Ritek

RITEK Corporation manufactures optical discs such as CD-R, CD-RW, DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD+R, DVD+RW, DVD-RAM, HD DVD, Blu-ray Disc and Blu-ray M-Disc, storage cards such as CF (CompactFlash) cards, SD cards and MMC cards (MultiMediaCard), memory stick[2] and consumer electronics. Ritek also produces solar modules[3] and touch panel products such as passive matrix OLED[4] and ITO glass. Ritek has also launched a few products in nano- and biotechnology.[5]

RITEK Corporation
TypePublic[1]
IndustryComputer hardware
Computer data storage
Green product
Founded29 December 1988 (1988-12-29)
Headquarters
Hsinchu Industrial Park
,
Taiwan
Key people
Founder:Jintai Yeh
Chairman:Gorden Yeh
Vice President:Jennifer Yang
ProductsOptical Storage, Flash Memory, Portable Hard-Drive, PV Module & System, PMOLED Display, ITO Glass, Touch Panel, NANO-Technology Product, BIO-Technology Product, Plastic Product
Revenue 550 million USD (2016)
Number of employees
5,900,[2] 3,000 (Taiwan)
SubsidiariesRITEK Foundation
PVNEXT Corporation
AIMCORE Corporation (Public)
U-TECH Corporation (Public)
UCHAIN Logistics. Co., LTD.
Prorit Corporation
RiTdisplay Corporation
RiteDia Corporation
CASHIDO Corporation
RitFast Corporation
Kunshan Zhonglai Electronic Technology Co., LTD.
Hutek Corporation
Advance Media Inc.
Conrexx Technology
Ritrax Corp. Ltd.(U.K.)
Websitewww.ritek.com
Ritek M-DISC-DVDs

The company's English name is a portmanteau of the words “right” and “technology”.

Ritek Corporation was established in 1988 with efforts to manufacture Compact discs.[6] In 1990 the company produced the first compact disc in Taiwan.[7]

In November 2005 the company had a market share of 20 percent in rewritable DVDs and CD-RWs and was so the biggest disc-manufacturer worldwide.[8]

2009 juridical disputes with Toshiba about licences were.[9]

In September 2020 Ritek has 5,900 employees.[2]

Locations today
  1. Taiwan : Chungli, Hsinchu
  2. Mainland China : Yangzhou, Kunshan
  3. Vietnam : Ho Chi Minh City
  4. South Korea : Cheongwon County
  5. The Netherlands : Ridderkerk[10][11]
  6. United States : Los Angeles

Trade marks & brand

RITEK, RIDATA, TRAXDATA,[12] ARITA, imation (since November 2019)[13]

Prehistory and start

Yeh Ching-Tai, founder of RITEK, started to manufacture and market vinyl records[6] in 1957. In 1958, he published the album “Green Island Serenade”, performed by Zi Wei, a famous female singer of the time.[14] At that time, the production process was completely manual. Waste gases and toxic chemical solutions were all over the manufacturing environment at the high temperature of 45 degrees Celsius. Meanwhile, the materials deteriorated easily and as a result, the yield was low. Quality depended entirely on the experience of manufacturing supervisors and the process costed a lot of time and money. During this period, Yeh Ching-Tai made improvements[6] introducing new technologies and machines from Japan, looking for new materials and developing new manufacturing processes. Eventually the vinyl record industry in Taiwan finally began to produce better products on improved manufacturing environments.

Due to the insufficient quantity of recording equipment and facilities in Taiwan at that time, Mr. Yeh Ching-Tai felt it would be necessary to preserve Peking Opera, Nan-Guan and Bei-Guan as educational and cultural heritage. In 1980, he invested a significant amount on the creation of Platinum Studio in 1980, by importing from Switzerland a 24-track recorder.[15] It was the first multitrack recorder in Taiwan. The studio also invited technicians from Japan to give instructions. It was at that juncture that Mr. Yeh Ching-Tai learned that the Japanese people were starting to produce Compact discs. In 1985, the R&D and ramp-up of compact discs were transforming the record industry as a new technology. Mr. Yeh Ching-Tai realized that digitalization was the trend for the record industry and he immediately initiated on R&D activities on compact discs.[16]

In 1988 the Ritek Corporation was established,[6] in 1990 the company produced the first compact disc in Taiwan[7] and put an end to Taiwan's reliance on imports from Japan. This also directly contributed to the booming of the local music market.

