The long-standing company has penetrated over 25 overseas markets, including big and selective markets like Germany, the U.K., and Japan. The spotlight is now turned on the U.S. market, says Huynh Thi My Loan, director of export at the company.
"Now we want to penetrate the U.S. market, which in our view is quite immense for handicraft products," Loan says, commenting that Artex Saigon hopes the samples would be pleasing to the importer first before the company's products can reach to consumers.
Loan, who spent many days in August to scout exhibitions in the U.S. and to survey the market there, says her company wants to have a general distributor in America who can help Artex Saigon boost consumption there. The shipment of sample basket ware products is the great effort of the company, as strong attention has been given to the production of such items to ensure that skillfulness is attained to the utmost. Loan has strong confidence in the sample goods, and so the U.S. market, where Loan says consumers do not require sophistication, but rather simplicity of the product.
Over 20 years in the handicraft business has given Artex Saigon lots of experiences in dealing with overseas customers, but the U.S. market is a challenge anew. However, "we believe we will be able to tap the market potentials there owing to our past experiences in
doing business with customers from Japan and Europe," she explains. Artex Saigon has managed to obtain assistance from Vietnamese diplomatic agencies abroad to step into the U.S. market, a practice the company has employed in many previous occasions. Loan says that up to one-fourth of Artex Saigon customers have been introduced to the company by diplomatic offices abroad.
The long-standing handicraft business, a State-turned shareholding concern, boasts a wide range of handicrafts made from ceramics, duckweed, palm leaf, lacquer, wood, fabric and coconut materials. More important, Artex Saigon has a strong workforce with good skills able to produce quality products.
However, the major concern now for any handicraft producer is the creativity and the originality of products. Le Van Canh, deputy director of the company, says most of handicrafts at his company are made either at the request of customers on specific designs, or according to designs by the company staff. However, there is still much room for improvement in terms of designs, and therefore, Artex Saigon
will soon establish an R&D division, which will gather artisans and professional fine art designers.
"Better designs will bring about higher value," says Canh, adding that handicraft items of the basket ware category cannot yield high values, so the company has to increase output as a way to boost revenue.
All Artex Saigon products are for export, and the company therefore is making stronger efforts to make its products more popular among foreign consumers. One such effort is to join export-oriented exhibitions, as data at the company show more than half of customers of Artex Saigon have established relations via exhibitions.
At the Expo 2003 in HCMC this week, Artex Saigon will put its bamboo products in special spotlight as the material is the key one in its production, generating the majority of the company's revenues in the past year.
Address: Artex Saigon 161 Dong Khoi, District 1, HCMC
Tel: (08) 8296945-8274936
Email: artexkh@fmail.vnn.vn
Website: www.artexsaigon.com.vn
SGT Daily