Taiwanese Technology Suppliers in the Spotlight

Over the first four days of NPE2024, the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) has organized 10 product launches with various Taiwanese plastics equipment machinery manufacturers, including three each the first three days of the show and a final event on Thursday.

On the first day of the show, product introductions come from injection molding machine maker FCS, film-winding supplier Plas Alliance and blown-film machine maker Lung Meng. Tuesday events come from recycling machine suppliers Polystar Machinery and Ye I, as well as the debut of a biodegradable plastics straw line from Jumbo Steel. On Wednesday, blow molding machine suppliers Chumpower and Parker Plastic Machinery takes the stage, along with blown-film machine maker Diing Kuen. On Thursday of the show, extrusion equipment supplier InType Enterprise features a new technology for traditional batch foaming and a biomass pelletizing extruder.

Those 10 companies represent just a fraction of the 66 Taiwanese exhibitors at NPE2024, providing everything from injection molding machines, resins, molds and blown-film equipment, to blow molding, extrusion and recycling machinery. The Taiwan Association of Machinery Industry (TAMI) tells Plastics Technology that the total number of Taiwanese exhibitors is down slightly from NPE2018, but that as some markets have slowed in Asia, the Americas are becoming more important to the island nation, which has become a global player in plastics machinery.

“Expanding into international markets and seeking collaboration overseas further enhances Taiwan’s plastics machinery suppliers’ global influence and competitiveness,” the TAMI spokesperson says, noting that recent export data shows a shift from Taiwanese equipment headed primarily to Asian markets will include more going to the Americas, indicating growing opportunities.

According to TAMI data, the U.S. has remained the second largest export market for Taiwanese plastics machinery behind only China and ahead of Vietnam, India and Japan, with the gap between one and two narrowing greatly over the last three years. While the value of exports to China from Taiwan was more than double that of the U.S. in 2021, by 2023, Taiwanese shipments of plastics machinery to China were only 34% higher.

TAMI and TAITRA are also using NPE2024 to promote the TaipeiPLAS trade show that will be held this fall in the capital of Taiwan. Taking place Sept. 24-28 at the Nangang Exhibition Hall in Taipei, TaipeiPLAS will feature nearly 500 exhibitors and anticipates 20,000 visitors, as organizers believe the event will return to prepandemic participation levels.