Asia Magazine #10 by CITO

asiamagazine 2007 I NO 10 I A bulletin by Chalmers students in Asia

Beauty of Taiwan Malaysia is riding the third wave Doing business at the Golden Triangle

Learning Shanghainese Edgy architecture in Tokyo Internship at HĂśganĂ¤s Japan -A hands-on experience

asiamagazine WHAT IS CHALMERS ASIA? Chalmers Asia was opened in March 2003 and is the result of a bilateral exchange agreement between National Chiao Tung University (NCTU) and Chalmers University of Technology. The Chalmers Asia office is strategically located at NCTU, near Hsinchu Science-based Industrial Park. PURPOSE - Increase awareness at Chalmers about the development in East Asia, with focus on Taiwan. - Support mobility of students and staff between NCTU and Chalmers. - Enhance Chalmers’ visibility in Taiwan and the neighbouring region. THE CHALMERS ASIA MAGAZINE The purpose of this publication is to increase the awareness of Asia among the students and the staff of Chalmers. The articles are written by the Chalmers exchange students in Asia. Editor Jonas Ådahl

jonas.adahl@asia.chalmers.se Art Director Emelie Smedberg

emelie.smedberg@asia.chalmers.se CONTACT ADRESS Chalmers Asia, National Chiao Tung University, 1001 Ta-Hsueh Rd., Hsinchu 300, Taiwan, R.O.C. web www.asia.chalmers.se Search YouTube for a movie about Chalmers Asia office “en sån riktigt god skola” phone +886 (0)3 573 73 69 +46 (0)31 780 41 55 fax +886 (0)3 573 74 69

asiaContents

19 asiaoffice

Edgy architecture in Tokyo

2 Letter from head of office 3 Chronicle: So far… 4 office representatives 5 NCTU Europe

Robots in Shanghai

asiaReport

6 Doing business at the Golden Triangle 8 Beauty of Taiwan 9 Solar-Cells in Taiwan 10 Internship at Höganäs Japan

- A hands-on experience

– Sweden versus Taiwan

13 Different Cultures Yet Still the Same 14 Robots in Shanghai 16 Learning Shanghainese 18 Malaysia is riding the third wave 19 Edgy architecture in Tokyo 20 art director recommends 22 Mobile telecommunication system

Beauty of Taiwan

23 Taiwan towards low energy consuming houses? 24 sök chalmers Asienprogram

asiaLetter

Letter from Head of Office

couple of months have passed since the new members of Chalmers Asia Office arrived to the National Chiao Tung University. We are here participating in the bilaterally valuable exchange program of the two universities, which includes studying one year abroad and working at the office. All of us have many different expectations of what this year has to give. Commonly we hope that it will provide us many good memories, international friends and knowledge that reaches far beyond what ordinary university studies can provide us. One calm and silent night here in Hsinchu I suddenly woke up. My bed was shaking, creaky sounds came from my clos-

et and I knew for sure that something strange was going on. Suddenly it struck me; Earthquake! At the same moment I understood I was experiencing a minor earthquake, I realized how far away from home I actually am. The safe and peaceful environment of Sweden has changed for an interesting and more exciting culture, which I am just about to explore. Another difference between Sweden and Taiwan is the scents in the cities. When you have a nightly walk down the streets of Hsinchu, you explore the smell of cooking food, tea and dirty alleys mixed with lovely spices and incenses from the temples. I am far away from home and in different ways I enjoy every single moment of it!

Henrik Andersson

asiaChronicle

So farâ&#x20AC;Ś

n the end of this summer the Chalmers Asia Office had a major face lift. In purpose to create a more genuine sense of Sweden, the old carpet was removed and a wooden floor was installed. In Sweden wooden floor are to be found an almost every family home as well as in many official buildings and offices. The wide spread usage of wood in Sweden might have something to do with the fact that more than 50 percentage of Sweden is covered by forest. However the new wooden floor is not only beautiful to look at, it also contributes to the Swedish touch of the office, which the reader is openly welcomed and encouraged to try out. During the fall semester the members of Chalmers Asia Office also have been working hard in purpose to spread knowledge about Sweden and Chalmers at NCTU. In September we hosted the Swedish week at NCTU. Every day we arranged activities typical for Sweden. Curios students from all over the world showed up and participated in ac-

freshmen information

Chalmers Asia official opening

tivities as presentation about Sweden, Floor ball competition and Swedish midsummer party. The Swedish culture and midsummer food seemed to be appreciated by our international friends and one thing is for sure; the students attending any of the activities know a lot more about the interesting cultural and social life in Sweden than before. At the end of September Chalmers Asia had its official opening in order to introduce the new members and our operations plan. For three hours the doors of the office were opened for specially invited guests as well as curios students of NCTU. The visitors were given a short presentation by the new members, some refreshments and many smiling faces. Chalmers Asia would like to thank everyone who showed up and wished us good luck. Let this be the start of a new year in the successful exchange program between the two universities National Chiao Tung University and Chalmers University of Technology.

Swedish midsummer party

asiaOffice Representatives Henrik Andersson

Patrik Nyman

Head of Office

Deputy Head of Office

Student at the department of Management of Technology at NCTU. Background as a student at the department of Mechanical Engineering at Chalmers University of Technology.

Student at the department of Communication Engineering at NCTU. Background as a student at the department of Engineering Physics at Chalmers University of Technology.

Anna Beckman

Tobias Karlsson

Representative

Representative Member of the Corporate Relations group. Student at the department of Civil Engieering at NCTU. Background as a student at the department of Civil Engineering at Chalmers University of Technology.

Member of the Academic Exchange group. Student at the department of Electrical Engineering at NCTU. Background as a student at the department of Electrical Engineering at Chalmers University of Technology.

Emelie Smedberg

Thilak Rathinavelu

Representative

Art Director of the Chalmers Asia Magazine. Student at the Institute of Architecture at NCTU. Background as a student at the Department of Architecture at Chalmers University of Technology.

Member of the Academic Exchange group. Student at the department of Computer Science at NCTU. Background as a student at the department of Computer Science and Engineering at Chalmers University of Technology

Camilla Saltin

Jonas Ă&#x2026;dahl

Representative Responsible for the Alumni group. Student at the department of Electrical Engineering at NCTU. Background as a student at the department of Electrical Engineering at Chalmers University of Technology.

