Johnson & Johnson said on Tuesday it would trim layers of management, cut thousands of jobs, and set other restructuring moves in order to save up to $900 million next year.
The New Jersey-based company said the cuts would affect 6 to 7% of its global workforce of roughly 118,700 workers,or potentially more than 8,000 jobs.
The lay-offs will prompt a restructuring charge of up to $1.3 billion pretax in the fourth quarter. Still, the company confirmed adjusted profit guidance between $4.54 and $4.59 per share for 2009.
Johnson & Johnson plans to simplify its business structure and projects that it will save between $1.4 billion and $1.7 billion annually after the restructuring is complete in 2011.
The company, the world's most diversified health-products maker, saw its revenue fall 5% in the third quarter as intensifying generic competition slashed sales of about a half-dozen of its prescription drugs, including the schizophrenia drug Risperdal and the epilepsy treatment Topamax.
Chairman and CEO William C. Weldon said the moves were meant to position the company for long-term growth in an evolving, and sometimes turbulent,market.
"These types of changes are difficult under any circumstances, and will have a very personal impact on people who have been dedicated to the mission of Johnson & Johnson," he said."We recognise their contributions to the achievements of our business, and are committed to treating them fairly and with respect throughout this process."
The new restructuring programme comes on the heels of management's decision to reorganise its comprehensive care business in August. That unit was created under a 2008 restructuring programme with the goal of boosting sales,though sales were down during the first half of 2009. The unit makes medical devices and tests.
"When you look at the total economic environment, I don't think anybody knows what's going to happen," Weldon said."But nobody expects it to come back tomorrow."
He said the move was based on a broad, global view of the changing healthcare industry, taking into account national and international markets. As for health care reform, management has said it needs more clarity on what any future plan could look like before assessing a more concrete impact on the business."The restructuring programme is also not a move to centralise J&J's operations," Weldon added.
"We're trying to make sure we've really set ourselves up for the future," he said."We have such a rich portfolio that we have to make sure we have the resources to invest."
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Magnificent seven
In the most important, most revered event since the invention of the brontosaurus trap,Microsoft shipped the most incredibly fabulous operating system ever made; the release of Windows 7 also spurred a new generation of personal computers of all sizes at prices well below last month's offers.The top reason Windows 7 does not suck: There is no registered website called Windows7Sucks.com
Kindle e-book reader maker Amazon.com and new Nook e-book reader vendor Barnes and Noble got it on; B&N got great reviews for the "Kindle killer"Nook, with dual screens and touch controls so you can "turn" pages, plays MP3s and allows many non-B&N book formats, although not the Kindle one;Amazon then killed the US version of its Kindle in favour of the international one, reduced its price to $260(8,700 baht), same as the Nook; it's not yet clear what you can get in Thailand with a Nook, but you sure can't (yet) get much, relatively speaking, with a Kindle;but here's the biggest difference so far,which Amazon.com has ignored: the Nook lets you lend e-books to any other Nook owner, just as if they were paper books; the borrowed books expire on the borrower's Nook in two weeks.
Phone maker Nokia of Finland announced it is suing iPhone maker Apple of America for being a copycat; lawyers said they figure Nokia can get at least one, probably two per cent (retail) for every iPhone sold by Steve "President for Life" Jobs and crew via the lawsuit,which sure beats working for it -$6 (200 baht) to $12(400 baht) on 30 million phones sold so far, works out to $400 million or 25 percent of the whole Apple empire profits during the last quarter;there were 10 patent thefts, the Finnish executives said, on everything from moving data to security and encryption.
Nokia of Finland announced that it is one month behind on shipping its new flagship N900 phone, the first to run on Linux software; delay of the $750(25,000 baht) phone had absolutely no part in making Nokia so short that it had to sue Apple, slap yourself for such a thought.
Tim Berners-Lee, who created the World Wide Web, said he had one regret:the double slash that follows the "http:"in standard web addresses; he estimated that 14.2 gazillion users have wasted 48.72 bazillion hours typing those two keystrokes, and he's sorry; of course there's no reason to ever type that, since your browser does it for you when you type "www.bangkokpost.com" but Tim needs to admit he made one error in his lifetime.
The International Telecommunication Union of the United Nations, which doesn't sell any phones or services, announced that there should be a mobile phone charger that will work with any phone; now who would ever have thought of that, without a UN body to wind up a major study on the subject?;the GSM Association estimates that 51,000 tonnes of chargers are made each year in order to keep companies able to have their own unique ones.
