Siam Cement Signs Deal to Cut Corporate Travel Costs with Amadeus

Corporations can save up to 60% of traditional travel processing costs with Amadeus solution

Bangkok, September 28, 2004: e-Travel, the global leader in online travel solutions and the e-commerce business unit of Amadeus, today announced the signing of a deal with Siam Cement¹ for its flagship corporate travel management solution e-Travel^® Aergo. Joining customers in more than 90 countries, including corporations such as DaimlerChrysler, Deutsche Bank, and Oracle Corporation, this solution is expected to deliver Thailand’s second largest company significant savings on travel costs.

Mr. Aviruth Wongbuddhapitak, Siam Cement Public Company Limited, said, “With more than 20,000 staff across six strategic business units, Siam Cement wanted a fully integrated travel management solution that allowed staff to quickly and easily book their travel coupled with real-time visibility of travel information and the ability to track staff locations.” He added, “Already high consumers of business travel, and with travel costs up almost 30% over last year, cost control is a key advantage of this solution. This collaboration will further strengthen Siam Cement’s position as one of the region’s leading and most innovative organisations.”

e-Travel^® Aergo facilitates complete self-service online travel booking and integration with policy control, management reporting and expense management, a key factor in Siam Cement’s decision. By facilitating bookings online, the solution can save corporations up to 60% of the traditional cost of processing and expensing of travel bookings. For other corporations a further 10-15% reduction in the actual cost of travel through the implementation of corporate travel policies and the selection of preferred suppliers, can be achieved.

Mr. David Brett, President, Amadeus Asia Pacific, added, “Corporations in the region are demanding online travel solutions, and e-Travel^® Aergo answers those demands by ensuring policy compliance, cost reduction and seamless integration with the existing back-office reporting systems of corporations. Siam Cement’s decision is a major endorsement of our solution’s capability to meet the needs of one of Asia’s leading companies, and we look forward to this opportunity to work with them.”

Mr. Brian Croucher, Carlson Wagonlit Travel (CWT) General Manager, Thailand, said, “Siam Cement selected CWT to manage their travel in 2003. Since then we have worked towards reducing the group’s cost of travel as well as the cost of processing travel. The implementation of e-Travel^® Aergo will support our efforts and enable CWT to further streamline Siam Cement’s booking processes and reduce manual rework.”

e-Travel, the e-commerce business unit of Amadeus, is the leading global provider of online travel technology, providing e-commerce solutions for airlines, corporations, travel agencies and other online travel businesses. Amadeus is Asia Pacific’s largest and fastest growing global distribution system (GDS) and technology provider serving the marketing, sales and distribution needs of the world’s travel and tourism industries.

^{1)Siam Cement is the 2nd ranked Thai company behind the Petroleum Authority of Thailand in the “Forbes Global 2000 (2004)” which ranks the world’s largest companies based on an aggregate of sales, assets, profits, and market cap}

About Siam Cement

In 1913, His Majesty King Rama VI issued a Royal Decree to establish The Siam Cement Company Limited. Since then, Siam Cement has been unyielding in its relentless progress to develop its business and today has grown into “The Siam Cement Group” (SCG), the largest and the oldest prestigious industrial conglomerate in Thailand.

Today, SCG is comprised of five business units: Paper and Packaging, Petrochemicals, Cement, Building Products, and Distribution. Moreover, the Group has established Cementhai Holding to manage its investments, while Cementhai Property is responsible for managing its industrial and real estate.

SCG consists of over 90 major companies, employing approximately 20,000 staffs. The Group supplies its products both domestically as well as exporting to all regions worldwide. All of SCG’s businesses operate under the principles of good corporate governance and are committed to excellence in quality, so as to retain their domestic market leadership and, at the same time, ready themselves for keen competition in the international arena.

About Carlson Wagonlit Travel

Carlson Wagonlit Travel is a world leader in business travel management. Today, the Carlson Wagonlit group, resulting from the merger of the Carlson and Wagonlit business travel activities, has locations in more than 140 countries. It generates $11 billion in annual sales. Carlson Wagonlit Travel is co-owned by Paris-based Accor group and Minneapolis-based Carlson Companies, Inc. For additional information, contact www.carlsonwagonlit.com

About e-Travel

e-Travel, the e-commerce business unit of Amadeus Global Travel Distribution S.A., is the leading global provider of online travel technology. It provides e-commerce solutions for airlines, corporations, travel agencies, and other online travel businesses, and is dedicated to its customers’ online success. e-Travel serves 1,200 customers in 90 countries, including corporations such as Woodside Energy, Airbus, Daimler Chrysler, Ingersoll-Rand and Robert Bosch GmbH, as well as travel suppliers, such as Thai Airways, Air France, Iberia, and Qantas, and online agencies, such as Opodo.

Parent company Amadeus Global Travel Distribution S.A. is the leading global distribution system (GDS) and technology provider serving the marketing, sales, and distribution needs of the world’s travel and tourism industries.

More information about e-Travel is available at: www.e-travel.com .

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