THS 2012 Burnishes Reputation as Place to Go for Hardware Industry

Turnout surges despite economic headwinds

The Taiwan Hardware Show (THS) 2012 again proved itself as the best business platform for the hardware industry in Taiwan, netting tremendous business opportunities for participants during its three-day run from October 11 to 13 at Taipei World Trade Center Exhibition Hall 1.

The show has come a long way over the past decade as the island's premier forum bringing international buyers and Taiwanese manufacturers together in the hardware sector.

THS 2012 was organized by Kaigo Co. Ltd., a representative of Messe Düsseldorf GmbH in Taiwan, in association with the Taiwan Hand Tool Manufacturers' Association. It celebrated its 12th anniversary this year with nearly 300 exhibitors from the hand tool, building hardware, fastener, personal protection equipment, lock, and other.

The show drew 21,636 visitors from 58 different countries of the world during its three-day running, representing a 17%-strong growth compared to 18,461 in 2011. The brisk growth comes in the face of global economic headwinds that have slowed business procurement. Nearly 6,000 people came on the first day alone, the organizer said.

Executives and procurement managers of large enterprises in Japan, German, Brazil, Iran, United Arab Emirates and Czech added heft to the show.

Positive Business Atmosphere
The foreign visitors were generally quite pleased with the products on display and impressed by the generous hospitality along with one-stop shopping services provided by Taiwanese companies, the organizer said. Exhibitors also welcomed the spike in international visitors.

According to the organizer, a number of exhibitors signed contracts on the spot with buyers. Many also said that the show helped them to link with new customers to develop business opportunities after the show.

In an interview with CENS, Warner Chen, sales manager of Easen Hardware Corp., one of Taiwan's veteran manufacturers of socket wrenches and socket wrench sets, stressed the importance of the show's clout across Asia, which was among reasons why his company decided to boost presence at THS 2012. “We come to the show in search of new partnerships,” said Chen, whose company has several manufacturing plants in Taiwan and China and solid footholds in global markets. “The show's increasing influence can also help us to boost our images among customers.”

The number of safety product exhibitors increased over 50% at the 2012 event compared to THS 2011. They confirmed the promising business environment, reporting that they received even more inquiries at the show than they did at other hardware trade fairs in Taiwan, citing the high turnout of professional buyers from the machinery and auto repair equipment sectors as a key reason. Exhibitors from the building material, machinery accessory, and plant equipment sectors were similarly satisfied with the show.

THS 2012 received considerable media attention as well. The organizer indicated that foreign professional media, including U.S.'s Fastener Industry News, Australia's Australian Hardware Journal and Japan's NHK, all sent reporters to cover the event.

Wide-range of Exhibits
The show offered a breadth of exhibits arranged by category, including tools and related accessories, locks, fasteners, building materials, garden and outdoor recreation products, automotive repair instruments and related accessories, machinery and plant equipment and safety, and personal protection equipment. This diversity, the organizer said, reflects the vigor of Taiwan's hardware suppliers after decades of dedication to value-building R&D.

Hand tools and accessories remained the largest exhibition category at THS 2012. The show attracted many of Taiwan's highest-profile manufacturers in this segment, including Allprofessional Mfg. (snip cutters), Casemate Plastics International (tool cases), Honiton Industries Inc. (sockets), Infar Industrial (wrenches), J & K International (jacks and hand-power pullers), A-Kraft Tools Manufacturing (original equipment manufacturing), Lucky-Brand Industrial (hammers), Re-Dai Precision Tools (ratchet handles), Savco Corp. (bit holders), Yih Cheng Factory Co., Ltd. (screwdrivers), and Stand Tools Enterprise (digital torque wrenches), etc.

Impressive Tools on Display
Allprofessional, one of the best-known and biggest snip cutter makers in Asia, showcased a variety of snip cutters. The company's products all comply with ANSI standards and feature unbeatable quality achieved partly through its joint efforts with China Steel, Taiwan's largest steelmaker, and a local university to develop high-hardness alloy steel. In tests, the steel has compared favorably to ASTM Grade 11 standards in hardness.

Allprofessional also has skillfully applied computerized technologies, like X-ray diffractometry, to observe and analyze metallographic structure and hardness of materials, and then improved these characteristics and related processing methodologies to achieve the best quality. Some of the company's professional-caliber snip cutters can even cut steel plates with a surface hardness rating of HRC 40, putting his company at the top of the industry in Asia.

