CENS-Organized Exhibitor Group Explore U.S. Home Improvement and DIY Market at NHS 2014

To help Taiwanese companies take advantage of the enormous market demand for home improvement and DIY products, CENS (the China Economic News Service) this year organized another (and bigger than last year's) delegation of Taiwanese exhibitors to the National Hardware Show (NHS).

The annual hardware show, organized by Reed Exhibitions, is the U.S.'s largest hardware trade fair. It celebrated its 69th anniversary during the May 6-8 show at the Las Vegas Convention Center, with participation by more than 2,600 exhibitors from all over the world including Black and Decker, 3M, Big Green Egg, SC Johnson, Hamilton Beach, Tte Coleman Company, PPG Industries, Zippo Outdoor, and Ford.

During the show's three-day run it attracted over 26,000 visitors and professional buyers, mostly from the retail, online shopping, and wholesale sectors, including such heavyweights as Home Depot, Lowe's, Ace, Do It Best, Orgill, Home Hardware, Amazon, Skymall, eBay, Sam's and Costco.

Around 100 exhibitors were from Taiwan, organized by CENS, the island's largest export media, and the Taiwan External Trade Development Council, a government-backed export promoter, in association with the Taiwan Hand Tool Manufacturers' Association. The organizers shared the objective of helping Taiwanese businesses cash in on the U.S. home improvement and DIY market, which is worth an estimated US$340 billion a year.

Light at the End of the Tunnel

Despite recent signs of slowdown in the U.S. economy, NHS 2014 participants could still see rays of light at the end of the tunnel, primarily because of the strong growth potential of the country's home improvement market.

According to Freedonia, a U.S.-based market research firm, the American plumbing fixtures and fittings segment, for instance, is expected to grow 7.1% per year from 2011 through 2015, when overall market demand will approach US$11 billion, up from US$7.1 billion in 2010. The growth will be driven largely by the rise in housing completions as well as residential improvement and repair applications.

Although it cut its forecast for 2014 U.S. economic growth from 2.8% to 2% only in June, mainly because of long-term negative factors such as the government's increasing budge deficit and persistently weak interest rates, the International Monetary Fund pointed to a couple of positive signs, including a significant rebound in the Manufacturing PMI (Purchasing Managers Index), sales by the retail sector, and housing starts.

Wide-ranging Exhibits in Specialty Areas

NHS 2014 exhibits were systematically organized into specialty areas: Hardware & Tools; Farm & Ranch; Building Products; Hardware; Lawn, Garden & Outdoor Living; Paint & Accessories; Plumbing & Electrical; Storage & Organization; Outdoor, Tailgate & Recreation; Inventors' Spotlight, International Sourcing; Pet Products; Storage & Organization; Emergency Preparedness; and Energy Efficiency.

The Farm & Ranch area was again popular this year, with a collection of exhibits covering clothing, footwear, gloves, canning products, carts, dollies, chemicals, weed killers, fruit tree sprays, fertilizers, tie-downs, feed and seeds, fencing hardware, power equipment and accessories, trimmers, portable heaters, log splitters, spreaders, and related tools, underlining the U.S. trend toward ever more ordinary consumers growing vegetables in their backyards as a means of saving money and experiencing the rural lifestyle.

With "Made in USA" a growing concern among American consumers in the wake of disclosures about health-damaging products imported from emerging countries, the Made in USA Product Display was again a hit this year. In cooperation with Made in USA Brand, the NHS organizer established this category the first time last year to identify, by decals and pennants, suppliers of products bearing the Made in USA Brand Certification Mark--the only certification mark registered with the United States Patent and Trademark Office for labeling American-made products.

The International Sourcing area featured a large number of foreign exhibitors from Canada, China, Germany, India, Indonesia, the U.K., Vietnam, Turkey, Italy, Japan, and Taiwan, among other countries.

Bigger Exhibition Delegation Led by CENS

Dedicated to helping Taiwanese suppliers boost their global presence at professional trade fairs all over the world ever since it was founded more than four decades ago, CENS organized a group of 28 Taiwanese exhibitors at the fair, including the Plumbing Association of Taiwan (PAT), an industrial federation of Taiwanese faucet and fitting makers and related subcontractors; Duen Yih Metal Industrial Co., an experienced maker of locks; and Chang Yi Shin Co., a top-notch supplier of IR faucets.

PAT's presence added a particular sparkle to the the Taiwan delegation, since it represents hundreds of veteran faucet and bathroom fitting manufacturers from Taiwan's central county of Changhua. The Changhua area boasts an integrated supply chain made up of 800 manufacturers and subcontractors such as surface treating companies, material suppliers, processing companies, and specialized machinery makers.

In addition to serving as delegation organizer, CENS occupied its own booth, No. 1031, in the Central Hall, where it circulated its industry magazines and buyer guides, including the Guidebook to Taiwan Hand Tools 2014 and Hardware (March Issue), and offered real-time business matchmaking services for professional buyers and Taiwanese suppliers.

Among the high-profile Taiwanese hand tool manufacturers present at the show were Yih Cheng Factory Co.,Ltd. (screwdrivers), Luck-Brand Industrial Co., Ltd. (hammers), E-Make Co., Ltd. (tool holders and cars), and Infar Industrial Co., Ltd.  (wrenches). Most of them felt that their participation was highly worthwhile.

NHS 2014 was noted not just for its business opportunities, but also for informative talks given by industrial specialists who provided insights into market trends at the North American Retail Hardware Association (NRHA) Village Stage.

For instance, Jaime Koch, managing editor of "Hardware Retailing" magazine, moderated a panel that included homeowners and renters who discussed what they were looking for in purchasing a home and talked about their shopping experiences as they do home improvement projects; and Mark Herbek, a senior research analyst with the Cleveland Research Co., took the stage for a keynote presentation called “Amazon and Beyond,” where he discussed the business habits and trends of Amazon.

The next NHS will be held on May 7-9, 2015. At that time CENS will continue to take part, again helping promote Taiwan's high-quality hardware products. (SC)