Sanxiao aims to be top on toothbrush

Daily accessories provider Sanxiao Group based in East China’s Jiangsu province has participated in the biannual China Import and Export Fair since its 86th edition in 1999.

Han Guoping, chairman of the group, set a new goal at the beginning of this year, which is for Sanxiao to become the best toothbrush maker in the world in terms of both quality and price in five to 10 years.

Established in 1989, Sanxiao has experienced a rapid rise. By the end of the 1990s, the share of Sanxiao toothbrushes in the domestic market had exceeded 50 percent, outstripping many State-owned enterprises and foreign companies.

At the 86th China Import and Export Fair, also known as the Canton Fair, Sanxiao’s small booth attracted a large crowd. 

This was not because that its products used a lot of technology but because they were highly cost-effective. The year 2000 was a watershed year for Sanxiao. In that year, Sanxiao formed a joint venture with Colgate of the United States.  The Sanxiao brand was sold to Colgate and a 10-year non-compete agreement was signed, meaning that Han was not allowed to engage in toothbrush production and sales for the next 10 years. 

After the agreement expired 10 years later, Sanxiao began anew. In 2011, Sanxiao launched a new toothbrush brand “Kejie Kejing”, which features high quality and caters to the evolving needs of consumers.