investors

There is enormous latent supply of equipment and machinery in China across a wide range of industries. The amount of arbitrage happening in the China-to-US machinery and equipment space seems almost too significant to not be disintermediated. Why has no one been able to tap into it, especially the marketplace giants, Amazon and Alibaba?

High-Touch or Low-Touch?

One reason is the unique high-touch service needs of equipment and machinery industries. High-touch means that customer service issues are often more complex, but the business involves high value customers. In contrast, most consumer goods follow a low-touch customer model.

From operating call centers trained in technical advice and troubleshooting, to providing adequate after-sales maintenance and repair, the need for high-touch customer service from end to end is unavoidable in the world of big-ticket machinery and equipment purchases. Few Chinese manufacturers can afford to operate a dedicated US-based team to fulfill this for US customers.

If traditional cross-border intermediaries such as trading companies and OEM buyers can fill this need and profit handsomely, why couldn’t a horizontal marketplace platform step in and steal their thunder (along with billions of dollars of profit)?

As Alibaba and Amazon's marketplace platforms have been built out around consumer goods, these incumbent players follow highly entrenched low-touch service models. This because the relatively low value of consumer purchases prevent a high-touch model from ever being profitable. However, conversely, a low-touch model greatly limits these platforms’ ability to accommodate Chinese direct-selling of industrial equipment and machinery the same way they have – to an extent – for Chinese consumer goods.

One Man's "Innovator's Dilemma" is Another's...

It would go against Alibaba or Amazon’s core business models if they were to establish a dedicated after-sales service team to answer customers’ various technical industry-specific questions, much less provide on-site maintenance services. But that is exactly what is needed by Chinese industrial sellers in order to sell to the US.

A platform that provides high-touch English-language service is the very key that will unlock an enormous volume of latent supply. It is a key that may not seem intuitive at first due to the consumer models proven out by the giants, Amazon and Alibaba. But it’s one whose numbers make complete sense if you take a look at the US market from a buyer perspective, in conjunction with understanding the challenges and incentives from a Chinese seller perspective.

Toolots has announced its 2nd Annual US-China Manufacturing Exchange Summit will take place Sept. 24-26, 2017 at the historic Grand Pacific Hotel in Yuyao, China.

Join Medical Device Manufacturers, Trade Associations, Government Officials and More in Yuyao, China

CERRITOS, Calif. – July 3, 2017 –With the 2nd Annual US-China Manufacturing Exchange Summit, Toolots, Inc. continues to cultivate fruitful relationships between American and Chinese advanced manufacturing communities. Hosted by the China Chamber of Commerce for Import & Export of Medicines & Health Products (CCCHMPIE) and the Sino-Italy Ningbo Eco Park, involving high-level industry professionals, regulators and government officials, the Summit provides a platform to accelerate international expansion and expand your global network. Take advantage of this rare opportunity to experience China, learning first-hand what it takes to effectively sell innovative medical devices, health-related products and more on the Asian marketplace, directly from venture capitalists, investors, and executives who take advantage of a unified cross-border strategy to succeed globally.

The 2nd Annual US-China Manufacturing Exchange Summit, centering on the medical device industry and related regulations, logistics and more, will take place Sept. 24-26, 2017, as part of Toolots’ yearly initiative to promote improved relations between both countries and simplify global commerce within the advanced manufacturing community. The event will be hosted at the historic Grand Pacific Hotel in Yuyao, China, part of the eastern Zhejiang Province close to the busiest port in the world, based on shipping volumes, the Ningbo Zhoushan Port.

Some participating companies in the medical device and health product industry include China MEHECO Corporation, Shanghai Medicines & Health Products Import & Export Co., Zhejiang Medicines & Health Products Import & Export Co., Tianjin Medicines & Health Products Import & Export Co., Jiangsu High Hope International Group, China National Scientific Instruments and Materials Corporation.  In addition to a host of large, influential Chinese companies, Toolots and its partners have arranged for a significant presence of venture capitalist firms interested in investing in innovative American companies and products. Some of the principal firms attending the Summit include Sequoia Capital, Cybernaut, Histtone Capital, Hill House Capital, TusPark Ventures and Yangming Capital.

Panel discussions on how to succeed in the global marketplace, protecting intellectual property, and industry developments, among other topics, will help to inform attendees from the U.S. and China, and serve as an educational tool to guide their businesses and organizations. Scheduled discussions will involve officials from the Ministry of Commerce of the People’s Republic of China, the China Chamber of Commerce for Import & Export of Medicines & Health Products, a wide range of executives from both U.S. and China-based medical device companies, and others.

