Protecting the earth's resources

Techang Taiwan have been in existence for more than 25 years, initially manufacturing leather for the domestic market. For the past 15 years, however, they have been manufacturing more sophisticated waterproof leathers. They expanded into China by opening a finishing plant called Joinland Leather Products Co Ltd in the Wandong Industrial Park in Dongguan City in Guangdong Province, ten years ago. More recently they opened a new tannery in China, Joinland Leather Product Co Ltd at Zhuhai, which is now about two years old. At the Dongguan site they finish lightweight crust from Taiwan for ladies' branded footwear and heavier weights for western type boots. Ralph Amabile joined them as a consultant when he retired from Prime Tanning in 1998. He introduced the company to the major US branded houses and since that time the business has developed and grown, supplying waterproof and non-waterproof leathers for major American brands. They source their raw materials from IBP, Monfort and Excel of the USA and buy their chemicals from Stahl, BASF, 3M, Hodgson and Trumpler, among others. Their products fall into three major categories: sports (leisure) shoes; outdoor (hiking) shoes and ladies' shoes. Customers include Nike, New Balance, Converse, Rockport, Wolverine and Wal-Mart. Techang and Joinland are part of the Pai family owned CTHW Group, Taiwan, and general manager Ming Pai was present at the Asia Pacific Leather Fair in Hong Kong in April. Other members of the family involved in the business are David Pai, president and Andy Pai and Kevin Pai, both executive directors. David Pai says: 'Belief is a kind of idea. Persistence is a kind of power. If both factors are combined perfectly, limitless possibilities are stimulated, creating an unimaginable miracle. An enterprise exists through continuous operation, persistent technical development, improvement of process and perfection in quality control. 'Continued innovation is needed in order to satisfy the changing demands of customers. We must protect the earth's limited resources. We believe that our devotion will create a beautiful living environment and enhance the welfare of mankind.' The company's operational approach is to be honest and caring. It fosters five major principles: industrial safety; quality assurance; R&D; profit sharing and environmental protection.