IF Product Design Awards Raise Global Profile of Hand Tool Makers in Taiwan

Repeated reports of hand tool makers in Taiwan having been focusing on R&D to upgrade their role in the global supply chain are proving to be more than mere hype and words: a handful of hand tool makers from Taiwan have won IF Product Design Awards in 2008, confirming not only their globally-recognized innovative, product development capability, but more importantly their evolution from OEM (original equipment manufacturer), often an euphemism for subcontractor, to ODM (original design manufacturer).

Winning an IF Design Award is not mere feather in one's cap, but is a world-caliber recognition of one's design skills. The fact is that the award has been organized by the IF International Forum Design Hannover of Germany for over 50 years and is reputed as one of the world's three most influential design awards, besides the Red-dot Award and Janus Award of France.

The IF Product Design Award 2008 attracted 2,771 design entries from 35 countries, with 20.9% more contestants this year than the last and 821 winners.

Among a spate of formidable competitors from Japan, the U.S., Germany, Italy and Spain were 49 Taiwan-based contestants, most of whom are from the tech sector, including big-name brands as ASUSTek, BenQ, Inventec, and Compal, whose innovations won 75 IF Product Design Awards this year, double the 36 winners submitted by 25 applicants last year.

Three Exceptions

Three of the Taiwan-based winners stood out-being non-tech-sector outsiders-to successfully put the spotlight on a typically unglamorous sector: hand tool making. Proxene Tools Co., Ltd. (FasWrench), Hi-Five Products Developing Co., Ltd. (SuperTen Torque Wrench) and Lucky-Brand Industrial Co., Ltd. (Tai Chi Hex-key Wrench) may have thrown down the gauntlet by winning the IF Product Design Awards 2008, showing the world that Taiwan-made hand tools can rival European and Japanese brands in function, exterior design and durability.

Proxene and Hi-Five talked about winning the IF awards and what makes the winning hand tools a cut above the rest.

Proxene

Founded in 1984 in Taichung County, central Taiwan, Proxene is a specialized OEM, ODM and OBM (original brand manufacturer) of adjustable wrenches. Winning the IF Award underlines the firm's longtime commitment to product improvement.

Proxene has a solid reputation among foreign buyers for expertise in supplying a wide range of high-end, professional adjustable wrenches for various applications, with the tools exported to Europe and Japan and some sold under its own Fulco brand.

The firm's RA series FasWrench is an IF Product Design Award winner this year, noted for its easy-to-use, user-friendly functions and compact exterior design, which are in line with the philosophy "KISS" (Keep It Simple Stupid), according to Shirley Chao, business manager at Proxene.

Chao said that the FasWrench had been two years in the making and was officially unveiled in Japan at the end of 2006. The newest version features an anti-slip, textured handle of TPR (thermal plastic rubber) for aesthetics and a durable, comfortable grip. The ratchet wrench is also adjustable for enhanced efficiency over competitors.

Proxene also innovatively builds a roller into the jaw to allow users to easily, firmly grip hex huts with minimal damage. The structural mechanism has been improved to lower noise and enhance torque to exceed ASME (American Society of Mechanical Engineers) standards, with forged steel adopted for lightweight and durability. In fact, the FasWrench is not only an IF Award winner but also Japan's Good Design Award (G-mark).

Chao said that the FasWrench's sophisticated structural mechanism needs high precision CNC (computerized numerically controlled) machine tool for production, as well as 3D projector for testing. The FasWrench is expected to help to penetrate the American professional and DIY tool segments, as well as other markets.

All Stops Pulled

Proxene proved by winning the IF Product Design Award that its strategy of pulling out all the stops in R&D works, and that achieving global recognition for its innovation is no fluke. Chao conceded that Proxene has spent considerably on CAD (computer aided design) and CAM (computer aided manufacturing) equipment, which have been instrumental in new product development.

Outsourcing exterior design from professional designers, Proxene, she added: "could stay concentrated on developing innovative functions. Also, we met with the designers weekly to constantly ensure new product feasibility." Notable is that Proxene would repeatedly confirm uniqueness of new ideas through its database to assure IP (intellectual property) is not infringed, as well as potential for patentability that helps business sustainability.

