The transformation of Taiyen Biotech Co. Ltd.

This article was written by Graham Norris and published by the Taiwan Journal on July 22, 2005. It features Taiyen Biotech Co. Ltd, a Taiwanese company that began its life as the Taiwan Salt Works in 1952. The company used to be a utility under Taiwan's Ministry of Economic Affairs, managing well thanks to its privileged status as a protected monopoly. However, under the pressure of liberalizing market conditions in recent years, particularly in anticipation of Taiwan's accession to the World Trade Organization, the salt monopoly was forced to change itself.

Over the past decade, the company has diversified into manufacturing fields such as cosmetics, microbial pesticides and toner-cartridge components. But the most important of its ventures is its current investment in a biotechnology research-and-development center in the Tainan Technology Industrial Park. The construction of the biotechnology R&D center will be completed in 2006.

For more detailed information about Taiyen Biotech Co. Ltd. and its biotechnology R&D achievements, please check out this article.