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A cluster of Taiwanese semiconductor companies covering a wide range of sectors from IC design to conventional manufacturing are enjoying a meteoric rise. Led by TSMC, this dream team of semiconductor leaders will reshape the game as they outperform their American and Japanese peers.
Six years ago, Chang Kuo-hua, the first-born son of Taiwanese shipping tycoon Chang Yung-fa, launched a supersize container vessel program. Amid the global coronavirus pandemic, this move secured higher profits for Evergreen Marine Corp. than any time during the company founder’s lifetime.
Two hundred companies were particularly resilient in the year of COVID-19; 100 grew throughout the year, while 100 others made V-shaped comebacks. How did they overcome adversity and how key is resilience now that the virus is surging in Taiwan?
The most eye-catching category in this year’s Top 50 Performers survey is none other than “IC Design”. Beset on both sides by the trade war and the COVID-19 pandemic, how was this bunch of IC Design companies able to beat the odds and continue to shine throughout the year?
CommonWealth Magazine has released its first survey of Taiwan’s biggest business groups since 2000. The changing face of the Top 50 rankings over the past two decades mirrors Taiwan’s rapidly evolving economic landscape, with some man-made disasters thrown in.
Selling everything from smartphones to health supplements, Senao International has overhauled its business to keep up with a rapidly changing digital world. CommonWealth looks at the strategy that has this Taiwanese electronics retailer branching out into new products and channels to build customer loyalty.
Worldwide mobile handset shipments have declined for the fifth straight quarter. And the net after-tax profits of Hon Hai Precision Co., the leading “Apple concept stock,” have declined two years in a row. With the arrival of the post-mobile phone era looming, who will be able to seize the next wave of growth and a new direction for profitability?
EVA Airways has set a new record for revenue by concentrating on North American routes, not only weathering the economic climate but proceeding according to its own flight plan.
Thanks to customer-oriented “pre-sales services” and strong R&D capability, Taiwan’s largest integrated steelmaker, China Steel Corporation, has doubled its profits and made inroads into the Asian market for high-end steel materials.
Largan Precision’s dominance in the high-end lens industry was confirmed when Apple’s iPhone 7 Plus ushered in the dual-lens smartphone camera era at the end of 2016. How has Largan reached this pinnacle, and where does it go from here?
Artificial intelligence is poised to explode, much like the internet in the 1990s. But with no clear market and no advanced research, how can Taiwan find its niche in this global tsunami and what will it need to do to strike success?
Cultural creative, environment-related industries are finding growth while retail and hospitality sectors are expanding markets. The service industry is developing profitable streams even as profits have declined overall.
With a global economic recovery finally in sight in 2017, forex risk and other potential dangers still linger. Can the financial industry navigate these turbulent waters?
Though seasonal demand for consumer electronics helps Taiwan's ailing manufacturing industry stop bleeding money for now, finding products and services that generate sustainable growth will be crucial for the future development of the manufacturing sector.
The financial industry, which caught a profit tailwind 2014, found itself sailing against strong headwinds in 2015. As the Chinese economy slows down and financial markets remain volatile, making money is getting harder.
Hi-Lai Harbour, a buffet restaurant chain founded in Kaohsiung, has established outlets in department stores in all of Taiwan's five major cities. The group's revenue growth tops the list of hospitality businesses in our 2016 Top 2000 Survey.
Poya is the dominant player in the cosmetics/drugstore sector in central and southern Taiwan and is now turning its attention to Taipei, wondering if the same formula that turned it into a NT$10 billion business can conquer new challenges.
The CommonWealth Magazine Top 2000 Survey has tracked the evolution of Taiwan’s industrial history over the past 30 years, often identifying paradigm shifts in business trends before they were obvious. Here’s a look back and forward.
A generally sluggish economy saw service industry revenues decline last year, with a slight uptick in profitability for some as e-commerce continued to surge and retail engaging in cross-industry cooperation to forge new opportunities. On line or on the high street, customers always respond to a good "consumer experience.
While conventional industries struggle to transform themselves, emerging industries face great uncertainty. Despite a short-lived recovery, the manufacturing industry registered a 3.4 percent decline in revenue growth in 2015. However, a select few have been able to disperse the clouds in favor of sunny skies.
The global economic recovery brought higher stocks and bonds profits, while relaxed regulations have encouraged financial interests to get off the island and embrace the greater Pacific region.
Taiwan's high-tech manufacturers benefitted from the success of Apple's iPhone 6 in 2014, while the 50% drop in oil prices was a boon to conventional industries.
Of the 27 service industries covered by the Top 2000 Survey, the telecom industry is the only sector that suffered shrinking revenue in 2014. The ability to precisely predict demand is crucial if companies want to win consumer support in the Internet era.
In 2013, Taiwanese manufacturers saw their sales fall but their profits rise. Was that a warning or good news? What are the secrets to coping with mounting external challenges?
In 2013, the keys to growth in Taiwan's service industry were innovation and refinement. Most notable was a select group of stars in the food services industry.
On the back of financial deregulation and regional integration, the future has never looked rosier for Taiwanese banking, as financial institutions move to conquer new markets and take on the challenges of electronic finance and globalization.
CommonWealth Magazine's 2014 survey of Taiwan's top 2,000 enterprises revealed a clear trend: instead of trying to get bigger, companies are now determined to get better.