Representative Editor of the Chalmers Asia Magazine. Student at the department of Computer Science at NCTU. Background as a student at the department of Computer Science and Engineering at Chalmers University of Technology.

asiaNCTU Europe

We, the six students from NCTU taking part in the exchange between NCTU and Chalmers, are managing the office during our exchange year. On October 2nd, we have just celebrated our 3rd anniversary. In this event, we gave introductions about Taiwan and NCTU, and served traditional Taiwanese food. It was wonderful to see so many Swedish and international students and faculties in Chalmers coming to join us with the fun and share our joy.

CTU-Europe office is located in the campus of Chalmers University of Technology. It is the result of a bilateral exchange agreement between National Chiao Tung University (NCTU) and Chalmers. It is now in its fourth year of operation and its mission is to enhance the visibility of NCTU in Europe. The purpose of NCTU Europe office is to meet the following ends: First, to promote the exchange of students and academic staff between NCTU and Chalmers. Moreover, it increases awareness among NCTU students about the development in Europe, focusing on Sweden. Last but not least, it reports the progress in Swedish companies and universities, as well as the achievements of Taiwanese companies in Sweden and Europe. To achieve our goals, NCTU Europe holds many activities. We have information evenings to provide useful information for Chalmers’ students who are interested in coming to NCTU as exchange students. Also, we celebrate traditional Taiwanese festivals such as Chinese New Year and Lantern Festival to broaden the knowledge of Taiwanese culture at Chalmers. Apart from these activities, the office is open to everyone during lunch time on weekdays. On the other hand, to enhance the visibility of NCTU in Europe, we actively participate in activities in Chalmers and other colleges in Gothenburg, and we have established contact with various academic institutions and industries.

We never forget our mission. Taking care of studies and affairs of NCTU Europe can be challenging work, but we know it’s a good experience that gives us the opportunity to broaden our horizons. We hope we can make this office better and better.

NCTU Europe Adress: Skeppsgränd 3, Chalmers University of Technology S-412 96 Gothenburg, Sweden Web: www.europe.nctu.edu.tw Phone: +46 (0) 31 7722588 E-mail: nctueurope.se@gmail.com Opening hours: Monday-Friday 12.00-13.00

NCTU Europe

Doing Business at the Golden Triangle Ningbo, China

that an establishment here comes with several big challenges, one of them being culture, another being language. Due to the vast amount of money a company has to invest in order to start up business in China, establishment here was earlier only possible for multinational corporations. Using the slogan “Easy China Entry”, NIP tries to reduce these challenges by offering a total solution, as they put it. Culture, and especially guanxi, is probably one of the greatest differences when comparing Chinese business with European. Guanxi is the term for the social network which influences the Chinese society. Having a solid contact network with, for instance top politicians and tax buingbo was the first stop on our trip to China. Ex- reau representatives, could be of paramount importance pecting Ningbo to be a sleepy town, it was soon when starting up and doing business in China. Another shown to be a modern city with skyscrapers, wide difficulty one might experience is the language. Although, highways and regular flights to every major city in China. authorities put a lot of effort in enhancing the English skills It is located just in the middle of the Golden Triangle of the among the population, the general English knowledge is Yangtze, the Yangtze River Delta. The region is economi- still poor. Therefore, it is necessary to either know Mancally very important, accounting for circa twenty per cent darin or to have an interpreter when doing business in the of China’s economy (measured in GDP). Although, called Middle Kingdom. a small town by the locals, Ningbo, comprising a near two By offering its services NIP helps companies overcommillion population, has one of China’s most important deep ing problems similar to those mentioned. When bewater ports. Compared to metropolises such as Shanghai coming a part of the industrial park the member-comand Beijing, Ningbo is a peaceful city. For instance, all pet- panies may freely and fully enjoy the experience and rol powered scooters have been banned, which has sub- guanxi of the NIP management together with the Chistantially decreased noise and exhausts levels. Crowding nese interpreters provided by NIP. This will signifithe streets are now, instead, electrical bicycle hybrids. cantly facilitate the China entry. In contrast to Chinese Having a history of more than a thousand years of trade, industrial parks, where it is common that water and electoday, Ningbo attracts more and more foreign investments. tricity have to be installed by the company itself, NIP also The area, being well-known for private provides fully equipped industrial premises. entrepreneurship, has one of the largest “China helps concentrations of privately owned busi- companies to As investments keep pouring in, the infrastrucnesses in China. Located just between ture is also constantly upgraded. The Hangzhou Bay Ningbo Port and Ningbo City one will find survive, but Bridge is probably the most noticeable project – the Nordic Industrial Park (NIP), a Norwegian sometimes it world’s longest trans-oceanic bridge, measuring 36 owned industrial park established in 2003. kilometres. When opened in June next year the bridge NIP supports small to medium sized enter- is too late” will halve the travelling time to Shanghai, stimulating prises to start up their business in Ningbo. The park houses the regional growth and, thus, making Ningbo even more around twenty companies, ranging in size from one em- attractive to foreign investors. At the same time, shortening ployee up to several hundreds. With the exception of three the distance to Shanghai might not only be beneficial, Mr. American companies, all companies are Scandinavian. Stern thinks. He also worries about increased mean salaries

The place is very old. It bears the name of calm waves and it is a small town. Nevertheless, Ningbo, a four hour drive southward from Shanghai, is neither a dull nor an insignificant city. Visiting Ningbo revealed a city full of trade and business. We met the marketing manager of a Scandinavian industrial park, placed just outside the city, with the mission of learning more about establishing companies and doing business in the region.

in the region, which could possibly counteract the benefits of getting closer to the economic powerhouse of Shanghai. In a few years we will be able to see the economical effects of the Hangzhou Bay Bridge. But, one thing is sure; Ningbo is not the dull and boring city it seemed to be at a first glance. It is a city full of life and commerce, just in the middle of the Golden Triangle of the Yangtze.

