E-market maker sees growth
Pantavanij expects a significant rise in revenues from its e-procurement service this year - to Bt215 million from Bt168 million last year - as it increases efforts to promote the service to manufacturers as well as small and mid-sized enterprises.
CEO Trai Kanjanadul said yesterday that the company would develop an online market where major manufacturers could easily procure common products on a cost-effective basis. Pantavanij was set up by six leading companies: Bangkok Bank, Siam Commercial Bank, Siam Cement Group, True Corp, United Communication Industry and CP Group. CP owns about 90 per cent of the firm and Bangkok Bank owns the rest. Trai sees plenty of room for growth. Although 70 per cent of state agencies have moved to online purchasing, only 5 per cent of businesses have done so. Some Bt60 billion of equipment was bought via Pantavanij last year. Half of this went to businesses and half to the public sector. The company will propose the government use e-procurement to buy equipment for its mass transit train projects to save money. Company adviser Colonel Rangsee Kitiyanasap said tambon administration organisations sourced equipment via the e-auction process 12,000 times in 2005 and 8,000 times last year. The forecast for this year is 25,000 times. There are about a dozen e-procurement providers in Thailand.
Sirivish Toomgum The Nation
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