Production value of the metal materials industry in Taiwan reached NTD1.8 trillion in 2011, second only to that of electronic parts and components, but the unit price of its exports was far below its counterparts from the USA and Japan. This is caused by a long-term problem of a slim upstream sector coupled with an over-crowded downstream sector along the supply chain, and the key to sustainable development of the metal industries therefore lies in adding high value to the metal materials sector.
Production value of the metal materials industry passed the trillion milestone in 2004, reaching NTD1.16 trillion, and then continuously grew to NTD 1.8 trillion in 2011. Being a major manufacturing sector in Taiwan, the metal materials industry has employed a total of 71,000 people. The industry's CAGR over the past decade stood as high as 9.5% and its export value accounted for over 10% of the manufacturing sector in Taiwan, making it a significant contributor to Taiwan's foreign exchange reserves.
MOEA has planned to include this industry in its 2020 Strategies and Measures for Developing 10 Key Industries project to encourage collaboration between the industry, the education and the research sectors to develop key technologies of metal materials and to breakthrough bottlenecks of high value-added of this industry. To promote optimal development of the metals industry supply chain, five main strategies have been identified as below: focus of high value-added; talent cultivation; flagship upgrade; wholesome ecosystem; and emerging autonomy.