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The Pearl River Piano Group (广州珠江钢琴集团有限公司) is China's largest piano manufacturer and the largest piano factory in the world.[1] The company was established in 1956 in Guangzhou, Guangdong, China. Pearl River is also the fastest-growing piano company in the United States and Canada, with over 300 dealers.[1]
Pearl River is capable of producing over 100,000 pianos a year, while exporting them to over 80 countries.[1]
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Core building features [link]
Pearl River pianos feature hardwood rims, sand-cast plates, and lower tension scales, features found on the world's best pianos such as Steinway & Sons. These features are considered to be important to protecting the long-term durability of the piano's tone, which can be affected over a period of time by changes to the soundboard's "crown", a problem which is thought to occur more rapidly on pianos that do not have these core features.
Most Pearl River pianos are considered entry level pianos; however, some are manufactured to higher specifications with better materials. To improve product design and manufacturing efficiency, Pearl River automated and installed computer-generated design equipment. To improve quality, the group brought in a raft of foreign industry executives as consultants and forged a $10 million joint venture with Yamaha in 1995. "We can study good management concepts [from Japan's industry leader]," says Tong Zhi Cheng, CEO of Pearl River.
Pearl River also releases special edition pianos, including the Butterfly Grand which is 198 centimeters long and available in silver, blue, or pink finishes. Pearl River also produces Ritmüller, a higher end piano, for the Asian and European markets.
Certifications [link]
In 1998, the Pearl River Piano Group earned the International Standards Association ISO 9001 Certification (ISO 9001) for its complete line of grand and vertical pianos, including all parts and components. ISO 9001 Certification is awarded by an independent auditing organization following a lengthy audit of quality systems ranging from the procurement of raw materials to manufacturing systems, assembly procedures, and customer service. Pearl River was the first piano company in China to receive this independent certification of quality.[1]
Pearl River also recently was awarded ISO 14001, which is similar, but relates to the environmental standards practiced by the company. Pearl River is again the first manufacturer in China to receive this award.
The Pearl River name [link]
Pearl River was not a "known" name in the United States until recent years, as Pearl River has only had company-owned US distribution since 2000. Since then Pearl River's US sales have grown quickly and today Pearl River enjoys a large market share of the under-$15,000 US piano market. Pearl River was the first Chinese piano company to market pianos in the United States under its own company name, and continues to be one of only two or three that do. International concert pianist Oksana Kolesnikova is a spokesperson for the Pearl River Butterfly Piano.[2]
Other instruments [link]
Pearl River is also one of the world's largest guitar and violin manufacturers, and is a primary supplier for the popular "First Act" brand of guitars commonly found at Target stores among others. The company also sells drums, brass and woodwind instruments around the world.
In the People's Republic of China, they produce guitars with their own brand name, "Kapok Guitar (红棉)".
OEM supplier [link]
The three largest retail piano companies in the US have selected Pearl River as their OEM house brand supplier: Jordan Kitts Music, Sherman Clay, and Schmitt Music. These three retail chains use their own brand name (Henry F Miller, Christifori) on the front of the pianos and in a couple of isolated cases feature slightly different specifications than the Pearl River brand models distributed by Pearl River Piano Group America, based in Ontario, California.
Connections with Yamaha & Steinway [link]
Yamaha [link]
Yamaha formed a joint venture with Pearl River in 1995 to establish a factory to build pianos for the Chinese market. This factory is located east of Guangzhou in an 'economic development zone,' approximately 35 miles from the Pearl River factory.
This factory produced two models for the Pearl River Piano Group: the UP125M1 and the Ritmüller UP126R. Ritmüller brand pianos sport upgraded cabinetry, a different plate, upgraded felt and several different scale designs. Both product lines are marketed in the United States by retail piano stores.
After learning and emulating Yamaha's production processes, the Pearl River Piano Group ousted Yamaha's ownership of the factory along with the backing of the Chinese government. Despite Pearl River's frequent marketing as having been "Designed by Yamaha", the two corporations have no ongoing partnership and Pearl River's pianos have no affiliation with Yamaha.
Steinway [link]
Pearl River also manufactures three models for Steinway & Sons' "Essex" brand piano line, including two grand pianos and an upright.
On May 1, 2005, Steinway & Sons and Pearl River Piano Group released a joint announcement of the signing of an agreement. The companies began development work on several new models of the Essex piano line, designed by Steinway & Sons for affiliate company Boston Piano Co., Inc. The new line of pianos reached the marketplace early in 2006. This was Steinway's first such venture in China and Pearl River's first OEM relationship with a Western piano maker.
Essex pianos are manufactured in their factory in Guangzhou, China.
References [link]
- ^ a b c d Pearl River Pearl River Pianos's USA site. Retrieved on September 29, 2007.
- ^ Oksana Kolesnikova website, Pearl River."[1]"
External links [link]
https://wn.com/Pearl_River_Piano_Group
Pearl River
Pearl River may refer to:
Bodies of water
- Pearl River Delta (PRD), area around the mouth of the Pearl River in Guangdong
- Pearl River Delta Economic Zone, economic region in the PRD
- Pearl River mega-city, proposed mega-city in the PRD
Communities and administrative divisions
In the United States:
In music
- Pearl River (album), the above band's second album
Pearl River (Metro-North station)
Pearl River is a New Jersey Transit and Metro-North rail station on the Pascack Valley Line. The station is in Pearl River, New York and is located at 35 South Main Street between West Central Avenue and Jefferson Avenue. Pearl River is the last station in New York, heading from Spring Valley towards Hoboken Terminal.
This line runs to Hoboken Terminal with connections via the Secaucus Junction transfer station to New Jersey Transit one-stop service to New York Penn Station and to other NJ Transit rail service. Connections are available at the Hoboken Terminal to other New Jersey Transit rail lines, the PATH train at the Hoboken PATH station, NY Waterway ferry service to the World Financial Center and other destinations and Hudson-Bergen Light Rail service.
Station layout
The station has one track and one low-level side platform.
Parking
Permit parking is operated by LAZ Parking and accommodates 170 vehicles.
References
External links
Media related to Pearl River (Metro-North station) at Wikimedia Commons
Pearl River (China)
Coordinates: 22°46′N 113°38′E / 22.767°N 113.633°E
The Pearl River or Zhu Jiang (Chinese: 珠江; pinyin: Zhū Jiāng; Jyutping: zyu1 gong1, literally "Pearl River", pronounced [ʈʂú tɕjɑ́ŋ]; Portuguese: Rio das Pérolas) or less commonly, the Guangdong River or Canton River, (Chinese: 粤江), is an extensive river system in southern China. The name Pearl River is usually used as a catchment term to refer to the watersheds of the Xi River ("West River"), the Bei River ("North River"), and the Dong River ("East River"). These rivers are all considered tributaries of the Pearl River because they share a common delta, the Pearl River Delta. Measured from the farthest reaches of the Xi Jiang, the Pearl River system is China's third longest river, 2,400 kilometres (1,500 mi), after the Yangtze River and the Yellow River, and second largest by volume, after the Yangtze. The 409,480-square-kilometre (158,100 sq mi) Pearl River Basin (珠江流域) drains the majority of South Central, (Guangdong and Guangxi provinces), as well as parts of Southwest (Yunnan, Guizhou, Hunan and Jiangxi provinces) in China, and Northeast of Vietnam (Cao Bằng and Lạng Sơn).
