Dyson fingers Sangchai for hand dryer distribution

Sangchai Air Quality Co will start distributing Britain's Dyson hand dryers in Thailand next month to cash in on demand from property projects.

Patrick Loo, regional director for Dyson's professional division in Asia at Dyson Singapore Pte, said it had appointed Sangchai as its local distributor, as Thailand is one of the priority markets for its business expansion, along with India.

The market of hand dryers in Thailand is still small but has potential to grow. Dyson positions itself in the premium segment and has no direct competitors.

Bunyarit Chansuwan, general manager of Sang Chai Air Quality, said the company is in the process of seeking a certificate of Thai Industrial Standard (TIS) from the Industry Ministry.

It expects to sell Dyson hand dryers directly to property projects next month. The products will be imported from its production base in Malaysia.

The market of hand dryers in Thailand is about 2,000 units per year and has huge potential to grow, mainly due to a rise in new property buildings from retail projects, hospitals and hotels. Currently, the market is 70% dominated by Asian brands from Japan and China, with European brands making up the rest.

Sangchai expects to sell about 1,000 Dyson hand dryers in its first year of operations, targeting 50 million baht in sales.

The company expects to sell about 3,000-4,000 Dyson hand dryers in Thailand over the next three years, with annual sales growth expected at 50% over the first few years.

Dyson has expanded its business into Asia for three years and Thailand is the latest country where it has made its presence felt.

Dyson is now available in South Korea, Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and the Philippines.

After Thailand, the company plans to expand its business into Sri Lanka, Vietnam and Myanmar.

Last year, Dyson sold about 160,000 hand dryers globally, a figure it expects to increase to 170,000-180,000 units this year.

Sales in Asia excluding Japan and China reached 6,000 units last year and will increase to 10,000 units annually over the next several years.

Mr Loo said Dyson is the leading hand dryer brand in the UK, the United States, Australia and New Zealand.

It hopes to be the leader in the premium hand dryer segment in Thailand within one year.