In Win Development
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In Win | |
Company type | Public (TWSE:6117) |
ISIN | TW0006117005[1] |
Industry | Computers |
Founded | 1985Taoyuan, Taiwan | in
Founder | Vincent Lai |
Products | |
Revenue | NT$4 billion (2008; US$124 million) |
Number of employees | 2,000 (2004) |
Website | www |
In Win Development, Inc.(Chinese:Nghênh quảng khoa kỹ cổ phân hữu hạn công tư), formerly rendered asIn-Win Developmentand commonly shortened toIn WinorInWin,is a Taiwanesecomputer caseand computer power supply manufacturer.[2]In Win was founded in 1985 and has since opened multiple factories and headquarters internationally.
Corporate history
[edit]![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bf/In_Win_BT553.jpg/170px-In_Win_BT553.jpg)
In Win Development was founded by Vincent Lai in 1985 inTaoyuan, Taiwan,with an initial investment capital of $200,000.[3]Originally only a manufacturer of computer cases, In Win addedpower suppliesproduction lines to its Taoyuan facility in the late 1980s and dabbled with manufacturing disk storage equipment and joysticks in the early 1990s.[4]
In Win has four international branch offices between the United States, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and China.[5]Europe and North America represented In Win's biggest importers of computer cases, purchasing respectively 40 percent and 30 percent of their output in 2004; the rest of their output was purchased evenly between outside territories—chiefly Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. Roughly 70 percent of the company's overall products were delivered tooriginal equipment manufacturersandoriginal design manufacturers,includingIngram Micro,Time Computer,Toshiba,NEC,andIntel.[6]
In Win grew from having 60 employees in its Taoyuan facility in 1990 to 2,000 total employees globally on its payroll by 2004.[7]Its engineering department staffed 80 employees in 2003; all engineers by that point had 15 to 20 years of hands-on andcomputer-aidedexperience designing cases. The software the engineers used to design cases at that point includedAutoCAD,TurboCAD,Espirit,andPro/E.[5]The company planned to hire up to 500 more employees by 2005 and to open up aR&Dlaboratory in Mainland China in 2004.[5]Having established its American headquarters in theCity of Industry, California,by the late 1990s,[8]In Win leased another 50,000sq ftoffice in a different part of the city in the fourth quarter of 2002.[9]
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d2/CES_2012_-_In_Win_%286791664556%29.jpg/220px-CES_2012_-_In_Win_%286791664556%29.jpg)
By 2012 the company began primarily targeting the video-gaming demographic, as well as PCcase modders,[a]although OEMs andsystems integratorsboth remained critical customers for the company into the 2020s.[10]The company reached a peak revenue ofNT$4 billion (US$124 million) in 2008. Sales dropped 47 percent through 2016 to $2.1 billion however.[11]
Manufacturing facilities
[edit]The company relies on steel imported from Japan and Taiwan for use in itsmid- and mini-tower cases.Formerly outsourcing theinjection moldingof its plastic parts, In Win purchased plastic injection machinery for its own 4,600m²Taoyuan factory between 1996 and 1997.[b]In 2000, it opened up a 17,480m²plant nearby this factory in Taoyuan. Four final assembly lines 120 meters in total produced 16,000 cases per daily shift in 2004. In 2002, the company opened up a 202,400m²factory inMainland China.Initially meant for the production of In Win's computer cases, this factory branched out to providing mechanical and electrical manufacturing forsystems integratorsand OEMs. In Win planned to provide the same OEM services out of its Taiwan facilities by 2005.[5]The company achieved a monthly production output of 350,000 and 400,000 PC and server cases by the end of the third quarter of 2004—70 percent of which comprising tower cases, 20 percent comprising desktop and small-form-factor cases, and 10 percent comprising server and other industrial cases.[6]
Products
[edit]In Win was noted for its ornate case designs of some models from the mid-2000s onward;[12]for example, the company's GunDam case introduced in 2008 was inspired by themechafranchise of the same name.[13]Many of In Win's cases incorporate motherboard trays to facilitate upgrades and servicing.[14]The company was also the first to incorporateUSB-Cports onfront panelsfor a barebones computer case.[15]
