New CX Series Switches with Cloud-Native Operating System Integrate Closed-Loop Automation and Analytics to Simplify the Operator Experience

December 12, 2019 – Aruba, a Hewlett Packard Enterprise company (NYSE: HPE), today announced that it is changing the rules of networking with the introduction of switching and software innovations designed to address the unique needs of today’s modern enterprise campus, branch and data center. The Aruba CX Switching Portfolio now includes the Aruba CX 6300 Series fixed configuration and CX 6400 Series modular access, aggregation and core switches, while delivering the latest advancements in the AOS-CX operating system. This gives network operators one simple, end-to-end switching platform to dramatically improve business outcomes today and into the future.

Aruba is the first company to offer a single switching platform that runs on a modern network operating system – AOS-CX – from the enterprise edge to the core to the data center. This unique, cloud-native platform is further optimized by Aruba’s powerful Network Analytics Engine (NAE), which utilizes embedded analytics and automation to simplify management, accelerate troubleshooting of application performance issues and remediate common network problems.



“AI-powered automation must be at the heart of a modern, edge-to-cloud architecture and, in order to be truly useful, it requires an intelligent infrastructure as the foundation,” said Keerti Melkote, president and founder at Aruba, a Hewlett Packard Enterprise company. “We believe that AI is the key to analyzing data, providing actionable insights, and automation at scale to optimize network operators’ ability to quickly troubleshoot, remediate and proactively resolve some of IT’s most pressing challenges. Our vision for the future is a cloud-native architecture that delivers true business agility and new digital experiences, and today’s introduction is an important step in that direction.”

Justin Chiah, Senior Director and General Manager, Aruba, Southeast Asia said, “With campus networks, branch, and data centers serving as the foundation powering the digital platforms today’s modern enterprises rely on, today’s announcement demonstrates Aruba’s continued commitment towards innovations that help enterprises address fragmented operations, legacy networks, and visibility issues for seamless service connectivity in this edge-cloud era. Built on cloud-native principles, Aruba’s AOS-CX features built-in automation and advanced analytics for real-time insights, for increased resilience and flexibility, enabling organizations to pick and choose the configuration that best suits their specific needs. It is an absolute game-changer for enterprises in Southeast Asia that truly wish to prioritize future-proofing their networks in an increasingly digital global landscape.”

Today’s enterprises cannot remain competitive by relying on greater performance and increased bandwidth alone. The modern enterprise requires an advanced architecture that is self-validating and self-tuning through closed-loop automation to intelligently support mission-critical applications, circumvent new security attack vectors, and deliver the agility that today’s enterprises require. Until now, network operators have had to contend with inflexible, disparate architectures especially when managing branch offices, enterprise campuses and data centers. These architectures require manual processes across multiple operating systems, resulting in fragmented operating models, networks incapable of modern functions and a plethora of unstructured data that isn’t actionable.

Gartner states, “As update speed increases, it is no longer viable to manually plan for and deploy tens, hundreds or thousands of network changes each time an application change occurs. Making these changes manually is not only impractical, but is likely to result in significant errors.”[i] Manual processes can significantly hinder an organization’s ability to move quickly, innovate and thrive in a competitive marketplace. Moreover, many of these hurdles can be overcome with a cloud-native infrastructure. According to Gartner, a “cloud-native infrastructure exhibits the following characteristics:

• Modularity – It provides abstractions for independent packaging of services (such as containers or serverless functions).
• Programmability – It supports provisioning and management via declarative APIs and policies.
• Elasticity – Resources can be scaled up and down dynamically in an automated and policy-driven manner using orchestrators.
• Resiliency – Services are loosely coupled units that are independent and fault-tolerant.[ii]”

Modern enterprises need an edge-to-cloud network running on a common platform to benefit from automation and increased operational efficiency, freeing up network operators to focus on business-critical activities.

One OS. One ASIC Architecture. One Operating Model.

Stemming from the breakthrough innovation and success of its CX 8400 Series core switches running the AOS-CX operating system – as evidenced by significant momentum with winning new core customers – Aruba is addressing these challenges with a modern switching portfolio that delivers a single operating model from the enterprise campus and branch access layer to the data center, greatly simplifying network operations. The new platforms in the Aruba CX Switching Portfolio incorporate the key elements of a modern networking infrastructure and include:

• Aruba CX 6300 and CX 6400 Series switches featuring Aruba’s 7th Generation ASIC architecture: The Aruba CX 6300 Series is a family of stackable switches that offers flexible growth via a 10-member virtual switching framework (VSF) and provides built-in 10/25/50 gigabit uplinks to meet the bandwidth needs of today and the future. The Aruba CX 6400 Series modular switches offer both a 5-slot chassis and a 10-slot chassis with a non-blocking fabric that scales from Gigabit POE access to 100G core, allowing customers to standardize on one platform across the enterprise, including hybrid use cases.
• AOS-CX 10.4: The new version of AOS-CX introduces rich access features to the OS while extending CX differentiators to the access layer of the network. These include Aruba Dynamic Segmentation to provide secure, unified policy across wired and wireless down to every user and IoT device, Ethernet VPN (EVPN) over VxLAN for simplified and secure connectivity from enterprises to data centers, and Virtual Switching Extension (VSX) live upgrades for no downtime during maintenance cycles.
• Aruba NetEdit 2.0 with Network Analytics Engine (NAE): The significantly enhanced version of Aruba’s NetEdit software now integrates with Aruba’s NAE. This advancement enables centralized visualization of network health leveraging NAE distributed analytics across every switch in the network to reduce troubleshooting cycles from days to minutes. New automation capabilities simplify common tasks such as implementing configuration changes or initial system set-up which can now be completed via the CX Mobile app.

