AstraZeneca Plans Major Investments Observing the 70th anniversary of its presence in Taiwan, pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca announced plans to invest an additional NT$1 billion (over US$32 million) here in the next three years. AstraZeneca Taiwan president Simon Manners said the company will launch 10 new medicines by 2021, three of which have received priority approval…
Some major new projects are in the works for Taipei’s Xinyi district. When the Breeze Center opens its latest outlet in the new 48-story Nan Shan Plaza later this year in downtown Taipei’s Xinyi Planning District, it will be the 14th department store or shopping mall within an area of half a square kilometer –…
Entrepreneurs in Taiwan are redefining the term ‘café’ in the era of social media. With the proliferation of cafés in Taiwan in recent years, proprietors have been looking for ways to make their shops stand out from the rest. Besides offering single-origin coffee, more and more cafés are dedicating space to displaying premium, handcrafted goods…
Global and local firms are making new investments in semiconductor fabs in Taiwan. Taiwan is holding its own as a hub for semiconductor manufacturing, attracting steady new investment from chipmakers and other firms in the industry’s supply chain. The island manufactures about 25-30% of integrated circuits (ICs) globally and is home to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing…
Some of the multinational company’s busiest stores in the world are located in Taiwan. Among the 759 Costco stores in the United States and 10 other countries and regions, the operation in central Taiwan’s Taichung ranks at the very top in the number of members and is second in the world in sales volume (the…
Taiwan’s chains are focusing on providing hyperlocal services in smaller spaces. Taiwan’s supermarkets in recent years have been morphing into a hybrid type all its own in response to the growing trend for consumers to prioritize convenience and service over huge product selection. In the past, Taiwanese consumers might patronize a department store once a…
IP violations remain a serious problem in Taiwan’s ultra-competitive chip-making market. In recent years, trade-secret theft has become increasingly common in Taiwan’s highly competitive semiconductor industry, one of the world’s largest by output value and a bedrock of the island’s economy. The perpetrators have usually been Chinese companies seeking to close the technology gap with…
Some pointers for multinationals looking to improve their community involvement. Many companies recognize the importance of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) but are still daunted by the challenges involved in doing it well. A lot can go wrong every step of the way – from picking a cause, to choosing partners, to long-term execution. Here are…
Foxconn Pursues More Wisconsin Initiatives Foxconn Technology Group, known in Taiwan as Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., is following up its planned US$10 billion investment in Wisconsin to build an LCD-panel plant with several additional commitments in the Mid-Western state. At a ceremony in late August at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Foxconn CEO Terry Gou…
While Taiwan’s semiconductor industry continues to grow, China poses a formidable long-term challenge. For years, industry analysts have cautioned that Chinese competitors in the semiconductor sector would steadily erode the technology advantages of Taiwanese chipmakers, ultimately wooing away many of their customers with lower prices. Despite China’s rapid progress in the semiconductor sector in recent…
