摘要:本研究的主要目的在探討產業群聚的演化與升級。更明確的說,本研究希望透過探討台灣工具機產業群聚所發生之在地再鑲嵌、跨群聚連結、及跨界移殖等三個分別發生在群聚內、群聚間及群聚外的現象,暸解新興工業化國家產業群聚之演化及升級的過程及機制。
首先,本研究探討台灣工具機群聚內不斷深化的在地鑲嵌。除了工具機廠商持續擴大在台投資,更特別的是,近年來群聚內向來不合作的競爭廠商間,開始出現各種形式的合作聯盟。既有的文獻雖強調群聚成員合作的重要性,但多著重在產業鍊內垂直合作的分析。而關於群聚內水平合作的研究則又過於簡化,或單純地將成因指向群聚當地歷史、文化或制度等固有的有利條件。這方面文獻忽略討論的是,在一個地區競爭廠商間欠缺互動合作慣習的群聚,是否有可能克服制度惰性並建構出互惠的水平合作機制?本研究試圖藉由探討台灣工具機群聚廠商間互動合作形式轉變的原因及其影響,來釐清這個問題。
其次,本研究探討台灣工具機群聚與國內其他群聚間,逐漸形成的跨群聚知識連結。由於本地需求與供給間的聚合,中部的工具機群聚與北部的電子業群聚及南部的光電業群聚,因彼此的交易及技術互動出現了跨群聚的知識連結。目前文獻均強調國外知識來源對後進國家群聚技術升級及發展的重要性,本研究將指出其忽略了後進國家的群聚可透過與國內其它群聚間的互動連結,來取得升級所需知識的可能性。
最後,本研究將探討台灣工具機業的群聚外活動,尤其是自1990年代後期逐漸增加的中國投資。由於欠缺國內協力伙伴的支持,工具機廠商在中國之生產體系的建構,並無法如其他台灣製造業,由主力廠與協力廠採「母雞帶小雞」的模式來進行。此外,不同於以代工為主的台灣製造業廠商,台灣工具機廠商的中國投資動機似多來自「市場驅動」而非「製造驅動」。這在樣的狀況下,台灣工具機廠商在中國的移地生產是呈現出何種樣貌?這些有關產業群聚跨界移殖及治理的問題,亦是本研究想要研究的焦點。
Abstract: The main purpose of this research is to study the evolution and upgrading of industrial clusters. More specifically, this research aims to understand the processes of and mechanisms behind the evolution and upgrading of a industrial cluster in a newly industrializing country, through studying the three phenomena that have been taking place in the intra-, inter- and extra-cluster levels of Taiwan’s machine tool cluster: local re-embeddedness, inter-cluster linkages, and cross-border transplantation.
First, this research studies the sustained and deepened local embeddedness of Taiwan’s machine tool industry. In addition to the extended domestic investments of Taiwanese machine tool firms, the local re-embeddedness manifests also in the emergence of various forms of technological cooperation among local rivalry machine tool manufacturers. Existing studies of industrial clusters have already emphasized the importance of cooperation between cluster actors. However, literature seems to focus more on the discussions of cluster actors’ vertical cooperation, especially within the local production chains. Regarding the issue of horizontal cooperation in the clusters, existing studies were either too simplistic, or simply attributed the existence of intensive horizontal cooperation in a cluster to its local inherent favorable conditions, such as history, culture, institutions, etc. Such literature, as this study research will argue, neglects the possibility that even being endowed with weak convention of interactive cooperation among local rivals, cluster actors might overcome the institutional inertia and develop reciprocal horizontal cooperative mechanisms. This research will deal with this issue by investigating factors underlying the recent changes of the interactive forms within Taiwan’s machine tool cluster.
Second, this research analyzes the establishments of inter-cluster linkages between Taiwan’s machine tool cluster and other domestic high-tech clusters. Due to the convergence of local demands and supplies, machine tool cluster in central Taiwan region has started building up knowledge linkages though trades or technological interaction with the electronics cluster in the North and the optic-electronics cluster in the South. Most existing literature treats exclusively foreign linkages as the only effective knowledge sources for clusters in developing countries. However, as shown in the case of Taiwan’s machine tool industry, this research will point out that existing literature fails to consider that, for clusters in developing countries, the channels of knowledge are not only overseas linkages but also domestic ones.
Finally, this research discusses the extra-cluster activities of Taiwan’s machine tool industry, especially in the case of its increased investments in China since the late 1990s.Owing to lacking the supports of their domestic production partners, Taiwanese machine tool firms have not been able to construct the production systems in China through the strategy of “Hens lead chicks” that has been observed to be commonly employed by firms in most Taiwan’s manufacturing industries. Besides, as opposed to the “production-driven” investments of most OEM- or ODM-based Taiwanese manufacturers, Taiwanese machine tool firms’ investments in China have been “market-driven”. Under these different conditions, how would Taiwanese machine tool firms undertake their relocation projects? Issues concerning the cross-border transplantation and governance of an industrial cluster are also the foci of this research.