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Vol. 1, 2001
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PRODUCT FEATURES Utilitarian Art Winning Wicker Cooking In Colour |
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Utilitarian Art
Wooden Furniture
NOTHING
sets a home apart from the neighbours more than its furniture. Noting the demand
for original designs as well as for classic Asian styles, Hong Kong traders
and manufacturers produce a wide range of wooden furniture, from high-end antique
pieces to more affordable knock-down items.
Actin Trading Ltd specializes in the design and production of rosewood and teak furniture. "There is strictly no plywood and no veneer used in the construction of our furniture," says director Davy Lui. "We use solid rosewood and teak imported from Myanmar, Thailand and northern Vietnam."
A special characteristic of Actin's furniture is a traditional "grease" finish that is applied by hand to give a natural, matt finish. This method of finishing, says Lui, provides more effective protection than the lacquer used by most contemporary furniture manufacturers.
Actin has its own design team that creates the company's own traditional Chinese-style line of furniture. To meet the demands of its customers, mainly on the US East Coast and in Taiwan, the designers are also skilled in the construction of early American, French and Japanese styles.
The company requires a minimum order of one 20-foot container, which can comprise a variety of styles. The teak items are available as ready-to-assemble pieces, though most rosewood items are not knock-down. Delivery takes about eight weeks.
Pacific Century Resources Ltd has been collecting antique furniture from across the Chinese mainland since 1989. Each piece is brought to the company's warehouse in Zhongshan, in Guangdong Province on the Chinese mainland, where it is dismantled, cleaned and refinished according to clients' specifications.
Assistant general manager Andy Yung says the market for antique Chinese furniture has picked up considerably in the past 12 months. "I think there has been a sudden realization that handmade solid-wood furniture has a real value. Customers, especially in the US, are starting to consider such pieces as art, rather than furniture."
At any given time, Pacific Century has a stock of 5,000-10,000 items at its warehouse, where buyers can select the exact items they want to purchase and specify the type of finish required. The minimum order is one 20-foot container, for delivery 10-14 days after confirmation. To assist overseas buyers, the company also produces a CD-ROM, showing 2,000-3,000 items of furniture, which can be sent to interested parties.
Oriental Arts & Furniture has been supplying hand-painted furniture to high-end customers in the US and Europe for nearly 30 years. Crafted from poplar wood imported from the US, each item of furniture is polished, painted and sprayed to give an uneven, antique appearance. A design or motif is then painted freehand onto the piece, which means that no two pieces are 100% alike - even if they have the same design. The furniture is then given a final coat of clear lacquer, to ensure longevity.
Says director David Wong: "We place considerable emphasis on the quality of our product, from the raw materials we use, to the standard of artisans employed to paint and finish. For over 10 years, our company has been attracting artists from around the Chinese mainland, who are then trained for up to one year, to paint furniture in both oriental and European styles."
Today Oriental Arts & Furniture employs 250 artists at its workshop and factory in Shenzhen. Wong says the company has a number of standard lines of furniture and also works with individual customers to provide custom-made styles, sometimes copying from antique items. It requires a minimum order value of US$8,000 and delivers within two months of order confirmation.
Lovely Home Enterprises Ltd manufactures and exports an extensive range of painted wooden furniture to the US and Europe, including the UK. "We have hundreds of different styles, and every week our designers come up with another 10 or more new styles," says manager Bosco Wong.
The company makes its furniture from a combination of medium density fibre (MDF) and wood sourced from the Chinese mainland. All pieces are painted to give an aged look and then finished with polyresin decorations such as flowers or graphics.
The ISO 9002-certified company has a 300,000-square-foot warehouse in Shenzhen, to which the company welcomes buyers. Its minimum order is 50 pieces/sets of the same style, for delivery 60-75 days from confirmation of order. Some of Lovely Home's furniture is available as ready-for-assembly (knock-down) pieces.