Supporting Quotes

"The new Aruba CX Switching Portfolio comes to market as demands on the enterprise network continue to increase, with more users, devices and things requiring higher speeds and lower latencies. Enterprises are looking for powerful platforms with simplified operations to keep up with the current and future needs of the business. Aruba's CX switching portfolio allows customers to use a single platform for Ethernet switching from the datacenter to the access layer, providing a consistent, cloud-native OS, helping enterprises achieve easier management, more consistent operator experience and higher levels of quality assurance."
- Brandon Butler, senior research analyst, Network Infrastructure at IDC

“I believe Aruba’s new CX switching portfolio holds tremendous promise, especially for modern healthcare organizations where so many aspects of improving patient care involve the network, such as connected medical devices and transmission of electronic patient data. Seattle Children’s selected Aruba technology for its research facility, Building Cure, based on the AOS-CX operating system and its ability to deliver non-stop networking that’s future-proof.”
- Dr. Zafar Chaudry, senior vice president and chief information officer at Seattle Children’s

“The network will no doubt play a critical role in the operations of the new Globe Life Field that’s slated to open next Spring, so performance, capacity and visibility are paramount to us. Aruba’s new CX switching portfolio checks off all the right boxes – powerful switching capabilities to help us future-proof our networks, a single OS for a consistent management experience and embedded analytics for real-time visibility for quicker resolution of issues – enabling us to focus our energies on delighting our fans with memorable and engaging experiences.”
- Michael Bullock, vice president of Information Technology at Texas Rangers

“Aruba had me at ‘single OS’ – this is a major and exciting step in the right direction. Structured can now reduce complexity, streamline operations and simplify management within its customers’ networks. As an Aruba partner for more than 10 years, we’ve witnessed how the company adopts a customer-first approach to create innovative technology that obliterates old challenges. This visionary thinking provides powerful advantages to customers who can now focus on their business mission instead of their bottlenecks. This, in turn, makes Structured’s work much easier…and a lot more fun.”
- Bill Tracy, vice president of Technology Solutions at Structured

Pricing and Availability
The CX Switching Portfolio, including the Aruba CX 6300 and CX 6400 Series switches, the new version of AOS-CX and Aruba NetEdit 2.0 will begin shipping in November 2019. List pricing for the Aruba CX 6300 and CX 6400 Series starts at $5,899 USD and $13,499 USD respectively.

Additional Resources
View the webcast
Read the Moor Insights & Strategy Report: HPE Aruba CX Switching Portfolio
Learn more about the Aruba CX Switching Portfolio
Blog: Now’s the Time to Switch to a Next-Gen Network Blog: Break Free from Legacy Network Constraints with Aruba CX Switching

[i] Gartner, NetOps 2.0: Embrace Network Automation and Analytics to Win in the Era of ContinuousNext, October 2019
[ii] Gartner, Top Emerging Trends in Cloud Native Infrastructure, May 2019

Thai Union Ranked No. 1 on Inaugural Seafood Stewardship Index for Contribution to UN Sustainable Development Goals

23 October 2019, BANGKOK – Thai Union Group PCL has been ranked number one on the inaugural Seafood Stewardship Index (SSI), which assessed the contribution of the world’s 30 largest seafood companies to the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Thai Union topped the benchmark in three key areas, including:

• Governance and management of stewardship practices because of the detailed targets and robust reporting of its sustainability strategy, SeaChange®;
• Ecosystems, due to its individual and multi-stakeholder activities to improve fishing practices;
• Local communities, for promoting opportunities for local livelihood development.

The SSI, which was developed by the World Benchmarking Alliance (WBA), said Thai Union also performed strongly in stewardship of the supply chain, specifically for traceability, sourcing and its environmental footprint. It noted the company’s strong commitment towards human and labor rights, although areas of improvement remain.

“Thai Union is incredibly proud to be ranked number one in the Seafood Stewardship Index, which reflects our commitment to building a more sustainable global seafood industry,” said Dr. Darian McBain, Thai Union’s Global Director of Corporate Affairs and Sustainability. “A culture that rewards transparency needs to be developed in the seafood industry, to both understand where the challenges currently are and also the solutions being put in place. Thai Union welcomes the focus that the SSI is bringing through the lens of transparency and continuous improvement.”

The SSI assessed the 30 largest seafood companies around the world, to understand how and to what extent they are contributing to the sustainable management of the oceans and coastal ecosystems and to the SDGs. The review also looked into how companies are implementing responsible social practices in all stages of the supply chain.

The SSI highlighted Thai Union’s performance across key areas, including:

• Governance and management of stewardship practices, for it’s SeaChange strategy including programs around Safe and Legal Labor, Responsible Sourcing, Responsible Operations and People and Communities, with numerous targets in each category;
• Stewardship of the supply chain, for encouraging consumers to use appropriate end-of-life options for its products, and its commitment to ensuring 100 percent of its branded packaging is reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2025;
• Ecosystems, for its partnerships and active role in multi-stakeholder activities including Fishery Improvement Projects (FIPs) for tuna to reduce the impact on ecosystems;
• Local communities, for the development of strong activities and programs to support local communities where the company operates.

About Thai Union Group
Thai Union Group PCL is the world’s seafood leader bringing high quality, healthy, tasty and innovative seafood products to customers across the world for more than 40 years.
Today, Thai Union is regarded as the world’s largest producer of shelf-stable tuna products with annual sales exceeding THB 133.3 billion (US$ 4.1 billion) and a global workforce of over 47,000 people who are dedicated to pioneering sustainable, innovative seafood products.
The company’s global brand portfolio includes market-leading international brands such as Chicken of the Sea, John West, Petit Navire, Parmentier, Mareblu, King Oscar, and Rügen Fisch and Thai-leading brands SEALECT, Fisho, Qfresh, Monori, Bellotta and Marvo.
As a company committed to innovation and globally responsible behavior, Thai Union is proud to be a member of the United Nations Global Compact, and a founding member of the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF). In 2015, Thai Union introduced its SeaChange® sustainability strategy. Find out more at seachangesustainability.org. Thai Union’s on-going work on sustainability issues was recognized in 2018 and 2019 by being ranked number one in the world in the Food Products Industry in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index, achieving a 100th percentile ranking for total sustainability score. Thai Union has now been named to the DJSI for six consecutive years. Thai Union was also named to the FTSE4Good Emerging Index for the third straight year in 2018.

Boundless Trade Opportunity: Promoting Thailand as a dream destination for Indian Weddings

For the past several years, more than 300 Indian couples have traveled to Thailand to get married. Each wedding participated by some 200-500 guests making the spending of each wedding set around 5-10 million baht, that’s an overall value of approximately 1.5 to 3 billion baht combined. Such extravagant spending makes Indian weddings a rising market for Thai entrepreneurs such as the tourism operator, event organizers, florist, shows and performers, producers of gift and souvenirs, costumes and accessories crafters, to the producer of kitchenwares, all set to capture this immense business opportunity.

