Charlie Hsieh Elected New

Chairman of Taiwan Hand Tool Asso.

BY DANIEL FOONG

Charlie Hsieh, president of J&K International Co., Ltd. has recently been elected new chairman of the Taiwan Hand Tools Manufacturers Association to succeed Kissinger Lin, chairman of Cendai Industrial Co., Ltd.

J&K International is a professional and veteran manufacturer and exporter of hand power puller, ratchet die down, trailer winch, water sports equipment and auto accessories. Not long ago, it has moved into a new factory building in Tali, Taichung county, central Taiwan, home of Taiwan's hand tool manufacturing industry. The factory expansion is to meet growing need in the global market.

Charlie Hsieh, who has been in the hand tool industry for more than three decades, founded J&K International about 18 years ago, after serving at the Taiwan Metal Industry Research Center for more than a decade.

The membership of the Taiwan Hand Tools Manufacturers Association stands at  more than 400 companies. During his tenure, the new chairman said, he would work to increase the membership of the association. It was reported that there are between 2,000 and 3,000 hand tool manufacturers and related companies throughout Taiwan.  "In order to grow our association, we will do some things that are beneficial to them," stressed Charlie Hsieh.

During his tenure of office, the new chairman has a plan to form a business alliance with its members as its backbone. Government and industrial leaders and academics and researchers will be invited to establish the alliance to work out marketing and purchasing strategies for the benefit of its members.

Hsieh said the association will organize and lead its members to go overseas for the participation in international trade shows, especially in emerging markets. "By encouraging our members to participate in global trade fairs, we aim at helping them  to acquire more orders from foreign buyers," said the new chairman.

Charlie Hsieh said he is looking forward to upgrading the level of the hand tool industry by organizing a series of technical seminars for its members to attend through which they would acquire new industry knowledge and sharpen technical skills.

Taiwan is the world's third biggest exporter of hand tools, amounting to NT$72.8 billion, behind mainland China and Japan.