WEB EXCLUSIVE:Maintaining TXM growth in IT slowdown

Much of the growth in the TXM business has occurred only in the last five years, and a great portion of it has been in Asia, specifically in the IT market. Notebook PC housings, in particular, have marked significant growth in recent years. Today, however, as the marketplace becomes flooded with this technology, growth in the IT sector has begun to wane. Yet this drop has not discouraged one TXM molder in Taiwan—Wah Hong Industrial Corp.—that intends to keep on growing. 

Calvin Chih is sales and marketing manger for Wah Hong, a high-quality, one-stop TXM shop. Chih says Wah Hong's basic IT-slowdown strategy is to pursue non-IT opportunities. 

"The main products in these fields are mobile phones, LCD projectors, PDAs, and Web pads," Chih explains. "As you know, these are the star products of the 21st century. The merits of TXM parts—EMI/RFI shielding, better strength, and better cosmetics—are ideal for these applications." 

This year, Wah Hong will add eight 220-metric-ton JSWs to its original nine 75- and 650-ton machines at its R.O.C. facility. Wah Hong also is building a new TXM plant in mainland China to help fight the fierce cost-down pressures of its competitors, another major obstacle to growth. Still, Chih calls for cooperation among competitors and everyone in the global TXM supply chain when it comes to marketing magnesium's merits to other as-yet untapped high-growth markets.