Taiwan Saw Machine-tool Exports Grow 8.5% in First Four Months

Taipei, June 28, 2006 (CENS)--Exports of Taiwan-made machine tools amounted to US$874.39 million in the first four months of this year, up 8.5% from the corresponding period of last year, according to customs-cleared statistics compiled by the Taiwan Machine Tool Foundation (TMTF).

Of the exports, those for metal-cutting machine tools came to US$677.06 million, up 12.9% annually, while those for metal-forming machine tools amounted to US$197.32 million, down 4.4%.

In terms of the major export items in the category of metal-cutting machine tools, machining centers saw exports grow 16.2% year-on-year in the first four months of this year, lathes were up 23.5%, electric discharge machines were down 3.6%, milling machines were up 5.3%, with other categories growing at a small pace. In the area of metal-forming machine tools, presses and shearing machines saw exports were down 2.6%, with other metal-forming machine tools encountering a decline of 10.3% over the first four months.

In aspect of export outlets, Hong Kong and mainland China together ranked first by absorbing US$320.64 million worth of machine tools from Taiwan in the first four months of this year, up 0.5% year-on-year and accounting for 36.7% of the total exports. The U.S. took second place with US$91.64 million, up 12.1% and commanding 10.5%. Turkey ranked third with US$48.17 million, up US$13.55 million and accounting for 5.5%. Other major export outlets, in descending order, were Thailand, the Netherlands, South Korea, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, India, Germany, the United Kingdom, Singapore, Vietnam, and Brazil.

The TMTF tallies also showed Taiwan imported US$523.63 million worth of machine tools in the first four months of this year, up 5% from the same period of last year. Of this total, the import value for metal-cutting machine tools came to US$485.9 million, up 4.3% annually, and the value for metal-forming machine tools amounted to US$37.72 million, up 15.1%.

TMTF chief executive Wang Cheng-ching noted that the increase of imported machine tools in the first four months could be attributed to the rekindled demand of domestic high-tech firms after their sluggish orders last year. He noted the demand for imported machine tools by such conventional industries as the automobile and metal product sectors has continued to grow over the past two years.

Japan was the island's largest import source, selling US$242.15 million worth of machine tools to Taiwan in the first four months of this year, down 20.1% year-on-year and accounting for 46.2% of the total imports. The U.S. ranked second with US$167.53 million, up 57.5% and commanding 32%. Germany took third place with US$28.68 million, up 1.9% and accounting for 5.5%.

Wang said the world's major machine-tool producing nations, including Japan and the U.S., are upbeat about the prospects of the machine-tool industry globally this year. Many domestic manufacturers in this field also predicted sales growth in the first half of this year. They firmly believed they would enjoy an influx of orders from Taiwan's domestic market, Northeast Asia, Southeast Asia, Southwest Asia, the U.S., the E.U., Eastern Europe, and Brazil in the first half of this year.

Seeing the growth in exports during the first four months of this year, Wang called on domestic manufacturers to develop high-value-added products to expand Taiwan's market share worldwide.

Exports of Taiwan-made Machine Tools Jan.-April 2006 by Product Unit: US$1,000
Products	Jan.-April 2005	Jan.-April 2006	Annual Change (%)
EDM, Laser-cutting Machines	46,173	44,523	-3.6
Machining Centers	236,133	274,487	16.2
Lathes	146,244	180,545	23.5
Drilling, Boring, Milling Machines	80,364	84,659	5.3
Grinding Machines	46,173	48,110	4.2
Shaping, Sawing, Gearing Machines	44,441	44,743	0.7
Presses & Shearing Machines	158,534	154,426	-2.6
Other Metal-forming Machines	47,849	42,900	-10.3
Total	805,911	874,393	8.5
Source: Taiwan Machine Tool Foundation

　

Imports of Machine Tools Jan.-April 2006 by Product Unit: US$1,000
Products	Jan.-April 2005	Jan.-April 2006	Annual Change (%)
EDM, Laser-cutting Machines	341,176	403,146	18.2
Machining Centers	14,663	11,862	-19.1
Lathes	21,891	21,855	-0.2
Drilling, Boring, Milling Machines	18,353	16,298	-11.2
Grinding Machines	53,264	23,959	-55
Shaping, Sawing, Gearing Machines	16,699	8,786	-47.4
Presses & Shearing Machines	26,785	26,167	-2.3
Other Metal-forming Machines	6,005	11,559	92.5
Total	498,836	523,632	5
Source: Taiwan Machine Tool Foundation