The success of Taiwan“s electronics industry has aided growth in the island“s electronics glass fibre industry as well. Large-scale expansion projects of leaders in the domestic glass fibre industr…
The success of Taiwan“s electronics industry has aided growth in the island“s electronics glass fibre industry as well. Large-scale expansion projects of leaders in the domestic glass fibre industry including Taiwan Glass Fibre Co., Ltd., PFG Fiberglass Corporation, and Nittobo Norplex Oak Co., Ltd. have substantially increased Taiwan“s annual production capacity. The expansions are so large that after similar projects are completed in the local glass fibre cloth industry, Taiwan may overtake the United States as the world“s leading producer of glass fibre products. According to statistics from Taiwan“s Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA), domestic production of electronics glass fibre will reach 108,000 tonnes this year, and account for 40% of sales on the global market. If, as is hoped, Taiwan“s annual production capacity can grow 12-15%, it is likely that the island will become the world“s leading producer. MOEA officials point out that domestic producers of glass fibre have recently been making a series of expansion investments. The initial annual production capacity of Taiwan Glass, for example, was 18,000 tonnes. Yet this year, that figure has risen to 40,000 tonnes. Likewise, PFG Fiberglass“s production capacity has risen from 23,000 tonnes to 47,000 tonnes per year. And Nittobo Norplex, which was originally manufacturing 10,000 tonnes annually, now has the capacity to produce 21,000 tonnes. All together, Taiwan“s annual production capacity of glass fibre is up to 108,000 tonnes, second now only to that of the US. At the same time, the three companies expect that after future plans for further expansion are completed, Taiwan will overtake the US as the world“s number one producer of glass fibre products. Taiwan Glass, PFG, and Nittobo Norplex all acquired their production technology through cooperation with large, well-known American, Japanese, and Taiwan firms. This is seen as one of the main reasons why they have enjoyed so much success.