Pattaya Business Supplement - Feb 2017

BUSINESS SUPPLEMENT
THAILAND POST TO TRANSFORM
FOR THE DIGITAL ERA
Thailand post will transform itself
over the next two years so as to
become more competitive in the
digital era.
Whilst the digital era has brought
increased e-commerce, which
in turn has a good potential to
increase business for the state
enterprise, it has also brought in
increased competition from private
couriers along with new smartphone
apps.
Thailand Post’s President,
Samorn Terdthampiboon was
quoted as saying “A transformation
is needed in order to fight
back against the influx of no frills
messenger service apps and international
courier and parcel
delivery service providers as well
as to create sustainable revenue
growth. We must move towards
digital in a bid to enhance our
services and maintain our leadership
in a market that is facing
fierce competition from new foreign
players.”
As part of the transformation,
Thailand Post is expected to
spend over 3 billion baht between
now and the end of 2018 to upgrade
its automated sorting and
distribution centres as well as
to upgrade its vehicle fleets. An
expansion of its Prompt Post service
(a mobile app that provides
easy pre-registration), as well its
postal ID service, a method to facilitate
sorting in a quicker time,
are among the objectives of the
transformation.
With postal ID services in mind,
there was already success in obtaining
more than 7 million household
registrations in November
last year when postcards featuring
portraits of the late King were
made available on the website.
The Postal ID system is to be
expanded countrywide over the
next five years. Postal ID services
are already in operation in Chonburi,
Bangkok and Nakhon Ratchasima
on a trial basis.
Prompt Post allows users to pre
register and then use semi automatic
parcel processing counters
to save time when despatching a
package. It is already in service in
Bangkok and some neighbouring
provinces, but will be expanded
countrywide this year.
The digital transformation program
will cover five key aspects
including products and services,
communications, infrastructure,
operations and training staff to
ensure that there is a digital era
mind set in place.
Thailand post has 24,000 employees
and no plans to increase
this number. The enterprise reported
a net profit of 3.5 billion
baht last year on revenue of 25
billion baht. Revenue was up
twelve per cent over that in 2015
when revenues stood at 22 billion
baht. Expectations are for revenues
to increase again in 2017
to 26.9 billion baht with profit
expected to come in at 3.3 billion
baht. EMS express mail services
accounted for nearly half of all revenue
in 2016, (48 per cent) with
a further 45 per cent accounting
for postcards and communication
services. The remaining revenue
came from over the counter payments
and retail business.
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