Dear members and friends of the STCC,

I think we all hoped that the Covid would slowly subside and our lives would return to normal, that people would be able to travel and see their loved ones again after years of being kept at a distance. The armed aggression of the Russian Federation against its neighbouring country has, at least for me, destroyed the hope of a period of peace and recovery after this very difficult and challenging 2 years. At the time of writing the Swiss government, known for its neutrality has adopted economic sanctions against Russia and key leaders. I think there is no better way to underline this step than done by the Swiss President and Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis who stated: "It is not neutral to play into the hands of an aggressor."

But now I would like to move on to the more mundane things. Read them here

Our ED joined the Swiss Ambassador H.E. Helene Budliger Artieda and the investment task force under DPM Supattanapong lead by M.L. Chayotid Kridakon for meetings with STCC member companies Nestlé & Novartis last week.

The PMO team provided an overview of key policy developments in Thailand, investor attraction initiatives and required support, as well as investment opportunities and incentives in the S-Curve industries.

Fruitful an constructive discussions were held during the meetings.

We look forward to future engagements and continue to represent the interests of our members.

The 2022 European Business Position Paper reflects four key policy themes for Thailand:

1. Economic Recovery, Border Opening – Upskilled and greener

2. Market access in particular services sector liberalisation which gives a better entrée for European business and European policies such as Sustainability, Responsible Business Conduct

3. Ease of Doing Business – less red tape; make the economy more attractive; reduce cost, increase GDP.

4. A meaningful Thailand-EU FTA for mutual benefit.

Download the position paper here

New COVID-19 cases rose, on average, to 10,533 per day during the first ten days of February, up from 7,000 cases per day in January, as the fast-spreading Omicron variant became dominant. However, preliminary data suggests that Omicron is less severe than the Delta variant. The government also resumed quarantine-free entry for fully vaccinated visitors (Test & Go) on February 1. Economic activity surged in the fourth quarter to its the highest level since the pandemic began, boosted by broad-based recovery in private consumption and investment, expansion in exports of goods, and the continuation of the COVID-19 relief and recovery program. Inflation climbed further in January, fueled by a surge in global oil prices. The Thai baht appreciated in January as investors regained confidence in the Thai equity and bond markets

Our first four books look at topics we believe are relevant for executives right now – from China’s retail revolution to how to innovate your business model, supply chain strategy management and why some firms succeed in one country and fail in another.

In January, we began with The Future of Global Retail by Winter Nie, Professor of Leadership and Change Management, Mark J.Greeven, Professor of Innovation and Strategy, Yunfei Fang and James Wang (2021, 250 pages).

Luxury firms can strategize to find that sweet spot between growth and a positive social and environmental impact

The luxury goods market enjoyed a rebound in 2021. For example, LVMH’s revenue rose 46% in the first nine months of 2021, thanks in part to its ability to be agile by reconnecting with local consumers and building intimacy with wholesalers. The rebound was also due to new and unprecedented levels of wealth creation in the world, particularly in the crypto sector.

But is such prodigious growth sustainable, and is it compatible with making a positive environmental and social impact?

Yes, but the industry will need to continue moving away from any greenwashing, and find ways to make supporting ecological and human health as much of a concern as profitability.

Spectacular launch of the latest fully solar Silent Yacht 60 "Vanish" produced by the PMG Shipyard in Rayong!

Watch the full video of the launch here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iv-9tX2ting

Interested to learn more about the Silent Yacht 60: click here

Nan, Thailand, 24 February 2022 — A forest community in northern Thailand celebrated the launch of a crowdfunding mechanism that will help other community groups in Thailand restore their forest landscape and increase their incomes.

Tree for All is a collaborative platform for crowdfunding designed to restore forest landscapes by closing a funding gap for smallholder farmers and engage private sector companies and the general public in sponsoring tree planting.

The Rak Santisuk Group in Thailand’s northern Nan Province initiated Tree for All with the international organization RECOFTC and local partners in Santisuk District. They hope to scale up forest landscape restoration in the province and the country and provide a financial incentive to farmers.

We are to become the first passenger airline in the world to take advantage of the new AeroSHARK aircraft skin technology to further reduce the carbon dioxide emissions and the fuel consumption of our flight operations.

All twelve of our Boeing 777-300ER aircraft will successively have the innovative riblet film, which has been co-developed by Lufthansa Technik and chemicals and coatings manufacturer BASF, applied to their fuselage and engine nacelles. The resulting significant reduction in aerodynamic drag will make the our 77W fleet more than one per cent more fuel-efficient, and this in turn will substantially further reduce our carbon dioxide emissions.

