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Creative Dining
Tableware
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| Lee Yuen Housewares Co Ltd produces a versatile range of tea accessories featuring stainless steel items such as this teapot with mesh infuser and tea infuser with stand |
Whatever material graces dining tables worldwide, the requirements seem to be the same: strong design, durability and sensitivity to market trends. With this in mind, Hong Kong manufacturers make sure they are always fully up to date.
For example, Regent Silverware Mfg Ltd has years of experience in stainless steel and silver-plated tabletop items such as food bakers, warmers, trays, servers, barware and accessories.
"Regent Silverware is our brand for silver-plate, while we use Regent Inox for our stainless steel lines," explains Senior Manager Kandice Lee. "Our brand names are now very well known, especially in the Middle East."
Regent supplies more than 1,000 different products, mainly for the household market. "We also cater to OEM, which accounts for 35% of our business," Ms Lee adds.
The company introduced its Zen range earlier this year. The range features product handles, knobs and legs made from smooth, matt-finished, dark-brown wood. "We can incorporate this design into a full range of stainless steel products," Ms Lee advises.
Also focusing on stainless steel, Lee Yuen Housewares Co Ltd produces some 5,000-plus small houseware, kitchenware and barware items. "ODM accounts for 60% of our total business, OEM 30% and our own brands 10%," reveals Business Development Manager Olivia Chung.
Tea accessories and cookie cutters are among Lee Yuen's most sought after items. "Tea Zone, our own brand of tea accessories, features mainly 18/8 stainless steel for products ranging from strainers with drip bowls and teapots with mesh infusers, to teapot-shaped teabag holders," notes Ms Chung.
The company's numerous product lines include the Chocolate Helper, which ranges from chocolate frothers to mini-chocolate moulds and chocolate fondue sets. On the other hand, the Inox Home line features contemporary stainless steel items for everyday use, such as sets of spoons, colanders and roasting forks, all available in attractive and vibrant coloured packaging.
Packaging also plays a vital role in Fontayne Lifestyle Co Ltd's giftware and dinnerware business. "We match our giftware packaging to product designs as this has become an integral part of the giftware business," explains Designer Cindy Ho.
Fontayne recently started producing 20-, 18- and 16-piece porcelain dinnerware sets, combining different designs within one set. "One of our most popular lines, Fairy Lace, features a mix of three different elegant lace patterns in black and white," ?she notes.
The company also offers some 30 giftware designs, focusing on mugs; three-piece breakfast sets, including side plate, cereal bowl and mug; and plate sets. "We use predominantly floral, retro or cute designs, such as Chirps Ahoy, a fun bird design, and My Fair Lady, a graphic drawing of four women."
Particularly popular with kids and teens is Fontayne's Ride-with-Stephanie breakfast set featuring a lovable cartoon pig on a swing, she adds.
Venturing seriously into the domestic market on the Chinese mainland, specialist fine bone china manufacturer Stechcol Enterprise Ltd has more than 15,000 traditional English-style tea and dinner set designs and adds 300 new ones each year.
"Stechcol was awarded 'China Top Brand' in September 2006, an honour that lasts for three years," notes Sales Director Kim Chim, adding that the company has introduced screen-printed Oriental designs, such as the Ching Dynasty Long River, Dragon Robes, Four Season Panda and Red Chamber sets to appeal directly to the China market.
"Chinese customers buy these designs not only for functional purposes but also as collectors' pieces," she notes. "They are also popular elsewhere, with the Red Chamber set a big seller in Russia."
Ms Chim notes that "everyone is manufacturing chintz these days but we focus on simpler, finely-detailed but still highly-colourful" floral designs. "Customers love our rose patterns, especially in red, pink and white-rose, although gold and silver rims are still popular," she adds.
One of the company's latest designs, launched in September 2007, features a modern graphic of teapots, cups and saucers in a mix of green, blue and yellow. Available as a full dinner set, it also comes as a tea set with mug, lid and sandwich tray, and a two-tier plate.
On the other hand, concentrating on stoneware, earthenware and porcelain, Migo Ceramic Ltd offers more than 1,000 product items ranging from hand-painted casserole sets and embossed dinnerware to a wide selection of decal porcelain sets.
"One of our most popular items is mugs," notes Managing Director Gordon Wong. "However, we have just received a huge order to produce 1.6 million pieces of high-grade, white stoneware baking dishes for a leading top-end brand in Europe."
Mr Wong claims that this high-grade white stoneware is particularly popular. "It looks like porcelain, has an excellent finish but a cheaper price." It is also microwave, oven and dishwasher proof, which he says is essential for today's modern kitchen.