Attendees have the rare opportunity to connect directly with authorities and other professionals in China who can provide logistical or capital assistance, whether you are seeking to register a medical device or other innovative health product, or wish to expand your business operations and network. Space is limited to 30 medical device companies in total, so secure your place today. To sign up, please register via our Eventbrite page here or send us an email at summit@toolots.com. To stay up to date with the latest event information, be sure to visit http://www.toolots.com/summit2017.

Benefits:

• Enjoy personalized matchmaking of U.S and Chinese manufacturers for more meaningful and productive networking.

• Roundtable dialogues between international trade experts, manufacturers, and government leaders will help inform and guide real-world business decisions.

• Tour advanced manufacturing facilities in Ningbo, an industrial stronghold, to see first-hand what China and its industrial capabilities are truly like.

Co-Hosts:

The China Chamber of Commerce for Import & Export of Medicines & Health Products is the leading national trade association in China, aiming to improve international trade and relationships within the biomedical and healthcare industries. With over 2,400 companies in the association, including major manufacturers in the pharmaceutical and medical product sectors, the CCCMHPIE has the most extensive network of any organization in the industry. As a guest at the Summit, you will have an incredible opportunity to connect with these industry professionals who routinely market and sell the products you, as a US-based manufacturer, develop and distribute.

The Sino-Italy Ningbo Eco Park, a collaborative effort between the Chinese and Italian governments for a new industrial development focusing on advanced manufacturing, is planning for a new 18-square-mile manufacturing district, a residential/commercial district and an ecological park to guide sustainable industrialization. The goal is for the area to become a hub for innovative research and development involving cooperation between Chinese, American, and European companies.

Panels will be held on topics including:

•         Protecting Intellectual Property Rights
•         Land, Labor and Capital in China
•         Navigating Customs and Globalized Logistics
•         Effective Marketing and Sales in China

What: 2nd Annual US-China Manufacturing Exchange Summit

When: Sept. 24-26, 2017

Where: Grand Pacific Hotel, 168 S Binjiang Rd, Yuyao, Zhejiang, China, 315400

Robert Zhang brings over 20 years of keen fiscal management to Toolots, Inc.

CERRITOS, Calif. - March 23, 2017 - A veteran financial services director has joined Toolots, Inc. as its new chief financial officer, the California-based company announced this week. Robert Zhang, who has more than 20 years of experience within the financial services industry in the United States and Asia, was selected to fill the position after careful consideration of his unique vision for Toolots including rapid yet sustainable growth, additional training and focus on fiscal operations to support the business model.

Mr. Zhang has a long history of bringing his expertise to wide-ranging enterprises and helping lead them toward greater financial success. He co-founded Pandtong Capital Limited, a qualitative portfolio-trading firm based in Hong Kong, and for nearly 20 years prior served as the managing director for Morgan Stanley and J.P. Morgan Chase as its head of Asia equity technology. At Morgan Stanley, Mr. Zhang was responsible for the development of technology for various trading markets and personally hired and trained over 300 developers over the course of 3 years to support sustained growth at the company.

As an integral member of the Toolots executive management team, Mr. Zhang will help to formulate the company’s future direction and put it into play through specific, tactical initiatives. Through implementation of best practices developed over his vast experience managing financial operations in multiple countries, he will help streamline the company’s internal functions to increase profitability and efficiency.

Mr. Zhang is a graduate of Shenzen University in China, where he earned his business degree,  and received a Bachelor’s in computer science from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Stay tuned for additional updates in the coming days as the Toolots executive team continues to grow.

About Toolots

Toolots, headquartered in Cerritos, California, offers an online marketplace and international distribution channel for factory-direct industrial tools, machinery, and technology. The user-friendly platform provides fast, easy access to high-quality, affordable equipment to manufacturers. Toolots’ comprehensive services streamline the purchase, delivery, installation and warranty of industrial technology, machinery and components, and uphold the quality of important goods through a vetted network of vendors and service technicians. The company’s dedication to fostering international trade relations passes on cost savings to the consumer, contributes to reduced downtime, improves productivity and expands a manufacturer’s reach. Toolots has strategically located warehouses, showrooms, and offices across the United States, as well as in mainland China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. For more information about Toolots, visit their website at www.toolots.com.

