Inside a large, domed building nestled on a muddy plateau overlooking the Central Taiwan Science Park (中部科學園區) is the nation's latest cutting-edge technology that could free frustrated commuters from traffic jams or allow playboys to live out a James Bond fantasy.
A mini-helicopter known as the Ezycopter launched this year may be regarded by some as a flight of fantasy but with and a cruising speed of up to 150kph at a altitude of 8,000 feet (2,438m) it could be the ultimate boy's toy.
The headquarters for Yoshine Helicopters Inc (祐祥直升飛機), makers of the machine, has been purposely set up in the nation's latest science park in Taichung City.
"There's a lot of personal wealth being accumulated in parks across the nation and this one will be no exception," said Lawrence Rau (
"So why shouldn't executives think about adding a helicopter to their long list of gadgets, cars and homes?" he said.
A SNIP
US$150,000 for an Ezycopter would seem a snip for a coaxial flying machine that should ensure greater safety and comfort.
And more than 300 machines have already been pre-ordered, according to Rau, who adds that it could easily be parked in a garage next to the Mercedes, thanks to technology that allows the blades to fold away.
"Our business is a by-product of Taiwan's silicon island boom," Rau said.
As some of the best manufacturers in the world of microchips, as well as the latest flat-panel-display screens for televisions, the industry has continued to boom despite the Asian financial crisis and an economy that has performed poorly over the last three years.
Strong global demand for electronic gadgets such as games consoles, laptop computers, digital cameras, mobile phones and big screen televisions has helped companies located in science parks flourish and filled employees' pockets with huge cash bonuses.
Confounding the critics is the science park on the outskirts of Taichung that has already seen US$31 billion primed for investment and more than 70 companies prepared to build plants and research and development centers.
Questions were raised as to whether Taiwan needed its eleventh high-tech industrial park, but the investment made by local giants AU Optronics Corp (友達光電) and ProMOS Technologies Inc (茂德科技), and US-based Corning Inc, one of the world's largest makers of compacted glass substrate glass used in LCD screens, has convinced skeptics.
The nation's two other largest parks in Hsinchu and Tainan generated US$40.1 billion in revenue and an estimated 12.6 percent of the GDP.
"We need to help industries remain competitive and this new park will do exactly that by encouraging companies to invest in the future," said Kuo Kun-ming (郭坤明), chief secretary of the Provisional Office of the Central Taiwan Science Park.
He added that companies like AU Optronics, a maker of flat-panel-display screens, and Corning being in such close proximity to each other would help shrink costs of supplying materials.
CLUSTER EFFECT
It would also ensure that a cluster effect would form, encouraging related companies to choose to set up cutting-edge operations.
"The pace at which companies have built buildings and complexes is the fastest ever in Taiwan and many more are expected to come," Kuo said.
That's partly why the authorities plan to expand the size of the park to 1,200 hectares after 94 percent of the current 413 hectares of land was booked.
It took AU Optronics just 15 months to complete construction of a US$2.6 billion complex to produce 60,000 panels a month, while ProMOS Technologies, which is designing cutting-edge 90-nanometer technology to produce microchips and 40,000 300mm wafers a month, is finishing off two projects costing US$2.4 billion.
Officials have said that the optoelectronics sector will account for 34 percent of the park's ongoing investment projects, with the remaining balance filled by semiconductor, computer peripherals, precision machinery, biotechnology and telecommunications projects.
For Lawrence Rau and his mini-helicopter, the pace of expansion and the variety of different companies is just what may make his project fly.
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