The general view of the Architect'16 Expo held at Muangthong Thani until Sunday. (Photo supplied by the fair organiser)

The Architect'16 Expo has drawn more overseas producers of construction materials than previous events as foreign companies are keen to use Thailand as a base to tap into emerging Southeast Asian markets.

Chatree Munka, managing director of exhibition organiser TTF International Co, said the number of foreign companies participating in this year's architecture fair, which started yesterday, rose 23% from last year to 250.

"Many of these firms see Thailand as a gateway to Asean," he said. "One of them is a company from the Czech Republic showcasing crystal chandeliers. This is the first time a country from Eastern Europe has joined the event."

This year also marks South Korea's debut at the expo. One Korean company has introduced an all-in-one innovation to showcase deck structure and how to incorporate Korean aesthetics into designs and products.

The Association of Siamese Architects yesterday kicked off the Architect'16 Expo, which runs until May 1 at Impact Muang Thong Thani where more than 800 Thai and foreign companies are showcasing their products and innovations.

Most of the overseas exhibitors are from China and include firms covering sanitary ware, kitchens, tiles, lighting, doors, windows and prefab houses. There are also companies from Taiwan, Japan, Vietnam, Spain, Italy, Australia and the US.

Kwansakul Piromkraipak, marketing communications section head of wood-substitute producer Conwood Co, said there was stiff competition in the wood-substitute product market due to the entry of a large number of Chinese companies.

"Chinese producers have the advantage of lower costs," she said. "Competition in Myanmar is high as many producers from China and other countries are entering, but we have strong sales in Cambodia as the country's construction sector is experiencing rapid growth."

She said the overall construction materials market in the first four months of 2016 improved as the government's megaprojects including mass-transit lines, transportation networks and utilities were moving forward.

Conwood expects to see a 4% growth in sales by the end of the year.