Generations - Upgrade, Innovation and Vision
Communication is always challenging and complicated between generations. Legacies, changes, and innovations begin when generations meet. Three generations of leaders have transformed uanuan from a local metal workshop to an international brand. Their metalworks highlight skills and expertise in Taiwan. Tung Ho Steel also expands globally through three generations. Responsive to changing needs, the company brings metal to the wider world. This installation demonstrates what industry and art can achieve.
Crafting stylish and practical everyday items.
From Yuan Min Metal to uanuan, the focus has always been on consumer goods. The earlier generations made cookware and tableware for the domestic market, while the previous generation manufactured products for export to Europe. The third generation, represented by James, realized, "I'm not European; I can't make products suited for European lifestyles." He concluded, "I need to create things that Taiwanese people can truly use." This led to the founding of uanuan, which has raised NT$116,204,617 on crowdfunding platforms.
These small yet significant household items, whether practical or stylish, are the result of the hard work and dedication of three generations.
Innovative advancements in line with international trends.
Deeply rooted in Taiwan, Tung Ho Steel has leveraged the strength of three generations to expand the company globally. In response to international energy-saving trends, they have upgraded their equipment and processes, significantly reducing energy consumption with a factory that operates without heating furnaces. They also established the Tung Ho Steel Culture Foundation, opening up possibilities for dialogue between steel and various other fields, creating new connections between industry and art, and achieving greatness in steel.
From industry to art and culture, Tung Ho Steel is like a transformer, constantly evolving. It symbolizes "innovation," reflecting how each family member responds to the changing times.
Steel is widely used in construction, transportation, and even household utensils, with its greatest characteristic being its recyclability and reusability. Tung Ho Steel harnesses the recyclable nature of steel by collecting scrap steel and iron from urban areas, repurposing them into structural steel or rebar, achieving the goal of "urban mining." This allows people to move towards sustainable development in a more energy-efficient and environmentally friendly way.
In 2013, they initiated an artist-in-residence program, inviting one Taiwanese and one international artist each year to work at the Tung Ho Steel factory in Miaoli, creating art from scrap steel. This program has become a significant example of collaboration between Taiwanese businesses and the arts, sparking new connections between industrial production and artistic expression. In 2023, they launched the "Refinement Project," inviting architectural and structural construction teams to engage in dialogue and explore new possibilities in steel structures, bringing new inspiration to the application of steel construction.