Mainland China's Zhejiang Pujiang Plum-Blossom offers padlocks made of iron with a gold-plated finish.

Makers are adopting innovative locking mechanisms and improved quality control to gain an edge over competitors.

Suppliers of padlocks in the Greater China region are focusing on improvements in quality and security to attract orders in the face of intense price rivalry.

To remain competitive, companies are releasing commercial models with additional features such as double locking systems, hardened stainless steel shackles and mushroom pins that offer lock-pick protection. Makers have launched designs with multilayer steel bodies for drill resistance.

Suppliers also offer chrome-plated locks with closed shackles, and solid stainless steel versions for rust resistance.

Other functional designs include those with removable cylinders for easy re-keying, in aluminum and brass or with steel cases. The latest combination locks have more than five digits in the codes so they would be harder to pick.

Mainland China suppliers are catering to the growing demand for high-security padlocks in the low-end and midrange markets. To ensure the durability and precision of new designs, companies are performing enhanced metal processing, casting and heat treatment in their factories.

Meanwhile, Taiwan companies are focusing on improving their midrange and high-end models to sharpen competitiveness. The precision of padlocks from the island has been enhanced by better cylinder designs. The cylinders are held in place by a variety of locking mechanisms, including a pin tumbler lock and a disc tumbler lock.

Among industrial padlocks, the latest models from Hong Kong come in block lock and solid rectangular styles. These have solid brass or steel bodies, with some block versions encased in stainless steel sheets that have straight shuttle shackles for increased security.

Hong Kong suppliers have also released weather-resistant models with plastic lamination or ABS casings for rust protection. Some designs feature plugs for the keyholes to prevent water from going into the cylinders.

	Zhejiang Pujiang Wushi of mainland China offers this combination brass padlock with polished finish.

In recent months, solid brass and steel have become the preferred materials over zinc and steel alloy.

In the mainland, Pujiang Baima Lock Co. Ltd's models come with two lock wicks. The padlocks have two different keys and will only open if the two keys are used together.

The company has also invested in machines sourced from Taiwan that are said to have higher precision than those purchased locally. This equipment includes stamping, die-casting, injection molding and tapping machines.

To make certain that the materials used for its padlocks are durable, Ningbo Veken Elite Group Co. Ltd only sources stainless steel and iron from reputable suppliers that have thorough quality management systems.

The company also makes use of cast iron and brass in some models.

Wtoo Import & Export Co. Ltd's padlocks are mostly made of brass and stainless steel. Its latest release, model LW600, is a stainless steel padlock with a chrome-plated finish and vane keys.

Wuyi Kangda Hardwares Mfg Co. Ltd performs heat treatment and precision enhancement on all padlock models. These processes increase the strength of materials and make products more secure with saw-, cut- and drill-resistant features.

Zhejiang Pujiang Plum-Blossom Lock Industry (Group) Co. Ltd offers models with tubular pin tumbler locks. The company plans to develop electronic padlocks to maximize security. It intends to offer models that incorporate fingerprint identification technology.

Zhejiang Pujiang Wushi Locks Co. Ltd's arc-type padlock is made of iron and has a cut-resistant shackle.

The model is finished in nickel plating and comes with vane keys. The company offers 68 padlock series in iron, brass or steel models.

In Taiwan, Kimo Locks Industry Co. Ltd uses steel to improve the strength of its padlocks. The company also performs electroplating to make products more durable.

Kimo's Abloy-style disc locks were designed to accommodate more than 200,000 combinations.

F16 Mfg Co. Ltd has 12 patented pin tumbler cylinders that provide maximum security as well as drilling and corrosion resistance. It uses pins of varying lengths to prevent the padlock from being opened without the correct key. More than 50 percent of the company's output is exported to OEM clients in the US and Germany.

Real Locks and Security Co. Ltd secures valuables with Abloy-style disc cylinders. Only precise master-key systems can access these padlocks.

The company can even provide 260 million possible key combinations in its padlocks for extra security. Eighty percent of products come in brass and stainless steel.

Sinox Co. Ltd uses zinc alloy in its padlocks. Eighty percent of the company's designs are developed in-house and it has more than 100 products patented globally.

Sinox's factories are equipped with die-casting, pressing and injection machines.

	Macoware of Hong Kong has released this brass padlock with pin-tumbler locking mechanism. Price is $2.50.

To ensure precision and durability, Hong Kong makers focus on improvements in production, machinery and QC.

Hing Wah Lock Fty Ltd imports brass from Malaysia, Taiwan, Australia and South Africa for better density.

The company's QC supervisors use go/no-go gauges on cylinders and pins in the assembly line to check whether measurements are within tolerance. This process is done every 30 minutes.

The company uses extruding, drilling and CNC machines from Taiwan. It has also invested in pin machines from Switzerland and computerized key-cutting equipment from Italy.

APS Industries uses only virgin, not recycled, zinc alloy in designs. The company also conducts pull and tension tests on models before shipping.

APS' factory is equipped with punching, die-casting, rowing and cutting machines from Hong Kong.

Macoware Co. Ltd has invested in Escomatic machines from Switzerland that minimize vibrations in creating pins, reducing the turning needed to achieve desired diameters, thereby increasing the precision of the parts.

This type of equipment is often used in watch making.

The company's designs undergo impact, pulling and key combination tests to ensure that models are durable. The QC team uses Rockwell hardness and bonding strength testers for this. Models also go through 150-hour salt spray tests on corrosion. Macoware imports brass from Japan, South Korea and Australia.

Wellek Enterprises Ltd's factory is equipped with a range of molding and injection machines. The company can process both plastic and metal, and also has inhouse silk-screening, transfer printing and spray-painting capability.

All companies follow ASTM and EN standards.

Further, suppliers such as Hing Wah already use materials that are compliant with RoHS standards.