The annual trade volume of the free trade zones operating from the four major harbors in Taiwan increased 50.2 percent to NT$175.99 billion (US$5.87 billion) last year from NT$117.2 billion in 2010, according to statistics released by the Ministry of Transportation and Communications Friday.
The gross output of the free trade zones in Keelung, Taipei, Taichung and Kaohsiung ports rose by NT$450 million, or 34.8 percent, last year, and profits rose by NT$240 million, or 52.4 percent, from the previous year. Ministry officials attributed the growth to increasing demand for the storage and distribution of oil products.
Meanwhile, Taiwan’s hand tool manufacturing sector generated a production value of NT$16.29 billion in the second quarter, up 4 percent from the same period last year and 13.2 percent higher than in the first quarter, according to statistics released by the government-run Industry and Technology Intelligence Services (ITIS).
Hand tool exports reached NT$15.08 billion in the second quarter, up by 6.8 percent from the first quarter and 1 percent higher than the same period last year.
Imports totaled NT$1.21 billion in the second quarter, up 33.3 percent from the first quarter but down by 6.3 percent from the second quarter last year, the statistics showed.
Taiwan Transport and Storage Corp (TTS, 台灣通運倉儲) yesterday unveiled its first electric tractor unit — manufactured by Volvo Trucks — in a ceremony in Taipei, and said the unit would soon be used to transport cement produced by Taiwan Cement Corp (TCC, 台灣水泥). Both TTS and TCC belong to TCC International Holdings Ltd (台泥國際集團). With the electric tractor unit, the Taipei-based cement firm would become the first in Taiwan to use electric vehicles to transport construction materials. TTS chairman Koo Kung-yi (辜公怡), Volvo Trucks vice president of sales and marketing Johan Selven, TCC president Roman Cheng (程耀輝) and Taikoo Motors Group
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