Milestones

Before founding

1952

  • Former Chairman of Ritek Corporation, Mr. Yeh Ching-Tai, set up Min Li Plastics (明理塑膠工廠) after he graduated. The factory produced plastic cigarette boxes and polyethylene milk bottles.[17] During that period, he purchased a second hand electroplating tool from Japan, with the original intention of plating chromium on plastics to enhance durability. However, this didn't work out. He then moved to electroplate copper and nickel on the stampers of vinyl records. This was how he got into the record business. Meanwhile, Mr. Yeh Ching-Tai established First Vintage Record and Platinum Studio.

1960

  • Mr. Yeh Ching-Tai, former owner of First Vintage Record and Platinum Studio was a big shot in the record business. He set up vinyl record production facilities in Sanchungpu in 1960. As part of the business for First Vintage Record, he took Sally Yeh, a famous singer, to perform and market albums throughout department stores. Mr. Yeh Ching-Tai also introduced the recording technology from Japan to establish Platinum Studio.

1980

  • Mr. Yeh Ching-Tai imported from Switzerland 24-track recorders and invited a technician from Japan[15] for instructions. At that time, he mentioned that digitalization was the trend for the record industry. Japan was already trial producing compact disks. To ensure time to market, Mr. Yeh Ching-Tai recruited a group of engineers from the Industrial Technology Research Institute in 1985 to manufacture compact disks. They started with simple plastic pressing to accumulate technological expertise.

Since founding

1988

  • Mr. Yeh Ching-Tai founded RITEK Corporation.[6]

1989

  • The company received awards in the Geneva International Exhibition of Inventions.

1990

  • In May, the company manufactured the first compact disk in Taiwan with the support from the Mechanical and Systems Research Laboratories, Industrial Technology Research Institute.[7]

1991

  • The company became a formal member of the IFPI Members' Foundation in Taiwan.

1994

  • The company set up facilities for the production of compact discs in Australia.

1996

  • Ritek Corporation had its IPO in Taiwan.
  • The company initiated CMA (Compact Disk Manufacturers Association) aiming to protect copyright for CD replication.
  • The company set up facilities for the production of compact disks in the U.S.
  • The company manufactured the first CD-RW in Taiwan.
  • The company manufactured the first DVD in Taiwan.

1997

  • The company signed a copyright verification agreement with the Taiwan offices of the Music Publishers Association.
  • The company set up facilities for the production of compact disks in the U.K.
  • The company manufactured the first DVD-R in Taiwan.
  • The company became the first compact-disc maker in Taiwan that obtained the ISO 9001 certification.

1998

  • The company manufactured the first DVD-RAM in Taiwan.

1999

  • The company became the first compact-disc maker in Taiwan that obtained the ISO 14001 certification.
  • The company set up with Philips Joint venture facilities for the manufacturing of compact discs in Germany.
  • The company manufactured the first OLED in Taiwan.
  • U-TECH Media Corporation was formed as the largest pre-recorded medium manufacturer in Taiwan.
  • Ritek Foundation was established.

2000

  • The company became the first compact-disc maker in Taiwan that obtained the QS9000 certification.
  • MiniDisc by Ritek won a Taiwan Excellence Award.[18]

2001

  • The company built fully automated OLED mass production lines in the world.[4]
  • RiTdisplay Corporation was established as OLED manufacturer in Taiwan.[4]
  • HUTEK Corporation was established in China for the production of compact discs.
  • PRORIT Corporation was founded as CD boxes and disk packaging manufacturer.[4]

2002

  • Li Wenshang, Marketing Assistant Manager, Global Strategic Marketing, RITEK Corporation, indicated that RITEK is the first company in the world capable of mass-producing CD－R/RW, DVD－R/RW, DVD＋R/RW and DVD-RAM, MD (licensed by Sony), MO and Data Play. It's management philosophy is commitment to knowledge & innovation, racing against time and pursuit of customers’ satisfaction.

2003

  • RME was set up in Germany as a printing and packaging plant for compact discs.

2004

  • Ritek Japan Inc., the subsidiary in Japan, was established.

2006

  • In November 2006 Ritek became exclusive producer of Maxell CD-Rs and DVDs.[19]

2007

  • Ritek North Africa Inc., a subsidiary in North Africa, was established.
  • AimCore Technology Co., Ltd. was established as a manufacturer of ITO glass.

2008

2009

  • PV Next, a thin film solar manufacturer dedicated to (copper indium gallium selenide), was established.

