Taiwan Sets Up Consortium to Foster Auto Electronics Industry

Taipei, Jan. 5, 2006 (CENS)--The Taiwan Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers' Association (TEEMA) yesterday unveiled a consortium in Taipei, materializing its plan to help boost Taiwan' s automobile-electronics industry through collective strength.

The automobile-electronics consortium evolved out of a committee under the association opened in early 2005 to boost the industry in Taiwan for the lucrative world business. According to studies from market research organization Strategy Analytics, the world market for automobile electronics will increase to US$163.5 billion in 2008 from 2003' s US$111.3 billion.

TEEMA, which represents over 4, 000 of Taiwan' s electronics and electrical-equipment suppliers, has been urged by its members to help them explore the rising field for fortune, since world personal-computer market, their main lifeline, has become saturated.

At the unveiling ceremony, Pu-San Weng, chairman of TEEMA' s Communication Committee, pointed out that the environment for Taiwan to develop automobile-electronics industry had grown advantageous since 2005. In 2005, the government here, he noted, launched a broadband wireless project, dubbed as "Mobile Taiwan"; Taiwan' s information-technology revenue from home and overseas operations topped US$69.6 billion, the world' s No.1 figure; Taiwanese suppliers began supplying WiFi handsets and global positioning service (GPS); the government here began promoting digitalized broadcasting programs and organized large-scale WiMAX technology forum; and the island' s suppliers organized a DVB-H industry consortium. "All of these factors are conducive to the development of autotronics, " he stressed.

Taiwan government, according to media reports, will budget no less than NT$10 billion (US$303 million at US$1:NT$33) for the development of the industry at home. The qusi-government trade promotion organization Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) plans to organize three professional autotronics shows in 2006, with two in Taiwan and one in Thailand, in support of the government' s determination.

TEEMA' s officials pointed out that the consortium would become operational with two special interest groups-with one dedicating to crucial components such as parts for security, safety, car body and the other focusing on innovative services including system integration. Director General T.C. Wu of the Mechanical Industry Research Laboratories was elected as chairman of the consortium.