ThS 2022

Taiwan the indomitable

Unknown to the general public or almost until the Covid crisis, the island of Taiwan is increasingly in the headlines for various reasons. The main one is obviously this threat of military invasion of mainland China which hovers in an ever more significant way, without it being known very well what its level of intensity is.

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But the Republic of China, since that is what it should be called, is also something much more rewarding. Indeed Taiwan, thanks to its tremendous dynamism, is becoming a key player in the world economy thanks to its industrial know-how, as we saw during our visit to the show. Taïwan Hardware Show which was stopping off in Kaoshiung this year by joining forces with the platform named international Metal Technology.

Thus, after two long years of closing the borders, the territory that we will call, country, status which the cumbersome neighbor opposite refuses to it, considering with an ever more oppressive insistence that this land belongs to it, has reopened its doors. to any citizen from all over the world. From now on, it is no longer useful to present any document justifying good health, nor of course to undergo the slightest quarantine. The danger of an epidemic outbreak is receding, even if some are asked to respect certain obligations, with the wearing of a mask in any public place. Here is therefore a formidable asset vis-à-vis the “neighbor opposite” entangled in an absurd zero Covid policy which considerably affects its economy weakened in addition, by structural handicaps. This is not the case of Taiwan, which even took advantage of this terrible time to assert itself internationally in all areas, whether political, diplomatic or economic. So much so that it is almost possible to say that the Republic of China has paradoxically benefited from the long Covid episode. Two reasons for this. During the first wave, the quickly closed borders were more than beneficial in terms of the world image. While the planet was fighting without great results with the virus when it was really dangerous, Taiwan was well protected on its island, where the inhabitants were subject to strict health obligations without being repressive as in China. With the help of the exemplary good citizenship of its inhabitants, and despite the absence of vaccines, the first wave was largely contained and the whole world began to discover the virtues of this exemplary democracy. Thus, and quite paradoxically, the Covid constituted a formidable accelerator of notoriety, insofar as the cases were non-existent while economic and industrial activity never stopped. The world has seen with admiration the soundness of government policy that has resulted in only a few accidental cases and zero fatalities!

Never let go

Only this miraculous situation did not last with the arrival of the very contagious Omicron variant brought in the luggage of the few local travelers authorized to return to the country. The virus spread like wildfire everywhere, hitting the population in the hundreds of thousands. But fortunately the vaccine became available and a very large vaccination campaign was put in place in a very effective way, which considerably reduced the number of deaths, all associated with very strict sanitary measures that no Westerner could not. would probably never have accepted. But what is remarkable in this whole period is that the country never stopped. It even ran almost at full speed while the whole world continued to suffer from the consequences of the pandemic on production lines, but also in offices where more or less hybrid teleworking was set up. But the great turning point of Taiwan's extraordinary expansion in a period that was no less extraordinary is that it has become the hub of the planet because of an object that has become as precious as gold.

Treasure island

Indeed, with the end of the pandemic, demand has resumed with astonishing vigor in many sectors, of which that of technology is not one of the least, as it has been inserted everywhere in almost all manufactured products. using electronics and there are more and more of them, from automobiles, telephony, robotics, household appliances, home automation, tools, etc. The list is endless and continues to grow. Only, all these beautiful people consume more and more components of which Taiwan is the world champion with a unique know-how. So much so that its manufacturers constitute the cornerstone of the world industry, and are constantly in demand, which means that the country has become the world leader in these products without which nothing is possible. All this means that the components manufactured in the territory have become so essential that orders are pouring in and lead times are constantly lengthening for customers all over the world. Often copied, they are never equaled in terms of quality, to the chagrin of the Chinese who have not yet reached this level of excellence by far. Admittedly, there are competitive players in the USA, Korea and Japan, but none have reached this level of excellence. It is therefore with these small objects that Taiwan has risen to the big leagues of this world in the industrial field.

