HOW ‘UNDERDOG’ STORE DEVELOPED FILIPINOS’ TASTE FOR EUROPEAN DESIGN
When Kuysen partnered with German sanitary fittings manufacturer Hansgrohe 30 years ago, the market found its look ‘too minimalist’
It dared to team up with a European sanitary fittings manufacturer at a time when the local market preferred American designs. Three decades later, Kuysen Enterprises Inc. is celebrating its long-standing partnership with German brand Hansgrohe.
“The 30-year partnership has always been anchored on pure and clear intentions,” said Kuysen president Jensen Go in a speech during a gathering with industry partners to mark the milestone. He likened the relationship between the two companies to the stream that runs behind the Hansgrohe factory in Schiltach, Germany.
“The pure waters in the stream run down its path, able to navigate around obstacles along the way. But also, the flowing stream is able to create and influence the shape of the landscape that it traverses.”
Go explained that just like the stream, Kuysen, together with Hansgrohe and its industry partners, was able to slowly but methodically chart and create its own place in the market.
The event was marked by an exchange of tokens of appreciation between Kuysen and Hansgrohe to signify the bond between the two companies.
Kuysen was established in 1989 by Go’s father, Go Kuy Sen, as a small industrial hardware business in Caloocan. It entered into a partnership with Hansgrohe in 1992 to expand into bathroom fixtures.
The German brand, meanwhile, has been in the business of manufacturing showers, shower systems, bathroom and kitchen faucets and kitchen sinks since 1901.
Innovation and service
“When we started we were severe underdogs,” said Go, even describing how Kuysen’s small space in Caloocan looked nothing compared to the ritzy Kuysen Design + Experience Center on Jupiter Street in Makati.
It was not easy to penetrate an American-influenced market. “Some people found Hansgrohe to be very minimalist,” said Go. It was tough when you had to compete with companies that offered shower mixers and toilets in different colors.
“But the market preferences changed, and right now, people look for our products,” he added. Go acknowledged the company’s industry partners so that the local construction scene eventually developed a taste for European designs.
Go was honest enough to admit, however, that they didn’t expect that Kuysen’s partnership with Hansgrohe would span three decades. “It was difficult to project five years forward,” he said. The long-standing alliance, he added, only affirms how committed they are and that they are not fly-by-night operators.
Sandra Brand, Hansgrohe area sales manager for emerging markets, attributed the successful partnership to both companies’ shared values and goals. “Trust, respect, ambition to be the very best in the industry. We are trying to do it via innovation and the service we offer,” she said.