BMW electrifies Thai premium auto sector with new offerings, charging facilities

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BMW Group Thailand marks its continued leadership in the premier car segment for two years running by renewing its focus on electric vehicles in Thailand. It is also introducing 10 models of BMW, MINI and BMW Motorrad, with the first-ever purely electric Gran Coupe – the all-new BMW i4.

BMW electrifies Thai premium auto sector with new offerings, charging facilities

BMW and MINI won the biggest share of the premium segment with 45.5 per cent in 2021, up from 44.6 per cent the year before. Meanwhile, MINI Electric enjoyed a growth rate of 263 per cent year on year.

“As we are entering a new era of mobility, we remain fully committed to our goal of bringing sheer driving pleasure, cutting-edge technologies, and the power of choice to our customers. This also resulted in hitting the highest record of customer satisfaction as measured via the Net Promoter Score [NPS Score] in terms of sales and services. With a clear goal for the future, we aim to blaze the way for electric mobility, to offer the best experiences for all motorists, including ICE, PHEV and especially BEV users as we move into 2022,” Alexander Baraka, president and CEO of BMW Group Thailand, said.

Erik Ruge, managing director of BMW Group Manufacturing Thailand, added: “2021 was the most successful year ever with a total production of 33,428 units for both BMW and BMW Motorrad. The total production has increased 17.8 per cent, while production for export has increased 11.6 per cent. We are also committed to sustainability through zero-waste-to-landfill and carbon-neutral. For the production part, we have been able to reduce average waste to 35.6 per cent per model with the accumulated waste from recycled and reused 27,208 tonnes since 2014.”

BMW electrifies Thai premium auto sector with new offerings, charging facilities

Capturing No 1 spot with ChargeNow

BMW Group electrified vehicles are ranked No 1 in Thailand’s premium electrified segment with a 32.9 per cent segment share. The company has been strongly focused on the sustainable future of mobility in Thailand and is offering a range of electrified vehicles in both plug-in hybrid and all-electric configurations to Thai motorists. BMW Group Thailand has also been collaborating with partners in expanding ChargeNow public charging stations for electric vehicles since 2017 to sustainably drive the adoption of electric mobility in Thailand.

Currently, 130 public charging outlets have been installed in 48 locations nationwide, while 183 charging outlets have been installed at BMW and MINI authorised dealers and the national sales company (NSC) across the country. All owners of plug-in hybrids and battery electric vehicles can access ChargeNow charging stations under the BMW and MINI network. Furthermore, approximately 2,000 BMW & MINI Wallboxes have been delivered to customers nationwide.

In addition, through collaboration with the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand and EVolt Technology, customers can now access charging stations with more than 300 chargers. When combined with chargers available through the ChargeNow programme, BMW and MINI authorised dealers, and partners, BMW and MINI customers have access to more than 600 charging points nationwide.

Within the second quarter of 2022, owners of BMW and MINI electric vehicles can access the service via the EVolt application without using ChargeNow cards.

Published : February 11, 2022

By : THE NATION

Seven innovative SMEs honoured at Bai Po Business Awards

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The Bai Po Business Awards by Sasin were considered and judged by a panel of experts from various fields.

Seven innovative SMEs honoured at Bai Po Business Awards

Seven SMEs were honoured at the 17th Bai Po Business Awards organised by Siam Commercial Bank and Chulalongkorn University’s Sasin School of Management.
This awards aims to honour entrepreneurs demonstrating strong potential and daring to make remarkable difference critical for doing business.
The award ceremony was presided over by Siam Commercial Bank chairman of the executive committee Arthid Nanthawithaya, who presented the awards along with Sasin School of Management Deputy Director Assoc Prof Chaipong Pongpanich, and Market for Alternative Investment (MAI) president Praphan Charoenprawat as representatives of the judging committee to congratulate award recipients.

