Tin Ka Ping

Quitting School and Going into Trade in Early Years. KP Tin’s father was a businessman. KP Tin went to a private school when young and was well versed with ancient books. He admitted having not much education. In the mid-1920s, law and order in his hometown went bad. His school closed down and he solely counted on his father for education. In 1931/32, KP Tin was promoted to junior secondary school. When he studied Secondary 2, his father passed away and he dropped out to take over his father’s business. The Tins ran food and grocery stores and kilns in their hometown. Wood was used for burning the earth oven. Dabu, Guangdong, was abundant in clay. Many countrymen set up bowl plants in Vietnam. KP Tin started exporting clay to Vietnam in 1937, which became a huge success thanks to cheap raw resources and transportation cost. His business gained 60% market share in Vietnam. The exportation route of the clay was as follows: it was delivered from Dabu to Shantou via Hanjiang River, and then to Vietnam by sea.

Business moved to Indonesia during wartimes. In June 1939, the Japanese Army occupied Shantou and the clay trade came to a halt. KP Tin turned to his cousin in Indonesia. Dabu, Guangdong was a pure Hakka county with more mountains and fewer fields. Commercial or industrial activities were inactive. Many countrymen went to Nanyang for a living. A famous example was Zhang Bishi, who donated 3 million taels to the Qing Government. Shortly afterwards his cousin passed away, whose business was taken over by KP Tin and his nephew together. As the Japanese Army occupied the coastal areas in Indonesia, KP Tin seek refuge in Jakarta where he gave his best to take care of the factory for his nephew. His most significant contribution was looking after the accounts. The aboriginals and Chinese in Indonesia did not fight the Japanese, and Jakarta was unaffected by the war fire. During the Japanese Occupation, goods flow was stagnant and imports were unlikely. All local goods sold well. When dealing with the company’s accounts for his nephew, KP Tin did not over-understated the sales revenue and profit and paid more taxes than his competitors, gaining the trust of the revenue department.

Business Vision and the Hakka spirit. KP Tin gave tremendous thoughts into his business and paid great heeds to the interests of other parties. KP Tin said he did business in a Hakka fashion. Hakka people were particularly perseverant and self-constrained. So were the Teochew people, who were most commonly found in the trades in Thailand. Teochew women were no match for the Hakka ‘Big Footed Mums’, who never strangled their feet. Dabu were under the sovereignty of Chaozhou Prefecture in the Qing Dynasty. Dabu and Chaozhou & Shantou both lay along the coastline of Hanjiang River and were intimately connected. But they spoke different languages. Dabu people were often suppressed in Chaozhou. KP Tin’s grand-grandfather once made a petition to the Prefect, emphasising the need for people from both the upper and lower streams to be united, and thus contributed to the settlement between the Teochew and Hakka parties.

Switching from resin to plastic manufacturing. In 1954, KP Tin went on an inspection in Japan and learned that the machines making plastic films were similar to those making resin. Plastic films were nicknamed ‘Atomic Skin’ in those years. KP Tin ordered the principal machine from Japan and switched to making plastic films, which were compressed plastic made from a mixture of oily and powder-like components. Rubber was a natural material extracted and processed from rubber tree. Plastic was synthesized with chemicals. Both rubber and plastic could be made into films with just slightly different performances. Films were further processed and made into various products such as inflatables, furniture coatings, handbags and toys.

KP Tin never made films with resin. He still produced resin after films were made. Having returned from his inspection in Japan, KP Tin hired Japanese engineers, imported chemical materials from ICI Trading Co., went on using the machines for resins, and went into production in 1956. His factory was the first film factory in Indonesia. Film manufacturing did not cause serious pollutions but simply gave out gases during the extraction process. After the war, the Indonesian government exerted greater control on foreign currencies. Only key resources were imported. As plastic products were regarded as civil-use goods, it hindered the development of the plastic processing industry. KP Tin instructed the processing plant to use films to expand the customer base. The processing plant was labour-intensive. The plastic plant relied on chemical productions and demanded more technical know-hows.

