Infusing Sustainable Energy into the Brand：Nicely Machinery Expands Slitting Machine Applications and Delivers Customer-Centric Solutions
Media Press 2023-09-18
【Business Weekly】
( https://www.businessweekly.com.tw/business/indep/1003602 )
How can a Taiwanese slitting machine manufacturer transform tradition into innovation, create significant value, build a memorable brand, and become a trusted partner in assisting global customers towards sustainable practices? With nearly forty years of dedication, Nicely Machinery has a compelling story to share.
While slitter rewinders might not be familiar to everyone, they are essential in the production of a wide range of products—from the chips in credit cards and the packaging films for PET bottles to the laminated layers for wooden tables, security threads in banknotes, and copper foils for automotive lithium batteries. This crucial slitting process involves cutting materials like leather, nonwoven fabrics, paper, film packaging, and metal foils into strips, preparing them for further processing into finished products. Though their role is often hidden behind the scenes, Nicely Machinery, with over forty years of local expertise, has emerged as a globally recognized role in the slitting machinery industry.
Adapting to Market Demands with Highly Customized Services： Pioneering the Growth of Renewable Energy Amidst Market Trends
"Slitting machines have evolved closely with Taiwan's economic development," says Terry Chen, General Manager of Nicely Machinery. "In the early days, we focused on manufacturing slitting machines for thermal paper rolls. As Taiwan's economy grew, our focus expanded from flexible packaging, like films and nonwoven fabrics, to optical films and even the new energy industry. Because slitting is a crucial step in the processing chain, our development in this field has been highly customized, keeping pace with market demands."
With generational transitions underway, Nicely Machinery began its succession planning in 2020, establishing a clear timeline for leadership handover. Terry Chen, who gained hands-on experience at the production site after military service and accumulated years of management experience, has been preparing to lead the brand into its 40th anniversary.
“Over the past 40 years, Nicely has built extensive expertise in engineering slitter rewinders,” Terry notes. “While the pandemic initially increased demand for equipment related to epidemic prevention, such as nonwoven fabrics for surgical masks, we chose not to focus on that market growth. Instead, we strategically pivoted towards energy storage substrates, including copper foils, aluminum foils, electrical insulations, and composite materials used in batteries. Throughout this period, we actively engaged with our customers to enhance their performance.”
Despite the strong preference for Japanese slitter brands among many Taiwanese companies, Nicely emerged as a cost-effective and supportive local alternative. This reputation helped us secure collaboration opportunities with customers in Japan and Europe during the pandemic.
Standing Out in a Competitive Global Market
In the fiercely competitive field of slitting rewinding machinery, Nicely stands out for its extensive range of applications and its unique capability as the only Taiwanese company offering slitting equipment for films over five (5) meters wide. With 70% of its orders coming from international markets, Nicely enjoys significant advantages over global competitors in terms of price, delivery, variety, customization, and service, establishing itself as a leading player in Taiwan's slitting machine industry.
Integrating Sustainability into Service Design and Products
Terry Chen, who furthered his education with an EMBA, recognized the unstoppable rise of ESG and began considering how manufacturers can implement ESG principles while providing sustainable solutions to customers. “Nicely has always prioritized customization. Competing on price through mass production was never our path, and it won’t be in the future either,” Terry explains. “That’s why we’ve shifted towards offering value-added services and comprehensive plant planning, meeting future customer expectations and addressing high-end markets, automation, and sustainability needs.
Automation can significantly reduce labor costs, energy management can lower consumption, and by integrating Nicely’s one-stop services, customers can avoid the hassle of dealing with multiple suppliers. Our end-to-end solutions make plant management more seamless and efficient."
With the rising demand for zero-carbon renewable energy, Nicely is also motivated to implement solar energy solutions to align with global sustainability efforts. "Due to the impact of the Ukraine-Russia war and ongoing supply chain shortages, the economic recovery in 2023 was not as strong as anticipated. When customers' investment budgets decrease but production needs remain high, we, as machine manufacturers, provide solutions to help clients meet both budget constraints and performance goals," Terry explains.
"Since 2023, Nicely has introduced equipment modification and upgrade solutions. With minimal investment, customers can increase their production capacity by 10-20% while reducing power consumption by up to 30%, depending on the scale of advanced drive system upgrades. This approach aligns with sustainability and energy-saving objectives, making our products and services more impactful for our customers."
Terry continues, "Whether customers are purchasing new equipment or upgrading existing systems, they have flexible options to consider. For example, when a corporation plans to expand to new production sites beyond their existing facilities, they may consider acquiring modern production lines or transferring upgraded systems from their old plant. In many cases, they opt for both—purchasing new equipment and retrofitting existing systems simultaneously. For enterprises with multiple factories, this dual approach provides great flexibility to optimize production while improving energy efficiency."
Fostering Talent Retention in Taiwan: Building a Stronger Workforce for the Future
For Nicely, implementing ESG involves prioritizing "people"—providing employees with good working conditions, education, training, and fostering industry-school cooperation. More importantly, it focuses on retaining talent in Taiwan. "Many companies find cost advantages in using foreign labor, but these workers often return to their home countries after a few years.
What do they leave behind in Taiwan?" Terry emphasizes that Nicely is not a traditional labor-intensive industry but one focused on enhancing technical expertise. "Through innovation, we help clients achieve smart production and create future-oriented job opportunities for young people, promoting skill inheritance and nurturing talent for Taiwan. Only with skilled and dedicated staff can our business remain sustainable."
Compared to the past, when Nicely primarily engaged with potential buyers through business trips and frequent in-person exhibitions, market activity has changed significantly since 2020, reshaped by the pandemic. In response, Nicely's sales team has been reinforced by the addition of a multimedia marketing team to visualize our technical concepts through 3D demonstrations, allowing the sales team to better showcase our customization capabilities and strengthen our market presence.
Looking ahead, Terry aims to boost Nicely's domestic recognition while continuing to provide exceptional support to international clients through advanced technical services and timely deliveries. This strategy will inject sustainable energy into the Nicely brand as it moves toward the next 40 years.