said.

Roongrote said SCG’s financial results in the first half of this year was lower than initially estimated mainly because the price of petrochemical goods has dropped due to the appreciation of the baht, which is having a direct impact on its exports. The ongoing US-China trade war is also having a direct impact on the business.

SCG’s petrochemical business recorded a total revenue of Bt92.23 billion in the first half of the year, or 16 per cent lower than the same period last year. Profit for the period, without severance pay adjustment, dropped by 35 per cent year-on-year to Bt10.53 billion, and stood at Bt10.04 billion if severance pay is factored in.

Its packaging business recorded a 5 per cent dip in revenue year-on-year to Bt41.52 billion, due mainly to a demand for both soft and hard packaging. Profit for the period, without severance pay adjustment, showed a 2 per cent slump year-on-year to Bt3.05 billion, and Bt2.71 if severance pay is factored in.

Meanwhile, SCG’s building materials business made Bt94.23 billion in revenue, up 3 per cent from last year’s first half. Its net profit without factoring in severance pay showed a rise of 17 per cent year-on-year to Bt4.87 billion and at Bt3.91 billion if severance pay adjustment is taken into account.

For the rest of the year, the global economy is still expected to face unexpected risks due to the China-US trade war, as all signs point to further appreciation of the baht, while the price of oil continues to rise due to Iran’s crisis.

All these factors are expected to have an impact on the group’s financial results, Roongrote said.

Phonganant Thanattrai, Krungsri Head of Retail Banking and Distribution Group; said “Partnership branch is among various formats of Krungsri branches designed to cater specific demands of customers in different locations. The Partnership Branch @Assumption University is the first and the prototype of the university branch format. We designed it to match the demands and lifestyle of university students and faculty members on the campus and improved the entire space to fit into targeted customers’ daily routine to deliver a great customer experience and enhance customer engagement with Krungsri.”

The Partnership Branch @Assumption University is located in Assumption University, Suvarnabhumi Campus. Krungsri revamped the existing branch operating systems and processes with innovative digital technology and improved its space for campus people to enjoy extended utilization. The new space is divided into 4 zones including Branch service area, Auto banking area, Co-working space in relaxed ambience for students to work or relax in a free wi-fi space and and Multi-function room to accommodate meetings of professors or student gathering for tutoring or other activities.

Rev. Bro. Bancha Saenghiran, President of Assumption University, said that this collaboration is a fruitful extension to enhance the customer experience of the students and professors here. We are the first university for the partnership branch along with the effort to drive the growth of digital ecosystem in the campus. Krungsri’s financial services provided via our mobile application enables faster and more convenient financial transactions for students and faculty members.

Beside the new branch format, Krungsri makes its financial products and services available on ABAC’s mobile application to complete users’ digital lifestyle. With the application, students can register their study courses, check their class schedules and, they can now pay the tuition fee via the mobile banking service 24/7. Payment is more convenient with the tuition fee alert function while daily pay at the campus is easier with QR code or e-wallet function that offers loads of privileges and discounts.

KTC and Gunkul will provide privileges to KTC credit card members who install household rooftop solar panels under the brand “GRoof”. Participants may pay in instalments with KTC card at 0 per cent interest for up to 10 months. Alternatively, they could redeem for 12 per cent in discounts simply by making payments in full using KTC credit cards and their KTC FOREVER points equivalent to the amount of the transaction.

“KTC PROUD” cash card members may pay in KTC card instalments at 0 per cent interest for up to 20 months ‪from August 1, 2019 to October 31, 2019.‬

Thailand joins Australia, India and Indonesia in being chosen as one of the four target markets in the region to run this campaign based on the country’s readiness for digitalisation.

Connectivity is changing the food and beverage industry and offering unprecedented opportunities. The campaign launched by Tetra Pak was developed to raise awareness of the way digitalisation is redefining the role of packaging. The new Tetra Pak Connected Package platform turns packages into full-scale data carriers, allowing manufacturers to connect to consumers more directly, build loyalty, provide product information and find new ways to increase traceability. Through traceability in the processing industry, products will be able to be tracked at any point in the production chain – from field to table, all the way from the arrival of the raw materials and processing to being filled and safely sealed inside the packaging.

Digital technologies based on unique digital codes can give each and every product package a unique identifier. Data scanning devices – or even ordinary smartphones – will read these codes and link users to vast amounts of information, opening up all kinds of possibilities. And by creating an interactive channel, brands will soon be able to have real-time conversations with individual consumers. They will be able to share details on raw material sourcing and nutritional facts, provide environmental information and promote games and other interactive activities.

The new connected package will play an increasing role in both the digital supply chain and consumer experience. It will create an interactive one-to-one channel with individual consumers, providing limitless communication, marketing and data capture opportunities. Driven by the trends behind Industry 4.0, and with code generation, digital printing and data management at its core, the connected packaging platform will bring new benefits to food producers, retailers and shoppers.

“The future of packaging is undoubtedly digital, and this launch is a step towards a truly intelligent package. We are very excited to share this opportunity with our customers, and via this LinkedIn campaign we want to encourage them to learn more about Tetra Pak’s connected packaging platform,” said Supanat Ratanadib, Marketing Director, Tetra Pak (Thailand) Limited.

The initiative offers greater convenience and saves time for buyers, as they no longer need to go to a Bank branch or submit any documents.

Wirawat Panthawangkun, the bank’s senior executive vice president, says there are three insurance plans from which to choose.

1. PA Plus Value: Pay Bt1for premium per day, or just Bt365 per year, and receive Bt5,000 of medical expense reimbursement each incident (no incident limit), and up to Bt100,000 of life insurance benefits.

2. PA Plus Protection: Pay Bt3 for premium per day, or Bt990 per year, and receive Bt15,000 of medical expense reimbursement each incident (no incident limit), and up to Bt250,000 of life insurance benefits.

3. PA Plus Life Coverage: Pay Bt8 for premium per day, or just Bt2,800 per year, and receive Bt100,000 of medical expense reimbursement each incident, up to Bt500,000 of life insurance benefits and Bt2,000 of daily income compensation.

Wirawat said that the PA+ is a policy aimed at protecting Thais regardless of their income against damages caused by accidents. Thailand now has the highest number of road casualties in ASEAN, with 22,491 people dying in road accidents each year, or 60 persons a day on average; 74 percent of them are motorcyclists. Thai RSC Road Accident Data Centre said that a total of 532,900 road accident cases were reported from January to June, with 9,083 people dead from such accidents. In addition to road accidents, which are the most common accident type, Thai people also suffer from other accidents caused by slipping or falling. Such accidents may not be immediately fatal, but can cause serious injuries such as hip fractures – causing problems in body movement – and head injury.

These statistics also show that there is a high risk of being involved in an accident. However, only 30 per cent of the Thai population, or 21.8 million Thais, have personal accident insurance, with an average medical expense of Bt25,000-Bt50,000 per case. This suggests that Thai consumers overall do not give much importance to personal accident insurance, although it can help them manage risk and reduce expenses that may occur, such as medical costs, that are trending higher whether you receive treatment at a private or public hospital, or use your social insurance benefits. In some cases, personal accident insurance may help the insured cover all their expenses and receive medical treatment in a timely manner from the hospital located nearest the accident spot. Aside from daily compensation while being treated at a hospital, the policyholder may get compensation in the case of disability or accidental death per the conditions specified in the insurance policy. The premium is also fixed throughout the duration of the insurance contract, and will not be subject to any change as seen in other types of insurance, while prospective policyholders do not have to provide their medical history.