Taiwan’s garden tool manufacturers boast a consummate production capability and an abundance of experience that have given them a prominent status in the global market. Some of them stand out for strong, market-driven R&D efforts that have enabled them to keep growing every year. As consumers’ behavior and preferences have gradually changed along with global economic fluctuations, social c...

Fastener production is one of the landmark industries of southern Taiwan, where 1,000 manufacturers, related upstream suppliers, and processing service providers clustered in Tainan and Kaohsiung cities form a highly efficient supply chain. To boost the industry’s global presence by exploiting this advantage, the Taiwan Fastener Trading Association (TFTA) is organizing a new trade fair, the Inter...

Makers of gardening tools along with accessories generate export revenue of around US$95 million on average yearly help to drive hand tool exports in Taiwan. Besides being popular with professionals and DIY gardeners in the U.S. and Europe, and despite global economic uncertainty that have occasionally sapped demand for gardening tools, such products have sold comparatively well in global mar...

Amid an uncertain global economy, weakened by the still limping peripheral economies in the EU and relatively high unemployment, slow housing starts in the U.S., most Taiwanese bathroom fitting makers have struggled with flat growths over the past few years. While the industry is not likely to turn around for many years, many undaunted operators are using different strategies, depending on core ...

The global financial tsunami, albeit sparing the designer goods sector, has caused Taiwan’s yacht-building industry to list over the past few years, with the ripple-effect washing over downstream suppliers of yacht and marine hardware, including the top-2 in Taiwan—Man Ship Machinery & Hardware Co., Ltd. and Aritex Products Co., Ltd., who have stepped up adjusting corporate strategies to stay a...

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 ...

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...