JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #39 - March/April 2008 - 30

BUSINESS Market survey: Taiwan Topkey at a crossroads Boosted by its 25 years of nearly uninterrupted growth, extensive expertise in composite processing, and worldwide reputation in the sports & leisure industry, OEM Topkey is setting out to conquer new markets. ounded in 1980, Topkey is a world-leading original equipment manufacturer (OEM) in the composite industry, with 6000-plus employees at seven different sites in Taiwan, China and the United States and about US$150 million in turnover. The group specializes in collaborating with customers worldwide for high-tech composite applications in the sports & leisure, medical and aviation industries. consisted of at least three different pieces. Topkey has been working in the helmet sector since 1995, producing mostly motocross and superbike helmets, but also jet, firefighting, and recreational helmets. Unusual know-how Topkey’s has always banked on process expertise and R&D, which is an advantage. While at first the company worked only as a subcontractor, it gradually made a name for itself as a partner, and these days, is a driving force for its customers. In its production units, Topkey routinely uses a wide range of processes (hand layup, filament winding, vacuum bag moulding, pressure bag moulding, RTM, autoclave, table rolling, RIM, and BMC). It also works to improve these processes and adapt them so as to be on the cutting edge of technology. Topkey even formulates its own resins and produces its own prepreg materials with fibres purchased from Formosa Plastics Corp., Mitsubishi and Toho. Its command of all the processes and materials used allows the group to prospect for new customers and markets more satisfactorily – for example, taking its carbon prepregs to the helmet sector, where injection-moulded fibreglass was the rule. Topkey makes no secret today of its determination to work with all materials so as to meet all specifications. A leader in its markets Topkey started out in sports & leisure specializing in tennis racquets, but gradually opened up successfully to other areas, such as bicycles and helmets. Eighty percent of Topkey’s business is still with the sports & leisure industry, including 40% in tennis, badminton, squash and other types of racquets, 25% in bicycles and 15% in helmets. Topkey is very well-positioned in each of these markets and works with the world’s leading brand names, e.g. Babolat, Wilson and Prince. The group produces as many as two million racquets every year, and targets the high end of the market. The racquets used by half of all the top players rated by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) are made by Topkey, which supplies about 30% of the world market. The group has been working in the bicycle market since 1992, and is known for its bicycle frames. Here again, it targets the high end of the market, thanks to its carbon expertise. The company recently developed a one-piece fork crown – a part that has always High-value-added diversification The company’s determination to work in high-value-added sectors is behind its diversification – in particular in the medical and aviation sectors, which account for 20% of its business today – and is a logical continuation of its strategy to harness process and materials. To reach its goal and boost its growth, Topkey is also making acquisitions, for example of American company Composite Solutions Corporation. One of the best worlwide leader with 30% of the world market JEC Composites Magazine / No39 March - April 2008

JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #39 - March/April 2008

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #39 - March/April 2008