Coway Co., South Korea’s leading water and air purifier maker, has made big strides in Asia and the Middle East as more people there become environmentally conscious and greater brand awareness help home appliance rental business.

According to Coway on Sunday, exports of Coway water purifiers to Japan grew more than 50 percent in the first six months of this year from a year ago. Its purifiers have been also rapidly winning the hearts of consumers in Southeast Asia and Saudi Arabia where its brand is recognized as Korea’s leading water purifier, making its future outlook promising.

Driven by upbeat exports of water purifiers, the company has raked in 187.2 billion won in overseas sales in the first six months and expects to earn a record 432 billion won ($379.4 million) this year, a sharp growth from 256.1 billion won in 2015 and 332.3 billion won in 2016. It would be the first time for the company’s overseas sales to surpass 400 billion won.

Coway’s growth is particularly robust in Southeast Asia where fast-growing middle-class communities begin to turn their attention to environmental issues. In Malaysia, where Coway began operations in 2006 and has dominated the local market since then, the company expects to achieve nearly 200 billion won in sales this year. The number of accounts for water purifier rental service reaches 500,000 units in the country.

Coway is also expanding its footprint to the CIS and other Middle East countries by offering its home-visiting product care support to rental service users. In Kazakhstan, the company recruited 60 care agents early last year and trained them as care managers for its rental products. The home care service with such special agents visiting customers’ home to provide regular check-up services for the rental appliances was well received, leading to a 150 percent growth in exports to the country in the first half of this year.

Coway is selling its water purifiers through local distribution networks in Middle East countries, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Iran and Iraq. Exports to its key market Saudi Arabia have jumped more than 80 percent in the cited period. Exports are also expected to grow in other Middle East countries.

By Jin Young-tae

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