Vespark All Aglow Over Glow Plug Prospects

For over 30 years Vespark Industrial Co. has specialized in the production of aftermarket glow plugs for diesel car, truck, bus and industrial engines. The company turns out a comprehensive line of about 200 models at its ISO9001/9002-certified plants, mainly for Japanese auto makes but also for some U.S. and European models.

Vespark has complete selections for Daihatsu, Hino, Isuzu, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Toyota and Mazda auto brands, and it adds about 20 to 30 new plug models to its line each year. In addition to its product diversity, Vespark is experienced at filling small-batch orders for specialized items.

As mentioned above, the firm's manufacturing facilities are all ISO9001 certified. It closely cooperates with about 30 satellite plants in central Taiwan in addition to handling some key processing tasks in-house. The company was also a long-term technical partner and supplier to Bosch subsidiaries in Southeast Asia, giving it access to key techniques for producing top-quality glow plugs that meet original equipment (OE) standards.

Vespark develops and manufactures each of the four types of glow plug used in diesel engines, including the standard type (ST)--models in the category can heat to 800 degrees after 15-30 seconds; quick type (QT)--800 degrees after 15-20 seconds; OGS type--to 900 degrees after about 10 seconds; and the latest, the super-quick type (SQT)--to 950 degrees after 3 to 6 seconds. To assure the best performance and greatest durability, Vespark uses only high-quality coil and heater-tube parts imported from the U.S., Japan, and Europe.

The company is currently one of the top three aftermarket glow-plug makers in Taiwan, and was once selected as a qualified supplier to the Ministry of National Defense (MND). It employs about 15 people at its plant in central Taiwan's Taichung, and has a monthly capacity of 80,000 to 100,000 plugs. Vespark exports all of its glow plugs to major markets including the U.S., Europe, Latin America, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East, selling its models under 13 different trademarks, including the VSP brand, which is used on American and European car/truck plugs

As diesel engines are rapidly gaining popularity throughout the world due to great advances in reducing their output of pollutants, Vespark president Huang Ji-jou is very confident about his company's future sales, and plans to continue investing intensively to expand the company's R&D capabilities and its production capacity.

Contact the company for more information at: No. 3, Lane 64, Sec.2, Fuhsing Rd., Taichung, Taiwan; tel: (886-4) 2261-9568, 2262-5979; fax: (886-4) 2262-8842; e-mail: glowplug@ms14.hinet.net; website: www.vsp-glowplug.com.tw