TaikiUSA is part of the global network of Taiki Group with offices and factories around the globe. In addition, TaikiUSA fosters numerous partnerships that provide best-in-class manufacturing. We continually seek partner factories that are driving innovation in the beauty industry.
About TNT Global Manufacturing
TNT Global Manufacturing is a global player in the beauty and fragrance industry. Their mission is to realize each creative idea to sublimate primary and secondary luxury packaging. The TNT team is multicultural and multidisciplinary that is committed to excellence, innovation, and reliability.
Toby and Thomas, the founders of TNT and longtime colleagues, met back in the early 2000s when they both worked for a French folding carton supplier. Together they both changed employers and worked for the same primary packaging company before ultimately conceptualizing and creating TNT Global Manufacturing in 2013. Year over year they grow significantly in the luxury packaging & beauty space. TaikiUSA was one of TNT’s first major customers in the USA.
An expert in detailed metal, wood, and plastic work such as die casting, injection molding, electroplating, e-coating, PVD (Physical Vapor Deposit), anodization, spraying, epoxy varnishing, polishing, hot stamping, enameling, and galvanization. TNT only takes on complicated projects that yield beautiful art pieces for the world’s top luxury brands or functional yet luxurious packaging. To say they like a challenge is an understatement.
TNT Takes on the Complicated Projects that Yield Beautiful Products
They work on projects that consumers will remember for years to come like Guerlain’s refillable powder silver case that is crafted with an assembly of over a dozen pieces including a zamak-specific gold electroplated structure complete with a soft click magnetic closure. Zamak, a medium TNT is well versed in is a noble material known for its sensory feeling and allowance for fine detailed design.
Recently Biggar & Leith entrusted TNT Global Manufacturing to crown the Italian liqueur’s 30th anniversary Monte Stambecco’s Maraschino Amaro bottle, with an outstanding head of a mountain ram-shaped stopper.
The stopper is made of 3 silver electroplated zamak pieces. A metal plate with stainless steel disc inside the hollow stopper allows for assembly with the red plastic cork. This iconic piece was 3D modeled by Carl Fordham and produced by TNT Global Manufacturing. Demolding, assembling, and polishing the horns was a complex operation.
Mostly known for their work in luxury fragrance closures a recent project yielded a collection of show stopping fairy collar and zamak caps for Louboutin’s Loubiworld collection. The collection combines the elegance of the brand’s iconic red and the metallic shine of nickel, enhanced with epoxy or plastic. TNT Global Manufacturing has materialized the brand’s creative design through the collar, made of two pieces – an aluminum chimney and a brass plate, respectively nickel-anodized and nickel-galvanized – and hidden by the 100% recyclable injected zamak cap, once assembled. Each head is embellished with red details in epoxy or plastic.
Seven patterns illustrate this fairy collection: Loubifunk Pineapple, Loubidoo Cat, Loubikiss Mexican style head, Loubirouge Iconic Louboutin stiletto on Paris, Loubiraj Indian Tiger, Loubicrown Crown, Loubicroc Egyptain crocodile wrapping an obelsk.
These caps are the result of extensive study and expertise, especially in the unmolding process. They respect the details of the design while limiting the number of zamak parts, like the body of the crocodile, which is made in one piece. It was a great project that also challenged the team in the assembly and polishing processes. Finally, each cap is finished with a red insert, made of PP in red molded color.
TNT Production & Development Team
The production team at TNT is intimately involved in the development of the project from the beginning. Lending their expertise and knowledge of industrial processes of metal, plastic, and wood as well as finishing operations that make each piece unique. The team consists of 34 employees, 8 of which are engineers and 14 in development.
The Partnership Between TaikiUSA and TNT
It was this know-how and reputation that lead TaikiUSA to partner with TNT for a luxury makeup brush project. TaikiUSA visited the TNT factories in Hong Kong and Shenzhen to verify the partnership would benefit both parties.
The two teams worked together to solve a particular challenge in developing a zamak brush handle to replace the current plastic brush handle on these ergo dynamic makeup brushes. The brushes needed to be sturdier, and the bundles not easily detach from the head. All while keeping the quality of this luxury product.
Taiki has vast 90+ years in fiber and bundle creation and was incremental to the overall brush design development. TNT supplied their knowledge in molding, polishing, electroplating as well as final assembly. Air bubbles are common when casting metal and pitting will occur when nickel goes into hot water. TNT over time has developed trade secrets and finetuned this process to produce little to no bubbles during the process.
With each new custom brush project, the teams collaborate on all things from design, engineering, materials, manufacturing process, quality control and logistics.
Luxury Secondary Packaging
A second value add was that TNT has a sister company, TNT Promo that designs and manufactures luxury secondary packaging. Taiki entrusted TNT promo to take over the production of the makeup brush secondaries that not only look and feel luxurious they protect the brush during transit which was very important to the brand.
Interested in learning more about custom makeup brushes and what TaikiUSA has to offer? Start a project here!