UL International, L.L.C., (UL Taiwan), a wholly owned company of Underwriters Laboratories Inc., with government support from the Ministry of Economic Affairs' Department of Industrial Technology, has formalized a plan to invest NT$200 million to establish a Material & Environment Technology Center (METC) in Taiwan. The METC will develop safety certification technologies and testing services for environmentally friendly electronics materials and energy components. It will also help Taiwan's electronics industry adopt world-class testing and certification technologies, establish international standards, and provide rapid, real-time testing certification services to local manufacturers and material suppliers. This investment plan demonstrates UL's commitment to helping to advance Taiwan's electronics industry by raising the product quality of environmentally electronics materials and energy components while also cultivating safety certification technology capabilities related to Green production in Taiwan.
"UL Taiwan is honored to have the support of the Taiwan government and the firm backing of UL headquarters in the U.S.," remarked UL Taiwan Managing Director William Lin. "Together, we will establish UL's first overseas Material & Environment Technology Center. Last year, UL headquarters decided to establish a research center in Asia. After considering a number of factors including investment environment, industry integration, availability of qualified and experienced personnel, Taiwan was selected for UL's first overseas research center," he continued. "The METC will be the first UL certification technology research center in the world dedicated to environmentally friendly electronics materials and energy components, and will have a major impact on Taiwan industry development."
The plan focuses on developing safety testing and certification technology platforms and establishing related standards for environmentally friendly electronics materials and energy components. UL has already acquired the testing equipment, which includes accelerated ageing testing equipment, environmental modeling testing machinery and functional reliability testing equipment. The METC will train approximately 40 testing engineers, and will invite specialists from abroad to provide guidance and consulting to Taiwan personnel as UL gradually transfers specialized technology to Taiwan. In the future, the METC will work with the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) to accelerate domestic development of testing and certification technologies for environmentally friendly electronics materials and energy components, assist industries in complying with safety certification requirements, establish an image of quality in related domestic products, and encourage Taiwan manufacturers to establish their own independent safety testing capabilities. The METC will thus help to improve the global competitiveness of Taiwan's electronics industry.
"To address urgent global environment needs, the MOEA has implemented a number of measures to help domestic industries enter the 'green' supply chains of major international businesses," commented Department of Industrial Technology Director General Huang Chong-qiu. "Through this project, the MOEA will draw on UL's experience in the testing and certification field to develop Green testing technologies and establish a series of international certification standards. The MOEA hopes that this plan will ultimately help Taiwan industries upgrade their production processes and improve competitiveness, establish a comprehensive industrial development mechanism and improve Taiwan's international visibility in high-value products."
Since 2002, the Executive Yuan has been actively encouraging multinationals to establish R&D centers in Taiwan. Through cooperation between government agencies, domestic companies and multinational corporations, the Executive Yuan aims to help the domestic industry expand its knowledge base, drive innovation, establish local industry strengths and advantages, cultivate R&D personnel talent, build up R&D capabilities, and improve domestic competitiveness. Several major multinationals have already established R&D centers in Taiwan, and UL is the first to receive MOEA authorization to establish a certification technology research center.
The establishment of the METC will not only help Taiwan bring in world-class testing technology resources and provide the industry with professional consulting and supply chain monitoring services, it will also assist companies in carrying out new technology and product evaluation, improve Taiwan's participation in the setting of standards and improve Taiwan's image in terms of environmental awareness and reliability. Ultimately, it will also enable the domestic electronics and electrical industries to undertake continued expansion and upgrading.
"The main reason UL decided to establish its Asia-Pacific R&D center in Taiwan was because of the solid support provided by the government," William Lin acknowledged. "UL Taiwan has already started mobilization on all fronts, pouring resources into installation and development, and sending personnel overseas for training. Hereafter, we will actively promote interaction between industry, government and academia to develop Green testing technologies and standards and help Taiwan's industries connect with Green global supply chains."
