KMC Group and Japan`s ShinMaywa Ind. Engages in Car-parking System

KMC is a leading maker in Taiwan of power-transmission parts and ShinMaywa Industries is a Japan-based maker of industrial machinery, special-purpose vehicles and car-parking systems.

Kazuhiko Hiroshima, deputy general manager of ShinMaywa`s Parking Systems Division, will be chairman of TSMI, with Bruce Lee, president of the KMC Group, to be president.

Hiroshima is looking for suitable sites in Taiwan to set up the factory for the car-parking systems. Initially ShinMaywa will provide technologies to enable the joint-venture to assemble the car-parking systems, which eventually will be fully made in Taiwan.

A survey by ShinMaywa shows that Taiwan overall needs 30 car-parking systems per year, with the demand to rise to 50 yearly driven by incentives offered by the Taiwan government. Hiroshima says the joint venture aims to become Taiwan`s No.1 supplier of car-parking systems.

Founded in 1949, ShinMaywa`s involvement in mechanical car-parking systems can be traced back to 1964, when it rolled out and delivered the first turntable-type car-parking system. Since then, the company has expanded product lines, as well as offering repair and maintenance and after-sale services, having to date sold more than 5,000 car-parking systems in Japan and abroad. 

Moving Abroad Essential

Like other firms, ShinMaywa Industries has seen sagging sales since the global financial tsunami in 2008. Although domestic sales still rises, ShinMaywa Industries realizes that developing overseas markets is essential for sustainable growth, simply because Japan has an increasingly graying demographic, while younger people are driving less. Forming a joint venture with the KMC Group, including marketing and manufacturing divisions in Taiwan, is the company`s first move abroad. The ShinMaywa parent also looks to tap markets in the U.S., India and China in the foreseeable future.

Once operational sometime in November, TSMI will initially focus on the distribution of Elepark car-parking systems already developed by the Japanese partner. Later on the joint venture will begin widening product lines to meet local requirements.

ShinMaywa Industries says the Elepark system is one of its best-performing products that feature advantages such as low noise, compactness, and power-recharging facilities to serve the rising numbers of electric cars, as well as being motorcycle compatible.