Taiwan’s machine tool industry embraces intelligent machinery Speeding up the implementation of intelligent manufacturing for the global automotive industry

The rise of Industry 4.0 has resulted in a wave of intelligent manufacturing systems. With the fast development of new technologies such as AI, 5G, IoT, and vehicle electronics, the manufacturing business is set to thrive.

The automotive industry is arguably the most active industry when it comes to the employment of innovative intelligent manufacturing technology, and it is well positioned to take a leading position in the implementation of these new technologies in manufacturing. But of course, those in the industry will need to overcome the variety of challenges that inevitably arise in such a fast-changing marketplace.

As more brands enter the automotive industry, competition is heating up. Each brand is eager to produce more personalized models to satisfy the diverse needs of customers. At the same time, the rise of the self-drive and electric car markets is necessitating a more modularized, light, electric and intelligent car component manufacturing sector. These factors are overturning the structure of the traditional automotive manufacturing ecosystem. Technology of today and the future must be able to adapt to increasingly complex market needs.

If automotive manufacturers want to remain the intelligent machinery supplier of choice to global customers, they must be prepared to embrace flexible production practices and prioritize smart market analysis, while continuing to emphasize the existing good standards of safety, quality, and yield guarantees. Having already completed an in-depth intelligent manufacturing blueprint sector review, Taiwan’s machine tool manufacturers are well positioned to work with global automotive manufacturers to implement innovation and become market leaders.

Taiwan has the highest density of machine tool manufacturers in the world and is the base for more than a thousand intelligent machinery equipment manufacturers. The sector became Taiwan’s third trillion-dollar industry in 2017. At the same time, Taiwan is equipped with the dynamics of a mature communications industry, thanks to the efforts of government and the many machine tool manufacturers who have been working on software and hardware integration. Today, as a result of these innovations, Taiwan’s machine tool manufacturers are the smartest choice for global automotive businesses seeking an intelligent manufacturing partner.

With Taiwanese manufacturers regularly named amongst the number one automotive equipment manufacturers in the world, renowned for providing fifty percent of servo-punching equipment and service for the top ten global automotive part manufacturers, or proudly holding the second largest market share in global aluminum rim industry, where else in the world can customers have access to such a group all located on one small, easy to travel around island?

Taiwan’s machine tool manufacturers possess not only the ability to meet customers’ needs by flexible design, customized manufacturing, fast delivery time, and quality assurance, but also two key strengths:

Powerful whole-line customization ability

Taiwan’s machine tool manufacturers can provide whole-line customer solutions, from initial construction planning, selection of raw materials, the installation of machines, planning of exclusive parts, and automatization design to final precision machining, customized analysis for assessing the most suitable production tools to help customers enter production immediately, and fast production turn-around.

Visualization of industry know-how

The introduction of networking technology in the machine tool industry allows transparency across the entire production process and the data that it generates. This instantaneous, visualized data leads to a more efficient and optimized production process. And with more than half-a-century of machine tool manufacturing industry experience now being digitized, Taiwanese companies have the distinct advantage of being able to delve into this wealth of data to enhance the customer experience and meet their needs.

Taiwan’s intelligent manufacturing sector could not be more ready to meet the future. Even when faced with the rise of the new electric car market and the new structural requirements of product design, Taiwan’s manufacturers have a distinct advantage when it comes to working with customers to develop solutions for facilitating the initial small quantity-high variability stage: decades of traditional manufacturing experience combined with the rapid adoption of intelligent machinery. More than 80% of parts consumed by the global electric car industry come from Taiwan. This is proof not only of the technological reliability of Taiwan’s machine tool manufacturers, but also a credit to the sophisticated intelligent manufacturing layout already in place.

“Taiwan’s machine tool industry is well prepared to progress to the level of a market leading, high-added-value intelligent manufacturing solution provider–one that is ready and willing to assist the global automotive industry to implement innovation and intelligent manufacturing at all stages of the production process,” says James Huang, chairman of TAITRA (Taiwan External Trade Development Council). “TAITRA is dedicated to building a bridge between Taiwan’s energy and expertise in innovative intelligent machinery and the global market, and to building awareness for and cooperation with Taiwan’s machine tool manufacturers. We are confident that an expansion of business opportunities for Taiwanese companies in the global intelligent manufacturing market is just over the horizon.”

EMO Hannover, the world’s largest global manufacturing exhibition, will take place in Hannover, Germany, from September 16-21, 2019. TAITRA is honored to be bringing over 200 machine tool manufacturers from Taiwan to Germany as exhibitors in the Taiwan Intelligent Machinery Image Pavilion (Hall 9, E008). On show will be total solutions for future intelligent manufacturing, from R&D and production to marketing and customer service. TAITRA looks forward to showcasing the wide variety of innovative solutions that Taiwan’s intelligent machinery industry provides.