GIVEN the country’s huge population and high preference for quality products, the Philippines did not escape the attention of a Malaysia-based ceramic tile manufacturing company planning to expand its overseas operations.

However, White Horse Malaysia is yet to conduct a feasibility study in the Philippines to determine the availability of raw materials and cost of energy in doing business, among others, in the country.

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White Horse regional manager for overseas branches Lawrence Lim said the conduct of the feasibility study could happen anytime within the next five years.

“The Philippines, with its more than 80 million people, already has the critical mass for us to start a (manufacturing) plant here. Also, (many) people in the Philippines are getting affluent and are preferring quality products. Yes, we are considering to set up a plant here but that would depend on (the results of) our feasibility study,” he said.

Guided by similar requirements, the company is also looking at two to three other countries in the Asia Pacific region for its expansion plans. Lim declined to disclose these areas.

Companies

White Horse Malaysia, which has more than 50 years of tile manufacturing experience, was established in the early 1990s upon the union of White Horse Taiwan and two tile companies from Malaysia and Singapore.

White Horse has manufacturing plants in Taiwan, Malaysia and Vietnam that are supported by distribution offices and warehouses in Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Philippines, Indonesia, Cambodia, Vietnam and Australia.

He pointed out that while other manufacturers are cutting lines or shutting some plants to save on cost amid the global economic crunch, White Horse is aiming to open at least one more factory to increase its production capacity and meet the “growing global demand” for its products.

Capacity

White Horse’s production capacity would reach 60 million square meters per annum but Lim said this is “not sufficient” to meet the demand of its domestic, regional and international markets.

He recalled a brief period last year when their huge inventory still fell short of the orders they received. He attributed this high demand to more homebuilders and homeowners taking quality as a top consideration in buying tiles.

White Horse manufactures and supplies tile products across the world, with the Asia Pacific region being its specific growth area. In the Philippines, the company partnered with Cebu Oversea Hardware Co. Inc. to distribute White Horse ceramic tiles nationwide.

White Horse is listed in Malaysia’s Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange. It has achieved the ISO 9001 certification for quality management systems.