Taiwan Association of Machinery Industry (TAMI) Chairman Hsu Hsiu-tsang predicts the island's machine-tool exports to rise at least 10% year on year, to US$4 billion this year, as long as the American market and the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) market maintain stable growths.
Also he projects the island's machine-tool exports to grow in the second quarter.
In the first two months of this year, the island's machine-tool export decline slowed to1.4% year on year due chiefly to the positive export growth of the Taiwan industry in February. Hsu has ascribed the February growth partly to the strong demand from China's automation, vehicle-manufacturing, and mold-making industries.
According to the association, representing around 2,600 machinery makers across the island, Taiwan's machine-tool makers exported US$231 million of equipment in February alone, up 16.8% year on year partly thanks to the additional US$30 million of exports to China.
Export decline of the island's machine-tool industry scaled back to the year on year rate of 1.4% in the first two months of this year from 13.9% in January.
Eric Zhuo, chairman of the Taiwan Machine Tool & Accessory Builders' Association (TMBA), projects mixed sales among the island's machine-tool makers for this year due to different customers' business and market although the global economy would improve this year. For instance, makers of general-purpose machines will continue to struggle in crowded competition this year whereas makers of automation equipment and machines for semiconductor industry will receive increased orders due to recovery in the two industries.
Local machine-tool makers that have received increasing orders since late last year include Victor Taichung Machinery Works Co., Ltd., Tongtai Machine & Tool Co., Ltd., the Fair Friend Ent. Group, Yeong Chin Machinery Industries Co., Ltd., Awea Mechantronic Co., Ltd. Goodway Machine Corp., Roundtop Machinery Industries Co., Ltd., Shieh Yih Machinery Industry Co., Ltd., Kao Fong Machinery Co., Ltd., Falcon Machine Tools Co., Ltd., Taiwan Takisawa Co., Ltd., and Litz Hitech Corp.
Their order books are filled throughout April or July, with most makers scheduled to deliver the machines in the third or fourth quarter this year.
Tongtai still has NT$2 billion (US$68.3 million) of booked orders, topping industry peers on the island. Yeong Chin still has NT$1 billion (US$33.3 million) or so of unfilled orders. Receiving increased orders for small-size and midsize stamp presses from automakers and makers of 3C (consumer electronics, computer, and communications) products in Thailand, Shieh Yih has seen backlogged orders increase close to NT$1.4 billion (US$46.6 million).
Thanks partly to more orders from makers of auto parts and motorcycle parts and mold makers in China and Southeast Asian nations, Awea now still has NT$1.25 billion (US$41.6 million) of unfilled orders. Victor Taichung has NT$1 billion (US$33.3 million) orders, Goodway has around NT$900 million (US$30 million), and Taiwan Takisawa has approximately NT$700 million (US$23.3 million). Roundtop, Falcon, and Kao Fong each has around NT$400 million (US$13.3 million). (KL)
Top Five Export Destinations of Taiwan's Machine Tools in Jan.-Feb., 2014
| Ranking | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Destination | Mainland China | U.S.A. | Thailand | Turkey | Germany |
| Export value | US$132.3M | US$53.6M | US$27.1M | US$24.8M | US$21.1M |
| Percentage as the Taiwan's export | 27.6% | 11.2% | 5.7% | 5.2% | 4.4% |
| YoY change | +4% | -19% | -26.9% | +8.9% | +34.7% |
