Solid Group mulls modular housing units

MANILA, Philippines - The Lim family’s Solid Group Inc. (SGI) is exploring the possibility of constructing modular housing units using pioneering technology.

In a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange, SGI said its board approved an investment of up to P20 million for the importation of modular materials and systems in setting up pilot units to determine their sustainability to Philippine conditions.

A modular home is constructed from pre-made parts and unit modules. A complete kitchen and bath may be pre-set in the house. Wall panels, trusses, and other pre-fabricated house parts are transported on a flatbed truck from the factory to the building site.

SGI develops and sells industrial estates in joint venture with Samsung Corp. of Korea. It also builds residential condominium and develops other real estate properties.

The company, through Solid Broadband Corp., also owns and operates a broadband cable infrastructure, which provides broadband multimedia services, such as data transport services, high-speed cable Internet access, very small aperture terminal (VSAT), broadcast uplink, leased line services and other multimedia services.

Aside from this, SGI is engaged in the sale of mobile phones under the MyPhone brand. It also sells liquid crystal display televisions.

The company registered P2 billion in unit sales for MyPhone last year, representing a nine-fold increase from 2009. For this year, SGI expects mobile phone sales to reach two million units, accounting for 40 percent of the country’s cellular phone market.

Since its introduction in the local market in the last quarter of 2007, MyPhone, which caters to the mass market, has seen significant growth in sales. The most expensive MyPhone is priced at only P5,999 and the lowest at P1,199, the entry-level dual-SIM phone.

MyPhone is looking to launch an Android based tablet called MyPad to be sold at between P7,000 and P8,000 per unit. The tablet is similar to Apple’s iPad.