###

T18 Capital, Inc. to invest significant capital following successful fundraising venture

CERRITOS, Calif. – March 7, 2017 – Toolots, Inc., a California-based online distributor of industrial machinery, tools and technology, entered an agreement with an investment firm Tuesday to inject capital into the enterprise following completion of a successful fundraising campaign. Members of the Toolots Board of Directors, including Founder, Chief Executive Officer and Board Chairman Jason Fu, were on hand to sign the agreement, which injects a significant yet undisclosed amount of capital into the enterprise.

Toolots partnered with T18 Capital, Inc. for the fundraising venture, which will help support the company’s initiative to enter sales agreements with more than 100 American manufacturing companies by the year’s end. So far in 2017, Toolots has achieved over 20 percent of that goal, partnering with small to medium-sized manufacturers based in the United States to distribute their products both domestically and internationally.

About Toolots

Toolots, headquartered in Cerritos, California, offers an online marketplace and international distribution channel for factory-direct industrial tools, machinery, and technology. The user-friendly platform provides fast, easy access to high-quality, affordable equipment to manufacturers. Toolots’ comprehensive services streamline the purchase, delivery, installation and warranty of industrial technology, machinery and components, and uphold the quality of important goods through a vetted network of vendors and service technicians. The company’s dedication to fostering international trade relations passes on cost savings to the consumer, contributes to reduced downtime, improves productivity and expands a manufacturer’s reach. Toolots has strategically located warehouses, showrooms, and offices across the United States and China. For more information about Toolots, visit their website at www.toolots.com.

Jason Fu during his presentation on Toolots' unique business model.

CERRITOS, Calif. - January 16, 2017 - Toolots, Inc., a California-based provider of factory-direct industrial machinery, equipment, and technology hosted an investor conference on January 14th for a variety of interested investors and entrepreneurs accompanied by the attendance of several local press outlets. The event was the latest of three successful conferences hosted by Toolots in the last month, and saw a significantly larger turnout than initially anticipated.

The conference began with Mason Wang, Toolots’ Chief Operating Officer China Division, greeting guests and invited attendees to visit the Toolots China Office in Hangzhou and Ningbo. The event was then followed by individual introductions by each attendee and a tour of Toolots’ warehouse personally lead by Founder and CEO, Jason Fu. During his tour, he outlined Toolots’ expedited fulfilment process and highlighted several of the company’s best selling products such as their lathes and plastic injection molding machines.

Fu providing 40+ investors a tour of Toolots' best selling items in their warehouse.

During his presentation Fu, who originally coined the term Internet 4.0, discussed Toolots’ logistics, their unique business model, and the success of their companion app, YuuTool. “Toolots differs from Amazon and Alibaba marketplaces because we specialize in the sale of industrial products and focus on the importance of aftersales services” Fu stated. He continued by citing YuuTool as the Toolots’ latest endeavor to ensure the satisfaction of each customer following initial sale, while simultaneously connecting the manufacturing community together. The event was concluded by an enthusiastic Q&A session and mixed discussion between Fu and attendees lasting for roughly an hour.

About Toolots

Toolots, headquartered in Cerritos, California, offers an online marketplace and international distribution channel for factory-direct industrial tools, machinery, and technology. The user-friendly platform provides fast, easy access to high-quality, affordable equipment to manufacturers. Toolots’ comprehensive services streamline the purchase, delivery, installation and warranty of industrial technology, machinery and components, and uphold the quality of important goods through a vetted network of vendors and service technicians. The company’s dedication to fostering international trade relations passes on cost savings to the consumer, contributes to reduced downtime, improves productivity and expands a manufacturer’s reach. Toolots has strategically located warehouses, showrooms, and offices across the United States, as well as in mainland China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. For more information about Toolots, visit their website.                                                ###

Fu discusses Toolots' logistics and 2017 projections with ~30 investors in attendance.

CERRITOS, Calif. - January 7, 2017 - Toolots, Inc., a California-based provider of factory-direct industrial machinery, equipment, and technology hosted their first investor meeting for the 2017 quarter last weekend. Roughly 30 California based investors, with backgrounds ranging from finance to science and technology, attended the event to discover more about Toolots’ unique e-commerce marketplace.

