Taiwanese Hand-tool Storage Equipment & Materials Suppliers Focus on Customized Services

Constant innovation and attention to quality ensure continued growth

Exports have remained flat for most Taiwanese hand-tool storage equipment and materials suppliers in 2012, thanks to the European debt crisis and the uncertain global economic recovery. Many makers in the line are optimistic about the coming year, however, because of the reputation for quality they have built up over the years, their cultivation in international markets, and the reliable after-sale services they offer.

Despite growing competition from emerging countries such as mainland China, some domestic hand-tool storage equipment and materials manufacturers believe that their biggest problems lie with themselves. They are striving to sharpen their competitive edge by investing in advanced R&D equipment needed for production innovation. 

Based on their abundant manufacturing experience, many of them are also offering customized storage solutions and are welcoming the co-development with customers of high-end products with competitive pricing.

Yu Shang Targets Market Development and Product Innovation
Founded in 1985, Yu Shang Industrial Co. specializes in manufacturing hand-tool organizers. Its product line encompasses socket holders and trays, plastic socket holders, socket packs, wrench packs, ratchets packs, and screwdriver packs, most of which are exported to high-, mid-, and low-end markets in the U.S., the U.K, Germany, Eastern and Northern Europe, and Australia.

“Every year, we spend NT$6~7 million (US$20~23.33 million) on research and development, innovating the appearance and functionality of our products,” stated Yu Shang manager David Hsieh. He added that the ISO9001:2008-certified firm has never faltered in its effort to improve product quality, and has acquired patents from various countries, in the pursuit of a long-term payoff.

After years of development and testing, the firm recently released its “quick lock socket organizer” featuring a 45° twist to lock sockets into or remove them from the organizer, providing customers an easy but reliable tool-storage solution.

The firm currently exports 60% of its products to the U.S., mostly to major chain stores including Home Depot, Lowe's, and Sears Roebuck. Other international markets, such as Russia and Southeast Asia, are also in its sights. “We aim to adapt to market trends flexibly, focusing on product diversity rather than quantity,” Hsieh commented. “At first we may be able to supply only five kinds of products to a market channel, but after years of cultivation the number can be raised to 10 or more.”

Revenues are growing at a rate of 10% a year. “Despite the sluggish global economic climate, the overall market remains huge,” Hsieh said confidently. “I believe that instead of waiting for opportunities to come to us, we should always be seeking them out.” Yu Shang expects growth to continue, and plans to launch its own brand in the future.

Forever Good's Integrated Manufacturing Saves Customers Money
Forever Good Mold Co. of Taichung in central Taiwan is a veteran supplier of plastic injection and molding services. After three decades of manufacturing experience, the firm began specializing in hand-tool holders and organizers in recent years and now boasts a product line that includes hanger cards, anti-theft hanger cards, screwdriver packs, wrench organizers, socket organizers, and injection molded components.

Making use of a comprehensive set of equipment, the firm offers integrated manufacturing services from mold design, molding, plastic injection, and tooling to mass production. Every step of the process is under strict control, ensuring high quality requirement and substantial savings of molding costs for customers.

One of the company's high-profile products is a tool hanger-card featuring a security lock, which displays hand tools in a way that clearly shows their quality and appearance while protecting against theft. This hanger-card is promoted as a value-added packaging solution for hand tools.

Forever Good spares no R&D effort; it constantly develops innovative products, and has acquired a large number of patents from the U.S., mainland China, Australia, and Taiwan. Backed by strong R&D and plastic molding advantages, the company welcomes cooperative development with customers and is eager to supply technical assistance for product upgrading.

Errson Transforms into Comprehensive Provider of Storage Solution
Headquartered in Taichung City and having accumulated nearly three decades of know-how in industrial plastic materials and blow-molding, Errson International has transformed itself from a maker of blow-molding tool cases into a comprehensive provider of hand-tool storage solutions.

