Tool bags

	Polyester tool bags from Pro-Starter of mainland China feature a PVC-reinforced bottom panel.

Made of heavy-duty fabric, value-added releases feature reinforced bottom panels and visually appealing designs.

Under efforts to offset another round of price increases, tool bag suppliers in mainland China and Taiwan are adding value to their designs to help sustain export growth.

Makers will be pushing quotes up further to cope with the continuous rise in material and labor costs and the yuan’s appreciation. Mainland prices, which start at $1, already increased by 10 percent in past months. Upward adjustments among Taiwan suppliers reached 15 to 25 percent, with models currently ranging between $3 and $8.

To avoid losing orders, companies are justifying their higher prices primarily through performance upgrades. Most are tapping 1,200d polyester and nylon as these yield durable tool bags.

The former is thicker and tougher than the 600 to 900d grades usually adopted in low-end and midrange designs. Nylon, meanwhile, is more hardwearing and lightweight than polyester. Both materials are also resistant to wear, abrasion and chemicals.

For reinforcement and stability, the bottom panels are being lined with PE or PVC.

Some suppliers are engaging in product differentiation as part of efforts to maintain buyer interest. This has paved the way for ergonomic add-ons, and visually appealing surface patterns and colors.

In a bid to keep the price adjustments to a minimum, companies are also employing cost-efficient strategies.

Curbing material outlay is the priority among mainland makers. A number of them, as such, place bulk orders to generate savings.

Large suppliers are investing in R&D and production upgrades that enable waste reduction.

Taiwan companies export traditionally to the US, Canada, Europe and Australia but many are shifting focus to the mainland as a means of lowering freight costs. This is particularly true among suppliers that operate factories there.

	Taiwan-based Lexon offers model S9670, a PVC tool bag with a camouflage pattern.

To boost exports by 20 percent, mainland suppliers are highlighting durability and aesthetics in OEM-based tool bags. Most are targeting the US, the EU and Australia.

Priced at $8.95, model PST1075 from Pro-Starter Tools Co. Ltd has 1,200d polyester pockets and an adjustable leather belt. Double stitches and rivets are used for reinforcement. The company lines tool bag bottoms with hard PVC. It procures materials in Zhejiang province.

At Rich Innovation Imp. & Exp. Co. Ltd, bag bottoms are strengthened with a PE board. The supplier adopts Zhejiang-sourced materials.

Ason Bags Mfg Ltd’s professional-use designs are made of 1,200d polyester and feature sponge-padded bottoms.

The company also offers DIY tool bags in polyester. One of these, model 0303, can hold home repair, garden, craft and sewing implements. It has 11 pockets and more than 20 loops. The handle is detachable, allowing easy access to the main compartment.

Some of the releases use feminine fabric or trimmings. Polka dot and floral patterns, for example, are featured in models 9305 and CA09, respectively.

The majority of Ason’s material requirement comes from Guangdong province, with the rest purchased in Taiwan and South Korea.

Quanzhou Fangyuan Tourism Daily Co. Ltd equips models FY-TL704 and FY-TL706 with detachable shoulder straps. Both are made of 600d polyester.

Materials are sourced primarily in Zhejiang, although the company can also import from Taiwan or South Korea.

Most Taiwan suppliers are gearing R&D toward the upscale OEM and ODM segments. The island’s few tool bag specialists, meanwhile, prefer to focus on OBM exports.

Yistunee Enterprise Co. Ltd produces midrange and high-end models using 1,200d polyester. PE sheets are added to reinforce the bottom panel.

Exporting mainly to the US, the company plans to widen its OEM and ODM client base.

Products from Spoty Enterprise Co. Ltd come in environment-friendly materials such as those that use natural pigment. Three-color combinations, usually in dark hues, are being tapped to create fashionable designs.

The supplier concentrates on professional tool bags for the upscale segment. It will be expanding its OBM business, with sights set on the mainland.

Lexon Bags & Accessories Co. Ltd can customize surface designs based on images or photos provided by buyers. For this service, it employs computerized printers. One-piece orders are accepted.

The company’s DIY models are suitable for gardening and construction purposes.

Suppliers offer a range of designs for gardening, carpentry, plumbing and home repair tools. These DIY models, in fact, continue to dominate production.

More than 70 percent of the mainland’s output targets DIYers. This is largely because demand in the segment remains strong.

DIY tool bags from the mainland are designed with one to more than 20 pockets. Velcro and zipper closures are often used, although models can also feature a steel-supported open top.

The handles usually come in smooth plastic and the shoulder pads are stuffed with cotton for added comfort.

Mainland companies accept buyers’ shape, size and capacity specifications. Some of them began as tool manufacturers, while others specialize in bag production.

In Taiwan, DIY models constitute two-thirds of output. The majority of suppliers, which allot only a small percentage of production to tool bags, prefer to cater to this segment because of its low entry barriers.

Standard designs feature a 20cm opening, more than seven compartments and 1.2mm webbing for the handles.