Vice Premier Chen Chi-mai on Monday attended a groundbreaking ceremony for a new smart manufacturing base at the Kaohsiung Export Processing Zone, saying the Kaohsiung and Nanzih export processing zones will connect the internet of things with artificial intelligence and smart manufacturing to boost and energize Kaohsiung's industrial development.
The Kaohsiung zone already boasts advanced integrated circuit and liquid crystal display technologies on par with the nation's science parks. In addition, nearby optoelectronics and semiconductor packaging and testing clusters, as well as the Nanzih zone, make the city of Kaohsiung a pivotal player in Taiwan's industrial transformation, the vice premier said.
The Kaohsiung and Nanzih zones are classic examples of how central-local collaboration can transform labor-intensive industries into high-tech, innovative industries, he continued. The results in terms of land impact, environmental changes and urban planning are also better than previous efforts.
To provide companies with greater support, the government has raised the processing zones' floor area ratios while cutting down on unnecessary land development expenses, delivering wins for both industrial and urban development, Vice Premier Chen said.
The Kaohsiung zone generated total sales of NT$73.4 billion (US$2.4 billion) in 2018, with export value reaching NT$78.7 billion (US$2.6 billion). The additional 80,000 square meters of land to be provided will make possible an estimated 3,000 job opportunities, he added.