The AeroSHARK film features millions of ‘riblets’ – small protrusions just 50 micrometres high – which replicate the highly hydrodynamic skin of sharks, and thus reduces an aircraft’s aerodynamic drag wherever it is applied.

Amata does more than simply create an industrial estate for companies looking for a home for their factory. We are in the business of creating industrial cities that will not only serve as a location for a company, but as a place that will nurture and develop both the business enterprise and its employees.

Our two prime sites in Thailand and three in Vietnam act as major international hubs for manufacturing for over 1,400 factory and commercial tenants. In January 2022, we held the groundbreaking for Amata Smart and Eco City Natuey Laos.

All our projects are developed in accordance with a sustainable development framework following the United Nations Sustainability Development Goals. Utilizing innovation and technology, we are evolving towards a Smart City that balances business, social and environmental factors.

At Amata, we always try to make tomorrow better than today. See you soon at Amata!

The Embassy of Switzerland is proudly presenting an evening of French opera, operetta arias, some French satirical French songs on the Fables de La Fontaine, but also 3 songs in English created by his Majesty King Bhumibol, who have a connection to Switzerland.

Hélène Čajka McClellan, alto / mezzo soprano, of Swiss and Czech origin, studied in Geneva (Switzerland) and in the Netherlands. Her career develops in Switzerland, France, Denmark and Thailand where she is regularly invited to perform as a soloist with choirs, orchestras or to be part of opera productions.

Jamorn Supapol received his Bachelor of Music in piano performance from Manhattan School of Music, New York, and a Master’s Degree and a Graduate Performance Diploma from the Peabody Conservatory of the Johns Hopkins University, Maryland, U.S.A. Khun Jamorn has appeared as soloist with the Bangkok Symphony Orchestra, the National Symphony Orchestra and the Siam Philharmonic Orchestra, among others. He enjoys giving solo recitals and playing in chamber and vocal concerts.

Registe

March is a busy month at RIS Swiss Section, German-speaking School Bangkok: While the annual fields trips, excursions and internship weeks for the students in February had to be cancelled due to the pandemic, the school management and teachers managed to organise exciting and engaging special and project weeks for all grades in March through prudent planning and sticking to a stringent ATK regime. Limited but fun events, such as the carnival celebration in the Kindergarten, offer the students a most welcome change from their daily classroom routines.

After several delays, the way is now also clear for the annual general meeting of the school’s supporting association, the SEA, which will take place on 16 March as an eAGM.

Last but not least, please find information about our upcoming webinar “How to master multilingualism in children” and many other news items from RIS Swiss Section here.

New brand ÅF and Pöyry come together as AFRY. We are combining 125 years of global hydropower experience in one of the top 5 knowledge powerhouses for Hydropower.

AFRY has 17,000 employees in more than 100 countries to provide sustainable engineering solutions in the changing energy markets. AFRY is at the forefront of technological innovations in hydropower generation.

The increasing need for clean energy through the greater use of hydropower is a socio-political necessity today. We are here to make it happen.

Founded in 1999, the Asian Trails Group has grown to become Asia’s leading destination management company. Operating in 10 countries across East and South-East Asia, backed by global representation offices that offer support to our clients in their respective locations and time zone, we continue to blaze new paths in travel.

Asian Trails is known to be extremely dedicated to delivering personalised and unique experiences that are created through specialised local knowledge, technological innovation, extensive experience and a deep connection with our destinations and host communities.

Plastic welding machines and hot air heaters

We are the solutions for welding in civil engineering and tunnel construction, fabric and tarp, plastic pipes and tanks, roofing membranes , PVC floor coverings, or shrinking and packaging in industrial processes.

DER FARANG is the most important news publication for German-speaking people interested in Thailand and has been offering a mix of local reporting, news, travel highlights, seasonal festivals and events. The magazine and the PDF edition are published every fortnight for expats, residents and tourists in Thailand. The printed edition is read by more than 25,000 readers each month and reaches Thailand fans at home around the world. The online news portal is updated several times a day with local and international news and has around 360,000 readers monthly and the popular news email is sent daily to 8,500 subscribers."

As market leader in Thailand, Novatech offer pump solutions to all industries ranging from F&B, pharmaceutical, chemical, oil & gas, ceramics, paint, and mining. We are the exclusive distributor and service provider for many renowned brands of pumps, most notably Wilden and Tuthill.

Novatech provides full-scope solutions for aviation service vehicles including the design, manufacturing, and repair of refuellers, hydrant dispensers, runway sweepers, runway rubber removal vehicles, and pit cleaning vehicles represented across the region at various international airports. All vehicles are custom-built to internationally accepted standards.

Furthermore Novatech is also entrusted by Pilatus Aircraft of Stans as the exclusive representative for Thailand.

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