TAITRA Unveils 8 Winners of Taiwan Excellence Gold Awards

Taiwan firms praised as being more sophis

The Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) announced the eight winners of the prestigious Taiwan Excellence Gold Awards at an April 16 ceremony hosted by the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) and attended by Taiwan industry leaders.

The 17th edition of the awards honors products that embody "innovalue," or “value created by innovation.” A panel of international judges with expertise in the four key evaluation criteria—R&D, design, quality and marketing—selected the winners.

Ma Ying-jeou, Taiwan President, presented the Gold Awards, which were given this year to a more diverse group of products, including hand tool, cellphone, household appliance, consumer electronics, industrial automation equipment, computer, flat-panel display and bicycle.

"This time, I've seen ‘innovalue' becoming a system for Taiwan companies," said Sejiro Oshimura, one of the judges who is also a professor at Mejiro University in Japan . "To make a good product, the entire process is important."

According to Oshimura, ASUSTeK Computer Inc., the company that launched the world's first netbook little more than a year ago, performed well in all the criteria. The judge praised the company, which markets products under the ASUS brand, for setting clear targets for strategic products and sustaining efforts to achieve these goals. "The ASUS' Eee PC netbook is a product that took many companies in the notebook computer industry by surprise," he commented.

The Touch Diamond mobile phone from High Tech Computer (HTC) Corp. is another Gold Award winner that is popular with consumers worldwide, and an example of how Taiwan companies are becoming more sophisticated in terms of product design, according to C.K. Lee, a judge who is also deputy chairman of Taiwan's Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI), a national R&D organization that engages in applied research in industrial technology.

Integrating Global Talent

"HTC combined the talent of its global design teams to create the Touch Diamond," Lee said. "The ability to combine design concepts from various parts of the world has also been important for other Taiwan products such as bicycles."

Many of the judges commented that there is still room for Taiwan's young brands such as ASUS and HTC to improve on marketing "innovalue."

"Taiwan has always been strong in addressing foreign markets," said Harm Hogenbirk, a design judge who is with pilotfish, an industrial design and product development studio specialized in electronic products. "What I like is that Taiwan is now addressing universal values. Branding Taiwan is what it is all about."

Echoing Hogenbirk's view, the Taiwan government has made branding Taiwan the key task for raising the nation's industrial and economic competitiveness. There are two ultimate goals for the Branding Taiwan program: One is to integrate resources to help establish brands and create a favorable environment for development; the other is to help Taiwan enterprises develop brands and increase their value.

"People around the world recognize these brands now," said Luke Peters, a judge who is also the deputy-editor of T3 The Gadget Magazine. "They also recognize that these are Taiwan brands. The range of products we've seen this year has spread."

Giant Also Strikes Gold

Giant Manufacturing Co., the world's largest bicycle maker, won a Gold Award for its City Speed bike. With the City Speed, Giant designers and engineers aimed to create a bike that features both speed and simplicity. Its comfortable, upright position, streamlined curves and modern touches, including integrated head- and taillights, are styled for urban dwellers.

Optoma Corpo., a leading global projector brand, won a Gold Award for its Pico PK101 pocket projector. The product also won an Innovations Design and Engineering award from the organizers of the 2009 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in the U.S.

The pocket-sized PK101 opens up a wide range of new applications for businesspeople and personal users. The PK101 connects to portable media players, mobile phones and other devices to display presentations, photos, videos and websites on the go and anywhere with just a few simple connections.

Even the veteran household appliance maker Tatung won a Gold Award for its TAC-11A rice cooker, a product that incorporates environmental protection concepts as part of its design.

Major Green Players

Many Taiwan companies are among the world's innovators offering products that save energy, reduce pollution and help keep people fit. Taiwan has some of the world's largest companies making green products such as bicycles, energy-saving lights and solar cells to name a few. According to TAITRA, the Taiwan government is supporting this effort as part of its goal to develop sustainable businesses.

In addition to the eight Gold Award winners, 22 companies won Silver Awards, which certainly are not second-best in terms of their innovations created in Taiwan.

Taiwan Excellence Gold Award Winners
Product	Model Number	Company
Eee PC	S101	ASUSTeK Computer Inc.
City Speed	City Speed	Giant Manufacturing Co. , Ltd.
Touch Diamond	HTC Touch Diamond P3700/P3702	High Tech Computer Corp.
Energy Conservation Driving Module	R1	Hiwin Technologies Corp.
Pico Pocket Projector	PK101	Optoma Corp.
WorldCard	WCU01A	Penpower Technology Ltd.
Ratcheting Adjustable Wrench	RA Series	Proxene Tools Co., Ltd.
Rice Cooker	TAC-11A	Tatung Co.
Source: TAITRA.

Company Name: ASUSTeK Computer Inc.

Product Name: Eee PC

Model No.: S101

Company Website: www.asus.com

The Eee PC S101 is an exquisitely designed netbook that is ideal for fashion forward individuals who view style as much of a factor of success as substance. With an industry-leading lightweight form factor, accentuated with premium Infusion finishes and crystal-adorned hinges, it successfully melds fashion with functionality to place it at the very top of netbook computing.

