Banpu NEXT, a leading smart energy solutions provider in Asia-Pacific, and the Marketing Association of Thailand (MAT) are bringing Thai youths together to strut their energy innovation ideas in the 31st J-MAT Award Marketing Plan Contest with “Smart e-TukTuk, Driven The Future by GenNEXT” as the challenge to take on. The marketing idea contest is based on a self-committed responsibility of Banpu PCL. to help nurture creative power of younger generations, supporting their capability development and upskilling to become competent marketers and entrepreneurs in the new business world. It will also pave way for development of new smart energy solutions based on these ideas, which will build new S-curve for businesses and contribute to low-carbon society development and people’s better quality of life.

Ms. Kanokwan Jitchobtham, Senior Vice President – E-Mobility, Banpu NEXT Co., Ltd., revealed, “At Banpu NEXT, we translate ‘Greener & Smarter’ strategy of Banpu into Smart Energy Solutions for Sustainability to support businesses and society in their endeavors to achieve Net-Zero emissions. We also build on Banpu’s intention to let young people learn and hone their skills through hands-on experiences, in favor of impactful changes and development. Aware of the need for tech-driven clean energy innovation that will reshape people’s ways of life, Banpu NEXT has partnered with MAT to co-host J-MAT Award, a marketing plan contest that will pit its young entrants against a challenge on Smart e-TukTuk and service platform. A well-developed digital platform can be a key boost to operational efficiency of businesses and convenience of users. We have therefore included it in the challenge, combining it with tuk-tuk as an iconic vehicle of Thailand that can be the first/last mile solution to connect commuters to and from mass transit systems. Tuk-tuks also have strong potentials for internal transport and microtransit services. With electrified version of it, we should be able to create a new clean energy solution to upgrade mobility with smarter and greener advantages while creating all-around values to business, society, and the environment. These possibilities include abilities to make commuting and system control much more convenience, reduce CO2 emissions, enrich on-the-go lifestyle of modern-day people, and support growth of EV adoption and smart mobility development in Thailand.

The contest is open to young entrants who wish to grow their critical thinking competency with an entrepreneurial mindset in a journey that starts from identifying people’s pain points and analyzing needs of the target groups or customers through to designing a well-developed EV solution complete with service platform. They will have to combine strengths of ‘Smart Hardware’ or vehicle design and ‘Smart Application’ or software development to create an easy-to-use solution that is convenient and responds to unmet needs of the market, resulting in a new and unique S-curve product with strong business potentials. They will also be required to present a strategic marketing plan together with realistic budgeting, revenue forecast, and payback period that will make the service viable in the real world. Entry from the winning team will be adopted for further development of Mobility as a Service (MaaS) offering from Banpu NEXT.”

Dr. Buranin Rattanasombat, President of MAT, added, “We encourage students to broaden their experiences beyond classroom and get a solid grasp of teamwork before entering the real career world. With clean energy technology as the subject, this year’s contest is more challenging than our previous events. While Net-Zero goal is gaining its momentum and public attention today, the students will have a chance to learn sustainable business approach based on ESG and SD principles that are being embraced globally. The contest this year attracted more than 1,800 entrants from 64 institutions nationwide. On the orientation day they showed enthusiasm as they were introduced to this business. They found this year’s subject innovative, challenging, and upskilling, which suggest that young people are today highly aware of the potentials of clean energy in changing the world and improving lives. The final round will see only seven best teams competing before the winner is announced on Saturday, November 19, 2022 when the royal trophy of H.R.H. Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn and scholarship prizes are presented to the winner and runners-up.”

“Young GenNEXT people will be the key forces to drive clean energy adoption and rebuild the world with more well-rounded sustainability. They will be the people who drive business growth based on ESG and SD principles, similarly to how Banpu NEXT is striving to develop innovative clean energy solutions to bring a better quality of life to people,” Ms. Kanokwan concluded.

#BanpuNEXT #SmartEnergySolutionsForSustainability #JMAT_AWARD_31

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