The World Leader In Flexible Space Management
Frazer Teo, Chief Operating Officer, HUFCOR Asia Pacific
Founded in 1900, HUFCOR is the global operable partitions industry leader, providing total solutions in the design, manufacturing, project management, installation and maintenance of operable partitions. Their global headquarters are located in Wisconsin, USA and its Asia Pacific headquarters are based in Hong Kong with manufacturing facilities in China and Malaysia. We were pleased to have Mr. Frazer Teo, Chief Operating Officer of HUFCOR Asia Pacific here to share with us their success story.
Q. We noticed that HUFCOR have been making a series of investments in Asia
Pacific. What are the priorities for HUFCOR in 2012?
We have been making a series of investments over the past years to better position ourselves to capture a larger market share of the operable partitions market in Asia Pacific. These investments include a brand new 100,000 square feets manufacturing facility in Panyu, Guangzhou where state-of-the-art machineries and equipments have been setup to manufacture our latest 600 series galvanised steel frame operable partitions. This new product is designed and engineered by HUFCOR in our US headquarters with local product adaptation based on feedback and insight from our customers. Technology transfer from the US is almost complete for it to be produced in China and we are able to manufacture panels for up to 18 meters tall with industry leading acoustical performance.
On the new manufacturing facility itself, our production lines are set up according to lean manufacturing principles to ensure efficiency and optimisation. Our target is to operate the best operable partitions manufacturing facility in Asia Pacific and the lean manufacturing deployment takes us a step closer towards that vision. In this new facility, we have also built a new research & development laboratory where we are equipped to conduct product research on the next generation of operable partitions.
On the customer front, we have greatly expanded our territory coverage everywhere from Singapore to China. In China, we currently have a direct presence in more than 15 major cities and these investments have allowed us to stay close to the unique requirements of each market and better serve our customers and their needs.
On marketing, we are investing in a series of advertising, publicity, direct mailing, trade show, product and technical seminar to create even greater brand awareness for the HUFCOR and differentiating us from competitors. We will also have a website revamp in the third quarter of 2012 with the inclusion of many new exciting features that would further increase our connectivity with our customers.
Kerry Hotel, Shanghai
Q: Can you tell us about some of the projects HUFCOR is currently involved with?
In Macau, we have just completed installation for the current phase of the well known Sands Venetian project and the next phase have started in June.
In China, we supplied to the Four Seasons Hotel in Guangzhou and have also just won the contract for their Shenzhen property.
In Doha, Qatar, we are in the midst of installing the world’s tallest 18 meters operable partitions and there are a lot of excitements on how it will look like when it is done.
HUFCOR booth at Build4Asia HK, June 2012
Q: What do you think about the market trend in China?
We are seeing an increasing trend of customers who are asking for better products with higher specifications. While there continues to be many knock-offs in China competing on low price and lesser quality, HUFCOR remains committed to our mission of providing total solutions that prove to be the best value for money in the longer term when you take the total cost of ownership into consideration which include the setup, maintenance, replacement and operating costs.
Q: Can you tell us about how HUFCOR provides a one-stop solution for developers and architects around the world?
For more than a century, we pride us in our ability to maintain the highest standards of differentiated services in this business including our ability to provide one-stop total solutions which includes design, product customisation, manufacturing, installation and maintenance that cater to the needs of a broad spectrum of sectors. Developers and architects around the world love to work with us for our ingenious design and innovative technology which are able to satisfy the diverse requirements of their unique design needs. Our extensive global network is also able to support their design work around the world.
Glasswall movable partitions
Q: Can you tell us more about HUFCOR’s successes globally?
HUFCOR is a global operable partitions company where our products are manufactured in five continents around the world. No other operable wall manufacturer can match our global footprint and we are able to combine global expertise with local know-how to better meet our customers’ expectations. For more than 110 years, we are committed to and are well known for our quality and excellence in providing total solutions in the operable partitions business. In a flat and borderless world, you need to be both global and local if you want to win in your markets and that is the passion that drives HUFCOR and our people to achieve greater height year after year.
New 600 series operable partitions at EPIC Madison, Wisconsin