Jason Fu, founder and CEO of Toolots,Inc., began the event by discussing Toolots’ evolution and expansion with attending investors since the company’s creation in 2011. During his presentation, Fu outlined Toolots’ goal to achieve lasting economic growth for the U.S. and China by building strong relationships and streamlining industrial commerce. He concluded by sharing the launch of Toolots’ new Global Commerce Services initiative, including their projection to expand their current manufacturing network by at least 100 companies in 2017.

Hermann Liu of Andra Capital gives presentation discussing the qualities of beneficial investments.

Hermann Liu, Managing Partner at Andra Capital, stated that the “quality of the entrepreneur [Jason] and the business is what sets Toolots apart and makes their success” following his presentation discussing the necessary steps companies must take to “cross the chasm”. Liu cited Jason Fu’s resilience and execution as two of the CFO’s best qualities and critical to the company’s successful expansion and operation thus far. “Jason has a vision and is not driven by finances”, Liu said and continued by explaining “he genuinely wants to do good and better both the U.S. and China.” Liu also stated Toolots is unique as Amazon and Alibaba can’t immediately compete with Toolots due to the fact that they lack the necessary presence respectively within the U.S. and China.

“I have seen first hand the way he interacts with his investors, his employees, and vendors, and it’s very admirable and genuine” Liu concluded.

About Toolots

Toolots, headquartered in Cerritos, California, offers an online marketplace and international distribution channel for factory-direct industrial tools, machinery, and technology. The user-friendly platform provides fast, easy access to high-quality, affordable equipment to manufacturers. Toolots’ comprehensive services streamline the purchase, delivery, installation and warranty of industrial technology, machinery and components, and uphold the quality of important goods through a vetted network of vendors and service technicians. The company’s dedication to fostering international trade relations passes on cost savings to the consumer, contributes to reduced downtime, improves productivity and expands a manufacturer’s reach. Toolots has strategically located warehouses, showrooms, and offices across the United States, as well as in mainland China, Taiwan and Hong Kong. For more information about Toolots, visit their website.

For more information or questions, contact Samantha Hyatt, Toolots' Director of Public Affairs, at shyatt@toolots.com or 1 (844) 866-5687.                                                                                                                ###

CERRITOS, Calif. - January 6, 2017 - Toolots, Inc., a California-based provider of factory-direct industrial machinery, equipment, and technology, concluded 2016 by hosting several major investment entities, located locally throughout Southern California, for a year end investor conference on December 23,2016.

Investor attendees had the opportunity to tour Toolots’ 114,000-square foot facility including the company’s expanded warehouse where their fulfillment and shipping processes occur. However discussing Toolots’ recent and future achievements was the primary focus.

Jason Fu, founder and CEO, lead the discussion highlighting Toolots’ major accomplishments and positive growth in 2016. One such topic included Toolots’ successful launch of their E-Commerce site, and its subsequent expansion, earlier this year in May of 2016.  Toolots’ E-Commerce model emulates major online marketplaces like Amazon, Ebay, and Aliexpress. However Fu explained it improves upon these markets by focusing exclusively on the manufacturing and machining community to allow its customers and vendors the freedoms of access and variety without sacrificing product or customer service quality. Following this accomplishment Toolots launched its free companion app, YuuTool, to connect the manufacturing community both domestically and internationally with quality machine service and repair.

George Zhao, Director of Chinese Ministry for the Kay Family Foundation located in Irvine, CA, was in attendance and stated he was excited and encouraged by the fact that Toolots is essentially “within a niche market, [and] mastering one area of business instead of being mediocre at many” which will allows them to focus on the manufacturing community. Zhao stated that a significant gap currently exists between the U.S. and China’s manufacturing and machining communities. “Toolots is building a manufacturing bridge between the U.S. and China,” Zhao stated as a major factor in strengthening manufacturing capabilities that the domestic and international manufacturing communities could notably benefit from.

About Toolots

Toolots, headquartered in Cerritos, California, offers an online marketplace and international distribution channel for factory-direct industrial tools, machinery, and technology. The user-friendly platform provides fast, easy access to high-quality, affordable equipment to manufacturers. Toolots’ comprehensive services streamline the purchase, delivery, installation and warranty of industrial technology, machinery and components, and uphold the quality of important goods through a vetted network of vendors and service technicians. The company’s dedication to fostering international trade relations passes on cost savings to the consumer, contributes to reduced downtime, improves productivity and expands a manufacturer’s reach. Toolots has strategically located warehouses, showrooms, and offices across the United States, as well as in mainland China, Taiwan and Hong Kong. For more information about Toolots, visit their website.