Just over a year ago, we were sad to announce that the Hanwei sword factory had permanently closed its doors. Their statement explained that the factory had never fully recovered from a fire in 2011, and that following the retirement of the founder, the company had lost its sense of direction. You can read the statement we received from Hanwei at the time below:
“What happened and why?
We will try to make a very long story short. The factory producing our products for CAS Hanwei was facing many challenges and, unfortunately, was unable to remain open. Since the well-deserved retirement of Paul Chen well over a decade ago, there was not as much energy or vision being poured into the factory, and quite honestly the factory had never fully recovered from the devastating fire it had in 2011. Then as with a lot of businesses, the financial instability from COVID-19 hit the factory very hard. Additional complications, such as government regulations, the war in Ukraine impacting steel supplies, and global supply chain disruptions have further compounded an already bad situation. Many factors aligned to create the perfect storm, leaving the factory with no reasonable path forward. Thus, in December, the factory sent us their final shipment and officially closed their doors.”
But that wasn’t the end of the story?
Since then, Irongate Armory has been keeping a close eye on the situation and staying in touch with our local contacts in Dalian, China. At first, it looked as though Hanwei’s work would be transferred entirely to Dragon King, but eventually the factory, brand, and machinery found a new owner who decided to carry on Hanwei’s legacy while also bringing a fresh direction to the brand. However, since the factory had been closed for quite some time and customers had assumed operations had ended completely, there is still a lot of work ahead to rebuild the business.
A few weeks ago, Irongate Armory’s CEO Ville visited Hanwei’s new owners and the factory in person, together with his family. The experience was very positive, and we have confidence in the new owners’ vision for the future of Hanwei. We’re also convinced of the high quality of the new products.
We also hope that in the future, Irongate Armory could develop an even closer direct collaboration with Hanwei, but that’s something to look forward to further down the line. The main thing is that Hanwei has made an unexpected comeback, and the first shipment is now available in both our shop and online store. Come and take a look!
