Story and photos byTHOMASHUONGhuong@thestar.com.my

TAIWAN is known forinnovating and manu-facturing high-qualityautomotive parts andaccessories at compet-itive prices.The annual Taipei

AMPA (internationalauto parts and accessories) trade fairis touted as the world’s leading auto-motive trade fair for those looking tobuy products and parts on motorisedwheels.Organised by the Taiwan External

Trade Development Council (Taitra),the four-day trade fair was heldearly last month.Taiwan has a thriving motorcy-

cle manufacturing industry, withKymco and SYM being the dominantdomestic brands to compete withJapan’s Yamaha Motor.To put this into perspective,

according to 2013 statistics, therewere slightly over 15 million motor-cycles in Taiwan’s population of 23.4million.This means there are almost seven

motorcycles for every 10 persons.Among the exhibitors at 2015

Taipei AMPAwas Chian-YieIndustrial Co Ltd which supplies

parts and accessories for scootersand mopeds under its brand NCY.These include wheels, ECU (elec-

tronic control unit), fuel supplysystems, brake components and CVT(continuously variable transmission).According to Chian-Yie Industrial

general manager Chen Chung-Jung,about 60% of the products from thecompany’s three factories

are exported.“We have 20 CNC (computer

numerical control) machines. Ourmain export market is Japan, fol-lowed by the United States,” saidChen.Another innovative Taiwanese

company was 3D King Co Ltd, whichmakes multi-functional jackets formotorcyclists.

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Secchi (left) and Ng showcasing the company’s many products.

Lightweight, forged aluminium alloy wheels for motorcycles from WukawaIndustry.

ImpressiveThe creaTiviTy and Technical prowess of Taiwan’s afTer-markeTauTomoTive parTs indusTry was recenTly showcased aT The 2015 Taipeiampa (inTernaTional auTo parTs and accessories) Trade fair.

InnOvaTIOn

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These award-winning jackets aredesigned with extra materials thatprovide face masks to cover the noseandmouth, glove-like folds to coverhands, and a backpack option.“The jackets protect your skin

fromwind, dust and sun damage.They use quick dry and cooling fab-ric; so you won’t feel hot,” said 3DKing general manager Yu Yu.The jackets are priced from

NT$1,500 (RM176) onwards.Meanwhile, for those looking to

upgrade their carburetor equippedmotorcycles, Eltronix Co Ltd offersits SparKing programmable digitalCDI (capacitor discharge ignition).Eltronix president Chamber Ling

said SparKing can be used in sin-gle-cylinder motorcycles of 100cc to250cc, and has a micro-controller aswell as plug-and-play capabilities.

“The SparKing CDI provides ahigh-performance, programmablemotorcycle engine ignition system,”said Ling.Eltronix also offers its R2Power

rectifier regulator for bikers whowant improved power efficiency andextended battery life.As for those who want higher per-

formance and fuel efficiency fromtheir fuel-injected bikes, IC LeaderTechnology Corp Ltd offers its EZECUrange of after-market ECUs for fuelinjection and ignition systems.The EZECU brand is readily

identifiable by a Taiwan Black Beargraphic.The company’s headWebb Tang

said the ECUs are easily installed andare plug-and-play ready.Prices start from NT$9,500

(RM1,113).

“We have more than 45 types ofECUs. Research and development,design and production are all donein Taiwan,” he said.While many of the ECUs are for

fuel-injected motorcycles under250cc, there are also units formore powerful bikes like the 530ccYamaha TMAX.“Many racing teams in Taiwan use

our ECUs. In Malaysia, it is a popularafter-market choice for the YamahaFZ150i,” said Tang.Meanwhile, Accel Technology

Corp is known as the industry leaderin Taiwan when it comes to smallafter-market components such asplugs, covers, nuts, caps, spacers,

screws and bolts on a motorcycle.Set up in 1995, the company’s 18

CNCmachines also help to producemetal rollerblade guards.Motorcycle parts include brake

line and rotator clamps, oil filtercovers, engine plug kits, clutchand folding levers, mud flaps,lever blades, chain rollers,axle blocks and sprockets.According to Accel

