Business
Phuket business: Local suppliers to extend reach

PHUKET: Red Bull’s national distribution arm is looking to capitalize on local supply markets, a strategy which could extend the reach of Phuket-sourced products into greater national, regional and global markets.
Durbell, a key logistics affiliate of the Red Bull Beverage Company (the producers of Krating Daeng) aims to diversify its offerings and keep ahead in the expanding wholesale and retail business.
A report in TheNation recently revealed that the company is investing 500 million baht in domestic expansion projects, which include the purchase of 300 new transport trucks, as well as new warehouses in Chanthaburi and Phuket.
Confirming that report, a spokesperson from Durbell told the Phuket Gazette, “We are prepared to invest in a new warehouse in Phuket to keep up with increasing demand.”
“Phuket’s current warehouse is at capacity and its location [next to the Metropole Hotel in Phuket Town] is inconvenient for our transport needs.
“We’re looking for about 4 to 5 rai (6400 to 8000 square meters) somewhere outside of town and expect the construction budget to be up to 50 million baht,” he said.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, the spokesperson confirmed that Durbell is shifting its marketing strategy to be more decentralized and regionally integrated.
“One competitive advantage local supply markets have is lower production costs. What we can offer to local producers and suppliers is experienced logistics to move the product swiftly and efficiently,” the spokesperson said.
Indeed, the regional wholesale and resale market is expanding, and Durbell’s current business strategy reflects this remarkable trend.
Currently, 90 per cent of Durbell’s national distribution lines are supplied with Red Bull Beverage products, while 10 per cent of their products come from non-Red Bull suppliers.
The company’s target for 2012 is to double the proportion of non-network suppliers to supply 20% of its distributions, with the other 80% of products continuing to come from within the Red Bull supply network.
At the end of five years, the company aims to source half of its supplies from its mother company, and half from local supply markets.
Durbell’s main Southern region warehouse and office are located in Surat Thani – one of 13 regional offices nationwide – with regional sub-warehouses located in Phuket, Krabi, Phang Nga, Ranong, Chumphon, Nakhon Sri Thammarat and Prachuap Khiri Khan.
— Steven Layne
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Business
Governments & old media versus social media – who will win? | VIDEO

We look at the recent changes made by the Australian and Indian governments to except control over the world’s biggest social media platforms. India has issued strict new rules for Facebook, Twitter and other social media platforms just weeks after the Indian government attempted to pressure Twitter to take down social media accounts it deemed, well, anti social. There is now an open battle between the rise of social media platforms and the governments and ‘old’ media that have been able to maintain a certain level of control over the ‘message’ for the last century. Who will win?
The rules require any social media company to create three roles within India… a “compliance officer” who ensures they follow local laws; a “grievance officer” who addresses complaints from Indian social media users; and a “contact person” who can actually be contacted by lawyers and other aggrieved Indian parties… 24/7.
The democratisation of the news model, with social media as its catalyst, will continue to baffle traditional media and governments who used to enjoy a level of control over what stories get told. The battles of Google and Facebook, with the governments of India and Australia will be followed in plenty of other countries as well.
At the root of all discussions will be the difference between what governments THINK social media is all about and the reality about how quickly the media landscape has changed. You’ll get to read about it first, on a social media platform… probably on the screen you’re watching this news story right now.
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Business
The social media giants in battle with ‘old’ media and world governments | VIDEO

“The rules signal greater willingness by countries around the world to rein in big tech firms such as Google, Facebook and Twitter that the governments fear have become too powerful with little accountability.”
India has issued strict new rules for Facebook, Twitter and other social media platforms just weeks after the Indian government attempted to pressure Twitter to take down social media accounts it deemed, well, anti social.
The rules require any social media company to create three roles within India… a “compliance officer” who ensures they follow local laws; a “grievance officer” who addresses complaints from Indian social media users; and a “contact person” who can actually be contacted by lawyers and other aggrieved Indian parties… 24/7.
The companies are also being made to publish a compliance report each month with details about how many complaints they’ve received and the action they took.
They’ll also be required to remove ‘some’ types of content including “full or partial nudity,” any “sexual act” or “impersonations including morphed images”
The democratisation of the news model, with social media as its catalyst, will continue to baffle traditional media and governments who used to enjoy a level of control over what stories get told.
The battles of Google and Facebook, with the governments of India and Australia will be followed in plenty of other countries as well.
At the root of all discussions will be the difference between what governments THINK social media is all about and the reality about how quickly the media landscape has changed. You’ll get to read about it first, on a social media platform… probably on the screen you’re watching this news story right now.
Keep in contact with The Thaiger by following our Facebook page.
Never miss out on future posts by following The Thaiger.
Business
Turbulence ahead for Thailand’s aviation industry | VIDEO

When the airlines, in particular, were asking the government to put their hands in their pockets for some relief funding in August last year, it was genuinely thought that international tourists would be coming back for the high season in December and January. At the very least local tourists and expats would head back to the skies over the traditional holiday break. And surely the Chinese would be back for Chinese New Year?
As we know now, none of that happened. A resurge in cases started just south of Bangkok on December 20 last year, just before Christmas, kicking off another round of restrictions, pretty much killing off any possibility of a high season ‘bump’ for the tourist industry. Airlines slashed flights from their schedule, and hotels, which had dusted off their reception desks for the surge of tourists, shut their doors again.
Domestically, the hotel business saw 6 million room nights in the government’s latest stimulus campaign fully redeemed. But the air ticket quota of 2 million seats still has over 1.3 million seats unused. Local tourists mostly skipped flights and opted for destinations within driving distance of their homes.
As for international tourism… well that still seems months or years away, even now.
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