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Motorcycle Taiwan 2007 Outgrows Already Successful Fair in 2006
2007/10/29
The second Taiwan International Motorcycle Industry Show (Motorcycle Taiwan 2007), the world`s only tradeshow to gather suppliers of everything from stylized exhaust pipes to ready-to-ride sports and touring bikes displacing over 500 c.c.s, or virtually the whole cross-section of the motorcycle industry, was held from May 18 to 20 in an even bigger version than the highly successful 2006 event, the startup of such fair on the island.
 | | A trade fair with heavy foot traffic. |
According to the show organizer Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA), Motorcycle Taiwan 2007 attracted 166 local and foreign exhibitors to Exhibition Hall 3 of the Taipei World Trade Center (TWTC), up 10.7% from a year earlier, while about 18,000 global visitors (including about 800 major foreign buyers) found a vast range of quality, innovative products displayed in some 370 booths, up 20.5% from the previous event.
Overview of Exhibitors
Category | Number of Exhibitors | Number of Booths | Motorcycles (ATV included) | 7 | 50 | High Capacity Motorcycle | 4 | 59 | Power-assisted Bicycles, Electrically-driven Motorcycles | 2 | 3 | Manufacturing & Inspection Equipment | 16 | 33 | Motorcycle Parts and Accessories | 127 | 210 | Media | 8 | 13 | Other | 1 | 1 | Total | 166 | 370 |
Everything Motorcycle
The show organizer stressed that Motorcycle Taiwan 2007 featured four major themes: Via-Taiwan, Made-by-Taiwan, tuning parts/accessories, and big-bore motorcycles.
 | | Wheel rims made of various materials attract attention from show-goers. |
One cannot help but be deeply impressed by Motorcycle Taiwan 2007 with its across-the-board character, albeit "motorcycle" is somewhat misleading as the fair encompassed much more. Buyers had on-tap not only ready-to-go motorbikes, but also scooters, all terrain vehicles (ATVs), electric scooters, and electric bicycles; while those not in the market for assembled vehicles could find engine parts, frames, accessories, riding paraphernalia, testing and inspection equipment, and noise and emissions testing gear.
To add a note of amusement and showcase the cream-of-the-crop, TAITRA set up the "Joy Ride"-a special zone on the second floor of the venue (originally the parking lot) that displayed about 60 top-of-the-line super motorbikes, scooters, and the unique three-wheeled Piaggio MP3 scooter, as well as heavyweight cruisers as the MV Augusta F4CC and Bimota TESI 3D.
 | | Global buyers of all stripes outsource high-quality products made in Taiwan. |
Mario Tsai, manager of TAITRA`s Exhibition Section 1, claims that Taiwan is internationally famous for its strong development, manufacturing, and cost-control capabilities, making the island an ideal place to find contract partners to build business. And, he adds, that global trade visitors have their work cut out for them when sourcing for skilled suppliers, quality products and services, all of which open windows of opportunities.
Industry Experts Share Secrets
Another key focus at the Motorcycle Taiwan 2007 was a series of seminars featuring significant industry figures who shared insights and experience.
Gerald Kiska, CEO of Kiska Design, one of the world`s most famous PTW (powered two wheeler) design companies addressed the topic Design Desire. The major force behind the globally renowned, high-end motorcycle brand KTM, Kiska stressed the importance of a successful design strategy.
 | | Super-heavy machines at the Joy Ride zone. |
Citing the iPod MP3 player as an example, Kiska said that the preciousness of good design is not mass production of an idea. For about 2,000 to 3,000 makers of MP3 players in mainland China win only about a 30% share (in terms of sales value) of the global market, and yet Apple, the owner of the design, singly commands the rest of the market share. Good design, the design guru said, yields a premium, and ensures brand recognition: even strangers to McDonald`s immediately know the golden arches sign is a fast-food burger restaurant.
With the IDD (Integrated Design Development) approach, Kiska told the audience-which is a combination of product, communication, environment design, and overall strategy-his company has successfully made KTM the second-largest motorcycle manufacturer in Europe and the fastest growing motorcycle company with double-digit growth since 1992.
