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TAITRA plan to solicit new export orders bears fruit

A plan for an export-boosting project initiated by the administration late last year has already begun to bear fruit, the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA, 外貿協會) said yesterday.

With the efforts of the Purchases and Sample Exhibitions Plan — sponsored by the semi-official TAITRA to solicit export orders for Taiwanese manufacturers — at least four major buyers from around the world have placed orders or engaged in serious talks with local exporters, TAITRA secretary-general Chao Yung-chuan (趙永全) said.

The plan is part of a three-year, NT$8.53 billion (US$251 million) project called the New Zheng He Project, launched by the Ministry of Economic Affairs late last year, aimed at reversing the trend toward negative growth for Taiwan’s export trade this year.

NUTS AND BOLTS

Wolseley UK, the world’s No. 1 distributor of heating and plumbing products and a leading supplier of building products to the professional market, has recently placed orders worth US$8 million with Taiwanese suppliers for nuts and bolts as well as other products, including bathroom fittings and lighting components, Chao said.

“Wolseley is expected to place new orders worth US$10 million with Taiwan shortly,” Chao said.

Wolseley, whose global procurement topped US$27.5 billion in 2007, is expected to make purchases in Taiwan this year to the tune of US$40 million.

Meanwhile, Chao said two procurement representatives from Poland’s TIM SA were scheduled to visit Taiwan from tomorrow until Thursday for talks on procuring electronics and electrical engineering products.

Nearly 100 local companies have signed up to take part in the talks.

TIM’s annual business turnover averaged US$200 million over the past several years and the company has a staff of more than 400.

It will be the first time that TIM has approached Taiwan for supplies, Chao said, adding that deals with the company would serve as a litmus test for Taiwan’s potential in cracking the vast Eastern European market.

Meanwhile, Specialty Bolt, the largest nuts and bolts dealer in New England, is scheduled to host a sample display workshop at TAITRA’s office in Kaohsiung tomorrow.

So far, more than 50 companies in the area have registered to take part in the workshop, said Wu Chun-ze (吳俊澤), head of TAITRA’s Kaohsiung office.

OEM

Specialty Bolt, an supplier of hardware products to OEM plants in the US, Canada and Mexico, purchases about US$18 million of products from around the world every year.

TAITRA officials said representatives of Mexico’s Grupo Tutsa, a leading nuts and bolts dealer, have been visiting central and southern Taiwan since last Monday for procurement talks with local suppliers.

Wu said that since their visit began, the representatives have canceled a plan to visit Hangzhou, China.

Under the New Zheng He Project, the government will assist Taiwanese suppliers and manufacturers to produce more goods for export, with the aim of topping NT$500 billion in exports this year, thereby reversing poor performance in the export sector because of the global economic downturn.

The ambitious export-bolstering project will also direct Taiwanese exporters and manufacturers to emerging markets beyond China, including India, Russia, Brazil, the Middle East and countries in Southeast Asia.

MING EXPLORER

Zheng He (鄭和) was an official who lived during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).

He led a fleet of Chinese vessels to Southeast Asia, from where they are believed to have departed to reach the east coast of Africa.

He was instrumental in building China into a maritime superpower between the 14th and 17th centuries.
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