Winbond decision prompts action

In response to Winbond Electronics Corp's (華邦) decision to move out of the Tainan Science-based Industrial Park (TSIP, 台南科學工業園區), the Executive Yuan is currently exploring alternative solutions to the problem. Winbond's decision to change the location of its planned factory comes as a result of concerns that a nearby north-south high speed rail will cause excessive vibration at a precision manufacturing facility, disrupting operations there.

The National Science Council (NSC, 國家科學委員會) submitted suggestions to the Executive Yuan yesterday for ways to lower the vibration caused by trains that will run on the high-speed railway that is currently under construction near the park. The NSC will also invite related organizations to offer input on possible solutions.

According to NSC Vice Chairman Steve Hsieh (薛香川), vibrations from rail line can be reduced significantly by altering the path of the rail line.

Director of TSIP's development office (籌備處) Tai Chien (戴謙) said Winbond's departure is not expected to influence other companies in the park.

Winbond was scheduled to begin build two 12-inch wafer plants in the second half of 2001, with a total investment of NT$120 billion, but the company decided to look for other possible sites due to concerns that vibration from the future rail project will affect its highly sensitive manufacturing equipment if the plants were built on original site. The site is only 400m from the high-speed rail project.

A simulation conducted by the National Earthquake Engineering Research Center (國家地震工程研究中心) suggested that chipmakers Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) and United Manufacturing Corp (UMC, 聯電) will also be affected even though their plants are located some 500m from the high-speed rail tracks. Tai said he encouraged Winbond to move to another industrial park located at Luchu (路竹) in Kaohsiung.

Hsieh supports the move by Winbond to Luchu because it will create more diversity in the park. In addition, it would prevent too many high-tech companies from being heavily concentrated in one geographic location, which could be a hazard in the event of a severe earthquake.

TSIP's development office is scheduled to discuss with Hsieh the pace of Luchu's development today, and then discuss related details with Winbond Chairman Arthur Chiao (焦佑鈞) on March 1.

The US$2.9 billion "bullet train" deal was signed late last year between Japan's Taiwan Shinkansen consortium and the Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp.

The 340km high-speed rail system linking Taipei and the southern city of Kaohsiung is scheduled to begin operations in 2005.