MA-tek Chairman Hsieh Yung-Fen has been awarded the 2023 Top 30 Female CEOs in Taiwan by Harvard Business.
MA-tek Chairman Xie Yongfen > Build the largest semiconductor material testing company in the Asia-Pacific region
Starting a business at 40, wafer foundries and international giants have all become her clients.
The semiconductor industry is regarded as Taiwan's "protective mountains," and there is one company that plays a crucial role but is relatively unknown to the general public, which is MA-tek. MA-tek is a semiconductor material analysis company founded by the current chairperson,謝詠芬, in 2002. She has many firsts, including being the first female PhD from the Department of Materials Science at National Tsing Hua University, founding the first semiconductor material testing laboratory in the country, and being the first scholar in the world to propose the analysis of 28-nanometer silicon-germanium compound processes. With her articulate speaking style, robust laughter, and commanding presence,謝詠芬 is a true strong woman; even in her sixties, she is still full of energy and her eyes light up when talking about work.
Start a business when the timing is right.
"At that time, everyone told me, you are already 43 years old, so old, why start a business?" Xie Yongfen recalled that she entered the semiconductor industry in the 1990s, which was the most prosperous era. When she left her job, the stocks and cash she held should have been worth over 100 million, and everyone thought, why should she wade into muddy waters? Xie Yongfen emphasized that there are many choices in life; it is very easy to go home and enjoy life, but it is quite boring. Should one really just stay at home doing laundry and cooking every day? "Actually, I am quite good at doing laundry and cooking, but I just feel that those things are not challenging," she said with a smile.
In addition, the testing laboratory that謝詠芬 wants to establish needs to use equipment such as transmission electron microscopes and secondary ion mass spectrometers, which cost millions of dollars. In the past, these were only affordable for national-level laboratories. After hearing this, friends and family all felt that such an investment would be a "waste of money." However, the quality of semiconductor materials is crucially determined by the concentration of impurities, which can only be measured using such advanced instruments.謝詠芬 firmly believes that establishing such a testing company can significantly accelerate the development of semiconductor processes, which absolutely meets the demand of the Taiwanese and even international markets.
MA-tek's main business can be likened to a health check for the human body. When there are problems in the body, the first step is to locate the issue through internal medicine, conducting examinations such as imaging and contrast studies on the heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys to identify the problematic areas; then moving on to surgery for biopsy and component analysis, ultimately removing the lesions. However, the outside world is often curious, since the quality of materials is so important, don't high-tech companies have their own testing laboratories? "Every time people ask me how I compete with these international giants, but why should I compete with them? They are the main wife, I am the mistress. The mistress should pick up what the main wife does not do, that's how you have performance!" The internal laboratories of semiconductor companies always have endless projects, so what they do not want to do, what is inconvenient for them to do, and what they cannot finish, are all opportunities for MA-tek.
With the booming development of semiconductors, MA-tek's performance has skyrocketed, with revenue nearing 4 billion in 2022, almost doubling compared to 2018, and an EPS of 10.12, setting a new historical high. The main reason is the accelerated overseas expansion, including locations in Xiamen and Shenzhen in mainland China, as well as Nagoya and Kumamoto in Japan. MA-tek now has 14 testing laboratories worldwide, with a target of reaching 20 in the next 10 years. However, Xie Yongfen also lamented that the push to expand is due to the limitations of the Taiwanese market, where people always ask about "price" rather than "value" for anything they buy. "Everyone is bargaining, and everyone is playing the role of a purchaser; this is a serious distortion of values," she lamented. With a sharp mind, quick reactions, and a solid technical foundation, is it very stressful for her subordinates to work with her? "The pressure is indeed unavoidable, and I sympathize with them," she admitted. She acknowledged that she is a "iron-blooded" boss and emphasized that centralized governance is more efficient than democratic politics, which is an unchanging fact. Having gone through the early days of entrepreneurship when many looked down on her, Xie Yongfen truly did not expect the company to reach this scale today, proving that as long as one holds onto ideals and courage, they can achieve great success.
The above information is extracted from the Harvard Business Review.