"We are also moving more into porcelain, and semi-porcelain for the lower-end market with our low-priced, 16-piece dinner sets for four people," notes Mr Wong. "Also highly popular, and very affordable, is our lead- and cadmium-free stoneware, square combo-set, with glass tumblers, dinnerware and flatware for four. It is available in coloured packaging."
The US and Europe are Migo's biggest markets, but Mr Wong adds that Eastern Europe, which commands higher prices, offers strong potential.
This seemingly insatiable demand for tableware worldwide offers Hong Kong producers huge opportunities to combine their design, production and merchandising expertise and capitalise on new and upcoming trends.
TEXT BY SANDRA JENNER
FAST FACTS
| Fontayne
Lifestyle Co Ltd Unit 1002 Hong Kong Plaza 186-191 Connaught Rd West Hong Kong Tel: 852-2559-7011 Fax: 852-2559-7379 Email: info@fontaynelifestyle.com Web: www.fontaynelifestyle.com |
Year Established:
2006 Major Product Categories: porcelain, ceramic vases & containers, artificial flowers, home & seasonal decorations Brands & Certificates: Fontayne Lifestyle, Egg Creations Minimum Order: - Monthly Production Capacity: - Delivery Time: 2-3 months Factory Size & Location: Chaozhou & Guangdong Workforce: - |
| Kai
Hing Metal Products Fty Co Ltd Rms O, P, 9/F, Wai Cheong Ind Centre 5 Shek Pai Tau Rd Tuen Mun, New Territories Hong Kong Tel: 852-2465-8068 Fax: 852-2455-0108 Email: kaihing@kaihing.com.hk Web: www.kaihing.com.hk |
Year Established: - |
|
Lee Yuen Housewares Co Ltd |
Year Established:
1975 Major Product Categories: household and kitchenware Brands & Certificates: TeaZone; Merit Award - Hong Kong Original Products Design Competition Minimum Order: 1,000 pieces or sets per item Monthly Production Capacity: average 4,000-5,000 pieces of each model Delivery Time: 60-70 days Factory Size & Location: Dongguan Workforce: - |
| Migo
Ceramic Ltd Rm 603 Stanhope House 734 King's Rd Quarry Bay Hong Kong Tel: 852-2512-9233 Fax: 852-2512-9737 Email: migo@migo.com Web: www.migo.com.hk |
Year Established:
1984 Major Product Categories: ceramic tableware, mugs, ovenware, kitchenware and other ceramic gift products Brands & Certificates: Migo, Gordon Minimum Order: One TEU Monthly Production Capacity: - Delivery Time: 45-60 days Factory Size & Location: - Workforce: - |
| Regent
Silverware Mfg Ltd 8/F Wing Hing Ind Bldg 83 Chai Wan Kok St Tsuen Wan, New Territories Hong Kong Tel: 852-2611-9383 Fax: 852-2411-6966 Email: silverware@regentsilver.com Web: www.regentsilver.com |
Year Established:
1994 Major Product Categories: food bakers, food warmers, trays, candleholders, fruit baskets, servers, barware and accessories as well as various kinds of tabletop home-improvement items Brands & Certificates: Regent Silverware, Regent Inox Minimum Order: US$10,000 Monthly Production Capacity: 150,000-200,000 units Delivery Time: 75 days Factory Size & Location: 9,000 square metres; Dongguan Workforce: 600 |
| Stechcol
Enterprise Ltd 15/F, Blk B-1 Central Mansion 270-276 Queen's Rd Central Hong Kong Tel: 852-2815-7636 Fax: 852-2854-0568 Email: chim.kc@stechcol.com Web: www.stechcol.com |
Year Established:
1995 Major Product Categories: fine bone china tableware, tea sets, dinner sets Brands & Certificates: Stechcol; ISO 9000, ISO 14001; China Top Brand Winner 2006 Minimum Order: - Monthly Production Capacity: - Delivery Time: 30-60 days Factory Size & Location: Shenzhen Workforce: - |
| Wing
Tai Ming Kee Co Ltd 4/F Kin On Comm Bldg 49-51 Jervois St Sheung Wan Hong Kong Tel: 852-2543-5277 Fax: 852-2545-9791 Email: wtmkjim@hkstar.com Web: www.wtmk.com.hk |
Year Established:
1994 Major Product Categories: porcelain, stoneware, bone china dinner sets Brands & Certificates: Jim's Minimum Order: One TEU Monthly Production Capacity: - Delivery Time: 45 days Factory Size & Location: - Workforce: - |
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