Curteis Chat: February 2012

Friday 3 February 2012

Search For Manufacturing Partners Sees Us Head East !

'Bangkok has him now' - A famous phrase from 'The Hangover part II', a film which was released last year. Bangkok is about to see another new arrival - ME - although, as I don't drink, the phrase from the film won't apply.

I am jetting off next Tuesday (7th February) to visit the The 49th Bangkok Gems and Jewellery Fair for the first time. I have done previous trips to Vicenza in Italy, Instanbul in Turkey and Guadalajara in Mexico. Others from the company have visited Bangkok and Hong Kong, as well as other major European and American shows.

The reason for the trip is to meet customers and suppliers, as well as looking at product and seeing if we can find any ideas or products to introduce to our range in 2012. The Asian market is especially competitive for stone-set products. We find we can manufacture items in the UK competitively through casting and pressing, using tools we make ourselves, but for stone-setting, and labour-intensive work, we look to find production partners to get us competitively priced highly saleable products of the right quality. Asia has much potential in that regard, although very few companies can meet our requirements as regards quality. You have to be very selective.

Im looking forward to the trip (though I dont think my body clock is so happy about it). It will be a new experience of cultures, business and language, although, at the trade show, English will be easily accessible.

We currently have a specification put together of ideas to look for and things customers want to see us add to our range. I would be interested in any further feed back - if there are any pieces you would like to see us add in to our range, or areas in jewellery you are looking for, and can't find suppliers. I will be seeing all that's available while I'm there. I can keep an eye out for you.

We always like as much feedback from our customers as possible, its one of the many ways we can improve as a supplier to you! So please leave me a message with some ideas!

Posted by Craig Rogers 3.2.12

So You're Here!

I was browsing some UK jewellery chat rooms last week, and came across people chatting...............

.........about US!!!!

See for example Jewellery Forum.

It was quite well informed as chat goes, with some commenters standing up for us against the critics. Critics?! Why would we have critics?

Some people look at our website where we show the recommended retail price of our products. We do this because the public can browse the site, and do so. Some trade browsers, however, didn't notice the prices were RRPs. They were going around thinking and saying in chat that our prices were outrageous!!!

What's a man to do?

Fortunately, a signed up customer in the chat was able to point out that once you're signed on as a bona fide customer, the prices are in fact very good. No supplier is any cheaper than us. We sell to places like Hong Kong in volume, Japanese department stores who insist on the very best quality, not to mention thousands of independent retail outlets in the UK and Ireland. We were the first jewellery manufacturer that sold direct to shops in the 1980s.

After seeing what's going on on the web, we definitely think it's time we joined in internet chat, and made our case. So here we are.

Thanks for calling by. Tell us what your concerns are while you're around. Tell us your story - what's good, what's bad, what we can improve, or should know that we don't know, or what's funny or worrying. How's the story from your point of view?

This is where you can land your comments back to us. We'll see immediately what you say, and so will others. Obviously bad language will not pass the monitors but we will accept and publish constructive criticism.

If you want to write guest posts on topics of interest, make suggestions, or write back your thoughts in confidence, send them in by email. The address can be found under About Curteis. Or use the usual info@curteis.com

Go for it! Comments please.....

Henry Curteis