2021 & 2022 NTU Engineering Entrepreneur Lectureships
2023/1/4
To recognize outstanding individuals with exceptional credentials in starting or running their own businesses, in 2012, the College of Engineering (COE) drew up the NTU Engineering Entrepreneur Lectureship Selection Criteria. Over the years, many outstanding individuals have been selected for the Lectureship.
The recipients of the 2021 NTU Engineering Entrepreneur Lectureship were Chairman Za-Chieh MOH of MAA Group, President Ying-Ming YANG of Kenda Tires, President Steven HONG of YOKE Industrial Corp., and Chairman Tung-Sheng WU of SHINKONG Synthetic Fibers Corp. In 2022, the Lectureship was awarded to Chairman Young LIU of Hon Hai Technology Group (Foxconn). All of the above awardees have made outstanding achievements in their respective business fields and are role models for their industry colleagues and successors.
The College of Engineering was honored to have invited President HONG and Chairman LIU visit NTU and deliver a feature speech on November 14 and November 30 respectively. For the achievements of Chairman MOH, President YANG, and Chairman WU, please refer to an earlier feature report via http://www.eng.ntu.edu.tw/EN/news_in.aspx?id=1092&chk=92c2d55b-7705-48a5-ba65-c02c9e183afa&mid=72¶m=pn%3d2%26mid%3d72%26key%3d.
President Steven HONG
Topic of Speech: Time Is a Good Friend of Ours
COE Dean Dr. Wen-Chang CHEN presents the NTU Engineering Entrepreneur Lectureship medal to President Steven HONG (left) of YOKE Industrial Corp.
Introduction
President Steven HONG was born into a simple farming family in Nantou. As a child, President HONG first aspired to become a doctor to save lives as his father had expected, but later he went to study at a military academy. In the end, he was hired by a company manufacturing pet collars as a sales representative. In 1985, President HONG established his own business, YOKE Industrial Corp. In 1996, he created his own brand "YOKE" and started to manufacture various types of lifting chains and fittings, shackles, hooks, as well as fall protection equipment and accessories.
Since its establishment, YOKE has become the largest professional manufacturer of safety hooks in Taiwan after 36 years of development, and is now the world's largest manufacturer of high-altitude fall protection equipment. Its self-owned brand of industrial lifting and hoisting equipment ranks among the top three internationally, with an estimated annual revenue of NT$4 billion.
In order to improve manufacturing technology and quality, YOKE established its own R&D team, implemented the development of new products, and set up an R&D center. In addition, the company, as a traditional industry manufacturer, proactively promoted upgrading and spared no effort in strengthening its R&D momentum and designs. Such endeavor was made in response to the government's policy to "keep the roots [core technologies] of local industries in Taiwan," while adhering to its business philosophy of sustainable development.
In 2017, the "NTU COE-YOKE Technology Research and Development Center (TRDC)" was established, which has implemented a considerable number of multiple-year industry-academia collaboration programs involving professors from the Department of Mechanical Engineering and the Department of Materials Science. Besides NTU, YOKE Corp. also conducts industry-academia collaboration with many other universities in Taiwan to execute various R&D plans.
In terms of talent cultivation, President HONG upholds the concept of "investing in employees to retain great talent" and always provides education and training resources in various aspects, helping employees develop professional skills and diverse interests. By prioritizing employee benefits and needs, President HONG also strengthens the company's team spirit.
What is more, based on the company's ideal of "paying it forward for the society," President HONG, together with his wife Ms. Susan YAN and like-minded friends, established a charity foundation through donations from YOKE Corp. in 2008 to distribute emergency relief funds, scholarships for financially-challenged students, and social assistance in many other forms. In addition to the good deeds above, YOKE Corp. also donated roughly NT$10 million to help establish the Taichung Veterans Hospital Foundation, assisted with the construction funding for the New COE Building at NTU, set up scholarships and grants in various universities, sponsored outstanding researchers, and founded the "YOKE Band" to hold charity performances. All these charitable acts demonstrate how much the company is committed to the improvement of public welfare as it endeavors to fulfill its corporate social responsibility.
Under the leadership of President HONG, YOKE Corp. has also won many awards over the years, making it a well-deserved model enterprise for its peers.
Chairman Young LIU
Topic of Speech: Interdisciplinary Thinking -- Foxconn's Transformation, Innovation, and Breakthrough
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COE Dean Dr. Wen-Chang CHEN presents the NTU Engineering Entrepreneur Lectureship medal to Chairman Young LIU (right) of Hon Hai Technology Group (Foxconn).
Introduction
Chairman Young LIU was recruited by Terry GOU, founder of Hon Hai Technology Group (Foxconn), as the chairman's special assistant in 2007. Later in 2010, he was appointed general manager of Foxconn's Business Group B. In April 2014, he also started serving as the chairman of SOCLE Technology Corp., an IC design service company under Foxconn. In 2016, he was elected director of Sharp Corporation. In October of the same year, he established Foxconn's Business Group S (in charge of semiconductor business) and served as general manager. In 2019, after being approved by the Foxconn board of directors, he was officially appointed Chairman of Foxconn on July 1. Currently, Chairman LIU also serves as the Chairman of Foxsemicon Integrated Technology Inc., Foxtron Inc., and XSemi Corporation. He is also the convener of the supervisory board at Taiwan Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers' Association, director of the Taiwan Transportation Vehicle Manufacturers Association, and director of the Third Wednesday Club.
Foxconn's business spans over 24 countries/jurisdictions around the world, with more than 1 million employees in total. Its annual revenue in 2021 reached a record high of NT$5.99 trillion, which also makes it the company with the highest revenue in Taiwan. In 2019, Foxconn announced that it would actively invest in the three emerging industries of "electric vehicles, digital healthcare, and robotics" and the three innovative technologies of "AI, semiconductors, and new-generation communication." The "3+3" initiative became an important long-term development strategy for Hon Hai Technology Group.
To achieve the goal of digital transformation at Foxconn, Chairman LIU has paid special attention to talent cultivation to bridge employees' competence in the transformation process while striving for corporate profits. To this end, Foxconn held many digital transformation training courses so as to prepare the human resources required to promote digital transformation in its various business groups. In 2021, the Harvard Business Review magazine awarded the honor of "Digital Transformation Leader" to Chairman LIU in recognition of his outstanding contribution to leading Foxconn in the promotion of digital transformation.