From Formula to Baja to Eco-Marathon, small-model cars have become symbolic of many students’ experiences during their time in the MechSE Department.
Kader Industrial Company, the Hong Kong-based corporation led by MechSE alumnus Kenneth Ting (BSME ’68), is also well known for creating small cars. Very small.
In fact, it was battery-operated race cars—much smaller than the typical MechSE creation—that helped establish Kader as a world-class toy manufacturer in the 1950s. Founded in 1948 by Ting’s father, H. C. Ting, Kader started out by manufacturing plastic household products, but within a few years shifted to the more lucrative toy market.
“In the ‘50s, my father started tooling mold-making facilities in Hong Kong. I think he was the first one to establish plastic mold-making there,” Ting said. “That’s why in the late ‘50s we were able to go into toys. And that’s how it all started, transitioning from plastic utensils to toys.”
Growth came quickly after Kader made this switch.
“We became the major manufacturer for Ideal Toys and Marx Toys, which was the toy king in the States,” Ting said. “And Louis Marx had a very good relationship with Sears and Roebuck, and a good personal relationship with President Eisenhower.”
The younger Ting was a child during this rise to prominence. He came to the U.S. in the ‘60s to pursue his college education, which began with a degree track in liberal arts at Illinois Wesleyan. After a year he transferred to the University of Illinois, transitioned from LAS to engineering, and graduated with a mechanical engineering degree in 1968.
He then returned to Hong Kong to learn the family business.
“I joined the company in ‘68 in the Engineering Department,” Ting said. “The courses I took at Illinois had given me a good understanding of engineering. From there, I went to Manufacturing, and I was able to understand the processes better than anyone else because I could connect back to engineering. That helped me set a proper foundation for manufacturing in Hong Kong.”
He ascended through the ranks under the traditional Chinese apprenticeship system. His father passed away in 1976, and in 1979 Ting became managing director and chief executive officer. His early years at the helm were pivotal for Kader, which moved its manufacturing operation to China in 1980. Soon thereafter, it began to collaborate on some of the western world’s most beloved toys with companies such as Kenner, Hasbro, and Mattel.
In 1985, Ting was successful in listing Kader’s parent company, Kader Holdings Company Limited, on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.
His public service record includes his participation in many civic, industrial, and governmental bodies, such as his election to the Hong Kong Legislative Council, on which he served from 1998 to 2004. He then was named as the Chairman of the Federation of Hong Kong Industries, a position he held from 2004 to 2007.
In recognition of his contributions to the industry, Ting was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2008 from his peers at the Hong Kong Toy Manufacturers’ Association.
In 2012, he returned to the Illinois campus to receive the Alumni Award for Distinguished Service from the College of Engineering.
In 2016, he still recalls his days at Illinois very fondly and expressed a few words for today’s students.
“Freedom is very important, but you have to work hard,” Ting said. “The world is very competitive, but there shouldn’t be any fear of the future for anybody who works hard.”