Modern Home's TV Stand Wins Gold Medals at Top Invention Exhibits
2011/01/05 | By Judy LiInnovation points way to company's future
Modern Home was established in Taiwan back in 1978 as the Rei Jean Enterprise Co. In its early days the company's products consisted mainly of lighting products, and in the 1980s it became one of the leading lighting manufacturers on the island; later on, however, the deteriorating manufacturing environment caused by soaring wages land prices at home prompted a migration to China.
Modern Home's production base in Dongguan currently operates six plants covering a combined area of 120,000 pings, about 40 times the initial manufacturing space, and its work force has soared to 5,000-6,000. “We have moved almost all of our production lines to China, and today our operation in Taiwan handles only financial and marketing matters as well as the sales on the island,” comments Roy Chung, Modern Home's general manager.
“With a strong R & D team and long experience in the lighting field, we are capable of developing high-end furniture to cater to the tastes of high-tier consumers,” Chung goes on. “Our R & D team usually comes up with an average of 100 different designs for various furniture items every month, and we carefully choose the ones that are suitable for commercial development.”
The company's furniture shipments reached US$40 million in 2009, with the United States and Europe being the major overseas outlets.
Modern Home used to produce mainly on an OEM basis, but in recent years it has upgraded to ODM. “Innovation plays an important role in the manufacturing industry,” Chung explains, “so we have spared no effort to enhance the quality and function of our products and have kept introducing new designs every once in a while.”
In 2008 Chung led the company's R & D team in developing a folding TV stand and foldable computer desk which can be easily assembled in five minutes with the bare hands. The two can be regarded as a sort of DIY knockdown furniture, featuring easy assembly along with compactness and simple design.
“The concept of the innovative structure of the easy-folding TV stand and computer desk can also be applied to other furniture items,” Chung comments. “We have decided to put more emphasis on developing more such furniture items in the near future.”
These two products have attracted strong attention after being introduced in 2009--particularly the TV stand, which won the “Gold Medal” at the 38th International Exhibition of Inventions in Geneva this year and another “Gold Medal” at the 25th Invention New Product Exposition (INPEX) in the U.S. city of Pittsburgh. The former is the world's largest marketplace for inventions, and the latter is the largest invention show in North America.
“The honors we won at those two international invention exhibitions have encouraged us to continue improving our manufacturing technology and the quality of our products as well,” Chung sums up. “We will commit ourselves to putting more effort into the furniture industry and continuing to develop innovative high-end products.”