Taiwan shows great interest in the EMO World Tour
So far around 180 Taiwanese exhibitors have registered for the EMO Hannover 2017 and the interest is still great. This was demonstrated at the press conference of the EMO World Tour in Taipei. Dr. Wilfried Schäfer, Executive Director VDW (German Machine Tool Builders’ Association), presented the trends of EMO Hannover 2017 to a curious audience. He was supported by Oliver Frese, Member of the board Deutsche Messe AG.
Chih-Yaung Chu, Chairman of the FFG, praised the EMO Hannover as the most important event in the industry. He described the success development of his company along the lines of his trade fair participation´s growth: once a small stand with two companies, now the second-largest exhibitor with a multitude of European and Asian brands under one roof.
Cheng-Ching Wang, Secretary General of the Taiwan Association of Machinery Industry (TAMI), described the EMO as an innovation platform with great significance for Taiwanese investors. The claim "Connecting systems for intelligent production" proves current trends in production technology being mirrored.
Mixed prospects for Taiwan’s economy
Taiwan’s economy is facing major challenges. Its growth is quite weak, because the international business cycle has slowed down, and it is encountering increased competition from the People’s Republic of China and from South Korea. Finally, the new Taiwanese government in office since last May, has to find its feet. Expectations are focusing on private consumption and investments. Whereas private investors are holding back, due to the uncertain economic situation, the government has launched various public-sector infrastructural projects.
Oxford Economics expects Taiwan’s GDP to rise by 1.7 per cent in 2017, hardly any more than in the preceding year. Following two weak years, industrial production output is predicted to recover, and grow by 6.0 per cent. Capital investment, following two weak years as well, is set to increase by 4.7 per cent. Among the eight most important customer sectors for machine tools, the automotive industry, metal producers, the manufacturers of metal products, the electrical engineering industry and the machinery industry, are particularly keen to initiate overproportional investment spending. The manufacturers of automotive components, especially, are aiming to upgrade their international position as suppliers of high-quality products for this sector. They are investing substantially in the fields of autonomous driving and digitisation. Taiwan intends to score highly here with its electronics expertise, The mechanical engineering sector has a continual need for modernisation in order to improve its corporate competitiveness. The government is supporting this thrust with its “Productivity 4.0” programme, which focuses on improving productivity levels in a number of sectors. The EMO Hannover 2017, with its motto of “Connecting systems for intelligent production”, will surely meet with particularly keen interest.
For modernising the country’s production operations, investment in machine tools is an urgent imperative. Taiwan’s machine tool consumption, according to Oxford Economics, is therefore set to grow by 4.9 per cent. One important information platform for new solutions in the production environment is the EMO Hannover 2017. All major vendors for Taiwan’s industrial sector will be represented there with a substantial presence. Taiwan imports around 45 per cent of its machine tool requirements. Most recently, in 2016, the machines involved were worth 641 million euros. Germany, with a share of 11 per cent, ranked 2nd among the major supplier nations, after Japan, which contributed about half the imports, but in front of China, the USA and Switzerland. In 2016, German manufacturers supplied machines, parts and accessories worth 64 million euros, corresponding to a fall of 4 per cent. Deliveries covered a broad spectrum of products, predominantly parts and accessories, plus gear-cutting machines. In 2017, bilateral business is expected to suffer a setback, because orders from Taiwan fell by almost 40 per cent in the first three quarters of 2016.
For Taiwanese manufacturers of production technology, too, a stronger focus on international markets is advisable,” says the VDW’s Executive Director. They are internationally competitive, as evidenced by their position on the global market. With a volume of 3.4 billion euros, Taiwan ranked 7th in 2016 among the world’s biggest producers of machine tools. The country exports more than three-quarters of its production output. Most recently, however, in 2016, according to the VDW’s global statistics, exports fell by 9 per cent.
Deliveries to Germany, though, dropped by 16 per cent in 2016. Germany takes 4th place among the most important markets for Taiwanese equipment manufacturers. And Taiwan ranks 9th among the most important supplier nations for Germany’s industrial sector. In 2016, machines, parts and accessories worth around 108 million euros were delivered from Taiwan to Germany, predominantly machining centres.
Photo: VDW