Nearly two dozen ecosystems have been built to help small and medium-sized businesses sharpen their competitive edge, the Small and Medium Enterprise Administration (SMEA) said last week.
The ecosystems serve as a communication platform, enabling small and medium-sized businesses to improve cooperation among themselves, association Director-General Ho Chin-tsang (何晉滄) said, adding that companies in any industry could benefit from joining forces.
“Companies can create new product lines through collaboration with other companies, even across industries,” Ho said.
Up to 20 ecosystems have been built in the past two years with the participation of 891 companies, the association said, adding that 212 new services and products have been created, an estimated NT$1.95 billion (US$62.06 million) in business opportunities.
“The goal is to reach economies of scale, system integration through the common platform and finally commercialization,” Ho said.
King’s Ground Biotech Co (KG Bio, 京冠生技) is a local firm that has benefited from participating in the SMEA-developed ecosystems.
“Taiwan has a multi-dimensional agricultural scene,” KG Bio chairman Hugo Yang (楊青山) said, adding that the local industry is divided among various players.
“Through system integration, we [companies] are labeled and sorted into different levels, so we can identify potential business partners,” Yang said.
Within the ecosystems, companies also share resources, Yang said, adding that KG Bio has provided research and development (R&D) equipment to ecosystem partners.
Resource sharing allows firms to increase exports to other countries, especially in Southeast Asia, where a number of Taiwanese companies have already established a strong presence, the association said.
“We encourage exports through online marketing and e-commerce platforms,” Ho said.
Traditional manufacturers can learn from the marketing strategies and experience of more innovative ecosystem partners so that they can reach a larger overseas market, he said.
“Then, they might create value-added products,” Ho added.
GBJM Technology Co (金上晉科技), a provider of metal hardware for luxury goods groups, has benefited from collaborating with ecosystem partners.
Incorporating new technologies, such as 3D printing, in the powder metallurgy industry has allowed it to significantly increase production efficiency, the company said.
GBJM Technology said that it is constructing an automated production plant in Taiwan and would cooperate with ecosystem partners to reach out to Kering SA, the French owner of the Gucci luxury brand, by the end of the year.
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