Smart Machines and Data Collection: Can Machines Go Online?

More and more food factories want to know how much each machine made per day, how long it was stopped, and why. That's the starting point of going "smart": first, write down the numbers on the floor.

Can the Machine Record Output?

It depends on how the machine is controlled:

• With a counting function: Some models' control panels display a production count, which can be copied down each shift or exported.
• With signal outputs: If the machine's controller (such as a PLC) has spare output points, it can send out an "each piece made" or "running/stopped" signal to a counter or data collector.
• With neither: You can also add external sensors, for example a photoelectric switch on the discharge conveyor to count pieces, or a current sensor on the power circuit to determine running status.

Even without going online, recording start-up time, output, and downtime reasons every day on paper or in a spreadsheet can point the way to improvements, and be used to estimate capacity and labor savings.

Can It Connect to Central Control or an MES?

A manufacturing execution system (MES) manages production scheduling, work orders, output, and quality records. To connect a machine, confirm:

1. Controller model and communication interface: which communication methods the controller supports, and whether it has a network port.
2. What data it can provide: output, running status, speed settings, alarms.
3. Who will integrate it: which part the machine maker, systems integrator, or MES vendor is each responsible for.
4. Information security: Once production equipment is on the network, separate it from the office network, and manage accounts, passwords, and remote connections.

Older machines can be connected too, though usually by adding a data collector or sensors. When buying a new machine, you can specify spare signal output points in the requirements. To ask whether Dong-Yih Machinery models support output recording or signal outputs, please call us (06-257-4644).

Where Should Going Smart Start?

Suggested order:

1. Record: output, running time, downtime reasons.
2. Visualize: Turn the numbers into daily reports or a dashboard.
3. Analyze: Find the most frequent causes of downtime and the slowest products.
4. Link: Have upstream and downstream equipment adjust automatically to the takt, or push recipe settings from the MES.

Many factories find clear room for improvement at steps 1 and 2, without needing plant-wide connectivity from the start.

Smart Machinery Investment Tax Credit

Article 10-1 of the Statute for Industrial Innovation (產業創新條例) provides that from January 1, 2025 to December 31, 2029, when a company or limited partnership invests in brand-new smart machinery, 5G systems, cybersecurity products or services, AI products or services, or energy-saving and carbon-reduction items for its own use, with total spending in the same tax year of at least NT$1 million and no more than NT$2 billion, it may choose either to credit 5% of that year's spending against business income tax, or to credit 3% per year for three years starting that year; the annual credit is capped at 30% of the income tax payable that year. It applies to companies or limited partnerships that have not committed serious violations of environmental, labor, or food safety and sanitation laws in the past three years.

Under the credit regulations as amended and promulgated on November 27, 2025, "smart machinery" must have statutory smart technology elements; the amendment retained four: robotics, digital management, cyber-physical integration, and additive manufacturing. Food machinery that operates as a standalone unit without these functions may not qualify. Eligibility is determined case by case under the regulations; confirm with your accountant before applying, and note the online application deadlines set by the Ministry of Economic Affairs.

Industry Standards

The Taiwan Association of Machinery Industry (台灣區機器工業同業公會) published a food machinery industry standard in 2025; businesses interested in industry norms can contact the association for the original text.

FAQ

Q: Can an old encrusting machine be retrofitted with an output counter?
A: Usually yes, for example by adding a photoelectric switch on the discharge conveyor or taking a signal from the controller's output points; have a technician evaluate it.

Q: What do I need to prepare to connect a machine to an MES?
A: First confirm the controller's communication interface and the data it can provide, then decide who will integrate it, and separate the production network from the office network.

Q: Can buying food machinery qualify for the smart machinery investment tax credit?
A: It must meet the smart technology element requirements of Article 10-1 of the Statute for Industrial Innovation and the credit regulations; ordinary machines may not qualify.

Q: Does going smart have to cost a lot?
A: Not necessarily. Starting by recording output, running time, and downtime reasons can reveal plenty of room for improvement.