Kha Shing Enterprises Co. Ltd.- Sailing on blue waters beneath clear skies／嘉信遊艇—藍天碧海下的精湛工藝
Kha Shing Enterprises Co. Ltd.- Sailing on blue waters beneath clear skies
◎English translation of Peng Hsin-y
◎Photos courtesy: Monte Fino, Pao Chung-hui
Did you know Taiwan is called Asia's "Kingdom of Yachts"? In 2013, in terms of orders for yachts 80 feet in length or longer, Taiwan ranked No. 6 worldwide and No.1 in Asia. Kaohsiung is responsible for 80% of the industry's value and 90% of Taiwan's yacht output. It is, hands down, the capital of this Kingdom of Yachts.
Kaohsiung based Kha Shing Enterprises Co. Ltd. has a long history as a yacht builder. Established in 1977, the company has grown and evolved over the years. It is now one of the most recognized yacht builders in the world, especially in the North American market. Kha Shing's Monte Fino (an Italian term meaning "up in the mountain," employed with an image of a splendid view from high up) brand is known for its 100%-satisfaction-guaranteed after-sales service. It is no wonder that up to 70% of Kha Shing's clients are returning customers. Looking at Kha Shing's story, we can get a good understanding of how Taiwan's yacht industry remains internationally competitive.
Kha Shing President Mr. Howard Gung says that when building high-end yachts, quality is not the only important requirement; a certain level of artisanship is required in order to give each vessel beauty and grace. Hardware quality is relatively easy to achieve and yacht builders in other countries have attained that level. But Taiwan has a long history of building yachts and the skills of local craftsmen are unparalleled. In their hands, yachts take shape with subtle, delicate lines; the finished products exude a sense of warmth and elegance. Nine layers of finishing are applied to all wood furniture to harden the wood for optimized texture, and also to make it more resilient, so it stands up better to the inevitable bumps and grinds when rough weather is encountered. What is more, such furniture is easier to repair. This is where Taiwan's yachts stand out among international competitors. Local yacht builders are, in fact, neck-to-neck with heavyweight yacht builders in Europe. In recent years, many new companies have tried to attract orders by slashing their prices, but Taiwan still wins the hearts of its clients by offering outstanding craftsmanship and impeccable customer service.
One of the biggest events in the yacht industry is the annual yacht show in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Each year, Monte Fino Yachts invites its customers to go there and showcase their yachts. Loyal customers have become Monte Fino's most convincing sales representatives.
Mr. Gung says that in 1999 Kha Shing became an outsourcing partner of Riviera, Australia's biggest yacht company. From that partnership Kha Shing has gained more than just revenue. In contrast to Kha Shing's bread-and-butter work producing customized yachts, Riviera specializes in the volume production of yachts 70 feet and shorter. Having adopted Rivera's computerized design methods for sizing and positioning, Kha Shing has been able to significantly reduce its own production times. Riviera's precise production processes have also helped Kha Shing improve quality and quantity. Most of Riviera's designers are veteran yacht owners, and their ocean experiences help them offer designs with users' convenience and comfort in mind.
One of the biggest challenges of making customized yachts is that each ship is unique in design and built exactly as the customer asked, so experience gained on previous projects may not be useful for the next order. The workforce must always be ready to face new demands. Mr. Gung says a few customers are so serious about their yachts that they travel all the way to Kaohsiung, so they can personally supervise the process. When returning customers place a new order, some even request specific workers. Mr. Gung praises Riviera employees for their dedication. They do everything perfectly first time and this professionalism shines through in the way they treat every little detail with respect. Everything, including tools and containers holding parts, is kept clean and neat. They have been a positive influence on Kha Shing's employees, inspiring the workers in Kaohsiung to do even better.
The next step for Monte Fino Yachts is to open a new market channel by taking full advantage of its partnership with Riviera. As Mr. Gung says: "Embracing change is the only unchanging rule in making customized yachts." Kha Shing promises to always strive to make its customers' dreams come true.
嘉信遊艇—藍天碧海下的精湛工藝
◎文／侯雅婷
◎照片提供／Monte Fino Yachts、鮑忠暉
台灣有「亞洲遊艇王國」的美譽，2013年於80呎以上的遊艇接單長度躋身世界第六、亞洲第一，其中高雄就佔全台八成遊艇產值，且全台90%的遊艇由高雄港裝船出口。
立足於高雄的嘉信遊艇創立於1977年，在客製化遊艇開創出一片天，特別是在北美地區，推出以義大利文命名的自有品牌Monte Fino (語意為「山丘上的平原」，意味視野遼闊，眺望遠方景致），以完善的售後服務著稱，回客率高達6至7成，借鏡嘉信遊艇，窺見台灣遊艇製造大廠的競爭力。
嘉信遊艇董事長龔俊豪表示，台灣遊艇產業客製化技術和品質兼具，有別於其他國家因缺乏工藝師傅，所以內裝不免呈現機器製作的冷冽剛硬線條，而台灣客製遊艇內裝總可見到漂亮的流線線條，精湛工藝使得裝潢質感更加溫潤，這都要歸功於台灣仍保有許多工藝師傅。而且會重複在木製傢俱上漆達9次之多，增強硬度，使其呈現絕佳的質感，也符合海事使用的傢俱，偶因水面顛簸不慎毀損桌面，較易修補。因此憑藉工藝品質的提升讓價格上揚，拉近與歐洲遊艇大國的價差，儘管面臨一些國家低價搶單，但台灣遊艇業仍以技術、品質和售後服務深受客戶信賴。
每年於美國佛羅里達洲羅德岱堡舉辦的遊艇展是遊艇界的年度盛事，代表Monte Fino Yachts到場展示的是客戶自己的船，由船東到場分享使用心得，成為Monte Fino Yachts最具說服力的代言。
龔俊豪表示，嘉信遊艇1999年起為澳洲最大遊艇廠Riviera代工，成為合作夥伴，獲益良多。長於生產客製化遊艇的嘉信，從專營量產70呎以下小型遊艇的Riviera，了解到量產遊艇著重透過縝密的電腦繪圖計算尺寸和定位，才能大大降低工時，而嚴謹的產製環節則有效提升產能及產質，尤其是Riviera設計者因具有使用遊艇的生活經驗，在設計上更能貼近使用者需求，從使用者的角度不斷地修正。
客製化遊艇意即面對特殊客戶群來量身訂作，累積的工作經驗未必能運用於下一次，工作人員需隨時接受新挑戰。龔俊豪提起，曾有船東現場監工，日後再度訂船時，還指定要哪一名工作人員共同參與，員工全心投入工作的專業是被看見和肯定的；他也大力稱讚Riviera工作人員嚴謹的工作態度，現場施工一次就做到位，他們的專業展現在每一環製作細節，從裝盛工具的器皿到工作現場的清潔度，嘉信員工耳濡目染也自動自發地向Riviera員工看齊。
Monte Fino Yachts下階段的目標是在Riviera強有力的商標下，開發出新通路。誠如龔俊豪所言：「『變』是客制化遊艇不變的法則。」嘉信遊艇總能以堅強的執行力為後盾，實現客戶天馬行空的想法。