The DBF-006 model from Yiwu Xuezhongqing of mainland China is an EVA adhesive foam tape with peel adhesion power of 2.5N/cm.

Makers in mainland China and Taiwan are upgrading their manufacturing systems to increase sales in the upscale market.

Suppliers of packing and sealing tape in mainland China and Taiwan are purchasing new coating lines and building additional factories to boost their production capacity. This is under efforts to strengthen their presence in the high-end market in Europe, the US and Asia. The heightened demand for specialty models in particular is pushing companies to gain a competitive edge in the segment.

Mainland makers were able to turn out $20 billion worth of packing and sealing tape in 2006, with exports accounting for $8 billion. The industry has grown at an average rate of 9 percent during recent years.

Most companies are investing in high-performance equipment to maximize yield and improve product quality. Some makers source the machinery abroad.

In Taiwan, sales of packing and sealing tape are forecast to increase by 10 to 20 percent this year.

As a result, the island's 30 suppliers in the line are currently raising their manufacturing capability by 20 to 50 percent. Efforts focus primarily on upgrading machinery, thereby minimizing reliance on manpower. The majority of companies are midsize with 100 to 300 workers and three to five coating lines. Large makers have a workforce of more than 1,000 and operate at least 10 lines.

	The latest cover tape from Taiwan's Chyun Yih comes in PET film coated with pressure-sensitive adhesive. It has a tensile strength of 405N/cm.

The mainland's Sanli Adhesive Products Co. Ltd set up a new workshop in its factory in Nanhai, Guangdong province. The room is for making cotton paper, which is used in the latest releases of double-sided tape.

Zhejiang Xiandai Adhesive Tape Co. Ltd purchased BOPP adhesive tape machines that can manufacture longer models with even surfaces.

Meanwhile, several Taiwan makers have relocated to the mainland because of the lower production costs there. Most suppliers are also replacing their old lines with more advanced technology to enhance efficiency.

Alpha Beta Enterprise Co. Ltd is concentrating on plant upgrades. The company will replace eight of its existing 12 coating lines for BOPP tape with six new ones imported from Italy. It will still operate four of the older sets, which were purchased locally.

Altogether, Alpha Beta will have a total of 10 BOPP tape coating lines. While fewer in number, these sophisticated machines will boost output by 40 percent because of the higher speed and efficiency and the lower defect rate. The supplier is also adding another coating system to its three lines for masking tape. This step is expected to increase yield on these lines by 40 percent.

Sharing the strategy, Chyun Yih Tape Co. Ltd is building another offshore facility in Jiangsu province, mainland China, and plans to equip it with four coating lines. The maker currently has one local and three overseas plants. Total capacity is forecast to jump by 40 percent during the first of half of 2007.

Achem Technology Corp. set up a second factory in Guangdong, in addition to its one local and four other plants in the mainland. Overall output reached 120 million square meters last year.

Metagalaxy Industries Co. Ltd acquired a second coating line that is 30 percent more productive than the initial one.

Alongside the pushing of volume, makers are shifting focus to the upscale market. The trend is for specialty tape targeted at various professional fields.

In the mainland, the majority of companies are concentrating on models for industrial applications. Many suppliers rely solely on their own R&D in developing new releases. Products carrying in-house brands now account for more than 65 percent of exports to Europe, the US and East Asia. Some makers are also planning to penetrate upscale markets in South Africa and India.

Shanghai Yongtai Adhesive Products Co. Ltd collaborates with Shanghai University of Science and Technology in new materials development to come up with application-specific tape.

Shenzhen Zhengxing Adhesive-Product Co. Ltd's R&D is also veering toward high-performance models for the professional automotive industry.

Companies such as Yiwu Xuezhongqing Adhesive Tapes Co. Ltd create designs based on customers' specifications.

InTaiwan, suppliers are also developing specialty types such as high-temperature tolerant masking, water-resistant cloth and cover tape. Consequently, exports of products for electronic and computer applications went up during the past months.

For most makers, 30 percent of their latest releases are OEM designs. Some suppliers cater exclusively to OEM clients. Products are targeted mainly at North America and Europe.

Metagalaxy is shifting focus from BOPP tape to name plates and transfer and double-sided models. The company's water-resistant tape for heavy-duty sealing is made of cloth imported from South Korea.

Chyun Yih Tape Co. Ltd has also veered away from BOPP models and is concentrating instead on cover, masking, polyester and double-sided types for electronic applications. Its latest cover tape is made of heat-activated multilayer PET film, offering stability under extreme temperatures.

On the other hand, Alpha Beta is still focusing on BOPP tape, as that has been one of the company's major lines for the last 20 years. The latest releases are no-noise and super-clear transparent types. Adhesives used in the new models are purchased from Rohm and Haas of the US.

Alpha Beta is also developing masking tape for high-technology applications such as IC bonding. This type has a temperature tolerance of 150 to 180 C, compared with standard models that resist only up to 120 C.