Patkol in the Philippines
Offering excellent engineering capabilities and products
Patkol Public Company Limited, a Thai- owned engineering company dedicated to providing the best possible products and services, has been enhancing its expertise while expanding its competitiveness in the global market. For over 50 years, the company has showcased excellent engineering capabilities and high quality products that have been known in providing and satisfying its customers from different industries.
Driven by its passion for innovation and engineering excellence, a refrigeration contractor company established in 1965 as Patanakolkarn Co., Ltd by Chongvatana Family, is now recognized as a leader in manufacturing a wide range of industrial equipment and machinery.
It is organized in five groups of business operation including Ice Making Machine Business Unit, Refrigeration Business Unit, Solid Food Business Unit, Food and Dairy Business Unit, and Tanks and Pressure Vessels Business Unit.
Since it was founded, Patkol has been consistent in its business of providing extensive range of high quality and reliable refrigeration products. These include freezing and cold rooms, chiller, refrigeration equipment, freezer, IQF (Individual Quick Freezer) and supermarket showcase.
All these refrigeration systems and products are designed in worldwide standards with modern engineering technology and lower energy consumption. It concentrates on customers’ safety and requirements which can be tailored in various designs, colors and sizes.
In 1976, Patkol started its tube ice machine business. It continuously enhances its own capabilities to retain leadership in the industry. Seeing the importance of block ice production, the company also designed and developed block ice plant which has been known for its efficiency and modern technologies. It comes in various capacities, producing 10 to 350 tons of block ice per day.
To further comply with the market demand, Patkol also developed scale ice and plate ice making machines, ice packing machine, ice conveyer system, ice storage and packing room. It also provides installation and after sales service for maintenance or changing of equipment in either complete unit or individual parts.
Patkol’s ice machine business is still growing both in Thailand and overseas. It is exporting machines to over 50 countries in five continents. All machines by Patkol are manufactured under ASME (American Society of Mechanical Engineering) standard and designed for tropical areas and heavy duty work.
Other than its established name in refrigeration and ice machine business, Patkol is also recognized in providing machines and systems for dairy and beverage industries. It designs, manufactures, installs and provides spare plants for milk plant and in both alcohol and nonalcohol beverage industries, as well as for liquid chemicals. It also provides stainless tanks, vessels, mixers and processing equipment for liquid food processing, dairy, beverage, brewery, cosmetic, pharmaceutical and chemical plants.
To address the expanding agricultural food processing industry in the past years, the company has developed its expertise in the design and construction of food machineries for Canned Tuna Processing Plant, Shrimp Processing Plant and Vegetable and Fruit Processing Plant. These machineries have met the required food safety and hygienic standards, and are designed to enhance customers’ advantages in terms of saving production and labor costs.
At present, Patkol is researching and developing new products to serve various business units and is improving its existing products to maintain its lead in each industry. The company has been growing and expanding its network in Asia including Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines and Vietnam.
In the Philippines, the company has started investing in the opening of a business office named Patkol Philippines Corporation. It is affiliated with a Filipino partner who has knowledge and expertise in local products and markets.
“Patkol intends to deliver good products and services to customers in the Philippines and will do business for all parts as we do in Thailand along with the investment plan as well,” Sangchai Chotchuangchutchaval, Patkol chief executive officer, told BusinessWorld in an email.
Mr. Chotchuangchutchaval said the country is consists of well- educated population that will help its market to grow. He added that Patkol will deliver products and services to its Philippine clients with a growth rate close to the growth of economics and investment of the region and country. Operating at great efficiency One of Patkol’s customers in the country is LDP Farms Food Corporation owned by Lolim Family. LDP purchased equipment from Patkol for its block ice plant, which majority of its production is intended for their growing dressing plant.
It was April 2003 when LDP President Benjamin Q. Lolim and LDP Vice President Ana Maria G. Lolim opened a 40- metric tons LDP Ice Plant in San Fabian, Pangasinan. The idea came when their local supplier couldn’t provide them the amount of ice for their dressing plant and they had to resort with suppliers from neighboring provinces.
As the dressing plant continuously grows, the LDP Ice Plant expands. But it is only in 2016 when the Lolim Family decided to open another 120 metric tons of block ice plant with all the equipment from Patkol. The ice plant recently opened in April and within three months of its operations, they have observed how efficient and economical it is.
LDP Senior Executive Officer Cindy Marie G. Lolim shared in an interview that they were impressed when they saw Patkol’s ice plants and factory in Bangkok, Thailand. And when the company gave them the proposal, they figured out how good Patkol’s system and design are.
“We saw that the price is comparable. And of course, the design of the equipment, of the machine, and the whole system process is good,” Ms. Lolim said.
Ms. Lolim said that the block ice plant designed by Patkol works efficiently. She shared that it only takes less than 48 hours to solidify the water in an ice can with a capacity of 165 kilograms and takes few seconds for solid block ice to rise from cans after soaking it into a thawing tank.
When it comes to cost and energy efficiency, Patkol’s Block Ice Plant uses less manpower and less supply of electicity causing them to generate more profit.
“We are very happy customers [of Patkol],” Ms. Lolim said, noting that they are satisfied with the products and services of Patkol. “Our customers are also very happy because of the bigger and solid ice.”
LDP is Patkol’s first turnkey project in the Philippines for block ice plant. As for Fernan Reyes, Patkol Philippines president and CEO, they are glad that LDP has given their trust to Patkol. LDP’s objective is aligned with Patkol’s goal to deliver quality equipment with good manufacturing standard.
Aside from block ice plant, Patkol also started business in the Philippines in the field of tube ice factory, refrigeration machinery and food processing machinery.
“Our goal is to promote Patkol products to all customers who value good quality, and efficient and energy- saving technology. We want to be their partner in their business success and development,” Mr. Reyes said.