The lady who brings scrap metal to life |
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Using old bearings, bolts, nuts, screws, wires and other discarded products, an enterprising Thai is creating an art form with international appeal
Maxmilian Wechsler | Published: 09.11.2011 08:59
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THE artistry of the Thai people is well known around the world, and is evident in the Kingdom’s museums and galleries as well as the marvelous ancient temples, futuristic skyscrapers and other architectural works. Modern craftsmen expand the boundaries of artistic expression while using techniques that were first mastered hundreds of years ago.
Thai artisans are now credited with the creation of a new art form which makes use of scrap or discarded metal. Today Thailand has developed an international reputation for its steel art creations, which are now exported around the world.
The industry began here in the mid-1980s when artists were making models of animals, cars and motorcycles from bolts, nuts, bearings and wires. However, the business has really taken off in the past 10 years, after several companies began constructing imaginative larger-scale statues of aliens, monsters, predators, robots, transformers and other creatures and machines featured in Hollywood blockbusters.
One of the most successful of the new artistic entrepreneurs is Anchalee Sangtai, also known as Yumi, who founded the YumiModal company.
“I got the idea to make them after watching a movie in 2002 that featured sea predators. I bought plastic models of some of the creatures and, working in a garage, re-created them from steel. I could sell them very quickly and made a good profit. Afterward I opened a factory, where I also lived, and my brother coordinated the designs and construction,” explained Anchalee
Today, her company has two factories, one about 60 kilometers west of Bangkok in Nakhon Pathom and another in Phetchabun in northern Thailand, about a six-hour drive from Bangkok.
The steel statues are sold in three shops in Bangkok. One shop – YumiModal Arcade, at the corner of Sukhumvit Soi 7 – is open every day. The other two are at Chatuchak Weekend Market, one at Section 5 open during the weekend and the second at Section 9, open from Friday to Sunday. Anchalee frequently can be found at one or another of the shops, and also visits both factories every week.
Anchalee says it is much cheaper to produce the items up-country than in Bangkok. “I employ 13 workers at the factories. They are all highly skilled and experienced in this type of work. They are really artists, each specializing in a particular item. For example, some construct only statues of Aliens, some Transformers, some Terminators and so on, but we can make almost anything the customer wants. We also make insects, amphibians, mammals, and last but not least, miniature motorcycles and cars.
“I don’t plan to expand the business because it is enough already. I am running a small family business comfortably
and I probably couldn’t manage to supervise a bigger company efficiently,” said Anchalee, adding that what she is doing now is definitely much more profitable and satisfying than selling clothes, which she did before.
“The business has always been very good and there is an increasing demand for this kind of art. We now have more than 1,000 customers, almost all foreigners living abroad. About 15 percent place orders continuously. We are getting more and more orders but we are still able to make everything on time.”
YumiModal exports to 15 countries, mostly to the US, followed by Ireland, England, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and other Asian countries.
“I just got a new customer from South Korea. We also sell to customers in Thailand, mainly foreigners living here. Thais in general are not very much interested.
“We don’t advertize, our customers find us through our website (www.yumimodal.com) and some come to our shops as well.”
From time to time during our meeting at the Sukhumvit shop, foreigners entered to take a look at the many items on display. “Pretty interesting what they are selling here,” said one vacationing Swiss businessman. “The workmanship is extraordinary.”
Anchalee is shy about having her photo taken, but she finally agreed to pose with some of her company’s creations. Anyone wanting to take photos inside the shops needs permission.
The artisans at YumiModal create the statues according to photos, models or sketches given by the customer. “In fact, there’s no shortage of samples as dozens of monsters, aliens and other creatures are sold in the toy sections of various department stores,” said Anchalee. “Every sculpture is handmade and unique.
“Our customers order items for their restaurants, hotels, galleries, mansions. Many resell them in their countries. We’ve also gotten orders from museums, including Ripley’s Believe It Or Not! in the US. They ordered several items from us, including a six-metre high Transformer statue.”
Anchalee mentioned that customers sometimes ask for a steel statue of the Buddha, which they will not make. Nor will they do X-rated statues.
“Our scrap-metal art is all handmade. We use bearings, bolts, nuts, screws, wires and other used parts. Our skillful welders will transform a worthless piece of metal into an excellent product that could be a present or decoration. The metal is welded, not cast. Each object is unique, one-of-a-kind.”
The prices of the statues vary widely. The smallest objects are 25 centimeters high, selling from USD75 to USD95. The largest are up to six meters high, selling for between USD11,000 and USD14,000, before a discount which may be as much as 30 percent, depending on the size of the order.
“All the items we produce are made from scrap metal – auto or motorcycle parts we get from three junkyards. We know the people there and call them to make an order.”
Anchalee says there are six or seven other companies in Thailand making the same type of statues but it doesn’t worry her. “We have a good
reputation and have an established clientele who order from us regularly.”
It takes two to three days to make a small object and one month for a medium-size object. It takes up to six months to complete the six-metre high statues, which are exported in parts and can be easily assembled by the buyer upon
delivery.
“With the construction teams we have in place now, every month four to five big statues can be produced, together with dozens of medium-size ones and about a hundred smaller statues.
“To export our products to clients all over the world is no problem, as the shipping company does everything for us. They come to our factories and collect the items there and take care of everything, including the packaging and insurance.
“As for the payment, I need a deposit of 50 percent. This is used for the labor, materials and transport costs. The remaining 50 percent must be paid after shipping is approved by the transporting company, and the shipping papers have been faxed to the buyer.”
Anchalee is now venturing into other business areas. She’s bought several plots of land in Ratchaburi province and is building a small resort there.
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