Taiwan’s grey market economy is estimated to have increased to reach 28% of overall GDP in 2012, being a NT$3-4 trillion sector that is neither taxed nor regulated by government, according to the latest study by a joint research group from the National Taiwan University and National Cheng Kung Univ

With Asia’s cruise travel market rapidly growing, Taiwan, strategically located between Northeast and Southeast Asia’s cruise network to boast the biggest advantage among others to develop such segment, targets cruise passenger arrivals of 1 million by 2015, according to the Ministry of Transportat

Taiwan Cooperative Bank led syndicated loans among domestic banks with market share of 14.45% in the first half (H1) of 2014 and Bank of Taiwan (BOT) closely followed with 14.42%, according to the statistics compiled by Basis Point of Thomas Reuters. In Taiwan’s syndicated loan market, Taiwan Co

Since its inception in 1990 in Taiwan’s central county of Changhua, Shyang Yhi Hardware Factory has been specialized in manufacture of faucets and related parts for nearly two decades. Long experienced in production and R&D, the company has built a solid name as a professional faucet maker in Ta

Founded in 2002, Hsiang Wen Acrylic Fine Goods Enterprise Co. is an ISO 9001- and TAF-certified manufacturer of acrylic products using specialized processing equipment as CO2 laser cutting machines. With its accumulated know-how, the firm constantly develops new products to meet market demand. T

Design, development, tooling and plastic injection molding of mechanical hardware, furniture accessories, sports equipment parts, and healthcare equipment parts. Shen Shan International Glide Corp. supplies wideranging plastic products for indoor and outdoor furniture, healthcare equipment, spor

Stronger demand from the global auto-parts market is spurring Taiwanese makers to aggressively invest in production expansions. Two leading auto-parts makers, Tong Yang Industrial Co., Ltd. (TYG) and TYC Brothers Industrial Co., Ltd., recently announced such plans at shareholder meetings. TYG, t

Depo Auto Parts Ind. Co. Ltd., one of the largest aftermarket (AM) auto-lamp manufacturers in Taiwan, recently announced that it will invest about NT$10 billion (US$333.3 million) in different production-capacity expansion projects over next three years in Taiwan. Under the plan, the company will e

At the 2014 Taipei AMPA, Top Colour Film Ltd., a technically leading manufacturer of solar window film in Taiwan, showed all its major film products to international buyers. Robert Tsai, company president, claims that Top Colour is not only a leader in the sector globally, but also the only supplie

At this year's Taipei AMPA, seen as a major, global auto-parts and -accessory show, Hwang Yu Automobile Parts Co., Ltd. displayed its comprehensive range of auto chassis parts. At this year's show, Roy Cho, Hwang Yu's president, said that to better meet global customers' requirement for one-stop

By QUINCY LIANG Looking for cooperative ties with automotive-electronics and vehicle telematics makers in Taiwan, Didie Soewondho, vice chairman of IT, Telecommunication and Broadcasting, KADIN Indonesia (Indonesian Chamber of Commerce & Industry), led an industry delegation, including 21 Indone

The Tongtai Group, a leading Taiwanese machine-tool maker, recently announced that it will cooperate with the Japanese laser-equipment maker Cyber Laser in setting up a joint venture to produce laser sources in Taiwan. The partnership was brought together by a venture capital fund co-organized b

Autogrip Machinery Co., Ltd., formerly the Chia Her Machinery Co., Ltd., is a Taiwanese manufacturer of power chucks and rotary cylinders that has, since its inception in 1989, concentrated on production of high-precision products to achieve differentiation, as well as steadily improving product q

Hotai Motor Co. Ltd., the agent of Toyotas and Lexus and top auto vendor in Taiwan for more than 10 years by market share, recently announced its board's decision to distribute cash dividends of NT$12.6 (US$0.42) for 2013, a record high in company history. To better control its car sales network

Impressed by the sanguine outlook of the robot market, Chairman Eric Chuo of the Hiwin Group recently forecasted its industrial robot shipments to surge to 100 systems monthly in the second half of this year, up from the current five systems. The sharp shipment increase is predicted to boost rob

