Starting from a 100-square-meter office in Innovation and Pioneer Park, in 11 years, the average annual growth rate of PVTECH reaches 70%, it shines the semiconductor and integrated circuit industry chain of Xiamen Torch Hi-tech Zone; in the global market, as long as you mention "T8 tube ", everyone will definitely think of "PVTECH" from Xiamen, China; on the train in Germany, on the world's tallest tower building-Tokyo Skytree, the world feels the "light" from Xiamen.

    To build the world’s largest LED tube lamp base, to show off to the world, its person in charge said: "We pay more attention to how to make lighting a kind of enjoyment." Based on the development process, PVTECH tell the world "Technology is the first productive force." ", and also make an excellent "image endorsement" for Xiamen Torch High-tech Zone-a "hot spot for entrepreneurship".

1. Increased capital and expanded production to build the world's largest LED tube lamp base

    In Torch (Xiang'an) Industrial Zone, "PVTECH Intelligent Industrial Park" with a total investment of 150 million yuan and a construction area of about 75,000 square meters is accelerating pace of construction. The project is expected to be completed and put into operation in 2022. The new annual output value of 1 billion yuan and 1000 new jobs can be achieved within 5 years after the project put into operation.

    "This will be the world's largest LED tube lamp base, which will help improve international competitiveness of China's high-end LED straight tube lamps." Karl Lu, general manager of PVTECH, told reporters.

    At the beginning, PVTECH locked in the field of linear light source-LED lighting- application field downstream of industry chain, focusing on fields of commercial lighting, industrial lighting, and agricultural lighting.

    For a long time, "technology-driven" has become the leader in various subdivisions of tube lamps, and has become the development strategy of PVTECH. The average annual growth rate is 70%, which is enough to explain effect of this strategy.

    How to describe PVTECH's product advantages? "Simply put, the same brightness requires 18W in market, while PVTECH only needs 9W, a life span of 100,000 hours, and the defect rate is less than 0.01%." Such product advantages allow PVTECH to win broader foreign markets, such as German Railways., Mercedes-Benz factory and Tokyo Skytree, the landmark of Tokyo, etc.

In product showroom of PVTECH, the reporter saw a dazzling variety of products, such as special train lamps, high-efficiency LED lamps, chicken lamps, fully compatible LED lamps and other products.

    "This chicken-raising lamp has been widely used in chicken farms developed by Sunner. This newly developed lamp has characteristics of high luminous efficiency, low temperature and durability. It will promote upgrading of current market dominated by foreign products. Users can reduce cost by about 1/3..." Karl Lu said that, with advantages of super energy saving and high reliability, PVTECH ranks among the best in the field of tube lamp.

2. Technology driven: from zero to a symbol of global high quality

    11 years ago, Karl Lu left Xoceco, William Cai left sanitary ware industry, and they started their business together. Hearing that it is convenient to set up a company in Innovation and Pioneer Park, they submitted a project report to the park. The service efficiency of the park was beyond their imagination. After more than a week, everything from office to various certificates were completed.

On April 21, 2010, PVTECH was quietly established in Xiamen Innovation and Pioneer Park. The office of more than 100 square meters carried their entrepreneurial ambitions and set LED lighting as the direction. "Looking back now, we have two good fortunes. One is that the time of entry is just right, and the other is that it was right to follow the 'technical route' at the beginning." Karl Lu said.

    Xiamen has established the strategic goal of cultivating optoelectronic industry in 2004 and has become a national semiconductor and integrated circuit industrialization base. Companies engaged in epitaxial wafer and packaging upstream industries such as Sanan Optoelectronics and Qianzhao Optoelectronics have settled in successively. The integrated circuit industry has built an industrial foundation.

    At that time, the LED lighting market had just started, with low industry concentration, lack of industry standards, and uneven product quality. "Everyone has rushed into this industry, and there are more than 1000 in Xiamen alone. The competition is very fierce." Different from other companies, PVTECH has determined its development strategy: mid-to-high end, focusing on technological innovation, and becoming a leader in market.

    "Our product research and development are systematic, covering entire process of product composition." Karl Lu said, "From illuminant to contact material, the controller, etc., and even production link. The continuous promotion of each part can constitute the leading level of the whole system. "

    The data can prove and worthy of Karl Lu's pride. PVTECH can achieve: 1. High luminous efficiency, the highest comprehensive luminous efficiency reaches 215lm/W (lumens), the world's leading, the industry's first, more than 50% energy saving than the general LED products in the market; 2. High reliability, products life is up to 100,000 hours, the warranty is 5 years, the luminous decay is less than 30% during the warranty period, and the life span is more than 3 times that of ordinary LED lights. "Focus" has become the company's key word. Focusing on commercial lighting, public lighting, and agricultural lighting, PVTECH have made "T8 tube" the most important product of the company in the early days. "In the global market, whenever you mention it, everyone will think of PVTECH. We are a symbol of high quality. Now we can provide more than 5000 models of T8 tube."

