Thunder Tiger Acquires

Two Companies in U.S.;

Sets up Subsidiary in Europe

To meet growing global demand and expand market territories, Thunder Tiger Corporation, the biggest manufacturer of model toys in Taiwan, acquired the Team Associated in Los Angeles in August 2005.

In an exclusive interview with this publication, Ailing Lai, chairman of Thunder Tiger Corporation, said the 75-man company has been running quite smoothly. "Since this company has an abundant experience in the business, we are very optimistic that our business of model toys in the U.S. is expected to grow further in the future," commented Lai, who had served for two terms as chairman of the Taiwan Toy and Children's Article Manufacturers Association (TCMA).

In an attempt to achieve a biggest market share in the United States, Thunder Tiger Corporation acquired Ace company in 1997 and moved to Los Angeles in 2000 to enhance its sales and marketing efforts in the U.S.

The German subsidiary in Dasing is run by seven people, with Carl Kuehn being the general manager, who is in charge of Thunder Tiger's business operations in Europe. While Team Associated has 75 employees, Ace has 24. The model toy maker has been operating a factory in Ningpo, mainland China, with 540 workers. Although it has a major operation in mainland China, the headquarters in the Taichung Industrial Park in central Taiwan is still maintained, with a total workforce of 260.

Ailing Lai who founded Thunder Tiger Corporation about three decades ago with only NT$20,000 cherishes the importance of R&D which leads to innovative products of his model toys. When he was the chairman of the Taiwan Toy and Children's Article Manufacturers Association for two consecutive terms of six years, he called on his member companies to sharpen R&D efforts, build brand awareness and strengthen international marketing which is generally weak for Taiwan manufacturers and exporters. With these efforts successfully implemented, their quality products can be sustainable and profitable in the world market, he stated.