Start of Local Production of Air Conditioners and New White Goods Products Released in Thailand

Huahin City, Thailand - Panasonic A.P. Sales (Thailand) Co., Ltd. announced new air conditioners, refrigerators, and washing machines for the local Thai market at events held in Huahin City, Thailand, on February 8, 2017. The announcements spanned products from across six different series, including the well-received SKY series of air conditioners, the BD and BR series of refrigerators, and the StainMaster and StainMaster+ series of washing machines.

The new white goods products were introduced at a press conference and dealer convention where Panasonic Managing Directors also explained growth strategies for the Asian market to 214 personnel from 110 major dealers as well as 36 media personnel.

At the press conference, Hiroyuki Tagishi, Managing Director of Panasonic Appliances Asia Pacific, said that "We will aim to double the sales results of FY2015 in FY2020. We want to establish ourselves as the top premium brand among consumer electronics manufacturers," as he discussed Panasonic sales in Asia, a strategic region of consumer business.

As a strategy to support growth, Tagishi mapped out the company's mission of offering products that enrich customers' lives and explained the priorities of Panasonic's premium marketing practices. He listed Panasonic's high-class feel, local-fit products which respond to region-specific feedback, as well as products with design enhancement that creates a sense of yearning.

Takeshi Nomoto, Managing Director of Panasonic A.P. Sales (Thailand) Co., Ltd., commented, "We will aim to have the largest market share in the Thai white goods market in FY2020," and announced that the company will expand the product lineup in FY2017 by introducing 47 new models in three categories: air conditioners, refrigerators and washing machines.

Hiroyuki Iwaki, Managing Director of Panasonic Appliances Air-Conditioning (M) Sdn. Bhd., who is also Director of the Air-Conditioner Asia Business Unit, announced the start of air conditioner manufacturing using an existing building of Panasonic Appliances Refrigeration Devices (Thailand) Co., Ltd., in order to respond to the fast-growing domestic air conditioning market and strengthen sales. Iwaki stated that the company will implement 'local production for local consumption' manufacturing, and will roll out products that reflect customers' needs based on the concept of Comfort, Health and Beauty.

Demonstrations of each product category, including air conditioners, refrigerators and washing machines, were conducted at the events to showcase the quality of Panasonic's products to dealers and media personnel while receiving high praise from the visitors.

Air Conditioners
The events showcased the Aero series of air conditioners and the popular SKY series, which directs air towards the ceiling. Demonstrations included the airflow control of the flagship model, and introduced a new deluxe inverter utilizing European design.

Refrigerators
Newly introduced is the flat design BD Series that adopted the first-ever top freezer model of the 400L class. In addition, the event demonstrated the French door CY Series, equipped with the Prime Fresh function popular in the Asian market, and the compact flat design model BR Series.

Washing Machines
Also introduced was a new vertical-type washing machine model with StainMaster+ features. The demonstrations displayed the strengthened detergency with the warm water washing function as well as the advanced Active Foam System to remove stains, and the improved usability with a soft closing lid.