Syu He Precision is dedicated to building customized automation equipment for its customers. Its flagship product, the semiconductor industry automatic packaging line, has achieved unmanned operation from feeding to shipping. Equipped with over 100 servo motor axes, this production line can seamlessly switch and handle more than 60 types of packaging products with vastly different sizes.
The key to the smooth operation of this highly flexible production equipment lies in KEYENCE's inspection technology and instruments: from highly accurate code readers to the VS Series vision system with built-in AI, it can precisely identify tiny chips, screws, and even large-sized panel components. Furthermore, it has helped Syu He Precision successfully expand from the automotive panel field into high-end processes such as semiconductors and servers, riding the global AI wave.
Summary
- Syu He Precision focuses on the development of fully automated equipment for the semiconductor industry, providing customized solutions to meet customers' diverse cleanroom and factory layout requirements.
- The packaging line, which uses the KEYENCE VS Series vision system with built-in AI, automatically triggers subsequent weight, size, and packaging material settings after reading the ID with a KEYENCE code reader. It then optically inspects whether the carton and packaging materials are intact, achieving seamless changeover without the need for downtime, line clearing, or changing related jigs.
- KEYENCE inspection instruments enable Syu He Precision to overcome component size variations and inspection bottlenecks in advanced semiconductor processes, implementing comprehensive inspection to meet high yield rate requirements, and automatically completing carrier error-proofing and label status identification to prevent human error.
- The KEYENCE system can automatically save inspection images based on ID and date to build a complete production history. Combined with intuitive system operation and a short learning curve, it has become a powerful partner for Syu He Precision to quickly expand into high-end markets such as semiconductors, PCBs, and automotive.
Equipment Manufacturers Face Multiple Challenges of High Specifications, Labor Shortages, and Delivery Delays
"I believe the KEYENCE vision system is a shortcut for traditional industries to adopt AI without the usual pain."
The Syu He Precision team points out the key to the company's transformation. However, before achieving "intelligent automation" that combines data and AI automatic interpretation, traditional equipment manufacturers often face multiple challenges from technology, talent, customer needs, and supply chain stability.
First, as the precision of end products continues to improve, major international manufacturers are imposing increasingly strict requirements on production standards and production traceability. Traditional manual inspection cannot achieve 100% inspection. If equipment lacks complete inspection history and data, it will also increase communication costs with customers.
Second, the industry has traditionally relied heavily on custom PC-based systems, but this architecture is extremely dependent on the coding habits and development experience of individual engineers. Once there is personnel turnover, a gap in technical handover occurs, making it impossible to maintain previously successful equipment over the long term. Furthermore, for traditional industries, recruiting equipment engineers is difficult and labor costs are high, leaving equipment manufacturers facing a crisis where technology is difficult to pass down.
The stability and technical limits of custom PC-based systems are an even greater issue. The team at Syu He Precision shared that they once used a custom PC-based system due to cost considerations, but the final equipment stability could not meet customer requirements. When coordinating with the partner vendor, they even stated that their technology had reached its limit and there was nothing more they could do.
"Because we are very committed to equipment quality and our promises to customers, in the end, we took the initiative to recall the equipment and resolved to fully upgrade the system architecture. Only after introducing KEYENCE's vision system did we successfully meet the customer's standards and deliver the equipment."
Situations where equipment is returned by customers due to system instability or reaching functional limits not only significantly delay delivery schedules and compress production line capacity, but also impact corporate reputation.
Furthermore, the protection of trade secrets by semiconductor and high-tech customers, along with the rising demand for "dynamic changes," are also pain points in the customization process. High-tech factory customers place extreme importance on the confidentiality of their production lines and do not want equipment manufacturers to be overly involved in their production details. However, during the early stages of development, it is difficult for customers to confirm their final requirements. If the system is complex and has a high barrier to operation, every equipment adjustment requires equipment engineers to frequently visit the factory, which not only increases communication costs but also extends the cycle for post-delivery calibration and installation.
Faced with multiple pain points, Syu He Precision deeply realized that without breaking away from existing practices, they would not be able to break through in the highly competitive semiconductor industry.
Three Key Factors Leading Syu He Precision to Choose KEYENCE
After evaluating multiple domestic and foreign manufacturers, KEYENCE ultimately stood out, becoming a core partner for Syu He Precision as they expand into the semiconductor and high-end manufacturing supply chains.
