Tainan’s Long Team Industrial breaks the mold with AI overhaul

台南龍騰工業打破常規，透過人工智慧進行革新

Second-generation leader bets on AI to future-proof a 35-year-old factory


TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Tucked inside Tainan’s overlooked Anding Industrial Park, Long Team Industrial is challenging stereotypes of Taiwanese manufacturing by integrating AI into its production.

The company began in 1989 as a mold maker and expanded into plastic injection molding by 2001, per CNA. Its factory remains hot and tightly packed, but behind the chaos, a digital revolution is underway.

In 2022, facing mounting global pressure and a generational leadership shift, Long Team launched a strategic overhaul. “The old ways can’t meet global demand or attract young talent,” said Lin Yen (林諺), a second-generation successor who is leading the transformation.

Last year, the company embraced AI to overhaul its workflow, tackling inefficiencies and rising costs. Key upgrades included cloud-based mold management and AI-assisted molding, aimed at digitizing and optimizing operations.

“Before AI, it was all paper and gut feeling,” Lin explained. Production data was fragmented, real-time tracking did not exist, and pricing errors were frequent due to undocumented know-how locked in veterans’ heads.

Adopting AI was not easy. Lin likened the transition to “asking a medieval knight to drive a car.” Some older technicians resisted or left, fearing their expertise would be replaced by machines.

To counter skepticism, Long Team rolled out AI in stages, starting with a single product line. It shared hard numbers, like a 19.8% reduction in molding cycle time and a 26% output increase, to show skeptics the system’s value.

The company also ramped up training, using a mix of internal coaching and external courses. Senior staff were tapped as mentors, making AI adaptation a continuous learning process rather than a top-down order.

Eight months into full operation, the changes are measurable: trial runs have dropped, labor has decreased by hours, and costs are down by as much as 80%. CEO Chang Yung-hsiang (張詠翔) of AI partner firm Moldintel confirmed the results align with five years of industry data.

Lin insists the goal isn’t just smarter production – it’s cultural transformation. “Adopting tools isn’t transformation. Real competitiveness is born from the fusion of process, culture, and technology,” he added.