"Song of Ice and Fire" for Christmas products to go to sea

It is still five months before Christmas, and the foreign trade orders of domestic Christmas product manufacturers have reached the ending stage. From May to August each year, it is the peak season of Christmas supplies. A cargo ship full of Christmas products is available from major domestic ports and sent to all parts of the world.

However, in the face of the complex situation of the century -old changes and the century epidemic, many foreign trade companies that have been survived are giving a ginseng, and the number of orders is enough to support the operation. The concerns are also obvious -where will the future business go?

Under the epidemic, sales volume increased against the trend

"Recently, I am too busy. I will go to the production workshop to stare at the progress to ensure delivery on time." On the afternoon of July 28, Xie Zhonghua, secretary of the party branch of Yangzhou Meirui Huahua Craft Gift Co., Ltd. It is difficult to hide joy.

The largest Christmas craft production company in Yangzhou has focused on the manufacturing and exports of Christmas products since its establishment in 1995. Christmas socks, Christmas hats, Santa, reindeer, crutches, thousands of novel products of Merima Huahua are dazzling, covering almost all Christmas glass accessories and textiles that can be seen on the market.

At the same time, the company has also adopted a very "vision" business model -both ends are outside and production inside, that is, the design and sales side is placed in the US headquarters, and the production side is placed on the domestic production base. In the situation of the epidemic and the situation of changing situations, we were lucky enough to "escape." "The US headquarters directly connects to customers to place orders. Our Yangzhou company is produced and shipped. The company does not even participate in the Canton Fair. It was basically flat at the same time, and 70%of the products produced from January to July had been sent to foreign customers. In the past two years, the sales volume of glass products has increased by about 8%, and the sales volume of textiles has increased by 15%.

Xiaoguanzhuang Town, Baoying County, Yangzhou, which is located, is known as "the hometown of glass Christmas craft gifts", and is also the "Eastern Christmas Town" in the population of foreign Christmas products. Yangzhou is an important Christmas order export in the province The ground plays the role of "barometer". According to Yangzhou Customs data, since May of this year, there are 137 million yuan and 432 batches of Christmas supplies exported in Yangzhou, a year -on -year increase of 98.14%and 75.61%, respectively.

The "Huichun" of Christmas orders provides an opportunity for the industrial upgrade of foreign trade companies. A thin festival card, produced more than 200 million annual sales, Taicang Starlight Printing (Suzhou) Co., Ltd. made a greeting card into a "big business". "In Europe and the United States, every city and townships, the streets and alleys are essential is the greeting card shop. These shops are usually large in scale, and they will also be divided into different categories according to the occasion of sending greeting cards and blessings." In order to meet the demand for export capacity, the company has continued to expand the scale of automation in recent years, and has created a number of automated production equipment and intelligent industrial robots. The greeting truck has decreased from more than 400 people to about 200 people.

"Due to the large orders, many models, many processes and accessories, the company independently develops a series of automatic material -up equipment, which has achieved the operation of automation, intelligence, machine substitution, and unmanned factories. Improve efficiency. "Yulisheng said that in order to meet the high -end demand of the market, the company has also purchased a number of advanced production equipment. So far, more than 200 advanced printing units have served customers.

The predicament is superimposed, or the enterprise "has no profit"

Several joy and a few sorrows. After 15 years in the Christmas jewelry industry, Huang Caigui, the head of Baoying Art Bo Crafts Co., Ltd., couldn't help sighing, "The Christmas export market in the past two years is really increasingly difficult to do."

"At the beginning of the establishment, our company basically used foreign trade agencies to get orders from large international chain brands. , The profit is also very low. "Huang Caigui told reporters that in 2014, a foreign guest had a try -trying mentality and found him a $ 100,000 order. Since then And through the digital out -of -sea service platforms such as Alibaba International Station, it has established long -term cooperative relationships with more foreign merchants. However, this year, the order fell 40%. In previous years, it was delivered in early September. The production was completed at the end of July this year.

