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ASA launches architect’17 under the concept BAAN BAAN “Reconsidering Dwelling”

January 26, 2017, 12:30 am
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The Association of Siamese Architects under Royal Patronage launches “Architect’ 17” under the concept BAAN BAAN “Reconsidering Dwelling” to promote the concepts and guidelines for residential design in different dimensions by presenting the works of every generation of architects to the general public. Architect’ 17 is ready to show the advancement of concepts and innovations in architectural profession from the national level to become the international leadership from Tuesday 2- Sunday 7 May 2017 at Challenger Hall 1-3, Impact Muang Thong Thani.
Mr. Ajapol Dusitnanond, President of the Association of Siamese Architects under Royal Patronage (ASA), said that ASA has organized “Architect’1986” exhibition to promote professionalism in architecture since 1986 (except for 1990) until today or 30 times, with around 350,000 visitors annually. In 2017, ASA board members (2016-2018) agreed to organize “Architect’17 or 31st of its kind from Tuesday 2-Sunday 7 May, 2017 at 1-3 Challenger Hall, Impact Muang Thong Thani, Chaeng Wattana Road, Banmai Sub-district, Pak Kret District, Nonthaburi Province. The exhibition is designed to disseminate and promote ASA activities, architectural works, construction materials, agricultural innovation, architectural professional promotion to ASA members and the society, while providing technical services to the general public and students by presenting the product materials that relate to architecture, interior design and construction.
“The board members have determined different theme for each year’s event, focusing on how to disseminate the knowledge to the society and the general public who should have a better understanding about the benefits from using the architectural services, while strengthening the knowledge for architect and related professions. I believe that the event will be useful for architects and related professions as well as the general public. This year, the event is organized under the theme “BAAN BAAN “Reconsidering Dwelling.”
Mr. Nantapon  Junngurn, Chairman of Architect’ 17 organizing committee, revealed the concept behind the theme of architect’ 17. He said, “Dwelling” is a fundamental to the well-being of everyone in every society and every culture. At the same time, house is considered a small unit of the architecture. While expanding or uniting, homes form a community and a city with more complexity.   "Dwelling" is also a beginning of the space to create a good relationship within the family, the neighborhood, the community and the city in different dimensions.
“BAAN BAAN Reconsidering Dwelling” aims to promote the new concept and innovation in the architectural industry regarding people’s residence. The exhibition also opens up the forum for an exchange of knowledge and ideas among professionals in architectural and engineering industries, as well as construction contractors, related businessmen, and most importantly the general public who are interested in home which is the fundamental for their living. ASA hopes to promote the concept and guidelines for residential designs in various dimension as reflected by the architects from the new generation to the current one to the general public, while showcasing the progress in innovation of architectural design at the national level and the international leadership.
The exhibition will be categorized in three zones: dwelling, dwelling elements and dwelling surroundings.


The highlight of Dwelling exhibitions are:
    • In Remembrance of King Rama IX Memorial Exhibition is categorized into two major exhibitions.  
  1. Architect of the land
The exhibition pays tribute to His Majesty the King Bhumibol Adulyadej for his great contribution to his people. The exhibition showcases his talents and his concepts about home and sufficiency theory that he has given to Thai people. The exhibition will be displayed in new multimedia format to give the visitors a different experience to learn and understand the stories.  
  1. Gratitude to His Majesty the King Rama IX
The exhibition is a tribute to the contribution of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej who has dedicatedly worked hard for his people. The exhibition will be presented via two-dimensional visuals by architects with different ways of presentation.


    • BAAN BAAN Photo Essay
“BAAN BAAN Photo Essay” opens the space for students, architects and the general public to question the meaning of “home” and “residence” as well as “living” by focusing on “people” to tell stories, boundary and various dimension of “home”, while inviting the visitors to think about the role of architects and architecture.


    • BAAN BAAN Mockup
The exhibition shows residential projects in different formats which can be Built Project, Unbuilt Project and Experimental Project. ASA architect members nationwide are invited to submit their housing type to be selected and displayed in a mockup installation with explanatory concepts to make the general public easily understand the work of the architect.


    • BAAN BAAN Case Study
The exhibition presents the creativity of ASA members in designing the New House which has been rebuilt from the old Adaptive Reused House. The visitors will see different models of detached house according to size and budget.


Dwelling Components includes Dwelling Elements. Doors, windows, walls, stairs, tables, chairs, or any item in the house are the architectural elements that are close to the residents. “Dwelling Elements" exhibition demonstrates the importance of every item of the house designed to significantly connect to the residents by presenting the specific item in different context. Twelve teams of designers reconsider the look of those items and re-design them in actual size for display.  In addition, some works have been presented under the concept of Universal Design.


Surroundings exhibition includes Dwelling’s Surroundings. The exhibition shows the conceptualization around the house, starting from the fence, the garden outside the house and the surrounding communities of which the composition has the social relations to everyday living that is publicly expressed. The exhibition zone explores the possibilities in the contextual design of the surrounding areas includes garden, market and public space.
In addition, there are various zones for recreational activities and leisure, reflecting the overall concept of public space in the city. ASA Sketch gives the recreational space for children activities and aspiring artists. An extra activity area showcases the mechanical functions.  ASA Home Fixer provides the counselling service about houses such as roof leaks and wall cracks by a team of architectural experts who will share their knowledge via multimedia format to interested persons.
ASA Forum provides academic seminars moderated by local and international designers and architects including  Studiomake / David Schafer, UID Architects / Keisuke Maeda, Architect of Sri Lanka / Anjalendran, Studio Schwitalla / Max Schwitalla and SHINGO MASUDA+KATSUHISA OTSUBO Architects /  Shingo Masuda.
Mr. Supaman Munka, Deputy Managing Director of TTF International CO., Ltd, said   “architect’17 is ready to serve both domestic and overseas exhibitors and visitors. This year, we have been trusted from our existing and new entrepreneurs whom believe in architect expo as the powerful and potential marketing tool to support their business expansion with participation more than 80% of exhibition capacity area. For International exhibitors, there are worldwide exhibitors to join in the exposition such as China, Taiwan, South Korea, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, India, Australia, Vietnam and Czech Republic which is expected to be higher participation than previous year. In architect’17 we expect to welcome more than 350,000 visitors and initiate the business opportunities for the exhibitors effectively”
“Regarding to highlight products, there will be various innovations from many top companies and manufacturers in building & construction. The visitors will be excited by seeing innovation and technology presenting in 75,000 square meters of exposition area such as SCG, Thailand’s largest industrial conglomerate with highlights ‘SCG Living Tech’  the integration of better living and energy saving living, COTTO with its ‘Beautiful Bathroom’ the collection of tiles, sanitary wares, and faucets, ‘SCG Eldercare Solution’, the 100th anniversary of ‘Tiger’ brand, NS Bluescope (Thailand) Co., Ltd. Leading manufacturer and distributor of steel products, Bathroom Design I-Spa Co., Ltd. whose Red Dot Award in product design, and Energy saving home design by Array Construction Co., Ltd. etc.
“Besides, there are Green Building Materials displayed specifically which have been held continuously since architect’16with good response from exhibitor and visitors. This exhibition will encourage both manufacturer and consumer to concern about worthwhile usage and eco-friendly products in building and construction. Furthermore, there are Booth Design and Innovative Product Award Competitions to reinforce the exhibitors to design the creativity and outstandingbooths, the 7th Sanitary Ware Painting Competition to be the stage for students and others to show up their creativity. We believe that architect’17 will be one of the completed and worthwhile building technology exposition in ASEAN.”
Architect’ 17  “BAAN BAAN Reconsidering Dwelling”
Tuesday 2- Sunday 7 May 2017
At Challenger Hall 1-3 Impact Muang Thong Thani
Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn will preside over the opening ceremony on Tuesday 2 May, 2017, at 15.00 at the front hall, Challenger Hall, Impact Muang Thong Thani.


Background


The Association of Siamese Architects under Royal Patronage (ASA) has organized “Architect’1986” exhibition to promote professionalism in architecture since 1986 (except for 1990) until today or 30 times, with around 350,000 visitors annually. In 2017, ASA board members (2016-2018) agreed to organize “Architect’17 or 31st of its kind from Tuesday 2-Sunday 7 May, 2017 at 1-3 Challenger Hall, Impact Muang Thong Thani, Chaeng Wattana Road, Banmai Sub-district, Pak Kret District, Nonthaburi Province, in accordance with the following objectives.    
Objectives
To publicize and promote ASA activities and professionalism by presenting construction materials, architectural innovation and professional advancement to members and the society, while providing technical services to the general public, students and college students. The event will display materials and products relating to architecture, interior design and construction.   


Key concept of Architect’s 17
“BAAN BAAN” Reconsidering Dwelling


“Dwelling” is a fundamental to the well-being of everyone in every society and every culture. At the same time, house is considered a small unit of the architecture. While expanding or uniting, homes form a community and a city with more complexity.   "Dwelling" is also a beginning of the space to create a good relationship within the family, the neighborhood, the community and the city in different dimensions.


Realizing the importance of architecture, ASA is organizing Architect’17 under the theme “BAAN BAAN Reconsidering Dwelling” to promote the new concept and innovation in the architectural industry regarding people’s residence. The exhibition also opens up the forum for an exchange of knowledges and ideas among professionals in architectural and engineering industries, as well as construction contractors, related businessmen, and most importantly the general public who are interested in home which is the fundamental for their living.


“BAAN BAAN Reconsidering Dwelling” is categorized into three parts: dwelling, dwelling components and dwelling surroundings. The three parts of exhibition will present the concepts of typology, tectonic and thoughts in simple language.  


Architect’s 17 “BAAN BAAN Reconsidering Dwelling” strives to promote the concept and guidelines for residential designs in various dimension as reflected by the architects from the new generation to the current one to  the general public, while presenting the process in conceptualization and innovation in architectural design at the national level and in the stage of international leadership.


Exhibition and Activity Highlights


Exhibition
  1. Dwelling
  • In Remembrance of King Rama IX Memorial Exhibition is categorized into two major exhibitions.  
  1. Architect of the land
The exhibition pays tribute to His Majesty the King Bhumibol Adulyadej for his great contribution to his people. The exhibition showcases his talents and his concepts about home and sufficiency theory that he has given to Thai people. The exhibition will be displayed in new multimedia format to give the visitors a different experience to learn and understand the stories.  


  1. Gratitude to His Majesty the King Rama IX
The exhibition is a tribute to the contribution of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej who has dedicatedly worked hard for his people. The exhibition will be presented via two-dimensional visuals by architects with different ways of presentation.


    • BAAN BAAN Mockup


The exhibition shows residential projects in different formats which can be Built Project, Unbuilt Project and Experimental Project. ASA architect members nationwide are invited to submit their housing type to be selected and displayed in a mockup installation with explanatory concepts to make the general public easily understand the work of the architect.


    • BAAN BAAN Case Study


The exhibition presents the creativity of ASA members in designing the New House which has been rebuilt from the old Adaptive Reused House. The visitors will see different models of detached house according to size and budget.