The Well, Doh Award of the Week was presented at arm's length to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development; the group's deputy secretary-general Petko Draganov said that developing countries will miss some of the stuff available on the Internet if they don't install more broadband infrastructure; a report that used your tax baht to compile said that quite a few people use mobile phones but companies are more likely to invest in countries with excellent broadband connections; no one ever had thought of this before, right?
Sun Microsystems , as a result of the Oracle takeover, said it will allow 3,000 current workers never to bother coming to work again; Sun referred to the losses as "jobs," not people; now the fourth largest server maker in the world, Sun said it lost $2.2 billion in its last fiscal year; European regulators are holding up approval of the Oracle purchase in the hope of getting some money in exchange for not involving Oracle in court cases.
The multi-gazillionaire and very annoying investor Carl Icahn resigned from the board at Yahoo ; he spun it as a vote of confidence, saying current directors are taking the formerly threatened company seriously; Yahoo reported increased profits but smaller revenues in the third quarter.
The US House of Representatives voted to censure Vietnam for jailing bloggers; the non-binding resolution sponsored by southern California congresswoman Loretta Sanchez said the Internet is "a crucial tool for the citizens of Vietnam to be able to exercise their freedom of expression and association;"Hanoi has recently jailed at least nine activists for up to six years apiece for holding pro-democracy banners. Iran jailed blogger Hossein "Hoder" Derakshan for 10 months - in solitary confinement.
Kindle e-book reader maker Amazon.com and new Nook e-book reader vendor Barnes and Noble got it on; B&N got great reviews for the "Kindle killer"Nook, with dual screens and touch controls so you can "turn" pages, plays MP3s and allows many non-B&N book formats, although not the Kindle one;Amazon then killed the US version of its Kindle in favour of the international one, reduced its price to $260(8,700 baht), same as the Nook; it's not yet clear what you can get in Thailand with a Nook, but you sure can't (yet) get much, relatively speaking, with a Kindle;but here's the biggest difference so far,which Amazon.com has ignored: the Nook lets you lend e-books to any other Nook owner, just as if they were paper books; the borrowed books expire on the borrower's Nook in two weeks.
Phone maker Nokia of Finland announced it is suing iPhone maker Apple of America for being a copycat; lawyers said they figure Nokia can get at least one, probably two per cent (retail) for every iPhone sold by Steve "President for Life" Jobs and crew via the lawsuit,which sure beats working for it -$6 (200 baht) to $12(400 baht) on 30 million phones sold so far, works out to $400 million or 25 percent of the whole Apple empire profits during the last quarter;there were 10 patent thefts, the Finnish executives said, on everything from moving data to security and encryption.
Nokia of Finland announced that it is one month behind on shipping its new flagship N900 phone, the first to run on Linux software; delay of the $750(25,000 baht) phone had absolutely no part in making Nokia so short that it had to sue Apple, slap yourself for such a thought.
Tim Berners-Lee, who created the World Wide Web, said he had one regret:the double slash that follows the "http:"in standard web addresses; he estimated that 14.2 gazillion users have wasted 48.72 bazillion hours typing those two keystrokes, and he's sorry; of course there's no reason to ever type that, since your browser does it for you when you type "www.bangkokpost.com" but Tim needs to admit he made one error in his lifetime.
The International Telecommunication Union of the United Nations, which doesn't sell any phones or services, announced that there should be a mobile phone charger that will work with any phone; now who would ever have thought of that, without a UN body to wind up a major study on the subject?;the GSM Association estimates that 51,000 tonnes of chargers are made each year in order to keep companies able to have their own unique ones.
The Well, Doh Award of the Week was presented at arm's length to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development; the group's deputy secretary-general Petko Draganov said that developing countries will miss some of the stuff available on the Internet if they don't install more broadband infrastructure; a report that used your tax baht to compile said that quite a few people use mobile phones but companies are more likely to invest in countries with excellent broadband connections; no one ever had thought of this before, right?
Sun Microsystems , as a result of the Oracle takeover, said it will allow 3,000 current workers never to bother coming to work again; Sun referred to the losses as "jobs," not people; now the fourth largest server maker in the world, Sun said it lost $2.2 billion in its last fiscal year; European regulators are holding up approval of the Oracle purchase in the hope of getting some money in exchange for not involving Oracle in court cases.