A-Kraft's KH2400 Ratchet 48-tooth ratchet handle was another impressive product on display. This tool features an improved pawl dubbed Complete Big Pawl, which smoothly distributes the torque of generated gear force directly to the ratchet wall.

Dynamic load testing has confirmed that the tool has a 50% longer operation time compared to normal type pawls. The tool handle has a 48-tooth gear in which three teeth always mesh to transmit the same high torque force of a 72-tooth model. In static and dynamic load tests, the tool delivered torque topping the DIN standard by 30%. Thanks to its better gear mechanism, the ratchet handle also has a longer service life of over 50,000 turning repetitions.

A-Kraft also noted that the KH2400 has a tire type two-color handle made of a mixture of TPR (thermoplastic rubber) and PP (polypropylene), which has been patented for its better ergonomic design. The handle helps the user to achieve optimal torque through comfortable grip and slip resistance. The handle has an extremely slim and flat shank made using a patented steel extrusion hot-forged process, improving operational efficiency.

Winland Garden Tools Co., Ltd., a seasoned manufacturer of garden cutting tools, also demonstrated its hot-selling products, including the new 3180T anvil pruner.

The pruner has an improved gear mechanism that enables users to cut thick twigs and branches effortlessly. The handle is made of die-cast aluminum coated with TRP for comfortable grip. The three-sector switch is designed to lock the blades in a closing position and adjust the jaws to the opening of 15mm or 25mm for different needs. The upper blade is made of high carbon steel and has a Teflon coating. The lower blade is made of S50C middle-carbon steel and coated with hard chrome.

William Tools, a leading manufacturer of torque wrenches and ratchet tools founded in 1999, displayed its Screen Torque Wrench. The mechanical tool features quick torque setting and safety setting mechanisms.

The company's wrench handles are made of nontoxic PP (polypropylene) and designed ergonomically for firm grip. The wrench can be easily adjusted to the desired torque setting by turning the knob on the rear of the handle. For accurate torque adjustment, the wrench has a built-in measure with clear, precise reading of the preset torque force enlarged by convex lens to avoid misreading.

Award-winning Design
Lucky-Brand continued to promote its iF Award-winning “Dragon Hammer” at this year's show. Debuted a few years ago, the hammer has remained a big hit with professional buyers. The tool has an aesthetic, curved and dragon-shaped body that can increase the strike correctness while decreasing the force to pull the nails for curved claw. The company said the hammer is a breakthrough from the traditional T-type hammer, partly because of its ergonomic, evolutionary exterior, and partly for the improved operational performance and safety of its geometric design.

Established in 1972, Lucky-Brand is one of the highest-profile hammer makers in Taiwan. The company produces a wide range of hammers for both DIY and professional work at plants in Taiwan and mainland China. The company has won Taiwan Excellence Award, Good Design Product Award and G-Mark Product Design Award 2008 for its E.G Hammer over the past few years.

Stand Tools' line of digital torque wrenches, many built with MEMS (micro electro mechanical system) chips for high-precision torque measuring, was another traffic stopper at the show.

Stand Tools' digital torque wrenches have gained popularity due to their high quality. The company has established a world-class professional torque calibration laboratory. The lab was certified by the Taiwan Accreditation Foundation (TAF) and approved by the ILAC-MRA mark in 2010, making Stand Tool the first and only digital tool maker in Taiwan with such a world-caliber lab in house, according to the company's manager Brand Hsiao.

Also among the company's hits was the 9X12mm female interchangeable digital torque wrench. The wrench is designed with a highly accurate sensor and a high grade CPU for superior torque precision. It also has an interchangeable design to fit with the diameter size all types of inserting accessories, including ratchet heads, open ended heads, ring heads, open ring heads, and adjustable spanner heads, claimed Hsiao.

Stand Tool's professional-use 16MM Spigot Interchangeable Digital Torque Wrench is designed for fastening or loosening lathe blades and CNC machinery accessories. The tool offers superior torsion sensitivity and torque precision and has been tested to comply with stringent global standards at the company's TAF-accredited lab.

Lock Impressions
Lock makers were also well-represented at THS 2012. The Locks Association of Taiwan (LAT) organized this year's exhibitor showing, which effectively drew visitor attention with cutting-edge products.