    • Reconsidering Dwelling


The exhibition presents distinctive characteristics of different type of homes (Dwelling Typology) which provides a framework for thoughts including type, space and exterior. The exhibition presents interesting case studies classified by categories as well as the relationship between the occupied space and users including:
        1. Temporary User / Temporary Site
        2. Temporary User / Permanent Site
        3. Permanent User / Permanent Site


The selected case studies are explained by activities and lifestyle of the residents.    


    • Arcasia Social Housing


The exhibition is organized by the cooperation of 19 member countries of ARCASIA under the title “Social Housing” which shows the development guidelines and creative dwelling design with cultural context of Asian countries in every related dimension.
    • Traditional and Vernacular Thai Dwelling


This exhibition shows the lifestyle of people in different periods in the past,  which has evolved with time by presenting various forms of traditional Thai houses and ethnic houses  as per the users such as Colonial house, Governor house, Chinese shophouse and hilltribe dwelling. The exhibition features the architectural mockup with details to show life inside the house.


    • BAAN BAAN Photo Essay


“BAAN BAAN Photo Essay” opens the space for students, architects and the general public to question the meaning of “home” and “residence” as well as “living” by focusing on “people” to tell stories, boundary and various dimension of “home”, while inviting the visitors to think about the role of architects and architecture.

    • Tectonic and Technology


Tectonic and Technology exhibition features three zones.
1. Fix and Create: The space for the general public to study the process of construction and production from digital/fabrication featuring 3D scanner and 3D printer, which will increasingly involve in daily life. Fix and Create zone is presented in open source joinery format that the visitors can download from internet and reproduce by 3D printer for use with various materials on the market.  


2 Humans and Robots:If robots are used to replace humans, what will be the role of architects and robots in architecture? The exhibition compares the results done by humans and robots and shows the guidelines for co-operation in the future as well as the robot’s real-time operation.


3.World and Virtual Reality: Jointly create new architectural experience by virtual reality technology (VR). Visitors will have an opportunity to appreciate the works of their favorite architects and enjoy the Thai-style Haunted House game. 

    • Student Exhibition


The exhibition shows the potential and academic achievements of 35 educational institutions. Students’ thesis, works and award winning pieces from various educational institutions will be displayed. Each shows the living concept of students.   


    • ASA International IDEAS Competition
The exhibition shows the design finalists from the entries worldwide under the theme “BAAN BAAN/HOME .LY” which shows the differences in the concept of dwelling from every quarter of the world and understanding of the different meanings of home.


    • ASA Emerging Architecture Awards “BAAN BAAN”


The exhibition focuses on the work ofup-and-coming architect members of ASA to provide a platform and showcase their innovative and quality works.   ASA Emerging Architecture Awards 2017 this year is a result of the intense selection process by highly-recognized local and international architects. The exhibit will display the entries from the final round and the award-winning pieces. 

    • Regional architecture

 The exhibition consists of the committee members of architects in the regions such as Lanna architecture and Southern architecture to show various forms of regional home in the past and present. The exhibition displays valuable architecture via maps and visual communication.


    • ASA Conservation & Network


The exhibition is for people interested in the conservation of art and architecture, with case studies in three categories.  
1. Conservation Award shows old buildings are rich in artistic and architectural value.
2. Architectural Heritage Survey Exhibition by Vernadoc technique with the concept of people + sky home including the ancient wooden fort Mahakan Fort community, Tha Wang Shophouses and Mrigadayavan Palace. The architectural survey is done by the volunteers from Thailand and overseas.   
3. The exhibition from the members in the architectural network such as ASA and ICOMOS Thailand as well as academics and independent artisans whose work related to conservation.


    • URBA(A)N


URBA(A)N engages the visitors with to a sense of participation. The exhibition is divided in two parts: the main content is designed by incorporating Participatory Design Framework in line with the work of social architects who focus on the participatory process. This section provides basic information on the work of the community architects through tools used in the process and simulations via the Interactive Graphic Screen. The supporting content introduces an exemplary project of a group of social architects who are working to publicize the activities and allow the visitors to experience the project.


    • Others


The exhibition shows the works of ASA and other agencies which have actively contributed to the society and architectural profession in the past one year.


  1. Dwelling Components
    • Dwelling Elements


Doors, windows, walls, stairs, tables, chairs, or any item in the house are the architectural elements that are close to the residents. “Dwelling Elements" exhibition demonstrates the importance of every item of the house designed to significantly connect to the residents by presenting the specific item in different context. Twelve teams of designers reconsider the look of those items and re-design them in actual size for display.  In addition, some works have been presented under the concept of Universal Design.
  1. Surroundings:
  • Dwelling’s Surroundings


1. The exhibition shows the conceptualization around the house by taking into the consideration the residential surrounds, starting from the fence, the garden outside the house and the space of surrounding communities of which the composition has the social relations to everyday living that is publicly expressed. The exhibition zone explores the possibilities in the contextual design of the surrounding areas includes garden, market and public space through workshops, activities and new ideas.


2. Activity & Recreation Space presents the overall picture of public space to provide the area where people can meet and be able to sit and relax as if they were in a public space in the city.


1. ASA ShopASA souvenir shops selling items with stylized-pattern according to this year theme such as T-shirts and books.
2. Book Shop Architectural bookshop from more than 9 architectural institutions and agencies.
3. ASA Club Leisure area for ASA members with drinks and music available all day.
4. Market The simulation of public space in the city with greenery surrounding, shops and rest area for visitors.
5. ASA Sketch Activity area for children and aspiring artists to engage in their daily activity.
6. Additional ActivityZone accommodates  extra  activities such as an exhibition displaying the mechanical function, the construction art exhibition, an award ceremony for the design contest and the seminars by architects.  The space will be modified according to the requirement of each activity.  


7. ASA Home Fixer provides consulting services on issues such as house roof leak and wall cracks, etc. by an expert team of architects. There is also a space to communicate the knowledge via multimedia to make people understand the problems in their house.


8. Space for outside activities is a multipurpose area, which is located before the entrance to the exhibition hall to serve as a rest area where people can mingle and engage in fun activity. The outside space allows for the transformation of activities to spice up the diversity in this zone.
Academic Seminar
ASA Forum 2017 Academic forum carried out by local and international architects and experts including Studiomake / David Schafer, UID Architects / Keisuke Maeda, Architect of Sri Lanka / Anjalendran, Studio Schwitalla / Max Schwitalla  andSHINGO MASUDA+KATSUHISA OTSUBO Architects /  Shingo Masuda


ASA Night
  • ASA Reunion party of ASA members from every class and every institution.


For more information, please contact ASA
Khun Ratirat Chanthorn 0-2319-6555 ext. 113 fax.  0-2319-6419   email. asa.ratirat@gmail.com  or www.asaexpo.org  | FB :  งานสถาปนิก : ASA EXPO , asafanpage

Note: The details may be changed without advance notice.
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dtac give Aung Pao gift of free calls, free internet data for Chinese New Year Gong xi fa cai

January 26, 2017, 8:40 pm
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January 27, 2017 - Total Access Communication PCL(dtac) is celebrating the Chinese New Year by making 100,000 ‘Ang Pao’ gifts available to dtac customers who complete a transaction at any dtac center. By chance, the receiver will ether enjoy free calls to any dtac number for one day or get 1GB of free mobile data. Eligible customers are those who pay for dtac postpaid bill, buy any smartphone coupled with a dtac monthly package, activate a new dtac number, or switch to dtac via MPN. As another level of privilege, dtac BLUE MEMBER and dtac reward Xtra customers can sign up for this ‘Ang Pao’ gift by typing *140# on their phone and press call, and then show the responded message screen to redeem the gift. The celebrating runs on 28 - 29 January 2017 at any dtac center nationwide.
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Superbrands Award Presentation Ceremony 2016

January 26, 2017, 11:30 pm
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Twenty Seven leading Thai brands also honoured with Superbrands status at the 7th 'Oscars of Branding' tribute event.
Bangkok: Superbrands, the independent authority and arbiter of branding, announced that Siam Paragonhas won the coveted 'Brand of the Year' award at the 7th annual Superbrands tribute event, which was held at Siam Paragon, Bangkok. 27 leading Thai brands were awarded 'Superbrands' status at the gala event, which is also dubbed globally as the 'Oscars of Branding'. The event was attended by the country's most prominent senior business, marketing and branding executives and saw the unveiling of the 2016 Superbrands book featuring many of the brands voted as Superbrands.
It’s another successful year of Superbrands Thailand to reward to the awards to Excellence in Branding. Superbrands works through a market survey base throughout Thailand with 15,000 customers, marketer, PR Agencies, Brand Builders and Independent Council Members to vote for the strongest brands representing the Superbrands Thailand. The Top vote called the “Brand of the Year 2016”, was rewarded to “Siam Paragon” as they have position their brand perfectly and have worked exceptionally hard to ensure that their consumers get the best possible service.


"Winning a Superbrands title provides a strong platform to be able to support the strength of the brand while addressing the entire range of the organizations’ interactions with employees, customers both existing and potential, investors, suppliers, media, etc. The tribute event is a celebration of these high profile brands and the people who contribute to their success.”   Mike English said.
Here are the lists of the Superbrands 2016:


AIS, Blackmores, Central Food Hall, Giffarine, Hi-Kool, King Power, Kratingdaeng, Krungsri Auto, Lamina Films, LG, Major Cineplex, Mali, Mansome, MK Restaurants, Morakot, Muang Thai Life Assurance, Oishi, Orchid, Sponsor, SB Furniture,Siam Paragon, Thai Life Insurance, Tiparos, Tonson, Watsons, Yamahaand12plus

"It is heartening to see so many of Thailand’s home grown brands make it into the Superbrands Thailand book alongside large corporate entities and world famous FMCG brands. We ensure that the participation in the book is by invitation only and is a recognition brand value and the enormous effort that makes them such successful brands. Congratulations to all brands to get the Superbrands Awards this year! Mike English said.


ABOUT SUPERBRANDS:


The Superbrands organisation is acclaimed worldwide as being the independent authority and arbiter of branding excellence and is committed to paying tribute to exceptional brands and promoting the discipline of branding. The work Superbrands does is recognised through their books, Events and Awards programmes, internet sites, research and through significant international media and PR coverage in newspapers, magazines and on television and radio.
The Superbrands organisation was originally set up in London in 1994 where it published the first Superbrands book. Since then it has expanded its operations to 93  countries worldwide including Argentina, Australia, Brazil, China, Denmark, Egypt, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Kuwait. Lebanon, Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco, Netherlands, Norway, Pakistan, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Thailand, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom and the United States.
Superbrands publishes a series of books including Superbrands, Business Superbrands (on B2B brands), Cool Brands and eBrands - making the series of books the largest collection of insights into some of the greatest brands in the world. To date over 15,000 individual brands have been featured worldwide. For further information on Superbrands, please visit www.superbrands.com
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Destination Group Announces its 2017 Operational Plans

January 26, 2017, 12:30 am
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Bangkok – 13 January 2017: Chief Executive Officer & Founder of Destination Group Gary Murray announces plans for the Group this year. “Our growth is a result of the vision and mission of Destination Group as well as my industry experience of more than 27 years together with ongoing research and analysis of customer behavior and business trends in different Asian countries to develop new businesses that would meet market demands,” says Murray whose corporate headquarters are in Bangkok. “This has led to the growth and development of our hotels that we currently own and operate nearly 2,000 hotel rooms with 1,800 employees that now belong to Asia’s largest hospitality group.”
Murray’s experience working in hotel and food and development, operations, and ownership, enabled him to develop 4 and 5 star resorts overseas and in Thailand under the Hilton, Sheraton, Swissotel and Novotel brands; and now is expanding across South East Asia. “Because we always seek creative new ways to deliver exciting services and products for all occasions, we’re one of the most trusted names in the industry.”
Besides its hotels and resorts business, Destination Group has another food and beverage arm called Destination Eats which brings in leading All-American restaurants namely Hooters, Hard Rock Café and The Drunken Leprechaun to Asia.


