Japan's Toshiba Corp aims to invest about US$1 billion (Bt32.84 billion) in Southeast Asia from 2014 to 2018 and is looking to double annual sales revenue in the region to $7 billion by 2020, said Fumio Otani, managing director of Singapore-based Toshiba Asia Pacific.

The company estimates sales of $3.5 billion in its current fiscal year, which ends on March 31.

Otani, who also serves as Toshiba Corp's corporate representative for Asia, said yesterday during his visit to Thailand that the group reaffirmed Asean's central place in its business strategy, as well as the continued importance of Thailand.

However, he declined to provide details of the five-year investment plan.

He emphasised Toshiba's long-standing relationship with Asean, and with Thailand in particular, which is home to Toshiba's first manufacturing operation outside Japan, Thai Toshiba Electric Industries.

The unit started operation in 1969 and is still going strong 45 years later, he said.

Toshiba still sees many business opportunities in Thailand, particularly in respect of energy demand, said the MD.

The Kingdom is seeking to reduce expenditures on energy imports and its dependency on natural gas in power generation, and Toshiba is positioned to respond with environmentally conscious power-generation technologies and solutions, including renewable energy, especially for photovoltaic power generation, plus thermal and hydro power plants, he said.

Thailand is also looking to develop efficient transport systems and smart urban planning to deal with the country's fast-growing pace of urbanisation, an area in which Toshiba can offer solutions, he added.

Toshiba generated overall global sales of ¥6.5 trillion (Bt1.8 quadrillion) in its last fiscal year, with the major contribution, at 26 per cent, being made by its power systems and social-infrastructure solutions.

Toshiba strengthened its energy and infrastructure business in Southeast Asia last year with the creation of Toshiba Asia Pacific (Thailand), formed to promote operations in Thailand, Laos and Cambodia's social-infrastructure sectors.

Also last year, Toshiba Corp and Marubeni Corp signed contracts to provide electrical and electronic systems and operation maintenance for Bangkok's Purple Line mass-transit system.

By Sirivish Toomgum The Nation

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