Kaohsiung Designed, Made Chairs Sold in 90 Countries around the Globe／高雄設計、製造的椅子 行銷90國
Kaohsiung Designed, Made Chairs Sold in 90 Countries around the Globe
◎English translation: Peng Hsin-yi
Shiang Ye Industrial Co., Ltd. which was established in 1978, specializes in the design and manufacturing of chairs. The company's products are very popular, yet the brand is known by relatively few people. Many people have used Shiang Ye products without ever realizing they were made by Shiang Ye. This lack of brand name recognition has not stopped Shiang Ye from continuing to do what it does best, which is develop even better chairs with contemporary designs that suit the modern market. The company has maintained a steady production volume of over one million chairs every year, and its products can be found in 90-plus countries around the globe, as far away as Mozambique and Mauritius.
Having its own manufacturing facilities enabled Shiang Ye to accumulate extensive experience and knowledge of working with plastic and iron over the years. The company has always aspired to improve product quality and stability, and now over 90% of their chairs' components are made in-house. In 2010, Shiang Ye introduced the company's original brand, SITPLS, a product line which reflects the company's philosophy of modern living.
Since 2008, Shiang Ye has taken part in various international design competitions, winning several awards with its NOVITE folding chair, SLIM folding chair, and MUSE chair. These honors have served as wonderful advertisements, showing the world that chairs made in Taiwan are high quality, solid, and ergonomic.
Ms. Huang Han-yi, Shiang Ye's creative director, says the company's first hit product, the "Colander Bottom" folding chair, has been on the market for about 20 years. Perhaps this is why Shiang Ye has chosen to focus on exploring the possibilities offered by folding chairs. According to Ms. Huang, a good folding chair is both durable and easy to store, and these attributes are the result of a complicated structural design. However, because the product itself is so simple, most consumers do not realize the innovation behind it. Shiang Ye's NOVITE folding chair is one such example: The product is very versatile and durable; it can be used indoors and outdoors; the design is pleasing to the eye; and it is comfortable. Best of all, it is made with just five components. It has taken 30 years of experience in chair design to achieve that.
The NOVITE folding chair makes an eye-catching first impression. The chair is manufactured using only one material - polypropylene plastic - with no screws, and so is easy to recycle. The structural strength has been proven with a free-fall test while bearing an object weighting 135 kg (about 298 lbs), which is a requirement for furniture sold commercially in Europe and North America. The NOVITE won the Red Dot Design Award, helping the SITPLS brand garner a great deal of international attention.
In 2011, Shiang Ye's SLIM folding chair won Gold in Germany's iF Product Design Awards. The SLIM is only 2.5 cm (about 1 inch) thick when folded, and won the hearts of the judges with its graceful simplicity.
Another award winner is the MUSE series, which took Bronze in the 2013 IDEA Award in the United States. The MUSE is designed to look like a rocking chair which is standing still. The legs are made of wood-print plastic, giving it the warmth of wood furniture. The legs are adjustable up to 1 cm (about 0.4 of an inch), allowing comfortable seating even outdoors where the ground may not be even.
Because it has so many outstanding products, the company is constantly faced with the problem of competitors trying to copy its innovations and designs. Yet Ms. Huang says: "We'll always be one step ahead!" She is confident the company will stay an industry leader, and continue to reinvent a brand that is gaining recognition in Taiwan and throughout the world.
高雄設計、製造的椅子 行銷90國
◎文／侯雅婷
創立於1978年的祥業工業專精設計、製造椅子，台灣消費者也許都曾使用過祥業製造的椅子，但卻不知道這些熟悉的椅子出自祥業，儘管祥業椅子在台的暢銷度與品牌知名度恰成反比，祥業專注研發更好用的當代椅品，迄今每年生產超過100萬張椅子，銷售版圖遍及全球90多國，遠至莫三比克、模里西斯都使用著祥業的椅子。
製造業起家的祥業貫徹對於塑膠和鐵兩種工廠自製材質的掌握，將椅子創作媒材維持在塑膠和鐵這兩種材質，致力追求品質的穩定度，廠裏椅子自製率高達9成，2010年以自有品牌SITPLS體現更符合當代生活型態的椅子。
祥業自2008年開始投件參加國際比賽，從「NOVITE諾維特」折合椅、「SLIM司令」折合椅到「MUSE沐司」系列椅子都履獲國際大際肯定，讓台製良品講究材質、人體工學和結構的好椅子，廣為人知。
祥業工業創意總監黃涵宜談起，祥業第一款「洞洞鐵板折合椅」熱賣20載，也許是對於折合椅的情感，持續探討折合椅更多可能。黃涵宜指出，折合椅具備結構上的複雜度、強度，便於收納的機動特色於一身，卻普遍被低估價值。祥業推出「NOVITE諾維特」這張適合戶外使用折合椅，既漂亮、坐起來又舒適且耐操用的NOVITE折合椅，由5個組件組成，蘊含祥業30年設計功力。
祥業的「NOVITE諾維特」折合椅讓人眼睛為之一亮，使用單一材質聚炳稀塑膠、零螺絲建構的椅子，使得椅子更容易被回收，而其強度結構通過承載自由落體135公斤測試，取得販售歐、美商用場合傢俱的資格，NOVITE折合椅榮獲2008年，德國紅點設計獎，打響祥業的SITPLS品牌知名度。
2011年，祥業的「SLIM司令」折合椅榮獲德國IF Design Award金獎，SLIM 折合椅折起來側面厚度僅有2.5公分，體現折合椅的精簡和優雅，獲得評審推崇。
而祥業的「MUSE沐司」系列椅子獲得2013年美國 IDEA Award 銅獎肯定，這張坐起來舒適的MUSE椅子以「靜止的搖椅」的概念為設計發想的起點，椅腳是以塑膠材質印刷木質紋路，呈現木頭溫潤質感，貼心的設計4根椅腳分別可調整1公分，遇到戶外不平坦的地勢，有助提升乘坐的舒適度。
面對產品可能被抄襲，黃涵宜自信的說，「要跑給他們追！」以走在最前端的品質，持續創新這個台灣人最熟悉的家俱產品。