The multi-gazillionaire and very annoying investor Carl Icahn resigned from the board at Yahoo ; he spun it as a vote of confidence, saying current directors are taking the formerly threatened company seriously; Yahoo reported increased profits but smaller revenues in the third quarter.
The US House of Representatives voted to censure Vietnam for jailing bloggers; the non-binding resolution sponsored by southern California congresswoman Loretta Sanchez said the Internet is "a crucial tool for the citizens of Vietnam to be able to exercise their freedom of expression and association;"Hanoi has recently jailed at least nine activists for up to six years apiece for holding pro-democracy banners. Iran jailed blogger Hossein "Hoder" Derakshan for 10 months - in solitary confinement.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Longer-lasting colour
Time for a new hair hue? Mahogany, midnight blue or brilliant blonde, whatever the tint, fetching tresses need specially formulated products to help preserve colour vibrancy and radiance, while helping to repair any damage caused by chemical processing.
Repeated washing, sun exposure and environmental factors also fade hair colour. For longer-lasting colour, Kiehl's introduces the Sunflower Color Preserving hair care collection with sunflower seed oil, which contains high levels of vitamins B and E, essential fatty acids and a UV-protective filter.
Native Americans used the oil on the hair to add shine, make it more manageable and counteract dryness. This natural ingredient conditions and moisturises dry hair shafts and provides an antifade barrier, while enhancing the shine.
Kiehl's, founded as an old-world apothecary in New York's East Village in 1851, came to Bangkok two years ago and its freestanding stores offer an extensive line of skin and hair care formulations.Celebrating its second anniversary, Kiehl's Loves Giving Back campaign includes adjusting the prices of best-selling products to thank its customers.
The environmental-friendly brand also encourages recycling,and customers can bring Kiehl's shampoo and other plastic bottles back to the store to contribute to a special art project, which will be unveiled this Christmas.RT
Tips for colour-treated hair
After hair colouring, wait at least one full day to shampoo your hair. This will help allow the hair shaft time to repair itself from the treatment.2With lukewarm water, shampoo gently with a product for colourtreated hair. Avoid using hot water,which will open the hair's cuticle and allow the release of colour molecules from the cortex.3Gently blot-dry wet hair to minimise damage. Try to minimise the use of heated styling tools because heat opens the cuticle.4Use a colour-preserving hair care line that contains mild surfactants, moisturising ingredients and UV protection. When out in the sun, cover your hair with a tightlywoven hat or scarf. Not only can sun exposure break down colour molecules, it can also dry out and damage the hair shaft, making hair colour look dull.5Using a leave-in conditioner between shampoos helps seal the cuticle and protect from environmental aggression, while applying a moisturising treatment at least twice a month helps maintain the general health, condition and shine of the hair.6Before swimming in a chlorinated pool, always wet hair with non-chlorinated water first.Chemically-treated hair is more absorbent and water will help "fill"the hair shaft, making less room for the absorption of the chlorine. In addition to drying out and dulling hair color, chlorine can create a greenish cast in lighter hair.
Repeated washing, sun exposure and environmental factors also fade hair colour. For longer-lasting colour, Kiehl's introduces the Sunflower Color Preserving hair care collection with sunflower seed oil, which contains high levels of vitamins B and E, essential fatty acids and a UV-protective filter.
Native Americans used the oil on the hair to add shine, make it more manageable and counteract dryness. This natural ingredient conditions and moisturises dry hair shafts and provides an antifade barrier, while enhancing the shine.
Kiehl's, founded as an old-world apothecary in New York's East Village in 1851, came to Bangkok two years ago and its freestanding stores offer an extensive line of skin and hair care formulations.Celebrating its second anniversary, Kiehl's Loves Giving Back campaign includes adjusting the prices of best-selling products to thank its customers.
