Royal Doulton

Oct 3rd, 2006, in Business & Economy, by Patung

The Royal Doulton Company is happy with its investment in Indonesia and plans to put another $125 million into its operations here.

Sir Anthony O'Reilly, the chairman of Waterford Wedgwood Plc., the owner of the Royal Doulton brand, met with president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono at the presidential palace in Jakarta on the 2nd and announced that Waterford Wedgwood/Royal Doulton, a manufacturer of ceramic and china dinnerware, would expand its factory at Tangerang, Banten (western Java, near Jakarta) at a cost of 125 million US dollars.

Waterford Wedgwood, which apart from its famous Royal Doulton china cups, plates, and saucers also produces figurines, has two factories in Asia, with the other being located in India. However, according [1] to Trade minister Mari Pangestu's recollection of conversations with Sir Anthony, Indonesia is the preferred location due to the workforce here being more skillful and patient. 150,000 Royal Doulton branded pieces are produced each week at the Indonesian factory.

Ninety-seven percent of the output of Royal Doulton's Indonesian operations are exported, at an annual value of around $30 million. With the new investment, which will also see the development of some research and design facilities, carried out over three years, the company has hopes that this figure will double.

Sir Anthony O'Reilly said on May 20th 2007 that the company plans to raise its ceramic wares production capacity in Indonesia from 6 million to 12 million pieces per year, with manpower requirements going up from 1,350 at present to about 2,000, and a further $25 million being invested.

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20 Comments on “Royal Doulton”

Junko Says:
February 1st, 2007 at 5:45 am
If this is a true report, why I never see the Waterford Wedgwood’s products has marked with “made in Indonesia”?
Barbara Munro Says:
March 11th, 2007 at 6:45 pm
I bought a set of cup, saucer and plates of Brambly Hedge by Royal Doulton for my Granddaughter as a special gift and as a small investment for her, from Myers Queensland, Australia, and was very surprised to see it was made in Indonesia, is the quality and the value be the same as if produced in England?
Mr N Edwards Says:
January 20th, 2008 at 2:02 am
In Stoke On Trent there has been many factory closures due to the factories abroad for cheaper production, I wont buy Doulton or Wedgwood on the principal has it has caused major unemployment in the UK. Everything is foreign made. I only buy British. You should not be allowed to use the name Royal Douton. You should be called Doulton Internanational it was the workmanship of the English that gave it an excellent reputation now it just not the same.

Thank you
N. Edwards
David Ridge Says:
February 15th, 2008 at 3:41 am
Reading the comments above, the most disappointing thing i read is continual investment in indonesia by Doulton/Wedgwood and no investment in holding up its failing interests in Stoke on Trent. Bad management Crooked directors and a very badly run site in stoke on trent has led to a move abroad Tony O’Rielly sort your leadership in stoke on trent out stop them stealing from you and get them making money instead of taking it from the business and locality
Merdewi Says:
July 20th, 2008 at 10:00 pm
I’m glad the factory has moved to Indonesia to make this famous porcelain because form where I live its easier for me to purchase these items than having to order them form UK.
Jack Downing Says:
August 4th, 2008 at 10:10 pm
Who is the current Manager of Royal Doulton Facilities in Indonesia, and an address whereby I can sent correspondence?
lina Says:
August 12th, 2008 at 5:20 pm
Dear Merdewi,

Where can we buy /purchase Royal Doulton item?..is there any factory outlet where i can visit ?
Purba Negoro Says:
August 12th, 2008 at 11:03 pm
Wonderful!
Good to see some good news hear- although I am sad if the British worker is being supplanted for profiteering.
Schadenfreude.
pitchag Says:
September 8th, 2008 at 7:59 am
We are collectable dealers in Australia, and we find there is a definate reluctance from our customers to buying new Doulton The quality is way below the the english made product.
My wife is a collector of Beswick and will not buy Asian produced beswick it is so badly made and painted, we as collectors and retailers regards the Asian product as sub-standard rubbish
Rob Says:
September 8th, 2008 at 1:37 pm
Pitchbag…

I would have thought that the quality control elements would be the responsibility of the company. Perhaps the question is why do companies take their production off-shore and then allow “sub-standard rubbish” to be produced.

Ultimately, you and the wife may one day not have the option of buying English made product because there will be no English factories producing it. So, you will be exclusively collectors and antique dealers, I guess.

