In 2018, Deloitte Southeast Asia gained revenue of US$230 million from its audit and assurance business, with Thailand contributing 15 per cent of the region’s revenue, said Chavala Tienpasertkij, partner for audit and assurance services at Deloitte, in a press interview session. Thailand trailed only Singapore, which contributed between 40 and 45 per cent.

To achieve its revenue goal, the company has set a target for double-digit growth in its number of clients. It has around 5,000 clients, with up to 1,000 of them in Thailand, Chavala said.

In 2018, the company saw an increase in the number of clients by 9 per cent, with those from Thailand increasing by 15 per cent, he said.

Key Deloitte clients in Thailand that are using its auditing services include Bank of Ayudhya (Krungsri) and Bangkok Bank in the financial sector, PTT Global Chemical and IRPC in the energy sector, and Max Value and Tesco Lotus in retail.

Through its auditing services, Deloitte provides internal and external confidence for the financial statements of its clients through overseeing and making sure that they follow public guidelines, rules and policies, Chavala said.

“Digital disruption is changing the way businesses operate. Deloitte has been adapting to the new market landscape through implement new software technology and regionalising our operation to improve our services for our clients,” Chavala said.

Deloitte Global has invested US$600 million to develop auditing software called Omnia in the past two years. Co-developed between its New York and London bases, Omnia is an end-to-end platform that allows Deloitte to automatically analyse their clients’ financial information without requiring auditors to re-input their clients’ financial information in a separate system, he said.

The pilot program was launched for the US and European regions in 2018 and has now been rolled out the firm’s Asia Pacific bases.

“Another piece of software which Deloitte has been developing in its Thailand office is Rapiers, which will run on a separate platform than Omnia,” he said. “Rapiers automates the process of closing their clients’ financial accounts at the end of each month and is able to reduce the amount of time the process takes from 40 to 120 hours to only 12 to 20 hours.”

Chavala plans to propose Rapiers to his Southeast Asia counterparts for use in Deloitte operations throughout Southeast Asia in 2019. If successful, he said, the programme will then be proposed for implementation throughout the wider Asia-Pacific region.

To improve operations at a regional level, Deloitte has also regionalised its management model to allow for more integration and exchange of resources in the Asia-Pacific region, according to Chavala.

“Deloitte offices throughout the 10 Asean countries formed Deloitte Southeast Asia that operates under a single CEO in 2008,” he said. “Last year, we formed Deloitte Asia Pacific to improve the quality of our services for multinational companies as well as to widen our pool of resources.”

This allows for more data and know-how exchange between the Deloitte offices in the Asia-Pacific region. For example, a large portion of Deloitte Thailand’s clients are Japanese firms that have set up in the Kingdom. Regionalising its operations allows experts from Deloitte bases in Japan and Thailand to exchange information and offer a more holistic service for their clients, he said.

From regionalising its operations, implementing new digital software and growing client numbers in 2019, Deloitte Southeast Asia aims to increase its number of clients by 5 to 6 per cent.

Carlo Herold, CEO of Heroleads, said Heroleads successfully implemented technology to help clients build their business. He also introduced the company’s new proprietary platform, “HeroPlatform”, which aims to improve and standardise performance marketing campaigns.

HeroPlatform includes high-tech tools, such as HeroVision and HeroAI. HeroVision is a campaign analytics and lead management tool developed to offer more visibility on the impact of online marketing activities for online-to-offline clients. HeroVision helps business owners to take better business decisions based on real-time data of digital advertising campaigns. HeroAI is built to simplify the management of campaigns on multiple channels through automation.

“I believe that machine learning and automation will be the future of the digital economy and the industry will witness a significant change over the next few years. Heroleads plans to leverage AI-powered assistants to engage, nurture and qualify leads to scale the sales for clients,” said Herold.

The company aims to help Asia’s businesses to build meaningful and profitable connections with customers, it said.

The Trent 7,000 engine made its first appearance at the 2018 Farnborough International Air Show when Airbus unveiled the aircraft. Trent 7000 is the seventh and latest member of the Rolls-Royce Trent engine family.

Chris Cholerton, Rolls-Royce’s civil aerospace chief, said: “Today is a special day for the Rolls-Royce team, we are thrilled to see the A330neo unveiled at the Paris Air Show with the Thai AirAsia X livery. We are excited to see the aircraft grace the skies in Asia. The Trent 7,000 is critical to the delivery of the 14 per cent improvement in fuel burn reduction per seat of the A330neo, compared to its predecessor the Trent 700, which is a key factor in this aircraft’s success.”

AirAsia X Group CEO, Nadda Buranasiri, said: “This is a significant milestone for the aviation industry – and importantly for our guests it will revolutionise the long-haul, value-air travel market. AirAsia is thrilled to lead the way once again, as the first airline in Asia Pacific to operate the technologically advanced new generation A330neo aircraft. With 100 aircraft on order, the A330neo is the future of our long-haul operations.”

The Trent 7000 brings together the technology from the Trent XWB, which powers the Airbus A350, and draws on experience from more than 50 million flying hours of the Trent 700. The 68,000-72,000lb thrust Trent 7,000 will deliver a step change in performance and economics compared to the Trent 700, which powers the Airbus A330.

The first Trent 7,000-powered A330neo entered service in November 2018.

Leading the new lineup is the 77-inch LG OLED TV W9 Series featuring the advanced second-generation α9 (Alpha 9) Gen 2 Intelligent Processor with a deep-learning algorithm that delivers enhanced picture (AI Picture) and upgraded sound (AI Sound) as well as augmented ThinQ AI voice assistant technology (AI Smart).

LG is also introducing the latest range of LG NanoCell TVs equipped with the second-generation α7 (Alpha 7) Gen 2 Intelligent Processor, along with LG Big Screen TVs with up to 86-inch screens with outstanding picture quality that take the home entertainment experience to a whole new level.

Nipon Wongsaengarunsri, marketing director of LG Thailand, said: “We have seen a huge shift in consumer behaviour towards TVs with 70-inch screens and larger. Sound quality and AI technology have also become key factors that buyers consider when buying a new TV. All these demands can be answered by our new lineup.”

Developed by Sharp, the Plasmacluster technology is an air purifying mechanism to neutralise allergens, bacteria, mould and viruses and eliminating odours, leaving air cleaner and healthier. The three companies said the collaboration will bring benefits to BTS passengers, allowing them to enjoy better air quality.

In addition, VGI is considering the adoption of Sharp’s digital signs for its advertising. Sharp is also planning to use VGI’s media platforms for its marketing campaigns.