The Ministry of Economic Affairs on Thursday approved NT$2.2 billion (US$70.03 million) in combined investments from four small or medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with plans to set up new smart production lines in Taiwan to expand capacity.
The plans would create 151 jobs, the ministry said in a statement on its Web site.
E-strong Medical Technology Co Ltd (醫強科技), which makes alcohol and renal dialysis equipment, plans to invest NT$600 million to expand its plant at the Pingtung Agricultural Biotechnology Park (屏東農業生物科技園區) by adding smart and semiautomatic production lines, the ministry said.
Being the only manufacturer of renal dialysis equipment in southern Taiwan, E-strong is expanding to meet growing domestic demand and produce high-quality alcohol for medical use, the ministry said.
Echaintool Precision Co Ltd (益詮精密工業) plans to spend NT$300 million to build a new smart plant at the Central Taiwan Science Park’s (中部科學園區) Erlin Township (二林) campus in Changhua County, the ministry said.
With companies returning to Taiwan in greater numbers, potential business opportunities for machine tools are rising, the ministry said.
The company hopes the new production lines will boost sales of its metal cutting and turning tools, the ministry said.
The new plant is expected to improve product quality and boost the competitiveness of Taiwan-made tools, it said.
Hand tool maker Chewren Industry Co Ltd (集圓科技) plans to invest NT$900 million to establish a smart plant in Taichung, the ministry said.
The company would apply Internet of Things technology at the plant to produce tools for machines, bicycles, auto parts and musical instruments, the ministry said.
Bo Hong Gourmet Ltd (博竑食品) is the first services-oriented SME to join the government program, with most SME’s being from the manufacturing sector, the ministry said.
Bo Hong, which sells products under its Chef Teng Restaurant (鄧師傅功夫菜) brand, has insufficient capacity and facilities in Taiwan, so plans to invest NT$400 million to construct an intelligent central kitchen in Kaohsiung’s Dashe District (大社), the ministry said.
The new facility will be in charge of distribution and food treatment for its restaurant chains, the ministry said.
The government’s SME investment program since July has attracted 36 firms, with an overall investment of NT$22.4 billion, while more than 60 applications are still waiting to be reviewed, it said.
Among the rows of vibrators, rubber torsos and leather harnesses at a Chinese sex toys exhibition in Shanghai this weekend, the beginnings of an artificial intelligence (AI)-driven shift in the industry quietly pulsed. China manufactures about 70 percent of the world’s sex toys, most of it the “hardware” on display at the fair — whether that be technicolor tentacled dildos or hyper-realistic personalized silicone dolls. Yet smart toys have been rising in popularity for some time. Many major European and US brands already offer tech-enhanced products that can enable long-distance love, monitor well-being and even bring people one step closer to
Malaysia’s leader yesterday announced plans to build a massive semiconductor design park, aiming to boost the Southeast Asian nation’s role in the global chip industry. A prominent player in the semiconductor industry for decades, Malaysia accounts for an estimated 13 percent of global back-end manufacturing, according to German tech giant Bosch. Now it wants to go beyond production and emerge as a chip design powerhouse too, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said. “I am pleased to announce the largest IC (integrated circuit) Design Park in Southeast Asia, that will house world-class anchor tenants and collaborate with global companies such as Arm [Holdings PLC],”
Sales in the retail, and food and beverage sectors last month continued to rise, increasing 0.7 percent and 13.6 percent respectively from a year earlier, setting record highs for the month of March, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said yesterday. Sales in the wholesale sector also grew last month by 4.6 annually, mainly due to the business opportunities for emerging applications related to artificial intelligence (AI) and high-performance computing technologies, the ministry said in a report. The ministry forecast that retail, and food and beverage sales this month would retain their growth momentum as the former would benefit from Tomb Sweeping Day
Thousands of parents in Singapore are furious after a Cordlife Group Ltd (康盛人生集團), a major operator of cord blood banks in Asia, irreparably damaged their children’s samples through improper handling, with some now pursuing legal action. The ongoing case, one of the worst to hit the largely untested industry, has renewed concerns over companies marketing themselves to anxious parents with mostly unproven assurances. This has implications across the region, given Cordlife’s operations in Hong Kong, Macau, Indonesia, the Philippines and India. The parents paid for years to have their infants’ cord blood stored, with the understanding that the stem cells they contained