According to UDN Money, Walsin Lihwa (華新麗華, stock code 1605) announced on July 24 that its UK subsidiary Special Melted Products (SMP) had signed two important multi-year contracts with Rolls-Royce (E1). The announcement was framed by the company as a milestone for SMP's development and a deepening of the two firms' long-term strategic partnership (E1).
TechNews' coverage of the same announcement confirmed the two-contract structure, describing them as "two important multi-year contracts" between SMP and Rolls-Royce, and likewise noted the deals were said to "rewrite an important milestone" for SMP (E5).
Both outlets reporting on the announcement cited an identical figure for the combined value of the two contracts. UDN Money quoted the total contract value as approximately $240 million (about NT$7.8 billion) (E2). TechNews independently reported the same figure — "2.4億美元（約78億台幣）" — attributing it to the July 24 announcement (E5).
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Contracts signed | 2 multi-year contracts | E1, E5 |
| Total contract value (USD) | ~$240 million | E2, E5 |
| Total contract value (TWD) | ~NT$7.8 billion | E2, E5 |
The consistency of the figure across both the July 24 (E2, E5) reporting suggests the $240 million total was the headline number circulated in the company's own announcement, rather than an estimate unique to either outlet.
According to UDN Money, SMP is described as "Europe's leading producer of high-end stainless steel and nickel-based superalloy materials," offering steelmaking, forging, and precision machining services, with products applied in "aerospace, oil & gas, and nuclear power" (E3). The same report noted that SMP had launched an expansion plan the previous year, formally kicking off an advanced production-line upgrade project (E3).
TechNews cited Walsin Lihwa's own characterization of SMP as "a global supplier of high-end materials and specialty manufacturing solutions," serving industries including "aerospace and defense, energy, and nuclear power," with a stated long-term focus on quality, technological innovation, and building strategic partnerships to deliver high-value-added products and services to global customers (E7).
Taken together, the two reports describe overlapping but not identical sector lists — E3 names aerospace, oil & gas, and nuclear power, while E7 names aerospace & defense, energy, and nuclear power — both sourced from the same company announcement window.
According to UDN Money, SMP's CEO Andy Richardson stated that he was pleased to secure the two long-term contracts and confirmed that "all materials and components will be manufactured in the UK," which he said demonstrates the world-class manufacturing capability of Sheffield and helps strengthen the UK's self-sufficient manufacturing capacity while creating additional economic value (E4).
TechNews reported the same statement from Richardson (referred to as "李察遜" in the Chinese-language report), quoting him as saying the contracts show Sheffield's "world-class manufacturing capability" and will help "strengthen the UK's self-sufficient manufacturing capacity" while creating more economic value (E6). Both outlets attribute this UK-manufacturing commitment directly to Richardson's remarks tied to the same announcement.
The two contracts, together valued at roughly $240 million (E2, E5), are being positioned by SMP's leadership as reinforcing UK-based production in Sheffield rather than shifting manufacturing elsewhere (E4, E6) — a commitment that aligns with SMP's stated focus on aerospace, defense, energy, and nuclear-sector materials (E3, E7). The matching figures reported independently by UDN Money and TechNews on the same date (E1, E2, E5) indicate the $240 million/NT$7.8 billion valuation and the two-contract structure originated from a single company announcement covered consistently across both outlets.
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