cens logo

Monsoon-caused Floods Prime Pump Makers in Taiwan for Action

One maker builds testing facility to be the biggest in S.E. Asia

2012/08/22 | By Michelle Hsu

Taiwan, an island in the southwest rim of the Pacific Ocean, usually sees Monsoon rains in late May or early June, which this year have been unusually heavy to equal downpours typically associated with a medium typhoon, hence flooding parts of Taipei and many remote communities in central Taiwan.

This year's Monsoon rains came earlier than usual, catching some residents off-guard but still surprised others who thought they were prepared with pumps.

Not all water pumps are suitable as flood-relief devices. Chuan Yi Electric, along with two others, HCP Pump Manufacturer Co. and San Tai Machinery Manufacturing Co., are certified by the Taiwan Accreditation Foundation (TAF), a member of the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation Mutual Recognition Arrangement (ILAC-MRA), to supply pumps for flood protection.

Largest in S.E. Asia
Chuan Yi Electric has been focused on flood-relief pumps since being founded in 1982, and has invested NT$350 million to build a water pump testing facility that is purportedly to be the largest in the Southeast Asia after completion by the end of 2013.

“When completed, the testing facility will not only test our water pumps for export, but also any imported models,” said a senior manager of Chuan Yu Electric, which became TAF certified in 2009.

Chuan-Yi is building another water pump testing facility purportedly the largest in  Southeast Asia.
Chuan-Yi is building another water pump testing facility purportedly the largest in Southeast Asia.

Chuan Yi Electric transformed from a water pump importer dating back to 1961 when Taiwan's pump market was dominated by foreign brands. Upon its establishment, Chuan Yi Electric focused on making pumps for flood relief, motivated by the continual demand due to regular flooding caused by Monsoons. Most of Chuan Yi Electric's water pumps are portable for convenience that is critical for emergency rescue.

While controlling the lion's share of the domestic market, Chuan Yi Electric is exploring potential opportunities globally, having received OEM orders from Europe in addition to ones from Southeast Asia.

Special Models
HCP Pump, TAF certified in March this year, specializes in making submersible pumps, mostly for pumping stations. Compared to typical pumps, submersible pumps have two major advantages: reduces footprint and minimizes noise from operation.

HCP Pump makes submersible pumps which are delivered globally in addition to the home market in Taiwan. Besides being headquartered in and with production lines in Taiwan, HCP Pump runs a subsidiary in Vietnam to strengthen sales network and after-sales service for the Southeast Asian market.

Confident of the quality and energy-efficiency of its pumps, HCP Pump advises consumers to consider savings in electricity with higher energy-efficiency pumps as well as low maintenance. Conceding the higher prices of its submersible pumps relative to typical models, the maker emphasizes the higher cost is offset in the long-term.

San Tai Machinery Manufacturing Co., a major centrifugal pump maker in Taiwan, has developed various pumps for water-protection facilities. According to the company, the centrifugal pumps are designed to discharge high volumes through smaller heads.

San Tai, originally set up in 1928 as a maker of agro-fluid machinery, started to make centrifugal pumps during the 1960s, motivated by Taiwan's urgent need for flood-relief pumps.

With over 80 years of pump-making experience, San Tai developed various pumps for domestic sales and export, in addition to larger models for flood-relief engineering systems, with major offshore markets including Canada, China, Japan and Southeast Asia.

Upon starting its pump production line in 1985, San Tai has technological support from American partner Ingersoll-Rand and has supplied customized pumps for corporate and governmental clients for flood relief.

Fire-fighting Pumps
Fire-fighting pumps, a special category distinguished by its major feature of maintaining high inner pressure to deliver water quickly over wide areas or high-pressure stream on concentrated areas, are designed for fire containment.

Mow-Lin Electric Co., founded in 1978, is a major fire-fighting pump maker in Taiwan. With over a decade of experience, the company plans to launch an advanced model of fire fighting pump around the year-end or early next year.

Mow-Lin’s 2” semi-trash pumps are popular amid residential users.
Mow-Lin’s 2” semi-trash pumps are popular amid residential users.

“The new model has targeted maximum suction lift (vertical distance from the lowest suction point to the centerline of pump impeller) of 90 meters, compared to the 72 meters of its largest fire fighting pump,” said company representative Krista Wang.

Fire fighting pumps, also able to deliver foam or other fire retardants and usually installed as part of building sprinkler systems or on fire trucks, are among the best sellers for Mow-Lin, which maintains a steadily-growing market share in Australia as its largest fire fighting pump market where such device is essential for fighting forest-fires.

Mow-Lin supplies a wide range of pump, including fire fighting pumps, water pumps, trash pumps, semi-trash pumps, plastic pumps, among others, all powered by Honda or other world-renowned brands.

“Semi-trash pumps, which handle many different types of water from fresh to muddy sludge, are another best-selling category,” said Wang. With higher performance than standard fresh water pumps, semi-trash pumps are suitable for agriculture, home, civil engineering, and fishing.

Mow-Lin has seen steady sales growth of semi-trash pumps in the U.S., where the 2-inch semi-trash pumps are the most popular because, Wang noted, “the 3-inch is too big and the 1-inch is too small for residential users.” Not quite professional grade, the semi-trash pump is common chosen by residential users.