The government is committed to promoting the smart machinery industry with the aim of making Taiwan a global manufacturing hub for intelligent machinery, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said yesterday.
The Ministry of Economic Affairs plans to send a team to visit small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to help identify the root cause of their intelligent automation problems and provide necessary assistance, Tsai said.
The government also plans to subsidize SMEs to install smart set-top boxes and link their equipment to the Internet, which could help firms move quickly toward smart management and production, she said.
Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times
The president made the remarks at the opening ceremony of the Series of Asia Industry 4.0 & Intelligent Manufacturing Exhibition in Taipei.
The president said she is grateful for the industry’s efforts in developing automation and robotics, and for showing the world the results of these innovative technologies.
The nation’s machinery industry has established a complete supply chain and industrial cluster, generating many jobs, Tsai said, adding that the industry’s production value last year exceeded NT$1 trillion (US$32.57 billion).
To build a competitive advantage and keep up with the “Industry 4.0” trend, businesses should shift from manual labor to intelligent manufacturing, Tsai said.
Industry 4.0, or the fourth industrial revolution, refers to an industrial transformation aided by smart manufacturing and data exchange, such as high-level factory automation and Internet of Things applications.
The government is promoting smart manufacturing and is working to help the traditional precision machinery industry embrace a more intelligent manufacturing model to build the nation into a global manufacturing hub for smart machinery, Tsai said.
The exhibition is to run until Monday next week at the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center, in tandem with the Taipei International Industrial Automation Exhibition, the Taiwan Automation Intelligence and Robot Show, the Taipei International Logistics & IoT Exhibition, the Taipei International Mold & Die Industry Fair and the Taiwan International 3D Printing Show.
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