Big Int'l Auto Parts Buyers Attend "Sourcing Taiwan 2009"

Taipei, April 10, 2009 (CENS)--Half of the 10 largest foreign procurers invited by the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) to the "Sourcing Taiwan 2009," held in Taipei from March 31 to April 2, were auto-parts related companies, according to the organizer.

ZF Lemfoerder GmbH, under the ZF Group, is a globally renowned chassis and transmission parts maker with revenue of US$17 billion in 2007. The German company began procuring auto parts from Taiwan in 2004 and annual purchase value exceeds US$10 million.

Another major parts procurer was Magna International, a major global first-tier parts supplier with annual revenue of US$27 billion in 2007. The company set up an automotive seating system company in mainland China in 1996 and now the international group has over 3,000 employees in China.

At Sourcing Taiwan 2009, Magna displayed over 40 parts and components that have been or will soon be mass produced in China, but the company's buyers also wanted to find some qualified suppliers on the island.

According to TAITRA, it also invited buyers from Fiat China, which now operates four branch offices, nine joint ventures, and 13 fully-owned subsidiaries throughout China with annual revenue of US$6.5 billion in 2008. Fiat has poured over US$1.6 billion in China and now the total employee number there is about 16,000 people.

Fiat China wants to purchase wheel hubs, rubber tires, auto glasses etc. parts from Taiwan this time, TAITRA said.

India-based Amalgamations Group, established in 1938, is a big industrial conglomerate with business scopes comprising auto parts and service industry. The group supplies auto parts, diesel engines, cast parts, agriculture tractors to major customers such as Tata Motors, Hyundai Motors, Ford, Ashok Leyland, Caterpillars etc. Currently, the group has 43 subsidiaries, 34 production plants, as well as employs 13,000 people and has annual revenue close to US$5 billion.

According to TAITRA, Amalgamations Group wanted to procure auto parts, forged parts, cast parts, solar cells, and computer numeric control (CNC) machinery parts from Taiwan and anticipated to set up long-term cooperation ties with local suppliers.