The Group recently received the “Best Franchise Business Developer 2016” award from Hooters of America and Hard Rock Café that has had a global presence for more than 30 years. Looking ahead, Destination Eats plans to bring in more franchises for pizzas, Italian restaurants and high-end steak houses to Thailand and overseas.


The company motto, “To Create Great Places to be”, lies at the heart of the Group’s businesses. “Whether it be a great family resort like in our various Novotel Resorts, a chic and cool millennium resort like our Ibis Styles Samui Chaweng Beach, a great value business hotel like our Sheraton Four Points, or a fun and tasty place to hang out with friends like our Hard Rock Cafés or our Hooter’s Restaurants, we create wonderful guest experiences in everything we do.”


With business operations now in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Cambodia, Indonesia, and the Philippines, the Group will continue to expand through new hotel acquisitions and open more restaurants across Asia. 
The Group will continue to remain active with charities in Thailand due to Murray’s leadership in raising funds for breast cancer research, aligned with Hooters of America’s ‘Global Give a Hoot for Breast Cancer’ research fundraising campaign. Moreover, the Group raises funds to cover the annual operating costs of four orphanages that they have ‘adopted’.  

About Destination Group
Headquartered in Bangkok, Thailand, Destination Group, has a passion for creating
“Great places to be”. The Group develops and operates innovative resorts under Destination Properties and exciting food and beverage restaurant concepts for our guests under Destination Eats. CEO Gary Murray, a 27-year veteran in the hospitality business in Thailand, remains on the forefront of setting new standards and trends in hospitality and F&B, while remaining committed to operating in ways that are both environmentally and socially responsible.


The Company creates some of Thailand’s most exciting destinations, under its Destination Properties including Novotel Karon Phuket, Swissotel Resort Patong Beach Phuket, Sheraton Four Points Bangkok, Novotel Surin Beach Resort Phuket, Novotel Hooters Phuket, Novotel Hua Hin Beach Resort, and Ibis Styles Samui Resort in Chaweng Samui. The Company is also developing a major 5 star resort and convention center at its golf course located on the Eastern Seaboard.


Along with Hotels and Resorts across Thailand, Destination Group owns and operates several food and beverage brands under its Destination Eats including Hooters, Hard Rock Cafe, and the Drunken Leprechaun. Hooters of American recently awarded “2016 Developer of the Year” to the Destination Group at a recent convention in USA. Hooters and Hard Rock Cafe are iconic American brands that have been successfully operating around the world for more than 30 years each. The Group is growing its F&B platform to include a pizza brand, an Italian casual dining brand and a high-end steak concept restaurant in Thailand and overseas.


Destination Group is expanding outside of Thailand with operations open and soon-to-open in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Philippines, Indonesia, and Cambodia.


The Group has more than 1,800 employees in Thailand.


For more information about Destination Group, visit
www.destination-properties.com
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Bangkok Gourmet Festival 2017 3-5 March 2017 at Royal Paragon Hall

January 28, 2017, 1:00 am
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     Get ready for the food festival that Thailand has never experienced before. The first of its kind event with three-day celebration fills with the glory of culinary art and innovative food culture, designed to delight every gourmand’s appetite. Be part of an exciting gastronomy feast participated by celebrity chefs, master chefs and Michelin-star chefs from America, Europe and Asia who happily convene here to showcase their world-class culinary talents and expertise in cooking and dining. 3-5 March 2017 at Royal Paragon Hall, Siam Paragon.
     visit us: Website: www.bangkokgourmetfestival.com
Facebook: bangkok gourmet festival
Instagram: @bkkgourmetfestival
#BangkokGourmetFestival2017 #BangkokGourmetFestival #BGF2017 #BGF
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Ministry of Commerce launches New Economy Academy (NEA) to train entrepreneurs about Smart SMEs using digital business to take the Thai economy to Thailand 4.0

January 28, 2017, 9:53 pm
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The Ministry of Commerce introduces New Economy Academy or NEA, a hub of development and training courses for SMEs to turn them to Smart SMEs, in line with the government’s policy to strengthen the local economy and elevating the Thai economy to Thailand 4.0, using innovation, information technology, and digital technology to drive the economy locally, regionally, and globally.
Dr. Somkid Jatusripitak, Deputy Prime Minister, said, “The government has a Thailand 4.0 policy which focuses on using innovation and technology to promote SMEs and to turn local industries to Smart SMEs, through the use of information technology and digital technology to change traditional economy to creative economy and high-value services. The idea is to work less and get more. The government has laid the foundation to drive the country towards New Economy or Digital Economy, using hard infrastructure that covers all needs and functions. For digital transaction security, laws and regulations have been issued (soft infrastructure), while service infrastructure has also been implemented to maximize digital services. Entrepreneurs are also encouraged to improve their digital skills for marketing and distribution. They will be able to access government information and services using digital technology. The Ministry of Commerce has worked with Alibaba to improve ecommerce, and from the visit to the Alibaba Headquarters in Hangzhou, we have learned about the Rural Taobao project, in which Alibaba helps farmers and small businesses in rural areas to do business online through Alibaba’s platform. The Ministry has looked into this model and adapted the idea, and the result is the launch of New Economy Academy, which is the hub of SMEs in Thailand with an aim to create a nationwide network.”
Mrs. Apiradi Tantraporn, Minister of Commerce, said, “The Ministry of Commerce’s mission is to promote and improve Thai businesses in order for them to compete locally and internationally. We have set up New Economy Academy (NEA) under the supervision of DITP. NEA will be the hub of Thai SMEs, helping them to elevate themselves towards New Economy using knowledge and technology to expand their distribution channels and increase their competitiveness. It is also a network that consists of various parties – government offices, private sector, civil society, and educational institutions. The Ministry has connection in all the 77 provinces, and we have provincial Business Solution Centres which work directly with the NEA. This will become a network that helps groom Thai SMEs and gives them necessary knowledge in order to change from local to global economy.”
The official launch of New Economy Academy (NEA) is titled “Commerce 4.0 towards New Economy”, honored by Dr. Somkid Jatusripitak, Deputy Prime Minister who presides over the event. There are special talks titled “New Start: SMEs in the New World” by the Minister of Commerce,  “SMEs 4.0 Understanding Online Shoppers” by representatives from E-marketplace organizations and online markets such as Thaitrade.com, lazada, Visa, Paypal, Facebook, Line, DHL and Thai Post Office, and “Success Secret, from Local to Global” to inspire SMEs to adapt to the New Economy. Participants can also sign up for courses at NEA and other organizations that will take place throughout the year, such as digital business knowledge that covers every aspect of the business, from how to compete in the online market to e-commerce, as well as how to add value to products and services, and how to enter foreign markets. This will help Thai SMEs become Smart SMEs.
To register for courses and programmes by New Economy Academy, visit www.nea.ditp.go.th.
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‘AP Thailand’ celebrates strong partnership with ‘Mitsubishi Estate’ for a fourth year; becomes Thailand’s first real estate JV of its kind to establish a JV parent firm with registered capital of Bht 6,100 mil.

January 29, 2017, 3:00 am
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  • The first real estate joint venture in Thailand with a different managerial structure 
  • MEC Japanese team stationed permanently in Thailand in a show of confidence in AP Thailand
  • Ensures continuing growth with over Bht 47,000 million worth of JV projects to be developed in 4 years’ time
  • In the first half of this year will launch 2 major projects: Life One Wireless and Life Ladprao
  • Partnership further elevated under ‘AP Think Different’ concept making a difference in various respects: “space innovation and technology”, "knowledge and quality residences”, and “quality of life, society and community”       
  • ‘AP Digital Community’ concept integrated into space design in response to the digital lifestyle of urbanites, while developing 'AP Checklist’ as a tool in inspecting quality at every step of the process
     Bangkok (24 January 2017) – AP (Thailand) Public Company Limited, the leader in real estate development for urbanites which strives to make a difference through design innovation for space optimization, today, announced three successful years of the partnership between two leading property developers: AP Thailand and Mitsubishi Estate Group (MEC). The company revealed its business approach under the AP Think Different strategy calling for stronger cooperation.
Life One Wireless


Over the last three years, the partnership between the two companies has been more than a fund investment.  The confidence Mitsubishi Estate has in AP and Thailand is evident in their business structure since AP and Mitsubishi Estate are the first partnership to employ a different model in their real estate joint venture in Thailand.  They have also set up a parent company, called “Permium Residence Ltd.”, with a registered capital as high as Bht 6,100 million.  It is in charged with managing joint venture projects.  Mitsubishi Estate also has its specialised team from Japan stationed in Thailand, working together with AP’s team.
In 2017, as the joint venture enters its fourth year, AP and MEC plan to develop more condominiums together.  In the first half of this year will launch two projects namely Life One Wireless and Life Ladprao, while other projects are currently under review by the partnership.  From their first joint venture in 2014 to the present, AP and Mitsubishi Estate have jointly developed projects worth Bht 47,000 million.  
RHYTHM Sukhumvit 36-38

This includes eight condominium projects worth Bht 26,730 million.  Sales of the eight projects have averaged 85%.  The fourth quarter of 2016 saw the first group of buyers moving in to make their home in four completed joint venture projects, namely: 1. RHYTHM Sukhumvit 36-38; 2. ASPIRE Ratchada-Wongsawang; 3. ASPIRE Sathorn-Thapra; and 4. RHYTHM Asoke II.  The four projects have a better-than-projected ownership transfer rate, to the satisfactory of both AP and MEC.
Khun Anuphong Assavabhokhin, CEO of AP (Thailand) Pcl,said, “I am very pleased that AP Thailand and Mitsubishi Estate Group have successfully worked together over the last three years.  Our partnership is a matter of more than the money we put together, it also involves investing in building knowledge that covers everything that matters in the real estate industry.  We have actively developed extensive knowledge and technology and have elevated the standard of Thailand’s real estate industry.  Each party has a set of strengths that complement each other.  MEC has shared its expertise in general design and space design, quality control in every step of the work process.  AP has shared with and advised MEC on the principles of real estate business in Thailand.  Over the last three years, we have seen our friendship and cooperation get better and grow stronger."


