PAT chairman Admiral Sathiraphan Keyanont said the new governor's main tasks would be to make Bangkok and Laem Chabang prominent ports in the region and clear obstacles that have accumulated during the past two years, when the PAT had no governor.

New 3-in-1 Birdy

Ajinomoto Sales (Thailand) Co Ltd is launching a new and improved 3-in-1 Birdy instant coffee, hoping to increase its market share from 10 per cent to 15-20 per cent this year.

The company said three TV commercials had been created, plus activities like give-aways.

The 3-in-1 segment is the fastest growing part of the market, expanding 30 per cent annually. While the coffee market is worth Bt20 billion, 3-in-1's value is Bt6 billion.

Paint purchases

Preuksa Real Estate yesterday signed a one-year Bt150-million contract to buy home painting products from TOA Paint (Thailand) at fixed prices.

TOA managing director Jatuphat Tangkaravakoon said it had witnessed 8-per-cent  growth this year, which should enable it to reach Bt7.5 billion in sales. But he foresees flat growth in the paint market as a whole, even though consumers are willing to pay for more expensive paint to get the desired quality.

Preuksa failed to hit its 10-per-cent growth target for sales in the first half, due to negative economic factors.