BuildMart PH Technologies Inc. and Hubware Corporation, two homegrown companies specializing in construction and technology, have announced a partnership to advance digitization in the construction industry.
BuildMart PH, led by Founder and CEO Richard Lim, is a B2B e-commerce platform connecting manufacturers to hardware stores. Specializing in wholesale trade of construction materials, it focuses on logistics, credit, and e-commerce. BuildMart PH currently has 18 fulfillment centers nationwide, mainly in Southern Luzon and Visayas.
Hubware, founded in 2018 by Jon Baron, is the first online marketplace for builders, hardware stores, and construction suppliers. The Hubware platform serves as a digital aggregator for 85 registered partners, focusing on the construction and home improvement sector while also addressing inventory management pain points for smaller stores. The platform’s vision is to digitize and organize the construction industry, offering features like on-demand, same-day delivery, cash/cashless/BNPL payment options, and a customer service portal.
construction tech.
Combining Hubware’s penchant for innovation with BuildMart PH’s extensive industry experience, the two companies will solve pain points construction industry players encounter when procuring supplies online. Hubware connects hardware stores with contractors and other potential customers while BuildMart PH fulfills both credit financing and delivery needs nationwide. Each company plays to their strengths, with Hubware focusing on B2C (hardware stores to contractors and end-users) while BuildMart PH specializes in B2B transactions (manufacturers/distributors to hardware stores).
According to Marika Laciste Co-founder and COO of Hubware Corporation, the partnership was heavily inspired by pain points that cropped up with the rise of e-commerce. “After the pandemic, there has been an increase in familiarity and interest among customers when ordering online. However, despite this obvious trend, contractors and hardware stores still need help solving credit terms and logistics gaps to fulfill their transactions,” Laciste explained.
“The goal, together, is to dominate the construction tech industry by applying the model of the Iron Triangle developed by Jack Ma’s Alibaba: Platform, Logistics, Financing,” revealed Andre Bernardo, Co-founder, and Chief Marketing Officer of BuildMart PH Technologies Inc.
The two companies will leverage a combined 67 years of experience, alongside a logistics network of owned and third-party vessels, trucks, ports and warehouses. This network gives the two companies the ability to foresee a wide variety of industry pain points, while also enabling them to deliver their products nationwide.
Another factor in the collaboration is the support of Starport PH Holdings Inc., which has supplied building materials through its network of warehouses and depots across the Visayas and Mindoro region since 2006. Having already established itself as a key player in the traditional and old school-leaning construction industry, Starport PH Holdings Inc. lent its clients, resources, network, and experience—crucial to establishing Buildmart PH and Hubware as reliable online construction supply platforms.
While Hubware and Buildmart PH push to be at the forefront of construction innovation, they are also actively looking for a lead investor. According to Bernardo, investments will go towards marketing and business development and the realization of new products such as BuildCredit, a planned feature that will offer financing.
The collaboration has already demonstrated success by successfully onboarding clients from Starport and its affiliates via the Buildmart PH Platform. Hardware store orders from Negros, Mindoro, Leyte, and Metro Manila have been processed since the platform’s launch in 2023. These orders vary from 1,000-1,200 truck orders to 25,000-40,000 vessel orders for cement bags.
While Hubware traditionally focused on B2C, it has also successfully brought partner hardware stores in strategic Metro Manila locations like Alabang, Quezon City, and Makati onboard. The company’s gross merchandise value has tripled compared to 2021, indicating that contractors increasingly rely on the platform for their needs, especially those requiring prompt and convenient deliveries.
Hubware and Buildmart PH’s partnership comes as the Philippines is expected to be among the world’s fastest growing construction markets over the next 15 years, according to a report from Oxford Economics and Aon Global Construction and Infrastructure think tank.