Chao Shih-ming Tracking Taiwan's cultural Roots趙世名 追尋台灣文化根源
Growing up watching trains passing by, Chao Shih-ming, president of the Deduce Cultural Education Scientific Technology Co., Ltd., decides to bring his old-time memories into his business. Originally Chao ran a precision manufacturing business, but he's now venturing into producing powered locomotive models. He is a man who knows what he has done and wants.
CK101-locomotive loaded with history
In one of the activities celebrating this year's Railway Festival, an electric locomotive model named CK101 became all the rage. The model was hand-assembled at a 1:22.5 scale by Chao's company using precision manufacturing technology.
The CK101 locomotive had made its appearances on the reopening ceremony of the Chichi Line after being hard hit by the devastating Sep.21 earthquake last year, and in the Kaohsiung Harbor touring program during this year's Lantern Festival in Kaohsiung. CK101 was the first steam locomotive imported by the Japanese in 1917 and therefore remains an important part of Taiwan's railway history. Being decommissioned, CK101 now stays in the Railway Administration's maintenance factory in Changhua unless going out on "special operations."
Combine culture and technology
Chao and his colleagues used to own a precision manufacturing company. But unlike many others facing the economic recession, Chao considered the difficult times as a good opportunity for small and medium businesses to ponder where the future will lead.
"Every society and culture is unique. Over the last two decades, Taiwan companies have been doing OEM work for foreign companies. Even many large enterprises in Taiwan are still taking OEM orders. But now foreign companies are building factories in other countries where costs are lower. So it's time for Taiwan's SMB to think over where they should head in the future."
Handmade train station model
Prior to building the CK101 model, Chao had made CT250 and CT270 locomotive models, which were highly acclaimed in many exhibitions. He spent two years researching the CK101 before building it. It consists of more than 370 parts and 308 screws, measures 47.32 cm in length and 12.1 cm in width, and weighs 5 kilos. The track is made of alloy and is 4.5cm in width. The whole model is true to the real locomotive down to the tiniest detail.
Chao also commissioned master carpenters to build a miniature model of the Pao-an Train Station, with windows, desks, and drawers functioning like real ones.
一位從小住在高雄市鼓山區的男孩，天天看火車經過，不時到鐵道旁看陽光底下亮晃晃的鐵軌，長大後，深印他記憶的鐵道激發一股尋根的企業經營構想。台灣尋根文教科技公司董事長趙世名從精密製造公司到埋頭開發動態火車模型，他清楚自己做了什麼、要做什麼。
CK101火車頭，滿載歷史
今年鐵道節活動中，一部電動火車模型CK101頗受注意，那是位在高雄市的台灣尋根文教科技公司以國內的精密製造能力所設計，以原車22.5分之1比例全手工組裝的CK101蒸汽火車頭。
CK101火車頭就是去年集集線重新通車時亮相的蒸汽火車頭，更是今年燈會帶領民眾穿越高雄市的「嘟嘟火車」車頭，是1917年由日本人送到台灣的第一部動力火車頭，在台灣鐵道發展史上具相當歷史意義；這部火車頭平時在鐵路局彰化廠裡維修保管，遇有特殊活動才會「出勤務」。
走出代工，結合文化和科技
趙世名和工作夥伴原經營一家精密製造公司，和許多企業一樣面對經濟不景氣，但和別人不同的是，他認為這時正好可以讓中小企業有時間暫停為他國代工的忙碌，思考今後該往那裡走。
「每個社會和文化都是獨特的，我們這十幾、二十年的經濟發展，其實一直是國外公司代工廠，國內很多大公司做的還是國外的代工品，現在外國公司到其他成本較低的地方設廠，台灣的中小企業正好有時間想一下過去、現在和未來。」就是這樣的思考，趙世名從代工的精密模具製造業試著轉型到另一種結合文化的原產製造，他想到鐵道，於是下定決心製造每一個零件都是純手工打造的火車頭，將精密工業用在文化上。
「文教科技公司」在國內很少見，趙世名和合作夥伴決定成立一家以追尋台灣文化根源的科技公司時，向政府申請執照，到了國稅局這一關，國稅局很慎重的三次到該公司了解為何文化和科技可以整合在一起。
活動式設計的火車站，手工打造
製作CK101之前，台灣尋根文教科技公司先做出台灣鐵道史上必須記上一筆的CT250、CT270火車頭，並在多項機械火車展示會上得到好評，連日本製造過早期火車頭的重工業公司主管也受感動。CK101考證工作即做了兩年，全車以370多個零件、308多枚螺絲仔細組合，車長47.32公分、車寬12.1公分，總重量近5公斤，軌道金屬合金製成，軌距4.5公分。由於整個動態模型都是按原車構造組裝，原車可動的零件，模型車也都採活動設計，駕駛室的開關也可開合。
配合CK101動態火車模型，趙世名另請手藝精巧的木匠製作保安火車站的縮小模型，模型和真火車站一樣，門窗可以開合、進出口是活動式的，辦公桌可移動，桌內的抽屜皆能開關。CK101動態模型是台灣尋根公司首度量產的文化精密製造品，有人不看好動態模型火車的市場，但趙世名認為，如果台灣中小企業一直沒有結合文化走出自己的特色，將來更難在國際上與他人競爭，位在高雄市的公司願意為更長遠的未來創造自己的軌道。