The environment, energy conservation and carbon reduction are topics of serious concern to stakeholders. Chroma has been advocating environmental protection and energy conservation for a long time and makes sustained effort to lessen the impact of greenhouse gases and global warming. In addition to innovative research and development in the manufacturing processes of our advanced equipment and measuring instruments, we also pay serious attention to lessening the impact of our products on the environment. We reduce energy use and waste generated in production to a minimum.

We have implemented the concept of green product design at every stage of the R&D of new products. This starts with customer demand and includes the e-management programs. The R&D division has been tasked with making the products more energy-efficient and ensuring compliance with hazardous chemical regulations. We use renewable and recyclable materials as much as possible. Improvements and evaluations are carried out on a continuous basis to ensure that our mass production meet the requirements and standards in terms of quality assurance and environmental protection. We conduct sampling inspections to ensure the products remain in compliance with the requirements. Our aim is to ultimately implement sustainable product management.

The company has also been promoting various energy-saving projects in the factories. These include the production lines, offices, public areas, IT center, etc. The company expects to achieve a substantial reduction in energy consumption by optimized energy management. We expect to achieve the goals of sustainable coexistence with the environment by using highly efficient environmental improvement technology and equipment. 

Currently, the company and subsidiaries of the Group have been taking part in green and environmental protective activities. We have taken an aggressive approach to develop operations and products that are more eco-friendly. In this way, we seek to satisfy the green requirements of our customers as well as the regulations on management of energy and resources, climate change, RoHS and toxic chemicals in the countries where we sell our products. We use this as a guide for improvement and sustainable management to eventually become a totally green company.

Chroma will keep improving energy saving, carbon reduction and environmental management in all our factories. We are actively focusing on green design and production, and the reduction of GHG emissions. We are determined to establish proper green management and lessen the impact of our products on the planet and are steering our suppliers in the same direction.

The use of energy and resources not only consumes the total mineral resources of the planet, but also produces a tremendous volume of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, the primary component. Global warming has increased the occurrence and intensity of extreme weather and in addition to sometimes irreversible damage to the planet, this can seriously affect our manufacturing environment. In the face of global climate changes and ecosystem transformation, we need to take immediate action in the management of energy and resources, as well as greenhouse gas emissions.

Chroma established a GHG inventory system four years ago, and created an inventory process for the detection of all possible sources of GHG emissions in our organization. Each year, we check the GHG inventory for the previous year in our factories under Category 1 and Category 2. A third-party certification organization carries out the inspection in accordance with ISO14064-1. We fully understand the greenhouse gas emissions condition of the company and formulate the short-, mid-, and long-term reduction plans according to the individual amount of emissions to company implement our planned actions on environmental protection.

Using the data from the 2018 ISO 14064-1-based GHG inventory, we calculated the GHG emissions from the use of energy in our Linkou Headquarters and branches in Hsinchu and Kaohsiung. The sources covered by the inventory included externally purchased electricity, equipment for processes, boilers, water towers and water chillers. The total emissions were 11,096.987 tons CO2e with an average of 6.471 tons CO2e per employee. The overall emission density was a 6.47% increase from 2017, due to the difference in product category and manufacturing processes. The main source of emissions was externally purchased electricity under Category 2, which accounted for 97.40% of the total emissions. In the future, we will continue the inventory of our GHG emissions and take relevant measures for emission reduction.

Chroma is renowned for its power electronics testing solutions, in which we have the largest market share in the world. Chroma has a unique vision and was at the forefront to seize the opportunities presented by green energy. We are now the leading supplier of our own brands of automatic test equipment (ATE). Our focus is on nine groups of products: video and color, power electronics, passive components/electrical safety, semiconductor/IC, solar power, LEDs, batteries, electric vehicles, and optical component testing solutions. We also plan to develop power electronic testing solutions. 

Our future operational strategies will be based on securing our place in the green energy industry and we are constantly adjusting direction and the steps being taken in this direction. At the same time, we are drawing up performance evaluation strategies to enhance our core competencies. As a result, we have become firmly rooted in both solar power and the electric vehicle fields. A wide range of new green energy products continue to enter the market and need more accurate product-testing services. Because the market is now focused on the excellent opportunities that have come with the green energy industry, we have also extended our key testing technologies to clean energy. We have developed a range of technologically advanced products that lead the industry., including the Total Power testing solutions using light-emitting diodes (LED)s, as well as systems for the automatic grading of the efficiency of solar cells, and for regenerative battery formation. These products have enabled Chroma and its subsidiaries to maintain their lead in the testing solutions market and achieve great business performance. These products are also a crucial driving force behind our growth and progress.

So far, we have more than 800 patents and over 100 special core technologies, this is the highest number in the domestic measurement industry. In 2018, Chroma ranked 69th in applications for invention patents in Taiwan, and 82nd with respect to the number of announced patents, so within the top 100 of domestic companies on both respects. 

 

At the “2017 Summit on Innovation and Development of Automotive echnology in Taiwan ”, our Turnkey System Business Unit presented the outcome of the research and development on the automotive platform designed by Hua - chuang Automobile Information Technical Center Co. (HAITEC), whose R&D teams are dedicated to locally developed cars in Taiwan. The presentation focused on power systems for electric vehicles. In Manager Tseng’s words, reduction of carbon emissions is the common objective of countries around the world, and Taiwan cannot stand on the sidelines. The S3 EV+ intelligent electric car of the local brand Luxgen is the first of its kind to be 100% designed and manufactured in Taiwan. It plays a pioneering role in efforts to reduce carbon emissions in the country.

