cens logo

High-quality Materials Boost Taiwan's Metal Furniture Makers

Local supplies of top-grade metal give producers a material advantage in a competitive industry landscape

2013/04/11 | By Michelle Hsu

Among the various segments of Taiwan's furniture industry, metal furniture producers have outperformed on exports over the past few decades, a feat that the Taiwan Furniture Manufacturers Association (TFMA) attributes to the local availability of high-grade raw materials. "Taiwan has a superior position in metal processing skills so there are no worries about material supply in this segment," observes TFMA Chairman Ruca Chien.

While wood furniture makers in Taiwan have long depended on imported materials, metal furniture makers in Taiwan have plenty of steel available right on the island. This, coupled with experienced metal processing skills and high degree of production automation, has given Taiwan's metal furniture industry a competitive boost.

The metal furniture sector in Taiwan dates roughly back to the 1980s, when steel furniture manufacturing technology from Japan was introduced to the island. Initially, some Taiwanese companies produced office furniture in technical cooperation with Japanese manufacturers. Now, most manufacturers operate independently with their own R&D staff.

Since then, Taiwan's furniture industry has been gradually moving from chiefly wooden-made furniture to metal products.

"Taiwan's furniture makers have decades of practical management experience and excellent production technology," Chien notes. This has enabled them to overcome technology bottlenecks and adapt to market demands focusing on producing a broad range of high quality items in small batches. Chien believes that technology is the key advantage for Taiwan's metal furniture industry in terms of sustainability and the ability to creatively adapt to new circumstances.

The smart-looking table is one of the best-selling items of Cheer Yield.
The smart-looking table is one of the best-selling items of Cheer Yield.

Cheer Yield
Cheer Yield Enterprise Co. was established in 1986 as a metal parts processing shop and later evolved into a metal furniture maker. During its early years in the furniture business, the company worked as a contract manufacturing partner of trading companies. In the 1980s, when many of Taiwan's trading companies closed shop, Cheer Yield began to work independently and seek out foreign buyers directly. Luke Yang, founder and chairman of the company, values the experience of talking with buyers face to face, regarding it as a good opportunity to learn from experts in the industry.

"Our Japanese buyers, for example, have given us a lot of ideas about how to raise our technology level and improve our product quality," said Yang, who embraces buyers' strict demands as a chance to learn and improve.

This humble attitude has helped Cheer Yield earn the trust and loyalty of buyers around the world. Yang takes pride in his company's product quality, evident in refined surface treatment and expertly hidden screws in the furniture's inner structure. "You won't be able to find a single screw exposed on any of our metal furniture," he says.

Cheer Yield’s metal furniture is featured with no screws on its appearance.
Cheer Yield’s metal furniture is featured with no screws on its appearance.

The company chairman is also committed to making metal furniture as refined as high-end wood furniture.

Cheer Yield has recently introduced several furniture items combining metal and other materials, like glass and wood to achieve new styles. A coffee table with a wooden top, for example, will look softer and warmer than those with steel or glass tops, Yang notes.

One of the company's best sellers is a table with a glass top and a metal base, with uniform painting on both components to visually unify the piece. The result is a simple yet attractive table with a sophisticated modern feel, Yang says.

Cheer Yield regularly introduces several new items a year. It has also kept production entirely at home to control quality and focused on raising production skills to enhance its global competitiveness.

With technology advantage, Wei Feng is focused on the high-end metal furniture market.
With technology advantage, Wei Feng is focused on the high-end metal furniture market.

Wei Feng
Wei Feng Global Co., a metal bedroom furniture maker established in 1979, is another company with operations exclusively in Taiwan.

"Metal processing is a skill that improves with experience," says Carson Wang, chairman of the company. Wei Feng has leveraged its technological advantages to tap the high-end metal furniture market, while keeping prices affordable. Wang says that this combination of high quality and reasonable pricing has insulated his company from market fluctuations and earned the long-term loyalty of international buyers.

Wei Feng's focus on the high-end market has the additional benefit of linking the company to a customer group less affected by changes in the business environment.

Wei Feng is now a leading metal furniture manufacturer and exporter in Taiwan, with advanced production equipment and expertise to make a wide variety of high-end metal furniture items.

Some of the metal bed models displayed in the company's showroom were launched one or two decades ago, but still sell well today, mainly to the U.S. and European markets. Other items are new models developed specifically for emerging markets like the Middle East where consumers generally prefer flashy finishes, like gold or silver-plating.

As an upstream parts supplier for metal furniture makers, Kuenyueh has witnessed the stable growth of this niche.
As an upstream parts supplier for metal furniture makers, Kuenyueh has witnessed the stable growth of this niche.

Kuenyueh
Based in central Taiwan, Kuenyueh Industrial Co. supplies a complete range of metal parts for furniture and construction materials such as tube connectors, tube adapters, caster sockets, special nuts, spring snaps, adjustable glides, swivel glides, eyelets and washers, as well as metal building materials and leather parts for tube assemblies.

As an upstream parts supplier for metal furniture makers, Kuenyueh has seen a steady growth in demand.

Company manager Hsieh Chung-kun notes that furniture nuts and screws haven't changed much in shape over the years, so technology is the key determinant of the quality of such metal parts. Kuenyueh has earned the loyalty of customers with reliable product quality based on its decades of experience. The company is also steadily expanding its business in the international market.