WRITTEN BY JUDY SMITH
Actin Trading Ltd
G/F, 710 Prince Edward Rd East
Kowloon, Hong Kong
Tel: 852-2321-8868
Fax: 852-2354-9995
E-mail: davy@actin.com.hk
Chinese Arts & Craft Antique
Rm 1012-13
Workingbond Comm Centre
162 Prince Edward Rd West
Kowloon, Hong Kong
Tel: 852-2368-6852
Fax: 852-2316-2853
E-mail: chinarts@netvigator.com
Lovely Home Enterprises Ltd
21/F, Goodwill Ind Bldg
36-44 Pak Tin Par St, Tsuen Wan
New Territories, Hong Kong
Tel: 852-2492-0000
Fax: 852-2417-4355
E-mail: lovelyhm@netvigator.com
Oriental Arts & Furniture
10/F, King Yip Fty Bldg
59 King Yip St, Kwun Tong
Kowloon, Hong Kong
Tel: 852-2345-7067
Fax: 852-2763-9187
E-mail: oaf@ckm.com.hk
Pacific Century Resources Ltd
2/F, Horizon Plaza
2 Lee Wing St, Ap Lei Chau
Hong Kong
Tel: 852-2552-2475
Fax: 852-2552-2497
E-mail: shambala@netvigator.com
Qiantang River Arts & Furniture Ltd
20/F, Goodwill Ind Bldg
36-44 Pak Tin Par St, Tsuen Wan
New Territories, Hong Kong
Tel: 852-2492-0165
Fax: 852-2411-1025
E-mail: qiantang@netvigator.com
Winning Wicker
Rattan Furniture
FOR
thousands of years, weaving sticks has been a popular furniture-making technique
around the world. Nimble fingers frequently create masterpieces of comfort and
convenience.
Southeast Asia, however, has a distinct advantage: rattan, or jungle bamboo. This perfect wicker-making plant, plus the humbler plastic faux-rattan lookalike, is the basis for a sophisticated Hong Kong-based furniture-production industry.
Ching Kee Rattan Fty makes an elegant range of painted rattan furniture. The three items pictured, a shelf-and-cupboard unit, coffee table and screen, exemplify the company's design style.
Long experience helps in terms of deliveries and prices. "We are a middle-market company, and we specialize in painted rattan, which we get from Indonesia and Malaysia. The wood is treated for insects before use," says Ching Kee Rattan manager Tammy Tong.
"As far as our plans go, we have bought a metal factory, where we have started making aluminium and steel furniture," she adds.
Founded in 1953, the company makes a variety of wicker furniture. It has a minimum order of one 40-foot container and can deliver in 45 days. The company sells mainly in the US and sources its rattan from Indonesia. Four hundred workers are employed at its factory in Dongguan on the Chinese mainland.
Turning to a range of tables, chairs and sofas, all with solid legs, from Finecorp Rattan Fty Ltd, the design emphasis shows a healthy disregard for the tyranny of straight lines. This furniture group is priced at about US$320 FOB Hong Kong.
Founded in 1994, Finecorp makes rattan, PVC faux-rattan and wrought-iron furniture, employing 200 workers at its Dongguan factory. With a minimum order of one 40-foot container (of which it can produce 20 monthly) and an order cycle of 30-45 days, Finecorp has its principal markets in the US and Europe.
Managing director Colin Choo focuses on finishes: "We see orders for burgundy and brown-and-black hot-wash dyes. Dying is back in a big way, although we still supply a lightly varnished natural finish. All our products are fumigated for insects, including beetles, before finishing.
"Design concepts can come or go between our customers and us because we do OEM work, as well as supplying the market directly under our own company name," Choo says.
Jade Rattan Ware Co Ltd demonstrates versatility with its Regency cushioned sofa and easy chairs, joined by a coffee table, glass-topped side table and bin. Each month, the 16-year-old company makes enough rattan furniture to fill one hundred 40-foot containers, with delivery requiring 45 days.
The company's own Jade brand appears in the US, the UK and Japan. It sources its rattan from Indonesia and employs 130 workers in Hong Kong, plus 3,000 more on the Chinese mainland. Jade Rattan is ISO 9002-certified for quality standards.
According to Wendy Lee, from the company's sales and marketing department, "Rattan furniture is hard to make. Everything is handmade, and when it's mixed with any other material, the time required goes up sharply. We are flexible, though. For a sitting group like the one illustrated, prices vary from US$215-515 FOB Hong Kong, depending on finish and accessories."
The pictured chairs from Wicker & Home are typical of the company's middle-market production. "We have our own designer in-house, so we are able to do OEM or our own styles for customers. Generally, our furniture is made of rattan or plastic. Resin furniture can be constructed over a rattan, steel or aluminium frame. We do have exciting plans to explore the feasibility of using other products soon," says manager Eric Tang.
