Vietnamese mfr. under new corporate umbrella
By Thomas Russell -- Furniture Today, January 30, 2006
At The Market — Vietnamese case goods manufacturer The Country Co. is under a new corporate umbrella that also includes a new sourcing division.
Company principals formed The American Co. in December. In addition to providing a new corporate identity, it serves as the parent company of the Vietnamese manufacturer and its U.S. marketing and design arm based in Sacramento, Calif.
The Country Co. makes rustic bedroom, dining room and occasional furniture, mostly from recycled pine, in its factory near Ho Chi Minh City. This spring, it plans to partner with a manufacturer that produces more contemporary-style furniture.
The newest division of The American Co. is a sourcing company called D&G Trading. Also formed late last year, it aims to introduce North American furniture importers to factories in Vietnam, including The Country Co.
In Las Vegas, D&G Trading is showing at Mandalay Bay, space 62662.
Hired to head D&G is Al Ling Loh, who is based in the Ho Chi Minh City area. She will help oversee quality control and production at The Country Co. and the contemporary furniture producer. She and her staff will match clients with the right factories and will also address quality issues for those same clients.
Ted Dash, president and CEO of The American Co., said D&G Trading primarily will guide newcomers to Vietnam who need help finding plants and communicating with plant personnel. The service will involve both Vietnamese-owned plants and larger Taiwanese-owned facilities.
"We take all the guesswork out of it," he said. "It provides great assurance and increases the comfort level for people coming to Vietnam that they are taken to the right places. It gives them more confidence in what they are doing."
Dash said D&G also will steer prospective OEM clients to The Country Co.
Because The Country Co. already has operations in Vietnam and is run by Vietnamese and American owners, officials believe they have a better understanding of the country than sourcing agents in other parts of Asia.
"We are just focused on the Vietnamese market," said John Giang Tran, chief financial officer and chief operating officer. "We understand the Vietnamese factories, and we can help the major buyers source their products in Vietnam to compete with the Chinese market.
"We believe Vietnam is right for the major Top 100 retailers to do business with if they have the right trading company and the right source that understands the culture, the productivity and the people."
-
Vietnamese mfr. under new corporate umbrella
Feb 2, 2006
Featured Company
-
Wright Labels
Bill and Tom Wright founded Wright of Thomasville in 1961 on the idea that printing was a creative medium and the belief that "a promise made is a promise kept." The Wright brothers focused their attention on providing exceptional printing for the... more
VIEW ALL GALLERIES