Taiwan Hardware Show Locomotive Effect

It is also thanks to the image of high performance provided by this sector that Taiwanese production is rightly considered to be very efficient in many areas as different from each other as the example of biotechnology, nanotechnology, photovoltaic, renewable energies, petrochemicals, machinery, maritime transport, the manufacture of world famous bicycles (Giant) computers(Asus, Acer) etc without forgetting of course the tooling, our main subject. All these digressions that lead us there indeed take on their full meaning to better understand the reason for the existence of the show. THS, acronym of Taïwan Hardware Show, object of our visit. Indeed, if this one, after having suffered the punishment of two years without existence, was able to start again with a vengeance, it is because the industry never stopped running at the height of the crisis, and therefore by Consequently, the territory's economy never collapsed. Taiwan's strength is this formidable spirit of resilience, this unrelenting dynamism, despite all the threats hanging over its future. The population and companies have long since integrated these parameters, and the best response to danger is to move forward despite everything. All this reflects of course, on the know-how, the quality of the global industrial production whatever the sector with the objective of allowing its internal market to be able to function in an optimal way, whatever the circumstances and this has been verified. at the height of the Covid crisis. Better still, even if exports suffered from problems linked to the world situation, they never stopped. It must be said that in this area Taiwan is at the forefront in many sectors of activity, supported by the authorities who have always considered international trade to be essential to the development of the country.

A showcase named Kaohsiung

It is therefore in this context that was held from October 19 to 21, the exhibition THS who had associated his destiny for the occasion with the platform International Metal Technology, dedicated as its name suggests to metal technology. Unlike previous years, this one took place in the large industrial city of Kaoshiung, which deserves a stop. Indeed, this city is highly strategic thanks to its commercial port, which occupies the 17th place on the world stage. It is therefore through Kaoshiung that most exports pass, with the exception of semi-conductors, fragile, rare and expensive, transported by air. Who says port also says economic activity. Thus the agglomeration is home to heavy industry, such as steelworks, shipyards, refineries. This shows the strategic importance of a city of 2.7 million inhabitants, the third in population. It goes without saying, however, that the place is very sensitive, and enemy ships of the People's Army of China often make incursions there, which has had an impact on maritime traffic in recent months. Still, it was in this coveted environment that the 2022 edition of the show was held. This choice, however, was not determined for geo-strategic considerations, but for more prosaic reasons. Indeed, the Taichung site where the show previously took place before the Covid years was no longer suitable in terms of surface area, comfort and reception. However, a very modern exhibition center is under construction and should be operational in 2025, which means that Kaigo, the organizer at the helm of the event, will return there as soon as it opens. Indeed, Taichung has the advantage of allowing visitors, especially foreigners, to be able to visit the exhibiting manufacturers, their production units being located not far from the exhibition site. This is less the case in Kaoshiung, even if the port city is also home to a significant number of industrialists in the sector. However, with the pandemic, the subject of visits was less topical, the main thing was to occupy the land as quickly as possible.