Buying land for reclamation and setting up plants. Impressed by KP Tin’s determination, ICI gave him tremendous support by referring him to officials of the Lands Department to seek help in finding suitable sites for setting up plants. At first KP Tin chose Lam Tsuen, Tai Po, NT, but later gave up due to traffic problems and fire regulations. KP Tin made many efforts in locating a site but in vain. After a series of twists and turns, he gained the support of Chan Yat-sun, Chairman of Rural Committee, and bought land in Tuen Mun for reclamation and setting up plants.

Thanks to Chan Yat-sun, his connections with different departments were all opened up, and the progress was satisfactory. Having been in Hong Kong for 2 or 3 months, KP Tin met Chan Yat-sun through the Vice-chairman of The Chinese Manufacturers' Association of Hong Kong, who ran a Chinese checkers factory in Tuen Mun. Plastic factories needed lots of land, which was as expensive as $50 per sq. ft. in the urban industrial areas. The land in Tuen Mun originally belonged to Chan Yat-sun, and had been permitted by the Government to change to industrial land. Its original price was 2 dollars per sq. ft. It was later sold at $0.9. KP Tin bought 300,000 sq. ft. from Chan Yat-sun, his best friend. Chan Yat-sun appreciated KP Tin and gave him full support. The land revenue that Chan Yat-sun gained also greatly benefited his own career. The stuffs needed by the reclamation came from a closed brick factory near Tai Hing Cotton Mill Ltd. The reclamation project completed fast and provided land for the whole of KP Tin’s plant of 300,000 sq. ft., 50,000 sq. ft. of which was returned to the Government afterwards.

Staff of Thian’s Plastic Factory. KP Tin founded Tins' Chemical Industrial Co Ltd (the former company of which was Thian’s Plastic Factory, referred to as Tins’) with factory plants in Tuen Mun. They ordered Japanese and British machineries and hired a workforce of 80 to 90, the majority of which were men living in dormitories. The rest were female workers doing cleaning or other chores. Tins’ hired 4 technicians from Japan in addition to 4 or 5 office staff. Offices were present in both the factory and the building in the urban area. There was no special requirement for workers. Incumbents underwent basic trainings. No skilled workers were available in those years. KP Tin’s relations constituted to the majority of the management, which included his elder cousin and nephew. Tins’ plant had a design that was rarely seen in Hong Kong. It came with gardens and sports ground. They boasted a good living environment so as to retain their staff.

Hong Kong Government’s industrial & commercial representatives promoted for Tins’ overseas. At the same time, Tins’ ran a showroom at Bonham Strand East, displaying the products and contacts of low-end manufacturers. On a cheap price, Tins’ provided middle-man services to help the processing factories promote their businesses. Prior to the set-up of the Tins’ plant, local plastic processing factories imported films from Japan and Taiwan. The plastics produced locally by the Tins’ benefited the local plastic processing industry. The films KP Tin produced in Hong Kong had been greatly improved from the ones made in Indonesia. Tins’ films were slightly better than the Taiwan products and slightly poorer than the Japanese ones. Local manufacturers were not demanding over plastics (except for gas-filled dolls). What really mattered was the processing procedures themselves.

Tins’ Chemical and low-end manufacturers (2). When KP Tin first came to Hong Kong, the local plastic industry was not well developed given the dear land prices and undeveloped foreign trade. Overseas representatives of the Commerce and Industry Department invited foreign businessmen to Hong Kong and referred local manufacturers to the foreign businessmen for the purchase of raw materials. In 1962, KP Tin bought a site at Lai Chi Kok Road and turned it to an industrial building. It was leased to processing manufacturers on a low price. It came with a workshop for material preparation, which plastics were tailored for the manufacturers before they were outsourced to the households in the resettlement estates for the next procedures. Transportation in Tuen Mun was inconvenient in those days. KP Tin bought land and built an industrial building in Cheung Sha Wan and brought the processing manufacturers together for better cooperation among themselves. Finished products processed from Tins’ films included toys, gas-filled dolls, big water-filled bed, school bags, pencils and stationeries. The artificial leather made by Tins’ at a rather late stage. It could be used for making raincoats, coats, travelling bags, handbags, etc. With the continuous introductions of new raw materials by vendors, and with the new technology acquired from KP Tin’s trips abroad, Tins’ plastics underwent some breakthroughs and had wider applications gradually. The raw materials used by Tins’ included PVC powder, stabilizers and others, which came from countries like Japan and Germany.

