Taiwan's Machinery Exports Rose 8.2% to US$7.589 B. in First 7 Months

Taipei, Oct. 3, 2005 (CENS)--Exports of Taiwan-made machinery grew 8.2% year-on-year to reach US$7.589 billion in the first seven months of this year, according to customs-cleared statistics compiled by the Taiwan Association of Machinery Industry (TAMI).

Of various machinery products, machine tools ranked first with exports of US$1.494 billion, up 24% annually. The second place went to plastics and rubber processing machines with US$548.58 million, up 2%. Pumps, compressors and fans ranked third with US$516.95 million, down 3%. Special-purpose machinery took fourth with US$440.29 million, up 0.5%. Valves and parts came fifth with US$409.05 million, up 3%.

Other major export categories, in descending order, were woodworking machinery, molds and dies, textile machinery, sewing machinery, and bearings/gears/ball screws.

In terms of the largest export outlets for Taiwan-made machinery products, Hong Kong and mainland China together ranked first by absorbing US$2.605 billion worth of the products in the first seven months of this year, edging down 0.1% year-on-year and accounting for 34.3% of the total export value. The U.S. was the second largest outlet with US$1.315 billion, up 6% and accounting for 17.3%. Japan ranked third with US$441.02 million, up 19% and commanding 5.8%.

Other major export outlets, in descending order, were Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Turkey, Germany, the U. K., Canada, South Korea, Italy, India, Singapore, Australia, Holland, Spain, the Philippines, France, the United Arab Emirates, Mexico, Finland, Saudi Arabia, and Russia.

The TAMI tallies also showed Taiwan imported US$11.651 billion worth of general machinery in the first seven months of this year, representing a substantial increase of 22.3% over the corresponding period of last year.

Special-purpose machinery ranked first with imports of US$4.115 billion, up 37% annually and commanding 35.3% of the total imports. Machine tools ranked second with US$964.6 million, down 9% year-on-year and accounting for 8.3%. The third place went to pumps, compressors, and fans with US$656.4 million, up 18% and accounting for 5.6%. The category of engines and parts stood at the fourth place with US$557.87 million, for a sharp growth of 44% and accounting for 4.8%. Valves and parts ranked fifth with US$314.12 million, up 14% and commanding 2.7%.

Other major imported items, in descending order, were plastics processing machinery, rubber processing machinery, and textile machinery. TAMI said these imported machines were mainly employed by high-tech industries that produce optoelectronics, communications devices, information technology and semiconductors.

In terms of the largest sources of the imported machinery, Japan ranked first by exporting US$6.576 billion worth of the products to Taiwan in the first seven months of this year, up 30% from the same period last year and accounting for 56.4% of the total imports. The U.S. ranked second with US$2.137 billion, up 8% and commanding 18.3% of the total. Germany stood at the third place with US$743.19 million, up 15% and accounting for 6.4%.

Other major sources of imports into Taiwan, in descending order, were mainland China and Hong Kong together, South Korea, Switzerland, the U.K., Italy, and France.

Exports of Taiwan-made Machinery Products in Jan.-July 2005 Unit: US$1,000
Rank	Products	Jan.-July 2004	Jan.-July 2005	Annual Change (%)
1	Machine Tools	1,203,906	1,494,668	24.2
2	Plastics & Rubber Machinery	537,142	548,583	2.1
3	Pumps, Compressors, Fans	531,345	516,958	-2.7
4	Special-Purpose Machinery	438,151	440,292	0.5
5	Valves & Parts	396,338	409,051	3.2
6	Woodworking Machinery	392,089	382,506	-2.4
7	Molds & Dies	335,169	343,009	2.3
8	Textile Machinery	324,273	319,775	-1.4
9	Sewing Machines	295,440	300,567	1.7
10	Bearings, Gears, Ball Screws	243,088	285,896	17.6
11	Paper Making, Printing Machinery	115,307	132,103	14.6
12	Leather & Shoe Making Machinery	64,971	63,059	-2.9
	Others	2,136,874	2,353,409	10.1
	Total	7,014,093	7,589,876	8.2
Source: Taiwan Association of Machinery Industry