The ROC government-funded Industrial Technology Research Institute signed a ceramics technology transfer agreement Aug. 29 with representatives from Gong Shun Enterprise Co., Wu Gu Cultural Village and other kiln businesses in Taiwan’s northern Miaoli County.
The pact is expected to help firms produce new types of high-quality precision ceramic knives, ITRI said, adding that Miaoli’s ceramics industry will find new business opportunities outside its traditional markets with the institute’s cutting-edge technology.
“ITRI has been engaged in ceramics research and development for nearly 20 years, but most of our work has been dedicated to high-tech applications such as passive components and semiconductor parts,” said Chiu Kuo-chuang, senior researcher at ITRI’s Material and Chemical Research Laboratories.
“We are transferring materials technology to traditional industries for the first time,” he said, adding that their research results can help control use of raw materials and improve ceramic production processes.
Miaoli was a stronghold of this sector in the 1980s, local companies said, with more than 300 pottery and ceramics factories. As the structure of the economy changed, however, most moved out of the area, leaving only about 10 today.
Miaoli Magistrate Liu Cheng-hung said he expects these technological advances in ceramic knives to combine with local tourism to develop new markets and help traditional industry compete against the intense competition from abroad.
In related news, the Miaoli Craft Park was inaugurated on the same day. With four major workshops covering ceramics, gold smithery, dyeing and weaving, and children’s products, the park is aimed at providing a cultural and creative resort for visitors and a stimulus for the crafts sector in Miaoli, according to event organizer the Council for Cultural Affairs. (THN)
Write to Aaron Hsu at pj1210meister@mail.gio.gov.tw