Yeker Co. Proves Dedication to R&D Works in Houseware Business

Unveiling private brand Stavanger is

Despite not always assuring worthwhile payoff especially when the investment is often prohibitive, R&D is virtually an essential buzzword for any entrepreneur in industry for merely talking about it seems to help companies to increase likelihood of sailing to their Blue Ocean through repeated tries to invent innovative, marketable products. One Taiwan-based firm who deeply believes in R&D is Yeker Co., Ltd. Founded in 1986 in Changhua County, central Taiwan, Yeker has seen its R&D return benefits by succeeding in building a solid reputation as a top-caliber supplier of houseware globally.

Yeker started by making barbeque grills and household items, and then diversified into manufacturing curtain rods and accessories of wood or metal. In recent years, the company, besides upgrading know-how in metallurgy and production, has also gained solid foothold in metal and metal-tube furniture as a versatile supplier. To expand business scope and fuel sustainability, Yeker built a second factory in China in 2001.

Employing more than 300 workers in Taiwan and China, Yeker turns out a variety of houseware, including curtain rods, curtain tracks, curtain hooks, drapery hardware, shower curtain rods, bathroom accessories, BBQ equipment, BBQ tools, metal furniture, stainless steel furniture, dining sets, dining tables, dining chairs, coffee tables, side tables, metal beds, bathroom hardware, curtain hardware, etc., most of which are exported to the U.S. and Europe.

Exploring Uncharted Territory

Tapping its considerable reputation as a maker of grills and BBQ tools, the company president Frank Yeh and general manager Shelly Cheng were not complacent and decided to broaden production into its current hottest seller: curtain rods and accessories, the success of which is attributable to two executives' devotion to R&D.

"With years in producing grills and BBQ tools, we became adept at working with metals," Yeh said. "So we decided to draw on such knowledge to make curtain rods and accessories, to explore uncharted territory and sharpen our capability as world-caliber OEM and ODM of houseware."

Targeting the top-end curtain rods and accessories segment, Yeker engaged in considerable R&D on coordinating metals with other materials, including wood, plastic and glass, achieving invaluable results to produce highly durable and huge variety in aesthetics. "Mixing and matching metals and other materials allows us to develop over 100 models for each new curtain rod," Yeh said. Besides, it is far easier to complement mixed-material rods with accessories.

Marketability Vs. Production Feasibility

Generally, a production-oriented R&D team overlooks marketability and practicality of a new product to concentrate on engineering optimization and production feasibility, but not at Yeker.

With 20 engineers on its R&D team, Yeker is backed by well-trained personnel. "Our team knows what kinds of design are truly marketable in different areas," said Yeh. And Cheng directs the R&D team, upon receiving ODM orders, to carry out market analysis or develop new products by designing and building prototypes.

For example, to pump up sales in the sagging American consumer market, Yeker recently developed a new curtain rod of aluminum alloy for lightweight, and its square tubing rids the need for costly design. Besides, the company, knowing American homes typically have heaters by windows, thoughtfully builds retractable arms for such curtain rods to minimize fire hazards. "We consider real-world scenarios to build practicality into these aluminum alloy curtain rods to offer most American consumers a truly economical and useful product," Yeh said.

Global Exhibitions

Knowing the importance of being updated with current trends in different markets, Yeh noted that they participate in many global exhibitions yearly to discover new ideas and inspirations, which helps to develop curtain rods that are marketable.

Based on his observations, Yeh pointed out that using eco-friendly surface treatments is key to enhancing added-value in curtain rods of the future. To meet rising green awareness globally, he noted that the company has been studying many electroplating processes, to completely replace existing means with hexavalent chromium solutions, hence eliminating trivalent chromium and lead electro-deposition when finishing metal curtain rods and accessories. Furthermore, the company has been increasingly focused on UV-resistant and rust-proofing to meet demands for more durable and useful products.