Organized as part of the STYLE Bangkok October 2019 at the STYLE de Bangkok Hotel Showcase, located at Hall 102 of BITEC, the Department of International Trade Promotion (DITP), Ministry of Commerce host the enriched seminar entitled “How to Create Products that meet the needs of a niche: Indian wedding”, joined by Mr. Panuwat Jantharajit, former Deputy Commercial Attaché/ Counsellor at Thai Trade Office New Delhi to share his experience in the Indian circle for more than four years.

Mr. Panuwat revealed that the key of success for Thai businessperson is knowledge and understanding of Indian beliefs and cultures which is different in each region. The traditions of an Indian wedding in particular has more details than The Thai weddings and anywhere else in the world.

Former Thai Trade Office New Delhi Deputy Commercial Attaché/ Counsellor added “From my experience working in the Indian community for four years, I found three things that is considered important for Indian people – birth, wedding, and funeral. Indians spend most of their money on the wedding. Unlike Thai or weddings elsewhere; Indian weddings is a traditional ceremony that last 3-7 days. Indian couples travel to Thailand mostly in January-March and October-November after the end of Buddhist Lent which is similar to Thai.

“Indian love the hospitality of Thai peoples as well as our kind gesture. Indian people not only consider price of the goods they purchase but the value of the product. If they see value for family and their loved ones, they are rather happy to pay. So, this is a business opportunity to offer them products that have high value and are meaningful.”

Weddings play a big part in Indian lives as it’s not just a marriage of two person but of the two families. A wedding is also a symbol of a life transition to the householder status which is a second phase of life. Indian weddings feature a number of ceremonies and rituals, plus a series of entertainment and activities to bond the two families together.

A wedding will last anywhere from 3-7 days with 200-500 guests. Typically, the budget starts at 4 million baht up to 10 million baht and approximately 10-15 million baht on each wedding. Therefore, an Indian wedding is a high potential market and is continues to expand. With the support of the Thai Indian Wedding Association and experienced wedding organizers; weddings are planned in dream destinations across Thailand such as Bangkok, Phuket, Chiang Mai, Hua Hin, Pattaya, and Krabi.

Mr. Panuwat further stated that Indians with high incomes will rent an airplane just to get married in Thailand. Indian weddings are usually participated by an average of 400-500 guests spending around 5-10 million baht making the Indian wedding business that generate some 1.5-3 billion baht of revenue per year.

“This is an ample opportunity for Thai entrepreneurs to craft to the needs of Indian wedding couples, the key is Indian-style with something sparkling. They want quality and value as much as when they are in their homeland.

Indians choose Thailand as their wedding destination for several reasons – quality, pricing and variety of exciting venues. The choice of five-star hotels in India is limited and the cost of organizing the wedding is rather high. In addition, travelling to Thailand from New Delhi is convenient with only a 4 hour flight time similar to travel from New Delhi to Mumbai.

Furthermore, Thailand has its own character and intricacy with comes to weddings. The beautiful scenery makes the wedding romantic and it benefits the type of Indian wedding that is extravagant and colourful. Thai wedding organizers can offer what Indian customers want, something extraordinary, delicate decorations, and the adjustable style of wedding.

Besides, Thailand is globally-recognized as a shopping heaven. After the wedding concludes, couples and their families can enjoy some shopping and travel. Statistics show that Indians spend 25 percent of their expenses on shopping, a double from normal tourists.

Trends of Indian Weddings is just one seminar of all exciting seminars, organized as part of STYLE Bangkok October 2019 at BITEC Bangna until 21 October 2019.

19 October 2019
- Material Solution by Mr.Junya Kitagawara, Japanese expert.
- “Future Trend 2020” by Mr. Kriya Bilyala, Trend Analyzer and Global Trend Analysis Project Manager, Creative Economy Agency (Public Organization).

20 October 2019
Techniques for Developing Lifestyle Products for Tourists by Mr. Songpol Nenkanthi, Brand Strategist and Mr. Dusadi Boonchaisri, Founder and Creative Director of Nonnormative

21 October 2019
- “Green Purchasing” by Mr. Anthony La Capara, Senior Vice President – Project EMMA Design & Construction, Singha Estate Public Company Limited

For more information, visit www.stylebangkokfair.com or dial DITP Call Center at 1169.

Celebrating 50th Anniversary of Coke Haad Thip with Fun Festival, “Koh Sawat Haad Thip”

Featuring Free concerts, Southern Thai cuisine, and Fun-filled 

Activities during November 23-24 at centralwOrld 

To thank its business partners and consumers for their constant support over the past 50 years, Haad Thip Public Company Limited, a Thailand-based company licensed to bottle and distribute Coca-Cola products to 14 southern provinces of Thailand, celebrates its five full decades of Coke Haad Thip with “Koh Sawat Haad Thip Festival”, the first-ever festival of fun with an ambiance of the southern sea.

Koh Sawat Haad Thip Festival will bring together famous artists from different music genres - pop, hip hop, dance, rock and folk, to spread happiness to everyone with two full days of free concerts throughout the weekend. Participants can also enjoy fun games and bring home cool prizes, as well as join an auction for hand-drawn T-shirts by 50 famous artists and celebrities to support children with cleft lip and cleft palate. Don’t miss delicious southern Thai cuisine amidst a southern island atmosphere right in the middle of the city. The festival will take place during November 23-24 at centralwOrld Square, centralwOrld. The press conference for the 50th anniversary celebration will take place on October 21, 2019 at Central Court (glass lift), 1st floor of centralwOrld. 

Maj. Gen. Patchara Rattakul, Chief Executive Officer of Haad Thip Public Company Limited, a leader of bottled soft drinks in southern Thailand, talks about celebrating the company’s five full decades of steady growth and contribution to the growth of society and communities in 14 southern provinces in which the company is operating to improve the quality of life, economy, society and environment sustainably.

“As the leader of the non alcoholic beverage leader in the South focusing on sustainable development, we have transformed our organization using technology and innovations to strengthen our competitiveness through this digital transformation era. Meanwhile, we still focus on our social responsibility and we are committed to minimising our impact on the environment alongside strengthening our business.

