Dear Subscriber,

We hope you had a great weekend and didn’t catch a cold with the sudden weather change.

In one month, we will host our first big event. This will be the GTO Economic Outlook 2024, followed by the Wirtschaftsstammtisch. We now opened up the registrations for it, so make sure to sign up if you are interested in a comprehensive overview on the current political and economic challenges and expectations of German companies in Taiwan. This overview will be based on our Business Confidence Survey, where we asked German companies to evaluate the situation in Taiwan. We invited many great speakers, giving their insights throughout the evening. A full list and the registration link can be found in our Top News.

With the Chinese New Year coming up very soon, our office celebrated our annual Weiya Dinner. This time, we visited the Grand Hotel, right where our first office was located over 40 years ago. Before the delicious dinner, we had the opportunity to see the infamous tunnels below the hotel and learn more about their history. Find impressions of the evening in our Top News.

The Taiwan Net Zero Emissions Association visited our office on Tuesday. With Secretary-General Dr. Hsiao-Kang Ma and Senior Commissioner Mr. Chien-Cheng Chen we had in-depth discussions on the international promotion of courses and collaborative activities related to the future net zero emissions and transformation. Read more about the meeting in our GTO News.

Another meeting that we had this week was with Mr. Alex Lu, Sr. BD & Marketing Director, and Ms. Rebecca Shih, Marketing Manager, of Rohde & Schwarz. In this meeting we introduced them to our office and discussed future cooperation opportunities. More insights on this interaction can also be found in our GTO News.

Lastly, we want to welcome two new GTO Business Alliance members.
Our new platinum member is DQS Taiwan Inc. DQS excels in conducting certification audits and assessments, positioning itself as a leading global provider in these essential services. 
Our new gold member Heraeus Materials Technology Taiwan Ltd., a family-owned company, their customers gain advantages from Heraeus' innovative technologies and solutions, grounded in extensive materials expertise and technological leadership. Read about both our new members in our Business Alliance News.

We wish you a great week!

Axel Limberg
Delegate and Chief Representative of German Industry & Commerce in Taiwan
Executive Director of the German Trade Office Taipei

Introduction

The German Trade Office Taipei is happy to announce that we will kick off the year of the Dragon with our annual “GTO Economic Outlook 2024 & Wirtschaftsstammtisch” event on February 22, 2024.

All friends and members of the Taiwanese-German business community are sincerely invited to join our event which includes:

• A presentation on the results of our annual Business Confidence Survey, giving you a comprehensive overview on the current political and economic challenges and expectations of German companies in Taiwan
• An extensive outlook on the future development of the Taiwanese economy
• Insights of specific industries, including manufacturing, automotive and semiconductors provided by experts of leading German companies in Taiwan
• A great networking opportunity with German food and drinks

Event Details & Registration

• Date: February 22, 2024
• Venue: ILLUME Taipei, Grand Ballroom A, 2. Floor
• Registration Time: 16:00 – 16:30
• Event Time: 16:30 – 22:00
• Price: 2,500 NT$
• Agenda: Download

*The price includes dinner including drinks that will be served during the Wirtschaftsstammtisch starting at 19:00.

For more information about this event, please visit our event website.

With the Chinese New Year being just around the corner, we returned to our roots at the Grand Hotel and celebrated our annual Weiya Dinner there.

Prior indulging into the great cuisines freshly cooked by them, we were given a tour of the hotel and even got to see and walk through the infamous tunnels below.

Being at the Grand Hotel reminded us of the more than 40 years of history of our office and how far we have come since then. For that we are very grateful.

We wish everyone peaceful days leading up to the Chinese New Years celebrations.

GTO Economic Outlook: Business Confidence Survey Presentation (Save the Date)
22.02.2024 | Location: ILLUME Taipei, Grand Ballroom A, 2. Floor

Geschäftsanbahnung für deutsche Hersteller von Sportartikeln, Fitness- und Freizeitgeräten
04.03.-08.03.2024 | Location: Taipei

Geschäftsanbahnung für deutsche Hersteller Zweiräder inkl. Zweiradkomponenten
13.-17.05.2024 | Location: Taipei

Become part of our GTO German Business Alliance!
More information about our membership packages on our website.

