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MIM in China and Taiwan
Riding the storm: A review of progress in China and Taiwan's MIM industry during 2020 Greater China's Metal Injection Moulding industry has witnessed extraordinary growth over the past decade, driven by the booming demand from the consumer electronics industry. As Chinese MIM industry consultant Dr Chiou Yau Hung, widely known as Dr Q, explains, the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic did little to derail progress in China and Taiwan. On the contrary, the global demand for 3C devices such as computers and smartphones had the effect of driving MIM output to record levels. Together with his colleague James Chao, Dr Q reports on the impact of 2020 on Greater China's MIM output and highlights industry trends.
2020 seems like the strangest year in recent memory; aside from world wars, no previous era has seen the borders between countries so strictly enforced as they have been since the outbreak of coronavirus (COVID-19). I personally experienced a total of ninety days in isolation, with three trips abroad resulting in a total of six quarantine periods. After this I understood what it must feel like to be a caged bird. Even with the constant companionship that modern technology can provide, there are still limits to human comfort in confinement. With this unique situation ongoing and so many business activities being suspended, what was the status of the MIM industry in China by the end of 2020? China experienced the first COVID-19 outbreak globally, but it was also the first country to bring the epidemic under control. So, was the Chinese MIM industry seriously impacted by COVID-19? Simply put: no. When common sense is applied en masse, human beings have the ability to quickly overcome adversity.
Vol. 15 No. 1 © 2021 Inovar Communications Ltd
Sales during COVID-19 reached record highs Despite the pandemic, China and Taiwan were only affected in the first half of the year due to a firm epidemic response by the government and citizens which allowed the countries to return, comparatively
quickly, to ‘business as usual’. By July, many industries, MIM included, had seen a rebound. I and the China Powder Metallurgy Alliance (CPMA), fearing the impact of the pandemic would lead to a decline, had previously estimated that MIM sales throughout the year would only just meet those of the previous year.
Fig. 1 Major 3C manufacturing centres such as Guangzhou have benefited from the surge in demand for 'communication-enabling' consumer electronics (Courtesy xiquinhosilva / Flickr)
March 2021 Powder Injection Moulding International
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