The design master also introduced some strategic-design processes attributable to KTM`s speedy success. In 1993 Kiska developed a visual product language to differentiate KTM from the rest of the pack: edge-design language, Z-design body panels, and key orange color that instantly distinguishes a KTM bike at a race track. In 1994 a strategy was needed to bring KTM from race track to street, so Kiska Design evolved the off-road brand into an equally competitive street brand-developing communication tools to prepare customers for the crossover and offering intermediate products to segue to the new segment. So from 1998 to 2006, Kiska Design`s originally successful products bred successors, with the company effectively broadening its product range to diversify aggressively into the street segment, hence accelerating growth.
 | | Big bikes rode the show to a high note during promotions. |
On the topic "Opportunities to Supply Major ATV Manufacturers," Tony Wixo, director of Asia-Pacific Sourcing at Polaris Industries Inc. in the U.S., one of the top-three ATV makers worldwide, introduced all the keys for a potential supplier wanting to tap into Polaris` supply chain. The critical factors, according to the procurement director in Asia and former product manger, are quality and delivery.
Polaris expects from its suppliers, according to Wixo, to collaborate in design expertise; deliver 99.5% on-time; offer a less-than-100 per million defective rate; and aim for greater-than-2% cost reduction year-on-year.
Bigger Becoming Popular
Jacques Compagne, secretary general of the Association des Constructeurs Europeens de Motocycle (ACEM) headquartered in Belgium, introduced the role of ACEM and addressed the development of different segments in the Europe motorcycle market, including the steadily expanding trend towards over-125cc bikes and dwindling interest in mopeds (under-50cc).
ACEM, or The Association of Motorcycle Manufacturers in Europe, represents all major motorcycle manufacturers in the European Union, as well as 13 motorcycle trade associations in its member states. The product range goes from tiny 50cc urban vehicles, up to heavyweights of 1,000 cc and onto cruisers of 1,500cc and bigger. The PTW sector is a spin-off worth more than 1.5 billion euros per year, for which ACEM members turn out 90% of its output and account for up to 95% of the total market in Europe-adding up to about 1.5 million PTWs yearly.
Regarding "Opportunities for Taiwan Motorcycle Industry", George Lin, president of Taiwan Golden Bee Co., Ltd. (TGB), a rapidly growing scooter and ATV maker, shared his vision with local audience.
Lin has developed global vision through four decades of experience in the domestic motorcycle industry, dominated by motor scooters, is highly optimistic about the industry but fears that its window of opportunity might close if all of the local resources cannot be harmonized for improvement within the next few years.
 | | Global industry experts share insights to motorcycle industry. |
"No place else is positioned like Taiwan to develop the motorcycle line," Lin said. "Taiwan has all the right tools to develop this segment, including well-established central-satellite plant systems, strong R&D capability, and a mature industrial infrastructure supported by other industries. Japan sets a good model for Taiwan; motorcycle makers there stayed competitive despite increasing production costs by targeting upper-end and larger-displacement segments with cutting-edge design, development, and cost-control capabilities, and introducing high-end, high-quality products that European and American rivals were not offering."
"Our manufacturers are equally competitive and can make the most of the small-volume, large-variety business model. Taiwan motorcycle makers should set sights on their Japanese rivals and not get mired in competing against underselling rivals from emerging countries, especially China," Lin said.
He also noted that Taiwan should make motorcycles that are marketable as well as of high quality, without neglecting the "5Ps and 2Ss" business model: product, price, place, promotion, payment, plus service and service parts.
Breakthroughs in Displacement and Design
In addition to dream machines and seminars with practical advice, Motorcycle Taiwan 2007 also saw ample exhibitors who develop, make high-end parts and accessories.
One of the major complete-vehicle exhibitors was TGB, a specialized maker of motor scooters and ATVs, as well as the first and largest maker of continuously variable transmission (CVT) systems and parts in Taiwan.
 | | TGB sales manager Arthur Lin, next to the firm`s powerful 403cc ATV engine, and the 500cc ATV in the center. |
TGB showcased its pride-and-joy, including several sport and utility ATVs displacing 250cc, 300cc, 403cc, and 500cc, as well as a high-performance 400cc ATV engine developed and produced in-house; while the word is that even more powerful versions are in the pipeline-driving the development of the company`s future products. A minor disappointment was that the firm did not show its brand-new, luxury 250cc cruise scooter, the Maxi, which is expected to further expand TGB`s global sales in the next few years. However, TGB did display its line of always-popular scooters, such as the R50X, 303R, and Delivery.
