Taiwan to hold its first Robot Exhibition in May

TAIPEI, Taiwan -- The 2008 Taiwan International Robot Exhibition, the first trade show of its kind to be held in Taiwan, will take place May 1-5 at Hall 1 of the Taipei World Trade Center.

The event, held by the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) and the Taiwan Association of Machinery Industry, is aimed at trade buyers from the United States, Canada, Mexico, Germany, Italy, France, the United Kingdom, Spain, Sweden, Japan and South Korea.

Twenty-six robotic manufacturing companies will display their latest products, including industrial robots, service robots, robot parts, accessories and peripherals.

The exhibition will be held concurrently with the Taipei Computer Numerical Control Machine Tools and Manufacturing Technology Show. A forum will be held May 2, with the participation of major producers of robots from around the world, to discuss market prospects for the robotics industry.

TAITRA officials quoted official statistics as saying that the overall value of robots produced by Taiwan in 2007 totaled NT$20 billion (US$ 660.4 million), accounting for 5.56 percent of the world's robotics production. The officials estimated that by 2012, the total world demand for "smart" robots could have reached between US$80 billion and US$250 billion.