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Pattaya Marriott Resort & Spa
announces recent appointments
The Pattaya Marriott Resort & Spa recently appointed
Thomas G. Christiansen to hotel resident manager and Stefan Heller to
kitchen operations manager.
Thomas
G. Christiansen
Stefan
Heller
Thomas joined the Pattaya Marriott team from Marriott
Grand Hotel Moscow in Russia. He gained his experience from the Walt Disney
Company and was part of the pre-opening team of Disneyland in Paris, and
worked with Walt Disney World in U.S.A. After opening the golf course at
Point Sebago Golf and Beach Resort in Maine, U.S.A. he decided to relocate
to Asia in 1997 and joined the Peninsula Group in Beijing and then on to
Hong Kong. His last assignment in Asia prior to leaving for Russia was with
Banyan Tree Resort and Spa in Phuket.
Stefan brings a wealth of experience from Europe &
Thailand to his position as kitchen operations manager at the Pattaya
Marriott Resort & Spa.
He graduated from professional chef school in Lucerne,
Switzerland. After graduating he entered into his career straight away,
working with many top class hotels in Switzerland, Italy, Austria and
Thailand.
Before joining the Pattaya Marriott Resort & Spa he was the executive
chef at the Amari Orchid Resort in Pattaya.
Heinemann guest speaker at Eastern
Seaboard German Language Business Club
Elfi Seitz
Gerhard Heinemann from Bavaria, the purchase manager of
BMW Manufacturing Ltd in Rayong was the guest speaker at the Eastern
Seaboard German Language Business Club’s latest meeting.
Gerhard
Heinemann, purchase manager of BMW Manufacturing Ltd, talked about BMW’s
performance in F1 and their factory in Rayong. Wife Simone (left) seems to
have heard it all before.
This young and dynamic man worked on the revival of the
participation of BMW at Formula 1 races in 2000. He spoke of the Formula 1
races, the technical aspects of the finely tuned high-performance cars that
race on Grand Prix circuit, and the training, hardships and dangers to which
the drivers are subjected. He said that testing and time trials show that as
in the previous 2 years, BMW will prove its strength in this year’s
competition. The Williams FW 25 is going to be the car to beat. BMW plans to
challenge Ferrari are already well underway.
Gerhard Heinemann also talked about his work in the
company in Rayong. Besides the BMW 3 series and 7 series, plans are on the
board to produce the brand new 5 series in Rayong. He said that Rayong is
the only place where the 7 series is being produced outside of Germany.
He paid a big compliment to the suppliers and worker
here, since this is the most technically advanced car ever built in
Thailand. Of course every single piece will go to Germany first to be
approved for quality control. That means it goes through the same strict QC
system as cars made in Germany.
Walter Kretschmar, TGI director also gave a short speech about the
targets of his institute, which focuses on the education and training of
specialists.
IEAT proposes Asian auto mall in Laem Chabang
The Industrial Estates Authority of Thailand (IEAT) is
drafting a proposal to establish a regional automobile exhibition center,
amid concern about its potential for success among car manufacturers.
IEAT director Anchalee Chawanich said that the authority
was in the process of questioning executives of each Thailand-based car
manufacturers on their views concerning the government’s plans to turn
Thailand into the Detroit of Asia.
She said that a draft proposal for the Asian Auto Mall
would be produced within a month, before being proposed to the government
and other relevant agencies for consideration.
For the most part the private sector agrees with the
principles behind the project, but a large number of motor industry
executives are skeptical of whether or not the project would generate
sufficient income.
Initial plans for the Asian Auto Mall see it occupying a
100 rai area of land in Laem Chabang Industrial Estate. The 1 billion baht
cost of the project will be jointly borne by the private sector and the
government.
The mall will be used an exhibition center to display
each type of vehicle produced in Thailand, along with their components, and
to highlight innovations in each model of car.
