MAR 2014
The Danes are back in the Thai dairy sector ScandAsia.dk
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News Brief
Coming Events
Orchid farm visit
Your FREE ScandAsia Magazine in Thailand
Join a group of other Danish women to visit an orchid farm on Wednesday 12 March 2014. The organiser is Danish Women’s Network ‘Margretheklubben’. To join the DWN, visit the website www.dwn-thailand.com If you are already a member, you should also take note that the association is holding its annual general meeting on Thursday 20 March.
Lakeside Gala Concert at Harrow’s Harrow International School Bangkok presents a Lakeside Gala Concert “Movies under the Stars” on Thursday 13 March 2014. The evening will feature the combined orchestral forces of Harrow International School and members of the Bangkok Charity Orchestra with guest conductor Chulayuth Lochotinan.
ScandAsia is the only magazine that covers all the Danish, Finnish, Norwegian and Swedish residents in Thailand. We also publish a ScandAsia magazine in China, Singapore and the rest of South East Asia.
Tickets are 450 baht -please email galaconcert@harrowscool.ac.th
Please sign up for your own FREE copy: www.scandasia.com Publisher : 211 Soi Prasert Manukitch 29 Prasert Manukitch Road Chorakae Bua, Lad Prao Bangkok 10230, Thailand Tel. +66 2 943 7166-8, Fax: +66 2 943 7169 E-mail: news@scandasia.com Editor-in-Chief : Gregers A.W. Møller gregers@scandmedia.com Managing Editor: Thana Poopat thana@scandmedia.com Advertising : Finn Balslev finn@scandmedia.com Piyanan Kalikanon piyanan@scandmedia.com Nattapat Maesang nattapat@scandmedia.com Karsten Reinholdt Jakobsen karsten@scandmedia.com Graphic Designer : Supphathada Numamnuay supphathada@scandmedia.com Printing : Lake & Foundtain Printing Co., Ltd.
Daily news and features here: www.scandasia.com
Workforce and Education Mr. James MacDonald, Headmaster of NIST, will speak at a Nordic Breakfast Seminar on the topic of Workforce and Education at Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit Hotel, Thursday, 13th March 2014. Today’s students face different challenges that many of the adults faced when they were students. How and in what ways have schools been evolving to respond to our changing business world. Do the schools align with what the companies are looking for in their workforce? Join and get challenged how you think about shooling in our modern age. Members 750 baht Non-members 1.100 baht
Golf: SEB teams up with SAAB The Golf section of Scandinavian Society Siam have for several years enjoyed the returning tournament of SAS and SEB held over a weekend in Hua Hin. With the closing of SAS’ office in Thailand, SEB has teamed up with another strong, Scandinavian partner, SAAB - the company delivering jet fighters and other defense equipment to Thailand and other countries in the region. This year’s tournament is held on March 22, 2014. Sign up through the website www.zabaigolf.com
Past Events
Ambassador Winther lauds Danish beer culture
D
enmark’s Ambassador Mikael Hemniti Winther, officially opened the Danish craft beer bar, Mikkeller, in Bangkok, on February 11. Mikkeller has already been open to customers since January 29, but the official opening with representation from the Danish Embassy in Thailand. Mikael Hemniti Winther expressed his pride and admiration for the Danish craft beer and the decor facilities at the beer garden. “It is my hope that a great deal of Thais will come here to learn much more about Danish beer culture and to appreciate and enjoy great artisan beers,” he said.
Mikael Hemniti Winther commented on this photo: “As you may imagine a day of an Ambassador can be filled with dreadful tasks. This is not one of them.”
Rock n’ Roll Garden Party
T
he Annual Garden Party of the Scandinavian Society Siam was hosted by Norwegian Ambassador Katja Christina Nordgaard on Saturday 25 January 2014. In her welcome speech, the Ambassador mentioned that it was her last chance to host the party, as she would soon move on after many good years in Bangkok. Some fifty members joined the fun and lively evening. Admiral’s Pub & Restaurant was in charge of the food and the music was well taken care of by the kickass rock n’ roll band Peter Driscoll and the Cruisers - including on drums Paolo Conselvan, the husband of TNCC President Vibeke Leirvaag.
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So who will host the party next year?
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Katja Christina Nordgaard wishes everyone welcome in her huge and beautiful garden The Ambassador with Poul and Vicki Weber Tom Trommestad, Jan Eriksson, Ginny Eriksson and Jaana Kopra Madsen enjoy the party Khwanjai Chindathanakom and Kristian Bo
March 2014 • ScandAsia.Thailand 5
Past Events
Amundsen Cup
O
n a hot February 1st, the Amundsen Cup was held at Bangkok Golf Club. The greens were definitely the fastest of the season running at a whopping 12 feet 10 inches. Hence – many putts were attempted and fewer made. As we were playing stroke play and not Stableford the scores were higher then usual as well. The dinner and prize ceremony followed at Admirals Pub on Sukhumvit Soi 24. The A group was won by Juha Saarinen – with a net 73. He was followed by Ole Madsen also on 73 but with a higher handicap and third place in the A group went to the season leader Bjarne Kjersner whom had a net 76 which included three birdies. Mikael Olsson won the B group on a wonderful 70 net which included two birdies. Last season’s overall winner Erik Dahlstrom came in 5 strokes behind on 75 and 3rd place went to Ake Lindvall. The C group went to Ole Petter Oksne on a net 71 followed by Sverre Haug on 75. The CC/ Guest group was won on a net 72 by Lennart Zettergren. Bjarne continues to lead the seasons race to Six Senses whom is 9.5 points ahead of last years champion Erik Dahlstrom. Erik is now in the lead on the seasons putting championship. The next event is the Mama Noodles sponsored Finish Golf day which will be held on March 1st at Royal Golf and Country Club. Please don’t forget to sign up at www.zabaigolf.com
Strong turnout of Norwegians at Udon meeting
T
he Norwegian embassy’s yearly information meeting, held at an Udon Thani hotel on 27 January 2014, was attended by Norwegian citizens in the northeastern province and outlying areas. Representatives of the Norwegian Embassy and NAV/HELFO informed Norwegian citizens about Visa and consular work, NAV membership, NAV pensions and HELFO health/illness cases. A question-and-answer session followed the presentations. Scores of Norwegian expats from Udon Thani and other northeastern provinces attended the meeting and enjoy the opportunity to get to know one another.
