The global machine tool industry continues to develop as nations focus on novel manufacturing technologies and seamless supply chains. Taiwan, a worldwide machine tool and semiconductor powerhouse, has steadily increased its foothold in India, a market with significant need for cutting-edge technology. Taiwanese companies exhibited their latest innovations at IMTEX 2025, held in Bengaluru, as part of a developing partnership.
During an intriguing talk at the event, Nishant Kashyap and Vivek Singh spoke with Jules Shih, Director of the Taipei World Trade Centre. Their discussion focused on Taiwan’s particular capabilities, its developing commercial relations with India, and the possibility for collaboration in the machine tool industry.
What makes this year special? How many Taiwanese companies are participating, and what highlights can we expect?
For the first time, Taiwan Excellence—the prestigious award recognizing the best Taiwanese innovations was represented at IMTEX. This year 13 companies have participated in the Taiwan Excellence Pavilion, showcasing advanced and cutting-edge technologies. In addition, the Taiwan Association of Machinery Industry (TAMI) led a delegation of 37 reputed companies, bringing the total number of Taiwanese exhibitors to over 60. This made Taiwan the largest exhibiting country at IMTEX 2025.
Despite being a small country, Taiwan has a significant presence in the global machine tool industry. What are the key strengths of Taiwanese companies in this sector?
I would say two key factors contribute to our strength.
- Proximity and Logistics: Taiwan may be small, but it has a very efficient logistics system. In a 60 km radius around Taichung, we have a complete supply chain for machine tools. This allows manufacturers to source parts and components quickly—often within three days—enabling rapid customization and production.
- Education System: Taiwan has focused on hardware manufacturing for a long time. Our strong educational foundation in engineering and manufacturing helps us maintain a competitive edge in the global market.
Do you have any data on India-Taiwan trade in machine tools? How much does India import from Taiwan in terms of machine tools, and what about exports?
I don’t have specific numbers for machine tools alone, but I can share that metalworking machines are among the top five exports from Taiwan to India. The top five exported products include:
- Semiconductors
- Data computing equipment
- Electronic components
- Routers
- Metalworking machines
Last year, Taiwan-India bilateral trade surpassed $10.6 billion for the first time, marking a significant milestone. Machine tools are a considerable part of this trade.
With TIMTOS, one of Asia’s largest exhibitions, just around the corner, do you have any message for Indian buyers, sellers, or exhibitors? What are the key highlights this year?
This year, exhibitors are not just showcasing hardware but also bringing software solutions to improve efficiency, accuracy, and uptime in the machine tool industry. Taiwan is known for its dominance in semiconductors, and now we are integrating IoT technologies into our machines to further enhance performance and connectivity.
How many exhibitors are participating in TIMTOS this year?
There are more than 800 exhibitors and 1,500+ booths at the event.
What initiatives is Taiwan taking to strengthen business ties with India?
Taiwan is not just welcoming but actively working to facilitate business opportunities for Indian companies. If you visit Taiwan, you will even find Indian food easily—showing how we embrace Indian culture. Additionally, our government is negotiating agreements for Indian labor, including technicians and skilled professionals. This is an excellent time to do business in Taiwan and learn from Taiwanese technology.
What is your observation of India as a market for Taiwanese machine tools?
India is an expanding market for machine tools, but we do face some challenges. For example, Japanese companies have strong pricing strategies due to currency advantages, making competition tougher.
We still don’t have an FTA (Free Trade Agreement) with India, which could improve trade relations.
However, one key strength of Taiwan is that we are rich in skilled labor. Countries like Japan, Korea, and Germany focus on manufacturing under their own brands—Hyundai, Mercedes, and so on. But Taiwan doesn’t insist on branding everything under its own name.
Instead, we are happy to be your technology partner. We can support Indian brands with machines and expertise, helping them build their own manufacturing ecosystem.
Any final thoughts?
Taiwan plays the role of a “silent enabler” in global manufacturing. We provide the backbone technology and components that power industries worldwide. We don’t always put our name on it, but we are the invisible force driving innovation.
We also share a strong bond between governments and trade associations, which helps create a mutually beneficial relationship between Taiwan and India.
