Waterco CEO, Soon Sinn Goh
Waterco, the franchisor of pool care franchise, Swimart, has kicked off its 30th anniversary celebrations in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.Celebrations were held on 26 July, with events including a celebratory dinner and factory tour for international customers, suppliers, consultant engineers, Waterco managers and staff from around the world.
"We celebrate our 30 years in business in a position of strength, having survived a recession, the severe 1997 downturn and the 2008 global financial crisis," says Waterco CEO, Soon Sinn Goh.
At the Malaysian event, Waterco will be making a number of announcements about new machinery and technology it will be investing in, as well as the launch of a new EnviroPro range of swimming pool products.
"We continue to invest in research and development into these fields and expect to create products of the future which will enable Waterco to be more competitive and enter new markets into the future," said Goh.
Goh started the business in March 1981, via a shelf company called Dronaco and with an initial staff of three. Dronaco started by importing pipes and fittings from overseas.
Encountering difficulty in breaking the grip of the big players in the retail shop sector, yet recognising that there were more products which could be brought in from Taiwan, Dronaco set up its own retail shops in 1983. It started with three retail shops, under the Swimart brand.
The shops were subsequently converted to a franchising model and sold to some Dronaco staff members. They became the first franchisees and marked the birth of the Swimart franchise, which today has 64 stores.
