Focus and creativity
These ten companies have all performed brilliantly when it comes to the financial numbers. For example, both Moxa and Meishih Taren enjoyed EPSs of over NT$20 last year, whereas the globally renowned Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company had an EPS of only NT$4.93. Broadly surveying the successful experiences of these firms, David Chang points out: "What they all have in common is that they stay focused on their core business activities, and take creative approaches to managing their own brands. Also, they all found market niches and then successfully broadened their operations from there."
Take for example Eagle Eyes, which specializes in the manufacture and sale of automobile headlights. This was always considered a "greasy hands" industry in the past, but this firm has gone after the specialized markets for customized vehicles and replacement parts for high-end cars. They can now supply headlights for over 8000 vehicle models, including Mercedes Benz and BMW, with appearance and quality in no way inferior to original factory parts, but at prices 20-30% lower. Besides selling in the Taiwan market, the company has also received quality certifications in the UK, Germany, and US, and markets its products worldwide.
Another example is Optoma Technologies (capitalized by Coretronic), now the number-one brand name for digital light processing (DLP) projector equipment in the world. The company has made repeated innovations, including the first all-in-one combination projector, DVD player, and stereo and the first projector with photocatalyst air filter functions. Including overseas subsidiaries, last year revenues were roughly NT$10 billion. Meanwhile, Ho Shing has focused on the industrial sewing machine market. It has developed a number of products, including ones using eddy-current electromagnetic motors and servo motors, a far cry from the clutch motors of the early days. The company sells overseas as well, and is now a designated supplier for famous firms like Juki, Brother, and Pegues.
As David Chang analyzes the situation, "Taiwanese manufacturers often get started doing OEM or ODM, but we discovered that the vast majority of the firms that made our list have their own brand names. Developing your own brand will not get you 'easy money' in the short term like manufacturing for someone else will, but in the long run manufacturing for other people's brands can only yield narrow profits within a range set by those people. You can only earn high profits with your own brand and continuous innovation, in which case there will not be any ready substitutes for your products either. The success of these ten firms is the best evidence."
In these tough economic times, with rising costs for energy and raw materials, these nearly invisible companies scattered in various corners of Taiwan have been quietly, step by step, achieving brilliant results swimming against the tide. They are like "golden bricks" discovered by panning in a river. Their success has not been easy, but they still offer lessons others can learn from. Even more, they are the hope for Taiwan's economic future.