Mr. Stern, Sales and Marketing Manager of NIP, invited us to a presentation of the industrial park. “China helps companies to survive, but sometimes it is too late”, he says. The low labour costs make establishment in China very attractive, but for some companies even the low labour costs are not enough for the company to survive. One might forget

Patrik Nyman and Thilak Rathinavelu

Beauty of Taiwan ”this is the beauty of Taiwan and exactly what I came for.”

t four am the alarm of my cell phone wakes me up. Tiredly I struggle out of the bed for a short look through the opened window. As I glance out over the deep dark forest, a cold silent breeze caresses my cheek and in the same moment telling me this is the right time. I dress myself and at the same time enjoy the aroma from a cup of Oolong tea, which is a speciality of Taiwan. My hotel is located at almost 2300 m above sea level in the base point of Alishan national forest recreation area, and I am supposed to do the one hour hike to the sunrise scenery lot. The trail starts from the old train station of the little village where a thermometer indicates 13 degrees Celsius. Used to the warm and humid climate as in the rest of Taiwan, the chillness gives my back an extra shiver. Except for some caretakers of the park I am completely alone when I begin my way to the top of Alishan. The dark trail, which partly is illuminated by some pale lights and partly by the moonlight, is running through the ancient forest of the recreation area. I keep on walking but after approximately 15 minutes the silence of the forest is broken by the sound of a ringing bell from the morning service of a nearby located monastery. For a moment I sit down in the dark just listening to the sound of the bells swallowed up by its environment. “It truly is graceful to be away from the sometimes crowded and stressful cities of Taiwan”, I think to my self before I continue my walk through the dark night. After about one hour I reach my goal, the sun already has stared to rise creating a tremendously beautiful purple almost red shade in the sky. I sit down for about one hour in order to

soak up the scenery; this is the beauty of Taiwan and exactly what I came for. The central mountain range of Taiwan is a result of two major tectonic plates in motion. Alishan is located in the central part of Taiwan near Yushan, which is the highest mountain on the island with its 3952 meters. Together with the Green Island, Taroko Gorge, Kenting and many other national parks, Alishan is a very beautiful and well visited tourist spot in Taiwan. As the national and international tourism in Taiwan increases the caretaking and maintaining work in the parks gets more and more important. During my visit to Alishan I met Mr Cheng. Commissioned by the government he was measuring the pollution of the busses. At the parking lot he and his co-workers set their equipment up in purpose to analyze and store all the data from the exhausts of the busses. He tells me that every bus has to be controlled in order to maintain their tourist bus licence. Another example of the awareness of the importance of keeping the environment free from pollution is the high penalty fee when littering. It is clearly written in the tourist guides that spitting, any kind of littering or other environmental damaging might result in a 60,000 NTD fine, which with an up to date exchange currency rate corresponds to about 12,000 SEK.

No wonder the people and government of Taiwan are so eager to keep the island free from pollution – Taiwan is beautiful, that is for sure! Henrik Andersson

Solar-Cells in Taiwan A Part of the Solution

to the energy problem and that it is important with a lot of research to find an alternative for the future. She believes in solar cells as one part of the solution - but not the only one. Right now solar cells are still in the development state. With her own research she wants to increase the efficiency of the silicon based thin film solar cells. She also says that there is a lot of other research on solar cells, both at NCTU and other places in Taiwan as well in many other countries. The research is funded by the government, the industry, and privately owned companies. This show the interests in solar cells are large in Taiwan and that people believe in solar cells as an option. C.C.’s present research is mostly working as a base for more advanced research in the matter. Apart from research and development in solar cells, NCTU also has science groups working with fuel cells and C.C. thinks that this might be another part of the solution. C.C. also praises the Taiwanese for being very efficient and hard working and thinks that this will be an important factor as to why Taiwan could play an important role in new inventions and discoveries in the field. The fact that Taiwanese directors can make fast decisions may encourage the possibility of making wide-scale changes and improvements in the future. C.C. concludes that there is major interest from the Taiwanese government about solar cells and that this is something that we will undoubtedly see more of in Taiwan.

The environment is now a growing concern in energy discussion today. Since Taiwan is a rapidly developing country, the energy problem and Taiwan’s attitude towards renewable energy is an interesting topic.

resently, Taiwan is importing 98% of their fuel for energy production. Therefore they need to find a new solution to create their own energy supply. Since the environment and global warming is an important topic right now we were interested in what approach Taiwan has to the alternative of renewable energy sources. Since Taiwan has high sun-radiation, solar cells could be an option. Taiwan is aware of environmental issues and is actively working for clean energy sources. In interview with President Chen Shui-Bian for CNBC he says: “We will actively support the Kyoto Protocol and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Although Taiwan is not a UN member, it will not shirk its global environmental responsibility. Our next step is to develop clean, renewable energy sources. In the future, we will also see drives to develop solar energy, wind power, and biomass energy sources such as biofuel and biodiesel” (September 17th, 2007). We had the opportunity to talk with C.C. Tsai, who is doing research on solar cells at National Chiao Tung University in Hsinchu, Taiwan, to learn what she thought about the development of solar cells and renewable energy sources in Taiwan. C.C. has a long and successful career behind her. When she came back from Silicon Valley in the year 2000, she joined the company Quanta Display Inc. as their vice president. Last year, they were subsidiaries of AUL which led C.C. to work at NCTU for the last six months. C.C. is working both as a teacher in the course Special Topics on Renewable Energy Sources and she is doing research for two projects at the same time. One of them is in LCD displays and one in silicon based thin film solar cells. These projects are also a form of teaching where the students are participating. C.C. thinks that there is more than one single solution

Anna Beckman and Camilla Saltin

Höganäs Japan’s head office is situated in one of the busiest parts of Tokyo called Akasaka.

Internship at Höganäs Japan - A hands-on experience

Global economy is maybe one of the hottest topics in business these days. As international relationships are getting stronger and business partners often are foreign companies, having experience of studies abroad is of great value, both to the student and to the employing company.

xchange programs and studies abroad are considered by many students to be the best way to prepare themselves for the new global labor market, but it is not always obvious to the students how they can use their newly gained knowledge of the visited country and its culture to get the job of their dreams. For me, the internship at Höganäs Japan was the perfect next step. As a second grade student at Industrial economy and management with earlier experiences from Japan, both as a high school student and as a university student, the internship at Höganäs Japan gave me a chance to attain working experience in Japan and it was a great opportunity to use the knowledge gained during studies at Chalmers . Höganäs is the world’s largest producer of metal powders. Since the 1930’s iron powder has been compacted and sintered to make highly detailed components. Around 80% or all iron powder used in production are made into sintered components, it allows up to 100 % material utilization and are these days used in for example Transmission Gears and thrust motors in motor vehicles. The subsidiary Höganäs Japan K.K. started sales in Japan 50 years ago, as a pioneering company in Powder business. Höganäs Japan’s head office is situated in Akasaka, a part of central Tokyo with many foreign companies. Höganäs Japan also has its own iron-powder mixing factory in Saitama, about one hour north of Tokyo. Since the start Höganäs Japan have had a strong position in Japan. Today, Japan is the second biggest market after USA, it accounts for about

