Feb. 25 – Mar. 6, 2011
The inaugural tour of technology in China proved to be one of the most enlightening and unique tours ever offered by Stiles Machinery. The group of 21 visited some of the most efficient and productive manufacturing facilities in the world, taking the opportunity to observe some of China’s rapidly growing production capabilities and uses of the latest high-tech equipment. For many of the participants, it was an eye-opening experience. In just ten years time, China has exploded as one of the leading players in the global woodworking industry, investing heavily in automation and technology to achieve their goals.
The China Technology Tour was interesting in that China’s manufacturing processes feature unique innovations and use of materials. The efficiency employed by the residential and office furniture companies was remarkable, with controlled processes and very little waste. JIT methods maintained a level of flexibility to absorb any needed changes in production. The appeal of this technology tour was not solely to witness modern technology in China, but also to understand the business side of manufacturing abroad by contrasting the various factories. Each presented its own valuable revelations and perspectives.
With the assistance of Homag China Golden Field, Stiles hosted visits to the major players in the Chinese furniture industry. Homag China Golden Field was instrumental in obtaining letters of invitation necessary for obtaining our entry visas, as well as providing essential translation services and background information about Chinese business relevant to our group members.
The group started in Hong Kong and had an opportunity to explore this culturally rich city.
The first factory visits were all within the Guangdong province of mainland China, beginning with Kinwai Furniture Co., renowned in China for residential furniture. The tour of Kinwai provided a valuable comparison to U.S. manufacturing and demonstrated their methods for recycling rejected pieces. Our host at Kinwai reported that their ROI on equipment investment was approximately five years.
Oppein Cabinetry was the next stop for the day. This company has grown to become the largest cabinetry manufacturer in Asia with a 300,000 sq/meter facility and nearly 6,000 employees. Oppein produces more than 1,100-1,200 cabinets per day in two shifts. Their annual yield is close to 200,000 sets of kitchen cabinets, 100,000 bathroom cabinets, plus 150,000 wardrobes, all distributed locally in Southeast Asia. Our group was impressed by this company’s amazing growth rate and flexibility in handling the expanding production needs.
Sogal Furniture is primarily a custom closet and wardrobe supplier and showcases their array of computer-controlled equipment. Our group was very interested in their process for pressing as well as their wrapped mouldings.
Moving through the day, the group visited Hong Kong Royal Furniture, founded just 15 years ago. As a point of interest, this company was contracted to exclusively supply home furniture for the Beijing 2008 Olympics and today is the largest domestic furniture producer. Royal was impressive in the array of price points and quality levels of furniture being manufactured simultaneously. Our group was very interested in Royal’s ability to grow at such a rapid pace given the abundance of product types being manufactured. 
With a total number of stores now over 2,500, Royal remains focused on certifications and patents to gain more market share.
On the final day in the Guangdong province, the group first visited Fortune Furniture Co which specializes in panel furniture. This production facility covers over 645,000 sq ft (60,000 sq/m) and manufactures all products to ISO9001-2000 levels. As a supplier of IKEA, Fortune provided an excellent overview of veneer panel processes and an opportunity to study the levels of organization required for international exporting.
Following this visit, our group traveled to Decca Furniture which manufactures hospitality, office and residential furniture. The impressive grounds and gardens at Decca provided a valuable perspective of how Chinese companies integrate living quarters for their employees on-site. Decca provided insight to high-quality, low-volume manufacturing in China. Their flexibility to responding to changing customer demands was impressive.
Leaving the Guangdong province, the China Tour of Technology group flew westward to Chengdu to visit the premier site of our trip, Mingzhu Furniture Group. Mingzhu is a large-scale operation with four factories that occupy nearly 3,228,900 sq ft (300,000 sq/m), in addition to four subsidiary factories producing sofas, mattresses and coffee tables. Mingzhu was founded in 1990 by two brothers who worked in a building with no electricity. Now this company has achieved over $100 million in annual sales and is equipped with the latest technology for automating their production process. 
They are the first company in western China to be awarded the Green Environment label and also produce to ISO9001 standards. And Mingzhu is expanding. Our group had the unique opportunity to visit the construction site, a sprawling 6,457,800 sq ft (600,000 sq/m) ‘factory of the future’ which is just beginning to receive its array of high-tech equipment. They have a total of 4,200 acres devoted to manufacturing sites. One of our tour participants commented that this was the “most impressive amount of machinery I have ever seen in one company”.
While in western China, our group took the opportunity to visit a panda zoo and breeding center in addition to touring production facilities outside of the woodworking industry before heading back to Hong Kong. A farewell dinner cruise on Hong Kong harbor and the spectacular laser light show proved to be a proper ending to the tour.
Our group participants were reportedly very pleased with the China Tour of Technology, with 100% citing they had learned all they had hoped for and more. Each participant said they had achieved their personal goals and highly recommended the Stiles Tour of Technology for others in our industry. The tour not only opened the door to establish supplier or customer business relations within China, it also afforded the opportunity for networking with others influential in our industry in the U.S. Although the schedule was extremely demanding, and the cuisine was quite unique for many, the first China Tour of Technology was hailed as a success by all who attended.