As the partnership enters its fourth year, the company will continue to operate under the AP Think Different strategy, which is AP’s business cornerstone.  It will use the strategy to further elevate the cooperation between AP and MEC to improve efficiency in 3 major areas: 1) space innovation and technology focusing on making a difference in functional space and life comfort; 2) knowledge and quality residential products which form a bigger common goal to jointly elevate the stature of Thailand’s real estate industry; and 3) quality of life that will hopefully contribute to a life well lived for homeowners and society at large.    
Mr.Shojiro Kojima, Managing Director of Mitsubishi Estate Asia, on behalf of Mitsubishi Estate Group, said, “We are very pleased to partner with AP Thailand as it is Thailand’s leading property developer with great expertise, experience and work systems.  Our partnership has yielded very satisfactory results whether it be in sales and ownership transfer.”
“As for our immediate and future business direction, Thailand will continue to be one of our major investment hubs in Southeast Asia because of the growth prospect and investment opportunity it offers considering the current development and expansion of the country's transportation network, particularly the mass rapid transit system that will contributes to the growth of new urban communities. This is an important factor that makes Thailand’s real estate industry, especially the condominium market in Bangkok, appealing.  We will continue to invest together with AP, especially in condominium developments along the rapid transit lines in the city where AP is the market leader and a dominant force in the sector.  In 2017, we and AP look forward to developing joint venture projects worth at least Bht 20,000 million.” Mr. Kojima added.
As the partnership enters its fourth year, AP will continue to focus on pursuing the AP Think Different strategy as the cornerstone of AP’s business and will integrate the strategy to bring the partnership between AP and MEC to the next level of efficiency in 3 major areas:
1. Space innovation and technology: We are committed to making a difference in functional space while offering life comfort for all AP-branded residential projects.  Through our vision for an AP Digital Community, the new generation will be able to live comfortably at AP projects where the Internet of Things (IOT) will be integrated into our space design.  From now on, space design will not be limited to residential units but will also take into consideration every detail outside of the room.  New condominiums from AP will also integrate IOT in the design of common areas in keeping with urbanites’ future living trends.
2. Quality know-how and residential products: The sharing of different techniques between AP and MEC will be deeper at many levels.  This includes the AP Check List in which AP collaborated with MEC designers and quality control team. This soon be completed check list will be an important tool to control the quality of projects right from the design stage down to quality inspection.  Together with AP Academy, the first institution in Thailand for comprehensive real estate learning, MEC also helped us in developing training courses and supporting AP Open House project where Thai students are offered an opportunity to learn hands on with our Japanese partner in Japan.
3. Life quality, society and community: AP and MEC collaborated in AP Design Lab to differentiate AP residential products, and extend the benefit to improving the quality of life for people in society and nearby communities.  This year, we and MEC will continue to work together to create more good things which allow residents in our projects and society at large to live a quality life.
“From the first step of working together in residential development, today I am proud to see our friendship grow in other areas, too.  There is no bigger pride to take on than the fact that AP and its partner have made a difference under our shared passion to create quality residential innovation to elevate Thailand’s real estate industry.” Khun Anuphong concluded.
Mr. Vittakarn Chandavimol, Chief of Condominium, AP Thailand Pcl.

“AP Thailand – The Differentiator, Leader in Residential Innovation”
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Ananda Development PCL reveals its reorganisation as first UrbanTech company to better deliver Urban Living Solutions to fulfill its mission to improve the quality of Urban Life. Sees new UrbanTech revolutionizing Urban Life. Reveals wide ranging local and global collaborations

January 30, 2017, 1:00 am
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Bangkok, 30th January 2017 - Ananda Development Public Company Limited reveals it has undergone a reorganisation as the first UrbanTech company to better fulfill its mission to deliver Urban Living Solutions to improve the quality of Urban Life. The company sees new UrbanTech revolutionizing life for people in urban environments.  The company also revealed it has entered in to a wide range of collaborations on both a global and local level.
Revealing the reorganisation, Ananda CEO Mr. Chanond Ruangkritya said, “Ananda has grown rapidly from its IPO four years ago and has already become the largest seller of condominiums in Thailand and expects to triple in size again with 300% growth in transfers in the next 3 years based on projects already in the pipeline.  This represents 10X growth in 7-8 years and is the growth chart of a technology company, not of a company that pours cement.  And the company has done it without increasing its debt ratio.  We get asked how has a property company shown a growth pattern like a technology company?  How was that possible?”
He continued, “The answer is that Ananda has grown like a tech company because senior management at the top of Ananda act like it is one.  A tech company that just happens to have property development as its main business line.”
He added, “With this philosophy we have introduced innovations and new technology into every aspect of the property business, from design, to construction, to finance, to marketing, to facilities, and have fundamentally changed the nature of Thai real estate through the power of the innovations we’ve delivered. 
And what we see coming in the next 5-10 years will be nothing less than a complete revolution in how Urban Life will be lived.  Technology is developing exponentially in every field that can affect Urban Life.  In the next 5-10 years there will be a revolution affecting what your home is made of, how its built, its design, its facilities, how it integrates in to your life, how it saves you time, how it monitors and improves your health, how it improves your sleep, how it helps take care of the young and old in your family, how it integrates with transportation, how it helps you save money, how it uses clean energy, and on and on in every aspect of your life.


He added, “For the first time in human history a home is changing from what it is, materials in a certain shape in a certain location, to what it does, how it and everything in it are part of your life.”


He continued, “Our mission is to deliver Urban Living Solutions to improve the quality of Urban Life, and the rate of change and disruption in all aspects of life, including property is increasing every year at an exponential rate.  One statistic we look at is that the average lifespan of a Fortune 500 company in the US has fallen from 90 years in 1935 to 15 years by 2005 and probably under 10 years now.


So even though we have been incredibly successful in delivering innovations that improve our customers’ lives and deliver better performance for our company, we believe that in order to continue this success we need to constantly change and improve our own way of doing things.”


He continued, “For this reason we have undertaken a fundamental reorganisation of Ananda, creating two new C level positions and creating new tasks for some existing C level officers as well as repositioning Ananda as an UrbanTech company to better be able to identify and implement disruptive technologies that are affecting Urban Living.


The reorganisation comprises several initiatives that have been implemented inside Ananda for some time already as well as several new initiatives being deployed this year.


The basis of the innovation strategy powering Ananda as an UrbanTech company is the realization that technology is changing in every aspect and changes in areas of technology that seem to have no link to your business can end up disrupting it in a fundamental way.  For example, its obvious that the iPhone killed Nokia, another phone maker, but it also killed Kodak, a camera company.”


He added, “What this means is that no company can develop sufficient expertise in enough domains of knowledge to be able to understand oncoming potential disruptions to its business.”  


He explained, “So an innovation strategy should be based, not on developing that expertise and knowledge, but on developing access to expertise and knowledge as its needed.  What we call a strategy of “Access Management not Asset Management”


He continued, “The second fundamental driver of our innovation strategy is the knowledge that innovation has a high failure rate.  Therefore it becomes a game of large numbers.  A company needs to have a way to identify, interact with, assess and risk manage large numbers of innovations without getting swamped or having budgets blown out.


Our strategy to meet these two needs is based on two parts.  The external facing initiatives and internal innovation pipeline management.”


He continued, “Our external initiatives consist of three parts: 1.  Ecosystem Support 2.  Fund of Funds 3. Corporate Venture Capital.  Ecosystem support is a strategy to support other players in the innovation ecosystem rather than set up competing facilities or events.  So we sponsor of other people’s events rather than run our own.  We support existing incubators and accelerators rather than start our own etc.  This gives us access to the technology, ideas, knowledge and people across a wider range of domains for less cost and effort on our part, while simultaneously being a good thing for the entire innovation community.  


He continued, “Our Fund of Funds strategy will see Ananda invest in VC funds around the world in key markets with a policy of being an ‘Active LP’ meaning we get to see the deal flow, meet the entrepreneurs and interact.  This gives us a global reach and visibility, while still earning a return on the investment, so its an investment not a cost.”


He added, “Our Corporate Venture Capital vehicle will be used to invest directly in to companies that we feel are a good investment, have a technology we want to bring to our core business, or have teams we want to support.  It will act with the same discipline and rigor as a professional VC. “


He stated that, “Internally we have developed what we call the ‘Innovation Pipeline’, which is a structuring of how innovation is handled by the company in two ways, how new ideas are assessed and implemented, and how demands for solutions to problems can be found for our customers and Business Units.”


We view Innovation as so important that we have created two new C level positions  The Ecosystem Support and Innovation Pipeline will be managed by a new C level position, Chief Innovation Officer.  We are delighted to be able to announce that we have already recruited Dr. Chet Yong to this position.  Dr Chet is …”


He continued, “Dr. Chet’s responsibilities will also encompass being on the ‘Think Tank’ within Ananda of senior level leaders that adds input to all innovation related activities.”


He added, “The company has also created a new position of Chief Customer Officer to support our innovation activities.  This position is tasked with supporting the deployment of UrbanTech to better customers’ lives and also to gather customer needs and pain points and push that agenda throughout the organization to discover innovations to meet those needs.”


He added, “The two funds will be set up and overseen by our Chief Strategic Development Officer, Dr John Millar. Who has been with Ananda for several years already fulfilling a variety of roles and was instrumental in setting up the new innovation strategy.  Dr. Millar also has a long history of innovation support work before he joined Ananda through his own company Enterprise Accelerator, based in Cambridge, UK, that supported early stage technology companies throughout the UK.”


He continued, “Ananda has been delivering market leading innovation since its birth and has been a market changer since its IPO in 2012.  This new UrbanTech strategy will take us to a new level.”
A number of the results of his new UrbanTech strategy can already be seen.  Our new Ananda Campus office at the FYI Center on Rama IV was opened in August 2016 and is the smartest office in Asia.  It was developed in collaboration with Cisco and Samsung and includes technologies never before sold outside North America.  This office is a machine to allow us to achieve our goal of 300% growth in 3 years with no increase in headcount, meaning it’s a machine using technology to help raise the productivity of all our staff by 300% over the next 3 years.”


He added, “Our Ecosystem Support strategy has already seen us host the SCB Bank Digital Ventures Accelerator batch one in our offices leading to useful cross fertilization between the entrepreneurs and our staff and vice versa.  We have hosted other events such the Line Finance launch event.  We have hosted training events such as a recent two day training conference with Seedstars. We funded local co-working space company Hubba to run a hackathon and have also sponsored a fact finding trip for them, with Ananda senior management, to Silicon Valley’s Singularity University”


He continued, “We are currently running pilots with over a dozen new technologies from around the world including Thailand’s very own Haupcar, which will begin a pilot at two of our buildings, Ideo Q Chula Samyan and Ideo Mobi Eastgate, beginning February 2nd 2017.


We will be beginning a series of events and activities with Seedstars to make Thailand a key hub in the global network beginning in the second quarter of this year and our own Dr John Millar has been invited to be a speaker at their annual ‘Davos for startups’ Seedstars startup conference in Geneva this April.”


He added, "We are also pleased to announce that Sasin Graduate Business School of Chulalongkorn University and Ananda Development will cooperate to produce research that delineates and describes the local innovation ecosystem to enable better collaboration and cooperation between participants for the betterment of the community.”
He concluded, “Our  UrbanTech strategy has raised innovation to be the heart Ananda to power us to leading an UrbanTech revolution delivering Urban Living Solutions to improve the quality of Urban Life for all the people.”


About Ananda Development PCL


Ananda is a publicly listed real estate development company listed on the Stock Exchange of Thailand (Symbol: ANAN)  


The company is the leading developer in Thailand of residential condominium projects within 300 meters of mass transit stations.  The company also develops landed housing projects in Bangkok.

