Director Fan-Tien Cheng of NCKU's Book Launch: "Industry 4.1: Intelligent Manufacturing with Zero Defects"

NCKU's Director of the Smart Manufacturing Research Center and Chair Professor of the Department of Manufacturing Information and Systems, Fan-Tien Cheng (Scopus), hailed as the "Taiwan Semiconductor Automation Guru," has garnered significant achievements in academic research on smart manufacturing and Industry 4.1 over the years. Today (January 19th), he hosted a book launch event at the NCKU's library for the chinese version of "Industry 4.1:  Intelligent Manufacturing with Zero Defects" published by the NCKU Press. Many distinguished guests from the industry and academia attended, praising the book as a masterpiece in smart manufacturing. They expressed hopes of aligning with the 2050 net-zero carbon emissions goal and further developing Industry 4.2 based on the knowledge presented in the book. Discussions and exchanges on related industrial issues were also conducted during the event, aiming to disseminate the book to a wider audience.

Director Cheng stated that in October 2021, after years of research efforts from himself and his team, they compiled their findings into a book. The English version, titled "Industry 4.1: Intelligent Manufacturing with Zero Defects" published by Wiley-IEEE, received considerable attention globally, with over 300 copies sold and an e-book release. Driven by President Huey-Jen Su's belief that NCKU should have its own publishing house, they obtained the rights and spent over a year formally acquiring authorization from Wiley-IEEE for the Chinese version. Thus, the Chinese edition of "Industry 4.1: Intelligent Manufacturing with Zero Defects" was released. This book serves as a textbook for a fully English-taught course, aiming to inspire more like-minded individuals and NCKU's students to engage in smart manufacturing research.

"We cannot settle for zero-defect manufacturing alone; achieving net-zero carbon emissions is also a crucial issue. In the future, we hope to advance towards Industry 4.2 (Net Zero) based on the smart manufacturing platform discussed in this book," Director Cheng expressed. Integrating artificial intelligence, algorithms, ICT, and industry-specific knowledge, Industry 4.1 requires cultivating key capabilities, which is not an easy task. However, writing the Chinese version was even more challenging than the English one because it necessitated clear and concise language to elucidate the concepts of Industry 4.1. To facilitate broader dissemination, while the original English version was priced at $140 USD, the Chinese version is priced at only 2500 NTD, aiming to make Industry 4.1 more accessible. The ultimate goal is to apply the mature theories to industries, integrating the concepts of energy-saving and carbon reduction, and achieving sustainable development.

President Su of NCKU remarked, "The library is not only a repository of existing knowledge but also a place where new knowledge continues to be developed. It's the perfect venue for book launches." She expressed her pride in serving at NCKU, a place teeming with creativity and innovation among faculty and students. Dr. Cheng has dedicated significant efforts to both presenting important new knowledge and establishing the Smart Manufacturing Center, bridging traditional engineering science with future smart elements. Substantial progress in technology transformation has been observed, and it is hoped that through this book, connections with the industry can be further strengthened to achieve zero defects in Industry 4.1 and move towards the next generation.

Professor Su-Lin Yu, currently serving as the Director of the Center for Humanities and Social Sciences at NCKU and also the Chief Editor of NCKU Press, delivered a speech, highlighting the significance of the book's translation. Originally published in English in 2022, the book reflects Dr. Cheng's belief that the concept of Industry 4.1 must be realized in Taiwan's talent cultivation and industrial development. Under Dr. Cheng's leadership, the team engaged in the translation work, and NCKU Press was honored to participate. She expressed gratitude to the NCKU Research Development Foundation for its financial support and to the NCKU's Library for its assistance, ensuring the successful conduct of the book launch event. This also represented NCKU Press's appreciation for President Su's unwavering support during her tenure, enabling the concrete manifestation of outstanding research results from faculty and students.

Professor Chih-Hung Chou, Chair Professor of the Department of Mechanical and Computer-Aided Engineering at Feng Chia University (FCU) and a friend of Director Cheng for nearly 20 years, served as the host of the book launch event. He congratulated the publication of the book and commended Director Cheng, who, even before the concept of Industry 4.0 was proposed in Germany, was already preparing related research on smart machinery and manufacturing. Developed from the concept of Industry 4.0, Industry 4.1 optimizes elements such as smart manufacturing, integrating automation, robotics, IoT sensing, supply chain interconnection, and sales and production big data analysis, profoundly impacting the industry. However, he emphasized that writing a book is even more challenging than writing a paper because it requires comprehensive and inspiring content, which is quite difficult for many scholars. Nevertheless, a good book has far-reaching effects on both academia and industry, and having this book published by NCKU Press is particularly meaningful, showcasing the university's academic prowess.

"Industry 4.1: Intelligent Manufacturing with Zero Defects" consists of 11 chapters. The first five chapters describe the evolution of automation and the development strategy of smart manufacturing, introducing essential modules and foundational technologies for building smart manufacturing. Chapter 6 introduces the Advanced Manufacturing Cloud of Things (AMCoT) framework and overall concepts such as Automatic Virtual Measurement (AVM), Intelligent Predictive Maintenance (IPM), and Intelligent Yield Management (IYM), integrating all these key technologies on the iFactory Automation (iFA) system platform. Chapter 7 elaborates on the construction of the Advanced Cloud Manufacturing Platform using Cyber-Physical Agent (CPA) and AMCoT framework. Chapters 8 to 10 explain the principles and implementations of AVM, IPM, and IYM, respectively. The final chapter provides application cases in seven industries, including panels, solar cells, semiconductors, automobiles, aerospace, carbon fiber, and blow molding.

The book launch event for "Industry 4.1: Intelligent Manufacturing with Zero Defects" also attracted many industry dignitaries. Among those in attendance were Chairman Chih-Min Hsu and Special Assistant Kuang-Li Mo from Shin Foong Specialty & Applied Materials Co., Ltd., President Tsan-Wen Wei from the Taiwan Machinery Industry Association, Vice General Manager Chung-Min Tan from Powerchip Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation, Technical Vice President Fu-yuan Lee from Winbond Electronics Corporation, Associate Manager Chia-wen Chang from MIRLE AUTOMATION CORP., Manager Ming-Wei  Chen and Manager Yu-Cheng Chang from United Microelectronics Corporation, Secretary Hsu-Ting Hsu from United Microelectronics Corporation, Associate Manager Pang-Chun Wang from Hopax International Co., Ltd., Chief Engineer  Chih-Cheng Hsu from United Microelectronics Corporation, Executive Director Sun-Yuan Hsieh from the NCKU Research and Development Foundation, Dean Yen-Kun Su and Vice Dean Wei-Chou Hsu from NCKU of Semiconductor and Sustainable Manufacturing, Vice Dean Yu-Lung Lo from NCKU of Engineering, and Library Director Han-Ching Wang from NCKU, all of whom extended their congratulations.