Taiwanese manufacturers seek new partnerships at IHF

⬛ Chao Ting-yu

The top hardware show EISENWARENMESSE- International Hardware Fair (IHF) is relaunching on September 25 to 28 in Cologne, with event organizers bringing back in-person events and welcoming buyers alike to source quality products in categories like tools, industrial supply, fasteners and fixings, and home improvement.

Economic Daily News (CENS) is also returning to IHF, exhibiting at Passage Halle 3 Halle 11, Stand: P003, and featuring Taiwan's quality, reputable suppliers through showcasing "Taiwan Hand Tools" and "Taiwan Industrial Suppliers,” trade magazines that are exclusively published by CENS., as well as this special edition newsletter exclusively published for IHF.

With over half a century of manufacturing history in the industry, Taiwan is renowned as the "Kingdom of Screws" among international buyers, as the island's suppliers have established themselves in the global market thanks to unique industrial clusters that houses the entirety of fastener-related supply chains. Taiwan also has a similar moniker in the hand tools industry, as tools exports make up a significant portion of the island's exports each year. The hand tools industry is also clustered in the central part of Taiwan.

Both industries' cluster-style features became more important as ever throughout 2020 to 2021, as lockdowns around the world hampered and disrupted supply chains. Having the entirety of the supply chain based in Taiwan enabled both fastener and hand tools suppliers to quickly react to the influx of transferred orders, and to deliver orders in a timely fashion, as suppliers did not need to ship outside the country to reach other parts of the supply chain to fulfill orders.

While fasteners are regarded as a traditional industry, the advancements in the field and external environment factors are anything but. For instance, smart manufacturing technologies have been making waves in industries around the world, but attention and implementation of it in sectors like hand tools and fasteners have steadily risen in Taiwan in recent years. Big-name hand tool companies like Rei-Dai Precision Tools maintained its competitiveness throughout the early-to-mid stages of the COVID-19 pandemic through smart factory features to optimize and increase quality production, and streamline inventory tracking to ensure costs are managed effectively.

Research institutions in Taiwan are also a crucial component in advancing the industries. For example, many fastener suppliers based on the island are often small-and-medium enterprises, meaning that while these suppliers are more flexible, they often do not have the resources to make significant scale-up measures, or will require collaboration across the sector to achieve goals. Institutions like the Metal Industries Research and Development Centre assist suppliers and industries to acquire the resources to implementing new technologies like smart factories or optimized production, bridging the gap to allow local suppliers flourish.

Taiwanese hardware suppliers offer a wide range of products and are flexible enough to provide customized, one-on-one basis services for potential customers. Read on in this special edition for IHF to procure suitable products and foster lasting business partnerships, and get in touch with CENS booth representatives to use our exclusive business matchmaking service.