AIHAO
 | |
Native name | 温州市爱好笔业有限公司 |
|---|---|
| Company type | Private |
| Industry | Consumer Discretionary Products[1] |
| Genre | stationary goods |
| Predecessor | Longwan Changsheng Pen Factory |
| Founded | 1995 |
| Founder | Zang Hanping |
| Headquarters | , |
Area served | 120 countries[2] |
| Products | pens |
Production output | 1.8 million (2013) |
Number of employees | 4,000[2] (2025) |
| Website | http://aihao.com |
WENZHOU AIHAO PEN TRADE (温州市爱好笔业有限公司) is a Chinese multinational company known for manufacturing stationary goods, specially pens.
History
[edit]AIHAO was created in 1995 by Zang Hanping.[3][4]: 435 Both AIHAO and Wenzhou Tianjiao Pen Industry originated from Longwan Changsheng Pen Factory, founded in 1986.[3][5] In 1998, AIHAO had a retail store in Yiwu, China's largest market for small products. AIHAO sold an estimate of ¥ 40 million in products at the commodity market.[4]: 210
In 2002, the local government developed the ¥ 600 million and 480,000 m2 industrial site in Wenzhou, known as China's Pen Capital. 45 companies from the sector, including AIHAO, relocated to the site. The company was selected by the Wenzhou Pen Manufacturers Association as a pilot for e-commerce for the segment and received government sponsorship. To modernize its factories, AIHAO invested in advanced foreign technology from South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, and other countries. Companies involved in the construction of the manufacturing site included GF AgieCharmilles, Erowa AG, Fadal Machining Center, and Mitutoyo. AIHAO was benefited with low tariffs due China's entrance in the World Trade Organization in 2001. The workforce was initially local, but AIHAO suffered from work shortages due the low wages, and the locals were substituted by immigrants that are trained in local universities since 2007.[4]: 210–211
As the company grew, in 2008 AIHAO launched their own R&D center for ¥ 90 million and in 2010 AIHAO launched China's largest stainless steel ball-point pen workshop for ¥ 30 million. AIHAO changed it's focus to the design of the pens and until 2013 had more than 200 patents.[4]: 211
Products
[edit]In 2013, AIHAO fabricated nearly 400 varieties of pens, including gel ink pens, ball-point pens, fountain pens, roller ball pens, carbon pens, highlighting pens, marking pens, fluorescent pens, crayons and felt-tip pens.[4]: 210
Most of AIHAO's products are for exportation, reaching more than 100 countries, and the company is respected internationally. In 2013, the company reached the production of 1.8 million pens a day. Their most famous product is the ball-point pen, which uses pen tips from Premec (Switzerland) and ink from Mikuni Corporation (Japan) and National Corporation (United States).[4]: 210 In 2014, AIHAO was world's largest producer of roller ball pens.[6]
Awards
[edit]AIHAO received many awards and titles over the years, including "China's Master of Pens" and "Famous Zeijiang Brand".[4]: 210
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Wenzhou Aihao Pen Trade Co Ltd". Bloomberg. Retrieved 24 February 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b "Welcome to AIHAO". AIHAO. Retrieved 24 February 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b "Company Profile". AIHAO. Archived from the original on 24 February 2025. Retrieved 24 February 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f g Dinh, Hinh T.; Rawski, Thomas G.; Zafar, Ali; Wang, Lihong; Mavroeidi, Eleonora (2013). Tales from the development frontier: how China and other countries harness light manufacturing to create jobs and prosperity. World Bank. doi:10.1596/978-0-8213-9988-0. ISBN 9780821399897.
- ^ "About us". Wenzhou Tianjiao Pen Industry. Archived from the original on 24 February 2025. Retrieved 24 February 2025.
- ^ Dinh, Hinh T. (2014). "The practice of industrial policy – Lessons for Africa. Case studies of decentralized co-ordination in China" (PDF). World Institute for Development Economics Research (153). United Nations University. doi:10.35188/UNU-WIDER/2014/874-2. ISBN 978-92-9230-874-2. ISSN 1798-7237. Retrieved 24 February 2025.