Anchalee said that the center’s proximity to the
tourist resort of Pattaya should help attract visitors. The center will
display cars from each manufacturer, rather than from single manufacturers
as in the case of most auto malls abroad.
Tougher measures on imports
meant to protect consumers
Commerce Minister Adisai Bodharamik said The cabinet has
passed a resolution calling for the stringent inspection of 12 export and
import items.
Adisai said that the inspections will cover health and
safety issues, as well as quality standards, in order to protect consumers.
Under the new framework regulations, ministries including
the Ministry of Commerce, Ministry of Public Health, Ministry of Agriculture
and Cooperatives and the Ministry of Industry will conduct random checks on
the items in question. Adisai conceded that the initial weeks of the project
could see delays to imports and exports, but expressed confidence that in
the long run any teething problems would be dealt with.
He added that if any product entering Thailand was found
to be contaminated or to contain traces of toxic residue, the country of
origin will be issued a warning, with the possibility of an eventual ban.
The commerce minister denied that the new measures
amounted to trade barriers, saying instead that they were merely designed to
protect Thai consumers.
Petrol stations introduce self service
Motorists across Thailand accustomed to scruffily-clad
teenage pump attendants furiously wiping their windows with foam-filled
sponges might soon be forced to fill up their petrol themselves.
Although the end of the pump attendant could be a long
way off, a number of petrol stations have already introduced self service -
the norm in many parts of the world for decades - which a leading research
institute says could save motorists 30 satang per liter.
In a recently published report, the Thai Farmers Research
Center said that petrol station operators hope that the introduction of
self-service will pull in more customers who will be attracted to the lower
prices.
With global oil prices soaring, the government has set a
ceiling on petrol prices, but many motorists are nonetheless feeling the
pinch.
With self-service in its infancy in Thailand, petrol
stations are finding it necessary to hire pump attendants - typically, as
the TFRC report points out, beautiful young women - to give advice on how to
fill up correctly.
Self-service is also quicker than the traditional method,
as the payments and billing are calculated using computers. (TNA)
Strong baht puts pressure on exports
The strength of the baht, which has reached a six-year
high against the dollar, spells bad news for Thailand’s export
competitiveness, a leading research institute has warned.
A report just out from the Thai Farmers Research Center (TRFC)
said that mid-March’s six-month high of 42.47 baht to the greenback, down
from 43.5-44 baht at the end of last year, was mainly due to a decline in
the US dollar rather than domestic factors.
But the baht’s newfound strength raised immediate
questions about its impact on the Thai economy. The TFRC said that
throughout last year the baht rose by 1.1 percent compared to the dollar.
This put Thailand’s exports at a disadvantage compared to countries such
as China and Hong Kong with dollar-pegged currencies. This resulted in a
decline in Thai exports to China and Hong Kong in January of 0.8 percent and
16.8 percent respectively.
While the TFRC admitted that the stronger baht would help
cushion the impact of rising oil prices, inflation nonetheless remained
high, standing at 2.2 percent in January before creeping down to 1.9 percent
in February.
Predicting that the baht would continue to grow in
strength throughout the year, the TFRC said that the baht was being affected
by the weakness of the dollar, which was unlikely to grow in strength unless
the standoff with Iraq came to a speedy conclusion.
The TFRC predicted that by the year-end the baht was
likely to stabilize at 43 baht to the dollar, in part due to the
privatization of 3-4 state enterprises and the early repayment of USD4.8
billion owed to the International Monetary Fund.
Drop in agricultural prices pushes down inflation
The government recently unveiled figures showing that
inflation in February was down 0.2 on January figures, but admitted that
this drop was largely due to a fall in the price of agricultural goods.
And while the consumer price index for February showed
inflation down 0.2 percent from January, it remained 1.9 percent higher than
February 2002, with inflation for the first two months of 2003 a significant
2 percent higher than the same period the previous year.
