An unprecedented situation is brewing in the shipping sector after over a year of supply chain issues. With port congestion, container shortages, and backed-up sea shipping, more and more companies are choosing to charter containerships long-term to bypass the logistics hurdles. The news comes after reports of TSMC chartering its own containership to ensure timely delivery of semiconductor ch...

The stable uptick in demand and sales in the fastener industry are positive indicators for the upcoming months and beyond. For instance, big-name fastener suppliers report great businesses due to fastener-intensive sectors in other countries fueling the demand. In recent news, Taiwanese fastener maker Chun Yu Works reported an optimistic future, presenting order visibility up to the first quar...

Southeast Asian-based priority electronic component plants continue to experience a squeeze as the Delta variant-fueled COVID-19 outbreak continues to ravage the region, prompting industry experts to warn of further shortages ahead. Top MLCC supplier Murata Mfg.'s inductor plant in Dong Nai, Vietnam, is slated to reopen for operations next Monday amid the worse COVID-19 outbreak in the country...

With third-generation semiconductors primarily using emerging materials such as GaN and SiC, industry experts have pointed out that the most relevant field for SiC will be electric vehicles, while GaN will focus on fast charging capabilities in smart mobile devices. While Taiwanese-based companies are actively investing in third-generation semiconductors, industry watchers also pointed out tha...

Several markets pose a great opportunity for Taiwanese suppliers, considering Taiwan's reputation in the information and technology industry, including 5G, EV, and low-Earth orbit satellites. Tung considers investment into these markets will significantly improve the country's competitiveness. In recent years, Pegatron has invested more and more into the EV market. The experience has prompted...

The ocean freight shipping season is entering its peak in Q3 as European and American businesses have ramped up orders to replenish inventory. However, the Delta variant-fueled COVID-19 outbreak in many parts of the world is set to exacerbate shipping congestion as major ports in China were temporarily closed. Recent news of a port worker testing positive in the Meishan terminal in China's Por...

Taiwan's machinery exports between January and July continued to show an upward growth trajectory, reaching USD$18.556 billion, a 28.1% year-on-year growth, reported the Taiwan Association of Machinery Industry (TAMI). That would be $522.562 billion in Taiwan dollars, a 20.4% annual growth, marking a record high in the same period. Machinery exports have maintained double-digit growth for seven c...

As much of the world experienced an unprecedented disruption in 2020, industries alike struggled to readapt to the new reality. A walk around Taiwan's leading auto parts show — Taipei AMPA — would see new emerging, hot technologies in the electric vehicle (EV) and autonomous vehicle sectors a contrast against the traditional auto parts suppliers. With each year, B2B sourcing platforms would incre...

The ongoing trend of the traditional automotive parts getting an upgrade with electrification and smarter capabilities has never been more evident than ever at the Taipei AMPA show, showcasing Taiwan's technological advances for the world to see. For example, the Automotive Research & Testing Center (ARTC) had been leading development in designing auto lamp adaptive driving beam (ADB) system thro...

Communicating cars, with other vehicles and related infrastructure, sounds like a concept pulled out of a sci-fi movie, however, with 5G communications technology catching up and becoming more popularized, smart transportation and smart city capabilities seem closer to us than ever. Taiwan's government has also shown a similar initiative, seeing how one of the island's most competitive industr...