Over the past 50 years, Haad Thip has played a role in helping communities in the South through education, sports, charity and public services. We’ve also improved the quality of life and the environment through more than 125,000 projects that we support or organise. Today, we recognise the urgent need for protecting and restoring the environment, as it has a direct impact on the people's quality of life and the future of the country's economy.

Our company supports and encourages all departments to utilise energy efficiently to tackle climate change. We use solar energy where electricity is generated from the plant's rooftop to run some of our production, whilst using LGV and NGV for transport and distribution. Additionally, we keep track of our carbon footprint and calculate our greenhouse gas emission in order to effectively reduce it.

To solve water shortage, our company initiated Raknam Project in 2007 to conserve and manage water resources sustainably. We are able to return water to communities and nature more than 100% of the water used in our beverage production. We work with communities to build check dams and mountain irrigation systems. To tackle waste problem, Haad Thip has utilised environment-friendly innovations in our Namthip water packaging, thereby reducing the use of plastic by 35% while making sure it’s 100% recyclable. Namthip’s new PET bottles are engineered to compress when twisted so it takes up less space. We also set up Marine Camp Project together with Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation and Reef Guardian Thailand to tackle marine and beach waste. We also have a nursery for coral reefs to create a better home for marine animals and protect the shores.

We’ve also shown strong commitment in helping young footballers achieve their dreams through a project that we’ve continued for a long time. Footballers from Coke Cup and Haad Thip Youth Cup have a chance to pursue their dreams of becoming professional and national players. Their success also inspires Thai youth in the South to play sports and become professional players.

Thanks to our commitment in Environment Social and Governance or ESG, this year, our company was assessed by the SET after being chosen to be among the 79 listed companies for Thailand Sustainability Investment (THSI) list for 2018.

Over the past 50 years, we’ve always kept in mind that Haad Thip is located in the South, and over 80% of our employees are southern Thais. We do everything we can for southern Thailand, and this is why Haad Thip is whole-heartedly trusted by southern Thais. We can proudly say that Haad Thip is part of southern Thailand.”

He also talks about the objective of this festival. “Although Haad Thip’s business is in 14 southern provinces, we’ve been offering freshness to everyone who visits our home. On this occasion, Haad Thip employees and I would like to present a festival with southern charms to bring happiness to everyone in Bangkok, which is the center of Thailand, as a token of appreciation for their support over the past five decades. We bring happiness through music and famous artists from the past to the present to offer memorable entertainment throughout the two days of the festival. There will be cool photo corners depicting Haad Thip paradise island, with a giant Coke truck and beautiful sea views, for everyone to enjoy. Indulge in delicious southern dishes right here in Bangkok from famous eateries such as Tao Khua Jeh Eng, Pa Mol Egg Cake from Had Yai, Khao Tom Haeng Ko Ben from Phuket, and many others. Take part in ultra fun free concerts, starting on November 23 with Carabao, “Poo” Pongsit Kampee, Jenny and Lily, PARADOX, “Mos” Patipan Pataweekarn, Nuvo, New Jew, and TWOPEE. On November 24, enjoy fun music from MAITRI, Ammy THE BOTTOM BLUES, THE KEYLOOKZ,

“Ben” Chalatis, Tata Young, Christina Aguilar, “Jay” Jetrin Wattanasin, Modern Dog and Thaitanium with Wonderframe as a special guest.

On this special occasion, more than 50 actors such as “Aff” Taksaorn Paksukcharern, “Cheer” Thikamporn Ritta-apinan, “Pae” Arak Amornsupasiri, Janesuda Parnto, Aerin Yuktadatta, “Woonsen” Virithipa Pakdeeprasong, Janie Allapach Na Pombhejara, Puri Hiranprueck, and more. Proceeds from the auction will go to benefit The Princess Mother's 100th Year Honoured Fund, Faculty of Dentistry, Prince of Songkla University, to provide treatment for patients with cleft lip and cleft palate for better quality of life.

Get the latest updates and join the fun at “Koh Sawat Haad Thip Festival” during November 23-24 at centralwOrld Square, centralwOrld. Visit Facebook: Coke Haadthip and Instagram: Cocacola_haadthip.

Coca-Cola business in Thailand consists of Coca-Cola (Thailand) Limited as the brand owner looking after marketing activities, and two partner companies which manufacture and distribute the products under Coca-Cola (Thailand), namely Coca-Cola, Coke No Sugar, Coke Light, Fanta, Sprite, Schweppes, A&W Root Beer, Minute Maid Splash, Minute Maid Pulpy, Fuze Tea, and Namthip drinking water. The two partner companies are Haad Thip Public Company Limited, overseeing 14 Southern provinces in Thailand (from Chumporn and below) and Thai Namthip Limited, overseeing the other 62 provinces nationwide.

NIA is proud to present "Bangkok - Vienna Innovation District Exhibition" To celebrate 150th Thai-Austrian Diplomatic Relations

National Innovation Agency (Public Organization) or NIA, in collaboration with the Royal Thai Embassy in Vienna and City of Vienna, organized "Bangkok - Vienna Innovation District Exhibition" on October 6th-17th, 2019 at Rattanakosin Exhibition Hall, Bangkok, to celebrate the 150th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Thailand and Austria. They aim to expand the network in smart city development in Thailand and Austria in order to share knowledge, and increase the movements on area-based innovation.

Dr. Pun-Arj Chairatana, NIA Executive Director said, "NIA, the Royal Thai Embassy in Vienna and the City of Vienna have been working together in several dimensions, especially in building the knowledge network in innovation district development continuously. Recently, it was a pleasure to have experts from the City of Vienna as lecturers in Chief City Innovation Officer Program (CCIO).”

“NIA has initiated and developed the innovation districts with the mission to create a suitable ecosystem for national innovation development. We started in Bangkok which is an important economic center with a potential to create innovative development. Now, it becomes one of the most important investment destinations in Asia. NIA is now developing 7 innovation districts which are Rattanakosin Innovation District, Yothi Medical Innovation District, Pathumwan Innovation District, Khlong San Innovation District, Kluaynamthai Innovation District, Bangkok CyberTech District, ​​and Lat Krabang Innovation District. These districts will be connected to be Bangkok Innovation Corridor, in order to create a new economic route of the city. The area has be a mixed-use area, which means the area is an open space to exchange ideas and motivate the target group to create an innovative business. In addition, the important thing is to connect the database of all 7 innovation districts which must be easy to access and easy to make investment decisions. The data must show all 3 aspects which consists of 1. Physical assets: location, types, and transportation. 2. Economic assets: sector and startup in the area information. 3. Network asset: funding agencies and knowledge exchange. This platform will help us to understand and recognize area’s characteristics and distinctive points."

