CPAC Concrete Products, a unit of the Siam Cement Group, yesterday outlined plans to invest a total of 500 million baht this year to expand its five factories to support revenue growth. The move would enable CPAC to increase its revenue by almost 40 percent this year to 1.5 billion baht, according to managing director Anant Keskasemsook. Mr Anant said about 100 million baht each would be invested at CPAC’s factories in Lamphun, Khon Kaen, Si Racha, Nakhon Si Thammarat and Saraburi for new production lines to make concrete walls and elements. On completion, each factory would have the capacity to produce 100,000 square metres of wall material per month.
Currently CPAC makes concrete wall products only at its Lat Krabang factory in eastern Bangkok. The company plans to launch the new wall product under the Castle Stone brand. "It would be the first time CPAC has penetrated the wall market which has a value as high as three billion baht with potential growth of 20 percent a year," Mr Anant said. The concrete wall market has grown in line with the rising number of houses being built, said Mr Anant, noting that each new house requires a wall totalling approximately 50 metres in length. As well, CPAC has been expanding operations abroad, starting in Burma, where CPAC has won a contract worth 20 million baht for four high- rise buildings, he added.
Meanwhile, Siam Yamato Steel, a hot-rolled structural steel maker affiliated with Siam Cement, said yesterday it aimed to expand its capacity from 600,000 tones last year to 700,000 tonnes by year-end to meet rising local demand.
