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Baht/$ 33.08/12
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GOLD |
13,650
- 250
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INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
DARANA CHUDASRI
The IT systems provider Forth has raised its revenue forecast to 7.33 billion baht this year from 7.14 billion.
Managing director Pongsak Amatanon told investors at a briefing yesterday that net profit margins, however, were expected to shrink to 4% from 5.4% last year as a result of rising costs.
Forth reported 2007 net profits of 211.91 million baht on revenues of 3.94 billion. Its first-quarter profits this year totalled 44.8 million baht on revenues of 1.51 billion, up from profits of 40.65 million on revenues of 656.78 million in the same period last year.
Mr Pongsak said the company expected sales of traffic light systems and equipment to rise to 696 million baht this year compared with projections of 510 million baht made in March.
Financial projections exclude a possible one-million-line PABX project for the state telecom enterprise TOT, for which bids are expected to open in the second half of this year. Forth plans to bid for two billion baht worth of work under the project.
Mr Pongsak said the company planned to focus more on high-margin products in the second half, including automatic ticket systems for mass-transit operators.
He said he was hopeful that the company would benefit from the government's push to expand mass transit systems in Bangkok.
''The mass transit megaprojects should be pushed given today's high oil prices. We will be aggressive in bidding for supply contracts for mass transit equipment, and also will look to expand the traffic light market in urban areas as well,'' Mr Pongsak said.
In the third quarter, Forth plans to expand its manufacturing capacity for hard disk circuit boards to 1.8 million pieces per month from 1.2 million now. The company is a major supplier for hard disk drive manufacturer Western Digital.
Turnkey projects accounted for 72% of total revenues in the first quarter, with electronic parts sales accounting for another 9% and traffic lights 6%.
Shares of Forth on the Stock Exchange of Thailand closed yesterday at 7.85 baht, up five satang, in trade worth 11.62 million baht.
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