This exhibition consists of the showcase of Innovation districts of Bangkok and Vienna, The Bangkok Innovation Districts book launch, which combines ideas, opportunities, and images of future changes in the development of the innovation districts in 6 innovation districts (Rattanakosin Innovation District, Yothi Medical Innovation District, Pathumwan Innovation District, Khlong San Innovation District, Kluaynamthai Innovation District, ​​and Lat Krabang Innovation District), and the City of Innovation book launch, which is a photo book of "One Shot Knockout: Innovation District" competition. The pictures show different innovative styles in various districts captured by amateur and professional photographers who have been to the 7 Innovation Districts (Yothi Medical Innovation, Pathumwan Innovation District, Rattanakosin Innovation District, Pattaya City, Chiang Mai, Phuket and Khon Kaen). Lastly, there are also the exhibition tours in Rattanakosin Exhibition Hall which show the evolution of the way of life of Thai people.

Sportification: presenting new opportunities to food manufacturers in Thailand

BENEO aims to educate food manufacturers on sports nutrition 

at Food Ingredients Asia 2019 (11th – 13th September 2019), Booth H22 

Bangkok, Thailand, 10 September 2019 ― The growing interest in sports is driving the sports nutrition market in Thailand. At Fi Asia 2019, BENEO, a leader in functional ingredients, is taking on the challenge of helping consumers lead healthier, more active lives. Noting the rise in more mainstream sports food and drinks, Christian Philippsen, Managing Director, BENEO Asia Pacific, says that a different approach to sports nutrition is needed. 

The growing emphasis on sports, health and wellness, has not been lost in the nutrition field. There are many products tailored to sports professionals, but these may not meet the needs of consumers who are looking for a healthier diet that supports their active lifestyle. The food industry needs to rise to the challenge of helping consumers meet their increasing desire to lead more active lives coupled with better nutrition,” he says.

Christian Philippsen, Managing Director, BENEO Asia Pacific

Getting it right – the different needs of casual sports enthusiasts and hardcore athletes

Based on a study by Health Focus International, 57% of the survey participants in Thailand always or usually choose foods and/or beverages that improve their energy level[1]. However, many sports products that are designed to increase energy, including sports drinks, gels and bars in the market contain ‘fast carbohydrates’ such as maltodextrin, glucose syrup and sucrose, which releases glucose into the bloodstream quickly to provide a quick boost of energy. This release of glucose into the bloodstream at a fast rate is fine for those in need of instant energy for short-burst intensive athletic training, but it isn’t ideal for those engaged in traditional activity. This is because high glycaemic products can trigger large peaks and troughs in blood glucose and insulin levels, and generally suppress fat oxidation. For these consumers, a low glycaemic carbohydrate that has a lower impact on blood sugar levels is preferable, as it doesn’t just sustain energy, but also promotes fat burning, supporting weight loss goals.

Wanpen Silavanichayakul Country Sales Manager for the Food Ingredient Division in DPO Thailand

BENEO is working closely with food manufacturers to create products that meet the specific needs of the casual fitness user, using the slow release carbohydrate, Palatinose™. Derived from sugar beet, Palatinose™ is fully digested at a slower rate so glucose is released into the bloodstream in small quantities.

Ideal for use in a wide range of sports nutrition products, Palatinose™ provides full carbohydrate energy in a sustained way, eliminating unwanted “boost and crash” blood sugar spikes, and helping to burn fat more effectively. An increased fat burning rate means that the body burns fat for energy, thus allowing active consumers to draw on their carbohydrate reserves for longer. Palatinose™ delivers the energy the body needs to perform – whether the person is a professional athlete or someone aiming to make it through a busy and demanding day. It enables food and drink producers to create a wide range of sportified products, as it has a natural, mild sugar-like taste and sweetness.

In addition, Palatinose™ also ensures that isotonic drinks remain stable during shelf life.

Thailand – an increasingly sporty nation

Sportification is becoming more than just a buzzword in Thailand, impacting the everyday lives and diets of consumers in the country, and going hand-in-hand with King Rama X’s emphasis and encouragement on sports. His passion for physical activity is fueling sports to become more of a central component in Thai life – a glue that holds the people together.

As more sports nutrition products become available to mainstream consumers, the sports market in Thailand is forecast to reach 4,292,820,000 Thai baht in 2019 and 6,773,650,000 Thai baht in 2023. Since the demand is already here, food manufacturers need to step up with more products. This can be done by adding sports variants to their ranges that address different consumer needs, thereby responding to this demand for sports nutrition amongst mainstream consumers in Thailand and the rest of the world.

BENEO will be exhibiting together with their local partner, DPO (Thailand) at Food Ingredients Asia 2019, taking place in Bangkok, Thailand, from 11-13 September 2019 at the Bangkok International Trade and Exhibition Centre, to share with visitors innovative solutions to make food products healthier using naturally functional ingredients. The experts will demonstrate how the industry can use functional carbohydrates such as Palatinose™ to create innovative sportified food and drink products that are relevant and appealing to everyone.

For further information on BENEO and its ingredients, or to meet some of the company’s nutritional, technical and market experts, visit BENEO at Food Ingredients Asia this year at booth H22.

For further information on BENEO and its ingredients, please visit: www.beneo.com and www.beneonews.com or follow BENEO on Twitter: @_BENEO or LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/beneo

About BENEO 

BENEO offers functional ingredients derived from chicory roots, beet sugar, rice and wheat. BENEO is the ideal partner to help improve a product in its nutritional and technological characteristics. Key nutritional benefits are ‘less fat’, ‘less sugar’, ‘less calories’, ‘added fibre’, ‘gluten-free’ and dairy alternatives as well as energy management, digestive, bone and dental health. Key technological benefits focus on taste and texture improvements. Through a unique chain of expertise, including the BENEO-Institute that provides decisive insights into nutrition science and legislation, and the BENEO-Technology Center that consults in application technology, BENEO actively supports customers in the development of more balanced and healthy food products. BENEO is a division of the Südzucker Group that employs more than 1000 people and has production units in Belgium, Chile, Germany and Italy.

