There is no doubt that stationery has become an essential part of our daily lives, and pens, in particular, are definitely must-haves. Moreover, pens and all sorts of writing gadgets are making perfect items as corporate gifts and cost effective promotional premiums.

With over 10 years experience in manufacturing and exporting quality plastic and metal pens, the Hong Kong-based TTI Industrial Limited is well-positioned as one of the market leaders.

“When the company began about a quarter of a century ago, we used to produce and export only smoking accessories, like cigarette lighters. Then in the early 1990’s, we wanted to grow bigger and decided to reinvent ourselves by broadening our product range and business scope,” says Ms. Amy Li, Manager of TTI, telling MegAsia of the evolution of her company.

TTI quickly realised the growth potential by breaking into the stationery market. The company set up two new factories, one in Guangdong and another in the Zhejiang province in southern China. This fundamental shift in business scope also threw TTI into a very steep learning curve.

Speaking about the challenges facing TTI during that period, Ms. Li described it as a “tough” and “demanding” episode.

“It was like starting up all over again for us – we had to learn a completely new set of tricks in the trade. When compared to lighters, pens have so much more variations in design and style. There are far more finer details to attend to, especially with projects that require imprints. We found that our clients for pens have higher quality expectations, and we have to put in extra effort to match up their demanding requests,” she confirms.

After a few years, TTI has successfully adapted and well-recognised as a producer of pens, mainly made of plastic and metal, like brass; while still maintaining on its product list a number of smoking accessories, like cigarette lighters, ashtrays and portable ashtrays.

TTI has established its strong footing in the lucrative European and North American markets, while sustaining some big clients in Japan and Hong Kong. To further expand market share and clientele base, TTI leverages three key promotion and advertising strategies.

“Firstly, our website, www.ttihk.com, was set up a couple of years ago to provide a non-stop showroom for buyers to keep in contact with us and our latest products directly. Currently, it generates a good number of enquiries for us,” comments Ms. Li.

“We also advertise on well-selected trade magazines and exhibit in world-renowned trade fairs, like the two Hong Kong gifts fairs in April and October each year. Our participation in these shows renders us the opportunity to meet face-to-face with our potential buyers, generate on-site orders and get immediate market feedback on our products,” she adds.

The company has also built an excellent reputation in the trade by effectively catering the ever-changing needs of the customers and providing outstanding customer services. With high satisfaction level,
TTI’s clients are not only more likely to repeat orders, but also to refer new clients.

“Promotional gifts and premium nowadays have become really big business internationally. The corporate world has incorporated these gadgets as essential part of their promotional strategies that can boost the corporate image. They are willing to pay a higher price for top quality. To fully tap this ever-escalating demand for excellent products, we’ve essentially geared ourselves up to become a strong player in the market,” says Ms. Li.

“One of the ways that differentiates us from the others is our unrivalled flexibility. Although we have a minimum order policy in place, we are flexible enough to make exceptions for some of our loyal patrons. Sometimes it might be that our clients raise a special order that is smaller than usual, but we try to accommodate as far as we can or offer other alternatives available in our stock. Either way, we always put our clients’ needs first,” elaborates Ms. Li.

Quality assurance is of utmost importance to secure customers’ loyalty. To ensure customers satisfaction, TTI has obtained ISO 9001 certification for its plants and even employs an external consultant to conduct reviews and factory audits regularly.

TTI acts upon a one-stop-shop solution for producing promotional premiums. “Apart from mass-producing pens and smoking accessories, we also have an in-house printing unit. Some of our clients may have specific messages and visual design to imprint on their products. We can definitely do that easily with our imprint facilities. This service renders our customers a fuss-free production process, which is just so convenient. We can even print price tags for our customers!”

Finally, TTI product designers ride on a solid grasp of the worldwide trends to constantly come up with an astonishing stream of new designs.

TTI has achieved great business growth and product success in the past decade. It now produces corporate gifts and promotional premiums for some of the world’s finest and largest corporations. Its clientele covers those five-star hotels and casinos in the United States, pharmaceutical companies in Hong Kong and in the U.S., local consumer electronics companies and a Japanese animations firm.

The strong confidence in the plastic and metal gifts and premium industries and the unrelenting devotion to customer satisfaction will see TTI through to the bright future.

“We believe that the corporations will continue to use promotional items to attract new customers in the foreseeable future, and we are certain that stationery and pens will remain as a dominant part in our everyday life. At TTI, we pledge to keep on developing and adding new items to our product list and excelling in quality control. At the end of the day, it is the customers’ smile that matters most to us,” concludes Ms. Li.

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