Boosts Orders for Makers
In the first half of this year, DSB Binding Corp., a manufacturer of binding machines, laminators and paper cutters, registered a 60 percent growth in export.
Rita Chen, export manager of the company, attributed the remarkable export performance to participations in international trade shows, new product releases, print advertisements and orders placed by new buyers recommended by old customers.
DSB Binding Corp. was founded in 1987 in Chiayi, southern Taiwan, specialized in the manufacture and export of office products. Mainly an OEM manufacturer, DSB Binding Corpˇ¦s products are exported the world over.
Europe is the biggest destination, accounting for 70 percent of the companyˇ¦s total exports, followed by Asia at 10 percent and the Middle East and Africa at 10 percent, the export manager said.
Among the well-known global customers of DSB Binding Corp. are Acco (Rexel), Peach and Swedex. ˇ§Order placements by these global brands are the outcome of our insistence in sustaining top quality of our products,ˇ¨ stressed Rita Chen.
ˇ§We are against cut-throat competition to win over orders. Rather, we place emphasis on product quality. Aiming at medium and high-end markets, our prices are more competitive than products on the same levels,ˇ¨ added the export manager.
Facing the price hikes of raw materials, a global phenomenon, Chen said her company has simplified production structure and lowered production costs. ˇ§In spite of the price hikes, we did not raise our quotations in order to sustain relationship with our old customers,ˇ¨ commented the export manager.
To meet growing demand in the world market, DSB Binding Corp. established a plant in Shanghai, mainland China, in 1994. More than 300 workers are being employed at the Shanghai factory with three production lines. Daily production stands at between 500 and 800 binding machines.
Rita Chen said her company cherishes the importance of research and development and it has a strong R&D team. On offer are 10 models of laminators, 20 models of binding machines, and three models of paper cutters. The company has introduced early this year twin cutters which she said have received good responses from the world market.
Founded five decades ago, SDI Corp., having its headquarters in Changhua, central Taiwan, is now running two factories overseas, one in mainland China and the other in Malaysia.
The factory in Jaingsu province, mainland China, became operational in 1998. More than 1,000 workers are being employed at the Chinese mainland plant. The factory in Johore, southern Malaysia, was established around 1990. Cutter knives and blades are made at the Malaysian factory where more than 60 workers are hired. The blades and cutter knives made in Malaysia are exported to the U.S. and Southeast Asia.
The offshore operations are to meet growing demand from the global market, according to Jerome Chen, vice president of the company, which is specialized in the production and export of stationery and hardware products. To expand its product line-up, SDI Corp. has diversified into the production of lead frames for the semiconductor industry, in recent years.
A new plant, consisting of 13,000 square meters in area, is under construction, which is scheduled to be completed early 2005 in Nantou county, central Taiwan. ˇ§The construction of the new factory resulted from the fact that the current production capacity in Taiwan fails to meet mounting demand,ˇ¨ explained the vice president.
Jerome Chen said upon completion of the new plant, 80 percent of the space will be used for the production of electronics parts ˇV lead frames ˇV and the remaining 20 percent will be used to produce stationery hardware, mainly staplers.
Jerome Chen said SDI Corp., Taiwanˇ¦s biggest manufacturer of staplers, is desirous of becoming No. 1 in the world in terms of stapler production value in 2004. He has expressed optimism about hitting the goal.
Japan is the biggest market for staplers offered by SDI Corp., accounting for 30 percent of its total exports, followed by the U.S. at 20 percent. ˇ§As we are very dedicated to the pursuit of high quality, our staplers have been able to meet the strict demand of our Japanese customers,ˇ¨ the vice president noted.
Chen said strategic alliances have become a new business direction of SDI Corp., aimed at entering into partnership with top manufacturers in similar fields around the globe. In a joint venture with a Japanese firm, SDI Corp. has set up a company in Shanghai for the purchase of stationery and related products.
While 60 percent of its stationery hardware are made based on ODM orders, the remaining 40 percent are exported bearing its own brand, according to the vice president. Chen said revenues this year of the whole group could reach as high as NT$5 billion.
The vice president said the policy of the company is to continue developing new products in the future and providing the best quality products to satisfy the needs of its customers.