Huayu Vision Technology (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. (Formerly Shanghai Koito Automotive Lamp Co., Ltd.) Business Report FY ended Dec. 2017
Acquisition by Huayu & name change
-HUAYU Automotive Systems Company Limited announced on March 29, 2018, that the company has completed an acquisition of 50% of the shares in the Company, and made it a wholly-owned subsidiary, renaming it Huayu Vision Technology (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. The Company has been included in HUAYU Automotive Systems’ consolidated statement as of March 1, 2018. It plans to upgrade its business framework from existing automotive lighting products to automotive lighting information systems and visual perception systems. (From a corporate announcement on March 29, 2018)
-HUAYU Automotive Systems Company Limited announced on September 29, 2017, a plan to purchase 50% of the shares in the Company from Koito Manufacturing Co., Ltd. and Toyota Tsusho Corporation for CNY 17.2 billion. The Company, which is owned 50% by HUAYU Automotive, 45% by Koito Manufacturing, and 5% by Toyota Tsusho, will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of HUAYU Automotive after the share purchase. The Company was established in 1989 with a registered capital of CNY 7.4 billion. It specializes in the research, development and production of automotive lamps. Its main customers are SAIC-VW, SAIC-GM, Changan Automotive Group, FAW-VW, SAIC Motor Passenger Vehicle, Dongfeng Nissan, and Dongfeng Passenger Vehicle. As of 2016, it has total assets worth CNY 5.2 billion and sales of CNY 9.83 billion. (From a corporate announcement on September 29, 2017)
Recent Development
-The Company announced that it has passed the tests on its development system by Volkswagen, Audi, FAW-VW and Audi China. The test was conducted in July 2014. The Company said it qualified for joining VW’s technical and product development. (From various releases on July 28, 2014)
-In consideration of raising its supply capacity in North China and specifically Tianjin, Koito Manufacturing began preparation for establishing a new plant there. Koito planned to start operations at the new plant in North China as early as 2013. As local, Japanese, U.S. and European automakers were working on significantly expanding automobile production, Koito aimed to expand its business in China by establishing cost-competitive business operations there. (From an article in the Nikkan Jidosha Shimbun on January 11, 2011)
Acquisition
-In March 2010, the Company acquired 51% of the shares of Jilin Dongguang Ruibao Automotive Lamp Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of Jilin Dongguang Group. (From a press release on May 21, 2010)
Awards
-The Company announced that it won SAIC Motor’s Technology Innovation Awards for the following products.
-Exterior lamps for the Shanghai VW: 2012 SAIC Technical Innovation Award (second place)
-Headlamp light distribution system components: 2012 SAIC Technical Innovation Award and the Patent for Invention Award (third place)
-Combination head lamps for the Denfeng Teana: 2012 SAIC Technical Innovation Award (third place)
-Exterior lamps for the Buick GL8 and the FirstLand: 2012 SAIC Technical Innovation Award (third place)
(From a press release on November 4, 2013)
-The Company received the Best Performance Award 2012 from Shanghai VW and the Excellent Supplier Award from the Guangzhou Automobile Group. (From a press release in 2012)
R&D Facility
| Facility name | Shanghai Koito Automotive Lamp Co., Ltd. R&D Center |
| Year established | Oct. 2001 |
| Overview | -The center is a specialized R&D facility for automotive lamps. -The center consists of three departments: Technology Development Department, Tooling Department, and Production Technology Department. -Simultaneous R&D activities with Koito Manufacturing Co., Ltd. (Japan) and VW (Germany) are made possible by sharing data and information on product designs, whereby designing and development can be performed together with automakers. -The company is carrying out joint development projects with a number of universities in China such as Tsinghua University, Fudan University, and University of Shanghai for Science and Technology with an aim to develop new technologies, new light sources, and new materials for headlights. |
R&D Activities
-In June 2011, the Company's newly built night road landscape lighting testing ground, the largest testing ground for automotive lamps, began operations. In 2011, the Company's R&D investment was more than CNY 180 million. The Company developed 118 products in 2010. (From a press release on June 14, 2011)
-At the 2011 Shanghai International Automobile Industry Exhibition, the Company displayed its IP22 combination headlamps, three-color combination taillights, AFS system processor and rotary actuators. (From a press release on April 26, 2011)
Patents
-The Company announced that it obtained a patent from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for its headlamp cleaners on July 2, 2013. The headlamp cleaners were used on various new vehicle models, including the Roewe 550, the LaCrosse and the Superb. (From news releases issued by multiple sources on July 22, 2013)
-In 2012, the Company applied for 37 patents, including 11 patents of invention, 14 patents of utility and 12 patents of design. It had 45 authorized patents, including 4 patents of invention, 11 patents of utility and 30 patents of design.
Investments in China
-Koito Manufacturing Co., Ltd., the parent company of the Company, invested CNY 49.8 million to establish a new plant, Hubei Koito Automotive Lamp Co., Ltd. in Xiaogan, Hubei in July 2014. The plant will have an annual production capacity of 750,000 headlights and 1.35 million rear lamps.
-Koito Manufacturing Co., Ltd., the parent company of the Company, announced that it would resume construction of an automotive lighting production line at the new Guanzhou Plant in September 2013. The company invested JPY 2 billion in this project, which had been suspended following territorial disputes between China and Japan. When the new production line becomes operational, the Guanzhou Plant will have the capacity to produce 1.5 million headlights per year. (From news releases issued by multiple sources on July 29, 2013)