[1] Survey in Thailand, conducted by Health Focus International 2018, with 500 participants

HP Launches World’s First Dual-Screen Gaming Laptop and New Line of Gaming Innovation

 With cutting edge displays and accessories, OMEN and HP Pavilion Gaming level up gaming experiences

• OMEN X 2S: World’s first dual-screen gaming laptop with first of its kind liquid metal compound cooled CPU
• OMEN 15 : Strikingly powerful yet thin laptops featuring new OMEN Tempest advanced thermal solution
• OMEN Command Center: Performance Control and Dynamic Power maximizes frames-per-second by tuning CPU and GPU usage in real-time
• HP Pavilion Gaming 15: Extreme versatility, mobility and gaming performance for all

Bangkok, June 13, 2019 — HP Thailand unveiled a powerful lineup of OMEN and HP Pavilion Gaming innovations, raising the bar for gaming experiences.

The OMEN X 2S – the world’s first dual-screen gaming laptop – provides extraordinary power and multitasking capabilities, the OMEN 15 laptops bring exceptional power in their thinnest forms yet, and the HP Pavilion Gaming 15 laptop offers outstanding versatility and mobility for gamers and creatives alike. In addition, with enhancements to OMEN Command Center software and new OMEN and HP Pavilion Gaming and accessories, HP has engineered an industry-leading gaming ecosystem that delivers everything gamers need to progress and achieve their goals.

Gaming industry insights show 82 percent of people use their mobile phones for messaging during gaming sessions, 61 percent listen to music, and 49 percent watch game related live streams, video content and browse websites. With this in mind, HP has added an unprecedented second screen to the OMEN X 2S in the form of an easy-to-use six-inch 1080p touchscreen that lets players message friends in WeChat and WhatsApp, browse in Spotify, watch Twitch and YouTube or even serve as a hub for OMEN Command Center software.

“Pushing the boundaries of what’s possible with game-changing evolutionary and revolutionary products reflects the philosophy of reinvention at HP,” said Pavin Vorapruck, Managing Director – HP Inc. (Thailand) “The OMEN brand continues to think big and OMEN X 2S is a prime example of how we are setting new standards and changing how a gaming laptop is used.”

Pavin continued: “In the past few years gaming has secured its mainstream status, with Asia-Pacific and markets like Thailand driving the evolution for the rest of the world. Our understanding of the needs of the Asian gamer has allowed us to engineer these game-changing devices that not only provide a truly immersive in-game experience, but ensures we create something for every type of gamer who want to Play to Progress.” 

Laptops Designed for Next-Gen Gaming 

As the first dual-screen gaming laptop, the OMEN X 2S shakes the foundation of what’s expected of a gaming laptop, with tremendous multi-tasking capabilities for various activities and support with dedicated hotkeys. Watching how-to videos while playing, listening to the right song on Spotify while grinding a MMO, or keeping current with Twitch chat or Discord is no longer an alt-tabbing hassle. The OMEN X 2S, further bolstered by a real-time screen mirroring feature that can cut and magnify parts of the main screen – including copying the map portion of a racing game – to the second screen, ensures vision is centered and head movement more vertical than horizontal.

This powerhouse is 20 mm thin with a full metal chassis and is the first 15-inch diagonal gaming laptop in the world to come with an applied liquid metal compound to the thermal system by way of Thermal Grizzly Conductonaut. The result is phenomenal heat dissipation at 10 times the thermal conductivity of silicon thermal grease, up to a 28 percent[1] frames-per-second (FPS) performance boost over traditional grease when testing in Apex Legends, and an 8.5 percent[2] faster lead time in a Blender Benchmark test.

The path to smaller, cooler, and more powerful applies to the newest version of the OMEN 15 laptop. With a 20 percent reduction in thickness over previous versions, they sit at a slim 20 mm thin.

Both laptops feature OMEN Tempest, an overhauled advanced thermal solution powered by a 12V fan, which utilizes three-sided venting to enable five-way airflow to keep things ultra-cool. Realistic visuals are delivered by support by Max-Q design for the OMEN X 2S and OMEN 15. Additionally, multitasking and grand-scale games – which take mountainous resources – have never been smoother, with up to the latest 9th Gen Intel® Core™ i9 high performance mobile processor, powered by up to 5.0 GHz Turbo, eight cores and 16 threads, and up to 32 GB of RAM.

OMEN Command Center Updates

Since its creation, OMEN Command Center has evolved as the software solution for managing and enhancing gaming hardware. The evolution continues with two additions coming to the platform for all three new OMEN devices. Performance Control cranks up fan RPM to either maximize cooling or performance, based on the chosen setting. The new OMEN Dynamic Power feature manages CPU and GPU wattage based on what a game is utilizing at a given moment to maximize FPS. Combined, these powerful additions serve to improve gameplay while also adding a level of flexibility.

Game with Wireless Exceptionalism

Become a cord breaker with the OMEN Photon Wireless Mouse. With a variety of customization options, including removable rests and 11 customizable buttons, it’s laboriously crafted and includes a tensioning-balance system that ensures effortless optical-mechanical mouse clicks for big and little fingers alike. To address concerns of latency, connectivity, and battery life in wireless mice, OMEN Photon features 2.4 GHz Proactive Wireless Technology, 0.2ms click response time.

Versatile Gaming on the Go

Designed with a thinner frame than before, the latest HP Pavilion Gaming 15 laptop arrives with an eight percent decrease in height over the previous model. Technological improvements across the board arrive with options up to the latest 9th Gen Intel Core i5/i7 high performance mobile CPUs and up to the recently announced NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1660 Ti with Max-Q design.

Expertly crafted to yield precise aim and cursor movement along with a variety of customization options such as on-the-fly DPI and RGB lighting effects, the HP Pavilion Gaming Mouse 200 gives users a superb gaming experience. It pairs brilliantly with the HP Pavilion Gaming Mousepad 400, which utilizes a fine-textured anti-fray cloth surface that is optimized for both speed and control playstyles while resting on a rubber base.

