Cross-Straits team lights the way in new standards for LEDs
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China Daily, August 24, 2011
As the LED industry looks to light up even further, the Fujian Bureau of Information Industry plans to unveil the first cross-Straits standards for light-emitting diode street lights in the second half of this year, according to an industry insider.
With rules on designs and inspections, the standards are expected to help regulate the market, said Liu Jieming, chairman of Fujian High-Tech Industry Promotion Association.
LED technology is seen as revolution in lighting over conventional bulbs due to greatly lower energy consumption and longer lifespan.
"There are currently no national standards of this kind so the team will base them on the existing standards in Taiwan," said Liu, also head of a Fujian-Taiwan LED team that participated in the standardization work.
The standards will be revised yearly to keep up with the rapid technological progress in the industry, he added.
"Unified standards are expected to further the already-close cross-Straits cooperation in this emerging field," Liu noted.
Taiwan is a microchip production powerhouse while its neighboring province Fujian has an edge in designing and making lamps.
After the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement was signed last year, the wide-ranging economic pact between the mainland and Taiwan accelerated technological exchanges and talks on establishing industrial standards.
Companies on the mainland started later in the industry than their Taiwan peers, so "there's a lot to learn", Liu said.
He recalled that in the early days of the LED industry, Taiwan focused more on production prowess while South Korean companies emphasized building their brands.
As a result, Taiwan is a major production center for international companies, while South Korea is more known for its own brands.
"The Taiwan path teaches us a lesson," Liu said. "Brands matter - and they're backed by core technologies and market scale."
Experts predict that conventional lamps will be supplanted by LED lighting worldwide in the next few years.
Faced with such huge potential, Chinese companies need to invest more in R&D to increase their bargaining power in the international market, as core microchip patents and lamp brands are currently owned by Japanese, US and European LED giants, Liu said.
The Fujian government has already listed the LED industry a priority in the province's 12th Five-Year Plan (2011-2015).
The nearest province to Taiwan has also become a new career hot spot for LED experts from across the Straits.
Among them is Huang Shengbang, an expert who formerly worked in optoelectronics at the island's Industrial Technology Research Institute.
When the veteran inventor joined the private Fujian company Hongbo Opto-Electronics Technology Co Ltd a few years ago, the news came as a shock to Taiwan's LED industry, said You Yuxian, president of Hongbo Group.
"They were surprised and asked what firm on earth attracted Huang to it," You recalled.
Hongbo Group began in the printing business and later developed a diverse business portfolio including optoelectronics, real estate, investment and trade.
At the group's early stages in 1999, You already decided to adopt high standards for technology and quality.
Her company invested heavily in importing a state-of-the-art printing press and production line, then one of only five of its kind nationwide.
Hongbo Printing went public on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange in 2008.
The pursuit of high standards from the very beginning is also reflected in Hongbo's first foray into the LED industry, when the company drew in top experts and imported leading-edge machines.
"We did not hurry to launch any new LED products until their quality was ensured," You said.
She said she's sure the industry will witness a reshuffle in the next two or three years. "Only companies with core technologies and quality assurance can stand up through to the end."
Luo Xuan, chief of the provincial intellectual property office, agreed, noting that "patented technologies are key to a company's sustainability".
To encourage innovation, the provincial government gives awards to 100 outstanding invention patents every year.
The provincial office received more than 1,200 applications for invention patents last year. In the first half of this year, the number has already surpassed 1,400 filings, Luo said.
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