TAIPEI -- A consortium of Taiwanese electronics manufacturing companies is teaming with the government to develop strategic plan for smart manufacturing.

The group brings together some of the largest PCB fabricators in the world, plus key suppliers and industry trade associations.

Among the corporate members are Advantech, Unimicron Technology, Chin Poon, Unitech, and Symtek Automation. They are collaborating with Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI), the Taiwan Printed Circuit Association (TPCA), and the Institute for Information Industry (III), and have selected the PCB industry to implement a new policy for industrial innovation.

According to TPCA, smart manufacturing is the only way for the PCB industry to transition and this government plan has one standard (a PCB equipment agreement) and two platforms (a smart manufacturing technology platform and an industry alliance cooperation platform) at its core.

The consortium envisions an industry 4.0 system integrated with service companies that will guide Taiwanese suppliers to upgrade to smart manufacturing.