[Hong Kong, 4 December 2015] Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute (ASTRI) and SAE Magnetics (Hong Kong) Limited (SAE) announced today (4 December) to jointly establish the ASTRI-SAE Joint R&D Centre, focusing on group-wide R & D innovation activities, with smart factory being the first chapter of the cooperation.

At the signing ceremony, Dr. Frank Tong, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of ASTRI and Dr. Stanley Hao, Senior Vice-President of SAE signed the agreement under the witness of Mr. Vincent Tang, Assistant Commissioner for Innovation and Technology (Infrastructure and Quality Services) of HKSAR Government and Mr. Ming-yam Wong, BBS, JP, Chairman of the Board of Directors of ASTRI and Dr. Hong Tian, Chairman and CEO of SAE.

The “ASTRI-SAE Joint R&D Centre” is set up with 3 missions:

To facilitate an integrated and professional strategic partnership development
To strengthen collaborative research among ASTRI and SAE and other leading research institutions in the world
To make it as a hub for research collaboration, talent cultivation and technological entrepreneurship

Speaking at the ceremony, Mr. Ming-yam Wong of ASTRI said, “The Centre will boost factory efficiency by offering intelligent innovation solutions. Most important of all, it will further strengthen the long-standing tie between ASTRI and SAE and together, we would move ahead to contribute our efforts in the re-industrialization of Hong Kong.”

Dr. Hong Tian, Chairman and CEO of SAE, said, “SAE is delighted to see the establishment of the joint R & D Centre, which will serve as a great platform for SAE to leverage on ASTRI’s R & D strengths to expand the scope of technology applications of the company.”

In his congratulatory remarks, Mr. Vincent Tang, Assistant Commissioner for Innovation and Technology said, “I am happy to see the R & D partnership between ASTRI and SAE Magnetics (Hong Kong) Limited on advanced technology in smart factory that would facilitate the adoption of technology in Hong Kong business applications, and enhance the opportunity for developing R & D talents for Hong Kong.”

It is expected that the Centre will create tremendous values to both companies in terms of wider application of technologies in smart factory such as robotic navigation, model-based computation and factory big data analytics.