"We compared many brands, and in the end, we chose KEYENCE because their wide variety of equipment, stable interfaces, customized solutions, and response speed gave us greater peace of mind."
KEYENCE's greatest advantage is its simple and consistent system logic, which directly addresses the industry's biggest pain points: losing skilled staff and handing over systems. The system connects past and present data through PLCs, retaining complete operation records. Even when new personnel join, they can quickly get up to speed in a short time, reducing dependence on engineering labor.
"KEYENCE's system is simple to operate. Our own engineers only need to learn for a week, and now most customers, after learning how to operate it, can also adjust the settings themselves to better meet their needs without the involvement of our equipment engineers. This is extremely convenient for customers who value confidentiality."
Second, the high flexibility of being able to horizontally replicate a single system logic across multiple fields, as well as introducing AI technology into the system to improve inspection accuracy, were also major considerations for Syu He Precision in choosing KEYENCE.
In recent years, Syu He Precision has expanded from automotive panels to semiconductors, and even to the PCB and server fields that are currently being actively promoted, all while using the same system. Faced with a wide variety of customized customer requirements, KEYENCE's rich product portfolio can satisfy them. More importantly, when faced with new customization needs, the Syu He Precision team can rely on their familiarity with KEYENCE products to determine the appropriate hardware configuration. In the early stages of negotiations, they can quickly provide customers with price ranges and overall solution architectures, simplifying the communication process for both parties.
Some customers have even proactively specified KEYENCE systems. The Syu He Precision team recalled that a customer specifically mentioned that the KEYENCE VS & IV Series vision system has now integrated AI, allowing it to perform self-learning by comparing good and defective products against a large database, thereby reducing false positive rates. They noted that if installed on equipment in the future, it would hold great promise. This also made "adopting KEYENCE vision systems" a high consensus between Syu He Precision and its customers.
"In the tech industry, we are not afraid of being the first, but rather of being the last. Whenever KEYENCE launches a new product, we want to try it first, as it might spark new approaches."
Finally, KEYENCE's robust inventory management and supply efficiency also provide partners with a strong delivery guarantee. The Syu He Precision team pointed out that in recent years, due to overheated market demand, they had experienced situations where other brands' delivery times were repeatedly extended from the original two months. However, KEYENCE's delivery times are stable, and in special circumstances, they may even deliver ahead of schedule, which has also helped Syu He Precision build its brand reputation among customers.
Doubling Capacity and Yield: KEYENCE Helps Syu He Precision Upgrade
"If a customer belongs to a traditional industry, they may not necessarily need to change systems. However, if they want to align with the global AI trend, switching to KEYENCE is an inevitable choice."
Syu He Precision deeply integrates KEYENCE's comprehensive product ecosystem. In addition to extensively using 25-megapixel high-resolution cameras and simple Smart Cameras for full inspection of product appearance, they have also introduced PLC controllers, alignment systems, safety light curtains, ionizers, and various sensors, possessing rich experience in hardware integration.
By introducing KEYENCE's automated inspection technology, the equipment can not only operate 24 hours a day, but when anomalies occur in the process, they can also quickly trace the source and compare historical data to clarify the issue. In addition to significantly shortening equipment delivery times, this has also brought breakthrough growth to operational data.
In the past, Syu He Precision delivered an average of 3 equipment production lines per year. However, following improvements in supply chain efficiency and system upgrades, deliveries this year are expected to exceed 4 lines, with opportunities to move toward a target of 6 to 8 lines. The doubled delivery volume has also driven business growth. Last year's annual revenue was NT$100 million (about US$3 million), and as of July this year, the value of orders on hand has already exceeded NT$200 million (over US$6 million), demonstrating strong momentum. In addition to breakthroughs in order capacity, KEYENCE's standardized vision inspection system has also driven an increase of 20% to 25% in overall equipment yield over the past 3 to 5 years.
"Without KEYENCE, communication costs with customers would be higher, installation times would be longer, and this growth would not have been possible."
A Syu He Precision operator uses the KEYENCE VS Series vision system.
For Syu He Precision, introducing KEYENCE systems is not just a replacement of hardware components, but a turning point in equipment technology transformation.
Through comprehensive inspection technology support, Syu He Precision has been able to build highly efficient smart packaging equipment with data traceability capabilities. While solving their own and their customers' pain points, they have also achieved impressive results by doubling capacity and revenue.
