How Tollyjoy grew from a 100-worker Singapore factory to a regional brand over 55 years

Founded by Mr Tan Khung Ngee and his wife, Madam Tan Hong Keow, in 1971, the family business later passed to their son who had initially hoped to pursue medicine.

Diapers from Singapore baby-care brand Tollyjoy. (Photo: Facebook/Tollyjoy Singapore)

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SINGAPORE: For generations of parents in Singapore, Tollyjoy has been a familiar name, supplying f eeding bottles, baby wipes, clothes and bedding.

Founded in 1971, the homegrown mother-and-baby care brand grew from a domestic manufacturing operation with about 100 workers into a regional brand selling hundreds of products.

Now, after 55 years, Tollyjoy is winding down , with the family business announcing on Sep 15 that it would cease operations.

Here's a look back at the brand's journey.

1971: Tollyjoy is born

CNA Games Guess Word Crack the word, one row at a time Buzzword Create words using the given letters Mini Sudoku Tiny puzzle, mighty brain teaser Mini Crossword Small grid, big challenge Word Search Spot as many words as you can Show More Show Less Tollyjoy was founded in 1971 by Mr Tan Khung Ngee and Madam Tan Hong Keow. Their son and current Tollyjoy chief executive Tan Wee Keng said in a 2016 interview that before starting the company, his parents were involved in the general trading of goods, including baby products. They saw demand for affordable and durable baby and mother-care products in a market then dominated by international brands. Taking advantage of relatively low labour and rental costs at the time, the couple rented space from industrial developer JTC and set up a manufacturing plant with about 100 workers. Tollyjoy was among the domestic manufacturers making products for Singapore's growing consumer market. 1970s to 1980s: Rising costs and shift in production Within several years, however, rising manufacturing costs in Singapore made the company's original production model increasingly difficult. Tollyjoy responded by introducing automation and upgrading its workers' skills. It also began outsourcing manufacturing while retaining its own design and production guidelines. The company expanded its presence across the Causeway as well, with its Malaysian business incorporated in 1987. 1990s: Focus on quality The current Singapore corporate entity, Tollyjoy Baby Products Pte Ltd, was incorporated in 1990, nearly two decades after the business was established. In 1996, Tollyjoy achieved ISO 9001 certification, an international standard for how companies maintain quality in their products and services. The company said that the certification reflected its focus on the safety, durability and reliability of its products. "Our mission has been to provide only the best for your baby and yourself," the company stated on its website. "This, we have achieved through stringent quality control across our design, manufacturing and marketing processes." Its product range would eventually stretch across categories including baby feeding, grooming, hygiene, bedtime and clothing, as well as products for mothers.

Tollyjoy was founded in 1971 by Mr Tan Khung Ngee and Madam Tan Hong Keow.

Their son and current Tollyjoy chief executive Tan Wee Keng said in a 2016 interview that before starting the company, his parents were involved in the general trading of goods, including baby products.

They saw demand for affordable and durable baby and mother-care products in a market then dominated by international brands.

Taking advantage of relatively low labour and rental costs at the time, the couple rented space from industrial developer JTC and set up a manufacturing plant with about 100 workers.

Tollyjoy was among the domestic manufacturers making products for Singapore's growing consumer market.

1970s to 1980s: Rising costs and shift in production

Within several years, however, rising manufacturing costs in Singapore made the company's original production model increasingly difficult.

Tollyjoy responded by introducing automation and upgrading its workers' skills. It also began outsourcing manufacturing while retaining its own design and production guidelines.

The company expanded its presence across the Causeway as well, with its Malaysian business incorporated in 1987.

1990s: Focus on quality

The current Singapore corporate entity, Tollyjoy Baby Products Pte Ltd, was incorporated in 1990, nearly two decades after the business was established.

In 1996, Tollyjoy achieved ISO 9001 certification, an international standard for how companies maintain quality in their products and services.

The company said that the certification reflected its focus on the safety, durability and reliability of its products.

"Our mission has been to provide only the best for your baby and yourself," the company stated on its website. "This, we have achieved through stringent quality control across our design, manufacturing and marketing processes."

Its product range would eventually stretch across categories including baby feeding, grooming, hygiene, bedtime and clothing, as well as products for mothers.

A liquid cleanser product from baby-care brand Tollyjoy. (Photo: Facebook/Tollyjoy Singapore)

Baby wipes from baby-care brand Tollyjoy. (Photo: Facebook/Tollyjoy Singapore)

2000s: A reluctant successor takes over

Mr Tan Wee Keng formally took over Tollyjoy in 2001 when his older brothers left to pursue other interests, Chinese daily Lianhe Zaobao reported in 2016 from an interview with him.

He initially did not want to take over the company and had his own ambitions of going into medicine.