6 ScandAsia.Thailand • March 2014
Vinteridretten ser du med 37 TV-kanaler er kun en telefonsamtale unna facebook.com/ScansatAsia scansatnetworkasia@gmail.com Sailor Inn og Sjømannskirken Vi formidler 37 skandinaviske og engelske kanaler via en proxyserver i Thailand. Vår set-top boks kjører Android 4.0 og kan dermed kjøre alle internett-radioer samt apper fra Youtube, Skype, Google og IPTV. Alt fungerer så lenge du har en stabil internett-forbindelse.
Sjekk kvaliteten på en av våre mange visningssteder:
Jomtien: Sweet Bar (Second Road/Soi Watbun), Samba Banana (Jomtien Plaza), Bananas Bar (Beach Soi 3). Pattaya: Blue Lagoon Bar & Guesthouse, Pompoi Fun Pub, VIP Reiser. Pratamnak: Boonisa NAV Bar (Buddha Hill). Surin: Svein (tlf: 0923386010). Cha-am: Scandic Bar (Soi Long Beach). Hua Hin: Aladdin Bar. Koh Chang: The White Elephant Partybar, White Sands. – Vi har teknikere i: Pattaya, Jomtien, Khon Kaen, Chaiyaphum.
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News Brief
Swedes turn up in force at 2014 inaugural networking
T
he Swedish Chamber of Commerce got off to a good start when it held its first networking evening of the year on February 6 at The Huntsman Pub, Landmark Hotel in Bangkok. Business people, students and representatives from The Swedish Embassy in Thailand, gathered for a meet and greet, while a Thai band played live, soothing music in the background.
Danish breeding company begins cattle-semen export to Thailand By Kristian Lauritzen Photo Viking Genetics
T
he Danish cattle breeding company, Viking Genetics, announced in late January it had received an order for bull semen from Thailand’s Dairy Farming Promotion Organisation (DFPO). The initial order is for different specimens of Danish bull semen. Viking Genetics Export Manager H.C Hansen, speaking to ScandAsia, said the deal concerned 2,000 Holstein semen shots, 350 Danish Red semen shots and 150 gender-sorted Danish Red cattle-semen shots. The order was agreed to earlier during the business delegation to Thailand arranged by the DTCC agro-dairy group in mid-January in which Viking Genetics participated. The value of the order is undisclosed. “The genetics of Danish cattle meet high standards, which enable them to deliver a large quantity of milk. The Thai cattle, however, are used to warm temperature. When you combine these two elements, you get great results in milk production,” H.C. Hansen explained. The demand for milk in Thailand is increasing, but the quality of the milk cows still has room for improvement. Hansen said that the export to Thailand was just the beginning. The company’s long-term ambition is to export to all of the other ASEAN countries, with Myanmar as a high-priority market. Viking Genetics has not made any exclusive deals with Thai milk companies yet. So far the order has been made with The Dairy Farming Promotion Organisation under Thailand’s Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives.
Krabi is top destination among Norwegian tourists Photo: Tourism Authority of Thailand
K
rabi in southern Thailand is the Norwegians´ preferred travel destination during winter. An opinion poll among thousands of Star Tour customers showed that the limestone cliffs and white sand beaches of Krabi are the biggest draw, when Norwegians want to take a short break from the biting cold of the their home country. It is the second year in a row for Krabi to be voted top destination. Madeira came in as runner- up, according to Star Tour, Norway.
