Taiwan Pushes Ahead

With over fifty years of development, Taiwan's press manufacturing industry has accumulated abundant manufacturing experience that is helping them consolidate their position in the global marketplace. Many in the line are applying computer technology to upgrade their products to provide higher levels of automation and accuracy.

Some domestic press makers are developing advanced models, such as double crank link motion pressing machines, which are expected to become mainstay items in the global pressing machinery industry over the next few years.

At present, the major product line produced by domestic press manufacturers include deep-drawing, power-type, eccentric-type, crank, knuckle-joint, hydraulic, pneumatic, impact-extrusion, CNC (computerized numerically controlled) punch models.

According to statistics compiled by the Taiwan Association of Machinery Industry (TAMI), Taiwan exported US$478.11 million worth of presses and shearing machines in the first 11 months of last year, up 15.7% from the US$413.21 million registered in the corresponding period of the previous year.

New Generation

At its 60th anniversary celebration on March 1 this year, Chin Fong Machine Industrial Co., Ltd., Taiwan's largest manufacturer of pressing machines, transferred management to the second generation of owners.

Chin Fong president C.B. Chi's first son Chi Ming-tse has taken over the office of the president, leaving the elder Chi in the position of chairman of the Chi Fong Group. The group also includes Chin Fong (China), Chin Fong (Japan), and the U.S.-based Stantec Co.

Chin Fong posted NT$3.89 billion (US$121.59 million at US$1:NT$32) in sales last year, down 1.44% from the previous year. But the company has seen a significant upturn in orders since the beginning of this year. The company notes its sales grew 30.34% in January to reach NT$200 million (US$6.25 million).

A resurgence of orders has encouraged the company that it will be able to boost revenue past the NT$4 billion (US$125 million) mark this year, putting the entire group on track to challenge NT$6 billion (US$187.5 million) in sales.

Headquartered in Changhua City of central Taiwan, Chin Fong has established overseas plants in Japan, the U.S., and mainland China. The company will begin mass production at its new heavy-machinery plant in the Taichung Harbor area by the end of this year. The new plant is now in the first stage of construction.

Over the past decades Chin Fong has transformed into a heavy-machinery maker from a small machine shop under the leadership of its founder C.B.Chi. At present, Chin Fong's major customers include such big names as Hon Hai Precision Industry Co. and Kouzui Motor Co., a producer of Toyota cars in Taiwan.

Patented Machines

Chiu Ta Hydraulic Machine Mfg. Co., Ltd., founded in 1966, specializes in the development and production of vertical hydraulic die-casting machines. To cope with world industrial trends, the company has spared no effort developing automated machines that can help customers save production time and cut production costs.

Since its establishment in Neihu of Taipei City, northern Taiwan, the company has moved production facility several times to meet expansion needs. The company presently is headquartered and has two factories in Luchu Township in Taoyuan County, also in northern Taiwan.

Chiu Ta is dedicated to developing innovative products and providing top after-sale support to its customers worldwide. With years of development, the company has extended its product line from vertical extrusion die-casting machines to include hot chamber zinc die-casting machines, gravity die-casting machines, and cold chamber die-casting machines.

Currently the company's major product line includes high-squeeze die-casting machines, hydraulic press machines, gravity die-casting machines, fully automatic hydraulic hot-chamber die-casting machines, and hydraulic forming machines.

The company says many foreign machinery importers, especially those from industrialized nations, have been doing business with it for over two decades.

High-squeeze die-casting machines are among Chiu Ta's most popular product lines. The machines are equipped with such state-of-the-art devices as automatic liquid feeders, automatic extractors and automatic sprayers.

Thanks to its long-term efforts to develop innovative products, the company has won a strong reputation at home and abroad. The company won gold medal at the International Invention Exhibition held in Geneva of Switzerland in 1992.

Over the past several years, the company has enjoyed double-digit annual sales growth and expects to see continued sales growth in the years to come. The company says it will use cutting-edge technologies to develop more sophisticated machines so that it can grow with customers in the ever-changing machinery world.

Power Presses

New Eleven Enterprise Inc., founded in 1980, is one of Taiwan's most professional manufacturers of power presses. The company has a production facility of 1, 320 square meters in Huatan Township of Changhua County, central Taiwan.

The company's R&D team is responsible for the development of state-of-the-art machines with extensive functionality. The company has extensive experience in producing specialized machines to meet special demands.

At present the company's major product line includes power presses, hydraulic power presses, hydraulic press brakes, hydraulic guillotine shears, plate bending roll machines, and hydraulic corner- and square-edging machines.

The standard equipment on the company's machines are front support arms, foot switches, manual lubricators, leveling screws and blocks, toolboxes and tools.

The company's hydraulic guillotine shear employs hydraulic drives and a swing beam. The machine is also equipped with power switches and an electrical box with mechanical interlocking devices for safe operation and servicing.

Another popular item is the company's powered slip roll, which features rigid construction for precision and long-term operation. The device is driven by gears, has rolls made of polished, turned and ground high-grade carbon steel.

