Taiwan to Exceed Italy as No.3 Machine-tool Exporter in 2011

Taipei, July 25, 2011 (CENS)--With overall investments doubling in the first-half, Taiwan's machine-tool industry will see exports top NT$116 billion, or US$4 billion, in 2011, which will help Taiwan exceed Italy as the world's third-largest machine-tool exporter, said the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA), whose tallies show overall investments by Taiwan's machine-tool makers totaled NT$12.33 billion in the first half, up 105.6% year-on-year; while investments in mechanical components reached NT$20.77 billion in the first half, up a whopping 255.3% year-on-year.

C.H. Chiu, division director of the MOEA's Industrial Development Bureau (IDB), noted domestic machine-tool manufacturers are enjoying influx of orders despite shortages of raw materials, workforce and land.

According to statistics compiled by the IDB, Hiwin Technologies Corp., Taiwan's leading manufacturer of ball screws and linear-motion devices, will invest NT$10 billion in Taiwan in the next three years. Fair Friend Group, Taiwan's leading manufacturer of machining centers, has budgeted tens of billion N.T. dollars to build new plants in Taiwan this year. The Japan-based Fanuc Inc., the world's largest producer of CNC devices, this year will invest NT$2 billion to launch production in Taiwan; while IDB said other Japanese firms also have expressed interest to produce CNC devices in Taiwan.

Fanuc controls 70% of Taiwan's CNC device market and Mitsubishi Electric holds approximately 30%, with the former's setting up production to help the domestic machine-tool industry raise local content rate, with Fanuc to see annual production reach NT$10.8 billion in Taiwan.