Jack…

The Royal Doulton Indonesian subsidiary is managed out of Hong Kong if I am not mistaken. The Indonesian operations are under the banner of PT. Doulton Multifortuna

The Address is:

Jl. Raya Serang Km. 29,9 Desa Gembong, Balaraja, Tangerang, Banten
(62-21) 5951329

hope this helps…
Rob Says:
September 8th, 2008 at 1:38 pm
sorry…Pitchag
Andrea Says:
September 16th, 2008 at 5:39 am
Production moves to Indonesia because consumers will not buy the product at prices that would have to be charged for UK produced product. These are companies fighting to survive; they don’t choose to shift production to cheaper locations out of greed.
Purba Negoro Says:
September 16th, 2008 at 3:35 pm
Nonsense.
They merely want higher profit margins.
If it was truly a case of survival- their CEO’s would sacrifice their multi-million dollar salary packages for the sake of the business.

Globalisation= wage slavery.
The West has only itself to blame.
Oigal Says:
September 16th, 2008 at 10:39 pm
Globalisation= wage slavery.
The West has only itself to blame

So PN you are a supporter of protectionist duties and taxes for european and US farm producers?
Purba Negoro Says:
September 16th, 2008 at 11:54 pm
Oigal,
you think yourself rather cunning do you not. But it is a foolish argument argued from ignorance which will blow up in your face.

I am not a supporter of OVERLY protectionist tarriffs we see in the US and the EU, no.
I am fervently opposed to the subsequent dumping of excess food into Africa which destroys their agrarian economies, impoverishes millions of farmers and keeps Africa from ever joining the rest of humanity due to total Western devastation of any native African economes from barest grass roots upwards.

But- you did not realise those who benefit from the tariffs are not the village farmer nor even medium size property freeholder- BUT commercial industrial conglomerates.

The small land-holder is in fact impoverished in the EU- please ask the any Country or Farmers’ Party to substantiate this argument.

Exactly like the US with its corn subsidies.
Mets Says:
September 17th, 2008 at 3:12 am
Higher profit margins pure and simple thats why they moved the operations to Indonesia, minimum wage in the UK (£5.26 – I think) equates to 1 Royal Doulton dessert plate that is on sale!!!
Canadian Says:
December 21st, 2008 at 9:37 pm
I’ve been a collector for 30 years of Royal Albert China Old Country Roses pattern and am very disappointed Royal Doulton has joined the throngs of “profit-mongers” who have chosen to make their product in Asia. The English made bone china was superb and worth every penny. I inadvertently ordered an item from eBay not realizing it was Asian made. Putting this item beside “the real thing from England” was obvious; the Asian made one both in quality and appearance was truly substandard to the English made one. It was like putting a Rolls Royce beside a “hunk of junk”. In fact, the day I saw an eight piece table setting of Old Country Roses being sold at Costco for about $100.00 Canadian left me sick to my stomach. What’s next? Selling my beautiful china pattern in a Dollar Store. By the way, I’m searching the world to buy “Made in England” only pieces. It’s a sad day for Royal Doulton if you ask me!!
John Gault Says:
January 13th, 2009 at 12:39 pm
Canada
You mention Rolls Royce. You know of course that they are no longer English
These changes are just memetic evolution in action, they will never cease. It is so poetic in this the 200th year of Charles Darwins birth
Get over it, move on. Good luck to the Indonesians, I hope they do well. The Poms have used and abused the rest of the world since the start of the industrial revolution. One of their greatest achievements in this time has been the whingeing Pom. They have been extremely successful in exporting this to all corners of the globe including of course Canada
Or would you prefer to hand the world over to the Luddites (a Pom initiative) and turn the world back several hundred years when everything was so much better, not.
James Kennedy Says:
November 27th, 2009 at 12:24 pm
YUCK.I just received some Royal Albert ordered through Sears and it is this terrible Indonesian junk! It was obvious from picking it up out of the box that this wasn’t Royal Albert…heavy. I put it on the counter to compare it to one of my real Royal Albert Bristol mugs and it is not a match. Sure it has the same transfer pattern (Memory Lane), but the shape is wrong – the rim isn’t as flared, and the mug is slightly shorter than the real ones. The colour is also more cream than it should be. The Indonesian stuff is no good for matching pieces to an existing set, because it just isn’t the same thing.

I don’t really care about the global economics of, I’d just like to add some more pieces to my nice china set. This Indonesian stuff feels like stoneware, a low grade stoneware at that. I agree with the poster upthread who said that it’s like seeing your good china pattern counterfeited and sold out the Dollar Store.

This is going back to Sears and I’ll just keep watching ebay.
Burung Koel Says:
November 27th, 2009 at 1:35 pm
I don’t really care about the global economics

Just as long as you get a cheap price, I suppose.

(signed)

David Ricardo

c. 1817