OMEN by HP Pricing and Availability

· OMEN X 2S Laptop to be available in July via HP.com and other retailers for a starting price of 99,990 Baht (VAT Included)
· OMEN 15 Laptop to be available in July via HP.com and other retailers for a starting price of 49,990 Baht (VAT Included)
· OMEN Photon Wireless Mouse to be available in July via HP.com and other retailers for a starting price of 4,990 Baht (VAT Included)
· OMEN Outpost Mousepad to be available in July via HP.com and other retailers for a starting price of 4,990 Baht (VAT Included)
· Pavilion Gaming 15 Laptop now available via HP.com and other retailers for a starting price of 25,990 Baht (VAT Included)
· Pavilion Gaming Mouse 200 to be available in July via HP.com and other retailers for a starting price of 990 Baht (VAT Included)
· Pavilion Gaming Mousepad 400 to be available in July via HP.com and other retailers for a starting price of 990 Baht (VAT Included)

For more information about the OMEN by HP ecosystem of gaming PCs, displays and accessories, visit: https://www8.hp.com/th/th/gaming/laptops/omen-x-2s.html

About HP
HP Inc. creates technology that makes life better for everyone, everywhere. Through our product and service portfolio of personal systems, printers and 3D printing solutions, we engineer experiences that amaze. More information about HP Inc. is available at hp.com.

[1] Based on HP Internal Testing using frames per second in Apex Legends game comparing standard thermal solution to
Thermal Grizzly Conductonaut 4/19. OMEN X configuration with Intel i7-9750H, 16GB DDR4-2666, RTX2070 Max-Q
[2] Based on Blender Benchmark comparing standard silicon thermal solution verses Thermal Grizzly Conductonaut 4/19. OMEN X configuration with Intel i7-9750H, 16GB DDR4-2666, RTX2070 Max-Q.

Autobot Projected to Achieve a 300% Increase in Sales Growth with Shopee

Autobot joins Shopee’s biggest mid-year campaign, the ‘Shopee Free Shipping Month’ from 1 to 30 June 2019 as part of Autobot’s continued successful partnership with Shopee 

Bangkok, 30 May 2019 – Autobot is projected to achieve a 300% increase in sales growth with Shopee, the leading e-commerce platform in Southeast Asia and Taiwan. As part of Autobot's continued successful partnership with Shopee, Autobot will join one of Shopee’s biggest campaigns, the mid-year ‘Shopee Free Shipping Month’ where users can enjoy special promotions and discounts from 1 to 30 June 2019.

Thammasorn Meerat, Co Founder & Managing Director, Robot Maker said, "Since Autobot joined Shopee as a partner in 2017 to build our online presence, Autobot products have received an enormously positive response from consumers, recording over 200% increase in sales. Autobot will continue to develop new products using artificial intelligence technology (AI) so as to deliver meaningful, quality products for our users. We are also excited to join Shopee’s mid-year campaign, the ‘Shopee Free Shipping Month’, and are confident that we can hit our sales growth target of 300% this year." 

As a leading technology company, Autobot harnesses the power of artificial intelligence technology (AI) to develop products to help people's lives. Using robotic process automation, Autobot's robot vacuum cleaners free up the time spent on housework, allowing customers to focus on other important things in their lives. As a result, customers reduce the time spent on housework by more 30 minutes to an hour, saving up to 130 to 365 hours in a year. 

Siwagorn Siriwongpanupong, Head of Business Development, Shopee Thailand said, "At Shopee, we are committed to our vision to help improve the lives of people across the region with technology. This includes establishing strategic partnerships with top brands like Autobot, to provide users access to the best innovative electronic products, daily essentials, and trending products. We understand that consumers are increasingly turning to new technologies to improve their daily lives. Therefore our partnership with Autobot is a demonstration of both brands’ mutual goal to enhance people’s quality of lives through meaningful collaborations.” 

Customers will enjoy great savings and promotions with Autobot as part of the ''Shopee Free Shipping Month'. 

● During the event at Central World from 6 to 9 June:

○ Special trade-ins: Trade in your any brand of old robot vacuum cleaner to receive discount upto 6,000 THB for purchase Autobot robot vacuum Storm Mark II[1]
○ Buy 1-get-1 free: Grab the latest Autobot Lazer Mark III Final Call and get another robot vacuum cleaner free.[2]

● Throughout the entire campaign period: Enjoy giveaways code for discount off 300 baht to purchase Autobot product at the Autobot Official Store on Shopee Mall.

In addition, Autobot is launching a new innovative product, the ‘Storm Mark II’, which has the latest technology including a laser navigation system that promises high accuracy and high performance.

"Shopee recorded excellent growth over the first half of the year, thanks to the immense support from its users, partners, and sellers. To show their appreciation, Shopee launched the “Shopee Free Shipping Month” from 1 to 30 June 2019. This mid-year extravaganza comes packed with special deals and in-app game such as 1 Baht Prize and 100% Shopee Coins Cashback every day during the campaign.

Purchase your next Autobot robot vacuum cleaner through the Autobot Official Shop on Shopee Mall or visit Autobot’s store at 30 B2S and Betrend stores nationwide.

For more information, please contact Line: @autobot and consumer hotline at 094-405-1405 and Facebook https://www.facebook.com/robotmaker/

[1] Terms and conditions apply
[2] Limited Stock Available

“Royal Canin” prepares to be Number 1 In dog and cat food through Specialty Trade Channel next year

“Royal Canin”, the manufacturer and distributor of dog and cat food from France, is ready to become the leader in dog and cat health nutrition market via Specialty Trade Channel in Thailand next year. Thai pet food market has an increasing trend every year from rising demands of pet owners. The company, therefore, moves forward to educate about the nutritional diets for pets – which nowadays increasingly become family companions, while developing trade partners with a target to gain 12% growth in sales this year.

DVM. Chadon Suwanarit, Managing Director of Royal Canin (Thailand) Co., Ltd., the leader of dog and cat health nutrition under “Royal Canin” brand from France, said the behavior of Thai people in having pets had shifted from the past when the animals only meant to help watch over the houses or catch the rats. Currently, pets become companions, well-cared like a family member. In order to respond to this trend which dogs and cats should be taken care properly to ensure their healthiness, the company has focused in the nutritional issue by educating dog and cat lovers via every channel such as veterinary clinics, breeders, pet shops and online platforms. Recently, the company has developed an application, named “Royal Canin Club”, to help dog and cat owners understand how to take better care of their pets. In the application, there will be many useful knowledge based on cats and dogs’ ages, and breeds by nutritionists and veterinarians. Once download and register, a new member of Royal Canin Club will receive a complementary gift set, food samples and discount coupons. There will be many fun activities, including point collection, and reward redemption on products and services. 

