Sunny Yang remembers the night when Taiwan was hit by a 7.3-magnitude earthquake in 1999. He was staying in the mountains when it struck. “Everything went black,” says Yang, the general manager of Taiwanese radio manufacturer Sangean, which his father founded half a century ago. “The power grid was out. There was no emergency lighting and no neighbours nearby.”

In his drawer was a Sangean hand-crank radio, unused until that night. “From the broadcast that I tuned in to, I found out what was happening,” he says, showing Monocle around Sangean’s office tower in New Taipei City. “I realised that it wasn’t war and that gave me peace of mind.”

Radios will continue working even when your wi-fi goes down or your signal bars vanish. That combination of utility and reassurance in an era of geopolitical tensions and climate-change-related weather events has made Sangean’s emergency radios one of its bestselling products. Other water-, dust- and drop-proof models from its extensive Bluetooth-ready range appeal to the growing number of people who are interested in spending time outdoors. The rugged designs, bright colours and metal cages are a far cry from the wireless gathering dust in grandma’s front room and younger listeners are tuning in.

Yang oversees a global business and Sangean is dialling up its investment in the long-term future of radio. More than half of the staff at its headquarters are dedicated to research, development and testing. Radios are set inside anechoic chambers – cavernous rooms lined with jagged foam that absorb every echo – to measure sound and reception with precision, before being blasted with heat, water and dust to ensure that they can survive real-world extremes.They are also exposed to electromagnetic interference and electrostatic shocks – the invisible jolts and disruptions that can take lesser devices out of action. “It has to work when you most need it,” says Yang, who believes that durability is the baseline and design the differentiator.

Sangean is one of the last family-run independent firms dedicated to radios. Its largest market is Europe, where decades of broadcasting culture sustains demand. Beyond its own label, the firm manufactures for other brands at its factory in southern China. Yang’s son, Kai, is now considering where to take the brand next. “We’ll try to expand,” he says. That means more categories, including models integrated with furniture and outdoor radios for camping. He is also aware of a growing yearning for the past, as younger buyers gravitate towards objects that feel and look simpler. “There’s a trend for a retro style, with tactile analogue dials instead of digital buttons,” he says. For Kai, the task is less about defending radio than redefining it. “Every market has different tastes. Japan wants precision; the US likes bigger radios; Europe expects quality. But radios are still useful everywhere.”

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