Awea Mechantronic to See Sales Grow 30% in 2008

Taipei, Jan. 2, 2008 (CENS)--Thanks to the introduction of high-value-added products, Awea Mechantronic Co., one of Taiwan's leading manufacturers of double-column machining centers, will see annual sales grow over 30% year-on-year in 2008.

Awea recently unveiled its newly developed CNC (computerized numerically controlled) horizontal machining center, which is slated for mass production in mid-2008.

In addition, Awea will cooperate with Goodway Machine Corp. to invest US$3 million to set up an assembly plant of 360,000 square feet in Hanoi of Vietnam to produce double-column machining centers, C-type machining centers, and CNC lathes.

Awea began developing the double-column horizontal machining center a year ago. The new product line sells for more than US$300,000 each, suitable for the processing of precision automobile parts, aircraft engines, and 3C (computers, communications, consumer electronics) products.

At present, the company is capable of rolling out 40 units of C-type machining centers per month. After its new production facility in Central Taiwan Science Park is inaugurated sometime this year, the company will see monthly production for the product increase to over 70 units. Based on the shipment of 640 units of C-type machining centers in the first 11 months of 2007, the company anticipated it would be able to ship 720 units of the machines for the whole of 2007. In the first half of 2008, the company will ratchet up the monthly production capacity for the product to 100 units per month.

The company estimated it would be able to sell 230 units of double-column machining centers for the whole of 2007. After the expansion project on its Hsinchu plant is completed in March of 2008, the company will be able to increase production capacity for the double-column machining center by 25%.

Awea noted it would score 75 million RMB in sales at its plant in Shanghai of mainland China. The plant will step up production of double-column machining centers and added C-type machining centers to its product lines in 2008. The company has projected the plant's annual sales to break the 100 million RMB mark in 2008.