Sprinting for Market Share: Fully Replacing Systems
Building on the foundation of improved operational performance, Syu He Precision also plans to upgrade its technical architecture and expand capacity in the future to consolidate its leading position in the packaging equipment field.
In terms of technology integration and market layout, in response to the trend of increasingly tight customer delivery times, Syu He Precision has begun planning to fully upgrade the control systems of its equipment to KEYENCE. This strategy not only eliminates the hidden costs of cross-system integration and improves delivery efficiency, but also serves as a core engine for driving market share expansion.
At the same time, facing technological innovation under the AI wave, Syu He Precision continues to deepen its technical cooperation with KEYENCE, accelerating the development of forward-looking functions to respond to the needs of semiconductor customers in real time. In the short term, they will expand the application of vision inspection to perfect the precise control of packaging quality. In the medium to long term, they plan to introduce KEYENCE's higher-end 3D vision AOI into Syu He's EFEM equipment, consolidating their competitiveness in the high-end semiconductor market.
"Our next goal is to continue expanding the market share of our packaging machines. Currently, it should be close to 80%, and we hope to increase it to 90% or even 100% in the future."
Second, to provide local support to major advanced packaging and semiconductor companies, Syu He Precision is also accelerating its expansion across Taiwan. The company plans to establish a new office in Hsinchu by the end of 2026 to deepen technical integration with the northern semiconductor cluster. It also plans to expand its factory in Tainan between 2027 and 2028 to continue boosting equipment production capacity.
With a firm commitment to quality, Syu He Precision is partnering with KEYENCE to create a new era of smart semiconductor packaging, positioning itself for the next decade of growth.
FAQ
Q What are the applications of KEYENCE vision systems at Syu He?
A
In terms of KEYENCE vision system applications, Syu He Precision uses a combination of the high-end vision VS Series and low-end vision IV Series depending on suitability. By combining AI algorithms and PLC controllers, they achieve 100% inspection, focusing mainly on cosmetic defect identification, chip and component inspection, and packaging line error-proofing. Through a "single logic, horizontal replication" architecture, the inspection technology accumulated early on in display panels has been extended to high-end fields such as advanced semiconductor packaging, PCBs, servers, and automotive panels. At the same time, it also integrates KEYENCE safety light curtains, ionizers, various sensors, PLCs, and other instruments to build automated inspection systems.
Q Why choose KEYENCE instead of developing in-house or using other brands' products?
A
Developing in-house PC-based architectures can easily lead to transition gaps when engineers leave. Other brands often face repeatedly delayed delivery times and require additional service support. KEYENCE systems have consistent logic and stable inventory supply, which, combined with comprehensive after-sales service and PLC data retention, can reduce maintenance costs and return risks.
Q How does KEYENCE help Syu He build automated semiconductor equipment?
A
International manufacturers have increasingly high requirements for specifications and production history. KEYENCE has certifications and high recognition from major international manufacturers. Its vision systems are easy to learn, combine AI to reduce false positives, and automatically generate inspection histories, helping the company successfully meet customer requirements, win semiconductor orders, and drive increases in shipment volume and yield rate.
Q What are the advantages of KEYENCE vision systems for factory operation and maintenance personnel?
A
The system operation interface is extremely intuitive and simple, and engineers only need one week of training to get started with development and maintenance. At the same time, it offers advantages such as stable quality and automatic retention of PLC records, enabling 24-hour uninterrupted automated equipment operation. When issues arise with products, they can be traced back to their source at any time, reducing reliance on manual labor and false positives.
Q How do KEYENCE vision systems reduce communication costs between Syu He and its customers?
A
In the early stages of development, customers often have not yet finalized their requirements. KEYENCE vision systems are easy to operate, and once customers learn how to use them, they can fine-tune parameters on their own at any time. This also eliminates the need for equipment manufacturers to be overly involved in the production line, satisfying customers' requirements for protecting trade secrets. In addition, clear shipment and handover histories save both parties a significant amount of time in installation, tuning, and repetitive communication.
Q What feedback have customers given regarding KEYENCE systems?
A
In the fields of semiconductors and advanced packaging, KEYENCE is already the preferred choice for many major international manufacturers. Informing customers that KEYENCE systems are used usually wins their approval. Customer feedback also indicates that KEYENCE systems, combined with AI vision systems, can effectively reduce inspection false positive rates, resulting in high overall user satisfaction.
