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On the same day, accompanied by Lu Yau-jr, the Director of the Economic Development Department, Taichung City Government, Mayor Lin visited Brad Little, the Lieutenant Governor of Idaho and Megan Ronk, Director, Department of Commerce, Idaho to conduct exchanges on high-tech, industry, and green power. Mayor Lin and Brad Little, the Lieutenant Governor of Idaho, witnessed the signing of MOU between Lu Yau-jr, the Director of the Economic Development Department, Taichung City Government and Homy Panahi, the Chair of Idaho Aerospace Alliance, USA. Both parties promised to cooperate in the development of aerospace industry. In addition, Mayor Lin also visited Sanjay Mehrotra the CEO of Micron. During the visit, they discussed the issue of Micron’s investment in Taichung. Later, Mayor Lin also visited the TechHelp Manufacturing Assistance to exchange opinions on academia-industry cooperation.
Mayor Lin expressed that the Central Government has designated Taichung as the capital of smart machinery industry. And the aerospace industry in Idaho has enjoyed high renown, with complete industry cluster. It is hoped that the cooperation with Idaho Aerospace Alliance can promote Taichung international competitiveness in the aerospace industry in the future. It also aims to introduce technology, professional talents, and market of aerospace industry from Idaho.
Mayor Lin also said that other than diplomatic relations between countries, it is possible to promote municipal international cooperation to allow Taiwan to go global. He believes that it can regard economics as the foundation to construct relations with various state governments in the USA. The cooperation with the Aerospace Industry Alliance with Idaho is also a facet of municipal international cooperation. He hopes it can become a new strategy for Taiwan to build up new diplomatic relations. With municipal international cooperation, it will build up closer bottom-up mutual relations between the governments.
Lu Yau-jr, the Director of the Economic Development Department expressed that the signing of MOU with the Idaho Aerospace Alliance will be very helpful for Taichung’s aerospace industry to enter the north America market. At the same time, it can also encourage cooperation with schools to engage in the exchange of talents. Moreover, the Idaho Aerospace Alliance will participate in the 2017 Taiwan Aerospace & Defense Technology Exhibition with its delegates at the end of this year. By then, Taichung City Government will lead its team to conduct exchange in Taipei to develop Taichung’s aerospace industry further.
The Economic Development Department pointed out that there are about 200 aerospace companies in Idaho, covering the areas of airplane operation, maintenance, parts manufacturing, and airplane assembling. In 2011, the airplane manufacturers, airplane parts manufacturers and suppliers, air traffic service companies formed the Idaho Aerospace Alliance. At present, it has 42 member-companies.
The Economic Development Department expressed that Taichung is a smart machinery and aerospace industry cluster. And Taichung City Government is enthusiastic in enhancing its capacity. Now, it collaborates with the National Chung Shan Institute of Science and Technology, Industrial Technology Research Institute, and Smart Machinery Office to help machinery industry to engage in aerospace and civil aviation markets. The city government will also subsidize the smart machinery and aerospace industry in research and development and aerospace certification.
In the collaboration with the Idaho Aerospace Alliance, they will regard the manufacturing of airplanes, and the manufacturing and maintenance of airplane parts as direction for future cooperation. In addition, they will help each other to secure trade opportunities in the world aviation market. Moreover, they will invite each other to collaborate in participating aerospace exhibition, to help manufacturers in the exhibitions to secure cooperation opportunities with international enterprises, and promote both parties in the world aviation markets and international visibility.
Before signing the MOU, Mayor Lin also visited Sanjay Mehrotra, the CEO of Micron. Both parties exchanged opinions on the industry, investment, and more. Mayor Lin expressed that Micron is the biggest international manufacturers in Taiwan, with it major base in Taichung. And Micron will expand its factory and increase its investment in Taichung. To facilitate such project, Taichung City Government will establish a coordination window to help Micron expand its plant and recruit new employees.
The Economic Development Department expressed that Micron is the biggest international manufacturer in Taiwan, as well as the 5th biggest semiconductor manufacturer in the world. More importantly, it is a very important foreign investor in Taichung. In the Central Taiwan Science Park in Houli, Taichung, it has a 12-inch wafer plant, with more than 2800 employees. It is specialized in the production of DRAM used on computers and mobile devices. In March this year, it established a back-end packaging base, and is estimated to launch into production with advanced technology in this August.
Micron believes it employees are its important assets. It sponsors regular sports day, subsidizes sports societies, build sports sites, and provides sports consultation. Last year, it was honored with the first sport enterprise by the Sports Administration, Ministry of Education. In this year, Micron is going to recruit more employees, about 1000, in an enlarged scale. And there are 24 colleges and universities and 31 senior high schools and vocational senior high schools in Taichung, providing ample human resources. It is like to satisfy its demand for professional talents. Taichung City Government will also help in matching in job placement.
The Economic Development Department expressed that is an industrial center of precision machinery, optronic, semiconductor, bicycle, hardware tool, and more. Micron has the competitive advantage of memory products, with long-term experience of collaboration in Taichung. It is an important source and collaborative partner of semiconductor industry and memory technology. If Micron is going to expand its plant and upgrade its demand on production technology in Taichung, the city government will provide it help in job matching with full capacities. It is expected that Micron will become Taichung best foreign collaborative partner.
In addition, to promote the capacity of academia-industry in Taichung, Mayor Lin also visited the TechHelp Manufacturing Assistance of Idaho. He was received by Jack Marr, an associate professor of Boise State University, Bill Mullane, Marketing Manager of TechHelp, and more. Both parties conducted exchange on academia-industry cooperation and industrial development.
The Economic Development Department pointed out TechHelp is located by Boise State University. It is an institution established with the funds of Idaho State Government to provide the industry with support on research and development, personnel training, and promotion of public policy. It aims to encourage the growth of the manufacturing industry in the state and increase local job opportunities. It also collaborates with the Boise State University, Idaho State University, and University of Idaho.
The Economic Development Department expressed that with this visit, it is hoped to regard TechHelp as the intermediary platform to help enterprises of both parties to seek cooperation in the development of technology and manufacturing. Moreover, it also expects to seek more opportunities for the collaboration between Boise State University and the colleges and universities in Taichung.