Business Wire
Date: June 25, 2020

KARLSRUHE, Germany–(BUSINESS WIRE)–joimax®, the German-based market leader in technologies and training methods for full-endoscopic and minimally invasive spinal surgery, is pleased to announce a new countrywide distributor in Taiwan, Hi-Clearance Inc. With the aim of building an effective, long-term relationship, the strategic supplier partnership is a further milestone in the international growth of joimax®.

“We are dedicated to establishing joimax® as the leading brand of endoscopic spine surgery in Taiwan.”

“Hi-Clearance is our ideal sales and service partner,” says joimax® CEO and Founder Mr. Wolfgang Ries, With their streamlined structure and process in place, we are confident joimax® will penetrate this new market very successfully.”

Hi-Clearance Inc. has over 239 employees, and is a well-known supplier of medical materials and equipment in Taiwan. “We are very pleased about the new strategic partnership and are excited to continue the strong growth of both companies,” states Hi-Clearance Chairman Mr. John Lee and President Mr. Ernie Chen. “We are dedicated to establishing joimax® as the leading brand of endoscopic spine surgery in Taiwan.”

Hi-Clearance Inc. is headquartered in Taipei with four other branches spread across the country. The main business includes products for Hemodialysis, Critical Care, Dental, Cardiology, Homecare Devices, Nutrition and a major Spine Surgery Division. In 2019, sales were USD 107 million.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 06/24/2020
By: Pan Tzu-yu and Frances Huang

Taipei, June 24 (CNA) Sentiment toward the local manufacturing sector showed signs of improvement in May as many economies have reopened for business as the COVID-19 pandemic appears to be winding down, the Taiwan Institute of Economic Research (TIER) said Wednesday.

Citing the results of a survey, TIER, one of the country's leading think tanks in Taiwan, said the composite index for the manufacturing sector, which gauges business sentiment among manufacturers, rose 4.22 from a month earlier to 85.73 in May, ending a four-month falling streak.

TIER said that as many Taiwanese manufacturers received deferred orders from its foreign clients and petrochemical product prices were boosted by a rebound in international crude oil prices, the local manufacturing sector has demonstrated greater confidence in its business outlook.

In addition, demand for tech devices remained solid at a time when remote work and online learning continued to gain popularity amid the virus spread, so the information and communication technology industry also saw a rise in shipments, TIER said.
[FULL  STORY]

STAYING PREPARED: The shipping company has upgraded its idle vessels to meet new regulations, and has taken measures to ensure its crew members remain healthy

Taipei Times
Date:  Jun 26, 2020
By: Kao Shih-ching / Staff reporter

Evergreen Marine Corp (長榮海運) on Tuesday said it expects a rebound in its cargo volume in the third quarter after facing an up to 20 percent plunge in the first half of the year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, as uncertainties remain in the fourth quarter, the company’s annual cargo volume might fall 15 percent year-on-year for the whole of this year, the nation’s largest cargo shipper said.

While the pandemic has decelerated economic activity worldwide and weakened demand in the global container shipping market, Evergreen saw demand pick up earlier this month and has received more orders for next month and August, company chairman Anchor Chang (張正鏞) told a news briefing in Taipei.

Summer is traditionally the cargo shipping industry’s peak season, as many suppliers transport their goods for clients ahead of product launches.    [FULL  STORY]

VnExpress
Date: June 24, 2020
By: Lam Son   

Employees at Pouyuen Vietnam Co. Ltd leave the company after work on April 8, 2020. Photo by VnExpress/Huu Khoa.

Sadness tinged with relief and outright despair – emotions run high among workers laid off by Taiwanese shoemaker Pouyuen Vietnam.

Hoang Thi Lien, 45, is worried about her future, but she thinks it could have been worse.

She feels lucky to have received a severance pay of VND178 million (around $7,600) after working for 18 years at the footwear factory in HCMC's Binh Tan District. 

When Pouyuen announced her severance package, she was "moved to tears," Lien said. She had expected to be among those laid off because of her age, as the company scaled down operations over Covid-19 impacts.    [FULL  STORY]

Freight transport emerges as unexpected lifeline for Taiwan’s national carrier

Taiwan News
Date: 2020/06/23
By: Huang Tzu-ti, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — China Airlines (CAL) assured investors on Tuesday (June 23) that there will be no plans to slash jobs as the coronavirus pandemic continues to take a toll on the travel industry.