After launching its own line of Luxgens in Taiwan, China and Russia, Yulon Group of Taiwan, a major carmaker on the island, recently announced its business development plan for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) market. Kenneth Yen, Yulon's chairman, says that Yulon will asse

Taiwan International Port Corporation (TIPC), a government-linked operator of the island’s commercial ports, continues to play a part to boost development of the local cruise travel market this year. TIPC recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with U.S.’s cruise company, Royal Carri

Yulon Group of Taiwan, a major carmaker on the island, recently kicked off vending its own-branded Luxgen U6 crossover in China. The firm's president Yao Chen-hsiang is optimistic about achieving an annual sales goal of 60,000 Luxgens on the both sides of the Taiwan Strait this year. The group a

By JENNY WU China has more than 300 million people under the age of 16, accounting for a quarter of the country’s entire population, notes Zhu Changling, vice director of the China National Furniture Association. This means, he believes, that the potential for the development of children's furni

By MICHELLE HSU The 2014 Taiwan International Furniture Show (TIFS), organized by the Taiwan Furniture Manufacturers Association (TFMA) and held Feb. 21-24 at the Taipei World Trade Center, is a major global furniture exhibition held in Taiwan. This year, an international seminar was held alongs

To promote Taiwan’s high-quality medical and surgical instruments to orthopedic surgeons worldwide, Taiwan's Metal Industries Research & Development Centre (MIRDC), a government-funded R&D institute, organized an exhibitor group to attend the EFORT Congress 2014 (the 15th European Federation of Nat

After long anticipation by the automotive industry in Taiwan, German automaker Volkswagen AG finally announced its decision to set up a wholly-owned subsidiary on the island, whose future business development will depend on the trade negotiations between Taiwan and China. Through a video confere

By CARMEN LO The annual value of China's furniture market soared from about 10 billion renminbi (around US$1.67 billion) in the 1990s to 780 billion RMB (US$130 billion) in 2010, making furniture one of the top five industries in China. Today the country's furniture industry is continuing to gro

Healthcare is a growing concern worldwide, due partly to the graying of populations everywhere, motivating developed countries to foster the development of health-related sectors. Taiwan is no exception to this trend, and the island's government and private enterprises are engaged in a coordinated

China Steel Corp. (CSC), a major steelmaker in Taiwan, recently broke ground for the construction of an auto-parts plant, marking its entry into the new business. The factory will be operated by Hot Stamping Auto Parts Corporation, a joint venture between CSC (30% stake), Engley Auto. Parts Co.,

Several auto-parts manufacturers listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange recently reported good operating results for the first few months of the year. Hota Industrial Manufacturing Co., Ltd. and Tsang Yow Industrial Co., Ltd., for instance, both scored record first-quarter earnings, while the Tong Yan

Founded in 1981 in Iquique, a port city in northern Chile, Marutomo Industry Co. , Ltd. has grown into a veteran trading company that began life primarily as a vendor of used Japanese cars and spare parts in Latin American countries such as Paraguay, Bolivia, Argentina, Peru, Ecuador, and Chile. A

By QUINCY LIANG After gaining a solid foothold in China, the world's largest automobile market, Taiwan's major auto-parts maker Tong Yang Industrial Co., Ltd. recently announced that it will focus investment over the next few years on the island. Crispin Wu, Tong Yang's president, said that h

Established in 1987 and today one of Taiwan's leading makers of steel household products, Ren Gui Wood Co., Ltd. exports a wide array of steel household items to Japan, the U.S., and Europe. The firm insists on using a down-to-earth, honest approach to create business opportunities. Ren Gui’s comm

To help Taiwanese machine tool suppliers better compete against rivals from Europe and Japan, the Metal Industries Research & Development Centre (MIRDC), a government-funded R&D institute, has just finished constructing a grey cast iron FC250 properties database for insiders to improve turret dimen