15 percent of the world market. The Japanese customers are often acting both in Japan and overseas which makes Japan to an important, growing market. During the two-month long internship, I was working on a project concerning internal control initiated by the Swedish headquarters involving the whole Höganäs Group. My part was to do follow-ups on the processes in Höganäs Japan and make sure that sufficient financial controls were in place. This involved interviewing accounting, logistics and warehouse staff, documenting the process-flows and discussing with the staff and the consultants from the managing consulting company engaged by the Swedish head office to improve controls and make sure changes in the staffs daily routines were implemented. Through the project I got in contact with, many of the employees and I got to know how the company was run, at least on the financial side. Even though I was not responsible for the project, I was the one who had to push the employees to make them create time for the project to assure progress. Internal control and corporate governance programs was new for the staff, and it was extra work for them, so many times it was not clear what should be done by whom or what the purpose was. It was very important to share the projects goals and results with the employees to create enthusiasm for the project. At the end of the internship, I had the opportunity to travel with two of the customer sales managers, Hirosesan and Sakamoto-san, to Nagoya to visit one of Höganäs Japan’s key customers, Toyota Motor Company. The trip from Tokyo to Nagoya is about 350 km but only takes about 1.5 hours by Nozomi, the fastest of the high speed trains. Toyota Motor Company’s head office is situated in Toyota city just outside Nagoya. In Toyota city there are around 40.000 people employed in the factories. The visit to Toyota

“To find an internship abroad the first thing to do is to talk to all of your contacts and ask if they could help you.”

brought us to the Kinuura plant which manufactures transmissions gears and to one of its warehouses that is handling the iron powder from Höganäs Japan. The warehouse manager Takasu-san kindly explained and showed me the work flow from the point that the iron-powder arrives to the warehouse, gets stored in the automatic warehouse until it is delivered to the factory. The Höganäs iron powder is delivered from Saitama factory or from Sweden at regular basis. Each truck takes about twelve one-ton bags. Although there are many deliveries from the different warehouses to the Kinuura plant, deliveries which contains Höganäs iron powder is only done every fourth hour and it is then delivered together with many other materials according to the Kanban orders. Upon delivery the Kanban on the bag is scanned and placed in the special area for Höganäs Powder. Before bags are loaded into the die to be pressed and then sintered in the furnace, the Kanban on the bags are scanned once again which triggers orders to the warehouse. As a student who just a few months earlier had studied just-in-time at Chalmers it was easy to conclude that just-in-time delivery only takes place from the point when the iron-powder leaves the warehouse rented by Toyota and not prior. It is the warehouse and the supplier who has to take the burden of keeping stock to assure that no stops will occur in the Kinuura plant. So how did I end up at Hoganäs Japan? Can anybody get an internship in Asia? For me, it was a combination of co-

incidence, luck and a lot of enthusiasm. I was introduced to Carl-Gustav Eklund, who not only is the CEO of Höganäs Japan, but also the chairman of the Swedish chamber of commerce in Japan through an acquaintance since my high school exchange year in Japan. But the reason for getting introduced I think was because I showed a lot of enthusiasms and a big curiosity of working in Japan. To find an internship abroad the first thing to do is to talk to all of your contacts and ask if they could help you. You can also contact the company you want to work for or the Swedish chamber of commerce directly, as one of my friends in Japan did. After spending a few hours at the monthly gathering of the Swedish Chamber of commerce in Tokyo, also he had found himself an internship. Talking to companies that have had interns before might be a good start. Another question might be how a student can afford traveling to Asia just for an internship which often is not even paid? The answer is simple – Scholarships. There are many scholarships if you search for them, even Chalmers have scholarships that you can apply for. If you are interested in Japan, the Sweden-Japan foundation is one of the biggest fonder, but even the Swedish Chamber of Commerce and industry in Japan has a scholarship, although the company has to apply for you. As long as you have a goal and enthusiasm and are prepared to spend some time and effort in finding a good company and some funding you might be having a similar experience next summer! Good luck!

Rebecka Weidemann Majors in Industrial Economy.

Different Cultures Yet Still the Same 30 minutes with Peter Melin

We meet with Peter Melin at IKEA’s office in Taipei. Peter is Regional Purchasing Manager in China and has been in the company for thirty seven years. He has been working in many different countries: Italy, Austria, Czech Republic, Switzerland and France before coming to China where he has been working for seven years. We had the opportunity to ask him about the company and his time there.

ven though IKEA’s main market is in Europe they have a major venture in Asia - China, Japan, Singapore and Australia. When IKEA opened in China, they were off to a bad start. IKEA’s basic strategy is a low cost product of high quality. However, the prices were too high compared to the local market. This gave them a flawed image and it has been a challenge ever since to correct it. From then until now the prices have been reduced by approximately 50%. A majority of the products that are sold in China are also produced in China. Today, IKEA has two hundred sixty two stores worldwide, but that number will probably soon be closer to four hundred. This will demand a regional supply, where Asia supplies Asia and so on. IKEA does have strict conditions and regulations about the factories where they buy their products. In China, they have had a lot of problems in this regard which was one reason for them to build two model factories; one in Dalian and one in Beijing with two hundred fifty to three hundred employees in each. The idea with this project is to show that it is possible to follow the rules and regulations and still offer good work conditions, for instance, insurance and a good salary. Peter says with a smile that there is no problem with finding people to employ for these factories; many are willing and able to work. The project has been successful. Now the Chinese companies can learn from this example and build more factories with the same kind of management. IKEA works for being a company with strong moral values; they have special employees to prevent, for example buying lumber from protected rainforests. Though China has a hierarchical system, this is not the way of IKEA; where words such as simplicity, belonging and respect are important values. IKEA wants to keep these

values even in other countries and is educating their new employees. Peter claims that the new employees in China do not have any problems with adapting to this system. Since IKEA is trying to keep their company culture unchanged, and maintain the company’s values all over the world, Asia is not an exception. Even so, there are sometimes problems with issues like corruption - which is something that IKEA can never accept. Even though the new employees have to sign an agreement there have been problems. This could be due to the fact that Swedish and Chinese people have different priorities. In Sweden, the employee of a company has another social security compared to China, while in China, this is not the case and home and family becomes more important. This may be why opinion about corruption differs and why perception is different. In comparison to Sweden, it is also necessary to notice a different kind of leadership. While people in Sweden are creative decision makers, decisions are made much faster in China, and directors have to be more resolute since this is expected. In China people are pragmatic and eager to do business and even though there are many laws and regulations, there is always a way to solve the problem. One requirement that IKEA has of their new employees is a good knowledge of English, since IKEA is an international company. When Peter first came to China seven years ago this was a big problem and they were forced to hire people just by the fact that they spoke English. Today, the situation has improved and people with international experience and English are more accessible, even though it may be difficult to find qualified Co-workers.

