Stainless steel pipe manufacturer Froch Enterprise Co (彰源企業) is to invest more than NT$600 million (US$19.66 million) to set up a new plant in Yunlin County’s Douliou City (斗六), the Ministry of Economic Affairs said yesterday, as it added the firm’s application to the list of companies returning to invest in Taiwan.
A total of 154 companies have pledged up to NT$697.7 billion in investments since the ministry started a program in January to encourage Taiwanese firms to return and invest at home.
The ministry also announced that it has given the green light to four companies’ applications to invest more than NT$4.6 billion to take part in another government program aimed at encouraging local firms to deepen their roots in Taiwan while upgrading their businesses.
Taichung-based Gain How Printing Co (健豪印刷) plans to invest NT$1.3 billion by introducing smart production lines at a new plant in the Taichung Industrial Park (台中工業區) as it looks to sharpen its competitive edge, the ministry said.
As the trade conflict between the US and China weighs down on the steel industry, carbon steel pipe manufacturer Tension Steel Industries Co (天聲工業) plans to invest NT$1.2 billion by setting up a smart production facility to optimize and elevate its production process, the ministry said.
Wooden furniture hardware manufacturer Zyh Yin Enterprise Co (至盈實業), which supplies Swedish furniture retailer IKEA, is to invest more than NT$900 million by establishing a smart production plant in Kaohsiung’s Yanchao District (燕巢).
The company is also to transform its existing warehouse into a smart facility, the ministry said, adding that Zyh Yin would continue to work with the Industrial Development Bureau to apply artificial intelligence technology at its plant.
Automatic optical inspection specialist Machvision Inc Co (牧德科技), whose clientele covers about 90 percent of Taiwan’s printed circuit board makers, is to invest NT$1.2 billion to expand its production capacity at the Hsinchu Science Park (新竹科學園區) to support clients relocating to Taiwan, the ministry said.
The program, launched in July, has welcomed 24 companies’ applications, representing more than NT$54.1 billion in investments thus far, the ministry said.
The popular Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) arbitrage trade might soon see a change in dynamics that could affect the trading of the US listing versus the local one. And for anyone who wants to monetize the elevated premium, Goldman Sachs Group Inc highlights potential trades. A note from the bank’s sales desk published on Friday said that demand for TSMC’s Taipei-traded stock could rise as Taiwan’s regulator is considering an amendment to local exchange-traded funds’ (ETFs) ownership. The changes, which could come in the first half of this year, could push up the current 30 percent single-stock weight limit
EARLY TALKS: Measures under consideration include convincing allies to match US curbs, further restricting exports of AI chips or GPUs, and blocking Chinese investments US President Donald Trump’s administration is sketching out tougher versions of US semiconductor curbs and pressuring key allies to escalate their restrictions on China’s chip industry, an early indication the new US president plans to expand efforts that began under former US president Joe Biden to limit Beijing’s technological prowess. Trump officials recently met with their Japanese and Dutch counterparts about restricting Tokyo Electron Ltd and ASML Holding NV engineers from maintaining semiconductor gear in China, people familiar with the matter said. The aim, which was also a priority for Biden, is to see key allies match China curbs the US
‘SACRED MOUNTAIN’: The chipmaker can form joint ventures abroad, except in China, but like other firms, it needs government approval for large investments Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) needs government permission for any overseas joint ventures (JVs), but there are no restrictions on making the most advanced chips overseas other than for China, Minister of Economic Affairs J.W. Kuo (郭智輝) said yesterday. US media have said that TSMC, the world’s largest contract chipmaker and a major supplier to companies such as Apple Inc and Nvidia Corp, has been in talks for a stake in Intel Corp. Neither company has confirmed the talks, but US President Donald Trump has accused Taiwan of taking away the US’ semiconductor business and said he wants the industry back
Teleperformance SE, the largest call-center operator in the world, is rolling out an artificial intelligence (AI) system that softens English-speaking Indian workers’ accents in real time in a move the company claims would make them more understandable. The technology, called accent translation, coupled with background noise cancelation, is being deployed in call centers in India, where workers provide customer support to some of Teleperformance’s international clients. The company provides outsourced customer support and content moderation to global companies including Apple Inc, ByteDance Ltd’s (字節跳動) TikTok and Samsung Electronics Co Ltd. “When you have an Indian agent on the line, sometimes it’s hard