UPTICK:The purchasing managers’ index rose for a 17th straight month last month, boding well for exports as smartphone vendors prepare for new model launches

Taipei Times
Date: Aug 02, 2017
By: Crystal Hsu / Staff reporter

The official manufacturing purchasing managers’ index (PMI) accelerated to 59 last month, rising for the 17th consecutive month as global smartphone brands gear up for new product launches, boosting demand for electronics components, the Chung-Hua Institution for Economic Research (CIER,中華經濟研究院) said yesterday.

The private Nikkei Taiwan Manufacturing PMI reached a similar conclusion with a score of 53.6, suggesting a strong start for the nation’s manufacturing-driven economy in the current quarter.

“The latest PMI figure bodes well for exports last month and beyond, but it is too early to tell if forthcoming smartphone models will prove to be successful and benefit local firms in their supply chain,” CIER president Wu Chung-shu (吳中書) told a news conference.

Apple Inc is likely to introduce its iPhone 8 next month, but might have to put off mass production until the fourth quarter to resolve technology bottlenecks, Wu said.
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