70% of the false eyelashes in the world are ＂flat＂, and there is ＂real gold＂ in the false eyelashes.
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Build leading enterprises and brands, give full play to the advantages of industrial agglomeration, replace the "single-handedness" of family workshops with the standardization and standardization of "group development", further intensify industrial transformation and upgrading, make the industrial chain bigger and stronger, and build core competitiveness.
Entering the Yicaimeier false eyelashes production workshop at the foot of Daze Mountain in pingdu city, Qingdao, a female worker is sorting and packaging different types of false eyelashes.
"There are thousands of different models of false eyelashes produced by our company, and all kinds of false eyelashes products that consumers need can be found here." Li Xiangying, head of Yicaimeier False Eyelash Factory, said.
False eyelashes, this seemingly inconspicuous beauty fast-moving product, is an indispensable "finishing touch artifact" for beauty experts. In the 1970s, Dazeshan Town, located in pingdu city, Qingdao, began to produce false eyelashes. For decades, the false eyelashes industry in Pingdu continued to grow. By the end of 2020, the annual output value of the false eyelashes industry in this city accounted for 80% of the national output and 70% of the global market share. There were nearly 5,000 enterprises with an annual output value of about 7 billion yuan, which led to the employment of more than 50,000 people.
Dazeshan Town, as the germination place of Pingdu false eyelashes industry, occupies half of the city’s false eyelashes industry. At present, the output value of eyelash industry in Dazeshan town has reached more than 4 billion yuan, forming a complete false eyelash industry belt covering design, customization, processing, packaging, sales, logistics, foreign trade and so on. The monthly income of workers reaches 5,000 yuan, making it a rich industry.
Recently, the reporter walked into Dazeshan Town, Pingdu, and visited how the enterprises here dig "real gold" in false eyelashes.
With the advantage of industrial agglomeration
"My own factory has nearly 50 workers, and there are other processing points, which add up to more than 300 workers." Wang Haibo, who founded Boxiu Eyelash Company in 2019, is a "rising star" in the local false eyelash industry. With the help of the gathering advantages of the false eyelashes industry in Dazeshan Town, after only two years of development, the company’s monthly sales of false eyelashes reached more than 1 million pairs.
Entering the processing workshop of Wang Haibo factory, dozens of workers are busy on the operating table. Speaking of the production process of false eyelashes, Wang Haibo suddenly opened the chatterbox. "The raw materials for the production of false eyelashes are chemical fiber, mink hair, human hair and other materials. Although a pair of false eyelashes are not big, they need to go through nearly ten production processes such as pressing hair, combing hair, combining thread, winding tube, setting, gluing, and coming to the stage. Finally, they can leave the factory after passing the quality inspection."
Wang Haibo told reporters that when the local area first started to produce false eyelashes decades ago, workers could only arrange the raw materials of false eyelashes one by one with their hands according to the style requirements. Because the diameter of false eyelashes was less than 1 mm, the precision requirement was high. At that time, the production efficiency of the processes of pressing and combing hair was very low. Later, a local hair pressing mold was invented. The bottom of the mold has tiny grooves that are precisely processed according to the specifications of eyelash raw materials. After the raw materials of false eyelashes are put in, they can be neatly arranged in a row, and workers can easily stick a row of neat false eyelashes with adhesive tape.
Thanks to the appearance of embossing die, the production efficiency of local enterprises has been rapidly increased by 10 times.
"After pressing, combing and cutting the hair, it is necessary to roll up the rows of eyelashes with a thin steel pipe to dry them, so that the eyelashes have a certain warpage, and they will be preliminarily shaped. Then, after 3D shaping, going on stage and quality inspection, they can be packaged and shipped." Wang Haibo said.
Although it entered this industry late, Wang Haibo now not only has fixed offline sales channels, but also sells through e-commerce platforms such as Alibaba, and has gradually established stable cooperative relations with foreign trade enterprises in Guangdong and Shanghai.