8 ScandAsia.Thailand • March 2014
News Brief
Finnish warehouse workers boycott Thai pineapple juices
W
arehouse workers from three Finnish companies refused to handle some Thai juices between 12-14 February, following a report from NGO Finnwatch that alleges suspicions of forced labour and human trafficking at certain factories in the South East Asian nation. Finland’s Service Union United said workers from SOK, Tuko Logistics and Kesko did not move the juices to supermarkets during the period, in an attempt to raise public awareness and promote social responsibility throughout the delivery chain. The Finnwatch report “Out of a Ditch, into a Pond” is a follow-up investigation from last year’s “Cheap Comes With A High Price”, which prompted processor Natural Fruit Company launching defamation and libel suits against British human rights activist Andy Hall. “The follow-up report shows that much needs to be done to have a genuinely responsible procurement chain. It is not enough to pay lip service and say how sorry we are,” Kesko union branch chairman Petri Järvinen said. “Moreover, the aim of the boycott is to make the supplier VIP-Juicemaker and its Dutch parent company understand that responsible operations are, in the end, also in their best interest,” added shop steward Heikki Laakkonen from Inex Partners’ (SOK) Kilo warehouse. Finnwatch’s report also covers pineapple concentrate producer Vita Food Factory, along with Thai Union Manufacturing (TUM), Unicord. Source: Fresh Fruit Portal
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AD_ScandAsiaThailand_Kim_192x135_eng NEW.indd 1
14/02/2014 10:22 March 2014 • ScandAsia.Thailand 9
The Danes A are back in the Thai dairy sector oup and The DTCC Dairy Agro gr n from a visiting trade delegatio ined this year’s Danish dairy industry jo ival in Muak Lek National Dairy Cow Fest was opened by in Saraburi. The festival 17th January on n or dh rin Si ss ce in Pr HRH ary 2014. and lasted until 22 Janu By Stig Vagt-Andersen
10 ScandAsia.Thailand • March 2014
fter two years preparations, this year finally a large Danish stand was set up jointly by a group of five visiting Danish companies and the DTCC dairyagro group which consists of six corporate members of DTCC. The National Dairy Cow Festival is combined with the National Milk Day and is organized by DPO – Dairy Promotion Organization of Thailand. DPO is by most people in Thailand better known for its brand name “Thai-Danish Milk” which has its origin from the Thai-Danish dairy program initiated in 1962. The fair host a number of national and international seminars and meetings related to the dairy industry as well as exhibition of dairy cows and equipment for the dairy industry. Thousands of daily visitors attended the fair, which is the largest of its kind in SEA and despite Denmark ceasing development assistance to the project in the mid-90s the Danish name is still remembered by the DPO (Dairy Promotion Organization of Thailand) which is the present day operator of the project. The Danish dairy business delegation was organized by Andersen Consult, a DTCC corporate member, and supported by Væksthus Midtjylland represented by Kurt Bøgild Kristensen. The participating companies were SAC (milking machinery), Paul Tarp a/s (milk truck system and software), PTI ( dairy processing), Silkeborg Maskinfabrik a/s (stainless steel components for dairy industry) and Viking Genetics (dairy bull semen). The DPO and a number of Thai companies made the Danish visitors felt very welcome and they frankly shared their experiences and views on the Danish role in the future of Thai dairy industry. The delegation had a hectic and hands-on program visiting Muak Lek Dairy Cooperation, T.D Dairyfoods Co. Ltd, Farm Chokchai, Premier Dairy, Muak Lek cooperatives, Mahidol University Research institute and other various operations of the DPO. The group also used the opportunity to view the exhibiting companies at the large dairy fair and get an idea of the products on offer in the Thai market. Tuesday evening, a wine tasting and dinner was held at the Gran Monte winery with over 40 dairy professionals attending and including acting director general of DPO Mr. Nopadon Tunvichien. The evening was held in a relaxed atmosphere and the owner of Gran Monte winery briefly discussed the challenges of growing wine grapes in tropical climate. Today Gran Monte is a successful winery with several international awards and the Thai-Danish dairy industry is a market leader in its field in SEA. Thai dairy veterans Virat Promberd and Sawaeng Kongpetsak who were both trained in Denmark and speak fluent Danish, joined the event. Khun Sawaeng expressed his pleasure to see Denmark back and active in the Thai dairy industry. He did not like to see Denmark and Thailand having jointly set up the industry by putting in many years of hard work and good cooperation only to have other countries come in and skim off
the cream! The general impression of all visiting Danish companies was an overwhelming good will and friendliness of our Thai colleagues . Long time DTCC corporate and founding member Mr. Allan Jensen, CEO of Scanpro, shared his decades of experiences in Thai dairy industry with the group and Thomas Hansen, CEO of SKOV Asia, likewise hosted the group for a valuable insight in his company’s experience in setting up operation and offering services to the agricultural sector in Thailand. The other member of the DTCC dairy agro group, Rich Group with Dr. Charlie, I-Tracking with Thomas Fatzler, Admirals Pub with Bent Laasholdt & Napakamon Anant, Scan Global CEO Torben Jensen, Ms Morrakot Na Chiangmai and Stig Vagt-Andersen with their team from Ben Adisti and the Royal Danish Consulate in Pattaya all made this possible through allocating a lot of time and resources for the project. The new Danish intern from Odense University Ulrik Bolvig Andersen landed in Thailand hitting the ground running and found himself helping out at the DTCC stand in Muak Lek on his third day in Thailand. After seeing the very positive reception of the Danish companies and the obvious opportunities for cooperation within the dairy industry he quickly joined the good teamwork and put in long hours of work. The next activity of the network will be a reciprocal business delegation visit to Denmark in May / June this year. The response from the Thai companies towards this initiative has been an overwhelming interest. Based on tentative indications of participation there will now be two groups of each 16 participants leaving for Denmark on 28 May and 5 June and visiting Roskilde and Sønderborg dyrskue, respectively. The visit will be hands-on in style with the Danish visit here and the companies visited will be handpicked to the interest and needs of the participants. The many hours spent getting this project up and running over the last three years has paid off for the team. CEO of SAC Mr. Rene Meyer Johansen, which from company headquarters in Kolding operates export to 50 countries worldwide, expressed during the final dinner at Grand Millennium Hotel that he hoped the Danish Export Council would clone this approach as it had been one of the best and most rewarding of its kind he had ever participated in. Commercial Counsellor Asbjoern O. Christiansen and Jan Dam Petersen IFU representative in Thailand, who joined the farewell dinner, could both conclude that the companies had reached positive results in Thailand. The continued work of the network was very promising and they offered the support of the Embassy and IFU as required.
