創新發現誌

New Media 2.0 – “Personal Media” Innovation 

By HU, Hsiu-Chu 

On September 2, 2009, a group of nearly 30 technology bloggers met at the Sherwood Taipei at the invitation of Intel. The occasion was a new product launch presentation for one of Intel’s new products; what was unusual about the presentation was that, instead of journalists, those attending were a group of “nerdy” bloggers. Instead of asking about market competitiveness, industry trends and the impact that the new product would have on Intel’s operational performance, the bloggers wanted to know what fast the new chip was, whether it could be used for over-clocking, and how much it would cost.  

Just like a new car test-drive event, these technology bloggers were the first people to get to use the new product; the next day, their appraisal of the new product, saying whether they liked it or not, would appear on their blogs the next day. A PR agency executive explains that, today, bloggers rival traditional journalists in importance; they provide a channel for direct communication between business enterprises and consumers without the need for the intermediary role played by traditional media, and as such bloggers have become an important PR tool. The blogging community has become a new battlefield in which PR and media consulting firms compete fiercely against one another; this is true both in Taiwan and in other parts of the world. In 2005, when GE was preparing to embark on a major new investment project, senior GE managers met with a group of environmental bloggers to try to win their support for GE’s new energy-saving technology.  

Blogging represents a rapidly growing new industry in the U.S. A research report indicates that there are now over 20 million bloggers in the U.S.; for 452,000 of these people, blogging is their main source of income. Professional bloggers who work for business enterprises can make between US$45,000 and US$90,000 a year; 1% of corporate bloggers have an annual income in excess of US$200,000. 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Lin Chih-Ch’ing, Head of the Alliance of Innovation in Traditional Industry (AITI), says that Adopting IT Tools is the Key to Adding Value and Successful Transformation 

By HU, Hsiu-Chu 

Lin Chih-Ch’ing, the Director of the Plastics Industry Development Center, who is also head of the Alliance of Innovation in Traditional Industry (AITI), says that, in industry, adopting IT tools is the key to adding value and to successful transformation. Lin also suggests that firms seeking to create new value-added should start by focusing on service innovation.  

Companies in Taiwan’s traditional industries are mainly involved in OEM or ODM production; with respect to innovative applications, they continue to focus mainly in technology upgrading in order to fend off the competition from emerging economies such as China and Vietnam. Most firms in traditional industries are small and medium enterprises (SMEs), which tend to concentrate on R&D and manufacturing; investment in e-enablement – whether in terms of equipment, software, or manpower – is usually relatively low, leading to significant weaknesses in terms of failure to adopt useful IT applications. The adoption of new IT tools can lead to a significant enhancement of the competitiveness of these industries.  

Enterprises in traditional industries are generally reluctant to collaborate with other firms on R&D; the flow of information within these industries tends to be highly asynchronous. Awareness of the potential of Web services applications is also relatively low. To help enterprises in traditional industries enhance their technology capabilities, AITI is planning to complete the establishment of an AITI Service Network before the end of 2009, so as to integrate the IT training services provided by the various foundations and institutions that are members of AITI, bringing together their IT and innovation capabilities within the same portal to make it easier for both business enterprises and individual members of the public to access the services they need quickly and conveniently. It is anticipated that the establishment of this knowledge network for traditional industries will help firms in traditional industries to identify new opportunities to create value.  
 
 
 

A Bright Outlook for the “Six Key Emerging Industries” 

By HSU, Li-Kui 

Taiwanese industry is heavily export-oriented, and is also relatively undiversified, with hi-tech manufacturing dominating the industrial structure. As a result, Taiwan is highly vulnerable to the ups and downs of the global business cycle. This was very obvious last year, when the global financial crisis led to a dramatic fall in Taiwan’s exports. The Executive Yuan believes that it is vital to create new opportunities for the development of Taiwanese industry; with this aim in mind, the government has formulated the “Six Key Emerging Industries Plan.”  

Chang Chia-Yuan, Vice President of Quanta Computer, notes that these days everyone is talking about “cloud computing,” and that the companies that come to mind when someone mentions cloud computing are enterprises such as Google, Amazon, Microsoft and Yahoo! that operate global, universal platforms; however, specific applications such as healthcare, education, monitoring and testing, entertainment, etc. may offer even greater opportunities for cloud computing development.  

Wu Ming-Ji, Director General of the Department of Industrial Technology, Ministry of Economic Affairs, points out that the development of cloud computing services by the Six Key Emerging Industries needs to be carefully focused. Wu notes that the Chinese government has been promoting the growth of the healthcare and energy sectors, and suggests that Taiwan may be able to develop business opportunities that relate to collaboration with China in these areas. Regarding the development of cloud computing services in the Six Key Emerging Industries, cloud computing knowledge, technology, human talent and infrastructure are generally in short supply in Taiwan’s industries; Wu suggests that the government may want to consider establishing an Open Cloud Computing R&D Center and Cloud Computing Applications Project Office to help chief information officers (CIOs) and other managers in the Six Key Emerging Industries to plan the rollout of cloud computing services and to promote more active involvement by industry.  

Yang Jen-Ta, Director of the Institute for Information Industry’s Innovative Digitech-Enabled Applications & Services Institute (III-IDEAS), says that the Chinese-language e-reading market offers significant opportunities for Taiwan. Yang suggests that, given that the “Greater China” region is the world’s largest market, Taiwan should exploit the advantages conferred by its ethnic Chinese culture. He sees significant potential for e-reading in the cultural and creative industries, anticipating that Taiwan should be able to develop new business opportunities by integrating e-reading devices with innovative services.  
 
 
 

International Acclaim for the “Sliding Bike”, which has Won 8 Major International Awards in 5 Years  

By HU, Hsih-Chu 

In the Far Glory Air Cargo Park free trade zone adjacent to Taoyuan International Airport, 55-year-old Huang Chung-Yung is busy arranging the shipment of a batch of his “Sliding Bikes.” Huang has been waiting for this moment for 5 years.  

Huang, who was in the import/export business for over 10 years, traveled to 60 different countries on business during the course of his career. Having decided to establish his own brand, Huang came to the conclusion that a “sliding bicycle” would be significantly safer and more convenient to use than a conventional folding bicycle. Over a period of 5 years, Huang has invested around NT$50 million in this project, 16 times more than he originally planned to spend on it. Despite winning 11 major awards in Taiwan and overseas, and successfully creating his own highly innovative “Sliding Bike” brand, Huang was initially unable to make a profit from the venture.  

Huang Chung-Yung was aware that 6 million bicycles are sold in Japan every year. The small size of most Japanese houses and the high cost of living in Japan made Japan an ideal market for sliding bikes. This was what encouraged Huang to invest in sliding bike R&D. The first-generation model was relatively crude; the first set of dies cost only NT$20,000 to make.  

Huang’s sliding bike uses a one-piece sliding-type frame with no points of attachment. Unlike conventional folding bikes, the bike slides open, making it very easy to open out or close up. The height of the bike can be adjusted to match the rider’s height, so children can continue to use the same bike as they grow older; this bicycle is perfect for all the family.  

After making repeated improvements, and developing 15 sets of dies, the fourth-generation sliding bike has reached a high level of perfection. Huang has continued to make improvements to the bike, and has showcased it at many exhibitions both in Taiwan and overseas to gain increased exposure. Since winning an award at the Seoul International Invention Fair in 2004, Huang has won awards for his sliding bike nearly every year.