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Published on December 22, 2007

The move would cater to growing demand for plasma TV sets in the Thai market. It will also make the retail price of Panasonic's plasma TVs more competitive in the market place.

Daizo Ito, chief executive of the Panasonic Group in Thailand, said yesterday that the investment in a new plasma TV assembly plant would be considered by company headquarters together with other significant amounts of investment next year to expand local product capacities for particular products. These include car audio and navigation systems, electrical motors, dry-cell batteries and speakers.

He said that headquarters would consider an approval on the issue by the end of January. 

"We would like the Thai people to have a chance to watch the Olympic Games, broadcast from Beijing next year, through our plasma TV sets produced in Thailand. The plasma TVs to be assembled in Thailand will be from 42 inches and up," said Ito.

Ito said that the total demand for plasma TVs in Thailand was expected to grow quite rapidly next year, from 44,000 units to 69,000. Panasonic has already sold 15,400 units of its plasma TVs in the first eight months (from April to November) of its 2007 fiscal year, ending March 2008.

"We want to increase our share in the plasma TV market from the current 34 per cent to 40 per cent at the end of this fiscal year," he added.

Ito said that all plasma TV panels had been produced at the Matsushita Electric Industrial's facility in Amagazaki, Japan, while complete units of its plasma TVs have been manufactured at its assembly plants in Singapore, China and Russia.

All Matsushita's major competitors, including Samsung, LG and Sony, already have local assembly plants for plasma television sets in Thailand.

Panasonic Siew Sales (Thailand), Matsushita's local sales and marketing arm, yesterday disclosed its target to achieve total sales in Thailand of Bt21.26 billion in fiscal year 2007, up from Bt19.3 billion posted in fiscal year 2006. The company looks set to achieve sales growth of 11 per cent in the first nine months of this year (from April to December).

"While the overall growth of the local audio-visual market is expected to increase by between 10 per cent and 15 per cent next year, the company doesn't expect any growth in terms of value, as the price competition will be still very tough in the market," said Ito, adding that price-cutting would be less evident in home appliance products next year, leading to significant growth of about 8 per cent both in volume and value.

Panasonic has sponsored a gigantic pyramid structure standing 21 meters high equipped with the latest high-tech light and sound systems, launched yesterday at CentralWorld. "The Greeting Ball" tower will be a new landmark for the New Year countdown of Thailand and Asean, the company says.

The tower, rising from a base of 8x8 square meters, appeared at CentralWorld square yesterday. It will be the centrepiece of the shopping centre's New Year's celebrations.

Ito said that Panasonic would provide a number of activities during the 11-day event. Two thousand eco-friendly light bulbs, imported from Japan and not available for sales locally, will be delivered to the event. Gifts will be available every day for visitors who join games at the Panasonic stage, and they will have a chance to win big bonus gifts - a 40-inch Viera plasma television screen and a 365-litre refrigerator - on New Year's Eve by sending an SMS to 4221000.

Kwanchai Rungfapaisarn

 The Nation