However, expectation and filial piety led him down the route to becoming CEO of Tollyjoy.

His start at the helm was not an easy ride. In an article published by the Singapore Management University (SMU) in 2018, Mr Tan said that the Sep 11 attacks in the United States in 2001 had caused economic panic after Asia had just recovered from the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis.

2010s: Regional expansion

The CEO eventually steadied the company and expanded Tollyjoy's reach.

In the SMU article, Mr Tan said that the company was managing about 500 stock-keeping units across 50 categories. These ranged from baby wear to feeding accessories to carriers.

About 95 per cent of production is done outside Singapore.

He also described the desired position of Tollyjoy as "not too cheap, not too expensive".

The aim, he said, was to make products that were reliable, durable and value for money.

The company had about 200 employees and recorded S$16 million in annual revenue in 2016, the article stated at the time.

Tollyjoy products being sold at a fair. (Photo: Facebook/Tollyjoy Singapore)

2026: The end of a 55-year journey

In a Facebook post dated Sep 15, Tollyjoy said that it is "winding down the brand", although it did not specify how long its products would remain available for sale in its markets.

It added that the decision to wind down was a "bittersweet moment".

In a statement issued by the company on Tuesday (Sep 22), Mr Tan said: " We recognise the responsibility that comes with making a decision of this nature. It was not entered into lightly, nor was it driven by financial considerations.

"After careful consideration on the future of the business and how we wish to focus our time and resources going forward, we felt that the time was right to conclude our operations."

The company did not elaborate on where it intends to direct its time and resources, and did not give a date for when operations would end.

Mr Tan added: "Tollyjoy will focus on an orderly closure of its operations, including ensuring the welfare of its team and managing any remaining stocks"

In Singapore, stocks of Tollyjoy products are no longer available, but some products are still available in neighbouring Malaysia.

“We leave this 55-year journey with a deep sense of appreciation for the many people who have been part of it. The relationships we have built and the memories we have shared over the years will always be meaningful to us,” Mr Tan said.

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这家家族企业由陈康义先生和他的妻子陈鸿娇女士于 1971 年创立，后来传给了他们的儿子，他最初希望从事医学事业。

新加坡婴儿护理品牌Tollyjoy的纸尿裤。（图片：Facebook/Tollyjoy Singapore）

这段音频由人工智能工具生成。

新加坡：对于新加坡几代父母来说，Tollyjoy 是一个熟悉的品牌，提供奶瓶、婴儿湿巾、衣服和床上用品。

该本土母婴护理品牌创立于 1971 年，从一家拥有约 100 名员工的国内制造企业发展成为一家销售数百种产品的区域性品牌。

如今，经过 55 年的发展，Tollyjoy 正在逐步退出市场。这家家族企业于 9 月 15 日宣布将停止运营。

让我们回顾一下该品牌的成长历程。

1971年：托利乔伊出生

CNA游戏 猜词游戏 逐行破解单词 流行词游戏 用给定的字母组成单词 迷你数独 小谜题，脑力挑战 迷你填字游戏 小方格，大挑战 单词搜索 尽可能多地找出单词 显示更多 显示更少 Tollyjoy由陈康义先生和陈鸿珂女士于1971年创立。他们的儿子、现任Tollyjoy首席执行官陈伟庆在2016年的一次采访中表示，在创办公司之前，他的父母从事包括婴儿用品在内的各种商品贸易。他们发现，在当时由国际品牌主导的市场中，对价格实惠且耐用的婴幼儿及母婴护理产品存在需求。利用当时相对较低的劳动力和租金成本，这对夫妇从工业开发商裕廊集团(JTC)租用场地，建立了一家拥有约100名员工的制造工厂。Tollyjoy是当时为新加坡不断增长的消费市场生产产品的本土制造商之一。 20世纪70年代至80年代：成本上升与生产模式转变 然而，短短几年内，新加坡不断上涨的制造成本使得公司原有的生产模式日益难以为继。Tollyjoy公司通过引入自动化和提升员工技能来应对这一挑战。同时，公司开始将部分生产环节外包，但保留了自身的设计和生产规范。此外，公司还将业务拓展至马来西亚，其马来西亚分公司于1987年注册成立。20世纪90年代：注重品质 目前的Tollyjoy Baby Products Pte Ltd新加坡公司成立于1990年，距离公司成立已近20年。1996年，Tollyjoy获得了ISO 9001认证，这是衡量企业如何维护产品和服务质量的国际标准。公司表示，该认证体现了其对产品安全性、耐用性和可靠性的重视。“我们的使命是为您的宝宝和您自己提供最好的产品，”公司在其网站上写道，“我们通过在设计、制造和营销流程中实施严格的质量控制来实现这一目标。”其产品范围最终将涵盖婴儿喂养、护理、卫生、睡前用品和服装等类别，以及母亲用品。

