Arizona/Taiwan industry foster new alliances
A gathering of Arizona/Taiwan optics industry associates was held in conjunction with the Tucson Optics International Conference (TOPTIC `95) and the OSA Optical Coatings Topical Meeting (June 5-9, Tucson, AZ). The "roundtable" featured representatives from Kodak`s Taiwanese subsidiary, the Industrial Technical Research Institute (ITRI, Taiwan), and the Precision Instrument Development Center (PIDC, Taiwan), among others. Some 13 representatives from Tucson area optics concerns also participated. Moderator Bill Cline of the City of Tucson Office of Economic Development characterized the roundtable as wildly successful. "One company was delivered a signed contract by the Taiwanese. Two different institutes from Taiwan are going to collaborate with a [second] Tucson company on telescope fabrication. A third is exploring a potential strategic alliance agreement with a Taiwanese company," said Cline. A similar meeting was planned in conjunction with Laser `95 last month in Munich.