    Focus, let PVTECH become a leader in the lighting industry-532 domestic and international invention patents, products are mainly sold to Japan, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, the United States and other markets that require high light quality and product reliability. The export volume ranks first in the industry.

3. Looking back on development, three moments to make a global competitive enterprise

    Three moments during development of PVTECH, Karl Lu is still fresh in his memory: " What is particularly important for development of enterprise is related to Innovation and Pioneer Park of the Torch High-tech Zone."

In 2011, PVTECH was rated as a national high-tech enterprise. “This is also the closest year to closure of the company. It loses two or three hundred thousand a month, and the company is almost unable to support it.” Sending charcoal in the snow is particularly important-with the help of Innovation and Entrepreneurship Park, PVTECH received 900,000 yuan for National Innovation Fund, which greatly eased funding pressure.

    In 2012, PVTECH became the first company to obtain PSE diamond certification among professional LED lamp tube factories in our country. For non-Japanese companies, the PSE diamond certification is quite strict and certification cycle is very long, usually needs 1-3 years. The industry sees it as a trade barrier in Japanese market.

    PVTECH has a total of 150 models in 7 series of certified products. It was the first to pass PSE diamond certification, which further increased market share of PVTECH LED fluorescent tubes in Japan. This year, PVTECH finally made a profit-300,000 yuan.

    In 2013, PVTECH and Samsung jointly undertook a Japanese vending machine lamp project. The project involved 1 million lamps. Not only was the number of orders huge, but it also broke the situation that Japanese market has always been dominated by giants such as Toshiba, Panasonic, and Sharp.

    After accumulating energy to lay foundation and entering stage of development, PVTECH is also facing problem of "financing difficulties" for private enterprises. However, breaking the situation is more direct-with assistance of Torch Innovation and Entrepreneurship Park, PVTECH became the first batch of companies in Xiamen to transform scientific and technological achievements and invest in industrial funds.

Karl Lu said: " This fund does not dilute shares, invests in preferred stocks, and has fixed interest rates. It allows us to obtain direct financial support at low cost and improves corporate creditworthiness. Soon after, we applied for another 2-million-yuan technology guarantee loan. Our credibility has been widely recognized and promoted corporate brand promotion."

    By 2016, PVTECH's mid-to-high-end LED products have been exported to Japan, Europe and the United States, and sales have exceeded 160 million yuan.

    Today's PVTECH has become an enterprise with multiple identities: a "rooted" enterprise independently cultivated by Torch High-tech Zone, and a pillar enterprise of the semiconductor and integrated circuit industry in Torch High-tech Zone.

"Facing of covid-19 in 2020, with help of various departments at all levels and departments such as Xiamen High-tech Entrepreneurship Center, our business is on the rise." Karl Lu said, in order to further expand global market share in the LED lighting, PVTECH decided to increase capital and expand production, build "PVTECH Intelligent Industrial Park", and build the world's largest LED tube lamp production base.

    It is still the Xiamen High-tech Entrepreneurship Center that takes the initiative to provide front-line services, providing industrial land application and project pre-construction business support, helping project to enter actual construction stage two months earlier than contract period. "I’m very lucky to choose Torch High-tech Zone Innovation and Entrepreneurship Park. We will stay here forever."

4. Start a new journey, and to be a " NEWBULL" who dares to fight and win

Standing at the starting point of new journey, PVTECH has a clear judgment on "opening up the land"-with the transformation and upgrading of domestic industries, PVTECH plans to introduce years of industrial lighting experience in the German and Japanese markets into the country, and provide high-performance products to domestic industrial enterprises. At the same time, in response to national carbon peak and carbon neutral strategic goals, PVTECH plans to help domestic enterprises to use more than 10 billion kWh of industrial lighting in 5-10 years and reduce 3 million tons of standard coal emissions per year. "Improve quality of light, greatly reduce energy consumption, and reduce overall operating costs of enterprise." Karl Lu said, PVTECH's mission is "to reduce burden on the earth and create humane lighting."

Herald reporter Xiaohui Yang Yanmei Liu. Correspondent Youjun Li Wenchen Guo Text/Picture