Italian-Thai Development

Last updated
Italian-Thai Development PCL
Company type Public company
SET:  ITD
Industry Construction
Founded1958;68 years ago (1958)
FounderChaijudh Karnasuta and Giorgio Berlingieri
Headquarters,
Thailand
Area served
Southeast Asia
Key people
Website www.itd.co.th

Italian-Thai Development Public Company Limited (ITD) is a construction company based in Bangkok, Thailand. Founded in 1958, it is one of the largest construction firms in the country, and is one of the two main contractors commonly hired for large-scale government projects, along with CH. Karnchang. [1] [2] Among its past construction projects are Suvarnabhumi Airport, the original sections of the BTS Skytrain, the northern section of the original MRT Blue Line, and the northern extension of Don Mueang Tollway. [3] [4]

Contents

In 2024, ITD announced heavy financial losses mainly from the failure of the Dawei Port Project in Myanmar, which led to a liquidity crisis and downgrading of its credit ratings. [5] [6] [7]

History

In 1954, Chaijudh Karnasuta, a Thai, and Giorgio Berlingieri, an Italian, collaborated in a venture to salvage five sunken ships. The two forged a relationship and they founded Italian-Thai Development (ITD) as a construction company on August 15 1958. [8] :6 In 1994, the company was publicly listed in the Stock Exchange of Thailand [8] [9] with a registered capital of 2,500 million Baht. The name of the company was subsequently changed to Italian-Thai Development Public Company Limited. ITD was responsible for the construction of the Suvarnabhumi International Airport which was completed in 2006. [10]

On October 8, 2020, the Philippine Department of Transportation awarded Contract Package N-03 of the North-South Commuter Railway Extension to ITD [11] . Valued at approximately PHP 22.8 billion and funded by the Asian Development Bank, the agreement mandated the execution of civil engineering works within the province of Pampanga. The specified scope encompasses the construction of 12 kilometers of elevated railway viaducts, alongside the erection of station structures in Angeles and Clark. [12]

As of January 2026, the chairman of the board is Virat Kongmaneerat, while Premchai Karnasuta serves as president and a director. [13] [14] The company currently has approximately 13 contracts with the Government of Thailand, including subway construction. [15]

2025 Rama III–Dao Khanong Expressway collapse

On 15 March 2025, a segment of the under construction Rama III–Dao Khanong Expressway collapsed onto Rama II Road in Bangkok. [16] The segment's developer was a joint venture including ITD. [16]

2025 Bangkok skyscraper collapse

In 28 March 2025, following the collapse of the State Audit Office building during the 2025 Mandalay earthquake, Thai prosecutors indicted ITD, its joint-venture partner China Railway No. 10, and other individuals and companies involved in the State Audit Office building project on charges including breaches of construction regulations and negligence causing death. [17] [18]

The office was the only building in Bangkok to collapse as a result of the earthquake. [19]

2026 Sikhio train disaster

On 14 January 2026, a crane operated by ITD constructing a portion of Thailand's Bangkok–Nong Khai high-speed railway in Nakhon Ratchasima collapsed onto on a passenger train with 171 people. [20]

2026 Rama II Road crane collapse

On 15 January 2026, a crane and concrete beam used to construct an elevated section of Motorway No. 82 collapsed onto vehicles on Rama II Road in Samut Sakhon province, killing two. [21] [22] ITD was the contractor responsible for the civil engineering. [22] [23]

On 15 January 2026, following the back-to-back days of crane collapses for the high speed rail way and elevated expressway, Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul stripped ITD of both contracts. [24] "This has happened multiple times and it’s the same contractors," Anutin said. "I don’t think the state would want this company to continue working." [19] ITD will subsequently be barred from future contract bidding on a case-by-case basis. [15]

References

  1. "2 ยักษ์รับเหมา"อิตาเลียนไทย - ช.การช่าง"คู่สัญญารัฐอื้อ 3.4 หมื่นล้าน". Isra News Agency (in Thai). 16 April 2013. Retrieved 16 May 2025.
  2. "3 ยักษ์ใหญ่ รับเหมาไทย ใครใหญ่สุด?". Longtunman (in Thai). 21 September 2017. Retrieved 16 May 2025.
  3. "เจาะลึก "อิตาเลียนไทย" บ.รับเหมารายใหญ่ที่ขาดทุนหลายพันล้าน เพราะ "ลงทุนผิด ดอกเบี้ยกัดกินทุกปี"". BBC News Thai (in Thai). 11 April 2025. Retrieved 16 May 2025.
  4. "ตำนาน อิตาเลียนไทย". Longtunman (in Thai). 8 February 2018. Retrieved 16 May 2025.
  5. "Italian-Thai Development faces B108bn debt crunch as overseas projects fail". Bangkok Post. Bloomberg News. 14 March 2024. Retrieved 16 May 2025.
  6. Regalado, Francesca. "Construction giant ITD adds to Thailand's corporate debt woes". Nikkei Asia. Retrieved 16 May 2025.
  7. Regalado, Francesca (1 April 2024). "Thai construction giant's shares plunge 30% after $29.5m loss". Nikkei Asia. Retrieved 16 May 2025.
  8. 1 2 "2016 Annual Report" (PDF). Italian-Thai Development Public Company Limited. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 February 2018. Retrieved 9 February 2018.
  9. "Italian-Thai Development Public Co., Ltd". Nikkei Asia. Retrieved 2024-02-06.
  10. "Italian-Thai Development PLC". www.itd.co.th. Retrieved 2024-02-07.
  11. "Italian-Thai Development one of the winners of the Philippines Malolos–Clark railway scheme's $1bn second phase – Thailand Construction and Engineering News". thailand-construction.com. Retrieved 2026-01-15.
  12. "Project – ITD-PHP" . Retrieved 2026-01-16.
  13. "Notification of the Resignation of the Director and the Chairman and the Appointment of the New Chairman". Thailand Futures Exchange (TFEX). 26 December 2025. Retrieved 14 January 2026.
  14. "ITD - Factsheet". The Stock Exchange of Thailand. Retrieved 14 January 2026.
  15. 1 2 bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-01-15/two-killed-in-second-fatal-thai-crane-accident-in-as-many-days
  16. 1 2 "Accident-prone Thailand: Construction mishaps pile up". Bangkok Post. 2026-01-14. Retrieved 2026-01-15.
  17. "Thai tycoon and Chinese company charged over deadly Bangkok building collapse". Reuters. 7 August 2025. Retrieved 14 January 2026.
  18. "Prosecutors in Thailand issue indictments for dozens in deadly building collapse". Associated Press. 7 August 2025. Retrieved 14 January 2026.
  19. 1 2 https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/15/world/asia/thailand-crane-expressway-rama2.html
  20. "Thailand: At least 32 dead after construction crane falls on train". www.bbc.com. 2026-01-14. Retrieved 2026-01-14.
  21. Reporters, Online (2026-01-15). "Rama II Road crane collapse kills two". Bangkok Post. Retrieved 2026-01-15.
  22. 1 2 "ITD named contractor in Rama II Road crane collapse; Phiphat investigates". nationthailand. 2026-01-15. Retrieved 2026-01-15.
  23. "Another construction crane collapses in Thailand, killing 2 people: Police". The Straits Times. 2026-01-15. ISSN   0585-3923 . Retrieved 2026-01-15.
  24. "Thai PM moves to strip scandal-hit firm of contracts after second deadly accident". South China Morning Post. 2026-01-15. Retrieved 2026-01-15.