The Transformation of Fowind’s Toy Products

Lam Leung believed that impetus for Hong Kong’s manufacturers to develop new products depended on their relationship with clients and their receptiveness of product diversity. If a client committed to long-term orders, the manufacturers would be more willing to invest in innovative product development. The toys of Fowind changed along with the changing market tastes. At the beginning, Lam focused on plastic daily goods, but he switched to doll costumes, and toy cars that were made of aluminium alloy. In 1972, they began to produce electronic toys. Fowind had diverse product lines. Lam believed human resource was imperative to product development. Fowind established a research department in 2000, hiring graduates of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University to do materials testing and introduce innovative ideas for product development. Overseas clients were mostly concerned about product safety. Giant retailers such as Wal-Mart would send representatives to the factory site and check the products, although they were not direct clients ofFowind. The International Council of Toy Industries was the international organisation governing the industry. It would blacklist manufacturers who had malpractices. Every country had its own safety standard over raw materials, regulating, for instance, the amount of lead content in paint. Fowind was aware of complying with each set of standard of different markets. For that, they needed employees who had knowledge of the safety standards of various importing countries.

Interviewee
Company Forward Winsome Industries Limited
Date
Subject Industry
Duration 8m28s
Language Cantonese
Material Type
Collection
Source Hong Kong Memory Project Oral History Interview
Repository Hong Kong Memory Project
Note to Copyright Copyright owned by Hong Kong Memory Project
Accession No. LKF-FW-SEG-008
Share Share