Beijing Longfuqi Industrial &
Trading Co. Ltd
Established in 1992, Beijing Longfuqi is a
midsize maker of genuine and synthetic leather coats
and jackets, as well as fur garments. Its peak
production months are from July to December. During
the off-season, the company produces knitted
apparel.
OBM orders account for 90 percent of exports. The
company markets leather garments under its Elansi,
Pretty Pile and Meilirong brands.
Beijing Longfuqi posted 30 percent growth in
export sales in 2005. About US$3.5 million worth of
leather garments were shipped, mainly to Russia. The
company also exports to the EU.
Products
Leather garments account for close to 90 percent of
total sales. The company focuses production on
midrange leather coats and jackets
The type, quality and amount of leather and fur
trimming used in designs determine product prices.
Higher-priced garments come in genuine leather and
fur and are priced between US$150 and US$200 each.
Midrange models with faux fur trimming are from
US$80 to US$100. PU leather coats and jackets with
faux fur trimming and polyester lining are between
US$40 and US$50.
The company sources goat and sheepskin from the
provinces of Hebei and Shandong, and genuine and
synthetic fur from Shandong and Shanghai.
Accessories such as buttons and zippers are
purchased in Fujian, Guangdong and Beijing.
Even with increasing material and labor costs,
the company will keep its product prices stable in
the next six months.
The company has two designers who use Adobe
PhotoShop and CorelDraw in product development. It
takes them two or three days to prepare a new model.
During the peak season, 20 to 30 designs are made in
a month, but only 10 go into mass production. About
US$50,000 is spent on R&D annually.
In 2007, Beijing Longfuqi plans to concentrate on
fur garments instead of leather apparel because of
growing demand for the product.
Manufacturing
The company operates an 8,000sqm factory that houses
its executive offices, warehouses for leather, fur
and accessories, and workshops for R&D, sample
production, cutting, sewing, finishing and
packaging.
Before production, six sample makers produce
mock-ups using nine sewing machines, three ironing
machines and 11 cutting tables.
The cutting section has 44 workers and separate
areas for leather, and genuine and synthetic fur.
Aside from ironing and cutting tables, it is
equipped with a Lastar brand fusing machine from
South Korea and automatic cutters.
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