Intelligent Manufacturing for a Sustainable Future
Published on : Tuesday 09-01-2024
Taiwan Machine Tool and Accessory Builders' Association (TMBA) presents its viewpoint on the eve of TMTS 2024 scheduled during March 27-31, 2024 at Taipei.
The countdown has begun for TMTS 2024 and the show is shifted from its traditional November dates to March and also a change of venue. What is the rationale for this?
TMTS 2024 – Taiwan International Machine Tool Show 2024 will be held from March 27 to 31, 2024 at the TaiNEX (Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center) in Taipei, the capital city of Taiwan. TaiNEX is a spacious exhibition hall that can provide exhibitors with perfect exhibition arrangements and spaces, and its proximity to the international airport is more convenient for foreign buyers, which can increase the willingness to visit and stimulate the Purchase Intentions.
TMBA has stated that the TMTS 2024 event in terms of theme and technology will be much different than the previous editions. What are the changes visitors can expect?
In response to the trend of carbon reduction, this exhibition has replaced the traditional paperwork with digital Apps from booth selection, uploading of exhibition information, to exhibition related information, which not only implements the paperless policy, but also helps exhibitors to obtain the exhibition information more instantaneously and more conveniently.
In addition to the traditional print and electronic media, this exhibition has also extensively used multiple media to promote the event. Famous podcasts and influencers have been invited to interview the exhibitors and share their own experience of visiting the exhibition, which provides visitors with more platforms to receive information and a wider range of professional viewpoints.
The main theme of this exhibition is digital transformation (DX) and green transformation (GX), therefore, aside from the participation of Machine Tool and Accessory Manufacturers, we also plan to design a special zone for hand tools, cutting tools, and UMATI, etc., to create an ecological concept exhibition this year.
As the year 2023 is drawing to a close, what are the early indications of the machine tool industry of Taiwan – will it be a better year than 2022?
Patrick P Chen, the chairman of Taiwan Machine Tool and Accessory Builders' Association (TMBA) believes that there is always a moment of reversal in the downturn, although the European and American economies have bottomed out and rebounded, but due to the slow recovery of the global economy, market demand may go through structural adjustments, and it is expected that the strength of the boom growth will be limited.
However, the outlook for the industry is not only based on the demand in the international market, but also on the domestic market. The Taiwan International Machine Tool Show (TMTS) will be held at the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center in March 2024 with more than 550 exhibitors and 3,300 booths to compete for orders.
The Taiwan machine tool industry had a highly successful EMO Hannover 2023. What were the trends most in demand at this global event?
Corresponding solutions and innovative technologies are the most eye-catching trends in the face of environmental changes and new policies set by various Countries. At EMO, many companies proposed manufacturing transformation and green transformation, such as process integration, automation, intellectualisation and green technology, to improve production efficiency, reduce equipment investment, maximise space and improve product quality.
The theme of TMTS 2024 is ‘Dual Axis Intelligent Manufacturing for a Sustainable Future’, focusing on the two main axes of Digital Transformation (DX) and Green Transformation (GX), which include ten major elements including Factory Intelligence, Data Analytics and Cloud Computing, Intelligent Networking, Digital Dual Biology/Human-Computer Collaboration, Blockchain Technology, Intelligent Energy Saving, Environmental Certification, Resource Reuse, Green Supply Chain, and Sustainable Product Design. The ten elements echoed to the topic of EMO 2023 about transformation and green transformation and go further on intensification.
With today's environmental impact, sustainability is undoubtedly an unavoidable issue for the global industry. To this end, TMTS 2024 will also showcase Eco Design: the accumulation of sourcing strategies and optimisation techniques from raw materials, green energy, Maintenance 4.0, sustainable technologies, consumables management to drive systems, in order to reduce the carbon footprint of machine tools.
India is an important market for Taiwan machine tools. With all the investments happening in the country, has it resulted in increased orders for Taiwan companies?
From the statistics of the Taiwan Machine Tool and Accessory Builders' Association, China and the United States are Taiwan's two largest export markets for machine tools, Turkey and India occupying the third and fourth place. Owing to Taiwan's success in expanding sales in the Chinese market in the past, the company has been very active in the operation of the Chinese market, however, due to the impact of epidemics in recent years, the demand for China's market has declined significantly, while the demand for India's market has continued to grow.
The Indian government actively promotes the ‘Made in India’ programme, attracting a lot of manufacturing supply chain to India to set up production bases, manufacturers to expand the demand for investment continues to increase, so the Taiwan machine tool industry is also looking forward to India to expand the layout.
Do you see a trend among Taiwanese companies willing to invest in India in actual manufacturing or value addition?
India is the world's ninth largest machine tool builder and the world's seventh largest machine tool consumer, with an average annual consumption of about US$2.88 billion. Nearly 60% of the consumer market demand is imported from abroad, and only more than 40% of the products are supplied by local manufacturers, with Japan, China and Germany as the main importers, and Taiwan as the fifth largest importer of Indian machine tools.
Patrick P Chen, the chairman of Taiwan Machine Tool and Accessory Builders' Association (TMBA) recently returned to Taiwan from a visit to India, he pointed out that from this year's demand for imported machine tools in India continues to grow, it can be expected that India's supply chain will be more complete in the future, and the performance of the market is also expected to bring new business opportunities for Taiwan's machine tools.
In 2007, the then chairman of the Taiwan Precision Machinery Development Association, Mr Edward Yang, called for the establishment of the association dedicated to the machine tool industry in order to unite the strength of the industry and enhance the overall competitiveness of the industry. With the great efforts of the members of the organising committee, Taiwan Machine Tool & Accessory Builders' Association (TMBA) was established in Taichung in October 2007, combining the strengths of hundreds of manufacturers across the country.
The establishment of TMBA symbolises the unity of the machine tool and accessory industry in Taiwan. The association plays the role of a communicator between the government and the private sector, and hopes to fully integrate and utilize various resources, leading the industry to be based in Taiwan and connected to the world, moving into the next era together!
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