We were honored to welcome Secretary-General Dr. Hsiao-Kang Ma and Senior Commissioner Mr. Chien-Cheng Chen of the Taiwan Net Zero Emissions Association to our office last Tuesday. They represent the Taiwan Net Zero Emissions Association, an organization jointly established by the Taiwan Institute of for Sustainable Energy and more than 20 well-known domestic enterprises and financial companies, such as TSMC, China Steel, Chunghwa Telecom, ASE, Shin Kong Financial Holding, and others.

Ms. Leonie Yang, General Manager and Ms. Ellie Kan, Senior Project Manager of our service unit DEinternational, participated in this important meeting. The purpose of the meeting was to engage in in-depth discussions on the international promotion of courses and collaborative activities related to future net zero emissions and transformation. We hope to collaborate hand in hand to collectively contribute to Taiwan's net zero transformation goals!

Last week, we welcomed Mr. Alex Lu, Sr. BD & Marketing Director, and Ms. Rebecca Shih, Marketing Manager, of Rohde & Schwarz to our office. Rohde & Schwarz develops, produces, and markets a wide range of electronic capital goods for industry, infrastructure operators, and government customers.

The independent group is among the technology and market leaders in all its business fields, including wireless communications and RF test and measurement, broadcast and media, air traffic control and radio communications, cybersecurity, and network technology.

Together with our Business Alliance and Trade Fair teams, we introduced our office and discussed future cooperation opportunities. We thank Mr. Lu and Ms. Shih for coming to our office and are looking forward to an intensified collaboration in 2024!

Introduction

The second “Made in Germany” EUREM European Energy Management Training Course was successfully completed in October 2023 and we are currently accepting registrations for the third course, starting this March.

The EUREM is a standardized further education to train employees to obtain the necessary know-how to identify energy efficiency potentials in your company. This not only saves you costs, but it will also help you reach your goals for sustainability and decarbonization.

Benefits

• Coverage of all major technologies
• Management aspects for precise calculations
• Long-term network
• Extra-Occupational online Training
• Comprehensive energy concept for savings during the training

Want to know more about how previous participants benefitted from their EUREM Energy Efficiency Training? Then read more in our experience reports below!

• How a EUREM energy-saving project saves a company over NT$26 million annually
• How an engineer's energy-saving initiative reduces its company's lighting costs by 57% in Taiwan
• How a Taiwanese engineer achieves 12% energy savings by creating a water-saving electromechanical system

Program Details

• Program start: Wednesday, March 6, 2024 at 19:00
• Duration: 160 units of 45 minutes (145 teaching units + 15 units self-study and project work) over 7 – 8 months
• Training times: Weekdays (19:00 – 22:00) and Saturdays (09:00 – 16:00)
• Fully online courses in English
  

Certificate

Participants who complete the class, pass the written examination and report, obtain the "European Energy Professionals" international certificate issued by the German Nuremberg Chamber of Commerce and Industry. More than 6,000 professionals worldwide have been awarded this certificate and Taiwanese graduates will become part of this international network.

Participation Fees

Signing Up

If your company is interested in sending an employee to join the course to become a certified European Energy Manager, or if you would like to discuss content and benefits in detail, you are very welcome to contact our colleague Ms. Ellie Kan at kan.ellie@taiwan.ahk.de or 02-7735-7522.

Find more information on our official EUREM website.

