TIMTOS 2021 HYBRID – A BLEND OF VIRTUAL AND PHYSICAL

Lately, the show organizers Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) and Taiwan Association of Machinery Industry (TAMI) held a global press conference and CEO Panel discussion to give an outline of this Hybrid Exhibition. In his opening remarks, James C F Huang, Chairman, TAITRA, said that the biggest event in the global Machine Tool industry in 2021 will be TIMTOS 2021 Hybrid, which will be hosted physically and virtually simultaneously.

Talking of the displays at the show, he said that TIMTOS 2021 will witness a transformed look from the traditional CNC to Smart Manufacturing. He elaborated that presently the focus is on integration and remote collaboration of both software and hardware.

Show Size and Format

The exhibition is slated to house around 6,000 booths at Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center Hall 1 and Hall 2 and the World Trade Center Hall 1. In the virtual edition of the show, around 1,000 participants are expected to showcase their products. The online format will replicate the concept of the physical exhibition hall space and will break through the time difference limit to provide a 24-hour exhibition and negotiation experience. In addition, the innovative service of On-site Guide for Online Visitors will be applied in the procurement conferences during the exhibition to accurately match online buyers purchasing requirements.

Alex Ko, Chairman, TAMI, also pointed out that the capability of Taiwan’s pandemic prevention is the key to attracting leading manufacturers from home and abroad to join TIMTOS. Included this year are not only domestic makers such as Fair Friend, Victor Taichung, YCM, Dah Lih, Hiwin, Syntec, and LNC, but also foreign high-profile companies such as DMG MORI, FANUC, MAZAK, TRUMPF and Siemens. The exhibition is an important platform to showcase the achievements of Taiwan’s Smart Machinery and Smart Manufacturing.

Turning Challenges into Opportunities

During the CEO Panel discussion, Taiwan industry veterans from the Machine Tool industry shared their thoughts on ‘Restructuring for Smart Machine Industry in Post Pandemic Era’. Industry experts such as Jimmy Chu, Chairman, FFG; Eric Y T Chuo, Global Chairman & CEO, HIWIN Group; and Chang Yu-Jeng, Chairman, CFMI, affirmed that the launch of TIMTOS Hybrid will bring a positive significance to the global Machine Tool industry. Especially it can boost confidence in Taiwan Machine Tool industry that suffered in the first half and recovered somehow in the second half of the last year.

Fair Friend Enterprise Group (FFG)

Speaking on the strategy for deployment and future of the Machinery industry, Jimmy Chu, Chairman, FFG, explained that the demand for machinery is still huge and Taiwan's exports are increasing. The biggest buyer of Taiwanese machine tools is China. The US and Turkey are making a comeback, but Europe is still worst hit by the pandemic. The sales of FFG-owned five brands have risen by 37 percent but have suffered in exports. A rise in export is expected as India and South Eastern countries are bouncing back. The company has suffered most severely in Europe (Germany, Italy, Switzerland, and Hungary) especially because Aerospace and Automobile industries are being affected. The initial signs of global revival with increase in foreign investments and orders from the Automobile industry offer hope in terms of opportunity for the Taiwan Machinery industry.

He further elaborated on Industry 4.0 and 5G technologies and shared that in 5G, six countries from the EU and Institute for Information Industry (III) from Taiwan are working together. FFG also benefits from such cooperative relationships and is looking forward to providing its EU partners with 5G and related manufacturing facilities.

HIWIN Technologies Corporation

Eric Y T Chuo, Global Chairman & CEO, HIWIN Group, shed light on the opportunities from EVs and what it means for the industry in Taiwan. He said that to meet the growing requirement, it is important to keep abreast with the latest trends and develop upgraded grinding machines, server technologies, ball bearing components, and other solutions.

Chin Fong Machine Industrial (CFMI)

On innovation and development of Smart Manufacturing, Chang Yu-Jeng, Chairman, CFMI, said “We do believe that a smart system will be able to realize Industry 4.0 on its IoT monitoring system - iForming. It is a smart system to monitor the manufacturing process, helping clients from all over the world in machinery maintenance, production, and quality control.”

During the pandemic crisis, the company faced challenges in the supply chain and public transportation. The suppliers were unable to produce enough spare accessories. Due to the strong resistance in using public transportation post Covid-19 lockdown, the demand for automobiles and bicycles have increased. Since the lockdown forced work-from-home options, the demand for semiconductor and electronic components is also growing.

Overall, the pandemic has shed a new light on the prospects and operations of enterprises, and has changed the way the market and people work or behave. The Machinery sector must, therefore, reconsider how to take advantage of the circumstances.

Yu-Jeng further elaborated that the Automobile segment is one of the largest machinery markets and currently focuses on new energy vehicles. The EV’s motor require a lot of steel/steel plates and different kinds of battery (lithium batteries). Keeping this in mind, CFMI has been working to provide the best presses and large manufacturing production lines (sheet metal and other large-scale parts) for automobile factories to manufacture thin steel plates and lithium batteries. With the rise in growing demands of presses or other large-scale machinery tools, the company's three production bases (one is in Taiwan and two of them in China), plans catering not only to Chinese but global markets too.

Optimistic Note

Speaking on hosting the exhibition, Huang emphasized on TAITRA’s experience and leveraging of the latest digital technologies to offer the best experience and service by integrating onsite and online services in collaboration with TAMI. The Taiwan industry representatives affirmed that its launch would give the global Machine Tool industry a positive impetus.

Sovan Tudu
Sub-Editor
Sovan.tudu@magicwandmedia.in

---

---