Taiwan' s Machine Tool Exports Grew 5.4% in First Two Months
May 03, 2006 Ι Industry In-Focus Ι Machinery & Machine Tools Ι By Ben, CENS
Of the exports, metal-cutting machine tools accounted for US$298.21 million, up 9.9% year-on-year; and metal-forming machine tools commanded US$90.08 million, down 7.3%.
As for the category of metal-cutting machine tools, exports for machining centers grew 12.2% annually in the first two months of this year. Exports for lathes were up 13.4%; electric discharge machines down 0.4%; milling machines up 14.5%; and the remainder grew at a slower pace. In the category of metal-forming machine tools, exports for presses and shearing machines were down 4.9% year-on-year, with the remaining types of the machines dropping 14.9%.
In terms of export outlets, mainland China and Hong Kong together ranked first by absorbing US$133.35 million worth of Taiwan-made machine tools in the first two months of this year, down 6% year-on-year and accounting for 34.3% of the total exports. The U.S. took second place with US$42.31 million, up 6% and commanding 10.9%. The third place went to Turkey with US$22.66 million, up 7.1% and accounting for 5.8%.
Other major export outlets for the products, in descending order, were Thailand, the Netherlands, India, Japan, the U.K., Germany, South Korea, Italy, Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia, and Brazil.
The TMTF tallies also showed Taiwan imported US$243.43 million worth of machine tools in the first two months of this year, up 9.2% from the like period of last year. Of the tools brought to Taiwan, metal-cutting machine tools accounted for US$220.11 million, up 5.5% year-on-year, and imports for metal-forming machine tools came to US$23.31 million, up 63.9%.
Wang Cheng-ching, CEO of the TMTF, noted major import categories of machine tools in the first two months of this year were non-conventional machine tools, machining centers, lathes, boring and milling machines, and grinding machines.
Japan was the largest source of the imported machine tools, selling US$98.59 million worth of machine tools to Taiwan, down 23.3% year-on-year and accounting for 40.5% of the total imports. The U.S. stood at the second place with US$87.86 million, down 68.2% annually and commanding 36.1%. Germany ranked third with US$17.8 million, up 10.8% and accounting for 7.3%.
Exports of Taiwan-made Machine Tools in Jan.-Feb. 2006 Unit: US$1,000 | |||
Products | Jan.-Feb. 2005 | Jan.-Feb. 2006 | Annual Change (%) |
EDM, Laser-cutting Machines | 20,120 | 20,043 | -0.4 |
Machining Centers | 108,017 | 121,144 | 12.2 |
Lathes | 68,617 | 77,833 | 13.4 |
Drilling, Boring, Milling Machines | 35,183 | 40,283 | 14.5 |
Grinding Machines | 20,043 | 20,434 | 2 |
Shaping, Sawing, Gearing Machines | 19,335 | 18,480 | -4.4 |
Presses and Shearing Machines | 73,945 | 70,302 | -4.9 |
Other Metal-forming Machines | 23,235 | 19,780 | -14.9 |
Total | 368,495 | 388,299 | 5.4 |
Source: Taiwan Machine Tool Foundation |
Imports of Machine Tools by Taiwan in Jan.-Feb. 2006 Unit: US$1,000 | |||
Products | Jan.-Feb. 2005 | Jan.-Feb. 2006 | Annual Change (%) |
EMD, Laser-cutting Machines | 152,501 | 183,893 | 20.6 |
Machining Centers | 6,881 | 2,975 | -56.8 |
Lathes | 9,146 | 11,115 | 21.5 |
Drilling, Boring, Milling Machines | 6,997 | 9,347 | 33.6 |
Grinding Machines | 26,533 | 8,777 | -66.9 |
Shaping, Sawing, Gearing Machines | 6,646 | 4,012 | -39.6 |
Presses and Shearing Machines | 10,626 | 16,765 | 57.8 |
Other Metal-forming Machines | 3,601 | 6,550 | 81.9 |
Total | 222,931 | 243,434 | 9.2 |
Source: Taiwan Machine Tool Foundation |