Establishment of a branch factory in Ping Shan in late 1960s. KP Tin ran his business steadily based on the capital on hand. Low-end factories relied on banks to survive. Canton Trust and Commercial Bank offered tended to give out loans to smaller factories. The 1965 Bank Run had a bigger impact on the clients of Tins' Chemical Industrial Co Ltd (the former company of which was Thian’s Plastic Factory, referred to as Tins’). KP Tin gave credits to clients who had a cash problem.

In view of inadequate supply of fresh water in the Castle Peak plant, he bought land in Ping Shan to set up plants in the aftermath of 1967 Leftist Riots, after which Hong Kong’s industries declined. The industrial sites in Ping Shan had not interested anyone until KP Tin bought tens of thousands of square feet on $5 per sq. ft. on the referral of the locals. After the Riots, KP was not worried about Hong Kong’s situation and kept investing. Because he had lived in different countries, neither was he worried about the handover of Hong Kong to the PRC. He did not think the Communist Party would redden Hong Kong. In his early years in Hong Kong, KP Tin communicated well with the authorities and the commercial field. He swam upstream by investing in new factories after the 1967 Leftist Riots, and thus gained the recognition of the Government and thus green-light to set up plants in Pingshan. The Government had Mr Sweetman, District Commissioner of Yuen Long, to convene cross-departmental meetings attended by the Labour Department, Drainage Services and Fire Services to discuss how to facilitate Tins’ in setting up new plants. Chan Yat-sun once again lent his full support to Tins’ once again by soliciting greater care for Tins’ from Sweetman. KP Tin had been grateful to Chan for decades. The Ping Shan plant completed smoothly and occupied 60 to 70 square feet. KP Tin bought the site on January 1968 and production started on September that year. It was named Tins' Chemical Industrial Co Ltd. It produced the same products as the Castle Peak plant.

Tins’ Chemical development in the 1970s. KP Tin never invested in shares or stocks, and so was exempted from the impact of the 1973 Stock Market Crash. He even allowed late payments among his low-end clients. In 1974, the raw material prices surged, but low-end manufacturers failed to have their overseas clients make up for the price difference, causing Tins’ unable to lift prices and eventually recording an annual deficit. KP Tin saw the trough of his business in 1974. KP Tin always invested only with how much he had got and did without loans from banks to keep risk as low as possible. KP Tin imported most of his raw materials and settle payments through banks. He built up credibility by trying his best in making timely payments. Stocks gains were accidental profits. KP Tin stuck with industry and did not wish to diverse his energy into non-industrial businesses. In the 1960s, many companies solicited Tins’ to go public. KP Tin hated to earn shareholders’ money or worry about results all day. Tins’ Chemical was never listed at last. KP Tin regarded himself an honest man who was not cut out for doing business. Upon the set-up of the Ping Shan plant, Tins’ finance got better and better, and thus bought properties in Kwai Chung and Kwun Tong for purposes other than trading and speculation. Tins’ sold the industrial building in Kwai Chung to a listed company on an ideal price and made a huge profit. Tins’ encouraged the low-end manufacturers to set up plants in Tins’ industrial buildings by offering concessive rentals.

Response to China’s economic reforms. The late 1970s and early 1980s saw a surge in land and labour costs in Hong Kong. Low-end manufacturers shifted to the mainland one by one and set up processing factories in the Pearl River Delta. In 1991, Tins’ also set up a factory in Humen due to its cheap land and the convenience in providing materials for low-end factories. In the early phase of the open-door policy, Tins’ did not shifted north yet in view of the fact that the processing industry had not come to maturation. Tins’ Chemical set up factories smoothly in the mainland with the support from the local governments.

