彎道超車？後進國家的工業4.0轉型－以臺灣工具機產業的智慧機上盒應用為例

隨著全球化的競爭，市場的需求從過去的大量商品化轉變為大量客製化，同時先進國家面臨少子化的影響，勞動力供給下降，使世界各國積極尋求產業轉型，並促成近年廣受熱議的工業4.0浪潮。本研究以臺灣工具機產業的智慧機上盒（smart machine box）應用為例，探討我國目前在這波轉型浪潮下工業4.0的發展概況，並用以回應本研究的三項發問：（1）智慧機上盒在我國工具機產業的工業4.0轉型中，扮演什麼樣的角色？（2）智慧機上盒如何應用在臺灣的工具機產業，背後的機制如何建立？（3）從智慧機上盒的研發到導入機械設備的應用，可以如何重新看待後進國家的技術學習方式，以及後續帶給產業群聚演化的影響？　　本研究採質性研究的方式，實際參與我國工具機產業的國際性會展與各式研討會，並與該領域的產官學研各界的資深從業人員進行深度訪談。研究結果發現智慧機上盒因其高性價比與多元功能的擴充性，而能在轉型過程中扮演關鍵的角色，並透過工具機領導廠商與政府主導的兩條路徑，滿足地方的智慧化生產需求。而臺灣作為後進國家，在轉型過程中因為資通訊技術的加入，使技術學習的取徑得以跳脫既有框架，不再受制於先進國家的技術箝制。國家在研發技術中扮演的角色，也從過去由上而下的直接介入，轉變為平台式的輔助；此外工具機領導廠商更發揮其能動性，建立自有的技術學習平台。在工具機產業群聚的演化上，也因此並非總是如群聚生命週期理論階段式地線性演化，反倒呈現擴大鑲嵌的狀態。　　總結而言，本文藉由我國工業4.0的發展作為一個重要的時間點，闡述新技術的加入與外在的環境變動宛如一扇「機會之窗」，使得工具機產業無論是在技術學習的取徑或是本身的群聚演化進程，都存有意料之外的發展可能，必須以群聚內部與群聚間的能動者，或是產業間的互動等更多重尺度的視角看待。

關鍵字

工業4.0 ；智慧機上盒（SMB）；技術學習；產業群聚演化；工具機產業

並列摘要

The market demand has changed from a large amount of commercialization to mass customization along with the global competition. Meanwhile, since advanced countries are confronting with declining birthrate and lack of labor force, the world is on the verge of industrial transformation which leads to the wave of Industry 4.0 these years. This study uses the application of the smart machine box (SMB) as the example to explain the current situation of Industry 4.0 in Taiwan’s machine tool industry. It aims to answer questions regarding: (1) What role does SMB play in Industry 4.0? (2) How does SMB apply to machine tool industry and establish the related mechanisms behind? (3) How we could reconsider the technological learning paths of latecomers and the subsequent impact brings to the evolution of industrial clusters? 　　This study uses qualitative research methods, including participating various machine tool shows and related seminars, and conducting in-depth interviews with key actors from machine tool firms, public research institutes and university research centers in Taiwan. It finds that the SMB plays an important role in the development process of Industry 4.0 thanks to its high cost-performance ratio and multiple extensions. Besides, the development and application of SMB have satisfies local firms’ demands of smart manufacturing through two paths: one led by local leading machine tool firms intending to develop their own SMB technologies and products, and the other initiated by the governments aiming to facilitate local firms efforts towards Industry 4.0 through the application of SMB. Furthermore, in the process, by taking advantage of the advancement in information and communication related technologies, Taiwanese industrial firms, as latecomers, have been allowed to acquire needed knowledge and skills without the restriction imposed by their foreign advanced counterparts. The role of the state in technology research and development has also changed from direct top-down intervention to the platform-based assistance. And local leading machine tool firms have also demonstrated their agency in terms of building their own technical learning platform. Such a case is argued to not conform to the cluster life cycle theory which implies a straightforward growth path. In addition, in the evolution of Taiwan’s machine tool cluster a phenomena of expanded embeddedness of local firms is observed. 　　In conclusion, this study sees Industry 4.0 as a vital timing for latecomers to catch up advanced technologies. Specifically, the emergence of new technologies and the changes of external environment are the “windows of opportunity” which bring every possibility of technological learning approaches and clusters evolution.