The Ministry of Economic Affairs yesterday approved investments totaling more than NT$2.8 billion (US$91.69 million) from eight small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) via a government plan that provides them assistance with financing, taxation, land, utilities and labor.
Rubber seal manufacturer KTseal Co (科騰密封), which supplies companies such as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (台積電) and Hiwin Technologies Co (上銀科技), plans to expand its production capacity by investing more than NT$100 million setting up a plant in Hsinchu County.
Furniture supplier Meicha Furniture Co Ltd (美傢家具) plans to invest NT$200 million adding automated production lines to its plant in the Changhua Coastal Industrial Park (彰濱工業區) as it has attracted more international orders, the ministry said.
Accu-Cut Industrial Co (銘九公司), which specializes in carbide end mills and cutting tools, is to set up an automated production facility and management system in a bid to increase its production efficiency and brand notoriety.
Computer numerical control rotary table maker Autocam Technology Co (歐權科技) plans to invest more than NT$300 million purchasing smart equipment and artificial intelligence applications as it looks to secure highly customized orders, the ministry said, adding that the company would provide more than 20 new job opportunities.
Min Chun Precision Co (敏鈞精密), which provides components for Boeing Co’s 787 Dreamliner and General Electric Co’s LEAP-1A engine, plans to invest NT$120 million to expand production capacity at its plant in New Taipei City’s Sanxia District (三峽).
An unnamed machinery maker is to invest more than NT$130 million to expand its plant in Taichung, while cold forging fasteners manufacturer Wingtone Industrial Co (運通工業) is to invest more than NT$200 million adding equipment to its plant in Tainan’s Shanhua District (善化) as it targets the Japanese market, the ministry said.
Another fastener manufacturer, Yinsh Precision Industrial Co (盈錫精密) is to invest about NT$100 million setting up two smart production lines to cut its labor costs, it said.
The ministry last week approved investments totaling more than NT$1.1 billion from six SMEs — fitness products original design manufacturer HealthStream Taiwan Inc (清河國際), hosiery producer Jin Minng Industrial Co (謹鳴工業), bicycle parts manufacturer Alhonga Ent Co (弘家金屬工業), superalloy aerospace parts manufacturer U-Cheer Technology Corp (友齊公司), computer numerical control tool component maker Bright Jing Chin Machinery Co (精勤精機) and motor core manufacturer I Hsin Machine Co (億新精機).
Since the program was launched in July, the ministry has approved NT$30.4 billion of investment from 60 SMEs, which plan to create 2,578 new job opportunities.
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],”
TRANSFORMATION: Taiwan is now home to the largest Google hardware research and development center outside of the US, thanks to the nation’s economic policies President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday attended an event marking the opening of Google’s second hardware research and development (R&D) office in Taiwan, which was held at New Taipei City’s Banciao District (板橋). This signals Taiwan’s transformation into the world’s largest Google hardware research and development center outside of the US, validating the nation’s economic policy in the past eight years, she said. The “five plus two” innovative industries policy, “six core strategic industries” initiative and infrastructure projects have grown the national industry and established resilient supply chains that withstood the COVID-19 pandemic, Tsai said. Taiwan has improved investment conditions of the domestic economy
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