In this April issue we highlight our recent road show to India and our talks with distributors and end-users around this great country. Also featured is Argox's first company-wide foosball tournament. And the Story of Argox continues with how we made our decision to move to a new factory in 2005.

We learned a lot about which industries use our products, who are our competitors, how to enhance future products, is the market cold or hot, and what Argox needs to do to improve our competitiveness here. Previous visits were spent mostly on technical training and marketing support. This time we met face-to-face with end-users and heard from the local perspective. We found that each place we visited had its own special requirements. This is valuable information for the future as we make plans to support the India market and develop new products. Argox's next scheduled trip to India will be in December when we attend the India Label Show in New Delhi. Hope to see you there!

During the exciting games coworkers cheered as they watched "the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat," and from some reports there may have even been a little betting on the side. After two weeks of competition, the champion male foosball player was Jimmy, who also happens to be chief of R&D and one of Argox's original founders. In celebration of a successful tournament and his first place victory, Jimmy invited all participants out for dinner and a night of singing karaoke.

Everyone had a lot of fun during the foosball tournament and it was a great way to promote team spirit, as co-workers from all departments got to know each other better. We're already looking forward to the next tournament... table tennis anyone?

Finally, as orders outgrew production, the decision was made to find suitable factory space and move. The Argox partners discussed three options. Should they rent a plant? Buy a plant? Or should they buy a piece of land and build a dream factory?

The most desirable option was to buy land and build a dream factory. The partners felt buying land would eventually make money from rising real estate prices, so in addition to building a factory, they enthusiastically discussed adding recreational facilities for employees such as a garden, a tennis court, and a swimming pool. However, the price of land in Taipei is quite expensive and it would require a large investment. The only alternative was to buy land at a cheaper location in a distant county. That's when reality struck. They recognized that if Argox moved to a distant new factory it would lose its greatest asset—its employees, who might not be so willing to move. Realizing this, the partners ruled out building their dream factory.

Buying an existing plant near their current office was another option. However, after looking for nearly two years they discovered there weren't any available plants big enough to accommodate both the Argox factory and office.

The decision was soon made for them. Argox's sales had increased to the point where production capacity was at its limit. Out of the blue, a real estate agent came by Argox's office and said there was a nearby plant for rent. Within 30 minutes the partners decided to go ahead and rent the plant. It was still not ideal. The new plant was only large enough to support production, and the offices would need to remain at the original location. Still it was conveniently located within walking distance.

The new factory is large enough to accommodate the next few years of growth. But looking to the future, the Argox partners still have their dream of building a factory with a tennis court, a swimming pool, and a garden for all Argox employees to enjoy.