Mr. Chadon said that overall market value of dog and cat food was estimated to be over 15 billion baht with local manufacturers and importers of more than 30 brands. The market could be categorized into two groups based on the marketing and distribution channels. Firstly, the Grocery and Modern Trade Channel (convenience stores and supermarkets) commanded 40% of the market share with growth rate of 1.2% last year. Secondly, the Specialty Trade Channel (pet food shops, veterinary clinics and breeders) controlled the rest of 60% with the growth rate of 7.3% last year. Royal Canin had ranked the third in overall market but stayed at the second in the Specialty Trade Channel. The company expected to be at the top of Specialty Trade Channel next year, as supported by the organic growth of dog and cat food markets, as more people having dogs and cats as family companions. It is expected that the market for dog and cat diets will grow by 5% next year, with the higher growth projected in cat food. Currently, Thailand has a total of 12 million dogs and cats kept as family companions, 8 million of which were dogs and the rest of 4 million were cats. 

Regarding the company’s sales, Royal Canin (Thailand) is confident to achieve the target sales of 2 billion baht in 2019, or 12% growth from 1.8 billion baht in previous year. The company plans to expand the nutrition diets for dogs and cats by educating and establishing the correct understanding among pet owners and adds more marketing and distributing channels. The company has marketed the products via pet shops (70%), veterinary clinics (25%), breeders (3%) and another 2% via e-commerce, a new marketing channel added since late last year in order to expand the customer base.

Meanwhile, “Royal Canin” has emphasized the importance of establishing good relationship with pet owners through marketing activities and sale channels that suit their behavior. The company will participate in the Pet Expo 2019, which will be organized during 30th May to 2nd June, 2019 at Bangkok International Trade & Exhibition Center (Bitec). The company will join the Expo under the theme “Take Your Pet to the Vet”, offering opportunities for pet owners to bring their pets to get basic health check-up. Royal Canin will open a pop-up veterinary clinic where professional veterinarians will provide the service free of charge. They will also be ready to educate the public about right nutrition for pets. More than 200 formulas of Royal Canin dog and cat foods will also be available at special price with limited edition gifts.

Royal Canin in France has been in operation for over 50 years since French veterinarian Monsieur Jean Cathary founded the company in 1968 as he realized about the significance of nutrition to the health of pets. Royal Canin products have been introduced to Thai market since 2005. The company has differentiated itself by emphasizing that all dogs and cats should be able to access to best nutrition from the first to the last meal in their lives. It also focuses on two main subjects. Firstly, knowledge comes along with love as natural behavior of dogs and cats will be studied before the development of food formulas. Secondly, dogs and cats are at the central point of the formula development to create diets best suit the animals’ nature. Dogs and cats are the core for the company’s research and development as well as its science-based innovation. Moreover, its production standard from all corners of the world has also been strictly supervised.

Aritco (Thailand) has invested over 100 million baht to create a new “Flagship Showroom”

Aritco (Thailand) Co., Ltd., the sole distributor and installer of Swedish “Aritco” home lifts underlines its leadership in home lift market with the investment of over 100 million baht to launch a new showroom in the heart on Bangkok on Rama III Road. The gallery-like showroom will display a variety of home lifts in relaxing co-working space atmosphere. It will also function as the Data Center to house engineering team for real-time after sales services. Aritco expects sales to grow by 100% over the next three years with lift sales rise from 1,000 to 2,000 units through the opening of new showrooms in major cities nationwide.

Mr. Tana Sripongtanakul, Managing Director of Aritco (Thailand) Co., Ltd., said the company has become the sole distributor and installer of Aritco home lifts from Sweden in Thailand since 2012, with products priced starting from 1 million baht a unit, targeting customers with contemporary lifestyle and the desire to facilitate all family members. The products are well-accepted among a wide group of customers, as proven by the constant growth in sales to more than 1,000 units over the seven-year period.

In order to cater for the lifestyle of new-generation customers who usually seek for the convenience, the safety as well as the esthetic design that become the truly smart solution for "home lift", coupled with the rising of aging population in the near future, the company has invested over 100 million baht to create a new “Flagship Showroom” on Rama III Road. It will become the gallery to showcase different models of home lifts to create comprehensive solutions to best match all customers’ demands. Customers can experience Aritco home lifts at this showroom in relaxing co-working space atmosphere that equipped with all facilities every day, and be served with beverages of their choice. The showroom will also function as the Data Center, where engineering teams are stationed to offer after sales services with real-time surveillance system employing the advanced computerized

technology, to ensure that all Aritco lifts are in perfect conditions 24 hours. Besides, the Flagship Showroom in Bangkok, the company plans to build more showrooms in major cities such as Chiang Mai, Khon Kaen, Chon Buri and Phuket. Aritco aims to become the leader in home lift market with sales to double over the next three years, from 1,000 to 2,000 units.

Mr. Martin Idbrant, Chief Executive Officer of Aritco Lift AB, Sweden, said after the company had appointed Aritco (Thailand) Co., Ltd to import, install and market the Aritco products for over seven years, the company firmly believed that Aritco (Thailand) would lead the strength of Aritco brand to grow sustainably in the long term. The Thai executives had broad vision so far with knowledge and experience in the management to uplift quality of life of Thai people to be on par with international standard. The professional engineering teams for installation and after sales service were ready to provide maintenance under the warranty period. Therefore, the products had been increasingly recognized from customers.

“The company is ready to be cooperative in all aspects and will continue to be innovative in the development of lift technology to support Aritco (Thailand) to remain at the forefront of home lift market in the country,” said Mr. Idbrant. 

Aritco Home Lift Safe with screw system

The latest model of Aritco Home Lift is designed by prominent Scandinavian designer Alexander Lervik. It is the first of its kind to be meticulously designed to really serve the application in residence. Aritco is the world’s leader in manufacturing of home lifts for home installation, building lifts or platform lifts for public spaces. The company has manufactured and installed more than 35,000 units worldwide, having over 140 trading partners from more than 40 countries in all continents.