Karat Enterprise, a manufacturer and distributor of faucets and bathroom accessories, in the occasion of having reached its 36th anniversary, reoriented itself to make further headway into the sanitaryware market in light of the digital age, featuring a strong portfolio of high-quality products manufactured and assembled in Thailand, and offered alongside streamlined aftersales services. As part of the occasion, the company launched ‘ESTHER’, a new brand of high-end products that incorporate modern technology to appeal to customers looking to fulfil their lifestyles with innovations. The brand is set to provide a complete living solution for Thai people within 3 years.

Pringprai Nitayanont, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Karat Enterprise (Thailand) Co., Ltd., said, “Karat is a Thai brand whose business has been around in the industry of bathroom accessories for over 36 years, with a vision to provide a complete living solution for Thai people. The brand offers faucets and bathroom accessories as its hero products. They are high-quality products manufactured and assembled in Thailand, compliant with Thai Industrial Standards (TIS), and covered by a long warranty. For example, each faucet’s valve has a lifetime warranty. Each toilet bidet spray set has a 5-year warranty. We also ensure that our services are timely and responsive to customer needs. As a result, we have always been trusted by customers over the past 36 years, and the brand is one of the top five faucet brands in Thailand.”

“As lifestyles evolve with time and age, everyone keeps looking for comfortability and fulfilling activity when relaxing at home whenever they are in the kitchen, sitting room, or even bathroom. A bathroom is recognized as an indispensable part of a house. It serves as a place of relaxation. It reflects the taste of the house owner. As a result, products that decorate the bathroom and fill it with happiness are sought after. Nowadays, people look for automatic functionality in sanitaryware, or a complete overhaul of a restroom into a smart restroom. These demands present an opportunity for Karat-branded products to satisfy. Accordingly, we adjusted our business strategy towards three endeavours.

(1) Continuous product development that covers what consumers need. For example, touchless sensor-equipped faucets for the age of new normal, where water is dispensed by hand proximity from any direction, are an improvement to the previous models in which infrared sensors could sometimes fail.

(2) Omnichannel brand communication, online and offline. Offline channels remain to be essential.

(3) Partnership with architects and designers for the purpose of novelty, and real estate companies for the purpose of business expansion towards residential development customers, who are expected to constitute our main customers in the future.” added Pringprai.

To achieve the company’s vision of providing a complete living solution, Karat has launched ‘ESTHER’ to cater for the premium smart-living segment. It offers high-tech, well-designed, high-quality products, consisting mainly of smart sanitaryware and digital locks. The former features innovation and design conceived to maximize convenience and quality assurance. For example, sanitaryware featuring a ‘Siphon Jet’ or ‘Siphonic Vortex’ flush system delivers thorough cleansing with a single flush. Other smart sanitaryware comes with an automatic lid, bidet, and flushing system alongside a foot sensor, a UV-C germicidal irradiation system, and UFB technology that superbly keeps sanitaryware stainless and odourless—a technological development borne out of research in Japan. As to the category of digital locks, the range of products include smart door bolts that support unlocking with fingerprints, codes, and cards for up to 300 users, as well as several emergency unlocking mechanisms when power has run out, such as with a conventional key, or by plugging in a power bank. Other digital locks designed for outdoor installation are IP65-rated, exceptionally weatherproof, and therefore suitable for, for example, gates and exterior doors.

Pringprai added that “we have set up a booth in each of our main dealers’ retail stores in major cities, as well as putting up media on-site at the point of sale, online, and offline to maximize our customer outreach. We have also launched the ‘Puimsteen’ series, a new line of products designed for ESTHER by a renowned Danish designer, Timothy Jacob Jensen, featuring distinctive and attractive form and function. All in all, ESTHER can be said to offer yet another group of products built to interestingly make a difference for the target groups that seek not only functional convenience but also novelty.”

“We aim to innovate for the convenience of daily life, driven by modern technology. We are proud to be one of a few Thai brands that still to manufacture and distribute faucets and bathroom accessories, solely under Thai management. We hope to fulfill convenience for every moment of Thai people as well as our customers in the Southeast Asia region.” concluded Pringprai.

Karat Enterprise had a turnover of 500 million baht in 2022. The goals this year are to increase that by 25% and expand the offerings of stainless-steel faucets. The company aims to provide a complete living solution within 3 years. The brands are available in 180 department stores; 300 retail stores nationwide; and online stores on Karat Shop Online as well as Shopee and Lazada, for instant purchase. They are also exported to Cambodia, Brunei, Maldives, Laos, Myanmar, and Vietnam.