TiTE x IHT attracts 25,000 visitors to Taichung

The “2026 Taiwan International Tools & Hardware Expo x International Hardware Expo Taiwan” (TiTE x IHT), organised jointly by the Taiwan Hand Tool Manufacturers’ Association (THMA) and Lanza International Co., Ltd., attracted around 25,000 visitors to the Taichung International Convention & Exhibition Centre (TICEC) from 20 to 22 October.

At this year’s event, nearly 450 companies occupied more than 1,000 stands – an increase of over 25 per cent on the previous year – and were represented across two exhibition floors for the first time. The three-day trade fair welcomed more than 300 international buyers from 65 countries. By the final day of the fair, more than 60 per cent of exhibitors had already booked their participation for 2027.

Among the buyers were over 100 key clients who had been personally invited by the organisers – a record high. The buyers came from North America, Europe, North-East Asia, South-East Asia, India and the Middle East, representing procurement teams from leading American and German tool brands, Japanese brands specialising in professional hand tools, and major DIY chains in Europe and America.

President Lai Ching-te, who opened the fair for the second year running, pointed out that Taiwan’s 2,500 hardware and tool manufacturers had exported goods worth NT$112 billion (€3 billion) last year, making them one of the five largest in the world. Furthermore, the reciprocal 15 per cent tariff between Taiwan and the US puts Taiwanese hand tools, plumbing fittings and machine tools on an equal footing with those from Japan, Korea and the EU on the US market.

THMA Chairman Alan Hsieh explained that orders for the US Christmas season in the fourth quarter are already picking up and that Taiwan’s hand tool exports could grow by more than 20 per cent next year, provided the global situation stabilises. According to the organisers, this was clearly evident at the trade fair.

The trade fair took place immediately after the autumn edition of the Canton Fair. On the day before the opening, a sourcing meeting organised by the Ministry of Economic Affairs’ Bureau of Foreign Trade and run by TAITRA was held; the following day, buyers visited the exhibition centre and then travelled to nearby factories. Teruta Takeda, Vice-Chair of the Japan DIY-HC Association, led a delegation to the fair, thereby strengthening relations between Taiwan and Japan in the DIY sector.

Running alongside the fair were six events as part of the “Team Taiwan Global Hardware Summit”, which outlined the path to industrial modernisation through market trends, joint material development, AI applications and decarbonisation.

TiTE x IHT 2027 will take place at TICEC from 19 to 21 October. The organisers are expecting 500 exhibitors and 1,200 stands and will be expanding the “Global Buyer Day”. The exhibition will also grow in terms of content, with two new sections announced:

‘Mechanical Components & Machined Metal Parts’ covers gears, bearings and gearbox components; forged parts, castings, stamped parts and precision-machined parts; as well as processing technologies such as heat treatment, surface treatment and testing.

The “Rescue and Occupational Safety” section ties in with this year’s focus on societal resilience and brings together rescue and recovery tools, personal protective equipment, equipment for working at height, and emergency equipment for fire services, civil protection agencies, public works departments and buyers in the field of corporate security.