TAITRA offers 'tailor-made' services to attract more foreign buyers

Taipei, Feb. 9, 2004 (CENS)--The Market Development Department (MDD) of semi-official Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) is actively promoting its 'tailor-made' services to small- and medium-sized enterprises in many countries of the world, aiming to attract these enterprises to purchase more from Taiwan.

Via the services, MDD expects such foreign enterprises to make US$100 million worth of purchases from Taiwan this year and US$300 million in the next three years.

Last year TAITRA attracted 298 small- and medium-sized foreign firms to participate in 163 trade talks it arranged, with trading value nearing US$100 million. Peter W. T. Huang, executive director of MDD, indicated that in the first month of this year TAITRA arranged eight such 'tailor-made' trade talks for foreign companies, although the workdays were cut by the long Chinese New Year holidays during the month.

Many of the foreign firms coming for the trade talks were from developing countries, and some have already placed orders. The purchasing value for the month is roughly estimated to be around US$3 million. Among the buyers, Altan Buudai Group of Mongolia decided to spend US$600,000 to buy whole plant facilities to produce soda water and soft drinks. Yaz-Kan of Turkey launched US$ 1 million to order textile equipment for the manufacture of furniture-use cloth, flame sprayers for cutting machines, and facilities for the production of ice cream cones. And a Vietnam's electricity plant is confirmed to purchase US$500,000 worth of insulated cables.

In addition, Rahoituskolmio of Finland intended to buy chinaware valued at US$150,000. And two firms from Central America--Filtros Carossi of El Salvador and Salas of Costa Rica--each ordered US$200,000 worth of goods here, with the former interested in filters for vehicles and the latter electric doors and gates.

Moreover, TAITRA is going to help six more enterprises in South Asia and East Europe come to Taiwan this month and next to source products here. Among them will be Tezmaksan, Turkey's largest machinery manufacturer, and Ryazan, one of Russia's leading machine makes. The two companies intend to buy plastics and tool machines and related parts.

Besides, the procurement officials of Prabhat of India, Rapid of Porland, and ASG of Sri Lanka are touring Taiwan now. The former two are looking for more than 20 products turned out by manufacturers here, including plastic machines and computers & peripherals; while the latter is searching for scooters, motorcycles and related parts with an estimated purchasing volume of seven TEU (20-foot equivalent unit) containers.