The environmental-friendly brand also encourages recycling,and customers can bring Kiehl's shampoo and other plastic bottles back to the store to contribute to a special art project, which will be unveiled this Christmas.RT
Tips for colour-treated hair
After hair colouring, wait at least one full day to shampoo your hair. This will help allow the hair shaft time to repair itself from the treatment.2With lukewarm water, shampoo gently with a product for colourtreated hair. Avoid using hot water,which will open the hair's cuticle and allow the release of colour molecules from the cortex.3Gently blot-dry wet hair to minimise damage. Try to minimise the use of heated styling tools because heat opens the cuticle.4Use a colour-preserving hair care line that contains mild surfactants, moisturising ingredients and UV protection. When out in the sun, cover your hair with a tightlywoven hat or scarf. Not only can sun exposure break down colour molecules, it can also dry out and damage the hair shaft, making hair colour look dull.5Using a leave-in conditioner between shampoos helps seal the cuticle and protect from environmental aggression, while applying a moisturising treatment at least twice a month helps maintain the general health, condition and shine of the hair.6Before swimming in a chlorinated pool, always wet hair with non-chlorinated water first.Chemically-treated hair is more absorbent and water will help "fill"the hair shaft, making less room for the absorption of the chlorine. In addition to drying out and dulling hair color, chlorine can create a greenish cast in lighter hair.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
BERGAMOT-MAKER GUARANTEES RESULTS, SAYS HE HAS PERSONALLY USED IT TO TREAT CONGENITAL BALDNESS
Odinric-Thai, the market leader in hair-loss treatment products, offers a customer-satisfaction guarantee - one to which the company's owner says he can personally attest."We can guarantee customers that our product works. I myself use it to treat my congenital baldness, and members of my family use it to keep their hair healthy," said Virath Boonkarn, chief executive officer of the company, in an interview with The Nation.
The company's flagship brands include Bergamot, Presenta and Nash.
Launched as Serm Suay 77 in 1977 with registered capital of Bt1 million, the company initially focused on selling hair-beauty products. However, Virath wanted to create a business with a more sustainable income.
He thought back to his days as a salesman of hair-salon products and cosmetics. His baldness had been a major impediment to his career, robbing him of his confidence in meetings with clients.
"It is very important for anybody working in the cosmetics or beauty-salon business to look good and feel confident if they want to sell products," Virath said.
Virath looked around for products to treat baldness, focusing on items made from local herbs using local wisdom.
A doctor, a chemist and an engineer, all friends of Virath, did research on the hair loss-prevention and scalp-enriching qualities of bergamot, a citrus fruit, and other natural ingredients.
Two years later, the first product, a hair lotion, came out - after being personally tested by Virath.
"I experienced hair growth after using the formula. It convinced me to launch my first product," Virath said.
Virath has not stopped conducting research and development, and continues to upgrade his products based on feedback from clients.
Hair strength and scalp health depend on many factors, he said, such as the condition of the hair roots and excess oil, which can cause hair to fall out.
To ensure product quality, Virath set up a call centre in 1987 to gather information from and answer questions for clients. He even answers phones and dispenses advice himself.
"I have personal experience with hair loss. This, combined with the research and development we have done, helps me figure out the right solutions for customers," he said.
After six months, the products began to sell well.
A boom in the hair and scalp treatment business has seen the wide-scale opening of hair-treatment clinics offering many services, including surgery. Moreover, One Tambon, One Product (OTOP) goods developed using local wisdom and natural herbs have become very popular. Both developments have helped Odinric-Thai.
Virath distributed his products through barber shops and beauty salons. In this respect, timing was important, as the late 1970s and early 1980s saw many barbers switch from soap to using shampoo when washing customers' hair.
Virath said the company marketed its products under one brand, Bergamot, until 1997, when the regional economic crisis hit, forcing the company to launch Presenta, a lower-priced brand, in a bid to maintain market share and sales. Also, there were rumours that its major competitor planned to launch a new hair-growth product.
"We heard the rumours. We had to protect ourselves by introducing a 'fighting' brand," Virath said.
The Bt70-million investment required to launch Presenta hurt the company, however, as sales were not as high as projected.
The company began to promote Presenta again last year, seeing a business opportunity as consumers looked to spend less due to the global financial crisis. It plans to promote the product not only in Thailand but also in the Indochina market.
In addition to the purely economic factors, stress brought on by the recession could lead to hair loss in some people - a possible business opportunity upon which Virath intends to pounce. He expects to see sales increase in both the domestic and export markets.
Virath is negotiating with a potential business partner in Singapore to produce goods on an OEM, or original equipment manufacturer, basis for Odinric-Thai.
Among the company's other brands is the Nash line of cosmetics.
The flagship Bergamot brand accounts for the lion's share of sales with 80 per cent, followed by Nash with 12 percent and Presenta with the remainder. Sales of Bergamot goods have grown by an average of 10 to 20 per cent a year.
The company's flagship brands include Bergamot, Presenta and Nash.