Some of In Win's more elaborate cases include the H-Frame 2.0, designed around nine stacked sheets of aluminum sandwiched betweentempered glass—allowing air to pass completely through the case—and the H-Tower case, which has mechanisms to open up the case via a button or a smartphone app.[16]The company additionally sponsors PC modding competitions in the United States.[11]In 2017, the company released another limited-edition case—quantity 200—made of cast aluminum and 5 mm-thick tempered glass, designed large enough to run extensivewater-cooledsetups.[17]
In Win, as with several other computer case manufacturers, skipped over the proposed low-profile motherboard form factorNLXin the late 1990s, citing low demand.[8]They embraced the contemporaneousmicroATXspecification, however, and in the late 2000s designed a modicum of microATX cases designed with optimal airflow and other thermal considerations forIntel'sAtomCPU family.[18]
Reception
[edit]In Win's 901mini-ITXcase received generally positive reviews inCustom PCandComputer Shopper—the latter calling it "the rarest of things—a genuinely attractive PC case" but with "some annoyances",[19]while the former deemed it "more of a lifestyle chassis than a high-performance one".[20]Computer Shopperin particular praised the placement of its slimlineoptical driveslot underneath the power supply housing "so as not to spoil the case's smooth front" and wrote that the interior left plenty of room for large graphics cards but wrote that the matte plastic interior was vulnerable to scratching.[19]Custom PCmeanwhile found the case thermally problematic for CPUs and GPUs with the stock fans but said that aftermarket fans resolved this and were easy to install. The magazine also praised itscable managementimplements and wrote that the clearance for the power supply and GPU was "massive", albeit not spacious enough for large GPUs should a 120 mm water cooler be installed to the front intake mount.[20]
Custom PCcalled the company's GT1 ATX case "rock-solid" in build quality but with some "some sloppy design decisions", particularly regarding the front panel's cabling and the dust filters being made from "flimsy material rather than slide-out plastic". The reviewer called the interior "sensibly laid-out" and well-accommodated for cable management but found the drive cages' inability to be removed completely preventing it a 240 mm cooling radiator from being installed at the top of the chassis, although one cage could be slid out of the way for installing taller graphics cards.[21]
In Win's Chopin line of small-form-factor mini-ITX cases were measured byCustom PCto be only slightly larger than the motherboard in surface area and requiring a custom power supply unit. The reviewer praised the build quality and quiet operation but noted that discrete GPUs were uninstallable due to its diminutive size.[22]
See also
[edit]Notes
[edit]- ^To this end, some of In Win's cases lack built-in fans of any kind, with the expectation that the user will outfit it with powerful aftermarket fans or a water cooler (Staff writer 2017).
- ^For some intricate plastic and metal molds, In Win still relied on outsourcing in 2004 (Global Sources 2004,p. 60).
Citations
[edit]- ^https://www.twse.com.tw/pdf/en/6117_en.pdf[bare URL PDF]
- ^Burek 2008d,p. 104.
- ^Global Sources 2004;Murphy 1990,p. 1071.
- ^Computex 1989,p. 96IS-60;Murphy 1990,p. 1071.
- ^abcdGlobal Sources 2004,p. 60.
- ^abGlobal Sources 2004,p. 61.
- ^Murphy 1990,p. 1071;Global Sources 2004,p. 60.
- ^abHersch 1998,p. 158.
- ^Darmiento 2003,p. 39.
- ^Silver 2020.
- ^abEinhorn 2016,p. 31.
- ^Burek 2007a,p. 99;Burek 2007b,p. 34;Burek 2008a,p. 87;Burek 2008c,p. 34.
- ^Burek 2008b,p. 86.
- ^Leather 2016a,p. 24;Staff writer 2016,p. 48;Leather 2016c,p. 32;Leather 2017,p. 23.
- ^Jarrard 2018.
- ^Einhorn 2016,p. 31;Chester 2015.
- ^Ung 2017.
- ^Moltzen 2009.
- ^abUnsworth 2014,p. 59.
- ^abJ. 2015a,p. 46.
- ^J. 2015b,p. 53.
- ^Leather 2016b,p. 27.
References
[edit]- Burek, John A. (February 2007)."Maximum minitower".Computer Shopper.27(2). United States: SX2 Media Labs: 99 – via Gale.
- Burek, John A. (October 2007)."In Win Mt. Jade BK623: a compact—and quirky—entertainment-PC case".Computer Shopper.27(10). United States: SX2 Media Labs: 34 – via Gale.
