Local fire and security firm expands Asian horizon

The Asian market is increasingly becoming more important and lucrative, with several of the world's fastest-growing economies based in the region. When it comes to business expansion, Asia offers more opportunities than other markets.

Fire, safety, and security provider Palmer-Asia Inc. announced plans to expand its business by constructing a new manufacturing facility and exporting locally made products like fire extinguishers and trucks.

"We already have a production facility in Parañaque, but that is not enough to meet the demands of our clients. This will bring us closer to our goal of having a presence in Asia. We also want to put up plants in other parts of the world," Angel "Andy" P. Palmiery, president and CEO of Palmer-Asia, said.

He added construction of their main production facility plant in Laguna will start next year. This production facility will enable Palmer-Asia to produce more fire trucks at a lower cost and export them to neighboring countries.

Palmer-Asia has four divisions of expertise: Fire trucks and emergency vehicles, fire suppression and security systems; fire extinguishers and personal protective equipment; and marine safety.

Palmiery started Palmer-Asia Inc. in 1993 when he earned a substantial amount of money from selling fire extinguishers. He started selling fire extinguishers when the furniture company he worked for was burned down.

"When I was looking for a job, a friend suggested that I try selling fire extinguishers because I had selling experience. The first fire extinguisher I sold included Halon 1211 and Halon 1301. It is now banned because it contains chemicals that cause depletion of the ozone layer and could contribute to global warming," he recalled.

The company initially sold imported fire extinguishers. It eventually acquired the technology and the know-how to produce their fire extinguishers. By then, the company was already selling firefighting equipment like fire suits, helmets, gloves, boots, self-contained breathing apparatus and fire hoses.

In 1995, Palmer-Asia started to design, supply, install, and maintain different types of fire suppression and detection systems in partnership with the leading brands from the United States and Europe.

"One client asked if we had fire trucks, and in 1998, the company looked for possible partners to branch out to manufacture and assemble fire trucks. That year, we found the team that helped us manufacture fire trucks, and they have been with us since then with additional experts, knowledge, and training," he said.

In 2009, Palmer-Asia started its Security Systems Department, which offered products like closed-circuit television cameras. The following year, considering the vast network of shipping companies nationwide, it opened its Marine Safety Division, which serves many of its 7,100 islands. Palmer now serves ships from the USA, Europe, Japan and China.