Vom 15. bis 19. April 2024 findet unsere Delegationsreise nach Taiwan im Bereich Elektromobilität statt. Die Reise wird im Rahmen des Programms zur Internationalisierung der Regionen im Strukturwandel von GTAI Germany Trade and Invest durchgeführt und vom BMWK Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Klimaschutz gefördert. In Zusammenarbeit mit der Investitionsförderungsgesellschaft NRW.Global Business und den Unternehmensclustern automotiveland.nrw und der Zukunftsagentur Rheinisches Revier für DEinternational Taiwan, die Dienstleistungsgesellschaft des Deutschen Wirtschaftsbüros Taipei (AHK Taiwan) ein spannendes fünftägiges Programm durch, bei dem sich deutsche Unternehmen vernetzen können und umfangreiche Einblicke in die taiwanische Elektromobilitätsbranche erhalten.

Taiwan beherbergt bereits weltweit führende Unternehmen in den Bereichen Elektronik und Halbleiter. Das über Jahrzehnte angesammelte Knowhow in der Produktentwicklung und Massenproduktion soll dazu genutzt werden, künftig auch in der Elektromobilität eine führende Rolle einzunehmen. Bereits jetzt sind Hersteller wie Tesla stark auf Komponenten aus taiwanischer Fertigung angewiesen. Für deutsche Unternehmen die ideale Möglichkeit, neue Anreize für Innovationen und Geschäftsmodelle sowie neue Kooperations- und Vertriebspartner zu gewinnen.

Weiterführende Informationen sowie einen Link zur Anmeldung finden Sie auf dieser Website.

Wir freuen uns auf Ihre Teilnahme!

Introducing the latest Platinum Member of our GTO German Business Alliance: DQS Taiwan Inc.

DQS was founded more than 35 years ago by the German Society for Quality (DGQ), the German Institute for Standardization (DIN) and other German industry associations with the claim to perform certifications and audits for organizations worldwide at the highest level. With its foundation, DQS became the first independent certification service provider in Germany.

For sustainability, their certifications simplify the global exchange between companies, regulatory agencies or organizations, and at the same time strengthen the trust of customers and consumers in products, services, and organizations. They therefore understand their work to be an important sustainable contribution to society. Their core competencies lie in the performance of certification audits and assessments, which makes DQS one of the leading providers worldwide.

We welcomed Mr. Bob Chen, Managing Director, and Ms. Kimberly Wang, Director- Sustainability Business Development Unit, of DQS Taiwan Inc. to our office last Wednesday. We hope DQS and GTO can initiate more cooperation in the future!

Introducing the latest Gold Member of our GTO German Business Alliance: Heraeus Materials Technology Taiwan Ltd.

The Heraeus Group is a broadly diversified and globally leading family-owned technology company, headquartered in Hanau, Germany. The company’s roots go back to a family pharmacy started in 1660. Today, Heraeus bundles diverse activities in the Business Platforms Metals and Recycling, Healthcare, Semiconductor and Electronics as well as Industrials. Customers benefit from innovative technologies and solutions based on broad materials expertise and technological leadership.

In the 2022 financial year, the group generated revenues of €29.1 Billion (US$30.6 billion) with approximately 17,200 employees in 40 countries. Heraeus is one of the top 10 family-owned companies in Germany and holds a leading position in its global markets.

To learn more about Heraeus Taiwan, please visit their website.

The 2024 ITB Berlin is set to take place in March! GTO is offering an exclusive discount on tickets.

The ITB Berlin, with a history of over 50 years, will be held from March 5th to 7th in Berlin this year. As the world's largest B2B travel trade show, it annually attracts tens of thousands of travel professionals and experts from around the globe. Not only is it a major event in the travel industry, but it also serves as an excellent platform for observation and exchange among travel businesses.

ITB Berlin embraces the spirit of "Pioneering the Transition in Travel & Tourism. Together" and offers the latest travel information to the industry through four main stages with a total of 17 thematic tracks. It's also an excellent opportunity to attract European tourists to visit Taiwan.

Tickets for the ITB Berlin 2024 are now on sale. Enter the exclusive discount code ITB24_AV_TW_7070 to enjoy a 5% discount.

For more information about the exhibition and tickets, please refer to our website.

Are you trying to realize your full business potential within the international fresh produce trade?