"Chairs can vary in price. For the pictured styles, prices can be US$16-27 FOB Hong Kong, depending on materials and complexity."
Founded in 1994, Wicker & Home makes furniture using rattan, resin, aluminium and various woven products. Raw materials are sourced from Taiwan and Indonesia, and the company, which has a minimum order of one 40-foot container and a 45-day delivery cycle, employs 500 trained handcraft workers at its factory in Guangdong Province on the Chinese mainland.
Ornate and two-tone, a six-piece furniture set from Minson Ltd offers a powerful presence. The seven-year-old company has a minimum order of one 40-foot container, which it can deliver in 45 days. Selling mainly to markets in Europe and the US, the company maintains a 300-person skilled workforce at its factory in the Chinese mainland's Guangdong Province.
WRITTEN BY JOHN NEWSON
Ching Kee Rattan Fty
Rm 606, Shing Chuen Ind Bldg
25 Shing Wan Rd, Tai Wai
New Territories, Hong Kong
Tel: 852-2695-9933
Fax: 852-2692-8998
E-mail: ckrf@hkabc.net
Finecorp Rattan Fty Ltd
5/F, Unit 17
Advanced Technology Centre
2 Choi Fat St, Sheung Shui
New Territories, Hong Kong
Tel: 852-2707-0288
Fax: 852-2755-1700
E-mail: finecorp@netvigator.com
Jade Rattan Ware Co Ltd
2/F, Rm 21-23, Blk 2
Cambridge Plaza
188 San Wan Rd, Sheung Shui
New Territories, Hong Kong
Tel: 852-2670-7978
Fax: 852-2670-7791
E-mail: 1kfwendy@netvigator.com
Janton Enterprises Ltd
Rm 325, Hankow Centre
5-15 Hankow Rd, Tsim Sha Tsui
Kowloon, Hong Kong
Tel: 852-2367-8001
Fax: 852-2721-7874
E-mail: janton@netvigator.com
Minson Ltd
27/F, Unit 7
Modern Warehouse
6 Shing Yip St, Kwun Tong
Kowloon, Hong Kong
Tel: 852-2755-1822
Fax: 852-2318-1733
E-mail: general@minson.com.hk
Wicker & Home
P.O.Box 732
Fanling Post Office
New Territories, Hong Kong
Tel: 852-2677-8106
Fax: 852-2677-9809
E-mail: wickhome@netvigator.com
Cooking In Colour
Electrical Household Appliances
ELECTRICAL
household appliances will never be quite the same again as manufacturers seek
to liven up the home with splashes of colour and revolutionary new shapes.
The household goods manufactured by Anex Electrical Co Ltd are guaranteed to brighten up the kitchen. Products in the Home Stylish series use dramatic shaping and bright colours to add a little fun to the kitchen worktop.
"We've begun looking at developing new trendy products while also renewing and giving excitement to existing lines," says marketing manager Winnie Kwok. A good example is the lamp-style aromatherapy vaporizer (model TS-835). "This is a unique idea," says Kwok. "Even if you don't use the oils, the lamp still looks great."
Safety is given top priority. The Cordless Jug Kettle (model TS-802) has a safety locked lid, auto-stop function and boil-dry protection. There is a dual water gauge for left- or right-hand use and the body is semi-transparent so the user can easily read the water level. This model sells for about US$8 FOB Hong Kong, depending on the quantity ordered.
The company has more than 300 product types covering household appliances, health and beauty products, auto accessories and personal security goods. Products are manufactured at the company's 2,000-worker factory in Dongguan, on the Chinese mainland. Most products comply with worldwide safety standards such as CE, GS, UL and CSA. Delivery takes 45-60 days, and the minimum order is 1,000 pieces.
Kwonnie Electrical Products Ltd makes a full range of electrical kitchen appliances, including juice extractors, coffee blenders, food slicers and vacuum cleaners. Also available is a range of healthcare products such as foot and body massagers.
The 2-in-1 Juice Extractor and Blender (model CP-461) has high, low, pulse and stop controls. Safety features include non-slip rubber feet and a safety interlock system. This model sells for about US$19 FOB Hong Kong.
All products have GS/UL safety standard approval. Manufacture is carried out in Dongguan at the company's own 2,000-worker factory, which has received ISO 9001 and ISO 9002 certification.
