There are a ton of umbrella manufacturers around the world, but none of them are as renowned as the Songxia Umbrella Industrial Park. This guide serves to illustrate the identity and the impact of China’s most prominent location for the umbrella business.
First, we’ll look at the three major areas in China that produce umbrellas. Only until then will we explore what makes Songxia Umbrella Industrial Park the most prominent area.
The Three Umbrella Production Bases of China
1) Dongshi in Fujian Province
This town located near the eastern portion of the Anhai Bay is home to well above 300 umbrella manufacturers. They are so numerous that seeing one is as easy as walking around the township-level division.
Still, the prominence of umbrella producers is not a hindrance to development. Rather, upwards of 27,000 people work in these enterprises, with their economic stability largely dependent on the supply and demand of umbrellas around the world.
- A Healthy Business Environment
We pertain to the business in the Dongshi township as global because it does serve international markets. In 2016 alone, this umbrella industry was the supplier of 400 million umbrellas to over 150 nations and generated a whopping 10 billion yuan in output value.
More than 10 of the umbrella manufacturers here in Dongshi enjoy sales of 100 million yuan each, year on year. And the relatively smaller enterprises are having robust performances as well with average yearly sales of 10 million yuan each.
- Innovation and Infrastructure
These numbers alone speak of the size of their infrastructure. In Dongshi, Fujian, you can find all the necessary equipment to assemble an umbrella. There are complex production machines that serve a variety of functions such as electroplating and cold rolling.
Likewise, there is no need to outsource any parts of the umbrella. Everything from the fabric to the ribs can be found in the Dongshi Umbrella Industry. The area is even known as the biggest producer and exporter of raw materials.
Thus, this place is also where you can find affordable and premium umbrella replacement parts. Dongshi is even recognized as having one of the most comprehensive umbrella production chains in the world.
Combine Dongshi’s massive workforce and complete infrastructure with its state-of-the-art research institutions, and it’s clear why international companies choose to get their umbrellas designed and manufactured here.
And in Fujian, not only Dongshi, Zhangzhou and Xiamen also have a lot umbrella factory, umbrella manufacturer in Zhangzhou city are producing middle and high-quality umbrellas, Superain is a reliable umbrella manufacturer where located at the Zhangzhou, can supply you quality umbrellas with favorable price.
2) Guangzhou City and Taoyuan Town in Guangdong Province
The port city of Guangzhou is where you will find many umbrella manufacturers, including some that have been around for at least three decades. In that timespan, the region has grown to produce umbrellas on a global scale.
Moreover, the city has umbrella enterprises that go beyond the production of affordable umbrellas. While those are still produced due to how many people avail of them, a good number of umbrella companies in Guangzhou have gone on to offer deluxe umbrellas.
This offering of premium umbrellas is not a mere trend but a reflection of the socio-economic growth in the province of Guangdong. Now, there is a surge of families moving up from the lower-income to the middle and high-income brackets.
- Taoyuan Town and Its Success in Advertising
On a related note, the province of Guangdong is not only home to Guangzhou but also to Heshan City. Here, you’ll find the town of Taoyuan, which has developed a reputation for being one of the best in the business of umbrella advertising.
While Dongshi has upwards of 300 umbrella enterprises, the 54-square kilometer town of Taoyuan has around 200. This is enough to provide work for 15,000 people. Note that it just has a population of 22,000, so one can see just how impactful the umbrella industry is.
3) Xiaoshan District and Songxia City in Zhejiang Province
Finally, there are two renowned areas in the province of Zhejiang that have shaped the umbrella industry. First up is the town of Nanyang in the Xiaoshan District, which is known as “China’s Umbrella Town” along with the aforementioned Dongshi Town.
Here, the umbrella industry generates a minimum of five billion yuan in annual sales. This is equal to 68 percent of the town’s local gross domestic product (GDP). And with this economic output, Nanyan Town was able to shift from a rural to an industrial destination.
The other Songxia City is recognized as “China’s Umbrella City” not only by the China Light Industry Federation but also the China Commodity Industry Association. Thus, entrepreneurs can get a good start in the umbrella business if they set up here.
