A third generation member of the family that owns and operates Ouay Un Osoth Co., Ltd. Ms. Nicha Somboonvechakarn, Assistant Managing Director & HR Director, said that, “This will be the second time we have rebranded in almost 70 years. The first rebranding took place in my father’s time (Mr. Sittichai Somboonvechakarn), when the business expanded with the advent of herbal medicines in capsule format and the introduction of water/syrups and herbal lozenges, which are well-known today. Our latest challenge is to initiate products that differentiate us from our competitors and create greater brand awareness among consumers.
We are updating our Ouay Un brand – from redesigning our logo to modernizing our packaging – so that we are ready to compete in the AEC market. We are also reconsidering our brand positioning, brand personality and brand direction to make them more in line with our target customers.
Previously our marketing’s strategy focused mainly on the product’s quality in terms of the raw materials used and the production process, which retained the herbal value. However, in addition to this, we have other key strengths including our reliability of service and the information we provide to customers. These attributes taken as a whole are the reason we have been accorded quality awards for product standards certified by The Food and Drug Administration for 3 consecutive years, and also awards from other institutions.
This year we will spend 10 million Baht to promote our products and the Ouay Un Osoth brand to a prospective customer base split between 60% in Bangkok and 40% nationwide. Our revenue target in 2014 is 300 million Baht, a 20% sales growth on last year, and we expect to reach 25-30% growth in 2015.”
Mr. Chanun Somboonvech, Technical Director and Import-Export Manager at Ouay Un Osoth Co., Ltd. is also in charge of the company’s R&D capabilities and said, “Next year the company will build new factory facilities to support the increased manufacturing based on sales growth through AEC markets. We are keen to promote these products via all available channels and our goal is to make Ouay Un the first herbal brand in the minds of customers.”
At present the company exports capsule medicine products including Moringa, Turmeric, Andrographis paniculata and Garcinia atroviridis to Romania, Austria and Israel. The products are certified by The Food and Drug Administrations of each country and have registered trademarks in these countries.
Mr. Chanun added, “We believed that AEC will boost our herbal lozenges, Khao Kui Water and Maveng Cough Syrup products in neighboring countries, especially Laos and Cambodia. Hence it is important for us to maintain our R&D capabilities and the quality control of our raw materials and customer service. We are certified ASEAN GMP, which is the highest standard in traditional medicines, and we are the only herbal manufacturer to quantify medicinal compounds in herbs using High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC). Although Ouay Un has seen many changes in drug formats and the innovation of manufacture techniques, we still maintain the traditions of “Ouay Un Osoth”, which means “Clean and Safe” in the Chinese language. It reflects our philosophy and desire to retain value and peace of mind for our customers.”