The Eee PC S101's colors emanate confidence, success and dynamism, and its incredible portability lets users carry themselves with effortless grace, without the slouching and strain affecting users of regular notebooks. Its fantastic slimness is not just eye-catching, but allows it to tuck easily into most bags.

Equally impressive in terms of features, it supports Wi-Fi 802.11n, enabling high speed Internet access virtually anywhere; while the built-in Bluetooth V2.0 ensures fast and convenient connectivity with a vast range of BT-enabled devices. Each Eee PC S101 also comes with Hybrid Storage, which includes a shockproof Solid State Drive (SSD), Internet Storage, and an extended SD card for ultimate convenience in various application scenarios.

The exclusive Super Hybrid Engine (SHE) technology greatly enhances energy efficiency, allowing users to enjoy longer battery life of up to five hours of continuous use—removing the need to lug power adapters along. SHE also offers a choice of performance and power consumption modes to let users make quick and easy adjustments to suit their usage scenarios.

Company Name: Giant Manufacturing Co., Ltd.

Product Name: City Speed

Company Website: www.giant-bicycles.com

The City Speed city bike model has many advantages including:

Innovation:

1. Avant-garde design – bringing bionics of shark fin curve and "lateral line" on fish into a City Speed's tube appearance results in streamlined curve shape on top and long circular groove on the side.

2. Integrated design – by integrating the light, stem and handle bar into one component and combing rear light with seat clamp, City Speed keeps the structure simple and simplistic.

3. High-grade design – City Speed applies iconic symbol, incorporating smooth welding technique, polishing of parts, hidden screws and hidden non-essential parts.

Practicality:

1. Integrated handle bar – by integrating front light, stem and handle bar into one component, City Speed strikes a perfect balance between mechanism constraint and design request.

2. Integrated rear light and seat clamp – it is a DIY free design, avoiding any potential danger.

Safety:

1. By integrated design parts, the front and rear lights will be with the bike all the time to secure the safety of the user.

2. Ergonomic grip with special grooves are intended to reduce the slip risk due to sweat and to ease the uncomfortable feeling.

Appeal:

1. Implicit luxury: the simplistic and stylish appearance with integrated functions enables City Speed to break stereotypes and address consumers' needs.

2. Design profundity: collaborating with notable British industrial designer, Michael Young, Giant creates a striking visual and comfortable riding experience.

Company Name: High Tech Computer Corp.

Product Name: Touch Diamond

Model No.: P3700/ P3702

Company Website: www.htc.com

Advantages of the HTC Touch Diamond P3700/ P3702:

1. 2.8-inch touch screen, with four times the pixels of most phones.

2. Vibrant TouchFLO 3D user interface, responding perfectly to your finger gestures when scrolling through contacts, browsing the web, and launching media… all vividly displayed as photos and artwork powered by the 3D graphics processor.

3. HTC Weather - providing a constant view of weather at home and abroad.

4. Surf and download at broadband speed with HSDPA Internet connectivity.

5. 3.2 megapixel auto-focus camera for quality stills and video.

6. 4GB of internal storage to preserve more photos, music, files and exchanged data than ever before.

7. Integrated GPS for use with maps software for a full turn-by-turn satellite navigation experience.

Company Name: Hiwin Technologies Corp

Product Name: Energy Conservation Driving Module

Model No.: R1

Company Website: www.hiwin.com.tw

The HIWIN Energy Conservation Driving Module R1 Series is a high performance product developed in accordance with customer demand and market trend. R1 meets the requirements for high accuracy, high rigidity, heavy load, and long service life but also achieves the goals of energy conservation, modularization, economization, and environmental protection. R1 is an ideal solution for automation, semiconductor, photonics, and robotics industry.

Energy Conservation--R1 employs rotating nut instead of rotating screw shaft for linear transmission. Less energy is required to drive the system.

Modularization--R1 features a compact design by integrating the nut and the support bearing effectively. R1 increases the flexibility of machinery design, improves the efficiency of installation and calibration, and reduces the risks of system inaccuracy.

Economization--With patented design, R1 simplifies the assembly procedures, increases the production efficiency and consequently benefits the customers.

Environmental Protection--With the patented recirculation component, R1 effectively restrains the system vibration and noise in high speed operation. The material used for R1 also follows RoHS Directive.

To assure the best quality, HIWIN conducted theoretical analysis and computer simulation in the R1 development, also performing inspections and tests for engineering integrity. The R1 has won many patents: 4 in Taiwan, 2 in Germany, 1 in US, 1 in China, and many others are still pending.

Company Name: Optoma Corp.

Product Name: Pico Pocket Projector

Model No.: PK101

Company Website: www.optoma.com.tw

The Optoma PK101, a tiny pocket projector that fits in the palm of your hand, lets you view Home-Cinema sized images from personal media player, mobile phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), and cameras.

