Hitting on the right combination

This article was written by Jagdish Singh and published by the Taiwan Journal on March 27, 2006. It features Sinox Co. Ltd., a Taiwanese company that manufacturers combination locks. The company is now the world's No. 1 maker of combination locks for personal use or as components in consumer products such as luggage and personal computers.

Sinox was founded by C.K. Ling, a Taiwanese aerospace scientist who used to work in the United States. According to this article, Sinox's success presents a challenge to the common assumption that only relatively high-tech companies that spend a huge amount of money on brand building and marketing have a chance to success.

Indeed, Sinox is a relatively low-tech original-design manufacturing (ODM) company that does not push its own brand of locks. Neither does the company spend much on advertising. It is reported that Sinox produces more than 13 million locks every year, with revenues of about US$300 million. The company's sales were reported to have grown by an average 15 percent per year during the past decade. Its clients include a great variety of well-known brands all over the world.

According to C.K. Ling, Sinox's success is based on its commitment to innovation and excellence. Established in 1978, the company has invested heavily on research and development, emphasized strictly on quality control, and focused on style as much as functionality in its product design. This article details how Ling has come to discover the importance of innovative design. Sinox filed its first patent application in Taiwan in 1980. It went on to file other overseas patent applications throughout the following two decades. Now, the company claims to have over 100 patents worldwide. About 80 percent of the company's output of over 200 products are based on its own intellectual property.

The fashion in lock making is also important. Sinox has produced a wide range of eye-catching locks that feature vibrant colors, stylish finishes and captivating contours. Many of these locks are made with lightweight but touch plastic casings.

Most importantly, Sinox's locks are "Travel Sentry Certified". This means that these locks meet specifications stipulated by the U.S. Transportation Security Administration, whose mission is to ensure air-transportation safety. At present, U.S. security personnel are authorized to open up any luggage at any time and, if necessary, destroy locks without having to compensate the owner. In this sense, those locks carrying the "Travel Sentry" logo are accepted by the U.S. Transportation Security Administration. They are designed to let security personnel open them with a special device and re-close them without having to destroy them.