When a big company like Project Coordination (Australia) Pty Ltd have their eyes on a legendary cultural rosewood furniture maker and retailer like KONGKA Furniture as a brand name of KONGKA manufacturer (Thailand) Co.,Ltd. Their handshake will bring ancient know-hows of classic Chinese woodworking technique to churches in Australia in the form of church pews or chairs.
Project Coordination is a privately-owned Australian Construction Company that has been operating for 45 years. It has carried out more than $2 billion AUD (45 billion THB) of construction works on more than 760 projects and won over 100 Excellence in Building Awards. It has an annual turnover in excess of $120 million AUD (2.6 billion THB). The Company operates in the commercial, multi-residential, industrial, health, education, private, government and diplomatic sectors. Its largest current project is the $50 million (1.1 billion THB) “Estate” apartments opposite Parliament House in Canberra, the National Capital of Australia.
“There are more places of worship in Australia than there are schools. This is partly due to Australia’s high level of religious tolerance and its multi-cultural society whose many migrants have brought their religion with them to Australia”, said Paul Murphy, Chair of Project Coordination (Australia) Pty Ltd.
A large number of places of worship require seating in the traditional form of pews, some however, require little in the way of formal seating for their congregation. Timber pews in Australia are traditionally manufactured in joinery shops as a bespoke product rather than as part of normal business operations. Pews in Australia are often fairly simple in design because there are no specialist manufacturers. Project Coordination recognized that there is a market in Australia for the more ornate and decorative pews that a company like KONGKA Furniture can manufacture and at the same time compete in price with traditional Australian joinery companies.
After being awarded the construction of the extension to the Norwood Park Crematorium in Canberra, Australia. The project included the supply of an additional 30 pews to match those existing. Paul Murphy, the Chairman of Project Coordination was aware that furniture-making in Thailand is an art-form and in early January 2020 visited a number of potential manufacturers in Bangkok.
“The most professional and highly regarded manufacturer that he visited was Kongka – and so the negotiations began, and contracts were executed in March 2020,” Paul Murphy said.
Paul Murphy of Project Coordination was impressed with how easy it was to deal with Madee Lo Lertkachonsuk at KONGKA Furniture and looked to ways that the business relationship could develop. Paul and Madee decided that the best way for KONGKA to enter the Australian market was through the design and manufacture of pews.
A business plan was prepared by KONGKA Furniture and Project Coordination that focused on approaching Places of Worship to enquire if they were interested in purchasing new pews and then Architects and Interior Designers to have the Kongka product specified. There is no limit placed on where in Australia the pews can be delivered as there are many seaports with road and rail links near the major population centres.
The formation of a business relationship between KONGKA and Project Coordination is founded on the basis of KONGKA’s classic design, materials and quality of manufacture, together with Project Coordination’s knowledge of Australian industry through its substantial experience of supplying joinery as part of its construction projects.
A strong trust has developed between the two companies, together with the seamless manner in which the pews were quoted, designed, manufactured and delivered door-to-door from the factory in Bangkok to the Crematorium in Canberra.
Therefore, KONGKA and Project Coordination have entered into an Agency Agreement whereby Project Coordination will represent, develop and protect the interests and reputation of KONGKA furniture in Australia.
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