Pinoy kitchen cabinets survive typhoons
MANILA, Philippines - The San Jose Kitchen Cabinets are made of durable and water-resistant marine plywood instead of mere fiber and particle boards. The company’s cabinets are termite-free, machine-made, high-pressure laminated, fit-to-size or custom-built according to any client’s design and precise space requirements, can be installed in just one or two days of dry construction, transferrable, and easy to clean. You can put add-on cabinets in the future, with each cabinet sealed to prevent entry and movement of insects from one compartment to another.
The durability of San Jose’s cabinets were put to the test during typhoon Ondoy, which submerged the homes of some of its clients in Metro Manila.
With its success on the local market, this company, established in 1982, began diversifying its products only last year.
“We want to expand our product offerings and expand to the export market if there are opportunities,” says San Jose owner and general manager Oscar Chan, who places the local high-rise market’s demand for modular kitchen cabinets at only two to three percent.
The company will join the 54th Manila FAME International slated at the SMX Convention Center on Oct. 16 to 19, enabling it to present its products to the visiting foreign and international buyers.
Organized by the Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM), the Manila FAME International is the country’s premier trade event for furniture and furnishings, gifts and fashion pieces.
CITEM executive director Rosvi C. Gaetos says San Jose also enrolled in Manila FAME’s Merchandise Specialist Program to learn about product development, branding and marketing.
“CITEM has tapped Australian marketing expert Michael Cleghorn to help out in mentoring Manila FAME exhibitors like San Jose Kitchen Cabinets in gaining both foreign and local clients,” Gaetos adds. “Despite the superiority of marine plywood, Cleghorn advised Chan to also use the cheaper particle and medium-density fiberboards being patronized by the international market since these would cut costs and result in price competitiveness in some segments of both foreign and domestic markets, many of them sourcing out their products at Manila FAME.”