Launched as Serm Suay 77 in 1977 with registered capital of Bt1 million, the company initially focused on selling hair-beauty products. However, Virath wanted to create a business with a more sustainable income.
He thought back to his days as a salesman of hair-salon products and cosmetics. His baldness had been a major impediment to his career, robbing him of his confidence in meetings with clients.
"It is very important for anybody working in the cosmetics or beauty-salon business to look good and feel confident if they want to sell products," Virath said.
Virath looked around for products to treat baldness, focusing on items made from local herbs using local wisdom.
A doctor, a chemist and an engineer, all friends of Virath, did research on the hair loss-prevention and scalp-enriching qualities of bergamot, a citrus fruit, and other natural ingredients.
Two years later, the first product, a hair lotion, came out - after being personally tested by Virath.
"I experienced hair growth after using the formula. It convinced me to launch my first product," Virath said.
Virath has not stopped conducting research and development, and continues to upgrade his products based on feedback from clients.
Hair strength and scalp health depend on many factors, he said, such as the condition of the hair roots and excess oil, which can cause hair to fall out.
To ensure product quality, Virath set up a call centre in 1987 to gather information from and answer questions for clients. He even answers phones and dispenses advice himself.
"I have personal experience with hair loss. This, combined with the research and development we have done, helps me figure out the right solutions for customers," he said.
After six months, the products began to sell well.
A boom in the hair and scalp treatment business has seen the wide-scale opening of hair-treatment clinics offering many services, including surgery. Moreover, One Tambon, One Product (OTOP) goods developed using local wisdom and natural herbs have become very popular. Both developments have helped Odinric-Thai.
Virath distributed his products through barber shops and beauty salons. In this respect, timing was important, as the late 1970s and early 1980s saw many barbers switch from soap to using shampoo when washing customers' hair.
Virath said the company marketed its products under one brand, Bergamot, until 1997, when the regional economic crisis hit, forcing the company to launch Presenta, a lower-priced brand, in a bid to maintain market share and sales. Also, there were rumours that its major competitor planned to launch a new hair-growth product.
"We heard the rumours. We had to protect ourselves by introducing a 'fighting' brand," Virath said.
The Bt70-million investment required to launch Presenta hurt the company, however, as sales were not as high as projected.
The company began to promote Presenta again last year, seeing a business opportunity as consumers looked to spend less due to the global financial crisis. It plans to promote the product not only in Thailand but also in the Indochina market.
In addition to the purely economic factors, stress brought on by the recession could lead to hair loss in some people - a possible business opportunity upon which Virath intends to pounce. He expects to see sales increase in both the domestic and export markets.
Virath is negotiating with a potential business partner in Singapore to produce goods on an OEM, or original equipment manufacturer, basis for Odinric-Thai.
Among the company's other brands is the Nash line of cosmetics.
The flagship Bergamot brand accounts for the lion's share of sales with 80 per cent, followed by Nash with 12 percent and Presenta with the remainder. Sales of Bergamot goods have grown by an average of 10 to 20 per cent a year.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Dow hits new 11-month high as builders advance
US stocks rose on Friday as Procter & Gamble and major home builders advanced on positive brokerage comments and investors bet the economic recovery will be strong enough to sustain corporate profits.
The Dow hit a new 11-month high and capped its best week in two months as Citigroup said Procter & Gamble,maker of Tide detergent and Pampers,is poised to win market share through aggressive pricing.
Procter & Gamble's shares rose 3.2%to $57.32. The S&P consumer staples index, up 1.1%, was among the S&P 500's best-performing sectors.
"It's sort of cautious optimism. What that's doing is leading to analyst upgrades, and we're seeing analysts raising earnings estimates for both this year and for calendar 2010 fairly consistently,"said Fred Dickson, market strategist at DA Davidson & Co in Lake Oswego,Oregon.
The S&P 500 is up 58% since hitting a 12-year closing low in early March,partly because of strong second-quarter earnings and optimism that an economic recovery is gaining traction.
Home builders Toll Brothers and KB Home both were upgraded by JP Morgan Securities, which said the housing sector will continue to recover over the next 24 months and drive the current rally in home builders' stocks.
The Dow Jones industrial average was up 36.28 points, or 0.37%, at 9,820.20.The Standard & Poor's 500 Index was up 2.81 points, or 0.26%, at 1,068.30 while the Nasdaq Composite Index was up 6.11 points, or 0.29%, at 2,132.86.
