Briefs

Hyro Consulting (Thailand), a digital services company, has changed its name to Hyro Asia because it plans to turn its Thai offices into Asia-Pacific headquarters.

Suwanna Mongkolvanitchaya, head of Hyro Asia's managed services, said one of the core strategies was to expand the managed services side of its business, and also become a knowledge-based centre with the objective of developing and improving its employees' competency and expertise in technology.

Thai ports to go electronic

The Port Authority of Thailand (PAT) is making its ports nationwide more modern and electronically accessible. Deputy Transport Minister Kuakul Danchaiwijit yesterday visited Bangkok's Khlong Toei port, which is currently being turned into an e-port. Under the Bt500-million project the IT system of the five main ports nationwide will be made electronic to help save time and cost. The ports are expected to become fully electronic by the end of this year.

Ethanol-makers can meet demand

The Energy Ministry is confident that the domestic supply of ethanol will meet local demand this year.

Pornchai Rujiprapa, permanent secretary of the Energy Ministry, said according to results from stock checking at 16 ethanol plants nationwide, 48-million litres of ethanol can be used to serve local demand for six weeks.

Demand for ethanol currently stands at about 1.2 million litres per day or 35 to 36 million litres per month. Pornchai said the ministry has asked ethanol plants to reduce their exports by the end of this year so there is enough left for domestic consumption. Currently, ethanol is priced at Bt24 to Bt25 per litre and expected to steady at the end of the year, when crunched sugar cane is supplied to ethanol plants to use as raw material.

Glitch delays SET opening

The Stock Exchange of Thailand opened an hour later yesterday due to a computer glitch. The exchange said the system of a service provider suffered a malfunction, blocking transaction orders from some brokerage houses to the central system.

Thailand enters solar-power field

Bangkok Solar Power and Leonic are two Thai firms that can produce solar cells and other equipment needed in the construction of the region's biggest solar-power plant. Science Minister Kalaya Sophonpanich said yesterday the products from these firms could be used in the solar power plant, adding that it was necessary to explore more alternative energy sources.