INDUSTRY NEWS
Metalworking in Taiwan
According to statistics from the Taiwan Association of Machinery Industry ( TAMI ), the export value of Taiwan ’ s machinery and equipment reached US $ 2.634 billion in April 2021 , a 28.4 % rise over the same period last year , with a 13.5 % increase in machine tools over that period . Taiwan is one of the top five machine-tool exporting countries in the world .
Its “ Taiwan Excellence - Navigating the Future of Metalworking ” online event on 26 May 2021 was held by the Taiwan Bureau of Foreign Trade ( BOFT ), MOEA , Taiwan , R . O . C . and the Taiwan External Trade Development Council ( TAITRA ), in conjunction with TAMI . Five leading Taiwanese companies ( Ching Hung ; Chin- Fong ; Equiptop ; Speed Tiger and Sigma ) also shared their advanced smart manufacturing solutions .
Patrick Chen , Chairman of the Machine Tool Committee , TAMI , stated during the event that the rebound of market demand in China , the United States and other markets , as well as ‘ the supply chain reshaping effect driven by the U . S . -China trade war ’, were major factors causing the demand for metal cutting tools to continue to grow . The output value of Taiwan ’ s machinery and equipment was U $$ 37.3 billion in 2020 . To meet increasing market demand , the output
Patrick Chen , Chairman of the Machine Tool Committee , TAMI .
value of Taiwan ’ s machinery and equipment is expected to increase by US $ 3.6 billion to US $ 42.6 billion during 2021 , with an annual growth rate of 10 % to 15 %.
Dr . Ta-Jen Peng , Deputy Director of the Intelligence Manufacturing Technology Division , Intelligent Machinery Technology Centre ( ITRI ), added that Taiwan ’ s metalworking industry has changed from being strongly dependent on the experience of engineers to production mode , greatly assisted by smart software . Taiwan provides intelligent
WATCH stand-alone equipment as well as entire intelligent factory solutions . n VIDEO
Brexit disruption for the UK
UK manufacturers are still struggling to cope with crippling delays moving goods in and out of the EU after Brexit . According to research by Make UK , the manufacturers ’ organisation in the UK , 74 % of companies experienced delays from January to March 2021 . One in three ( 28 %) are experiencing delays of between one and two weeks , with goods stuck in transit and shipment delays - over half ( 51 %) say this has led to increased costs . Over a third ( 35 %) have lost revenue , with one in five losing potential business .
“ Many container ships will not stop in the UK at present , due to delays at British ports . This is resulting in goods bound for the UK being offloaded in EU ports , impacting heavily on production schedules and lead times with companies forced to make alternative and costly arrangements to have their orders delivered ,” said Make UK .
“ The UK Government should look to quickly get back around the table with our EU partners to find a way to mitigate against ongoing delays at the border and iron out different interpretations of the rules for movement of goods in separate member states ,” added Stephen Phipson , CEO of Make UK .
Manufactured goods accounted for over half of UK total exports at the end of 2019 , bringing in £ 687 billion for UK Plc n
Don ’ t miss Blechexpo 2021
The latest technologies for sheet metal processing , metalworking and joining technology will be the focus of the 15th Blechexpo international trade fair for sheet metal processing . It will be held , together with the 8th Schweisstec international trade fair for joining technology , in Stuttgart , Germany , from 26-29 October 2021 . Exhibitors will present stand-alone and system solutions for the process chains associated with the fabrication of parts made from sheet metal , profiles and pipe at an international level .
The Blechexpo / Schweisstec trade fair showcases sheet metal processing and metalworking technologies , along with joining technology , once every two years . Attention will be focused on stand-alone and system solutions for the process chains involving the fabrication of parts made from sheet metal , profiles and pipe , as well as associated thermal and mechanical processing ; cutting technologies ; processing machines ; equipment for punching , bending , automation and forming . It also includes system peripherals , such as controls and software , as well as solutions for handling and quality assurance .
“ Sheet metal processing companies are faced with the challenge of networking their production departments to an ever greater extent in the future . Many suppliers from sheet metal processing , metalworking and joining technology view themselves as solution providers for the entire sheet metal fabrication process . They not only offer their own machines , software and services – by working together with their partners , they are also able to offer holistic system solutions from a single source ,” said show organiser , P . E . Schall GmbH & Co . KG .
“ Digitalisation , sustainability , process efficiency and future-proof solutions in the face of a rapidly changing production environment are high-priority driving issues for the sheet metal processing industry . Great focus is also still on energy efficiency , advanced mechanical joining and fastening technologies because production is working to an ever greater extent with new plain and hybrid materials . Modern cutting technologies , such as high-pressure waterjet cutting , will also be in the spotlight .”
In 2019 , exhibitors from 36 countries and visitors from 113 nations attended the event in Germany . n
16 | sheetmetalplus . com | ISMR June 2021