Taiwan's national carrier is among the hardest-hit airlines worldwide, with passenger flights currently operating at just three to four percent capacity and average monthly revenue plummeting from NT$10 billion (US$338 million) to NT$400 million, reported UDN.

The company, though, has managed to deliver a stellar performance in the business of cargo transport, said Hsieh Shih-chien (謝世謙), chairman of CAL. The company's 18-plane cargo fleet raked in a record-breaking NT$9 billion last month, Hsieh said at a recent shareholders meeting.

The airline has implemented a range of relief measures since the outbreak of COVID-19, from 15 to 25-percent salary cuts to working hours reduction. Aimed at propping up the company’s finances, these policies are expected to be terminated by August, Hsieh stated.
[FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 06/24/2020
By: Wu Hsin-yun and Frances Huang

Taipei, June 24 (CNA) The number of furloughed workers in Taiwan has hit a record high of 30,000 with the manufacturing sector accounting for more than 50 percent of those taking unpaid leave, the Ministry of Labor (MOL) said Wednesday.

Data compiled by the ministry showed the number of workers who reached an agreement with their employers on a furlough plan totaled 30,505 as of Tuesday, up 667 from 29,838 as of June 15 at a time when the COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect the global economy.

During an eight day period, the number of companies implementing furlough programs reached 1,323, up 11, the data indicated.

Huang Wei-chen (黃維琛), deputy director of the MOL's Department of Labor Standards and Equal Employment, said although Taiwan has done well fighting COVID-19, the number of confirmed cases worldwide has been rising and had a ripple effect on global demand, hurting the local export-oriented manufacturing sector.    [FULL  STORY]

LONG-TERM OUTLOOK: The chip packager is maintaining its capital spending budget for this year on expectations that 5G, AI and smart manufacturing would drive growth

Taipei Times
Date: Jun 25, 2020
By: Lisa Wang / Staff reporter, in KAOHSIUNG

ASE Technology Holding Co (ASE, 日月光投控), the world’s biggest chip tester and packager, yesterday stood firm on its forecast of annual revenue growth this year, as customers continue to show a strong appetite for its advanced technology.

Growth momentum is expected to continue from the first half of this year, when ASE’s revenue, net profit and equipment utilization all beat its expectations, it said.

In particular, the company received higher orders in the first quarter as its factories in Taiwan kept running following the nation’s quick response to the COVID-19 pandemic, it added.

“We are firm about our forecast of annual growth in revenue this year,” ASE chief executive officer Tien Wu (吳田玉) told reporters on the sidelines of the company’s annual shareholders’ meeting in Kaohsiung.    [FULL  STORY]

Offshore Energy
Date: June 23, 2020,
By: Adnan Durakovic

Taiwan’s CS Wind and Chin Fong Machine Industrial have completed the first 20 locally-made offshore wind turbine towers, Siemens Gamesa said.

These are the first-ever turbine towers to be made in Taiwan for a Taiwanese offshore wind project, according to Siemens Gamesa.

Scheduled for delivery in 2021, the turbine towers will support Siemens Gamesa’s 8 MW units on the 640 MW Yunlin offshore wind farm.

Back in October 2018, Siemens Gamesa awarded the joint venture of CS Wind and Chin Fong with the contract to deliver localized towers for the Yunlin wind farm.   [FULL  STORY]

Plum rain season saved S. Taiwan from drought

Taiwan News
Date: 2020/06/23
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — There will be no water shortages and no tariff increases for water for three months this summer, Taiwan Water Corporation Chairman Hu Nan-tzer (胡南澤) said Tuesday (June 23).

While the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic was certain to affect the company's revenue for the year, there would still be plans to raise fees for the public, the Liberty Times quoted Hu as telling a shareholders' meeting.

The year started with a threat of drought, especially in the south, but the plum rain season changed that situation, leading to the virtual certainty that there would be no water shortages during the three coming months, according to the chief of the state utility.

On the contrary, the typhoon season and outbreaks of torrential rain might cause the opposite problem, muddying the water and causing a stop in the supply due to excessive turbidity, Hu said.    [FULL  STORY]