- The Workforce and Competition in Songxia
In Zhejiang, there is no other bigger umbrella industry park than Songxia. Home to both new enterprises and well-established manufacturing companies, the city with a population of 110,000 is where 30,000 to 40,000 people work to assemble all sorts of umbrellas.
These employees belong in one of the 1,200 umbrella enterprises that offer wholesale services. And take note that there 2,000 industrial enterprises overall in Songxia. In other words, around 60 percent of businesses here are part of the umbrella industry.
But is this majority valuable or detrimental to progress? Well, this sheer number drives up the competition in the region, which not only brings prices down for the average consumer but also accelerates research and development.
No business can survive without constant innovation, especially if there are a thousand other similar entities eager to take over your consumer base. Thus, Songxia has become the host to several types of umbrellas — some made for golf and rain, others for the beach or for patios.
- The Songxia Umbrella Industrial Park in Numbers
Business is booming in Songxia, particularly for the umbrella industry. As much as 58 percent of its total local GDP comes from this sector alone. Every year, there are at least 20 umbrella manufacturers here that capture more than 100 million yuan each.
Furthermore, there are around 100 umbrella enterprises that receive a tenth of this value. Ten million yuan in annual sales might not be as impressive, but it’s proof that there is no absolute monopoly in Songxia.
Ever since the umbrella industrial park was set up here in 2002, enterprises have utilized around 7,500 mu of land. Five thousand of those was the planned total area while the remaining third was used for development.
Today, there are 30 villages in Songxia focused on the umbrella industry. And with umbrella manufacturers in Songxia producing 400 million umbrellas each year, it was clear that they’re maximizing the land they were given.
In fact, that amount is already 25 percent of China’s total output — which means that one in four umbrellas is made here, in Songxia. It helps that traffic isn’t bad here, especially with the Hangzhou-Ningbo Expressway and the city’s proximity to those cities’ respective airports.
- Umbrella Variations and Services in Songxia
There is no scarcity in human, material, and technological resources here. Thus, every process from designing the umbrellas to printing the fabric and assembling the frame is conducted here — there is no need to outsource any material or production phase.
The Songxia Umbrella Industrial Park is capable of providing standard and customized umbrellas through their machines and equipment. As of now, the enterprises offer more than a thousand varieties of umbrellas, ensuring that your business gets the right kind.
Even if you cannot go to Songxia, you can still acquire their umbrella products somewhere else for practically the same price. Songxia is around 114 kilometers away from Yiwu, where you can find the popular Yiwu wholesale market complex.
At the Yiwu market, you will find nearly 300 umbrella manufacturers coming in from Songxia. This doesn’t include the hundreds of companies offering their umbrella e-commerce services as well. It’s a great place to get physical umbrella supplies and kickstart your online business.
- Room for Improvement in Songxia
China is way ahead from their competition when it comes to the umbrella manufacturing business. But there are aspects that can be further developed. For one, the trade links between Songxia and the Yiwu market complex could be better.
The small-time umbrella businesses shouldn’t have to primarily depend on the Yiwu market to stay afloat. E-commerce should be prioritized. There is a huge international market to tap, and it shouldn’t be available to only the biggest umbrella manufacturers of Songxia.
Investments in information technology are essential if Songxia wants to remain on top. Nearly all of the 1,200 umbrella enterprises should have a way to affordably market their products and services online.
Likewise, there’s a bit of concern with how efficient the industry is in processing sales and deliver orders. Market expansion is mandatory and there should be transparency between the front-end and back-end components of umbrella enterprises.
- A Bright Future Ahead
China is taking an active stance in ensuring the long-term success of the Songxia Umbrella Industrial Park. Old umbrella factories are slowly but learned to begin utilizing SEO selling chanel— these will enable their e-commerce initiative and speed up umbrella selling.
Songxia and the other umbrella production bases already have the advantage of cheap labor over international markets such as Europe, Japan, and the United States. These nations cannot compete with the sheer quantity of China’s workforce. Thus, these developed nations can only grab a piece of the global demand for umbrella designs, imports, and wholesale businesses.
In the end, the umbrella manufacturers in Songxia need to improve the umbrellas quality to meet the market requested. the Songxia Umbrella Industrial Park could easily retain its momentum as one of the world’s biggest production bases. Both export and growth rates are increasing year over year, with China exporting more than 880 million umbrellas in 2016.
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