Bright Sheland International Co Ltd (旭然國際), which makes filtration products and separation systems under the Filtrafine brand, on Thursday held a groundbreaking ceremony for its new Vietnamese plant that is due to start operations in the second quarter of next year.
“The new factory will save production and delivery costs, while helping industry integration,” a company official told the Taipei Times by telephone yesterday.
The company is investing NT$500 million (US$16.07 million) in the Vietnamese plant, which is expected to have an annual output of NT$1.5 billion, he said.
Products made in Vietnam and exported to other southeastern Asian and Oceania nations enjoy preferential tax rates of between 5 and 10 percent, thanks to the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership and other free-trade agreements, he said.
The new plant would shorten product delivery times across Asia, he added.
The new manufacturing facility is about 8,900 ping (29,422m2) with two automated production lines and a three-story office building, the company said, adding that it would also feature rain water harvesting equipment and solar panels.
Once the factory is in operation, the company’s Taiwanese and Chinese units would start producing high-value-added liquid filtration materials, which would lead to a more diverse product portfolio, he said.
“We used to import filtering materials such as filter membranes from abroad, but as we introduce new equipment we can integrate and boost the economy of scale,” he said.
Demand for filtering facilities is expected to rise as China tightens environmental protection rules such as limiting the amount of sewage disposal and wastewater recycling, the company said.
In addition, the relocation of plants by other companies to southeastern Asian nations would also helps boost sales, it said.
Bright Sheland has two plants in Yunlin County’s Technology-based Industrial Park (雲林科技工業園區) and one in Kunshan, China, for the Chinese market.
Taiwan remains the company’s largest market, generating 36 percent of sales in the first five months of the year, while other Asian nations contributed 27 percent and the US 24 percent, the company said.
Revenue climbed 6.55 percent to NT$189.44 million in the first six months, from NT$177.79 million the the same period last year.
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