Hong Kong Productivity Council bags two wins at HKB Greater Bay Area Enterprise Awards 2022

It supported companies with their advanced EFI system and automated lens manufacturing line.

Multi-disciplinary organisation Hong Kong Productivity Council (HKPC) has brought home two major awards at the recently held HKB Greater Bay Area Enterprise Awards 2022 for its development of a new generation, advanced motorcycle electronic fuel injection (EFI) system, and an automated and intelligent lens manufacturing line.

HKPC was engaged by motorcycle manufacturer Startec to develop two generations of EFI systems in 2013 and 2016, respectively. Startec started out with the idea to develop an advanced EFI system for motorcycles, with the goal of breaking the technical barriers created by developed countries to improve the competitive advantage of Chinese motorcycles and to reduce the cost of core parts of motorcycles.

The 2nd Gen advanced EFI system was successfully developed in 2018, not only offering a precise control strategy to the power system for the sufficient power supply but also drastically cutting emission pollutants that even work better than the latest and most strict EURO emission standards.

The new advanced EFI system passed the tough utility vehicle performance evaluation to prove the advanced EFI system can help the motorcycle achieve much better performance compared to the original carburettor motorcycle. It had an excellent test result, reducing more than 55% of motorcycle pollution and reaching even beyond the requirement of EURO IV Standards.

HKPC brings home the win in the Automotive & Transport System category of HKB Greater Bay Area Enterprise Awards 2022, for the advanced EFI system. The control chip (shown in picture) of the system deploys an advanced engine control algorithm that can prevent the detonation of an engine and improve motorcycle reliability and lifespan.

Moreover, motorcycles equipped with the advanced EFI system will have good fuel economy performance. Fuel consumption can be lowered by more than 25% compared to the original carburettor motorcycle. The advanced engine control algorithm can prevent the detonation of an engine and improve motorcycle reliability and lifespan.

Startec decided to establish its factory to fabricate the EFI system in Guangzhou and registered Hong Kong motorcycle manufacturer qualification, as it believes its new business strategy can better serve its clients in the Greater Bay Area and explore opportunities in the overseas market.

With the implementation of the latest emission standards in Europe and China, the demands for EFI systems keep increasing. It is expected that Startec’s business strategy is attractive in price and performance and the sales volume of the new advanced EFI system will continue to grow rapidly. 

Startec is currently engaging HKPC to develop a hydrogen fuel cell forklift and electric motorcycle, which will help Startec maintain a competitive advantage. HKPC brought home the win in the Automotive & Transport System category for the advanced EFI system.

Meanwhile, HKPC’s support was also enlisted by Wai Luen Plastic Company (WL) in the design, development and setup of the cost-efficient adaptive lens manufacturing and development lab with the aim of maximising productivity in limited production space, minimising labour usage in the production line, and improving the ease of production management.

This comes amidst difficulties in re-industrialisation in Hong Kong due to high labour costs and rental costs. WL strongly believes that the benefits of the heightened protection of intellectual property and the intelligent production system can far outweigh the disadvantages of the limited space and labour cost in Hong Kong.

HKPC has assisted Wai Lun Plastic Company Limited in developing an intelligent production line in Hong Kong for the manufacturing of optical adaptive lenses specifically. With the new technologies, the production line occupies less space and requires only two persons to operate. With a maximum production output of 100 lenses per hour, its outstanding cost-effectiveness has laid a sound foundation for Hong Kong’s “reindustrialisation”.

Utilising its expertise in plastic injection moulding, WL previously developed a special lens blank using adaptive telescope optical technology which corrects distortion in incoming light waves to create resulting images that are close to the true image.

This adaptive lens not only enables a more comfortable and accurate eyesight, but also serves the potential needs in amblyopia relief, progressive eyewear, myopia control, surgeon’s operation, driving lens and sports eyewear, amongst others.

HKPC proposed a scope of layout optimisation, automation design, IoT-based tracking technology, and software solution development to support WL in achieving the aim. As such, a new lens manufacturing and development production line was set up in Hong Kong in 2021.

HKPC mentioned that WL’s case is a prime example of re-industrialisation in Hong Kong complementing the infrastructure of the Greater Bay Area, and the opportunities and possibilities that lie within the health tech industry. 

“It proves that despite Hong Kong’s relatively higher labour cost and limited available space for setting up factories, it is possible to re-industrialise through utilisation of intelligent technical and automated solutions with respect to the production requirements,” HKPC said.

WL expects the demand for high-quality lenses to only grow in the coming future. As such, it is now planning for future expansions that will be useful for evaluating the course of action. Upon this request, HKPC aims to develop a simulation model for WL for future evaluation as well.

HKPC won the Manufacturing Technology category in the prestigious awards programme for supporting WL’s automated and intelligent lens manufacturing line.

The HKB Greater Bay Area Enterprise Awards recognises outstanding companies and organisations for their excellent performance and commitment to driving collaborative and economic development between Hong Kong and the rest of the Greater Bay Area.

The HKB Greater Bay Area Enterprise Awards is presented by Hong Kong Business Magazine. To view the full list of winners, click here. If you want to join the 2023 awards programme and be acclaimed for your company's initiatives in the Greater Bay Area that foster mutual cooperation, investment, and development, please contact Bianca Penaranda at [email protected].