Taiwan's Machinery Exports Up 6.9% in First 11 Months of 2008

Taipei, Dec. 11, 2008 (CENS)--Exports of Taiwan-made machinery and related equipment totaled US$14.977 billion in the first 11 months of this year, up 6.9% from a year earlier, according to preliminary statistics compiled by the Taiwan Association of Machinery Industry (TAMI).

In November alone, the island's machinery exports dropped 4.6% from a year earlier, for the first decline ever seen in five years. The TAMI said it didn't expect satisfactory export performance in December.

Worth mentioning is that if calculated in the New Taiwan dollar, Taiwan exported NT$467.9 billion worth of machinery in the first 11 months of this year, representing a mere 1.7% year-on-year growth.

The TAMI stated the rise in steel prices and the depreciation of the Korean won against the U.S. greenback have combined to undermine export performance of domestic machinery industry in the first 11 months of this year.

The TAMI's tallies also showed Taiwan imported US$16.635 billion worth of machinery in the first 11 months of this year, up 4.2% year-on-year. If calculated in the NT dollar, the import value would come to NT$521.4 billion, down 0.9%.

Awea Mechantronic Co., one of Taiwan's leading manufacturers of double-column machining centers, said it scored NT$162 million (US$4.83 million at US$1:NT$33.5) in sales in November, representing a whopping annual decline of 50.77%. The company saw cumulative sales amount to NT$3.093 billion (US$92.32 million) in the first 11 months of this year, down 1.25% year-on-year.

Ching Hung Machinery & Electric Co., a leading manufacturer of electric discharge machines, posted NT$70.12 million (US$2.09 million) in sales in November, down 33.95% year-on-year. The company raked in cumulative sales of NT$954 million (US$28.47 million) in the first 11months of this year, down 15.46% from a year earlier.

Taiwan Takisawa Technology Co., a leading manufacturer of CNC (computerized numerically controlled) lathes, posted NT$151 million (US$4.5 million) in November sales, down 40.02% year-on-year. The company scored NT$2.446 billion (US$73.01 million) in cumulative sales in the first 11monthws of this year, down 3.85%.

Roundtop Machinery Industries Corp. is one of the best performers, as its revenue of NT$185 million (US$5.52 million) for November represented a sharp annual increase of 41.1%. The company saw cumulative sales hit NT$1.967 billion (US$58.71 million) in the first 11 months of this year, up 20.07% from a year earlier.

Falcon (Chevalier) Machine Tools Co. recorded a 5.06% year-on-year growth in November sales, reaching NT$117 million (US$3.49 million). The company scored NT$1.516 billion (US$45.25 million) in cumulative sales in the first 11 months of this year, up 2.53% annually.