SMEs honoured by Bai Po Business Awards by Sasin this year include:

Seven innovative SMEs honoured at Bai Po Business Awards
▪️E-Empowerment Co Ltd, a one-stop online warehousing service provider under the name of MyCloudFulfillment that comes with an order management system and Application Programming Interface to automatically connect with omni-sales channels.

Seven innovative SMEs honoured at Bai Po Business Awards
▪️Thai Innofood Co Ltd, a manufacturer and distributor of fermented pork sausages or Nham under the Don Muang Nham Km 26 and Sutthiluck Nham brands, known as the first in Thailand to adopt innovative irradiation food technology to produce fermented pork sausages.

Seven innovative SMEs honoured at Bai Po Business Awards
▪️PAC Corporation (Thailand) Co Ltd, a manufacturer of innovative and energy-saving water heaters and air-conditioners under the PAC brand.

Seven innovative SMEs honoured at Bai Po Business Awards
▪️Viya Crab Products Co Ltd, a manufacturer and exporter of pasteurised canned and chilled crab meat under the Siam Crab, Viya Crab, Swasdee Crab, and Smile Crab brands and an owner of the “Chaolay Seafood” restaurant. By establishing the “Blue Crab Bank”, the company is at the forefront of a campaign to return blue crabs to the ocean.

Seven innovative SMEs honoured at Bai Po Business Awards

▪️Specialty Natural Products Co Ltd, Thailand’s leading manufacturer of Thai herbal extracts as active ingredients for health and beauty products that meet international standards.

Seven innovative SMEs honoured at Bai Po Business Awards

▪️Enconcept Education Co Ltd, an English language teaching institute under the Enconcept name and an owner of English curriculum The Newton Sixth Form School and full-time Thai curriculum The Essence School.

Seven innovative SMEs honoured at Bai Po Business Awards
▪️Thamturakit Social Enterprise Co Ltd, a company that began with the goal of assisting farmers in achieving long-term well-being by using the Sufficiency Economy Philosophy as a foundation and promoting natural farming. The company earned this year’s special “Social Value Creation” award.


The Bai Po Business Awards by Sasin were considered and judged by a panel of experts from various fields. 
Entrepreneurs applying for consideration do not have to be customers of Siam Commercial Bank or the Sasin School of Management. Each year awardees will receive a certificate with a plaque of honour with the “Bai Po” logo as a symbol of excellence in business.

Published : February 11, 2022

Amata aims to sell 1,000 rai of industrial estate land this year

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https://www.nationthailand.com/business/40012206


Amata Corporation Pcl. is aiming to sell up to 1,000 rai of lands in its industrial estates this year after an increasing number of foreign investors have approached the companies since Test & Go scheme resumed on February 1.

Amata aims to sell 1,000 rai of industrial estate land this year

“Currently Amata has available lands in Amata City Chonburi Industrial Estate in at 9,800 rai, and at Amata City Rayong Industrial Estate at 2,400 rai, which are more than enough to supply the need of new foreign investors,” said the company’s chief marketing officer and executive director Viboon Kromadit on Thursday. “After Thailand reopened to foreign visitors without having to quarantine, the companies have been contacted by increasing number of foreign investors, most of whom are in automotive, logistics, electronics and chemical industries.”

Viboon added that Amata also possesses lands that have yet to be developed into industrial estates or commercial districts at around 14,000 rai throughout Thailand. “We have also recently opened a new industrial estate in Loas namely Amata Smart & Eco City, which has an area of 2,562.5 rai and can accommodate up to 1,400 factories from Thai, Laos and Vietnamese companies,” he said.

Viboon said that initially Amata was planning to invest in Myanmar, but shifted to Laos instead due to political problems in Myanmar. “Laos also has a strong development potential thanks to the China-Laos high speed railway that connects Laos with other countries in the Southeast Asian region,” he added. “Last year Laos reported a GDP expansion at 4 per cent despite the pandemic, which means our industrial estate in Laos is likely to welcome more investors this year.”

