Many Taiwanese manufacturers of outdoor-lighting equipment have begun supplying original design manufacturing-based (ODM-based) products as part of their efforts to differentiate themselves from low-end suppliers that generate income based on pure contract manufacturing. According to Sam Chen, c

The global auto industry is undergoing a revolution with basic structural changes. Manufacturing conglomerates that have long manipulated the global market, especially in Europe and the U.S., are being forced to restructure and modify their traditional production modes under high cost pressures tha

Taipei, March 28, 2006 (CENS)--Mechanical components and parts and intelligent robots will become the most important factors pushing up the annual output of Taiwan' s machinery industry to possibly reach NT$1 trillion (US$31.25 billion at US$1:NT$32) in the near future. According to a revision o

Despite the steep appreciation of the New Taiwan dollar and rising material costs, Taiwan's glass-metal furniture makers still manage to maintain decent profit margins thanks to the attractive designs, extraordinary quality and quality materials of their products. In addition to the designs offe

On Aug. 18, the Illinois Supreme Court reversed a $1 billion judgment against State Farm Insurance Co. stemming from a national class-action lawsuit. In rendering its decision, the high court held that the trial court erred in giving the suit class-action status. The plaintiffs consisted of Stat

On Aug. 18, the Illinois Supreme Court reversed a $1 billion judgment against State Farm Insurance Co. stemming from a national class-action lawsuit. In rendering its decision, the high court held that a trial court had earlier erred in giving the suit class-action status. Major suppliers of aft

The previous two issues of Taiwan Transportation Guide published interviews with key experts in Taiwan's aftermarket (AM) auto parts industry about the new Automotive Block Exemption Regulation (BER) 1400/2002/EC promulgated by the European Union (EU), and the regulation's possible effects on sales

For many international automotive performance tuning parts makers and exporters, 2005 was a low-powered year after seven to eight years of high sales growth, especially for those depending heavily on the U.S. market, where many big importers and chain stores filed for bankruptcy and dumped their pr

The Taiwan Automotive International Forum & Exhibition (TAIFE), the first of its kind, was held on Oct. 17-19 in Taipei. The aim was to boost the development of the domestic auto-parts industry and facilitate its transformation from pure manufacturing to system development, and to help give local p

Hard times have hit Taiwan' s hand-tool industry, which was replaced by mainland China as the world' s No. 1 supplier of the products in 2003, and manufacturers in the line are having to work harder than ever to keep afloat. Kissinger Lin, vice chairman of the Cendai Industrial Co., laments that

Taipei, March 17, 2006 (CENS)--Two auto-parts makers listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange (TSE) market reported record February revenues, including Gordon Auto Body Parts Co., Ltd. And Hota Industrial Manufacturing Co., Ltd. Industry sources forecasted that the local auto-parts line would continu

Taipei, March 7, 2006 (CENS)--Silicon-foundry giant Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) has decided to help Taiwanese designers of analog Ics snatch up at least 10% of the world market for power-management chips by offering them unique manufacturing processes and reasonable foundry costs.

The Gordon Auto Body Parts Co., one of Taiwan' s top three manufacturers of aftermarket (AM) sheet-metal auto body parts, expects substantial sales improvement in North America and Europe this year. Gordon already enjoys a large share of sales to North American auto insurers, and is confident of

The global auto industry is undergoing a revolution with basic structural changes. Manufacturing conglomerates that have long manipulated the global market, especially in Europe and the U.S., are being forced to restructure and modify their traditional production modes under high cost pressures tha

Over the past years' more than 70% of Taiwanese garden-tool manufacturers have transplanted their operations to mainland China to escape the adverse operating environment at home. Those who remain on the island have been striving to carve out a niche in the market' mainly by constantly rolling out

Modern automotive technology has been advancing at a very high speed' and automakers have recently released more diverse car models to compete in the different niches of the global market. New cars' with different parts and unique sub-systems' are also developed over a much shorter period than befo

Charlie Hsieh' chairman of the Taiwan Hand Tool Manufacturers' Association (THTMA)' says he will devote more resources in 2006 to raising the global profile of a unique digital-tool technology developed in Taiwan' hoping thereby to steer his industry on a high-tech development path. In the new y

Taipei, Feb. 13, 2006 (CENS)--The annual rise of Taiwan' s consumer price index (CPI) hit an 11-month high of 2.65% in January, according to the statistics compiled by the Cabinet-level Directorate General of Budget, Accounting & Statistics (DGBAS). DGBAS attributed the rise mainly to the hikes

Taipei, Jan. 20, 2006 (CENS)--Ford Motor Co. of the U.S. recently filed a compliant with the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) accusing Keystone Automotive Industries, Inc., a major North American distributor of aftermarket collision replacement auto parts, with the importation and sale of

Taipei, Jan. 11, 2006 (CENS)--The Industrial Development Bureau (IDB) under the Ministry of Economic Affairs will spend NT$1.5 billion (US$46.87 million at US$1:NT$32) in the next three years to promote localized production equipment for flat-panel monitors and relevant components and parts. The

Taipei, Jan. 10, 2006 (CENS)--To meet the rapid growth of steel production in mainland China and the possible erection of a large-sized steel plant by Formosa Plastics Corp. (FPC), China Steel Corp. (CSC) has kicked off a massive upgrading project. CSC is preparing to spend at least NT$30 billio

The government's program for subsidized rental of industrial land has proven so successful that it will be extended-with a switch in emphasis, however, to the traditional industries that have long been plagued by insufficient investment. The original program runs to the end of 2006, upon which t

Taipei, Dec. 29, 2005 (CENS)--Sumitomo Metal Mining Co., Ltd. (SMM) of Japan recently announced plans to pour 3 billion Japanese yen (NT$848 million) into doubling the production capacity at its local venture, Sumiko Electronics Taiwan Co., Ltd. (SET), which it established in cooperation with Taiwa

South Korea overtook Germany for the first time in 2004 to become the second-largest supplier of imported auto parts for Taiwan, according to a report compiled by the Metal Industries Research and Development Center (MIRDC) on commission from the government-sponsored Industrial Technology Intellige

The Taiwan Automotive International Forum & Exhibition (TAIFE), the first of its kind, was held on Oct. 17-19 in Taipei. The aim was to boost the development of the domestic auto-parts industry and facilitate its transformation from pure manufacturing to system development, and to help give local p

In recent years Taiwan's bathroom equipment manufacturing sector has been shifting away from contract manufacturing to original design manufacturing (ODM). Many of the domestic manufacturers in this line are capable of designing innovative products to meet the special requirements of customers from

Faced with an adverse operating environment, Taiwanese metal dining-room furniture makers have endeavored to automate their production and launch new products, so that they can hold their profit margins at an adequate level. One major problem plaguing Taiwanese makers in the line lies in iron pr

Office furniture manufacturers in Taiwan are rolling out top-of-the-line products with advanced ergonomic designs, marking a further a break from their past dependence on lower-end commodity items. Like their counterparts in other labor-intensive sectors, most of Taiwan's office furniture suppli

Mark Hogan, president of Canada's Magna International Inc., the world's fourth-largest tier-one auto-parts maker, announced on his first trip to Taiwan recently that his company would establish one or two R&D centers, plus a branch or subsidiary, on the island by the end of 2006. Magna is the wo

Taipei, Nov. 30, 2005 (CENS)--Silicon-foundry giant United Microelectronics Corp. (UMC) has recently poured over NT$100 million (US$3 million at US$1:NT$33) into chip design houses specializing in devices for Digital Video Broadcast-Handheld (DVB-H) gadgets. The money was funneled through the co