• Global Smart Manufacturing market to increase from US$214.7 billion in 2020 to US$384.8 billion in 2025
• Workforce shortage due to migration and lockdown uncertainties has made restoration of operations difficult in India
• Adopting smart manufacturing solutions is the only way to avert similar manufacturing losses in the future

Though, COVID19 had begun to clutch the world with its pernicious roots, considering the impact it has created on economy several Industries across the world have gradually begun to resume their manufacturing operations. In such a circumstance, it becomes vital for the firms to adopt smart machinery and Industry 4.0 solutions to stabilize the economy simultaneously following the safety measures.

Machine tools are the mother of all manufacturing, whether it is aerospace or Hi-Tech industries and in the condition of COVID, Taiwan, the country known for its excellence in machinery has come forward with a helping hand which can play a crucial role in restoring several countries’ economies which have been affected due to the pandemic.

Taiwan is the world’s 6th largest machine tools industry of and the 5th largest exporting country in the field. Taiwan’s smart machinery industry enjoys a sterling reputation globally of its ability to deliver outstanding products at a competitive price. With stress on quality, price and service, the industry is known for its significant precision technology and massive ICT integration.

On June 2, 2020, Taiwan Excellence organised the “Taiwan Excellence Smart Machinery” online Press Conference with the aim to familiarise global buyers with Taiwanese smart machinery. ‘Taiwan Excellence' is an international campaign to promote Taiwan's superior products and it strives to showcase Taiwanese technology to the world

The conference witnessed eight major smart machinery companies of Taiwan showcase their advanced manufacturing solutions in a bid to assist global manufacturers in managing industry upgrade and automation. The brands included iconic names like CHIN FONG, FFG, GRINTIMATE, HIWIN, MANFORD, SOLOMON, HARTFORD, SHE HONG AND TONGTAI.

While introducing the conference, Walter Yeh, CEO & President, TAITRA, stated, “The COVID-19 pandemic has shown the importance of industry upgradation, automation, and accelerated import-related solutions. Through this conference, we are going to demonstrate how Taiwan’s award-winning companies can assist by providing innovative solutions to meet manufacturing demands in the post-pandemic era. These companies will become reliable partners in the global industry upgrade and Taiwan Excellence will continue to present the best of Taiwanese technologies to the world even during these difficult times.” He added that Taiwan's smart machinery products are recognized for their high quality, refined technology and consistent performance. Further, he explained about TIMTOS, an International Exhibition which will be conducted by TAITRA and Taiwan Excellence during the post-pandemic era where we will come across various much more advanced tools. 

The conference showcased the products and solutions including precision components, digitally-controlled machine tools, automation equipments and smart controlling systems. A new concept ‘Taiwan Excellence Smart Machinery Virtual Pavilion’ was also launched at the conference, which displayed 60 innovative Smart Machinery products from 50 Taiwan Excellence brands. To add to the experience, buyers could also check out superb smart machinery products anytime and anywhere. At a time when most physical exhibitions are being postponed, digitalizing the Taiwan Excellence Pavilion and the usage of VR technique means buyers can virtually check products without graphic restrictions in a 3D View.

India had an adverse effect on its industries which led to various challenges including a break in the supply chain, halt in manufacturing operations and loss of migrants etc. Even though the government showed leniency in the lockdown, resuming operations has become difficult because of financial and other obstacles and a major part of the working community fear about corona contamination. Therefore with the growing need for solutions to counter the absence of human supervision, Taiwanese brands are offering their automated smart machinery with zero human intervention which can assist India in this condition for its revival. As India is an attractive option for Taiwanese companies who have the potential to play a catalysing role, the e-conference aimed to bolster the image of Taiwan’s Smart Machinery industry as a major global supplier of machine tools, equipment and key components.

According to a study published by ‘Markets and Markets’, the smart manufacturing market is expected to increase from US$214.7 billion in 2020 to US$384.8 billion in 2025, growing at a CAGR (Compound Average Growth Rate) of 12.4 percent

However, to aid this growth in these tumultuous times, the formidable expertise of Taiwanese Smart Machinery companies can go a long way by augmenting indigenous capacity and plugging gaps in manufacturing solutions globally. Besides, countries will now increasingly have to turn to smart automation to manage supply chains and production functions as the need for social distancing will make human intervention and supervision difficult. The world caught a glimpse of the Taiwanese industry’s rapid response capabilities and flexible management when it completed the herculean task of establishing 92 mask production lines in 40 days and boosted mask production from 1.88 million pieces a day to 17 million pieces a day. Along with demonstrating proficiency, this feat also established Taiwan as one of the best options for reviving the world’s manufacturing industry.

Following are the technology majors from Taiwan which came up with their smart manufacturing solutions:

• HIWIN TECHNOLOGIES CORP. (Represented by Mr Simon Liao, Manager):

It's one of the world's leading manufacturers of  Motion Con