In today’s world, people are less likely to have children. But those who do are better equipped to provide their young ones with a childhood that is filled with fun and fond memories. They simply want to give their kids the best. With that in mind, Hong Kong-based manufacturer, Brownie Toys Limited has been creating lots of toy fun for kids since 1989.

Brownie Toys lent its name from western folklore. “According to traditional fables, brownie is a charming fairy that brings joy and delight to people across the world. Our mission is to deliver that same bliss and happiness to families worldwide by supplying a diverse range of top-quality plush toys and gifts, polyresin accessories and even infant goods,” explains Mr. Jimmy Lo, sales and marketing manager of Brownie Toys.

Canterbury Bear, Brownie Baby, Geri Giraffe and the recently launched Jungle Pals and Farmyard Pals ranges are just a few of the popular product lines in the marketplace by Brownie Toys.

As seasonal gifts and educational toys started gathering momentum in the market in the past few years, Brownie Toys has spun off a new range of teenagers-oriented products for various festivities, like Valentine’s Day, which struck a hit in the marketplace. Moreover, the manufacturer is also taking advantage of the growing educational toys niche to launch playthings that help the young kids learn and develop their intellect.
According to Mr. Lo, Brownie Toys prides itself highly on unique product design and exceptional quality. “Our design team comprises creative talents from Hong Kong and Great Britain, so that we can take on different styles from both worlds. Since we aim our products at the Western world, the inputs and contributions from our U.K. designers are highly-relevant,” he says. While given a very high degree of freedom when it comes to using their imagination, the designers also work closely with the sales team to ensure the commercial viability of new products.

To make certain that the highest-safety standards are met, Brownie Toys has a stringent quality control process, sustained by a number of quality assurance certifications. The strict quality control is applied to all levels of the production chain, from product sampling to final checking of stocks before shipment and to the regular maintenance of production facilities.

Mr. Lo says up-keeping the good quality of their products is key to Brownie Toys’ market success. “We strongly believe the quality of our products is closely related to the company’s image. As a toys supplier, we are looking for repeat business and we want to build long-lasting relationship with our customers. That’s why we never settle for less throughout the quality control process. We could lose our customers even with a single shipment of substandard products. By eliminating product defects, we stand a good chance of building our customer satisfaction level while boosting our reputation. We have now a substantial number of loyal clients, so our huge effort in quality control have really paid off,” he elaborates.

One of the initiatives is the annual company-wide evaluation. During the assessment exercise, the management team visits the manufacturing facilities in Shenzhen to review the production process and to gauge the customers’ satisfaction level.

Other strategy to increase the toy
maker’s efficiency and cost-effectiveness includes the computerisation of the operation in 2000. Since then, the progress of production orders and the company’s daily reporting are fully automated by the computer network.

“Not only do these projects greatly improve our efficiency and on-time delivery, they also boost communications between our staff in Hong Kong and our factory in Shenzhen on the Chinese Mainland,” explains Mr. Lo.

Brownie Toys is dedicated not only to superior product quality, as reflected by its ISO 9001 recognition, but also to enhancing the well-being and development of their staff members.

Today, Brownie Toys employs an 800-strong workforce in its Shenzhen factory to handle the company’s enormous production need, while its Hong Kong office’s 20 staff carry out the sales, marketing and management functions.

According to Mr. Lo, Brownie Toys has recently collaborated with the Hong Kong Clothing Industry Training Authority (CITA) to provide training on production for the factory workers in Shenzhen. This program enhances production efficiency on one hand, while helping the workers gain more skills for personal and career development on the other. This win-win scenario helps the company “give back” to the community, and has yielded an impressively high staff retain rate of 95%.

Meanwhile, the company has worked on plans to enlarge the scale of its current production facilities in Shenzhen, while expanding to other parts of the Guangdong Province and the Pearl River Delta.

To actively penetrate the target markets in Europe and North America, Brownie Toys currently exhibits at a number of industry-acclaimed trade exhibitions each year, including the three largest toys fairs in the world, the Nuremberg Toy Fair in Germany, the Hong Kong Toys & Games Fair and the New York Toy Fair.

Furthermore, the company is eyeing the lucrative new markets in Eastern Europe and the Middle East in the near future.

“No matter how the product trends and market change, I’m sure the toy industry will always be an industry that brings endless and timeless joy to the world. Brownie Toys will continue as a passionate player in this fun-filled and exciting industry,” concludes Mr. Lo.

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