The foundry industry is an important and fundamental national industry In Taiwan. Since the foundry industry is a traditional 3K (From Japanese 3K, which stands for kitsui- difficult, hard, kitanai- dirty) and kiken- dangerous) industry, it does not attract young workers and faces future shortage of professionals, which may lead to the disappearance of the industry itself. The Occupational Safety and Health administration, the Ministry of Labor, has foreseen serious long-term problems in fundamental industries and is promoting the modernization of the foundry industry by forming an industry safety platform. This scheme is expected to change 3K into 3C, which stands for clean, career, and competitive, and to guide industry vendors to actively solve existing problems.
The Ministry of Labor has encouraged the petrochemical industry to form an industry safety platform which consists of petrochemical manufacturers. Based on the previous experience, the Ministry of Labor is promoting the foundry industry to develop platform to improve work environment in the industry, transform and upgrade the industry, promote employment, and increase industry competitiveness with the support from the government and the cooperation between industry and academic sectors.
Based on the 3C Foundry Project, this platform is intended to use successful case examples and government incentive measures to change foundry industry from 3K to 3C. The implications of 3C foundry industry are as follows. Clean means to improve work environment, increase labor benefits, and promote national labor employment. Career means the institutionalization of professional cultivation, which will create a career advancement path for young laborers after employment and give them incentive to stay and work in the foundry industry. Competitiveness means automation of the production process, making production “intelligent,” standardize technology, differentiate products, conserve energy and fuel, and prevent pollution from waste gas and foundry dust particles. These measures lead the outcome which could increase the international competitiveness of casting products and expand their export markets.
This foundry industry development platform is co-developed by the Taiwan Casting Industry Association, Taiwan Foundry Association, and Metal Industries Research and Development Centre. With government support as well as industrial and academic cooperation, it is expected to improve working conditions, transform and upgrade the industry, promote employment, and increase industry competitiveness.

Group photo of guests of the casting industry development platform (from left to right):
Director Fu, Hai-jan, Occupational Safety and Health Administration
Spokesman Sun, Li-chun, Executive Yuan
Director Chen, Lin-shan, Taiwan Foundry Society
Chairman Huang, Chi–chuan, Casting Industry Development Platform
Premier Mao, Chih-kuo, Executive Yuan
Director Chen, Hsiung-wen, Ministry of Labor
Director Wu, Ming-chi, Industrial Development Bureau, MOEA
Director-General Li, Yan-yi, Technology and Vocational Education, Ministry of Education
Director Hsu, Shen-po, Taiwan Casting Industry Association