Taiwan Bed Makers Resort to Diversification and Green Materials to Be Competitive
One supplier finds original design is increasingly important today
By Judy Li
Beds, despite being a seemingly mundane piece of furnishing, play a central role in a bedroom ensemble or suite. Traditionally beds are mostly made of metal and wood, which today still make up the lion’s share in the market. However, some bed makers, trying to be sensitive to raised awareness for ecology, are looking at more environmentally-friendly materials, or natural alternatives that can be recycled, reused, and are biodegradable.
Nowadays many makers of beds in Taiwan have relocated their production lines to China and Vietnam, with only a few keeping entire production lines at home. Beset by underselling rivals in emerging economies, they have to carve out niches for themselves by offering original designs, small-volume with large-variety production, strict quality control, and intricate product detailing. Such efforts enable Taiwan suppliers to come up with specialized products that satisfy the tastes of niche customers, who typically are more willing to pay for items with relatively higher profit margins.
Pioneer of Rattan Beds
With a history of more than three decades, Yuanteng Furniture Co. had been focused on the domestic market, and not until lately did it begin to look to tap overseas markets.
“More than three decades ago Yuanteng was established by my grandfather, producing rattan chairs on an OEM (original equipment manufacture) basis for domestic export-oriented furniture manufacturers,” says Yang Shun-jen, the third generation of the company’s founder. “Some 20 years ago, my father started to take over the company and expanded the product line, turning out other furnishings, mainly beds, in addition to chairs.”
“To develop original products, my father put emphasis on R&D, creating about 15 years ago the first version of the company’s rattan bed. With continuing improvement, the rattan beds have been upgraded with sophisticated mechanisms to support natural rattan mats and wooden frames. The beds are built on foldable stainless steel structures, which are patented in the U.S., Japan, China and Taiwan as well,” Yang states.
“The materials that make up the beds are metal, rattan, and sponge, with the latter two specially processed to be breathable, resistant to moisture and dust. The rattan is imported from Indonesia and the steel is locally sourced. Every part of the bed is replaceable,” Yang explains proudly. “Our rattan beds are natural, ergonomic, and health-enhancing. They are easy to clean and available in different designs, styles and sizes.”
To be competitive in the market, Yuanteng has kept upgrading its products by developing advanced manufacturing technologies, creating new designs, and using high-end materials. “We have more than 10 subcontractors that provide us different kinds of parts. On average we supply about 200 sets of rattan beds per month to the local market. Since the domestic market is relatively small, we intend to explore overseas markets and are now trying to develop a clientele by going to international furniture shows,” Yang discloses.
In March of this year Yang attended the international furniture fair in Singapore and was reassured to receive many inquiries from interested buyers. “Our rattan furniture products intrigued many buyers from Japan, Singapore, and India. So, we plan to tap the markets in the said three countries at first,” Yang affirms.
Young But Savvy
Established in 1999, Trans-Gather Performance Inc. is a reputable trader and manufacturer of metal beds. “I started my career as a quality controller for a sporting goods company and entered the furniture sector by chance,” recalls George Yu, marketing director of the company. “So far I have been working in the furniture industry for nearly two decades, focusing on bedroom furniture, mainly metal beds.”
Trans-Gather has manufacturing contractors on both sides of Taiwan Strait and has built its own branded beds—“Metric.” “Metal beds, mostly made of copper, nickel, and stainless steel, were traditionally popular with royalty in the early days of Europe. However, metal beds have been gradually replaced by wooden ones, and today only a small volume of high-tier consumers still prefer metal beds,” Yu says.
“The prices of metal beds are relatively higher than those made of other materials. Usually the price of a metal bed frame is as high as one thousand British pounds or about US$1,700, which may continue to rise due to soaring metal prices in recent years,” Yu states. “So, not many furniture makers dare to engage in the manufacture of metal beds nowadays as the market for the products is relatively small. Today Europe remains the major market for metal beds.”
Taiwanese metal bed makers prefer to set up their production bases in China and Vietnam; and those in China are mainly located in Xiamen of Fujian Province and Dongguan of Guangdong Province. “The manufacturers of metal beds have to be very careful about the chemical treatment of metals to minimize damage to the environment,” Yu warns. “Our European buyers do care about the ecology and so ask that the products be environmentally friendly.”
“The prices of metal beds are usually higher than those of wooden beds because of more sophisticated manufacturing and the limited availability of metallic ores. It’s not easy for Taiwanese metal bed makers to compete with their counterparts in Europe, where East Indian manufacturers have long commanded the decisive share of the market there. Nevertheless, Taiwanese manufacturers are flexible enough to meet special demands of the clients and offer reasonable prices,” Yu says.
Taking advantages of advanced electroplating technique, flexible manufacturing strategies, and relatively lower prices, Taiwanese metal bed makers can still compete favorably in the world market, Yu believes.
Mixing Gives Product Variety
With a history of more than 20 years, Leger Furniture Co. has been engaged in the manufacture of metal, custom designed furniture products for bedrooms, kitchens, and bathrooms, mainly on OEM and ODM basis.
The company’s forte, metal beds, which are available in a wide variety of sizes, designs, and materials, have become highly reputable in the world market. Leger boasts that its line metal beds are fabricated of many kinds of materials, including nickel, brass, chrome, zinc, leather, and plywood.
By mixing these materials, the company is able to offer a diversified range of metal beds. “Our innovative, computerized processing system enables us to fabricate furniture items in a broad range of styles and finishes, from powder coating to various types of plating,” says Simon Lu, president of the company.
“Today, more and more customers demand discriminating designs, and we have to be able to turn out products to meet their requirements. The company’s philosophy is to be totally focused on trying to satisfy customers,” Lu emphasizes.
To stay with global trends and meet individualized needs, Leger encourages its designers to refer to masterpieces, trendsetters created by their counterparts in the U.S. and Europe to be inspired to conceive innovative, high-quality products. “To fully satisfy our customers, we employ computer-assisted drafting to design our products, and try our best to meet customer’s exact needs,” Lu adds.
Every Leger item is meticulously formed from well-selected metals, and its design team consciously strives to create new products of enduring value that are not only visually stunning, but also provide unsurpassed comfort and utility.
Leger has been ISO9002 certified for its strict product quality control and efficient manufacturing. Its products are 100% exported, mostly to the U.S., Canada, France, Germany, Iceland, Switzerland, Australia, and Honduras.
“Many domestic furniture manufacturers have moved to China and some of them have in recent years expanded to Vietnam. However not everyone who have moved offshore have done well. And those staying in Taiwan have to keep upgrading themselves to survive,” Lu remarks. “Before we produced items mainly based on the samples provided by our clients, but today the reverse is also true—we have to design in-house more samples as choices offered to customers.”
Leger operates all of its production lines in Taiwan, because it believes that Taiwan is still the best place to manufacture metal furniture. As a specialized maker of metal beds, the company runs effectively in Taiwan and is confident of staying competitive globally.
Captions:
1. The rattan mattress developed by Yuanteng is breathable, resistant to moisture and dust.
2. Yuanteng’s rattan bed is available in different styles and sizes.
3. Trans-Gather is proud of its high-end Metric-branded metal beds.
4. Leger’s classic metal bed features alloy casting for an antique look. |