Related News

Amata launches Covid testing centre at massive EEC industrial estate

Amata reports plummeting sales, urges govt to reduce quarantine period to 10 days

Skilled Lao labourers return to jobs in Thailand

Published : February 11, 2022

By : THE NATION

Shipping council eyes new opportunities in Saudi Arabia, targets 66 billion baht in export

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In a bid to make the most of improving bilateral ties, the Thai National Shippers’ Council (TNSC) is planning to devise an action plan to penetrate the Saudi Arabia market.

Shipping council eyes new opportunities in Saudi Arabia, targets 66 billion baht in export

“The key points in the action plan are ensuring that Saudi Arabia grants visas to Thai nationals and agrees to reduce the visa application fee, which is currently 20,000 baht per person,” TNSC chairman Chaichan Charoensuk said on Thursday. “Other proposals include adjusting conditions to ensure more companies have access to Thai government subsidies and having Thai businesses added to key trade exhibitions in Saudi Arabia well ahead of time to ensure we do not miss any major events.

“On March 3, the TNSC will also hold a seminar for Thai businesses that are interested in exporting to Saudi Arabia,” Chaichan added. “After the seminar, TNSC will send trade representatives to three major Saudi cities namely Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam to attend trade fairs and meet with Saudi businesspeople/importers to discuss trade deals with Thai businesses.”

TNSC is confident the action plan will help expand exports to Saudi Arabia from $1.63 billion currently to $2 billion or 66 billion baht this year.

Related News

TNSC predicts 12% export growth in last quarter

Saudi Crown Prince accepts invitation to visit Thailand

Thailand moves to resume flow of workers to Saudi Arabia

Published : February 11, 2022

By : THE NATION

Ministry eyes cutting tax on diesel to less than 3 baht per litre

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https://www.nationthailand.com/business/40012213


The Finance Ministry will at the Tuesday Cabinet meeting propose the option of reducing excise tax for diesel to less than 3 baht per litre, a source was quoted as saying by Thansettakij.

Ministry eyes cutting tax on diesel to less than 3 baht per litre

The source said a new draft decree on the Revenue Code is being prepared in response to the continued rise of crude oil prices.

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has reportedly called on Energy Minister Supattanapong Punmeechaow, Finance Minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisith and related organisations to find ways of resolving the oil-price situation.

The first step will be to use the mechanics of the Oil Fund and excise tax on diesel to solve the issue.

Meanwhile, the Office of the Auditor-General and related agencies are still considering the Oil Fund’s plans to take loans.

The source added that the authorities have not decided to lower the tax on benzene fuel but will come up with specific measures like reducing public transport fares via state welfare cards.

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Cut utility bills, lower diesel price cap, FTI urges govt

Minister swears he’s doing what he can to keep diesel at 30 baht per litre

Published : February 11, 2022

By : THE NATION

Weakening baht shored up by foreign investors

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The baht opened at 32.76 to the US dollar on Friday, weakening from Thursday’s close of 32.63.

Weakening baht shored up by foreign investors

The Thai currency is likely to move between 32.65 and 32.85 during the day, Krungthai Bank market strategist Poon Panichpibool predicted.

He said the baht weakened less than expected as foreign investors bought Thai stocks and short-term bonds worth more than 33 billion baht.

The dollar, however, strengthened after US inflation figures were higher than expected, sparking speculation that the Federal Reserve will increase the interest rate to a level higher than investors expect.

Poon said these factors will slow down the strengthening of the baht in the short term.

He said foreign speculators should buy Thai assets so the baht does not weaken much.

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Baht ‘likely to swing sideways’ as investors await US inflation results

Baht to swing sideways from risk-off tendency before US inflation data released


Poon believes importers are waiting to buy the dollar at 32.60, while exporters will sell the currency if it hits between 32.80 and 33.

The currency market has been volatile after the US inflation rate climbed to 7.5 per cent, which is more than the market expected and the highest since 1982.

