Taiwan Hand Tool Suppliers to Debut Digital Tools at Cologne Fair

Taipei, Feb. 27, 2006 (CENS)--Taiwanese hand-tool suppliers will display tools equipped with digital meters at the upcoming Cologne hardware show Practical World — International Hardware Fair/DIY'TEC as their first step to test the world market with the tools.

The meter, driven by a microchip as a sensor inside and displaying digits on a nail-sized liquid-crystal display (LCD), was developed by Mechanical Industry Research Laboratories (MIRL) of the government-backed Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) and rolled out in 2004. The meter is developed as part of the Taiwan industry' s plan to boost product value by detecting various forces working on the tools.

To commercialize the digital technology, around 15 Taiwanese tool suppliers including J&K International Co., Ltd., Infar Industrial Co., Ltd., Ke Hung Industrial Co., Ltd., Proxene Tools Co., Ltd., Re-Dai Precision Tools Co., Ltd., William Tools Co., Ltd. And Yih Cheng Factory Co., Ltd. Have co-organized an NT$200 million (US$6.2 million at US$1:NT$32) corporation to produce the tools.

Chairman Charles Hsieh of J&K pointed out that the co-establishment of the corporation represents a collective strength for tapping the world market is forming among Taiwanese tool suppliers.

Hsieh, who is concurrently chairman of the Taiwan Hand Tool Manufacturers' Association, noted that Taiwanese suppliers are unmatchable with mainland Chinese rivals in cost competition, but they are far ahead of the mainland rivals in quality and technology competitions. Although German, American and Japanese suppliers, he added, are superior to Taiwanese suppliers in technology, they are inferior in costs.

M.H. Lee, a manager at MIRL responsible for the digital-tool project, pointed out that all of the key components including the chips, LCD screen, digital-display module and micro sensors for the digital meter passed quake-proof, stain-proof, heat-resistance and electromagnetic-compatibility proof tests. Lee said his organization had started transferring the technology to the new corporation as soon as it was established. The technology has so far gone into wrenches, electricity-powered screwdrivers and so on.

The biennially held Cologne show is to be held from March 5 through 8 this year. It is the world' s largest hardware event, which lured around 100, 000 buyers and 3, 600-some exhibitors to participate in the show in 2004.

Currently, Taiwan has around 600 hand-tool suppliers, generating export value totaling around NT$70 billion (US$2.18 billion) a year. The value accounts for around 2% of the export value of the industry throughout the world.

MIRL' s specialists expected the annual export value to gain NT$35 billion (US$1.09 billion) in 2009, when the meter becomes a common device in the island' s hand tools. In June 2004, the lab began pushing the establishment of a digital-tool research group in cooperation with 30-some local suppliers to develop applications for the technology.