China's hardware lock industry needs to raise brand awareness

In recent years, China's hardware lock industry has been developing steadily at an annual growth rate of 15%. The annual total output value has reached more than 180 billion yuan***, and exports have reached more than US$8 billion. It accounts for about one-third of China's total light industry exports, ranking the top three in light industry.

In the globalization and integrated market economy environment, China's hardware lock industry is also facing fierce market competition. Especially in the global environment where the financial crisis and economic crisis have swept the world, the fierce market competition has led to fierce price competition. How to find a way out for SMEs in the hardware lock industry? How to survive in the competition is an area where research and improvement are urgently needed.

China currently has more than 1,000 enterprises with an annual sales of over 5 million yuan, an annual export value of 950 million US dollars, and domestic sales of about 20 billion yuan. However, the fact that we must face squarely is that high-end products in export products only account for 15% to 20%, while high-end products in China can only be regarded as mid-range products in the developed countries. The low price is a common phenomenon. In addition, there is only one independent brand in China's current export products. Compared with foreign products, whether it is brand awareness or product prices, China's lock products have a very large gap.

Poor brand awareness is a common phenomenon in China's lock industry, which has important links with the industry's more specific development experience. In fact, the production of locks in our country has a long history as other traditional industries. In the era of planned economy, there are 270 lock manufacturers in China, many of which have a century-old brand. At that time, no matter the level of design, the advanced equipment, or the quality of personnel are comparable to advanced countries, there are many advanced designs and good quality. product. Poor brand awareness has narrowed the company’s development thinking. Many lock makers in developed countries have embarked on the road of product matching and serialization. However, when Chinese companies mentioned multiple developments, they didn't think of lock-related products, but they were similar to those in real estate and restaurants.

Poor brand awareness has restricted the development of the industry. The first is that the technological content, quality, and price of China's lock products are significantly lower than the advanced level of the developed countries. The most direct manifestation of poor brand awareness is the lack of investment in designing R&D, purchasing advanced equipment and molds, training professionals and after-sales services. The lock industry is not only a traditional industry, but also has a close connection with high and new technology. A lock may seem simple, but it must be completed through 110 processes. Only with advanced design and equipment and high-quality professionals can we produce High value-added products. For example, with the same raw materials, the quality of products processed using different equipment and molds is completely different. The performance in the development of high-tech products is also very clear. Germany has produced a silent lock, and the market price has reached more than 400 euros.