Master Transportation Bus Manufacturing Ltd (成運汽車) on Sunday broke ground for a new manufacturing complex in Changhua County.
The electric bus maker plans to finish the construction before the end of next year.
The 20 hectare complex would cost NT$1.8 billion to NT$2.5 billion (US$58.68 million to US$81.50 million) and would generate up to NT$500 billion in output value, the company said.
Photo: Yen Hung-chun, Taipei Times
The complex is being built in the Central Taiwan Science Park’s (中部科學園區) campus in Changhua County’s Erlin Township (二林). The science park approved Master Transportation’s investment plan in August 2021, with the goal of creating a supply chain to manufacture electric buses for local and foreign markets.
The complex is to include a research and development center, an automated battery module, an automatic battery pack production plant, an automated beam smart manufacturing center, a body chassis plant and an overseas delivery center, among other facilities, the company said.
At Sunday’s groundbreaking ceremony, Minister of Economic Affairs Wang Mei-hua (王美花) said she hopes Master Transportation will become a global player in the electric bus sector by partnering with local electronics and electrical machinery companies.
Master Transportation is headquartered in Taipei, with a factory in Pingtung County’s Sinyuan Township (新園).
The company is in talks with 47 Taiwanese firms to discuss potential collaboration, chairman Wu Ding-fa (吳定發) said.
It is seeking partnerships with Taiwan’s Formosa Plastics Group (台塑集團), Tatung Co (大同) and Teco Electric & Machinery Co (東元電機), as well as its battery supplier, Japan’s Toshiba Corp, Wu said.
Wu said Master Transportation would try to leverage its relationship with Toshiba to export Taiwan-made electric buses to Japan, adding that the firm is setting its sights on showcasing its products at Expo 2025 in Osaka.
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