2011

  • Ritek Solar worked with SolarEdge to develop new business opportunities in solar systems.
  • Ritek showcased the new IM series solar modules at Intersolar, Munich, with a 25% improvement in power generation efficiency.

2013

  • Ritek launched M-DISC DVD and M-DISC BD, storage solutions that promise to last hundreds of years.

2014

  • Ritek entered into the long-term storage medium market.

2015

  • Ritek started to manufacture PMOLED wearables.

2016

  • Ritek’s solar module won the Taiwan Excellent PV Award from the Bureau of Energy, Ministry of Economic Affairs, R.O.C (Taiwan).[21]
  • Ritek forged an alliance with Japan's largest chain elderly daycare center, founded Ricare Day Service Center.

2017

  • Ritek Group renovates the 1950s American military club and founded Brick Yard 33 1/3.
  • RiData OTG Flash Drive won the Gold Award for Technology Trends by PC HOME and PC ADV 3C famous and professional medias in Taiwan.

2018

  • Became Japan Panasonic's overseas only Archival Disc (AD) production partner.[22]
  • Achieved OHSAS 18001 Occupational Health and Safety Management Certification.
  • Achieved ISO 14001:2015 Certification.
  • Green Partner Certification of Sony.[23]
  • Achieved ISO 9001:2015 Certification.
  • Achieved BSCI (Business Social Compliance Initiative), Certification.

2019

  • Ritek got licences by imation.[13]

Ritek Foundation
  • Ritek Foundation was established in 1999.

Equity investments
  • AimCore Technology Co., Ltd. : ITO glass
  • U-TECH Media Corporation : pre-recorded compact disks
  • U-Chain : warehousing and logistics
  • RiTdisplay Corporation : PMOLED
  • RiteDia : diamond-like carbon coating
  • RitFast Corporation : touch panels
  • CASHIDO : nano technology
  • PRORIT Corporation: high-precision plastic injection
  • RitPower: solar modules

References
  1. TSEC:2357
  2. msn finanzen 11 September 2020, Ritek Corp Taiwan, retrieved 12 September 2020.
  3. digitimes.com Green energy 17 Juli 2009, Ritek succeeds in trial production of thin-film PV modules, paper says, retrieved 13 September 2020.
  4. cleanenergyauthority.com, Ritek solar, retrieved 12 September 2020.
  5. RITEK company profile, Metal Mask, retrieved 12 September 2020.
  6. History of Ritek on companywebsite, retrieved 12 September 2020.
  7. ritek.com, Our Journey, chapter 1990, retrieved 12 September 2020.
  8. beta.blickpunktfilm.de 28 November 2005, Ritek ist weltgrößter Disc-Hersteller (German), retrieved 12 September 2020.
  9. golem.de 18. May 2009, Toshiba will Verkaufsstopp von Imation- und Ritek-DVDs (German), retrieved 13 September 2020.
  10. riteksolar.com, RITEK Europe, Conrexx Technology B.V. retrieved 12 September 2020.
  11. conrexx.com, Our Brands, retrieved 12 September 2020.
  12. channelpartner.de 19 July 2001, Traxdata: übergabe von Markenrechten an Tochterunternehmen (German), retrieved 12 September 2020.
  13. imation.com, 2019-11-13, Imation global license announcement, retrieved 2020-09-13.
  14. www.ritek.com, Our Journey Chapter 1957, retrieved 12 September 2020.
  15. ritek.com, Our Journey chapter 1980, retrieved 12 September 2020.
  16. ritek.com, Our Journey chapter 1985, retrieved 12 September 2020.
  17. www.ritek.com, Our Journey chapter 1952, retrieved 12 September 2020.
  18. taiwanexcellence.org, Ridata Mini Disc (MD) - Taiwan Excellence 2000, retrieved 12 September 2020.
  19. cdrinfo.com 14 November 2006, Ritek to Become Exclusive ODM Maker for Hitachi Maxell, retrieved 13 September 2020.
  20. iF World Design Guide, Yego / USB flash drive, retrieved 13 September 2020.
  21. https://m.energytrend.com/news/20161228-11319.html retrieved 12 September 2020.
  22. cdrinfo.com 10 May 2018, Ritek to Produce Panasonic's 300GB Archival Discs, retrieved 12 September 2020.
  23. sony.net/SonyInfo, Green Procurement (a comment with Link to Sony Standard SS-00259 (18th Edition, 2020), retrieved 12 September 2020.

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