Taiwan Reports First Quarter 2006

The Taiwan Association of Machinery Industry (TAMI) reported machinery and machined product import, export and manufacturing activity for first quarter 2006. Overall, machinery exports totaled USD $3.1 billion in the quarter, up 2.2% from $3.0 billion in 2005. Exports in the bearings, gears and ball screws category were up strongly. Hong Kong and China remain Taiwan's primary export market for machinery and related products, absorbing more than 34% of the country's output, worth more than $1 billion. While the United States remained Taiwan's second-largest market, U.S. purchases dropped by 9% in 2006 to $505 million, and was the only major market to curtail purchases. Japan, the third-largest market, trails at $182 million, up 2%. The remaining top ten markets were Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Germany, Indonesia, India and Canada. Taiwan remains a net importer, but machinery and equipment imports dropped 17% in 2006 to just over $4 billion. Imports remain primarily advanced machine tools and related equipment, while exports are dominated by more basic low-cost manufacturing equipment. Accordingly, imports of advanced equipment came primarily from Japan, the United States and Germany. Bearings, gears and ball screws as a category ranked 10th in export value for first quarter 2006, hitting $58.8 million, up 12.5% from $52.2 million in 2005.