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government project, collaborating with a servomotor vendor to develop a drive specifcally for use in all-electric molding machines. For the time being, however, Taiwan is highlighting hybrid machines. "Right now, we're in a transition period, developing hybrid products," Wang explains. "We hope to narrow the gap between all electric and hydraulic." David Wu, who is employed by vertical press specialist Multiplas Enginery Co. Ltd. and serves as chairman of TAMI's plastics and rubber machinery committee, noted that many Taiwanese machine makers were early adopters of all-electric technologies, but were forced to drop the machines when high- cost imported components squeezed margins. "There are many Taiwanese companies that had all-electric machines but stopped manufac- turing them because of the low margins," notes Wu. "Taiwan is now ready to provide ball screws and servomotors. There are companies making them, but they are smaller power units, not for big machines. Once we develop a local supply, it will bring us more competitiveness in producing all-electric machines." GIVING ALL-ELECTRICS ANOTHER SHOT Jon Wai Machinery Works Co. Ltd. (jonwai.com), prides itself on being at the forefront of plastics technologies, claiming many local frsts for the Taiwanese plastics equipment industry, and it is looking at re-entering the all-electric injection machine game. Jon Wai's Harrison Chen notes that his company rolled out its frst all-electric unit in 2000, outft- ting it with Japanese ballscrews and servomotors that ultimately made the machine too expensive. With that experience in hand, the company will take another shot at an all-electric press, according to Chen, who called the technology a "must have" for an equipment supplier. Taiwan's 400-plus plastics and rubber machinery companies generated $1.2 billion in sales in 2013, with the sector ranked ffth globally behind only Germany, Japan, Italy, and China, according to TAMI (tami.org), the country's machinery association. Walking the aisles at the island nation's biennial plastics show, Taipei Plas, in September, visitors would have been hard pressed to fnd the all-electric machines that have come to dominate other global plastics events. That relative dearth of servo-driven machinery could change in coming years, as the Taiwanese government takes an active role in developing a domestic supply chain for key components, including ballscrews, linear guides, and servo motors and drives. Alan Wang, vice chairman of TAMI's plastics and rubber machinery committee, who also works for injection machine builder Fu Chun Shin (FCS) Group, acknowledged the current gap in his country's equipment oferings: "For all-electric machines, Taiwanese machine makers face a bottleneck, espe- cially for key components." Wang said FCS participated in a By Tony Deligio Senior Editor Victor Taichung, known by the Fortune brand in the U.S., remained committed to the all-electric machine market in recent years even as its Taiwanese competitors moved away from the feld. At Taipei Plas, Fong Kee International (FKI) introduced a bottom-blow extrusion blow molding machine. Its next machine project will be an all-electric unit. Taiwan's 'Time is Coming' for All-Electric Machines Taiwan's plastics machinery market is a player on the global stage, except for one segment—all-electric machines. The recent Taipei Plas show suggests that's about to change. 16 DECEMBER 2014 Plastics Technology PTonline.com TA I P E I P L A S Close -Up On Technolog y