⬛ Chao Ting-yu In the past two years, global events like the Ukraine-Russian war have led to raw material shortages and further disrupted the already-fragile global supply chain. This backdrop has cemented the determination of suppliers in the traditional industries based in southern Taiwan to embrace digital transformation trends. For instance, fastener suppliers based in Kangshan, Kaohsiung...

1. Foxconn MIH Alliance Sees Over Hundreds of Japanese Suppliers Join Foxconn's foray into the electric vehicle industry is seeing big gains, as The Nikkei reported that notable Japanese brands like Toyota, and auto part supplier Denso, which has invested in TSMC's Kumamoto factory project, are all slated to join Foxconn's MIH Alliance initiative. Other benchmark Japanese suppliers, such as Ho...

The new year was ushered in over the weekend; despite new beginnings, trends in 2021 that included shortages and rising prices will continue into 2022, exacerbated by backlogged shipping ports and worsening COVID-19 situations in major manufacturing hubs. Chip Shortages Since the COVID-19 pandemic ramped up in 2020, semiconductor shortages persisted as supply failed to keep up with consumer...

Hardware, fasteners, and hand tools sectors are among the top exporters in Taiwan, delivering quality products to various global markets promptly thanks to their competitive edge of operating under an industry hub model. Managing lead times and delivery expectations have become crucial under disrupted supply chains. Prices for raw materials and energy have risen as prolonged global events like...

With the National Development Council (NDC) releasing its 2050 Net-Zero Carbon Emissions Roadmap on Thursday, steel metal providers outlined the potential challenges in the industry under the carbon-neutral era. Steel metal providers pointed out that while it is relatively easier to slash carbon emissions, going neutral is "revolutionary," stressing that it is an inevitable trend. With the in...

Taiwan Institute of Economic Research (TIER) announced the November manufacturing index on Thursday, signaling that the overall index rose by 0.14 points from 15.14 points revised last month to 15.28 points in November. The index signal, representing the state of the manufacturing index, has remained in the green index for two consecutive months now. The application of emerging technologies an...

∎ Huang Chi-ming Local fastener manufacturer, Ray Fu Enterprise Co., Ltd. reports that their new factory is slated to cover an approximate 138,000 square meters of land, and successfully put its first-stage projects of four factories into operation. The first-stage commissioned factories largely houses designated areas for product production, mainly semi-completed wire products, spheroid anne...

⬛ Kuo Fang-lin Zhe Thai Machinery Co., Ltd., founded in April 2005, is one of Taiwan's most professional manufacturers for a variety of valves and related accessories. The company uses certified materials to turn out high-caliber valves. The company’s headquarters had been relocated to Wufeng, central Taiwan, where they established an R&D department to design and develop innovative products...

⬛ Chang Shi-hua As a professional manufacturer of various hardware products founded in 1975, Kingbolt Metal Co., Ltd. can offer clients great quality products and services. Kingbolt Metal specializes in stamping, pressed works for steel and stainless steel, as well as brass products. The firm has also branched out to stamping products, cabinet hardware fittings, mini latch, auto latch, welded me...

The rise of China’s “red supply chain,” a term coined by market observers for aggressive development of Chinese tech industries backed by the central government to minimize dependence on imports and secure sustained economic growth, is widely regarded a growing threat to Taiwanese manufacturers, especially those from the island’s industries supplying products and services overlapping those from t...

Show Info After a four-year-long hiatus, the 2022 edition of the International Hardware Fair Cologne (IHF) wrapped up on Sept. 28 after returning to the Cologne Exhibition Center in person for the first time after the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak. According to the event organizer Koelnmesse GmbH's compiled statistics after the show, the four-day event saw approximately 25,000 visitors fro...

TaipeiPLAS and the concurrent ShoeTech Taipei return to Nangang Exhibition Center Hall 1 after four years in a hybrid manner on Sept. 27. This year’s edition of the biennial show would mark the series’ first since the COVID-19 pandemic officially broke out in 2020. Both shows have gathered 300 exhibitors using 1,300 booths, coming from 12 countries and regions. From the upstream material supp...

“International Hardware Fair (IHF) in Cologne,” an industry-benchmark hardware and tools trade fair, is returning to the Koelnmesse Cologne Exhibition Center on Sept. 25 after a four-year hiatus. Having seen two consecutive shows canceled entirely due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s IHF is slated to kick off in a hybrid manner. Event organizer Koelnmesse show statistics indicate that th...