The 2017 Taipei International Machine Tool Show kicked off March 7, spotlighting the latest developments in smart manufacturing devices and services, as well as Taiwan’s leading role in the global industry.
Running until March 12 at Taipei Expo Park, Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center and Taipei World Trade Center, the 26th edition of TIMTOS features a record 5,430 booths by 1,100 exhibitors from home and abroad. More than 54,000 foreign and local buyers are expected to visit the biennial show, which is billed as the second largest in Asia and fifth largest in the world by co-organizer Taiwan External Trade Council (TAITRA).
Vice President Chen Chien-jen said at the opening ceremony that TIMTOS plays a crucial role in showcasing efforts to advance local industry restructuring with an international focus through implementing smart manufacturing technology promoted under the Innovative Industry 4.0 model. He also lauded the efficiency of Taiwan’s complete machine tool supply chains, adding that related exports reached US$2.9 billion last year, ranking the country fifth in the world.
Echoing Chen’s remarks, TAITRA Vice Chairman Kuo Lin-wu said that TIMTOS is in line with the government’s New Southbound Policy, and involves buyers and exhibitors from major business associations and enterprises based in countries covered by the initiative such as India, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
The New Southbound Policy is a key component of the government’s national development strategy. It seeks to deepen Taiwan’s agricultural, business, cultural, educational, tourism and trade ties with the 10 Association of Southeast Asian Nations member states, six South Asian countries, Australia and New Zealand.
According to TAITRA, highlights of TIMTOS include 230 one-on-one sessions between local companies and 38 heavyweight buyers from 17 countries; the launch of new products in such fields as automotive, aviation, health care, transportation and 3C, or computers, telecommunication and consumer electronics, by outfits like Taipei-headquartered Fair Friend Group and Kaohsiung City-based Tongtai Machine and Tool Co.; as well as symposiums and seminars on the latest technology trends by high-level managers from Cisco Systems Inc. and Nvidia Corp. of the U.S., Siemens AG of Germany and Aerospace Industrial Development Corp. of Taichung City in central Taiwan, among many.
A state-backed organization set to make a big splash at this year’s TIMTOS is Industrial Technology Research Institute. Based in northern Taiwan’s Hsinchu County, ITRI is offering show-goers a special opportunity to get up to speed on next-generation smart manufacturing platforms under development in Taiwan.
Chen Lai-sheng, director of ITRI’s Smart Machinery Technology Center, said these systems herald an era of digitally linked manufacturing that integrates technology like big data, Internet of Things and machine-to-machine communication. In bringing these elements together, companies can more efficiently and cost effectively turn out products better meeting the needs of their clients, he added. (KTJ-E)
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