Taichung City Government’s efforts in facilitating the legalization of unregistered factories have once again been recognized by the Ministry of Economic Affairs, earning the city the prestigious Grade A honor for the fourth consecutive year since 2021. According to the Economic Development Bureau, the Ministry of Economic Affairs conducts annual evaluations of all county and city governments nationwide on the effectiveness of their guidance in legalizing unregistered factories. Taichung competes in the Grade A category, which includes jurisdictions overseeing more than 2,500 regulated factories—the most competitive group. Taichung City leads other counties and cities in key performance areas, including assisting unregistered factories in obtaining specific factory registration, enforcing power and water supply suspension measures, and implementing inspection and enforcement actions. In addition, the city’s performance reports are noted for their thoroughness and completeness, which has been a decisive factor in securing the Ministry of Economic Affairs’ Grade A rating once again.
The Economic Development Bureau noted that, in terms of guidance measures, the city government has established a “Single Service Contact for Specific Factories” and, together with relevant departments, formed a “Task Force for the Management and Guidance of Unregistered Factories” to jointly promote the legalization process. Dedicated personnel are also assigned to visit factories on-site, providing one-on-one assistance in application procedures and document corrections. To address common challenges faced by small- and medium-sized enterprises—such as complex procedures and high technical thresholds—the city government has launched a “Factory Improvement Tutoring Program,” offering a diverse range of courses on topics including environmental protection, fire safety, and land-use changes. Guidance teams are dispatched to conduct on-site visits, assisting business owners in clarifying regulations, preparing drawings and maps, and correcting documentation, thereby delivering comprehensive advisory services. From drafting improvement plans to processing land-use changes, the city government accompanies and supports every step, expediting the legalization process. Director Chang Feng-Yuan has also personally led multiple visits to factories to better understand industry conditions and concerns, demonstrating the city government’s full commitment to enhancing administrative efficiency.
“Striving for the best in guidance while maintaining strict enforcement!” the Economic Development Bureau reported that in 2024, a total of 1,402 violations by factories were found, with penalties imposed on 116 cases, and water and power supply suspended for two factories—effectively curbing illegal expansions and demonstrating a firm commitment to law enforcement and governance. In advancing industrial upgrading and sustainable transformation, the city government has organized the “Corporate Advanced Smart Manufacturing Academy” and the “Corporate AI Applications Academy,” offering courses on digital transformation, net-zero carbon emissions, and carbon inventory. These programs have attracted participation from thousands of individuals. In addition, a specialized technical team for auditing and guiding specific factories has been established, targeting 2,079 factories across 23 industries. Priority visits were conducted to 300 enterprises, completing greenhouse gas emission source identification for 30 companies in the 3 major industry chains: machine tools, hand tools, and other metal products. These efforts aim to reduce emissions at the source and promote sustainable development.
The Economic Development Bureau further noted that Taichung City has received a total of 7,909 applications from regulated factories submitting improvement plans. All plans were fully reviewed by the end of October last year, achieving a 100% review rate, with nearly 70% approved. As of the end of July this year, 2,284 cases remain in the process of document correction. The bureau urges business operators or their agents who have received correction notices to submit the required documents within 30 days to avoid disqualification from the regulatory program due to overdue submission. The city government will continue to uphold the policy of advancing guidance and enforcement in parallel, assisting factories in obtaining specific factory registration and securing legal land use, thereby steadily progressing toward lawful operations and sustainable industrial development.