Walsin Lihwa actively invests in the development of green products and clean technology note and regards them as core strategies for sustainable operations. Starting from our core business, we are committed to high value-added products, establishing a resource valorization chain, upstream supplier management, and implementing green procurement; Throughout the manufacturing process, we integrate smart technologies to achieve green manufacturing. Additionally, by increasing the proportion of CleanTech products, we aim to create shared value with customers and establish a sustainable business model. The Company actively positions itself within the new energy sector, responding to the government's policy of promoting renewable energy, and supports the development of stable and resilient grid infrastructure. We also collaborate with upstream, mid-stream, and downstream suppliers to establish a green industrial chain, continuously reduce the carbon footprint of products and enhance the added value of our products. In the future, we will also actively invest in the research and development of related clean technology and continue to refine our products and technologies.
Note: CleanTech revenue is derived from the Wire and Cable Business Group (products include PV cable/solar busbar wire, offshore and onshore wind power cables, EV charging plugs and feeders for renewable energy integration); Stainless Steel Business Group (heat exchanger connectors (wind power generation), solar panels (solar power), fasteners (electric vehicles/wind power generation), seat belt parts (electric vehicles), automotive screws (electric vehicles) and slag reutilization); Resources Business Group (nickel for electric vehicle batteries).
▪Product Output of All Products
High-value Transformation
Promotion and Implementation of High-value Transformation: Driven by Core Competencies, Embracing Intelligence
Walsin Lihwa promotes a number of systematic initiatives in the Wire and Cable and Stainless Steel Business Group to accelerate high-value transformation. The results and action plans implemented this year are listed below:
▪Wire and Cable Business Group Strategies
Highlights
[Yangmei Smart Manufacturing Plant] Smart Manufacturing
In 2024, the Wire and Cable Business Group applied IoT technology and equipment monitoring systems to establish a high-efficiency production facility at Yangmei Smart Manufacturing Plant. By collecting data and monitoring production processes, we can track the status of production and sales, reduce manual intervention on the production line, and address uncertainties between product design and manufacturing, thereby minimizing the use of raw material and carbon emissions. Future initiatives include installing solar power generation systems and deploying high-efficiency automated production equipment to achieve an annual carbon reduction target of 1.5%.
Advanced Warehousing and Logistics
Warehousing automation can help companies streamline the process of moving products in and out of the warehouse with minimal manual labor. It automatically records and retains product entry and exit information, thereby reducing human input errors and ensuring accurate delivery. The hardware setup and commissioning of the Automated Storage and Retrieval System (AS/RS) was completed in 2023, and it was officially put into operation in 2024, bringing more efficient and flexible warehousing management and enhancing the efficiency of the supply chain.
The AS/RS warehousing system improves storage efficiency and management through high-rise racks, storage and retrieval machines (SRM), and warehouse management systems. It significantly reduces manual labor, increases storage space utilization, and enables 24-hour uninterrupted operations.
- First in, first out (FIFO) - Automatically records the inflow and outflow of raw material, storage duration, and ensures FIFO management.
- Quick packaging - Automatic picking and sorting using robotic arms.
- Efficient shipping - Suggesting optimal storage locations to improve inbound and outbound efficiency.
- Precision distribution - Integrating with the Transportation Management System (TMS) to achieve precision distribution.
Automated Material Handling System (AMHS)
In 2024, Walsin Lihwa launched the Automated Material Handling System (AMHS). It includes Level 1 logistics facilities (AGV/ASRS/Lifter), Level 2 Material Control System (MCS), and Level 3 Manufacturing Execution System (MES) system. The MES dispatches delivery tasks to MCS, which assigns automated guided vehicles (AGVs) to select the optimal route for transportation. This reduces delivery time, increases factory efficiency and equipment utilization, and realizes comprehensive smart manufacturing.
Automatic Handling System
AGVs are essential for high-efficiency smart factories. The system manages factory-wide handling tasks and enhances handling efficiency, thereby achieving unmanned transportation by automatically adjusting the dispatch tasks based on the storage area, vehicle size, and route optimization.
- Flexibility - High-efficiency AGVs with laser reflection positioning to freely configure routes and rules.
