TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A US delegation visited I-Mei Food’s Longtan factory in Taoyuan on Thursday (Sept. 26) to learn about the company’s latest drone efforts and food production.

The delegation was joined by several representatives and experts from the drone industry including Shield AI Senior Director of Business Development Dan Imbat.

After a fireworks greeting from company partner 7A Drones, the group inspected I-Mei’s testing tunnel. At 45 meters long and 5 meters wide, the tunnel tests drones in four extreme weather conditions: cold, hot, wind, and rain.

The delegation also sampled I-Mei’s freeze-dried snacks and inspected its ice bank silos. The silos use off-peak electricity at night to produce and store ice for air conditioning during the daytime, allowing the company to reduce power consumption.

Regarding the company’s drone plans, CEO Luis Ko (高志明) said I-Mei intends to build a vertical testing tunnel next year. Imbat said constructing such a vertical take-off (VTOL) tunnel is difficult and praised I-Mei’s commitment to drone tech.

In recent years, Taiwan and the US have sought to avoid China's supply chain, per Financial Times. Drones are one area where both countries seek stronger cooperation.

* I-Mei Foods is the parent company of Taiwan News