The Industrial Development Bureau (IDB) on Wednesday last week said that up to 32 companies have shown an interest in applying to a governmental program meant to help companies expand their production space at the nation’s industrial zones and science parks.
In an effort to accommodate companies relocating production sites back to Taiwan, the Ministry of Economic Affairs launched the program early last year to allow “vertical expansion” of companies’ manufacturing facilities without the need to acquire extra plots of land.
Thanks to a favorable response industry-wide, the Executive Yuan in April approved an expansion of the program so that it now covers government-designated industrial zones and science parks, agriculture zones, biotechnology parks and other industrial areas not subject to urban planning regulations.
To further encourage companies to participate in the program, the government has outlined a reward system that allows companies to increase their building bulk ratio by up to 50 percent through new investment, a commitment to energy management and the setup of feedback funds, the bureau said.
An application to the Taichung Industrial Park (台中工業區) by Largan Precision Co (大立光) to expand an existing production site and one to New Taipei City’s Shulin Industrial Park (樹林工業區) by another company have been approved, the Central News Agency (CNA) quoted IDB Deputy Director Yang Po-keng (楊伯耕) as saying.
The bureau said that applications from four companies are under review, while another two are awaiting review.
The companies being reviewed plan to invest up to NT$11.7 billion (US$376.44 million), which would provide an estimated 4,300 job opportunities, the bureau said.
Separately, Wistron Corp (緯創資通) on Thursday last week said that Apple Inc is using the Taiwanese firm to ship iPhones assembled in India to the European market.
Speaking with CNA, a source in India familiar with the deal between Apple and Wistron said that the US company is shipping a small quantity of iPhone 6S and iPhone 7 models assembled in India by the Taiwanese firm.
Whether the number of shipments increases depends on market demand, the source said.
India’s Economic Times earlier on Thursday reported that shipments of Wistron-assembled iPhones to some European markets represented “another step in the iconic smartphone company’s efforts to make India an export hub.”
The shipments have boosted “the government’s Make in India plan,” the report said.
Wistron is the first Apple supplier to make iPhones in India.
The Taiwanese manufacturer is making iPhones at its production site on the outskirts of Bangalore, which has the highest concentration of IT companies in the South Asian market.
Additional reporting by CNA
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