Formosa Heirs Drop Off Taiwan's 50 Richest List Amid Global Chemical Sector Downturn
William Wang.
This story is part of Forbes' coverage of Taiwan's Richest 2025. See the full list here.
With Taiwan's chemicals sector battling headwinds, brothers William and Wilfred Wang, who draw their wealth from Formosa Plastics Group and first appeared in the ranks of Taiwan's richest in 2018, are among the four dropoffs this year.
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Shares of group flagship, Formosa Plastics Corp., which reported a NT$1.2 billion ($40 million) net loss in 2024, its first in decades, plunged nearly 50% from a year ago. Other major listed units, Formosa Chemicals and Fibre, Formosa Petrochemical and Nan Ya Plastics, also saw their shares slide.
One of the world's largest producers of plastics and petrochemicals, Formosa has been buffeted by slowing global demand and oversupply from mainland China. Unlike its mainland rivals, the group is also hamstrung by its reliance on imported raw materials, says Michelle Cheng, an associate at Taipei-based MasterLink Securities Investment Advisory. She adds that Formosa's carbon-neutrality transformation has also been lagging. Looking ahead, she says, the export-led group will have to navigate increasing trade protectionism in mainland China and the U.S., two of its main markets.
Cofounded by their late father and headed by William since 2006, Formosa Plastics Group has been trying to weather the storm by expanding in India, Southeast Asia and other markets and also by developing more value-added products. In the past few years, the brothers have stepped away from day-to-day management, handing it over to professionals.
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