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SUBIC
BAY FREEPORT—Hitachi Terminals Mechatronics
(Philippines) Corp. (HTMP), one of the biggest exporters
in this free port, said it is expanding its operations
as it still expects growth in the market for its
industrial electronics products worldwide.
The
firm, which manufactures automated teller machine parts
and card readers, broke ground last week for a new
warehousing facility to be built at the Japanese-owned
Subic Techno Park (STEP) here.
Hitachi
Terminals had previously invested $12 million for its
manufacturing plant here, but company president Kiyotaka
Adachi said the new facility will make the firm more
competitive, allowing it to target more markets
worldwide.
The
groundbreaking ceremony was witnessed by Kazuya Hori,
vice president of Hitachi Omron Terminal Solution,
HTMP’s mother company; Takashi Jinguji, managing
director of Asia Hitachi Transport, other Japanese
business executives based at the technology park, and
senior deputy administrator Ramon Agregado of the Subic
Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA).
Hitachi’s warehouse project came at the heels of a
record-breaking export production last year, when the
firm sent out a total export value of $54.21 million.
The
record accomplishment, which Adachi said came after “a
lot of effort and hard work,” made Hitachi Terminals the
third-biggest exporter in the Subic Bay Freeport in
2007.
Adachi
said the construction of a new warehousing facility “is
part of our business strategy to control cost and to
improve our efficiency.”
“Hitachi
Terminals is competing hard to gain lead commission in
quality cost worldwide. This project is a sign that our
company is willing to compete strongly in the world
market,” he added.
The
company opted not to provide details on the project,
although officials said the building will have a total
floor area of 3,564 square meters.
The new
facility will receive components for stocking, inventory
control and handling of materials for production. It
will also be used for “picking” or the withdrawal of
parts to be delivered either for production or for
shipping.
Agregado
noted that aside from being the third-biggest exporter
last year, HTMP was also Number 8 among Subic’s biggest
importers, with a total import value of more than $24
million and also the eighth-biggest employer with a
total of 703 workers.
Agregado
also noted that Hitachi was one of the two Subic firms
to pioneer in “Ecoprofit” practices here, which involved
the adoption of innovative, integrated and
environment-friendly technologies.
Hitachi
officials said that by applying Ecoprofit principles,
the company was able to save millions of pesos in power
and water consumption. Among the Ecoprofit practices the
company adopted were the use of auto shutoff water
faucets and low-wattage fluorescent bulbs, mandatory
turning off of lights and airconditioning systems during
break time, and the promotion of a paperless,
pencil-less office through the use of intranet computer
networks. |
