Taiwanese companies are showing an increasing interest in building an industrial cluster to produce robots, amid favorable global market conditions, but they still face challenges in integrating the supply chain.
Global demand for industrial robots is on the rise, and many countries, including the US and China, are pushing for the development of an industry cluster to be well-positioned for future growth.
According to the International Federation of Robotics, one in five robots sold last year went to Chinese buyers, exceeding for the first time the numbers going to Japanese buyers.
Eager to tap into the market, more Taiwanese companies are forging strategic alliances related to robot manufacturing, and have called for other leading electronics firms to participate.
The most recent gambit was an alliance between industrial computer supplier Advantech Co (研華) and precision machinery control specialist Hiwin Technologies Corp (上銀).
The two firms signed an agreement earlier this month to set up a supply chain for the up-and-coming industry.
They said more diverse downstream vendors need to become involved in the field to improve Taiwan’s overall strength in the area.
However, to gain a competitive edge, Taiwanese companies also need to improve the integration of applications and systems to provide robotics industrial automation solutions.
That may prove difficult because there is a lack of know-how in different industries required for such system integration, said Chang Shuo-hung (張所鋐), head of the Introduction Of Mechanical and Systems Research Laboratories at the Industrial Technology Research Institute (工研院).
However, Chang was optimistic that Taiwan would still have a competitive advantage in robotics, because it is well-established in areas such as automation and machinery, and has strong ongoing research and development efforts in related fields.
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