Technology CEO Alex Liu,about 90% of productionis exported to the UnitedStates, Europe and Asia.Liu said AccelTechnology’s advantageslie in its parts designand customisationcapabilities.The trade fair alsohad exhibitors likethe Aixstream groupwhich offers a rangeof helmets, footwearand apparel for motor-

cyclists.Based in France and founded in

2009, the group has brands such asAstone (helmets), V’Quattro Design(footwear and gloves), Overlap(jeans) and Octopuss (waterproofbags).“Our products are certified inEurope and tested for abrasion,shock and perforation. The mate-rials used, stitching and technicaldesigns are geared for bikers,” saidAixstream group partner PhilippeSecchi.We also checked out Haihao

Technology Co Ltd which makesmotorcycle helmet visor wipers forbetter vision in rainy weather.

The company’s general managerJerry Tseng said the helmet visorwiper uses a 6cm silicone-rubberblade, and is available with a remotecontrol unit or fixed control buttons.It is lightweight (265 grams) and

can run for eight hours, powered byfour AA-sized alkaline or rechargea-ble NiMH batteries.Another Haihao Technology

product is its UPC-700 mini port-able camcorder, which Tseng saidis priced at NT$5,770 (RM675) perunit.The portable camcorder is water-

proof, lightweight (50 grams),supports 32GBmicro SD cards andrecords in high-definition 1080P or720P resolution.It can connect to Android devices

and has a 1,000mAh li-ion batteryfor up to six hours of operation.The compact-sized portable

camcorder can be hung on shirts orinstalled on car dashboards and evenintegrated into helmets.“We have sold 20,000 units since

its launch last year in Taiwan. Manywere sold to the police force. Thedevice is useful in recording evi-dence andmishaps,” said Tseng.As forWukawa Industry Co Ltd,

it manufactures 12, 13 and 17-inchlightweight forged aluminium alloywheels for motorcycles.Jasmine, a senior executive in

Wukawa, said the wheels weremainly exported to the US, Japan,Thailand andMalaysia.Meanwhile, those looking for an

immobiliser key system can checkout the I-Key fromWhat-TrendTechnology Co Ltd.The company’s manager Tim Su

said the I-Key can be installed onmost motorcycles and is priced atUS$40 (RM145) per unit.“It is similar to a car’s smart key

and immobiliser system. For twoyears, we tested this on variousmodels and brands of motorcycles. Itwas not easy!,” said Su.Powered by a cell battery, the

I-Key’s operational life is more thantwo years.

Tseng with the company’s motorcycle helmet visor wipers.

A model from 3D King Co Ltd showingoff the company’s multi-functionaljackets for motorcyclists.

Chen’s company makes parts and accessories for scooters and mopeds, andretails them under its brand NCY.

Su displaying the company’s I-Key immobiliser key system for motorcycles.

Tang presenting the EZECU range of after-market engine control units.

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THERE was plenty of eyecandy at the 2015 TaipeiAMPA (international autoparts and accessories)trade fair as a lineupof sexy and stunningmodels added a touchof glamour to the event.

Surrounded by enthusiastic photogra-phers, the female promoters appearedto be getting equal if not more attentionat the mega automotive trade fair.Held from April 8 to 11 in the

Taiwanese capital, the annual event fea-tured 1,401 exhibitors and a record highof 3,816 booths.Held at two venues, namely the

Nangang Exhibition Hall complexand the Taipei World Trade Centre, itattracted 7,300 international buyers and

60,000 visitors.The five-in-one show had display

sections for auto parts and accessories,automobile electronics, electric vehicles,tuning and car care, and motorcycles.There were also exhibitors from

Malaysia, Thailand, China, Germany,Canada, New Zealand, Japan, SouthKorea, Hong Kong, the Philippines,Singapore, Indonesia and Vietnam.The Malaysian pavilion was led by

the Malaysian Rubber Export PromotionCouncil (MREPC) and seven automotivepart makers.The products by Malaysian compa-

nies included O-rings, oil seals, gaskets,rubber boots and bushings, perfor-mance auto parts, rubber and plasticcomponents for motorcycles and cars,and rubber hoses.— THOMAS HUONG

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