As a result, exports will account for 70 per cent of its sales this year, up from 35 per cent last year.

Sales manager Pitaya Paiboon said the company was interested in Vietnam because its economy had grown so rapidly in recent years, particularly its construction industry.

Managing director Nibhondh Theeranartsin said the company had set a sales target of Bt3 billion for this year, up from Bt2.7 billion last year.

Of the total, Bt2.5 billion is expected to come from Cotto brand products.

The rest will come from sales of the Toto brand.

Siam Sanitary Ware Industry is a joint venture between Siam Cement Industry Plc and Toto Ltd of Japan to make sanitaryware products under the brand names Cotto and Toto.

Originally, the company expected exports to account for just 30 per cent of all Toto sales, but half its sales revenues in the first half came from them.

Toto products are mainly exported to the United States, Japan and China.

Meanwhile, Toto yesterday opened its Bt25-million Toto Tech and Design Centre yesterday near the Asoke BTS station on Sukhumvit Road in Bangkok, its first showroom in an Asean country.

Nibhondh said Toto planned to open seven more showrooms in five countries in Asia this year, including Vietnam, the United Arab Emirates and Iran.

He said he expected property developers to start buying lower-end fixtures in line with the current low spending power of many Thais. In response, the company will launch cheaper product lines to meet demand by next year.

Siam Cement Industry and Toto also founded Siam Sanitary Ware Fittings Co Ltd, which produces taps.

Chalida Ekvitthayavechnukul

The Nation