Over the past 30 years, through the assistance of the government, the promotion of academic and research institutes, and the dedication of businessmen, industry has come to play a leading role in the Republic of China's economy. The development of the electronics industry in particular has exemplified the nation's advance in sophisticated techniques, until today its products account for a large share of exports. In the electronics category, calculators figure prominently.
Since the first electronic calculator was produced in Taiwan in 1972, the industry has made rapid progress. Last year, annual output was increased to 7.15 million sets, or about 10 percent of the world's total. The development of the line has been greatly enhanced by the fact that the Republic of China is now self-sufficient in production of the parts and components needed to make calculators. Such major parts as liquid crystal display (LCD), silver oxide battery, keyboard, printed circuit board and the "brain" of the calculator, the large-scale integrated circuit (LSI) are all made in Taiwan.
Electronic calculators find wide application in the Republic of China. People from all walks of life, including clerks, housewives, students, accountants and many others, find them indispensable in their daily activities. Among the 10 or so factories in the line, Cal-Comp Electronics Inc., a purely locally invested company, accounts for 40 percent of Taiwan's output of calculators.
Since its inception in April 1973, Cal-Comp has made several significant improvements. For instance, the green tube has been replaced by a LCD to display the numbers, an innovation which prolongs battery life from four to eight hours to 10,000 hours. Cal-Comp makes a wide variety of calculators, with prices ranging from US$6 to US$35 each.
Electronic calculators can be roughly divided into desktop and pocket models. Apart from being larger, the desktop model usually has paper rolls inserted to record operations and transactions. The smaller pocket calculators can be further divided into five types. Some are as thin as a name-card, others double up as timepieces, while others have trigonometry and bank deposit record functions.
To assure the high quality of its products, Cal-Comp tests them strictly before they are released for sale. Every stage, from the purchase of components, through the processing, assembly and packaging is subject to thorough inspection. The discovery of a single flaw will result in a product being rejected.
Staff of the quality control department at Cal-Comp then inspect one-tenth of every batch of 500 calculators after they have been packed. If any fault is found, all 500 must be returned for improvement.
Among the many quality inspection requirements are an environmental test to make sure the calculator can endure high temperatures and humidity, tests for resistance to shock and static electricity, and a final test of the strength and durability of the switch and keyboard. As all the inspection procedures are controlled by machine, the process is impartial and fair.
The research and design department at Cal-Comp is in charge of style and packaging, as well as research into the calculators' mechanical construction and circuitry. Staff members are all holders of B.S., M.S. or even Ph. D. degrees in related fields. Through contributing their expertise to devising new types of calculators, they have opened up a new era for the electronics industry in the Republic of China.
[Picture Caption]
1,2,4. On the assembly line, workers weld the component parts on to the printed circuit board. 3. The interior workings of a calculator. 5. Every stage, from the purchase of components, through the processing, assembly and packaging, is subject to thorough inspection.
In an electronics factory, machines have gradually replaced manual operations.
On the assembly line, workers weld the component parts on to the printed circuit board.
On the assembly line, workers weld the component parts on to the printed circuit board.
The interior workings of a calculator.
On the assembly line, workers weld the component parts on to the printed circuit board.
Every stage, from the purchase of components, through the processing, assembly and packaging, is subject to thorough inspection.
In an electronics factory, machines have gradually replaced manual operations.
In an electronics factory, machines have gradually replaced manual operations.