Kwonnie is one of the region's leading manufacturers of electrical household goods, undertaking both ODM and OEM projects. The company has established its reputation by regularly introducing innovative new designs.
"We have our own design team of three people and also use external designers to ensure our products are among the most stylish on the market," says marketing executive Brenda Hui.
Major markets are Europe and the US, where Hui says customers particularly appreciate trendy colourful products. "We can match any colour according to a customer's wishes," says Hui. "A pre-production sample usually takes 2-3 weeks."
Kwonnie requires a minimum order of one 40-foot container. Delivery is guaranteed 30-45 days after receipt of a confirmed order.
Galanz Electric Appliance Ltd stresses high quality for its impressive range of microwave ovens and rice cookers. Galanz first began producing microwave ovens in 1993 and now exports to nearly 60 countries. The product range extends from basic mechanical models through to hi-tech computerized models.
The microwaves come in a dazzling array of colours; traditional hues such as white and black sit next to models in yellow, red, blue and orange. "We can provide any colour according to the customer's needs," says spokesperson Jenny Tsang.
All products comply with GS, UL and EMC safety standards. Galanz's factory in Shunde on the Chinese mainland has been certified to ISO 9001. There is a minimum order of at least one 20-foot container and delivery takes 25 days after receipt of an L/C.
Food mixers, irons, sandwich makers and coffee makers are just some of the electrical goods made by Utaniko Ltd. The company makes midrange to high-end products which comply with GS and CE safety standards. Non GS-approved products are also available. "We do our own product designs and also welcome OEM projects," says sales executive Satesh Mirpuri.
He says durability is guaranteed. "Our products have a lifespan of at least 2-3 years," Mirpuri points out. "We have experienced quality-control staff based in Hong Kong who check goods before shipment to ensure high standards are maintained."
The products are made at a number of factories on the Chinese mainland. There is no fixed minimum order and delivery takes 20-30 days.
Linkco Industries Ltd has established a firm reputation as a leading manufacturer of high-quality toasters and toaster ovens. All have GS, CE and UL approval and are made at the company's 700-worker, ISO 9001-certified factory in Guangdong Province on the Chinese mainland.
"We make top-range products but our prices are still competitive," says assistant manager Vincent Chan.
The company mainly deals with OEM projects and can supply a pre-production sample in about one week. Linkco counts among its customers big names such as TriStar, Russell Hobbs and Sunbeam.
"Our main market is Europe," says Chan. "We are looking to develop business potential in the US." Minimum order is one 20-foot container with delivery in 30 days.
WRITTEN BY MAGGIE HOLMES
Anex Electrical Co Ltd
9/F, Mai Shun Ind Bldg
18-24 Kwai Cheong Rd
Kwai Chung
New Territories, Hong Kong
Tel: 852-2422-1028
Fax: 852-2480-4683
E-mail: anexhk@anex.com.hk
Fatia Industrial Co Ltd
12/F, Flat C & D
City Industrial Complex
116-122 Kwok Shui Rd, Kwai Chung
New Territories, Hong Kong
Tel: 852-2423-6903
Fax: 852-2480-4625
E-mail: fatia@asiaonline.net
Galanz Electric Appliance Ltd
Unit 2508
Greenfield Tower Of Concordia Plaza
1 Science Museum Rd
Tsim Sha Tsui East
Kowloon, Hong Kong
Tel: 852-2782-0603
Fax: 852-2782-2407
E-mail: genbond@genbond.com.hk
Kwonnie Electrical Products Ltd
Unit 1001B, Sunbeam Centre
27 Shing Yip St, Kwun Tong
Kowloon, Hong Kong
Tel: 852-2343-1726
Fax: 852-2343-6808
E-mail: kwonnie@kwonnie.com.hk
Linkco Industries Ltd
Rm G93, Plaza Ascot
1 Tsun King Rd, Sha Tin
New Territories, Hong Kong
Tel: 852-2692-8967
Fax: 852-2692-8975
E-mail: bryan@linkco.com.hk
Utaniko Ltd
9/F, Wing Lok House
14 Peking Rd, Tsim Sha Tsui
Kowloon, Hong Kong
Tel: 852-2424-8088
Fax: 852-2423-5195
E-mail: utaniko@netvigator.com
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