SMART Reveals Slowdown in Lightweight Brick Market, Adjusts Strategy to Enter CLMV Market Increasing export revenue share to 2-3%, while focusing on retail sales in the domestic market, targeting architects and contractors, pushing online marketing, and organizing activities to introduce new products, including lightweight bricks for structural work and decorative blocks, aiming for a 5% revenue growth in 2017.

          Mr. Rangsit Teepakornsukasem, Managing Director of Smart Concrete Public Company Limited (SMART), a manufacturer and distributor of lightweight bricks using high-pressure steam curing for construction and building partition work, stated that the domestic lightweight brick market continues to slow down due to the lack of new real estate project investments. Operators are focusing on boosting sales from existing projects, while public sector projects are lagging behind market expectations, resulting in consistently low demand for lightweight bricks. The lightweight brick market has already passed its lowest point in the second quarter. Although the overall market is not yet vibrant, there is confidence that it will not be lower than last year, and it is expected that the second half of the year will show better growth than the first half.

          However, SMART has adjusted its operational strategy to accelerate sales growth this year by at least 5% from last year's revenue of approximately 312.80 million baht, focusing on expanding into the CLMV countries. Currently, products have been introduced in Laos and Cambodia, receiving positive feedback continuously.

          The company plans to increase the number of distributors to cover more areas and engage in proactive marketing by educating construction operators about product quality and features continuously. It is expected that the revenue share from international markets this year will increase to approximately 2-3%, compared to 1% last year.

          For the domestic market, the company is focusing on targeting retail customers, designers, and contractors more, as there is a continuous demand for usage. New products in the "structural work" and "decorative block" categories with various designs have been launched to meet the comprehensive needs of customers.

          Recently, marketing activities have been organized to introduce these products, such as product booths, using online media to communicate with customers, and direct product introductions to users, which have received positive responses, with increasing orders from projects in the eastern region, as well as from architects and small contractors. Additionally, the company is exploring new sales channels to accommodate current consumer purchasing behaviors and distribute products to target groups nationwide.

          "In the second half of the year, although the market remains sluggish, SMART will continue to engage in proactive marketing, promoting products to increase awareness and pushing products through all sales channels. Large public and private projects will also continue to be marketed, but we are expanding our customer base to replace the slowing demand," Mr. Rangsit stated.

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