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Published on November 5, 2007

Everyone is intrigued by the world of magic and few people realise that a quiet, privately owned company in Thailand is the world's largest supplier of magic products.

Kovit Monshouwer, manager of Chon Buri-based Hanky Panky Toys Thailand, said his company was better known in Europe and the United States.

"We export more than 90 per cent of our products," he said.

His father, Jack, founded the company in the Netherlands more than four decades ago and over the years it moved first to Tenerife in Spain and then to Thailand about 10 years ago.

"My father opened our Thai factory first and my brother and I remained in Tenerife operating our factory there for several years before relocating our entire operation to Thailand," he said.

In the past decade, first under Jack's tutelage and now Kovit, Hanky Panky's manufacturing facility in Thailand has expanded to cover almost every facet of production. "We are specialists in every sense because we create and make products from start to finish, from raw materials to plastics and printing, which means that our servicing ability is simply the best."

Recently, The Nation visited the Chon Buri plant and noticed that Hanky Panky magic boxes were being prepared for a client in Romania. "The boxes and materials were all custom-made and everything is in Romanian," Kovit said.

The company's major customers are in the United Kingdom, Germany and the Netherlands. "We have been developing magic products for these markets for more than 45 years," he said.

Hanky Panky's magic kits are sold in colourful, fluorescent boxes and are branded with such names as Merlin's Magic, Street Magic, Gross Magic, Really Stunning Magic and My First Magic Hat. "Some of the world's foremost magicians and toy-marketing specialists have helped us develop our magic products over the years."

Hanky Panky develops products for different age groups. "Our experienced design team and packaging specialists ensure that when we develop a new product, it specifically appeals to the age group the product is intended for," said Kovit.

Kovit, whose mother is Thai, said the family had decided to move to Thailand from Spain when production costs there became too high. "My father first moved our manufacturing plant to Tenerife more than two decades ago."

The family, he said, had considered moving to China but eventually chose Thailand. "Because of our family's Thai roots, we felt we were comfortable that we could operate efficiently from a base in Thailand."

Another key element of the company's success is the family's more than four decades of relationships in the business, particularly in Europe. Jack, who is 75, built the business from scratch and has brought his sons and daughter into the enterprise.

"I spent quite a few years selling our company's products in Europe," Kovit said.

Today his sister remains in Europe and manages the company's key European sales clients. Kovit's younger brother, Woranath, who worked with him in Tenerife, is now also in Thailand working with Hanky Panky.

"We all live in separate houses with our own families in the company compound," he said.

Although Kovit is now the company's managing director, father Jack's presence is always felt since he is always nearby. "We're still a family-run business and we've always treated our customers as friends. We make sure we give each and every one of them the highest levels of service," he said.

Jack, who recently became a Thai citizen, believes Thailand will continue being a competitive and profitable manufacturing home for Hanky Panky. "We are all really at home here and it's a wonderful place," he said.

As an aside, he said his biggest challenge here was learning the Thai national anthem and singing it in front of 30 people during his citizenship interview. "It was the most frightening thing I have ever been through," he said.

Recently, the Netherlands-Thai Chamber of Commerce and the Benelux Chamber of Commerce awarded the company their Best Exporter of the Year award.