Ananda’s primary brands are "IDEO" condominiums, situated within 300 meters of a mass transit station, which are targeted at first home buyers and professionals who value modern design, convenience and ease-of-access when choosing a place to live, and “ELIO” condominiums, situated within 600 meters of a mass transit station, which are aimed at those who want the IDEO lifestyle but at a lower cost. In addition, “UNIO” condominiums are developed which super-value condominiums at starting price below 1 million Baht
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Automotive Industry Predictions 2017

January 30, 2017, 12:00 am
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Data and electric driving Automotive in new directions in 2017
The race to integrate new lightweight materials into mainstream models will intensify, decades-old production processes will need to be transformed and China will grow its lead in Electric Vehicle (EV) production. Automotive competition in 2017 will be fierce—but will come from unexpected directions. Stefan Issing, Global Industry Director for Automotive at IFS, predicts that these trends will drive the industry in 2017.

EV powers up in the East

In 2017 global consumers will keep racing to reduce their emissions. Sales of alternative fuel cars will double, rising to 20% of total global sales in 2017, compared to 10% in 2015, according to analysts Horvath. And the bulk of these new sales will be in China, which will continue to corner the market in the mass production of EVs—whilst Europe and the US lag behind. In 2015 China increased production of EVs from 109,000 to 240,000 units. To put it into perspective: during the same period UK sales rose from 18,000 to 23,000 units. In July 2016 the market share for EVs in China broke through the 1% barrier, up to 1.1% of all new car sales. It may not sound like much, but 1.1% meant 34,000 new EVs on Chinese roads in July 2016, a 188% increase over June. In 2017 and 18 China will continue to outstrip Europe and the US in EV production and market share.

So how did China achieve this? And what lessons does it offer US and European OEMs and policy makers? China already set the bar high for reducing fuel consumption in vehicles even back in 2005. At the beginning of its IV-Phase drive to reduce fuel consumption, China, like Europe, included consumer incentives. But, unlike Europe the US or Canada, it also set strict targets for reducing fuel consumption—for individual vehicles as well as fleets. Phase IV, launched January 2016, set a new fleet average target of 5.0 L/100 km for vehicles sold in 2020. And although complex, the system is flexible. Phase IV offers manufacturers a flexible schedule for complying, plus fuel consumption credits for off-cycle fuel saving technologies like start-stop engines, tire pressure monitoring systems, gear shift indicators and efficient A/C systems. This long-term, target-driven approach has been a winner. A 2016 McKinsey report, ‘Finding the fast lane: Emerging trends in China’s auto market’, says: “The majority of EV owners (in China) are keen to buy EVs again. The proportion of consumers who say they are interested in buying an EV has tripled since 2011.”

The lessons for European OEMs and policy makers are clear: a long-term EV strategy that includes more than piecemeal customer invectives is vital. Compare China’s performance to Germany for example, a buyer’s premium incentive resulted in a rise of only 8% (14,013 sold units) of EVs.

Central to China’s success too has been its network of charging stations. It still leaves a lot to be desired. But between 2010 and 2015 the number of charging stations in China grew from 1,122 to 49,000. Factor in privately owned charging stations and stations for buses and logistics vehicles and in 2015 the total number of stations reached 160,000. China aims to build 12,000 centralized charging stations and 4.8 million provincial charging stations by 2020, to meet a forecast demand of 5 million EVs. A robust strategy for charging stations is essential for EV uptake.

In 2017 we could well see European manufacturers increase their presence in China around advanced safety technology and crash testing. China is already coming to Europe to test many of their domestic car models. In 2017 and beyond European manufactures will help China develop its safety and testing capabilities—as China continues to showcase the benefits of a robust, comprehensive EV strategy.

Less weight, more power—the race for lighter materials  

Formula One is a hothouse for the development of ultra-high-speed, ultra-light-weight, tough, crash-resistant materials. In 2017 materials and technologies developed in Formula One will keep transitioning into mainstream serial manufacture. But cost will remain an issue. Big-money marketing means that for Formula One developers cost is not a priority. For OEM producers it is. But many are achieving increased quality and cost reduction. 2016 has seen excellent advances in serial vehicles that are safer, lighter and more powerful. In 2017 we’ll see even more. All show the serious competitive edge large-scale manufactures get when they learn closely from smaller, high-end, innovative manufactures,  
Take 2016’s new Range Rover Evoque. It’s safer, more powerful—and 300 kg lighter than its predecessors. The new Evoque has a powerful, all-aluminium engine that is 20-30 kg lighter than earlier models, delivering fuel economy of up to 4.2 l/100 km and CO2 emissions of 109 g/km. BMW too has pioneered new aluminium and carbon fibre materials. Its 2016 i8 model uses more carbon and carbon fibre parts than ever before, combining aluminium, magnesium, high-strength steel and carbon fibre-reinforced plastic (CFRP). The i8 is over 63 kg lighter than earlier models.
But Audi’s new e-tron range brings together all the trends. A high-speed, high-power hybrid it combines increased battery size and lighter weight. The first plug-in hybrid with a six-cylinder diesel engine, the e-tron consumes 1.7 l / 100 km—less than 50 grams CO2 per km. The lithium-ion battery stores 17.3 kWh of energy, delivering a range of up to 56 km in all-electric mode. Its body structure is developed from a new multi-material design that uses aluminium and high-grade lightweight steel. The whole SUV weighs 1,995 km—about the same as a concert grand piano.

And new materials are only half the story. New vehicles mean new processes. The growth of EVs and hybrids mean many manufacturing processes largely unchanged since Ford’s Model T, are being turned on their head—literally. In EVs and hybrids the battery is one of the last parts to go in, in the rear of the car, a complete reversal of traditional processes. And take the Audi e-tron: It has a longitudinally mounted engine, constructed using a sophisticated modular matrix system, a far call from the traditional production line. For suppliers and manufactures automation and new processes will power their competitive edge. Manufacturing plants like Tesla’s, that rather than having a sequential line have several automated stations, will become the norm. The Tesla plant employs 3,000 people and 180 highly versatile, specialized robots. Process efficiency drives everything.
The life cycle of vehicles reduces year by year, new models arriving thick and fast. In 2017 we will see the backbone of auto manufacturing—the production line—streamline, automate and diversify at even greater speed as manufactures and supplier race to produce lighter more powerful vehicles faster. The effects will spread throughout the supply chain. Suppliers too will need to be more innovative, faster and more agile—often transforming their logistics and production processes as smaller, more technologically advanced suppliers start challenging older ones. Speed of development, production and supply will be of the essence. And end-to-end agility and visibility key.

Connected cars power ahead

Brand power isn’t what it used to be. Brand loyalty will dwindle as millennials and up and coming generations of drivers increasingly explore long-term leases and car sharing. For these new consumers digital capabilities will be a key differentiator. Which services, networks and data can they access? How enabled will their vehicle be? Take again the Range Rover Evoque. It has a centrally-mounted, eight-inch swipe infotainment touchscreen as standard. With smartphone apps built-in. A hands-free tailgate function lets owners automatically open and close the tailgate by waving their foot under the rear bumper. Is this range of services unusual? No. The model still sells primarily on power and weight. The premium range of apps and digital functions is expected as standard.
Many IT requirements will become mandatory by 2018 too. In the US it will become law, says the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), to have a rear camera. Every year in the US approximately 200 people are killed and 14,000 injured in back-over accidents, when drivers reverse over someone without noticing them. For most manufactures rear cameras are already a priority.  By 2017 80% of all manufactured cars will have one. Back-up cameras are included on around half of all new cars sold in the US today. Wi-Fi hotspots in vehicles too will become the rule not the exception. In 2017 20% of car manufactures will provide WLAN hotspots.  In Europe Audi and BMW are both leading the way. In the US Chrysler, Ford and GM are all powering ahead in hotspot enablement.
Lighter, faster, more powerful and safer—in many ways the ‘next generation’ of vehicles is already with us. Constantly changing our understanding of what a ‘car’ is, what we can do in it and how we power it. For manufactures and suppliers it means new directions, new processes, new capabilities and new strategies—and the sooner the better as the road ahead speeds up.
Author: Stefan Issing
Global Industry Director for Automotive at IFS
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Trend Micro Named as a Leader in IDC MarketScape on Worldwide Email Security

January 30, 2017, 12:00 am
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DALLAS, January 2017– Trend Micro Incorporated (TYO: 4704), a global leader in cybersecurity solutions, has been named a Leader in the IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Email Security 2016 Vendor Assessment (doc #US41943716, December 2016).

“Trend Micro is placed in the Leaders category in this [year’s] IDC MarketScape for making its messaging product a prominent part of its security suite, which also includes its endpoint, web, encryption, mobile, and soon network security products,” according to the report.

Trend Micro’s focus on some of the newest concepts in email security, such as specialized threat analysis and protection (STAP) features including sandboxing technologies, and anti–spear phishing protocols, helped to achieve a Leader position. In addition, customers liked Trend Micro’s easy set up and use of the email product.

“We are committed to staying at the forefront of attack trends and protecting our customers from these evolving security threats,” said Kevin Simzer, executive vice president, sales, marketing and business development for Trend Micro. “Our goal is to make our email security products user-friendly, with numerous leading capabilities across a variety of environments to fit customers’ needs while providing the highest level of security against malicious emails and threats.”

According to the IDC MarketScape report, “Trend Micro is very good at listening to customers and adjusting its products based on the current trends according to its customers.” The report further explains how Trend Micro’s “channel partnership, sales structure, and multiple bundling options with its own products and partners make it easy to purchase the product and any additional products and features exactly how, when, and where a customer requires them.”

For more information on IDC MarketScape positioning, please visit https://resources.trendmicro.com/IDC-MarketScape-Email-Security-Leader.html.
About IDC MarketScape
IDC MarketScape vendor analysis model is designed to provide an overview of the competitive fitness of ICT (information and communications technology) suppliers in a given market. The research methodology utilizes a rigorous scoring methodology based on both qualitative and quantitative criteria that results in a single graphical illustration of each vendor's position within a given market.  IDC MarketScape provides a clear framework in which the product and service offerings, capabilities and strategies, and current and future market success factors of IT and telecommunications vendors can be meaningfully compared. The framework also provides technology buyers with a 360 degree assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of current and prospective vendors.  

About Trend Micro
Trend Micro Incorporated, a global leader in cybersecurity solutions, helps to make the world safe for exchanging digital information. Our innovative solutions for consumers, businesses, and governments provide layered security for data centers, cloud environments, networks and endpoints. All our products work together to seamlessly share threat intelligence and provide a connected threat defense with centralized visibility and control, enabling better, faster protection. With more than 5,000 employees in over 50 countries and the world’s most advanced global threat intelligence, Trend Micro enables organizations to secure their journey to the cloud.  For more information, visit www.trendmicro.com.
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dtac reports FY16 net profit of THB2.1 billion

January 30, 2017, 12:30 am
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January 30, 2017– dtac reports consolidated revenues and net profit for the fiscal year 2016 of THB82.5 billion and THB2.1 billion, respectively.
FY16 was another year of massive investment in network, to quickly expand nationwide 4G-coverage and enhance customers’ mobile Internet experience on dtac’s ‘Super 4G Network’, the widest 4G-1800MHz bandwidth in the market. Throughout the year, additional 20k base stations were rolled out, bringing the nationwide network coverage to 94% of total population, and covering every district in Thailand with 4G services. Consequently, customers’ satisfaction on our network quality has been gradually improving, as indicated by several third-party surveys conducted regularly throughout the year. At the end of 2016, number of 4G subscribers reached 5.0 million, up from 2.2 million a year ago. The total subscriber base stood at 24.5 million, more than 95% of which had already been registered under DTN.

