Managing Director's Statement - Michael Li

I feel it is both an honour and a privilege to be able to write this statement for OSMEN’s 20th anniversary. I am truly humbled by this achievement as Managing Director. Twenty years is an incredibly significant checkpoint, and many people have contributed toward the longevity of our company.

Since our debut in retail, OSMEN has expanded to eight retail stores in eight years. As we reach twenty years, I am confident that we will only grow stronger.

I am excited to announce that OSMEN’s expansion has led the company to look for a larger warehouse. We are also implementing SalesForce as our new CRM system, and NetSuite as our updated ERP system. Both softwares are recognised as world-leading programs, and will help set up a solid basis for our growth over the next ten years. We are on the verge of breaking into a higher standard of operation, and how fitting that it coincides with OSMEN’s 20th anniversary.

Before OSMEN, our factory worked behind the scenes as one of the leading exporters to Europe and Australia. Orient Sino International Group was the first private Chinese company in the industry to exhibit collections at SPOGA in Germany, and as such I have always placed an emphasis on quality. I have been lucky enough to witness the evolution of the very first cantilever umbrella from development to manufacture in China, and believe strongly in the evolving innovation of outdoor furniture. OSMEN came to Australia as a key supplier to Harvey Norman, Domayne, and Freedom-- a history that we are incredibly proud of and grateful for.

Many staff members joined the company during the opening of our second or third retail store, and have since helped us expand to eight stores across the Greater Sydney Area. OSMEN’s success is a culmination of a lot of effort from a lot of people. I am incredibly privileged to work alongside driven, ambitious, and wonderful people in our team.

Thank you to our OSMEN Retail Team, for helping to fulfil OSMEN’s mission in sharing the joys of outdoor living. The team has worked hard to achieve sales targets even during a year of COVID, and it is thanks to them that we are able to expand. Each salesperson is an ambassador for OSMEN, and it is because of your passion that we earn the trust of our customers.

Thank you to the OSMEN Warehouse, who work tough hours at hard work. They are essential to our business, and I’d like to especially thank their work in the weeks leading up to Christmas and during our peak seasons. They are the last face that our customers see, and undertake the responsibility of leaving OSMEN’s last impression. It is overwhelming, but I can feel their undeniable effort as they do their best to deliver all orders to customers on schedule.

Thank you to the OSMEN Head Office, for tackling such huge workloads amongst our small team. Over a hundred calls come into the head
office daily during peak seasons, whether it be inquiries from customers,
orders from stores, or communications from our many business partners, and our admin team is able to tackle each problem and provide instant solutions to each.

Prior to COVID, I travelled to Europe every year attending Maison&Objet in Paris, Milan Furniture Fair, and SPOGA in Germany in order to handpick each
of our collections in person for the past thirty years. Travel is difficult as of now, but OSMEN is continuing to bring the best of outdoor living to Australia. As our motto says, we are inspired by life and creating for living. Our 20th Anniversary, and the tribulations of the year leading up to it, has inspired us more than ever.