Functionality and design

Winland Garden Tools, a company headquartered in Changhua, Taiwan (R.O.C.), can look back over more than 30 years’ experience in the market for garden tools. The company believes it is well positioned in the marketplace through its in-house team of designers, who develop at least six new products per year “which are oriented to the latest demands of the market in terms of functionality and design”, in the conviction of Edwin Wu, founder of the company. The SGS ISO 9001-certified business can point to more than 120 products that it has developed itself, as well as a broad range of other products including tree, grass and orchard shears, together with multifunctional shears, garden knives and accessories. Also available are complete sets of garden shears.
New to the Winland programme is the model 3159S grass shears made of Japanese stainless steel, which offers twelve different cutting positions as well as ergonomic handles. Also new is a set of two pruning shears (3158AB SET), featuring a 30 degree angle that prevents any twisting of the wrist during the cutting action. The blades are manufactured from SK5 Japanese steel, and the soft handles are non-slip.
Pruning branches is tough work. However, the rotating handle of the new 3140R ratchet pruners is designed to minimise strain and fatigue. The shears are suitable for branches up to 24 mm thick and for both left- and right-handed users.
Founded in 1970, the company these days employs a workforce of around 100 at two plants in Taiwan, which manufacture 250 000 articles every month and generate annual sales of US $ 12 mio. The company exports equal amounts of the products to the USA and Europe (40 per cent each). Its customers include major DIY retailers in Germany, Britain, France, the Netherlands and the countries of eastern Europe.
Only 20 per cent of Winland’s production is distributed under the company's own name. The greater part goes to European DIY stores in the shape of private-label products. Orders can be delivered from headquarters in Changua within 45 days. Special offer display units are available to assist retailers build up their sales.
For the future, president Edwin Wu has resolved to continue to invest in product quality by means of improving production processes and bringing new machines into operation.
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