Anna Beckman and Camilla Saltin

Robots in Shanghai In the past years the office has made several trips to the city of Shanghai and the neighbouring region, and this year was no different. In August 07 the Chalmers Asia Office again visited Shanghai. The Yangtze River Delta continues to develop rapidly and is therefore always an interesting destination for the office.

he main purpose of this year’s trip was to visit companies in the area that has ties to Sweden or Scandinavia. As a computer engineer I was especially interested in ABB Robotics. The company is located in the Waigaoqiao Free Trade Zone. Waigaoqiao is a large industrial area north east of Shanghai, where many foreign companies locate themselves due to the various incentives the Chinese government offers to companies that locate themselves there. The taxes for example are only 15% there, which is much lower than in the rest of the country. As we arrived at the ABB plant we were received by Ms. Fanny Wan, Communications Officer with the Robotics Division of ABB. The robotics division manufactures industrial robots for use in a range of applications, its main target is automotive and electronics industry. The Shanghai plant is, since 2006, in fact also the world headquarters for the robotics division. Ms. Wan explained that before 2006 the plant only handled assembly. But now the entire manufacturing process had been moved there, although the plant still receives a few components from other ABB plants abroad. One example of this were crates with labels in Swedish, which we saw on the work floor. Most of these parts can not yet be manufactured in China and are, therefore, imported. But imported components can also be from other ABB divisions, such as Automation which manufactures the controllers for the robots. One of the reasons for moving to China was of course low manufacturing costs. However manufacturing in China is becoming more and more expensive, and manufacturing costs only justifies the move in a short term perspective. A much more important incentive for ABB to move was

the Chinese market itself according to Ms. Wan. Becoming number one in the Chinese market is currently a high priority for ABB. To achieve that goal the company has to be close to not only its subcontractors, but also to its customers. Thus the move to China will lower costs but more importantly also make ABB more attractive to its Chinese customers, which is now the main target group. Though moving to China is not as easy for foreign companies as it once was. Where as they used to accept all kinds of technologies in the past, the authorities has now become more discriminating, not allowing old or to China already known technologies to be imported. Heavy machinery with only five years of service could be rejected due to polluting technologies. If the machinery can be manufactured by a domestic company, that might be another reason for rejection. In short, to be successful in China a company must commit itself to China. ABB with its long experience in the market understands this. An example of this is their employee training program; most of the plant operators have received one to two months training at ABB’s plant in Västerås, Sweden. ABB also holds different activities for their employees, to create a positive working climate. The labour market in China is very mobile and foreign companies are finding it hard to keep their employees, so it is becoming more and more common to offer other incentives than higher salary, such as employee insurances. The Chinese employee-employer relationship is still far from the European model, but the gap is made smaller by the efforts of foreign companies like ABB. We all hear the news of China’s dramatic economic growth and development, but it is still just numbers and one might not actually realize the impact they have. It is not until you go there that the numbers start making sense and you realize just how far the country has come. Since the development is still restricted to the east coast, most of the inland has not yet enjoyed the benefits of the economic growth. As such, one can easily see why ABB would choose to make the move and invest so heavily in the Chinese market. China continues to grow at a rapid pace and ABB will surely enjoy the benefits of that growth.

Thilak Rathinavelu and Patrik Nyman

Learning Shanghainese Shanghai is not like other Chinese cities. It’s not really China and it’s definitely not like anything in the West. It’s something else. Shanghainese people, Chinese from outside of Shanghai and foreign people all bring something of their own which makes Shang-

hai a diverse and vibrant city housing more than 18 million people. At a first glance Shanghai is a dirty, crowded and rough city but looking a little closer you will soon find that it has much more to offer. These are my first lessons on learning Shanghainese.

andering around the streets of the city the first thing that strikes me is the flood of creativity! The inspiration is really oozing out of the inhabitants of Shanghai and all I want to do is to observe and just take it all in. In every corner and along every street there are small entrepreneurs pulling off their latest business idea. There are no inhibitions and no limit of what your business might be. There is just the drive for making profits. As one of my new found friends told me when differentiating her hometown Beijing to Shanghai “In Beijing everything is more inefficient, if you want to meet your friends you will have to make up a plan and a route so you will not loose a lot of time. In Shanghai on the other hand they are very good at making business. In every street you have at least one convenient store, one hair salon, one foot massager, one dry cleaner and a whole bunch of other shops. You will never have to go far to find what you need.”

Although we should remember that the creativity grew out of the roughness of the country. Living in an overcrowded city requires you to grow a little tougher skin and a creative mind to survive. A quite funny anecdote about how tough you should be is the first time I took the bus during rush hour. Beforehand I was warned that it would be overcrowded and that I should be very quick and tough in order to get on. So whilst waiting for the bus I made sure I was the person closest to where the bus would stop.

