Phuket pool factory to make a splash
PHUKET: Swimming pool designer, manufacturer and retailer, JD Pools, recently held a celebration to mark the completion of their new factory and training center at Thalang.
The 5,000 square meter factory is aimed at cementing JD Pools’ position as the largest pool manufacturer in ASEAN and will also function as a training center for their staff from across the region.
“Now that we have the JD pool factory and training center, we are very proud. Our new pool manufacturing factory is the only one in Thailand which has an ISO 9000 (International Organization for Standardization) certification,” said JD Pools Managing Director Thanusak Phungdet.
Established in Phuket in 1997, JD Pools has grown to become the largest swimming pool and equipment manufacturer and retailer in Thailand. The company now has 20 showrooms across Thailand and Myanmar, and also exports to ASEAN and Middle Eastern countries.
With a retail turnover across Thailand of approximately 600 million baht per year, and a 20% growth in sales last year alone, the company looks set to meet its stated aims of becoming: “The leader of luxury pool innovation and healthy pools in Thailand and one of the top ten market leaders in ASEAN and Middle Eastern countries”.
JD Pools specializes in the manufacture and installation of plastic-panel walled, PVC-lined custom concrete pools, as well as prefabricated fiberglass pool shells and all associated pool filtration equipment. The company has built over 10,000 pools in Thailand and is leading the way in importing world class manufacturing techniques and materials to construct their pools.
In conjunction with the opening of the new factory, JD Pools was also celebrating its partnership with Australian based robotic pool cleaner manufacturer Maytronics by hosting the company’s annual conference at the new factory last month.
Mr Thanusak went on to express his satisfaction with their partnership with Maytronics, which has made JD pools the sole authorized dealer in Thailand of the company’s cutting edge pool cleaning robots.
“Maytronics has 30 years experience and has the number one [pool cleaning] robot. It’s a very clever product; it has a brain, it can clean by itself and everything is automatic. We are very happy with this product,” said Mr Thanusak.
“Two years ago we became the exclusive dealer for Maytronic pool cleaners and we have sold more than 800 robots already around Thailand, but we need to keep educating our customers about the benefits of having their pool serviced by robots.”
Sales Director of Maytronics Australia, Chris Papa, also expressed his hopes that their partnership with JD Pools would increase their market share in Southeast Asia:
“We see the market in Asia as a big part of our strategy, Southeast Asia in general, but in particular Thailand. We see a big future for [pool cleaning] robots, the market here is not small, so both domestic and commercially, we see some good things happening here.”
JD pools employs about 200 people and has recently established three new showrooms in Myanmar; Yangon, Mandalay and Nay Pyi Taw, where the firm has already started to achieve considerable sales figures.
And the future looks bright. The increasing popularity of pool villa developments in Thailand is turning out to be a positive trend that JD Pools expects will continue to grow and boost sales figures in the coming years.
Other segments the company continues to eye are water parks and schools, which are fast becoming an essential part of the company’s customer base.
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— Mark Knowles
