TAIPEI: Taiwan’s manufacturing turnover rose by an annual 3.5 percent in 2014 to the highest annual level ever, but investment in fixed assets dropped 0.8 percent, according to statistics published on Monday by the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA).
In the fourth quarter of 2014 alone, the country’s manufacturing turnover was NT$7.4275 trillion (US$237.31 billion), a 2.3 percent year-on-year increase and a record quarterly high, according to MOEA’s Department of Statistics.
For the whole of 2014, Taiwan’s manufacturing turnover grew 3.5 percent to the highest ever figure of NT$27.3346 trillion, the data showed.
The annual turnover in the computer, electronics and optical products manufacturing sector reached a record high of NT$8.8781 trillion last year, while in the electronic parts and components manufacturing sector the turnover was NT$5.3183 trillion, the second highest in Taiwan’s history.
In the fourth quarter of last year, the turnover in the computer, electronics and optical products manufacturing sector grew 0.8 percent year-on-year to a record quarterly high of NT$2.7758 trillion, according to the data.
MOEA attributed the quarterly growth in that sector to an increase in orders received by electronics contract manufacturers and suppliers, based on strong demand for mobile devices and notebook computers.
Meanwhile, in the electronic parts and components manufacturing sector, the fourth-quarter turnover grew 12.7 percent year-on-year to NT$1.409 trillion, MOEA’s statistics showed.
The data indicated that due to falling oil prices, the chemical and industrial materials industry posted only NT$506.6 billion in sales revenues for the fourth quarter of 2014, down 4.8 percent year-on-year and its first drop in seven quarters.
For the whole of 2014, the petroleum and coal products manufacturing sector saw a decline in sales revenue for the first time in five years, dropping by an annual 13.5 percent, due to a steep fall in oil prices in the second half of 2014.
For the whole of last year, the manufacturing industry invested NT$989.8 billion in fixed assets, down 0.8 percent year-on-year, according to the ministry.
