| Makers of artificial plants and flowers in | | | | Xiamen Hanka's manufacturing procedures are |
| China are improving their products through | | | | done both by hand and machine. The |
| the use of delicate materials and handcraft | | | | accessories, fruit and stems undergo plastic |
| techniques. These enhancements are aimed at | | | | injection, while the petals are molded. |
| creating designs that look like real ones. | | | | Gluing of parts and coloring of fine details |
| | | | are carried out manually. |
| Most suppliers use treated polyester for the | | | | |
| petals and leaves, as the material feels soft | | | | Developing realistic designs is also |
| and is easy to shape. Others work with silk | | | | Evertrust Arts & Crafts Co. Ltd's key R&D |
| to lend petals a brighter sheen and a softer | | | | focus. In fact, the company operates a flower |
| texture. Flowers made of sheer and velvetlike | | | | farm near its factory so that designers can |
| fabric are also offered. While stems usually | | | | study and have a closer look at the details, |
| come in molded plastic, some are wrapped with | | | | forms and colors of various plants and |
| paper strips to make them more | | | | flowers. |
| realistic-looking. | | | | |
| | | | Roses, magnolias, lilies and sunflowers are |
| To emphasize small details, some companies | | | | the best-selling designs. Models intended for |
| are manufacturing artificial flowers by hand. | | | | Valentine's Day are also popular, especially |
| Manual production results in slight | | | | red roses. |
| imperfections and makes every item unique, | | | | |
| just as in live plants and flowers. Pieces of | | | | Flowers in cream or off-white likewise sell |
| fabric are normally cut, folded and glued | | | | well, as they blend easily with any home |
| manually to make the petals and leaves. | | | | interior color theme. |
| Painting and finishing of plastic fruit are | | | | |
| also done mostly by hand. | | | | The company's artificial plants and flowers |
| | | | have petals made of specially treated |
| In addition, there are a number of China | | | | polyester and silk, and stems in plastic. |
| suppliers that run their own flower farms. | | | | Paper is also being used. The materials are |
| This enables designers to have a close look | | | | sourced domestically. |
| at the colors and forms of flowers in their | | | | |
| different growth stages. Design teams are | | | | Shandong Weifang Evertrust Arts & Crafts Co. |
| also provided with regular training to help | | | | Ltd's latest range is completely handmade. |
| them develop their skills. | | | | Leaves and petals are cut, molded and glued |
| | | | by hand. |
| Because the line is seasonal, most suppliers | | | | |
| are releasing artificial plants and flowers | | | | Shandong-based Qingdao Juyi International |
| specially designed for spring, autumn and | | | | Trading Co. Ltd exports artificial flowers |
| Christmas. Roses and arrangements for | | | | mainly for Christmas, spring and weddings. |
| Valentine's Day are also best-sellers. | | | | Among its popular designs are roses, lilies |
| | | | and poinsettias. The company also releases |
| Close to the real thing | | | | flower collections for summer and autumn. |
| | | | |
| Artificial flower | | | | Designs are made of velvet, glitter and paper |
| | | | foam sourced from domestic suppliers. The |
| Orchid model GFA56 from Qingdao Juyi has | | | | company also imports sheer fabric from |
| seven 9cm-diameter flower heads, three buds | | | | Taiwan, and hard-to-find materials from Japan |
| and six leaves. The flowers and leaves are | | | | or South Korea. |
| silk and the stem is plastic. Price is $1.47. | | | | |
| | | | The company's R&D team visits Guangzhou twice |
| Close to the real thing | | | | a year to find new materials and attend |
| | | | international trade shows. Designers also |
| Xiamen Hanka Imp. & Exp. Ltd offers a range | | | | speak with buyers from the US and Europe to |
| of artificial fruit, plants and flowers. | | | | learn about the latest trends. |
| Among the company's popular releases this | | | | |
| year are the lemon and orange series, which | | | | Most of Qingdao Juyi's designs are entirely |
| are available in tree, garland or branch | | | | handmade. "The majority of suppliers in |
| designs. Poppies, magnolias and strawberries | | | | Shandong and other northern provinces in |
| are also selling well. | | | | China produce artificial flowers by hand," |
| | | | manager Margaret Lan said. |
| "From a distance of one meter, it would be | | | | |
| very difficult to determine whether our | | | | Typically, the fabric undergoes cutting, |
| plants and flowers are real or not. This is | | | | petal folding and forming, stitching and |
| our main requirement to the R&D team," | | | | dyeing.Some makers use molds in petal making, |
| manager Frank Lin said. | | | | in which fabric is pressed against the mold |
| | | | and cut to shape. However, a single mold may |
| Xiamen Hanka employs two part-time designers | | | | cost $12,000. |
| from the Netherlands, who conduct training | | | | |
| for its local designers and keep them abreast | | | | But even while artificial plants and flowers |
| of the latest trends. | | | | from Qingdao are mostly handcrafted, their |
| | | | export prices are still lower than those of |
| The company uses polyester for most of its | | | | machine-processed versions from the southern |
| flowers because of the material's softness, | | | | provinces of Guangdong and Zhejiang. |
| and Styrofoam and PU for fruit. Some | | | | |
| materials are imported from Taiwan and South | | | | "This is mainly because labor wages in the |
| Korea. "Our suppliers do not care much about | | | | northern provinces are much lower. For |
| the material. What they are more concerned | | | | instance, workers in Qingdao are paid three |
| about is how we make our products look and | | | | to four times less than in Guangdong and |
| feel like real plants or flowers," Lin said. | | | | Zhejiang," Lan said. |
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