On the back of network improvement, best offers in the market, attractive handset campaigns, expansion of dtac retail shops, and enhanced dtac rewards loyalty program, postpaid subscriber base and revenues for FY16 continue to grow strongly, with 701k net additional subscribers and 10% growth of service revenues. However, it was an unusual year for the prepaid segment, with unsustainable level of handset subsidies in the market in addition to an ongoing trend of prepaid-to-postpaid subscriber conversion. We were cautious in spending huge amount of money on prepaid handset subsidies. In addition, we’ve put a plan in place to stabilize and turn around the prepaid segment, including network perception campaign, channel efficiency improvement and expansion, personalized offers, and enhanced dtac rewards loyalty program.

Notwithstanding strong growth in the postpaid segment, total service revenues excluding IC for FY16 declined 2.3% from the same period last year. Revenues from data services continue to grow strongly, reaching 55% of service revenues excluding IC, a 9-percentage-point increase from last year. dtac, with a strong spectrum portfolio of 50MHz bandwidth and the largest contiguous bandwidth in the 1800MHz frequency band, is well positioned to capture the growth of data demand and provide best wireless services to its customer base on 2G/3G/4G technologies.

Despite a decline in revenues and higher level of handset subsidies, EBITDA held up well at THB27.9 billion, indicating the success in containing operating expenses through various operation excellence initiatives. EBITDA margin improved 200bps from last year to reach 33.8% of total revenues. Depreciation and amortization expenses continued to go up due to continuous investment in the network. Consequently, net profit for FY16 declined 65% from the same period last year.

In Q416, dtac made a provision for the impairment of assets in the amount of THB5,185 million, resulting in a negative retained earnings of THB1,189 million on the stand-alone financial statements. The impairment was resulted from the investment in concession network, while cash flow had continuously been moving from dtac to DTN, a subsidiary holding the 2.1GHz license from NBTC. The impairment is a non-cash item and has no impact on overall business operation and the consolidated financial statements. Furthermore, the negative retained earnings will be offset against statutory reserve and share premium upon getting an approval from the shareholders.

The outlook for 2017 comprises (1) service revenue excluding IC at the same level as last year, (2) EBITDA at least at the same level as last year, and (3) CAPEX in the range of THB17-20 billion.

Lars Norling, dtac’s Chief Executive Officer, said “We are pleased to see the continued growth in data service and the postpaid segment, indicating the improvement in network quality and perception after massive network expansion for the past 2 years. Moreover, we continue to maintain our value-for-money position and offer our customers the best Internet experience on dtac’s ‘Super 4G Network’. For the prepaid segment, we have a solid plan to turn it around, including, among other things, network perception campaign, personalized offers, channel expansion and efficiency improvement, and enhanced dtac rewards loyalty program. Our cash flows and financial position remain strong, and we are ready for new business opportunities that may arise in the future.”
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UNHCR appoints Praya “Pu” Lundberg as first Goodwill Ambassador in Thailand

January 31, 2017, 12:00 am
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Photo: From left, Australian Embassy Ms. Lucy Rhydwen-Marett; Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ms. Wichulee Chotbenjakul; United Nations Resident Coordinator Mr.Luc Stevens; UNHCR Thailand's Goodwill Ambassador Praya Lundberg; UNHCR Thailand Representative Ms. Ruvendrini Menikdiwela; French Embassy (First Secretary) Mr. Christophe Carlucci; Sweden Embassy Mr.Staffan Herrstrom; Ambassador of Finland Mrs.Satu Suikkari-Kleven; Minister for Political Affairs of the Embassy of Japan Mr.Shutaro Ohmura.

BANGKOK, 31 January, 2017– UNHCR today announced the appointment of Thai actress and model Praya “Pu” Lundberg as its Goodwill Ambassador, the first in the country and in South-East Asia. The official announcement was made at a press conference at the United Nations Conference Centre (UNCC) in Bangkok in the presence of government officials, the diplomatic corps and members of the media.
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UNHCR appoints Praya “Pu” Lundberg as first Goodwill Ambassador in Thailand

January 31, 2017, 12:30 am
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The actress and model joins UNHCR’s global Goodwill Ambassador team to stand with refugees at a time of multiple refugee crises.

BANGKOK, January 31, (UNHCR) – The UN Refugee Agency today announced the appointment of Thai actress and model Praya “Pu” Lundberg as its Goodwill Ambassador, the first in the country and in South-East Asia.
The official announcement was made today at a press conference at the United Nations Conference Centre (UNCC) in Bangkok in the presence of government officials, the diplomatic corps and members of the media.
Ms. Lundberg’s journey with UNHCR Thailand began nearly three years ago when she contacted the agency to offer her support to people forced to flee their homes due to war, conflict and persecution. Since then, she has visited four refugee camps in Thailand and promoted UNHCR’s Namjai for Refugees campaign to assist refugees in the country. Last year she also joined over 60 top celebrities around the world for the #WithRefugees campaign that delivered over 1.2 million public signatures in support of refugees at the UN General Assembly’s special session on refugees and migrants.
“Goodwill Ambassadors are the most recognizable public faces of UNHCR. They help to bring our organization to every corner of the world through their influence, dedication and hard work,” said Ruvendrini Menikdiwela, UNHCR’s Representative in Thailand. “I am delighted to welcome Praya “Pu” Lundberg to our global network and grateful for her commitment to make a difference in the lives of people who are forced to flee their homes.”
With this appointment, Ms. Lundberg follows in the footsteps of UNHCR Special Envoy Angelina Jolie and UNHCR Goodwill Ambassadors such as Cate Blanchett, Ger Duany, Jung Woo-Sung and Yao Chen.
“It is an honour to join UNHCR’s Goodwill Ambassador Team,” said Ms. Lundberg. “To me, refugees are not different from us, but what they have been through is far beyond what we can imagine. I am deeply touched by how they manage to keep their dignity, hopes and dreams after everything they have faced in their lives. I am committed to do my best to raise my voice for these people.”
As UNHCR Thailand’s first Goodwill Ambassador, Ms. Lundberg will continue to raise awareness, funds and advocate for the rights of refugees in Thailand and abroad. This year she plans to complete her tour of all nine border camps in Thailand, and visit Jordan’s Zaatari refugee camp, one of the largest refugee camps in the world.
“In today’s complicated global context of overlapping conflicts and displacement situations, it is vital to gain support from all stakeholders,” said Menikdiwela. “Celebrities and other high-profile personalities can use their reputation to influence change and improve the lives of displaced people.”
More than 65 million people have been forcibly displaced around the world as a result of new and unresolved conflicts – a scale not seen since the end of World War II.
For more information about Praya “Pu” Lundberg as UNHCR’s Goodwill Ambassador
www.unhcr.org/praya-lundberg
For more information about UNHCR’s Goodwill Ambassador
Support refugees with Pu Praya and UNHCR at #PuforUNHCR  
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dtac partner with 12-leading bank to delight digital generation,offering 3 million MB of free mobile data through campaign “Get Free Data Equivalent to Top-up Value”

January 31, 2017, 1:00 am
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     January 31, 2017– Mr. Sarut Vanichpun, Vice President for Prepaid Division at Total Access Communication PCL (dtac), said: “dtac strives to develop our 4G network and signal to support and cover all lifestyles of our customers because we are aware of their needs around communication, data transmission and lifestyles. Financial transactions processed on digital banking platforms are on the rise, both via Internet banking and mobile banking, because they are more convenient, secure and can be self-completed quickly whenever we want. At present, dtac mobile top-ups via banking channels total well over 3 million transactions per month, and the number keeps growing. The customers who use these channels are primarily smartphone users with rather high Internet usage per day and have a quite-established online lifestyle.”

dtac therefore foresees an opportunity to deliver more happiness to the customers. The company has partnered with twelve leading banks in Thailand—Kasikornbank, Bangkok Bank, SCB, Krungthai Bank, TMB Bank, Krungsri Bank, Citibank, Government Savings Bank, Thanachart Bank, CIMB Thai Bank, UOB and Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives—to roll out a new campaign called “Get Free Data Equivalent to Top-up Value”. Every dtac mobile top-up of 100 baht or more via mobile banking or Internet banking service of these banks or via their ATM, which can be found in 47,000 locations nationwide, immediately gives the customers a baht-equivalent amount of free mobile Internet data in megabytes. Privilege for Kasikornbank customers, free megabytes are doubled when the top-up is done on its channels. The campaign runs from today until 31 March.
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LINE Thailand Announces 2016 Milestones

January 31, 2017, 1:00 am
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Plus 10 Fascinating Things to Know About LINE
BANGKOK – Jan. 31, 2017 – To celebrate another year as Thailand’s leading platform, LINE Thailand has released an infographic outlining the company’s milestones for 2016.

Among the year’s highlights for LINE Thailand:
  • LINE MAN is the No. 1 food delivery app.
  • LINE TODAY is the No. 1 mobile news portal.
  • LINE GAME is the No. 1 mobile gaming platform.
  • 12 million downloads for LINE TV.
  • Top LINE TV programs are “Pentor” and “I Hate You, I Love You.”
  • Over 500 million LINE stickers have been downloaded, led by “Tuagom Pop-up Stickers,” “Brown & Cony’s Big Love,” and “Noo-Hin: Noune Hin Hae.”
  • 3 million monthly active users for LINE Webtoon, led by the series “Teenage Mom.”
  • Over 2 million users for Rabbit LINE Pay.
  • Thailand is officially LINE’s second-largest market. More than 83% of Thailand’s mobile users use LINE, spending one-third of their mobile time using LINE apps.

Ariya Banomyong, Managing Director of LINE Thailand, said:  
“In 2016, LINE announced its vision to go beyond chat, transforming from an app to a platform. With 500 million sticker downloads in 2016, stickers remain the Thai people's favorite way of communicating and expressing emotions.”

“We are also excited that LINE MAN became the No. 1 food delivery service in Thailand and LINE TODAY became the No. 1 mobile news portal, both of which were launched last year. In addition, LINE TV made news with exclusive series like ‘I Hate You, I Love You,’ ‘Diary Tootsies,’ ‘Pentor,’ and many more. Run by a Thai team, LINE is proud that LINE TV supports the Thai content eco-system and Thai content partners. Similarly, services like LINE MAN and LINE FINANCE are the result of partnering with Thai start-ups.”

“In 2017, we will keep walking the walk. Beyond business, we will continue to support the growth of the digital ecosystem and bring useful services to the Thai people.”