Find another way to attack overseas markets
Unlike Wang Haibo’s focus on the domestic market, Sun Hang, general manager of Qingdao Isabella Eyelash Co., Ltd. located in pingdu city Economic Development Zone, focuses on developing overseas markets, and the company’s current annual sales amount to more than 20 million yuan.
Sun Hang, born in 1980s, originally worked in a bank in Qingdao. In 2019, he learned that the false eyelashes market in Pingdu, his hometown had a good development prospect. After some market research and careful consideration, he quit his job and started a business.
"At that time, Pingdu’s false eyelashes industry has developed very well. Many enterprises have their own markets. If they still focus on the domestic market, they will not quickly form their core competitiveness." With her previous banking experience and English advantages, Sun Hang began to expand the overseas market of false eyelashes and set up a branch in the United States.
"Now there are more than ten employees in the US branch, and domestic companies are mainly responsible for contacting local processing and production enterprises to supply overseas branches." Sun Hang said.
Overseas, online and offline. Facing the rapid development of information technology, Sun Hang not only focuses on the offline market, but also actively explores the online market, constantly opening up the company’s product popularity. "We now have our own live delivery team, and we will also make some promotional videos for foreign companies and promote them in China. One mink hair waterproof false eyelashes product has attracted many foreign customers, and the order volume has reached 2 million pairs." Sun Hang said.
Strong industrial chain helps transformation and upgrading
Different from the above two start-ups, Deng Xiaojun, general manager of Qingdao Iman Meijie Trading Co., Ltd., tasted the "sweetness" brought by technology and fame more than ten years ago.
"If you want to build a good brand, you must have your own core competitive advantage. We attach great importance to the innovative research and development of production technology and have obtained more than ten patented technologies." Deng Xiaojun said that with the advantage of patented technology, the company has gradually launched the brand of false eyelashes. At present, there are more than ten brands such as Aijieshi series and Aijieshi Guochao series, and the company’s annual sales amount is more than 40 million yuan.
The reporter learned that over the years, by undertaking the processing and production by well-known beauty companies and large foreign trade companies, local false eyelashes products have spread all over the world, but the problems such as lack of leading voice, low added value and insufficient labor force have gradually become prominent. Therefore, building leading enterprises and brands, and replacing "single-handedness" of family workshops with "group-like" standardized and standardized factories, has become a topic for local exploration of the development of false eyelashes industry.
"Subcontracting is not only low in profit, but also not a long-term solution for enterprise development. Building independent brands can form their own competitive advantages in the market, which is the only way for long-term development of enterprises." Deng Xiaojun said that in recent years, the local government has not only issued relevant policies to support the development of eyelash industry, but also given enterprises all-round support in taxation, logistics, talents and brands, and will build an eyelash industrial park, which will be a good opportunity for enterprises to transform, upgrade and develop.
For example, at present, Pingdu has basically mastered the relatively core finished product processing links in the industrial chain of false eyelashes, and has a relatively complete core supporting industry. In order to further strengthen, supplement and extend the chain, the city issued "Several Policies to Support the Development of Eyelash Industry", and at the same time, it plans to build a "beautiful online new economic industrial park" to develop the false eyelashes industry, further intensify the transformation and upgrading of the false eyelashes industry, and support the industry to become bigger and stronger.
"The industrial park is invested and built by pingdu city Urban Development Group. It will build a standardized factory area according to the’ customized’ factory area construction to meet the needs of enterprises at different stages of development. It will also set up an e-commerce incubation center, a sales exhibition center, a logistics storage center brand cultivation center, and a research and development center to provide a one-stop service platform for enterprises entering the park to help enterprises gather, develop, transform and upgrade." Yang Yanyong, the person in charge of "Beautiful Online New Economy Industrial Park", said that the park will provide training services during the year, and will also cooperate with pingdu city Vocational Education Center and Technician College to carry out e-commerce training, so as to directionally cultivate e-commerce talents and help the development of the park.
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