(Taipei News) Howard Lin, General Manager of AAEON (Stock Code: 6579), a leading R&D and manufacturer of professional IoT and AI edge computing platforms, has been honored with the 2021 “Outstanding Merchant“ award at the 75th Merchant Day Convention and “Golden Merchant Award“ ceremony. The ceremony was held yesterday (November 1st) at the Howard Plaza Hotel Taipei. Legislative Yuan President You Si-kun, Executive Yuan Vice Premier Shen Jong-chin, Minister of Economic Affairs Wang Mei-hua, Minister of the Interior Hsu Kuo-yung, and other government officials attended the lively event. Commerce is a vital economic lifeline for the nation, and the recipients of the Golden Merchant Award are highly regarded; the winners of the “Outstanding Merchant“ award were even invited by the President to visit the Presidential Office on October 28th.

The “Golden Merchant Award“ Outstanding Merchant selection is based on criteria including a company’s import/export performance, excellence in innovative business management, enthusiasm for social welfare, special contributions to environmental protection, and job creation. The awards are categorized into “Outstanding Merchant,“ “Outstanding Foreign Merchant,“ “Outstanding Foreign Trade Unit in Taiwan,“ and “Outstanding Long-standing Business.“ AAEON met all the evaluation requirements in each category, leading to General Manager Howard Lin receiving the “Outstanding Merchant“ award. The General Chamber of Commerce of the Republic of China noted that the recipients of this year’s “Outstanding Merchant“ award are companies and managers with unique contributions and expertise in their respective fields. In addition to being committed to promoting foreign trade growth, these recipients actively participate in domestic and international economic and trade activities and fulfill their social responsibilities, contributing significantly to driving Taiwan’s economic growth and market stability.

During the event, Hsu Shu-po, Chairman of the General Chamber of Commerce of the ROC, specifically thanked the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association, Taipei Office, one of the winners of the "Outstanding Foreign Trade Unit in Taiwan" award, for their all-out efforts to help Taiwan secure international vaccines, and for donating AstraZeneca vaccines multiple times even while Japan itself faced a severe pandemic—a heartwarming display of friendship between Taiwan and Japan in times of adversity. Furthermore, Chairman Hsu emphasized that this year's "Golden Merchant Award" winners, amidst the global impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, continuously innovated, overcame operational difficulties, and even contributed to the mitigation of the pandemic. They have brought richer corporate energy and resilience to Taiwan, serving as exemplary models.

"AAEON has consistently upheld the management philosophy of 'People-Oriented, Honesty and Integrity, Excellence and Innovation, Customer as Mentor,' achieving long-term stable profitability and growth. AAEON spares no effort in nurturing technological talent, creating job opportunities, and promoting labor-management harmony. At the same time, we fulfill our social responsibilities by assisting remote schools in developing technology education and paying close attention to environmental protection issues. In the future, we will continue to carry forward the AAEON spirit: 'better than best,' constantly challenging ourselves, innovating, becoming an outstanding performer in industrial PCs, and the best innovation partner for smart IoT," said Howard Lin, AAEON General Manager and recipient of the Outstanding Merchant award.