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About Us

Manufacturing

About Us

Manufacturing

We want to create the best product possible for you. And yes, we have high standards. In order to meet these exacting standards we picked our Chinese suppliers and production companies very carefully.
This was important to us:
  • Willingness and ability to develop with us as a brand to meet tomorrow’s requirements
  • Stable, long-term partnerships
  • Continuous communication – nothing can beat that
  • Fair conditions for everyone
Over the last two decades we have been able to continuously develop our know-how regarding high quality production and thanks to our long-term cooperation with our loyal partners, we have also managed to grow in ecological and procedural areas. Skill and quality are more important to us than the lowest production price, which is why we have been working with our main sewing factory since 2015.
And this is how it works:
Our manufacturers deliver the finished goods and invoice them. All Ucon Acrobatics products are manufactured in China. Why? It is simply the ideal location for our broad product range with its multitude of different materials. You will find our main manufacturing facility in Quanzhou in the Fujian province; a region specialized in the production of bags and backpacks.
Ucon Manufacturing
Since 2018 a dedicated production group has been working on Ucon Acrobatics products exclusively. It’s a win-win situation: the factory benefits from planning stability and we are able to produce smaller production runs if needed. Our water resistant backpacks are produced in a factory specialized in high-frequency welding close by, while two other suppliers take care of fabrics and trims. To meet the increasing demand for our products two further factories in Shenzhen and Guangzhou have been added to that mix in 2020.

Wages

Fair wages are non-negotiable for us – surely you agree. In 2018 the minimum wage in Fujian was 1,500 RMB per month (a bowl of rice costs ~ 1 RMB). Since Chinese factories cannot find workers very easily these days, our main factory pays double or triple that amount; the staff working for the Ucon Acrobatics working group gets paid triple. Some very skilled workers even make it to seven times the minimum wage in peak seasons (including overtime surcharge).

Working time

Why overtime you might wonder. This is admittedly the biggest challenge in adhering to our Code of Conduct. In China, “standard” working hours tend to be up to 60 hours per week, in peak season sometimes even more. Through better production planning our suppliers have been able to reduce these hours. However, since they are common in the Chinese textile industry, this is only a step in the right direction. What the textile world needs is a change in the mindset and habits of factory management.

Production visits

We want to know what is going on. This is why regular visits are essential to us. Only by doing so can we find meaningful solutions for, and with, the people on site and make sure that these are properly implemented. Moreover, we build trust and show that a good working environment and fair working conditions are important to us.
One of our founders takes care of this: he visits the production sites several times per year and checks the processes personally.
  • 2017: five visits, 68 days in total
  • 2018: four visits, 52 days in total
  • 2019: three visits, one of seven weeks

Code of Conduct

Acting ethically and responsibly – this is our commitment and should be the commitment of everyone in our opinion. This is why we have sharpened our pencils and created our very own Code of Conduct which our business partners commit to when working with us.
General:
  • Fighting corruption
  • Fair competition
  • International trade
  • Health and safety
  • Human rights
  • Equal rights and diversity
  • Environmental protection
  • Legally binding employment
For suppliers:
  • Work is freely selectable
  • Freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining
  • No discrimination at work
  • No exploitation of children
  • Payment of at least minimum wage
  • Appropriate working hours
  • Safe and healthy working conditions

Sustainability Report

Ucon Acrobatics - Sustainability Report 2019 (Pdf, english, 4.8mb)
‍Ucon Acrobatics - Nachhaltigkeitsbericht 2019 (Pdf, german, 4.8mb)

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