Another example of Proxene's effective use of patents to sustain business is its HP and Tiger Paw series adjustable wrenches, which have been steady sellers abroad, especially in Japan, for nearly one decade since 1998. Chao stressed that Proxene purposefully applied for patents to protect the innovative weight-saving designs of the wrench.

Another key aspect of its effective R&D program is the close attention paid to aesthetics of newly developed wrenches. Chao revealed that the firm adopts blind testing by its own workers, who are asked to choose the better looking wrench among Proxene-made and rivals'. "Worker feedback in fact reflects that in the real-world," Chao said. Such participation also helps to build heightened quality-sensitivity among workers.

Enhancing its global reputation as a proven developer of high-end wrenches is what Chao said winning the IF award has done for Proxene. "We are totally committed to innovation and good quality, and will continue to develop new products," she concluded.

Hi-Five

This ODM in Taichung County, central Taiwan, is another IF Award winner with its SuperTen ratchet torque wrench, as well as being for 20 years a specialist maker of ratchet torque wrenches.

Nobody in the hand tool sector in Taiwan questions Hi-Five's trendsetting role, as the company general manager Bobby Hu developed Taiwan's first ratchet torque wrench many years ago. Offering a wide range of ratchet torque wrenches, ratchet screwdrivers, sockets and related tool sets, Hi-Five exports 60% of its output to Europe and Japan, and the remaining to other countries.

The SuperTen features improved tooth design enabling precise 5-degree per-turn accuracy, and slim head dimensions that allow use in tight spaces; while its torque rating exceeds international standards.

Art-object Aesthetics

However, Hu said that the SuperTen clinched the IF award with its "art object" aesthetics achieved independently by a Taiwan-based firm, adding that its visual appeal moved the judges.

Along with bright finish and streamlined, curvy body, the SuperTen is especially notable for its seamless combination of metal and plastic: a feature that captivated the judges as only exacting production technology can mate plastic to its metallic body without unacceptable gaps, a testament to Hi-Five's know-how and production-upgrade skills.

With considerable background in mechanical design, Hu repeatedly fine-tuned Hi-Five's manufacturing tools for dedicated machining. Besides, the engineers devised new clamps and jigs for attaching plastic to metal. Such painstaking effort was costly but paid off ultimately.

"I tried to make the SuperTen sexy," Hu said. "That's why we worked hard to upgrade the machining to add to the geometry, detailing to enhance the overall aesthetics." Retailing for a relatively steep NT$2,000 (about US$68), the SuperTen has been very attractive to professionals and tool collectors in Europe since its debut early this year. "European buyers are more quality-conscious and will pay a 10% premium for a good-looking product," he added.

Stereotypical Mechanical Engineer

Hu may be singled out for having done more for Hi-Five's R&D capability than anyone else. He religiously believes that consistent R&D is vital for success.

Pointing to Hi-Five's Pistol Draft series ratcheting screwdriver as a better product than even the award-winning SuperTen, Hu said that the screwdriver has a balanced mix of structural and exterior design merits. The distinguishing feature of the ratcheting screwdriver is its oval-shaped handle with dimples that gradually fade from the lower to upper end.

The self-containing screwdriver has button-activated dual-directional ratcheting action, with its body doubling as a bit holder. Field tested for structural toughness and durability, the screwdriver, despite being 50% costlier than others in the European DIY tool segment, has been well-received by Facom, a major European hand tool brand.

According to Hu, his company will launch a 42-pc Anti-roll Socket Set, which will include the Pistol Draft, SuperTen series and high quality sockets. The set is especially notable for its improved tilt angle of the socket head-up to 45 degrees, 15 degrees more than competing models, as well as higher torque rating.

"To realize structural innovations within very limited space is the biggest challenge for hand tool makers," Hu said. "However, any success assures improved profitability and sustained business development." Hu's 20-year experience in the field and Hi-Five's skilled R&D engineers have helped the firm to turn 90% of their R&D projects into commercial successes.

Industry insiders agree that Hu lives up to the stereotypical image of a mechanical engineer-the strong but silent type. Basking in the celebrity of winning the IF Award, Hu said nonchalantly that being dedicated to innovation, design helps his company to stay competitive, and that it is business as usual even after being informed of winning the world-caliber honor.