As the bus rolled into the stop I secured my position at the people from Shanghai (locals) mixed with people from front ready to jump on the bus. As the bus stopped and the other parts of China (non-locals) mixed with foreigners doors opened all of a sudden people started to storm out and Hua Qiao’s, people with Chinese heritage but born from my left and right behind me. A few seconds later eve- abroad. The locals have a reputation of being impolite and rybody except me was on the bus and the doors shut and a have rough streak to the non-local people. What is very the bus drove away. I guess I wasn’t tough enough! Lucky peculiar is that the locals are extremely friendly and helpful enough you learn quickly and you’ll bet I made it on the to foreigners but as soon as they interact with non-locals next bus! they change their behavior. I have not only seen it happen to As for getting to work I could never imagine that I would my non-local friends but I have actually experienced it myrule out more safe options as the bus, metro or even walk- self! Being a Hua Qiao I fall into the foreigner’s category but ing in favor of a bike. It seemed like the easiest way for me at first glance I am taken for a non-local Chinese. When it is to get to work since it was too far to walk, too complicated discovered that I am a type of foreigner, the change of behavwith the metro and too crowded with the bus. And also ior is quite evident! It is a quite peculiar experience I tell you. I don’t know whether to laugh or scream with the bike I would never have to be “What is very peculiar is about it and the locals are so nice once worried to be stuck in traffic and I could decide when to go. At a first glance the that the locals are extreme- discovering I am born abroad that I just ly friendly and helpful to can’t stay angry with them. Of course this traffic in Shanghai is chaotic and a death wish waiting to be fulfilled. There are foreigners but as soon as behavior doesn’t occur in the workplace hordes of people on different vehicles they interact with non-lo- where people are civil and polite to each trying to get to their destination as cals they change their be- other regardless of where in the country they come from. Although, I can’t say quickly as possible and obeying no rules havior. “ on their way. There are bikes, tricycles, I have seen locals and non-locals interacting more than scooters, cars, buses, trucks, carriages of all kinds and necessary in the workplace. I still haven’t seen them invitpedestrians walking on the road since the pavements are ing each other to lunch. Fortunately this behavior doesn’t usually quite narrow. But amazingly quick you will get the stop the non-locals to lead a normal life in Shanghai; they hang of the traffic pace. Although you need to remember just simply rarely make friends with each other and get on one thing before you head out in the traffic. Don’t get an- with it. gry! The streets are really crowded and you will bump into Lastly I would like to share what one of my new found Chipeople all the time because of careless actions. On some nese acquaintances thought about Shanghai. She had visited occasions there are loud yells or angry glares but most of Sweden and thought it was wonderful. I asked her if she would the time people just move along. consider living there and she replied: “Sweden is really beautiIn fact people in Shanghai seldom fight at all. Quite often ful and clean and people are very friendly but it’s too still and you see very loud and lively quarrels and it seems as though if you are away from Sweden for 10, 20 or maybe 50 years, a fight will break out but they seldom become physical. when you return you haven’t missed anything. Everything is Thefts on the other hand are a very common crime. So as still the same. But if I would leave Shanghai I would miss out a Shanghai resident you do not have to fear being attacked on so much of its development! It’s all very exciting and there’s but you will probably loose something to thieves at some always something new to experience! I wouldn’t want to live point. I figure because of the infrequent violent crimes all differently. Also in Shanghai you can get everything you want! streets are busy all around the clock. As one of my friends The sky is the limit!” I thought she made a really good point, told me “You never have to be afraid in Shanghai because Shanghai has a feeling hanging over it like anything is possible there are always so much people around”. The same friend and actually I never once met a person who disliked the city. has lost fifteen bikes and two scooters to Shanghai thieves. Sure there are opinions about its cleanliness and crowds and Another lesson I learned pretty quickly was the complex- whatever it might be but there is really something for everyity of relations between the inhabitants of Shanghai. There one and you just have to love Shanghai! is a variety of people in Shanghai, all of which are here for different purposes and on different conditions. There are

Lai Kim Lim

Majors in Mechanical Engineering at Chalmers University of Technology and is currently doing an internship at SKF Investment Co. Ltd. in Shanghai, China.

Malaysia is riding the third wave

uring a study tour for Chalmers Asia Office to Malaysia last spring I met a Malay engineer in his mid fifties. His stories about his journey from student to engineer in Malaysia and abroad were inspiring and encouraged me to find out more about Malaysian education. Malaysia, being a developing country, sees education as an important tool. The goal of the government’s educational efforts is to create sustainable human resources that are to meet the needs of the social, economic and political development of the country. The school system in Malaysia dates back to the British colonial government when missionary work was one of the reasons for providing education to the people. Even though the Malaysian school system has been reformed many times since then, morals and values education is still very recognized but the focus is no longer necessarily on Christian values. The development of Malaysia’s school system has not only prevailed on the national market but Malaysia has also taken an active role in the globalization of the education industry. This globalization has been a gradual process that started in what is usually called “the first wave” when worldwide universities started to compete against each other by luring international students to visit their countries and universities for studies. The Malaysian government took an active role in this. In the 1970’s the Malay government put emphasis on education in science and technology. They also reformed the educational system in a way that enabled students to study abroad. The government also established a program that enabled 4000 young Malay student to study overseas each year. The Malay engineer Datuk was one of many young Malay students that took the international opportunities given by the state. Datuk received good grades from early studies and he received a governmental scholarship which he used for studying at a University in Great Britain. Datuk attained a degree in civil engineering in Great Britain but the scholarship was not all good. When returning to Malaysia he was obliged to work for the government for a certain number of years and the wages were fairly bad. Even so, good opportunities lay ahead and Datuk

was soon to take advantage of his educational background and his entrepreneurial skills. The second wave of education globalization was when foreign universities started entering “twinning” agreements. Foreign educational institutions would enter markets through licensing or management contracting. In Malaysia there were several university institutions that offered preparatory programs for overseas institutions. By 2000 there were 120 private collages in Malaysia that offered such programs. But twinning agreements made it difficult for the international universities to attain needed levels of competence at the programs since the responsibility for the program was shared with the local institution. The third wave of globalization enabled foreign universities to set up campuses in other countries. Malaysia was one of the countries that allowed the establishment of branch campuses. In their Education Act from 1998 they permitted such campuses and it was in-line with their policy to make Malaysia a regional hub for education service provision. Education is expected to become a profitable industry in the Asia-Pacific region and the foreign campuses in Malaysia do not only attract local students. In 1996 there were 6000 international students in Malaysia and that figure had grown to 40 000 in 2005. The Malay government is also encouraging entrepreneurship and in 1975 the Malaysian Entrepreneurship development centre was established. The Chinese was the early entrepreneurs in the country but in order to change this trend the centre encouraged indigenous people to become entrepreneurs. Since the end of the 20th century, Malaysias Ministry of Entrepreneur Development has been involved in training entrepreneurs. Datuk however had not taken part of these programs from what I understood. His background as a civil engineer and his many years working with water and roads development for the government made it possible for him to start his own business. He utilized his experience and his many contacts and contributed to the development of Malaysias infrastructure which enabled him to create a very profitable business.

