20th birthday in Taiwan

A special birthday is being celebrated by the Taiwan Hardware Show (THS) this year: the trade fair is taking place for the 20th time, organised by Kaigo and co-organised by the Taiwan Hand Tool Manufacturers' Association with assistance from the Taichung City Government. More than ever before, it sees itself as a leading international specialist trade fair for the hardware and hand tools sector. Now in its 20th year, the event will take place from 13 to 15 October 2020 at the Taichung International Exhibition Center.
Taiwan is the world's third-largest manufacturer and exporter of hardware and hand tools. For trading companies from all around the globe, but in particular from Europe, the USA, as well for manufacturers who wish to expand their range, Taiwan is an important sourcing region. Taichung, the venue of the event, represents a key industrial cluster for the hardware and hand tools industry, and is home to a network of more than 2 000 suppliers across the upstream, middle-stream and downstream sectors, involving 40 000 plus players, all of which have led to a close-knit and well-organised supply chain ecosystem. As such, Taichung is considered the region with the highest degree of concentration of the hardware and hand tools industry around the world.
The city lies around 150 km to the south of Taipei on the west coast of the island state. The Taiwan Hardware Show moved here from the capital in the year 2013 and in doing so, has made it easier for the companies located here to fly their flags at the trade fair.
Last year, THS 2019 set an all-time record high by gathering together 430 exhibitors with more than 1 000 exhibition booths, and attracting purchasing representatives from 93 countries, with a total of 5 268 international buyer visits. The visit footfall totalled 32 000, and as much as 68 per cent of the visitors were decision-makers on purchasing. In addition, 93 per cent of visitors reported a high level of satisfaction with the event quality, while over 86 per cent of exhibitors expressed willingness to participate in the event next year.
"Taiwan's hardware and hand tools industry is globally recognised, and THS as a trade fair wonderfully exhibits the strength of Taiwan's OEM, ODM and OBM manufacturers in the industry," says Hsin-Te Huang, Chairman of the Taiwan Hand Tool Manufacturers' Association. For the 2020 edition he has announced a brand new hand tools R&D testing section which will showcase results from the Hand Tools R&D…