It was the market's second-straight week of gains. Last week, the Dow rose 2.24%, the S&P 500 gained 2.45% and the Nasdaq advanced 2.50%.
"Quadruple witching," the expiration and settlement of four different types of September equity futures and options contracts, seemed "fairly quiet". Mr Dickson said, though the event sometimes leads to increased volatility.
Oil company Chevron Corp also was upgraded.
Credit Suisse said Chevron looks best equipped of the major oil companies to deliver growth "over the coming cycle to 2020". The stock rose 0.9% to $72.64.
Toll Brothers shares rose 3.1% to $22.20, while KB Home's stock gained 2.6% to $20.21.
The Dow Jones US Home Construction index rose 0.7%.
On the Nasdaq, Palm Inc fell 3% to $14.01 a day after the company gave a tepid second-quarter sales forecast and said it plans to sell 16 million shares of common stock.
Volume was heavy on the New York Stock Exchange, with 2.28 billion shares changing hands, well above last year's estimated daily average of 1.49 billion,while on the Nasdaq, about 3.16 billion shares traded, also far above last year's daily average of 2.28 billion.
Advancing stocks outnumbered declining ones on the NYSE by a ratio of three-to-two, while on the Nasdaq,14 stocks rose for every 13 that fell.
The Dow hit a new 11-month high and capped its best week in two months as Citigroup said Procter & Gamble,maker of Tide detergent and Pampers,is poised to win market share through aggressive pricing.
Procter & Gamble's shares rose 3.2%to $57.32. The S&P consumer staples index, up 1.1%, was among the S&P 500's best-performing sectors.
"It's sort of cautious optimism. What that's doing is leading to analyst upgrades, and we're seeing analysts raising earnings estimates for both this year and for calendar 2010 fairly consistently,"said Fred Dickson, market strategist at DA Davidson & Co in Lake Oswego,Oregon.
The S&P 500 is up 58% since hitting a 12-year closing low in early March,partly because of strong second-quarter earnings and optimism that an economic recovery is gaining traction.
Home builders Toll Brothers and KB Home both were upgraded by JP Morgan Securities, which said the housing sector will continue to recover over the next 24 months and drive the current rally in home builders' stocks.
The Dow Jones industrial average was up 36.28 points, or 0.37%, at 9,820.20.The Standard & Poor's 500 Index was up 2.81 points, or 0.26%, at 1,068.30 while the Nasdaq Composite Index was up 6.11 points, or 0.29%, at 2,132.86.
It was the market's second-straight week of gains. Last week, the Dow rose 2.24%, the S&P 500 gained 2.45% and the Nasdaq advanced 2.50%.
"Quadruple witching," the expiration and settlement of four different types of September equity futures and options contracts, seemed "fairly quiet". Mr Dickson said, though the event sometimes leads to increased volatility.
Oil company Chevron Corp also was upgraded.
Credit Suisse said Chevron looks best equipped of the major oil companies to deliver growth "over the coming cycle to 2020". The stock rose 0.9% to $72.64.
Toll Brothers shares rose 3.1% to $22.20, while KB Home's stock gained 2.6% to $20.21.
The Dow Jones US Home Construction index rose 0.7%.
On the Nasdaq, Palm Inc fell 3% to $14.01 a day after the company gave a tepid second-quarter sales forecast and said it plans to sell 16 million shares of common stock.
Volume was heavy on the New York Stock Exchange, with 2.28 billion shares changing hands, well above last year's estimated daily average of 1.49 billion,while on the Nasdaq, about 3.16 billion shares traded, also far above last year's daily average of 2.28 billion.
Advancing stocks outnumbered declining ones on the NYSE by a ratio of three-to-two, while on the Nasdaq,14 stocks rose for every 13 that fell.
Friday, September 11, 2009
Flu fears lift Lion's sales
Lion Corporation (Thailand), the producer of Kirei Kirei hand gel and foam,is reaping the benefits of the H1N1 flu scare which has seen sales of hand cleansers boom.
Sales of Kirei Kirei hand cleanser have surged since the flu outbreak due to increased hygiene concerns and attempts to prevent the disease's spread, said managing director Boonyarith Mahamontri.
"We are confident that demand will continue to grow, especially in provincial areas where rural people still rarely buy this kind of product to use in households,schools or government offices," he said.
The company cut product prices by 20% on Sept 1 to ease the financial burden on customers. A 20ml tube of gel now costs 20 baht, down from 29 baht.
