Taiwan, the third-largest manufacturing country globally, boasts an annual production value surpassing US$4 billion. This remarkable output is generated by over 2,300 hand tools manufacturers on the island, and it holds the prestigious position as the world's leading OEM for middle and high-end hand tools. Since the 1970s, the Taiwanese hand tools industry emerged out of the need for maintenan...

■Yang Feng-Chun In a bid to assist manufacturers in Changhua County to expand their market reach overseas against severe competition in the globalized market, Changhua County Government has been an active player in pushing for a makeover and innovation of its local small and medium-sized enterprises. This is done in hopes of establishing stronger connection with international markets. An ex...

Angus Tseng, Oddo Kitchen president and newly elected chairman of Taipei Kitchen Commerce Association, is aiming to explore more business opportunities in the international market through industrial upgrading. “Kitchenware industry is now facing the issues such as manpower shortage, inadequate brand differentiation, rapid rise of China, and chaotic market competition.” Tseng said. “Therefore,...

The rise of China’s “red supply chain,” a term coined by market observers for aggressive development of Chinese tech industries backed by the central government to minimize dependence on imports and secure sustained economic growth, is widely regarded a growing threat to Taiwanese manufacturers, especially those from the island’s industries supplying products and services overlapping those from t...

As mostly an unsung hero, Y.D. Wu, chairman of the Plumbing Association of Taiwan (PAT), the island’s only trade group representing several hundred manufacturers and subcontractors of plumbing, bathroom fittings and products in Changhua, central Taiwan, is in the last year of his second 2-year tenure and has under his belt many achievements that continue to lay the foundation for the industry’s s...

Compiled by STEVE CHUANG The Taiwan Industrial Fastener Institute (TIFI), the island’s only trade association composed of fastener manufacturers, is generally regarded as the driver of development of the industry over the past decades, and its newly nominated chairman, Anchor Chang, also the owner of Anchor Fasteners Industrial Co., Ltd. and Alliance Global Technology Co., Ltd., is taking over...

After years of progress in production capability and capacity, Taiwanese hand tool makers have steadily risen up the global supply chain from their original OEM (original equipment manufacturing) role to the ODM (original design manufacturing) level. Their success in connecting "Made-in-Taiwan" with high-end, high-profile hand tools owes to relentless R&D and product quality improvements, as well...

With a tip at one end of the metal shaft and a plastic handle at the other, a screwdriver is one of the earthiest, most commonly used tools with a stereotyped shape in the minds of the public. Strelka’s brand-new ToolBook is designed to give that stereotype a makeover. The ToolBook is a screwdriver set consisting of four screwdrivers and several hex keys, with lots of features to set itself a...

By STEVE CHUANG Over the past decade, Taiwan’s hand tool industry has built up solid reputations among international buyers for supplying high-quality, high-precision tools catering to professional end-users, and as a result has enjoyed steady growth. The hand tool industry took off in Taiwan in the 1970s, and in the past decade has experienced a second "golden age." According to a report a...

By STEVE CHUANG Joe Chen may be entering his last year as the chairman of Taiwan Industrial Fasteners Institute (TIFI), but the industry captain, also president of fastener supplier Saintec Enterprise Co., Ltd., is still going full-speed to boost Taiwan's competitiveness in the global market. Under his leadership, the third Taiwan International Fastener Show (TIFS) is set to hold its biggest-eve...