Mon, Apr 22, 2019 page16

• FEATURE: Taipei expo highlights innovation

  • By Kwan Shin-han / Staff reporter
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  Where can consumers find quality bed or kitchenware? Does Taiwan produce non-toxic wooden furniture? What kind of new products are featured in intelligent buildings?

  The four-day Taiwan International Architechture, Design and Building Material Expo in Taipei, which ended on Monday last week, not only answered all of those questions, but also shed light on how local manufacturers can survive in a market that is vulnerable to global trade policies and production costs.

  The portable pneumatic vacuum elevator, NuVa, was introduced by Howtobe Technology Co Ltd (好厝邊), a subsidiary of elevator supplier GFC Ltd (崇友實業) at the expo at Taipei World Trade Center Exhibition Hall 1.

  The company said that its elevator does not require a shaft or machine room.

  “When an earthquake strikes and the power goes off, the NuVa will return to the ground floor and open automatically,” a Howtobe employee told the Taipei Times.

  At another booth, Kitchenware manufacturer Helion International Co Ltd (赫里翁) introduced the company’s intelligent kitchen system, which is able to detect leaking gas and control the gas switch remotely.

  “There are a lot of inquiries from customers, as they want to know how our products function while they are at work,” Helion general manager Yu Chiu-nan (游秋男) said.

  In the Taiwanese furniture sector, manufacturers are keen to maintain a competitive edge, as consumers are placing more emphasis on convenience and security, as well as intelligent and environmentally friendly designs.

  Others are collaborating to provide high-end services and fend off intensifying competition from foreign firms.

  “Do you see the booth next to us that sells kitchen cupboards?” asked Liu Ming-fu (劉明富), chairman of Taipei-based hardware importer Liu San Hardware (劉三五金).

  “They need our hinges to increase their products’ value. It is a win-win situation for us, because we import quality products from abroad to add value to the local industry,” Liu said.

  The Taiwanese furniture market boomed in the 1960s, with sales peaking between the late 1970s and late 1980s.

  However, many manufacturers relocated to China or other emerging markets to cope with rising production costs at home.

  More recently, the industry has faced other problems, such as a lack of new talent in the carpentry field, increased competition from Chinese manufacturers in the low-end market and formidable German firms in the high-end segment, a 2014 Taiwan Institute of Economic Research report said.

  Taiwan’s furniture exports totaled NT$46.92 billion (US$1.52 billion at the current exchange rate) in 2017, an annual Taiwan Furniture Manufacturers’ Association report said.

  The US was the sector’s largest export market at 43.4 percent, followed by Japan at 14.35 percent and China at 5.71 percent, it said.

  In the same year, furniture imports totaled NT$18.85 billion, with 51.82 percent coming from China, followed by Italy at 8.03 percent, Indonesia at 6.48 percent and Vietnam at 5.32 percent, the association’s data showed.

  The US-China trade dispute has prompted some Taiwanese firms operating in China to relocate part of their production bases to avoid tariffs, while benefiting those who have factories outside China.

  “We have seen increased sales of server rail kits in the US market,” said Ling Lin (林靈), an international sales specialist with King Slide Works Co Ltd (川湖科技).

  While Lin said that it is too early to say how the firm’s revenue would benefit, as the trade dispute is not over, the company has continued to invest in new products, new technologies and in customer services to ensure that it is always ahead of its Chinese rivals.

  King Slide is not the only Taiwanese company trying to innovate and gain customers.

  MORiii (森手木工) founder Peter Lai (賴伯燁) said that despite fierce competition from China, the Taichung-based firm has tried to stand out by using wood from the US and ensure that its products are free of formaldehyde.

  The company also produces customized wooden furniture for household and office use.

  “Taiwan has many experienced carpenters and we are just doing what we’re good at,” Lai said.

  For some Taiwanese firms, certification is a way to gain publicity.

  “Our locally made chairs have a lower price tag than some European brands, but we have acquired international certification that ensures the quality of our products,” said Lin Cheng-hung (林政宏), owner of Chaiyi-based Mesh 3 Chair (崴美). “When customers find that their low-priced products wear out quickly, they will come to us.”
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