Behind "No Making Money", the first is the tension of transportation power and the high company, which is likely to allow companies to face an embarrassing situation of "business but no profit". "Christmas supplies are different from other foreign trade products. They covers a large area and low added value. Therefore, the best logistics method is sea transportation and container." Huang Caigui explained that the lower the efficiency of the sea transportation due to the epidemic, the more the box and the cabin are supplying. The higher the shipping cost, and these freight will finally appear through the unit unit unit, affecting the number of orders. "In the past three years, our container shipping costs have been doubled, and US customers' shipping costs have increased greater, rising by about 5 times, which directly leads to a significant increase in the cost of the company's products." Xie Zhonghua said.

Zhu Ziyu, the manager of the International Trade Department of Yangzhou Lihan Crafts Co., Ltd., also felt the same. "Before the epidemic, 60%of our orders were shipped from Yangzhou Port. The price was low and the shipment was convenient. However, because of the epidemic, the ship was basically not available in Yangzhou Port in the past two years, so we can only transfer Shanghai Port and Qingdao Port. High rise, you also need to go through a series of procedures such as pass permits. "At the same time, Christmas orders from foreign customers in recent years have gradually become" stingy ". "Under the current international economic situation, our orders from the United States have decreased slightly, but fortunately, the number of orders in Europe is increasing, and the order volume of Japan in Asia has basically remained unchanged." Zhu Ziyu said Because of practical factors such as logistics and raw materials price increases, the company has to raise the quotation, and a small number of orders will be affected.

"The previous American customer joked with me that now purchasing can be bought in Southeast Asia, just buy it in Southeast Asia, unless you can't buy it." A person in the industry believes that although there are some exaggerations, it also reflects the market to a certain extent. Quietly change. "In the past, we took orders online mainly through traditional models such as the Canton Fair, mainly because foreign businessmen preferred the product by themselves, but in recent years, the Canton Fair was suspended under the epidemic. The uncertainty of orders has increased, "said the industry.

Turn into cost reduction and bid farewell to the embarrassment of "half a year"

In fact, the seasonality of Christmas products is very strong. Enterprises only produce only 6 to 9 months a year. The rest of the time is waiting for orders in the coming year, or updates the styles, and play styles. "One free half a year" is the normal industry. Without a stable employment in the end of the year, the production situation is adjusted according to the order. What follows is the unknown employment gap. For Christmas orders for many handicrafts and textile workers, young people who are willing to engage in this industry are reducing To recruit people can only improve their treatment. In a Christmas product production workshop located in Baoying, the reporters saw that the Qingyi on the assembly line was a big female worker.

"Even if the local labor costs are still rising year by year, we have never thought of moving the factory, but instead moved the workers." Zhu Ziyu introduced that there are a large number of employees from the company from Henan, Hebei, Hunan, etc. In the underdeveloped areas, workers are specially applied from these regions, and they will send them to pick them up. "The current state of employment is relatively smooth. Compared with the locals, the salary of workers from these areas will be relatively low. This effectively reduces a certain labor cost."

Relying on Christmas products alone, it is not enough to make a share in this foreign trade. Due to timely and more diverse supplies, it has become the choice of more and more companies. "In recent years, we have innovated an outdoor garden series products, such as feeders and water feeders. Last year, the series of sales reached 20 million yuan, accounting for a quarter of the company's annual sales. The market market will be booming. "Xie Zhonghua said.

Try not only stay at the product level, but also the establishment of a standardized market structure. "In order to promote the printing standardization, the Starlight East East Base established the first nationwide packaging and printing standardization test and promotion base." Yulisheng said that the establishment of the base is not only a new exploration, it is also guided by market demand. New attempts for the new pattern of standardization work under economic conditions.

There are more than 100 producing Christmas product companies and employees in the town, and the production and exports of Christmas products accounted for one -third of the town's total economy. The glass industry accelerates development support opinions ". "On the one hand, we promote the existing industries to extend the extension, extend the industrial chain, strengthen cultural creativity, accelerate the development of new products, and promote the development of products to the mid -to -high -end development; , Increased medical glass with high added value and high development potential. "The relevant person in charge of Xiao Guanzhuang Town Economic Development Bureau told reporters that the town is currently investing 400 million yuan and a new glass industrial park that covers an area of ​​200 acres. With the Glass Exhibition Hall, enlarge the effect of industrial clusters and enhance the attractiveness of the industry.

Xinhua Daily · Jiaojiao Point reporter Shen Jiazheng Tian Mochi intern He Yi

Picture source Visual China

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