Sunday, April 27, 2008 [ manilatimes.net ]
What do Kentucky Fried Chicken, Shell gas station, Robinson’s Mall, National Bookstore, Celine, Ambergris and Banco De Oro have in common?
These popular brands will not be selling any common or service, but when their customers step into their thresholds, they will soon find out that these firms are literally covered by Tile Trends, leading distributor of quality and affordable tiles.
“We cannot overemphasize the importance of tiles in any construction or interiors design project. In many instances, they really make the difference,” says Levina Lim, general manager of the tile firm.
Tile Trends carry four popular brands, namely Impero, Kito, Jinzuan and Hengwei which are manufactured in Indonesia and China which are known for low production costs.
The company is na offshoot of Prime Floor Coverings, Inc. which imports and distributes high-end brands from Italy and Spain.
“We started Tile Trends in 2000 born out of the increased demand for more affordable but quality tiles due to the construction boom in the country in recent years,” she said.
“However, European and Asian tiles have different designs, sizes and business system, so we cannot merge them and decided to create a separate distributor to cater to homeowners, architects and interior designers who want an contemporary Asian look,” Lim pointed out.
Indonesian-made Impero tiles, the company’s main product line, are widely used in private homes, hotels, resorts and offices in the United States, Canada, Germany, Australia and Italy, as well as Asian countries like Singapore, Malaysia, Japan, Korea, Indonesia and Taiwan, and China.
Impero specializes in porcelain granite, floor tiles, and rustic homogenous vitrified tiles using Italian technology and Spanish artistry.
Meanwhile, Jinzuan, Hengwei and Kito are among the biggest manufacturers of rustic tiles in China which have also made their way to different parts of the world because of the growing popularity of earth colors and contemporary chic.
In addition, the company also distributes Chinese-made Hitom, Romantic Tiles and Art Ceramics.
To keep abreast with the dynamic nature of the industry, manufacturers continue to develop new designs and technologies that would appeal to both the Asian and international markets.
Among the new products are Tile Trends is distributing are metallic—and wood-inspired designs which evoke a futuristic and exotic look, respectively.
These products undergo rigid quality control to ensure they meet international standards, while maintaining very competitive costs.
Like the proverbial David in the land of the giants, the firm has been able to hold its own against established tile manufacturers which have had decades of a head start. At present, Tile Trends has hundreds of designs catering to various segments of the market–from high-end projects, condo units to simple homes who want a touch affordable elegance in their abode.
In its seven years of operation, the company has supplied to big names such as Asia United Bank, and apparel firms CMG and BYSI.
Tile Trends also distributes to contact centers like, Ambergris, e-Teleperformance, HSBC and Filinvest Civic Prime.
She said that providing tiles to call centers, especially those which operate on a 24/7 cycle, is very challenging because they need to come up with visually soothing and relaxing designs to enhance the ambience in the work environment.
“Aside from affordability and the trendy tiles we supply, we are able to bag important clients because of our personalized service and on-time delivery of products. Architects and interior designers trust us because we have assigned account executives to look after their projects,” Lim concluded.
Tile Trends Inc. is at Pres. Osmeña Highway corrner Estrada Street Malate, Manila, with telephone nos. 525-4325 and e-mail tiletrendsinc@yahoo.com.
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