ish stand DTCC President Peter Romhild to the Dan HRH Princess Sirindhorn welcomed by ichien, Tunv adon Nop Gen Dir DPO . k Lek” at The National Dairy Cow Festival, Mua chan. Chom lie Chiangmai, Dr Char Consul Stig Vagt-Andersen, Morrakot Na
DPO Ass Director Suwarat Hongyuntarachai point out a detail to Frank from Silkeborg Maskinfabrik while Michael & Søren from PTI get into details of the DPO milk collection system.
CEO Pinich Jarikpakoen & Farm manager Kongkiat Seesuwan from farm Chokchai took the team through the operation in Muek Lek.
Any members of the DTCC who would like to join the activities of the network or to request further information are welcome to contact Consul Stig Vagt-Andersen at email consul@consulatepattaya.dk
March 2014 • ScandAsia.Thailand 11
Thai students
win trip to Denmark Thai agricultural university students entered fierce competition to win HRH Princess Sirindhorn’s first prize trophy and a study tour to Denmark By Stig Vagt-Andersen
S
tudents from Suranaree University of Technology from Korat have won the first prize trophy in an agricultural university competition – plus the opportunity to join a Thai Dairy business delegation to Denmark for a week in May-June 2014. The winning team was announced at the opening of the National Dairy Cow Festival in Muak Lek, Saraburi in 17 January 2014. The students will be assigned to write in Thai media about their experiences in Denmark and they were all quite excited about the opportunity to go to visit Roskilde dyrskue and see the Danish agricultural companies exhibiting there. The students, with Asst. Prof. Dr. Siwatt Thaiudom as their advisor, were among the six finalists in the competition in which over 16 universities in Thailand had joined. The competition was this year on the subject “Thailand as regional dairy hub for ASEAN”. The student teams submitted papers for the competition and six Universities reached the final competition in Muak Lek on 22 January 2014. The first prize was a trophy from HRH Princess Sirindhorn accompanied with cash and in kind prizes from DPO. This year the students had extra excitement as the DTCC Dairy Agro group joined the first prize with a study tour for the winning university students to join the Thai Dairy business delegation to Denmark. The students will get the opportunity to follow Thai dairy professionals on their study tour to visit the Danish dairy technology companies and get a first hand view of the state of the art in Danish dairy industry. The study group will also visit historic sites as visited by HM King Bhumibol during his visit to Denmark in 1960. The audience applauded during the announcement, when it was added that this feature of a Danish study tour will be a yearly opportunity given by DTCC agrodairy group and it will for sure encourage the university students to make an even harder effort to excel in next years competition. DPO will welcome suggestions for themes for the next years university competition and we are sure that Danish dairy technology will be well known among the future professionals in the Thai dairy industry.
12 ScandAsia.Thailand • March 2014
Panels of judges for the University competition Dr. Chokchai Chadmongkol (DPO) Mr. Tunvichien (Acting Dir Gen DPO) and consul Stig Vagt-Andersen
Each of the finalist Universities came with their colourful and noisy chear leader teams which made the event very colourful. Here it is Maejo University performing in front of the Danish booth.
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March 2014 • ScandAsia.Thailand 13
Keeping Norway T This year’s Norway-Asia Business Summit, held in Bangkok on the April 24, highlights opportunities and challenges for Norwegian businesses in this fast-growing region. Inspiring speakers deliver expert advice and insights on how to gain competitive edge, with an optional summit in Rangoon from April 27, focussing exclusively on Myanmar. By Morten Krogsholm
At this year’s summit we really want to give some perspective on the future and its possibilities. It all comes down to one thing; How can Norwegian industry stay competitive?
he annual Norway Asia Business Summit kicks off in Bangkok on the 24th of April. We have spoken to the summit’s Head Organiser and former President of the Thai Norwegian Chamber of Commerce Axel Blom about what to expect at this year’s event and how it will differ from previous summits.
Big turnout Though Bangkok right now is the center of political unrest the organisers of the Norway-Asia Business Summit expect a big turnout for the event. “The venue we have chosen for the summit is well-known by most Norwegians and we also keep would-be participants updated about the situation on our website. We want to stress that the current unrest does not affect us or the summit unless the situation escalates,” said Axel Blom and explained how the planning of the event has had its focus on keeping the program relevant for the target group. “The typical participants at the Norway-Asia Business Summit held in Bangkok will be both Norwegian companies present all over Asia and new companies interested in doing business in Asia. In addition, we have a large contingent of people from various support organisations in Norway and representatives from the Norwegian Government. Delegates participating in the Myanmar extension, will typically be companies interesting to enter this exciting new market,” said Axel Blom who expects 200 participants for the summit in Bangkok, which will be held in beautiful surroundings at the Shangri-La Hotel located near the Chao Phraya riverside. In addition he expects 50 participants for the Myanmar extension. The reason for such high expectations is a continued upwards success of the event which is now taking place for the fifth time. Thailand competed against other Norwegian Business Associations in the region in securing the event for Thailand in 2014.
