The nation’s manufacturing sector continued to ride the wave of robust global demand in the third quarter as its production value rose on an annual basis for the eighth straight quarter, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said yesterday.
The output value of local manufacturers rose 8.39 percent in the July-to-September period from a year earlier to NT$3.63 trillion (US$117 billion), after a 9.05 percent increase in the second quarter, ministry data showed.
The output of electronic component makers totaled NT$978.1 billion, up 2.53 percent from a year earlier, on the back of launches of mobile devices by international brands and an increase in prices of DRAM chips, the data showed.
After two quarters of declines, the computer and optoelectronics sector saw its output value edge 0.45 percent higher to NT$165 billion thanks to growth in the production of computers, solid-state drives and semiconductor inspection equipment, the ministry said.
The production value of the chemical sector rose 22.36 percent from a year earlier to NT$527 billion as rising crude oil prices continued to boost chemical product prices during the three-month period, the data showed.
The base metal and machinery sectors saw annual production gains of 18.66 percent and 5.16 percent respectively to NT$390.7 billion and NT$182.9 billion in the third quarter, the data showed.
The fourth quarter is a traditional peak season for the local electronics industry and is expected to drive up the output of the nation’s overall manufacturing sector for the ninth straight quarter, the ministry said.
However, it said that the sector could be hurt by rising trade frictions between the US and China, and a downtrend in raw material prices.
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