From the time it was set up in the Philippines in year 2000 as one of the sales offices worldwide of Japan based Brother Group, Brother International (Philippines) Corporation has since then grown phenomenally.
Starting with a small group of a dozen staff led by Japanese expatriate and former Brother Philippines President Takatoshi Kawakami and selling facsimile machines only, the company has fast become one of the country’s leading providers of home and business IT peripherals.
From its first-full year sales of Php 65 million, the company is now a Php 1-billion plus sales company that is complemented by a dedicated workforce, an extensive network of provincial offices, accredited distributors, nationwide resellers and a network of Authorized Service Centers.
For current and first Filipino President of Brother Philippines Glenn P. Hocson, having the right products, committed partners, dedicated associates and adherence to global standards have fueled the company’s success in this market.
For one, the company is well known for its customer focus – embodying Brother Group’s "At your side" mantra that pertains to its “customer first" approach where it provides the best possible quality of products and service to its clientele.
Providing the right technology for home and office
Over the years that it has been operating in the Philippines, Brother has provided Filipinos with reliable, durable and high speed laser and inkjet printers, multi-function centers (MFCs), sewing machines and label makers, for use at homes and businesses.
And as the Filipino customer changed over the years, the company subsequently responded by innovating, such that from offering single-function printers, the company now has an innovative line up of multi-function, or all-in-one printers. Brother is the first company in the Philippines to launch the A3 Inkjet MFC where you can also print in the A3 or poster-size paper, a big plus especially for those in the creative profession and those in the printing business. The company also made printing more efficient with the introduction of its refill tank system MFC models.
The company further enhances Filipinos’ creativity and skill set in crafters by providing endless creative possibilities with its home products – the sewing and embroidery machines. In the offing are more exciting products for both hobbyists and entrepreneurs like the ScanNcut, character-model embroidery machines, as well as character-model Ptouch label makers.
Hocson said, “We will continue moving forward, and be one with our partners and stakeholders in providing unique, original and reliable products and services that help our customers be creative and succeed in their respective endeavors.”
Fulfilling social responsibility
As the company grows bigger, it also makes sure that it gives back to the communities.
The Brother Group takes protecting the environment seriously, hence Brother Earth was launched to share the group’s on-going efforts for environment protection and to introduce various environmental technologies being developed.
In the Philippines, Brother Philippines has been supporting reforestation efforts to revive the Marikina Watershed. Since 2010, Brother Philippines has also been conducting tree planting activities for the watershed while also donating farming equipment to the community.
For its other sociaI responsibility projects, the company has adopted a school under Brigada Eskwela and Lakbay Aral programs, has carried out livelihood projects with the Ati of Boracay, and has participated in the Philippine Cancer Society’s “Relay for Life” for the benefit of breast cancer patients and survivors.
Moving forward
Brother Philippines has definitely gone a long way since it started 15 years ago. It has experienced challenges in the business, but all those events constitute to what the company is today: a bigger and more established company.
Moving forward, Hocson said that the company will further intensify customer engagement with better customer service through “Customer Plus Program”. The company will also expand sales to government, corporate and small and medium business sector and provide non-box solutions and services such as Corporate Customer Portal.
“In the next years, we will be working hard towards welcoming another 15 years of fulfilling growth as we help more Filipinos with the products that we provide them. We are committed to giving them the best of technology to make working at their homes and offices more productive and efficient.