Taiwan delegation to attend int'l auto, parts forum in Qingdao, China

Taipei, April 21, 2005 (CENS)--A 40-member auto-electronic delegation from Taiwan, led by Chairman Rock Hsu of Taiwan Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers' Association (TEEMA), is scheduled to attend the second International Forum for the Development of Automobile and Auto Parts Industries to open on April 27 in Qingdao, Shangdon Province, mainland China.

The forum is designed to help foreign makers know the production and marketing trends of China's auto and auto parts industries China seen after its entry into the World Trade Organization (WTO), and to allow participants to exchange views on the future development trends of automobile and auto-parts industries in the world.

The forum will invite ranking officials of China's Ministry of Commerce, experts from the Chinese auto industry, and top executives of world-famous auto makers to give speeches on relevant topics.

Besides participating in the forum, the Taiwanese delegation will also visit the First Auto Works (FAW) Group and Haier Group to seek possible auto-electronics businesses across the Taiwan Strait.

The Taiwan delegation will comprise some 40 representatives from leading auto-electronic makers in Taiwan, including Delta Electronics, Inc., Action Electronics Co., Ltd., Universal Scientific Industrial Co., Ltd., Kinpo Electronics Inc., Kinpo Electronics Inc., Walsin Technology Corp. etc.

Hsu pointed out that as the auto-electronic sector is expected to enjoy the highest growth in auto and electronics parts industries, TEEMA set up an auto-electronic committee to integrate all related resources to cash in on the lucrative business.

According to a TEEMA official, Taiwan's semiconductor firm VIA Technologies Inc. has been cultivating its auto-electronic business for years, trying to break the long-term dominance of the auto-electronic market by international companies. In addition, Taiwan's Lite-On and Asustek groups have also set up auto-electronic R&D teams to explore the lucrative segment, while Hon Hai Group, the world's largest maker of barebone PCs, connectors and game consoles, is actively venturing into the segment by acquiring relevant makers.

Some companies, the TEEMA official said, like BenQ Corp. and Universal Scientific, have cooperated with local and foreign automakers as well as research institutes to jointly develop in-vehicle navigation and multimedia products.

In the past, most Taiwan companies could easily tap the auto-electronic business by producing lower value-added parts and components instead of high-margin systems, the market for which has long been dominated by big international suppliers such as Delphi of the U.S. and Denso of Japan.