In their heyday, Tins’ Chemical had 4 or 5 competitors such as Kiu Luen and Fei Chui, but 2 or 3 of them had operated for several years only. Kiu Luen was founded by Wong Po Yan. Their factory had a long history in Hong Kong and produced PU artificial leather (mainly used in making handbags). Their core business was the trading of raw materials. Dow Chemical was an international chemical manufacturer specialising in PS granules as a raw material (specifically for making hard piece). Dow Chemical’s products belonged to chemical raw materials. Tins’ films were processed product of Dow Chemical’s raw materials. Plastic processing fell in three levels: chemical raw materials – industrial products – consumer products. The chemical raw materials used by Tins’ Chemical were imported from overseas. Chemical raw material plant was space-demanding and capital-intensive. Hong Kong was not equipped with such conditions and so no PVC raw material manufacturers ever invested in a plant in Hong Kong. Fei Chui’s plant was situated at Ping Shan (next to Tins’). Kiu Luen’s plant was in a tall building in Kwun Tong. Their production lines were scattered and operation was not smooth. The two plants were considerably small in size. The plant KP Tin set up in Indonesia was smaller. The productivity of the plant he later set up in Hong Kong was 2 to 3 times higher.

In 1959, because of Chan Yat-sun, KP Tin had sat the Board of Directors of Pok Oi Hospital for 3 consecutive years until 1962. Through Chan Yat-sun, his interactions with the commercial field went strong. Tuen Mun residents welcomed Tin to set up plants there. Trucks kept coming in and out during reclamation, and the villagers willingly gave way to them. The plants in Tuen Mun were short and did not obstruct the vision. There used to be a minor obstacle when the Ping Shan plant was set up. It was all because the bamboos planted by Tangs’ ancestral hall grew into Tin’s plant, and were then chopped down, which angered many clansmen of the Tangs. Sewage discharge was not a challenge for Tin’s plant. The problem with the chimney was eventually solved. KP Tin was not active in the merchants’ associations due to difference between his business and others. He only joined The Hong Kong Plastics Manufacturers Association. KP Tin cared about only his own business and remained low-profile over the decades. He had stuck with the plastic industry all the years and never switched to the property market. He cared little about wealth and fame but worked hard.

The idea of saving his country with industry had sprouted in KP Tin since his was small. His father opened a kiln in his hometown, which created job opportunities. To KP Tin, industry promotes employment and enhances the intelligence and power of the general public, whereas commerce involves risks and deception, which were not his character. Manufacturers emphasized reputation and their products must not cheat. KP Tin took himself a considerate person. For example, for the convenience of his customers, he offered free delivery and allowed small-quantity orders.

KP Tin honestly admitted that there was nothing to be proud of regarding his career. One thing that comforted him most was the smooth set-up of the Ping Shan plant. In the 1970s, the Government wanted to develop Tuen Mun and acquired Tin’s plants which occupied lands of tens of thousands square feet. Upon the set-up of the new plant in Ping Shan, the site in Tuen Mun was developed into industrial buildings. He felt contented with his life, one that focused on honesty and made others take him from completely new angles. KP Tin thought that success had a vast array of definitions which were not confined to making money. He deemed success as being respected, for example, being elected as ‘Hong Kong Loving Hearts’, being granted GBM and being named ‘Tin Ka Ping Star’(Editor’s Note: Asteroid 2886). He was never good at politics and annoyed with attending meetings. He scarcely joined any organization of his country fellows. Hong Kong has developed into an international metropolis in recent years and competitions are keen in the society. KP Tin regarded himself an outcast in the rapidly developing Hong Kong due to his honest and down-to-earth character. KP Tin did not socialize a lot with the low-end customers, and occasionally communicated with his staff.