Kajsa Torring

Majors in Industrial Economy at Chalmers University of Technology and is currently working on her thesis at SKF in Gothenburg

Edgy architecture in Tokyo People dressed like rock stars on their way to school, facades made by glass tubes and electronic toilets with music â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Tokyo is a cutting edge city concerning fashion, design, electronics and architecture.

he elite of architects have designed buildings here for the most exclusive stores of fashion, design and technique. When you walk the streets in the fancy areas Minatoku, Ginza or Omotesando you will pass several buildings in the same street that are famous around the world. In Tokyo everything appear to be possible in architecture. There seem to be no limitations to the budget for the projects, and the latest technique is used to fulfil them. Around 35 million is gathered in this city and the stores seem to be endless. The market for exclusive products is big and you see as many Prada stores in Tokyo as you would se H&M in Gothenburg. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not just one luxury area in Tokyo, there are several. All the biggest and most exclusive labels like Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Dior, HermĂ¨s, Apple, Sony, have their own stores in these areas. They use architecture to strengthen the image of their labels. Today it is impor-

tant for the labels to show their image in the stores, not only through the products they sell but also through the store they sell it in. That is why they have come to play an important role in pushing the modern architecture forward. In Tokyo they have taken image making to the next level and created image making buildings for their flag stores. In many cases the building itself becomes an attraction to visit because of its cutting edge architecture. Notably as I visited the buildings I realized that I was not the only architect on the scene studying the building more than the items sold in them. For a building to be famous today, it needs to be a famous architect designing it. So the big labels invite the most famous architects in the world to create top modern architecture. Tokyo also offers world-recognized architecture in noncommercial buildings. The delicate modern designed National Museum is an example of that together with other museums, libraries and housing. Tokyo is not only one of the most interesting cities in Asia to look at modern architecture, but one of the worlds leading modern architecture scenes. Tokyo is well worth a visit merely for the architecture, but Tokyo has plenty to offer besides that too.

Emelie Smedberg

asiaArt Director recommends Emelie Smedberg lists Tokyo’s hottest buildings concerning modern architecture, from the most beautiful museum to avant-garde boutiques. Ten projects you must see when you visit Tokyo.

Prada by Herzog and de Meuron The Prada store is like a sparkling diamond and it completely takes your breath away. Convex, concave and flat shaped glass pieces are smoothly put together to create this stunning façade. The interior of the building reflexes the design of the outside and free form shapes are used to create the boutique interior. Everything in the interior is in white colour, and every detail is carefully designed. The dressing rooms are made in clear glass, and not until you close the door the glass changes into a white frosted wall.

Gallery of Horyuji Treasures by Taniguchi and Associates The building was opened in 1999 and is a part of Tokyo National Museum. To enter the building you walk on a narrow path with water on each side. The lobby is huge with light coming through the glass façade and with a wonderful view over the water and the surroundings. The building has a dark central core for the exhibition and some glazed outer galleries.

3 2

Mikimoto building by Toyo Ito Mikimoto building is reminding me of a Swiss cheese with its irregularly shaped windows. It is something unrealistic about it and it differs itself from the other buildings in the neighbourhood, with its bright white façade and unconventional windows. The irregularly windows creates exciting lighting and interior that matches the outside feeling of the building.

Tod’s by Toyo Ito Like a tree reaching to the sky is this façade of criss-crossed concrete braces with glass inbetween. The concrete braces are beautifully done and from distant it almost looks like the “tree branches” continue to grow. The interior reflexes the shapes on the outside but the materials and colours in my opinion do not following the same concept, which is a shame to a great building.

Louis Vuitton by Jun Aoki In Roppongi Hills you find this pixelized façade of parallel glass tubes. The façade is both transparent and reflective and you have to take a close look to se what it is built up with. The interior is an open space with silver-mesh steel in 4 circular forms put together and used as inner walls. It is a futuristic feeling walking in the store. Roppongi Hills is a new commercial area. In this area you find exclusive shops, residential area, parks and the world highest museum.

Hillside Terrace by Fumihilo Maki The Japanese architect Fumihilo Maki has been working with Hillside Terrace in Daikanyama for more than three decades. It is a neighbourhood with lots of boutiques, cafes and housing and it is one of Tokyo’s hippest today. Maki’s intention has been to fill the lower levels with public functions and the upper levels with private apartments. It is a great feeling to walk around in the narrow streets with a lot of plazas, courtyards and modern architecture.

Dior shop by Kazuyo Sejima and SANAA The translucent Dior shop is glowing in the street in Omotesando while you are passing. It is a building with a glass façade with smooth white curtains behind. The appearance is so soft that it feels like maybe you are just imagining, like something from a dream that will suddenly disappear. The building looks like an exclusive accessory from Dior, desirable and only for the fortunate few.

Tokyo Midtown Tokyo Midtown is a new urban district composed of six buildings and parks. The best architects in Japan designed this area together with the goal to create something new. The “town” features all kind of facilities such as stores, restaurants, office, hotels, and museums. The interior of the buildings are in exclusive material and it feels like walking in a home were every furniture have been carefully chosen. Even the toilets are extraordinary with functions I didn’t know existed. It is an area where everything has been designed carefully the bench you sit on, the small parks and the buildings the area consists of.

Maison Hermès by Renzo Piano Like a glowing lamp in the night is this building with its façade of thousands of glassbrick put together. A huge artwork that reflects the light is hanging from the roof in the middle of the building. The glass-bricks just give a hint of what is on the inside and it makes you want to enter the building.

Zelkova Terrrace by Tadao Ando This shopping center is located in Tokyo’s most exclusive shopping area. Zelkova Terrrace is designed by Tadao Ando, one of Japans most famous architects. The building follows the slope in the street, and so does also all the levels in the building. You walk along this slope upwards around a large central atrium, and therefore do not need to take the stairs from one level to another. The shopping center has soft music, bird songs and beautiful lightning that creates a great atmosphere.

Hsinchu by night

Mobile telecommunication system â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Sweden versus Taiwan

n recent years mobile communication systems have become more and more used and the demands for them have increased. In a couple of years the 3G system will probably be replaced in favor to a further developed system. At the time writing, large research and development resources are being invested in developing the two wireless communication systems Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Accessand (WiMAX) and High-Speed Packet Access (HSPA). WiMAX is mainly developed in Taiwan and HSPA by the Swedish telecom company Ericsson, but both in purpose to replace the 3G system. This article aims to give you a brief introduction to the process of developing the next mobile telecommunication system. Chunghwa Telecom (CHT) is the major operator in the domestic telecom market in Taiwan, and has put large efforts in to developing WiMAX. It is one of the leading companies when it comes to the system and has achieved great progresses. According to Tyler Cheng, engineer at the Corporate Planning Department of CHT, most analysts predict WiMAX to be ready for commercial use in the end of 2008. With companies as ACER, ASUS and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) together with the science park in Hsinchu, Taiwan has become a centre of research and development of computer technology. Having great knowledge in computer science, Taiwan is the perfect place to develop mobile Internet technology.

