Creating a Green Future through Technology: The ePaper Industry Holds Its First Innovation Awards

By EPIA | Updated: 2023-10-17 21:31:14

In September, the first ePaper industry innovation and application forum was held at the International Internet of Things Exhibition in Shenzhen, China. Led by the ePaper Industry Alliance (EPIA), a grand award ceremony recognized "firsts" in 20 years of innovative applications in the ePaper industry, awarding enterprises that have shown courage in innovation within the ePaper industry chain. Twenty-one companies were honored with this distinction.

Since Sony launched the first e-reader in 2004, the ePaper industry has seen the emergence of many noteworthy innovative products, including eNotes, electronic shelf labels, smart notebooks, mobile phones, and smartwatches. These high-tech products have provided a strong impetus for the ecological prosperity of the ePaper industry.

Over the past two decades, the global ePaper ecosystem has been continuously iterating, pushing the boundaries of new materials, new horizons, and new technology applications. Twenty years later, the "firsts" award ceremony has become an industry gathering and historical review to honor every "first" in the field of innovative applications of ePaper globally, and to cultivate a long-term, stable, and sustainable culture of innovation for the ePaper industry.

At the award ceremony, 21 companies were honored, including both newcomers and veterans of the global ePaper industry. They were awarded not only for innovation, but also achievements like opening up new prospects, deepening work in niche areas, focusing on sustainable development, Below is the full list of winning companies and the innovative fields they are focused on.

Creating a Brand-New Application Market:

Pricer AB

Sweden's Pricer has opened another door in the ePaper industry. In 2004, it applied ePaper to price tags, and began mass market promotion in 2007, pioneering a new era in the ePaper industry and becoming the second pillar. Throughout its development journey of more than 20 years, Pricer has been dedicated to expanding the electronic price tag market, making a tremendous contribution to the sustained growth of the ePaper industry.

Shanghai Yunqin Information Technology Co., Ltd.

Committed solely to ePaper bedside cards, Shanghai Yunqin is a leading company specializing in wireless information release systems for smart hospital rooms. Yunqin integrates IoT, wireless technology, and health and environmental protection concepts, providing innovative ePaper solutions such as bedside cards, bed-end cards, and door cards for many top-tier hospitals. In 2018, it took the lead in promoting large-scale applications in top-tier hospitals at the ward level, exploring a new essential market for the ePaper industry.

Changsha Fndroid Communication Technology Co., Ltd.

Led by its veteran team, Fndroid has made continuous effort in innovating the ePaper industry. In 2019, Fndroid was the first to introduce ePaper conference table cards, while also leading the drafting of the ePaper table card standard. In 2021, it applied color ePaper to subway handles with first piloting in Wuxi's subway system. Soon multiple cities in China also adopted the innovative solution. Both products are the trail-blazers for brand-new applications and markets of ePaper.

Shanghai Rinlink Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd.

The NFC passive electronic luggage tag developed by Rinlink Intelligent Technology is a “hidden gem” at Beijing’s Daxing Airport. It debuted during the inaugural flight of Eastern Airlines at Daxing Airport in 2019, and in 2020, the passive electronic luggage tag technology was included in the IATA ePaper luggage tag guide. The technology which is battery-free, maintenance-free, safe, and secure, has accelerated the industrialization process of electronic luggage tags with a potentially tremendous application market.

Chongqing BOE Smart Electronics System Co., Ltd.

Chongqing BOE has taken ePaper innovation to the pinnacle at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. In 2020, its ePaper digital badge, based on NFC technology and featuring no built-in battery with a lifetime of maintenance-free operation, was l selected for the Beijing Winter Olympics as the volunteer badge. In 2023, BOE seized business opportunities from white paper by Chinese government, upgraded traditional student ID cards using ePaper displays, and was the first to succeed with mass production, continuously making significant contributions to innovative applications and promotion for the ePaper market.

Ellipse World (United States):

Ellipse World has combined ePaper with card expertise to provide an innovative solution for credit card theft prevention. In 2021, Ellipse introduced the EVC® universal "chip" module, which integrates an ePaper display, capable of dynamically changing the three-digit security code on the credit card after each use. This represents a technological and procedural breakthrough in the integration of ePaper with financial cards.

Shenzhen Pick Smart Technology Co., Ltd.

Shenzhen Pick Smart Technology Co., Ltd. is daring, proactive, and professional. In 2023, Pick Smart adopted the Sepectra 6 full-color ePaper to develop a dynamic medal, digitalizing the medal industry. Through colored ePaper, it's possible to implement a slide show of multiple award-winning companies with their achievements, allowing the traditional medal industry to embrace technology for the first time.

Miaomiaoce Technology (Beijing) Co., Ltd:

The innovation from Miaomiaoce Technology (Beijing) Co., Ltd comes from a father's love. To continuously monitor his feverish daughter's temperature, the founder combined temperature measurement with IoT technology to establish Miaomiaoce. In 2018, the company applied ePaper to temperature-measuring devices, developing a series of ePaper smart home IoT products with internationally award-winning design, thus filling the l gap in the ePaper smart home field.

Xiamen Paperang Technology Co., Ltd.

