Taiwan's fasteners seek to optimize production with new tech

Taiwan is among the top exporters of fasteners, ranging from screws, nuts, and bolts, thanks to over 70 years of industry experience. The island's industry hub is concentrated in Kaohsiung's Gangshan and Luzhu Districts, where fastener makers are a common fixture in the community.

According to Metal Industries Research & Development Centre's (MIRDC) statistics, Taiwan's export volume is only behind China and Germany, cementing its reputation as an export-oriented industry with a market reach expanding across 150 countries.

Fasteners are widely found in diverse fields, such as automotive, airplanes, machinery, and electronics. However, Taiwan's suppliers face price competition and improving manufacturing capabilities, and countries such as South Korea, Vietnam, and India direct more resources into pursuing higher-added valued products. To do business in high value-added markets is no easy feat; with a local well-known fastener supplier as an example, apart from make-to-order models and more transparent production details, suppliers must ensure zero product defects to enter the market.

The Economic Ministry's Department of Industrial Technology (DoIT) observed that implementing "smart manufacturing" is the key to Taiwanese suppliers to maintain their competitive edge. DoIT employed applications, such as sensors, AIoT, big data analysis, to assist fastener suppliers upgrade from automation to smart manufacturing and digital transformation.

An example of how new technology has helped the traditional sector improve quality control, is its application in the molding process. The fastener molding stage is a key part of the production process that will most impact the end product quality, yet hardest to immediately identify issues and foreign contamination to the product as the production speed is much too quick. To resolve these issues, MIRDC developed a diagnosis technology that monitors the production by checking data and providing warnings in case of abnormalities. With the MIRDC-developed quality forecast and simulated analysis software, manufacturers can improve the overall yield rate from 5% to 8%, and cut down undetected issue rates to 3.5%.

This article is derived from an Economic Daily News article, as part of a collaboration with the Ministry of Economic Affairs Department of Industrial Technology.