- Diversity - Capable of transporting a variety of materials, such as coiled, racked, and shaft -mounted items.
- Optimization - The vehicle control system analyzes the optimal route for transportation .
Automatic Feeding Platform
The feeding platform centralizes wire feeding into the interlayer, equipped with an automatic frame changer and tension control system to ensure uninterrupted and stable production.
- Three-dimensional - The feeding platform is installed on the interlayer to maximize space utilization.
- Centralization - Reduces manual operations through centralized feeding.
- Unmanned operations - The Material Control System (MCS) integrates autonomous transport with a vertical lifter system for line deliveries, achieving fully unmanned handling.
Stainless Steel Business Group Strategies
Walsin Lihwa is committed to the development of higher-value stainless steel products, and to this end the Company has integrated its global supply chain to provide high-quality materials such as steel slabs, wire rods, seamless pipes and tubes, and precision rolled thin sheets to meet diversified applications. In recent years, we have expanded our market share and entered high-end applications such as aerospace and oil and gas in Europe and the Americas through strategic acquisitions. At the same time, we have promoted circular economies and accelerated green transformations by launching the Com.Steel Inox S.p.A (hereinafter referred to as "Inox") stainless steel and nickel-based alloy recycling business. The Company has obtained multiple international certifications such as ISO, IATF, NADCAP, and NORSOK to ensure that product quality meets international standards. Our products are widely applied in the aerospace, automotive, energy, and construction industries. With technological innovation and market penetration, we continue to upgrade the stainless steel industry in order to become a reliable partner for cold finished bars and wire rods around the world.
CleanTech R&D and Investment
The Wire and Cable Business Group continued to focus on net zero emissions in 2024. Efforts included ongoing research and development of products for the CleanTech industry such as solar power, wind power, and electric vehicles. The group also developed low carbon, environmentally friendly materials to support low carbon policies and sustainable operations, including materials that comply with the Technical Inspection Association (TÜV) energy storage standard, and invested in recycled and eco-friendly insulation materials development. We plan to launch cable modules suitable for green energy and electric vehicle charging plugs that have passed multiple certifications. At the same time, we are focusing on IoT cable applications for Industry 4.0, such as heavy port machinery and automated terminal systems, and a number of products have been developed, including high voltage cables and hybrid cables for automation applications. Products that were developed in 2024 include electric vehicle DC liquid-cooled charging cables that support currents up to 800A, high voltage cable sets for 14MW offshore wind turbine towers, and high voltage jumper cables for offshore wind turbines. In order to realize the goal of zero-carbon power transmission and distribution, the Wire and Cable Business Group plans to develop a variety of cable modules for green energy applications, which are not only innovative in design, but also stable in quality and have been certified under the European safety standards (IEC), Voluntary Product Certification (VPC), and the North American safety standards (UL). Other than the CCS2 charging cable obtaining VPC series certification in 2024, the high-power DC liquid-cooled charging cables that are designed for electric vehicles have obtained the IEC certification this year, capable of meeting fast charging requirements of large-capacity battery vehicles and electric buses and trucks. In offshore wind power, the high-voltage cables for 14MW offshore wind turbine towers have been certified by major international wind turbine manufacturers in 2024, and the high-voltage jumper cables for offshore wind turbines have also obtained the manufacturers' approval. This shows that Walsin Lihwa's exceptional quality of wind turbine cables have extended beyond Taiwan and reached the global stage of the wind power industry. Through continuous research and development, the Stainless Steel Business Group provides essential products for CleanTech industries such as solar power, wind power and electric vehicles.
Highlights
[Yenshui Plant] Stainless Steel
Development of the Glass Sealing Alloy (Chrome Vanadium Steel)
High chromium stainless steel contains approximately 23% to 27% chromium. It has a low expansion coefficient, which is similar to the inflation coefficient of glass or ceramic materials, thereby achieving the effect of matching packaging, preventing cracks or incomplete sealing caused by differences in size during the heating process. It is used as a sealing material in the electronics and vacuum electrical industries.
Welding Consumables Steel for Crack Resistance and Intergranular Corrosion Resistance
The development of low carbon, molybdenum-containing, high FD welding consumables steel (ER309LMo) along with high-FD and low-carbon-containing molybdenum designs with good crack resistance and non-crystalline corrosion. The addition of molybdenum can also enhance high temperature strength. Suitable for welding of dissimilar metals between low-carbon austenite or dual phase stainless steel and carbon steel.
