Page 43 - Taiwan Hand Tools - 2021-03 Edition

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INDUSTRY HIGHLIGHTS

said. Hand tool firms that have moved on from hand-written The initiative is two-pronged; the first is to help firms
orders to digitalized systems make up 90%; firms that have with decent digitalized capabilities and improve upon that
embraced digital optimization that improves production foundation, including Redai and Proxene. The second
efficiency make up 70 to 80%. Firms like Redai Precision is to assist firms that are just beginning to digitalize their
Tools and Proxene Tools that have undergone digital production systems by implementing a digital order system.
transformation, including business model adjustments, Firms like Redai and Proxene are leading the industry,
make up only approximately 30% of the industry. Chang said, and the fact that these firms are profiting from
automation and digitalization will spur other firms to follow
Chang said the hand tool’s progressiveness is mainly suit. The initiative also makes it mandatory for the top-tier
due to the IDB-led initiative program that ended last year, firms to offer transparency in their digitalization work, which
which saw Taiwan’s robotics maker Hiwin Technology helps bolster the entire industry.
assisting the hand tools industry and other traditional
sectors in making the digital leap. Redai Precision and In recent years, IDB has become the nexus point for
Proxene Tools are among the hand tool firms that partook the hand tools industry by connecting the industry and
in the project. academia sector resources. For instance, firms looking
to bolster their technological development can reach out
The IDB-led digital transformation project prompted to IDB, which would connect them to related universities
Redai Precision Tools to invest NTD$800 million to build with R&D capabilities. By prioritizing product added-value
a new factory in the Dapumei Precision Machinery Park, and quality, Chang said the government hopes to help
upgrading facilities to include smart storage and flexible steer towards the German model of globally-renowned
production lines. For instance, the new smart manufacturing craftmanship.
capabilities have sharply helped shorten previous mold-
changing time from 24 minutes to only 100 seconds, and New Technologies
processing times from 30 days to only seven days. Chang
said that amid the pandemic, U.S. clients ended up going To continue the discussion of implementing new
to Redai with a huge order to fulfill due to a booming stay- technologies, data revealed by the International Federation
at-home economy, which Redai was able to accept due to of Robotics (IFR) indicated that companies have been
its new smart production capabilities. reevaluating risk management of their production supply
chain under the COVID-19 pandemic. Many have chosen

The ITRI-designed AI Auto Annotation Application: Robot Random Bin Picking (Photo courtesy of ITRI)

Taiwan Hand Tools 2021 Issue