The Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) is slated to announce new virus prevention guidelines for domestic companies to follow in light of COVID-19 clusters breaking out in chip factories. The flurry of measures and urgency towards the latest cluster is largely due to the increasing cases linked to migrant workers working at King Yuan Electronics factories in Miaoli County. The new operati...

Material shortages Taiwan Machine Tool & Accessory Builders' Association (TMBA) Chairman Hsu Wen-hsien has named shortages in the machine tool industry as the biggest concerns that could impact the sector's revitalizing efforts in the short term, according to media reports on Thursday. The machine tool sector was booming from orders coming in during the latest three quarters, however, Hsu p...

The Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) IEKCQM, having reviewed the political and economic situations at home and abroad, released its report for Taiwan's manufacturing 2021 forecast on Thursday. ITRI predicted the manufacturing output value this year will hit TWD$20.92 trillion, and the output value growth rate will be 10.03%. All industries are showing positive growth, among the...

Research institute TrendForce's newly released study outlined that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the demand for technology products was consistent since Q2 last year, however, shortages threaten to upend the status quo. Shortages in 2021 are primarily exacerbated by Samsung's (SDC) phasing out its LCD production, as well as continual shortages for parts in the upstream IC supply chain, accordi...

With the advent of auto-technology, Market Intelligence & Consulting Institute (MIC) emphasized that global traditional car factories are accelerating their investment and R&D capabilities in developing three trends: electrification, smart-capabilities, and service-oriented tech. MIC's senior industry consultant and substitute director Hung Chun-hui made the remarks while speaking at the COMP...

Electric vehicles (EV) and related technologies were the major highlights at this year's Taipei AMPA show. For instance, the pavilion from the mobility Taiwan Automotive Research Consortium (mTARC), an entity under the Economic Ministry Department of Industrial Technology, showcased EV and self-driving vehicle technologies developed by domestic companies and research institutions. Among their...

Taiwan Machine Tool & Accessory Builders' Association (TMBA) Chairman Hsu Wen-hsien said on Wednesday that the most worryingly concern the domestic COVID-19 outbreak posed to the industry would be the potential impact on the supply chain. A shortage of the workforce and the longer delivery time would mean that customers may gradually switch orders, Hsu said. Any advantages that Taiwan gained o...

Since the beginning of this year, the prices of various raw materials including steel, petrochemicals, cement, paper pulp, glass, etc. have been rising simultaneously. However, market watchers have pointed out that the latest trends are not short-lived, and could be here to stay. The raw material market has been reorganizing for a period of time, leading to many low-end production capabilities be...

As the global auto market continues its transition into the electric-powered future, the auto parts sector will need to brace itself against not only the new trends but also the next hurdle to overcome. The pandemic has unveiled just how fragile just-in-time production can be: while it's convenient and manageable, it's also vulnerable to disruptions, and the automotive chip industry's unrelenting...

Taiwanese electronics manufacturer Foxconn Technology and electric carmaker Fisker Inc. signed a deal on Thursday to develop and manufacture a new electric vehicle slated for mass production in Q4 of 2023. The type of vehicle was not identified, though reports indicated it would be a lightweight platform created by the two companies under the MIH platform framework. The price tag should be pri...