The nation’s industrial production rose 13.69 percent year-on-year last month, thanks to steady and strong demand for new technology along with a general global recovery, the Ministry of Economic Affairs reported yesterday.
On a monthly basis, industrial production increased by 2.14 percent.
The ministry uses industrial production to gauge output in Taiwan’s five main industries: manufacturing, mining and quarrying, electricity and gas supply, water supply, and architectural engineering.
Photo: Ge Yu-hao, Taipei Times
Manufacturing production, which contributed 90 percent of total industrial production, grew 14.62 percent annually last month, ministry data showed.
Industrial and manufacturing production increased for the 19th month in a row, data showed.
Among local manufacturing sectors, output of electronic components reached a record high last month, gaining 14.91 percent year-on-year and posting the 21st consecutive month of double-digit annual growth, the ministry said.
Orders in preparation for the annual release of a popular international brand’s new handset model contributed to the growth, alongside continued strong demand for 5G, the Internet of Things applications and automotive chips, Department of Statistics Deputy Director-General Huang Wei-jie (黃偉傑) said.
“The increase in production capacity for certain chip packagers and testers have also boosted production,” Huang said.
Large flat-panel displays for televisions and monitors for other electronic devices were also in strong demand, he added.
While tech-related production was strong throughout last year, it is the demand for non-tech products that has pushed the nation’s manufacturing to a new high this year, the ministry said.
Bright spots include machinery equipment, which saw output grow 31.61 percent on the global recovery, while production of basic metals rose 18.14 percent year-on-year due to strong demand for automotive goods, construction needs and higher commodity prices.
Production of automobile and auto parts rose 29.86 percent year-on-year last month as new emissions standards for diesel-powered vehicles went into effect, creating demand for larger sedans and large trucks, the ministry said.
The demand for small electric vehicles and auto parts also increased last month due to aggressive sales tactics by car dealers and the demand in the European and US markets, the ministry said.
Huang said that the shadow of COVID-19 has “not quite lifted” despite the apparently robust global recovery.
“Entering into the fall and winter seasons, it’s troubling to anticipate the possibility of pandemic resurgence around the world,” Huang said. “We also have to continue with further uncertainties such as the intensifying China-US trade tension.”
For the first eight months of the year, industrial production rose 14.42 percent year-on-year, while manufacturing grew 15.43 percent, ministry data showed.
The ministry is anticipating a year-on-year growth of 7.9 percent to 12.3 percent for industrial production for this month. However, month-on-month, it is expecting a contraction of 2.5 percent to an expansion of 1.5 percent.
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