Manufacturing rises for sixth consecutive quarterBy Chen Cheng-hui / Staff reporterManufacturing output last quarter rose for a sixth straight quarter given growth in global end-market demand, development of emerging technologies, digital transformation and improvement in supply chain disruptions, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said yesterday. Rising costs of international raw materials due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine also helped push output of the local manufacturing sector upward in the first quarter, the ministry said in a statement. Manufacturing output increased 16.01 percent year-on-year to NT$4.16 trillion (US$139.74 billion), the highest number on record for the January-to-March period, the ministry said. The manufacturing complex of synthetic and electronic materials supplier Chi Mei Corp is pictured in Tainan’s Rende District on Wednesday. The ministry said it is positive about the outlook for the manufacturing sector, as companies continue to develop new technologies, chipmakers prepare to expand capacity and major economies implement infrastructure projects.
