HISTORY OF TAIWAN FOUNDRY SOCIETY (TFS)

BACKGROUND

Way back in 1954 when the UN specialist Mr. Smith came to Taiwan to help with the steel industry’s technical improvement, I had a conversation with him about Taiwan’s foundry industry then. He felt that the foundry industry fell significantly behind the advanced countries in terms of factory plants, facilities, equipment, techniques, and concepts. He thought that Taiwan should establish a foundry society to bring all local foundry professionals together to work collectively in order to systematically and quickly bring this already lag-behind industry to progressive advancement. Smith also said that foundry societies are found in almost all advanced countries in Europe and America and hoped to establish one in Taiwan as soon as possible. The establishment of a society was unexpectedly difficult though. Smith’s statement did stir up some ripples. However, the organization did not take shape until a dozen years later when the society was formally established on March 22, 1966.

- - Kuo-Kuang Hou, Journal of Taiwanese Foundry Society, issue 5

TaiwanProvince listed the heavy industry as one of the key areas in its phase IV economic development plan. Since the metal industry is the base of heavy industry and the foundry is the backbone of metal industry. Without a sound foundry industry, it is extremely difficult for other machine industries to grow. Therefore, to accomplish overall prosperity and growth, improving and advancing foundry industry is the first priority.

Metal IndustriesResearch &Development Centre(The Metal Industries Research & Development Centre, MIRDC, is an oragnization co-founded by the ROC government and the United Nations. With its founding mission to advance Taiwan’s metal industries, the MIRDC conducted a comprehensive survey on the province’s foundry industry in the winter of 1964 to identify various technical, business, management issues in the industry and to seek further solutions. That same year MIRDC held a Taiwan Foundry Industry Meeting from June 19 to 20, bringing industry leaders, practitioners, administrators, scholars together to explore ways to advance the foundry industry. Several resolutions targeting specific issues were adopted to improve the fundamental landscape of the industry. Among the resolutions adopted was the proposal for the establishment of the foundry society to faciliate more techical exchanges among industry practioners, to serve as the research center for the country’s foundry industry and to connect and develop close relationships with peer organizations in other countries. The proposal was supported unanimously by all conference participants with eager anticipation for speedy establishment so that the society may help carry out its tasks for the country’s phase IV economic development plan.)— excerpt from “The Origin of Founding of the Chinese Foundrymen’s Association.”

Time: Tuesday, March 22, 1966, 8:30 a.m.

Location: No.1001, Kao-Nan Highway, Nan-Tze 811, Kaohsiung City, Taiwan, R.O.C.

Metal Industries Research & Development Centre

In Attendance: Sheng-Yan Tao and 197 participants.

Guests: Flint (UK), Kono Ryoujirou (Japan), Chinese Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers’ representatives Wei-Liang Li and Chin-Tau Tu.

Chairing Committee: Sheng-Yang Tao, Chi-Shin Chi, Hung-Lin Fu (elected by conference planning task force).

Speech by the Ex-Chairman (Sheng-Yang Tao)

Distinguished guests and colleagues, due to flight delay, the meeting was postponed this morning. Please accept my apology for keeping you waiting. As we kick off the inaugural meeting of the Chinese Foundrymen’s Association today, I would like to express my gratitude to the guests who came to visit and share their views and to the colleagues who so passionately embraced and participated in this event.

I came to this event wearing three different hats today. First of all, given that the Minister Lee of the Ministry of Economic Affairs is out of the country on official business and the two vice ministers are also unable to attend due to work schedule conflict, I am here representing Minister Lee to congratulate the inauguration of the Association. You all know that Minister Lee oversees the nation’s economic policy. Besides that, he also pays special attention to industrial development and care about the development of metal industries. Secondly, on behalf of the Economic Cooperation Committee, I am here to extend the good wishes of the committee to the assembly. I recall attending and exchanging opinions with you at the Foundry Industry Meeting held by the Metal Industries Research & Development Centre last June. At the time everyone felt the need to establish the Chinese Foundrymen’s Association. A 7-member planning committee chaired by Mr. Hung-Lin Fu was formed. With Deputy Director Fu’s leadership and the planning committee’s fervent support, the planning for the association was completed in a very short time and the inaugural meeting was set. As fellow foundrymen, we are truly pleased and grateful. Thirdly, as a member of the association, I am embarrassed to say that my background was in machinery and a dozen years ago I also worked in the foundry field. But I left the profession a long time ago and have since been doing administrative work. To me, attending today’s meeting as a member is like a deserter returning to his troupe. I feel spirited and excited. It can be said that casting is the most fundamental and important part of the metal industries. Not only does it require vast and complex knowledge base theoretically, in practice it also demands long, extensive experience to get the job done. Casting merges science and art, and as such it differs greatly from other metals and machinery manufacturing technologies.

The number of established foundries, such as Taiwan Machinery Manufacturing Company and Yulon Motor Foundry, are sizable in Taiwan. Especially in recent years, many smaller yet very well equipped foundries have sprung up one after another. Many of them are run by skilled technicians. Yet these entrepreneurs are so busy with their management tasks that they seldom have the opportunity to study or explore new casting techniques. Now with the birth of this foundry association, casting professionals have a chance to learn new skills and exchange experiences. I believe this move will bring R.O.C.’s casting technology to a level that is comparable to its European and American competitors and take the industry into a whole new realm. Not only is the association beneficial to the foundry industry itself, it may also contribute to the advancement of the whole metal industry. In our discussion on the foundry industry last June, I promised that the Economic Cooperation Committee would back the foundry industry. In terms of casting techniques, the Metal Industries Research & Development Centre can provide assistance for technical improvement. In terms of training, MIRDC has also done a lot. If there’s a need to invite foreign experts to Taiwan or send local professions abroad in the future, the Economic Cooperation Committee will be happy to help as much as we could. Given that most foundries are small and mid-sized businesses, we had hoped that a small and mid-sized industry guidance program could be introduced to provide financial assistance to selected companies in the foundry and metal industry. As you probably have read in the newspaper, the Executive Yuan has approved the establishment of the small and mid-sized industry advisory task force by the Economic Cooperation Committee. As the chair of the task force, I’ve started working on the project. At the beginning, only 50 small and mid-sized factories with export potentials are selected as the object of support and guidance. If the beginning guidance program works well, we can expand the program beyond the Economic Cooperation Committee and bring in partners such as the Central Bank, Ministry of Economic Affairs, and other relevant institutions to form a permanent organization to push for the comprehensive development of the small and mid-sized businesses. I have just returned from Europe but have heard from my colleagues that several metal and foundry factories are among the initial group of companies receiving guidance. of course there are only 50 selected companies at the beginning, including various kinds of manufacturers, so the number of foundries receiving guidance support is limited. We hope to complete the demonstration within the next six months, and provide even more assistance and support to the foundry industry.

Today is the day of the Chinese Foundrymen’s Association inaugural meeting that all of you here are most excited about. It also follows Chairman Chiang’s re-election yesterday and coincides with the day of the vice Chairmanial election. It is especially meaningful that the Chinese Foundrymen’s Association is formed today. I think that the first task of the Association is to pay respect to the Chairman and the newly elected vice Chairman and to make sure that every member devotes one’s own talent and strength for research and development so that the foundry association can utilize the collective wisdom of its members to contribute to our country.

The Chinese Foundrymen’s Association Renamed as Taiwan Foundry Society (TFS)

The Chinese Foundrymen’s Association formally changed its name to Taiwan Foundry Society (TFS) on January 1, 2003. – From “Chronicle of Association’s Name Change,” Casting Technology, March 2003 edition (issue 162).