Quality speakers The planning of this year’s summit began back in June and due to the early preparations Blom feels this 14 ScandAsia.Thailand • March 2014
competitive have made grounds for an even better summit. “The long advance planning has meant that it was easier to catch high calibre speakers.” he said. Among others; Norway’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and former head of World Economic Forum, Børge Brende will be there in addition to head of the Confederation of Norwegian Industry (NHO), Kristin Skogen Lund. Various subjects such as the world energy crisis and the world food crisis will be addressed. Professor Jan Ketil Arnulf from the BI Norwegian Business School will talk on education and cross cultural management, and both China and India have been given specific sessions looking far into the future.” said Blom. One of the summits significant attractions is the former Secretary General of ASEAN and former Minister of Foreign Affairs in Thailand Dr. Surin Pitsuwan. The Harvard graduate will be talking on what we have in store with the introduction of the 2015 ASEAN Economic Community. Like former Norway-Asia Business Summits, this year will also tell the stories of Norwegian success in the region. “I do not want to give away which stories will be told, but President and CEO of Telenor Group Jon Fredrik Bakaas, President and CEO of Norwegian Air Shuttle ASA Bjørn Kjos and several insightful Yara employees will inspire the participants at the summit as to how it is possible to succeed in the region,” said Blom but underlined that it is the future perspective that is the
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main focus of the summit. Focus on the future The summit seeks to serve a purpose and this is to broaden its participants horizon on the possibilities Asia in general and ASEAN in particular has to offer. “Previously the focus has to a large degree been on present time, but at this year’s summit we really want to give some perspective on the future and its possibilities. It all comes down to one thing; How can Norwegian industry stay competitive?,” said Blom. This years summit is divided into seven sections. Among these are macroeconomic perspectives on Asia, a look at Norway’s maritime industry in Asia, a session on Norwegian businesses competitiveness in Asia and how Team Norway can add value. “We have put a lot of effort into designing an interactive website which can support the event before, during and after the summit” said Axel Blom. Presentations and photos from the event will be made available to registered participants through the website. “The summit is all about giving renewed insight into Norway can become even stronger in the Asian market place market,” said Blom.
Bangkok. On Sunday, the last day of the summit in Bangkok, there will be a golf tournament for those who register for it. The entry fee is a bit over USD 200 which includes 18 holes of golf, a golf goody bag, lunch and
drinks at the Thana City Golf and Sports Club. For further information on the Norway-Asia Business Summit visit www.norway-asia.com
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Not all business Though it is called a business summit it is not all about business. For those who would like to bring their spouses, the organisers will arrange a spouse program comprising of Thai cooking classes, cultural sights and of course shopping to keep them entertained while staying in
13/2/2014 10:56:46 PM
March 2014 • ScandAsia.Thailand 15
Self Storage
in Pattaya
16 ScandAsia.Thailand • March 2014
Residents in Pattaya and the Eastern Seaboard can now store their luggage, motorcycles or other personal belongings at a Self Storage facility, for instance, during the summer holidays, moving house or lack of space. Norwegian long-time resident Jan Olav Aamlid and his wife “Mio” are the proud entrepreneurs behind the much needed service. By Kristian Kruger Lauritzen
B
etween Pattaya, Jomtien and Pratumnak hill, on Thappraya Road, it is almost impossible not to notice the big red sign, on Thappraya Road, outside the new seven floors, shining white building that says “PSS - Pattaya Self Storage”. At night, the neon billboard even changes colours. For Jan Olav Aamlid, the Norwegian owner and originator of Pattaya Self Storage, it is important that people driving by, notices the place. “Yesterday a guy drove by, and said “I noticed your sign, can I use your storage?” he says. “That is the whole point.” The Pattaya Self Storage covers 3000 square meters. It contains 18 drop box units for storing furniture and big items, 216 smaller and bigger safety deposit boxes inside a vault, and more than 200 units of storage of all sizes from fifteen square meters down to one and 228 lockers suitable for suitcases and smaller items. There are 60 mailboxes, 290 square meters of office space for rental on one floor and also apartments for rent. There is also driver service with two cars, which can come and pick up items for the customers.
No space left in the attic The company is family-run by Jan Olav Aamlid and his wife Sutthamma Thana “Mio”, while their two sons also have a small share. The idea to get into the Self storage business came three years ago, when a friend came to visit them. “We already had five suitcases and three golf sets in our attic and then he came with his bicycle and two suitcases. No way! We cannot fit any more stuff in the attic, “Mio” said, Jan Olav Aamlid recalls. Then the idea slowly but steady progressed into an actual project. The couple quickly discovered the relevance to their new business adventure. “There must be a market, when everybody
we know is complaining of no place to store items one does not need every day. And also most of the condominiums in Pattaya, does not have storage. And hotel owner often do not let their guest keep their suitcases because of lack of space,” he says. When people rent an apartment, where every square meter is used for living space, they will often need a place for the golf clubs or personal items, which are valuable to them, but not used everyday. The Pattaya based Norwegian-Thai couple simply acted on the old familiar principle of supply and demand.
