Taiwan Excellence: Strong Parts from Asia

At one time, Taiwan was considered an alternative to China when things needed to be done quickly and cheaply—the delivered quality was then usually rather subtle. This has changed in the meantime, as could be seen at the latest product presentations by Taiwan Excellence. The presentation was led by Amel Chen, who gave the floor to Simon Wang, the Executive Vice President of Taitra, the organization behind Taiwan Excellence. And like China, Taiwan is also defying the Covid-19 crisis: According to Wang, Taiwan was hardly affected by disease cases and was even able to increase industrial production in the first three quarters of 2020 by 2.4 percent compared to the previous year. Even the gross domestic product grew slightly by 1.5 percent. For 2021, Wang also expects growth of 2.9 percent.

Good conditions, then, for the companies, with the focus on "Safety and Lighting" being opened first by Lucidity, a manufacturer of LED lighting primarily in the commercial vehicle sector. The company has now been in business for 40 years and has accumulated some experience. The Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Jerry Huang, presented new energy-saving and very solid new lighting units that bring the dynamic indicator to trucks and trailers. He particularly pointed to the new "Glo series," where they have also taken design up a notch. Behind this is now a large research and development department along with fully automated production. This was followed by a connection to the USA, where Vera Chen, responsible for marketing there, proudly presented the customers who mostly use the lights on Paccar trucks (Peterbilt, Kenworth) and trailers: including UPS, Union Pacific, or United States Postal Service, i.e., the US Post.

The focus remained on the commercial vehicle sector and turned to something more tangible like wheel components—the Wheelhubs from Chuhung Oil Seals, or Cho for short, a company that has been in existence since 1988. Sales Manager Annabelle Chien then gave a virtual tour of research, development, and production, and here too the company is now broadly positioned: Cho conducts elaborate laboratory and material tests and continues to invest in highly automated manufacturing. The latest products are the Centurion 5&6 Series Wheel Hubs, on which the company also holds several patents. Even seemingly simple products are now developed and tested extensively in Taiwan.

Amel Chen then moderated back to the light: Zealio Electronics followed, where CP Cheng gave a brief introduction before handing over to the Director of Marketing, Jack Kao. Meanwhile, they now hold patents in Germany as well, and they have a production error rate of 0.00246 percent. The product: LED light strips that shine not via cable, but via a battery that is supposed to last up to three years. These are already installed in various European models, including Mini, Opel, and Renault. In addition to the entry strips, they have now developed an LED for the door: As soon as it opens, the LED lights up or blinks, warning approaching vehicles from the rear – which allows for a simple and inexpensive alternative to the commonly hardwired red door warning lights. A smart opening sensor detects the opening of the door and activates the light. There is also new lighting for the B-pillar, which mainly serves aesthetic purposes, following Zealio’s clear motto that LEDs are "the new chrome."

Malcom Cheng, Supervisor of AI Computing at IEI Integration Corp., shifted focus from lighting to software, where a new license plate recognition software was introduced, primarily used at barriers, driveways, or toll stations. The camera-based system also recognizes the plates of two-wheelers and is designed to prevent stops at barriers: the number is scanned, recognized, and the barrier opens. Additionally, a monitoring software for the driver is offered, which can detect (frequent) yawning or a view turned away from the road. This system also relies on a camera-based system, which can provide warnings to a central control station or dispatch when needed — specifically, when truck drivers are on the road for (too) long and at risk of drowsiness.

Ultra-thin OLEDs replace the LCDs

Finally, Bert Hsia, Vice President OLED Business at Wise Chip, a company founded in 2015, concluded the presentations. He showcased the latest generation of OLEDs, which can be ultra-thin in extreme cases, can be installed anywhere, and optionally respond to touch. A principal application can be found in the Audi TT, where they are "embedded" in the center of the air vents to display and control the temperature. Naturally, applications are also found in Head-Up-Displays or on e-bikes. According to Hsia, the key factor here is automotive suitability, meaning that the system must function reliably in temperatures ranging from -40 to plus 85 degrees Celsius. Notably, at freezing temperatures, OLEDs perform much more reliably than LCDs. The fact that they are now also touch-sensitive and can replace switches and buttons as control elements is advantageous, especially since they not only save costs but also reduce weight.

What does this mean?

The presentations by Taiwan Excellence demonstrated how far Taiwan has come: Even the simplest products now come with a sophisticated research and development department and fully automated production. Additionally, there are now various global patents and ISO certificates, which will not simplify life for suppliers and SMEs in Europe, especially since these companies almost all have branches in Europe and North America.