The output of the nation’s manufacturing sector in the fourth quarter hit a high for the third consecutive quarter, driven by robust global demand for electronics, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said on Friday.
In the October-to-December period, the production value of export-oriented manufacturers in Taiwan rose 25.03 percent to NT$4.32 trillion (US$155 billion) from a year earlier, marking the fifth consecutive quarter of year-on-year growth, the ministry’s data showed.
Output in the manufacturing sector for the whole of last year totaled a record-breaking NT$16.08 trillion, up 26.31 percent from a year earlier, ministry data showed.
Photo: Ann Wang, Reuters
The sector benefited from rising demand for tech devices driven by steady global economic growth, and increasing product prices due to record raw material costs, the ministry said.
In the fourth quarter, output in Taiwan’s electronics component industry reached a record NT$1.27 trillion, up 20.14 percent from a year earlier, with the output of semiconductor suppliers up 25.85 percent at NT$589.4 billion, driven by a robust demand for 5G applications, high-performance computing devices, Internet of Things applications and automotive electronics, the ministry said.
Output in the industry for the whole of last year reached a record NT$4.75 trillion, up 20.64 percent from a year earlier, it said.
In the fourth quarter, output in the computer and optoelectronics industry increased 13.62 percent to NT$252.9 billion, marking the 15th consecutive quarter of year-on-year growth due to steady shipments of storage devices, cloud technology-based gadgets, servers and wireless communications gadgets, the ministry said.
However, the output of camera lenses for mobile devices fell, limiting the industry’s quarterly growth, it added.
Output in the industry for the whole of last year reached NT$909.3 billion, up 10.39 percent from a year earlier, ministry data showed.
In the fourth quarter, output in the chemical raw materials, base metal and machinery industries increased 40.28 percent to NT$541.8 billion, 54.05 percent to NT$506.4 billion, and 21.21 percent to NT$209.1 billion respectively from a year earlier, ministry data showed.
Output for the whole of last year in the chemical raw materials, base metal and machinery industries increased 53.26 percent to NT$2.05 trillion, 53.03 percent to NT$1.84 trillion and 25.62 percent to NT$775 billion respectively, the ministry said.
Output in the auto and auto parts industry fell 3.87 percent to NT$102.2 billion from a year earlier due to a supply shortage of computer chips and a relatively high comparison base for the same period the previous year, it said.
Output for the whole of last year in the auto and auto parts industry increased 15.31 percent to NT$395 billion, it added.
Growth in the manufacturing sector this year is expected to gain momentum thanks to rising vaccination coverage rates worldwide, increased investment in infrastructure in many economies and new technological innovations, it said.
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