The details of the consumer price index show the price of
food and beverage items to have fallen by 0.6 percent, while that of
non-food items rose 0.5 percent. The price of pork, chicken and several
sorts of vegetables fell due to increased production, although increases
were recorded in the price of ‘hom mali’ rice, dairy produce, and
certain fish and sea food. (TNA)
Central bank says it
will continue to oversee
actual interest rates
The Bank of Thailand (BOT) confirms that it will continue
to closely oversee the actual interest rate to make certain it does not
slide into negative territory. M.R. Pridiyathorn Devakula said the decision
by commercials banks to further cut interest rates sparked public concern
that the actual interest rate would move into the red. The BOT will
supervise the 3-month and 6-month savings rates to minimize the effect on
depositors.
The bank feels the recent decision by many commercial
banks to reduce the 24-month saving rate by 0.75% to 2% will not cause
serious negative impact because it was a strategy aimed to manage their
liquidity.
However banking analysts predict that deposit and lending
rates could likely drop further this year because excess liquidity is still
in the system.
As of the end of the fourth quarter last year, the
weighted 3-month saving rate was 1.88% a year compared with 2.25% in the
same period the year before. The saving rate offered by local commercial
banks was 1.93% and that offered by foreign banks was 0.99%.
However, given that the inflation rate in that quarter
stood at 1.4% and deposits were subject to 15% tax, the actual deposit rate
was zero. It is likely to stay in negative territory this year because the
inflation rate is expected to rise as a result of the higher oil prices and
the economic recovery.
Lending rates have also dropped, but at a slower pace
than deposit rates in the quarter. The lending rate offered by commercial
banks stood at 6.69% compared with 7.125% in the same period the previous
year. It caused the interest spread to widen to 4.81%. (TNA)
Cholchan announces appointment
The management of the Cholchan Pattaya
Resort recently appointed Suchai Chirayunon as executive assistant manager
for sales & marketing. Suchai has more than 27 years experience in sales
& marketing, and will be responsible for strategic sales acquisition for
the corporate / government / airlines markets through a strategic marketing
plan for Cholchan Pattaya Resort.
APEC Mart to focus on
5 target industries
The APEC Mart to be held October 16-21 at the Impact
Exhibition Center, Muang Thong Thani is expected to attract investors from
across the 21-member grouping. The Board of Investment (BOI) is gearing up
to host the event and will focus on automobiles, agriculture, fashion
(jewelry, leatherwear, textiles), information and communications technology,
and the high-value-added service sector to lure investors to Thailand,
according to Secretary-General Somphong Wanapha.
Somphong said, “The event is considered a major
showcase for APEC member countries to exhibit their investment
opportunities. The mart will provide an opportunity for Thailand to
demonstrate its potential on the economic, trade and investment fronts as
well as to expand its business networks in the grouping.”
APEC has a combined gross domestic product of over US$19
trillion (808 trillion baht) and a population of over 2.5 billion.
The event will benefit Thailand’s industry and the
country’s investment climate, and give Thai participants a chance to see
what developments in industry are taking place in other APEC countries.
The BOI will organize tours of plants and provide
detailed information on request. Toyota Motor (Thailand), Asian Honda Co.,
Charoen Pokphand Group, Sahapat Group, Thai Summit Group, Toshiba and Thai
Samsung Electronics, as well as numerous SMEs, are expected to attend the
mart.
Thai jewelry industry may not have to pay value-added tax
Talks are going on and Commerce Minister Adisai Bodharmik
has been pushing for a deal that would exempt Thailand’s gem and jewelry
industry from paying the 7% Value Added Tax (VAT) on imported materials for
manufacture in Thailand.
The commerce minister presided over the opening of the
31st Bangkok Gems and Jewelry Fair last month which is rated as one of the
top 10 in the world.
The business has become one of Thailand’s top export
earners with sales worth approximately 100 million baht this year which
amounted to an 18% increase from the previous year. Without the burden of
VAT payment, the industry is expected to vastly increase the country’s
export. (TNA)
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