With hundreds of business owners and corporate managers taking part, the 12th annual general meeting (AGM) of the Taiwan Hand Tool Manufacturers’ Association (THTMA) was held on Oct. 7, 2011, in central Taiwan’s Taichung City. Despite the sagging global economy, the meeting was upbeat about the industry’s future prospects. In addition to hand-tool industry insiders, the AGM also drew ...

One of the consequences of the global financial tsunamis is that Taiwanese hand tool manufacturers have prepared themselves to explore new overseas markets to reduce their overdependence on the U.S. and European countries in the past few years. One of the top overseas markets on Tawain’s list is Japan, which was the world’s second-largest economy until 2010 when China moved into that position. J...

For several reasons Taiwanese manufacturers of hand tools face increasing global competition. Among them are the mounting debt crisis in Europe, a slowdown in global economic growth, and the upcoming FTA (free trade agreement) between EU and South Korea. In addressing this situation, MIRDC (Metal Industries Research & Development Centre), a leading R&D body on the island, held a forum on October ...

The global small- and medium-sized liquid crystal display (LCD) industry will soon face a major change, with the signing of a memorandum of understanding by four companies in Japan--Innovation Network Corporation of Japan (INCJ), Hitachi Ltd., Sony Corp., and Toshiba Corp.—calling for the integration of their small- and medium-sized display businesses. The four plan to set up a new company, te...

Since the global recession in 2008 as well as resulting weaker consumer confidence, the global performance-tuning auto-parts market has sagged, a situation exasperated by automakers trying to spice up product competitiveness with enhanced engine output and exterior styling. High fuel prices, unemployment in the USA and EU and uncertain prospects have all impacted yearning to spend on faster, fan...

Taiwan sorely lacks know-how to develop woodworking turnkey plants C.L. Tu, chairman of the Taiwan Woodworking Machinery Association (TWMA) and Cheng Kuang Wood Machinery Works Co., Ltd., gazes a video clip on his laptop of a German-made woodworking equipment that makes futuristic robotic machinery a reality, with the intelligent tool humming effortlessly to turn green logs into finished ...

Michael Ng: “New-generation lighting sources will become dominant” During its annual general meeting in April this year, the Taiwan Lighting Fixture Export Association (TLFEA) announced that it had won the right to host the annual meeting of the Global Lighting Forum (GLF) next year. 　　 The GLF, established five years ago as a global institution dedicated to promoting the worldwide applicati...

Hsiao also has won unprecedented official subsidies to attend global trade shows Eugene Hsiao, an entrepreneur in Taiwan's auto parts and accessory industry and elected at 45 as the 8th chairman of the Taipei County Auto Parts Association (TCAPA) in 2010, quickly proved his leadership in only several months by significantly enhancing cooperation and interaction among the trade group’s 250-to...

As China’s GDP surged 10.3% to US$6.04 trillion to outpace Japan (US$5.4 trillion) as the world’s second-largest economy in 2010, few now question the country as one of the fastest markets globally, also seen as an opportunity for Taiwanese hand tool makers to promote own-brand products for sustainable development. The new chairman of the Taiwan Hand Tool Manufacturers’ Association (THTMA), Ma...

Since fasteners have become essential for many industrial and residential applications, there is every reason for Taiwanese manufacturers to be optimistic about the fastener industry’s outlook in the years following the global meltdown, said chairman Joe Chen of the Taiwan Industrial Fastener Institute (TIFI) in an interview with CENS. This optimism is, to some degree, a reflection of the indu...