A growing market Jan Olav Aamlid and “Mio” has travelled around the world to go to self storage seminars and to look at other Self Storage facilities for knowledge and inspiration to make them as equipped as possible, before building and later on opening the self storage facility. In Asia it is still a relatively new thing to store items in storage away from home. “There are 58000 storage facilities all around the world and 46000 of them are in the US. In Thailand for example, people are not yet used to self storage”, he says. But the business is growing, because there are so many people living with little space at home. It is also great demand for storage from business owners who do not want to use expensive space in their shop for storage, also from the export trade waiting to fill a container to be shipped. Hong Kong, Singapore and Australia has been in the game for a while, but in South East Asia, the business is still small in regards to the actual demand. Jan Olav Aamlid and “Mio” decided to build The Pattaya Self Storage with seven floors instead of taking up lots of ground, so the building has an underground parking lot and elevators with a lot
of space. “The land here in Pattaya is expensive”, he explains. And the location on Thappraya Road is essential, because a lot of the foreign customers do not have cars so the facility has to be close to where people live.
Security and discretion Two other factors that Jan Olav Aamlid wants to underline the importance of, is the sense of security and discretion. “In self storage, people should put their objects in and take them out themselves,” he says. Personal items or objects of a certain affection and value should be handled only by the customers. Same goes for cleaning - people’s possessions have to be in the same state as they left them in the storage facility. For security reasons, Pattaya Self Storage is supervised by Securitas, with 24 hours surveillance, and there are guards at the entrance below. There is also CCTV flat screen surveillance at the office, and there is a finger scan system, so when the customers come to get their items in or out they have to pass the scan before the doors opens.
Big opening still waits The Pattaya Self Storage opened the doors on January 15, 2014, and is already available for customers. Two of the floors haven’t been taken into use because the owners want to see what unit sizes are in demand. The entrepreneurial couple has decided to wait for a while for the big Grand Opening. “Only a couple of weeks after we opened, we have many customers - but the big official opening will be at the beginning of next high season, “ Jan Olav Aamlid says with a smile, without hiding his excitement to create buzz for the Pattaya Self Storage. March 2014 • ScandAsia.Thailand 17
Danish couple cooks up international gourmet experience in Bangkok Quality is key for Henrik and Dorte Tvilling who left Denmark to pursue their dream of opening up a restaurant in Thailand. By Morten Krogsholm
Find Crystal Cafe at Crystal Design Center 1448/1449 Soi Ladprao 87 Praditmanutham Road Bangkapi District Bangkok
Skills and techniques are exchanged between the owners and employees 18 ScandAsia.Thailand • March 2014
A
dream of owning a restaurant in southern Europe turned into an Asian adventure on a Wednesday night for Danish couple Dorte and Henrik Tvilling while watching a popular real estate show on Danish TV. That particular show featured properties in Thailand. Having explored some of the impossibly expensive and unattainable places in Europe, the prices in Thailand appealed to the couple and they quickly decided to seek fortune 12.000 kilometers away.
Things did not go as planned Having sold their home in Denmark and bought a house in Thailand, the couple stumbled upon what looked like a golden opportunity soon after the move. In Hua Hin, where the couple had set up their new home, there was a soon-to-becompleted restaurant and bar, whose owner was looking for a tenant and they were quick to seize the opportunity. “It seemed like the perfect solution. It was near our new house, there would be a client base around it, and the risk would be lower because we would only be the tenants of the place,” Dorte and Henrik explains. But the ‘perfect solution’ turned out to be not so perfect after all. “The contractor ran into a lot of problems and, to both his and ours disappointment, the completion of the building kept getting postponed,”says Henrik, and even after one year it wasn’t getting anywhere near complete. “We were agitated and the frustration kept growing. So we had to give up on Plan A and began to make a Plan B,” says Dorte. Henrik is the number crusher in the restaurant. His mathematic skills often amazes his employees.
Dreams and determination Despite a rough start, the Danish couple was determined not to give up. “This was our dream and we were not ready to give up on it that easily. So we got out of the old deal and went hunting for suitable locations elsewhere,” say Henrik and Dorte. After searching for nearly a year they were getting impatient and needed something to happen soon. They looked at open spaces in central locations but all of them turned out to be too expensive to renovate as they were uncertain on whether the investment would be lost, if they could not get their lease renewed. “Most of the places we looked at had empty walls, no air conditioning and needed a big makeover if they were ever going to be a restaurant. We were worried that if we did all the renovation, we would have our lease terminated afterwards and the owner would rent it out to someone else at a higher rent.’” Dorte explains. Dorte and Henrik then began searching for restaurants for sale instead of just empty spaces and one day they drove by the Crystal Design Center near Lad Prao and found that there was one for sale. “I actually thought it had already been sold, because I could not get a hold of the owner, but then I came back in the evening and made him an offer,” says Henrik and after some negotiation on the price, Henrik and Dorte bought the place, which today is the Crystal Cafe.