- Burek, John A. (March 2008)."Zut Allure!".Computer Shopper.28(3). United States: SX2 Media Labs: 87 – via Gale.
- Burek, John A. (April 2008)."Robocase".Computer Shopper.28(4). United States: SX2 Media Labs: 86 – via Gale.
- Burek, John A. (May 2008)."In Win allure: a minitower PC case—with feminine flair".Computer Shopper.28(5). United States: SX2 Media Labs: 34 – via Gale.
- Burek, John A. (September 2008)."Supply-side economics".Computer Shopper.28(9). United States: SX2 Media Labs: 104 – via Gale.
- Chester, Edward (5 June 2015)."In Win H-Tower is a motorised marvel of a PC case".Trusted Reviews.Archived fromthe originalon 23 June 2021.
- Computex (March 1989)."Who's Who in Taiwan's Information Industry".Byte.McGraw-Hill: 96IS-56–96IS-66 – via the Internet Archive.
- Darmiento, Laurence (20 January 2003)."Market Experiences Unfamiliar Slowdown as Growth Plans Stall".Los Angeles Business Journal.25(3): 39 – via Gale.
- Einhorn, Bruce (27 June 2016)."Taiwan's PC Makers Are Gunning for Gamers".Bloomberg Businessweek(4480). Bloomberg L.P.: 30–31. Archived fromthe originalon 23 June 2016 – via ProQuest.
- Global Sources (2004).Market Intelligence Report: Computer Cases.Trade Media.ISBN9789627853701– via Google Books.
- Hersch, Warren S. (25 May 1998)."VARs make case for chassis design".Computer Reseller News(790). CMP Media: 157–158.ISSN0893-8377– via ProQuest.
- J., M. (January 2015). "In Win 901".Custom PC(136). Raspberry Pi Press: 46.EBSCOhost110899754– via EBSCOhost.
- J., M. (February 2015). "In Win GT1".Custom PC(137). Raspberry Pi Press: 53.EBSCOhost99814280– via EBSCOhost.
- Jarrard, Chris (1 March 2018)."Selecting the Best Case for Your Gaming PC".Shacknews.Archived fromthe originalon 19 April 2018.
- Leather, Anthony (January 2016). "In Win 805".Custom PC(148). Raspberry Pi Press: 24–25.EBSCOhost110899754– via EBSCOhost.
- Leather, Anthony (April 2016). "In Win Chopin".Custom PC(151). Raspberry Pi Press: 26–27.EBSCOhost112858100– via EBSCOhost.
- Leather, Anthony (August 2016). "In Win 303".Custom PC(155). Raspberry Pi Press: 32–33.EBSCOhost116064509– via EBSCOhost.
- Leather, Anthony (January 2017). "In Win 509".Custom PC(160). Raspberry Pi Press: 22–23.EBSCOhost119277414– via EBSCOhost.
- Moltzen, Edward F. (1 September 2009)."Three Vendors to Know".CRN.United Business Media.ISSN1539-7343– via ProQuest.
- Murphy, Jennifer L. (1990).Major Companies of the Far East and Australasia.Vol. 2. Graham & Trotman.ISBN9781860992612– via Google Books.
- Silver, Andrew (30 March 2020)."How coronavirus is affecting the Taiwanese tech industry".ZDNet.Ziff-Davis. Archived fromthe originalon 31 March 2020.
- Staff writer (July 2016). "In Win 503".Custom PC(154). Raspberry Pi Press: 48.EBSCOhost115257080– via EBSCOhost.
- Staff writer (October 2017). "In Win 509 ROG Certified".Custom PC(169). Raspberry Pi Press: 42.EBSCOhost124502898– via EBSCOhost.
- Ung, Gordon (7 January 2017)."How In Win wowed us with the cool cases it showed at CES".PCWorld.IDG Communications.EBSCOhost120898915– via EBSCOhost.
- Unsworth, Andrew (August 2014). "In Win 901".Computer Shopper(318). United Kingdom: Dennis Publishing: 59.EBSCOhost96453476– via EBSCOhost.
Further reading
[edit]- Nelson, Fritz (30 May 2017)."In-Win Goes Where No Case Has Gone Before... Again".Tom's Hardware.Future US.
- Williams, Martyn (30 May 2017)."InWin's Winbot is a robotic interactive PC case".PCWorld.IDG Communications.EBSCOhost123326042– via EBSCOhost.