Published : February 11, 2022

By : THE NATION

SET rallies over mass buy-ups, easing of Covid-19 measures despite rising US CPI figures

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The Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) Index is expected to move between 1,690 and 1,695 points on Friday amid worries about inflation in the US since its Consumer Price Index (CPI) in January rose by 7.5 per cent year on year, Krungsri Securities said.

SET rallies over mass buy-ups, easing of Covid-19 measures despite rising US CPI figures

It said the CPI rise in January caused the US 10-year bond yield to jump over 2 per cent and would trigger the Federal Reserve to raise the interest rate to tackle inflation.

“However, mass buy-ups of company shares that are expected to grow based on their business turnover last year and the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration [CCSA]’s move to ease disease prevention measures today would help boost the index,” Krungsri Securities said.

It recommends the purchase of the following:

• BBL, KBANK, KTB, BLA and THREL will benefit from news of the US interest rate hike.

• PSL and TTA will benefit from the rising freight rate.

• AOT, MINT, CENTEL, ERW, AAV, HMPRO, CPALL, CPN and CRC will benefit from CCSA’s move to ease Covid-19 prevention measures.

• IVL, TOP, SPRC, GULF, BANPU, TU, CPF, SPALI, ORI, WHA, AMATA, HMPRO, CPN, CRC, BLA, NER, ITEL, XO, ASK, UBE, FORTH, TH and SNNP are expected to grow based on their business turnover last year.

The SET Index closed at 1,703 on Thursday, down 0.16 points or 0.01 per cent. Transactions totalled 112.33 billion baht with an index high of 1,707.44 and a low of 1,696.73.

Published : February 11, 2022

By : THE NATION

QSNCC vows to make Thailand proud as host of Apec Summit

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The management of the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center (QSNCC) on Thursday vowed to make Thailand proud as the host venue of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) Summit in November.

QSNCC vows to make Thailand proud as host of Apec Summit

The QSNCC was on Wednesday selected as the summit venue by a committee making preparations for the summit. The QSNCC is operated by the NCC Management & Development Co Ltd (NCC).

NCC president Sakchai Pattarapreechakul said the firm felt honoured after its convention centre was picked as the venue for the Apec Summit.

“We are delighted and honoured to have been entrusted by the Apec organising team of the Thai government that has chosen our full range of meetings and events solutions,” he said.

The old QSNCC was closed four years ago with the old building demolished and a new one built to be more luxurious and advanced.

The new QSNCC is scheduled to reopen in September.

Sakchai expressed confidence that the new QSNCC is ready to welcome delegates from all the 21 economies and beyond to Thailand, and will support Apec to host the meetings under the Apec 2022 theme of “Open. Connect. Balance”.

He said the centre has cutting-edge technology and complete facilities in line with standards of global top event venues in other countries, so it will be able to accommodate all types of events, whether they are online conferences or hybrid meetings.

He added that the new QSNCC has a unique identity, along with the architecture and landscape architecture that is beautiful, outstanding and harmonised with the surrounding areas to exhibit a perfect combination of Thai and international characteristics.

“With the knowledge, expertise, and experience in the business of our professional team, we are certain that the upgraded QSNCC will provide excellent services to the conference organisers and participants of Apec 2022,” Sakchai added.

He said the new QSNCC will be the first convention centre in Thailand that can break through the limitations in the event organising activities. With flexible space design and modern construction techniques, the long-span truss structure or the absence of columns helps create greater space within the building.

This allows the centre to have a large hall of 22,500 square metres on the ground floor and the second floor to accommodate all types of events. With a total event space of 78,500 square metres, the centre provides two large conference halls with nearly 10,000 square metres and additional 50 flexible meeting rooms apart from the two large exhibition halls with over 45,000 square metres.

QSNCC vows to make Thailand proud as host of Apec SummitIt also provides 2,700 indoor parking spaces. To make it convenient for participants of events at the centre, the QSNCC also has direct access to the subway.