According to TGB, its four-valve, single-cylinder 403cc engine delivers over 21 KW at 7,000 revolution per minute (rpm) and 31.8 NM of torque at 5,500 rpm, more powerful than others in the same class due to superior transmission design. TGB has tapped many of its technical strengths to build the powerplant, including a design feature enabling switching from 2WD to 4WD. Its know-how also helped to develop the CVT system for the new engine, for both of which the company has installed a host of new equipment to produce in volume, said the president.
TGB`s Delivery scooter, as the name implies, is for commercial use and has user-friendly features: a specially-designed frame with low center-of-gravity; adapted rear twin shock absorbers; two side stands instead of one; and a built-in engine cut-off.
Hartford Industrial Co., Ltd., a motorcycle and engine subsidiary of the local maker of machining centers She Hong Industrial, introduced its line at the show, including a commercial/recreational scooter called "Magic," which has an extended leg well and bigger under-seat storage, as well as several well-designed dirt and mini trail bikes.
 | | Hartford`s sales manager Craig Wang, next to the company`s popular Magic, a commercial/recreational scooter. |
Craig Wang, sales representative, pointed out that some major design changes were incorporated for the Magic, now very popular in Taiwan and abroad. The expanded leg well, about 35% longer and 20% wider than usual, is designed to carry fairly large items, while the additional space under the seat can hold fishing poles and long items.
Wang claimed that the Magic is extremely popular in many export markets and has been modified by scooter fans into recreational vehicles with powerful engines and exterior accessories. A local PTW customizing parts maker has been developing a wide range of parts and accessories for the Magic, Wang added.
With precision-machined parts supplied by its parent company, Hartford has been making motorcycle engines for about 20 years. Around 10 years ago it branched into producing choppers, while the Magic is the company`s first scooter.
KTM Agent in Taiwan
Gamax Motor Corp. had sufficient booth space to exhibit both in-house-produced Gamax brand vehicles and imported, big-bore, top-end KTM products, for which the company has been granted agency rights in Taiwan just a few months ago.
 | | Gamax CEO Johnson Chang shows the company`s new 500cc ATV (1772), and Gamax wins the local agency to import top-end KTM motorcycles. |
Gamax, established in 2005, aims to be a major player in the international motorcycle market by marketing big-displacement, high-performance vehicles. To achieve this ambitious goal, the company has assembled a team of senior managers seasoned in technology, marketing, and sales.
In addition to the whole family of KTM models, Gamax also displayed the Spilo, a four-stroke, 50cc scooter featuring sophisticated design, trendy styling, and a 500cc utility ATV.
Gamax plans to continue to develop scooters displacing up to 250cc, whereby such scooters are being built jointly with design companies in the various target markets. Johnson Chang of Gamax is confident that the company has unlimited future, especially in the multi-wheeled utility and special-purpose vehicle market.
Unilli Motor Co., Ltd., a specialized maker of ATVs with ample customization potential, displayed sport, utility, and recreational ATVs displacing 50cc, 90cc, 150cc, and 250cc at the fair, as well as a 250cc buggy.
 | | Unilli booths and president T.H. Chiang atop the company`s new 250cc buggy. |
All Unilli`s ATVs meet the European 92/61/EEC homologation standards or American ANSI/SVIA-1-2001 regulations, making them highly marketable products that are powerful, functional, safe and reliable under various road conditions.
T.H. Chiang, general manager of Unilli, said that his company`s ATVs can be made-to-order for upgraded styling, targeted functions, and engine performance; while the company also supplies a full range of equipment and accessories for enhancement.
 | | An upscale motorcycle meter manufactured by Tong Yah Electronic Technology Co., Ltd. (KOSO brand) has been adopted by Bimota on its TESI 3D, a top-end sports bike. |
After years of efforts and intensive investment, New Kailung Gear Co., Ltd. (NKL) has become a leading provider of total solutions to power-sport transmission systems with 100% in-house development and manufacturing capabilities.