Taiwan's top-performing enterprises of 2013 came from a wide spectrum of industries. What sets these hidden champions apart from the pack is unique key technologies and niche dominance.
Several relatively obscure companies serving Taiwan's domestic consumers defied the economic malaise of 2012 to join high-tech enterprises among the year's top performers.
Fubon Financial has led Taiwan's financial holding companies in net profit four years running and has gained the deepest foothold in China. In an exclusive interview Daniel Tsai reveals his personal goals and aspirations for the company.
Bucking trends, Taiwan's financial sector has surged to its highest profitability since the global financial crisis, largely driven by opportunities farther afield, in China and Asean.
In 2012 Taiwan's manufacturing sector saw revenues and profits fall, but some companies are fighting back and reversing the tide with technology and innovation.
CommonWealth Magazine's traditional Top 1000 Survey has been changed to the Top 2000 this year to recognize the under-the-radar medium-sized companies that are doing well despite a difficult economy.
Taiwan's domestic demand-driven industries are flourishing, but people's complaints about rising prices are growing louder too. How can the service industry respond to these trends and continue to attract customers?
In 2011 Cathay Financial Holdings regained its throne as Taiwan's top financial holdings group, and Bank of Taiwan fell from the Top 10 for the first time, as state-run banks lost their competitive edge.
Globalization has intensified competition everywhere. To survive, companies need to cooperate with potential rivals to thrive in common ecosystems and grab a share of mainstream markets.
Which four mainstream markets have firmly caught the Taiwanese consumer's eye and shown greater than 30-percent growth in operating revenue over the past five years?
Growth in Taiwan's manufacturing industry has slowed, but some companies still boast revenues worth one fifth of GDP. With the law of the jungle ruling the market, how do they manage to join the ranks of the fittest?
In 2010, Taiwan's financial sector was back on a roll, as SME lending became the new big thing, for the first time accounting for more than half of all business lending among Taiwan's domestic banks.
Taiwan's manufacturing sector had combined sales of NT$24 trillion in 2010 and net profits rose 78 percent. How did it deliver such scintillating results?
The sales and profits of Taiwan's top 1,000 companies hit three-year highs in 2010. The secret to their success? Winning customers' hearts in an age when consumers are pricklier than ever.
The number of start-up enterprises in Taiwan has plummeted by more than half over the past 20 years, but in its latest survey CommonWealth Magazine discovered three keys that can still deliver success.
The global financial crisis claimed plenty of casualties in Taiwan, but its top enterprises brandished one critical asset that helped many of them thrive: flexibility.
At long last, Taiwan's FIHC has acquired the Regent brand. Chairman Steven Pan reveals the strategy he used to close the US$56 million deal, and his company's global ambitions.
In 2009, Taiwanese insurers reaped windfall profits from booming investment markets fueled by low interest rates, while banks squeezed meager profit out of "savings." In 2010, challenges continue to loom large.
Feeling the pinch of a straitened economy, Taiwan's service industry suffered a decline in overall revenue in 2009. Yet not all sectors were equally impacted. Flexibility is the key as companies fight for survival under trying conditions.
The global financial crisis claimed plenty of casualties in Taiwan, but its top enterprises brandished one critical asset that helped many of them thrive: flexibility.
The Hon Hai Group was Taiwan's biggest manufacturer in 2008, but revenue growth sagged and opportunities were missed. After toying with retirement, Chairman Terry Gou is back, hoping to restore his company's aura of invincibility.
2009 spells the end of manufacturing as we know it. Being able to make products is no longer enough – the path to wealth lies in knowing what consumers really want.
Taiwan's financial industry posted its highest revenues since 2000, yet profits were lower than companies can afford. Battered by the financial tsunami, the financial industry has hit rock bottom and is fighting hard for its survival.
Battered by the global economic slump in 2008, Taiwan's top manufacturers focused on improving from within, putting a premium on flexibility and responding to consumers' needs.
With notebook computers ever more commonplace, leading notebook maker Quanta faces a future growth ceiling, but despite the pressure, its leader Barry Lam is calmly in pursuit of the next killer app.
In 2007, Taiwan's service sector finally exceeded NT$6 trillion in revenues. But all was not well, as profitability declined. How did Acer buck the trend and vault pass Taiwan Power Company at the top?
In 2007 Taiwanese manufacturing rocketed with record revenues and profits, but plummeted in the final quarter, hit by the U.S. mortgage crisis and global inflation. How will it steel itself against a continuing string of challenges?
After enduring a consumer debt crisis, Taiwan's financial sector enjoyed broadly higher profits last year. Looking ahead, the China market poses even greater risks and challenges.
In 2006, Taiwan’s service sector suffered negative revenue growth for the first time in five years. Yet a market shift has begun to favor those enterprises with global reach.
For Taiwan's financial industry, 2006 was a year for post-disaster reconstruction. In this highly competitive market, Taiwanese businesses must now seek to break free from the existing herd mentality and create new value.
As new products and new emerging markets fuel profit margins, Taiwan's manufacturing sector refocuses on internal management, and continues to consolidate.
While revenues rise, profits are flagging. Yet some companies are transforming themselves, with strategies that transcend the high-volume, low-margin modus operandi of conventional Taiwanese industry.