We are a resource.

Smoking Lion is resource for new construction projects, latest technologies and similar ventures. We assist companies in obtaining products for their projects. If you want anything made, sourced, or designed, then talk with us.

We are the supply chain partner for the world’s leading product manufacturers. And, you know, it really doesn’t matter whether you are a manufacturer, or a distributor, a salesman, or even a retailer. It doesn’t matter if you run a small store and only want five or six products, or a big company that wants some specialized IoT technology developed. We can pretty much do it all.

We are your singular point of contact for all things manufactured.

If you need something made, and shipped, then call us. We are an on-site resource. We are there for you, or for any company desirous in obtaining materials, parts or assemblies globally.

It could be a sketch on a napkin that you want to make, or some parts you need supplied, or even a custom made product from start to finish. We have the talent, the manpower and the resources to assist you.

What we do

We make things.

We work with factories. We work with engineers, and test labs, and logistics freight forwarders. We build and we create. It doesn’t matter if it is some high quality aluminum extrusions, or a cutting edge electronic device that connects to the Internet, or a batch of kitchen appliances. This is what we do.

That is because, that is who we are. We have a staff of design, quality, production, industrial, and test engineers. And we stand ready to help you get the parts and products you need properly.

• Do you need some reliable help in obtaining parts?
• Do you want to make sure that the quality meets your expectations?
• Are you determined to keep costs low?
• Are you concerned about environmental issues?
• Do you need assistance in logistics and shipping?
• Do you need a high-quality gizmo, or want the lowest price possible?
• How about design, new product development, or R&D?

We can certainly help you.

We handle all sourcing, auditing, certification, manufacturing, testing, quality and logistics issues. We handle all design, production and evaluation issues. And we can handle all point of purchase issues from packaging to promotion if required.

Our Alternative

Sure, you can hop on the internet. Type in some search parameters. Locate a factory, and chat with the salesperson on line and place an order. Yeah. You can do that.

And risk a $75,000 40′ GP container full of junk.

All it takes is but one mistake to ruin a person, a company, or a business. Ask me about this particular story, eh?

Or, find something close to what you want, but you need the factory to tweak it a little. You know, just add some graphics with some text in English. Seriously, just how hard can it be?

Tell me about it when you see the result.

Some lessons in life are painful. Go ahead and ask me about this particular fiasco.

We know factories. We work with factories. We know the in’s and the out’s about all manufacture. If you want some products made in a factory far away from you, by people who speak another language and who are part of a different culture, then you need someone to bridge the differences between your expectations and the factory understandings. You need tri-lingual engineering experts.

That’s us.

Our history

This company was founded by Robert Vannrox.

Robert started to work with China in the 1990’s. As an American he helped set up factories, and production lines to meet the needs of the American consumer for appliances, electronics and automotive equipment.

Fun fact: Most American products shipped from Asia are made in American-owned companies. They are not locally, domestically owned. They are American owned.

Over time, he decided to move to China and set up Smoking Lion to be the on-site resource that was not then available. He believed, and time has proven him right, that you need a multi-lingual, multi-cultural presence within Asia to handle the periodic issues of design, quality, production, and logistics problems.

Smoking Lion performs logistics, but it is not a “trade company”.

We are not a “trade company”. Oh, of course we can provide logistics and quality services. But, fundamentally, we are something quite different, and very unique.

Smoking Lion sources products, new or established and handles all the issues regarding this. We do much more than call a factory and arrange shipping. We alleviate problems. Such as…

• Pollution issues with the anodization of custom extrusions.
• Production issues with mechanical mechanisms encapsulated within carbon fiber composite plastics.
• Design and printing of product manuals.
• Quality issues regarding hand-polished metals.
• Testing issues having to do with TUV, CEV, and ETL agency approvals.
• Assembly issues relating to nested balconies.
• Electrical system debugging with a pesky software glitch.
• Material issues with cast metal fixings.

It’s more than just “handy” to have on-site staff to handle these kinds of issues. It’s critically important.

Sourcing for Salesmen

Our primary focus is as a resource for salesmen.

If you have a client that you have been working with for some time, and you want to provide them with interesting, quality, and new products, but don’t know where to start, then talk to us. If you want to source a type of product or group of products, then talk with us. If you need to offer a solution to catch up with a competitor, then talk with us.

Ask us how we managed to “kick down a few doors” and brought up a related product segment to an embattled (and frustrated) local manufacturer. It’s moments like this that we live for.