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it
Mutual learning
When Henrik and Dorte moved to Thailand, the plan was to set up a restaurant serving Danish cuisine. But when they bought the Crystal Café the cuisines on offer were Thai, Mexican and Italian – and they were popular among the customers. So instead of changing the menu, they looked at other ways to enhance the gourmet experience of customers. “We thought more of our customers would be friends of us, but instead around 90 percent of our customers are regular Thais that come in from the street,” says Henrik and Dorte. Once they realized who their customers are, they decided to compete by doing promotions. “When we look out the window, we can see how people are walking around, scouting for the best offer available. That is why we do promotions on beer, wine and seasonal promotions all the time,” she says. Throughout February month Crystal Café is promoting Valentines Day, meaning that the restaurant is decorated with hearts from top to toe and even some of dishes are made in a heart shape.
Another area, where they strive for excellence is in teaching their staff. Dorte educates her staff in the kitchen in Italian cuisine and techniques. “Work Permit rules in Thailand are quite complicated, so instead of being a chef in the restaurant and working all day in the kitchen, my job here is more as a coach or supervisor for our kitchen staff, and Henrik and I really believe in teaching and giving something of ourselves. It is our opinion that the employees grow with their responsibilities” says Dorte about her role in the restaurant and admits that the learning is not a one-way street. “I don’t speak much Thai, so I actually learn a lot, when we work in the kitchen. We repeat many of the kitchen items both in English and Thai, so that I no longer ask for a horse when I’m in need of a pot,” she says and laughs. Outside the kitchen Henrik is the manager of the restaurant and he is responsible for all the paperwork and deals with the restaurant’s suppliers. It is not an easy task with Dorte and Henrik, being unwilling to neither compromise on quality nor to let the high quality causes prices to rise. The language barrier also imposes some difficulties for Henrik. Therefore Henrik has found himself a personal assistant who is fluent in both Thai and English. “She is of great value to me. She fills out all the forms that are needed for us to run the restaurant, and she is also a great right hand to have with me when I have to negotiate prices with our suppliers,” says Henrik.
Quality never goes out of style Henrik and Dorte have brought their many years of experience from the Danish restaurant business with them to Thailand. With this experience comes a personal ambition to give people of Bangkok a taste of quality and a gourmet expertise equal to what you would expect in Denmark. “There is really no pleasure in taking a bite of a steak from local Thai beef, so we import from Australia. We accept not having the big earnings on our dishes as long as the beef is tender and the fish is fresh. We want our quality to make us stand out, unparalleled quality,” says Dorte. Both Henrik and Dorte take pride for having everything from the food to the juices in the bar handmade even though this is much more expensive. “Food is my passion and I will never see myself as fully trained and educated. There is always something new to learn or something that can be done even better,” Dorte stresses. She and Henrik often travel around to find exactly the right ingredients for their food and a supplier, who can consistently deliver the high standard they expect.
Expansion is not on the menu Though the restaurant makes a profit and Henrik and Dorte merely oversees what goes on there, they do not dream of expanding. “Crystal Café is our baby and we believe that if we had more than one restaurant, we would not be as devoted, as committed and as passionate about it is as we are now. You cannot be at two places at the same time,” they say and explain that they would only consider giving up the restaurant if their son, Daniel, aged 15, one day comes to them and says he wants to take over. “Just like a baby we are not going to hand it over to just anybody.”
Henrik is the number cruncher in the restaurant. His mathematic skill often amazes his employees
March 2014 • ScandAsia.Thailand 19
Reliable maids, at your service By Morten Klogsholm Reliable maids who live up to the Millennium Maid Service’s standard are hard to come by
“M
aid needed”, “maid wanted”, “household service needed”. These ads are many and everywhere in Bangkok. Steen Emborg, age 46, was out running one day and was getting tired of seeing all those help wanted ads, so he thought to himself: If the demand is so big, then I am going to set up a household maid/cleaning service business. And so he did. In the fall of 2012 Steen began to build his website, www.bkkmaid.com, and made some brochures about his new business, Millennium Maid Service. He teamed up with an English-speaking Thai woman and they launched the business on the 1st of April 2013. “Doing business in Thailand and not speaking or understanding Thai is impossible. You must have a partner who can speak Thai or be able to speak it yourself if you want to succeed,” said Steen, adding that the first customer made contact two weeks later.
Since then the business has grown rapidly. Starting out with just one maid, his company now employs 35 full-time maids serving over 100 satisfied customers spread across different expatriate communities, local Thais and Thai businesses that need cleaning service. Unlike other services in Thailand, Millennium Maid Service is not an agency, which refers maids to clients but have their own in-house maids, who Steen Emborg fully trusts.
is no misunderstanding and the clients are happy with the service,” said Steen, who also handles all the complaints from dissatisfied clients. “I do not want the maids to be bothered with complaints or angry clients. Thais are timid and tend to avoid confrontation. But they do an excellent job and should not be the ones who get yelled or screamed at,” said Steen Emborg, stressing that he feels a huge of responsibility for his employees.