With the new infographic, LINE Thailand also announced 10 Fascinating Things to Know About LINE:

  1. LINE messaging service was launched in 2011 in Japan, after the earthquake and tsunami tragedy damaged the country’s telecoms infrastructure.
  2. 83 percent of all mobile-based internet users in Thailand use LINE.
  3. The LINE Thailand office was established in 2014, and today it is LINE’s second-biggest market in the world after Japan.
  4. LINE’s sticker set “Chat & Charity,” featuring cartoon characters drawn by Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, was the first local CSR sticker set in Thailand.
  5. Thailand is the No.1 market for LINE for the average number of sent-images daily.
  6. LINE’s revenues come from online advertising, communications, contents, and LINE character licensing.
  7. LINE TV was launched in Thailand before anywhere else in the world, making its debut in October 2014.
  8. The LINE Friend Sally is actually a female chick. People always think that Sally is a duck. However, she is very strong, with a ravenous appetite that far outmatches her tiny size.
  9. Choco is Brown’s littler sister. She is a fashionista who loves social media and snapping selfies. She was introduced at the LINE Tokyo Conference 2016 in March. She can be clearly identified by the cute ribbon in her hair.
  10. In addition to Sally and Choco, there are nine more Friends characters:
Brown: He is tight-lipped, and loves nature, sunbathing and creating.
Cony: She is always cheerful, and likes yummy food and cute stuff.
Moon: He is rather whimsical, always riding an emotional roller coaster.
James: He is a narcissist who is very interested in his looks and loves himself more than anything.
Jessica: She is very girly and good at everything. She likes cleaning and shopping.
Boss: He is a typical old guy who likes seafood, poetry and to be loved.
Leonard: He is quiet and introverted. He prefers having time alone.
Edward: He is a clever and sharp-witted caterpillar who likes exploring, observing and Sally.
Pangyo: He is a cute and tender panda who full of ideas. He is infatuated with Choco.
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About LINE Corporation:
Japan-based LINE Corporation (NYSE:LN/TSE:3938) operates the LINE messaging app, a global service used in more than 230 countries and regions. It offers free one-to-one and group messaging, as well as a diverse array of lively stickers that can be used to express feelings difficult to convey with just words – like body language for texting. Free domestic and international voice and video calls are also available. In addition to its messaging app, the company offers a wide range of other services, including games and photo-sharing apps.

About LINE Thailand:
Established in 2014, LINE Thailand manages local sales and marketing strategies, as well as developing new businesses and services in LINE’s second-biggest market (after Japan). LINE services and family apps available in Thailand include the LINE messaging app, LINE GAME, LINE TV, stickers, official accounts, LINE@, LINE GIFTSHOP, LINE MAN, LINE TODAY, and LINE FINANCE.

Official website: linecorp.com/en/
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Fit Camp Expo 2017 Power Platform for Fitness, Wellness & Health in Thailand Perfect Meeting Points for Exhibitors and Visitors

February 1, 2017, 12:00 am
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2-5 March 2017, 11.00 – 20.00 hrs
2nd Floor, Airport Raillink Makkasan
Bangkok – Attention to wellness, well-being and healthcare has become increasingly trendy and especially it gets on the right timing with national policy as endorsed by the present administration as seen in the attempt of regular exercise led by the Premier, with aim to show that proper movement brings about healthier and happier lifestyle and reduces fatigue from works or traffic.  The survey conducted by Thai Health Promotion Foundation reveals 19 million Thai people suffer obesity, over 12 million are women, ranking Thailand the second in Asia.
Fit Camp Expo 2017 will be held 2-5 March 2017, 11.00 – 20.00 hours, on the 2nd Floor of Airport Raillink Makksan, managed by Wattana Park Vill Co., Ltd. With 230 booth, covering 5,733 sq.m., the expo will be the platform for healthcare, lifestyle and beauty and fitness businesses to meet and share their innovation, services and products, both enterprises and SMEs.  It is expected that there will be over 50,000 health lovers participating at the expo with expected money talked-about more than ThaiBaht 25 million. 
“The objective of Fit Camp Expo 2017 is to inspire people to exercise ‘Fit anytime, anywhere.’  With growing health-conscious trend, the market expands swiftly for providers with knowledge, innovations, services and equipments/gears.  The consumers are open for the solutions in wellness whether it’s supplement food, exercises to name a few.  Fit Camp Expo therefore is the great platform with complete solutions for Thai consumers and health-lovers, sports-enthusiasts, and anyone to choose what’s best for their body; perfect as a platform of matchmaking for leading exhibitors and visitors in Thailand.  Fit Camp Expo is perfect to create new content for the health society in Thailand, responding to the growing trend and national health promotion policies,” stated Ms. Janjaree Chianwichai, Event Director, Events ‘R’ Us, a department of Wattana Park Vill Co., Ltd. 
There is currently 16 million sport players in Thailand and growing; creating market opportunity for health, wellness related businesses including sports outfits/fashion, food supplement, fitness centers, clean food cooking, Apps on smart devices, smart products and gadgets.  Therefore, Fit Camp Expo 2017 serves well as platform matchmaking for those who are looking for wellness solutions, healthcare products and services; whether physical therapy centers, wellness centers, care centers, spas, or business decision makers, hospital purchasing departments for instance.
“Fitness and exercising has continuously expanded in the past few years, with growing variety to facilitate the personal interest in exercising such as entertained exercises, fun sports, extreme sports or family sports for health and fun.  Bounce Thailand has seen the increase in fitness movement where there will be no doubt at no less than double growth from last year,” said Mr. Somporn Naksuetrong, CEO, Bounce Thailand.
There are plenty of attraction and activities for everyone at Fit Camp Expo; fit & fun activities, stunt shows, Free Rider, mixed martial arts, Live Cooking Show, Body Contest (for amateur), physical fitness test such as pushup and pullup, and meet the Gurus such as Fasai Puengudon of Fit Junction, and Cassandra Haller-taekwondo 2 times champion of SEA Games. 
Interested in joining us as exhibitors, please contact Marketing Team, Events ‘R’ Us, call 0-2192-1514, 086-4146250 or www.facebook.com/fitcampexpo
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Bad password habits “like leaving the front door open,” says Kaspersky Lab

February 2, 2017, 12:30 am
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Internet users across the globe are yet to master how to use passwords effectively to protect themselves online. Research from Kaspersky Lab has shown that people are putting their online safety at risk by making bad password decisions and simple password mistakes that may have far-reaching consequences.
The research unearthed three common password mistakes that are putting a large number of Internet users at risk: (1) people use the same password for multiple accounts, meaning that if one password is leaked, several accounts can be hacked. (2) People use weak passwords that are easy to crack and (3) people store their passwords insecurely, defeating the point of having passwords at all.
“Considering the amount of private and sensitive information that we store online today, people should be taking better care to protect themselves with effective password protection. This seems obvious, but many might not realize that they are falling into the trap of making simple password management mistakes. These mistakes, in turn, are effectively like leaving the front door open to emails, bank accounts, personal files and more”, says Andrei Mochola, Head of Consumer Business at Kaspersky Lab.
The research shows large numbers of people (almost one in five – 18%) have faced an account hacking attempt but few have effective and cyber-savvy password security in place.For example,only a third (30%) of Internet users create new passwords for different online accounts and a worrying one-in-10 people use the same password for all their online accounts. Should one password be leaked, these people are therefore at risk of having every account hacked and exploited.
People are also not creating passwords that are strong enough to protect them from hacking and extortion. Only half (47%) use a combination of upper and lowercase letters in their passwords and only two-in-three (64%) use a mixture of letters and numbers. That’s despite the fact that users think their online banking (51%), email (39%) and online shopping accounts (37%) need strong passwords.
The study also shows that people are mistreating their passwords – by sharing them with others and using insecure methods to remember them. Almost a third (28%) has shared a password with a close family member, and one-in-ten (11%) has shared a password with friends, making it possible for passwords to be unintentionally leaked. Over one-in-five (22%) also admitted to writing their passwords down in a notepad to help remember them. Even if a password is strong, this leaves the user vulnerable because other people may see and use it.
Mochola continued,“The Internet has been around for a while now but people are still making simple mistakes when it comes to online passwords. The best passwords cannot be found in the dictionary. They are long, with upper and lowercase letters, numbers and punctuation marks. However, with people having so many online accounts today, it’s not easy to remember a secure password for everything. Using a password management solution can help people remember and generate strong passwords to minimise the risk of account hacking online.”
Kaspersky Password Manager securely stores all passwords, addresses and credit card details, and synchronizes them across all devices so that users only need to remember one master password.
About Kaspersky Lab
Kaspersky Lab is a global cybersecurity company founded in 1997. Kaspersky Lab’s deep threat intelligence and security expertise is constantly transforming into security solutions and services to protect businesses, critical infrastructure, governments and consumers around the globe. The company’s comprehensive security portfolio includes leading endpoint protection and a number of specialized security solutions and services to fight sophisticated and evolving digital threats. Over 400 million users are protected by Kaspersky Lab technologies and we help 270,000 corporate clients protect what matters most to them. Learn more at www.kaspersky.com.
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Sansiri sets to start Thailand’s first full scale Property Technology ecosystem

February 2, 2017, 1:00 am
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Launching SIRI VENTURE , Baht 100-million venture co-invested with Siam Commercial Bank to create innovations  for every home living and lifestyle needs and sustainability of property sector
Sansiri, Thailand’s leading fully-integrated property developer, announced the launch of SIRI VENTURE, the country’s first corporate venture capital specializing in full-scale research and development on Property Technology. The new venture capital opens up opportunities for technology startups to develop innovations for home living and lifestyle, from conception to commercial viability, with direct access to sustain business in the property market.  Siam Commercial Bank, as strategic partner of the venture, lends experience on investment in technology and startups in supporting the operations and integrating fintech into innovation development.  Established with initial registered capital of Baht 100 million, SIRI VENTURE focuses on investment and development of new technology and products in collaboration with researchers, innovators, manufacturers and startups, with aim to build a network of at least 300 PropTech startups by 2020, while driving Thai innovations for home living to spring up globally as well as create a strong and sustainable growth for the property industry.
Mr. Apichart Chutrakul, Chief Executive Officer, Sansiri Public Company Limited revealed that “we join hands with Siam Commercial Bank to set up SIRI VENTURE, Thailand’s first corporate venture capital dedicated to investment and development of Property Technology, innovation for real estate and future home living, with Sansiri holding 90% stake and Siam Commercial Bank 10%.”  