If your clients are getting “hammered” by the competition, perhaps so badly that they want to abandon a product segment, then talk with us.

We can help.

Sourcing for Buyers

A common customer to Smoking Lion is a Buyer or Purchaser for a company. This is the traditional market.

Their company has a need for a specific part, or component, and they are tasked with locating one, handling the supply issues and dealing with the logistics of it.

To this end, we pretty much excel in providing this service. Though, when things do go wrong, we are there to sort the issues out and resolve things. That’s where we stand apart from “trading companies” or “factory representatives”.

In 2016, one of our customers had a problem with the delivery of glass for a new hotel being made in new Zealand. The product itself was fine, but one the bridges to the new hotel construction site were not able to handle to weight of the shipping container on the truck.

What we ended up doing was unloading the truck, and carrying the glass (in stillages) over the bridge in groups and then reloading the truck on the other side of the bridge. This kind of versatility is what we deal with on a near daily basis.

If you have never had this kind of problem, then consider yourself lucky. When you are dealing with construction projects, any delay in the delivery of components comes with a price tag. Yikes!

New designs for small companies

Some of our customers are very small. Their office might only consist of five people in a strip mall. yet they conduct a couple of million dollars of business every year. To remain competitive, they source products internationally.

But, you know, it’s not always “sunny days and pretty flowers”.

It’s one thing to pick out a product from the (Chinese website) Alibaba, and have it shipped to the warehouse to sell. But what do you do when the order is defective? What happens when a $ 70,000 container of product is junk? What happens? What then?

But, it’s more than that. It’s about having a complete design, and product support group at your fingertips. Indeed, it’s another thing entirely to have modifications to that product, custom colors, extra functions, instruction manuals, four color box art and / or warranty issues.

Small companies don’t even consider doing it. They don’t even know where to begin. But we do. We can help make your products a reality. All it takes is chat with our engineers.

Mix and Match

We have had individuals working on projects that would like for us to assist them in getting the materials and products they need. In these cases we would work with them directly and arrange everything with them.

We once had a famous European television host ask us to help him outfit a new hotel he was constructing. He was renovating an old villa into a small hotel and he needed help in obtaining marble, furniture, finishings, and a wide selection of items from bathware to kitchenware.

We worked with him in selecting the products, and then personally loaded the shipping containers so that everything could be shipped to him safe and sound.

We are the solution for leading windows, glass, door, balustrade and fenestration issues. If you are searching for an OEM source to deliver world-class quality components at lower total costs, with excellent service, we stand by to assist.

Wide range of products

From custom-made component parts to large cement mixers. From complete sun-rooms, balconies and windows to small portable USB electronics. From FRS decking to hotel fenestration. We can do it all.

We help companies increase profitability. We do this by bringing existing product types to market more cost effectively. We are also the answer to companies looking to increase sales by extending into new types of products with and without capital investment.

Well…

• Do you want new products to add to your portfolio?
• Are you interested in expanding into new areas of business?

We can most certainly help you with this. Most “trade companies” and “engineering resources” are not able to really assist in this area.

• Are you looking to partner up with Asian organizations?
• Are you interested in using local currency to pay for product?

Again, these are unique situations. These call for unique solutions. We can help. As I have repeated stated, we are engineers that solve problems. We find solutions.

• Do you want to take existing available products and slap your logos on them?
• Do you want your products to look, feel, and compete against the “big boys”?

Whether designing your own products, or having us arrange standard, customized or licensed designs, we can bring your ideas and products to reality quite cost-effectively.

Our range of operation

We work with factories all over Asia.

The bulk of our factories are in China, but we also have client factories in India, Turkey, Thailand, Vietnam, Korea, Japan, and Russia. We are an Asian operation, after all.

Based in Asia, with Western management, multilingual staff and unrivaled experience, we act as an on-call Asian sourcing office to some of the world’s foremost companies. From factory sourcing, to production and quality control, right through to delivery to the client’s door, we are the reliable partner for Asian component manufacturing.

What we can do for you

If you have a need, or an idea, or a concept, or a proposal…

…just contact us. We will respond back to you as soon as possible and we can discuss what is possible, and what isn’t. Or purposes and our goals are related to making things and working with factories and design staff. It’s what we do. It’s our life. It’s our passion. And yes, we actually live for this.

We look forward to hearing from you.