Taiwan's sports manufacturing industry has had more success over the years than its sportspeople and a trade show in Taipei shows why.
The wealth of sporting goods and exercising equipment made in Taiwan highlights the country's production success and ingenuity.
The TaiSPO 2002 at the Taipei World Trade Center, 5, Hsinyi Road, started yesterday and concludes tomorrow.
Jointly run by the Taiwan Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association and the Taiwan Sporting Goods Association, the event is Taiwan's sporting window to the world.
Taiwan first gained a foothold in the sporting goods industry in the early 1970s when mom-and-pop businesses started to make way for larger-scale manufacturing.
The country, at the time, had a cost-effective edge because of low land and labor costs.
It was at this time that Taiwan got a reputation for being a reliable original equipment manufacturer (OEM), basically making goods for major companies in the US, Japan and Europe.
Some domestically developed brands have done well, however, with Kennex tennis rackets, Giant cycles and various golf and snooker table manufacturers making a name for themselves.
"Taiwan-made sporting goods are now highly recognized worldwide for being quality innovative products," organizers of the trade show said.
Nowadays, with China being the source of an increasing quantity of sporting goods, Taiwan has concentrated more on research and design.
As a result, exports of Taiwan-made sporting goods in 2000 amounted to US$1.65 billion, a growth of 30% compared to the previous year.
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