These are in-depth pre- and post-show reports on major international trade fairs, held in Taiwan and other countries with significant participation by Taiwanese manufacturers and exporters. They are offered to help global buyers and other readers better understand what is going on at the fairs and the latest offerings by Taiwanese exhibitors.
Other makers have followed in Taiwan's footsteps
Dec 31, 2014By STEVE CHUANG Digitization of hand tools has been an inevitable trend in the evolution of such products as computerization or information tech seems to take over greater control of everything from home appliances to cars. Taiwan hand tool makers, backed by the island's mature information tech sector, are part of this evolution as they develop digital torque wrenches, screwdrivers and more. ...
Gains in production processes, technology, and materials open the door to higher-margin markets
Dec 23, 2014By STEVE CHUANG With a half-century of development, fastener production has become one of the most globally competitive industries in southern Taiwan. This achievement is attributable to insiders' efforts on moving forwards high value-added fasteners for higher-end applications, including cars, aircrafts, medical supplies and implants, wind turbines, and many others, hence seeing a gradual upt...
The maker is also inspired by non-hand-tools in design
Dec 23, 2014By STEVE CHUANG Ratchet wrenches continue to be pivotal in all kinds of garages, workshops and factories for ease of use due to the inherent nature of the ratcheting mechanism. Chang Loon Industrial Co., Ltd., one of Taiwan’s foremost suppliers of ratchet wrenches as well as the biggest manufacturer by shipment, is committed to continuous R&D to develop ratchet wrenches with improved designs...
Taiwan’s hand tool industry posted an uptrend in Q3, 2014, when output totaled NT$18.17 billion (US$605.56 million), up 4.7% year-on-year (YoY) or 3.6% quarter-on-quarter (QoQ), according to the latest statistics compiled by Metal Industries Research & Development Centre (MIRDC), a semi-official industry research institute in Taiwan. In the quarter the industry exported NT$17.01 billion (US$56...
Backed by the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Metal Industries Research & Development Centre (MIRDC), a Taiwanese government-funded R&D institute, formally started the “Taiwan Plumbing Research & Testing Laboratory (TPL)” in the Taichung Industrial Park to help Taiwanese suppliers of plumbing fittings and products to explore the U.S. and European markets. Witnessed by dozens of guests, the openi...
As part of its long-term effort to build international partnerships in metal-related fields to help boost Taiwan’s presence, Metal Industries Research & Development Center (MIRDC), a Taiwanese government-funded R&D institute, signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the U.S.-based Performance Review Institute (PRI), a non-profit organization providing solutions to improve process and produ...
With 3C products becoming thinner and lighter to trigger sizeable demand for miniature parts and components, micro fasteners therefore show increasingly promising business potential. To help Taiwanese fastener manufacturers tap such opportunities, Metal Industries Research & Development Centre (MIRDC), a Taiwanese-government-funded R&D institute, has worked out the world’s first continuous therm...
Mostly driven by improving economic climate in the U.S., Taiwanese fastener makers generally experienced a rosy July, when the industry’s exports to the U.S. hit a post-financial-tsunami single-month high of some 56,000 tonnes, up 6.37% month-on-month, or 8.73% year-on-year, to command nearly 40% of the total of some 140,000 tonnes in the month, according to statistics released by Taiwanese resea...
New product weighs much less while providing far more light than conventional models
Jul 31, 2014By STEVE CHUANG Reducing the physical burden imposed on firefighters by their equipment so as to enhance their efficiency, mobility, and safety during firefighting operations has long been a challenge for fire departments everywhere. Now Taiwan's Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI), a government-funded, world-caliber R&D institute, has gone a long way toward meeting that challenge ...
Island manufacturers jump onto the green-is-good bandwagon
Jul 31, 2014By KEN LIU Beginning on July 1 this year, nine types of institution—colleges, libraries, medical organizations, social welfare institutes, government offices, railway stations, civilian airports, mass rapid transit stations, and shopping centers—became subject to the provisions of Taiwan's Indoor Air Quality Act. The new law imposes strict requirements for air quality inside buildings to ke...