In the industry chain of power systems for electric vehicles, we are focusing on motor controllers. We have actively cooperated with HAITEC in developing a motor controller exclusively for S3 EV+. The power of the controller is 150 kW with at least 97% efficiency and power density of up to 15 kW per liter. Regarding reliability and safety, the most important indicators of automobiles, our motor controller passed tests on international car standards and gained the status of a world-class product. Through collaboration with the industry, universities and academia, we have formed a coherent and strong ecosystem team. In recent years, electric cars have become a global trend. In 2017, 1.22 million electric cars were sold worldwide, a 58% increase from 2016. The top 5 countries in terms of the number of sales were China, US, Norway, Japan and Germany. Many countries have been active in formulating policies in relation to electric cars. Norway was the first country to set the goal of full electrification of commercial cars by 2025. The UK and France announced that sales of purely diesel-powered and petrol cars will be banned in 2040. Carmakers around the world have also developed their responses to these policies.

As a result of the efforts of Chroma and members of the local automotive R&D team, including the Industrial Technology Research Institute, Automotive Research and Testing Center, National Taiwan University, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology and National Taipei University of Technology, we have been able to rely on so many experts and technologies with respect to HAITEC’s automotive platform and complete the development of the power systems, which were successfully integrated with S3 EV+, the first locally designed and manufactured electric car. For the auto industry in Taiwan, it was a milestone on the road to a whole new lifestyle that is eco-friendly, high-tech, green and intelligent.

The government plan that in 2035 all new motorcycles will be electrical has stimulated the development of fast-charging systems for batteries, and electric motorcycles have become a global trend. Chroma leads collaboration between industry and research institutions, and is working with the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI), Ship And Ocean Industries R&D Center (SOIC) and eTreego Co Ltd. The results of research into "an electric motorcycle charging station and charging compatibility test systems" were officially announced at the Taipei International Electronics Show on October 9, 2018.

The Chroma electric motorcycle charging station and charging compatibility test system is based on the "industrial standards of the fixed type inductive charging system for electric motorcycles" developed by the ITRI. It can simulate charging station conditions, or an electric motorcycle with normal or abnormal charging modes as well as the testing parameters, on electrical characteristics and communication. This will assist manufacturers with product testing in the R&D stage and before product delivery, and also allow the management and monitoring of production. ITRI has created a technical blueprint for testing regulations as verification of the technology and foundation of product testing. Supported by the Department of Industrial Technology (Ministry of Economic Affairs), Chroma, SOIC and ITR have all collaborated in the development of the charging interface simulator used in this testing system. And eTreego’s charging module and the design and development of capable charging stations, as well as the collaboration between the industry and research institutions has made a serious contribution to the development of domestic electric motorcycles. 

This has also improved charging safety and enhanced the popularity of electric motorcycles. The charging infrastructure is the key to the popularity of electric (motor) vehicles. There is much support for the potentially huge domestic market as a result of favorable policies and regulations. Chroma has been devoting much effort to the green energy industry and the measurement and testing of key components of electric vehicles. This includes the testing solutions for the carried charger, AC and DC charging station, battery power, battery management system and motor stator, which have now been adopted by domestic and overseas vehicle manufacturers and well-known inspection laboratories. In addition, we have established the first electric motorcycle charging station and a charging compatibility testing platform that meets the domestic testing regulations, and have created another business opportunity.

The battery modules are available in high-capacity, low-capacity and other forms. If tests are conducted on high-power equipment with a low-capacity battery module, the accuracy of the tests is clearly not enough. With parallel connection, the battery module is able to set the parallel channels whose number is based on the actual capacity of the module. Replacement of equipment is not necessary, and the event where the accuracy fails to meet demands will not occur.

To ensure energy transition and tackle the increasingly severe problem of air pollution, last year the Executive Yuan decided that government cars will become fully electrified in 2030. The Executive Yuan also decided that motorcycles and cars using fuel oil will be banned in 2035 and 2040 respectively. It means that starting from 2040, all vehicles in Taiwan will only be powered by electricity.

Chroma is a manufacturer of electronic measurement and automatic testing equipment, and a provider of turnkey solution services regarding power cells for electric vehicles. As the number of delivery of Tesla’s newest affordable electric car Model 3 reaches its peak, the demands for electronic tests also keep rising. In recent years, we have put efforts in the development of measurement technologies for electric vehicles and launched a battery discharge control module. As a response to certain energy issues, our Model 17020 System was designed in a way to enable energy recycling. The electrical energy discharged from the battery pack is recycled and used as domestic power or directly transferred to any other battery pack that needs recharge.

For battery testing, we have designed some functions out of safety consideration. There are functions for detection of overvoltage, overcurrent and other abnormalities during the testing process to make it safe. In addition, there is a data preservation mechanism. These functions will bring great benefits in the future. For example, if the amount of energy consumed per hour is 12,000 kWh, with 90% efficiency in energy recycling, Model 17020 is able to reduce the annual carbon emissions by 90% (about 57,993,408 CO2e), and our customers will save about NT$0.4 billion in electricity expenses every year ( calculated based on NT$2 per kWh ) . We maintain high efficiency and low costs for our customers in order to make the prices of our products more competitive. We are also committed to energy and power saving to protect the environment and do our part to help Earth.