Since its establishment in 2005, TFC COMMUNICATION Co., Ltd. has always adhered to taking R&D as the leading factor, promoted innovation-driven development, and continuously increased the quantity and quality of patent applications. It has nurtured the tree of enterprise innovation with a patent pool and achieved remarkable results in R&D and innovation. In 2023, more than 30 new patents were added, including 11 invention patents. By the end of 2023, TFC COMMUNICATION Co., Ltd. and its subsidiaries had owned 241 patents, including 35 invention patents and 206 utility model patents. Currently, there are still several patents under review, and the patent achievement conversion rate reaches 100%, providing strong support for the company's future development.
Over the past eighteen years of its development, through independent R&D and industrial mergers and acquisitions, TFC COMMUNICATION Co., Ltd. has accumulated a number of globally leading process technologies in basic material fields such as precision ceramics, engineering plastics, composite metals, and optical glass. It has formed sixteen product lines and vertically integrated them to provide customers with one-stop services. While providing customers with overall optical device solutions, the company also offers foundry services for advanced optical and optical device packaging manufacturing. The two major business segments help the company become a globally leading optical device enterprise. After eighteen years of development, the company has evolved from a precision component manufacturer into a composite platform enterprise with the capabilities of various devices and packaging technologies, and its revenue has continued to grow steadily.
TFC COMMUNICATION Co., Ltd.'s innovation and leadership in the field of optical devices have been widely recognized. The company has been awarded the title of "Top 10 Most Competitive Enterprises in China's Optical Devices and Auxiliary Equipment" for six consecutive years, and has won honors such as "Top 50 Valuable Listed Companies on ChiNext" for many times. At the same time, it has also won the "Tianma Award for Investor Relations of Chinese Listed Companies in the 14th Session in 2023", as well as honorary titles such as the "Award for Listed Companies with a Market Value of 10 Billion Yuan in Suzhou High-tech Zone" and the "Outstanding Contribution Award for Listed Companies". These honors not only prove TFC COMMUNICATION Co., Ltd.'s leading position in the industry but also highlight the company's high emphasis on product R&D and scientific and technological innovation.
In terms of R&D investment, TFC COMMUNICATION Co., Ltd. has always maintained a high proportion of investment, with the R&D investment accounting for 8% or more of the revenue for six consecutive years. In the first three quarters of 2023, the company's R&D expenses reached 105 million yuan, a year-on-year increase of 8.90%. These investments have not only accelerated the company's R&D and mass production processes for core products such as high-speed optical engines and high-speed optical devices but also laid a solid foundation for the company's long-term development.
In addition, TFC COMMUNICATION Co., Ltd. is actively promoting its global layout and production capacity construction. It has established Suzhou and Singapore as the domestic and overseas dual-headquarters bases; set up R&D centers in Suzhou, Shenzhen, Japan, and the United States; and built large-scale mass production bases in Jiangxi, Shenzhen, Suzhou, and Thailand. In 2023, the Thai industrial park of TFC COMMUNICATION Co., Ltd. was initiated for construction, and the first-phase factory building will be put into use this year. The construction of these overseas production capacities not only improves the company's international competitiveness but also provides more convenient services for global customers.
Facing the trend of accelerating the construction of AI computing power and the rapid growth of the demand for high-speed optical devices, TFC COMMUNICATION Co., Ltd. will continue to deepen its R&D strategy, strengthen technological innovation, and participate in the formulation of industry standards. The company will continuously enhance its R&D and large-scale production capabilities for core products such as high-speed optical engines, further increase its market share, enrich its product strategic layout, and build its core competitiveness.
Looking ahead, TFC COMMUNICATION Co., Ltd. will continue to uphold the concept of "Establishing the Enterprise through Innovation and Reinvigorating the Enterprise with Technology", and keep pursuing excellence and innovation. The company is committed to becoming a globally leading optical device enterprise, making greater contributions to the development of the photonic integration field, and striving unremittingly to achieve the goal of becoming a century-old enterprise!