Perfect for viewing video and images from your iPod or media phone and small enough to be comfortably carried in your pocket - the battery operated Optoma PK101 is always ready for you to show video and images with fitting size. Share video and images from your media device with your friends or just enjoy a big screen experience on the move.

Optoma PK101, the world's smallest and lightest micro-portable DLP® projector, has been honored with the Consumer Electronics Association's (CEA) 2009 Innovations Design and Engineering award in the category of Video Displays.

Company Name: Penpower Technology Ltd.

Product Name: WorldCard

Model No.: WCU01A

Company Website: www.penpower.com.tw

The WorldCard Ultra, launched in October of 2007, not only offers even more advanced features but also supports both Windows and Mac users, providing businesspeople with an intuitive and convenient client-data management system that recognizes up to 18 languages. Its innovative styling also comes as a breath of fresh air to the business card scanner market. Apart from the impression of quality conveyed by its stylish black and red curves, its innovative slot-in design and LED indicators means you can operate the device one-handed without pressing any buttons at all. Other innovative features include the dust & anti-slip cover and smart USB cable storage. With WorldCard Ultra, the business card reader is not simply a functional piece of hardware – it is also a work of art that combines ergonomics and design.

Thanks to Penpower's pursuit of excellence in software and innovation in hardware, WorldCard Ultra now gives client-data management an all new look. Business professionals can now not only use it to work more efficiently but also to demonstrate their confident style in the workplace. This innovative design has not only been embraced by the market but also won major international design awards such as the German iF, Red Dot and G-mark in 2008, bringing Penpower international acclaim. We will not rest on our laurels however, but will continue to observe consumer needs closely and strive for innovations in software functionality and external styling. In the future, we hope to continue bringing consumers more advanced and useful client-data management tools.

Company Name: Proxene Tools Co., Ltd.

Product Name: Ratcheting Adjustable Wrench

Model No.: RA Series

Company Website: www.proxene.com.tw

The innovative ratcheting adjustable wrench features:

1. Faster: Ratcheting function offers the efficientcy compared with the conventional ones, which helps the end-user get the job done faster.

2. Easy & Convenience: Swing without lifting up provides a greater ease of use in limited spaces.

3. Anti-Slip: TPR material handle with ridged design ensures a strong grip.

4. Combination Function: Ratcheting & Adjusting, a breakthrough application on traditional hand tools.

Company Name: Tatung Co.

Product Name: Rice Cooker

Model No.: TAC-11A

Company Website: www.tatung.com

Product Features:

1. Specially designed handle prevents users from being scalded.

2. Handle is coated with anti-bacterial silver for better protection against germs.

3. Far-infrared ceramic coating enhances retention of nutrition in food and makes surface non-stick.

4. Compounding with stainless steel and aluminum makes inner pot harder and more thermally conductive.

Taiwan Excellence Silver Award Winners
Product	Model Number	Company
PocketCinema	V10	AIPTEK International Inc.
3.5G Super Performance PDA Phone	P552w	ASUSTeK Computer Inc.
Bamboo Series Notebook	Bamboo U2	ASUSTeK Computer Inc.
Short-Throw Gaming Projector	MP512 ST	BenQ Corp.
World's Thinnest 19-inch Wide Panel	M190Z3	Chi Mei Optoelectronics Corp.
Taiwan Blue Magpie Collection	FZ01752~FZ01758, FZ01761	Franz Collection Inc.
TCR Advanced SL	TCR Advanced SL	Giant Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
Linear Motor Air Bearing Platform	LMAP-250 / LMAP-450 / LMAP-650	Hiwin Mikrosystem Corp.
Treadmill	T7xe	Johnson Health Tech. Co., Ltd.
Functional Trainer	G3-MSFT 400	Johnson Health Tech. Co., Ltd.
Vertical Machining Center	CV-6	Kao Fong Machinery Co., Ltd.
Jockey G5 125/150	SR25AA/SR25AD/SR30AC	Kwang Yang Industry Co., Ltd.
Solargizer leading desktop combo for green protection	SlimStar 820V	KYE Systems Corp.(Genius)
Full suspension MTB – One Five O	One-Five-O 3800-D / 880-D	Merida Industry Co., Ltd.
Elixir DDR3 SODIMM series	M2S1G64CBH8A4P-BE / M2S2G64CB8HA4N-BE / M2S1G64CBH8A4P-CG / M2S2G64CB8HA4N-CG	Nanya Technology Corporation
Pacific IF	Mode	Pacific Cycles, Inc.
Refrigerator	NR-D562HV-S / -B	Panasonic Taiwan Co., Ltd.
All Terrain Vehicle (ATV)	Target 500	Taiwan Golden Bee Co., Ltd.
Fine Arts Counter Top Gas Hobs	G-2110S, G-2110G, G-2120S, G-2120G	Taiwan Sakura Corporation
Fine Arts Chimney Range Hood	VR-3300	Taiwan Sakura Corp.
Dual-Band Gigabit Wireless-N Router with VPN	NBG-463AN	ZyXEL Communications Corp.
WiMAX Indoor Femto Base Station	MAX-1200	ZyXEL Communications Corp.
Source: TAITRA.