Western standard
Culture shock
From the outset, Steen Emborg wanted the standard of his maid service to be on par with the service you would expect in the West, but then he realized he had to be realistic about his ambitions and admitted that it simply is not possible in Thailand to deliver that level of service. “Some of our clients expect the same service as that of a 5-star European hotel. It’s impossible to deliver here, so that’s why we always send an English-speaking person out with the maid on their first shift. Then we can ascertain that there
Patience and understanding are key when employing Thais. “Let’s admit it, they do not have the same work ethics as Europeans. They do not call in sick. They just stay away and turn off their phones,” said Steen Emborg about some of his earlier, more difficult encounters with his Thai staff. Today Steen Emborg has assembled a core team of reliable employees who he fully trusts to do their jobs and live up to the high standard of Millennium Maid Service. “At the risk of sounding holy, I feel like I am making a difference here. Giving people jobs so they can support their families. But I also want to take good care of them. That’s why we twice a year have a staff get-together day with food and drinks when they all can bring their families. I try to make them feel like they are part of the company. Pay them on time. Provide them with social security and show them they can have a stable, decent job. I make a habit of making a toast on Fridays and say thank you for a good week,” he said. “This is not my company but ours and my employees are at least as important and as good as I am.” The rates at Millennium Maid Service vary depending, among other things, on the service required, size of unit, number of people in the household and the frequency.
Celebrating a good hard week’s work is important for team spirit
20 ScandAsia.Thailand • March 2014
You can contact Millennium Maid Service at www.bkkmaid.com, info@bkkmaid.com or by phone 02 645 4597 to hear about acquiring the services of Millennium Maid Service’s in-house maids
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mum pha:să: thai sămràp fàràng
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Thai Language Corner for Farangs
Play Names By Klavs Johansen
your s i at e? h W knam nic
มด [mót] = ant
หมี [mĭ] = bear
Eh, really?
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n previous issues of ScandAsia Thailand, we have in this column discussed various ways to pick up Thai Language in everyday situations, such as practising tones on the train and small talk with the taxi driver. In these situations, picking up language is not the main purpose of the activity, but just an added bonus for free. In the same way, new glossary may be gained just by getting to know the Thais by name, or, more specifically, their nicknames, which tend to have a plain and often useful meaning. Like Westerners, Thais have a first name ชื่อ/ chûe:/ and a family name นามสกุล/ na:msàkun/. Maybe because common family names in most cases are a recent addition of the previous century, they tend to be long and poetic, and Thais are formally addressed and referred to by their first name. Famous former top tennis player, Paradorn Srichaphan, is thus known as Paradorn or, more politely, khun Paradorn, with khun (คุณ/ khun/) having the meaning of Mr, but could as well mean Ms., if we for example were to address women’s badminton single World Champion, Ratchanok-
Ithanon, as khun Ratchanok. However, besides their official first names, which are used to strangers and on official documents, most Thais will be given a nickname already as infants, normally by their parents. This nickname sticks and is used with and by people they know well, possibly preceded by คุณ/ khun/ for added politeness, when talking to someone senior who has given you his or her nickname. In Thai, this nickname is called ชื่อเล่น/ chûe: lên/, or literally a ‘play name’, and learning Thai ‘play names’ and their meaning will often add interestingly to your vocabulary. Quite a few of the common nicknames may be used by either gender, while some are mainly given to boys or to girls. Traditionally, Thai nicknames tend to reflect some cute quality of the infant: เล็ก/ lék/ ~ small นิด/ nít/ ~ little (girls) แดง/ dae:ng/ ~ red ยุ้ย/ yúi/ ~ chubby cheeks (girls)
And then there are the animals: มด/ mót/ ~ ant, กุ้ง/ kûng/ ~ shrimp หมู/ mŭ:/ ~ pig(gy) หมี/ mĭ:/ ~ bear A third category of nicknames are those derived from longer first names, where Somsak, may become Sak, Chaloem may become Loem, and Watsana, may become Wat. A more modern trend in nicknames is less helpful to the Thai language learner, when Thai parents assign English words, or syllables or brand names to their kids, so you get nicknames like Tiger, Pepsi, Beer or even Copter (the last syllable of helicopter!). A forementioned tennis player, Paradorn, is thus nicknamed Ball, while badminton champion Ratchanok is known as May. Try practice the nicknames given here with the indicated pronunciation. You are bound to know at least one Thai carrying one of the names. Try also collecting more nicknames and their meaning form your Thai friends. March 2014 • ScandAsia.Thailand 21
Medium
Lemon Muffins with poppy seeds Evil
Ingredients: 18 pieces •18 muffin tins •3 eggs •2,5 cup sugar •1 table spoon vanilla •1 cup milk •100 grams butter •4,5 cup flour •2 tbl spoon baking powder •Tiny bit of salt •Juice and grated lemon rind from two lemons •1 cup blue poppy seeds
Lemon topping: •100 g crème cheese natural •100 g sour cream •2 cups caster sugar •2 tbl spn lemon juice •Grated lemon rind from one lemon
Directions for the muffins: • • • • • •
Are you done?
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hen you have completed the above puzzles, please send your solution by fax to +66 2 943 7169 or scan and email to puzzles@ scandasia.com. We will make a lucky draw among the correct answers. Five lucky winners will receive a ScandAsia polo shirt. Name:
___________________________________________________
Age: ________________________
Mobile:
___________________
Address:
__________________________________________________
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Email:
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Deadline for submitting your solution is 15 April 2014 22 ScandAsia.Thailand • March 2014
Preheat the oven up to 200 degrees Whisk eggs, sugar and vanilla Melt the butter and mix with the milk. Mix together the two masses. Add the flour and baking powder through a bolter. After that you add lemon juice, rind and poppy seeds and mix it again. Fill the dough in muffin tins and bake in 15 minutes. Let the muffins cool down before you top them with the lemon crème, which is made by whisking together all the ingredients.
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