The Absen Intelligent Manufacturing Centre in Huizhou

Absen is an LED display and solution provider that adheres to green and eco-friendly development at all levels and across every department. This is not new to Absen. The Absen Intelligent Manufacturing Centre in Huizhou was officially opened in 2014, with the aim of improving production efficiency and reducing power consumption and scrap rates. The centre is ISO50001 certified and by 2021 led to a 12.8% reduction in baseline energy consumption.

In 2016, we began a Solar Panel Photovoltaic Project with the installation of roof-mounted solar panels at our factory in Guangdong Province as part of a commitment to the continued use of renewable energy sources. This is an extensive, multi-year, multi-stage project and the panels can now generate 10-15% of the electricity we use in the factory each year.

Energy-efficiency isn’t just at the heart of our production operations, however, we also design products that are energy efficient, which has put Absen in a competitive position in the market, in turn helping to generate more revenue. Going further, and in November 2021, Absen Green was launched, which declared the company’s commitment to solely using sustainable and environmentally friendly materials in the manufacturing of its products, alongside four technology manufacturing innovations that combine to break new ground in energy efficient, environmentally friendly manufacturing: the use of LED CRT technology; high efficiency power supplies; high luminous efficiency LED lamps; and comprehensive heat dissipation measures that reduce power consumption. With this four-pronged approach, products such Absen’s A Series of LED digital out-of-home displays deliver energy savings of up to 50% compared to similar products on the market.

Absen Green also underscores how the company is tackling other, less obvious sources of pollution: light and sound. All Absen indoor products feature a fan-less design, which allows its products to operate at a low noise pressure, while Absen’s automatic brightness adjustment technology ensures its outdoor displays adjust to the brightness of the surrounding environment. Further reduction of light pollution is achieved with 16-bit high gray correction technology and unique fog surface processing to reduce glare and eye strain.

Other landmarks on our journey to sustainability include the implementation of an intelligent manufacturing system to accelerate digitalisation, improve the one-time pass rate of finished products and reduce scrap and waste. Not only does this have clear environmental benefits, but it has also had a positive impact commercially, cutting the costs associated with scrap and waste, and boosting efficiencies and product quality. We also invested $2.69 million in product quality and safety in 2021 resulting in a 0% product recall rate.

We have a long-term plan to ensure sustainability is a central part of Absen’s ethos, while working to ensure it’s part of the wider industry’s future too. The company is currently pushing the LED industry to set energy efficiency levels for LED products, for example. Additional plans include further investment in IT systems in order to become a no-paper office. In the factory, phase 2 of the Photovoltaic Project means more investment in solar panels to save electricity. A tree-planting carbon offsetting programme that began in 2022 continued throughout 2023 and beyond. This is already having a positive environmental impact, a donation of 286 trees in December 2022 is being used to combat desertification in Gansu province, accelerating the ecological restoration process and improving the ecological environment of the region. Absen is also working towards gaining the TUV carbon emission certificate in 2023.

All aspects of the product lifecycle have been considered when it comes to ensuring Absen is a sustainable company. This includes working with suppliers and having them sign our Supplier Social Responsibility Agreement. We also require that our suppliers meet the SA8000 social responsibility standard, be ISO45001 certified and establish environmental systems that would meet ISO14001 standards. All products produced by suppliers must be conflict-free metal products, and they are required to commit themselves to a detailed investigation of their supply chain to ensure metals such as gold, tantalum, tungsten, cobalt and tin are not mined or illicitly smuggled from mines in conflict zones.

Raw materials must comply with the European Union s RoHS 2.0 directive restricting the use of hazardous substances and Absen products meet EU waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) requirements.

Absen LED displays are compatible with CCC, CE, UL, ETL and other domestic and international safety standards, certifying that the products meet strict requirements for fire protection, electromagnetic interference, AC dielectric withstand, current leakage, insulation resistance, and ground resistance.

We also request that suppliers should conduct CSR management of their suppliers/subcontractors, including but not limited to the establishment of supplier CSR management system, CSR risk assessment, CSR performance management, CSR on-site audit and problem tracking and improvement.

At a wider level, Absen is also undertaking important work with the China LED Association to develop power consumption level standards for the industry in an effort to push the whole industry to develop low power consumption products.

Finally, in terms of product design, we will make the same series product use the same platform, which will save on raw material costs. Products will also be manufactured using low carbon emission materials. Further developments in low power consumption solutions for products are also being explored.

We are also planning to design recycling packaging for products to enhance their environmental sustainability.

As the process of becoming ever-more sustainable is ongoing, the challenge for Absen is to make sure it remains front of mind across the company and that each department contributes – from senior management to the team in the factory. Absen conducts regular CSR self-examination, including on-site inspections, document reviews, manager-level interviews, employee interviews and internet searching, assessing management systems, occupation health, business moralities, environmental protection and chemical safety, to achieve this.

Absen has established its own environmental protection management system and has obtained ISO14001 Certification (Environmental Management Systems), QC 080000 Certification (Hazardous Substance Process Management Systems), and ISO 50001 Certification (Energy Management System). The Absen factory also meets ISO45001, CEC and CQC standards.