Highlights
[Hsinchuang Plant] Wire and Cable
Electric Vehicle Fast Charging Cable Sets 100% Made in Taiwan
The Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) requires that the charging cable sets for electric vehicles should be made of domestic components in the "Taiwan-Made Product MIT Smile Logo Announcement" in December 2023. From the early stages of developing the charging cable sets for electric vehicles, Walsin Lihwa's goal has been domestic production to ensure that the quality of components can be closely managed and to avoid increased carbon emissions due to long-distance transportation. In addition to obtaining UL and IEC certification, the EV charging cables and plugs produced at the Hsinchuang Plant have also obtained VPC certification for domestic use. This guarantees that the charging cables are safe to use, adhere to national standards, and meet policy requirements, making them the optimal choice for domestic EV charger manufacturers.
Lightweight Cables for Port Machinery Systems Quality Assurance, Comprehensive Product Range, Meeting Diverse Needs
Walsin Lihwa's Hsinchuang Plant provides a comprehensive range of large-scale machinery applications for ports, and currently holds a leading position in the port machinery and cable maintenance market in Taiwan. This excellent performance stems from many years of development and testing experience accumulated by the R&D unit at Walsin Lihwa. In response to the demand for automated container terminals in recent years, we firstly designed a composite reeling cable with integrated optical fiber, which has won the trust of many customers for its stable quality after rigorous in-plant simulation tests and long-term deployment in port environment s. Recently, a spreader basket cable with optical fiber integration has also been introduced, allowing personnel to operate the spreader from the central control room eliminating prolonged work on the gantry crane, thus improving work efficiency and safety. In addition to quality of Walsin Lihwa's port machinery cables, which has been verified and regularly inspected by customers for many years, localized production also helps customers avoid long delivery times and inventory management challenges .
The First Supplier for Offshore Wind Turbine Tower Cables in Taiwan
The Hsinchuang Plant began developing industrial cables in 2012, focusing on cables for green energy applications, such as photovoltaic (PV) cables and wind turbine cables. These cables must be resistant to torsion, high and low temperatures, and environmental corrosion. To ensure the long-term durability of products, the Hsinchuang Plant established laboratories to simulate conditions inside wind turbine towers , such as low-temperature torsion testing, and continues to make improvements to the structure and materials.
Through domestic production in the offshore wind power industry and collaboration with international wind turbine manufacturers, we have obtained the stringent 9.5MW wind cable certification and began shipping in 2022. Full delivery was completed in 2024. In 2024, Walsin Lihwa's high-voltage cables for 14MW offshore wind turbine towers were certified, and shipments are expected to begin in 2025.
The Wire and Cable Business Group's extensive experience in offshore wind power cables has made Walsin Lihwa the first cable manufacturer in Taiwan to be qualified as a supplier of offshore wind turbine tower cables.
Intellectual Property Rights Protection
Walsin Lihwa promoted the Taiwan Intellectual Property Management System (TIPS), which introduces the latest corporate governance assessment of intellectual property management indicators, establishing a systematic standard for the acquisition, protection, maintenance, and utilization of the company's intellectual property, and establishing systematic management of the company's and organization's intellectual property. Since the introduction of TIPS in 2020, we have continuously passed verification. We passed TIPS A-level certification for the third time in 2023, and the verification is valid until 2025.
Current Executions
The Wire and Cable Business Group filed 8 patent applications and secured 5 patent certificates, with a total of 13 patent applications pending. A total of 20 patent certificates have been obtained over the years, and currently there are 11 valid patents. Walsin Lihwa has continued the research and development of technologies related to electric vehicle charging cable sets since 2023, with ongoing design and development of high-power liquid-cooled cable technology and corresponding charging cable sets. In addition to major markets including Taiwan, Mainland China, and the United States, we also have an established presence in Southeast Asia such as Singapore and Malaysia. The Stainless Steel Business Group filed a total of 3 patent applications in Taiwan and Mainland China and obtained 2 patents in Taiwan. A total of 24 colleagues received bonuses.
