After a period of intensive research and development, Home Resource Industrial Co. unveiled a series of indoor-lighting fixtures, dubbed the "Glass Concept-Diana" series, at the end of July.

This new unified-design concept is being used in both pendant and wall lamps. The new products, which feature Nordic styling and are made of pressed iron and glass, are expected to quickly become hot-selling items.

The Diana series of pendant lamps are adjustable in height, and their streamlined glass lampshades diffuses and smoothes the light generated. Three contemporary finishes are offered: satin nickel, satin brass, and chrome. Alternatively, customers who want a classic effect can choose a verdigris finish. The Diana series of lamps accommodate G-9 and GU-10 bulbs without the need for a costly transformer.

Home Resource was founded in Taiwan 15 years ago, and has since built up a solid foundation in both Taiwan and mainland China, where it operates a plant in Dongguan, Guangdong Province, for both indoor- and outdoor-lighting fixtures.

One of the keys to Home Resource's success is its intensive use of in-house R&D along with cooperation with prominent foreign design houses.

In addition, notes Sam Chen, the firm's president and CEO, the company provides a full one-year warranty on its products, with product-liability insurance offered as an option. "Product quality and management quality are our way of life," Chen says. "A company without innovation is doomed to die. We've been engaged in cooperative projects with lighting designers from Italy (Gewsis SPA) and Spain (Lamparas Oliva S.A.) for more than nine years, so we can constantly add novel ideas to our products."

The company is currently working to develop a full range of indoor, outdoor, and commercial lights. Other lines in its existing catalog of products are aluminum bulkheads, halogen floodlights, aluminum outdoor lanterns, low- voltage garden lights, spotlights, metal-halide and high-pressure sodium floodlights, table lamps, and floor lamps.

Home Resource aims for solid, steady development. It has moved its production lines to mainland China, but its headquarters and R&D base are kept in Taiwan. The business division at its Taipei headquarters has seven trained staffers who are charged with responding efficiently to overseas inquiries, and shipments are delivered within 20 to 45 days after the orders are received.

The company's more than 800 workers can roll out 30,000 Diana-series lighting fixtures, along with other products, each month. OEM (original equipment manufacturer) products account for 40% of total output, OBM (original brand manufacturer) products for 25%, and ODM (original design manufacturer) products for the remaining 35%.

About 35% of all Home Resource products are shipped to Europe, 25% to North America, 20% to Australia and New Zealand, and 5% to the Middle East. The rest of the world accounts for the other 15%.

The company won ISO9001 quality certification at the beginning of this year, following certification under the ISO2002 standard back in 1998. Conformity with ISO norms has helped Home Resource to establish an efficienct management system and cut production costs. The firm also meets such foreign safety standards as CE, GS, UL, CSA, SEMKO, DEMKO, and FI.

"We always follow these international safety standards in our development and manufacturing process," Chen emphasizes. "We want our products to have the highest quality as well as to be innovative.

Home Resource will show off its latest innovations at two top international lighting fairs, in Hong Kong and Shenzhen, in October.