India, Southeast Asia, Central and Eastern Europe, and Latin America are emerging as high-potential export markets for Taiwan’s machine tool industry, driven by global supply chain restructuring and manufacturing relocation. India and Southeast Asia benefit from rapid industrial expansion and foreign investment, while Central and Eastern Europe attracts European manufacturers seeking cost-efficient and resilient supply chains. Latin America, particularly Mexico and Brazil, gains momentum from nearshoring and automotive industry growth.
India held its Prime Ministerial election in 2024, with incumbent Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking a third term. The final election results showed that his party alliance secured 293 seats, confirming Modi's re-election. India's economic development has maintained a high growth rate in recent years. The core industrial policy is "Make in India," which, through a comprehensive set of measures including investment incentives and import tariffs, encourages foreign companies to invest locally with the goal of establishing India as a global manufacturing hub. The primary focus sectors are Information and Communication Technology (ICT) electronics and the automotive industry.
Benefiting from the Indian government’s "Make in India" initiative, infrastructure investment, and the application of industrial automation and smart manufacturing technologies, the inflow of foreign capital and supply chain shifts are introducing high-end technology and management experience, further enhancing the technical level and production efficiency of local enterprises. Although the market faces challenges such as raw material price volatility, rising costs, unpredictable demand, and energy dependence, it still exhibits strong growth potential and broad development prospects. Enterprises should understand the current state of the Indian market, seize relevant opportunities, and pre-plan strategies to address the challenges.
In recent years, India has focused on developing localized supply chains for electronic manufacturing and electric vehicles and is actively promoting the "Make in India" policy, aiming to increase the manufacturing sector's contribution to GDP to 25%. These initiatives are expected to drive growth in demand for mechanical equipment such as machine tools and industrial machinery. This series of articles is divided into two parts: Part I analyzes the environment and general overview of the mechanical market in India, while Part II will discuss the opportunities and challenges within the Indian mechanical market to help enterprises seize market opportunities and pre-plan strategies to meet challenges.
The Southeast Asian EV market is growing rapidly, driven by global decarbonization trends and government policies. By 2035, sales are projected to reach 8.5 million units, with an ecosystem value of $8–12 billion. Thailand and Indonesia are key investment hubs—Thailand attracts foreign manufacturers through incentives, while Indonesia leverages its nickel resources to develop battery supply chains. Chinese players like BYD dominate Thailand’s market, highlighting the importance of localization and policy support. Taiwanese firms entering the region should consider geopolitical risks and learn from Chinese strategies to strengthen their New Southbound initiatives.
The U.S. continues expanding export controls on China, targeting semiconductors, AI, and other critical technologies, while promoting multilateral cooperation to maintain its technological edge. The U.S.-China tech conflict is intensifying, with the EU assessing related risks. China counters by restricting exports of gallium and germanium, but this may drive Western nations to rebuild supply chains. Global electronics supply chains face restructuring, requiring companies to adapt strategies to geopolitical and economic risks