HSPA, which the Swedish telecom company Ericsson has chosen to invest in, uses, unlike WiMAX, different frequencies for sending and transmitting data. According to information given by Ericsson the coverage will be about the same for the two systems and at the same time data traffic capacity is expected to be equal. The main reason why Ericsson has chosen to develop HSPA is the expected number of users of the system. According to Ericsson WiMAX is expected to reach 30 million subscribers by year 2011, while 600 million are expected to use HSPA. The two systems are both considered to be within the second edition of 3G mobile systems, and the system that hits the market first, initially will probably also reach the largest number of subscribers. The fourth generation of telecommunication system is expected to be Long Term Evolution (LTE), a communication system which bandwidth is expected to exceed 200 megabit per second. Whether WiMAX is ready for commercial use before HSPA and whether HSPA reaches 600 million users is written in the future but one thing is for sure; Taiwan and Sweden are both in the frontline of developing wireless communication systems.

Henrik Andersson

Taiwan towards low energy consuming houses? With a world more united against global warming, also Taiwan tries to put an effort in stopping global warming. Especially after the International Energy Agency (IEA) report released last year, in which it said that, in 2005, each person in Taiwan generated an average of 12 tones of carbon dioxide. The average global emission per person during the same year was four tones per person. Although Taiwan is not a part of the UN and the Kyoto Protocol, the government has taken a proactive position in its response to get a better environment. For example the government has started to push E3 ethanol gasoline, developing hydrogen energy and fuel cell technology.

aiwan has a population of 23 millions people or 633 people per km2. This number can be compared to Sweden’s 9 million people or 22 people per km2. The mean temperature of Taiwan is 27ºC in July and 16ºC in February and temperatures are increasing each year. The country has its electrical power produced mostly from nuclear power plants and coal power plants. With rocketing coal prices and increased mean temperature the electrical cost has considerably increased people’s living in the country. Since the temperature is increasing, more energy is being consumed for cooling houses and offices. Earlier years bad focusing on building low energy consuming has now being showed, with houses that have huge electrical bills. Mostly because that the air conditioner needs to work more to get a comfortable temperature. A leading construction company in Taiwan has done research on how to build low energy consuming houses. The research ended up in a village project in Taipei County. The project is called Green building and focused on low energy consuming building. For example the house solution makes use of parts that are made from modular fabrication. Such parts could for instance be the main structure and the wall frame. The company says the modular fabrication induces faster and easier construction and cuts down the construction period from 18 months to as short as 4 months. With a standardized assembling procedure the village was created with good quality and a minimum of faults. The

interior temperature is maintained at a comfortable range and, thereby, it reduces mildew and moisture, which saves energy in long term. The house standard can then be sustained for many years without needing big renovations. There are projects like the green building also in Sweden, for example, one project with 20 houses was built in Lindås just outside Gothenburg. The houses had extremely good insulation so minimum energy was lost trough wall, floor or roof. The houses cut energy consumption to 1/5 of ordinary houses. Other things in common during the projects are low impact to environment during construction. The Green building project was very successful and was awarded Taiwan Real Estate Excellence Award 2006 in the construction quality category. The Village has also won the Green Building Label. The company is going to build more low consuming houses in the future and it is believed that products like this will be more and more popular in the near future, says the spokes man from the company. He also tells that prefabrication rate in future will depend on how much of the buildings can be built using modules. It is an efficient way for fast construction, which yields economic benefits as well as saves energy. Future projects are facing some problems because of previous work only considering two level buildings, and since Taiwan is running out of places to build houses it is important to build taller houses. Many of the low energy solutions can be adapted to taller buildings with more research. An increasing demand for low energy consuming houses is going to be a step to a better environment for people living in Taiwan and the world.

Tobias Karlsson

asiaApply

National Chiao Tung University Vill du veta mer? Gå in på YouTube och se filmen “En sån riktigt god skola” om Chalmers Asia Office

Chalmers Asienprogram

ational Chiao Tung University (NCTU) är det främsta tekniska universitet i Taiwan. Universitetet har sin starkaste profil inom elektronik och informationsteknologi. I samarbete med National Tsing Hua University täcker utbytet alla civilingenjörsprogram på Chalmers. Utbildning ges på engelska för studenter från Chalmers genom anpassning av de kurser som utbytet omfattar. Utbudet på kurser som kan ges på engelska ökar men det är en fördel att kunna en del kinesiska varför företräde ges till de studenter som genomgått språkkursen i kinesiska föregående sommar. Ekonomierna i östra Asien har visat en enastående ekonomisk utveckling under slutet av 1900-talet. Japan har fått sällskap av Kina bland världens ekonomiska giganter. Re-

gionen är intressant, dynamisk och utmanade. Allt fler med teknisk utbildning kommer att i sitt yrkesliv ha kontakter i hela området från Japan till Singapore. Därför har Chalmers utvecklat ett specialprogram som ger studenter möjligheter till studier och erfarenheter från dessa ekonomier. Programmet består av följande delar: * Intensivkurs i kinesiska, 6 veckor i juli – augusti 2008. Kursen är förlagd till Hsinchu,Taiwan. * Kurs i Ostasiens ekonomi och teknik, som planeras till våren 2008. * Studerandeutbyte med National Chiao Tung University * Utbyten med andra partneruniversitet i Asien: Japan, Singapore och Hong Kong.

chalmers in Asia Studying at Chalmers does not limit you to Gothenburg, Sweden. Through many exchange programs Chalmers students are given the opportunity to study at a range of Asian universities. Likewise, students from many different countries are invited to study at Chalmers in Sweden.

Sendai, Japan Tohoku University

Tokyo, Japan Tokyo Institute of Technology

Shanghai, China Sino-Swedish campus at Fudan University

Hsinchu, Taiwan National Chiao Tung University

Hong Kong, China The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

Singapore Nanyang Technological University The National University of Singapore

Chalmers University of Technology

SE-412 96 Gothenburg, Sweden Phone +46 31 772 1000 Internet www.chalmers.se