EARTH 2012 revenue poised to hit Bt10bn —2012 revenue may reach Bt10bn and it is confident that 2013 will continue to show growth with revenue growth of 40-50% and a gross margin of up to 20%. The coal mine in Myanmar will begin operations in 1Q13. (Khao Hoon, 10/01/13)

Comment: Remarkable turnaroud for this company since 2009 when it was losing money to now making Bt. 950 mn in 9M12

ITD – ITD wins another job — ITD has won the contract from the Expressway Authority of Thailand (EXAT) worth Bt131mn for renovation of the Chalerm Maha Nakhon Expressway and the old railway line. It is also accelerating its progress on the Phase 3 of the expressway to the north by using Bt20bn to fund N2 first. The traffic on the road is expected to reach 1.7mn trips per day. (Khao Hoon, 10/01/13)

KBANK – KBANK spreads ASEAN wings further with rep office in Myanmar — Kasikornbank yesterday opened a representative office in Myanmar as part of a plan to become an Asian bank by making its presence felt in all 10 ASEAN countries. (The Nation, 10/01/13)

MINT – MINT seeks to raise overseas income to 40%, acquiring stake in China chain — Minor International (MINT) plans to raise its revenue contribution from international business to 40% within five years, up from 25% in 2011. (The Nation, 10/01/13)

Comment: We’ve long wondered internally when MINT will stop being viewed as a Thailand play and recognised as an international group.

PS – Pruksa to invest in Jakarta-based subsidiary —Pruksa Real Estate is expanding its presence in ASEAN this year by investing about Bt300mn in a subsidiary to be set up in Indonesia and developing a townhouse project in the country’s capital. (The Nation, 10/01/13)

Comment: PS has been burnt in the past with overseas expansions, it will be interesting to see if a Thai property developer can succeed in Indonesia

PTT – PTT to build bottle plant — PTT said it will begin construction of a US$230 mn PBS bio-plastic bottle plant this year and expects to complete it in 2 years. The company expects to produce 700K tons/year in five years. (Khao Hoon, 10/01/13)