With Taiwan being thrown open to imports under GATT, he knew the company would be facing a future of much greater competition. It was then that Hsiao began to think about going abroad to find new markets.
當時伸昌的主要客戶台電公司，因 GATT 條約架構，研議開放採購標案。面對競爭加劇的未來，蕭文伸開始思索走出台灣，找尋新市場。