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August 22, 2025-Today at the 2025 Meet Greater South, the Department of Industrial Technology (DoIT) of Taiwan's Ministry of Economic Affairs opened its pavilion. In collaboration with the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI), the Metal Industries Research & Development Centre (MIRDC), the Cycling & Health Tech Industry R&D Center, the Plastics Industry Development Centre (PIDC), and TREE startup groups, DoIT unveiled 31 pioneering technology-driven solutions aimed at accelerating the smart transformation of industries in southern Taiwan. This year, the DoIT partnered with Taiwan's petrochemical sector to develop a pipeline monitoring system that surpasses international standards. Designed to provide analysis and alerts around-the-clock, the system strengthens urban resilience and safeguards public safety. The DoIT has also collaborated with local industries to develop next-generation manufacturing technology for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) using high-efficiency, weldable, and recyclable thermoplastic composites. This innovation lays the foundation for an autonomous and trustworthy supply chain free from Chinese involvement. Collaboration has already begun with CPC's Dalin Refinery, LCY Chemical, Eternal Materials, and the Aerospace Industrial Development Corporation to successfully facilitate the transformation of industries in southern Taiwan.
DoIT Director-General Kuo Chao-Chung stated that the DoIT continues to drive innovation as an engine for growth, working hand in hand with research institutes, industries, and startups to help southern Taiwan industries upgrade locally and demonstrate their strength on the global stage. The 2025 Meet Greater South is the most significant startup and industry event in southern Taiwan, serving as an important exchange platform between R&D and industry. This year marks the fourth consecutive year that the DoIT is participating, with more than 30 technologies showcased each year. This year's DoIT Pavilion highlights three major features: First, leveraging innovative technologies to enhance the added value of southern industries. Second, facilitating the integration of startup into local industries to inject new momentum. Third, utilizing AI pilot production lines to support the upgrading of diverse sectors. The exhibition serves as a platform for face-to-face exchanges with local businesses, aiming to jointly address industrial pain points and drive transformation and upgrading.
Kaohsiung's petrochemical sector accounts for 40 percent of Taiwan's petrochemical industry production value, supporting tens of thousands of jobs. In recent years, the DoIT has partnered with operators to deploy a 24-hour monitoring system for industrial pipelines, in response to the petrochemical industry's high-value transformation trend, enabling local governments to advance toward the goal of a smart petrochemical industry. With support from ITRI, AI, IoT, and 5G hardware and software were integrated to develop a comprehensive petrochemical pipeline monitoring system that operates around the clock to collect pipeline signals, perform real-time analysis, and issue alarms. In 2024, the system was deployed for liquid-pipeline leak detection at CPC's Dalin Refinery,, and in 2025 it was applied to gas-pipeline monitoring at LCY Chemical, with plans to further expand applications across the Kaohsiung area to fully safeguard urban resilience and public safety. This initiative has become a leading international benchmark for smart petrochemical transformation.
Currently, medium-to-large commercial unmanned aerial vehicles still predominantly employ thermoset composites, posing challenges to environmental sustainability and mass-production efficiency. To help Taiwanese enterprises establish an independent, reliable, non-China supply chain, DoIT provided funding to the Taiwan Plastics Industry Development Centre, which partnered with Formosa Plastics' Tairylan Division, Eternal Materials, and the Aerospace Industrial Development Corporation to develop next-generation thermoplastic composite manufacturing processes for unmanned aerial vehicles. At its core is the world's first S-shaped multi-tow fiber three-dimensional interlaced stacking technology, which has successfully overcome the critical challenges of thermoplastic processing uniformity and fiber fill density. This innovation delivers high throughput as well as weldability and recyclability advantages. In June 2025, Aerospace Industrial Development Corporation (AIDC) participated in the Paris Air Show-the largest and longest-running aerospace exhibition in Europe-and signed a letter of intent with France's CETIM. The partnership aims to build a complete supply chain ecosystem spanning advanced materials, midstream processing, and final aircraft manufacturing. This milestone marks a successful step in helping Taiwan's industry enter the defense aerospace sector and transition toward high-value innovation.
Faced with global trade shifts and supply chain restructuring pressures, the adaptability and digital transformation speed of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are more critical than ever. To support this, the Department of Industrial Technology (DoIT) has helped a diverse range of traditional industries adopt AI technologies by launching over 50 AI pilot production lines across 16 sectors.