To facilitate online conferences smoothly, the QSNCC was built with infrastructure to accommodate the use of high-speed internet in Thailand. Currently the max broadband speed in Thailand is 2 Gbps but the centre has prepared infrastructure to use 6 Gbps max speed in the future, Sakchai added.

The building is also equipped with touchless access system and the centre uses an intelligence event platform management system for controlling the use of space. It is also equipped with top-level security technology.

He said the new QSNCC will definitely live up to its theme of “the ultimate inspiring world-class event platform for all” and it will become a new event destination contributing to Thailand’s economic growth.

He added that the QSNCC is the first and only convention centre that has received Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Silver certification. The use of environmentally friendly construction materials by adopting 25 per cent of recycled products and 75 per cent of recyclable products, solar cells, and energy-saving devices constitute sustainable management.

Published : February 10, 2022

By : THE NATION

Living prices will rocket if the delivery cost increases by 15-20 per cent, FIT warns

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Suphan Mongkolsuthi, chairman of the Federation of Thai Industries (FTI), expressed concern about the case that transport operators will start to increase delivery costs by 15-20 per cent, seeing that it will affect overall cost production for sure since it shared approximately 10 per cent of the product cost.

Living prices will rocket if the delivery cost increases by 15-20 per cent, FIT warns

As long as there is a demand to buy, it can continue to produce products. But if consumers can’t buy it, the effect will return to the manufacturer and transport operators in long term. 

The products that will be most affected are the consumer goods that are necessary for daily life.

SMEs will be more affected by freight hikes than large firms, which have contracts for one to three months, based on individual market oil prices. But SME operators cannot make contracts with transport companies or can do it for only a short time, so they have to bear the burden in this part if there is an increase in the actual transportation cost.

Governments have to study the structure of transport prices and find solutions, such as reducing taxes or adding subsidies. Also, the government has to stimulate the economy so that everyone can earn money as quickly as possible so that they can spend money on higher product prices, said Suphan.

It is therefore important to open up the country and normalize economic activities.

The Index of Industrial Confidence in January 2022 was at 88.0, an increase from 86.8 in December 2021. The Index rose for the fifth straight month and returned to a level close to before the Covid crisis in early 2020.

Published : February 10, 2022

By : THE NATION

Minister paints grim picture on oil price

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Energy Minister Supattanapong Punmeechaow warned that the current situation was a precarious, almost critical, as demand for oil has grown rapidly due to the global economic recovery, tensions in international politics, the cold weather, and Opec Plus’ refusal to hike output.

Minister paints grim picture on oil price

He was responding during a meeting of the House of Representatives on Thursday to a question by Kittikorn Lohsunthorn, Lampang MP from Pheu Thai Party, about the high price of oil and possible solutions.

Meanwhile, there are transport groups that are demanding diesel price be reduced from 30 baht to 25 baht.

US President Joe Biden has called up Opec leaders to consider an increase in production.

Since December 2021, crude oil price has gone up by 4 baht per litre, diesel by almost 6 baht per litre, and petrol by 5 baht.

Supattanapong explained that the ministry has frozen the price of diesel fuel at not over 30 baht per litre, which is supported by 3.79 baht per litre from the Oil Fund, totalling 7 billion baht per month.

After spending 20 billion baht to control oil price, the Oil Fund is already 15 billion baht in debt and is preparing to borrow another 20-30 billion baht to continue to freeze the price, he said.

Regarding reduction of bio-oil, he said the government is considering new measures to take care of the people step by step. If the price drops suddenly, it will affect the oil palm farmers. When the formula was changed to B5, the price of palm oil would be about 11 baht, which was at a level that didn’t affect farmers too much.

He added that there was also a reduction in the energy conservation fund that used to collect 25 satang per litre. Today, it’s almost gone down to zero, he said.

Published : February 10, 2022

By : THE NATION