Then you should not miss out on your chance to meet possible new business partners at FRUIT LOGISTICA 2024. It is the leading trade show for the global fresh produce business and represents the entire value-added chain of the fruit and vegetable sector, from producer to point of sale.

This year the trade fair welcomed 2,600 exhibitors from 92 countries and 63,500 trade visitors from 140 countries. As FRUIT LOGISTICA covers every single sector of the fresh produce business and provides a complete picture of the latest innovations, products, and services at every link in the international supply chain, this offers superb networking and contact opportunities to the key decision-makers in every sector of the industry.

From February 7 to 9, 2024, companies from across the entire fresh produce sector – from global players to small and medium-sized companies and organizations from all over the world - will again be present in Berlin. The entire spectrum of the fresh fruit and vegetable sector.

With our GTO voucher code: FL24_AV_TW_0567 we offer you discounted tickets, starting from 12% off. To purchase a ticket, please check our event website for further information.

The DIHK has published their Asia-Pacific Business Outlook.

Read all the content, including the key findings, results and Executive Directors' insights, statistical annex, and their questionnaire on our website.

Foreign Net Buying Exceeds NT$80.1 Billion, 2nd Highest in Taiex History

Foreign institutional investors registered net purchases of NT$80.1 billion (US$2.55 billion) last Friday, the second highest record on Taiwan's main board, with shares of contract chipmaker Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) attracting the most buying interest.

The Taiwan Stock Exchange's (Taiex) benchmark weighted index ended up 453.73 points, or 2.63 percent, at 17,681.52 on turnover of NT$423.17 billion on Friday.

The net buying amount of NT$80.1 billion by foreign institutional investors exceeded the prior second-highest record of NT$72.2 billion set on Jan. 30, 2023, and trailed only the NT$125.2 billion net buying on Dec. 28, 2005.

(Last access: 22.01.2024 / Focus Taiwan)

Furloughs in Manufacturing Fall as Demand Rises

The Ministry of Labor yesterday reported a significant decline of 2,202 manufacturing workers on formal unpaid leave programs over the past two weeks amid a resurgence in the manufacturing sector.

The number of workers on unpaid leave programs dropped from 9,764 to 7,562 between Jan. 2 and last week Friday, data compiled by the ministry showed.

Of the 2,202 workers brought back to work full time, 2,158 work in the export-oriented manufacturing sector, with most of them employed in the metal, electric machinery, information technology (IT) and electronics sectors, which have seen rebounds in orders, the ministry said.

(Last access: 22.01.2024 / Taipei Times)

TSMC Forecasts Sales to Grow by Over 20% in 2024

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC), the world's largest contract chipmaker,  said it will return to healthy growth in 2024 after a slump in 2023, with sales forecast to grow by more than 20 percent from a year earlier this year.

In an investor conference, C.C. Wei (魏哲家), TSMC's CEO, said due to the company's lead over its rivals in advanced technology development, the chipmaker is expected to enjoy a year-on-year sales increase of 21-26 percent in 2024, higher than an expected 20 percent increase in the global pure play wafer foundry industry.

TSMC's sales growth is also expected to beat an expected 10 percent year-on-year increase in the global semiconductor industry, excluding the memory chip segment, in 2024, Wei said.

(Last access: 22.01.2024 / Focus Taiwan)

Wiwynn Corp Stock Price Surges to 6-Month High

Wiwynn Corp (緯穎) saw its stock price spike 5.85 percent to a six-month high last Friday as investors bet on fast-growing demand for artificial-intelligence (AI) servers and the company’s strong capabilities to increase its gross profit margin from its business.

Wiwynn, which developes and manufactures AI servers, saw its shares close at NT$1,990. Gross margin climbed to an all-time high of 11 percent during the final quarter of last year, compared with 9.6 percent in the third quarter and 8.4 percent in the fourth quarter of 2022, a company statement said.

(Last access: 22.01.2024 / Taipei Times)