“We conducted a feasibility study and decided to establish a corporate venture capital with aim to seek investment opportunity in Property Technology business that is related to the main businesses of Sansiri group, and can help enhance efficiency and streamline our business operations, as well as explore new opportunity, business innovation and business model to strengthen our main businesses. Our strategic partner, Siam Commercial Bank, possesses deep understanding and always seeks new opportunities in the changing business landscape in the digital age, and leads the industry in fintech development. SIRI VENTURE is Thailand’s first corporate venture capital focusing on full-scale Property Technology development.  The clear benefits are we will have a dedicated business unit to explore and invest in property technology and innovation, which will be used and deployed for the first time by Sansiri in enhancing business operations, develop new products and services for our customers, and expand new business opportunities by selling these innovations to other real estate developers or even other businesses, leading to new income channels that drive new leaping growth cycle. This ultimately benefits our customers, due to our improved business efficiency and continued stream of new products and services. A perfect example is our new Smart Home Integration system, which will be implemented for the first time at the 98 Wireless and the XXXIX projects,” added Apichart.
Mr. Arthid Nanthawithaya, President & Chief Executive Officer, The Siam Commercial Bank Public Company Limited, revealed that “Our joint investment in SIRI VENTURE is made possible by Digital Ventures, a subsidiary of Siam Commercial Bank that promotes innovation in financial technology, with aspiration to expand our access capacity to and collaboration with new startups and technology development efforts. This reflects that our technology outlook is not limited to only financial products and services, but also the way to develop financial technology that can seamlessly fit into the changing ecosystem of everyday life. This venture allows us to integrate FinTech into the development of PropTech and thus creating an integrated Living Ecosystem, resulting in co-creation of product and service offerings like online shopping and property loans, which bring an enhanced financial service and living experience that meets every lifestyle needs. SCB will gain a wider consumer perspective, and be able to precisely position product and service innovations as well as have access to new consumer reach. We are committed to creating advanced financial innovations that meet the needs of corporate customers, real estate developers, SME customers and individual property-purchasing consumers. This is also a great opportunity for us to exchange expertise and innovation in business operations with Sansiri in the fields of Digital Payment, Blockchain and Big Data.”
According to Mr. Shakrit Chanrungsakul, CEO, Siri Venture Co., Ltd., “Sansiri is a real technology pioneer in the real estate space. They have adopted digital technology in marketing for many years now, being Thailand’s first property developer to introduce digital sales kit in multi-touch device in 2009 to help boost sales efficiency, and launching Home Service, a mobile application for Sansiri customers since 2012. The setting up of SIRI VENTURE marks another major step further for Sansiri in developing and investing in property technology and innovation slated for the future of living, and ultimately bringing a sustainable development for the real estate sector. We strive to create innovation that helps make life easier, faster and cheaper, in forms of new product, research, design or business model within holistic property technology landscape. This includes data system, project design, construction, sales promotion, business management and property services as well as technology for home living. Innovation that has undergone the ‘idea-startup-survival’ processes will be a crucial driving force for a new leaping growth cycle in the property business. Moreover, we plan to launch intellectual property management business to create a new revenue stream in international markets.”       


SIRI VENTURE sets primary three missions, comprising 1. Investment in development of technology and innovation for real estate and home living, with budget of Bt 100 million, in Thailand and Singapore; 2. Investment in the revamp project of Home Service, mobile application for Sansiri customers, to become a comprehensive home living service for every lifestyle needs with capacity to reach a wider market; and 3. Launch of Thailand’s first Property Technology Accelerator Program to select startups in property technology with high investment potentials.
The revamp of Home Service, a highly-successful mobile application for Sansiri customers launched since 2012 with user base growing from hundreds to ten-thousand within only three years, aims to redefine digital service innovation to the next level, and interwoven into every aspect of daily life like never before. From messaging, notification, request for home maintenance, online shopping, to home automation, as well as other add-on services in the future to meet changing needs, life is made easier at consumer’s fingertips. The new face of Home Service is a revolutionary technology with strong potential to reach a wider market beyond the realm of Sansiri properties, and can be offered for sale to other real estate projects by other developers, in Thailand and international markets. Currently, Home Service has over 13,000 subscribers in 135 Sansiri properties, mostly condominiums.
The Property Technology Accelerator Program, designed with concrete objective, will start in the second quarter of 2017, with opening for application of 100 startup teams. 15 teams will be selected for business incubation, with extensive tutorial courses led by business specialists and Sansiri management team during the third quarter. In fourth quarter, final 8 - 10 startup teams will be selected for further commercial viability development. SIRI VENTURE will also support in seeking patent protection for successful innovations.

“Our R&D database shows that technology development is evolving from formless, to borderless and limitless stages. Technology will be more and more accessible to the mass. We are eyeing investment in a range of potential technologies in the near future. These include mobility technology in new, different perspectives; Smart Home technology like home automation, home security and home AI, voice recognition and preventive maintenance; robotics technology for building delivery robot in the building for more security; and exoskeleton technology for development of exoskeleton suit designed to help construction workers work faster and more efficiently with reduced costs, as well as applied in other areas to bring a better quality of life for people,” added Shakrit 

General Information
Siri Venture Co., Ltd.
   
Type of business        :    A holding company together with Venture Capital
            management with a focus on research and development for property technologies to provide complete solutions for the living and real estate industries, as well as investing in future innovations


Vision        :    To develop and utilize the real estate industry by enabling
            the Property Technology Ecosystem for leveraging the business for future living. The company also aims to strengthen its extensive network and expertise in technology and innovation to make strategic investments for sustainable and stable performance.


Company
Incorporation Status    :    In the process of incorporation and expected to be
            completed within March 2017


Registered capital        :    Baht 100,000,000


Shareholder        :    Sansiri Public Company Limited (90%)
            and Siam Commercial Bank Public Company Limited(10%)


Q1:2017 highlight    :    -         Expect to officially complete the company registration
                process by March 2017.
        -        Establish the first Venture Capital in Thailand to invest in
                technology and innovation for property and living with the total investment value at approximately 100,000,000 THB, starting from Thailand and planning to expand to Singapore, Hongkong, Japan, Middle East and etc.
        -        Conduct the first Property Technology Incubator program in Thailand to find opportunities to invest in Property Technology startups which have growth potential for innovation to further develop associated partners.
        -     Invest in the joint venture and enhance the efficiency of the Home Service Mobile application, originally developed for Sansiri residents, to be the new platform to serve the comprehensive dimension of living, as well as expand the service to the broader market.


Our Investments in
Property Technology    :        In the process of holding 51% shares of Home Service
                Technology Co., Ltd.or HST
       
Top management        :        Mr. Shakrit Chanrungsakul, CEO,
                 Siri Venture Co., Ltd.
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Kaspersky Lab Supports First Ever Antarctic Biennale Art Expedition

February 3, 2017, 3:00 am
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Eugene Kaspersky among group of artists, scientists and technology visionaries exploring the future of humanity and culture in Antarctica
Kaspersky Lab today announced that its Chairman and CEO, Eugene Kaspersky, will support and join the first ever Antarctic Biennale, a creative journey that brings together artists, scientists and technology visionaries from all over the world, to explore and create a cultural future for Antarctica.
Antarctic Biennale will take participants on a 12-day, round-trip expedition from Argentina to the Antarctic. With support from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the journey will start on March 16 in Ushuaia, the world’s southernmost city, where participants will board a ship named “Akademik Ioffe.”
Commenting on his upcoming journey to Antarctica with the Biennale, Eugene Kaspersky, Chairman and CEO of Kaspersky Lab, said: “We have supported Antarctic expeditions in the past, but this will be the biggest project for us on the continent. I think it will be a fascinating endeavor and I made my decision to support it when I saw the genuine passion from the organizers. The Antarctic is like no other place on earth; it’s a shared continent without borders that’s both beautiful and fragile in its barely inhabitable wilderness. I’ve already been there – and I think it’s a place that provides plenty of inspiration for artistic exploration and expression. I’m really excited to be participating in the expedition, and I’m looking forward to all the art it will produce.”
During landings at various Antarctic locations, artists will temporarily install works of art or host performances. Key themes of the art exhibits include mobility, proportionality to the space, ecological compatibility, artistic expressiveness and conceptual acuity. All installations created during the expedition will be dismantled and loaded back onto the ship, to be placed in leading art museums around the world. Among the artists joining the Antarctic Biennale are Tomas Saraceno, Zhang Enli, Lara Favaretto, Matthew Ritchie and Hani Rashid.
“Antarctica is the last truly free space and a model for the future; and according to the Antarctic Treaty (1959) and related international agreements, it is intended exclusively for creative activities and scientific research in the interests of all humanity,” said Alexander Ponomarev, the project’s leader and an avid artist, sailor and philosopher. “Antarctica is the continent that can encourage people to think about the future of humanity and culture, providing an opportunity to create new ways of seeing life on our planet.”
About the Antarctic Biennale 
The Antarctic Biennale is a project initiated by the artist, sailor, and philosopher Alexander Ponomarev, who has conducted several expeditions to Antarctica. Ponomarev has organized more than 100 artistic projects, exhibitions, and events. The Antarctic Biennale aims to create an intercultural and interdisciplinary platform for effective performance and communication in areas with limited resources, as well as social and natural constraints – places at the frontier of humanity. Learn more at www.antarcticbiennale.com.
About Kaspersky Lab
Kaspersky Lab is a global cybersecurity company founded in 1997. Kaspersky Lab’s deep threat intelligence and security expertise is constantly transforming into security solutions and services to protect businesses, critical infrastructure, governments and consumers around the globe. The company’s comprehensive security portfolio includes leading endpoint protection and a number of specialized security solutions and services to fight sophisticated and evolving digital threats. Over 400 million users are protected by Kaspersky Lab technologies and we help 270,000 corporate clients protect what matters most to them. Learn more at www.kaspersky.com.
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“dtac Best Deal 2017” beats all, offering up to 50% discount on Huawei smartphones plus chance to win free Leica D-Lux 109 cameras

February 2, 2017, 12:00 am
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February 2, 2017– Total Access Communication PCL (dtac) is thanking digital-generation customers for overwhelming response to the most nimble digital experience on the widest bandwidth of dtac super 4G service by rolling out “dtac Best Deal 2017” in partnership with Huawei, the smartphone brand that have sold more than 100 million smartphones worldwide. A promotion available only at dtac, the campaign offers up to 50% discount on Huawei smartphones plus the chance to win one of three Leica D-lux 109 cameras worth 39,200 baht to be drawn weekly over 7-week period of the promotion, a total of 21 prize cameras worth 823,200 baht all combined.
Existing dtac customers who register for a new dtac number, switch from pre-paid to post-paid or new customers switching to dtac by means of MNP can pick a best-value deal on Huawei’s most popular smartphones as follows:
·       Huawei Mate 9 Pro at a price of 20,900 baht from its list price of 27,900 baht or Huawei Mate 9 at a price of 16,900 baht from its list price of 23,900 baht when sign up for a monthly tariff of “Super non-stop” 599 baht or more and prepay 3,000 baht for the tariff. The customers get extra 4G mobile data quota starting from 16 GB.
·       Huawei P9 at a price of 10,900 baht from its list price of 16,990 baht when sign up for a monthly tariff of “Super non-stop” 599 baht or more and prepay 3,000 baht for the tariff. The customers get extra 4G mobile data quota starting from 16 GB.
·       Huawei P9 Plus at a price of 14,900 baht from its list price of 21,990 baht when sign up for a monthly tariff of “Super non-stop” 699 baht or more and prepay 3,000 baht for the tariff. The customers get extra 4G mobile data quota starting from 20 GB.
·       Huawei GR5 2017 at a price of 5,900 baht from its list price of 8,900 baht when sign up for a monthly tariff of “Super non-stop” 599 baht or more and prepay 2,000 baht for the tariff. The customers get extra 4G mobile data quota starting from 16 GB.
 
As an on-top privilege, customers who switch to dtac via MNP program will get an additional discount of 1,500 baht on all phones.

Explore ultimate offers of dtac Best Deal 2017from today until 12 March 2017 at any dtac Center and dtac Hall or on dtac online store. For more information, please visit www.dtac.co.th or dial 1678.
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