Founded in 2009 with assistance from Taiwan's Metal Industries Research and Development Centre (MIRDC), LAT has combined resources from Taiwanese lock makers and locksmiths and actively built links between the industry and other professional organizations, like the Japan Lock Security Association. The association is dedicated to building on these advances and sees a bright future for Taiwan's lock industry.

Among LAT members at THS 2012 was REAL Locks & Security Co. Established in 1974 by Ho I-hui, the current LAT chairman, the company is one of Taiwan's leading lock makers with branded products sold worldwide. It has built a reputation on its cutting-edge lock-cylinder design. The company's stainless steel wrap lock won the Excellent Prize at the DIY Show, Tokyo. This product features a stainless steel body and safe shackle. The shackle is wrapped inside the body to prevent drilling, picking, and cutting. Thanks to its unique cylinder mechanism, the lock provides millions of key combinations and is dust, water, corrosion, and bullet-proof.

The company said that its disc cylinders are all developed from a variation of degrees of circle edges, which allows over 300 million possible combinations. The device is spring-less and thus less prone to cylinder or key wear. The company has globally patented its cylinder mechanism, cut keys and key blanks. It has also worked out four generations of master key systems, each of which can open around 20,000 different locks.

Support from NICO
Another highlight at THS 2012 was the Niigata Industrial Creation Organization (NICO).

According to NICO staff, Niigata Prefecture has a high density of suppliers of high-precision machined metal molds. The prefecture is also home to many top-end companies, including Kyowa Industrial Co. (big-sized metal molds), Clean Technology Inc. (world's largest supplier of heating and cooling systems for LCD manufacturing), Corona Corp. (Japan's largest supplier of coal oil heaters), and ADTEC Engineering Co., Ltd. (world's largest supplier of automatic exposure machines by market shares).

NICO attended the THS for the first time this year hoping to take advantage of the show's high global profile to enhance business ties between Niigata-based companies and partners in Taiwan and from all around the world.

Supporting Seminars
As in past years, THS presented a series of professional seminars to help industry insiders and visitors learn about state-of-the-art technologies and follow market trends.

Matt Yang, project manager at MIRDC's Promotional Office to Revitalize Traditional Industries, presented a lecture on the current conditions and future development of metal industries in Taiwan, including the hand tool, fastener, and bathroom fitting sectors. Yang pointed out that Taiwan's metal material industry produced output worth NT$1.8 trillion in 2011. This figure accounts for a 14.8% share of Taiwan's overall manufacturing output and contributes to a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10.1% over the past the decade.

However, Yang also pointed out that the CAGRs for downstream manufacturers of metal products have fallen short of the upstream sector. Hand tool manufacturers posted output value of NT$61.8 billion in 2011, with a five-year CAGR of only 2.26%. This, Yang said, means that Taiwanese metal product manufacturers are having difficulties finding ways to upgrade their products. To solve this problem, MIRDC is helping manufacturers in this sector to develop value-added products and new business models and services grow sustainably.

Wang Shyang-horng, founder of Taiwan Aqua Professionals (TAP), a joint brand of Taiwan-made faucets, and chairman of Chang Yi Shin industries Co., Ltd., the best-known supplier of IR faucets in Taiwan's central county of Changhua, talked about the development of Taiwan's water-ware (faucets and bathroom fittings) industry in his lecture given on the last day of THS 2012. Wang said that Changhua's Dingfanpo is the birthplace of the industry in Taiwan. Hundreds of companies in the region make water-ware with over 4,000 CNC lathes in operation, building on five decades of development.

To help the industry shift upmarket and avoid competition among peers, Wang's company added IR faucets to its product line and set up the TAP brand several years ago. He said that there are seven Taiwanese manufacturers capable of producing IR products. Chang Yi Shin is the only one with full certifications required by the U.S. With TAP's annual shipment of IR faucets to the U.S. exceeding 4,000 units, Wang believes that the brand's efforts to upgrade the industry are beginning to pay off.

CENS, one of Taiwan's most experienced export-oriented media, was available at THS and HLF this year, circulating its informative publications, including Guidebook to Taiwan Hand Tools and CENS Hardware. With a more than 36 years of good reputation among domestic and international readers, CENS' publications were quite popular with visitors at the show.