Home appliance/Toshiba

Editorial staff

Toshiba Thailand Co, marketer and distributor of Toshiba in Thailand, is planning to produce some washing machine and refrigerator at Thai facilities, shifting from China this year.

Alex Ma, the company’s deputy managing director, said that it is because the market situation was changed during the Covid-19,the company will move back some large Toshiba washing machine and refrigerator models to produce at its factory in Thailand this year to increase its price competitive advantage and reduce risk from the uncontrollable external factors including unstable global economic situation including China and fluctuations exchange rate.

Alex Ma

In addition to reduce risk, it will continue to launch new products to the market, focusing more on mid to high products.

The move will help boost its sales in 2024 to grow by 20% this year.

The company has relocated the production base over 50% of some large size refrigerators and washing machines to Thailand for few years, taking part into better product competitiveness.

More large size refrigerators will be also moved to produce at new Toshiba's factory in Rayong, the east of Thailand by the end of this year mainly for export market.

"No matter what the economy is, we will maintain to invest and expand our business here," Mr Alex said.

Over the past five years, from 2019 to 2023, Toshiba has achieved an average compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 12%. These figures reflect consumer confidence in the Toshiba brand and products.

Toshiba’s first-half performance was particularly remarkable, with a 26% increase, resulting in a 2.9% market share gain for these segments.

The remarkable 26% growth was driven from washing machines, which grew by 47% due to the introduction of new models, particularly front-load machines; as well as many products being manufactured in Thailand which provided a price advantage and improved supply chain management. Microwaves were the second highest growth, with the growth of 19%, followed closely by refrigerators of 15%, rice cookers and small appliances by 6%, and water-related products, such as water heaters by 1%. Despite modest growth in water-related products, the overall market for this segment saw a decline due to unfavorable weather conditions. Finally, air conditioners achieved an impressive 103% growth.

Due to our consistent strong performance over the years, Toshiba’s market shares currently ranks in the top 3 in most product segments. Microwaves hold the number one position with 28.5% market share, refrigerators in second place with 16% share, rice cookers also rank second with 9.2% share, and washing machines rank third with 10.8% share.

Ekdanai Tuntipumiamorn, the company’s product-strategy manager, said that the company will launch another 27 new products to the market in the second half of this year, including 8 refrigerator models, 5 washing machine models, 9 kitchen appliance models, and 5 other home appliance models.

Thunpapat Ariyavoravadh, the company’s marketing director, said that it plans to organize roadshows to launch new products and continues to invest significantly in enhancing the in-store experience, prioritizing the brand image and customer experience at the point of sale. It will also put more emphasis on after-sales service by modernizing Toshiba service centers, providing continuous training and development for staff to enhance service quality.

Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul

Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul, the company's chairperson, said that it will provide excellent after-sales service to ensure customer confidence and convenience. This marketing strategy has enabled Toshiba Thailand to grow continuously and steadily, regardless of economic conditions. Moreover, the company supports the growth of its partners and dealers by providing ongoing training to enhance their competitive capabilities.