ThaiNamthip Limited, a bottler of Coca-Cola soft drink in Thailand, will allocate 2 billion baht to upgrade its facilities to support growth. Chairman Pornwut Sarasin said next year's capital allocation would be the same as this year's amount and be spent to upgrade five production facilities across the country except in the South, which is under the responsibility of Haad Thip Plc, another bottler of Coca-Cola. The budget will also be used to upgrade its internal systems including logistics and wastewater treatment for higher efficiency. "We have no plan to set up a new production facility so far but will extend our existing production if we require more capacity," Mr Pornwut said. He said the company, which has been a Coca-Cola bottler for 55 years, would explore market opportunities in the Asean market. ThaiNamthip recently partnered with Lao firm PT Sole Co to open the first Coca-Cola bottling plant in Laos to support a global growth strategy. Drinks from the joint-venture factory were available in Laos a month ago. The plant, located in Saithani district of Vientiane, produces sparkling beverages for the Lao market including Coca-Cola, Fanta and SpriteThe Aquarius brand is poised to launch in more markets in line with a growing trend for enhanced hydration among consumers worldwide. "We believe the enhanced hydration drink segment has strong growth potential in Thailand, where it could be worth as much as 10 billion baht within five years," Mr Del Rosario said. Sales of Aquarius in Thailand may reach 3 billion baht in 2020. Globally, this segment is expected to double in size and value by 2020, from about 800 billion to 1.5 trillion baht annually.