Bangkok--7 Aug--124 Communications Thai Metal Trade attracts an ally Japanese steel market leader Metal One Corporation has joined hands with Thai Metal Trade Plc in a new business alliance which increases Thai Metal Trade’s strength and efficiency. Panchai Pipattanasakul, President of Thai Metal Trade Plc (TMT) which is Thailand’s leading Integrated Steel Solution Center, revealed a co-investment between his company and Metal One Corporation with the latter to take up 5% of the company’s registered capital which currently stands at 425 million baht. “This undertaking aims to achieve 3 objectives, firstly it is to promote the sales of TMT’s current steel products, including without limitation, Hot Rolled steel sheet, Hot rolled steel plate, H-Beams, Steel bars, Steel pipes, C-channels (the “Current Steel Products”) to Japanese construction companies and other Japanese companies operating in Thailand. Secondly, it is to promote the sales of TMT’s new steel products, including, without limitation Welded Light H-Beams, Stainless Steel products and Cold rolled steel sheet in which TMT desires to engage (the “New Steel Products”) to customers in Thailand. Thirdly, it is to develop various foreign supply sources of the current and new steel products,” said Mr. Panchai. “Thai Metal Trade and Metal One Corporation have had good business ties for many years through a number of collaborations for example the BLCP Power Plant project in Map Ta Phut, Rayong, and the South Bangkok Power Plant project,” Mr. Panchai added. Mr. Panchai also said that Thai Metal Trade Plc’s revenue in the first quarter totaled 1,790 million baht and net profit totaled 48.06 million baht. Meanwhile, Mr. Moriji Kanada, President of Metal One Corporation, said this about the new collaboration, “Metal One Corporation has a policy of enhancing its network in order to effectively respond to customers’ demands. Thailand is also of interest to Japanese investors, especially its large-scale industrial and infrastructure projects where metals are a basic material. “This led to Metal One Corporation recognizing the importance of having a partner to manage and offer integrated steel solutions in Thailand. We are aware that Thai Metal Trade has all the stated qualifications and we have also already undertaken a number of collaborations with this company.” Metal One Corporation was founded in January 2003 through the merger of two business giants - Mitsubishi Corporation and Nissho Iwai Corporation (now Sojitz Corporation). Both the companies felt that separating from their parent corporation and merging into a single entity would help them remain an ongoing concern. In positioning itself as a “metal market maker” Metal One Corporation works with customers to increase the value of products, helps develop the metal industry to reach the international standard and opens new markets. Its mission is also to advance and develop the overall metal market, improve logistics and distribution systems as well as undertake research and development of products that match the unique needs of each region by cooperating with steelmakers and other players in the metal industry. In pursuit of this mission, Metal One Corporation refers to itself s as a “Metal Value Optimizer”. At present, Metal One Corporation provides solutions for steel products of more than 25 million tons a year and has more than 170 offices and branches across the world including Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, Indonesia, India, Bangladesh, Vietnam, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, United Kingdom, Hungary, Germany, United Arab Emirates, United States, Canada, Mexico, Guatemala, Columbia and Brazil. For more information, please contact: Inthira Chaion-nom 124 Communications Public Company Limited Tel: 02-662-2266