The global economy is gradually recovering. The global economic growth in the first quarter of 2012 was better than expected, but in the second quarter, under the influence of the European debt crisis and the growth of emerging markets was lower than expected, although the export of Taiwan's fasteners in the second quarter increased compared with the first quarter, it was not the same as last year. Compared with this, it decreased by 3%.
Due to the poor manufacturing conditions in Europe and the United States in June, it is inevitable that Taiwan's fastener exports will continue to decline in the second half of the year. In addition, the EU is currently conducting an anti-dumping review on Chinese fastener products, and Taiwan's market share of related products in the EU has reached 50%, and the industry should respond early.
Production and sales of fasteners in Taiwan in the second quarter of 2012
The export value of Taiwan's fasteners in the second quarter of 2012 was NT$29.3 billion, an increase of 5% over the first quarter, as shown in Table 1. In terms of imports, the value of imports in the second quarter was NT$1.2 billion, an increase of 10% in the first quarter. The average unit price of exports in the second quarter was NT$81.1/kg, down 3% from the first quarter, as shown in Figure 1.
In the first half of 2012, the output value of Taiwan's fasteners was NT$61.5 billion, and the export value was NT$57.2 billion, an increase of only 1% over the same period in 2011. The import value was NT$2.2 billion, an increase of 7% over the same period in 2011. The local market demand in Taiwan is NT$6.5 billion. In terms of the average unit price of exports, the average unit price of Taiwan's exports in the first half of the year was 82.2 yuan/kg.
In the first half of the year, the top five countries in Taiwan's export value were the United States (37%), Germany (9%), Japan (6%), the Netherlands (5%), and the United Kingdom (4%). Among the top five countries, the average unit price exported to Japan is the highest, reaching 97.4 yuan/kg, while the remaining four countries are between NT$76-81/kg. The top five countries in terms of import value are Japan (51%), the United States (12%), mainland China (10%), Germany (5%), and the Philippines (5%).
