Taiwan's Machine-tool Makers Tap Windpower Equipment Sector

Taipei, April 21, 2009 (CENS)--With windpower seen as a major industry to sustain economic development in Taiwan, China and the U.S., leading domestic makers of machine tools, including Goodway Machine Corp., Kent Industrial Co., Falcon Machine Tools Co., and Roundtop Machinery Industries Co., are scrambling to develop tools to roll out parts and components for windpower equipment.

In fact, Goodway claimed it has recently received orders for large machine tools for such application, and Kent is expected to do the same by the end of this year.

Large machine tools are critical production equipment for making blades and gearboxes for wind turbines. The above-mentioned machine-tool manufacturers are speeding up the development of ultra-large vertical lathes, large-sized horizontal boring/milling machines and large-sized grinding machines.

Eric Y.T. Chuo, president of Hiwin Technologies Corp., said amid the global financial tsunami, Europe, the U.S., China and Taiwan have targeted green energy as a fiscal-stimulus sector, hence driving up demand for such production tools.

Goodway president Edward Yang said large machine tools are not only required by the windpower industry but also the railroad and agricultural sectors, adding that his company has received orders from the windpower and railway firms in China, with shipments to begin between the second and third quarters this year.

In addition to large vertical lathes, Kent will also step up development of large boring/milling and grinding machines to better serve manufacturers of key components for windpower turbines.