It also plans to give 1 million tubes of hand cleanser to schools nationwide.Consumers can access 300,000 free sample packs at department stores and shopping complexes."By doing so, we hope our sales of Kirei Kirei hand gel will rise 20 times to 100 million baht by the end of this year, up from only 4-5 million baht last year," he said.
The overall hand cleanser market is estimated to be worth 300 million baht by year-end and 500 million next year,up from just 40 million last year.
Mr Boonyarit said the company had reduced production costs and cut expenses for promotional activities so it could pass the savings on to consumers.
Sales of Lion Corporation (Thailand)in the first seven months rose by 13%following the launch of new products such as Pao Silver Nano detergent. The company expects revenue of 9 billion baht for 2009.
Sales of Kirei Kirei hand cleanser have surged since the flu outbreak due to increased hygiene concerns and attempts to prevent the disease's spread, said managing director Boonyarith Mahamontri.
"We are confident that demand will continue to grow, especially in provincial areas where rural people still rarely buy this kind of product to use in households,schools or government offices," he said.
The company cut product prices by 20% on Sept 1 to ease the financial burden on customers. A 20ml tube of gel now costs 20 baht, down from 29 baht.
It also plans to give 1 million tubes of hand cleanser to schools nationwide.Consumers can access 300,000 free sample packs at department stores and shopping complexes."By doing so, we hope our sales of Kirei Kirei hand gel will rise 20 times to 100 million baht by the end of this year, up from only 4-5 million baht last year," he said.
The overall hand cleanser market is estimated to be worth 300 million baht by year-end and 500 million next year,up from just 40 million last year.
Mr Boonyarit said the company had reduced production costs and cut expenses for promotional activities so it could pass the savings on to consumers.
Sales of Lion Corporation (Thailand)in the first seven months rose by 13%following the launch of new products such as Pao Silver Nano detergent. The company expects revenue of 9 billion baht for 2009.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
MUNICIPALITIES TIE UP OVER WASTE
Thailand Institurte of Packaging Management for Sustainable Environment under Federation of Thai Industries (FTI) has collaborated with 15 municipalities to promote the participation of households in segregating recyclables from the upstream.
FTI chairman Santi Vilassakdanont said the treatment of waste has become the country's major concern and an obstacle for sustaining the industrial sector and the local community.
"We plan to expand our collaboration to 400 municipalities by next year in order to help them save their budgetto get rid of the waste and reduce the quantity of rubbish treated in the dumping site in each area," he said.
The instite launched this project in 2006.As of July 2009, the project had gathered about 470 tonnes of recyclable rubbish from eight municipalities, which could be sold for more than Bt2.5 million.
It will also set up recyclable-waste markets where they will purchase the recyclable waste from households and industrial plants at a reasonable price.This project will take 18 months.
Apart from this project, the institute has promoted its campaign of segregation of recyclables from the upstrem in hotels and schools such as setting up a recyclable waste bank in communities and campaigns for undergraduate students to pay attention to recyclable waste bank and proper disposal or recyclabe material.
The FTI presently contributes for the operation of such projects through donations from industrial enterprises on a voluntary basis. However, the lukewarm response has resulted in limiting the pace of project expansion.
He said the public sector should encourage and support thes projects through budget subsidy or tax incentives, for example, tax deductions for donations.
FTI chairman Santi Vilassakdanont said the treatment of waste has become the country's major concern and an obstacle for sustaining the industrial sector and the local community.
"We plan to expand our collaboration to 400 municipalities by next year in order to help them save their budgetto get rid of the waste and reduce the quantity of rubbish treated in the dumping site in each area," he said.
The instite launched this project in 2006.As of July 2009, the project had gathered about 470 tonnes of recyclable rubbish from eight municipalities, which could be sold for more than Bt2.5 million.
It will also set up recyclable-waste markets where they will purchase the recyclable waste from households and industrial plants at a reasonable price.This project will take 18 months.
Apart from this project, the institute has promoted its campaign of segregation of recyclables from the upstrem in hotels and schools such as setting up a recyclable waste bank in communities and campaigns for undergraduate students to pay attention to recyclable waste bank and proper disposal or recyclabe material.
The FTI presently contributes for the operation of such projects through donations from industrial enterprises on a voluntary basis. However, the lukewarm response has resulted in limiting the pace of project expansion.
He said the public sector should encourage and support thes projects through budget subsidy or tax incentives, for example, tax deductions for donations.
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