Ben Liu, an Errson sales representative, stressed that his firm has the advantage of providing not only blow-molding services but also interior EVA/EPE (ethylene-vinyl acetate/expandable polyethylene) foaming products, enabling it to adjust flexibly to customer needs. “To meet the rapidly changing needs of the market,” Liu commented, “we currently focus on small-quantity but diversified services, offering a wide range of case sizes and optional interior foaming products.”

The company's reputation in the international market is underpinned by an unwavering commitment to quality along with continuous upgrades of production and inspection equipment, including state-of-the-art CNC (computerized numerical control) machines. These efforts have given the firm the ability to supply high-end products for customers in Europe and the U.S. with EVA products that meet international environmental standards such as PAHs, RoHS, and REACH.

Customer services are another Ersson strength, Liu emphasized: “We not only promise customers prompt delivery within two weeks, but also offer them customized blow-molding consulting services and incessant efforts on product research.”

Well versed in blow-molding production along with EVA/EPE manufacturing to achieve great functionality and marketability, Errson is confident that it can maintain growth in international market with competitive prices and after-sale services.

Veteran Toong Lih Remains Devoted to Innovation
Initially a maker of handbags, backpacks, and gym bags established in 1989, Toong Lih Enterprise Co. branched into plastic blow molding in 2005 and has built a global profile in the industry. At a 46,800-square-foot factory in the central Taiwan city of Taichung, the ISO-9001-certified company turns out a variety of plastic blow-molded toolboxes and tool cases which are welcomed in local, American, and European markets.

Although this is a traditional industry that is usually not much influenced by global economic sluggishness, Toong Lih chairman Mu-Shan Chiu noted, his company still devotes itself to R&D as a means of keeping a step ahead of its rivals. As a result, it has won a significant number of patents from Taiwan, mainland China, and the U.S.

Chiu explained that his firm's latest manufacturing technology allows customers to apply different printing methods such as stamping, foaming, and gilding to textiles and patterns, which can be blow-molded into a tool box. This enhances manufacturing efficiency and product quality.

The chairman claimed that Toong Lih has not been much affected by the mounting competition from mainland China, thanks to its time-tested reputation as well as unbeatable after-sale services that ensure customer satisfaction.

Because of the European debt crisis, Chiu admitted, Toong Lih is managing only to maintain its performance at the 2011 level this year. He remains optimistic, however, that the company will rebound in the second half of 2013 as the debt crisis eases.

Looking to the future, Chiu indicated that he would like to expand into blow-molded traffic signs and gardening products so as to fulfill customers' demands for a diverse range of blow-molding services.

T.G & Son Pioneers EVA/EPE Foaming Technology
T.G & Son Corp. is a top Taiwan specialist in EVA/EPE foaming products, with founder Scott Liu pioneering mass EVA-foaming production by CNC machines a decade ago. Liu had gained a vast amount of experience in cooperating with major American and European customers before he established the company in Taichung, central Taiwan, in mid-2012.

In addition to Liu's professionalism and manufacturing experience, the new firm takes advantage of the most advanced equipment to turn out a diverse range of high-end products. “Our specially-designed CNC milling machine,” the founder explained, “not only saves a large amount of cost compared to traditional half-handmade EVA-foaming production, but delivers superior precision to exceed customers' expectations.”

Made with the latest equipment from Germany and Japan, the company's EVA-foaming products combine the strengths of laser cutting and traditional printing, with vibrant colors and durable patterns. This helps the customers reduce screen-printing costs by a considerable amount.

To improve quality control, Liu said, his firm applies sophisticated measuring devices, which are mostly applied in optical scanning for critical automobile-part manufacturing, ensuring that every part meets exact precision requirements. Even with such vastly improved quality, the firm still guarantees favorable prices that will enable its customers to boost their competitiveness.

Liu is proud of T.G. & Son's status as a provider of economical and customized EVA-foaming services, and welcomes the creation of mutually beneficial partnerships through international cooperation.