Epson Philippines Corp. remains optimistic about its Philippine operations, but an executive said the company’s expansion would depend on the policy of the next government.
“[He is] very powerful guy, but I’m not sure with the new policy from the new government, but it depends on the new president direction. If he wants to focus on education in this case we have so many business opportunity for projector but its’ up to the president’s direction,” Epson Philippines president and country manager Toshimitsu Tanaka said, referring to presumptive president Rodrigo Duterte.
Tanaka said “safety and security” were the two critical points that an international company was looking at a market like the Philippines.
“If he focuses on safety and security to be improved, maybe more international companies will invest in the Philippines,” Tanaka said.
“At this moment, the Philippines is the highest-growth country in Asean, so we want to focus on the Philippines but it depends on the new president,” he said.
The Japanese manufacturer of inkjet printer and projector is building a new factory in Batangas, which is expected to be completed next year. Actual operation of the new factory is seen in April or May 2018.
The state-of-the-art facilities are being constructed inside the existing site in Lipa, Batangas.
“We will still produce inkjet and projector not only for local consumption but also for export. We are looking at Asean, America, Eastern Europe and China,” Tanaka said.
Tanaka said once the Philippine factory was completed, it would be Epson’s biggest manufacturing plant in the region.
Epson’s factory will increase annual capacity by 1.2 million units of inkjet printers and projectors. The current manufacturing plant is producing 6 million units of inkjet printers and projectors annually.
The company announced in December 2014 it would invest P4.7 billion to construct a new plant in Batangas to increase inkjet printer and 3LCD projector production volumes.
“After new factory operating maybe our employees would almost double,” Tanaka said.
Epson has 24,000 employees in the Philippines.
Epson will also install a solar power generation system with a capacity of about 3,000 kWh on the roof of the new plant.
The solar system will reduce overall daytime electricity consumption at Epson Precision Philippines by half.
