Welltrust a Name You Are Well to Trust

Welltrust Industries Co., Ltd., one of Taiwan's leading manufacturers of office automation (OA) furniture, is hastening its pace or the establishment of an international procurement office (IPO) in the Tainan High-Tech Industrial Park, which is expected to be completed in March 2005. The company's IPO facility will also accommodate a research and development center and a production facility specializing in innovative and custom-made products.

Charly Lin, managing director of Welltrust, says his idea to launch the IPO was triggered by the drastic changes in the global furniture market. "In the past, domestic furniture manufacturers could make profits by just focusing on production and shipping finished products overseas," Lin explains. "Over the past several years, many of them have been scrambling to move production facilities to nations providing cheaper labor to keep costs down and retain their price-sensitive customers. But some big buyers are still looking for the high-quality, innovative products that continue to be made in Taiwan. What they need are products featuring brand-new styles and innovative designs. In this situation, I believe only domestic manufacturers can meet the demand of the upper end of the market."

To ensure that all of its products meet high quality standards, the company has invested heavily in powerful design-software systems and high-precision inspection instruments. The ISO9001-certified manufacturer has a quality-control team working every stage of the manufacturing process, from raw materials to finished products.

Welltrust, which has its headquarters located in Tainan City, southern Taiwan, was founded 13 years ago as a trading company and transformed into a manufacturer in 1996. Today the company concentrates on the production of advanced OA furniture, especially office chairs/desks, workstations, and computer chairs, as well as related components. The company's models are made of genuine and synthetic leather, fabric, wood, plastics, and metals, depending on customers' requirements. It designs molds through in-house R&D personnel but entrusts fabrication work to specialist mold makers.

To meet the demand of customers requesting price-competitive mass-produced items, the company has already established two joint-venture factories in mainland China. It keeps some production lines and an R&D department in Taiwan for high-end products.

Lin says Taiwan is an ideal place to source materials and components for the production of OA office furniture. "Taiwan has strong peripheral industries to supply metal and plastic parts," Lin comments. "Currently we source 90% of our materials in Taiwan, with the remaining 10% coming from Italy and mainland China."

To distinguish itself from other furniture manufacturers, Welltrust is constantly designing unique products that are patented, such as an adjustable office-chair armrest and a swivel-chair support structure, both of which are patented in mainland China.

Before founding Welltrust, Lin worked for over four years in the R&D and procurement units of a U.S. furniture manufacturer of leisure furniture and OA chairs in Taiwan. Based on this experience, he claims, he can precisely grasp emerging global furniture trends and how to control production costs.

Welltrust is not only a manufacturer, but also a developer and pattern maker. "Our R&D work encompasses patterns and how they influence production-key in our reputation for designing the most innovative products," Lin states.

The firm is methodically establishing its own "Wellness" brand in the international arena. Lin explains: "We are now enhancing pre- and after-sale services. The establishment of brand recognition is based on the value of products." He advises that the flexible firm also handles original-equipment manufacturer (OEM) orders, which it began accepting after being approached by firms from the U.S. and Europe some five years ago.

Like clockwork, the company introduces three new items each quarter. It also develops products based on customer specifications, generally within one to two weeks. The company has always been dedicated to providing high-quality products and top-notch after-sales services.

Lin says an OA furniture manufacturer has to cultivate flexible design ability so as to meet the fast-changing demand of the small-office, home-office (SOHO) workers in the electronic era. "The manufacturers of OA chairs should have the ability to make the products suitable for use in office and home to attract the attention of the SOHO workers," Lin comments.

In the next three years, Welltrust will employ new, advanced hardware and software equipment to boost service efficiency in line with the establishment of its IPO. As its customers come from every corner of the world, Welltrust plans to offer round-the-clock, real-time services through the Internet. "Our goal is that our servicepersons will be able to work at home and offer real-time services after our IPO is completed with the set-up of a powerful server," Lin states.