Giving buyers what they want works well for Yeker. For example the company has been painstakingly upgrading production to meet European buyers' wish for home furnishings with classical, stately flavors. Specifically, the company has developed a series of curtain rods with a spiral body and finished with a brass-like tone to convey an antique look, which has proven popular in Europe.

In addition, Yeh noted that a full line of curtain rods and accessories designed specifically for children's rooms are in development, saying that such products have to be fully hazard-free-including a lead-free surface-all requiring special materials and advanced production methods, and to be offered with lighter bodies and variety of colors. Such product development shows undoubtedly Yeker is maturing as a seasoned professional who is continually honing its market sense to further consolidate its success.

Branding

Yeker's strategy to take on fiercely competitive Chinese OEMs and major international brands is to unveil a full line of furniture in stainless steel and other materials to be sold under its private label "Stavanger," another engineered step towards building its "Kingdom of Houseware."

"We were inspired to launch our own brand a few years ago, when our Chinese factory came officially online; because we believe the plant can help us to build a solid brand presence in the Chinese segment for metal furniture," said Yeh. The company's China factory has integrated production lines, majority of which are geared for production of metal furniture.

One is justified to ask how a curtain-rod maker can carve out a niche in the metal furniture market with its own brand, especially in the ruthlessly competitive yet lucrative Chinese market, against global competitors, for the playing field seems steeply tilted against newcomers. But Yeh remains defiant and confident of success, saying: "Yeker is highly capable of innovation, time-tested and able to position Stavanger amid the ranks of middle-to-high-end furniture brands. Besides trying to achieve branding ambitions, Stavanger can also be a versatile manufacturer in the furniture industry looking to build mutually beneficial business with partners on an OEM and ODM basis."

A Reality

Stavanger's emergence in the Chinese market as a major supplier of stainless steel furniture may not be a dream, as Yeker's commitment to quality and customer service are already recognized by fuss Japanese clients.

After visiting Yeker's ISO9001-certified production lines, Yeh said, a Japanese client decided to contract the company to produce a series of coffee tables, but strictly requiring each glass tabletop to be coated with a protective film that would not blister when exposed to a broad temperature range. Despite the considerable challenge, the company invested considerably in R&D of various glues and paints-studying the correlations between temperatures and glues-to eventually develop a coffee table fully meeting the client's requirements. "That was a tough job but helped to raise our production capability to a higher level," said Yeh.

Piquing Interest

Yet to be officially launched, Yeker's Stavanger-branded furniture has piqued intense interest among international buyers. Each piece, developed in line with Italian design concepts, is made of high-grade stainless steel, with every square inch and joint repeatedly and intricately sanded, polished to achieve flawlessly smooth and bright finish. Ingeniously designed with few fasteners, Stavanger-branded furniture achieves improved structural strength superior to competing models. Also each tabletop in glass or marble is smartly coordinated with stainless steel bodies, realizing sophisticated combinations of form and function attesting to Yeker's design and fabrication capacity.

"Stavanger will also be known for fast lead times and efficient service. Our clients have associated Yeker with such qualities for decades in the curtain rods and accessories business. A distributor in Shanghai is contracting us to supply Stavanger furniture for the province, which is very encouraging," said Yeh.

Despite having to compete against cut-throat copycats in China and major brands, Yeh and his company are optimistic about Stavanger's future, as he believes Yeker's seasoned production and R&D capability and trustworthy name in the curtain rod market will help the brand to survive and grow.

YEKER CO., LTD.

No. 134-5, Ding Hsin Road, Shen Kang Town, Chang Hwa County 50955, Taiwan

Tel:+886-4-7986389

Fax:+886-4-7986386

Http://www.yeker.tw

E-mail:service@yeker.tw

Factory: 11 Jinbo Road Xiaojin Sijiaolon Luoyang Town Boluo Country Huizhou City, Guangdong Province, China

Tel:+86-752-6831888

Fax:+86-752-6831818