The firm`s general manager J.C. Liu pointed out that currently his company has developed and commercialized a series of 15 top-end differential and gear-boxes with optional manual/automatic functionalities such as two- and four-wheel-drive (2WD/4WD) switch, locks for limited slip differential (LSD) and 2WD/4WD, which can fully meet the demands from ATV, UTV, or other lightweight vehicles displacing up to 950cc over the next three years.
 | | NKL supplies a full range of precision differentials and gearboxes to ATVs UTVs displacing up to 950cc. |
Liu said that the core technology at NKL is modularization, which not only can greatly cut design and production costs by matching various modules with mature products according to customers` requirements, but also greatly shorten developmental lead time to within 45 days. "That is Taiwan`s core advantage in the competitive global market-rapid response, cost competitiveness, and quality," the general manager said.
Currently, there are only very few companies in the U.S. and Japan with such comprehensive capability like NKL, but the foreign rivals` prices, according to Liu, are often two-folds or higher. In addition, he adds, NKL self-develops all the needed design software and adopts only top-end equipment imported from Germany to assure the highest product quality. NKL was established in 1971 and has been a major gear producer.
Biggest Maker of Friction Parts in Taiwan
Nan Hoang Traffic Instrument Co., Ltd. is the largest supplier of friction-related products in Taiwan. Established in 1961, the company has developed more than 5,000 models of brake pads, discs, shoes, and clutch plates; while especially noteworthy is that the company makes all the materials it uses, including asbestos, carbon, sintered bronze, other sintered metals, semi-metallic cork, and friction paper.
 | | Nan Hoang is an OEM friction-material supplier for many leading international motorcycle brands in Japan, the U.K., the U.S., and Taiwan. |
The company displayed all of its quality friction parts at the 2007 show, including the sintered-bronze brake pads that are becoming increasingly popular on big-bore, high-end motorcycles and scooters in recent years.
Originally a maker of after-market (AM) friction-material products, Nan Hoang has evolved into an OEM supplier for many leading international motorcycle brands from Japan, the U.K., the U.S., and Taiwan. Another feather in its cap is that the company has also passed the stringent certifications for plant and product as stipulated by Bosch, Germany, making it the only Asian supplier qualified to fill orders for the auto-parts brand known for high quality.
Fred Cheng, the company president, said that the key to his company`s success in becoming a major supplier of OEM friction-related products to international vehicle makers is the company`s unceasing dedication to R&D and quality improvement.
With a scheduled investment of several hundred million New Taiwan dollars, Nan Hoang will move into a big, new plant in southern Taiwan in 2007, which will house Asia`s second friction-material laboratory and R&D center equipped with more than NT$60 million (US$1.84 million at US$1: NT$32.5) of testing and inspection instruments.
Another outstanding PTW parts maker is Ming Ming Aluminum Co., Ltd. With considerable gravity-casting and machining capabilities, the company is an original equipment (OE) parts supplier to many big international brands such as Triumph, Ducati, Yamaha Marine, Piaggio, Suzuki, etc.
 | | Ming Ming manager Jason Wu, next to the swing arms supplied to Triumph, U.K. and other high-end parts for international brands. |
Ming Ming supplies over 100 precision and high-end parts to Triumph of the U.K., and makes aluminum alloy frames, swing arms, cylinder heads, cylinders, clamps, flanges, etc.
Jason Wu, manger at Ming Ming, attributed his company`s success in tapping into global PTW supply chain to the company`s uncompromising quality and speedy delivery.
Diversification Pays Off
Acewell International Co., Ltd. is another success story of diversification. The company is already a major maker of bicycle meters and electronic dart games, but has been aggressively diversifying-turning out meters for high-end power-sport vehicles in recent years.
 | | Acewell puts motorcycle and scooter meters in aquarium to show full waterproofing. |
Backed by substantial R&D capability accumulated over the years, Acewell president George Lee said, the company has built a series of high-end meters that are impact-resistant and fully waterproof. According to Lee, the meters are tough, working from -40 to +90 Celsius, and are the world`s first waterproof meters with circuit boards integrated into the forged aluminum housing, while others are first sealed in a waterproof housing and then encased in metal.
 | | Global buyers drop in TMG booths to get the latest, practical info on local motorcycle industry. |
In addition, Lee said, the meter series sets new standards in multi-functionality, including graphic tachometer, digital tachometer & warning, temperature gauge, speedometer, trip meter, odometer, maximum speed, average speed, 12/24 hour clock, ride timer, and total ride timer.
(by Quincy Liang)
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