As part of the government’s plan to stimulate the economy, the Executive Yuan said it is to focus on a series of hardware upgrades at factories in Taichung, with the goal of attaining Industry 4.0 standards.
Industry 4.0, or the fourth industrial revolution, is a term used to describe an emphasis on smart manufacturing, such as factory automation and environmental surveillance, including Internet of Things applications.
The plan is part of President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) five innovative industries policy, the Executive Yuan said, adding that it hopes to upgrade machinery in Taiwan to cloud computing and cyberphysical systems.
The five innovative industries include Industry 4.0 conceptual “factories” in Taichung; efforts to promote the Internet of Things segment along with “smart” products, or the “Asian Silicon Valley” project; the green energy research center based in Tainan’s Shalun Township (沙崙); the biomedical industry based in Taipei’s Nangang District (南港), the biomedical park in Hsinchu County’s Jhubei City (竹北) and the Southern Taiwan Science Park in Tainan; and the national defense industry innovation project.
“By creating a machinery industry environment that is digitally interlinked, we hope to make central Taiwan the world’s capital of ‘smart machinery,’” the Executive Yuan said.
Sources at the Executive Yuan said Industry 4.0 factories would first be based in Taichung and then spread out toward Changhua, Chiayi and Nantou counties.
If the plans are approved by Premier Lin Chuan (林全) after he is briefed either today or tomorrow, they can then be forwarded to the Executive Yuan by Thursday for its weekly meeting, the sources said.
The project has been moved forward after the Asian Silicon Valley project suffered delays, the Executive Yuan said, adding however that all five projects are being planned simultaneously.
Industry groups still have doubts about the government’s Asian Silicon Valley proposal, particularly its plans to build an entire science park in Taoyuan.
However, the National Development Council said there were never plans to build an entire park, but merely a research and development center.
The Executive Yuan said the crux of the project was to establish a friendly environment for investment and to relax regulations, facilitating the introduction of foreign talent.
The Industry 4.0 plan has the greatest chance of being approved by the Executive Yuan, the sources said, adding that the Executive Yuan would be making several adjustments to a draft submitted by the Industrial Development Bureau to further clarify delineation of responsibilities.
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