A small idea created a big market. In 2022, a portable vocabulary card using monochrome ePaper - the "Paperang" - was launched, quickly climbing in sales and driving more than 50 brands to enter the market. It became the focus of annual innovative ePaper applications, successfully creating a brand-new application verified by the market.

Continued Deep Cultivation in Niche Areas

Suzhou Etag-Technology Corporation

The company is deeply rooted in providing paperless solutions tailored for the industrial field. It focuses on the research and design of ePaper industrial picking labels and industrial interactive tablets, blazing a new trail in this field for ePaper labels, with bulk applications in the automotive manufacturing field starting in 2020.

Beijing Dasung Technology Co., Ltd:

The founder of Beijing Dasung Technology Co., Ltd is a science fiction novelist. Out of personal need, the company launched the Paperlike ePaper display in 2014, applying ePaper display technology to monitors. This innovation allows heavy text users to avoid the damage to eyesight from prolonged use of LCD monitors, thus creating a new niche category in the display field.

Hefei IFlytek Doxent Technology Co., Ltd.

The company utilizes AI to concentrate on producing quality notebooks. In 2019, IFlytek Reading and Writing combined AI voice recognition technology with ePaper notebooks, breaking through the single form of handwritten input and pioneering an ePaper notebook with the function of producing organized, coherent text.

Bigme Cloud Literacy Technology Co., Ltd.

Bigme Cloud Literacy Technology focuses on color ePaper notebooks. In 2020, the company took the lead in launching the B1 Pro, a smart office notebook based on Kaleido color ePaper technology. Following the release pace of color ePaper display technology, the company iterates two color notebooks every year. In 2022, it was the first to release its smart office notebook Galy based on 8-inch Gallery 3 color ePaper technology, leading the application of color ePaper in the field of notebooks.

Qingdao Hisense Communication Co., Ltd:

The company is dedicated to creating a niche category of eye-protecting phones. Hisense has long been committed to using ePaper as a phone display, creating a healthy, eye-protecting niche phone category. In 2020, Hisense applied color ePaper to phones as a single main screen, continually cultivating innovation and market education in the ePaper phone category.

Lenovo (Beijing) Co., Ltd:

Lenovo is a heavy innovator in the ePaper industry. In 2020, Lenovo began applying ePaper to laptops, introducing a dual-screen notebook, with continued iterations and optimization. In 2023, based on Kaleido 3 color ePaper technology, Lenovo launched the ThinkBook Plus Twist, a 360-degree rotatable color ePaper dual-screen notebook, continuously cultivating innovation and market education in the notebook category.

TPV Technology Co., Ltd. (Fujian)

In 2022, TPV Technology Co., Ltd. (Fujian) launched an innovative masterpiece for professionals — the ePaper dual-screen display. By combining an LCD screen with an ePaper display, it meets users' multi-scenario needs, balancing color display with eye protection, and enriching the category of ePaper applications in the display field.

Shenzhen Hanhonda Electronic Technology Co., Ltd:

In 2022, the company combined NFC radio-frequency power harvesting technology with tri-color ePaper to launch a series of Apple phone back covers. Thanks to the battery-free design, the phone covers have no built-in batteries, solving the problems encountered by products in this field previously.

Hanshow Technology Co., Ltd:

Balancing corporate development with social responsibility, Hanshow took a significant step in 2022. The company introduced the Nebular Lux, a photonic energy-harvesting electronic price tag. Under indoor natural light, it achieves energy conversion and storage through photovoltaic conversion, aiming for "perpetual" battery life for electronic price tags. This technology's application will significantly reduce the consumption of disposable button batteries and the subsequent massive carbon emissions from disposing of vast numbers of spent batteries, setting an industry example for green and sustainable development in the electronic price tag industry.

Shanghai Apep Information Technology Services Co., Ltd.:

It is a pioneer in introducing information technology into power-free stations. The company has innovated a power-free station information system by combining solar energy with large ePaper screens, achieving the largest application of its kind globally in Shanghai in 2018. This innovation addresses the high costs of electrical construction and subsequent operational maintenance in smart city development. Importantly, the company is committed to low-carbon environmental protection, becoming the first to receive international carbon neutrality certification for ePaper products.

Shenzhen Kaiconn Innovative Technology Co., Ltd.

It is dedicated to implementing environmental protection principles to the fullest. In 2022, the company combined NFC passive lock technology with ePaper display technology, introducing a power-free ePaper face sheet with trusted delivery functions. This technology harnesses energy through radio frequency identification, enabling communication, data transfer, ePaper display driving, and unlocking functions without the need for an internal battery, reducing device energy consumption to nearly zero.

CIMC Carrier Technology Co., Ltd.

It leads collective innovation in upstream and downstream sectors through standardization. In 2023, the company, in collaboration with major appliance brands, after-sales services, local home services, logistics, and upstream and downstream manufacturers of ePaper products, pioneered the trial of TV recycling packaging with a 4G smart ePaper face sheet in Chongqing. It is actively promoting the application of recycling packaging with ePaper face sheets in fields such as ePaper screens, TFT displays, TFT backplanes, and photovoltaics.

These awards not only recognize the innovative spirit of these companies but also indicate the future direction of the ePaper industry. These enterprises are not only carving out new markets but also delving deep into their respective niches, constantly innovating and using technology to propel a green and sustainable future.

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