A living room jewel and a divine surprise

Mission accomplished therefore, since the show took place as planned with, icing on the cake, the possibility for foreigners to travel there, since a few days before, the government authorities had decided to reopen the borders, which allowed us to pick up the thread of the story that we had left in limbo in 2019 for the reasons on which it is useless to return. It is therefore in the superb Kaoshiung exhibition center that the show with drums and dragons opened according to the Taiwanese tradition. We found the well-known global offer, which had always surprised us with its remarkable quality. This remains the same, namely, tools of course, but also gardening and its derivatives, screws, locks, with a part reserved for intelligent mechanisms but also a part dedicated to bathroom equipment. , to which plumbing was added this year. In short, a reputable and recognized offer in the world for its quality, which makes Taiwan a major supplier in OEM or OD products. However, this 2022 edition has shown that during these disastrous years, the manufacturers did not stay with both feet in the same shoe. Indeed, we were able to see firsthand the rise in power of very high precision tools, even connected ones. We were also able to witness the advent of the already operational Metaverse since experiences allowed visitors to discover what the world of tomorrow will be like. Drones were also part of the party, and their operation generated a lot of interest and curiosity. We were thus able to verify that Taiwan is truly a paradise of technology, connectivity, and digitalization. The phenomenon was accentuated by the presence of the IMT offer, where precision, the high level of quality is not an empty word in this sector of activity. Also note the presence of a robot that greatly intrigued and fascinated.
So that's what the 13,000 visitors among the 200 exhibitors from 55 countries were able to discover, which is quite honorable, for a great return to business, in a context which however did not make things any easier, since, like us As we said above, Taiwan had only reopened its borders a few days before. All these pitfalls did not slow down Kaigo, at the helm of the event in its desire to return to a show that had become a major meeting place for the tooling sector in the Asia Pacific zone. Knowing, in addition, the difficulties of the Chinese neighbor with its policy of confinement which no longer allows foreign buyers to make the trip, the THS has a good card to play and the organizers are not going to deprive themselves of it.
Finally, note that the 2023 edition will be held this time in the capital Taipei, from October 19 to 21.

Interview with Gerd Keim: President Kaigo

Trade Shows Mag: This 2022 edition finally marks your return, but why this choice of city change?
Gerd Keim: For a very simple reason. We had not initially planned to leave Taichung, but it was no longer possible to organize the THS show under the conditions, as we had known them until the pandemic. You need a real site with all the modern conveniences. As the new exhibition building will not be available until 2025, we have decided to export ourselves to the other Taiwanese economic center of attraction, in this case Kaoshiung, which allowed us for our return to business to offer exhibitors and visitors a quality site that we shared with the IMT platform dedicated to metal technologies, which offered complementarity in the global offer in terms of products, knowing that there is a cause and effect link between the two sectors of activity.

Trade Shows Mag: We have been told that you will change again next year. Isn't that a bad decision?
Gerd Keim: It is indeed true. We will return to Taipei where we were born a long time ago. This choice may seem odd to you, but you should know that Taiwan is a territory of modest size, and that the capital is 50 minutes from Taichung by fast train where most of the tool manufacturers are located, which allowed buyers to visit their suppliers' production units, which will again be very easy next year from the capital. In addition, our goal is to bring back many foreign visitors, and Taipei is better suited than Kaoshiung. in terms of distance. Finally, we will have an exhibition area that will allow us to find our usual number of exhibitors. Nevertheless, it is certain that in 2025, we will return to Taichung in the new building which will then be operational.

Trade Shows Mag: If all goes well health-wise...
Gerd Keim: Indeed, we are well aware of the risks of a backlash from the pandemic. This is why we remain extremely cautious. But if we wanted to ensure the sustainability of the show, we had to commit ourselves this year, which we did on a more modest scale. The exhibitors wanted it and assumed the risks, while our local buyers were in demand, especially the trading companies that make the link with export in these still complicated times. Let's not forget that Taiwan only opened its borders last week.

Trade Shows Mag: If this edition can be considered a transition edition, what about the market?
Gerd Keim: The sector has suffered from the lack of raw materials, but the activity has not stopped for all that and the manufacturers are still as successful in innovation, while maintaining this justified image of quality which has brought them happiness until here.

Trade Shows Mag: But by offering higher prices.
Gerd Keim: Without a doubt, but the difference is tenuous with low-cost products that Taiwanese manufacturers know how to produce as well. The American market has absorbed a lot. That said, buyers are increasingly turning to quality.

Trade Shows Mag: Last question, to finish. What about sustainability and environmental respect, which are becoming recurring themes in Europe. Will they surpass the one who made the strength of the image of products made in Taiwan, in this case, quality?
Gerd Keim: No, in no way. These themes are by no means the main selling points. Here in Taiwan, quality comes first. This does not mean that manufacturers neglect this aspect, quite the contrary. They simply integrated it into their manufacturing processes as a definitively acquired element.