The Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology has increased its marketing budget nearly 112 percent to promote domestically developed and manufactured weapons, an official said on Tuesday last week.
The nation’s top defense research body has been participating in major aerospace and defense exhibitions to promote the “brand image” of weapons made in Taiwan and has increased its marketing budget this year to NT$462.96 million (US$15.9 million), a jump of 111.99 percent from NT$ 218.38 million last year, said the senior official, who requested anonymity.
The business outlook for domestically developed weapons in international markets is highly optimistic, the official said.
Taiwan has developed and produced a variety of weapons — from missiles and electronic warfare systems to simulators and other weapons systems — that demonstrate the nation’s capabilities in manufacturing upstream and downstream products, said the official, who is familiar with the nation’s armament development and manufacturing policy.
“More importantly, the institute has the ability to customize products for clients, which gives Taiwan a large competitive edge over other arms manufacturing nations,” the official said.
The institute estimates that its revenue could reach NT$38.64 billion this year, while operating costs would increase to NT$38.38 billion, the official said, adding that the marketing budget has grown the most among the institute’s operating expenses.
As the institute has been building its presence at international defense, aerospace, maritime and photovoltaic industry exhibitions, an increase in marketing expenses has been necessary to improve the nation’s visibility in those sectors, the official said.
The institute, which was formerly a research body of the Ministry of National Defense, was transformed into an independent, government-funded organization in 2014.
Since then, it has participated in the Paris Air Show, the Bahrain International Airshow, the Japan International Aerospace Exhibition, the International Defence Exhibition & Conference in the United Arab Emirates and the International Defence Industry Fair in Turkey.
The institute has led delegations to the trade shows to introduce Taiwanese weapons systems and equipment to international buyers, the official said, adding that it has received solid recognition from international buyers.
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