MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines is one of the countries taking center stage in Alliance Laundry Systems’ Southeast Asia expansion plans, even as Thailand remains the company’s long-term manufacturing and operational hub for its Asia-Pacific business.
Philstar.com was among those invited to tour the company’s Thailand facility on May 7, where the company’s leadership outlined its regional strategy, highlighting a combination of centralized manufacturing, distributor-led expansion and long-term market development across Southeast Asia.
Managing Director Ben Dobbs said the Thailand facility was designed as a central production base for the region, with sufficient capacity and land area for future expansion.
“Thailand will remain the central hub for Asia,” Dobbs said, adding that the plant is not nears its production ceiling and can scale quickly when demand increases.
Philippines as part of SEA growth strategy
Within the company’s regional roadmap, the Philippines is being positioned alongside Indonesia and Vietnam as a priority growth market, driven by rising urban demand and expanding middle-class consumption.
Executives described the market as still developing but already showing clear signs of transition toward more structured, modern laundromat systems.
Dobbs said the company’s expansion approach in the Philippines will follow its broader Southeast Asia strategy of building through partnerships rather than direct market entry.
“We are really committed to Southeast Asian emerging markets… what we achieved in Thailand is a footprint we want to replicate in markets like the Philippines,” he said.
The Philippines, according to executives, is expected to follow a gradual development path similar to Thailand’s earlier market stages, where smaller laundry setups eventually evolved into larger, more standardized franchise systems.
Philippines in transition
Dr. Sukree Kirai, sales director for South East Asia, said the Philippine market is currently in an education-driven phase, where both investors and consumers are still adapting to the concept of modern laundromats.