China: Hardware tools market distribution and trends

Hardware tool industry is never a sunrise or sunset industry considering its character. It is an industry of evident traditional feature at home or aboard. So how is the market space and competition advantage?

According to the express, China has become one of world biggest hardware manufacturing nations with vast market and consuming potential. The export is keeping steady rise at 11.4 year by year.

1. Domestic hardware market distribution
Domestic hardware tools market is mainly distributed in Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Shanghai, Shandong, Guangdong Provinces. Among them, Zhejiang and Guangdong is the most outstanding.

Yongtang is called as “Town of Hardware”, Zhejiang native have a great sense of market operation and gain big treasure from chaffy dish products in the very beginning, stainless steel thermo flask to skate scooters popular last year.

Guangdong, is going to be global die production center. At present Shenzhen and its surrounding area, Pearl River delta collects more than 6000 mould enterprises, the employees over 100 thousands. The South China International Machinery & Mould Exhibition attracts 25 countries and regions, 1000 enterprises, which is the leading international professional model industry exhibition.

2. International Hardware tool market trend
1) Developed countries transfer the low and middle end products to third countries
As the rapid development of the manufacturing technique and high labor cost, developed countries accelerate to transfer the low and middle end products to third countries, and only manufacture high value-added products.

2) DIY products become the new favorite.
In recent years, in European countries, construction hardware products design is mainly on easy installation and maintenance, DIY products and tool is quite popular. According to the expert’s analysis, in the next few years, domestic construction hardware products will also be more intelligent and personalized.

3. Domestic hardware tools market trends
1) China’ s Household hardware top the world
Since 1996, China has built zigzag, electric razor, stainless steel vessels, pan, blade, bicycle lock technical development centers, product center of compressor pan, razor, lighters, some of the centers has become the trade leader, some be the world leader, such as Super cooker company, Zhejiang Superman electric razor output excesses Sanyo Japan to be the third razor manufacturing enterprise. Wenzhou Dahu lighter has become the biggest metal lighter manufacture.

2.) China gradually grows to a big hardware manufacturing and export nation in the world
In 2005, the hardware industry output is 28.873 bln yuan, went up 30.06% with the same period of last year, 8.51% higher than in 2005,statistics by customs, export amount is 6.774bln US dollars.
At least 70% are private enterprises, as well as the leading of the hardware trade development. In other hand, in global market: developed countries just manufacture high value-added products, due to the rapid development of techniques and rising labor price, general products all moving to developing countries. While China has powerful market potential which is more profitable for its developing into hardware manufacturing and export nation.
4. Key market development:
Next we will take a look on some markets: hand tool, cutter tool market and mould & die.

1. Hand tool
1) American hand tool market demands steady
Housing overhaul market brings huge demands for hardware tools. Besides, vehicle average lifespan is longer and longer, which promote the sales of hand tools in automobile after-sales market. Electronic products forging tools are in great needs, especially adjustable wrench.

2) Steady rise for German hand tool
Suitable and labor-saving tools are most popular. The beautiful design with smooth handle is an important factor to attract them to buy. Electric tool is widely used according to the tool category. Beside, Energy charged tool is also popular now. New type of energy charged tool with several jacks can be used in various environments.

3) Taiwan hand tool adjust product structure
Taiwan hand tools are characterized with stable product quality, in-time delivery, full variety of products, which meet the customer’s requirement and outstanding in the global market. Taiwan hand tools mainly aims at overseas markets, at present 500 local manufactures mainly are small middle enterprise in the central part of the island. As statistics, take hand tool as example, sleeve is the biggest in export tools, second is the DIY kit, garden tools as the third, wrench as the fourth, pliers as the fifth. The export countries: US ranks the first, followed by English, Germany, Japan.

2. Cutter
1) Global Cutter market demands keep growing
As reports of overseas media, global Cutter market demands keep growing. European and North American countries keep steady growth, especially east Europe; Asia market rise a little with great potential, Latin American countries evidently rise, especially Mexico. (In past few years, cutter market grows slowly, which is caused by the lengthened cutter, users put forward with requirements of the whole manufacturing and replace many machine tool and cutter; the increasing appliance of multi-functional cutter to replace the simple functional cutters). Experts forecast: “Users will emphasis on manufacturers research and development on knives, not only on the material and surface treatment, but also the aspect on cutter products and its technique. ” Focus on production practice will assist cutter manufacturers to compete in the market.

2) Technical Innovation
View from the technology, hard alloy cutter will replace high speed steel cutter, especially round cutter. Coating cutter will get more applied. In Europe, high speed processing cutter market share will keep growing.

3. Mould & Die
Over the past decade, thanks to the rapid growth of the Chinese economy, China mould & die industry maintained a rapid development of around 15% each year.

Currently, there are about 20,000 mould & die manufacturers and 500,000 employees in this industry in China. In recent years, the structural adjustment of the mould & die industry is accelerating，which is reflected in the faster development of mould components with a larger size, a higher precision, a higher complexity and a longer life than in the whole industry. Besides, more plastic moulds and die-casting moulds are manufactured. The number of mould & die manufacturers is increasing and their production capacity is also enhanced.

As for mould production, rapid development has taken place in Pearl River Delta and the Yangtze Delta while development in the Northeast and the Midwest is relatively slow.

There is great demand for die & mould in the automobile industry. In spite of the sharp drop in the increase of automobile production, the development of new automobiles maintains a rapid momentum. There is still a great demand in the automotive industry for die & mould. Moreover, the demand in industries such as electronic information industry, instrument and equipment industry, electric machine industry and building materials industry further stimulates mould production. In all events, there will be an increase rate of about 20% in the mould & die market.

The unbalanced regional development in Chinese mould & die industry resulted in faster development in southeast and southern coastal areas than in the Midwest and the North. Production of mould & die lies mainly in the Pear River Delta and the Yangtze Delta, which accounts for two thirds of the total national output.