Tollyjoy 由 Tan Khung Ngee 先生和 Tan Hong Keow 女士于 1971 年创立。

他们的儿子，现任 Tollyjoy 首席执行官 Tan Wee Keng 在 2016 年的一次采访中表示，在创办公司之前，他的父母从事一般商品贸易，包括婴儿用品。

他们发现，在当时由国际品牌主导的市场中，消费者对价格实惠且经久耐用的婴儿和母亲护理产品有需求。

当时劳动力和租金成本相对较低，这对夫妇利用这一优势，从工业开发商裕廊集团 (JTC) 租用了场地，建立了一家拥有约 100 名工人的制造厂。

Tollyjoy是为新加坡不断增长的消费市场生产产品的本土制造商之一。

20世纪70年代至80年代：成本上升和生产方式转变

然而，几年之内，新加坡不断上涨的制造成本使得该公司最初的生产模式越来越难以维持。

Tollyjoy的应对措施是引入自动化并提升员工技能。同时，该公司开始将部分生产环节外包，但保留了自身的设计和生产规范。

该公司也通过新柔长堤扩大了业务范围，其马来西亚业务于 1987 年成立。

20世纪90年代：注重质量

目前新加坡公司实体 Tollyjoy Baby Products Pte Ltd 成立于 1990 年，距离公司成立已近二十年。

1996 年，Tollyjoy 获得了 ISO 9001 认证，这是一项国际标准，用于衡量公司如何保持其产品和服务的质量。

该公司表示，该认证体现了其对产品安全性、耐用性和可靠性的重视。

“我们的使命是只为您的宝宝和您自己提供最好的产品，”该公司在其网站上表示。“我们通过在设计、制造和营销过程中实施严格的质量控制来实现这一目标。”

其产品范围最终将涵盖婴儿喂养、护理、卫生、睡前用品和服装等类别，以及母亲用品。

来自婴儿护理品牌Tollyjoy的液体洁面产品。（图片：Facebook/Tollyjoy Singapore）

来自婴儿护理品牌 Tollyjoy 的婴儿湿巾。（图片：Facebook/Tollyjoy Singapore）

2000年代：一位不情愿的继任者接管公司

据《联合早报》2016 年对他的采访报道，陈伟庆先生于 2001 年正式接管 Tollyjoy，当时他的哥哥们离开去追求其他兴趣。

他最初并不想接管公司，而是有志于从医。

然而，期望和孝道引领他走上了成为 Tollyjoy 首席执行官的道路。

他上任之初并不顺利。陈先生在2018年新加坡管理大学（SMU）发表的一篇文章中指出，2001年9月11日发生在美国的恐怖袭击事件引发了经济恐慌，而亚洲刚刚从1997年亚洲金融危机中恢复过来。

2010年代：区域扩张

首席执行官最终稳定了公司局面，并扩大了 Tollyjoy 的业务范围。

在新加坡管理大学的文章中，陈先生表示，该公司管理着约500个库存单位，涵盖50个品类，产品包括婴儿服装、喂养用品和背带等。

约95%的产品是在新加坡以外生产的。

他还形容 Tollyjoy 的理想定位是“不太便宜，也不太贵”。

他说，目标是生产可靠、耐用且物有所值的产品。

文章当时指出，该公司拥有约 200 名员工，2016 年的年收入为 1600 万新元。

Tollyjoy产品正在展会上销售。（图片来源：Facebook/Tollyjoy Singapore）

2026年：一段55年旅程的终点

Tollyjoy 在 9 月 15 日的一篇 Facebook 帖子中表示，它正在“逐步停止该品牌的运营”，但并未具体说明其产品将在其市场上继续销售多久。

声明还补充说，决定逐步结束运营是一个“苦乐参半的时刻”。

该公司周二（9月22日）发表声明称：“我们认识到做出此类决定所肩负的责任。我们并非轻率做出此决定，也并非出于财务考虑。”

“经过对公司未来发展以及我们希望如何集中时间和资源的认真考虑，我们认为现在是结束运营的合适时机。”

该公司没有详细说明将把时间和资源投入到哪些方面，也没有给出运营结束的日期。

谭先生补充道：“Tollyjoy将专注于有序地结束运营，包括确保员工的福利和管理剩余库存。”

在新加坡，Tollyjoy 的产品已经售罄，但部分产品在邻国马来西亚仍然可以买到。

“我们怀着深深的感激之情告别这55年的旅程，感谢所有参与其中的人们。多年来我们建立的友谊和共同拥有的回忆对我们来说将永远意义非凡，”陈先生说道。

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