New Eleven president Hung Shou-chiang notes his company is capable of shipping products to customers in 60 up to 75 days after receiving confirmed orders. The company offers a one-year guarantee for its products shipped overseas.

Over 80% of the company's output is exported, with principal outlets including the United States, Southeast Asia, and Europe.

Hydraulic Systems

Sunny Enterprises Co., Ltd., established in 1966, is one of Taiwan's leading manufacturers of hydraulic presses. The company also offers precision hydraulic cylinders of many types.

In its early years, the company was a sales agent of such well-known Japanese brands as Kawasaki, Nachi-Fujikoshi and Ihara. In 1978 the company began mass producing hydraulic presses in the Neihu district of Taipei City.

Sunny's 3, 960-square-meter plant can handle major processing work, such as cylinder-tube honing and metal-cutting. The plant also handles all of the needed inspection and testing processes, including profile project inspection, surface roughness inspection, and hard chrome plate thickness inspection.

The company focuses on production of high-end hydraulic presses to distinguish its products from rival competitors, especially those in developing nations such as mainland China.

Sunny's plant is certified as an "A-class" Quality-Control and Mechanical Component Standard Factory by the Ministry of Economic Affairs. The company obtained the ISO-9002 quality system certificate by DNV (Det Norske Veritass) of the Netherlands in 1996 and upgraded the certificate to ISO-9001:2000 in 2002.

Kao Wen-hsiang, president of Sunny, says his company is dedicated to developing innovative high-quality products. To that end, the company has established an R&D department and a management and marketing unit that have helped it penetrate into high-end overseas markets. The company also provides on-the-job training to upgrade the skills and machinery know-how of its workers.

At present, Sunny's major products are C-frame hydraulic presses; four-column hydraulic presses with a capacity reaching 500 tons; hydraulic presses suitable for pressing, forming, riveting, stamping, deep drawing and assembling; automatic broaching machines suitable for internal broaching; mill-type hydraulic cylinders; and heavy-duty hydraulic cylinders.

One of the company's hottest-selling items is a C-frame hydraulic press, including the OPC and OPCH series. The OPC is an economic model with capacity reaching 15 tons and table size of 485 x 330mm. The OPCH is a high-speed, low-power model with a capacity of 60 tons and table size of 680 x 600mm.

The company also provides optional items for its machines, including cushion or knockout cylinders, index tables, slide table units for loading and unloading, and safety-enhancing photo electronic sensing devices.

Although the company concentrates on self-developed items, it also welcomes OEM and ODM (original equipment/design manufacturer) orders.

Whole-plant Equipment

Action Machinery Industry Co., Ltd., established in 1987, is a manufacturer of hydraulic deep-drawing presses, pipe-forming and hydraulic punch presses.

Besides the production of single machines, the company provides whole-plant equipment. Its major product lines include hydraulic press brakes, high-speed C-type hydraulic punch presses, reverse clapper die spotting presses, hydraulic scrap packing machines, hydraulic hot presses, four-column hydraulic presses, hydraulic cold forging presses, and stainless steel butt welding machines.

Action also designs and produces peripheral equipment for the production of large-sized molds used in the automobile industry. The company's hydraulic deep-drawing press, for instance, is equipped with a bogie car to reduce mold-changing time.

Action's stainless steel elbow forming machines and tee forming machines are designed for the petrochemical industry, while its hydraulic cold and hot forging presses are well-suited for turning out aluminum aerospace components.

The company sells a wide range of hydraulic deep-drawing presses with press capacities of 50 tons to 2, 000 tons. The company also offers an optional bogie car for its large-sized hydraulic deep-drawing press to facilitate mold changing.

Action exports most of its production under the "Wetori" brand. The company's major overseas markets are Southeast Asia, Japan, Latin America, the Middle East, and mainland China. Southeast Asia alone takes 60% of its total output. Machines shipped to mainland China are generally used by Taiwan-invested factories there.

Product Upgrading

Sheng Tai Iron Works Co., Ltd., a veteran manufacturer of over 20 years in the machine-tool sector, has gradually shifted its production focus from low-noise blow press machines to C-type gear presses, which have gained international favor in recent years.

The Taichung County-based manufacturer has consistently followed a business strategy of stable and sound development, a strategy that helped the firm weather the Asian financial storm in 1997.

Close customer relations have also played a role in the company's success. Most of the company's customers have been dealing with the firm for over 20 years.

In order to keep ahead of the competition, Sheng Tai has made all-out efforts to cut delivery time. By concentrating on a few standard product lines to reduce manufacturing time, the company has cut average order-to-shipment time from two to three months down to only six weeks.

Sheng Tai also provides machine repair and maintenance services because of its technology orientation. The company argues the repair and maintenance services can help customers revitalize and add value to old machines.

At present, exports account for the bulk of Sheng Tai's total sales, with Vietnam, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, and Europe taking the lion's share.